clean eating

Cheat Dayz

I’ll be the 1st to confess that I live for cheat days! But even when I’m cheating I try to keep it non-GMO, organic, kosher, locally grown or homemade.

From my coconut water to hot dogs I try to keep it clean. Clean eating is basically everything I mention earlier. In fact buying your greens from a local grower is typically the better choice.

  • Most family farms don’t use pesticides.
  • They often can’t afford the “organic” label fees.
  • So they don’t charge organic prices.
  • Their produce has a small carbon footprint.
  • You’re supporting your community.

When to shop.

Buying organic isn’t expensive IF you know when and where to shop.

  • Costco has organic whole chicken which can create several dishes. You can also grab quinoa, hemp hearts, chia seeds and organic bison. (You don’t need a lot of protein but you do need more plant fiber.)
  • Fred Myers/ Kroger has an entire section of organic meats that have a regular expiration date. I typically wait for a sale and scoop up a bunch then freeze them. They also have my favorite coconut water, organic squashes and bananas.
  • Greens – You can join a local co-op or produce box membership for a community farm. They have the best eggs and their greens are tasty. (A good egg should have a high yolk and vibrant coloring.) Also check WholeFoods on Amazon.
  • Cash & Carry is a shop that sells to businesses and they specialize in offering Bob’s Red Mill grains and gluten free products.
  • Costco Business doesn’t have the famous $1.50 hotdog combo but it does have bulk garbanzo beans, organic pho noodle bowls and raw honey.

Basically

Even when I’m blowing the bank I’m still observing some form of clean eating.

For example I showed my teens how to make lasagna and we went all out!

I enjoyed every single calorie and I’d do it again!

We made several pans because we invited our Ohana over for dunch (dinner + lunch). My brother couldn’t make it so he got a pan for his house.

You’re suppose to let it sit but that didn’t happen. We watched the layers of mozzarella and Tillamook cheese ooze down the side like lava.

It was glorious.

We topped off our dunch with cake(s).

In Hawaiian we say…

Piha ka ‘opu

Full/content is the stomach.

Workouts

So far my children and I have been sticking to our 4x’s or more fitness schedule. I haven’t opened my livestream sessions yet but it’s coming.

We’ve been enjoying the outdoors.

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Don’t YUCK my YUM

I didn’t create the title, it was something a friend of mine shared. You see my business is in the wellness and fitness realm but from 8am – 4pm I’m an educator at a local school. My department is in cultural education specifically Native American’s of the Pacific Northwest.

Since returning I purposed to incorporate holistic lifestyle and social emotional well-being through traditional teachings. The best part is that I’m not alone.

Made by a fellow teacher Davina, it’s nettle soup with squash, organic potato and corn. Learn about nettles. She made this while our students were watching virtually.

Nettle is part of the traditional foods of the PNW and is high in vitamins and minerals. There’s an old teaching that if you eat the food from your region it will give you what is needed for that climate.

I’m in the Superman beanie on my friends property, Payette, who is talking to Davina. Meanwhile our other coworker, Carl, is preparing his bag for nettles.
Most people mow down this lovely delicacy and consider it a pest. They don’t realize that under all of the sting is a nutritious gift from Mother Nature.
When the shoots are young we’ll gather 1/3 from the area, leaving the rest to mature. Young shoots are delicious but you have to cook it first to remove the sting.

My goal is

To share wellness through holistic teachings just like that old saying, “You are what you eat.” If I can help one student embrace plants like nettles then I’ve succeeded.

I’ve noticed how the students have visibly suffered health wise during covid19. Lack of motivation, not playing outdoors with friends, instant breakfast and lunches are the perfect storm for obesity and learning difficulties connected to nutrient deficiencies.

A solution

Is to host virtual cooking sessions where we incorporate traditional foods of the PNW tribes with other local products.

Carl showed his class how to cook salmon.
Added simple herbs.
Incorporated more veggies.
Made it look pretty.

