Did you guys think I was going to leave you hanging again?!?!
Happy Friday! This week’s Foodie Friday is dedicated to one of Phil’s lunchtime favorites – chicken stir fry! Now I am fully aware that there isn’t anything fancy about stir fry but there are little things you can do so your veggies aren’t soggy & the sauce packs a punch without the calories. 
One of the first things I do is season the chicken (little bit of EVOO and seasonings of your choice). Get your skillet really hot and sear the chicken on both sides to seal in the flavor…once you sear things on both sides turn the heat down to med/low and cook the chicken almost all the way through. While the chicken cooks, slice the veggies & onions, and mince the garlic. Once the chicken is done remove it from the skillet and let it rest, throw the onion into the skillet with a little bit of EVOO. Allow the onions to cook down, add garlic, and toss in the veggies…seasoning with salt/pepper, the dry spices you like. Chunk the chicken and add it back to your skillet, tossing together with the veggies. Turn the heat off before the veggies are finished cooking and let everything cool. Make a pot of brown rice w/veggie stock & a bay leaf in the pot to add a more robust flavor.
I make this on the weekend for Phil to enjoy during the week for lunch. Stir fry is one of those awesome things that can be made from anything you have lying around in your refrigerator, so get creative!
’til next time, keep smiling! 🙂
Phil and I had such an amazing close to our first official ski season in Tahoe – perfect weather, great snow, and even better friends to share the fun. Doubly exciting is the official wrap up of the 16wks of 2016 Motivational Mondays! Phil and I have loved and are going to continue to work on making healthier choices, taking better care of ourselves, and nourishing our bodies. I’ve personally been able to maintain my goal weight & lose 5% body fat, while Phil lost 15 lbs and gained more noticeable muscular definition. We’re continuing with our healthy eating & regular exercise routine…if we make any major changes or decide to experiment with something new, I’ll be sure to share, but for now, Monday’s will sift – I’m calling this 16 wk series Meditation Monday…I’ll be getting started May 2 & am really looking forward to the opportunity to dive a little deeper.
This week I have 4 private client sessions, 14 studio classes, a social media challenge to prep, and quarterly goals/projections to complete – no one ever said going after your dreams was easy but when you love what you do I guess you can’t exactly call it hard either. I constantly catch myself in moments of self doubt, fear, etc… regarding the career/life choices I’ve made & in the blink of an eye something or someone snaps things back in perspective. As long as I keep walking my talk & offering up the truest version of myself, I can’t go wrong.
I’m in shock we’re 15 weeks into this year and one week out from the completion of our 2016 motivation challenge. I feel strongly that if you’re trying to make a serious lifestyle change, it takes about 16 weeks for it to become part of your routine…the proof is in the pudding, as they say, because not only do Phil & I make healthier choices but our bodies crave healthier behaviors. As mentioned before, we’re keeping things going even after next week and kicking it up with a leaner diet & lots of greens powder to boost our vitamin & mineral intake. The body is an incredible machine and I really enjoy playing around with my diet/exercise to see what happens.
I’ve found a new pool of inspiration and a resignation of my passion after this weekend’s event. Teaching for 
I can’t remember the last time it was a true 1st Friday and April Fools, so my lame attempt at a prank was posting now! I wish Phil and I were in the city so we could see the opening of the different art exhibitions. I used to love the Old City 1st Friday art openings while Phil and I were in Philadelphia but it all got very crowded and crazy so we couldn’t enjoy it. Even though we’ve been here a year we still haven’t done a 1st Friday in SF…I think May might have to be the month. We’re in Tahoe for some spring skiing and a break from the city. The ski season is coming to a close for us, only a few weeks left, and we’re both looking towards bikini season, haha!
Since it is officially the first Friday of this month, its a plated Foodie Friday and this week its fish, veggies, and a delicious range of flavors: on the menu is a thai curry tilapia, cheesy vegetable linguine, and gruyere grilled cheese. 
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What a beautiful weekend! We had such a lovely time enjoying the sunshine, taking things slow, and celebrating the culmination of Easter Week. Friday night was quiet and low key (in observance of Good Friday). We had some fish po’ boys for dinner and hit the hay early. Our weekend kicked off with a trip to guitar center to buy Phil his long overdo electronic drum set. We spent the afternoon enjoying delicious wine at our winery’s spring release event, and afterwards some shopping & pizza night! Yesterday was mass, an eggs benedict & mimosa brunch by yours truly, and rooftop yoga/ an evening of grilling & enjoying the sunset. 
We’re almost finished the month of March and even though Phil and I have been making healthier choices we still don’t feel like we’re kicking it up enough. So with three weeks left in our 2016 challenge we’re thinking we might extend things a few extra weeks and try something a little different. Starting next week, so with two weeks left in our original challenge, we’re going to start simplifying our diets & kicking up the healing treatments – epsom salt baths, heat/ice, evening and morning stretching, and myofascial release. We’ll be doing this through the month of May but will still report our results 16 weeks in. 
Keep working along with us or put your own spin on what we’re doing!! Let me know how it all works out…I would love to hear from anyone whose taking steps week by week to make healthier choices! We’re heading into OUR month with energy and enthusiasm….who else wants to make April their best month yet!
It is very difficult to get up at 5am when you finish work at 9pm and still need to eat & unwind; which is why falling asleep quickly to get as much sleep as possible is paramount. I haven’t exactly established a perfect routine yet, but below are 5 easy tips to help you unwind and prepare for a more restful night sleep.
We weren’t able to make it up quite as early on Friday as we would have liked but we got here before 9pm and able to have a healthy dinner before getting to bed. 
We were up with the sun & the first on the slopes Saturday – skiing some tougher terrain All day! We woke up Sunday to the photo above & the snow seemed to be endless pouring from the sky – it was pretty cool! We’re taking a lesson today so we can have a professional show how to take things to the next level for the remainder of the season. My muscles are definitely feeling a little tight but I’ve been hydrating, consuming anti-inflammatory foods, soaking in the hot tub, and doing a ton of yin yoga to keep moving.
This week starts 6am classes and I’m very exciting for my new offering! I’m hoping to maintain my cardio but I also have to remember to take care of my body and not overdo it. That being said, this week I’m cutting interval training/running and only cycling for cardio. There are 5 more Motivation Mondays and I can’t wait to share the overall results and take-aways with everyone!
The poses shown above are as follows: Big Toe Hold A & C (Top Row), Happy Baby, Plow, & Legs up the Wall (Bottom Row). Each pose is to be held for around 7-10 breathes or about 2 minutes. Use a towel, strap, or t-shirt to help with the first two, feel free to bend your knees in plow (the middle one on the bottom row), and make sure your but is touching the wall in the last one.
This relaxing but productive weekend was much needed after a week of feeling frantic and unconstructive. Some of you may have noticed a few more spelling/grammar errors in last week’s posts than usual…not that I’m making any excuses BUT that’s primarily because I was drafting entirely on my phone. Phil and I have had three computers (all admittedly old) crap out on us in the last 6 months and the last of which did so last Sunday. I thought we’d be shopping for a computer this past weekend but when Phil came home from his business trip he showed up with a brand new MacBook Air! I am so lucky!!!!!
The computer isn’t the only reason I feel lucky right now…this week I am adding a few new classes to my schedule and am excited to announce my new permanent schedule. Check it out on my yoga page or head to MoveWith to see my schedule! 
This weekend we both decided we’d kick things up a notch this week in preparation for our coming trip to Tahoe. We’re going up for an extended weekend and its going to have snowed a few feet of fresh powder by the time we dive in…I can’t wait! We’re in double digits now and it’s about to get interesting!!
Livingleen 