Garden of Life mind/body rejuvenation challenge: update No. 2

I fell off the wagon this weekend. It happens, right?

It started with divine French food full of delicious, fatty goodness on Saturday night and ended with a carb-and-grease overload at Boston Pizza on Sunday.

But I got back on track today, and I’d been very disciplined so far, so I’m not feeling very guilty.

As I roll into week four of the RAW Fit challenge, I’m pleased to report that I had to buy new jeans. I’m still not into my pre-marriage jeans but these are two waist sizes smaller than any jean I’d been wearing before starting this challenge. I bought them on the small side to give me extra motivation; I’d like to slip them on without having to do those embarrassing jean lunges in front of my kids.

This week also marks the beginning of a more hardcore workout regimen: two days a week, in addition to yoga, I’m adding sessions at my brother-in-law’s new gym, Pickering Fit Body Boot Camp. I did a trial session last week to check it out and I’m really excited to track my progression week over week. Not just in terms of body transformation but also improving my overall strength. I just want to do one measly push-up without my knees on the ground…

I want to share my favourite snack of late, coconut oil popcorn. When you’re a blogger with a day job, you end up working quite late. When I get peckish, this popcorn is fast and offers whole-grain nutrition and a hint of salt to satisfy cravings.

Healthy microwave popcorn

• Melt half a tablespoon of coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl; set aside
• Take one brown paper bag and add about one-third of a cup of organic popping corn kernels
• Fold down the top a couple of times and place lying down in the microwave
• Every microwave is different, but start with a minute-and-a-half. Because burnt popcorn sucks!
• Pour popcorn into a bowl and drizzle melted coconut oil all over it
• Add freshly ground sea salt to taste and mix

I also want to give you the recipe for the yummiest shake I’ve made to date:

• One cup of Almond Fresh Unsweetened Almond Milk
• One scoop of Garden of Life’s RAW Fit protein powder
• One scoop of Garden of Life’s Perfect Food Super Green powder
• Half a banana
• About half a cup of PC Organics Frozen Whole Raspberries
• Blend the you-know-what out of this and enjoy fresh!

What are some of your go-to healthy snacks?

DISCLAIMER: Garden of Life is providing me with the products I’m using for my challenge, but my results are reported honestly like all of my other posts. Writing this post also qualifies me for an entry into Garden of Life’s Vitamix Giveaway. I love the idea of pulverizing avocado pits in a blender. Almond Fresh is providing eight weeks’ worth of my favourite almond milk on the planet. And while President’s Choice is a client of the firm for whom I work, I don’t even think they know I’m using their products during this challenge.