Ever since returning from Asheville, I’ve been in the mood for fresh, local foods. Asheville began to turn me into a food snob, I suppose, because everything there was fresh, healthy, locally grown, and/or organic. I felt great after every meal I ate, rather than feeling sluggish and unsatisfied.

I’ve never been much of a junk food person. I’ve always enjoyed my vegetables, and I hardly ever ate candy as a kid. Even now, you’ll rarely find junk food in our pantry. Husband hasn’t had caffeine in nearly a year, and I stopped drinking sodas over two months ago, so we mostly have water and juice in our fridge. We have been looking at the labels lately as well, and we’re trying to stay away from high fructose corn syrup. Honestly, anytime I get anything, if I see high fructose corn syrup as an ingredient, I’m immediately turned off. Just the sound of it is bleh to me now.

I’m not a vegetarian, nor do I have any intentions of becoming one anytime soon; however, I’m cutting red meat out of my diet for now–I’ve never been a fan of it, anyway. Mostly, the only meat I’m eating is chicken and seafood (tilapia and shrimp, mainly), and even chicken grosses me out at times. I’ve always thought of a meal as meat being the main ingredient and veggies being the “side dishes.” Now, I’m seeing it the other way around. In reality, meat isn’t something I’m requiring in a meal anymore.

I’m still learning to look at labels on everything. I want to make sure I have enough protein if I don’t eat meat for every meal. (If you have suggestions for cooking tofu, send them my way!) I’m also buying fresh produce locally (it’s cheaper, closer, tastes much better, and it isn’t mass-produced) when I can and when it’s available.

Even though we’ve only been home from Asheville for a little over a week, I’ve felt healthier. I’ve had more energy, and I’ve been craving fruits and salads and homegrown vegetables (which should be ready soon)! It’s a nice feeling.

Ingredients in the salad above: Spring mix, chopped apple, dried cranberries, sliced almonds, snack mix (whole almonds, raisins, cashews, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds), fresh tomato, fresh cucumber, cheddar cheese, and poppyseed dressing. I also had a slice of bread with almond butter.

• I made an A+ on the paper I wrote for Dante’s Inferno.
• I’ve been spending two evenings a week at my brother-in-law’s track meets. They last around four hours, but we were at Thursday’s meet for over six hours!
• I am now a contributor over at In It To Gym It. It’s helping me get my butt in shape and on track with a healthier lifestyle. You can read my introduction post here.
• I took Friday as a paid day off from work. It was greatly needed, and I enjoyed it. I spent the day eating lunch with Husband and Brother-in-law and then going on a hike with Husband.
• Saturday was spent doing the 30-day shred, wii fit workouts, and going on a bike ride at the park with Husband. After that, we took a trip to the creek to relax and listen to the water.
• Sunday was a day of Easter celebration (and waking up at 5:45 a.m. for Sunrise service).
• I made a smoothie for the first time. A handful of strawberries, a banana, a couple splashes of 2% milk, a few spoonfuls of vanilla yogurt, and some honey. It was delicious! (I’d love any recipe suggestions you might have!)
• I’m dealing with a ridiculously uncomfortable sun rash that popped up after hiking on Friday. It will go away after being inside for a few hours, but just a few minutes after stepping into the sun, it flares up again. Luckily, it’s on my arms and chest/neck, and not on my face. (I’m trying to look at the bright side.)
• I registered for two classes in the fall so far–Intro to Abnormal Psychology and Religions of the World. I’m still debating on what other classes I’d like to take.
• I woke up to find that I’m featured on IndieInk today! IndieInk has been on a brief hiatus, and today is the first day back online, so go check it out and submit!

What have you been up to since I’ve been gone?

Husband and I may be getting another kitten in the near future. My in-law’s cat had babies, so we may be taking one, if Loki will stand for it. They’re tiny and grey right now, and I’d really like a girl. We’re thinking of the name “Eris,” which I believe is the name of the Greek goddess of chaos/strife. (If you remember, Loki is named after the Norse god of mischief, and he fully lives up to his name!) If we do happen to get a kitten, I believe this will be our last one. Two is enough. Right? (I told Husband to be careful, though. After the kittens are grown, I’ll be ready for babies. Hah!)

Husband and I are thinking of doing a “No Meat Monday” every week, as well as a meatless dinner another day of the week. While we’re dipping our feet into consuming less meat, we’d still like to eat nutritiously. Any ideas on healthy, vegetarian dishes that we could try? I’m not a HUGE fan of cheese, but I’ll try anything. I really don’t like soy chicken, either, so no fake meats, if possible. If you have any suggestions for vegetarian cookbooks and/or blogs, send them my way!

Happy Tuesday, everyone! May this week be filled with sunshine and blooming flowers.

Did you know that artificial fragrances can store themselves in your body and have been linked to cancer? Not only that, but musks don’t biodegrade. I found all of this information through Body & Soul magazine in this article:

Synthetic musks, for instance — widely used in perfumes, deodorants, and detergents — have been linked to cancer. They can bioaccumulate, or store themselves in the body, and have been found in breast milk, which means that nursing infants ingest them. Research indicates that these musks don’t biodegrade; they’ve been found polluting watersheds and the plants and animals that live there. Another worrisome class of chemicals, phthalates, are often used in fragrance because they allow the smell to last longer. They have been linked to changes in the reproductive and endocrine systems as well as in the liver, kidneys, and adrenal glands. (via)

What’s even scarier is the fact that, while cosmetics must have ingredients listed, laundry detergent and cleaning supplies aren’t required to list their ingredients. You know, the laundry detergent that you use to wash your clothes, which you wear all day? Yeah, your body is ingesting those harmful chemicals. Even air fresheners, though you don’t spray them on yourselves, can cause damage because you’re still breathing in the chemicals.

