patience through the process.

hello? anyone still out there?

if you're here reading after the last... um, interesting 48 hours, hey! i'm glad you're here!

source.

gf update: i'm on my third day and feelin good! gf is pretty easy for me because of my little sister's celiac, but i did sorta sigh when mom pulled out homemade whole wheat bread from the freezer today.

i'm making a new recipe for gf teff bread this weekend, so keep your eyes peeled! i'll probably get off my lazy butt and make wraps too, but don't hold your breath :)

and tonight, i get an awesome early birthday present of going to dinner with brittany of eatingbirdfood! we're getting sushi to celebrate my 21st birthday (on the 22nd)... yes blogworld, i will finally legally be able to buy Kahlua for making desserts! i see an obsession building.

..............................................

just a quick thought for today...

how many of us have decided on a whim to change something in our lives, only to end up failing, feeling guilty and defeated?

we plot to overhaul things like our diet, exercise habits, or organization with a spur of the moment decision. we put our heads down, work crazy-hard for a week, then run out of steam, finally caving in. we kick ourselves, feel worthless, and vow to do better next week. sound familiar?

this seems pretty frequent around new years, not to call anyone out... :)

but why does this cycle keep happening? after thousands of failed "i'll start on monday" diets in my teens, you would think i would have conquered this mindset, right? i realized when i transitioned to eating animal-free that i might not be as tough as i thought i was!

i was totally taken off-guard when i struggled at first with my new lifestyle. i just didn't get it: i am fearless! i have willpower out the wazoo! i am a nutritional solid rock! i'm laughing now because it's so ridiculous i felt this way, but really, i did!

i'm not sure why i was shocked - it's a HUGE change! but yet, to say i was shocked would be an understatement. once i woke up, chilled out, and started loving myself, i realized two things:

lifestyle changes aren't about willpower, and we approach them all wrong!

source.

i think it's important to ask yourself why you're approaching such a dramatic change. are you unhappy with who you are? are you missing something? are you empty? why?

"i need to lose weight" doesn't count. why do you need to lose weight? "i need to exercise more" is good, but what's your goal? "i should go vegan" is pointless... because why?

this is not the place to shrug off the tough questions. dig deep! let your mind wander, and be honest with yourself. change shouldn't be for someone else, from pressure, or out of anger. if you don't really know why you're doing this, it can't be that important to you.

without an answer, you have no real motivation. if your motive don't come from the heart, you won't be successful in the long haul - change requires too much effort without solid convictions!

you don't need "willpower" - you need a reason to persevere. after about two years of soul-searching, i finally had my answers... do you? if not, it's ok! just keep looking.

it's also really important to cut yourself some slack, darnit!

source.

lifestyles changes are a HUGE deal - you're overhauling yourself! we beat ourselves up with so much guilt over "failure" in our diets, relationships, and careers for no reason... so stop it!

if you were to just up and move to a foreign country, you would be more realistic. you would realize adjusting to the culture, language, and schedule takes time, and isn't a simple transition. you'd be more sympathetic, right?

apply this same logic to a transition you've made, or are thinking about making, in your own life. love yourself through the process, and accept that big changes means big challenges. don't let yourself slip into negative self-talk - you're a work in progress!

 i should have known that it would take me some time to adjust, but i was almost guilty about the struggles i encountered. i expected easy, instant results - i wanted success, and i wanted it now!

don't do what i did: expect instant gratification.

source.

any serious change will take time, and that's totally ok - it's not a race, silly! if it's truly worth it, transitioning at your own pace is the way to go. just because you aren't flowing seamlessly after 15 seconds doesn't mean you're a failure!

i doubted myself, second-guessed myself, and thought about going back 10,000 times. but continuing to work through a transition means you're making progress. don't give up just because you have second thoughts! that's the hard part... and when motivation is totally key. you see what you're made of during the doubt, you know?

