My new home : Kansas City!

So, this post is going to get a little personal...

Kansas City. It's hard to believe this is where I call home, now.

I must admit - before I mention anything else - is that moving away from your hometown (in my case) has been super healthy & rewarding. (However, I do miss you, Chester!!!)

So, this past Christmas - Tyler & I were given the option to move to Kansas City for a WAY better job opportunity (on his part) - but, we had to decide in THREE DAYS.

We had nothing to lose (& being a Pilates Instructor {as much as it hurt to let my current clients go} I could find work anywhere) - so we made the huge leap and moved to Kansas City.

And, wow - it is more beautiful than we ever could imagine. I literally thought Kansas City would be like the Wizard of Oz (farms, dust & nothing sparkly). Holy hell... I was so wrong.

For ALL my friends who are from South Florida - Kansas City is a hidden gem (kinda how Nashville, TN used to be...) - it's like a Palm Beach of the MidWest. Seriously - all my stores are a ONE MILE radius from my house : Lululemon, Trader Joe's, Anthropologie, The Fresh Market, Whole Foods & so much more. Plus, the food here is WAY BETTER. (That will be a whole different post.) And, the homes are right out of magazines & Pinterest. SO BEAUTIFUL.

Kansas City is known as the City of Fountains. Did you know that Kansas City is #2 IN THE WORLD for the most fountains? Do you know who is #1? ROME! Pretty amazing.

So far - all of Spring - Tyler & I have been like 6 year olds on Christmas morning. Every day, there are new flowers blooming & something new that we are finding out about our house.

Another thing that I found really surprising here - EVERYONE IS MORE FIT! I took a barre class the first week I was here and thought I was going to die. And for those of you who know me - I'm a pretty fit person - with my Pilates & long runs. We are dealing with a whole new kind of fitness animal here. And, did I mention everyone here is BEAUTIFUL!? Everyone really takes care of themselves here!

Here are some fun pictures I have captured around my runs:

KC Dogwood!

Beautiful KC Tulips!

One of our parks has an Oriental Theme! Lots of running trails here :)

I will post more soon.

..xox...

Liz

Lunch Time: Veggie Quinoa

I wanted to share with you a healthy, nutritious lunch that I made the other day. It's super easy & doesn't take too much time to make, either.

Everyday, I strive to make healthy choices for my body. For me, I notice that my body does not do well with carbs... at all. So, I try to make meals that are carb-free (for the most part).

Well... here it is: Veggie Quinoa.

Ingredients:

* 1 cup of Quinoa (This is something I always have in my cupboard... and you should, too!)

* Spinach (about a handful)

* 1/2 a Tomato

* Onion (Take a whole onion & slice once - which should give you 5-6 rings)

* Roasted Cauliflower, Pinenuts & Garlic (This was leftover from a previous dinner.)

Directions:

1. Fill a pot with 1 1/4 cup of water. When the water gets to a boil - add 1 cup of quinoa. Cook for 10 minutes.

2. While the quinoa is cooking - grab a pan, add olive oil and bring it to a medium heat. Grab a handful of spinach & toss it in the pan until it is wilted.

3. Chop up half a tomato & dice.

4. Take an onion & slice once. This will give you 5-6 rings. I love whole onion rings - but if you would rather chop it up... go for it.

5. For the roasted cauliflower (pine nuts & garlic) - this was from the night before & I wanted to use it up. So - if you don't have roasted cauliflower laying around in your fridge (haha) use some leftover veggies from the night before.

6. Once the quinoa is ready (the water will be gone & it will be light and fluffy) - just add all the veggies in with the quinoa.

7. EAT!!

This may not sound like a lot of food - but trust me, it filled me up! I find that when you put the right foods in your body - you stay full longer.

Thanks for reading & Happy Tuesday!!

Elisabeth's Veggie Quinoa

...xox...

Liz

Healthy AM

Wow.

Has it really been a year since I've written on my blog?

Life lesson: Year 25 is the fastest one, yet. Seriously.

Ok, So nothing super interesting - but, I wanted to share what I have been eating for breakfast. Lots of yummy ingredients to make an incredible smoothie:

1. Strawberries
2. 1 Banana
3. Chia Seeds
4. 2 Gallops of Peanut Butter
5. Almond Milk (1/2 a cup)
6. 10 Spinach Leaves
7. A few ice cubes (if you choose - to make it more smoothy-like)

I love my Magic Bullet - I squish all of this into my Bullet and out comes yumminess - and it does keep me full (hence the peanut butter).

EAT CLEAN!

((I swear it tastes better than it looks!!!))

...xox...

Liz