Days full of sunshine, blue skies and loud country music pumping through the speakers. At least that’s what I envision. If you were to close your eyes and imagine your perfect day, what would it involve? Mine would look a lot like what I described above plus add a healthy dose of laughter, friends and family and good eats. Right now, I’m especially thinking about those strawberries sitting in my fridge.

Cheers to making everyday as close to what you see in your daydreams as possible.

P.S. – How cute are those striped straws?

What would your perfect day be like?

Photo credit

A few days ago, I had my own version of a Cinderella story… this isn’t the story of pumpkins or Prince Charming, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself here. Let me start from the beginning.

For the past few months I’ve been training for the Soldier Field 10 Mile, increasing my mileage and pace at a moderate, but doable rate. Everything was going along wonderfully until it wasn’t. I started getting calf pains on my longer runs. Then I started getting pain on my shorter runs.

Finally, I could barely run a mile without almost paralyzing cramps/pain along the inner side of my calves/shins. Lesson learned: I should have addressed my discomfort much, much sooner. Turns out, it seems likely I’m currently suffering from shin splints, which is disappointing with a race a few weeks away.

I’ve been (actively) resting with yoga, the elliptical and strength training. And most importantly, I opened my eyes to a brand new pair of shoes. Thanks to a running specialty store in my area, I had my gait analyzed and was fitted for a high-quality proper shoe. I’m now the proud owner of a pair of Brooks Ghost 5.

I took them on a short test run this afternoon (I’m still not completely pain-free) and I loved them. I felt lightweight, quick and cushioned while running. To say these shoes are an upgrade, would be a major understatement. The only problem is I’m getting antsy waiting to get back to running the way I was prior to the injury.

I’m not sharing this story to help Brooks sell shoes or to seek sympathy, but just to shed some light on how important it is to have a solid pair of shoes beneath your active feet. That and above all, listen to your body. Pushing through pain doesn’t make you strong, it makes you vulnerable to injury. Strength comes from being in tune with your body and allowing it to do what it needs.

Have you ever had a running injury? Were you fitted by a specialist for your running/workout shoes?

Thanks to the library and Amazon, the lovely stack of books above is mine all mine. Over the past couple years I’ve grown to love reading about nutrition, food and health and how those three topics intersect. If this selection of books is any indication,  I can’t seem to get enough.

First up is It Starts with Food by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig.

You may have heard of a popular website and diet trend called Whole 30. (I use the word diet loosely here – maybe meal plan is a better term.) Anyways, the premise behind Whole 30 is to eat only whole, clean foods such as veggies, meat, healthy fats (think paleo-style) for 30 days. I was intrigued by this concept, so I checked out this book from the library. It explains the meal plan in more detail and gives the science behind it. I’ve only read the first few chapters, but it’s certainly interesting and I’ve learned a bit about the psychology of eating.

The next book I’ve been waiting for somewhat patiently: Cooked by Michael Pollan.

Within the last six months or so, I’ve read two other books by Michael Pollan and thought they were thought-provoking and informative. You can read more about my thoughts here and here.  When I saw he was releasing a book about cooking, I knew I needed to read it. I’m pretty excited about this one; it’s what prompted the Amazon order.

Lastly, I’ll be diving into Food Politics by Marion Nestle.

I’ll be 100% honest here – I’m not too sure what I’m getting into with this one, but I bought it to get free shipping (don’t judge). However, going off the summary, it will discuss “big food” and how the industry influences what consumers buy and eat. Again, this topic sounds enthralling to me.

I’ll make sure to check in when I finish these books just in case you are wondering how they turned out. If you find these topics incredibly boring, well then sorry. Back to your regularly scheduled day.

What are you reading lately?

This week I’m taking a look at Tuesday’s eats. Loading up on fruits and veggies was the name of the game. After some solid food prep on Sunday, I felt ready to load up on tasty and healthy meals.

Breakfast: Green smoothie and banana. Smoothie ingredients prepped and frozen from this weekend a la the instructions in this post.

Snacks: Almonds and an apple. Simple, yet filling.

Lunch: Oops! Busy day at work yesterday and I ate it before I realized I should photograph it. But, I made this mango-corn-black bean salad from Eat, Live, Run paired with some salad greens and a Chobani Caramel Pineapple bite. I had mixed feelings about the Chobani – it was good, but I’m not sure Caramel and pineapple belong together.

Dinner: Big green salad with chicken, Farmers’ Market grape tomatoes, avocados and the best balsamic vinegar.

What did you eat this week?

After a couple weekends of on-the-go eating and indulgences due to being in between the house and apartment, I knew I wanted to observe Meatless Monday. I needed veggies and I needed them plentiful. I don’t know about you, but I always have trouble coming up with vegetarian recipes that don’t involve pasta. It’s not that I don’t adore pasta, it’s just that I’d like a little more variety.

Needless to say, I was pretty excited when I found this recipe for stuffed portabello mushrooms that mimicked the flavors of pizza. I always think portabellos make for an excellent substitute for meat because they have a heartier texture. They’re also packed with minerals such as selenium and other beneficial nutrients (source).

I followed the recipe pretty closely, but adapted the amount of filling to just make enough for two mushrooms. I substituted feta cheese for parmesan because that’s what I had on hand. I thought they turned out delicious! They were both filling and full of fresh ingredients. In my opinion, the real stars of the dish were the grape tomatoes I used. We picked them up at the Farmers’ Market on Saturday and they were the perfect combination of sweet and crunchy.

