Follow these tips and feel amazing on vacation!

Our Hidden Gems for

Keeping it Together on Vacay



1.  The morning is the most important time of the day 
 
Your intentions are most powerful in the morning – make an intention for what you want the day to be (adventure and relaxation vs. eat fest)
 
Exercise first thing in the morning or else odds are it ain’t happenin’…don’t go to the gym, you are on vacation!  Do something relative to the trip that is active (walk/run on the beach, go for a hike etc..)
 
Eat a healthy breakfast to set yourself up for the rest of the day.  Amongst the buffet, there are always eggs and fresh fruit.  Hardboiled eggs are the best choice because there is added oil in the omelets
 
 
2.  Choose one: booze or sugar (or NONE!)
 
If you want to drink, don’t do the desserts – it just too much darn sugar
 
Sugar will weaken your immune system making it easier for you to acquire travel related “bugs”… it also feeds the bugs, bacteria and parasites
 
Sugar causes fatigue and who wants to feel crappy on vacation!?
 
 
3.  Press the reset button, not the tap out button
 
We tend to look at things as black or white.  Once we start eating off the wagon, the thought crosses our mind “eff it, I’m on vacation and I already messed up, I’ll just detox when I get back home”.  TAP OUT! 
 
Instead… press the reset button for the next meal and commit to yourself that you will RESET and eat in a loving way to your body.  You stay tapped in (to mind-body consciousness) and have a better experience while you are away


4.  Anything that is too rigid breaks!

After our seven day yoga retreat full of super-healthy vegetarian meals (no free treats!), this guy left the airport and headed staight to P. Terry's for a burger and fries. Allowing yourself some leeway to have a little bit of this or a few bites of that while vacationing will prevent the pendulum swing once your are back in the real world :)



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Recipe of the Week:

Tropical Chopped Salad



Ingredients:
4 oz. cooked wild-caught shrimp
1/4 mango, diced
1/4 avocado, diced
1/4 cucumber, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 tbsp minced red onion
1/2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp mayo
1/4 tsp ground cumin
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
Fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:
Place the shrimp, mango, avocado, cucumber, bell pepper and onion in a bowl. Toss to combine, being careful not to smash the avocado. Add mayo, lime juice, and cumin, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir gently and let rest for 5 minutes.

Photo and recipe courtesy of
 http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2012/03/08/tropical-chopped-salad/

What's worse than feeling fat in a bathing suit?

    

As I write this, your Nut Wiz crew is heading on vacation!!  Kathryn is going to the Bahamas to get married and I am off to Costa Rica for a week of adventure and relaxation! As I pack for this trip, I am reminded of all the times in the past I went on vacation, aka “eat fest” of the year and came back feeling sluggish, pudgy, constipated and depleted.  You know it well, diet and restrict yourself as much as possible to look skinny for your vacation only to have packed on about twice as much as you lost when you return. Am I right?!  Amma right?!

It finally hit me after one vacation that I was fooling myself into thinking that taking a break from my normal routine and work schedule also meant taking a break from my “diet”.  The problem isn’t taking a break from a diet (because if you are on one, then I certainly recommend taking a break); it’s in believing I was on a diet in the first place. 

Most of you may have come to this realization (profound yet sad as my inner, gluttonous fat kid slowly dies) that what begins as rules or a 10 day-detox should slowly morph into a set of eating principles that continue to gently guide you for the rest of your life.  Avoiding dairy, limiting processed foods, saving dessert for special occasions… this is no longer my diet but a belief system through which I find my vitality, happiness, confidence and peace of mind.  There is a tremendous shift that occurs when you realize that conscious eating is a practice that never leaves you, and treating your body with respect is a 24/7 lifelong commitment. 

This doesn’t mean I won’t go on vacation and try the local fare, enjoy a dessert with my honey, and I would hope that Kathryn gets a little wedding cake shoved in her face (lovingly, and no cake up the nostrils b/c that gives me the willies).  I will however commit to honoring my body every day for the rest of my life and that extends to my vacations as well!  Stay tuned for next week’s newsletter where I will share my top three gems for keeping it together on vacation!

Arrivederci my wisdom seekers! 

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Recipe of the Week:

Avocado Coconut Smoothie
(so you can feel like you're right there with us on vacation!)

Ingredients:

1/2 large avocado
1/2 frozen banana
2 cups fresh raw spinach or 1 tbsp Paleo Greens
2 tbsp shredded coconut or coconut butter
1/2 cup frozen berries
1 scoop grass-fed vanilla Paleo Meal protein powder
approx. 8 oz unsweetened coconut milk (in the carton, not the canned Thai coconut milk).
1 tbsp chia seeds or 1-2 tbsp Paleo Fiber 

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Start with less liquid then add until desired consistency is reached.

Are you bored to death...with your snacks?

Hot off the press! 
Grab a copy of the May edition of Austin Fit Magazine for Carly's article Make Happiness Your Cardio (p. 44)

  


 

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There are some days where a piece of fruit and handful of nuts are as unappealing as scooping the kitty litter.  



We've come up with these enticing snacks to get you out of the monotonous and ever-available fruit and nut combo. 

 

 

Roasted Chickpeas

 

Ingredients:

1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Chili Pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F. Lay paper towel on a baking sheet, and spread the beans over. Use another paper towel to gently press and absorb the water on the beans. Roll the beans around with the paper towel to also remove the thin skin from any of the beans. Discard the paper towels. Drizzle the melted coconut oil over the beans and use your hands or a spatula to toss around and coat. Season with spices. Roast for 30-40 minutes until the beans are a deep golden brown and crunchy. Make sure that the beans do not burn.

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"Caprese salad"

Ingredients:
Tomatoes, chopped
Basil, chopped
White onion. thinly sliced
Avocado
Balsamic vinegar
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sea salt and pepper

Directions:

Place tomatoes, basil, avocado and white onion in a bowl. Season with sea salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

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Green juice

 

Here are a few of our favorite concoctions. Remember to use a 3:1 ratio - 3 veggies to 1 fruit.
 

Cucumber - kale - celery - turmeric - ginger - apple
 

Lime - cilantro - celery - cucumber - jalapeno - spinach
 

Romaine - kale - endive - spinach - broccoli stems - cucumber - strawberries - basil
 

Cucumber - celery - mint - kale - lemon

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Chia Pudding

Ingredients:

2/3 cup chia seeds
2 cups unsweetened almond or rice milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons currants or chopped dried figs or dates
2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut flakes

Directions:

Put chia seeds, almond milk and vanilla in a 1-quart glass jar with a lid. Tighten the lid and shake well to thoroughly combine. Or, stir together seeds, almond milk and vanilla in a bowl. Refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve, stir well. Spoon into bowls and top with fruit and coconut.

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IF you have no time (that was a trick statement, of course youhave time to invest in yourself!), you can find the store bought version of a few of these...

The Good Bean Roasted Chickpeas



Whole Foods Salad Bar



Suja cold-pressed juices (the green ones are our fave!)

Chia Pods


Note: we prefer that you make your own chia pudding as the store-bought version has quite a bit of sugar :)

 

Remember, a snack is just a small meal, so if you are near a Whole Foods, Wheatsville Co-op, or Central Market hot bar, then the world is your oyster!