Fit Foodie

Is recognizing that what we consume is just as important as a workout… probably more so. Food should grown in good soil or roam in an organic environment, not processed in a lab. (Labs create a majority of our food supply, yikes.)

I’m not hating on labs, they serve a purpose. Which is to supply a large quantity of people at an affordable price. However if more people read labels and shopped accordingly it would force our food source to reconsider how they grow and feed us.

Here’s previous post I made titled…

If I workout do I need to eat healthy?

Aloha Friday Newsletter

Join my newsletter and I’ll see you on the other side.

PEACE In The Journey, Ho’omālamalama

Supercharge Your Body With Tea

Weather’s changing and we should all drink more tea 🍵. My goal of this post is to convince one person to invest in quality, preferably loose leaf, tea.

TWO CATEGORIES

Before I share my list of benefits, know that I view tea in two categories: physical health and emotion health.

PHYSICAL HEALTH

The herbs benefit your digestive system, improves circulation and boost your immune system. In many holistic homes you’ll find a tea cabinet dedicated to wellness.

EMOTIONAL HEALTH

Tea is a ritual unto itself causing you to pause. Within a stressful environment tea-time offers a unique opportunity to create a ritualistic experience of relaxation.

POINTS IF INTEREST

The term, “You get what you pay for” applies to teas. So keep that in mind when shopping for your tea stash. Speaking of stash I had the opportunity of visiting Steven Smith Tea in Portland, Oregon. My friend Jackie took my sister and I for a special excursion. He created several tea brands including TAZO which was purchased by STARBUCKS.

Imagine walking into the Mecca of tea shops. The variety, blends and presentation was elevating to my senses. It was lovely.

INVEST IN THINGS THAT INVEST IN YOU

Their main building houses both a distribution center and tasting spaces. I was excited to try their Matcha & Ginger Latte which had an energetic taste. Matcha is known to improve attention, memory and reaction time. It’s caffeine and L-theanine, can improve brain function.

Then I tried a Masala Chai which contains an impressive collection of spices such as ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and black pepper. Many are used in Ayurveda treatments for digestive issues. I asked for hemp milk and it was delicious. (As I reflect on the drink it might have been almond milk. Lol)

However the winner of the best-in-show category belongs to their Chocolate Enfleurage Flight purchased by my sister. It’s a pairing of three blends and matching chocolates. A fit-foodies paradise!

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#2

#3

The basic truth is that organic teas have so many health benefits. You can find them at your local grocers or online.

TEAS ARE PERFECT FOR

  • JOINT RECOVERY
  • PRE-WORKOUT
  • POST-WORKOUT
  • ENERGY BOOST
  • RELAXATION
  • CLARITY BOOST
  • HEALTHY GUT

This is my work station while I enjoy my tea and schedule my classes. If you’re ever in Portland I suggest you visit Smith Teas and enjoy the flavors, here’s their menu.

If you’re near the Olympia, Washington I’m co-teaching a fundraiser September 29, 2019 Join the events list here. PEACE Be The Journey

Lazy made me do this.

[🌷Special Edition – for busy Women]

I’ll admit that the title might not sound brilliant but I had an “aha” moment. Which started with my morning oatmeal. The truth is that everyday I wake up into a busy schedule & the one thing that suffers are my meal-times. I do take supplements but I know that it’s food, I still need protein.

[Scheduling & planning my meals & workout.]

[ABOVE: Fit-Foodie ideas on Instagram, it looks time consuming but everything I create is under ten minutes, some are five minute meals.]

Parenting & wellness should go hand in hand, but if you’re a certain type of parent, like I am, you put yourself last. Thus the I’m-too-tired-to-do-anything syndrome sets in. Maybe it’s laziness but the truth is that I’m worn out! So if that sounds lazy then so be it.

