What I Ate Wednesday

Morning all! Hope everyone is having a great Wednesday!

It’s definitely tough to make a strong comeback after such tragic news hits everyone so hard, but we must be strong for those who can’t be throughout this period of time. Hopefully you’re sharing your positive energy with others who deeply need it right now.

Of course, with it being What I Ate Wednesday, today is all about the food.

After I got up, I rolled out my matt and got my pilates workout on. It felt nice to get moving first thing in the morning. It’s always my preferred time of day to work out. Probably since I get up super early, it seems to fit in well with my schedule.

Breakfast -

buckwheat bake

{ Buckwheat bowl with added strawberries on top. }

Immediately after my workout, is always meal time. I don’t understand how some people can get by with no food in the morning.

Except, I used to be one of those people. In high school, I went through a phase where I never ate in the morning, not sure how that happened for all those years. But, I wasn’t the healthiest back then.

Lunch -

sweet potato chili

Nothing too crazy over here for Lunch, I made some sweet potato and turkey chili over the weekend and had some leftovers, so this chili was an obvious choice. It’s all I could need in a chili. Complex carbs, healthy fats, and protein to boot. With a little more avocado on top, it was the perfect meal to fuel me for the afternoon.

Even if it was super sunny and hot outside, chili is a perfectly acceptable option.

Snack -

dark chocolate

Once home again, I got hit with a chocolate craving. Good thing I just stocked up on some lovely dark chocolate at the store. Unfortunately, I still can’t find my beloved dark chocolate with sea salt, so dragoba dark chocolate will have to do for now.

apple

After, I dug into an apple for some added snack-age.

One of my little quirks, has to be that I don’t like putting that much effort into my night routine. When I come home, or if I’m out all day, the last thing I want to do is be in the kitchen for hours preparing food for that night or the next day, which is really why I need to start prepping one day per week.

Instead of working hard in the kitchen, I simply went back to my roots and make some Breakfast for Dinner. An all-time favorite meal for me.

Taking a cue from my lovely friend Amanda, I made a bowl of sweet and savory oat bran for Dinner time. As weird as it sounds, it totally works together!

Dinner -

sweet and savory oat bran

{ Oat bran, a bit of coconut/almond milk, banana, a little ground white chia seeds, and topped with raw cashew butter and mashed avocado. }

Right now I seem to be really into Breakfast all day. When the stomach woes happen, I know that carb and fruit filled meals are going to be my friend over vegetables. It’s just how it is.

And now, I’m off to dig into my nightly snack, as it’s calling my name.

Nighttime Snack -

muffin top

{ Muffin top, coconut flour “frosting”, and almond butter too - Not visually appealing in the slightest, but it’s mighty delicious! }

 My bed it also calling out to me, but Lola doesn’t seem to be tired at the moment. Time to run laps around the house, which will hopeful tucker her out a bit.

Happy Wednesday!

Favorite type of chocolate?

Do you prefer to exercise in the morning or later in the day?

What’s your favorite Breakfast for Dinner meal? Since I don’t eat eggs, oats or toast will be a clear winner for me.

Have a wonderful day!

Moving Forward

Coffee was much needed again today.

Seriously, I think this was the only thing keeping me alive and productive, and by productive I mean not falling asleep during the day. I’m determined to be more proactive with things that I want to start happening in my life, I think I was creating too much anxiety over these thoughts. You know the usual over-thinking things I put myself up to.

spaghetti marinara

{ This bowl for Dinner last night had spaghetti squash, broccoli slaw, homemade marinara, and chicken }

For the longest time, I put an enormous amount of pressure on myself to pick the “perfect” job, where I’d make lots of money, and not necessarily be happy on. I’ve come to realize that money is not the most important thing, and that my happiness comes first. Feeling like I have to do something because of money is just adding unnecessary pressure to my life. [Read more...]

That Girl

We all know “that girl”. You know, the girl people project their judgements on. Possibly because she acts in ways you find odd, maybe you wish you had certain attributes or confidence “that girl” has.

We’re human, we sometimes judge others. Though it isn’t the best quality, it certainly happens to the best of us.

Have you ever been that girl who commits the very things you swear drive you crazy? I’m sure we’ve all fallen victim to this, at least at one time. We may not even realize it happening. Call it being a living contradiction, or just being human.

