Jumping Islands ~ RT4 ~ Bikram Yoga

Hello everyone!!

I have been eating a whole lot of bananas for the past eight days. attempting to do a full out banana island. with all of the bloating (and I mean massive ugly bloating), I have decided to jump islands... banana island during the day and HCLFV island at night (cooked). since island jumping, I have noticed a lot less bloating. Don't know why that is? My dinners have been staying the same: rice noodles, 1/2 head of lettuce, mixed steamed veggies and occasionally beans. all mixed in one bowl. when I do this, I wake up less bloated than if I do banana island all day including dinner. funny.
So I have to say that a full out banana island travel is not where I want to be... I'm thankful that I had the experience with it and know what to expect with it.

My diet of choice is RT4. I feel my very best with this lifestyle. my energy levels have been through the roof which is not normal for me. I crave daily naps and have been diagnosed with hyper adrenals... I am curious to know if this amazing lifestyle has aided in correcting the hyper adrenals??? I wouldn't doubt it!!

I started a new challenge ~ Bikram ~ :D It's been three years since I have been in the torture chamber and since starting on the HCLFV diet, I have had a pull to get the yoga mat back out! yesterday was my first day back and OMG let me tell you!! I felt at home the moment I inhaled that hot humid air!! Lol... no joke!! I loved it!! I will say that I had some uncomfortable belly time during the class... while doing the floor poses, my tummy was super sensitive and I think it was because of the bloating I carry with me and the waste that decided to stay in for the day and a half. all in all though, this is home to me and I'm happy to be back!

Love and Light!!!
Cherish your body!!
She Fit Vegan

Datorade ~ sweet and delicious!

OOOOOOOOOH datorade!!  What a great treat! Today is my first day making a datorade, I decided to make this instead of banana milk for breakfast/lunch. It is so sweet and so refreshing! Just what I need !!

My Datorade includes:

20 medjool dates

vanilla drops

500 ml coconut water

1000 ml water

ashwaghanda drops

FABULOUS!!

Banana Island ~ Day Six

Hello Fruity One's!!!

today marks day six of my banana island. I've had some ups and downs this week... mainly just irritated with the consistent bloating.

I had a cooked dinner (rice noodles and lettuce) the past two nights and surprisingly, when I woke the next day, I wasn't near as bloated as to the other days when I woke from being strictly on the bananas. I'm curious to know why that is??

So!! I'm thinking about doing the banana island till 4. unless there are days when I want to do the bananas all day. I've been doing my best to ripen the bananas as much as possible before eating them... putting them in paper bags with a tomato, putting them in the oven, and buying plenty at a time to give enough time for the newest ones to ripen while I indulge on the already speckled ones. But yet, still have the bloating as a constant... blahhh!! that's the only word that came to mind when thinking of bloating! Lol

I have been having many BM's through out the day which is great and shows me that the digestive system is indeed doing its thing!! I probably GO 4-5 times per day.
The water in the morning before breakfast makes a big difference too!

I don't crave anything really... other fruits don't appeal to me, my families cooked meals don't appeal to me... so there is some great changes occurring and I feel grateful for that.

**Major plus** lots of daily energy and many BM's. ;)

Cheers to a wonderful Life!!
SFV

P.S. My chilled banana pudding I indulged in yesterday for lunch!

Passionate vegan with digestive issues and now cholecystitis

I've started blogging over at 30bananasaday.com to get advice and learn more about the banana girl diet. so here is the first blog post:

I've been plant-strong for nearly seven years now! Raising two beautiful girls on the plant-strong diet as well. Our lifestyle of choice works for us! We love a colorful array of veggies, fruit salads, grains and all of the wonderful superfoods we come across.
I tend to dabble in raw adventures from time to time and even embark on juice feasts! Hey! Juice is part of this families lifestyle :) we love it! For quite some time, I have been following Freelee and her chosen lifestyle. I have always been so intrigued with how great she looks and the high amount of energy she has given to her by the diet she owns. I've tried in the past the 80-10-10 diet and couldn't seem to stick with it. Still kept following Freelee and understood that her diet was somewhat different than the 80-10-10 diet. I decided to stick to my plant-based raw and cooked ways since this is what I knew and since my passion for leading a cruelty free life ran deep into my veins, this was one lifestyle choice I knew I wouldn't be caught falling off the bandwagon on!
Digestive issues, yes. Gas and bloating, yes! Energy levels low, yes. Poor sleep patterns, mmhm. I was getting frustrated!! Why is it that I choose to put only good into my body, yet I'm tired all the time, I can't lose weight (I'm sitting at 15-20 pounds over), I have poor digestion.... And hey!! Don't get me started on the excess cellulite. I feel like I'm the only vegan in the world who doesn't "look" vegan hahahaha... It's true! And junk food vegan I am not!
So here I am now, 30 years old, and lying in bed with cholecystitis. Understanding that even the good fats can disturb the gallbladder. I'm going on my fourth day in bed. I feel that there was a reason for me to be following Freelee for so long. And recently I gained a great desire to truly understand her low fat high carb diet. I feel I have the tools to correct this cholecystitis via diet change. And this amazing site, 30BaD will be my book of knowledge from others who have possibly been where I am and have seen positive changes by jumping on the banana girl diet!! I'm determined to not lose my gallbladder! The body was made with love and energy... And organs!! ;) This is my organ along with all the others and I want to keep it. I'm always open to advice, so if you have it and you have the desire to share, then please do so. I appreciate all! Let love and light be all around and healing energy.
Ahimsa
She Fit Vegan

