Winter Mint Tea

When we moved to Amsterdam I was really into trying anything new...especially new foods. I had no idea that one of my favorite things would wind up being a tea!

One day when I was out with a friend she asked if I had ever tried the fresh mint tea here in The Netherlands...to which I promptly scoffed and replied, uh, no, coffee for me all the way. Then her tea came. And it smelled amazing.

Next time I was out I tried some and it really is delicious! It is low in calories, yet flavorful! I love being able to have something with taste with out all the guilt. I can no longer drink anything carbonated, it makes my stomach feel awful. ...and honestly I would rather eat my daily calories than drink them! haha But, I do sometimes get board of just plain water. You guys have seen my flavored water mixes I've created in the past!

For the basic mint tea there really isn't a secret to it...you buy fresh mint leaves, pour some boiling water over them and voila...Mint Tea! In the grocery store here I pay about €0,99 for a small pack of fresh mint leaves which is more than enough for me, if I want the larger pack, if they are in stock I will pay anywhere from €1,00 to €1, 50. A small pack I can get 2-3 glasses out of the large pack, well, it is large that can be a lot of tea! ha! However, at a cafe you will easily pay a solid €3,00 for this...sometimes less, but every once in a while a little more. So, making it at home is obviously the better option!

Below I am going to introduce you a variation on the basic mint tea!

Winter Mint Tea

Serves 1

• Fresh mint leaves
• Quarter of a lemon
• 1 Tea bag with the flavors cinnamon, nutmeg, and orange (I used Pickwick Winter Glow)

1. Place the washed mint leaves in your cup. 
2. Lightly squeeze lemon over the mint leaves. 
3. Pour boiling water over the leaves and lemon then put the tea bag into the water. 
4. Let steep for 3-4 minutes. 
5. Remove the tea bag and lemon slice. 
6. You can remove the mint too but I love to leave it in there, gives it more of  minty smell as I sip and clears my nose ;)
7. Enjoy!

In the event you need to be further convinced to give this a try here are a few reasons.

Health Benefits of Mint:

• Helps digestion/relieve inflammation
• Helps with Nausea and Headaches
• Can help clear congestion
• It is a natural stimulant and can help recharge the brain
• Freshens breath

Health Benefits of Lemon:

• Helps with digestion
• Can help cleanse the body
• Boots the immune system since it is high in Vitamin C
• Freshens Breath
• Natural stimulant, can help recharge the brain
• Promotes healing

Lemon and mint share a lot of the same natural healing properties. These two are a power house when combined. If you try it, make sure to let me know! 

What is your favorite warm beverage during the winter months?

What I Ate Wednesday-Paris eats +workout recap

As soon as we got off the train this was the first thing we saw...it was amazing!

If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook you know my family and I just got back from Paris. The trip wasn't without its challenges, but overall it wound up being one of the best weekends I could possibly have asked for, for my "dream vacation" trip. Now, since we were there for a full weekend you know we HAD to eat! So,...here's a collection of what we ate...

Day 1

On the Thalys Train on the way there they had decaffeinated coffee!!! I was so thrilled! I don't ingest much caffeine (just what comes naturally in the very dark chocolate I eat) so this was so nice for me!

Here is where we were *supposed* to get lunch at the Eiffel Tower after checking into our hotel but after learning we couldn't actually stay in that hotel due to capacity issues (not the hotels fault our fault but that is another post) and running around all over the city and having the awesome people at Novotel go out of their way to help us we wound up at this super awesome pub, the only one in the area we saw showing the US/Germany soccer match. So, we chilled and enjoyed some amazing food!

I forgot to take a picture of it but the Mojito here is amazing. Minty & refreshing...just what I needed!

This was my meal lol Short ribs with a honey teriyaki-ish glaze...delish & some garlic potatoes.

Thsi was the kiddo's: onions & ham. She loved it.

The husbands: bacon, ham, sausage...those sausage pieces were amazing!

The next morning after a great night's sleep we went back over to our original hotel to get checked in & went to a brasserie nearby for a quick breafast....

