Sweet Potato Breakfast Pie

1 medium sweet potato, cooked and cool (3-4 ounces)
3 egg whites
1 tbs chia seeds
2 tbs unsweetened shredded coconut
1.5 tbs almond flour
Dash cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
Pinch salt

Preheat oven to 350F. Remove skin from sweet potato and mash flesh in a bowl. Combine remaining ingredients (make sure to mix very well so the egg incorporates and you don't get scrambles). You may add stevia if you want it more sweet, I opted for no sweeteners. In an oven safe bowl/ramekin, either spay with cooking spray or coat with coconut oil. Pour batter into ramekin and bake for 30min or until set. Let cool. It tastes even better chilled but if you don't have the patience for that wait time it's good hot too (because I had ZERO patience this morning and ate it hot. Kellen liked it warm too).

As I mentioned in previous posts I haven't been eating any sugar or using sweeteners so this was plenty sweet for me. However, if you like sweet then you can add some stevia or honey.

Finishing the 10 Day Cleanse

Yesterday was the final day of the 10 days Candida Cleanse. To recap, days 1-3 I had horrible headaches in the afternoon/evening. Days 4-5 I felt pretty good, my energy was a tad low but nothing I couldn't handle. Days 6-10 were NOT GOOD. I had horrible diarrhea, a couple headaches, extreme lethargy and mood swings. After doing some research and reading others' experiences my symptoms were not uncommon. But they were still none the less uncomfortable. I stopped taking the GX Assist (DoTerra Essential Oils Blend for liver detox) and began using a Activated Charcoal supplement to help with the diarrhea.

I'm slowly going to start implementing some foods back into my diet but will continue to eat primarily a real foods/processed free lifestyle. My birthday is coming up on Thursday and I want to be able to eat a little something off limits, but not too crazy. Sadly, I will not be eating any birthday cake that day. The one thing I will not be adding anytime soon is sugar. No sugar, no fruit, no honey, no sweeteners. There will be ONE exception to the rule, and that's Stevia. Stevia does not "feed" candida so it's ok to use, however, this will be used very sparingly. I must say, after 10 days of absolutely no sugar or sweeteners everything tastes very yummy. I had a PLAIN sweet potato yesterday and it tasted like heaven. Seriously, like a sweet potato pie! My vegetables are also tasty, I sprinkle just a small amount of salt on them while grilling and that's all they need. Eggs taste awesome, however, I'm still working on making my chicken yummy. I did try cooking a large batch of chicken breast in the crock pot with tomatoes and salt on low for hours, which definitely helped.

As for the workouts, they've been "meh". With all these toxins being dumped into and out of my body I've definitely felt a difference in the gym. I stuck to my workout plan, but everything seemed so much heavier and more exhausting. I had a hard time keeping up with my usual pace. Even friends in the gym who see me on a regular basis mentioned I wasn't acting like my energetic and spunky self. Phew, last week was a doozy.

This week I will continue to stick to my workout plan and begin slowly implementing more starchy carbs (potatoes, beans, quinoa, rice etc) back into my diet. I will still be leaving out dairy and gluten for now and of course no sugar. The one exception will be my birthday lunch at Otto's Italian in the Venetian. Not sure what I want but I will try not to stray too far as I don't think my tummy will permit.

Not the Time To Set A New PR

Wednesday I woke up very tired and lethargic. It was one of those days when I forced myself to get out of bed and go to the gym. Just before I arrived at Golds, I received a message from my husband that our short sale was finally approved! I was so happy and excited from the news that I got a sudden burst of energy and motivation to hit the weights HARD. It was leg day so I just kept throwing one plate after another onto the squat bar. I completely forgot that morning I woke up exhausted. Until set 5 when I realized my heart rate was high and it wasn't coming down even between sets. I began to slow down even though my motivation was high. My body was saying, "NOT TODAY!" I took a couple of longer breaks and tried to push myself on the hack squat but my legs started shaking and I began to feel light headed. Definitely my sign to slow down and take it easier. The rest of my day was exactly like my gym time. Every time I walked up the stairs my body screamed to take it slower, relax a little bit.

