January Eats & Fitness

It's been a busy, busy month but I'm happy to report that good things have been happening in my kitchen and with my workouts!!

Food

I was super stoked to pick up Kris Carr's new book, Crazy Sexy Kitchen. Kris and Chef Chad Sarno have put together an amazing selection of vegan recipes, both raw and cooked with lots of gluten free, soy free and kid free options. I've been inspired with some refreshing new green juice combinations and have had a lot of fun making some delicious new recipes including bok choy with lemon tahini sauce, mango & coconut millet 

and a root veggie & chickpea tagine. I've got my eye on some kale salads I really want to try and a scrumptious looking polenta with tomato sauce. The book is beautifully laid out and I find Kris' writing style enchanting. I adore it. 

Also - why have I never roasted chickpeas until Monday night?! If you just read that last line and realize that you too have never roasted chickpeas, then I beg you to change that. And quickly. My sweet friend Laura (of 6th grade BFF fame) posted about this Smitten Kitchen soup on Monday, and considering I had all the ingredients in my house (save for a full giant bag of carrots) I knew I had to make it. 

everything tastes better in an owl bowl

The soup on its own is quite nice, but the tahini and roasted chickpeas take it over the edge into spectacular territory. It's an easy weekday night dinner, perfect for our chilly Toronto temperatures and I suggest you make a double batch of the chickpeas because you'll find yourself having them as a snack while you blog rather than saving them for leftover soup. 

Fitness

I'm on week two of Insanity and I have to say that I'm enjoying it. I did not barf during the Fit Test (as two people told me they did) and I'm already feeling stronger and leaner. I've buddy-ed up with my friend Amanda (who was in Breadwinner with me) and we've been motivating one another through silly/awesome texts and Facebook messages. I definitely end up a sweaty mess after Shaun T's crazy workouts, but I think it's going to be worth it. And thanks to Amanda, I'm still smiling!! 

I've downloaded the (free!!) My Fitness Pal app on my iphone and I'm kinda loving it. I still haven't weighed myself (it's been almost a year?!) and don't really intend to, but I love having a way to keep track of the food I've eaten, keep an eye on how much protein I'm consuming and track my workouts. It's super motivating to add in my Insanity workouts with their calorie burn!! 

I also love having friends on there to be inspired and motivated by. If you're on it, feel free to add me!

I've been to the gym a few times for my favourite Pump class and also tried a crazy spin class at QuadSpin. You can feel the January energy everywhere and while I sometimes get annoyed with the crowds, it's encouraging to see so many people working so hard. We all just need to dig deeper (as Shaun T would say) and keep up the good work!