This past weekend, I was invited by Emily and Jackie of Chobani to attend an inaugural dinner at The Federalist in DC with some local bloggers.

The Head Chef, Harper McClure, handcrafted dishes specially prepared with Chobani Greek Yogurt.

Did you know? Mustafa, the founder of Chobani, is from Turkey? I can believe it. There was an abundance of yogurt in that country and it was damn good. I miss Turkish food!

I finally got to put a name to a face and meet Ms. Emily (left), Chobani’s social marketing lady. What a sweetheart.

We had bread to start. I enjoyed a square of cornbread. I can’t remember the last time I had cornbread. It’s one of my favorites.

Prosecco was much needed after searching high and low for parking for 30 minutes!

The Menu

Chef Harper McClure

I actually brought my clunky camera with me and took photos, but the iPhone ones came out great. Especially Instagrammed. Those of you who follow me on Instagram (I’m LiveLaughEat) and Twitter already got a sneak peak of the meal. Are you ready?

Appetizer

White Gazpacho with Poached Laughing Bird Shrimp, Minted Yogurt

So cool, creamy and refreshing. I believe it was made from cucumbers, olive oil and Greek yogurt. That shrimp was perfectly poached and I wanted about 80 more.

Main Entree

Yogurt Poached Alaskan Halibut with Rose Finn Potatoes, Fava Beans, Globe Artichokes and a Yogurt Emulsion

I actually liked the artichokes and potatoes more than the halibut. The halibut needed a more flavorful sauce, in my opinion. Though that certainly didn’t stop me from licking my plate clean.

The guy next to me shared a bite of his Slow Cooked Spring Lamb with me and I immediately regretted not ordering it (I didn’t because I already had lamb for lunch). It was INCREDIBLE!!!! I wanted to steal it right off his plate.

It was hands down the best bite I had all night. I will dream of that lamb all week long.

Side Dishes

Fricassee of Wild Mushrooms and Roasted Heirloom Cauliflower

Dessert

The MOST delicious Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta with Strawberry Preserves, Shortbread Cookie, and Long Pepper Syrup

SO creamy, rich and custardy!

You better believe I renewed my membership to The Clean Plate Club at that meal (clean plateS club, I should say).

Word has it that we’ll be getting the recipes! I’ll share them when I get them. I can’t wait to make that Greek yogurt panna cotta.

What a wonderful night. I knew I loved Chobani for a reason…

(Can you find me? I’m the short one. I am standing on my tippy toes and STILL shorter than everyone else. As always, I probably should’ve been in the front row.)

I went to bed with sweet [yogurt] dreams. Have a terrific Tuesday, my friends!

Tell me: Your favorite recipe using Greek yogurt as an ingredient.

‘Twas a Mmmmmmother’s Day spent with the fam, filled with the most scrumptious eats!

Lo the Bro came over and we all hit up the tennis courts.

I can’t remember the last time all of us played together. We used to play as a foursome on the regular.

My brother played on our high school team once upon a time.

My mom continued to tear up the kitchen this past weekend! She’s on a roll, y’all…pun intended.

She made Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread.

Can you say drool?! We’re just getting started…

As you can see in the horribly lit iPhone photo, the swirl was deeper and much more cinnamony in the middle of the loaf.

The bread tasted like a warm cinnamon bun. Mmmmm!

She used the leftover bread dough to make Red Adzuki Bean Sweet Buns.

My mom totally improvised this. It was her first time making anything like it.

Geez, isn’t she talented?!

You see that red adzuki bean gushing out of the side? Yeah, HOMPH!

It didn’t stand a snowball’s hot bun’s chance in Antarctica.

One more photo…I got a little snap happy. They were just so darn perty.

She also made Green Onion Savory Pancakes. Lotsa flakey layers!

And this was after throwing a party the day before where she made an elaborate feast from scratch.

She’s unstoppable!

We talked about filming and uploading Youtube videos of her cooking. I think it’s about time for her to start a blog. I actually half-joked that she can cook and I’ll photograph and write up the recipes…

…except I wasn’t joking at all. Let’s do it, Mama.

***

For dinner, Peter and I stepped in and cooked up a classic Peter’s Kitchen meal. Shrimp, Tomatoes and Green Peppers. Sea Bass. Sautéed Cabbage. Savory Steamed Rice Cakes.