Thursday was no different. I ended up taking the day off from the gym and just spending the day with light cleaning around the house, I even took a nap. Reflecting on both Wednesday and Thursday, I really feel like my body is exhausted from the cleanse. I'm eating sufficient calories and I'm not overtraining, so I believe all the toxins from the "die off" are effecting my body processes.

I used to regularly see an acupuncturist in San Diego. Her name was Erin, and what she taught me has stuck with me since I saw her 4 years ago. Erin always believed you should listen to your body, back off when it was asking for rest. The way she explained it made so much sense to me. Sometimes Eastern Medicine just makes more sense. She always said that I needed to slow down, and listen more to my body. I was way to hard on myself, and she was right.

And speaking of white tongues, because that's one of the reasons I chose to do the cleanse. The first day I met with Erin she asked to look at my tongue. It seemed strange to me but I showed her. She smiled and said, "it looks great, nice and pink!" I'm currently working toward getting my tongue back to NICE AND PINK with this cleanse. And it's working. ;)

What The Heck Is That!?

So what the heck am I eating these days? (and go ahead and laugh at my heck, I picked it up the 7 years I lived in Utah) It's very similar to the Paleo diet but without fruit and without starches (potatoes). I've been having to get creative in my kitchen again so that I don't get bored eating the same things over and over. I do have my staples on this diet; eggs, turkey bacon, chicken, eggplant and almonds. I've been eating these everyday. I try to rotate the vegetables to keep things fun and flavorful. And boy have I ever used my salt shaker these last 5 days! Here are a couple of the pictures I've taken. I like things simple and fast. When I'm hungry I'm HANGRY so it's got to be quick. I've really been liking scrambles and my turkey bacon every morning. I was a oatmeal or quinoa for breakfast gal so giving up my carbs first thing in the morning was hard. Not to mention giving up that cup of black coffee! And great news, absolutely no headaches today!

The Cleanse & My New Workout Program

Next Sunday I'll be starting a 7 day cleanse as well as a new workout program that I've put together. I'm incorporating both traditional bodybuilding lifting as well as yoga into my weekly split and I'm starting the whole thing off with a modified whole food cleanse.

The Cleanse is explained as follows:
Days 1, 2, 6, 7:
Upon Waking large glass of purified water with fresh squeezed lemon
Breakfast: Quinoa. Topped with chia seeds, sunflower seeds and craisins
Lunch: Brown Rice, unlimited vegetables, 4 ounces chicken
Snack: Vegetables with hummus dip
Dinner: Same as lunch

Days 3, 4, 5:
Upon waking water with lemon
Breakfast: Large Bowl of Fruit Salad
Lunch: mixed plate of chopped vegetables
Snack: smoothie with vegetables and low sugar fruit
Dinner: vegetable Soup

No caffeine, alcohol, dairy, gluten, or oils (with exception of coconut oil for its healthy fats and anti fungal benefits).

As for the weekly workout regime:
Sunday: Power Yoga
Monday: Ashtanga Yoga
Tuesday: Traditional Bodybuilding Lower Body
Wednesday: Traditional Upper Body Push (chest, shoulders)
Thursday: Traditional Upper Body Pull (back)
Friday: Gentle Ashtanga Yoga
Saturday: Hiking or Gentle Yoga

I'll post my experience after I complete the 7 day cleanse. I'm both excited and nervous but looking forward to experiencing the benefits.

