Today a good friend dropped by to give me a “gift.” I anticipated this little surprise was a few bagels bc he told me a few weeks prior he was going to a local bagel shop and asked if I wanted any bagels. Now, being the bread lover that I am, I could not resist the offer of a few lovely bagels so I said yes. He then arrives at my door with a not so little doggy bag of fresh 1 hour old baked bagels. I mean this bag was huge… In my head im thinking “all the bagels in that bag cant be for me” followed by my verbal questioning, “Are all these for me??,” followed by a “Yes.” At this point im sure he doesnt know im in utter shock so I just proceed on with the conversation.. and im sure hes reading this Lol.

Now I love bread, and I LOVE bagels but I was really only expecting three at the most. I have enough bagels to feed me and a family of four for four years… Its enough bagels for one thousand stick people to hula hoop.. enough bagels to feed 500 Shreks… enough bagels to feed a three circus’. I felt like I hit the Mega MIllion bagel lotto. Okay, maybe im exaggerating a little, but its a lot.

I contemplated, were there ulterior motives behind this great bagel gift I received Lol?? ..and I thought back to the movie Mean Girls. Now there’s a scene in the movie where a girl gives her “friend” these protein bars to make her skinny but they really contain ingredients that are supposed to make her fat. *BINGO*… Hes trying to make me fat.. that has to be the answer. Guys think so different then women Lol, I know thats not what hes trying to do but still.. Bottomless pit of bagels *sigh*. Im obviously gonna have to freeze some since putting them in my tummy at once is not the answer..

This pic honestly doesnt do the amount of bagels, or bag justice.. just imagine a mini mountain under the  few you see.. Soooo heres my question, Does anyone have any ideas on how I can healthily consume all these glorious bagels?? This is a serious question. How can we make eating all these bagels healthy and me not fat??? I honestly could consume every single last bagel over the course of the weekend which I refuse to do.  *anxiously awaits answers*

I have some good friends Lol 🙂

Id just like to preface this post by saying a few of the pictures shown will not be very appealing so just a pre warning..

Now, lets just say I had a VERY wild experience a few days ago that I MUST tell you all about.. My first thought actually was, I cant wait to blog about this. Now… Let me start here, I love challenges, and seldom do I decline one unless I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I have no chance in succeeding. So, I recently went on an open land safari at a wildlife reserve.  Among the animals there were cougars.. Now I love animals, and wildcats intrigue me (domestic [house] cats.. ehh not so much.) So my guide let me get out the safari truck and walk for a while to see if I could see any of these precious wildcats, he said “give them space if you see them and don’t get to close.” I thought those directions were simple enough. I began walking and sooner or later I could not see the truck, what I could see in the high grass however and just beyond that, a cougar…

My first reaction was, OMG I need to get back to the darn truck, second, don’t make any sudden movements but before I could complete my thought, the cougar spotted me and started running towards me… Now, this cougar was over 200 feet away, but that means nothing to me or an animal that can run up to 40 mph.  I took off running. I must say, I think I morphed into a cheetah. Either that or there were matches lit under my feet. My heart was racing. arms pumping. feet moving at lightening speed. I dont think I was breathing. My feet however found it appropriate to trip over some imaginary item in the open field, propelling my body forward and ripping my pants..  but whyyy?? To that, I’ll thank my white ancestors for the classic “trip at the most inappropriate time when you’re about to die” syndrome. I got up quickly and kept going.. I could see the jeep, my heart was pounding. I refused to look back and see where my challenger was plus I didnt wanna stop the momentum. I was sweating bullets. My driver saw me and swung the door open 30 feet away.. I finally made it to the truck.. He took his gun and shot it in the air a few times. This AUTOMATICALLY stopped the cougar in his tracks & I was no longer a target… Wild right?? I promise I had to be running almost 30 mph, no joke… This was the damage, a few days later after i’ve been home.. Warning:: gross pic, skip over if you dont like seeing wounds

Ok now I have a small confession… I never went on a safari, I wasnt chased by a cougar, but I did fall. Can you forgive me?? 😦 The real story im abt to tell you is not as cool.. and to be honest the damage on my leg doesnt match what really happened… Something as horrible looking as that needs a cool story right?? Admit it, I had you fooled didnt I??? I knew it.

Anyway, now that I have your attention, heres the truth… I took my sis for a workout since im her personal trainer, and rather than me biking with her this time I decided to wear my rollerblades. I figured this time I could get a decent workout while im out training her. We hit the trail and headed for our local state park where many go to exercise. After abt 4mi we headed on the trail back home.. Halfway home, I randomly tripped on _____ (I have yet to figure out exactly what I tripped over). Either way it stopped my blade and before I could catch it, I found myself in a position where the fall was inevitable.. bc of this I began to try and figure out the best way to fall causing the less damage. I turned my body to the side and my legs slid under me as I turned to the right.. I ripped a hole in my under armor pants and that was my original concern smh. My sis the actress was very worried. but I just brushed my hands off, rolled my pants up and got up a few minutes later. We got home and I was still in shock. I never fall on my skates EVER… actually, I never fall period.. But I must say, I thought my battle wound looked cool… and I will admit, I was going relatively fast. Now you see why I made up the cool story in the beginning?? Lol. I text my mother a picture, just bc I know she worries.. she called and asked was I wearing a helmet?? When I laughed and responded “no. im not 5,” she hung up on me smh Lol. I mean, this was a leisure/workout trail activity. I guess I shoudve been wearing elbow/knee pads with minnie mouse stickers as well. Nevertheless, It was a great workout and I still had fun..

