I soooo love Sundays!!
Church was awesome. As always. So many people re-dedicated their lives at the end of the service! What a blessing to witness that!!!
Also, today we got to pick up our cute little soup bowls that we painted for each other for our anniversary. Aren’t they charming?
Then it was time for some frozen yogurt. I stole a strawberry from this guy. He didn’t seem to mind sharing. 
Then I reached into my magic purse and guess what I found? Some healthy peanuts and dates. So glad I always carry some emergency snacks with me. Just for times like this. Now that’s much better! 
On our way home we did a little shopping and bought a giant, comfy new case for our little “Canon baby”. We don’t have kids, and pets either. We’re into cameras instead At least for now.
And since we love books too, we got this awesome Adobe Photoshop book as well. It seriously has all the photo editing tricks in it! Can’t wait to study it!! 
Oh, and let’s not forget about those healthy, organic goodies either! Wasabi mustard! Now that’s something!! And check out that Green tea chai with pomegranate!! Yummyyyyy! 
And of course I couldn’t say NO to these pretty little things either (not that I wanted to. Ha!)
A shiny little hair band and a totally Reka-style, colorful scarf. I love accessories!!! 
Dinner was fabulous tonight!! I’m definitely a big fan of raw eating. So, FOR ME dinner was home-fermented sauerkraut (with salsa), cabbage rolls (stuffed with TVP) topped with fresh dill, green olives, dehydrated crispy carrot strips, orange wedges, and a small side salad (with cauliflower florets). Now that’s RAW food for ya! 
And FOR HIM: a couple of toasted whole wheat thin-buns with grilled eggs, mozzarella, pepperoni and veggies. And some baby carrots and potato chips on the side. 
Right now we’re watching “The Time Traveler’s Wife” (2009). (Have you seen it?) It’s a really well done movie, but it’s so sad. I think it’s always a sad story when you can’t be with the one you love…
I’m just glad my hubby is here to stay!!! I can’t even imagine my life without him. He completes me.
Hope you had a good weekend.
Tomorrow the rat race (summer semester) starts again for us.
Class in the morning, then I’ll be taking a Food Safety training in Akron. And then work ‘till pretty late. So I might not be able to do a post tomorrow. Or maybe just a short one. We’ll see.
Popping, hopping hot little fellas
Heyhey!!! Check out what I just got in the mail! A Gymboss interval timer!! I’ve been wanting one of these for a very, very long time, and I was finally able to find a good one on Amazon the other day! I’m SO excited! I’m a huge fan of High-intensity interval training (HIIT), and this little gadget will make my life soooo much easier! The beep volume on it can be adjusted and it even has a vibrate option, so I’ll be able to use it at the gym as well!! 
Last night I got home very late from work and it was way, waaay past my dinner time. So this morning we started the day off with an awesome, big, nutritious Bfast. 
We decided to have grilled, spicy egg-strips on spinach leaves, with a side of fruit combo and freshly squeezed grapefruit juice. 
After TS left for work, I did a sweaty Iron Yoga session, and man, oh man it felt really good! I’ve been experimenting with some different styles of yoga lately, so I’m borrowing this DVD from the library. Although the guy in it is kinda annoying, the combination of balance and weight training poses did give me a really good calorie-burn for the day!
Then I went to work and made lots of healthy, delicious smoothies, salads, wraps and panini sandwiches. I’m so excited because I am getting much better and faster at it each day! I don’t have to be so focused on the ingredients anymore so I have more time to interact with each customer. I love working with people! And I absolutely love talking about healthy foods, or anything health-related for that matter! And now I even get paid for it! Yep! Life is bueno. 
After work I completed a huge grocery-shopping mission. We were out of so many things, so I bought a TON of stuff.
Like fruits (apples, kiwis, blueberries, citrus for squeezes): 
Veggies and fresh, organic herbs: 
Canned goods (jalapeno, green and black olives, beets, beans, tomato sauce, almond milk, cocoa powder, soy sauce): 
Whole grain tortillas, barley, pretty napkins and some stuff to make a banana cream pie for TS: 
And a cute little hair pin! 
I have so many hair bands, ribbons, flowers and pins already, but I can’t help it. I just love them! I’m a really girly girl, and The Squarehead loves it! 