Blueberry Protein Cheesecake Bites

We are currently living in a furnished month-to-month condo in the Summerlin neighborhood of Las Vegas. It's a beautiful area and living in this condo feels a lot more normal than living in the hotel. We will be here until we find and purchase a home. We are also only five minutes drive from Golds Gym where the IFBB pros Dennis Wolf and Amanda Latona call their home gym. Today Mike and I were demoliating our Quads when Dennis Wolf walked in with an entire film crew who filmed his chest work out. Dennis Wolf is HUGE! If you're not familiar with bodybuilding he placed 5th last year at the Olympia (FYI, the Olympia is the Superbowl of professional bodybuilding). After our workout, we came home and ate some lunch. Then Kellen went down for his long 3 hour afternoon nap. I used this time to put together a recipe that I thought up in my head this past weekend. It's super simple, only 5 ingredients. I call it my Blueberry Protein Cheesecake Bites.

1 8-ounce package of 1/3 less fat cream cheese

5 egg whites

5 packets stevia (or sweetener of choice)

4 scoops vanilla protein powder

1 cup frozen blueberries

Directions: Bring cream cheese to room temperature. Mix cream cheese, eggs, stevia and protein powder. Add in one cup frozen blueberries. In a Pam sprayed 9x9 inch pan, spread the mixture evenly. Bake at 325F for 30 minutes or until set. Let cool completely before cutting. Serves 8.

Nutrition:150 calories, 4 carbohydrates, 7 protein, 7 fat

Help! I don't want to ruin my diet!

My time here in the hotel is coming to an end... Yippee! I can't wait to get back into a house and start living normally. I know it may sound fun to live in a hotel but it looses it's appeal after about 3 days. Anyways, as from previous posts you can see that all I had was a microwave and a mini fridge. While I tried to eat out of my "dream kitchen" as often as possibly sometimes we just couldn't escape having to eat out. I'm proud to say that I found the best thing on the menu AND even tweaked those choices to be even better. If you walk away learning only one thing from this post it's to ask your waiter (or the cashier at a fast food restaurant) to make the dish the way you need it made. After all, you're the paying customer and 99.9% of the time it's not a hassle for them to prepare it your way.

Live by these rules on the road and you won't break your diet:
1) Pretend you have food allergies. Most of the time the extra calories are what's going to kill your calories for the day. Cream sauces, cheeses, butter, etc are all very high in bad fats and if you say from the start you have milk allergies the restaurant will omit these items and therefore omit hundreds of unhealthy calories. And while you're at it, pretend you have celiac as well and leave off those croutons and crispy tortilla chips!
2) All calories are not created equal. When you're looking at a menu makes sure the dish is primarily made of vegetables, then a lean protein source, and finally slow digesting carbs (preferably non processed such as potatoes, beans, corn etc). If all else fails order side salad and pay for them to add grilled chicken.
3) Download a food diary app for your phone. While looking over the menu you can quickly look up a foods caloric nutrition as well as the macro nutrients. If you don't have a fancy smancy phone ask the restaurant to provide you with their nutrition information. Try to keep meals below 400 calories.
4) No drinks here, just a nice tall glass of water (or coffee or plain tea).
5) If the dish is too large in portion, immediately ask for a to-go container so you can put away what shouldn't be eaten at this meal time. If it sits on your plate, you'll be likely to pick at it even after you're full.
6) Think paleo. As in paleolithic time period. If you chose dishes that could have been made by a caveman then most likely you'll be ok. So think chicken, lean cuts of beef, lean cuts of pork, avocado, nuts, vegetables etc.
7) Skip dessert (unless dessert is fresh fruit).

I've also decided to include some of the dishes I ordered so you can't get a feel for what you should order.
Baja Fresh: Chicken Ensalada with no cheese, no tortilla, extra salsa.
Chipotle: Chicken Salad Bowl, chicken, black beans, lettuce and salsa only.
Sweet Tomatoes (Soupplantation if you live in Cali): Salad bar was a free for all. One bowl of Chicken Noodle Soup (I fish out the chicken so I get more chicken than noodle). And some grapes for dessert.
Chilis: Light Salmon, plain no butter or oil. Broccoli steamed only, no cheese.
Promenade Cafe (kinda like Jim's Family Restaurant : Vegetable omelette, no cheese. Sourdough bread served dry. 

