WIAW: a busily relaxing day?

sharing WIAW, on a Thursday!

 

^^I started the morning off with some bible-ing, journaling, and coffee-ing. accompanied by my bridesmaid bouquet from this past weekend :)^^

^^breakfast was a scrambled mess (the best kind of mess) including eggs, zucchini, and eggplant. banana and almond butter on the side.^^

^^I’ve been all about the jumbo salads this summer! lettuce, cucumbers, celery, carrots, salmon, and salsa.^^

after lunch, I chilled by the pool for a little. And by a little I literally mean 30 minutes because it was SO hot out & I have ADD. I was drenched in sweat just from laying outside.

^^snack time: frozen berries + almond butter. coconut butter + berries is my favorite, but almond butter does the trick as well!^^

Thank you thank you to my amazing parents for this new sleeping bag. PLUS it’s orange. I’m in heaven, and I can’t wait to take it out for a spin (but actually it’s so hot, will I even need a sleeping bag?!)

^^finally: dinner. ground beef, summer squash, zucchini, and tomato sauce.^^

Questions of the day:

Is it dead summer heat where you are yet?!

Pool or Ocean- what do you prefer?

I’m ocean all the way, but that’s 3-5 hours from here!

a day of food.. and chocolate.

Morning! How are you all doing? I am having just the most excellent Wednesday. Yesterday afternoon, right as I was finishing up my HIIT session, my dearest, beloved Mom walked into the gym, to my complete surprise! Yay! So my next few days will be full of love and fun! I am a total mama’s girl//my mom is my best friend… if you couldn’t tell.

So without further ado (I’m actually off to walk with mom herself as I finish up this post), here’s a recap of my eats in a day (Tuesday as it happens.)

check out Jenn’s website for some more WIAW inspiration!

Tuesday: My morning started off with a little sip of coffee before I headed out for a 50 minute walk. It was misting the whole time but luckily the rain held off until a little after I arrived back home.

I started my morning off with my “hydration station”. 1/2 the coffee was drank before my morning walk. After the walk I had the rest of my coffee, a little apple cider vinegar + water, and a giant glass of water with lemon.

Breakfast followed: sauerkraut, 2 scrambled eggs,with broccoli, peppers, and cauliflower.

Thirty minute later, I realized breakfast wasn’t going to last me all morning, so I sliced up an organic gala apple and enjoyed it with some almond butter.

Breakfast held me through my classes (even if the classes made me sleepy…) and I finally arrived at lunch for a satisfying meal.

A jumbo salad with 2 grilled chicken strips hidden underneath, and topped with some red wine vinegar.

Afternoon snack (to fuel the studying!): 86% dark chocolate. snap, crackle, give me that chocolate! I think I’m an addict. I might be ok with it 😉

My workout for the day was a 30 minute HIIT workout on the treadmill. 30 seconds sprint, 1 minute walk. Repeat. Feel like a (sweaty) beast.

After my workout I still had over an hour until dinner and I needed a little refuel: chocolate chips (Enjoy Life dairy + soy free) with some raw almonds. More chocolate.. what can I say!

Dinner enjoyed with my mom and a club meeting: salad with all the veggies, topped with salmon that I brought from home (because I am a nutrition nerd.)

And there you have it– my eats for a typical day! Sometimes more, sometimes less, but always chocolate. It’s the best.

Questions of the day:

What is one food you eat (almost) every day?

Chocolate: dark, milk, or white?

Do I talk about chocolate too much? 😉

WIAW: wintery eats.

Yesterday was a whirlwind of activity and COLD. It was around 20 degrees (F) all day, with wind, snow, and ice for added fun 😜.