The cream came in the cutest little bottle...I loved it & the coffee was delicious of course!

....and what else do you have for breakfast in Paris but a croissant of course!

It was so buttery and soft...best croissant I've ever had (of course it was probably the freshest lol)

After this we immediately went off to the Louvre so we could get in a full day of art! After spending a morning wading our way through tourists to see Cupid, Hermes, the Mona Lisa, and several other amazing works we were famished before we could move on to Napoleon's Apartment. So, we decided on Le Cafe Grand Louvre for lunch. I was so glad we did, it was fantastic!

Mushroom risotto with side salad.

Post lunch coffee (they also had decaffinated!) and I love how in Europe all coffee's come with either a chocolate or a biscuit! But, I promptly put that in my purse for later because I could not resist this chocolate cake...

...and I was glad I didn't. I twas soft, moist, and had ginormous chocolate chunks all throughout it!

I mean, look at that!!!! Just look!!! It was amazing. I dream about that cake.

After the Louvre we had a nice walk through the Tuileries Gardens, then on to the Champs Elysee and to the Arc de Triomph. It was in this area we took a cab over to Notre Dame & made it just before mass started. After that we walked around quite a bit and found a great little bistro for dinner....

I don't usually get bacon burgers but this was their "special" of the day & it was bacon with emmental cheese! Ooh boy was it amazing! I did take the bun off though as I really wanted to eat the whole thing lol

I could decide on dessert & then discovered they had a trio of dessert with a coffee! The creme brulee was the best of all the desserts.

This was the kiddos dessert! I took a bite, it was really good. A nice creamy mousse.

This was a the bigger version of the creme brulee...hubby loved it and ate every last bite!

The next morning, our last full day in Paris was a gloomy icky day...so we dressed up really nice & rode over to the Opera House (gorgeous by the way) and then did a ton of shopping on Les Grande Boulevard Haussman. We had brunch at a cute bistro near the shopping area:

This was the husbands omelette and fries. He really enjoyed it. Said it was super delicious.

I got the Croque Madame. It is basically a ham & cheese toasty with a sunny side up egg. Here they make toasties differently and they put a ton of cheese on the top! Some places also put cheese in the middle, but most do just a ton on top...they are amazing.

It was 3 layers...3!!!! With all that gooey emmental cheese on top! Heaven!!!!! I didn't eat my fries & I didn't finish this entire thing, but it was so delish. I loved it!

We then had to burn this off with more shopping, after a while though we of course got tired again & needed to find a place to rest our feets....

Delicious coffee and creme with a chocolate covered almond.

Hubby had a banana split. It was a true banana split too with strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla locally made ice cream and tons of whipped cream and of course chocolate sauce & a banana.

Sadly our dinner that night was nothing to write home about. We had a bit of a communication error and I wound up with raw salmon...I sent it back & they steamed it but it had no seasoning or anything it was pretty awful lol but, I can't really complain since everything else was so amazing.

Now that we are back here is a small collage of what I've been eating:

Coconut Quinoa Patties (recipe coming soon), a veggie sandwich with grapes,a veggie wrap with an apple, and a taco salad! So delicious....

This last week I've actually been forgetting to record my workouts, but they look something like this:

6/25: 30 days of yoga days 28, 29, & 30

6/26: Day off-left for Paris & did a bunch of walking

6/27: Day off-in Paris probably walked a solid 10 miles was so sore the next morning!

6/28-Day off-again, probably walked a solid 10 miles again...we were so, so, so sore after this!

6/29-Came home from Paris did tons of walking with heavy groceries for the week

6/30-Insanity Fit Test-did a pretty darn good job...I think I'm pretty much where I left off....WOOHOO!

7/1-30 minute run....my tendons are still so sore from all the walking we did this run really sucked but I was glad I did it!

So, I think on this trip the best thing I ate was the chocolate cake from the Louvre by far. It was the best take on a chocolate cake I'd had in a very long time. What is the best thing you've ever eaten on a vacation?

March Goal Setting!

Wow, I cannot believe we are in to March already! Wow, wow, wow. I mean really, where is this year going?!

