Say Yes to Salad http://www.thesaladgirl.com a blog dedicated to living a wholesome, healthy, intuitive eating life - one day at a time Thu, 09 Sep 2010 19:05:03 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 TheSaladGirlhttp://feedburner.google.com NuNaturals Coupon & Thursday Wrapup! http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheSaladGirl/~3/daQ7HIgIAII/ http://www.thesaladgirl.com/2010/09/09/nunaturals-coupon-thursday-wrapup/#comments Thu, 09 Sep 2010 19:05:03 +0000 Maggie http://www.thesaladgirl.com/?p=7071 I am so excited to announce that I’m working with NuNaturals to bring you a great discount and a giveaway (the giveaway will go up tomorrow)!

15% off of your order (through the NuNaturals website) with my code: BLG930

(Enter code at . . . → Read More: NuNaturals Coupon & Thursday Wrapup!]]> I am so excited to announce that I’m working with NuNaturals to bring you a great discount and a giveaway (the giveaway will go up tomorrow)!

15% off of your order (through the NuNaturals website) with my code: BLG930

(Enter code at checkout page; offer ends 9/30/2010)

Also, if you order $35 or more (after the discount), you get free shipping to the continental U.S.… So go get some! (Note – I don’t get any commissions or anything if you buy; I just like promoting cool companies like NuNaturals.)

Wrapup of this week…

Tomorrow will be the NuNaturals giveaway…

Have you tried NuNaturals? I finally got to try it at Coco’s this weekend, and I fell quickly in love. Can’t wait to start coming up with some recipes with the samples that are coming to me.

Did you do yoga today? Tell me about it @ 30 days of yoga. Gaby and Eden are already doing it with me :)

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]]> http://www.thesaladgirl.com/2010/09/09/nunaturals-coupon-thursday-wrapup/feed/ 0 http://www.thesaladgirl.com/2010/09/09/nunaturals-coupon-thursday-wrapup/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=nunaturals-coupon-thursday-wrapup How to Get Glowing Skin – My Make Your Skin Glow Post! http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheSaladGirl/~3/Zuvkx-4CdKM/ http://www.thesaladgirl.com/2010/09/09/how-to-get-glowing-skin-make-skin-glow/#comments Thu, 09 Sep 2010 12:05:41 +0000 Maggie http://www.thesaladgirl.com/?p=7050 I want to preface this by saying my skin is not perfect, but it is getting there! I’ve struggled with skin issues since I was about 18. Oddly enough, I had great skin in high school:

(Do you know who you are, people with cropped . . . → Read More: How to Get Glowing Skin – My Make Your Skin Glow Post!]]> I want to preface this by saying my skin is not perfect, but it is getting there! I’ve struggled with skin issues since I was about 18. Oddly enough, I had great skin in high school:

(Do you know who you are, people with cropped arms? I know at least one of you is reading…)

But in college it began to deteriorate. I don’t have a single picture that illustrates how bad my skin was at its worst because I deleted them all! I just couldn’t make skin glow. You can see a bit of acne here, even after a round of photoshopping, wedding day makeup, and strict use of the AcneFree skincare line leading up to the big day (this is from July of this year at my wedding):

I could never figure it out, and all the medications from my dermatologist did not work. I have tried a bunch of different ones – the only one I didn’t try was Accutane (my mom wouldn’t let me, thank goodness). I have also gotten facials (I’ve done them monthly, semi-monthly, or as little as once or twice a year) but they haven’t had any lasting results.

How to Get Glowing Skin

BUT – This is my skin now (not the best picture, but the lighting shows that my skin really is clear; photo courtesy of Coco) – definitely making progress towards glowing:

Finally, about 2 weeks ago (the day of the eat like a kid post) I got a facial from this lady. (More of my recommendations from that week here.) She actually explained to me how my skin works! Which was fantastic. For me to listen to someone and do what they say, I have to understand completely what is going on. (This is why I hate when doctors don’t explain anything!) I will break what she said down into one major issue: blackheads v. whiteheads (there are also enflamed red things, but those are just more advanced black- or white-heads).

  • Blackheads: these are clogged (open) pores. They’re also called open comedones. They’re filled with sebum and dead skin, and the reason they are black is because they’re exposed to the air and they have oxidized.
  • Whiteheads: these are not pores! They are (closed) follicles. They’re also called closed comedones. They’re filled with sebum and dead skin, but they are completely under the skin. So no oxidizing, which is why they stay white.