growing as people is a life-long process. we have successes, we have failures... this is normal! just keep getting back up again, and eventually, your new life will become second nature to you. if not, you know it wasn't right in the first place, and problem solved!

have you beat yourself up about a failed "resolution?"
have you made it through adapting to a new change?
-rebekah

a little self-reflection, yes?

hello friends!
i hope your weekends were awesome in every way. i had an interesting weekend, to put it simply. learned a lot about myself, my thoughts, and what i want in life...

ever have one of those days where something just clicks? my weekend was full of those "aha!" moments.

noteworthy news:
the absolutely wonderful Medicinal Marzipan was kind enough to list me in her Body Loving Blogosphere weekly roundup. the other posts are incredible!

i also had the blessed opportunity to have lunch with Chuck Feerick, of Feerless Food. he was down in richmond for a triathalon (in the 100+ degree heat!!!) and was sweet enough to grab some food with me before his drive home at a cute little diner called Millie's.

while the atmosphere was fun, it was a little more crowded/noisy than i had anticipated. they were also out of almost half the items on the menu... not bueno for vegans :). all in all, we had great conversation, and he's a total doll. if you're interested in seeing exercise and food from a guy's perspective, hop on over to his awesome blog!

source.

today's thoughts: gum, and why we chew it.

i don't know about you guys, but up until very, very recently, i was a gum-chewing machine! yes, sugar-free gum and i spent many a day together, with all it's chemically, fake, poison-y goodness. i didn't go anywhere without a piece, and i could easily mowed through a whole pack in a weekend!

i kind of considered this my one vice... it wasn't a terrible habit, right? only when i started to notice it bothered my stomach did i ever even consider giving my up beloved gum.

since then, i've spent some time considering where this obsession came from. sure, it's not cocaine or anything, but an addiction is an addiction.

gum is one of those silly things we don't think about, but i am a firm believer that there is a reason behind everything we do. and i consider myself a strong person, so i didn't really like the control gum had over me. i seriously couldn't go a day without it!

so in a very christie-like manner, i just asked myself "why?"

i turned to gum for a few reasons:

1. emotion eating/food obsession: for the first time in my life, i wasn't eating constantly. i wouldn't just go grab something whenever i felt like it, but i still had the urge to. i hadn't dealt with all of my emotional reasons for needing food, so i still wanted to be chewing constantly.

why? because it was comforting! gum was a nearly calorie-free way to satisfy my food addiction... but satisfying that obsession wasn't the same thing as dealing with the problem.

i was addicted to food because i still thought eating, or the lack of it, would make me happy. my focus was in the wrong place - instead of pursuing things of worth (volunteering, friendships, God), i was too caught up in how "good" i could be (eating "healthy," getting skinny, being popular).

until i dealt with the emptiness inside, i was compelled to fill the space with food/chewing.

2. stress/loneliness: when i was really honest with myself, i chewed gum because i was worrying. i would get lost in my thoughts and fears about school, my major, my parents, losing weight, etc., and would turn to gum as a stress-reliever. once again - i wasn't dealing with the root problem. i was avoiding doing anything about my fears.

gum also distracted me from realizing i was lonely. i was working in the pool (isolated from the rest of the gym), going to community college with no friends, and dating a guy who worked long, random hours. the fibro was starting to limit what i could do, so i was getting out a lot less. the gum kept me "busy," so at least i didn't realize i wasn't really doing anything.

