Simple Whole & Happy

 Irresistible Chewy Trail Mix Cookies

I saw these on one of the blogs I follow, Ohsheglows, and knew I had to make them this weekend. I made the recipe as suggested except I did not have any sunflower seeds so I used some pumpkin seeds instead. They are delicious! They are hard but soft on the inside and sooo nutty and sweet from the almond butter and maple syrup. I had 3 and I am justifying it by saying I had to taste them, plus those three were shaped funny as they did not bind as well as the others :)
 Our very large pumpkin on the patio

Moving on I have some updates on our ridiculous garden. I spent the day harvesting what I could and making some yummy things with our bounty. The pumpkin will be used this fall :)
 Hops, green beans, fennel, green onions, chives, tomatoes, green chili, red chili
What used to be my lettuce box: spinach, arugula, romaine, and chard. The Arugula and Chard are still doing quite well although I cut a bunch and made some pesto (see below).
Tomatoes, jalapeno…

I am having some formatting issues so I will start my post with this picture of a smoothie I made yesterday. This smoothie is gorgeous and green, full of healthy fats and protein: -1/2 avocado - 1/2 c water -1/4 cup frozen spinach 1 banana - 1 scoop Sun Warrior Chocolate protein powder -3 ice cubes -1 tsp agave nectar

So what's with the cryptic title? Well I have been on this health journey for almost 2 years and I have updated and modified my goals throughout to always be challenging myself. It started out as a goal to lose weight and get healthy. Then I wanted to start getting in shape. Then it was to start competing in races, such as 2 5Ks, 2 10Ks, and a sprint triathlon. Once I made goal I started changing my diet to exclude animal products and by-products to help lower my cholesterol. Most recently my goal has been to be fit, by the definition of a fit body fat percentage.
So where am I?
Weight Loss: Well I have maintained my weight loss for nearly a year, which is just fantastic, I a…

A couple of weeks ago I made a plan to ask my bridesmaids to, in fact, be my bridesmaids. I wanted to be thoughtful and creative so I looked to Pinterest as well as TheKnot.com to assist with this. I was able to glean a few ideas and here is what I came up with: 


My cousin, Kayla is practically my sister. She is 3 years younger than me and we really grew up together. As adults we have become even closer and I am so grateful to have this lovely girl in my life. I know she will always be there for me and is supportive and me and Tyler, making her the perfect bridesmaid. Plus, her 2 1/2 year old daughter, Addison will be the most adorable flower girl- win-win!!! My cousin, Danyel is another family member who I have grown up with and especially become close to as an adult. Her and I both love running and have done multiple races in the past year or so, which has really helped me stay motivated and supported. She used to babysit me as a kid and I always had a lot of love and respect for her.…