Coast goodness

This weekend J and I took a little vacation on the coast of California. We stayed at Glass Beach Bed and Breakfast Inn in Fort Bragg and got to relax and just enjoy life for a few days. (The place we stayed at provided a really nice breakfast - even for a gluten free girl!)

The ocean is very special to me as I grew up on a tiny island on the coast of Norway. I love waves and the ocean breeze. One thing in particular that was exciting, was finding hidden hiking trails in the midst of the tallest trees on earth. J and I hiked, took pictures and had a really amazing time together.

 In Fort Bragg there is a raw food diet cooking school (Living light culinary art institute) that also has a little cafe. They serve raw ice cream and cakes, soaked and dehydrated grains, smoothies and juices and such. I had a tasty piece of raw cherry pie with chocolate sauce. This week I want to make a few alternative cakes/pies that are free from dairy, eggs, gluten etc. My first one I have already started making, it is a raw cheesecake. It will be really really good. Ill post it here later today =)

Happy Monday Everyone!

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GF Graham Crackers

Yes, I surely was excited to bake, it has been a while since last time. Just the aroma coming from the oven while baking crackers, made it worth getting up before the sunrise.

The combination of honey, cinnamon and a few GF flours make for delicious graham crackers. Sweeter then most crackers, yet not fully as salt as most of them, a biscuit might be a better word for them, but who cares =) As long as they taste good.

This is one of those treats that are of multi use. They are fabulous just as they are, some prefer them dunked in a glass of milk. I use graham crackers as a crust in my cheesecake. One of these days I will have to try to use them in making real American s`mores. Another way to use graham crackers are to crumb them up and use as toppings on desserts or ice cream.

 Either way, it`s a sweet treat that fit`s many occasions. Like when you pull out a good book, or when you look through old photo albums. This cracker does not crumb easily and I like that.

The recipe I use is from The gluten free girl, and can be found here.

Kisses

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Hello Best week of the YEAR!

Woke up to my FAVORITE week of the year! I am a happy girl ;) It`s my Birthday week, it`s Christmas, it`s vacation with the family, it`s Arizona and beautiful running temperatures. AAAH.
I have already finished my first work out -  a 30 minute/3,5 mile run and 30 minutes of strength training.

There are all kinds of gatherings and parties going on this week. Last night we went to Jeffrey`s brother and his wife`s Christmas party....

Tonight we are invited to go to our Church`s staff dinner party.. and I am thrilled to already know what I`m wearing. Pjeh! 

Kisses

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Something Different

After having been tired for almost a week, with no seeming reason, I decided to take action. Tiredness kills motivation, joy and effectivity. I typically get tired if I have had foods like dairy, glucose syrup, salt ect. My case is a sensitive one. So if You are tired, there's probably some completely different reasons then mine.  Some people enjoy coffee and use that as wake up medicine. I like coffee, the smell of a coffee bean, the richness.. but my body cant stand it. It gives me a headache and messes up my stomach. Not exactly the solution for me. But some sort of change was necessary, I needed something different in order to get my vitamins and body back into balance. 

Do you ever just find yourself craving something, but your not exactly sure what it is? Yeah, that was me. Off to the grocery store I went  -

   

Theses are some of the things I came home with that day... pears, rutabagas, papaya juice, cuties (mandarins),  and lemons. 

I also went for a brisk 1 mile walk down by the river, in the bright sun. Don`t think I had seen the sun for a month or so. It was incredible soaking it up and getting my vitamin D in.

For 2 days now I`ve been drinking fresh lemon juice in sparkling water a couple of times a day, and I feel so much better already. Lemons are amazingly high in Vitamin C, and the benefits are simply outstanding.

Jethro Kloss reported this about eating lemons in his book Back to Eden: 

“The medicinal value of the lemon is as follows: It is an antiseptic, or is an agent that prevents sepsis [the presence of pathogenic bacteria] or putrefaction [decomposition of tissue]. It is also anti-scorbutic, a term meaning a remedy which will prevent disease and assist in cleansing the system of impurities.”