3. sugar: as you guys know, i'm hypoglycemic, so now i don't eat added sugars. when i was phasing-out sugar, naturally i craved sweetness, and sugar-free gum satisfied that need for me. i figured less sugar and no bingeing on desserts = success, when in reality, trading sugar for fake sugar = fail. don't get me wrong - i was moving in the right direction, just a bit misguided in my attempt.

source.

gum was my jam. it was my dirty little habit. it's taken a lot of practice and effort, but i can turn it down now and think about what my body really needs.

it's a scary thing to really get to the bottom of your actions, but it's worth looking into! there's no greater gift you can give yourself than understanding who you are.

will you do me (and yourself!) a favor?

please take a second and get real with yourself.

gum might not be your addiction, but make it personal: think about that food "you aren't safe around," or have no self-control with... i guarantee you it's not just because you really like the way it tastes. when we act compulsively and irrationally around a food, there is almost always a driving force behind it... be it emotions, memories, or guilt.

give yourself some time, keep thinking, and allow yourself the freedom to just be. you are absolutely worth the effort. treat yourself right, and get that monkey off your back! 

need some help getting started?
- i really can't recommend christie's blog enough, if you're looking to ask the hard questions. not only is she a sweet friend, but she's pure magic.
- looking for honesty? she's a bit on-again-off-again, but sui is a gem and says things how they really are.
- if you struggle a bit more than you'd like to admit (i've so been there!!!), lara's blog is a straight-up resourse for those of us who are no-nonsense.
- most important? find someone you can confide in. a loving, supportive person in your life is the greatest strength i've found.

what food challenges you? pulls at your compulsive side?
what "food habit" do you allow yourself?
-rebekah

is your closet safe?

take a look at these shorts. a long, hard look.

at first glance?

they look like... shorts... because they sorta are.

i got them from Target, land where dreams are made of. they were $9.99. champion brand.

but don't be deceived, my dear friends. these are evil shorts.

for those of you who have been here for the long haul, you know i've been on a roller coaster with my weight, and i'm finally at a place of (near) peace with the body i have today.

so why am i shaken up over cheap running shorts?

here's the deal - i bought these shorts after months of being bed-ridden from fibro. i got them on my first shopping outing "back in the real world. " while i was INCREDIBLY excited to need running shorts again, physically, there's really no other way to say this... but i looked sick.

i had no muscle, i barely could eat, and my hip bones jutted out (how feminine, right?).

so when i bought the infamous shorts, they fit fine... for my body that was BARELY hanging on to "health."

thank God i don't look sickly anymore. i've put my nose to the grindstone, exercised faithfully, eaten well, been patient, yada yada, all that good stuff.

and you know what? i've gained muscle back. i'm much, much healthier, body-wise. healthier than i was before the fibro, actually.

but now, the shorts don't fit. do i really want them to fit again? not at all!

the shorts aren't just shorts - they stand for a time in my life where my health was completely defeating me. i didn't get out of bed, except to pee. i ate one or two meals a day, because i was too tired to eat (i have NEVER felt that way before... EVER!). i slept more hours than i was awake. i was depressed and falling apart.

but the problem is... i always forget they don't fit. they aren't really too small, they just make me feel gross. they hit at a really unflattering place, so i am crazy self-conscious in them.

and i've had it.

i don't deserve to have to struggle with negative self-talk every time i'm getting ready to go do something GOOD for my body.

that's just messed up. i'm going to RUN, for goodness sakes! after my journey over the last year, the sheer fact that i can even WALK is incredible, and should be a celebration everytime i get dressed.

some days, i feel proud of my body, put on the dreaded shorts, and suddenly, i magically transform into a fat cow. because the shorts can do that, you know. 

well, enough. i'm donating the shorts today. i'm done with them. all they bring is frustration in my life. and they were $9.99 - it's not like i'm throwing away some Prada.

but honestly, even if it was Prada, i deserve to feel strong, beautiful, and responsible every single day of my life.

do you have clothes in your closet that you avoid?

have you thrown out clothes that make you feel fat?

how do you deal with weight gain?