Originally I was concerned with the fact that I completely ruined my expensive under armor pants but now as my leg pains me, I could care less… I think im off to a good recovery though & as soon as it heals up a little more, I will be back on my skates.. until then Ill be biking and doing everything else :).

Do you have any cool fitness stories?? Did my cougar story have you going?? Let me know.

Now I usually just throw random combinations of fruits and veggies into my juicer or blender but if you arent so enthused and less structured as me, give this juicing recipe a try.This very simple recipe named, Have a Riot, includes:

• 2 beets
• 2 oranges
• 4 carrots

Throw into the juicer and bon appetite..

This wonderful recipe comes from a woman named Carla who has a juicing ebook available for 101 cents.. Yes.. you read correctly just 101 cents. Please support her, this is a steal considering you get 101 recipes. If you’re bad in math, that’s essentially 1 cent per recipe Lol. Doesn’t get much better than that, especially if you are a juicing newbie.

Copy and past the link (havent figured out embedding yet smh)——> http://www.rawrawlife.com/rawrecipes/

Ill continue to post my own recipes as well but you can never get enough.. Some of these combinations may have you looking at me sideways but trust me MOST of them are tasty.. The ones that are not as tasty, well, its your health, so suck it up, your body will thank you.

Usually, the juices that are challenging to the common palate are straight green juices, no fruit, you can work your way up to those.. Until then, make sure you keep a balance.. Most juices should be immediately consumed, I wouldnt personally refrigerate them longer than 2 days.. They are fresh after all.

Drink up!!!

Hey… Its that time again, Winner Food Wednesday.. Todays highlight is *drum roll*……snow peas, aka sugar snaps, aka Chinese snow peas

Now if you shop at a common grocer these may not be available, but search around a bit and you will be sure to find these delicious peas (maybe try an international grocer or organic market.) These peas come in a soft flat pod, and the entire pea (+pod) is consumed.

photo credit: http://www.defeatdiabetes.org

To consume you pinch the tips of the ends off and rinse with cold water.. Now you can eat these raw, add them to your salads, or fix in a stir fry etc. You decided.. Id recommend raw, they are pretty tasty 🙂

Benefits::

• Vitamin C (one of this antioxidants properties in an anti-inflammant which is good for ppl w/asthma)
• Vitamin A
• Loaded w/ fiber
• Magnesium
• Iron
• Folate (helps heart health)
• Thiamin
• Good for the eyes

and much more… Give it a try!! Let me know how you guys like it and how you prepare it!!

Soooo this post was supposed to go up Wednesday and today is Sunday.. Therefore, for today, this will be Winner Food Sunday.Wednesday ill be back on track Ugh lol. I could lie and say ive been super busy but the truth is, I’m always busy.. everything is a matter of planning. I feel obliged to discipline myself for falling off so early. How about tomorrow for my a.m. fitness ill do 30 extra pushups??? I think that will suffice.. Todays Winner Food Wednesday Sunday highlight is…*drum roll*……..Cauliflower!!! *erupts into cheers and screams* 

I won’t go into detail how Winner Food Wednesdays work again.. but refer back to my first post on it for the basics concerning eating local, organic, etc. The purpose of Winner Food Wednesdays is to highlight foods currently in season… Now lets get to it

Cauliflower is considered a cruciferous vegetable and boasts a high nutritional value..

1. it is loaded with antioxidants and phytonutrients including vitamin c and manganese, beta carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, rutin and many more… This is good for the total health of the body. Antioxidants and phytonutrients are good in preventing free radicals, lowering the risks of heart disease etc.

2. Cauliflowers nutrients also help lower the risk of many cancers

3. low in calories, so its good you’re a calorie counter 😉

4. It has anti inflammatory benefits due to its vitamin k and fatty acids content (this includes arthritis and chronic pains)

5. loaded with fiber… your digestive system will love you

Cauliflower has so many other benefits, these are just a few.. Go get some today!! Remember, the longer you cook a food the less nutrient dense it is. If your veggies are sitting on the stove an extended period of time cooking (ie. cauliflower being extra mushy) and then you douse it with butter, you are defeating the purpose… Learn ways to “cook” your cauliflower without killing it, ie. sauteed. Each time, work on less and less stove time as to retain more of the nutritional value. You can also chop up cauliflower and add to your salads. Raw is the ideal form. Im a plain Jane so if I “cook” my cauliflower, I steam it for a minute or two, add some curry seasonings, a dash of sea salt and voila, veggie magic!

sn: I had the random thought/question, am I the only one who refers to cauliflower as albino broccoli?? I know theyre in the same family but yea…Lol.. nevermind, maybe im just corny. Anyway, enjoy!! Let me know how you fix your cauliflower.