Here’s my epiphany, I already know my schedule and like clockwork I don’t have time for a healthy breakfast. I wake up at 5:45am to do a 6:00am Burst then do my daily devotions, check my messages & post on social media. By 7:00am my seven children are up, having breakfast, morning chores, school for the older ones & walk the dog. Then 11:45am rolls around and a puzzled look comes over me, “Did I eat breakfast? What’s for lunch?”

How to empower your lazy self.

As the onset of a afternoon nap closes in on me and I finally stop to eat something. And in my tired state it’s usually a poor choice. Yikes! Time to REWIND!!! This is how I empower my schedule…

  • Friday I do my grocery shopping for the Ohana (family) & me. My list is slightly different from the rest of the household.
  • Friday I grab any fresh or frozen organic fruit & veggies for my smoothies.
  • Sunday I prep my oatmeal, click here to read a previous post.
  • Sunday I also cook up my quinoa in the rice steamer & store it for later.
  • Sunday is when I prep for the week to come.

How it works.

After my 6am burst & devotion I grab my prepared oatmeal. Zero work involved except pouring the hot water and letting it sit while I get my tea ready. I chuck back my supplements & eat breakfast. ✅ Done.

Basically every meal is prepped because I know how lazy/tired I’ll be. If you’ve read my previous post, “Sabotage your way to success” you know where I’m coming from.

I find myself preparing all the mundane task and creating time fun things like a nap, art or read. I love my NEW & improved life.

Your turn.

What can you do in advance to free up some time or make your daily flow feel less stressful?

You need to schedule in some laziness, time in the day to do NOTHING but recharge your body. Start this habit while you’re young it will benefits you as the years pass by.

Speaking of recharging, why not rejuvenate, refresh & revive your entire being. Checkout my other blogpost…

Click here to read, “The three R’s of Spring.”

SISTAHZ SESSION Recap

We set aside one Sunday each month, in Spring, to gather and workout. The crowd changes but their energy is always amazing. Some drive 45min just to workout. Next session will be April 15, 2018.

Are you a Mermaid? 🧜🏽‍♀️ Info & link on the sidebar.

Sabotage your way to success.

We often default into a donut 🍩 after declaring, “I’m going gluten & sugar free!” Why do we give into temptation? Well, it’s because we forgot to sabotage our way into wellness. Why should you do this? Okay the simple version is that food packaging, ingredients and processing has changed so much.

I would default into Cheetos when pressed for time. So I decided to meal prep. My biggest failure comes when I fail to plan, sounds like a success quote.

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. ~B.Franklin

I use to think that people who practiced Meal-prep Sunday were extreme but then I realized that they learned a valuable trait. They sabotage their way into wellness.

As a foodie I completely up cycled the meal-prep idea.

  1. First of all I refuse to eat five bland meals in a row. I’ll prep three at the most.
  2. Color and flavor are super important to me. Sometimes I feel like Ego from Ratatouille, “If I don’t like it I won’t swallow!”
  3. Try recipes from other countries. I enjoy soba noodle bowls with a Korean twist. It’s vegetarian without even trying to be.

Remembering my first experience with meal-prep helped me create a program for my fitness members. Many of them are just like me, food is memories. I try to introduce meal planning with foods that they’re familiar with and then branch out.

All of the pictures link to where I first shared them and the ingredients. Information about my my fitness program click here. PEACE Be the Journey.

Food & Fitness, Why it matters.

I’ve heard the comment, “You can eat whatever you want, as long as you burn off the calories.”

Not true!

To, loosely, quote JJ Virgin, “We’re a society of sugar burner(s) not FAT burner(s).”

We’ve been programmed that sugar is energy & fiber, like prunes, give you diarrhea. So we consume sugar filled energy drinks and avoid fiber at all cost. We actually think iceberg lettuce is healthy, but its soul purpose is to hold your dressing.