You can extract blackheads yourself, but don’t try to extract the whiteheads. Some people might say you can get them out with a hypodermic needle, but I wouldn’t trust anyone but a facialist to do that for me! Unfortunately, until 2 weeks ago, I thought that whiteheads *did* have an opening and that it was possible to get them out by squeezing. Bad idea! Don’t do it! Leave them alone. You should probably leave the blackheads alone too, because in general, my new rule of thumb is:

Don’t Touch Your Skin

Just don’t touch it. If you try to “help” speed up the process of getting rid of pimples (blackheads, whiteheads, or those mean and nasty red guys), you will undoubtedly spread germs and bacteria from your hands and from the pimples all over your face. Just don’t touch them. Please. They will heal on their own and you just have to trust that your skin knows how to fix itself. I know it’s hard to trust your skin, because it seems like it doesn’t know what it’s doing, but I’m going to hazard a guess and say that you probably touch your skin often (even if you don’t realize it) – which is not helping matters.

Don’t Dry Out Your Skin

Even if you have oily skin you should not try to dry it out! If you try to dry out oily skin, it will just make more oil which will make lots more of those fun whiteheads I talked about. This was another major problem I was having. I tried to dry my oily skin, which made it get whiteheads, and then I would try to get them out because I thought they had an opening. Instead, use an oil-free moisturizer 2-3 times a day. Your skin will learn that it doesn’t have to make so much oil and it will eventually start to chill out. (This may take a week or so because it was so used to over-producing.)

Things that should not go anywhere near your skin in any situation include (but are not limited to):

  • glycolic acid
  • salicylic acid
  • benzoyl peroxide

If you dry out your skin you’re going to piss it off – and maybe it will be clear for a little while, but it will definitely not be clear forever. Drying out your skin is not getting to the root of the problem.

Have a Skincare Routine

My skincare routine now is:

  • Morning: rub my face with a lemon slice then rinse with water, moisturize with oil-free moisturizer, makeup, and go
  • Mid-day and / or After work: splash face with water if I’m feeling icky and pat with a paper towel
  • Night: rinse with water; if I’m wearing makeup I will wash it with a plain old face soap that doesn’t have any sorts of weird chemicals
  • Weekly: a basic mask
  • **Never touch my face**

My Current Products:

(The only reason I have 2 moisturizers is because I thought I lost one, but then I found it. I like both of them; the Garnier feels less oily even though both are oil-free. I will buy more Garnier when I run out but probably won’t buy Mario Badescu again.)

Reader Questions (and here):

Agnes asks, “I would love to hear your opinion on breaking-out on a very clean vegan diet. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!”

My response: This could be a variety of things. First, make sure you’re doing the things I talked about above for how to get glowing skin. Next, make sure that:

  1. You are getting enough fat (I say 40% of calories should come from fat, but this can be different for different people). I notice my skin is bad when I don’t eat enough butter/nut butter/avocado. (Since you’re vegan I guess you can’t have butter though.) I honestly do have better skin when I’m eating meat and animal fat, which could be because the animal protein is easily converted into the protein that our body uses to repair itself, or it could be because my body likes animal fat. That is just me though.
  2. You are not too stressed. This is another huge factor. Stress can also lead to touching your face which leads to breaking out. If you know you’re going to be stressed, drink extra water and try doing something every single day that relaxes you (like yoga or listening to your favorite music).
  3. You might have a food allergy. This is iffy. 15% of the population thinks they have a food allergy when in reality only 5% actually do. I might experiment with a gluten-free week to see if that helps things.

Mimi asks, “I used to have perfect skin. Now, I have mild acne. A facialist said it was probably my birth control. However, this one works better for me in all other areas than previous ones I’ve been on. And skin recommendations, or should I just switch?”

My response: Hm. I have been on and off the pill and I eventually opted to go off of it for a number of reasons. It probably is your birth control, but try all the things I talked about above if you really like the one you’re on! Another option for birth control is the hormone-free IUD, which I have heard great reviews of. And since it doesn’t have hormones it shouldn’t affect your skin.

Coco asks, “How to deal with stress-caused acne? I’ve been breaking out a lot lately because of work stress.”

My response: There isn’t much you can do about this aside from making sure you drink water and making sure that you do something every single day to relax. You have to take care of yourself. Stress shows up in your skin, but it’s also damaging to your health in ways that aren’t quite so visible. Drink water, don’t touch your face, moisturize, and do something like yoga or meditation daily.

Pearl asks, “I have oily skin so i can’t get away with [not washing my face often]… what did the facialist say about the scrubs?”

My response: Be wary of scrubs. Read the labels. If they have the ingredients I listed above, don’t use them. You should probably only exfoliate 1-2 times a week. If your skin is oily, try just rinsing it by rubbing your face (gently) with a slice of lemon and rinsing. You can use a plain old regular (not an acne product) soap if you really want to. If you don’t try to dry your oily skin, it’ll definitely start to realize that it doesn’t have to be so oily!

Make Skin Glow Resources:

  • High on Health (she’s a raw foodist from Australia! Wicked accent)
  • Stop Picking on Me! (picking / touching your face is more than just a habit – it can be due to stress or anxiety or other underlying issues, and it’s majorly hard to stop. This also goes into much more detail about how your skin is structured and what happens when you try to pop things, and how your skin works.)
  • Update: Gena posted about skincare today too!