It’s easier to judge others than it is to judge ourselves. Our ego wants to avoid feeling uncomfortable, so we turn to judgement. Who are we to judge when we all in some way are that girl…

I know I’ve been that girl

Salad

 

Who loves salads (and is picky when ordering them)…

quinoa

 

Who eats Breakfast for Dinner…multiple times per week.

starbucks

Who claims to run on caffeine.

Who loves putting on and wearing makeup.

buckwheat

{ Buckwheat on the regular }

Who eats the same Breakfast almost daily.

Who claims sleep is the best beauty essential, but barely gets 6 hours a night.

roasted kale

{ roasted cauliflower and kale chips, with coconut oil, nutritional yeast, and dill }

Who loves kale chips.

DSC03394

Who takes selfies…with my caffeine.

wine

{ fine…cheap wine sometimes finds its way into my life too }

Who claims being classy is drinking expensive wine or vodka.

spin

Who loves to exercise.

381870790789059317_190311299

{ best dark chocolate. ever. oh goodness. }

Who likes eating chocolate when feeling emotional.

socca and veggies

Who likes likes eating healthy.

That girl is me.

Yep, I’m all these things and if you’d like to judge me for being that girl, go right ahead, we’re all entitled to our opinions;)

In what way are you “that girl”?

Do you ever find yourself committing the same actions you’ve judged others doing?

Enjoy this wonderful day!

What I Ate Wednesday

Morning beauties!

I’m extremely happy it’s already Wednesday, just a few more days until the weekend. This week is flying by, which makes me very happy since last week seemed to last forever. Another reason to be happy, it’s another round of What I Ate Wednesday, hosted by the lovely Jenn from Peas and Crayons.

Per usual, spin was on the agenda this morning. I happened to wake up before my alarm this morning, so it was rather easy to get ready for class.

Breakfast -

buckwheat

[Read more...]

January Favorites

Bonjour! Here we are again; the end of one month and the beginning of a new one.

Maybe some people have dropped their New Years resolutions? I mean I sure hope not but I can definitely tell you that spin class are much less crowded now.

Can you even believe tomorrow is February 1st?! This is beyond bizarre to me. I mean, I still haven’t gotten used to the fact that it’s 2013.

With that being said, I want to share with you some of my favorite things from January.

Favorite Foods

Buckwheat Breakfasts

buckwheat bowl

After having to give up my beloved dairy and eggs, I had to get more creative with Breakfasts and have been completely in love with buckwheat flour. It’s so versatile and I happen to love the strong Buckwheat flavor.

Coconut milk ice cream

coconut milk ice cream

One word: Love

MaraNatha Almond Butter

Raw Almond Butter

I don’t think I need an explanation for why I love this stuff.

Favorite Drinks

Cinnamon & Spice Tea

cinnamon and spice tea

Obviously, props go to Amanda for getting me hooked on this tea. Speaking of, I should go make myself another cup:)

Do we even need to say this one. Starbucks.

starbucks

Duh.

Favorite Beauty Finds

Red Lipstick

red lipstick

As I mentioned before, I’ve become more adventurous in exploring different lip colors. In the past, I tend to stay with safe nude lip colors because I definitely like my eye makeup. I began experimenting with the red and realized how much I love wearing it out on nights where dressing up is a must.

Cake Desserted Island Shower Gel

shower gel

Now, this may sound like an intense scent for a shower gel and I normally like stuff that is very neutral smelling, because let’s face it. It just doesn’t smell great when you have a shower gel scent, plus perfume on top of that. This shower gel is perfect, because it leaves you with a very light fragrance so it never overpowers you.

Favorite Workouts

 214413632229528143_jIjPHQSV_f

{ that would be kind of cool if there was a wine and pilates class, yes? }

Pilates, curtesy of blogilates.com. I can’t tell you how awesome it is to just roll out to bed, onto the matt without having to drive in the freezing cold to the gym;) You just need a little bit of equipment and you’re set. It’s been a nice break from the high intensity workouts, and I feel less anxious in general now that I am focusing my mind more during my workouts in this way.

I’ve also been toying around with the idea of getting my pilates teacher training certificate! The course doesn’t start until April, but I’m very intrigued.

Favorite Quote

marilyn monroe

This Marilyn Monroe quote is just beautiful. I love these words and that’s all I can really say about this quote. It truly speaks for itself.

What are some of your January Favorites?

Do you have a quote or mantra that you absolutely love? Share it!

Enjoy this fantastic day!