For dessert, we enjoyed sea salt milk chocolate covered caramels (!!!!) brought over by Lo the Bro. Chocolate covered caramels are my favorite (they’re always the ones I search for when cradling a box of chocolates).

Plus sea salt? I die.

A Mmmmmmother’s Day indeed!

Alrighty, let’s get this Monday started. Make it a good one.

Tell me: How was your Mother’s Day?! What did you do? Better yet, what did you EAT?!

P.S. It’s that time again, folks. The Bachelorette starts tonight. Say goodbye to Monday nights.

P.P.S. eBates is celebrating their 13th birthday with 13% cash back at a bunch of stores like Banana Republic, Gap, Under Armour, Old Navy, Athleta, and more. Crazy! Check it out here (<–that’s a referral link). I’ve gotten some amazing discounts on things (like running shoes) lately, which I will share with you when I get a chance.

Happy Mother’s Day to my sweet Mama!

Dear Mom,

You are my rock. How did I get so lucky to have a mom like you?

Thank you from the bottom of my heart…

…for being my biggest cheerleader.

…for always encouraging me to chase my dreams no matter how big and wacky.

…for listening to me ramble on our walks around the ‘hood.

…for being the best role model a daughter could ask for.

…for always understanding.

…for loving me unconditionally.

I love you!

Love,

The Luckiest Daughter In the Whole Wide World

A special shout out to the other mom in my life, Mama D!

Happy Mother’s Day to all you fabulous moms (and moms-to-be) out there!

Happy it’s-so-dang-gorgeous-outside-today-I’m-gonna-zoom-through-this Saturday!

I was originally going to title this post Snapshots and then I realized 83% of the photos were of snacks/food (naturally). So it’s SNACKshots.

I had a killer craving for veggie burgers this week and since I ate up all the ones I got at Costco, I made a batch of my Chickpea Veggie Burgers. This time, I threw in some sunflower seeds for added crunch! I loved the texture.

These burgers take just minutes to make.

Plus tomato, melted cheese and avocado slices. What you don’t see? Mounds and mounds of ketchup slathered on top.

Enchiladas…at last! And homemade in minutes, too.

I stuffed white corn tortillas with Jack Daniel’s Pulled BBQ Beef (SO good!), corn, black beans, and shredded cheese. Topped with this sauce I got on sale at Target and more cheese.

…and the craving for enchiladas has only intensified!

Look what I found at Marshalls. Caramel Popcorners! What the WHAT?! I didn’t know these existed. It’s not even a flavor publicized on the back of the bag.

Amazing. Like caramel kettle corn. I also got Cheesy Jalapeño, which is pretty delicious.

I found these Oskri Pecan Bars at Marshalls, too. You know I can’t resist anything containing pecans. Oskri makes those Almond Cranberry Protein Bars I love. These were good, but I expected a lot more pecans inside!

I received a complimentary NatureBox this week filled with healthy and scrumptious snacks. Naturebox is a monthly subscription snack box filled with nutritious foods. It’s $19.95/month. You can get 25% off your first month by using the code JUBILEE. If you sign up for 6 months, you get 1 month free and if you sign up for 12 months, you get 3 months free.

I was sent the box for free, but was in no way obligated to write about it. I think the box is a great way to discover new snacks, but since I have access to health food stores, I know $19.95 could get me more than what’s in the box.

My box came with pistachios, currants, pumpkin seeds, dried pears and a cranberry trail mix. My favorite was by far the dried pears.

I can’t get enough of frozen grapes right now. Frozen globe seeded grapes, to be exact. They’re just so darn sweet!

I’m too lazy to spit out the seeds, so they all end up in my belly. The best part about eating them frozen is the seeds aren’t as noticeable when you’re chewing them. Grape seeds are good for you, anyways. Right?

I am a flats/running shoes kinda gal but I’ve been eyeing these way-too-tall shoes at Target for weeks. They finally went on clearance and they just so happened to have my size (that never happens)—$14.99!

There’s a chance I might return them. I’m thinking about how often I’ll actually wear them. They are so pretty though and the neutral color is easy to match.

Speaking of Target clearance items…Cheap[er] Kombucha! I was so shocked and deliriously happy.

Which brings me to…Sparkling Iced Passion Tea!