I hope this helped! If you have more questions please ask below and I will either post about them or reply to you directly.

Stay tuned – later today I have a promotion I’m going to post, and tomorrow I’ll post a great giveaway! I’d post them now but I want skincare to be the star of the show this morning :)

P.S. I updated my 30 Days of Yoga challenge.

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]]> http://www.thesaladgirl.com/2010/09/09/how-to-get-glowing-skin-make-skin-glow/feed/ 12 http://www.thesaladgirl.com/2010/09/09/how-to-get-glowing-skin-make-skin-glow/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-to-get-glowing-skin-make-skin-glow Eden says: How to Be a Yoga Superstar http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheSaladGirl/~3/kfXqUZnaQQg/ http://www.thesaladgirl.com/2010/09/08/eden-says-yoga-superstar/#comments Wed, 08 Sep 2010 11:19:35 +0000 Maggie http://www.thesaladgirl.com/?p=7020 I have an awesome guest for you today: Eden! She is sarcastic and funny and I laugh every time I read her blog. She’s writing about one of my (many) passions – yoga. I haven’t been in a yoga mood lately, but with these tips I’m sure I’ll . . . → Read More: Eden says: How to Be a Yoga Superstar]]> I have an awesome guest for you today: Eden! She is sarcastic and funny and I laugh every time I read her blog. She’s writing about one of my (many) passions – yoga. I haven’t been in a yoga mood lately, but with these tips I’m sure I’ll get back in the swing of things. Enjoy :)

Eden eating chocolate!

***

Hi!

My name is Eden (pronounced “Eh-den”, not Eeee-den”). I’m a yoga instructor and a chef living in Los Angeles. I love that Maggie has embraced yoga so much, but I know a lot of people don’t know how to get on the bandwagon. So I thought I’d share my secrets to become an ultimate yoga superstar! Here are my easy steps: (Note: if you aren’t familiar with my blog, sarcasm and cynicism are my BFF’s so don’t take my advice too literally; I’m not responsible for any head, neck, or genital area injuries!)

Step 1 – Start by seeking out trendy yoga studios in gentrified areas in either LA or NYC (sorry, but you’ll need to move if you are anywhere else. It’s just not going to happen in Iowa or Kansas). This is where all the rich and beautiful yogis are who will become your yoga allies. They are the yogis you must befriend and socialize with as you start your ascent to yoga stardom. Of these, you’ll need to figure out who the power yogis are (look for the ones wearing high-end yoga clothes and sporting a black Manduka yoga mat) and who are new to the game (they are the ones wearing K-Mart crap and practice on pastel colored mats). It is also very important that you figure out who the yoga nut-jobs are (i.e. they’re the ones spouting crackpot yoga theories and think yoga is all spiritual and everything). Unfortunately there are vast amounts of them in the yoga world. Befriend the former, unless one of the latter can get you introduced to one of the former. Remember that the yoga whack-jobs will always lead you astray in your rise to yoga fame.

Step 2 – You will now need to actually learn something about yoga. Have no fear though, as all yoga studios will have books and magazines that you can spy while waiting for a class to begin. No need to invest money for this (in fact, your first few classes at most yoga studios will usually be free or nominal in their quest to ‘hook’ you on yoga). Concentrate on books and articles about Iyengar and Ashtanga yoga in particular. The reason for this will become clear in step 3!

Step 3 – With a bit of yoga knowledge under your belt it is now time to chat up the other yogis around you. Always mention Iyengar or Ashtanga in your conversations with them. Don’t ask me why, just do it! Use a tired tone when doing this to suggest you know all about these styles and have practiced them for much longer than you care to remember. Almost all yogis you encounter can relate to one of these as they are the bases of all the other styles out there. Look for their knowing nods of acceptance.

Important Note: Don’t try and add your own opinion of which style is better at this stage; you’ll only confuse things. The important thing to remember for now is that you are trying to win friends, not influence people.

Step 4 – What if you get bored? I hear this often from virgin yogis, but you know what’s even more boring? Pretending you’re skiing on some machine for an hour at a gym filled with meat-heads and botoxed women with the words “juicy” plastered on their sweats. Yoga classes can be boring, but it’s not the yoga – it’s usually the teacher. They give poor instructions and can be dull and unstimulating. Some people think sex is boring, but they are usually with the wrong partner!