5 Tips for Food & Fitness REVOLUTION

1. Start with a food journal.2. Cut out food & fitness images that inspire you. Glue them in your journal or in my case I use a DIY Make Mahalo Planner.3. Draw, doodle or write your daily focus. Mine is, “Walk In Beauty.”4. Look for food & fitness inspirations. Here’s my food & fitness boards. Also allow yourself to be inspired, I share mines here. 5. Create a menu & make it happen. Schedule your fitness sessions & ask someone to hold you accountable.

Start simple, slow & steady.

I’m including a YouTube vid by JJ Virgin. I appreciate how she’s speaking out & educating America about our food & fitness perception.

If you’d like to build accountability around your food & fitness goals, connect with me on Instagram.

WholisticFit Blogpost:

PEACE Be the Journey

Meal Prep vs Kawaii, Bento

Meal prep is when you line up a bunch of containers in a sort of assembly line process. Bento box lunches are the exact opposite, especially in Kawaii style. The idea behind it is taking your time to plate a beautiful and appealing meal. Kawaii uses dainty objects for sauces and special tools to cut designs into veggies. And they’ll often create cute characters. 🍱

What’s the point?

The point is value. How we in America value meals compared to other countries, like Japan, where food is a ritual to lift the Soul by nourishing the body.

Find Balance

So I find a happy balance between the two. I’ll usually prep a base, like cooking a batch of quinoa, and accessorize them in Bento fashion. Each time appealing to my senses & visually showing self-love. Loving myself enough to nourish my body in a holistic way. Below are some of my creations. For Ingredients and closer pics visit Instagram, it has each Bento with fit-foodie details.

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It all boils down to perception, how one perceives their body. I teach my fitness ladies to enjoy the food process. Eating is the single thing that we do for ourselves, daily. So why not make it lovely.

On the WholelisticFit blog I wrote and article about choosing a fitness routine/style that will meet the needs of your mind, body and Soul. It’s a private blog for Mermaids so make sure to use your password. Or… become a Mermaid using the link in the sidebar. See you in Instagram.

How STRONG is your WHY?

Living fit is only part of the journey, having a holistic life brings every facet of your BEing into balance. And balance isn’t perfection it’s grounding. Which leads me to the title, “How STRONG is your WHY?”

This journey called life is meant to challenge your WHY, but if you lack foundation & balance then your WHY will crumble under the weight of  L-I-F-E. So let’s talk about your why as in why live healthy, holistic & happy.

Do you deserve healthy, holistic & a happy existence? None of us deserve or are entitled to it but we can earn it. I once heard a wise elder say,

You were given the gift of life, now you have to earn your living.

In other words we don’t wake up winding a dial that’s attached to our heart. The heart has its own intelligence, that’s the gift of life. Yet how we take care of our hearts is an example of us earning a living.

Your why is the emotional connection between appreciating the gift and earning it. It’s your anchor ⚓️ into everything you do. This is the secret sauce to having a powerful why, the type that moves mountains. [That’s why I’ve created the MERMAID e-news to stay connected.]

I started this blog to encourage my sister through stage-4 cancer and one of the harshest chemo treatments, confessed by the nurses, they’ve ever heard of. You can read my why here but to summarize we did a complete 180• and changed everything.

Somewhere in the mix they wanted to remove her uterus because that’s where the cancer was. It started as a molar pregnancy that spread into bladder and lungs. However after a combination of modern, ancient & holistic therapies she was deemed cancer free by her doctor. While looking at her X-ray he & the nurse said it was one of the most beautiful uterus they’ve ever seen.

Q: What was her why?

A: That’s simple her children.

Q: But I’ve heard that before. So what made her why so different?

A: The energy she put behind it!

Q: Did she do it alone?

A: No, she incorporated a team & consciously surrounded herself with love.

Q: Is it safe to assume that her why needed help?

A: Yes, all of us will face moments when our why requires a little boost. That’s when we enlist the energy of others to carry us through. This can be emotional support, teachings or reading something to encourage us.


I’m excited to announce that I will be going full-time into my WholelisticFit coaching helping other women regain the power of their why and thrive.

