{ Kaileen Elise } Make Every Day Extraordinary

Each moment of our life, we either invoke or destroy our dreams.
(Stuart Wilde)

Hello, sweet friends. I hope this finds you happy, healthy and enjoying the last full week in January. 2012 is off to a delightful start — a perfect blend of focus and downtime, with lots of new discoveries. With just a week left, I’m working diligently on my goals for January. This iPhone wallpaper is a constant reminder of my focus for the month.

My biggest challenge has been the reallocation of time. With the Whole Living Action Plan, I’m spending more time planning meals, grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning dishes than ever before. It was a little tedious and foreign at first, but I’m getting the hang of things. And more importantly, I’m having a blast!

I’ve noticed an important shift this past week — a connection between healthy eating and wanting to workout. This is a new development I’m trying to cultivate. Eating clean reinforces my desire to get fit, and finishing a hard workout cements my hunger for nutritious food. I’m doing my best to recognize the tiny victory.

Week #3 Highlights:

• Keeping my cool. I craved coffee, chocolate and red wine this week, but reisted. My resolve was not this strong a few months ago.
• Working out 5 times. I also signed up for the Run Raleigh Half Marathon in April!
• Poaching an egg. I can’t believe I have lived 26 years without poaching an egg! Using Smitten Kitchen’s instructions, I hatched a delicious poached egg on my first try.
• Date night. On Saturday night, my Mister and I went to PF Chang’s for dinner. I order the steamed salmon off their gluten-free menu and it was delicious! Afterwards, we watched Ides of March and snuggled in bed. It was definitely a highlight of my week.

Favorite Meals:

• Avocado-Vanilla Smoothie – Try it with mango nectar for a tropical treat.
• Dried Fruit and Nut Bites – Salty, crunchy, and sweet.
• Chickpea-Brown Rice Veggie Burger - Wrapped in lettuce = delicious.
• Shiitakes and Brown Rice en Papillote - Perfect as simple dinner after work.
• Quinoa with Poached Egg, Spinach, and Cucumber - One of my new favorites.
• Halibut with Sweet Potato Fries and Lime – Quick, easy & yummy.

There’s just one more week left in the #WLActionPlan and I have a massage scheduled on Sunday to celebrate. Next month will present a new set of challenges when I return to my social ways, but overall I’m looking forward to incorporating these changes into my everyday routine.

Have you successfully transitioned from a strict program to a more realistic daily routine? I’d love to know about your experience and any tips or recommendations you have!

Image Credit: Blueberries via Chris Nixon / S u l a v a k a s via Pörrö

Tags: Delightful Eats, Goals & Intentions, Gratitude, Inspiration, Reflection, Wellness