The "Salad Dressing"

When I first moved to Maui I met an AMAZING woman who I quickly adopted as my "Maui-Mom" she is also named, Hannah {though pronounced differently}. She introduced me to her FAMOUS salad dressing... It's simple, healthy and everyone who knows her knows of her amazing salad dressing. She puts it on everything and everything from her kitchen tastes AMAZING!

It's the simplest recipe, but just so tasty, I fell in love!

Then pregnancy came along and my one aversion has been olive oil... Isn't that weird?? The ONLY thing I can't even think about is EVOO--- So basically the salad dressing that I love so dearly has been out of our fridge for about 5 1/2 months... SAD! :(

Well, tonight I suddenly got a craving for this dressing!! Not exciting for some... Fantastic for ME!

So, I pulled out my Vitamix and started adding ingredients to make it.

No exact measurements, I just add to taste... But here's my best calculation.

1 C   EVOO
1/8 C  of each Balsalmic, Red Wine and Apple Cider Vinegar {Maybe a few more dashes of Balsalmic}
Good Squirt of Honey
Good Squirt of Mustard {Any kind}
1/4 C Italian herbs
Sprinkle of cayenne <--- I like it hot, so I put a lot!
Pinch of S&P {Salt and Pepper, people!}

After you blend/emulsify, dab a spoon into the dressing and see how it tastes, you'll know if it needs a little more oil or vinegar and add what you need.

This dressing is good on EVERYTHING, well, almost everything.
Tonight I made salmon {Marinated in the dressing}, Quinoa in the rice cooker with lots of herbs and garlic, all on top of a bed of healthy spinach and of course, drizzled with more dressing.
Clean, Healthy and Oh SO Delish!

XO,
Hannah

Where do I get Motivation?

The TWO questions...

"Can you be my Motivation?" Or "Where do you get your Motivation?"

These questions have been asked to me many, MANY times since starting my health/fitness journey and becoming a health coach.

I love it! When people reach out to me and ask for help, they are acknowledging that they want a change. There is a trigger that's gone off that causes them to desire this lifestyle. My "switch" was a little over two years ago. I was DONE-- Totally fed up with myself, my eating habits, my endurance, my confidence level {or lack thereof}. I humbled myself and reached out for help! I found fit/healthy, non-toxic people and surrounded myself with their positivity. Most of them lived in Facebook land and I've never even met them in person... and that was okay with me. I was able to push myself with their long distance support because I believed in myself. My life was changed forever and I've never looked back! The friendships I made with those people at that time was essential for my personal growth and health goals.

The motivation question posed above is something that I asked one of my coaches when I started my journey. I asked her to be my motivation. She simply said, she is here for me, she can guide me, she can encourage me, but the ONLY person who can motivate me is myself and the BELIEF that I can accomplish my goals. This was a hard one for me-- I had never pushed myself to  this limit before and I wasn't sure I could do it. {Those of you who have trained, KNOW the limits you have to take you body to}. It's not easy to say no to cake or pizza, doing the last rep is freaking hard and you want to stop, the emotional aspect of changing your habits and body takes a tole. There are so many things, but what you have to keep focusing on if the belief you have in your goals, aspirations and in yourself!

You can do ANYTHING you put your heart to. KNOW you can do it, believe in yourself, if you fail one day or fall off track-- that should not stop your movement. You pick right back up and go. When your alarm goes off and you've barely slept, still get up! Lace up your shoes and go!

When you start seeing changes in yourself, it will become your motivation. You have less doubts, you have more confidence, excuses don't even matter any more because you've conquered your old doubtful self.

I am here for you! I'll coach you and encourage you and give you advice, tips, samples... But BELIEVE in yourself and become your own motivation, you are amazing and perfect and the goals you've set for yourself are real and powerful and you will achieve them!

 XO,
Hannah

Terrific Tuesday!

It's a Terrific Tuesday Blog Post!

Woke up around 4:40 this morning to baby kicking away. He's a morning person, just like his momma! So I popped out of bed, poured a cup of coffee and moved to the recliner with my lab top.

