Moving Forward

February 12, 2013 by

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...]

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That Girl

February 7, 2013 by

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!

{38 Comments }

Wednesday Eats – Mixing It Up

August 1, 2012 by

Good Morning! Happy Wednesday!

Specifically, what I ate Wednesday.

First off, thanks for the wonderful comments on yesterdays post. You all have such wisdom and provided me with extra thinking to do!

My body has been weird today, I have been feeling way more hungry lately. Along with the thirst and tiredness I was talking about last week. It’s for sure odd for me to experience.

I’m still eating pretty healthy and focusing on clean foods, just more hungry…and tired…and thirsty. Maybe this has something to do with decreasing exercise and increasing calories? My body possible recovering? Who the heck knows for sure.

With that being said let’s get to my meals.

Breakfast – 7:

After an easier workout, I enjoyed a bowl of overnight buckwheat cereal, with stevia, cinnamon, banana, chia seeds, and topped with peanut flour paste.

These summer days are passing by way too quickly. I can’t believe it’s already August. Crazy talk.

I’m definitely feeling like a grandma over here. The night time has consisted of me looking at the clock, unable to believe its already night time because it’s still light outside.

Summer confuses me. I like that I’m greeted to the rising sun in the morning, but it also makes it harder to go to bed at night. And that’s not so fun when you wake up at 5:30.

Anyways, I ran to Starbucks to pick up a grande americano, per usual. Payed with my gold card, baby.

11:30 – Lunch:

 When lunch rolled around, I was craving some more breakfast for lunch type foods.

I baked a zucchini in a little coconut oil, and added in 1/2 a red pepper filled with 1 egg for some protein. Had with a side of avocado sauce (avocado, nutritional yeast, dill). The egg stuffed pepper was SO good.

I had planned on making this cuter than it looks in the photo. The egg kind of broke open when I cooked it. Oops. At least it was still delicious.

Later, I went out to pick up a few extra groceries and brought a sliced apple along. They make a good snack when you are on the go, they aren’t messy and are small. So, they’re easy to bring along. Win.

Snack – 3:

Closeup of whipped cottage cheese

Strawberries were layered on top after.

Blended cottage cheese, a little greek yogurt, and 1 tablespoon cashew butter. The strawberries add a summery touch to this bowl.

Even though it was scorching hot out, I was craving something warm for dinner. I had an extra spaghetti squash, that was looking like it was on its last leg, so I cooked it up along with some other veggies for a filling dinner.

Dinner – 5:15:

Spaghetti squash, leftover zucchini, spinach, marinara sauce, turkey burger, and goat cheese.

Snack – 8:

A bowl of plain coconut milk ice cream

Okay, I know the coconut ice cream may not seem like a big deal, but for me it is. It’s the first “unclean food” I’ve eaten in…I’ll say 3 years! I do indulge in alcohol sometimes over the weekends, but other than that this is the first food indulgence I’ve experienced.

It felt good to “allow” myself to eat this snack, but I can’t say I felt comfortable the entire time. I was definitely hesitant to even scoop this into my bowl. However, I did it and survived. Who would’ve thought?;)

Right now I’m just trying to go with this hunger, without getting too freaked out over it.

Hope you all are having an amazing day!

What do you usually make for lunch? Do you enjoy leftovers?

{52 Comments }

When Healthy Becomes Unhealthy

July 31, 2012 by

Good morning Tuesday!

Last night, I settled down with a side of Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion. I just love that movie. Such a classic. When I was in high school I think I could recite that movie backwards and forwards. Let’s just say I adored it. Clearly.

*Cold overnight oat bran. I just know that you’re super jealous, and that you want some of this loveliness.*

Anyways, this morning I greeted the day with my usual morning routine. This is just too perfect to not enjoy during those summer mornings.

*1/3 cup oat bran, 1/2 cup egg whites, 1.5 tablespoon chia seeds, 1/3 cup pumpkin. Topped with my favourite peanut flour paste. That’s my kind of breakfast and how cute is my bowl? I just love that thing!*

After digestion occurred, I went on a little stroll. It was a fabulous walk and I enjoyed to just get outside and enjoy the scenery. I love how peaceful and relaxing early mornings here are.

