A Leap of Faith

I got lost in blog-o-sphere land this morning. Reading a lot of great articles so it's taking me forever to put a post together today! LOL, distraction at it's best!

 2 things I am posting today, the first being sort of a tooting my own horn bit and then some vegan (complete protein) meal ideas, in honor of my oldest cousin, who is making the courageous decision to eat with more of a conscious mind towards animals.

First on the list: I just really wanted to take a moment and talk about this last year. Especially with September being PCOS awareness month, I wanted to touch on my diagnosis a little within this last year.

 Today marks my one year anniversary at my new job. A whole stinking year. Within this last year (I am including Labor weekend, because that's when life REALLY changed.) I have faced fears, conquered giants, and stood up in the face of adversity. It's been a long but fast, painful yet rewarding year. I made the courageous decision to leave behind a job I had been at for a decade. I wasn't truly happy there but after facing the realization at the doctors office, that well, "the kid thing" might take us a bit longer of a process I needed somewhere to go, and to grow. It's been great working in an industry where the ups and downs of a commissioned based job are not only understood but celebrated. I took a leap of faith and chance on my myself that I could be successful at this endeavor.


I also started a blog. ;) Never with the intent to really talk about my PCOS struggles but to encourage others who might be suffering that it is possible to achieve physical as well as emotional success amidst going through the dark days.
In this last year I have lost 40lbs. My brain has finally caught up with my body & I now recognize myself in the mirror. It's rewarding. And now, being a week and a half away from my first half marathon, I realized this Sunday is the 4 year anniversary of ever having put on a race bid. Albeit, I walked 2 miles for this particular "race" & didn't actually start training to run until about December, it still marks a miraculous occasion for me.
When I really started to believe, that I could run.

I have accomplished many events this year as well. I have done a 5k obstacle course, the Warrior Dash, a mini triathlon, and soon a half marathon. As well as accomplished parts of my new years goals. Such as reading 12 books, (I've only gotten through 6 so far...I'm trying to read like a mad woman lately) donating once a month to charity, reorganizing my house, I KNOW I will do a head stand, unassisted, by the end of the year! Small goals, big goals.

PCOS wise I have been making decisions about my health that have impacted me for the better. Sticking to...and sometimes falling off of, a fairly clean eating diet. But after being told I am managing my PCOS beautifully by a health professional, I was also elated & a little less worry some about my cheat days.
(Although tonight, I am making a totally allergen friendly pizza & can't wait to share it with you!)


I want to thank all of you, my readers for watching my physical journey transform within the last few months & I am happy to help all of you. I love inspiring others make courageous decisions about their health. Not everyone will always understand your goals, but every now and again you will find someone who will support them, & if you're really lucky you'll have friends like Iron Woman & The Sailors Wife (of course I have other friends who help too, lookin' at you Tom-Toms & JoJo, but family as well! My aunties especially...well...just lots of support lately) who truly love to help you stick to them. 

In honor of people who help me support my goals, I am going to post some recipes that I have found, that I enjoy, and that I might use some day in my kitchen. Vegan/Vegetarian meals that use complete proteins in them, for my cousin. May you continue to seek what brings you happiness & peace. Love you!

This is a good one, I have only ever really tried bean balls before I figure this one is along the same lines. 
The bean burger from women's health magazine. Appears easy enough to make & sounds delicious! To make vegan just swap olive oil for the butter.  I loved the bean balls I made, I don't think these would taste much different.

This is from Vegetarian.com  It is Quinoa Veggie Stir Fry with a Latin Twist, sounds delicious!!
It sounds crazy easy to make and looks amazing. I might have to try it, I think I have all of the ingredients at home!!

This next yummy recipe can be found at Healthful Pursuit.

It is a vegan barbecue lentil sand which. To make it low carb I would skip the bread or bun...unless you are okay with bread then for PCOSers I would suggest using gluten/soy/dairy free bread or buns.

And of course...SPAGHETTI SQUASH WITH BEAN BALLS!!! My favorite!!!

This recipe & photo is from Oh She Glows. She is amazing vegan & has the best recipes. This was the first full vegan meal I'd ever had & it was delicious! I love make it so much that when I realized spaghetti squash was on sale for 99 cents a pound this week I had to get it, even though it wasn't on menu & I finally got some nutritional yeast for my Alfredo sauce so, that will be used a few times this next week. Even on top of my Bean balls!!! Can't wait!!



Alright everyone, I wish you many successes today. May you face and take down giants & conquer the unknown. Many blessings,
A

Comments

Anonymous said…
You are awesome! Thank you so much for sharing!!