-rebekah

the leftovers.

ever have those few leftover pictures on your camera you don't feel like posting about? or make something and forget to take pictures? or just feel like talking about random things from your week?

well, you'll understand today's post just fine.

ready for the randomness?

last week, i got a much needed haircut.
pardon my sour face/man's t-shirt/myspace pic.

i also made gluten-free breakfast bars for my little sister.

i used Karina's quinoa bar recipe, but i subbed nuts in for the fruit, thinking my sister would appreciate a little protein boost before swim practice.

from the pro herself.

fatal mistake, because she said they had NO flavor. my real challenge was finding a recipe that wouldn't crumble, though, and that was a success!

next time, i'll double the spices, and add dried fruit AND nuts.

and yesterday, i drove up to D.C. to visit the beautiful and crazy-talented Mo of Mo's Kitchen. have you read her blog? the recipes this girl tackles are baffling! i am humbled by her kitchen finesse :)

she recommended lunch at this cute local place, Sweet Leaf Cafe, and who am i to turn down a lunch date? i ordered the "Berry Leaf" Salad, which is "strawberries, almonds, cranberries, cucumbers, greens, and strawberry balsamic vinaigrette."

very tasty, but since i am the tasmanian devil, i require a bit more food. thankfully, i never leave the house without a car full of snacks!

Mo has the same medical issues that i struggle with, so we talked doctors for a while, then turned to more positive things - food, life, and Target!

um... she had never been to Target! i had to remedy this situation A.S.A.P.!

no joke, if i could pop a cot at Target and just camp out there, i would. it's my home away from home, and pretty much all my savings end up there (split with Trader Joe's, of course).

since i'm a grandma, it was time for me to head back to richmond. i really enjoyed my time in D.C., and can't wait to visit my sweet, new friend again. hang in there, girl!

about 4 hours of stop-and-go traffic later, i returned home, sweaty and hungry. if you've ever ridden in the car with me, you know how bad of a road-tripper i am... i hate the car. so as soon as i got in, i grabbed a snack, unpacked, and hit the treadmill to stretch out my cramped thighs.

and after the treadmill? um... i did... yoga (!!!).

Christie, i know i'm eating my words here, but can i make a confession?

i am a yoga convert.

let me explain - i HATED yoga. i've taken countless classes, all different types, and really tried to go in with an open mind... but each time, i ended up counting down the minutes until i was free. i hated every... S...L...O...W... second...

i thought it just wasn't for me, but after an especially painful fibro week, i was desperate. i caved in and tried some, "just to stretch," in my room after a run.

bingo.

i realized i was approaching it all wrong. i was trying to look at my practice like a workout... it had to be done for an hour, in a studio, with your game face on. serious business, this yoga thing. it was somewhere i challenged myself to be perfect, and couldn't be.

but yoga isn't about being perfect (like running). it's about bringing balance back into our crazy, hectic lives. it's about learning your center, your rhythm, and honoring your body.

and no one cares how long, how fast, or how often i practice when i'm alone, just honoring my body. i'm no jennifer aniston - just a girl doing the best i can with what i've got. it has become something i look forward to; something that balances out the intensity running brings to my life. and it feels soooooooooooooooo good after a long, hot, hungry car ride!

so if you haven't tried it yet, don't rush out to a studio or pop in a Slave-Driver-Jillian video just yet. how about trying a few poses on your own first, and seeing what you like? what feels good? what helps you just let go of the day? unwind?

i plan on hitting up a class here soon to expand my repitoire of postures, but there's nothing wrong with the basics. anything that works for you is perfect!

do you like yoga?

what does it do for you?

do you take classes?

HaPpY fRiDaY, y'AlL!

-rebekah

part three: open at your own risk.

hey again!
we made it through monday! that's a reason to celebrate, in my book.

so this week, i thought i'd pick your brains about something near and dear to my heart - emotional eating. yeah, i know it sucks, but it's been brought up in so many conversations the last week i had to talk about it!

at the 10k i cheered for the other day, i got the opportunity to chat with a dear friend's mom while she ran. my friend has been struggling through some health issues for quite some time, and recently has been frustrated with the weight she's gained during the process. the problem? since she is so healthy (trains for marathons, teaches pilates, studies nutrition, etc.), she is exponentially more frustrated with the extra weight. she keeps her diet perfectly... counts calories, eats whole foods, etc... but when she gets sick, she really struggles with emotional eating. i think it's so normal for us ladies to put on a few pounds when we don't feel good - we comfort ourselves, no? i know i do.