While on my morning walk, I contemplated what I’d be eating for lunch. Do I want this meal or that meal? How many calories should I eat for lunch? What fats? Proteins? Which carbs do I want in todays lunch?

*After my walk, I was a little chilly and enjoyed the most magical hot chocolate, made with coconut milk instead of all almond. Um, why have I not been doing this all the time? Insane. 1 tablespoon cacao powder, stevia, and coconut milk.*

I have to admit, a lot of my mood dictates from how meals turn out. Which makes me resort to the same meals over again. When I enjoy a meal or snack I feel like I am in a better mood, which also means the opposite is true when I don’t enjoy a meal. I will not finish it and become a tad moody, and that’s just not fun.

Enjoyment of my meals also means that I look for that “perfect” combination of carbs/proteins/fats. If I feel a meal is completely balanced, my mood increases and the day reflects this. I feel relieved and less anxious throughout the day.

*I had some older produce to use up for dinner, so I made a bowl of roasted vegetables cooked in coconut oil (the best), and after coated it in a dressing of 1/2 an avocado, 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast, a little water to thin, and a little dill to season. I had an egg on the side, but it was hideous. So no picture. Oh, and that’s tomato paste with a little stevia on the side.*

Who can even dictate what a perfect meal is anyways? Everybody is different, and we all have different calorie needs. It’s just a fact of life that every body is completely different from another.

Another problem lies in the fact that I spend far too much time planning and thinking about my next meals and snacks. I am consumed by too many thoughts about creating my next “perfect” meal. This puts my body under more stress and anxiety. It gives comfort to the eating disorder, but not to me. I am left feeling panicked and anxious when I don’t have control over my meals anymore. My food now controls me and becomes an unhealthy obsession.

*That would be my snack of whipped cottage cheese, processed with 1/2 a frozen banana, and little cashew butter on the side. I forgot how much I love blended cottage cheese. Time to bring it back.*

This to me, is disordered eating. When food controls your mood, routine, behaviours, and thoughts, it’s an unhealthy relationship with food and results in a problem. So, how do we stop ourselves from putting so much emphasis on our eating routines?

I find that by putting more of my involvement into my recovery and digging into deep dissolved issues I have experienced, I am able to better manage my emotions. By engaging myself with more varied recipes and “forbidden” foods, I think this could help lessen my obsession with eating clean all of the time. I am more able to choose what I want to be eating, not what I “should” be eating.

Do you allow food to dictate how you feel throughout the day? Would you consider this disordered eating?
Are you good with balancing healthy foods with indulgent foods?

Have a wonderful rest of your day all!!

*Related articles of interest:
MTV explores unhealthy food obsessions (Fox news)
More information on Orthorexia and food obsession (via The Huffington Post)
Healthy Eating Addiction (via Greatist)

{64 Comments }

Protein Pancakes + Edible Cups

July 30, 2012 by

Happy Monday!

Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend and are enjoying the fresh new start to the week. Can’t believe we’re back to the usual routine already.

This weekend was quite low key over here, nothing too crazy. We did enjoy some beautiful weather, which was nice.

The morning started with a quick 30 minute pilates routine to get my body moving for the day. Still keeping things on the lighter side over here.

Breakfast was fabulous, and consisted of some yummy pancakes, inspired by the marvelous Katie.

Best meal of the day for sure!

I added in a whole egg to the mix and for some reason I can’t get down with the yolk in sweet things, I mean you can’t really taste it that much when you completely cover you pancakes in protein frosting anyways…but it just tastes weird to me. Like it should taste savoury instead?. Or perhaps I’m just the weird one. Yeah, that sounds about right.

Oatmeal Pancake cooked in coconut oil, topped with protein frosting and a side of fresh berries.

Sorry for the ugly picture, I’ve been too obsessed with instagram lately, I should probably whip out my actual camera soon…

Made with 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1 egg, 3 egg whites, baking powder, stevia, and 1 tablespoon flax seeds.

Of course, coffee is also needed, as always!

I definitely know what I’ll be asking for for my birthday this year…an espresso maker.

I’m too lazy to go out and search for my own. So I’ll just keep buying starbucks until someone buys a coffee maker for me.

That sounds like a win in my books.

While I was browsing the internet, I saw this. Would you enjoy coffee in an edible coffee cup? How fun is that!?!

