Summer Conditioning

I woke my boys up early with a request for a fun easy bike ride. The response from the older one, ok. The younger one, no. My answer, to bad, get ready.

As a motivational treat, we stopped at Lanikai Juice for a gourmet coco berry acai bowl mixed with bee pollen and topped with crunchy shredded coconut, bananas, strawberries, and granola. 

I blame my friend Angela who told me about this mouth watering treat. It's taken me a few days to get there, but was so happy to try it. There are so many different bowls. I was lucky another friend was there who helped me decide. 

My boys wanted Jamba Juice instead of the acai bowl and we walked across the street and found a shady spot to sit and enjoy our busy little neighborhood. 

What a beautiful day with my boys. We raced home to swim in the pool, just a little more fun cardio. I have to keep them moving and less time playing video games. It is summer, so I will give them lots of playtime. 

Happy Summer!

Love always,

Maile

@mailemmm

@hilegacybuilder

http://www.hawaiilegacybuilders.com/foreveryoungandfithawaii.html

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Power Juice

Smoothie's are an easy energy packed favorite in our house. I love the idea I can hide veggies in something my kids will drink. I also like controlling the sugar and packing in specific ingredients to crank up their immune systems and they actually like it.

Favorite stir-ins are:
Ground up Orange peels for added Vitamin C (it has helped with the vog scratchy throat thing to wipe it out. I can feel the difference when I take more Vitamin C).

Chia seeds for added omega 3's and protein that keeps you full, which can help with weight loss. As a bonus they add thickness to a juice smoothie.

Diatomaceous Earth is my favorite mineral to add. It is great for everything, especially making your skin look younger, besides all the health benefits of lowering cholesterol and so much more. I will write more about this one later. It tastes like chalk but it hides well in a smoothie.

Fresh mint and now spinach from my garden. Picking your herbs fresh, and then consuming them while they are alive, you can truly feel their energy with every sip. It's probably why the raw food craze has taken off.

You really can feel the difference from fresh and alive verses what you may have purchased at the grocery store and it's been sitting in your veggie drawer in the fridge.

Still, it's better to add it however you got it. It adds fiber and flavor that you just can't get from an extract. I still like those to...mmmm speaking of extracts, almond, vanilla and coconut extracts are very yummy splashes to add to a smoothie.

I love honey and have given up on agave for now. I need to research it more, but it may be that agave syrup is made like high fructose corn syrup, it may be better if you can get it organic and just check the manufacturers processing.

Alright, it's time to blend. I really do feel a bit like a mad scientist when I get to experiment with the blender. Just grateful to have brave souls to try whatever I create. At least it's fun.

Happy Healthy Eating!
Love Always,
Maile
@mailemmm
@hilegacybuilder
http://www.hawaiilegacybuilders.com/foreveryoungandfithawaii.html
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Margaritas! Taco's! Ohana!

Cinco de Mayo!
Fiesta feast with the ohana! This is how to celebrate a holiday.

History says, Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican army's 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War (1861-1867). A relatively minor holiday in Mexico, in the United States Cinco de Mayo has evolved into a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage.

Although I may have French ancestry, supposedly all the way to Napoleon, who in fact, history says caused this war...ummmm, I don't know any of my French relatives and I like a party! I do love Mexican food, which Napoleon may have as well :) maybe it's why he wanted his own piece of Mexico.

Taco's are so easy to make and yummy! Customize your own fillings on a good tortilla just the way you like it.

You can make it as healthy as you want, or really naughty! Must watch my boys, so they don't get carried away with the toppings.

This will feed my whole family plus leftovers for the week! Who doesn't love Mexican food?

For my Portuguese boys, I made a small batch of malasada's and tried to fill them with good vanilla bean ice cream. Sort of...the malasada batter melted off and I ended up making flat pancakes and scooping the ice cream on top.

The attempt to deep fry the ice cream was still yummy, just not pretty. Need more practice and an hour long hula practice session before bed to burn it off 0.0

Happy Healthy Eating!
Love Always,
Maile
@mailemmm
@hilegacybuilder
http://www.hawaiilegacybuilders.com/foreveryoungandfithawaii.html
http://www.hawaiilegacybuilders.com/mailemitchellakita.html

Celery Juice?

Another attempt to juice and blend my celery was a disappointment. Either, celery has no juice, or I need a different blender.

Either way, the celery liquid that resulted was barely a few tablespoons and the rest was a fibrous and very stringy pulp.

I didn't really know what to make of it, except that I wasn't going to have it in my smoothie.

Into the compost for the pulp, the sad bit of liquid, I downed it like a shot of wheat grass. Tasted like healthy grass, I think.

Next up...what to do with the rest of the spinach 0.0 ...hmm???

Happy Healthy Eating!
Love Always,
Maile
@mailemmm
@hilegacybuilder
http://www.hawaiilegacybuilders.com/foreveryoungandfithawaii.html
http://www.hawaiilegacybuilders.com/mailemitchellakita.html

Green Disaster!

There is such a thing as too much spinach!

Smoothie experiment this morning:
2 celery stalks
1 apple
4 cups spinach leaves
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup almond milk
1tablespoon diced orange peels
2 tablespoons chia seeds

Blended above ingredients except chia seeds. Added chia seeds and let sit in fridge for 10 minutes until they are plump like tapioca balls in bubble drinks.

Okay, it was sweet enough, but the green thick texture was hard to swallow :(

I think I got carried away with the spinach. Celery is a tough veggie to blend, very fibrous texture and it smells similar to grass when blended. I'm not selling this one very well.

It may also be my blenders. I ran it first through my commercial oster and then through the magic bullet. And once more through the oster. I may need a better machine. Until then, I will experiment with a little less spinach ;)

Happy Healthy Eating!
Love Always,
Maile
@mailemmm
@hilegacybuilder
http://www.hawaiilegacybuilders.com/foreveryoungandfithawaii.html
http://www.hawaiilegacybuilders.com/mailemitchellakita.html

I Can't Believe It's Spinach!

Kid Approved Super Greens!
Handful spinach
3 frozen strawberries
1 banana
5 peach slices
1/2 cup Pineapple juice
1/2 cup almond milk
2 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons chia seeds

Blend all ingredients, except chia seeds. Add chia seeds after completely blended and let sit for 10 minutes in the fridge for the chia seeds to plump.

My older son who loves those bubble drinks, agrees that the chia seeds are very similar to the tapioca balls. Of course, WAY Healthier!!! ;) mmmmm try this one. It will rev up your day.

Happy Healthy Life!
Love Always,
Maile
@mailemmm
@hilegacybuilder
http://www.hawaiilegacybuilders.com/foreveryoungandfithawaii.html
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Love at First Bite

It was a great night at the recognition awards dinner for the Kalaheo NJROTC.

Buffet! I took no photos of any food, shocking! But as it was $30 per person, I tried a little of everything.

With my tastebuds reset since my detox, flavors were WOW! It helps that the Officer's Club is well known for good food. Truly delicious!

I'm a little sad thinking about returning to my, "all the veggies you can eat" detox, but I've sort of just programmed myself for it and I like the idea of it becoming a healthy habit. Well, for a while longer, at least.

Wishing you a very very healthy and Happy Aloha Friday!

Love and Aloha,
Maile
@mailemmm
@hilegacybuilder
http://www.hawaiilegacybuilders.com/foreveryoungandfithawaii.html
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Salad Again?

A few days into my detox, and I have been too busy to make anything more exciting than just salad.

Getting my whole family on board, that's another story. Apparently they need 24/7 security detail monitoring their every bite, and sadly no one has the time.

The first few days, I was honestly too cranky to care. I think it was toxins leaving my system. I cranked up my vitamins and omega three's and today, I'm feeling better than ever.

I love the increased energy and the diminished cravings for anything.

Healthy veggies, especially raw veggies, have a great effect on your body.

I'm already noticing the improvement in my skin and better sleep.

You can do your detox up to 14 days. I'm thinking about it. Tomorrow I get to add a little protein, as it's day 4. I'm saving it for dinner.

Happy healthy eating!
Love Always,
Maile
@mailemmm
@hilegacybuilder
http://www.hawaiilegacybuilders.com/foreveryoungandfithawaii.html
http://www.hawaiilegacybuilders.com/mailemitchellakita.html

Raw Bites

My family is a bit freaked out over the "all vegetable" meals. So I decided to ease them into it with some yummy fancy raw bites.

Walnut Pate Stuffed Mini Bell Peppers.
My recipe feeds two people well, double, triple, etc, based on your own needs. Also mini bell peppers taste just like the regular size, use either, just adjust for volume.

4 mini bell peppers
1/2 cup walnuts
5 sun dried tomatoes.
Puree these ingredients until it is a smooth paste. I pre-chopped them just to make it easier on my hand blender as I was lazy to pull out the food processor.

1/4 cup finely chopped onions
Add the onion to pate. Sweet Maui onions or red onions would make it better, if you have it.

10 mini bell peppers
I sliced these open and stuffed as much pate as I could in each little bell pepper.

1 zucchini sliced in spirals - I had my mom's as seen on tv Japanese vegetable slicer. Side note- I honestly was irritated when she bought another kitchen tool that the food processor can do, but after playing with it, I admit, it's very cool.

Plating was fun with the zucchini noodles and topping them with the pretty stuffed bell peppers. I also chopped up more sun dried tomatoes and added a handful of chopped walnuts with a drizzle of olive oil.

My older son braved a few bites. He said it was ok. The younger son will need a few threats or bribes maybe to even taste it. Ugh kids!

Happy healthy eating!
Love Always,
Maile
@mailemmm
@hilegacybuilder
http://www.hawaiilegacybuilders.com/foreveryoungandfithawaii.html
http://www.hawaiilegacybuilders.com/mailemitchellakita.html

Almost Triathlon

Jogging along the orange cones around Lanikai loop and being passed by much faster runners with smeared black marker numbers on their arms, hearing the cheers from the triathlon race attendants at different checkpoints, wow! It was extremely encouraging!

The bikes lined up on special racks were filled with amazing high performance racing bikes.
Athletes were sprinting over, dripping wet to get back on their bikes. It felt like an Ironman competition.

I could see the swimmers in the water after completing their run. From the top of the hill, it looked like a mile long swim to the set up buoy.

I wasn't actually racing, and it was almost over as my newly appointed fitness coach and fellow paddler jogged through the race course along with other fitness enthusiasts like us. It was still very exciting and I am really inspired to want to actually participate in one of these events.

I have a lot more work to do to achieve my personal fitness goals, but if you ever need a big boost of inspiration, run through a designated race course, if possible. Even though I know the race attendants weren't cheering for us exactly, it felt special :)

Tomorrow is my first day of my all veggie detox. I'm planning on making a green smoothie or assorted veggie salad. I truly hope to have great recipes to share while I do this.

Wishing you a healthy fun week!
Love and Aloha,
Maile
@mailemmm
@hilegacybuilder
http://www.hawaiilegacybuilders.com/foreveryoungandfithawaii.html
http://www.hawaiilegacybuilders.com/mailemitchellakita.html

Got Veggies?

Mahalo to my mom who already ventured out shopping to buy an assortment of veggies for some yummy meals this week.

I still have no idea what I'm going to create, but am fascinated with my raw food cook book. Every recipe sounds yummy. I will honestly try a few and let you know.

So again, detox rules, all the veggies you can eat and a serving of fruit with each meal. No skipping meals and cut out or really limit the caffeine. No Alcohol. Drink lots of water and take your vitamins.

Ok, one more naughty day of eating. Well, it's my brother's birthday and he wants a pizza party. Yum!

Hope you are enjoying a beautiful weekend.
Aloha,
Maile
@mailemmm
@hilegacybuilder
http://www.hawaiilegacybuilders.com/foreveryoungandfithawaii.html
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Veggies Are Yummy!

Planning a shopping trip for a week of all veggies is harder than I thought.

I have been pouring over all my vegetarian cookbooks and still am overwhelmed. I guess that's a good thing, so many things I want to try.

Hope my family is just as excited. Seriously, I am hoping, praying, wishing my picky children will just learn to love their veggies, like their younger cousin.

Happy Weekend :)
Aloha,
Maile
@mailemmm
@hilegacybuilder
http://www.hawaiilegacybuilders.com/foreveryoungandfithawaii.html
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Hungry

Increased workouts, increased appetite. This is a little frustrating as I can't tell if my weight is fluctuating because of weight gain or muscle gain.

I definitely see a lot of toning in my body from paddling. Weight training and hula have also done wonders for my body but I am eating more.

More veggies and protein, still trying to keep carbs to a minimum and choose as healthy as possible. It's harder coming home wet and tired from being on the ocean for a couple hours and mom has made a big pot of beef stew and rice...mmmmm all thinking goes out the window.

At those moments, I kind of feel like a teenager when I would come home from volleyball or softball practice and just eat. Love my mom, she has hot food when I'm too tired to cook.

I think it's my turn to cook tonight. But I need to be better, and with the longer daylight hours of spring and summer, it is a perfect time to push my whole family to get healthier.

It's time for a 7 day detox. The first time I did it, I lost about 7lbs I think. The second time it was closer to 11lbs. It's easy- all the veggies you can eat, and a serving of fruit for three meals a day. Follow along with me if you like and let me know any favorite veggies and how you like to eat them.

I will post more about this when I get started, hopefully next week. Need to plan a shopping list and survive my brother's birthday. One more last hoorah before the detox. Yay!

Until then, Wishing You A Happy Thursday!
Aloha,
Maile
@mailemmm
@hilegacybuilder
http://www.hawaiilegacybuilders.com/foreveryoungandfithawaii.html
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Happy Thursday Wishes

It's been such a beautiful Wednesday, my body is really exhausted. Early bedtime is on the agenda.
Sweet dreams.
Love and Aloha,
Maile
@mailemmm
@hilegacybuilder
http://www.hawaiilegacybuilders.com/foreveryoungandfithawaii.html
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How do you sneak up on an Eagle Ray?

Rain storm all day and afternoon. It finally let up a little around 5pm when I was heading to the beach for paddling practice.

Surprisingly the ocean was calm and out behind the Mokulua Islands we saw Eagle Rays.

Let's go see, we said. Quietly, our team of seventeen women started paddling the canoes over to where they were swimming.

Beautiful blessing. Wishing you a lovely week.
Aloha,
Maile
@mailemmm
@hilegacybuilder
http://www.hawaiilegacybuilders.com/foreveryoungandfithawaii.html
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Love

There is always a silver lining on the darkest clouds.
Sending love and light,
Maile
@mailemmm
@hilegacybuilder
http://www.hawaiilegacybuilders.com/foreveryoungandfithawaii.html
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Party Food

It's been a weekend of eating! Not that I intended it to be, but parties tend to be about food and social eating and drinking. If there wasn't food, I don't think anyone would show up.

Don't even think about the calories when everyone is making sure your glass of wine is full and if you tried grandma's mac salad or the ono spicy sushi that uncle brought. The steak and chicken were grilled to perfection and with every bite, I was having such a great time, I forgot all about the portion size and went back a few times for more crispy gau gee.

The one hour extra paddling practice early Sunday morning help to lessen the guilt of party indulgences. Again, I remind myself, I will balance it all out during the week. It may be a minor set back, but it was worth it. I loved every fun moment laughing with my family.

Happy week ahead.
Love to you and your ohana,
Maile
@mailemmm
@hilegacybuilder
http://www.hawaiilegacybuilders.com/foreveryoungandfithawaii.html
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Weekend Ahead!

I can already smell the weekend, or its the beach :-) i'm ready for sunshine and playtime! Hope your weekend is relaxing and beautiful.
Aloha,
Maile
@mailemmm
@hilegacybuilder
http://www.hawaiilegacybuilders.com/foreveryoungandfithawaii.html
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Blade

This is becoming my favorite way to start my day. Just my body slicing my paddle into the ocean.

Each stroke moves the canoe, gliding effortlessly on the water.
My fellow paddlers in sync is poetry on the ocean.

Wonderful Wednesday Wishes -say that five times fast ...made you smile :p

Love and Aloha,
Maile
@mailemmm
@hilegacybuilder
http://www.hawaiilegacybuilders.com/foreveryoungandfithawaii.html
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Hooker

I have no problem jumping out of a canoe, but getting back in, ummmm, that wasn't as easy as I had hoped.

I'm afraid I was lacking upper body strength yesterday to pull myself up. The preferred method was to hook your foot under your seat and use the strength in your legs to step up out of the water. It sounded easy, but I definitely need more practice.

Coach said, men frown upon hookers, but we are not guys and don't always have the upper body strength that they do. I really don't care, as long as I can get in to the canoe any way my body will climb up there.

No matter how tired my muscles are, I will be squeezing in more upper body strength training. Anything and everything that seems like push ups and pull ups with weights that my bowflex can do.

Hula practice is also on my busy agenda today. At least I got to sleep in a whole hour later to 6:30...well it is a school day.

Happy Tuesday!
Aloha,
Maile
@mailemmm
@hilegacybuilder
http://www.hawaiilegacybuilders.com/foreveryoungandfithawaii.html
http://www.hawaiilegacybuilders.com/mailemitchellakita.html