Step 5 – You are now in low yoga star orbit and need to cultivate one additional trait to solidify your yoga image to those around you. Your goal now is to learn to act ‘yogic’ (that dreamy far away look that will give you an air of authenticity as it will show that you have transcended your ties to ordinary daily living). Ideally, you will act this way around yoga students, yoga magazine publishers, and sport clothing manufacturers who you will be vying to get endorsements from (you are trying to get endorsements at this point, aren’t you?). Eat vegan publicly (because devout yogis believe in “Ahimsa”, meaning no harm to humans as well as animals, and I’m guessing especially cows too). Gorge on all the steak and processed twinkies in secret. Be assured that after a while you’ll become so yogic that you’ll forget where or who you are most of the time.

Step 6 – Create your own special “thing”. Be assured that there is always a new yoga style to be invented. As much as yoga people like to think they are practicing ancient yoga methods tied to past yoga gurus, a cult of yoga newness flourishes among them (they are all suckers for the latest yoga trend). Be inventive. Hey, if Jillian Michaels (who I call a drill Sargent with a vagina) can have a yoga dvd and make it trendy, anyone can. (But the last thing we need is Jillian yelling out instructions for “happy baby”.)

Step 7 – That’s it! You did it!! Good work!!! You are a yoga star. You can now om comfortably in your Malibu beach home or Park Avenue apartment. Forget about you pilgrimage to India. Any true yogi knows only 1% of the population does yoga there; your better bet is to move to Santa Monica, CA: the certified yoga Mecca.

Hope that helped you! Now get on your mat already, and get down, dawg!

***

I am so ready to be a yoga superstar. Anyone care to join me?

I’m kicking off 30 days of yoga – 20 minutes of yoga, every day. I started last night. Update me if you want to do it too! You can post your yogic activities on the 30 Days of Yoga Page. (You definitely don’t have to do yoga every single day, but it would be awesome if you left comments on that page with whatever yoga you did that day when you do do yoga- maybe it’ll be a great way to get lots of new recommendations!) We can chat about what we’ve learned with the 30 days as well. Now go join me! (Eden’s on the bandwagon already – she’s going to write a yoga routine for y’all to do.)

Also, I finally made my email more blog-friendly: maggie@thesaladgirl.com. Email me for fun :D

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]]> http://www.thesaladgirl.com/2010/09/08/eden-says-yoga-superstar/feed/ 12 http://www.thesaladgirl.com/2010/09/08/eden-says-yoga-superstar/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=eden-says-yoga-superstar Tasty Tuesday: Peanutty Jap Chae Recipe with Soba Noodles http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheSaladGirl/~3/Tri5Iu2IFmI/ http://www.thesaladgirl.com/2010/09/07/korean-recipe-jap-chae-recipe/#comments Tue, 07 Sep 2010 12:05:41 +0000 Maggie http://www.thesaladgirl.com/?p=6982 Welcome to any new readers! Check out my links in the sidebar to the right (must reads), or my tabs above (the salad story, yoga + fitness, recipes, and my recommendations).

***

I updated my recipes page. All recipes are waist-friendly, most are vegetarian or vegan, many are raw . . . → Read More: Tasty Tuesday: Peanutty Jap Chae Recipe with Soba Noodles]]> Welcome to any new readers! Check out my links in the sidebar to the right (must reads), or my tabs above (the salad story, yoga + fitness, recipes, and my recommendations).

***

I updated my recipes page. All recipes are waist-friendly, most are vegetarian or vegan, many are raw or macrobiotic – there are tons of options. I will be updating the layout of the page soon (I hope) to make it more navigable and sortable, but for now I am so happy that ALL my recipes are actually listed. Go look! There are 214 recipes on there as of today. I am really happy that I have that as a history of my cooking for the last 3 years. Here is #214.

Korean Recipe Rehab: Healthy Jap Chae Recipe

Last night we ate in, and I cooked. I cooked! I have not truly cooked in ages and I have missed it so. I read Women’s Health this weekend and they had a recipe for Jap Chae (a traditional Korean recipe – it’s a noodle dish) and I wanted to make my own version of it. I used to make Jap Chae all the time, but that recipe is different from this one. It’s lower calorie, but not as filling.

Since I’m not trying to lose weight I’m going to stick with this soba noodle jap chae recipe (which has a peanutty Pad Thai twist). Here is my Very Low calorie Jap Chae recipe. The one I’m about to post is still not that hefty either! It is certainly a waist-friendly recipe. (Note the options in parentheses after ingredients that can make it a lower calorie recipe – the mods are simple and shouldn’t change the taste.)

I opted to do this in typical Maggie fashion: a fusion Asian dish – soba noodles (Japanese), jap chae sauce (Korean recipe), and the addition of peanut butter (Thai) – it was awesome. Bobby agreed. This dish is even kind of macrobiotic; I approve of eggs on a macrobiotic diet.