I mean, clearly this will be the next big thing. It’s so incredibly practical to bring to work and I’m sure it’s super sanitary as well.

A trip to the market was also made to stock up on an abundance of produce. Obviously.

I felt relieved I went so early in the morning, it was basically deserted which never happens if you go later on. I got in and out in a breeze. Lovely.

And now I need to find a way to use up my massive amounts of zucchini I have over here. There are SO many zucchini recipes out in blog land right now, so its hard to choose just one;)

 

Have a fantastic day! I’ll leave you with a happy quote to add a little positivity to your morning or afternoon, or whenever you read this.

[Source]

What was marvelous about your day today?

{46 Comments }

“Fat” Days

July 27, 2012 by

Hi, all!!

Happy Friday!

Hope your day is starting off pleasant!

This morning, I woke up feeling good. I am proud of myself for making an effort in increasing my calories and reducing my exercise intensity this week. It’s not easy. I’ve had lots of hard and emotional days. And I know the first few weeks are going to be very hard on me, but today I was feeling rather bright and proud.

*This morning for breakfast, I made a creamy overnight buckwheat bowl. I am so glad I brought back buckwheat into rotation. This had buckwheat creamy cereal, that I ground up before hand, 1.5 tablespoons chia seeds, 1/4 cup egg whites, 1/4 cup pumpkin, 1/2 banana, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, stevia. Toppings included more cinnamon and peanut flour paste.*

Some days aren’t as great though. I wake up with lower energy and I can feel stress and negativity creeping into my thoughts.

As I go through my daily routine, I hear the voices creep into my mind and start to think I’m “fat”. I look in the mirror and see a person who was not there yesterday, a totally different human being has embodied my presence. My appearance is skewed. Whenever I pass a mirror, I can’t help but notice how much bigger I am today.

Wow. Wait, hold on a minute! Something isn’t right. It is impossible for me to have changed that much in a day.

“Feeling fat” is a common phrase among plenty of women. Fat is not a feeling. There are many emotions we may be experiencing when these days happen. Perhaps you are stressed at work, tired, angry, or upset. Which in turn can make you perceive things negatively, including your body. Fat is not something you are able to feel.

When this happens, it’s important to take a step back. These days aren’t about your looks or size. Realize that this uncomfortable feeling is coming from an underlying issue.

*Of course, no morning is complete without a Starbucks run. Caffeine fuelled mornings are the only way I can function or think properly.*

What is happening in your life right now? Are you happy? Sad? Angry? Try and find the root of the problem, deal with it, and move on. You are most likely taking out these thoughts into your appearance. Instead, focus and appreciate all that you have accomplished and that you are worthy of feeling good and celebrate your successes in life.

Its important to not wallow in self pity and get down on yourself more. Be positive. Be confident with yourself. You have the power in changing your thoughts. You’re in control to make changes in behaviours and beliefs. Your life is always beautiful if you look at it with a positive attitude.

*Before my busy afternoon, I heated up some leftover spaghetti squash and roasted broccoli slaw and covered it all in marinara sauce. Underneath, is a hidden leftover turkey burger. Yum.*

You only have one life, live it wisely. Enjoy everything about this day. Even when things aren’t so great, we learn from each experience we go through in this life journey.

Have you ever experienced “fat days”? What do you do to change your thoughts?
What are your plans for the weekend?

I’m off to a hair appointment. Have a marvellous Friday loves!!

{53 Comments }

Green Dough + Burgers

July 26, 2012 by

Hello, beautiful people!

Happy Thursday!

This morning was met with a busier start. After eating breakfast, I quickly headed off to Starbucks to grab a much needed coffee. I’ve been enjoying the simple things in life. The weather, family, friends, and wonderful summer foods at the store. I’ve also been making sure to rest more and get less stressed about these simple things.

(It’s all so true)

Oh so wonderful.

For dinner, I enjoyed a wonderful new turkey burger recipe.

I picked up some ground turkey at the store earlier this week since it was on sale, and decided today I finally make something with it.

Almond-Coconut Crusted Turkey Burgers

  • 420 grams (or 1 pound) extra lean ground turkey,
  • 1/4 cup coconut flour
  • 1/4 cup almond flour
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup egg whites.

Mix together the flours and salt.
Form the ground turkey into 4 separate burgers.
Coat the formed burgers in the coconut/almond mixture.