What I Ate Wednesday

It’s a miracle. I actually got to bed a bit before 10 last night! That may be the lamest statement I could ever make, but coming from an insomniac, I’d say that’s progress.

The fact that’s WIAW helped put a smile on my face.

Anyways, since it’s Tuesday morning it meant I had to be up early to attend spin, so the early bedtime hour was a blessing in disguise.

When the alarm went off at 4:51 (yes, I set my alarm for weird times) I kind of wanted to punch it, but figured that energy would be better spent at spin class. Plus I always feel better after getting my butt moving a little bit.

When I arrived home I was ready to eat.

Breakfast -

baked buckwheat

I’ve been meaning to take my my new buckwheat bowl on a little test drive and see how it would hold baking instead of microwaving. [Read more...]

Delights + Good Stuff

Good Morning! Happy Monday and hope you all had a great weekend.

Do you get annoyed when people are cheerful on Monday’s? I used to find those people so obnoxious, but now I’ve become one of those people. Ha.

Things change when you have a different outlook on life. It’s all about perspective.

I never mind Monday’s, but Tuesday’s seem to be the day that completely drags on.

sunny

It makes Monday easier to enjoy when our weekend had weather like this.

Clear skys and sunny. That always helps to improve the mood.

Even though it was sunny, it’s still painfully cold out, but that fact doesn’t make me want to switch up my Breakfasts at all…

buckwheat cocoa breakfast
I settled in with the same old bowl of buckwheat, coffee, and caught up on the Lance Armstrong interview.

What did you all think of it?

This breakfast totally takes the cake for my new favorite thing.

I jazzed it up a little by adding a tablespoons of raw cacao powder. Yum.

This weekend, I had plans to do some fun things, but I kind of have the feeling I’m catching the beginnings of a cold.  I’m trying my best to avoid that from happening.

tea + reading

{ ahem, my new favorite tea + Gabrielle’s amazing book }

This meant the weekend was kept low key. It also made it the perfect opportunity to cuddle up under the blanket and read with a warm cup of tea by my side.

I decided I should probably be a bit more productive with life and made myself some nourishment before I had to head out and meet a friend for coffee.

spaghetti squash bowl

Perfect fuel for those days where you want to hide and curl up in bed. It’s okay if you’re totally jealous with the above dish.

It was my new favorite creamy nutritional yeast sauce, spaghetti squash, and zucchini.

I don’t know how people could not like this delicious squash. It’s the perfect blank canvas for anything. You can make it sweet, spicy, savory, whatever you’re in the mood for really!

After, I managed to get myself out of my lazy clothes into something more appropriate for public.

coffee

Surprisingly, I ordered a tea. Coffee, a sore throat, and upset stomach didn’t sound like the best combo at all.

Later on, I decided I should probably move a little since I had basically sat around all day. I went on a nice walk before coming home to spend the evening relaxing.

In favor of spending the night out with my friends, I opted to hang out with my Sister for some bonding time.

Sam and I{ this picture took about 21 years to actually convince my Sister to take a photo with me…she’s too cool apparently }

We decided on a scary movie. Nothing says sisterly bonding more than watching a terrifying movie together.

It was called the House Next Door or something, we kept on forgetting the name of it which clearly tells you a lot about it.

To top off the night, I snacked on a bowl of ice cream before bed.

coconut ice cream

{ My favorite coconut ice cream }

Clearly the best choice to soothe a sore throat.

Well, I’m calling it a night over here.

Did you watch the Lance Armstrong interview? What did you think?

Favorite ice cream flavor?

What’s your best tip to curing a sore throat?

Have a marvelous Monday all!

Foodie Finds + Work It Out

Today was a lovely day, the sun was shining and no rain was in sight! I felt the love and energy all around me.

This morning, I woke up early before a day full of appointments to get in a sweet pilates session. It’s good to feel that burn again, but it made me realize how I have a love for training certain body parts, and despise working other parts of my body.

Like I literally cringe while going through some of the movements, and just beg in my head for the routine to finish.

pilates

I love working out my…

triceps, shoulders, abs, chest, glutes

I hate working out my…

quads, back, biceps, calves

Most likely, I hate working out these specific body parts because I find them the hardest and they’re probably the types of moves I should be doing more.

blogging+starbucks

It’s more mental than anything, but to make things more pleasant in the morning I make sure to have everything set up the night before.

This definitely makes things more manageable, that way I just roll out of bed, throw on some clothes, and my equipment is already been set up from the night before.