Fermenting Veggies ~ Dr. Mercola

I've been wanting to ferment veggies for quite some time now. I have done batches of sauerkraut in the past, but that's about it. So yesterday I spent some time on youtube and came across Dr. Mercola's video on Fermenting Veggies and went ahead and followed his protocol.

Watch Dr. Mercola's video here: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/05lVOmj1Pqg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

i'm super excited to try this!! and to share it with my beautiful family!

cheers!
She Fit Vegan ~ Malynda

Juice Feast... Day 5

Bonjour!!
Today is day 5 of my day to day juice feast. The week has been up and down... with moments of low energy and the feeling of hunger and then with moments of pure happiness, volts of high energy and appetite suppressed. It's quite the journey to juice feast. you learn to control your mind. I know without a doubt that my body is getting plenty of nutrients via the juice and herbs that I am consuming, so when the spells of "hunger" come along, i can confidently tell my mind that all is well and this moment will pass.
the first evening of the cleanse I was able to empty waste... and a lot of it! (sorry for the TMI). but as the week went on, I haven't had a bowel movement in days. which seems understandable since I am only consuming liquid, yet I feel there is more waste in my colon that needs to come out from before starting the juice feast. my plan is to add some home-enemas consisting of rejuvelac and herbs and possibly within the next 5-7 days, schedule a few colonics.
I feel that it is the herb, Black Walnut Hull that is the most effective when it comes to internal cleansing! I LOVE taking this herb!! (I get mine from Bulk Herb Store online).
Being on day 5, I will say that this morning I was exceptionally tired and felt as if I could sleep allllllll day! but eventually got out of bed and feel much better.
I'm starting another batch of rejuvelac and am at the stage where the wheat berries require sunlight to green up. it was quite the meditative moment this morning as I sang to my wheat berries and imagined myself sending positive loving energy to the little sprouts. my rejuvelac will be happy and in return will give me positive loving energy! Namaste.
I've been keeping myself occupied with reading, sitting at the library and making fermented veggies and pickled treats... I'll add another post to share these gorgeous goodies!!
as for now, here is my traveling juice that went with me as i ran errands on day 3.

(juice in recycled kombucha bottles for convenient cup holder size)

as my last note to share for the day, regarding this feast, I have worked out three times this week (kickboxing) and have had wonderful energy during each workout! Yay!!

Ahimsa.

She Fit Vegan ~ Malynda

Juice Feast... 30 Days?? Day one

Ok so after my Lake Powell trip, i have decided to do a juice feast! originally i wanted to do 3-5 days to jump start my cleaner version of my awesome plant~strong diet but after giving it some thought and after watching a few youtube videos, I'm seriously considering going 30 days!!
I know!! sounds extreme!! but i feel ready and i feel like right now is a good time to venture into this since my mind is right and i'm WANTING to do it.
also! this isn't the typical juice feast... I will be adding organic herbs and essential oils that are geared towards removing toxins and repairing tissues. I will be flooding my body with goodness from all angles!
I will take this journey one day at a time... one sip at a time. I love my body and I love myself, I only wish to come out of this cleansed and renewed... weight loss has nothing to do with it. although, I won't lie, if I shed a pound or two, you won't see me crying over it ;) it's just not my primary goal!

so! today started off as DAY ONE of my juice feast!! YAYYY!!!

today's intake and activity:

6am kickboxing class

1 tsp black walnut hull powder and 1 tsp kelp powder mixed in water

3/4 gallon fresh juice (collards, chard, kale, spinach, dandelion, parsley, apple and pear)

1/2 gallon water

mixed herbs

 a gallon and a half of fresh Norwalk juice. enough for two days.

my post workout mix: kelp powder and black walnut hull powder ~ Yum!

Cayenne pepper in water (watch out! this one has a KICK!)

cheers!!
SFV

Lake Powell Trip ~ Our Vegan Meal Plans!