**This WIAW is brought to you with tasty eats, and cold feet!**

^^what, you don’t wear a vest under your jacket? long sleeves, vest, scarf, ear warmers/headband, jacket, and gloves. Hunter boots + my new hunter socks for warm feet^^

^^breakfast at Toast with my mom + pops. Today, tomorrow, and Friday, the movers will be here packing up our house, so yesterday morning was our last time to go out and be alone as a family!

this omelette was amazing. crabmeat, bacon, gouda, peppers, and tomatoes. breakfast potatoes on the side. they were supposed to give me some gluten free toast, but they were out. instead, they served up a few coconut flour pancakes. topped with butter, these were perfection, and way better than toast!^^

^^we arrived home to a blanket of snow beginning to cover our…everything. You can probably tell from the first picture that our driveway is pretty insane, so we parked at the top and trekked our way down.^^

the rest of the day was spent cleaning and packing my room. organizing, dividing, packing things that are for school, deciding what i don’t mind putting in storage for a few months. it was madness.

^^around 5, i was finally hungry again. some turkey, salad, rice crackers, goat cheese, bacon, and salsa did the trick. a cold meal, but accompanied by some delicious, warm tea.^^

 

^^after not eating any lunch, i was still hungry after dinner, so I went for this simple snack. a frozen banana and blueberries heated in the microwave; topped with some dark chocolate cocoa powder and a few chocolate chips. perfection.^^

Questions of the day

Any snow for you guys yet?

What are your favorite omelette ingredients?

WIAW: recent eats.

I want to share some delicious meals I’ve been having lately! Also, can we take a moment to notice that 3 out of the 4 pictures with a plate in them have the same plate… what can I say? I’m a simple girl.

^^a quick breakfast on the go. one fried egg, spinach, banana and Justin’s almond butter squeeze pack.^^

^^eggs, spinach banana…hmmm I see a theme here.^^

 

^^eggs cooked with squash. I love this combo, and it is so easy on a busy morning. I just throw everything into the pan and I can get ready while it cooks!//plus apple and almond butter.^^

 

^^have you made a 2 ingredient banana pancake lately? banana (mashed) + eggs. that’s it. top with almond butter or whipped cream perhaps? simple and scrumptious. Plus some kale for good measure.^^

 

^^saturday night was homecoming, and as a fun ‘date’ the boy and I cooked dinner together before the dance. rice noodles//grilled chicken//carrots//homemade red pepper pesto. that pesto.. I want to carry it around with me and eat it all day. so delicious!^^

 

 

^^and finally. a simple dinner on the go. a salad from Moe’s, on campus. lettuce, pico de gallo, peppers, onions, chicken, and a few chips on top.^^

check out Peas And Crayons for more healthy and yummy eats!

What have you been eating lately?

WIAW Whole30: Weekend Style (day 13).

For my WIAW today, I am skipping ahead to my Whole30 eats this Saturday. My days have been pretty similar lately, and this one is a little more fun! This past weekend one of my friends came into town to attend a wedding. On Saturday morning, we decided to go to the Farmer’s Market together.

I was up early so I went for an hour walk, and then threw together this breakfast plate. 

Cauliflower rice, and 2 eggs. Simple. I only ate about half of it before we headed out

At the Farmer’s Market we explored the different booths. I’m a regular attendee of the market, but my friends had only been once or twice before. I’m always shocked when people tell me that. Such an amazing source of fresh produce and meats right downtown, why wouldn’t you go? But then I remember that for most college students the proximity + price >> value//health//supporting local farmers. (even though produce here is usually cheaper than in-season produce at the grocery store!)

Left: smoothies//Right:Pasta

Plant shopping! 

I will definitely be back to test this cute hole-in-the-wall store out.

More plants. I almost caved, but not this time.

Obligatory stop in Antrhopologie. I mean, when there’s a 15% off sale..you just have to. I bought an Angel Food Cake candle that I have been lusting after for over a year now.

After walking around all morning and taking our sweet time in Anthropologie, everyone was ready for a meal. We hopped over to Tupelo Honey Cafe and enjoyed some brunch fare.

Omelet and potatoes for me. White potatoes: now Whole30 approved 🙂

After we returned from downtown, I spent the afternoon studying, packing up my apartment, and a quick break for painting my nails. I threw a workout somewhere in there, the perfect break from being stuck in my apartment all day.

