Tag: Vegan

• Early Morning Confessions

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on April 27, 2017

  1. I had a coffee date with a woman I met through pet sitting last week, and she is such a gem. She gifts me with things each time I watch her cat and on our date she gave me a card with ten euros inside for my upcoming trip.

  

  2. I get overly excited when I enter a bathroom other than mine and find the toilet seat up. To me this means the bathroom was freshly cleaned (usually at 6am when I arrive at work) and mine will be the first fanny of the day to grace the seat.

  3. I have been trying to get back into a running groove lately, and had a few runs last week that really made my soul sing. I managed a 5 miler that I didn’t think I had in me. Proof that whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right.

  

  4. I’m writing this to kill time before my bimonthly massage. I’m anticipating the jello like state my body will be in post rub down. The woman I see is a magician. Update: this massage was so good I couldn’t think straight.

  5. I have some kind of OCD when it comes to containers of food. Specifically nut butter jars. I need the sides clean of product as the jar is used. I do not like when there is butter all up the sides when the jar is half gone.

  

  Possibly hard to tell, but the top of the PB must have an even line. Minor residual remnants at the top are OK, but clumps are no no no.

  6. I’ve had this song on repeat. Tell me, would you dive with me?

  7. One of my runs last week was along the water. In the pouring rain. After a 15 hour work day. It was awesome. 

  8. I watched La La Land for the second time, and it was just as depressing as it was the first time I watched it. The end makes me feel sooooeemmpptyyy.

  9. I’ve been riding the veggie train haarrrddd lately because they make me feel good. I love when I share photos with my friends and their reply is, “looks good, but where’s the protein?” Then I proceed to school them.

  

  Legit this plate of plants has over 35g of protein. Thanks for the concern though. 😉

  10. Asparagus pee. That is all.

  Q: What’s your confession?

  

  | 61 Comments Tagged Early Morning Confessions, Ireland, Peanut Butter, Plant Based, Run, Running, Vegan

• Since You’ve Been Gone

  Posted at 9:00 AM by Brittany, on April 3, 2017

  Oh hi. I wasn’t gone long was I? Truth be told I can be a bit impetuous when I get emotional and my last post declaring a blog break was just that. I don’t feel like three weeks was long, and possibly not worthy of a declaration, however it allowed me to fully step away with ease.

  I missed this space which was a nice refresher for me. This outlet keeps me somewhat whole in the times I feel like I’m falling apart. Which has been the story of my life lately. The exciting thing is that these times of our lives are completely normal, and learning to be comfortable during the times of discomfort is amazingly freeing.

  

  The weather has been hit or miss in my parts lately, but I still try to get outside as much as I can. Fresh air is like an instant serotonin boost and LAWD knows I need sum-o-dat. Walking has been soothing for me lately, and while I’ve had a couple runs here and there I find that what my body is truly craving is slow paced, stress-less walking.

  Also jogging.

  I think I’m officially a believer of the jog.

  I’m not fully adjusted to the lifestyle change that comes with an autoimmune disease. The scaling back of physical activities to honor my fatigue is something I mentally struggled with for a while. As with all sudden changes this can take time, but I’m getting there each day. Moving is moving amirite?

  

  I’ve also slowly but surely been trying to find my way back to a mostly plant based diet. At this point I believe a lot of my struggles around what my body can and cannot handle is more mental than physical. At the end of the day I’m mentally conflicted over just about everything so I might as well ethically feel good, HA! I am putting my focus onto healing my mental state rather than worrying so much.

  Worry is an emotion reserved for those who don’t trust.

  I trust. I trust God, I trust my body, I trust my intuition, and I trust my life is falling into place just how it was meant to. I also trust the sun will come out sooner or later here. We’ve had a few previews and oh boy, o berto am I excited. 🙂

  

  I spent 10 days last week with my first client Emma, the catalyst to my pet sitting adventures. She is also one of the only clients I continue to stay with because I realized pet sitting (specifically dogs) was a huge stress addition for me.

  My mom tells me I will be a good mother one day because I’m very attentive to the pets in my life, but with that comes added stress. Unfortunately for her I still don’t want kids. “OH Brittany, you’ll want them when you’re older!” I’m 28…not getting any younger here. Still don’t want crawling drool producers, sorry mom.

  Also, I really like referring to these animals as my clients. #sidehustle

  I was happy to pull back the reins on this side hustle for less stress in my life. I do like staying with Emma though, she is easy and she and I have a bond that started with her ability to produce a RBF much like mine.