i also was blessed to meet with christie from honoring health on sunday, who is one of the most honest ladies i know concerning her experiences with emotional eating. it's something that after growing up as one of three sisters and seeing all of us struggle, i believe probably every breathing female has struggled with, in one form or another... can't we all relate?

these ladies encouraged me to give you guys my story. i hope it can only spare y'all some of the frustration and heartbreak i went through as i navigated a healthier relationship with food.

....................................................................................
my journey to health, balance, and peace.
as a child, i never feared food. in fact, i was a pretty hearty eater! i was a competitive swimmer from an early age, and as you can imagine, that requires a fair amount of food. this was all well and good until i got mono my junior year of high school...

when i got sick, i got really sick. i dropped everything. i missed weeks of school at a time, i didn't leave the couch all day, and i successfully watched every episode of every season of ANTM to date... i know, i know. but unfortunately, you know what i also dropped? exercise.

so when you go from 7 two-hour swim practices a week to NOT EVEN SCRATCHING YOUR NOSE, you might gain a bit of weight. and gain weight i did... about 30 or 40 pounds. i just kept eating like i was still burning 2,000 extra calories a day... but i wasn't. at all.

i was never fat, but at the time, i felt straight-up like Free Willy.

of course, this all happened right before i left for college, so on top of wanting to lose what i had gained, i was terrified by the thought of seemingly certain doom: the freshman-15.


enter: exercise.
what was this!?! i had totally forgotten what it meant to exert muscular force (other than channel surfing, of course...). i started running 3-4 times a week with my gorgeous roommate, who also was trying to slim up... and the weight started to fall off.

at ellwoods a few weeks ago... healthy!

after a while, i started to examine my eating habits. i found it was easy to be healthier - i swapped salad for cake, water for sprite, and cereal for sausage. not surprisingly, i lost a bit more. i was in shape. i felt really good...

andddddddd then, i met my (now ex-)boyfriend.

enter: emotional disaster.

at first, it was a confidence boost to have a new guy. i felt pretty and desired for the first time in a long time... before the emotional abuse began. i won't go into the nitty gritty, but after dating him six months, i ended up at home, on drugs, destroying my body, with no clue who i was anymore.

how could this happen to me? i was so strong and proud of who i was. i spent the next year stumbling around, making more bad decisions, trying to uncover a shred of who i used to be.

one of the ways i regained control in my life was by losing more weight. i started working out twice a day and eating just enough so i didn't pass out on the treadmill. while i looked "healthy," i was depressed and starving. sure, i weighed less, but was i happy? no. i still hated my body. inside, i was still ugly.

if drugs couldn't mask the pain, i thought for sure wearing a size 2 would solve my problems. right? isn't that what you read in magazines?

... but there i was, weighing less than ever, in a place so dark i barely had the will to get out of bed.

the binges begin.

if thinness wasn't the answer, what was? i begin searching for something to fill the hole in my heart, and i thought i found it in running. i started training for a half-marathon, so once again, i needed a lot of food. it started out harmlessly enough. like a lot of athletes, the line between fueling and binging can be sneaky... when you're training hard, why not reward yourself with 2 bowls of ice cream? you deserve a whole bag of chips after that run. after 2 years of focusing on nothing but weight loss, i allowed myself to relax... a lot.

and so, the pounds crept on. i was self-medicating my wounds little by little every day, until i realized i had gained 20 pounds back! i worked in my bathing suit that summer, so i was desperate to lose the weight. i started restricting what i ate way too much while still running twice a day. i did lose a bit, but eventually, i couldn't do it anymore... i cracked.