I love summer colors- blue is the best.

For dinner, the boys and I stopped by Whole Foods to grab our favorite dinner before doing the weekly grocery shopping at Trader Joe’s. I scored some blackened cod right as they were putting it out. So delicious!

Later that night, after packing up my apartment for a few hours, my friends Mary, Bevin, and I headed down to Sip to check it out. Mary met us there after attending a friend’s wedding, so we got the dish, and enjoyed chatting together. I didn’t have anything there (driver + Whole30) but it was overall just a fun place to hang out. There were little couches and tables, as well as some standing tables, and a giant picnic style table in the middle for a more social seating. We hung out on our own little couch for a couple of hours, before calling it a night!

 

See- you can still have fun on the Whole30!

WIAW: Whole30 style.

It’s WIAW and I’m sharing another day of my Whole30 eats!

Yesterday was Day 2 of my Whole30 journey. I obviously haven’t seen any changes yet, but I am getting more excited about these 30 days. I know it is going to be difficult– I really wanted a cookie at Bible Study last night. But I think I will definitely have an easier time than some because I wasn’t eating a highly processed diet before taking this challenge on.

 

Breakfast: Same as yesterday. Eggs, onion// banana + almond butter. If’ it’s not broken..

 

A simple throw together lunch: canned salmon (Trader Joe’s), carrots, spinach, and some mustard.

Accompanied by a delicious summer peach.

Afternoon snack eaten post-workout: a mashed banana, some Barney Butter (almond butter) and a little cocoa powder mixed in. I was worried it would taste weird without any sweetener but this was delicious.

 

Dinner enjoyed with the boy. Chicken breast cooked with garlic, spaghetti squash, spinach and some plain tomato puree for sauce. The boy enjoyed his with regular whole wheat pasta.

And I just had to share the beautiful rainbow (this picture does not do it justice!) that I saw on my drive to Bible Study. What a treat!

Question of the day:

What are you eating this week?

Any summer food favorites?

WIAW: food freedom.

Happy WIAW y’all! Another addition of my daily meals and activities to share.

I used to be one of those people who had to plan out what they were going to eat before the day even began. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, packed up and planned out– I mean otherwise how could I control what I ate and the ‘healthiness’ of it all, right? And don’t even get me started on the stress of unplanned activities like going out for ice cream with friends or an impromptu dinner out with the family.

Eggs + veggies // paleo banana bread with Kerrygold grass-fed butter.

Random veggies, I only had a few spoonfuls of these.

Coconut cashews// I ate way to many of these to finish up my breakfast, but they’re so delicious I couldn’t help myself.

Now, I can’t imagine going back to that controlling, crazy mindset. The only time I plan things out now are dinners I’m making with the boy or lunches I have to pack on the go. An ice cream run in the afternoon, why not? Dinner out with a friend who’s visiting, sure thing! It’ll sound  crazy to say, but I actually eat healthier now than I ever did before. Getting out of that hectic mindset allows me to be more in tune with my body. If I have a bigger breakfast, I don’t have to stress, because I know my body will just tell me when it’s hungry again.

Afternoon salad leftovers // Chicken, lettuce, walnuts, and a little pomegranate dressing. I wasn’t too hungry after such a huge breakfast so I just went with it.

Workout time- walking, HIIT, and some upper body exercises to round it out.

Cooking with the best friend // and he’s wearing the same shirt I had on earlier.

Dinner as gluten free pizza (homemade!), bacon, and pineapple.

Post dinner: dark chocolate at bible study- YUM.

Stressing about what we eat each day will not make us any healthier. Worry about what you’re eating in the moment. Choose that healthy salad, or a piece of fruit instead of candy. But– don’t stress about that choice all day//week. Our bodies are smart and although it takes practice (and sometimes metabolic healing) we can learn to be in tune with our hunger and nutritional needs. That is the healthiest living of all!

Questions of the day:

Do you eat intuitively?

What is the biggest struggle of healthy eating for you?

WIAW- going with the flow.