Plus, I always know that I’ll feel much better if I get my workout done first thing. It gives me positive vibes and keeps my energy up throughout the rest of the day.

buckwheat bowl 3

Post workout, I enjoyed my new love; the buckwheat bowl.

For some reason, I find the middle of the week the hardest days to wake up early.

Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s feel pretty brutal, but other days are perfectly fine. I’m super duper excited since my new order from iherb came in, I ordered a new protein powder to try out. Well two actually…

warrior blend

I ordered a pea protein powder as well as the warrior blend from sun warrior (it’s a blend of cranberry, hemp, and pea instead of their usual brown rice).

After a few weeks without brown rice, I tried reintroducing my old sun warrior protein into my diet, but it was unsuccessful. Hello, stomach issues.

I’m going to try the new protein out tomorrow morning, so I’ll let you know how that experiment goes!

almond butter

A little later, I took some shots…of almond butter that is.

For some reason, it’s so much more satisfying to freeze the nut butter ahead of time. It’s like fudge. I had an unpictured apple on the side. I’m pretty sure you all know what apples look like.

Now, I’m on the couch enjoying sipping a cup of my new favorite tea.

cinnamon and spice tea

Yes, after I loved the initial taste, I went and ordered myself a tin of it! Delicious, spicy, and slightly sweet. Plus, I’m a cinnamon addict, so it was a guaranteed win.

Between this tea, my David’s supply, and now the Teavana I have, I’m slowly turning into a tea lover.

Just earlier this year I was saying how I hated tea because it tasted like dirty water. Well no longer do I feel that way.

pretty little liars

Time to catch up on Pretty Little Liars. This is winning over the Bachelor.

What’s your favorite body part to train? 

Least favourite?

Favorite protein powder?

Have a splendid day!!

buckwheat breakfast bowl and new addictions

Another marvelous Monday morning is upon us.

I’m kind of not looking forward to getting up early tomorrow, but such is life.

I woke up this morning ready to eat. For some reason, I was feeling super ravenous this morning; good thing I had some breakfast that I prepped the night before.

protein buckwheat bowl

A few people asked about my buckwheat bowl I made on Wednesday. It’s super simple.

Vegan Buckwheat Bowl

  • 1/4 cup buckwheat flour
  • 1 tablespoon hemp protein powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon stevia
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 tablespoon chia seeds
  • 1/3 cup pumpkin or mashed banana
  • 1/2  cup water/milk (you may need a bit extra-just go by texture)

Mix the dry ingredients (including chia seeds) together, add the pumpkin and milk and lightly spray a microwaveable bowl. Microwave for about 5 minutes.

You could also make this in the oven and bake at 350 for about 35 minutes. Depending on your oven.

I prefer the microwave version, since it’s done a lot faster, but whatever works for you!

Of course, finish off with toppings of your choice! My favorite will always be peanut flour!

This weekend ended up being a nice change of pace for once, since it was pretty relaxing. A much appreciated switch up every now and again, especially since the holidays were pretty eventful.

lunch

For lunch I’ve been enjoying my roasted veggie bowls, since it is SO cold here! Although not cold enough for snow, which I’ve been dreaming about. I seriously want those white flakes to come visit so bad. I’m odd. It’s just that whenever there’s a tiny bit of snow over here, basically everything gets cancelled. So that would be kind of cool.

Got a little off track there…this bowl had roasted broccoli slaw, zucchini, turkey burger, quinoa (I’m getting a little sick of quinoa now), nutritional yeast, coconut oil, and a little dill. Avocado on the side.

My parents ended up having a low key weekend too, so I decided it would be a good opportunity to spend some more family time together. It just so happens that my Mom shares the same coffee addiction I have (I guess we know where I get that trait from).

DSC03688

We of course had to make a trip to our favorite coffee place over the weekend. I feel like I haven’t been in so long, since I typically will only go there on the weekends now that I have my handy dandy Verismo. Love that thing.

Coffee is my saving grace. Especially since I’m the worst sleeper ever. I’ll learn eventually.

cinnamon and spice tea

Amanda also made sure I got hooked on her favorite tea, which means I managed to order some online since I can’t buy any in stores here.

Dang, it’s not like I need another thing to be obsessed with, but alas I have. It’s okay Amanda I’ll forgive you.

Now, I have plans to catch up on Downton Abbey. Well I guess not catch up, but start it up.

