Meet The Ice Cream Lovers.

My family should really consider changing our last name to 'Ice Cream Lovers'.   How cool would it be to say, "Yes, were going out to dinner with 'The Ice Cream Lovers' tonight." Ha! Each one of my family members has an obsession loves ice cream. Growing up we would spend every hot humid night at the shore standing in line at dairy queen waiting for creamy chocolatey goodness. My family loves ice cream so much that when my brother was younger and he wouldn't take his allergy pills, my mom would put it in ice cream. He got to eat ice cream every day! So not fair! But along with daily trips to DQ I could never figure out why I would get severe stomach aches. Even doctors didn't know what it was.

Well now we know, I'm allergic to dairy. So this really puts a damper on my love for ice cream. And dairy-free store bought ice cream doesn't always do the trick. I've found a few spots that will satisfy my love such as Franklin Fountain (I love their soy chocolate ice cream!) but FF is not down the shore. Just last week, Mom of 'The Ice Cream Lovers' bought a ice cream maker. I don't know why she didn't do this sooner. We tested out a recipe for dairy free coconut chocolate chip ice cream and it was TO DIE FOR! The recipe comes from Elena's Pantry and was so easy to make. 15-20 min tops! Even Dad of 'The Ice Cream Lovers' raved about it!

New Heights.

Clockwise: Mom and me at the top looking into the crater, aerial picture of Mount Liamuiga,  mom and O'Neill,  the slope of the crater 

Over the 4^th of July, my family high-tailed it to St. Kitts in celebration of my parent’s 30^th wedding anniversary.  Upon the lovely island of St. Kitts  sits  Mount Liamuiga, a 3,792 foot tall volcano.  Not being much of a hiker (or outdoorsy person in general), I don’t know what in my right mind had me determined to climb this monster.  At first I thought I would have to do it alone, but my mom decided to join for the adventure as well.  What about my brother and dad? Well, they decided to leave this to the ladies.  Boy, did they miss out!

Prior to making our hiking reservation we were warned multiple times that this was a “strenuous” activity.  About a two hour hike up and two hour hike down, if we were moving at a good pace.  O’Neill, our guide, was a 65 year old local who had been doing this hike since he was 19.  This man had the kindest heart, but he sure didn’t care for slow hikers.  Nor did he sweat a drop.  It was just the three of us, my mom, O’Neill and myself on the hike.

The entire way up he would tell us these stories of people who thought they were physically fit (had a personal trainer, would go to the gym, etc) and they would never make it to the top because they were so winded and exhausted (insert him laughing here). Or people who would get lost trying to take pictures which caused O’Neill to hike for over 8 hours trying to find them.  He enjoyed adding in at the end that one of the lost souls, “was cryin’ like a baby” when he found him.  

This hike was 4 straight hours of hipster lunges on the tall box at Lithe Method.  As we got closer to the top, it got extremely steep and we were basically climbing up the side of rocks. O’Neill kept telling me to “put your foot where your hand is” and he also remarked that my legs were short since I had to stand on my toes to do so.  My mom and I drank as much water as my backpack could hold and I could carry, but didn’t have to take a ‘washroom break’ the whole hike since we were sweating buckets.

I was expecting the top to be similar to a little flat area with maybe a picnic table for us to eat the lunch and snacks we brought. WRONG.  You had to perch yourself on a rock and hope that your feet didn’t slip out from under you as you nibbled on some local banana bread and sipped on fruit juice. But, the view from the top was breathtaking. And the sense of accomplishment knowing that it was your two feet that took you up that high in the sky, was so worth it. Not only that but witnessing my 58 year old mother determined to get to the top still gives me goosebumps. 

I'm up to something.

illustration by eva hjeltel at peppercookies.com

46 days have passed since I said goodbye to a windowless cubical in the corporate world. A difficult, scary, exciting and invigorating decision.  But the best decision I've ever made.  I worked in the retail world where I used to think a great outfit could put a smile on your face. I quickly realized that no matter what you put on the outside, you needed to be healthy and happy on the inside first. Meanwhile, I also came to the realization that I was allergic to dairy. (yes, that means I can't eat ice cream, cheese, milk, cream, or butter).  On the quest to cut it out of my life, my hunger for health and information on a diary free life grew rapidly.

Fast forward to today.  I am enrolled in the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and the official program started yesterday. I will learn about how food and lifestyle effect our health, happiness and well being. I'll also be trained on how to counsel other people to improve their life and reach their health goals.
The journey has just begun...

Off to Sugar City!

Ironically, I will be visiting Sugar City next week. (Ironic because I’ve been working on putting the kibosh on my sugar cravings with the help of Ali Shapiro – more on this and her later). 

Sugar City is located in St. Kitts, a small Caribbean island. Sugar City acquired this name from it’s history of growing sugar cane. Now it’s more likely known for it’s ‘sugary sand beaches’.  

Besides swimming in the blue sea, eating lots of local seafood, and working on my tan I plan on hiking the volcano on the island. It’s an 8 hour, strenuous hike. Let’s keep in mind I am not an avid hiker. My daily ‘hikes’ involve trudging up the bike and stroller ramps on the city sidewalks of Philadelphia as I walk to Lithe Method.  I hope I survive.  

I’ll be sure to share my experience with you when I return. Until then, have a wonderful 4th of July! 

xoxo 

                     Jessica