my body was crying out for food, and my broken heart was crying out to be healed. i wasn't ready to face my emotions, so i tried to cover them up. i felt controlled during they day because i barely ate, but when i came home at night, i was hurting, lonely, and starving. i would eat everything i could get my hands on. i didn't know why i was eating, but i just kept crying and eating. i guess i figured maybe something would taste good enough to make me forget how alone i was.

well, it never did. i just ended up not being able to wear my pants. awesome. i kept restricting, and i kept binging. i remember thinking the only way i would be free from binging was if i was dead. how hopeless and twisted is that? it had to stop. there had to be an answer. there must be a way to be happy with your body... right?

enter: the epiphany.

one day, i had eaten enough. i had to buy all new clothes, and honestly, i was just... embarrassed. i was ready to move on. i realized the problem wasn't my appetite, but my broken heart.

all my life, i was terrified of my feelings. i couldn't handle emotions, so i stuffed them down inside myself and moved on. i never let myself deal with anything - i just ran away from my fears and pretended everything was ok. no wonder i was so broken inside... i never allowed myself to heal!

i realized the answer to my struggles with food wasn't at the bottom of a carton of ben and jerry's, but it also wasn't in having perfect six-pack abs, either. the answer? i had to get real with myself. i had to be OK with the fact that i had some demons that needed facing, and it was going to be scary. it was going to be hard. but you know what? i would get through it. i would move on.

once i stopped running to food, i had to ask myself: what was i running from? this was the hardest part of my journey to health. it's uncomfortable to look inward honestly and really process how we feel about ourselves. but it is the only way we can find peace with ourselves, and i don't know who or where i'd be if i hadn't.

two ways i escaped self-destruction:

1. lose the perfectionism! no, seriously. do it now! this is SO hard to grasp, because it seems counter-productive at first. the reason i started binging in the first place was because i was trying to be too perfect during the day. i thought that if i wanted to lose weight, i had to do it by eating as little as possible... no cookies, no bread, no juice, no snacks, NO FUN! if i "messed up," the day was a loss, and i might as well eat some cookies and start over tomorrow.
but this is so not true!!! there is never a point where you should say "well, i've blown it, so i might as well give up." don't let yourself fall into that trap!

we are humans, and humans aren't perfect. what you eat and weigh isn't a barometer of how amazing of a person you are, so cut yourself some slack! girls are MEANT TO EAT, so don't allow yourself to think you have to be "good" and starve yourself. it always backfires, because humans need food. we can't live without it! it's not about you or your willpower being "strong enough."

change your perception of perfection. successful should mean healthy, happy, and active - not starvation.

2. face your demons. you will never find peace with food until you dig deeper. i love the quote from the t.v. show Ruby... "it's not what you're eating, but what's eating you." this is crucial. if i was honest with myself, i would have realized i was binging to try to replace the feeling of contentment... the feeling i got from being safe, happy, and in love.

all those years, i looked to guys to try to fill that void in my heart. i tried to be the best girlfriend with the funniest jokes, the most friends, and the hottest body, and maybe that would be enough.

well, it wasn't. it took years of struggling through damaging, failing relationships for me to realize no one person would ever be able to make me happy. no boy could ever be charming, responsible, or sensitive enough to solve my problems - that was God's job. people can make my life enjoyable and help me sort through my feelings, but only Jesus Christ can satisfy me.

that doesn't make me weak, desperate, or a freak - God designed it this way! He designed His love to fulfill me when cookies can't... how awesome is that? only after i stopped trying to jump through the hoops of weight loss and dieting did i find i could rest on God. i didn't have to run away anymore. i was finally safe.

.................................................................
that's my story of why i feel at peace.
i had to struggle a lot with binging and destroying myself through drugs and guys. sadly, because i am so stubborn, it took going through all that before i was ready to stop spinning in circles and accept the fact that i am not perfect and never will be.

