MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY

If you have goals, dreams and desires and never start the actual goal or take the first steps towards obtaining your goals, dreams and desires you really do not have ANY right to complain that something has not happened.

For instance..I dream, I desire and I want abs! I work hard at the gym, eat extremely clean but lack cardio sometimes and I honestly know I can push myself harder but do I?

Well...sometimes...but right now I am on a mission to get these abs I have always dreamed for and desired! 

I stopped complaining and am now on a MISSION to eat organic, healthy foods and explore my natural surroundings while pushing myself EXTRA hard at the gym and adding more cardio to my lifestyle.

I hate the treadmill, elliptical etc. so I switch it up every 10 minutes at the gym but STILL ugh! 

So now I am off to a new LOVE of hiking, and exploring Cabo San Lucas by foot. 

Today I went off with two of my girlfriends and hiked (scaled) LOVER'S BEACH

 For those of you who have yet to experience the MAGIC of Cabo San Lucas need to come to this beach! You either have to hike (scale rocks) to it or you can take a water taxi (which I always have)

Little girl in a huge pile of rocks!

The man pictured here has so much swag it became photo worthy! Socks and snorkeling! 

Ashley and Nickie about to Scale Rocks

By the way I am BAREFOOT on rocks YES!

I did it!

I felt so accomplished and just super connected to my spiritual, natural self which is always good :)

My challenge to myself is to start trying new things and explore my element and explore just ME more!

I love the fact that I spent time with my girlfriends, worked out, checked off a ( I have never....) and began a new routine for myself.

As the quote above says...Begin NOW so start today....

MAKE THAT LIST RIGHT NOW!

and start checking things off...

What is stopping YOU from starting your new beginning?

Why?

SPOTLIGHT SATURDAY

Summer is right around the corner and its time for another update about what's in season when it comes to your produce!

No excuses to destroy that summer body with all this wonderful produce readily and organically available to you!

• Apples
• Avocado
• Basil
• Bell Pepper
• Berries
• Carrots
• Cherries
• Cilantro
• Cucumbers
• Eggplant
• Figs
• Garlic
• Green Beans
• Mangoes
• Melons
• Nectarines
• Okra
• Peaches
• Peppers
• Summer Squash
• Tomatoes
• Zucchini

An easy way to get all these amazing goodies into your diet is to create a soup or stew!

Just coat the bottom of your pot with some oil (Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Coconut Oil)

Light the stove top and add some onions, carrots, celery and garlic.

Add whatever veggies you desire and wait until they soften

Add chicken broth and water (1 cup chicken broth:2 cups water) As much as needed

Let sit on low heat for 45-50 minutes adding (lentils, beans, legumes of choice)

Add herbs as you stir (basil, cilantro...etc)

Stir every so often

Soup for the whole week!

Easy side dish or meal and stays good for about 5-7 days stored in the fridge

What are some of your favorite summer recipes?

SPOTLIGHT SATURDAY

KeVita ROCKS! Not only do the flavors like Coconut,Mango Coconut and Strawberry Acai Coconut taste like heaven these probiotic wonders are beneficial to your health and well being.

I have been reading about probiotics for some time and never quite understood what a probiotic was and why I needed to add such thing into my diet. I have then come to find through drinking KeVita that I have more energy and I just overall feel better after a meal. Why you may ask? Is this all in my head?

FABULOUS FRIDAY

What in the world am I doing with curlers in my hair?

Today's fabulous friday is a topic I have struggled with for MANY, MANY years! As you can tell from some of my pictures, my hair is short one day and then long the next (thank you clip in extensions)! This is because I have been struggling for as long as I can remember with hair growth! I not only dye my hair blonde, I love to curl it and straighten it because my hair naturally is a kinky mess.

THIRSTY THURSDAY

A martini...I could use one... :) 9 days until my wedding and I am still cleansing! It gets easier as I go a long and I think about some of the things I gave up (sugar-free gum, gum, meat (except for one day), and alcohol (except for 1 day)) Not bad :) The gum was the hardest for me..I know how bad it is for me but honestly sometimes it feels so good to just chew (I must be an addict) someone save me

But giving it up for 11 days has made it so I do NOT miss it. Honestly it really has not hit me at all until right now when I started writing my accomplishments in my journal! I believe looking for praise is usually a disappointment and that you should just be proud of yourself and reward yourself in that manner. I love sitting and boasting how wonderful I am in my journal and especially writing about my accomplishments whether super small (I drank 1 more glass of water today) or huge!!

Here is a recipe I came up with for Thirsty Thursday! It uses some of Ashley Armstrong amazing Baja Super Foods! I swear this stuff is so amazing! I am HOOKED! The bag is supposed to last you a month but um...is it bad that I like to eat it by itself? haha Grab some at Baja Super Foods (click the link)

So 9 days...getting a bit stressed but I keep looking at pictures of my girlfriends and its making me SO very excited to recreate some of the memories pictured below :) (I know I have HOT girlfriends ;))

Some of my girlfriends I have not seen in 2 years (ie Tiffy) and the rest its been about 8 months ;( but I am so happy they ALL are able to attend my special day! It makes it that much more exciting and we all have SO much to catch up on!