  

  I very much enjoy the company of Emma’s mom, and I think this is also why I continue to stay with her. I don’t have many people in my life that make me feel refreshed after we speak, but this woman makes me feel so happy inside. She has a solid 45 years on me, but she’s good people. I flock towards the older crowd, I’m told I have an old soul.

  So where am I going with this post? The moral of my story is to continue to be at peace with myself. Continue to trust my body, trust my mind, be gentle with my mind, and be gentle with my progress. Autoimmune diseases are a fickle beast and I’m certain mine was thrown into acceleration because of stress, so continuing to stress about little things will only make matters worse.

  This means giving my mind a hug at times with muffins. Paired this one with a cup of coffee and a walk in the rain. 

  

  An added benefit of walking more is that I am more aware of the ground. When I run I mostly focus on not dying so it’s harder for me to notice shiny objects on the ground. Walking allows me to pay attention to my surroundings. This attention brings me more money. One year I found over $10 on the ground.

  A penny isn’t just a penny when you find 250 of them.

  

  That’s almost enough to buy me another muffin. We’re making moves people, we’re making moves.

  Q: Do you pick up spare change when you see it? I know some of you do…you know who you are. #soulmates

  

  | 67 Comments Tagged Baking, Free Money, Life, Plant Based, Vegan

• Coffee and Compadres

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on February 21, 2017

  Last Wednesday I celebrated another year of life. 365 more days of sunrises and sunsets, 365 more days of coffee sips and cupcake eats, 365 more days of snuggles with my cats, and 365 more days dreaming of the mountains.

  

  I’ve never been one to take off of work for my birthday, however I don’t work Wednesdays right now. I decided to spend “the day my mom blessed the earth with my presence” by combining three of my favorite things: coffee, cupcakes, and hiking.

  

  My hiking partner, who also happens to be my work partner, but most definitely not my life partner, took the day off of work to spend the day with me exploring. We left at 07:00 and we were stuck in traffic far longer than either of us would have hoped.

  As one of the many cars aggregated together on the road I found multiple reasons to smile, the most obvious being that I was not on my way to work like the majority of those around me. Another reason was the delirium that started to take over my brain from sitting too long. A pit stop at Starbucks nearby our destination was in order to fill up my tumbler.

  Waiting until we were close to our location ensured the coffee was still warm upon our arrival at the summit.

  

  

  The forecast called for rain, and despite the fact I never quite know if this is going to be true in Washington or not, it did indeed rain. In fact, it was somewhat of a downpour most of our hike. Thankfully it was warm enough outside that the rain wasn’t uncomfortable.

  Dare I say it was fun?

  

  My right hand man was kind enough to stow my cupcake in his pack because I carried the coffee in mine. In all my years hiking I’ve yet to drink coffee at the summit of a mountain. It was time for this to change, and a birthday seemed like the perfect day to change this.

  

  

  Hiking alone is great, and I often prefer it, but when I’m alone I don’t have anyone around to capture my true beauty as these candid outtakes showcase. The rain was a nice touch giving me a true drowned rat look.

  

  

  My name is Brittany, I am 28 years old, and I have zero shame. 

  I chose an easy hike, only 4 miles RT taking two hours of our time. This time of year I tend to stay away from the snow packed peaks, I’m still traumatized from this adventure.

  

  I’m humbled when I embark on a hike that was once easy as slicing pie, and find that it winds me. Instead of letting this destroy my mental peace I use it as motivation to get back to a place of strength that I know I am capable of. This hike was doable, and I surely could have kept going, but there were moments I found myself out of breath.

  A few days prior I embarked on a local 9.5 mile RT hike, one that took 4 hours. This hike was tiring, but in different ways. Just as running challenges different muscles than swimming, hiking trails of differing elevations and distances challenges different areas of my body. My birthday hike challenged my heart rate more, and the longer local hike challenged my hip flexors more. I love variety.

  

  Local hike views.

  

  I bought myself a new pair of day hike shoes thanks to REI’s garage sale. They were worn maybe once, and returned because they were “too heavy.” Similar to my previous day hikers I snagged these hideous pink/red walkers for $100 less than what they would have been brand new. Sold. I tested them out on the 9.5 miler, because I like to test my pain threshold.

  

  I love birthdays because they remind me that life continues to fly by, even when we feel like it’s stagnant. It’s never too late to take control of what we want to do with our time, who we want to spend it with, and how we plan to achieve happiness.