Heat coconut oil over medium heat and cook the burgers in a pan for 6-7 minutes on each side, until cooked throughout.
Finished.

Turkey burgers are a big staple over here for protein options. The flour combos went really well together and definitely gave the turkey burgers some much needed flavour.

I ate the burgers alongside a huge pile of my favourite roasted veggies and some goat cheese. Nothing you haven’t seen before.

Backtracking to the afternoon, I had a craving for some dough. I quickly mixed up a batch of “cookie dough” to enjoy as a snack.

Let’s discuss this for a minute.

Yes, it looks totally bizarre because of the florescent green colour. I swear it is totally delicious. The chickpeas give it its thick texture, with extra protein punch, and the coconut flour and protein powder give it delicious flavouring. Just trust me, its awesome.

Green Cookie Dough (serves 2)

  • 1 cup garbanzo beans
  • 1/2 cup cottage cheese
  • 1-2 cups fresh spinach
  • 2 tablespoons protein powder
  • 1 tablespoon coconut flour
  • 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 cup pumpkin
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 20ish drops vanilla stevia + 1 teaspoon stevia granules

Blend everything in a food processor and enjoy. The added spinach was inspired by my green loving friend, Kristin.

I topped mine with a little cashew butter for some healthy fat action. It was all kinds of fabulous.

I don’t know what else I will have planned for the day yet, possibly going out with some friends later. We’ll see what turns up.

What’s you favourite cookie dough recipe? Do you enjoy creating healthy alternatives to your favourite indulgent foods?

Have a wonderful day all!

{51 Comments }

What I Ate

July 25, 2012 by

Good morning, all! Happy Wednesday.

Half way through…Which also means its What I Ate Wednesday time, just makes the day a bit better:)

I had an appointment at 9 and spent a little too much time stretching at the gym, so was running a little behind this morning. Again, didn’t sleep that well last night. I guess it will take a little bit of time to get back to a normal sleep schedule.

I also have been feeling SO thirsty. I’ve been drinking my face off. It’s a tad ridiculous. I have those big water bottle/cooler type things in my place, and have gone through them extra fast the past couple of weeks. No idea why.

Since I had to be out the door earlier, I made sure to have breakfast prepped the night before. While preparing this, I decided to get some multi-tasking in and also cleaned up the kitchen. One chore less to do this afternoon. Don’t think I did the best job though, hard to clean properly while your also mixing and washing things.

7:30 – Breakfast:

My favourite egg white oat bran, with added sliced berries and peanut flour paste. It was kind of outstanding.

After my appointment, my mom and I headed to starbucks for some much needed caffeine. You know how it goes.

BFL, or breakfast for lunch is what was on the menu today. I was craving eggs so cooked up an omelette. It was a sad attempt.

Lunch – 12:

This had 2 eggs, 1 egg white, which I stuffed with a ton of spinach and green peppers. Had alongside a slice of ezekiel bread with homemade blueberry jam. Eggs and fruity jam just goes so well together. One of those weird combos that just works.

Classic and simple.

For some reason, I get super lazy about making lunch. Dinner is a free for all for creativity, but my passion for fun food is definitely not around come noon time. Anyone else?

3 – Snack:

Avocado Pudding. I’ve started to dislike the word pudding, it sounds weird.

  • 1 small or 1/2 large avocado, 1/2 cup almond/coconut milk mix, stevia, 1/2 scoop protein powder, 1/2 tablespoon cacao powder, 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil, 1 cup spinach, and 1 banana all blended.

Tastes so dang good.

Smiles spread across as each spoonful entered my mouth. The avocado, banana, and coconut oil provide a nice smooth texture to the smoothie, and makes it super creamy.

Dinner – 5:

Underneath is my fabulous marinara sauce. Still need to get that recipe up for you all. Its pretty simple though, I’m sill waiting on my camera from my sister so I can get a proper picture of it…

Closeup.

Roasted/burnt broccoli slaw, zucchini, leftover tempeh, and marinara. Dressed up with avocado post picture. Yes, I am now obsessed with avocados.

I’m just about to sit down with some tea and possibly get creative with a new night time snack! We’ll see if I have any inspiration later on.

I hope you are all enjoying your Wednesday love filled life!

What was the best thing you ate today?

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