Downton Abbey

I’ve been hearing nothing but great things about this show, I thought it would be appropriate to start since it’s at my house right now. Might as well take advantage of having that DVD and watch it.

Confession; I totally thought it was called Downtown Abbey, but then was embarrassed when someone laughed and informed me it’s called Downton Abbey.

I must have been too lazy to correctly read the title all this time.

thehealthydiva

With that, I hope you have a marvelous Monday!

Do you like spending weekends low key or out and about?

Any shows you’re obsessed with right now?

Coffee or tea?

Make today an amazing one!

What I Ate Wednesday – Peanut Flour

Morning!

Thanks for all the comments on yesterdays post! You all had such wise thing to say about this ongoing issue a lot of us seem to face on believing others beliefs and really trusting our bodies.

Moving on, it may not be the weekend, but another Wednesday means another great weekly party.

Apparently I was only able to sleep in for a day because I woke up again this morning up and ready at 5. It ended up working out since spin was at 5:20. After spin, I had worked up quite the appetite so I quickly sat down for some food.

Breakfast -

buckwheat bowl

Buckwheat bowl.

I’m so obsessed with these now. I combined 1/4 cup buckwheat flour, 1 tablespoon hemp protein powder, 1/2 tablespoon chia seeds, and 1/3 cup pumpkin. Cooked and allowed it to cool and thicken overnight in the fridge.

Yum, it comes out so amazing in the morning. Topped off with my favourite peanut flour frosting.

I’ve actually received quite a few questions on how to make the peanut flour frosting. It’s the easiest thing ever.

  • 2 tablespoons peanut flour
  • a little stevia
  • a small pinch of sea salt (I use pink himalayan)
  • about 1 1/2 tablespoons almond milk, often a bit less if I want it thicker.

Sometimes, I’ll even double this recipe to make more.

After breakfast, I had an appointment to get to. It was kind of brutal actually. I ended up being there for 2 and 1/2 hours. Kind of unnecessary but all of that is taken care of, so I won’t have to go back which is nice.

I initially thought I’d only be there for about an hour, so I didn’t pack any snacks which I instantly regretted because I came home starving. Thank goodness I had leftovers in the fridge from earlier in the week.

coffee

After returning home, I made a quick cup of coffee before I ate, to satisfy my caffeine craving.

And yes, I did stock up on the holiday cups before they left Starbucks.

I have issues and like drinking out of these cups rather than coffee mugs.

Lunch - 

veggie quinoa bowl

Quinoa salad with zucchini, coconut oil, roasted tomatoes, tomato paste, a little cauliflower, spinach, nutritional yeast, fresh basil, nutritional yeast, and avocado on the side.

It was absolutely freezing here today. Okay, I exaggerate just a tad. It was just super duper rainy. Like insane rain, but it made me want to just curl up inside with a good book and not do anything.

Unfortunately, after I quickly ate, I had another appointment to get to.

cinnamon spice tea

My appointment went be really quick, so I was able to get home from the freezing rain and warm myself up with a cup of tea. I got to try out Amanda’s favorite tea and I can so see why. It is truly delicious! Yum.

Now, I’m totally going to have to order some online. Darn addictions to new things. Now I just need to try the sugar cookie tea everyone raves about.

Snack -

pumpkin protein bar

{ recycled photo }

I made a new batch of pumpkin protein bars but had to swap out a few of the ingredients, since I’m intolerant to a few of them.

Luckily they were already vegan beforehand, but I still can’t have flaxseeds, brown rice protein, or amaranth flour.

Dinner - 

Since it was rainy out, it made it the perfect night for chili.

chili

I still can’t get enough of this recipe. I make it at least once every two weeks.

I have no plans for tonight, so I think I’m just going to catch up on the Bachelor. Honestly, I’m not too impressed right now. It’s all the same. Crying, sappiness, heartache (I’m sorry but how can you be crying about a guy after 2 hours?) but I’m sure after a few episodes it will get even better, you know once you can actually learn everyone’s name.

Plus Pretty Little Liars returns tonight (yes, I’m actually 22) and it’s kind of an awesome show, so I’m more excited for that.

I’m thinking later I’ll have a vegan protein muffin, coconut flour frosting and some peanut flour again as well.

Do you like the Bachelor? Are you watching this season?

What’s your favorite show?

Are you an early bird or a night owl?

Have a fantastic Wednesday!