A few seconds later it was a party-- Both pups jumped up and curled in right between my legs!

My party of ONE, turned into a party of three with no room for movement. I take advantage, they are so cute ;)

Once the sun started to rise, I ran outside to catch a pic of the beautiful sunrise. I love sunrises, they are refreshing, they represent a new start and a beginning. New day's bring new opportunities and blessings!

Also, my morning was made special by a fabulous package from my beautiful friend Lisa at {Making messes, making memories}. 

She send me a BUMP shirt and a cute card. She's always been SUCH a thoughtful person, always sending cards, sweet texts and love to me. We've known each other for a whopping 19 years! Blessed to have her as one of my best friends! <3

I LOVE the shirt, Lisa!

I'm officially 21 weeks tomorrow! {The countdown begins}. I'm feeling great, getting bigger and focusing on exercise/eating clean to stay active and health these last 4-ish months.

Well, It's only 7:20am so it's off to start my day! 

First, a couple hours at the Physical Therapy office. Then, ALL the company leads fell into my Body FX back office yesterday, so MANY E-mails will be sent out as well as tons of phone calls to make. Having a home biz is one of the funnest things. It teaches you so much, you can help others, you can make money, work in your yoga pants, meet new people, feel accomplished, find motivation all while in the comfort of your own home! Feeling super blessed with my jobs, YAY!

Have a fab day!

XO,

Hannah

Getting Rid of the "Debbie-Downer" Mentality!

HELLO!!! This is a confession/learning situation post... 

This morning I was totally struggling with being content, or the lack of... Uugghh! Most of the time I look to the positive things in life and live “glass half full”, but for some reason I let the small {insignificant} things take over my mind. Negativity is like a poison to me, some people can live their whole lives being a Debbie-Downer and letting life get the best of them. Not I! I thrive on positivity and endorphins!

I woke up and was super irritated with the smallest little issues, some say to blame it on pregnancy hormones—But I take full responsibility for my negativity in this instance. I was just letting these issues become an elephant when it was really only the size of an ant.

After Dave left for work {He was eager to leave me to my issues, I’m sure!} I knew I needed to do something to get out of this funk! I sat on the porch as he drove away and started writing down all of the things that were bothering me. I read them over and over and it suddenly occurred to me; I was creating this victim attitude towards these small issues that, in the BIG picture, mean NOTHING! I was bringing down my husband, totally ignoring the pups, causing a fuss over absolutely nothing… I felt like a total loser.  So, I laced up my shoes, grabbed my water bottle and headed out for a walk –FRESH AIR- exactly what the Doctor orders in these situations. After my walk, I came home and turned on a prenatal yoga video {STRETCH}, sat and took deep breaths. Thinking about that list and cancelling out all of the situations I wrote down, with positive thoughts instead of negative. I know this sounds all new-age-y and spiritual, but it really wasn’t.

I needed solitude, where I could be alone with my thoughts, focus on the blessings that will come out of these situations that seem “bigger & badder than life” and MOVE THE HECK ON! Sometimes you have to give up the good to get to the great!

Thank you Lord for helping me see!!

What I learned: We are all dealt certain situations in life that totally suck! Some worse than others—WE are the ONLY ones who can either look at the positive through these situations or focus on how horrible they are. There is no one who will do it for us.

Dwell on the negative or positive? It’s totally your decision, but when I took a few deep breaths and got rid of those negative situations, I felt like a MILLION BUCKS. The hubby cam home to a HUGE apology, clean house and dinner. The pups got their pettins, and I got my “happy” back.

Have you ever been in this situation?? Do you let the "debbie-downers" take you down??

XO,

Hannah

Definitely look a happier than I was, LOL-- Sweat out your issues! It works!

It's a BOY!

It's a Boy!!!

Not only are we having a baby boy, but he is HEALTHY!!! 

My alarm clock went off at 3:30 am on Wednesday, I got out of bed, made some coffee, got dressed and started my long day of traveling...  Not many people have to catch a flight to have their ultrasound done, but yet, another JOY of living in Maui... The best doctors are an island away! 

