Saturday, January 15, 2011

Chance's 32nd Birthday in Playa Del Carmen!

On the way there....
We took a private shuttle to our destination... not going to pretend like we weren't a tiny bit nervous...
Our first steps on the beach of Playa del Carmen!
It was overcast when we got there, which made for a cozy and comfy, relaxing afternoon.
Dinner at "El 10", an Argentinian hot spot in the city.

Chance and I had a hefty bet going as to whether or not Starbucks in Mexico served American holiday flavors such as the Egg Nog Latte and Pumpkin Spice Latte. I voted yes. He voted no. I lost!!! Nothing but Toffee Nut! (which was delish anyway)
Downtown Playa del Carmen... 3o blocks worth of entertainment, shops and eateries!
Chance opened his birthday gift... Usher tickets. Yes, you read write. We loved it!
This was one of our most active trips! We tend to lay on the beach like whales, but we actually played paddle ball several hours each day!

Chance and his Gilligan hat from Aruba.. the only thing that protects his giant cabeza.
A cute little girlfriend stroll. This reminded me of where I am headed.
Dang.. who dat?










Who doesn't love to run in the water?







Friday, January 7, 2011

My Green Monster..

Green smoothies are all the rage these days, and I am no exception to the impulsive trend. I haven't quite sold Chance 100%, but this one was tasted and approved!

(sidenote... this is not from Starbucks.. it's my reusable acrylic cup from home) :)

I like my smoothies to incorporate as many superfoods as possible. That's the joy of smoothies... just throw it all in there and blend away! There are always millions of options for smoothies and most recipes need a bit of tweeking until they are just right for your palette. Try this one.. it is wonderful!

Kacey's Green Monster

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/2 cup crushed ice
1 handful of spinach leaves
1 handful of kale
1/2 banana
3-4 strawberries
1 tsp. Maca powder (optional)
1 scoop of natural vanilla protein powder OR hemp protein powder (there are many options, just choose the one with the least amount of ingredients.. OR just leave it out all together.. there are other good ways to get your protein in!)
1 TBSP coconut oil (don't sweat the fat grams or saturated fat... coconut oil BURNS stored fat!!)



Blend and enjoy!!

To Health in 2011...



The last time I really remember enjoying a New Year's Eve was in 5th grade. It was basically a party for all of the adults involved in the PTO at Jobey and my private grade school in LA. You would think "conservative" for the parents at a private (and religious) school... not this crowd. Don't think for a second MY mom would have ever settled for anything less than ...just... wild. You wonder where I get my volume and tenacity.. my mom rolled with the best of them. (She has since been tamed, ...kinda) The kids were default invites and had our own dance party in the backyard.. complete with Color Me Badd, Michael Jackson, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" in our dance mix soundtrack. Those were the days you made up dances with your girlfriends, created the best puffy paint sweatshirts and tie-dyed
everything you owned. These were days where your biggest concern was getting sand in your Dr. Pepper at the beach and if your best friend, Cindy was going to show up with your same exact outfit (since those were the days that best friends dressed alike). These were the days that your biggest decisions were red or blue Icee? Popsicle or push-up? Fruit Loops or Honey Nut Cheerios? Gone are those days. I used to like New Year's Eve... at age 11.

Now, New Year's Eve has great expectations.. a kiss at midnight (which I'm happy to say this is my 2nd consecutive year kissing the hottest man on earth at midnight) and a larger than life bash of all bashes. Well, the Pearsons are really into kissing, but not so much into big bash paryting. So what? What I like least about all things mentioned are the resolutions. Made to be broken, resolutions are just a waste of already-feeling-guilty-about-not-fulfilling-promised words. Some people are goal-oriented. Goals are fun for some. Not me. I will spend more time trying to make up unrealistic goals than actually doing them.. then break them. I recently bought a water bottle from lululemon athletica that has space to fill in goals on one side (still blank). Now, before you start thinking I'm a total New Year's resolution hater, give Mrs. Scrooge a moment to redeem herself. To me, resolutions have always been about changing behavior. A change in behavior can temporarily alter your lifestyle for the better or worse, but it's only proven time after time (year after year) that resolutions fizzle and we are back on the road to our old habits. How will I ever really change? I would love to eat healthy and exercise more... sound as redundant to you as it does to me? Of course! It's my "resolution" every year. The biggest problem with my resolution? It was always for the purpose of vanity. Eat this and you will look better... eat this and you will look worse... cardio, cardio, cardio=skinny, lean and ...skinny. Weights?? Oh, no thanks, I don't want to "bulk up". I changed my behavior to fit these molds... sometimes getting results I wanted for a short time, but not for life (much less 1 year).

This year change is in the heart. Not from the heart, in the heart. "The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). Our naturally wicked hearts seek to be pleasured by food. We are entitled to pleasure, overfed and deceived with what we believe to be "good" for us. We compare ourselves amongst ourselves.. or better said, "when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise." (2 Cor. 10:12). I was constantly comparing myself to others' bodies, lifestyles and eating habits... all in the name of vanity (or for my own standard or pleasure). For the first time in my life, honoring God with how I treat my body is what my heart wants. Yes, I will always battle my love for overindulging in candy, delicious baked goods and anything with tons of sugar in it. I'm also admitting that living a balanced lifestyle with these things in moderation is perfectly healthy, balanced and normal. I have learned to love "better" options... and still kinda love the worst options, but only few and far between. Altogether, the biggest heart change for me has been towards my health over vanity. Fortunately, choosing health as the main priority always has it's vain benefits close behind.

This blog (along with Chance and my personal posts) will conduct a journey of learning, failing, growing and eating some of the best and most delicious guilt free recipes we fall in love with along the way.

To health in 2011!

Monday, January 3, 2011

Our Christmas Cards!


2nd annual trip to Telluride!

We had an absolute BLAST in Telluride this year! We took about 400 photos and 2 hours of video footage which has now been compiled into a 3 song, 17 minute music video. It will be posted as soon as I figure out how to get it up here.. until then..