  As each day passes for me I become more in tune with what I want my life to look like, but my favorite part is that I become more accepting of the inevitable changes life entails. The ups and downs are all necessary, the emotions and trials we experience are normal, and the gut feelings we have are usually right. They all work together to write the stories of our lives. Are you living yours in a way that others would want to read about?

  Q: What’d you do for your last birthday? Post hike I ate my body weight in Thai food, and regret nothing. Autoimmune diseases take a back seat on birthdays. HA.

  

  | 74 Comments Tagged Birthday, Coffee, Cupcake, Explore, Hiking, PNW, Rattlesnake Ridge, Vegan

• Banana Buckwheat “Hikecakes”

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on February 17, 2017

  So this happened last week. 

  

  The thing is I used to really dislike when it snowed. Borderline despised it. The snow either put a damper on my plans, or caused me anxiety because I “had to drive in it.” Before my current HR job with Starbucks I’d worked in customer service. When you’re scheduled to work in a job like that, your team relies on you to be there. There were many times I drove to work in the snow when I should have stayed home.

  I had momentary thoughts that there wasn’t quite enough snow for me to call out. How often do we tell ourselves something isn’t enough, when really it has far surpassed any quantifiable amount? Or rather it’s not something that needs a defining amount at all?

  It’s not that my job now doesn’t need me, or that I enjoy abandoning my team, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve realized it’s OK to put your safety before anything else. My commute to Seattle would have made for a treacherous adventure in this, and despite the twinge of guilt I felt for staying home, I relished in the joy of this white blanket of death.

  

  I slowed down. I savored coffee. I reflected. I found the beauty in the snow. The above photo pointed out the multiple difference species of trees that surround my house. There are five showcased in this photo, but there are more in the surrounding panoramic view. I stared at these trees for many long minutes, thinking about how thankful I am to live in a place like this.

  The snow held strong the following few days, and by day three I was ready for it to go. For me snow is best kept in the mountains, where I have a choice to spend time with it or not. Regardless I enjoyed my extra day away from work, giving me a total of six days off. Oh how I love working part time.

  

  Slowing down and staying inside inspired me to test out a new pancake recipe. I don’t often create new recipes these days for a myriad of reasons, but I was determined to find one that my body would handle. I often have to trade presentation and texture for taste, or vice versa, but I found a combination of ingredients that made my soul sing.

  Living with an autoimmune disease is a constant adventure in determining what foods will work with me, and what foods won’t. I’m at a place now on this journey where I no longer work myself into a tizzy of stress over my new lifestyle, and instead I take each challenge as a test of character. The best part about the pancakes I’ve been making is that they’re vegan, gluten free, and refined sugar free, yet they don’t taste like cardboard.

  

  They’re easy, they hold well, and they’re tasty. What they’re not is low calorie, but the beauty of using real food is that the calorie count doesn’t matter. These are my new go to hiking fuel, and for that I call these “hikecakes.” They won’t taste like pancake house cakes, but they do the job.

  All you’ll need are six ingredients, and a high speed blender (or food processor.) I wanted to find a combination of ingredients that allowed me to avoid adding sugar, and to avoid adding baking soda/powder. The sodium content of both baking soda and baking powder adds up quick and sodium is not something I handle well. A scoop of plant based pea protein provided enough sodium to give a good texture, without the added facial swelling.

  

  Banana Buckwheat Hikecakes

  Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup full fat coconut milk (from a can with NO added ingredients)
  • 1/3 cup + 1.5 tblsp H20
  • 1 medium overripe banana
  • 1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats
  • 1/4 cup buckwheat flour
  • 1 scoop pea protein (I use this brand because it’s one ingredient)
  • cinnamon (I don’t measure this, it’s dependent on preference IMO.)
  • coconut oil (for the pan)

  

  Directions

  Combine coconut milk, water, and banana in a high speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add in the remaining ingredients one at a time in the order listed above, blending each before adding the next. Add more water in half tablespoon increments if necessary. Depending on the size of your banana you may need more water. Be careful not to overdo it with the water though, your hikecake texture should be thick, but it should still move.

  

  Heat a non stick pan with a glob of coconut oil and pour batter into pan, batter makes around three circular cakes slightly larger than a sand dollar. Be sure not to overdo it with the oil in the pan, but put enough to ensure the cakes won’t stick.

  Tasting notes: because these are only sweetened with a banana I added some frozen berries to mine with a drizzle of pure maple syrup. The maple syrup is optional, but I find it necessary. If you’d like to sweeten the cake itself you can swap out the tablespoons of water for maple syrup. If you don’t want to use protein powder you can add a couple tablespoons more of flour, but I make no promises on texture.