First off, yesterday I celebrated my one year blogiversary!!! This is the very first post I wrote on meal planning! It does not seem like one year has gone by so quickly already! Hard to believe!

At the beginning of the year I was super set on goals. I started out strong in January and mostly kept up with the stuff I wanted to. I flossed almost everyday, my most typical day I would "forget" is on Saturday nights, which is when we usually go out with friends and get in late so that was laziness. I kept it going somewhat through February, but once we got back from the UK I just sort of became unfocused.

The positive is goals are something you can pick back up on anytime, anywhere!

So, I have a few goals set about for March from my post original post:

Focus on Flossing {again}
Focus on clean eating

and

should help me focus on my clean eating. I just bought those two from our local bookstore. All my meals plans will be based off of them. Should make eating clean and healthy a no-brainer. I am also focused on eating/drinking at least two fermented foods a day. My focus there is kombucha, coconut yogurt, keifer, and organic pickles. 

Complete my TESOL certification for tutoring English Language Learners. I am almost through the program so it should be easy, I just need to focus and spend a few hours on it everyday.  

My final goal is to get pictures of some projects I have done and post them to my Etsy shop so I can finally get that store up and running. 

How are your goals coming along that you set at the beginning of the year? What specific goals do you have for this month to work toward those beginning of year goals?!

Organization: Refrigerator

Living in the city means one thing: a small refrigerator. When we moved into our apartment here in Vancouver I was actually pleasantly surprised at the size of our fridge. I can store a full week's worth of food in there plus milk and almond milk. This wasn't always doable in our place in Santa Monica.

I am big on being prepared for the week when it comes to meals as you all well know from my Menu Plan Monday posts. I like to plan the meals on Sunday afternoon typically then shop that afternoon/evening or sometimes Monday morning if I have something lying around for breakfast already.

Anyway, a few months ago I got an info graphic in my email about the most effective way to organize your fridge....this didn't come close to resembling my fridge. In fact I was constantly having spoiled food, no one ever knew what was okay to eat or not which made everyone dependent on me before they could eat the food. It was also a disaster for getting ready in the morning. So, I decided to change that....

Let me start off by saying I have all my shelves lined with vinyl shelf liner from the dollar tree. This stuff is awesome. It was quick and easy to measure and cut and it keeps the shelves super clean. I have a few extra rolls in my storage in the even some get too icky, but I clean up any spills as they happen so I don't foresee that being too much of a problem. The liners make the fridge look nice as well. If you want to invest in something a little more durable these Fridge Coasters look awesome, maybe someday I will invest...maybe...hehehe

So here is the top half of my fridge. It includes the top part for large leftover containers like you see for my spaghetti sauce and my spaghetti squash. I also put my large glass containers up here when I am marinating meat or make a salad that won't fit in the veggie drawer. Second shelf I have two baskets to keep the small containers corralled. It just looks nice. The left one is my meal prep containers. This is where I put premade rice/pasta, premade sandwiches, or other small items that are for meals this upcoming week. On the right of this shelf is my leftovers bin. This is where I put the small containers of rice for lunches, leftover meat from dinner for lunches, etc. In this bin many times I put a sticky note on the jars and will write whose lunch they are for the next day so if I am not packing the lunch it can still get done by whoever is packing lunches and everyone gets what they like!  In the most middle shelf I keep our big bottle beverages, sort of lol I keep milk here usually toward the back. I keep my almond milk here & my can of coconut milk toward the back so I can always have coconut cream on hand! Then in the glass container is just coconut milk for my coffee. We don't drink soda so this isn't a packed shelf usually. Here is a close look at those shelves:

This is my fruit drawer. It is right under my drink section. I found it is the best area for the fruits so they are at a grab and go area, plus we never have a ton so it is a great place to keep them! 