I could probably have devoted one whole blog alone to lemons. But Ill leave it with this. It works wonder in our bodies. Oftentimes it`s not about going on a strict diet or doing some other extreme thing to help get our bodies back on track. All it takes might be a simple adding of a little yellow fruit.

Kisses

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What`s for dinner?

Simplicity in the kitchen will never fail. 

Here is what me and my amazing Husband had for dinner.

 Peppered vegetables baked in butter, 

with a cilantro salad

and baked pork chops

 

Kisses

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New day, new week

 

My morning started out great. The rain was pouring down outside. Leafs everywhere -  swimming in the puddles of the water. 

My first work out got accomplished in 31 minutes and consisted of 1000 skipping rope jumps, pull ups, push ups etc. My plate of oatmeal got made in no time and it was good. Well, interrupted by a little milk spill.

For me working out means getting rid of stored up energy. I know for fact that it works in favor of my mood. Even when I'm on my period and feel uncomfortable, working out always makes me feel great.

Scientifically our bodies release endorphins while exercising. There are more occasions when our bodies release endorphins, I just wont dive into them right now.  With high endorphin levels we feel less pain and fewer negative effects of stress. Other effects endorphins have on the body can include: increased feelings of euphoria/happiness, decreased appetite and increased immune response. These are all very good reason to work out. 

If stress is something that is burdening you, then working out might be a huge stress reliever.

Have a good Monday!

Kisses

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Hi =)

 For some reason this does not look much like me, but it is me... this is my tired face from this morning. But now I feel refreshed  and blessed after having been on skype with my Mom for 2 whole hours. She taught me how to make sweet and sour sauce over skype. =) So I made lunch while chatting - quinoa with carrots and onion in sweet and sour sauce. Thank you technology for making California-Norway seem a little bit closer. I love my mom, she is always so happy and encouraging. 

Other then that I`ve spent time on making a cheesecake  - I use cottage cheese, and a gluten free crust from graham crackers (recipe for the crackers is here). I`ll be posting pictures later. The cake is SUPER cute...it`s pink. My friend is having a (gluten free! I`m in heaven) Girls Night and I`m bringing my cake.

My work out went something like this:

Warm up - 1000 Skipping rope jumps

Triceps dip 100 - I did them in 2.23 sec. 30 seconds faster then yesterday!
Mountain climber, push up, pull up, bicycle crunch, lunges w/bodybar and more push ups was what filled the main part of my work out. 

My upper body is exhausted.

I better jump in the shower and get ready for the party tonight. Wooh!

KISSES

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Active Rest - Tricep dip challenge!

I wrote in an earlier post that I work out most everyday and if I don`t, that is an exception. I wanted to clarify what I do on all those days.  After a challenging work out, our bodies need rest to recover. Muscles that are being worked will need to rebuild in a proper time format. Depending on the work out, and the muscles used, it can take a shorter or longer amount of time. Even diet can play a part here (lack of certain vitamins etc).
So on the days when I am not too sore but still not ready yet for a new work out, I will spend the day(s) doing active rest.  For an athlete, it is the better way to spend the days in between competition (according to research). As for the non-athlete that I am, active rest simply means keeping my focus on giving my body a physical challenge. On those days I go for walks, deep clean the house, take my cruiser out for a bikeride (LOVE those bikes), or maybe some light Spinning or jump rope.

Another fun thing to do is to introduce time challenge on these days. You can take easy exercises that can be done at home or almost anywhere and add a time challenge to it (It works even if you are spending the day traveling, or you are visiting family). Here is my time challenge for this week. I chose to use my arms since my legs are sore and useless from my last work out.
Join me by doing the same and share your test score with me on my comments.

100 TRICEPS  DIP CHALLENGE

• Find a stabile chair or bench
• Position your hands shoulder width apart
• Move you body in front of the bench with your legs bent and feet placed hip width apart
• Straighten out your arms, but keep a little bend in your elbow to keep the tension on the triceps
• Slowly bend at your elbows and lower yourself down towards the floor til your arms are at a 90% angle
• Keep your back close to the bench
• Now push yourself back up in to the starting position. 

PS: keep your neck relaxed. As you get stronger, straighten your leg out, or even alternate using one leg at the time

Set your timer as a stop watch ( I use my phone) just before you start, see how many minutes it takes for you to do 100 of these. Write down the test score and don`t forget to share your score in the comment!