Tabata and Salads

For 4 days Mike worked a 12 hour shift, that left me with Kellen in the hotel all day long. I couldn't make it down to the "dream gym" on the second floor so I knew I'd have to exercise within our hotel room. I decided the best way to go about my fitness plan for these 4 days was to do bodyweight exercises using the Tabata method. If you're not familiar with Tabata, it's a very intense but short in time duration type of training. It incorporates a brief 20 second period of intense exercise followed by an even more brief 10 second period of rest done for 8 total repetitions. The entire set lasts only 4 minutes but by the time you're done that four minutes should have gotten your heart rate more than just elevated and the target muscle properly fatigued. I downloaded a free interval timer onto my iPad and set the work sets to 20 seconds, rest time to 10 seconds, with a total of 8 rounds. My first exercise? Burpees! I don't like them but I know they're a great full body exercise. After my first Tabata I rested 2 minutes then did two additional Tabatas, first was push ups, second was jump squats. I then performed some planks and crunches followed by stretching. My entire workout required no equipment and lasted only 20 minutes from my warm up all the way through my cool down. I did this high intensity interval training 3 of the 4 days in my hotel room. The other day Kellen and I went down to the pool and frolicked! As for my diet I've made myself a rule, eat like a lizard! Lol, yep, I've been eating salads like its no ones business but mine! It's been working for me in a sense that I can control my calories, I know I'm getting all my servings of veggies, I'm well hydrated and... I keep regular. And by regular I mean no constipation here! My family, friends and clients always complain about getting "backed up" while on vacation. Most of the time this is contributed to a high fat, low vegetable and low hydration issue. So if you eat a salad for lunch and dinner this resolves that issue. I know some of you are thinking, "I really don't want to eat salads on my vacation!" but let me tell you I've had some of the most delicious salads ever these last two weeks! My favorite place by far is Sweet Tomatoes because I make my own salad. My favorite toppings are beets, carrots, corn, sunflower seeds, tomatoes, cucumbers and olives. So yum diddly um. Kellen likes Sweet Tomatoes too, he prefers the plain rotini pasta, olives and cucumbers. Then he always chooses the grapes over the chocolate brownies. Is that weird my kid chooses fruit over the processed food?! I'm a proud momma! 

Baja Fresh and Migraines

I think I'm officially addicted to Baja Fresh. Today, the third time I've ate there in the last four days, I walked in and both the manager and cashier said welcome back. Kellen and I are becoming regulars. I ate the Skinny Chicken Bowl but substituted the rice for lettuce. Kellen ate half a veggie burrito. In the gym today I did a 30 minute circuit style workout including uphill sprints in the sets to keep my heart rate up. The workout included dumbbell push ups, shoulder presses, lateral raises, tricep overhead extensions and 1 minute 15% incline sprints. That is one whole set. I completed this circuit 5 times and then did light stretching. Around 2ish I felt a migraine coming on so I took a nap in hopes I could deter it but I awoke an hour later and it was there, nausea,  eye pain, sensitivity to light. It's no walk in the park taking care of a toddler with a migraine. The gift shop in the lobby didn't carry any Exedrine so I went back to the room and tried a more homeopathic way of relief with peppermint oil. Hopefully it will go away by tomorrow.