What can you do? Stop using scented products, unless they are naturally scented (with essential oils and such). Look at the ingredients of everything you put on our body. If ingredients aren’t listed, find a similar product that does list their ingredients. There are so many “green” products out today, and they aren’t that expensive. Even if they are a few pennies extra, wouldn’t you rather be paying that now than paying for it later on down the line (in terms of medical problems)?

Where can you buy “safe” products?*

• This article has many suggestions from laundry detergent to lip balm to soap.
• Etsy. There are so many shops that make their products from natural ingredients … because they don’t have to mass-produce. They spend time on each individual product to create something safe for you. (Some shops to check out: Pink Parchment Soaps and Mad Hatter Soap Co.)
• Seventh Generation. A natural line of cleaning products from laundry to feminine care.

So, this is where I’m starting. I’m not promising to wipe out these things entirely–not immediately, anyway. It could take some time … But I’d like to get there eventually!

*If you can think of other green products, link to them in the comments!

Eat cleaner foods. Honestly, I’ve realized this is all about time management. It’s easy to eat healthy. However, it’s so much easier to just grab the usual at the grocery store or take a quick trip to the drive-thru. No more of that. From now on, I want to plan out my meals in advance and actually make grocery lists … making sure that the foods Husband and I eat are clean.

Stop biting my nails. (Stole this one from Ashley.) It’s true: I’m a nail biter. Husband hates it, but it’s a nervous habit. I looked at my nails yesterday, though, and they really don’t look pretty. Plus, it’s an unhealthy, disgusting habit to have. So, breaking that one. I hope.

Yoga. Um, yes. Husband bought me some yoga gear last Christmas, and I’ve yet to really use it. I want to spend some time with myself, though, just being. I think yoga will help that.

Figure out what I believe in. I don’t discuss my beliefs here, but I have them. I think. I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about it, but I want to. I want to become more grounded in my spirituality and really figure out what/who I believe in.

Find optimism in everything. I was once a very optimistic person, but I’ve slacked up. I want to continue finding optimism in everything, even if there doesn’t seem to be a bright side.

Maintain a happy, healthy marriage. Husband and I are happy. Every day, we learn something new about each other, and rather than terrify us, it keeps us growing together. We’ve only been married for nearly a year and a half, but I’m so looking forward to spending the rest of my life with him, as cliche as it sounds.

Figure out my purpose. Okay, so I’m not expecting this to happen in a year … But I want to put myself on the path to figuring out what my purpose in life is.

Become more clearly myself. Each day, I am one step closer to becoming “more clearly myself.” I spend so much time being what the world wants me to be without really looking within … But I’m ready for the journey to find out who I am.

October has always been one of my favorite months (aside from my birthday month–December). I absolutely love the changing of the seasons in October. It moves from warmer weather to cooler weather in just a matter of weeks–or even days! The leaves are changing, and with that, Husband and I want to make a few changes. We want to eat healthier; we want to fill our bodies with the nutrients they deserve. When we’re ready to have children, I want my body to be prepared to carry a baby for nine months, healthily.

Husband is incredibly active. He loves to hike and rock climb, and I tend to try my ability to keep up with him on occasion. (Though I’m usually the one on the ground, taking pictures. No way I’m going to be climbing rocks. Let me clarify, though. He climbs rocks without ropes, often called bouldering. He has a “crash pad” on the ground that he lands on if he falls. Freaks me out, no lie.) Anyway, he realized that he needs to eat healthier (more organically, even) if he wants to coninue bouldering, so I’m joining him on this journey.

Luckily, I’ve jumpstarted this healthy-living journey with a detox. (I’m on Day 5, by the way.) Not only that, but I want to start running. I want to ride the bike I bought at the beginning of the year. I want to enjoy waking up early to do yoga.

Life’s hard. We always make these big plans, and some of the time, they don’t work out. We give up or something happens along the way. I want to make this happen, though.

As always, if you have suggestions/advice, send them my way.

Today, I’m starting a 7-day detox. I’ve been looking into it for some time, and after a trip to GNC last weekend, I found a kit (made specifically for women) that I wanted to try. GNC WELLbeING® be-CLEANSED™ is a 7-day detoxification kit that consists of a liquid body purifier, daily detox pack, and a suggested meal plan for the week. While I won’t be able to strictly stick to the meal plan, I’m going to stay as close to it as possible. I’ll be keeping track of my daily meals here.

GNC has other products for the WELLbeING line, all made for active women. I’m using their multivitamin and a calcium chew, twice daily. I’ve tried other multivitamins in the past, and they always made me feel sick. So far, this one is doing well! I’d like to try some of the other products as well. I found this write-up on it here, if you’re interested.

Have you tried the WELLbeING products? If not, what do you use as a daily multivitamin? Do you have any suggestions for me?