I’m definitely putting these portabello pizzas on the make again list. I’d make them the same way as well as experiment with different ingredients for the filling. If you’d like to add meat, I think Italian sausage would perfectly complement the existing flavors.

Do you like portabello mushrooms? What’s your favorite vegetarian meal?

After all, this holiday is all about being proud and celebrating the Mexican heritage. PSA: Cinco de Mayo is NOT Mexican independence day… that’s in September. Now on to the tequila… I mean…

If you enjoy guacamole as much as I do, you’d probably eat it at every meal given the chance. A few years back, we bought this molcajete for making fresh guac. You have to season it prior to use, but it’s totally fun and easy to mash all the ingredients together with this. Plus it looks cute on display.

Every good margarita deserves a pretty glass… unless you’re me and prefer to just drink them straight out of the blender. Just kidding. Kind of. To me, the blue accents and the sturdy construction of these margarita glasses are an instant trip south of the border.

Avocados, avocados, avocados. I don’t own this cookbook yet, but I know I should. Seriously, all these recipes use avocados in all kinds of ways. I hear there’s even a chocolate chip cookie recipe made with the signature ingredient. If you’d like to learn more about Gaby (the author) stop by her awesome blog.

And last, but not least: tequila. tequila. tequila.

Do you celebrate Cinco de Mayo? What’s your favorite Mexican dish?

The sunshine also got me thinking about summer foods, especially new smoothie recipes and salads with fruit in them. Oh and grilled everything… meat, veggies, avocado… bring it on.

This week’s What I Ate Wednesday doesn’t really reflect all of those summer food cravings, but rather the need for easy, accessible food that’s still mostly healthy. With all the housework, I didn’t have time to properly plan meals and grocery shop this week. Should be an interesting ride…

Breakfast: Naked Juice Green Machine. My go-to quick breakfast. I also discovered a new flavor I like – Berry Veggie, more veggies, less sugar, same delicious taste. Win-win.

Lunch: Treated to Chick-Fil-A by work. Mini-chicken sandwhichs – how cute are they?!? – coleslaw, an apple (from home) and a chocolate chip cookie.

Dinner: $9 rotisserie chicken & mashed potatoes from Whole Foods plus honeydew melon. The store by us has a special on Tuesdays. The chicken was really good and I have leftover that I’m going to put in a Greek pasta salad later in the week. This was a quick dinner that we’ll probably repeat in the future.

What are you eating this week? Do you have favorite summer foods?

Just stopping by to check in and say I promise there will be a real post tomorrow. Things have gotten BUSY with the house and just life in general. The good news? We made a lot of progress on the home improvement front and we’ve spent some quality time with friends/family.

Have a happy Tuesday!!

Let me be honest. Prior to sitting down to write this post, I hadn’t given much thought to why I really blog. To answer simply and without much thought, I’d say I blog because I love to write, but now looking back, I’d just say that’s why I began blogging.

Like many others, I became hooked on the blogging world by reading other people’s blogs. To me, they were like miniature versions of the stacks and stacks of magazines I constantly hoarded. Small parts of the web where I could go read about whatever topic I wanted – fashion, food, career, etc.

In the time I spent as a reader, I grew more and more interested in the topics of healthy eating and fitness. I learned a lot by following the posts of others and grew to want to add my own opinions to my own piece of the web. As a bonus, writing for the blog would strengthen the skills I was already using in my professional life.

After some thought, I decided I would write about food/health. I chose those topics mostly because I found myself talking about them a lot. Since this blog start a little over a year ago, I definitely say that’s evolved and is still evolving. However, I’ve made some wonderful blog friends and connections through this little healthy living blogs community and I can’t imagine blogging without them.

If I were to say why I continue blogging, it’s the community. It’s the readers (thank you). I enjoy connecting with others, sharing recipes, sharing fun events in our lives. I’m always learning from my peers in the blogging world and while I don’t think it’s wise to compare myself to others, seeing what others are doing inspires me to keep growing and striving to do all the things I want to do.

Blogging has helped me grow in so many ways and I’m grateful to everyone who continues to read, who tries a restaurant or recipe I suggest and I absolutely love reading all the comments.

Now a treat for all of you: I can’t share all the details just yet, but Conscious Kitchen is getting a remodel! I’ve been working with one of my best friends (she’s so talented!) on some new branding/design and it is just fabulous. Since I love y’all so much, here’s a little sneak peek.

I sincerely appreciate you stopping by today and have a great weekend!

Are you smiling? Yeah, that pillow up there had the same effect on me too. So bright, so cheerful – much how I wish every day to be.

This week’s food for thought links are coming at ya a day early. Tomorrow I’ll be participating in a special link-up. If you’re a blogger, join in! I’d love to hear some of your stories.

I’ve never been much of a horse person, but with the Kentucky Derby around the corner I can’t help but get excited by these horse cookies! Now will someone please pass the mint juleps?

At the risk of opening Pandora’s box, I started thinking about cleaning products the other day. Before you write me off as a 1950′s housewife, I was more specifically thinking about how bad they must be to breathe in, etc. Then I saw this post - why not clean with food?

And now for an unexpected combination – bacon and strawberries. Seriously. Trick the bacon lover in your life into eating a salad instantly. Let me get back to you regarding if this actually works or not.