I got this box of Tazo Passion Tea bags (my favorite!) from Marshalls awhile ago (yes, I should just live there). Each bag brews 2 liters…which I make into 4 liters to stretch out my dollar. Every once in awhile, I brew a big jug. This past week, I stuck it in the Soda Stream and made it all sparkly!

I pretend it’s Kombucha. Po’ woman’s Kombucha.

Alrighty, time to enjoy this beautiful day. I’m attending a special dinner in DC tonight! So pumped. Have a wonderful [Mother's Day] weekend, my friends.

Tell me: What are your plans for Mother’s Day? What did/will you get your mama?

***

Winner of the Peloponnese Mediterranean Spread Giveaway is…

Shoot me an email with your mailing address, Julie!

Who wants to go to LA? I do I do!

I was recently informed by my ad network, Glam Media, about the Dole California Cook-Off being judged by Celebrity Chef Ben Ford. To enter all you have to do is come up with a recipe using 1 cup of any Dole product. For a chance to win a trip to LA and a cash prize of $10,000? I’m game.

I’m no chef, but I’m always up for a challenge involving food. I mean, regardless of the results, I’ll still have a delicious meal on my plate.

Oh and if you don’t want to cook, you can enter the sweepstakes for a chance to fly out to LA and be a Fan Judge. Judging is just code for eating…and you get a $500 prize just for doing so. Um, twist my arm!

I entered both. I wanna go back to LA!

For the Cook-Off, I made Grilled Pineapple and Shrimp Tacos using Dole Romaine Lettuce and a Dole Pineapple. Mi amigos, it’s once de Mayo and the craving for Mexican food is still going strong.

Maybe it’s the fact that we have had a bag of 5 ripe avocados. Or that I’ve been exchanging Facebook messages with my host mom from when I studied abroad in Mexico. Never mind the fact that my responses consist of “Hi! Miss you all. My Spanish is terrible now.” and then I proceed to use an online translator to figure out what she writes to me.

Back to the tacos. Nothing beats the combo of grilled shrimp and avocado. Am I right or am I right? Well, throw in some warm, sweet pineapple chunks and we might as well be on the beach with our feet in the sand sipping piña coladas!

Oh boy, I think this Mexican food craving is here to stay.

For the recipe, head over to my profile at foodie.com!

Tell me: Are you a fan of Mexican food? What’s your favorite appetizer/dish?

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Dole via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions of positions of Dole.

On the way to picking up kiddo #1 from morning school, I saw a sign that said It’s a new day, make it a great one. My day could’ve very well gone either way, but I decided at that very moment I would indeed make it a great one. Well, I tried to at least.

After lunch, I reached into my purse to check my phone for the time. Dead (it was fully charged!). I didn’t drop it, didn’t get any water near it, nothing! So random. I tried everything to revive it…pushing the right buttons, plugging it in, restoring it, etc. I got red, green and blue flashing lights (!!) and random technical writing all over it (!!!). Phones are like electricity. You don’t realize how dependent you are on them until they’re gone! Apparently, I check my phone every 3 seconds for the time.

After work, I dashed to Genius Bar at The Apple Store to figure out what the heck my phone was doing. Not much of anything. Still dead! Eventually the Genius gave up and I got a new phone to replace my broken one for free (hooray for Apple!).

All my settings were gone. All my apps have to be downloaded again (I don’t remember what I downloaded though…PSA take a screen shot of your phone now just in case this happens to you). Luckily I had my photos synced to my computer, so they’re safe and sound. Phew!

The apps I could remember off the top of my head (wallpaper photo taken in my neighbor’s front yard…the same one as last year):

• I HEART Horoscopes. I know, so silly, but each one is uncannily relevant to my life.
• Travelzoo. I love browsing travel deals, something I inherited from my mother.
• G-Whizz. I use this one to read blogs. Not sure if it’s the best out there, but I like it.
• The Weather Channel. I check this incessantly.
• Instagram, Pinterest, Pandora, Twitter. No explanation necessary!

Speaking of Twitter, I rambled right through my 10,000th tweet without realizing it. 1) How could I miss such a milestone? 2) That’s a whole lotta random thoughts floating in cyberspace.