Which brings me to another announcement: My sister just gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Both a miracle and a confirmation of our Spiritual foundation.

I’ve never seen the righteous forsaken…


My husband adoring a bundle of grace, mercy & unconditional love. [ALOHA] I’m sharing this, very private, moment with you to encourage YOU, yes YOU. Miracles do happen! You have all the resources, tools and knowledge at your fingertips. All you have to do is put energy behind your why.


I took a snapshot of the scenery outside of the birth center & tons of baby pictures. But the purpose of this blog isn’t to show off my nephew, it’s to testify to the power of WHY.

There are steps to connect to your why.

I’ve grown to understand and appreciate the process of reconnection. And I was also grateful that my sister allowed me to coach her even in the delivery room.


There in the delivery room both her life and babies life faced hurdles. My sister’s body had grown tired and weak. The midwife’s assistant was concerned because her water broke, baby was in the birth canal but her push wasn’t strong enough. Meanwhile a host of family members stood in prayer.

We all go through moments of doubt, which is why a coach is so important.

And then I spoke, “You can and will do this because your Savior has brought you this far and HE can do anything but fail. Stop fidgeting and use the contraction to push baby out! Short sips of air into your nose then exhale him out.”

See him in your arms and send your energy there.

Sometimes we have to refocus our why.

Partner with a coach that can see your potential, remind and hold you accountable. It’s their job to ignore the excuses and condition your mind for excellence.

This is the type of WholisticFit coach I’ve become. Through trials and personal tribulations becoming a student to the teachings of  L-I-F-E. My goal is to connect women to their power of why which is MANA WAHINE. Women of power. This power doesn’t stand alone, it’s a culmination of experiences. The life lessons taught overtime from one generation to another.

Seasons of change… for the better.

I’ve enjoyed blogging here and I feel that it has become a testimony to the circle-of-life. [Enter the Lion King theme.]

Through this blog I’ve shared, stirred the mind & supported a place of growth. And now it’s time to open my arms to the future of sister-hood. Create a virtual space of excellence. I hope you will transition with me and become a MERMAID to receive my e-news. Also I’ll be posting on my blog WholelisticFit regularly and creating content for women who pave the way. I look forward to seeing you there.

PS: As a sweet parting gift here’s a 60min course I created called BALANCED BEAUTY. Use is in good health and share the link with others. PEACE Be the Journey.

3 Changes 2 Better


I’m always learning and processing. Especially when confronting uncomfortable change. When I first started teaching STRONG By Zumba® I was way out of my league, but I wanted change. 

Being a mother of seven [7] I didn’t want to look like I gave birth to seven. I wanted to be healthy enough to play soccer ⚽️ with them.  Hike and create an active lifestyle. 

My goal was to embrace where I was and suffer through the workout, to be STRONG. Happily, I no longer suffer through the workout because my body is conditioned to flow with it. 

Here’s what I did in info-pic form…

[PS: Comment if you want to dive into a life changing experience of your own.]


Get my post: How to get over a fear-of-success. You can expect a questionnaire and resources. Start living your fit life today. 

Beautiful Body – Day 7 & 8

Think about the last place you shopped or ate at… Was it clean? The chances are that you would have walked out if there was rude  service or a dirty environment. Your subconscious is drawn towards beauty, symmetry, organization and design. I say subconscious because most times you don’t even know that it’s happening.

Now think about your  meals. When you look at your lunch does it make you happy? The term “Spark Joy” is from a book by Marie Knodo but it got me thinking about every aspect of life. Does my food spark joy?

I appreciate kawaii food styling and it might seem like too much extravagance but it does something for the mind. It makes one feel happy.

Foodie Fit: here’s Ochikeron using kawaii meal prep with a western lunch box.

I’m a foodie going into fitness therefore my approach to food is different.

Dance Fit: Zumba’s Loretta Bates breaking it down for us. 💃🏽

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