Peanutty Jap Chae Soba Noodles (AKA Spunky Soba with a Twist)

Ingredients (serves 3-4, depending on appetites)

  • 8 ounces soba noodles
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon (organic turbinado) sugar
  • 1 teaspoon chili flakes (could do less)
  • 3 tablespoons PB2 or 2 tablespoons peanut butter (could do less but this makes it tasty)
  • 1-2 tablespoons peanut oil (could do less; could use sesame oil if you don’t have peanut)
  • 1/2 large onion, chopped
  • 5 cloves of garlic, crushed and roughly minced (could do less)
  • 2 medium carrots, sliced
  • 2 (non-recalled) eggs
  • 3-4 celery stalks, sliced
  • 1 medium zucchini, julienned

Method

  1. Prepare the veggies. You will add them in the order listed above.
  2. Prepare the noodles according to the package. (Usually boil for 4 minutes then drain.)
  3. Mix the sauce while the noodles are cooking: soy sauce, sugar, chili flakes, PB2/peanut butter. (Do not need to dissolve the sugar yet.)
  4. Heat the peanut oil on high heat in a wok or large pan. Add the onion, garlic, and carrots. Saute for 3 minutes.
  5. Beat the eggs with a fork. Push the veggies to one side of the pan; add the eggs and scramble them there. It is ok if everything mixes together.
  6. Add the other veggies: celery and zucchini. Saute for 3-4 more minutes.
  7. Add the noodles (drained) and the sauce; stir a few times then turn off the heat. You can continue to mix to make sure everything is distributed evenly.
  8. Serve! This jap chae recipe is perfect alone: protein, carbs, and fat. Yum yum yum.

For dessert I had grapes; Bobby had a nectarine. I haven’t been into sweets lately. So strange.

What’s your favorite noodle dish?

Here are some of my other noodly recipes:

Enjoy, bookmark, share :) Let me know if you make any of them!

P.S. Did anyone notice that Chrome had an update? I like it.

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]]> http://www.thesaladgirl.com/2010/09/07/korean-recipe-jap-chae-recipe/feed/ 14 http://www.thesaladgirl.com/2010/09/07/korean-recipe-jap-chae-recipe/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=korean-recipe-jap-chae-recipe Walking For Health & Walking As Exercise http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheSaladGirl/~3/98RzAjglL-0/ http://www.thesaladgirl.com/2010/09/06/walking-for-health-walking-as-exercise/#comments Mon, 06 Sep 2010 16:53:50 +0000 Maggie http://www.thesaladgirl.com/?p=6974 Happy Labor Day! In honor of this great relaxing day off, I’m going to talk about one of my favorite things: walking. This weekend I got to walk a lot with Coco (and Star, her hubby). There are 2 reasons I walk (in addition to the fact that I just like it)…

Walking . . . → Read More: Walking For Health & Walking As Exercise]]> Happy Labor Day! In honor of this great relaxing day off, I’m going to talk about one of my favorite things: walking. This weekend I got to walk a lot with Coco (and Star, her hubby). There are 2 reasons I walk (in addition to the fact that I just like it)…

Walking As Exercise

When I’m walking as exercise, I like to do a few different things:

  • Listen to music or podcasts
  • Read a book
  • Walk with my husband, or a good friend
  • Chat on the phone with my parents

And sometimes I just walk in silence. Walking in silence is sometimes just as good as (or even better than) yoga for clearing the mind. Walking is almost like meditation.

I use an iPod Nano for my podcasts. I am actually looking for new podcast recommendations so please let me know if you have any in the comments below! I like nutrition, yoga, linguistics, languages, and psychology, but I’m always open to other topics as well.

As for books, I tend to read books that don’t take too much concentration when I’m walking as exercise. I have tried to read more advanced books while I’m walking, but it’s too easy to lose focus because I do have to look up every so often so I don’t run into things/people/cabs. The Emily Giffin books were perfect for long walks.

I read that book 2 years ago – I searched my blog for her name and found this old post. Cool for me to see how I (and my blog) have evolved over the years.

Walking For Health

Okay, so walking as exercise is great, but walking is good for overall health as well. I have read so many articles lately about how being happy and leading a stress free life are actually more important than the foods you eat. That sounds a little bit crazy and unconventional, but I’m temped to believe it.

For one thing, walking is great for weight loss/maintenance. I don’t really do much other than walk these days, and I’m maintaining my weight easily. This weekend I did walk a lot (5-6 miles each day) but normally I only walk 2-4 miles a day. Walking for health = easy to stick to. I don’t really have any trouble fitting in my miles each day and I don’t dread them (unlike some other workouts).

Walking is also a way to take a break from whatever happened to you during the day/week. I like to walk home from work (it’s about 1.5 miles) when it’s not too hot and not too cold. Sometimes I window shop, sometimes I really shop (I got Bobby the jacket below the other day), and I always make sure that I stop thinking about anything stressful – humans need a way to get rid of stress. Stress is horrible for us – worse than cheeseburgers and fast food, for sure.