A few weeks ago we found out I'd have to head over to Oahu to see a specialist and have an extensive ultrasound done to confirm baby's skeletal structure was normal. My hubby was born with Craniocynastosis- a condition where the baby's fontanelle's (soft spots) close too early, causing a plethera of issues to a newborn, including a smaller chance of survival {Something NO pregnant woman wants to hear}. Miraculously, Dave was healed from this genetic disorder, but we didn't know that there was a huge chance of it being passed down to our little one. So, my doctor here on Maui sent us over to see a specialist at Kapiolani Fetal and Maternal Medicine Institute in Honolulu to have this ultrasound to make sure everything was doing what it was suppose to. There have been a lot of medical advances in the past 27 years {Since the hubby was born} Therefore, if they see any abnormalities they could do some pre-birth treatments to help baby's bones :)

When we heard I'd have to travel over to Oahu to have this done and Dave couldn't go with me, my friend, Megan, didn't hesitate to buy a plane ticket, put her kiddo's in daycare, get up at the crack of dawn and come with me. TRUE friendship right there. Not many people would sacrifice their time, and money just to make sure you felt comfortable and had a partner just in case something was wrong! I felt overwhelmingly blessed by her presence! 

So, we turned it into a "girl's day" and made the best! One quick plane ride there, about 30 minutes in the air, a taxi ride to the hospital, and it began. They took us back right away, yay for no wait, and the US began. It took over an hour. The Ultrasound Tech counted every bone fragment {Since not every bone is fused yet}, measured all sorts of things, measured blood flow, monitored the heart, took tons of pics, etc. Once she left, the specialist came in and did another ultrasound, talked about different things he saw, chatted with me and confirmed that everything looked normal. He was so reassuring and happy, which made me happy! After this, we headed back to chat with another specialist who was just as kind. She looked over some things and also gave baby the clear. Overall, GREAT news! Baby was healthy- I was not longer classified as a "high risk" pregnancy, we can deliver in Maui and all of that news made my MONTH! :) Oh, also, during this US, Megan was by my side the whole time-- Every step of the way. She even got to see what the baby was. I didn't want to know what it was until I was with my hubby so she kept it a secret ALL day and when I got home that evening, Dave and I opened the little picture album they gave us to see a PENIS! YAY :) We were both sure it was a girl, so we were totally caught off guard, but so stinking excited! 

After all of the doctors appts were done, Megan and I walked to downtown Honolulu and spent a few hours at Ala Moana shopping center <--- OMG an actual mall, with a Nordstrom! {Something you don't find on Maui}. We ate at the Macaroni Grill {Super YUM!}, window shopped at the high end stores and then headed back to the airport for the flight home. 

It was a FABULOUS day with my friend!

When I met this girl 2 years ago, I had no idea the impact she'd make on my life. So blessed by her friendship! She can turn a day full of stress in to a fun girls day on the town!

Anywho, just thought I'd share a little of my week! Now it's the weekend and I'm spending it with my hubby-- YAY!

XO,

Hannah

{Rainy, Lazy, Happy Day}

Well GOOD afternoon & Happy Saturday J

FINALLY!!  Last night marked the END of spring semester for me! As Alice Cooper sings, "School's out for Summer" WOOOHOOO! This means I have three months of happiness ahead of me, with no assignments/tests/homework.  Needless to say, after I clicked submit on my last project at 9:40pm last night, I crawled in bed and slept like a baby.

This morning I woke up to rain clouds. Normally I would be sad, but after the crazy heat-no wind-hotness we’ve been experiencing here on the North Shore, it was a nice change.

I popped right out of bed feeling, "free form school", and made pancakes & coffee for the hubby and I. We still ate outside on our lanai, even though it was pouring! {I refuse to eat inside in the summertime- no matter the weather conditions – We live in Hawaii for goodness sake!}  Sorry, I munched up the pancakes without taking a picture for ya—next time?

Our Lanai {On a sunny day}! Can't complain...

I sent Dave off to work with a warning stating: If I’m in the same position when you come home {Laying in our recliner with my Macbook perched on my lap}, don’t judge! Good news though, I got up a few times… Once to head to the bed to take a MUCH NEEDED & DESERVED nap, another time to find my bright pink nail polish and a couple times here and there for snacks, potty breaks, stretch sessions… Do I feel guilt? Nope!