The Ultimate Fitness Facility

Like my hotel "kitchen" I was less then impressed with the fitness room in our hotel.
When I walked in and realized I didn't even have 1/8 of the amount of equipment I usually train with I knew I'd have to get inventive with my workouts. There was only 3 treadmills, 3 benches and a rack of free weights ranging from 15-55lbs. Eek!
I figure to get my heart rate up and properly fatigue the muscle group I'm targeting it'd be best to incorporate giant sets and circuit training. Since it was leg day I did 3 different giant sets targeting both quad, glutes and hamstrings. First: dumbbell squats, sumo squats, box jumps. Repeat 3 times then moved onto next giant set. Second: dumbbell pull through, straight leg deadlift, dumbbell swing. Repeat 3 times then moved onto third and final giant set: wall squat, frog squat, hip bridge. Took 45 minutes and I was a hot sweaty mess in the end. As for food, I ate some tasty Salty Oats for bkfast (1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cup egg whites, 2 tbs sunflower seeds in cup microwaved for 2 min). Lunch was a huge salad and bowl of chicken soup from Souplantation. And dinner, well I haven't gotten there yet but I'm thinking another salad... I'm trying to eat my weight in vegetation!

Tricky Tricky!

Today is Father's Day. I absolutely adore and appreciate both my father and the father of my son. My father has always been there for me. He taught me how to throw a softball, how to assemble a tent, how to drive a car, how to shoot a gun, and so many other valuable lessons. But most importantly, he taught me a father has to be present to have a relationship with his children. As I've become an adult, I've come to find that not everyone had fathers who were present in their lives. Some were even abandoned by their father. I have always appreciated what I had growing up and the example my dad was allowed me to understand the qualities I wanted in a husband. So I'm happy to say I married a great guy too, who as of last year is a daddy!

Even though both of these wonderful men have outstanding qualities, there is something they do lack (let's face it, no one is perfect). They are horrible eaters! Lucky they have me to teach them this. I've come to find out over the last 6 years that to get them to eat my food I can't tell them what's in it. LOL! I make sneaky substitutions that allow me to remove some "un-clean" ingredients and replace them with foods that are chock full of vitamins, minerals, and flavor. Here's a couple examples. In Mike's lasagna I replace; 1) the ricotta cheese with a mix of tofu and cottage cheese, 2) I top the lasagna with part-skim mozzarella, 3)the meat is lean ground turkey with lots of Italian spices, 3) the noodle is quinoa pasta and 4) I use organic low-sugar, low sodium tomato sauce.

At least with my husband he has grown to understand I cook this way and he knows his food is bound to contain ingredients from my healthy style of living. My Dad on the other hand is a different story. If its an ingredient he has never heard of or doesn't understand them he won't even give it a try! So I have to be extra sneaky with him. Example: I made him a tuna sandwich. I only switched out 1/2 of the mayo for some Greek yogurt. And I used the albacore tuna in water instead of oil. These simple substitutions keep the flavor but change the end product to a more "clean eating" choice.

Here is a small list of simple swaps that can help boost nutrition and/or cut the total calories and fat in your end recipe.

Fats:

Greek Yogurt instead of mayonnaise (I like Fage)
1% cottage cheese instead of Ricotta
Vegetable oil in baking replaced with applesauce
Peanut Butter replaced with PB2 (found at most health food store or on Amazon)

Carbohydrates:

Ezekiel Bread\Torillas over white bread/tortillas
Almond Flour instead of White Flour
Bananas in place of sugar and oil in baking recopes
Oats instead of bread crumbs

Protein:

Chia Seeds for Eggs in baking recipes
Switching out meats for leaner cuts on the animal (sirloin instead of chuck, or chicken breast instead of thigh).

Cake Pops!

Cake:
1 can black beans rinsed well
7 pitted dates
1 scoop protein powder
1 tsp vanilla
14 pecans
2 tbs cocoa
2 packets stevia
Put all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Place in a 6x6 cake pan and bake 375F for 30 minutes. Let cool completely.

The "glue":
2 tbs chia seeds
6 tbs coffee (or water)
Place chia in small bowl with liquid and soak for 15 till it become a jelly

Chocolate Coating:
4 tsp cocoa
4 tsp melted coconut oil
Stevia to taste (I used 2 packets but it's not very sweet)

Now put it all together! Crumble the cooled cake into a large bowl. Add the chia jelly and form the mixture into small golf size balls. Place a popsicle stick into a ball and coat the ball in the chocolate coating mixture. Place the cake pops in the fridge for at least one hour or until the coating hardens. Enjoy! Makes 20 pops.