Yesterday was a busy day for me! Lots of driving, meetings, people to see and places to be. The day definitely didn’t go how I was planning (as far as eats) but that’s ok. Sometimes we just have to go with the flow right? We can try to eat healthy, plan our ‘perfect’ meals for the day, but in reality we can’t predict everything and that’s ok. Healthy living is about living– not stressing every moment over what you ate//will eat//want to eat…

Coffee to start the WIAW day. Always.

I had a free morning so I went on about an hour walk, enjoying the scenery, and enjoying the quiet.

My first meal of the day: Paleo pumpkin bread, Kale chips, and scrambled eggs.

After my morning cleaning and doing work, I packed up my lunch for a meeting with the Youth group I’m working with this summer. The meeting was about 40 minutes away, so I packed a good amount of trail mix (for before/during) and planned to eat a salad I had left at the Church for my main course. When I got to the meeting, I realized my boss had forgotten to grab my salad. Ooops. I luckily had  a pretty hefty portion of trail mix to munch on. Not the ideal lunch at all. Not filled with nutrients, protein, or vegetables… but it did the trick. Go with the flow. 

The trail mix that I was so glad to have with me. I also downed two unsweetened iced teas before realizing they were caffeinated.

After I made the drive back, I ran up to my apartment and changed, before heading right back out to the gym. I met my boyfriend for another awesome workout! Yesterday was upper body and I felt awesome. Honestly, it was probably all the caffeine, but I pushed through the workout harder than I normally do and it felt great. I am hoping to make a lot of progress in my upper body strength this summer, and this is a good start.

Dinner: Sweet potato + bell pepper + onion + spinach “hash” with 5 eggs mixed in. Split between the boy and I.

After dinner, I headed off to my bible study, forgetting that I had barely eaten lunch and hadn’t had too big of a dinner. By the time I made it back to my apartment, 2 hours later, I was ready for some food.

The quickest on-hand snacks came from the ever so awesome Graze box. Delicious! I’ll share more details on the snacks soon. If you haven’t tried these adorable snack boxes yet, you need to get in on the goodness.

I’ve really been trying not to snack at night, because that is when I usually tend to let my sweet tooth out. But, I knew my body was hungry last night, and I certainly hadn’t given my system enough food for the walk, the activity of my day, and a workout. Eating after dinner isn’t the worst thing in the world. If you’re really listening to your body and eating intuitively it’s ok to go with the flow.

I was pretty hungry, so I ate the “Raspberry & Coconut Muffin” pack as well as the “Peach Cobbler” pack. Still under 300 calories, but so so tasty.

Question of the day:

Do you ‘go with the flow’ with your food?

WIAW: Why Dieting Isn’t for You.

Primal, Paleo, JERF, vegan, vegetarian, keto, atkins, low carb, low fat, high protein, IIFYM; 3 meals a day, 6 meals a day; all natural, organic, local, grass-fed, non-GMO… so many diet choices out there. How do we choose the one for us?

^^Morning walk around my beautiful campus lake. I captured this picture and didn’t notice the cool cloud reflection until I checked it out later.^^

The answer is simple- we don’t choose a diet. We live, we eat, we fuel our bodies in ways that make us feel happy, energized, magnificent, and vibrant. This may sound cliché, but isn’t that the real goal of food? We don’t want to feel weighed down, sick, or tired after every meal. But we also don’t want healthy eating to become a burden, another stress in your already hectic life.

^^Breakfast: scrumptious Coffee Cake Banana Bread from PaleOMG topped with Kerrygold USA butter (grass-fed and seriously amazing) + Trader Joe’s sliced turkey.^^

Eating healthy is about what’s doing best for your body. Not what’s best for my body, or Jillian Michael’s, or Michael Phelps’. We’re all unique, so how could we possibly all thrive on the same exact diet? It doesn’t make sense. If you feel best eating 6 times throughout the day, do it. If you feel best eating 2-3 bigger meals- that’s great too!