I did 100 tricep dips on this video in 2.53 sec. I wanna keep doing the challenge and see the time improve. See the video of it in post below.

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Fit for the season and beyond

December is ahead of us all, and I do not know this for a fact - but I suspect this to be the month we gain the most weight? I think holiday season can be extremely sneaky and a trap for many health wise. Personally I absolutely love baking Christmas cookies, dinner parties, desserts of all sorts... but here are some of the things I will do to stay healthy and kind to my body for the season;

• Keep working out - The day I don't go and work out, will be an exception. NOT the other way around. If traveling - I bring my running shoes. And make sure you dress up well going to the gym and coming home, cause it can be freezing out there.

• Take Vitamins - Iron, vitamin C/B12/other B's/D. I like to get a big cup of fresh pressed orange juice or better yet - raw juiced vegetables. I also take Floravital - a gluten free formula of herb ekstrakts, Raw vitamin Code prenatal and bee pollen

 

• Homemade - Prepare meals from scratch. It can be healthier and better tasting then frozen, modified and messed up food. Pick vegetables and fruit that are in season. Right now typically bananas, asparagus, raspberries, cabbage, celery, cucumber and oranges etc.

 Enjoy - the options. Breakfast with the extended family during holiday season does not have to consist of bacon, potatoes and eggs. And for those of us that have sensitivities to food - it does not have to be sad either. In my family there is always fresh fruit and berries around. My sweet grandma Jan and her man loves eating breakfast at this one coffeehouse where they used to get bagels, but she cannot have gluten and such food anymore. So now she brings everything she needs for a yummi breakfast - blueberries, strawberries, nectarines, apples and some yogurt and makes it happen right there. Absolutely love it.

This morning I made a fresh fruit salad with raw raspberry sauce on top

For one person you need;

1 (ripe) pear

1 (ripe) banana

1 crispy apple

a handfull of cut up almonds

1 tbs maple syrup (optional)

Raw Raspberry sauce;

1 cup frozen raspberries

2 tbs maple syrup/agave nectar

1/2 cup of water

Mix in a blender

 -KISSES -

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Bits and pieces from my day

Started with a Solid breakfast....

Gluten free buffins that I made the other day, with brown goat cheese and raspberry jam..

sooooooo yummi!

Then I made a little Christmas decoration, using tangerines and some cloves

Many people use this for counting down days till Christmas, when making it - put the same amount of cloves as there is days left till Christmas, every day you pull out one clove...=)

Woow, Birthday party for a friend at the bowling aly, 

I actually got a strike right after this photo was taken... Yes, I was very surprised.

It was super fun thou.

Becky my bff sure knows how to bowl with style. SHE is amazing!

Fun day =)

Kisses

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H20

It is one lazy Sunday. The clouds are indecisive about letting it rain in Redding today, just as I was completely indecisive about getting out of bed this morning. Luckily, it is Sunday - it`s OK.
I pulled myself together by noon and dished up "made from scratch meat cakes with gravy, potatoes and pea stue" - and the husband loved it. =) Personally this is the dish I have had 60% of all the Sundays of my life. Or at least close to it. Norwegians love their meat cakes.
I tried to work out for a little today but it brought on a headache, adding that with feeling tired today I finally concluded that I might infact be dehydrated. Oh dear water, I am sorry I have failed to drink enough of you!
2 liters of water later, I am starting to feel a little better. There is plenty of hours left of this day and I will keep drinking, Fiji water, sparkling water and lots of it. How much water do you drink every day?
Here I am snuggled up in our couch. Gonna take it easy tonight, maybe watch a Christmas movie with my Love and just rest.
Have a beautiful evening!