... but none of us are!
why should we have to live with the pressure to be something we can't ever achieve?

please do two things for me.
1. please see yourself as you really are - gorgeous, healthy, and alive! i don't care about what you weigh, and no one else does either. why waste your energy beating yourself up? let's be realistic about our bodies, because we deserve that. life is hard enough already, right?
2. please ask yourself the hard questions - because you deserve to be able to heal and move on. you literally could run away from your emotions your whole life... but you don't have to! why should you carry around a burden that will only make you miserable? letting my fears go didn't ruin my life... it gave me the life God intended for me to have all along. freedom.

thoughts? questions? comments?
i would love to hear your stories of victory, or the ones you still struggle with.
please don't hesitate to email me either.
- rebekah

quick update.

yes, i am alive.

i've been a bit AWOL recently! i've been reading, just not posting.

and i've been juggling a few balls...
- hanging out with the boy, which is rare since he works two jobs!
- writing letters/sending packages to a few amazing girls
- making homemade larabars and black bean burgers
- blogger meet-up with three gorgeous girls: cara, christy, and brittany
- cheering for a local 10k (that cara and brittany ran, and did awesome!)
- running a bit and lifting at my new gym
- annnnndddddd a sorta serious post... more to come!


side note: i've been thinking a lot recently about how glad i am to be a part of the blogging community.

thank you guys so much for your wonderful friendship, the opportunity to learn from your strengths, and the chance to do what i love: help make a difference in someone's life.

y'all are the best! be back soon :)
-rebekah

y'all make me blush.

you guys are too sweet!
thank you all so much for your comments on my pictures yesterday...

the crazy thing is, i had long, curly hair halfway down my back in high school...! see?

from summer 2007...

..........................................................

last night, i had the pleasure of meeting up with two lovely blog buddies, brittany and meredith, at one of my current restaurant obsessions, ipanema cafe. is it obvious how much i love this place?

it's also a favorite of miss brittany's, and since meredith had never been, we felt we must introduce her :)

meredith, brittany, and i in front of a 7-11...

gotta love richmond!

i had an amazing arugula salad with roasted beets, gouda cheese, and the most incredible salad dressing of all time! brittany donated a handful of her sweet potato fries, too, which i could have kissed her for.

think if i ask really nicely, the chef would give me the recipe???

the girls were lovely, and we chatted the night away about foreign food, work, and how our men deal with our quirky blogging habits.
i mean, doesn't everyone photograph their food?

if you guys haven't checked out their blogs yet, please do! they both have incredible, motivating stories to share, and their eats ain't too shabby either.

...................................................................

i also did a little sumthin' in the kitchen.
roasted up an eggplant, zucchini, and a sweet potato for lunches this week.

i also marinated some tempeh in sriratcha, honey, and dijon mustard, and popped it in for the last few minutes of the veggie roast...

by the way, i roast my veggies/taters on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for easy clean up. i set the temp to 350* and leave them for 40-60 minutes. try it!


aaaaaaaaaand i made more hummus. 
try this recipe if you're in the market for some incredible, face-rockin' curried honey hummus.

thanks ashley! this girl is amazing, talented, and super sweet, as if her hummus recipe wasn't rockin' enough!
it's her picture, too - i'm clearly not that talented, because mine was too gross-looking to post.

if you guys are still buying hummus, you're cheating yourself!
the cost for this recipe?
- can of chickpeas: $.89 at whole foods
- 2 cloves of garlic: basically free???
- scoop of peanut butter: maybe $.30 or so
- tablespoon of sesame oil: $.15
- spices: only a tablespoon of each, probably $.05 each
total: around $1.50 for a container, versus $4.99 from whole foods... whaaa?


and allow me to introduce you to the best thing you'll ever eat:
whole wheat wrap, banana, strawberries, sprinkle cinnamon, and a spread made from 1 tbsp cocoa and 2 tbsp almond milk.
holy junk.

i really doubt i could ever top this snack. my life is complete.

so, your turn!
do you guys have an incredible snack/meal recipe to share with me?
i'd like to see you beat this one! :)
- rebekah

p.s. - check out katie's awesome giveaway for a giftcard!

