I was toward the end of a long 9 mile hike with over 3,800 feet of elevation gain when we came across a family with a sick teenage boy. Being a Wilderness First Responder, I checked in with them to see if I could help. It turned out that the boy had dehydration and heat…
I have been an athlete for most of my life. I swam competitively from the age of 13-19 even making it to the NCAA level. Working in fitness, my job has been pretty physical. At one point, I was hiking about 25 miles a week and teaching 4-5 fitness classes. During this time, I would…
I was never in love with avocados. Yet, they are everywhere and after several years of living in California they grew on me a bit. Really, you’re hard pressed to not find avocado on the menu in California and elsewhere. From vegans to paleos, everyone has embraced the avocado and with good reason. They are…
I’ve been reading books about nutrition ever since I cut out meat from my diet at 16 and took my first college level nutrition class. (I wanted to make sure I was healthy.) Some have been immensely informative. Some have a clear agenda, but made me think about a different view. Some of those have…
I hate mushrooms. It’s the earthy taste and the texture. Everything about them. A few years ago, I gave them another shot, as I know my taste buds have changed. I happily drink green smoothies. I even add onions to meals on purpose and no longer pick them out to leave a ring of onions…
Like many, I get into a rut with my eating habits. I notice that I keep buying the same few vegetables for my meals. Kale, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, and summer squash are pretty much always part of my meal plans. Lately, I’ve been purposefully been adding more to my meals lately and would like to…
When you love to cook, but tend to eat the same things over and over, inspiration is necessary. Cooking shows are awesome, but most tend not to cook the way I eat. (Why can’t there be a vegetable forward cooking show?!) Here is a list of some of my favorite places to go when I…
When I told my family that I was going vegan, my brother told me that there was no way I would last because I loved cheese too much. Six years later, I am not looking back. This Cashew Cheese has become a staple in my diet as a dairy alternative. It’s a softer cheese and…
In college, I ate Reduced Fat Peanut Butter. I had quit the swim team and thought I’d be more mindful about what I ate to reduce calories that I wasn’t burning from hours of training. As I was grocery shopping one day, it hit me that I never looked at the nutrition labels. When I…
I never liked the taste commercial sports drinks. And I’m a person who doesn’t believe in drinking (or eating) something that I don’t like. Finding a an alternative became a must for when I started training for my first half marathon. Fortunately, I realized that I could make my own homemade sports drink. I’ve used…