***

The silver lining? The Apple Store is right by Trader Joe’s. It’d been awhile since my last visit. It’s also been awhile since my last grocery post.

The Goods:

• Very Green…goes in my smoothies. I love it’s neutral taste. Some green powders have a super strong flavor.

• GF Rolled Oats

• Popcorn. I had a mad craving for popcorn the other day and there was none to be found.

• The best frozen waffles ever.

• Just Mango Slices. No trip to TJ’s is complete with ‘em.

• Almond butter w/ Flaxseeds. Super crunchy! I wish I had taken a photo of it when I first opened the jar—so many nuts and seeds floating on top. I actually like Naturally More more (which is what it’s based on, I think). I haven’t had either jar in my possession for over 2 years!

I’ve been choosing almond butter over sunflower seed butter lately. Say what?! I used to think almond butter was bland and boring, but I love the hearty, deep texture of it now.

• WHITE corn tortillas…to make enchiladas! My favorite ready-made frozen enchiladas were nowhere to be found. Shiz!! I let out an audible gasp and everyone in the aisle turned to look at me.
• Salsa, tomato paste and black beans to make some Mexican food <–ALL I can think about lately.

• Herb Turkey Breast. TJ’s sells it for way cheaper than anywhere else.
• Roast beef + spicy brown mustard! A match made in heaven.

• [New] Nourish Facial Moisturizer. Perhaps they heard me mourning the disappearance of their moisturizer in my skincare post. So far so good and it was $5.99!

***

Alrighty, gotta go! Catch ya later.

Tell me: Your favorite app and Trader Joe’s product.

P.S. I’m a little behind on email/comment responses. They’re coming. Thanks for your patience.

P.P.S. Last chance to enter the Mediterranean Spread Giveaway.

Move over Peter. It’s Mama LLE’s Kitchen now!

All of a sudden this lady has been so inspired to make everything from scratch. I’m not quite sure what’s going on, but my belly is ever so delighted. She used to rule the kitchen when Lo the Bro and I were growing up. If you recall, it was her delicious cooking that won over Peter’s heart way back when!

Anyways, she’s stealing my identity now…making impulsive trips to the grocery store, firing up the oven, messing up the kitchen and seeking inspiration from The Food Network.

Rollin’ with the Sushi

Just for kicks, she made a pot of sticky rice (a mix of wild sticky rice and brown sticky rice). All of a sudden, the idea of making sushi popped into her head, so away we rolled…

We seasoned the rice with rice vinegar and salt.

Stuffed with avocado, cucumbers, carrots and $5/lb. lobster!

I was in charge of digging out the lobster meat. More of it ended up in my mouth than in the sushi. I’d say it was an 80/20 ratio.

Rollin’

Ta da! I loved the chewy texture of the sticky whole grain rice.

She tackled another round of pot stickers to keep in the freezer for quick meals. She ran out of wrappers, so she made her own with just flour and water. I’m telling you, she’s all about making things from scratch lately.

Mediterranean Pizza

Earlier in the day, she watched some guy make pizza on The Food Network and immediately went out to get pizza sauce and cheese.

She made the pizza dough from scratch (1/2 whole wheat, 1/2 white) and topped it with roasted red peppers, kalamata olives, onions, pepperoni and cheeeeeese.

The toppings came from Peloponnese. I was sent a box of Mediterranean ingredients to make a meal and host a giveaway.

As you can see, the hummus was a winner. Peter demolished the baba ganoush in one sitting (what you see in the jar is actually 3 ingredient oat flour crepe batter).

The olives and peppers made for perfect pizza toppings.

Ooey gooey cheese.

She also made some calzones…because you know, The Food Network guy did.

Stuffed with pepperoni and cheese. Dunked in pizza sauce.

Delicious! We’re having people over next weekend, so this was just a dress rehearsal for that. I’d say we’re ready for the show.

Peloponnese Giveaway

Now it’s your chance to win the Mediterranean Entertaining with Peloponnese package (valued at $25), which includes Artichoke Spread, Hummus Spread, Halved Kalamata Gourmet Black Olives, Florina Whole Sweet Peppers, Baba Ganoush, Antipasto Party Olives and a specialty olive bowl.

To Enter:

Leave a comment on this post telling me whatever you want! What’s your favorite cuisine? What dish would you make with the Mediterranean ingredients? How was your weekend?