This last week my husband and I took the girls up to Lake Powell for a week full of beach camping, boating and lake exploring! It was seriously a BLAST!! both girls learned how to knee board, and let me just say, they take after their dad when it comes to skill and looking damn cool on the water!

we rented a toy hauler to make camping on the beach more enjoyable and a little less... messy! ;)

(aren't they like sooo adorable!!!)

And let's not forget the boys!! their skills were quite impressive as well!!

 Sven

All~Love

Here is what we brought for our easy go-to snacks:

* blueberries

* baby carrots

* apples

* kiwi

* watermelon

* sunflower seeds, pistachios, crackers and organic chips

Here's what I cooked:

* gluten-free oatmeal with agave nectar

* french toast

* raw almond butter and jelly sandwiches (not cooked)

* pasta salad

* tlt's (tempeh, lettuce and tomato... but we add avocado!)

* corn on the cob

and I brought homemade organic rejuvelac... a gallon and a half!! it was perfect for hydrating and cleansing while on the road :)

These tlt's are AMAZING!! 

bread

soy free vegan mayo

lettuce

tomato

avocado

organic vegan tempeh bacon (pic below)

This is such a quick and easy AND super delicious meal!!

we kept the food options simple since we were on the lake alot and away from the trailer. 

Cheers to traveling Vegan!!

Backpacking Meals from Outdoor Herbivore

I am soooo excited to share our meal choices with all of you!! We went with Outdoor Herbivore for their vegan options and that their meals are mostly organic!! We ordered four breakfasts, four lunches and four dinners, all of this only costing us $127. Is this a good deal? I have no idea!! But it's our very first backpacking trip with prepared dried food... This will be a lesson in itself ;)

Our Vegan meals include:

Blackened Quinoa

Lickety-Split Lentils

Naked Freckle Burrito

Cibola Couscous

Chia Oat Crunch

Toasted Sunburst Muesli

All that can be cooked with our Jet-Boil. 

We're getting close to having all of the essentials for this backpacking trip!! Last on our list... A sleeping bag!! :)

Happy Trails!!

Malynda -She Fit Vegan

Vegan Backpacking Meals!

While shopping at REI last week, I came across these organic VEGAN backpacking meals! I'm so excited to try them! This week we're taking the girls camping up north for a few days where Ryan and I will bring our new backpacks and boots and tackle some trails with hills! This will be the first time we use our JetBoil as well :) 

Food and JetBoil review coming shortly!!

Xoxo,

Malynda "She Fit Vegan" 

My first backpacking backpack!

YAYYY!!! It's finally here!! My backpacking backpack!! My husband (he fit vegan) ordered this beautiful backpack online for me last week and it is finally here!! I'm so excited! I've already taken all of the little nicknacks I can find and started loading it up! I feel confident that this size bag (the 65) will hold more than enough essentials for my backpacking trip :) 

I recommend getting sized for your backpack! I was shocked when the gentlemen at REI measured me and I was between and XS and a S. I would have grabbed a M and been done with it... Wondering why in the hell isn't this bag fitting me right?! LOL. So get sized before buying your backpack!

I believe this backpack weighs four pounds eight ounces. Has an adjustable torso, and is considered a lightweight backpack. I absolutely love this bag!! 

Ok!! Now for some food share... 

I cooked a big batch of organic black lentils and rice this Sunday to last us the next 2-3 days. I've prepared some fresh cut veggies as well to top. Eating this simple isn't only super nutritious, but it's inexpensive! 

Just throw it all into a bowl and enjoy!! How can you go wrong with all of this amazingness! :)

Have a fabulous Monday! Be thankful and appreciate all that this life has to offer! 

Cheers!

Malynda  "She Fit Vegan"

Teach your kids about health!

Our kids are the next generation. They are what will move forward with or without us and they will be the ones that keep What we teach them today, to perform what they know tomorrow. 

Take pride in what you're teaching your kids. And if not your kids, the younger generation before you. 

Kids are amazing, and they are smart!

Give them the tools they require to grow and eventually teach others. 

Our family is 100% vegan and we take great pride in that. We have always taught to our two young girls the scientific approach on why we don't eat meat and dairy. Yes, we love the idea of saving an animals life (it's a bonus to our lifestyle) but we also love the idea of conserving our own lives by not contributing to the everyday wear and tear of food battle nutrition. We know the facts of the plant based lifestyle and therefore we refuse to lower our standards (and our health) to the typical American Diet. 

Teach your kids to live happy, healthy and cruelty free!!

Here's Tristyn (our beautiful six year old) eating home grown alfalfa sprouts:

Tristyn knows health!! At the age of six, she KNOWS how great plants are to our health! It's amazing and it's extremely humbling. 