  

  Optional pairing: A piping hot cup of coffee, preferable a Latin American blend with a full body and strong cocoa and nutty notes. I’ve been pairing my hikecakes with Starbucks Organic Yukon Blend and the balance of flavors work wonderfully together.

  That’s all I’ve got for today! Just helpin ya’ll out for the upcoming pancake Sunday.

  Q: What’s your go to pancake recipe?

  

  | 46 Comments Tagged Gluten Free, Pancakes, Plant Based, Recipe, Snow, Sugar Free, Vegan

• Why I’m No Longer Vegan

  Posted at 6:00 AM by Brittany, on January 26, 2017

  Alternatively titled why I’ve chosen to no longer feel like a bag of ass everyday. 

  This post was hard to write. I’ve been in denial for over a year now, and the only benefit of resisting the change that I knew I needed in order to heal my body is that I can honestly say I’ve tried it all. I tried with every fiber of my body to make a plant based diet work despite the growing list of health problems I have. With this, I have confidence in my decision should anyone try to argue with me about my dietary choices. Not that this should matter, it’s my personal choice just like any diet, lifestyle, hair color, or political position – we’re entitled to our own choice. BUT, I tried it all. Literally all of it. Perhaps it’s more for my own peace of mind knowing I gave it all I had.

  I’m going to include photos from a hike I went on yesterday in this post because the mountains are the only place that has brought me complete clarity this past year. 

  

  I didn’t struggle to write this post because I cared what other people thought, but rather because it meant I had accepted the change. Writing this post means I’m ready for the change, but getting to this point was a long and bumpy process. Change is hard, especially when you’re changing something you never thought you’d have to.

  Before I continue I want to make one thing clear. I do not by any means think a plant based diet is unhealthy, nor do I think there is a one size fits all way of eating. This post is based around my experience, my health issues, and my decisions to add animal products back into my diet. Albeit as I mentioned above, this was not easy. I’m writing this post because I want to be honest with my choices, and because reading articles about others that have had similar experiences has been immensely helpful for me.

  

  Let’s start at the beginning shall we? When I was 17 I went vegetarian. I watched 20 seconds of one factory farming video and that was it for me. I plunged into meat free life with ease and never looked back. I never felt a strong pull towards meat anyway, so the change wasn’t hard. I enjoyed this meat free diet for a handful of years before experimenting with veganism at age 23, a diet I thought I’d continue for life.

  My first year on a fully plant based diet was amazing. I thrived. I was enjoying foods in a way I never had before and I felt truly at peace with the way I was eating. I thank this time of my life for showing me a side of vegetables I hadn’t seen before. I am now beyond obsessed with these earthly foods and cannot imagine a world without leafy greens and broccoli. My diet became my lifestyle, and my lifestyle became my identity.

  Beet still my heart. 

  

  I’m not exactly sure where shit started to hit the fan for me, but despite the abundance of greens my diet was very grain heavy. I also consumed a good amount of sugar, which only progressed as time went on. My favorite way to celebrate after running a race was with a fat donut. Ohh the memories. I briefly talked about the beginning of some of my health issues in this post about stress, and after about two years on a plant based diet my health took a turn for the worse.

  I will never know if it was completely my dietary intake, or the outside factors such as chronic stress that affected me so poorly, but the end result remains the same. I have an autoimmune disease that has forced me to change my eating habits. I physically cannot eat a plant based diet successfully anymore unless I want to survive on leafy greens and broccoli. Most everything else sends me into a state of blood sugar crashes (including fruit) that leaves me foggy, tired, inflamed, bloated, and moody. Grains, fruits, even my beloved potatoes give me a headache, dry eyes, and such intense sugar cravings I’d sell my kidneys for a box of cookies.

  It’s truly both a blessing and a curse to be so in tune with my physical body.

  

  As I mentioned above I’ve been in denial. That means I’ve continued to try to make this square lifestyle fit into a circle shaped hole for over a year. That means I’ve been feeling God awful most days for over a year. I am what I eat, and I’ve reached the point where I can no longer bear the physical discomfort that has come with my denial. I’ve been living in the past thinking, “I used to feel so great eating this way, there has to be a way to make it work,” but as with all things in life this too has changed.

  So why has this been so hard for me? It should be easy eating a way that makes me feel good. It’s true, adding animal protein back into my diet (while also avoiding grains, basically paleo style eating) eases my symptoms and leaves my body praising with relief, like a cold damp cloth over an internal fire, but mentally I’ve struggled to get over the personal decisions to avoid meat which stem back to 17 year old Brittany watching those factory farming videos for the first time. I felt so passionately about my lifestyle that it became part of me, and I have mourned the loss of this part of me.