I did paint my nails—BRIGHT PINK! {of course} Nothing says summertime like bright colors and pink happens to be my fav! Plus, the turquoise I had on my nails was barely hanging on, only by a few chips on every other nail! So sad and totally unacceptable... Don't these look better?

All in all, it was a great day! 

I did do some “goal setting”, for some that’s work, for me it’s excitement! Looking into what the future holds gives me joy and happiness. The life I live has been amazing so far and I know it’s not going to get worse. Sure, everyone has their ups and downs and if you know me personally—you know I’ve had both.

Life is only as good as you make it. You can let your past creep in and steal your current joy or you can learn from it, move on and be free! Writing out goals, to me, is a freeing experience— I can look through the past goals I’ve set for myself and see what I’ve accomplished, it’s amazing, empowering and motivating! It keeps me pushing towards my dreams.

I encourage EVERYONE to have a Goal writing sesh every week! Set goals, accomplish them and feel amazing!

Do you write out goals?

XO,

Hannah

19 Weeks Along!

The last few months have been insane! The wife of a nursing student, pregnant for the first time, taking classes myself, homework, studying, sleeping and managing everything… Whew! It’s been tiring.

The day after tomorrow this semester will be O.V.E.R! Yay! {Can you tell, I’m ready?} It will be so nice to just focus on my pregnancy, preparing for Baby S, spending time with my hubby, NOT thinking about projects/homework/studying. There are SO many other things that I’ll inevitably get wrapped up in—That’s just me!

What have I done these last three months??

I became a founding coach of an amazing online fitness/health company called Body FX, I’m uber excited to jump in and get started. It’s still in the pre-launch phase {Thank goodness} because I’ve just been so busy to add another thing to my plate. BUT this opportunity is amazing. It lines up with my passions and goals: Helping others get fit/healthy, making money from home, and enjoying amazing “clean” products.

I got another step closer to my bachelor’s degree in Business! So proud of myself. This semester was difficult for me, but I stayed focused and kept on keeping on. My last final is on Friday and then I will not have to think about school until August. A three month, MUCH needed break!

I’ve been making a baby! Baby S is 19 weeks {the size of a mango} <- How fitting is that, being that I live in Hawaii! 

The past 19 weeks have definitely had their ups and downs, WAY more ups than downs. This pregnancy is so easy compared to some other ladies horror stories. 

The first trimester I was SO exhausted, my morning coffee was what got me through {I’m aware some of you may disagree with caffeine and pregnancy, BUT this is my pregnancy and I am deciding what I am/am not going to consume}. Though I am proud to say, I did not have one ounce of morning sickness which makes me so happy. I did eat WAY more than I should have, but hey, can’t go back… The second trimester has been a breeze. Gaining weight isn’t my favorite part but I’m really just accepting it and getting totally excited for the “post baby shred”, my boobs are absolutely huge {Perk for the hubby} I went from a full A cup to a “I’m too big for a C cup, but not quite a D” and they are suppose to get bigger?? I have no clue how that is going to work out. We shall wait and see! ;) I’m eating every 2-3 hours, totally trying to snack on healthies, but OMG—I just crave junk! LOL! Self control, Hannah, Self-control!

I find out 5/15 if it’s a boy or girl, but right now I’m just enjoying the occasional flutter/popcorn popping feeling in my tummy and trying to create a happy environment for Baby S to grow in <3

My birthday was a few weeks ago and my BFF, Ruth, from Oregon {who now lives in Arkansas} flew here to TOTALLY surprise me! It was the week of a lifetime. I could write a whole blog post about it’s epic-ness, but honestly, it was just one of those “you had to have been Ruth or Hannah to enjoy it” type of trips! Words to describe the feeling the trip gave me: Happy-Crazy-Emotional-Blessed-Thankful-Honored-Funny-Memorable.

That’s about it! Sorry for the HUGE delay between posts—This momma has been BUSY!

XOXO

Hannah