Optional: You can get an extra entry by liking Pelopponese on Facebook. Be sure to comment saying you did, so I can count the entry.

I will choose a winner at random on Wednesday, May 9th 2012. Good luck!

Disclaimer: This giveaway is sponsored by Pelopponese. I was provided the package with no requirement to review the products. As always, the opinions stated are my own.

It’s been a cookie-fied week over here. The kiddos may be cookie monsters, but I hold the crown as the Cookie Monster Queen. It’s been my go-to dessert snack as of late.

Let’s keep this short and sweet.

These cookies have a half-baked texture.

Think cookie dough meets soft crumbly cookie.

They’re totally snack appropriate.

Need I say more?

Half-Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie Bites

GF and Vegan

Adapted from Krissy’s Cashew Niblets

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1 TBSP light brown sugar, packed
• 1 TBSP tapioca starch
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup almond meal
• 1/2 cup medjool dates, chopped
• 2 TBSP coconut oil, melted
• 2 TBSP brown rice syrup
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips (dairy-free if making vegan)

Directions

Preheat oven to 325*F. Soak chopped medjool dates in a small bowl filled with hot water for 10 minutes to soften. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, tapioca starch, baking powder and salt. In a food processor or high speed blender, blend softened (and drained) medjool dates and almond meal until a paste is formed. Add wet ingredients (coconut oil, brown rice syrup, vanilla) and process until fully combined. Add the flour mixture and continue to process until a sticky dough is formed. Fold in chocolate chips.

Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place on a greased cookie sheet. Press down gently on cookies to flatten. Bake at 325*F for 7-8 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Substitutions*:

1. No almond meal? Try another type of nut. Just process the nuts in a high speed blender/food processor first. Nut butter would probably work as well.

2. The brown rice flour didn’t have a binding effect, so you could try substituting another type of flour (i.e. oat, all-purpose, white rice).

3. Honey in place of brown rice syrup.

4. Potato starch or corn starch would probably work in place of tapioca starch.

I haven’t made the cookies using these substitutions, so I can’t tell you exactly how they would turn out. If you make them, please let me know the end result!

Oh by the way, the bites taste amazing frozen.

Have a wonderful cookie-and-Mexican-food-filled weekend!

Tell me: Got any fun plans for Cinco de Mayo?

Thank you for your comments on yesterday’s post. It was yet another reminder of why I enjoy blogging. It was also a reminder that this is my space to write about whatever I want to share. The best I can do is to be myself and learn from my experiences.

Okay, let’s bake some cookies!

Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies.

Peanut Butter Nutella Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, if we’re being exact.

Since last September I’ve made about a hundred peanut butter and Nutella sandwiches for Kiddo #2. Like most kids, he’s not exactly what you would call an “adventurous eater.” Unless we’re talking about candy, of course. He’ll try just about any type of candy…even crayons that look like candy. Happy Valentine’s Day to you too, Mrs. 1st Grade Teacher.

The other day he told me he only likes peanut butter and Nutella. You’re not alone, Kid.

Naturally, I suggested we bake peanut butter and Nutella cookies. These kids are the ultimate cookie monsters!

He was all for it. He loves baking. Then, after I took out all the ingredients he asked, “do I have to help?” Well, that’s sort of the whole point of this activity! Then he asked if he could go play on the computer.

I said yes…only because I knew it meant the Nutella measuring cup was all mine for the licking!

Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies

Slightly adapted from this recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/3 cup Nutella
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 375*F. In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients, excluding chocolate chips (flour, oats, baking soda, salt) and set aside. In a large mixing bowl (or bowl of stand mixer), cream butter and sugar. Add wet ingredients (peanut butter, Nutella, vanilla, egg) and beat until fully combined. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and continue to beat until batter is smooth. Fold in chocolate chips using a spatula.

Roll cookie dough into 1″ balls and place on a greased cookie sheet. Press down gently to flatten cookies. Bake at 375*F for 10-12 minutes.

Makes ~28 cookies.

I couldn’t taste the finished product because I am severely allergic to peanut butter (as long as I wash my hands well, I’m fine), but I could tell they were delicious from the chocolate smeared cheeks. I’ve gotta make these with almond butter and oat flour soon. Very very soon.