  

  I’ve mainly stuck to fish, but last week I bought a chicken. I’d eaten chicken before this last year, but this time I bought the entire body. I decided if I’m going to eat this “once living being” I need to be more connected to the source of it.

  As I was removing the meat from the bones I began sobbing. I cried such ugly tears as I verbally thanked the chicken for its meat (I didn’t know what else to do), and I later prayed that there has to be another way. This was an emotionally draining experience that haunted me the remainder of the week. To some this might seem silly, but think about something you feel a strong ethical pull towards and try to understand when you fight against this pull it’s no easy feat for the mind.

  Truth be told there is no other way. I go back and forth between a week of eating paleo and then I feel better, get ambitious and start eating vegan again and spiral right back to feeling like hell. I’m not talking cakes and cookies vegan, I’m talking basic whole grains and even fruits. 

  

  I’ve been in a state of limbo for so long I’m exhausted. I still stand by my ethical beliefs, but eating a plant based diet is simply no longer an option for me and my health. However this doesn’t mean I have to support factory farming. I’ve begun searching for local vendors that sell locally raised meats and fish. If I’m going to eat it I must do it right, the way God intended us to eat meat. None of this processed bull shit that we call food today, and none of the horror that comes from the torture of factory farming.

  It’s been hard, but as with all things in life it will get easier. I’ve tried to keep this post basic and straight to the point, but I assure you there have been so many more emotions and thoughts associated with this. I’ve been leaning heavily on my faith as I do in most times of struggle, and I verbally thank the animals (yes fish is meat, and an animal just like a chicken) I consume. If any of you have specific questions or concerns that you’d like to discuss please feel free to email me and I’m happy to elaborate.

  

  I’m still finding my footing on eating habits, and I’m aware this journey will forever be a learning process. My goal is to continue to fine tune my body and fuel it with whatever makes me feel best. I’m mostly consuming fish, as it’s the one animal product that makes me feel best. I’ll probably slip here and there, but my footing is already more sturdy today than it was yesterday.

  To end this post I just want to say I’m good. I’m writing this from a place of peace, trusting that my body knows best (spoiler: it does know best.) To all my plant based readers I hope you’ll stick with me for my mountain adventures, but if you choose to no longer read I completely understand. I won’t be blogging about meat, and the only food photos I’ll share if any will continue to be of plants, but just know for complete transparency I will be eating animal proteins. I’ll do an update post as time goes on.

  

  Mad love to all of you that have stuck with me on my journey the past while. And to my real life friends, thank you for dealing with my wishy washy back and forth decisions, and for putting up with my crazy. I realize how privileged I am to have this kind of decision in the world we live in and I assure you I don’t take it for granted. 

  

  You do you, and I’ll do me. 🙂

  Q: What was a tough decisions you had to make?

  

  | 103 Comments Tagged Life, Vegan

• Seattle Staycation

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on January 9, 2017

  Anytime I find myself in Seattle for an extended period of time I consider it a mini stay-cation. It’s not quite a vacation because I’m only hopping, skipping, and jumping across a small body of water, but it’s time away from my home making it an adventure nonetheless.

  

  I spent the last eight days house sitting in Seattle, and my days looked something like this: work (three of the days), eat (all of the days), and explore (most of the days.) Despite the fact that I do get paid for these house sitting gigs, I typically end up spending more than half of what I make on food. I consider it bonus cash. 🙂

  I spent a lot of time at Whole Foods hot bar spending my life savings on all things vegetables. 

  

  I’ve made a conscious effort to use Whole Foods for here bowls instead of putting my meal into a to go box. Let’s be honest, I eat it all while I’m in store anyway, might as well save a bit of the planet while I’m at it.

  

  I had a few more bowls from different days, I just couldn’t deny the convenience of this Whole Foods being so close to Green Lake, another place I spent a few hours of my time. Here I found my soul mate in bird form, all black body (like my soul) with giant odd looking feet. I was also a witness to a love triangle. Female ducks know how to work their bodies despite being less flashy looking than the males.

  

  

  We can all take a note from the female Mallard. Confidence on point. 

  

  I gave my first unborn child to eat an acai bowl, little did they know I don’t plan to have kids. So expensive, but so good. I’m excited to be reunited with my blender. Perhaps next time I just bring it with me. Yes, that sounds like a good plan.