Here is the bottom half. Under the fruits are the veggies. These are usually bigger since cauliflower is large, heads of lettuce are big, and bunches of carrots, etc. It's a humidity checked drawer so it can also extend the life of some of the veggies. Not that they last that long. Last is the meat. I used to keep this way at the top, that is dumb. I've had to throw out so much food due to cross contamination and packages leaking. Just like when you grocery shop meat should be at the bottom, same goes for your refrigerator! I keep our lunch meats in there and defrosting meat. I don't have a fridge mat in here because of leakage. I usually line it with paper towels, if I have them on hand. Otherwise I just wash it out with soap and water as needed. Here is a closer look:

Refrigerator door...

Top to bottom...

I keep my yeast, butter, and cheeses up here. They seem to keep much longer here than anywhere else. Not sure why, maybe because the lid thing keeps the cold air locked in so when the door is opened and closed they aren't constantly exposed to the elements.

This is where I keep my jelly and sauces and my husband's beloved bag of bacon. These are usually tall things and this is the area of the door with a lot of "head room".

This is full of condiments. I keep a can of full fat coconut milk in here too lol Can you tell I am a coconut cream fiend? I love it mixed with some shakeology or raw cacao & grade b maple syrup ;) 

As you can see all four of these areas are lined with little coasters. These have helped to keep these shelves so clean! They are vinyl so they are super easy to wipe off with a little warm soap and water if the condiments drip or leak. I highly recommend this, plus it makes it look nice. Here I have a cup of bacon fat for cooking (sounds gross I know, but we are switching to a paleo based diet and it's recommended and makes eggs taste oh so good. I am slowly becoming a bacon convert! I also have a little cottage cheese here and I guess my daughter decided her bottle of water was a condiment now hehe

Here is where I keep miscellaneous things like my flax meal and bailey's. Staples.

Here is where most households would store beer. I store water....hmmm.

So that is my fridge! I find cleaning it out every Sunday while I meal plan helps keep the food updated, I can label anything that needs to be used ASAP and work it into the meal plan, and it helps to have clear areas so I can pre-pack lunches for the morning and have a place to put that stuff so our mornings aren't as hectic. It also allows me to clearly see what is for breakfast in the morning without searching through tons of stuff!

I know this seems silly but when you are committed to eating at home almost every night and are committed to eating a healthy diet keeping the fridge clean and organized is key otherwise it can be overwhelming seeing a pile of stuff and questioning it's age, what to do with it, etc. With most things in life-organization is key! 

An Honest Account: Focus T25 Beta

Rip'T Circuit

So, this is my second round of T25. The first round I must admit I was not impressed with...at all, sadly! In fact I was ready to sell my DVD's. However,  a woman I greatly admire became a beachbody coach and was putting together a T25 group that she didn't require drink Shakeology which was awesome so I decided to join her. I also made a pact with myself to work as hard as possible during every single 25 minute workout. After all, you only get out of a workout what you put into it.

Here are my before T25 Alpha and after T25 Alpha...

It doesn't seem like there is a huge difference but there is definitely some thinning in my abdominal area & my legs are losing fat & gaining a ton of muscle. I will admit too this is with minimal diet changes too. I still have some sort of chocolate after lunch (usually a homemade paleo PB cup or some paleo hot chocolate lol) and often times a small dessert in the evening. Friday's during our new restaurant visits I get pretty much whatever I want...but I am naturally a veggie lover anyway so that helps ;)

Anyway, moving on to beta!

This is my second week in beta. First week was killer...incorporating weights/resistance into the programme really gives the workouts some dimension. Now I go a bit heavier than I normally would simply because you aren't using the weights for terribly long so I felt like I could up the weights a little.

Rip'T Circuit I feel is closely related to Total Body from Alpha Round. It gets the whole body but when you work on an area I feel like it works it a little deeper than the total body. Plus, it has less push-ups than total body! HA! Rip't has definitive arm, leg, ab movements. I also feel like the moves in this one are all new. During alpha round I could totally tell when something was just a variation from Hip Hop Abs, Rockin' Body, Insanity, etc. But, this time around things just seemed new & fresh for this workout..plus, it is only 25 minutes! ;)

So, that is my assessment of rip't. It's a great DVD and is slowly but surely becoming one of my favorites! What is your favorite workout?