^^Lunch: spinach, salsa, cucumber, peppers, avocado, and sliced turkey.^^

I always thought that to be healthy, I had to mold my food to certain rules, a certain “ideal”, or to look exactly like some healthy person I admired. But I have finally come to a place in my health journey where I know that my body will let me know what it wants, and respond well when I nourish myself well.

And the same goes for you! If what you are doing works for you- gives you energy and leaves you feeling great- then keep doing it. If it doesn’t– change that. But realize that what you eat is a lifestyle- one of the most important parts of your life. If you keep perpetually sticking yourself on another diet, you will feel restricted, overwhelmed, and not living to your fullest health potential. That’s not what any of us want!

^^Snack: an apple + Justin’s chocolate hazelnut butter.^^

^^Workout: Stair Stepper, Bike Intervals, and an ab + box jump circuit. Sweaty for sure.^^

^^Dinner: Crock pot chili topped with shredded cheese. My first successful crock pot meal! I just poured everything together before breakfast and by 4 pm it was ready. I could get used to the crock pot life.^^

Whatever way you choose to eat I have two simple suggestions.

1. Eat Real Food! Whatever foods you choosing, eating them in their most natural, local, unprocessed forms, is always a great choice.

2. When you choose to indulge- enjoy it! One splurge a week, even a small treat each day is not going to send your health in a downward spin. Health is about more than your physical health- it’s mental, emotional, spiritual, and more. If that piece of chocolate or scoop of ice cream makes you happy- go for it!

Question of the day

What way of eating is working for you lately?

For me, it’s been a good amount of protein, loads of vegetables, and good fat mixed in.

WIAW + Burn Those Legs Circuit!

Good morning! It’s another WIAW, and mine is filled with random eats. It definitely wasn’t a typical day of eats for me, but then again, what is a ‘typical’ day? Just listening to what our bodies tell us, and that’s what my day was. Stay tuned to the bottom of this post for a circuit workout that is sure to get your legs working!

Morning: I started my day with a walk around campus, and down the swamp rabbit trail. I got off to a later start than usual, so it was unnecessarily hot, but still a nice walk.

When I got back home, I showered and then threw together a quick breakfast while getting ready. Turkey slices, apples, and almond butter. Simple and nutritious. Not exactly breakfast fare, but it did just the trick.

After breakfast, I had to drive to a meeting (at Cracker Barrel). We ended up talking for about two hours and I was getting hungry again, so I had a scrambled egg while there to tide me over.

When I finally made it home, I was pretty hungry for lunch. It was so hot out though, nothing sounded appetizing. I ended up eating a bunch of trail mix, followed by a green juice for some extra nutrition. Not a ‘typical’ lunch but.. I was went with what I was craving and it did the trick.

After working on applications for a while, I headed over to the gym and did a killer leg workout. {Details below :)!}

Dinner was a major fail. The boyfriend and I were supposed to have “Paleo Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs” for dinner, but I seriously underestimated how long meatballs take to cook (hey, I was a vegetarian for 6+ years) and didn’t leave enough time for them before I had to head off to bible study. Instead, we just had the spaghetti (whole wheat for him, squash for me) with sauce, asparagus, and goat cheese. The Trader Joe’s Vodka sauce was delicious and I highly recommend it.

Unfortunately, our little protein-lacking dinner didn’t have much staying power (in retrospect I should have realized that veggies + cheese wouldn’t, but I was in too much of a rush to worry). By the time I made it home from Bible Study, 3 hours later, my stomach was grumbling loud enough to practically have a conversation with me. It was bad, y’all.

I threw together a snack of a gala apple, some yogurt covered raisins, and some BBQ Veggie Skinniez from the Daily Crave. I picked them ups few days ago from TJMaxx and they are so good! This little plate did the trick, and I was able to nod off to sleep without eating my pillows.

Now for the Burn Baby Burn Legs + Abs Circuit!

This workout was hard but it felt awesome. I started off with a fast mile run, and then went straight into the circuit. Your legs will be sore after this one!

Questions of the Day

What’s something fun you ate this week?

Do you like circuit workouts?