  

  I kept my sugar beast in check most of the days despite being surrounded by copious amounts of amazing vegan treats, except for one solid choice. A new ice cream shop opened in November showcasing plant based goodness with a base of raw sprouted cashews and coconut milk (no fillers or gums), somewhat sweetened by dates and maple syrup, and with amazingly unique flavor profiles.

  The cone is made from maple syrup and oats. Das it.

  

  Be still my plant based heart. Top scoop is salty caramel ash infused with activated charcoal, bottom is California cabin infused with pine needles, black pepper, cardamom, and smoked sea salt. If you’re ever planning to visit Seattle, Frankie and Jo’s is a must. Did I mention pine needles? So much yes

  I tend to enjoy eating ice cream mostly in the winter months, I’m not sure why. I don’t really eat a lot of ice cream and in the summer with the heat it makes me feel heavy. I happily ate these scoops despite the frozen tundra that hit Seattle last week. So cold it froze parts of the lake.

  

  I spent a solid five hours with a friend from work over the weekend. It was nice to chat with a like minded individual, those are hard for me to find these days. She’s the bee’s knees.

  The only other honorable mention from my week in the city was the sleeping cat I found at the park by the gym I went to. What I want to know is WHERE these statues were when I was a child? Kids these days have it so good.

  

  I’d have climbed on his back like he were Falcor from The Neverending Story. Or maybe the dragon would have been better suited for that, although his spikes look painful.

  

  Back home, and back to school today. I had a glorious month long break making it equal parts hard and easy to go back. This will be my last full semester, with a partial semester over the summer to finish things off. I.Am.So.Ready. 

  Q: What kind of entertainment did you have in the parks as a child? I was early teens when I first saw a t-rex dino you could ride forward and back. It was purple, and it was the coolest.

  

  | 46 Comments Tagged Explore, Green Lake, Ice Cream, Seattle, Vegan, Whole Foods

• Sayonara Sugar

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on December 19, 2016

  I often joke about my sweet tooth and talk about how it runs my life. I could easily out eat a full grown gorilla when it comes to anything with sugar, and in the past I’ve not worried about it too much because I had a decent balance on my intake.

  Fast forward to over a year ago, when my mental strength turned to mush.

  Some things occurred the last year and a half that helped catalyze my diet to become something you’d likely see on an episode of Jerry Springer, the foodie edition. It’s come to a point where it’s no longer a joke, and I’ve been completely hijacked by sugar. Don’t get me wrong, my Costco cart is still filled with greens, and the bulk of my diet are whole foods, but that doesn’t excuse the excess amounts of treats I’ve consumed.

  

  I will never completely abandon processed sugar, I’ve tried and it just causes me to binge. A healthy balance of greens and treats is what I long for, and because I’m not currently in a mental state to have “just one,” sugar has got to go. For now.

  I’m not proud of the spiral I’ve fallen into, and my carefree intake of processed foods has affected me both mentally and physically. I’ve gained 25 pounds, my fitness activities are challenging, and my motivation is dismal, but the good news (because I’m a sucker for silver linings and must end on a positive note) is that this is reversible.

  

  Whole Foods – the king of vegan chocolate mousse

  Life happens, and sometimes that means we fall off the wagon. Or in my case, get body slammed off the wagon, run over, and then the wagon backs up just for good measure. We’re human and sometimes it takes time to realize our actions aren’t serving us very well, and in my case it’s taken over a year. I can only take what happens in life and learn from it.

  I’ve been dwelling long enough on my choices and it’s time to make some changes. I no longer want to just “look a certain way,” but rather I want to feel a certain way. I want to sleep better, I want my skin to feel hydrated, I want my energy levels to be elevated, I no longer want my eyes to look lifeless, I want my joint and muscle inflammation to dissipate, and most importantly I want my mind to be at peace.

  Sugar messes with so many parts of our bodies, and our brains are hit the hardest. 

  

  SO I went out with a bang last week and stocked up on treats from Whole Foods, because they are my JAM when it comes to vegan baked goods. Starting today I will be training for my seventh half marathon, which will help get me back on track. Within the next three months I plan to avoid any and all processed sugar with one exception – my birthday.

  Life’s too short not to have cake on your birthday.

  

  Whole Foods – mile high vegan cupcakes

  I guarantee I will have x-rated fantasy’s of sugar dancing in my lap, and post race I plan to indulge in the most decadent of treats, but overall I hope to regain my mental strength, reestablish some self control, and rediscover what balance means for me.