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Saturday, rainy day, Spinning class today, Gonna be a GOOD day! Happy Saturday ;)

Kisses

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Gluten free Bread - Buffins

There is nothing like freshly baked bread with a dash of high quality butter. This might seem weird to a person without gluten sensitivity - it's just bread, right? But for someone who can't just go down to the supermarket and get some wheat filled goodies, the freshly baked experience of GF bread, that actually tastes good (!!) is rare. Although getting more common and accessible

A month ago as I visited my sister, who also is sensitive to gluten, she served GF bread every morning with no sweat. So I got a hold of this recipe - Morten's Gluten free Bread. And here it is in my version.. I don't have a bread baking machine, neither do I have the patience to wait for a whole big bread to bake for an hour and a half. Those two facts paired with "I love my bread crusty" equals Buffins. Not bread, not muffins, but bread in muffin forms.

Here is how you do it:

Mix

2 Cups and a dash of luke warm water

with

2 oz oil

set aside

In a blender crush 

2 oz sunflower seeds

2 oz flax seeds

2 oz sesame seeds

Add to

500g GF flour (I used Semper Grow melblanding)

0,5 tps salt

1 packet of dry yeast

Mix well, spoon into muffin form and drizzle poppy seeds on top.

Shape the buffins however you prefer.

Put it in a preheated oven at about 350F for 20 minutes. Then turn down the temperature to 300F

for another 10 minutes. They should be crusty on the outside and dough free on the inside. 

Try a buffin with your salad... I like to add a dash of pure Irish butter. 

mmm

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Trust the process

   

The last week has been an amazing one. Traveling always brings new inspiration, like this quote I found. I was walking through San Francisco airport and saw these quotablecards. And this one in particular just stood out to me. -Slow down, calm down, don't worry, don't hurry, trust the process.- It can seem so overwhelming to focuse on our goal sometimes, they can seem so far away. Wether it's being in school, pursuing dreams, fitness related or even in relationships. It takes time to build anything that is good. 

I love my Husband, and I love being married so so much. It's been almost four years since I first met Jeffrey. We got introduced and shook hands, and I knew I had laid my eyes on a very special Man.

It has been an amazing time getting to know him and his family. You see, one of my biggest dream growing up, was to get married. But not with just anyone, The one. And going from knowing of someone, to deciding that it is Mr.Right takes allot of time. There has been thousands of conversations, laughs and hugs over the last four years. We have travelled, celebrated and cried together. It is one of those things that cannot be hurried, I think. And it is the most rewarding thing...investing in relationships. 

This fall we decided to get some photos taken with our family

Jeffrey's Mom is always so full of laughter and happiness.. Here she is holding her tummy laughing =)

My sister in law and Jeffrey's Mom

And here we are, the Kunde Men and their wifes.

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My Tuesday morning

My alarm went off at 5.30AM... So I got out of bed and out the door, a Spinning class was waiting! Sooo early for not having slept much the last couple of days. But that's ok, cause after my work out I felt more energetic then in days. My body was seriously itching to get moving again. ONLY 5 weeks til Christmas now, I don't know about you, but I feel extremely motivated to get all kinds of work out in before we end year 2010.

Here is my outfit for the day...

 My jeans are Nudie jeans, my sweater is from Bik Bok in Norway and my Espadrillos are from H&M.

Here is the play list for my Spinning class:

Vermillion - The Album Leaf

Glow - Madcon

Blue Suede Shoes - Elvis

I gotta feeling - (David Guetta) The Black Eyed Peas

Are you gonna go my way - Lenny Kravitz

Galapagos - Work out mix 2010

Seglopur - Sigur Ros

Heartbreak warfare - John Mayer

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Salmon Salad

 Here is one of those dishes that you either hate or you love. I made this recipe into my own after having seen a recipe similar only with a few more ingredients. My husband LOVES this salad.

This delicious salad is extremely fast to make and it`s also very flavorful!!!
Here is how to make it for two people...

At the store pick up

- a bag of arugula salad

- one container of crumbled feta cheese

- 2 pieces of salmon filets

Other then that you`ll need olive oil, salt and pepper.

 

Pour the bag of arugula in a big bowl, add the feta cheese and mix it together

 Let the salmon steam cook for about 15-20 minutes

 

Then smash the cooked salmon and let it cool down

 Now mix the salmon in with the arugula and feta cheese - sprinkle live oil, salt and some pepper on top. Mix it together and serve it right away. This salad works well with tasty garlic bread!

Let me know how it goes if you test out this recipe.. 

 - Bon appetite -

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