I think I am getting off topic! Back to walking for health ;) Walking = relaxing stress-reliever. Walking = good cardio. Walking = kind to your joints. Walking = low-impact. Walking = doesn’t feel like exercise. Walking = awesome.

So instead of sitting here posting, I am going to go out for a walk with my hubby because we haven’t left the house yet today. We had delicious steel cut oats for breakfast/brunch (mine with butter and a touch of honey; his with a bit more honey and 2 pieces of fake bacon; this picture is not from today – it’s from another delicious blogger meetup day almost a year ago in San Francisco).

Why do you walk? Or do you like other forms of exercise better?

P.S. Got a bunch of good questions yesterday! Will answer them tomorrow I think. If not tomorrow, Thursday.

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]]> http://www.thesaladgirl.com/2010/09/06/walking-for-health-walking-as-exercise/feed/ 20 http://www.thesaladgirl.com/2010/09/06/walking-for-health-walking-as-exercise/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=walking-for-health-walking-as-exercise Being Spontaneous: A Healthy Blogger Weekend http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheSaladGirl/~3/OBIv6l-MvVU/ http://www.thesaladgirl.com/2010/09/05/being-spontaneous-a-healthy-blogger-weekend/#comments Mon, 06 Sep 2010 00:44:39 +0000 Maggie http://www.thesaladgirl.com/?p=6960 Yesterday morning I hopped on the bus to DC to meet up with Coco. I’m on the bus back now (Sunday night). We had a lot of fun; I got to hang out with Coco and her husband (!). Next time Bobby will come along with me and we will go hiking . . . → Read More: Being Spontaneous: A Healthy Blogger Weekend]]> Yesterday morning I hopped on the bus to DC to meet up with Coco. I’m on the bus back now (Sunday night). We had a lot of fun; I got to hang out with Coco and her husband (!). Next time Bobby will come along with me and we will go hiking and pick apples. It’s fun doing things with other married people.

Being spontaneous and being with a good friend is a great way to break out of a normal routine. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in my daily regimen that I forget to stop and do something different. A weekend getaway is great for that.

A Perfect Blogger Saturday

On Saturday we walked a lot (5-6 miles). We had a yummy Malaysian lunch, we walked through Georgetown, we saw Eat, Pray, Love, and we ended the night with Vietnamese food. This is one dish from lunch (a noodly salad). I would have taken more pictures but I was too wrapped up in hanging out and good conversation!

A Blogger Inspired Sunday Breakfast

This morning we (we = Coco) made HEAB’s coconut pancakes. They were awesome. Unfortunately my stomach has been acting weird and bloaty all weekend so I wasn’t very hungry, but I did have a decent amount of these, plus some cherries. Coco said she changed the recipe slightly, but I don’t know the modifications. You will have to ask her.

We walked off breakfast by strolling through the touristy part of DC near the Whitehouse. Coco had gone running there this morning too before I woke up! (Maybe it wasn’t there… somewhere around there though. She is starting to taper for her half-marathon this weekend.) Think we did around 6 miles of walking. Walking = best way to exercise (in my opinion).

A Say Yes to Salad Lunch

Lunch was green and compost-friendly at Sweet Green (salad of romaine, edamame, cucumber, heirloom tomatoes, and sauteed mushrooms with some yummy creamy dressing). Our salads came with the best bread ever, which we both finished. Sweet Green was great – everything is labeled if it’s vegan, you can compost everything (even that “plastic” cup), and the food was delicious and satisfied my salad craving. I can never get enough salad. Ever.

I am now finished with my dinner (Whole Foods prepared food) and dessert (apple and a Chinese candy from Coco) because this bus’s internet is so slow and it has taken me over an hour to write this. I guess that’s why it’s free because I would not pay for this.

I am off to sleep, or read my magazine (Women’s Health), or do some pondering. This weekend was so fun! I’m in a great mood and I can’t wait to continue my great mood this week. Upcoming…

  • Skincare (this is your last chance to ask me any specific questions! So far I am going to chat mainly about oily skin, but I am open to answering more – please comment below)
  • Exercise inspiration
  • Yoga guest post
  • Food/bread inspiration
  • (not necessarily in that order!)

What did you do this weekend? Do you have plans for Labor Day tomorrow?

I’m hoping to meet up with some more friends and spend some quality time with my husband (who I missed very much while I was in DC). Absence definitely makes the heart grow fonder.