Put all the ingredients for the cake in the food processor.

Cooling the cake.

Yep, those are nails. 'Cuz I'm hardcore like that!

The Nutrition Information

Calories:59 Carbohydrates:6.5 Fat:3 Protein:3

Now What?

Ever get on one of those health kicks when you go to the health food store and buy all those "good for you" products like chia seeds, flax seeds, almond butter, coconut flour and such. Then they sit in your food pantry because you don't know what the heck to do with them? Well, here's a recipe that incorporates some of those health foods into a tasty cookie. Soon you'll be restocking those items because you actually know how to use them. I call these little yummers "The Good Earth Cookie".

1 tbs flax seeds
1 tbs chia seeds
1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt (I like Fage 0%)
1/2 large avocado
2 tbs coconut flour
2 tbs almond butter
1 whole egg
1/4 cup local honey (see below*)
2 tbs cocoa
1 scoop protein powder of choice
Directions: Mash avocado well. Mix in all ingredients. Bake at 375F for 10 minutes on Pam sprayed cookie sheet.

*I recently was educated on the benefits of using local honey in cooking. My Italian friends suggested I use local honey in Italy because it helps with allergies. They explained that the bees pollinate the plants that I'm allergic to and that when you consume the local honey it's like getting little allergy immunizations! Plus you get the added benefit of supporting local farmers!

What A Vacation!

I prepared myself for our family vacation ensuring that not only would we have fun, but that I could also stay on my contest prep diet and fit in my workout. I packed my carry on with my meals during our travel time as well as a couple extra snacks just in case. My checked luggage contained not only my clothes for the trip but also my protein and fats sources, workout clothes, and shaker bottle. I was so excited to not only visit wonderful Germany but also my ability to stay prepared and in control for my contest goal. Wow, was I ever challenged! To begin our vacation all our checked baggage was lost by the airline. This meant clothes AND all my food (minus travel food that was packed in my carry on). I felt stuck in our hotel. It took a full 24 hours before they found our baggage and delivered it to the hotel. I managed to eat as "clean" and close to my diet as possible choosing an egg white omelette with no butter, extra veggies, and one piece whole grain bread. For snack, I still had a couple rice cakes left over and some almonds from the day before. For lunch, I ate a large green salad with black beans and pork. Another handful of almonds and a tuna packet for a snack. And then right before dinner our luggage finally showed up. I was so excited for my toothbrush, deodorant, shampoo, workout clothes, regular clothes, and my contest prep food! I ran downsatirs to the mini gym and got in my shoulder workout in 45 minutes. For dinner, I ate another large green salad with a white fish. The next day was pretty much the same food wise. I got in a leg workout early in the morning before Mike or Kellen woke up and then plenty of cardio hiking up to Neushwanstein Castle and hitting those castle stairs! That night Mike started complaining of stomach pain. The entire night he woke up every couple hours sick. The next day started off good but by mid morning I started feeling stomach pain. We decided to go ahead with our plans to see Salzburg, Austria. By the time we arrived (2 hour drive), we realized we both had the stomach flu! Despite being sick, we tried to see as much we could and make the most of the day. That day I considered whatever food I kept down a huge accomplishment! The same with Saturday too! Saturday we made ourselves go to the Zugspitz because we didn't want our vacation to be ruined by this stomach bug that had claimed our intestines. I couldn't stay on any sort of diet plan so I ate mostly carbs and just hoped to keep it down. Sunday we flew home, sad to leave Germany but happy to have our own bed (and own toilet for that matter). So, minus the stomach flu, being in a contest diet prep was totally do able during vacation as long as its properly planned out! I brought almonds, tuna packets, salmon packs, rice cakes, protein powder, and Ezekiel bread. The vegetables I bought once I got to my destination. As for the workouts, I got my lifting in before everyone woke up and then relied on all the sight seeing as my cardio. And as for eating out at restaurants? I got exactly what I wanted, I just asked for it. For instance at breakfast, I asked the chef for an egg white omelette made with six egg whites, tons of vegetables, no cheese, no oil or butter. It was perfect, and the chef didn't seem annoyed at all. In fact, he smiled. So don't be scared to ask for what you want. I won't lie, I did have two cheat meals. I had to try some of the local German food! Sausages and noodle definitely aren't on a competition prep diet. Going on vacation doesn't mean all your fit and healthy goals will be ruined (unless of course you and your husband get hit with a three day stomach bug).