You all know I like to keep this blog a fun and relaxed place. Light and not too deep. That’s my blogging style. I wanna lift you up and make you chuckle. You know, keep things happy. However, it seems that if I don’t talk about my weight, some people are going to lose their marbles…so here we go!

I apologize if you’ve been waiting to read this post. It was never my intention to “string you along.” It’s been half-written for a couple months, but I put off finishing it because I wanted to make sure I got in everything I wanted to write. Considering nobody else is really affected by my weight besides me, I didn’t think putting off this post would cause such a raucous.

If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you know I don’t talk about weight, body size/shape, measurements, calories, dieting, etc. I think our culture is already hyper-focused on these topics as it is. We are bombarded by weight-related advertisements and articles in the media and frankly, we don’t need any more of it.

However, I recognize as someone who writes about fitness and food, it is something I should discuss. I’m not at all trying to solicit compliments (that is so not my personality). Also, I’d appreciate it if you could keep any criticism to yourself. I am not giving you tips/advice on how to lose weight (there are RDs for that).

Disclaimer: Please read responsibly. One reason I don’t write about weight is because I do not want to trigger anybody. If you are battling an eating disorder and/or easily fall into the comparison trap, please do not continue to read this post. You know what’s best for you.

My weight loss has been over the course of nearly a year. Some of you have expressed concern and I thank you for caring. Rest assured that I am healthy. I am strong. I am eating more than enough. I am treating my body right. Many of you started reading my blog after I gained weight and didn’t ever know/see me when this was my normal, natural weight. My weight loss has really just been my body going back to my normal weight after gaining it post-graduation.

After a year of unemployment and then working at a bakery, I inevitably gained weight. In fact, I reached my highest weight ever and it took a toll on my body. I felt lethargic, weighed down, and uncomfortable. I engaged in a great deal of mindless/emotional eating. I ate my feelings…a lot. When I was stressed, bored, sad, and happy. My clothes got small, even my bigger clothes didn’t fit.

But, I was in the process of learning to eating intuitively (not restricting myself from anything and honoring my hunger cues). I was okay with it because I knew it was good for me. I needed time to eat freely, even if that meant eating too much. I knew I’d get back to my natural, normal weight in time. If I’ve learned anything the past few years it’s that our bodies are incredibly smart. Care for it, exercise some patience with it and it will naturally do what it needs to do.

As you know, I’ve been running more than I ever have. Still 3x a week, but for once I’m not getting injured. While running has certainly given me room to eat more, I wouldn’t say it is the reason for my weight loss. Ever hear of people gaining weight while marathon training? Yeah. Running makes you hungry! My weight loss can be attributed to eating better to properly fuel my running, strength training regularly, figuring out which foods make me bloated and eating less of them, and working hard to overcome emotional eating.

Running has helped me with learning to eat intuitively and figuring out what’s best for my body. For example, eating one cupcake will probably give me a great energy boost, but eating five won’t. At the same time, I have had to learn to eat unintuitively. While learning to eat intuitively, I tried my best to eat only when I was truly hungry. However, when I started running more, I had to unlearn that. I find that I often have to eat when I’m not necessarily hungry because I know my body needs the fuel. It’s all a learning process.

I enjoy exercising. Truly enjoy it. Not for the calorie burn, but for the way it makes me feel both mentally and physically. Some of you may think I run too much. You are free to think that, but just because I am not training for a marathon or running on a cross country team, doesn’t mean I can’t run long distances and push my body. The money I save from race fees goes towards my grocery bill.

Overall, I would attribute most of my weight loss to strength training regularly. I have gained muscle and as a result, I’ve noticed changes in my body composition and metabolism. I do not think cutting back on gluten has helped me lose weight. I do think it has helped decrease the amount of bloating I experienced. I no longer have a bloated belly like I did in the past. More importantly, I feel a lot better. My hair, skin and nails are strong and healthy and since we’re getting personal, I’m menstruating.

I am healthier now than ever before and eating more than ever before, too. If I didn’t take in enough fuel, there is no way I would be able to run the distances/speeds that I’m running, especially without getting injured. I wouldn’t be able to lift the weights I’m lifting and gaining strength. I truly love running and I would never jeopardize that by not fueling my body properly.

I work with my body, not against it. Most importantly, I feel good and I’m happy.