I was on my own for dinner tonight. I didn’t have to worry about cooking 2 different kind of meals because TS just wanted a banana-chocolate smoothie. Yep. He instantly forgot about how tired he was from all the projects he’s been working on at work. I love my hard-working husband. He never complains. I want to be like him when I grow up 
I felt like having spaghetti tonight, but since it’s so hot out there, I wanted something light and low- calorie. So I made some zucchini noodles in the spiralizer! 
I sprinkled it with spices, coated it with some tomato sauce and added some goat cheese crumbles and stuffed olives for decoration. It almost tasted like REAL spaghetti noodles!!
It was so good with the salad and the grilled, marinated tofu slice.
Washed it down with a wonderful cup of iced coffee. I like happy endings! 
We’re getting ready to watch the movie “Whatever works” Have you seen it? Supposed to be good.
And we even invited these hot bouncy little fellas to the party! Look how excited they are to arrive! They are all over the place! 
Hot-air corn popper. That’s what I’m talking about! Forget about the microwave popcorn bags. Not good for you! –Did I sound like your mamma?
And more vanilla ice coffee to end a perfect day! Decaf. Of course.
Movie time with my Cutie One!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
Innovative Cookie Operation
Oh no. I wanted to go for a quick roller-skating adventure today after work, but this silly, wishy-washy Ohio weather totally messed up my plans. Oh well. If there’s a will, there’s a way, right? I believe there are always alternatives for someone who wants to move.
So I’m actually on the elliptical right now, typing away!
Yeah. Working with little ones definitely prepares you for multitasking. 
Last night we had a big, innovative Cookie Operation going on in our kitchen!
We made 3 things: a big mess, a pile of spicy peanut butter oatmeal cookies (for TS) and a batch of brownies for my classmates tonight. 
Now, I know, you’re probably wondering what’s so innovative and ground-breaking about making some traditional, average-looking, plain ol’ cookies?
No, no. no my Friend! You don’t understand. These were not jut some ordinary cookies, BUT cookies made by The Squarehead!!!! Because for the 1st time in history HE (not me!) was in charge of the kitchen operation last night!!
Halleluia!!!! Finally the time has come for me to leave the stage and let him shiiiine!! ✸
And guess what? Special bonus: the kitchen didn’t catch on fire, nobody got injured and the cookies turned out AWESOME!!
I can’t tell you how proud I am of him!!! He’s definitely a hero! MY HERO!!
By the way, penny for your thoughts! Why do you think men feel intimidated by kitchen duties so often? What do you do to help your man shine in the kitchen?
I almost gotta run to class, so here is a quicky “menu” of my eats today:
Meal #1: Whole grain bran flakes with low-fat cottage cheese, topped with strawberry jam, sliced peaches and chia seeds. And coffee. Duuh 
Snackie: A small bowl of fruits 
Meal #2: Homemade whole wheat pita bread, loaded with a spiced-up, grilled scrambled egg and TONS of veggies. Soooooo good! 
Meal #3: Onion-flax flatbread (made in my new dehydrator last night)…. 
with Tofutti soy cream cheese… 
…and some nutritious veggies. I highly recommend the cream cheese-red pepper-olives combination! Honestly, it really, really tasted like more! 
But self-control, right? As the famous Julia Child said: “Moderation. Small helpings. Sample a little bit of everything. These are the secrets of happiness and good health.” And she was right!
Everything with moderation. Even exercise. So, it’s time for me to jump off this squeaky Iron Beast that I love so much and get some things done before school.
Hope you’re staying healthy!
><((((º> Reka at Ѽ HefiA
“When it comes to eating right and exercising, there is no ‘I’ll start tomorrow.’ Tomorrow is a disease.” V. L. Allineare
Tuna Spread (Dip) Recipe
And here is finally the promised famous tuna spread (or dip) recipe!!
What you’ll need:
▶1 (7 ounce) can white tuna, in water (I use the water too)
▶2 spring onions, chopped
▶1 small carrot, shredded
▶1/2 stalk celery, chopped
▶1/2 small bell pepper, chopped
▶1 tablespoon Earth Balance (healthy) mayonnaise
▶1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
▶1/2 tablespoons horseradish
▶2 teaspoons water
▶1 pinch of black pepper
▶1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
▶1/2 teaspoon paprika
▶1/4 teaspoon sea salt
What you’ll do:
1. Mix tuna with all the ingredients in a blender.
2. Add all the spices and blend on high. Chill and serve.
3. Spread tuna mixture on : lettuce/toast/crackers/sliced cucumbers….
…..or just use as a dip.