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]]> http://www.thesaladgirl.com/2010/09/05/being-spontaneous-a-healthy-blogger-weekend/feed/ 20 http://www.thesaladgirl.com/2010/09/05/being-spontaneous-a-healthy-blogger-weekend/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=being-spontaneous-a-healthy-blogger-weekend What’s Up Saturday – 9.4.10 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheSaladGirl/~3/IiAeIBb3U0w/ http://www.thesaladgirl.com/2010/09/04/whats-up-saturday-9-4-10/#comments Sat, 04 Sep 2010 14:51:55 +0000 Maggie http://www.thesaladgirl.com/?p=6955 As I write this I am on a bus down to Washington, DC. Last night I was gchatting with one of my best friends and decided to take a short and very spontaneous trip down to visit her. See you soon Coco! The last time I saw her was at my . . . → Read More: What’s Up Saturday – 9.4.10]]> As I write this I am on a bus down to Washington, DC. Last night I was gchatting with one of my best friends and decided to take a short and very spontaneous trip down to visit her. See you soon Coco! The last time I saw her was at my wedding which was over a month ago. (Coco’s recap is here.)

But more on that later. It’s time for another weekly roundup post.

In Salad News

Around the Blogs

Other Randoms

That’s all, folks. I owe you a skincare post next week, and probably more stuff on intuitive eating. I also have a great guest post coming up too!

What’s up for you this weekend?

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]]> http://www.thesaladgirl.com/2010/09/04/whats-up-saturday-9-4-10/feed/ 14 http://www.thesaladgirl.com/2010/09/04/whats-up-saturday-9-4-10/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=whats-up-saturday-9-4-10 The Rational and Emotional Brain Battle http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheSaladGirl/~3/GQu4J9rNmzE/ http://www.thesaladgirl.com/2010/09/03/the-rational-and-emotional-brain-battle/#comments Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:53:51 +0000 Maggie http://www.thesaladgirl.com/?p=6942 I’m going to go off on a tangent for this post; it’s completely unrelated to food, but very much related to health and well-being. I am watching a really interesting documentary called “This Emotional Life” on Netflix this week. It was first aired on PBS in January of 2010. That’s what made me think . . . → Read More: The Rational and Emotional Brain Battle]]> I’m going to go off on a tangent for this post; it’s completely unrelated to food, but very much related to health and well-being. I am watching a really interesting documentary called “This Emotional Life” on Netflix this week. It was first aired on PBS in January of 2010. That’s what made me think of this post.

The second episode (I will get to the first one later) is called Facing Our Fears.

***

Overview of the Rational and Emotional Brains

The main topics in the segment are anger, fear, anxiety, and despair. Every human feels these emotions. So how do we deal with them? And why do we feel them? Apparently we have two parts of our brain; one is quite ancient and the other is fairly new. The older part (this part has been around since brains first developed) is the emotional part. The newer part is the rational brain. Unfortunately they don’t always get along very well.

Many many years ago, our emotional brain protected us from lions and tigers and bears (oh my!). Today our emotional brain protects us from angry cab drivers and rude people that cut in front of us in the line at the grocery store. We don’t need the same reaction for rude people as we do for bears. But (unfortunately) our brains do have that same reaction anyway.

Humans are still evolving, so maybe over time the communication and the relationship between these two parts of our brain will improve. But for now…

A Brain Metaphor

Earlier this year I went to see an acupuncturist. He gave me some very solid advice in the form of a metaphor.

The Brain as an Elephant…

Pretend that the two parts of your brain are an elephant and a rider. There is an end destination that they have to get to. The rider has to figure out how to get the elephant to that destination. There are lots of roads, but none of them lead where they need to go. To get to the destination, they have to forge a new path.

Some roads are already paved but do not lead anywhere worthwhile. Some of them just go off to randomness and others lead towards bad, scary places. The rider and the elephant should not take those roads, even though they are smooth and paved, because those roads don’t go to the right place.

If you didn’t figure it out already, the rider is the rational brain and the elephant is the emotional brain.

Day 1.

The rider starts to guide the elephant into the woods to make a new path. The elephant gets scared. The rider beats the elephant and the elephant refuses to go further. Maybe the elephant starts going in the wrong direction. The more the rider beats the elephant, the more the elephant resists. The rider gives up for the day and they both sleep.

Day 2.

The next day, the rider again tries to get the elephant to go into the woods. The elephant remembers the beating from the day before and associates it with the woods. He refuses again. At this point the rider will either beat the elephant, or soothe the elephant and let him stay where he is. If the rider beats the elephant, the elephant will run, spooked, down the paved road that leads nowhere good. If the rider calms the elephant, they stay where they are.

Day 3.

Let’s say the rider did not beat the elephant again. Now the elephant is remembering that maybe it is okay to go in the woods. Yesterday the rider was nice; maybe he will be nice again. The elephant is not fully at ease though, because the rider beat him a few days ago. Maybe they make it 10 feet. The elephant is still scared of the rider and hesitant.

And beyond.

Over time, the rider can choose to beat the elephant repeatedly and get nowhere (or go backwards, or go towards somewhere bad) OR the rider can choose to comfort the animal and treat him well. The elephant reacts the the way the rider treats him. The rider must realize that because he beat the elephant in the past, the elephant is not going to trust him for a while.

