#healthy food blog

baked peaches + cinnamon + vanilla almond milk + little bit of brown sugar

I was craving peach cobbler because a mommy blog on pinterest spammed my home page with gorgeous desserts… not complaining… it just made me really crave buttery gooey yummy cobbler. so i made this. 

After living at my current residence for about seven months, I just went grocery shopping for a full week’s-worth of meals for the first time yesterday. With work, classes, wedding planning, etc. I not only neglected my little blog (which I am ok with) but also managed to forget all the good habits I created for myself: 

1. enjoy preparing and cooking my own food - it makes the meal that much more satisfying when I’ve taken the care to make it myself

2. buy clean, whole foods, and plenty of fruits and veggies to snack on

3. shop for yummy healthy food that I can look forward to cooking up - and it doesn’t have to be elaborate (the real meat and potatoes of this post)

After years of eating pretty clean, exercising regularly, and being mindful of keeping my mind, body, and spirit healthy, I for some reason thought I had to change what I was doing to improve, 

(Read: “wedding diet” was on my mind as was toxic)

I know what works for me and maybe I can switch things up a little bit, but I like what I eat on a daily basis AND it leaves me satisfied and nourished.

 I posted my grocery list however long ago and haven’t strayed too much.

+BREAKFAST: oatmeal or poached egg on ezekiel bread

+ MORNING SNACK: vanilla almond milk latte

+ LUNCH: big salad of the week

+ AFTERNOON SNACK: apples, peanut butter, bananas, grapes, hummus, carrots

+ DINNER: soup or sweet potato scramble

And that’s basically it… but it works for me and it takes some decision making out of my day. I can come home from work and know there are a few things I can prepare that are healthy and nourishing instead of swinging by Trader Joe’s and picking up whatever they are selling as a free sample (they get me EVERY time!) 

SPARKNOTES VERSION: find what works for you and stick to it. If you get bored add one or two new recipes for the week and then stick to your main staples. The body responds to changing things up but not if it’s adding stress to your life (ie meal planning?!) stock your fridge with yummy whole foods!

Recently, actually exactly one week ago, I received an email from Crate & Barrel: “Only 8 weeks until your wedding day! It’s not too late to add to your registry…” I made up the second sentence by assuming the content because I saw “8 weeks” and my heart dropped. EIGHT (now SEVEN) weeks until I get married. This is so exciting and so terrifying at the same time and I think this is what is considered “crunch time” - literally and figuratively. 

That day I signed myself up for butt-kicking pilates classes and also happened to watch a documentary focusing on sugar in our diets. 

Without adequate time to blog lately, I have missed to other side of the blogosphere as well - a wealth of knowledge (that must be filtered, of course) that encourages health and understanding. I love motivation to read the food labels, listen to my body, and exercise regularly. 

For AT LEAST 7 weeks I am going to cut sugar out of my diet. Not completely, but the slashing has begun. 

HOW I MODIFIED MY FRIDGE

• switched to plain nonfat Greek yogurt
  
• switched to reduced sugar vanilla almond milk (it’s a journey, I will get to original at some point) 
• hunted for granola high in protein, low in sugar and free from unpronounceable ingredients
• ditched the sweetened white chocolate wonderful PB (though it has been my version of dessert for years) for plain peanut butter
• tossed most of my salad dressings containing sugar
• bought organic tomato sauce lower in sugar than others
• bought lots of fruits and vegetables to add natural sources of carbohydrates and sweetness to my life

Switching to the reduced-sugar almond milk was one of the harder transitions but as of today (three days later), it’s already getting easier to enjoy my morning latte without making a face after the first few sips. 

This weekend I am going to Austin and am trying to plan for the best to hold strong in avoiding sugar. It will definitely be a challenge to avoid sugar and alcohol when surrounded by friends, but I’m just telling myself “7 weeks and I’m home free”… while in the back of my mind hoping that by at least four weeks in the lust for sugar will have mostly subsided anyways. 

**ANY tips for cutting out sugar or additional information on why to avoid sugar are greatly appreciated. But please, if you believe “avoiding fruit” are two words that go together, this is not the place for you

There is nothing more Texan that breakfast tacos, nothing at all. Every time I am in Austin it is a ritual to walk to Jo’s (not from the house, but from blocks away where I found parking), seek out breakfast tacos, scarf them down, and then, you know, do all the other Austiny things. 

Sometimes, though, and I hate to admit it, when I buy breakfast tacos, they are soggy and have been sitting in tin foil probably a short while but I’d venture to say since the weekend before… You never know EXACTLY what is sitting under that heat lamp. 

Luckily, my fiance can whip up a breakfast taco in no time. And with a hot cup of coffee or a glass of orange juice, there is no better way to start the day.

INGREDIENTS

flour tortillas, warmed | eggs, scrambled | freshly diced white onion and tomato | freshly chopped cilantro | freshly sliced avocado | green salsa

• warm tortillas in the microwave or on the stove
• scramble eggs over low heat until cooked but still soft
• top tacos with mixture of onions, tomatoes, and cilantro and sliced avocado

1. When do I drink my coffee?

ASAP. There’s no hope in me getting to work without my cup of joe as soon as I wake up. Coffee early, then a healthy breakfast, and lots of water is plenty to keep me going. Knowledge gained after trying several morning routines that included a frozen banana/cold brew smoothie and trying to make my own latte as soon as I got to work. 

2. Can I eat every. single. thing. for breakfast?

So I wake up at 5:30, I’m at work by 6:30, my break is at about 9:00, and I get off work around 2:00. At first I let myself give in to thinking I had to fuel up to make it through the day. Fuel, yes. Lots 

of calories and caffeine, no. I stick to hearty oatmeal with nuts or I bring my own egg sandwich on Ezekiel bread. It’s important to have protein and fiber for lasting energy. And water water water. 

3. When do I drink my coffee again? 

Although I try to keep my caffeination to mornings before work, by 4 pm after working 10 hours I think I’m due. I fill up on an iced black coffee and try to sip on it throughout the early afternoon so there’s nothing preventing me from getting a great night’s sleep later. (I have to go to bed so disgustingly early).

4. How on earth will I make it to the gym?

Yes, long days are exhausting, and sometimes those will be my days off, but I can’t make an excuse for every day. Sometimes just getting there is half the battle. The Goji Play app is amazing and makes it way less daunting to hop on the elliptical, treadmill, or bike, and at least get in some cardio. 

It’s an app that lets your play games while you work out that makes the time pass so much more quickly, and for me, helps me at least get to the gym in the first place. 

For long days when I just want to sink into my couch, it’s perfect.* 

*For my days off I think it’s important to employ some mental endurance and not rely on a game to distract you from a great workout. 

Key West

Key West