Bon Appétit!
Health benefits:
Tuna is an excellent source of protein, potassium, selenium, the omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin B12. It also contains niacin, phosphorus and magnesium! All very important, needed minerals!! So make sure you don’t skip eating tuna (or other healthy fish)!
If you’d like to read more about the benefits of tuna, go to this awesome website. It has tons of wonderful, health-related information.
Have a wonderful, healthy day!!!
Remember: your health first. Always!
Productive and rewarding!!
Hello ‘y’all!! (No, I don’t live in the south but I think southern people are pretty awesome!)
Today I had a very productive day (!!!) and the day is not even over yet! So yeah. I kinda feel pretty cool about that!
Made breakfast √
Went to work √
Did some grocery shopping √
Made some important phone calls and was able to set up a few crucial appointments √
Cleaned some and did the dishes √
Had an awesome lunch √
Did some homework and quizzing for my online Business class that are due tonight √
Got my 50 minutes of weight session in (in my living room while listening to this and this √
Cooked a delish, healthy dinner for tonight √
Had a little snacky to hold me over until dinner √
And I even had time to do my nails!!! √
Breakfast: raspberry ice tea with whole wheat hot cereal, cooked in vanilla soy milk and topped with low-fat cottage cheese, apricot fruit spread and chia seeds.
And French toast for my dear Squarehead hubby: 
Lunch for one: a whole wheat tortilla, piled with raw veggies (lettuce, spinach, green pepper, mushrooms, celery and tomatoes), topped with a teaspoon of horseradish, shredded carrots and cayenne seasoning. 
Crunchy snacky: vanilla coffee with air popped corn kernels, sprinkled with sea salt and nutritional yeast (for a cheesy flavor). 
Dinner on the menu: baked tofu with slow-cooked navy beans, raw celery & tomato, and grilled, spicy veggies.
And now I’m off to classes, in this yuck-yuck weather! 
Q: Are you doing anything interesting or productive on this cheerless, clouded day?
See ya later!
<º))))>< Reka
It’s another “Funday”!
Well hi there! Hope your weekend is/was a fabulous one!
Mine was pretty busy actually. Since I have school on Saturdays, the weekends fly bye SO quickly. But TS and I always make sure that we squeeze in as much fun as we can on Sundays. We usually refer to Sundays as “Fundays”, because they are def. by far the funest days of the week!! By the way, check out this wrestling match! Before, I didn’t even have the slightest chance, but lifting weights finally started to pay off! YEAAAH!!
Church was awesome this morning (as always)! I get so excited about the worship and about refueling my “spiritual tank” for the week! 
Even Nora baba was excited to go! 
Today is the LAAAAAST (!!!) day of my one-week, “spring cleaning” detox diet. At least for a while. (That deserves a big Halleluia!!) I usually try to do a week of detox every 3-4 months (Sometimes a little more often if I’ve been sick or having low energy levels).
During the detox week I drink lots of liquids (water, tea, pureed soups, smoothies, freshly squeezed 100% fruit and veggie juices, etc.), eliminate anything heavy to digest from my diet (dairy, pasta, nuts, etc.) and replace them with loads of liver-friendly, raw foods (veggies, fruits, etc.).
Although my detox diet is more of a “raw-food” diet than a restricting one, I try to NEVER exceed 10 days at a time. Not only that it’s not healthy to go for longer than that, (at least that’s what I read), but I just don’t think I could exist without my my super-duper nut butters for that long! 
So for breakfast today I had an awesome, green VitaDrink! A handful of celery (with the leaves on), some spinach, 5 big strawberries, a few carrots, a ripe banana, vanilla flavored almond milk and some pumpkin spice for taste.
Blend it well….and breakfast is served! It’s not just easy, but very healthy and cleansing too! Love it!! Perfect choice for grab-and-go meals! 
Some particularly good detoxifiers are the following: carrots, celery, apples, beets, broccoli, grapefruits, wheatgrass, lemons, and TONS of other ones too. I also take different kinds of natural, herbal supplements all year round, like Psyllium Husk, Licorice, Dandelion, Nettle leaf, Lemon balm, Ginger, Chamomile, Cayenne, Echinacea, Goldenseal root, Green tea, Milk thistle and Açaí. These digestive herbs help break nutrients down and eliminate waste and toxins from the digestive system. You can take them as supplements or just drink them as tea if you don’t mind that some of them taste pretty bitter.