grocery shoppin, thai food, important announcement, and first blogger meetup!

hey beauties!

i hope you guys are having a teriffic humpday morning.

i know i am. i am totally in love with spring weather!

before i bombard you with pics, can i just take a moment to say how grateful i am for you guys?

i love the community that i've been welcomed into!

you guys don't just make awesome food, but you're awesome people. thanks!

and shoutout to my dad - he just started reading! hey dad!

yesterday, i had an awesome foodie day - grocery shoppin, thai food for lunch, and my first blogger meet up at whole foods! and an announcement :)

shall we begin?

tom leonard's... richmond version of harris teeter i guess?

look how hairy this guy is!

local produce? yes please!

the staff kept looking at me funny when i'd whip out my camera,

so i exercised restraint. boo.

look what i found! someone excited?

i couldn't justify dropping $6 dollars on 4 bars when i had a CARTLOAD of produce...

priorities, right??

oh look. i found a few cows.

next stop? world market!

if you haven't even been, check out the website. they have a unique collection of foods and decor from around the world.

sign up for their rewards program for awesome discounts on wine, if you imbibe :)

A WALL OF HOT SAUCE!!!

i'm home.

i'm always keepin' my eyes peeled for a new kind of hot sauce or salsa.

i use them everyday multiple times!

if you guys have any hot sauce/salsa recommendations, please let me know!

ok... am i the only one with a dirty mind???

(sorry mom.)

next stop: thai diner too!

mom heard that this place was one of the best in richmond.

not sure anything could beat tara thai, but whatever.

we gave it a shot.

free appetizer neither mom nor i ate.

when i touched it, my hands got slimy... oil anyone?

their "tempura veggies" was a fried piece of broccoli... lol.

our entrees -

thai chef salad with scallops in chili-lime sauce...

...and bamboo shoots stir-fried in sriratcha.

if you guys have never eaten thai food before,

you should know:

when you say "hot" or "spicy" to a waiter in a thai restaurant, they don't mean american hot... they mean thai hot. if you aren't up for a tear-inducing, sinus-clearing experience, order "medium."

mom couldn't eat this, and she's a trooper!

last stop? my first blogger meetup!

so exciting!!! stephanie was sooo nice to include me in her date with miss brittany!

they go every month to a cooking demo at whole foods, where they cook following a theme.

this month was cinco de mayo, so we got AMAZING mexican food! and the chef was awesome - he went to johnson & wales for his culinary degree (my dream!), was really cool, and was pretty cute!

... and get this - he asked me for my blog link so he could follow me!!!

i have a follower! i'm just happy outside of my head right now.

(hey chef jesse!)

gettin' ready for my girls' date.

thanks so much to stephanie's mom for taking 10000 pictures of us!

she's so sweet, and gets the blog thing.

super weird?

stephanie's little sister was in my spanish class in high school!

small world, right?

and if you guys don't already read stephanie and brittany's blogs, check them out!

they are total sweethearts, and cook amazing food!

our menu - hello salsa!

my first taste of ceviche! this one was made with tilapia and jicama.

amazing!

chef jesse mixed it with his homemade salsa. i die.

i sense a homemade salsa recipe coming up... :)

guac!!!

i haven't had guac in years because it usually has sour cream added to it, and i HATE sour cream.

let's just say i am a fan ONCE AGAIN. as if i needed convincing with avocados...

amazing tacos with adobo chili hot sauce.

the damage...

what a great experience!

thanks again to stephanie for thinking of me!

and my announcement?

i got invited to be a hollaback girl!

a what?

the hollaback girls are a beautiful group of bloggers who think that health blogging needs a bit of help.

we don't bash our bodies, we don't complain about what we can't do, and we are strong, powerful women that treat our bodies that way.

head over and check out the site, and keep your eyes peeled for my first post!

happy hump day!!!

-r