P.S: My cleanse is still going well! The stuff thats coming out of my nose is scary (sorry for the picture)

P.P.S Anyone doing Tuesdays Tip ? Comment and let me know what these last few days have brought you?? Click the link if you have yet to check it out!

Hope you all are having an amazing day!

THIRSTY THURSDAY

I am cleansing away and counting down to my wedding day! 16 days and counting...I am so excited just been stressing a bit! Its crazy having a destination wedding because not only are you doing the wedding part, but you kind of start worrying about everyone feeling comfortable in a new place. Many of my friends and family have never been to Cabo San Lucas, MX which is exciting for them because Cabo is so beautiful with a ton to do, it just makes me nervous to spend time with everyone who has taken the time to fly out to my wedding! It means so much to me that they are taking there own time and personal vacation from work just for my wedding! I wish there were more hours in the day, but thankfully all of them are staying in one place! I get to see some friends I have not seen in over 8 months which will be fun and get to show them where I have been living for the last 8 months..in paradise...:)

I thought I would share with you my cleansing strategies. Everyone cleanses differently, depending on there own personal lifestyle. I applaud those who can do the master cleanse, its tough especially if you work a 9-5 pm job where you need to be 100% awake and ready for anything. I have done it before and I will tell you it is WORK, but very rewarding at the end. Instead of that type of cleanse, I do something a bit different. It works with my lifestyle, I can exercise still and I get the same benefits. The only thing is, it takes longer than the master cleanse.

My cleanse lasts about 12-14 days depending on how I feel. Its all about how you feel! I am doing this to cleanse out my Hong Kong trip and start the next chapter of my life with a clean body!

First thing in the morning I heat up some water and squeeze lemon into it.

About 30-45 minutes later depending on how I am feeling I enjoy a super smoothie:

Check back for more recipes!

I drink the same smoothie maybe adding a bit more veggie or maybe another fruit about every 3-4.5 hours, it all depends on how I feel of course.

For dinner I have a vegan cooked meal.

Last night I had:

Baby bella mushrooms, spinach, pine nuts and 2 cloves garlic. At the end on low heat I drizzle a dash of olive oil and this is the result. 

Garlic is great for the immune system and since I am cleansing I try to include garlic into my cooked meals.

Olive oil provides me with the fats needed to move the toxins along my digestive tract. Olive oil helps "grease" up everything.

Mushrooms and pine nuts provide me with some proteins and other vitamins.

Pine Nuts are also my new favorite food and have a bit of iron as well, help with fatigue and help alleviate muscle cramps.

Spinach provides me with a bit of iron and of course green does wonders as well all know :)

Some people enjoy there cooked meal at lunch since they work and its hard to stray away from a nice vegan cooked meal. I do mine at night, as my workout is at night and I like to make sure I have yummy fuel to fill my muscles!

Of course before trying any cleanse or diet change please consult a doctor. 

Comment and let me know what you think of my cleanse! I am having fun with it and have already seen my body de-bloat and watching my fat disappear! Although a bit cranky, I just say its my negative toxins coming out and after these 14 days, my body will be clean and have only positive energy (which is needed for a wedding :)

TRAVEL/WEDDING LIFE

I am preparing and packing for a trip my finance and I will be taking to Hong Kong! I am so excited not only because I have NEVER been to an Asian country but because I get to experience a whole new culture and lifestyle. Sure I have been to Ireland, Costa Rica and Mexico which have all been amazing experiences but to go somewhere like Hong Kong does not compare!

I thought I would share with my readers a quick tip for packing since this is something I love doing and it works out perfectly! You know all of those samples you get at Sephora or Planet Beauty? Well save them because they will come in handy. What is pictured below is 10 days worth of shampoo, conditioner, styling balm, exfoliator, eye makeup remover, lotion, face wash and toothpaste! Crazy right? The best part is I can carry it on! No more worrying about your stuff being lost in space :)

Star Systemz Travel Tip: Use Samples to Travel

I am also getting married in 30 days! I am so excited and have been working hard with my wedding planner Rachel Hansen of infinity-cabo.com to get it done! We planned everything in less than 5 months :) For a destination wedding, with people flying in I think we did an amazing job!

Here are some tidbit pictures I took so you can get a behind the scenes look of what I worked on:

Glass Heart Wedding Favor handmade at The Glass Factory

Gold Painted Wedding Welcome Baskets for my Out-of-Towners

 I would show you what is inside but I will wait until my guests receive them :)

My crafting table! This is where I view my gorgeous beach and pretend to make things for the wedding :)

 I have also been laying out in my backyard a bit to get a nice base tan for my wedding day, check out my how-to here http://starsystemz.blogspot.mx/2012/04/sunless-sunday.html

Random day my fiancé and I went looking for props for our wedding :) I am a true Irish girl with truly pale/red toned skin so I am proud I have somewhat of a base color here!

I took my very first Louis Vuitton purse which had holes in it and got it turned into a laptop purse! I definitely recommend taking a second look at your damaged clothes or purses because you can change it into something else and make use of it again! I am so happy my laptop has a gorgeous home and that my old purse feels brand new again!

Me laying out pretending to have duck lips...I wish...

MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY