rebar :: clean eating in victoria, british columbia

image via

As highlighted in my most recent outdoor adventure post, I had a blast exploring the wilderness of Victoria and Port Renfrew in Canada. However, one of my favorite discoveries on this trip was in the heart of the city - Rebar - a healthy, veggie-friendly restaurant in Victoria - whose motto "eat really well" resonated with me strongly.

Rebar Salad with Addtl Smoked Salmon

Ever since I changed my diet (started Crossfit) and embraced a more clean eating lifestyle - I've approached that concept of "eating really well" much differently than before. I used to love eating at the rich, gastropubs and trying new restaurants all the time. It was all about the foie gras, black truffles and the most decadent entree. Don't get me wrong - I still LOVE those aspects of fine dining and trying new places, but my love for my body has changed. I respect it on a whole different level, and as such, "eating really well" for me means gaining the necessary vitamins and nutrients to keep me refreshed and feeling energized. Enough about that, let's get to the good stuff - the reasons why I fell in love with Rebar. 

Upon entering the restaurant, my main squeeze and I immediately felt at home. It had the Seattle-like hipster vibe and reminded us of Local 360 since all of their food is fresh and sourced within the local area. One of my favorite things about Rebar is that everything is made in-house, too. All of the dressings, stocks for their soups and hand-cut herbs, as well as freshly grounded spices add an amazing touch to their meals. Learn more about their food philosophy here!

Additionally, I've never seen such an extensive juice menu before at a restaurant! All freshly squeezed and made to order - I was super excited to see more than five different choices for various juicing concoctions and smoothies - options for fruit only, vegetable only, fruit and vegetable, wheatgrass combinations, tonics and even coconut water based juices. 

If you're in Victoria, Canada for a day and a need a quick, healthy bite to eat - I highly recommend giving Rebar a try! A great way to refuel for those who are health-conscious, as well as for the veggie-friendlies and gluten-free folks. 

Rebar | Eating Really Well

50 Bastion Square, Victoria

hours:

monday to thursday 11 - 9 // friday 11 - 10 // saturday 8:30 - 10 // sunday 8:30 - 8

reservations:

250 361 9223

healo :: healthy and clean eating.

Ever since starting Crossfit, I've been on a whole new health kick. I'm sure you've all seen from my Instagram that I've been juicing and eating a lot more clean lately. As such, I'm always on the hunt for a new juice bar or yummy lunch spot where I know I'll get my much-needed dose of veggies. Also, it's nice to not have to sacrifice that meal as a "cheat meal" since it's hard to find tasty, paleo-friendly/healthy places when eating out.

Luckily, Seattle has definitely embraced that go-green, fit living attitude and there have been neat places popping up all over the city. A few of my favorites include Evolution Fresh (owned by Starbucks), Chaco Canyon Organic Cafe, Home Grown (they have gluten-free bread!) and of course, Veggie Grill. Recently after hearing all the raves from friends other peeps in Seattle, my friend Alyson and I had to go try Healeo.

On the corner of 15th and Madison in Capitol Hill, Healeo has cold-pressed juices, smoothies (even dairy-free ones!), salads, superfood bowls and acai treats. Let's just say we were a bit overwhelmed with all the menu items - so much to choose from. Everything sounded refreshing and amazing. We settled on some fresh juices and each her own bowl of healthy goodies. Alyson's Coconut Acai Bowl was really neat and even served inside a coconut!

omg. look how cute alyson is with her coconut!

I opted for the Kale Avocado Quinoa Bowl which also included some cabbage, sesame seeds, hemp seeds, beets, cucumbers and carrots. For my juice, I chose the skin detox.

I was so surprised at how full I was getting from my bowl - especially the fact that I've been eating a lot of meat lately to ensure my protein intake is high enough. I mean... that bowl was large and in charge... and I was stuffed by my last bite. It was a really yummy lunch, and I absolutely adored catching up with Alyson over our nutritious juices. 

Would I recommend Healeo? If you like your veggies, then heck yes. If you don't... start learning.

Let's just say I'm definitely coming back to Healeo soon and am really looking forward to trying out one of their smoothies when the weather gets hot. That Coconut Almond has my name all over it.

Do you have a favorite healthy lunch spot or juice bar? 

Share with me via tweet or in comments below!

xoxo

why crossfit?

image via revie jane of crossfit babes

I know.. I know... It goes without saying. Peeps who do Crossfit talk about it all. the. time. *le sigh* 'Tis true. I'm addicted, and anytime I get a chance to proclaim my love for crushing weights... I gladly do so at the top of my lungs. No shame. 

So you ask... why? Why the hell do you put yourself through that?

How do you do it? // Aren't you scared? // Does it hurt? // Why do you do that to yourself?

Honestly, I don't know. There's so many factors. YES, I'm scared. Absolutely terrified. Right before every workout, I feel a crazy adrenaline rush and my heart goes pitter-patter at 10 billion miles a second as I wait for the clock to start. Even though my ass is handed to me after every class, and I'm sweating/sore/hurting like hell - I just come back for more. Maybe it's my personality, my strive for perfecting a certain lift or the desire to be better - that's fueling my passion. 

photo courtesy of coach lincoln

It's beyond the fact that I feel stronger, faster and better than I've ever felt in my life before. It's not just the fact that I can actually measure my performance, set benchmarks/goals and/or work towards achieving, as well as surpassing what I never thought my body could do. 

For me, Crossfit is about the community. Ehhh, you could argue it's semi-cult like... but it's a good cult, right? I admit - we all talk about how excited we are to go to the gym each day, complain when the next day's WOD isn't posted yet, and relish in the moment when we get to indulge in a cheat meal. 

But what's most important is that the sport is about supporting each other. It doesn't matter if the person next to you lifts 5x more weight and just finished his/her WOD. He/She is your cheerleader - motivating you to complete just one more rep or that extra burpee. No matter the caliber of the athlete - from a newbie to a Crossfit Games pro, the camaraderie and support has been overwhelming. I will never forget my first WOD during a Crossfit Basics class at CFBT, and I had 15 more box jumps to go. The cheering, clapping and "you go, girl" was what got me through it and had me coming back for more. 

Am I drinking the kool-aid? Maybe. But hey, don't judge it before you try it. Yes, it may be intimidating at first... but give it a go for a month, then try and tell me you don't love it. 

one month check-in: my crossfit journey.

image via

This week marks one month of my crossfit journey, and I'm more than thrilled to share with you my progress! Never in my life did I think I would be able to complete such strenuous and high intensity workouts. I just feel so strong and empowered... like I can conquer the world. The fact that I can now lift large weights over my head or run through 150 burpees - it just wants to make me cry with so much happiness.

Within just a few short weeks, I've already lost a few inches off my waist and some beloved pairs of jeans in my closet got a good 'ole hug the other day when I was able to squeeze my butt back in them. But it's not just fitting into cute clothes... it's the fact that I really learned what "work + life balance" really meant. I had made countless excuses before - saying that I didn't have time to get healthy because I was so busy with work. Those excuses no longer exist now, and I'm happier than I've ever been.

Enough with my sappy - "I'm a converted crossfitter" overload, it's not just the workouts that have helped me get healthy again... it's my eating habits, too. I've always been a "green" eater I'd say, since I was formely known as the "rabbit snacker" in college. Yup, I was "that weird girl" who ate a ziplock bag of spinach instead of chocolate chip cookies at our study hall. However, I realized my crazy consumption of veggies wasn't going to cut it. I would have to rid myself of the sweet decadence in my life - the unforgivable macarones and other sweet treats. It's been said that working out is only 10% of getting into shape and that eating right is 90%. And so began my mesh of diets...

I've been channeling a Paleo-Zone-like diet but allowing some dairy products like goat cheese, Greek yogurt and coconut milk. It's a weird combo... but I'm super strict about not eating carbs... you've got that right. This girl's not eating any pasta, pizza, bread, tortilla wraps, etc. To cope with my cravings, I've tried a few substitutes like cauliflower rice instead of white/brown rice and mashed sweet potatoes instead of mashed Yukon potatoes. Of course, there's the weekly cheat meal - not to be confused with a cheat day, as I'm only cheating on one meal for that day... Reason why? I'm terrified of getting sick from an overload of food that my body is not used to consuming on a daily basis.

My current food gurus whom I tap for meal inspirations (because cooking paleo can only get so interesting...): Against All Grain, Nom Nom Paleo and PaleOMG. Otherwise, I just end up blending everything in my oh-so-dear Vitamix and call my favorite green juice a meal.

So there you have it - this girl's changed for the better. Working out and eating clean - we'll be saying "hello" to some abs and a cute bikini come this summer!

Thinking of trying crossfit or signing up for a new healthy workout plan?

Would love to hear your thoughts below!

xoxo

In case you missed it, here's my first crossfit blog post as a little newbie!