  Posting this on the blog is my attempt to stay accountable because it’s easy to put this into words after eating a locally made donut when my sugar levels have been filled, but come next week when my reserves are empty I’ll need this accountability to stay strong. I know when I’m out running my double digit miles next month I’ll thank myself, because without all the processed garbage blocking my innards running will feel so much better.

  

  Three months sans sugar, and three months of focused running to bring me back to a balanced state of living. I’ll do random updates every so often. One of my favorite half marathon training plans has every Monday as a rest day, including the first one.

  Starting off training with a rest day, I can work with that. 

  Instead of running today you can find me at work, and unwinding with one of my favorite gifts of the year. A friend of mine took one of my Instagram photos and had it made into a puzzle. It was a total surprise, and totally awesome. Also, I’m still rocking three pumpkins outside my house because I have separation anxiety for the fall season.

  

  Wish me luck, and if I snap at you while having a conversation just know it’s nothing personal. It’s just the sugar beast searching for glucose. 🙂

  Q: What’s the longest you’ve gone without sugar? For those of you that live sugar free, what was it like when you first made the lifestyle change?

  

  | 64 Comments Tagged Half Marathon, Running, Sugar Free, Vegan, Whole Foods

• The First Snow

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on December 12, 2016

  The crunch under my feet could only be described as that of fresh fallen snow. I saw the white blanket of death outside my window in the early morning hours, but felt confident enough to get into my car and start my commute to work. The sky was still dark, providing just enough light to reflect off the smooth, unscathed snow.

  I slowly backed my two wheel drive vehicle out of my driveway with vigilance, quietly praying that I didn’t glissade into a ditch. The first slip of the wheels should have been enough for me to turn around and crawl back into bed, surely it was still warm with two lazy felines laying atop the blankets.

  

  The first hill out of my driveway caused my wheels to spin, but my car couldn’t be bothered to project forward. Shit. I don’t dare quit yet, I haven’t made it to the main roads and surely they have more traction. Wrong. Out of the hood I come and the moment of truth is staring me in the face like a creature without eyelids. This blink-less stare off between me and the while icy roads lasts much longer than it should have.

  I grip my steering wheel with a potent force strong enough to crush steel with my bare hands. The fear building inside my soul can only be expressed properly though interpretive dance, where my arms flail in the air like one of those blow up tube men shown at car sales.

  

  My breaks don’t work the way they were designed to as I make my way down the hill, but I slowly pump them anyway in an attempt to defy the odds. As a child I would often defy the rules of life and this is something I’ve carried into my adulthood. I make it to the bottom of the hill, but not without my life flashing before my eyes in a horrifyingly detailed way.

  “I haven’t hit the summit of Machu Picchu yet, I haven’t had any cookies today, OH THE HORROR I haven’t met Tom Hiddleston!” Snow capped trees surround me as I try to find the beauty in the adventure of driving my “not made for snow” vehicle further and further from the safe confines of my house.

  

  Photo from a hike last week, not from my drive. My drive was 5x this much snow.

  Suddenly a thought pops into my head. “WHAT IF, I actually listen to my gut today. WHAT IF I go back home?” Will the world stop turning? Will I sink to the fiery depths of hell? Will I loose all my hair? Oh wait, that already happened.

  I fought against my “you can’t NOT go to work” mindset and made the second best decision of the morning. I turned around and went back home. The first best decision was to make a giant bowl of oatmeal with a side of delicious coffee. Enjoyed while gazing at the white world around me.

  

  The final test was getting up the large hill I managed to get down. A woman stands to my left shoveling her driveway and I yell at her to “STAND BACK” as if she can hear me through the walls of my car. Heaven forbid I loose control of my car and run into her going 5MPH. I make it. Back in my neighborhood my journey is almost over.

  I can almost hear the angels singing as they welcome me back home, but not before I try and fail three times to get into my driveway. My driveway with a mere 5 degree angle. The fourth time was the charm. I walk through the door, drop my jacket to the floor, declare my presence to my fur children and breath a sigh of relief. I made it.

  

  

  No work means lunch at home!

  In all reality I can be quite dramatic, but driving in the snow terrifies me almost more than the thought of what might lurk under my bed. I’ve now officially begun my search for an AWD vehicle, if only I can overcome the separation anxiety for my current car.

  Q: Do you like driving in the snow?

  

  | 71 Comments Tagged Camry, Cats, Coffee, Snow, Vegan

• Early Morning Confessions

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on November 28, 2016

  1. I ran my first 5K race since 2012. I run the 5K distance all the time, but I once told myself it was a waste of money to pay for one as a race. Fast forward to Thanksgiving 2016 – I ate those words because just the thought of a 10K winded me.