I’m happy to announce that this week I met my goal of 300 minutes of exercise!!! I keep a little chart during the week, which helps me stay on track.
Here is a little break-down of the week:
| Monday |
Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| 65 min. | 60 min. | 50 min. | 66 min. | 56 min. | REST | 45 min. |
That is a total of 342 minutes!! So that would be an average of 57 min/day for this week, right? Hmm. That’s not bad at all, considering the schedule I’ve been having lately. So, I guess I’m happy with that. Maybe next week I should make my goal 400 minutes? We’ll see.
OK, time to plan and pre-cook the meals for the week now! I usually do that on Sundays to save time on eats during weekdays. It helps to write a list of ideas ahead (I’m such a “list person!”) and brainstorm, based on: what’s in the fridge/pantry, what we feel like eating and what really needs to be cooked soon. 
Then, since it’s SO pretty out there (I think winter might be finally over!!), we might go to the park later. I SO love the park on Sundays! Cute, old couples holding hands, kids feeding the birds with their dads, teenager girls jogging and mommies pushing baby strollers. I feel like I’m part of one, big happy family! 
Also, TS really wants to see the movie ‘Unknown’ tonight. It’s supposed to be a suspense movie about a guy whose identity was stolen. Have you seen it? Would you recommend it? I’m not a big fan of suspense movies, but the boy came with me to soooo many chick flicks already that I feel it’s def. my turn today.
I guess it’s called sacrificial love, right? For better or for worse. And in this case: “for worse”! Hahah! (Don’t tell him I said that).
Enjoy your evening and stay healthy!
<º))))>< Reka
Ds 4 Ds :)
It feels so amazing to be home after a long week of work and school! I usually don’t like to be by myself a whole lot, but right now it feels SO awesome! I’m listening to some soothing tunes of smooth jazz by Jane Monheit and Renee Olstead (wonderful artists!) and enjoying this delightful, colorful source of nourishment: butternut squash soup (seasoned with Cayenne), sided with the perfect veggie nest (sliced carrots and iceberg lettuce). For toppings I used: raisins, sesame seeds, smoked TVP and some juicy orange wedges. Not just cleansing and nutritious, but outstanding combo of flavors, if I may say so myself!!
To be completely honest with you (you won’t get upset, right?), I didn’t really feel like doing a post today. I usually can’t wait to sit down with my laptop, edit some photos and update you about my day, but today I have a huuuge business test to take online. So that means that I’ll probably be on the computer for hours studying the online materials! Blah! That’s way, waaay too much online time even for a net-junkie like me! 
However, I can’t help but think of the two/three of you, HefiA fans out there who constantly ask me about the next post and always wait for it so anxiously. I just want you to know that I SO appreciate your interest and support in my blog and my whole journey to health. You’re the BESTEST fans and support group ever!! So give yourself a pat on the shoulder! You sure deserve it! 
This morning my detox breakfast consisted of some fresh cleansing fruits (grapefruit and kiwi), celery, raw garlic (to be swallowed in whole), plenty of water and a mix of cayenne pepper & diluted apple cider vinegar drink—these stimulate digestive juices and help cleanse the colon. A perfect way to start a new day
“Donuts for Dads” (Ds4Ds) was a big hit today I think. We played with our awesome toys, made some cool crafts (mini puppet stage, flag stand and bird feeder) and shaved our very patient dads. Funfunfun!!!!!!
Then we made coffee (by the way, coffee makers are so awesome!!), and had lots of sugary choices, like punch and soft, sweet donuts……
…but I was good and had this instead: 
Now it’s time to hit the gym in my lovely “I love my husband, because God first loved me” T-shirt. I love wearing it to the gym where all these macho, all-muscle guys are looking for young, single chicks to impress. Sorry boys. I’m taken. Fish somewhere else.
If you’re European, you might think it’s a lame trick to wear a shirt for “safety” reasons, but here, in America people actually read each other’s shirts!! Weird, huh? 
Then, for the rest of the night I will be studying for the exam. Exciting? Not really!
Anyways, wish me luck! I need to get an A! 
See you tomorrow. Hope you’re Friday evening is more adventurous than mine. Are you doing anything interesting that I should be jealous of?
<º))))>< Reka