The Number 1 Thing

The number 1 thing people ask me is, "What am I doing wrong? I can't lose weight." The first response is always, "how's your diet?" I believe that 70% of the results you see are directly related to one's diet. Diet is so crucial! I hate to see people killing themselves in the gym only to think this work gave them a free meal ticket to WHATEVER they want to eat and then they wonder why they aren't seeing results. How can you change this in your life? Well, there are a couple things you can start incorporating now and you will start seeing results. First: You must invest in a... Food Diary. You can get fancy and spend $30 on a nice binded book that's set up exactly for that, or you can spend $1 on a spiral notebook and do it this way too. Or, if your like me and live on your electronic devices, you can download an application (myfitnesspal is what I use). When you correctly log in your food you will start seeing patterns of eating habits. Are you eating enough food? How big are your portions? When are you eating your food? What are you snacking on during the day? Etc. Secondly: Read, educate, and inform yourself! Oh ya, and don't be afraid to ask questions. Most trainers I know are very willing to answer a question FOR FREE. Yep, we aren't going to charge you if you come up to us and ask, "what should I eat for breakfast?". I promise, we won't be sending you a bill after we answer! Third: stay away from fad diets. Eat clean and exercise, that's how it's done. Need a great resource to start? Tosca Reno's Eat Clean book is my go to for new clients. This is a lifestyle, and eating clean isn't hard to do. You will look great, have lots of energy, AND still enjoy food. It's very possible. I promise.

Exceptions.

Have you ever noticed there is always an exception to the rule? I before E except after C, Mouse is not mouses, it's mice, the law is riddled with them etc. Living this healthy and fit lifestyle is my job and I've met many others who take their fit lifestyles seriously as well. I've often read from different fitness magazines and fellow figure competitors that they never "cheat" or take a day off their diets. I can't imagine NEVER trying other foods, especially from other cultures and countries. I'm not talking about eating junk food. I'm talking about delicious fresh pasta from Italy, or wonderfully fragrant kebabs from Dubai, or an amazing breakfast pastry with coffee in Paris. These to me are exceptions to make in your clean eating lifestyle. This Christmas I made an exception. I spent the holiday with my wonderful Sicilian neighbors and had a traditional Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas lunch. I tried EVERYTHING on their menu and had no regrets. I must admit though, all the carbohydrates sent me into a carb coma. None the less, it was amazing and I'll never forget this Christmas. We began at 6pm Christmas Eve by playing games and preparing the food for dinner. We ate our dinner around 10pm, a traditional Sicilian scacciata (reminded me of stuffed focaccia with broccoli, potatoes and sausage). The scacciata was followed by oranges and traditional pandoro bread. At midnight we popped open champagne and everyone opened presents. We all played with our new gifts untill around 2am. At this time we were so tired that we headed home to catch some sleep before church the next morning. On Christmas day we went back to their home after church to start the all day feast. From 1pm untill 5pm course after course was served. Antipasto, lasagna, pasta, meat, potatoes, cassata, and then more champagne. After I couldn't move from all the food, they broke out the games. Bingo was a blast! Mike and I went back home at 6 and fell into a carb coma at 9pm after making all our Christmas calls to family back home. I'll never forget the warm hospitality of our Sicilian neighbors and their family. I can't wait to see how they bring in the new year next week!