  

  I still managed a 9:42 pace though. I’ll take it.

  2. My pre race meal consisted of an entire package of tofu. I don’t recommend that, the GI struggle was so real.

  3. Thanksgiving was all kinds of marvelous. My angelic mother and I made a raw pumpkin pie that is so decadent I’m still nursing it five days later. Who lets pie last five days!?

  

  4. Christmas music has been playing in my car since before Thanksgiving. I have no shame.

  5. I’m on a solid whole foods kick and loving it. I’ve been trying to ditch terrible eating habits for months now.

  

  

  

  6. I’ve been tearing though cruciferous vegetables and jars of peanut butter. That combo is enough to do some damage to the ozone layer due to all the methane I’ve produced.

  7. I worked on black Friday, which is fine by me. I don’t partake in the shopping madness and already had three days in a row off. It was bizarre being in such a large building with so few people. The 8th floor cafe was closed and I had the entire lobby to myself.

  

  8. I’ve dipped my toes back in to the rivers of coffee. I limit my intake to no more than 10 oz, and water it down significantly, but I’m thrilled to be slowly drinking it again after months away.

  9. I continue to be charmed by the holiday vibes of the workplace. Thanks for being awesome Starbucks.

  

  10. I’ve been indulging in “self care” lately. By that I mean I’ve been getting massages twice a month because it makes me happy. I even went as far as getting a pedicure with a girlfriend last weekend. I don’t get pedicures…but I wear sandals year round and my feet were looking pretty rough.

  The last time I got a pedicure was April of 2012. You can read my experience here. I don’t dare get a mani/pedi combo EVER again.

  Q: What’s your confession?

  

  | 64 Comments Tagged Confessions, Plant Based, Race, Running, Starbucks, Thanksgiving, Vegan

• What I Learned in California

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on November 15, 2016

  As I recap my recent travels to California this past week, I’d like to share my latest learning’s. Knowledge is power after all. Here we go.

  1. Shoving all your stuff into one medium sized back pack while traveling makes the transition from one state to another SO.MUCH.SMOOTHER. I’ve been using this bag for week longs trips for a few years now. Minimalism = less stress.

  

  2. Driving on the freeways of California are not nearly as terrifying as I anticipated. I even managed to keep up with the locals. 80 is the new 60.

  3. California continues to KILL IT with the vegan eats. If I were a rodent I would never leave the dumpsters behind the below restaurants.

  

  Peace Pies – San Diego

  

  Peace Pies – San Diego

  

  Native Foods – Carlsbad

  

  Native Foods – Carlsbad

  

  Choice Superfood Bar & Juicery – San Diego

  5. I love Washington. This isn’t new, but I’m always reminded when I travel away from my home state why I love it so much. The fresh air is unbeatable. Thank you trees, keep trapping toxins in your trunks.

  6. I learned what the Santa Ana winds are. Aka abnormal heat waves. Running at 7:30pm, in the dark, and it was 80 degrees!

  

  7. I’m not as anti social as I thought. I made a gaggle of new friend this weekend. It was swell. This helped me appreciate my alone time when I got home. #recharge.

  8. Trails in California are not like trails in Washington. They have their own kind of uniqueness, but nothing compares to the peaks in my area. Tried to hike multiple (baby/under 2k’ elevation) mountains, but due to above mentioned Santa Ana, fire warnings were high.

  Managed one adventure in the mountains to watch the sunrise.

  

  

  9. Toilets are not always porcelain. I went to a restaurant with all black toilets and they made my bum feel extra fancy. Pinky up.

  10. Running on the beach is no joke. No joke at all. I’m no road runner, but my pace slowed from a 10min/mile to a TWELVE minute mile (and some change) once I found my feet in the sand. Was great.

  

  11. Two more people told me I look like Ashley Judd. Puts my tally over ten people now. I’m thinking about quitting my job and moving to Vegas to be a stand in wax statue for Ashley.

  12. I really, really, really don’t like makeup, but I do like fancy hair. Being a bridesmaid means you get fancy hair and ten pounds of make up. I had more make up on my face in one night then I typically have in one year. I’m still washing it off three days later.

  

  

  

  

  More wedding photos and shenanigans to come. 

  Q: Fancy hair, or fancy face? Definitely hair. I really want to chop mine off so it’s short like these photos. 

  | 61 Comments Tagged Ashley Judd, California, Hiking, Running, Vegan, Wedding

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