Hey friends! First of all, thank you so much for your encouragement! I’m really excited for the challenge and the ability to be able to really put my heart into the blog. I’m going to work on replying to all of the comments tomorrow as well!

I just got back from a super fun night but I’m heading off to bed!

Here’s a little preview:

I’ll be back tomorrow with a full recap tomorrow!

My thoughts sometimes come to me as I type..

I sat here for a while, staring at a blank post full of food pictures. I felt like I needed to post more than that today. I’m feeling so full of words and yet they can’t seem to surface. Writing has always been my favorite creative outlet. It started with my undying love for music. I remember in eighth grade, up late at a sleepover at 2 A.M. tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Finally I grabbed my journal and jotted down the lyrics to my first song. I’m sure it was some cheesy little number but once I got my words down on paper I passed out like a light. It’s often that way to this day although I don’t journal as much as I used to. Note to self: place journal on bed stand STAT! I get some of my best ideas, lyrics, lines when I am having a sleepless night. So instead of hushing away my need to write a slightly different post today, I’m going with it. Join me, would you?

I started this blog inspired by so many other writers and blogs that I had been reading last summer. I knew I had a love for writing and had an interesting story to tell(we all do). So I went for it and took a risk. I started a blog. It’s been the most amazing journey and in this time of uncertainty, as an unemployed post-grad in a recession, I found a support system and community that I could relate to so much. They believed in a healthier lifestyle and cheered each other on no matter what. I’ve been blogging my food now since October and have relied heavily on talking about what I ate. More recently, I’ve stumbled upon blogs recently that have totally challenged me in the best way possible when it came to blogging.

I have so many interests and it seems everyday I find something new that I’m loving. Ask my husband, he finds it endearing(I find it annoying). Why can’t I just love one thing and focus on that?! I literally have a list of “jobs I’d like to have” that I’m working through to figure out a possible career choice, but it’s tough. I got to thinking recently, why don’t I explore those loves of mine further and perhaps include them on the blog more? I’m the balanced foodie, shouldn’t I balance every love of mine? Shouldn’t I write, share and explore on here? I think so.

I took a few weeks off food blogging in May, but instead of challenging myself I felt lost. Granted, I still want to include a lot of my food but I also want to expand my blog horizons. I want to start discussions, share new ideas, take more pictures and simply write more. I’ve been trying that out with my latest adventures and I really really enjoy it. I want to take more risks and really put my all into this blog because I do love writing SO much!

I am always up for some constructive feedback and hopefully you’ll like the changes as I grow more into my writing style.

I’m not sure exactly how the changes are going to look, but I’m looking forward to trying new things and expanding my horizons. I’m so thankful for you all and really want to make sure I’m putting my best out there.

Thanks for hearing me out.

This morning I had a much harder time getting out of bed then I thought I would but I had plenty of time before yoga to relax, read a little and watch some Today show before heading out. I sipped on some iced coffee with rice milk, agave and coffee ice cubes. I love this combo. Agave is officially my favorite coffee sweetener, it comes out tasting like a creamy caramel coffee. Mmm!

I headed out for a two mile run that was hard but felt great! I came back and quickly changed, ate a piece of bread with peanut butter and drank some Gatorade with water to rehydrate. I rushed off to yoga and enjoyed a really hard yoga class! Beth, the instructor, brought it today! I found myself in child’s pose quite a few times but in the end knew I gave my all to the road and the mat. It’s a great feeling!

I was about to head home when Ashley asked if I wanted to join her for a quick bite to eat at Dandelion Communitea Cafe and I gladly said yes!

Ashley was one of my first blogger friends in Orlando and we really enjoy hanging out so it was a nice treat to have some time to get together and enjoy some good food. I kept it super light with these veggie spring rolls and delicious peanut sauce.

I was planning on a green monster a little bit later so a light meal was good for me! Especially since I went almost a week without a lot of veggies in my life and it was so great to have a spring roll full of fresh and crisp vegetables!

When we had finished Ashley asked if I wanted to split dessert. At the moment my sweet tooth was begging me for chocolate and we found the perfect sweet fix…

Oh my gosh, AMAZING!! It was gluten-free, vegan and INCREDIBLE!! Their were two cookies in the pack and we each had about one total. These were not low-cal(about 340 calories per cookie) but were definitely delish.

I got home, jumped in the shower and started getting some laundry done. I didn’t have a lot of time since I was heading to a friends house to babysit for a little bit.

I made a green monster which was just what I needed!!

I feel a possible cold coming on and knew I needed some nutrients, STAT!

• Rice Milk
• Frozen Strawberries
• Frozen Mango
• Large scoop of fruit Vega smoothie mix(from HLS swag)
• Some plain Oikos(about a tablespoon, finished off a container) and some regular plain yogurt.
• Splash of apple juice
• SPINACH!

I haven’t had a green monster in a while! The Vega honestly added a veggie taste to my smoothie that I don’t usually get with just spinach.

After I added a lot of berries, it wasn’t too bad but not my favorite. I prefer Amazing Meal as a supplement to my smoothies. I’m sure it’d get better as I kept adding it into smoothies though. I’ve heard the chocolate is better if you like chocolate in your smoothies!

I’m going to hang out for a bit more, the little girl I’m watching is napping so I’ll probably catch up on blog reading. Tonight I’m hanging out with Mandy and we’re just going to watch a movie, should be fun. I’ll see you all later.

Hey everyone! I’m falling asleep sitting up, so this will be a quick one.

Lunch was delish thanks in part to some donations from Megan’s freezer.

Over a large bed of spinach I had a Dr.Praeger’s veggie burger with a little italian dressing and a light babybel.

The burgers are great but REALLY REALLY soft, I wonder if cooking them on the stove would help them form better over the microwave?

I also had a strawberry oikos with fresh blueberries for “dessert”. YUM! I need to buy more berries..

After work I literally drove the hour home, quickly changed and headed back out with Adam! Phew!

I snacked on this mini Larabar. I really really liked this flavor! Last cashew cookie I had came out really dry but this one wasn’t dry at all!

I’m so glad breakfast and lunch were light because dinner was NOT! But I enjoyed myself thoroughly and that’s all that matters!

We headed out to the Port Orleans hotel to visit a family friend who spends every birthday at Disney! How fun is that? I may have been slightly(majorly) envious!

All three of us ordered the philly cheese steak and fries. I even had a root beer on the side for fun!

It was delicious and to work it off, we walked around the property.

Oh Disney, how I love thee.

I really love watching families on vacation and think of the day when I can bring my kids here. Disney with kids is such a different experience, like you’re reliving your first visit to Disney all over again! I’d love to spend a weekend at a Disney hotel and go to a park or two. We’re actually planning on trying to go to Epcot during the Food & Wine festival. It’s sort of a tradition with my mom, sister and I. We’ve just added more people to that list since we first started going.

After the vacation teaser we headed back home and are now relaxing. Tomorrow morning I’m planning a two mile run, some yoga and time with good friends. Sounds like a great day to me!