Lead by example, love yourself and teach others the power of plant based foods!

Cheers!

Malynda "She Fit Vegan"

Loving Leftovers!

I haven't found one sour thought regarding leftovers... Have you?? The food has already been prepared, cooked (or uncooked), and put into portion sized containers! All you have to do now is heat and/or eat!! I love leftovers! 

A couple nights ago, I made this rock'n plant-strong meal for the fam:

Lentils, aduki beans, mushrooms, kale, onion, tomato, jalapeño, lettuce and alfalfa sprouts! 

This bowl was amazing and set me up for an amazing workout where I had a great amount of energy and protein! 

As for leftovers, I took what I had saved from this meal and added it to this meal:

Quinoa chia veggie burgers, tomato, onion, broccoli, cauliflower, sun dried tomatoes, lettuce, lentils, black beans and alfalfa sprouts! Ummmm yeah!!! 

Make a little more when preparing your meals and save that extra bit for the next days leftover meal! It saves you time and energy and sets you up for another great meal!

Cheers!

Malynda "She Fit Vegan"

Tonight's Vegan Dinner

The kitchen tonight was filled with laughter, smiles, kisses... And yes, both Ryan and I! Together we grabbed fresh veggies from the fridge without questioning each others choices and went to town.

Dinner:

Organic Red Lentils

Organic Aduki Beans

Organic Broccoli

Organic Onion

Organic Fresh Raw Garlic

Fresh Raw Jalapeño 

Organic Home Grown Alfalfa Sprouts

Talk about an uplifting meal! Loaded with energy, protein, fiber, and TONS of love!! 

After dinner Ryan cleaned up the kitchen (I know! What a man!! I love him!) and while giving our bodies time to digest our fantastic dinner, we played with the girls coloring and drawing our favorite animals! 

Tonight's workout:

30 minute elliptical 

BOSU training

* abs

* lats

* lower abs (with added weights)

* donkey kicks

* leg lifts

Lite workout tonight, but hey! A little bit is better than nothing ;) 

As far as my back goes, today I had a deep tissue massage and a chiropractor adjustment. I'm feeling great! Oh! Lets not forget the foot bath... Kinda gross!! 

Cheers to a fantastic Friday!!

Malynda "She Fit Vegan"

Our very first backpacking adventure! - prepping!

Ryan and I have decided to backpack into the Grand Canyon this October 2013. We thought about hiking it originally but as we started to learn more about the backpacking experience, we fell in love with it and wanted most definitely to backpack rather than hike! 

Here's why:

* Ryan and I LOVE to be challenged! 

* we're so into camping and being outdoors, therefore, we are really excited about carrying all of our camping gear down into the canyon with us to set up camp for a few nights and continue hiking and exploring the falls.

* why hike when you can backpack?! :)

* all in all, it's US!

So!! We've committed ourselves to this new adventure! I wake up thinking about REI (the outdoors store) and go to bed thinking about REI! Hahaha... It has consumed me, no doubt! 

We're buying our gear as we learn and go... So far this is what we have...

A light weight tent from REI, a footprint, two collapsible bowls and two sets of folding utensils.

The tent:

REI brand Quarter Dome T2 Plus Ultralight 3-Season Tent-Extended Size. 

We set this tent up in the house after we got it and it was fairly easy to put together! (Reading the instructions helped) ;) 

Ryan and I can fit comfortably in the tent together with room at our feet for our bags. The tent weighs right around 4 pounds and cost us right around $250 (with the 25% off coupon) score!

The bowls and utensils:

These are pretty neat because they're so compact and light weight! Expensive at $15 per bowl and $12 per utensil set... But hey! Weight and size matters when backpacking! 

Training:

Ryan and I have started our training by improving our leg strength via squats (this in which I can't do due to hurting my lower lumbar spine a few months ago, but am slowly adding them into my regimen). We're working our core more than we were with our previous training and lifting weights to add upper body muscle and strength. My goal is to get consistently back into bikram yoga and together, we'll start utilizing the bleachers for some "up hill" and "down hill" training. Small hikes with our 30 pound backpacks will come into play as well (as soon as we get them). I've been working on my cardio daily to strengthen my respiratory system. 

Daily fuel:

Ryan and I eat a clean whole foods plant-based diet. Complete with fresh vegetables, beans, lentils, brown rice, quinoa, and organic sprouted tofu. Ryan prefers the heavier meals and I prefer the large leafy salads! 

We're taking this one day at a time! We both have so much to learn and gain from this experience and yet we are so eager to share this fun filled journey with anyone who is interested in reading our blog :)

We love feedback so please share your thoughts and personal experiences with us regarding backpacking! 

Cheers!

Malynda "She Fit Vegan"