The elephant’s reactions are automatic and unconscious.

The rider is conscious and rational.

Our emotions are like the elephant, and our rational brain is like the rider. If we want to tame our emotions, we cannot beat them up first. We have to accept them, and only then can we begin to convince them to do what we want.

Beating the elephant is like beating yourself up for something that your unconscious did (or “made” you do). It is not helpful and not productive. Accept whatever it is about yourself that you don’t like – and then you can start to change it.

***

Do your rider and elephant get along?

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]]> http://www.thesaladgirl.com/2010/09/03/the-rational-and-emotional-brain-battle/feed/ 10 http://www.thesaladgirl.com/2010/09/03/the-rational-and-emotional-brain-battle/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-rational-and-emotional-brain-battle Katie says: Chopstick Covered Katie http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheSaladGirl/~3/7np8XXqmDWo/ http://www.thesaladgirl.com/2010/09/02/katie-says-chopstick-covered-katie/#comments Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:05:53 +0000 Maggie http://www.thesaladgirl.com/?p=6913 Hi everyone! I am still doing blog maintenance and stuff, so you get to hear from one of the sweetest ladies in blogland. And she totally understands my chopstick obsession. Take it away, Katie!

(And HI to reader Lauren who I met last night!! Thanks for saying hi.)

***

Hi chocolate . . . → Read More: Katie says: Chopstick Covered Katie]]> Hi everyone! I am still doing blog maintenance and stuff, so you get to hear from one of the sweetest ladies in blogland. And she totally understands my chopstick obsession. Take it away, Katie!

(And HI to reader Lauren who I met last night!! Thanks for saying hi.)

***

Hi chocolate chips!

My name is Katie, and I write a blog called Chocolate-Covered Katie.

The recipes on my blog are for “healthy” (yet still delicious) versions of traditionally “bad-for-you” foods.

Such as the above healthy choco-Banana sundae

Basically, I eat in accordance with the Chocolate-Covered Diet philosophy, and I’ve never been happier :) .

But today, I’m not going to talk about chocolate. (*Gasp*) Nope, the lovely Maggie (Isn’t she gorgeous?!) has asked me to talk about something else: chopsticks! She and I share an interest in eating with chopsticks, because we both have a connection to Japan (mine being that I lived there for four years, and hers being that Bobby is half Japanese). I actually learned to eat with chopsticks before a fork. So even though I now can use a fork, I still prefer chopsticks, not only for conventional Asian dishes, but also for…

Decadent high-protein chocolate cake

Slurpy mushroom spaghetti

Bluebberry Breakfast Pizzert in a bowl

And even…

The breakfast feast: Chocolate chip cookie dough oatmeal

Ok, scratch that last one.

Some things are better eaten with a spoon!

In honor of Maggie and Bobby, I challenge you—this week—to try eating something unconventional with chopsticks!

Be creative and have fun! Are you up  for it?? I know these guys are. :)

And remember:

Life is better when it’s chocolate-covered!

***

Thanks again Katie :) And happy early birthday! September is the best birthday month (mine is September too – maybe we are the same age!). I hope you enjoy some cake with chopsticks (healthy cake of course). I definitely will.

Do you know how to eat with chopsticks? What is your favorite thing to eat with them?

I think my favorite thing is… a stir-fry. Predictable, but delicious. (Here’s another.)

P.S. If you are ever interested in doing a guest post for Say Yes to Salad, please contact me and let me know your idea! I am always accepting submissions :)

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]]> http://www.thesaladgirl.com/2010/09/02/katie-says-chopstick-covered-katie/feed/ 8 http://www.thesaladgirl.com/2010/09/02/katie-says-chopstick-covered-katie/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=katie-says-chopstick-covered-katie Wordless Wedding Post {Wordless Wednesday} http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheSaladGirl/~3/uFYiatLpI50/ http://www.thesaladgirl.com/2010/09/01/wordless-wedding-post-wordless-wednesday/#comments Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:05:50 +0000 Maggie http://www.thesaladgirl.com/?p=6479 (Almost) Wordless Wedding Wednesday.

Hope you enjoy these pictures as I do some maintenance work on the blog. Back tomorrow with real updates. And happy first of September. September is my birth month and my favorite month of the year. September’s birthstone is sapphire. To go along with wedding photos, here are some . . . → Read More: Wordless Wedding Post {Wordless Wednesday}]]>

(Almost) Wordless Wedding Wednesday.

Hope you enjoy these pictures as I do some maintenance work on the blog. Back tomorrow with real updates. And happy first of September. September is my birth month and my favorite month of the year. September’s birthstone is sapphire. To go along with wedding photos, here are some wedding links:

I still look at my pictures almost every day. And every day I am still as happy as I was over a month ago.

What makes you happy on this (almost) wordless Wednesday?

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