Dear food, I love you...

This weekend, from the moment I got home from work at 5 on Friday I was in the mood to cook and bake. Maybe it was the beginning of the autumn weather, or maybe it was that I got paid and wanted to go buy food ;) But either way, I spent a good chunk of my weekend in the kitchen. And that is one of my favorite places to be :)

Friday night I decided that I wanted to FINALLY make these granola bars I've had bookmarked on my computer. I basically just mixed a bunch of stuff that I had in my cupboards and put them in a freezer for a few hours before I cut them and put them in individual baggies. These will be perfect for me to take to work this week!

Saturday I decided that because it was college football day, why not cook some clean spicy white chicken chili while we watched U of M kick butt!! (GO BLUE!!) It turned out AMAZING with extras  for the work week. i also made some clean zucchini bread muffins that were so yummmmmmmy, especially topped with a little sun butter. I had intended to top them with chopped walnuts, but I was so excited to get them in the oven I completely forgot to add them to the top :( Oh well, saving them for the next batch ;)

This morning my breakfast consisted of egg whites, a zucchini muffin, and some avocado with a little sugar free ketchup. So delicious and hit the spot.

Sunday afternoon, the weather was crisp and chili. We all sat around watching the NFL and I decided to roast the butternut squash I purchased the other day grocery shopping. I cut it up, seasoned it with EVOO, nutmeg, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. The apartment filled up with the cozy aroma of autumn and I dug into the squash topped with a little sugar free syrup for added sweetness. This was perfect for a chill fall day and probably one of my new favorite dishes. 

How was everyones weekend? Did anyone else spend a good chunk of their time in the kitchen?! :)

Fall into WIAW #2

Happy hump day kiddies!! This is my second WIAW and I am SO EXCITED to share some of the items I have been chowing on this past week :) First things first, I wanted to share some habits i want to "fall into" this upcoming season. After doing a lot of research and reading I decided I wanted to incorporate more of a plant based diet into my eating habits. Now I do not plan on going vegan/vegetarian by any means and I already chow on some pretty amazing veggies including long time favorites and new veggies I now adore. However, I want to make it an even bigger portion of my day. I think the health benefits I'll gain from doing so will be outstanding and I am so eager to try it out :) Also, i started logging my miles running in hopes to become a runner and participate in a half marathon by spring. Go big or go home right?!
ON TO THE FOOD!!

Above are some new items that I incorporated into my diet. For one, I finally picked up Sunwarrior protein and I absolutely love it. I used it to make Pumpkin Protein Bars :) I also bought an herb goat cheese that is used in the bottom left corner. THat picture consists of a low carb wrap, 3 egg whites, 1 egg with goat cheese, green pepper, tomato, eggplant, and a little RS ketchup. The top left picture is clean mashed sweet potato with nutmeg and cinnamon, baked garlic chicken and roasted eggplant and squash. I also picked up Tazo white tea thanks to  reading Kammie's blog at http://www.sensualappealblog.com/ :)

This above picture is some of my quick little meals at work, along with some frozen  yogurt as my Friday night treat :) I cannot go a whole week without my favorite treat! so yummmmmmmy. 

I am also a HUGE fan of Little B's blog and I made her pumpkin protein bars that were absolutely delicious and PERFECT for a grab and go at work. 
I'd say my eats have been pretty awesome lately! I love trying new things and I love eating clean and cooking! I hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday and stuffs their faces full of delicious healthy awesomeness :) :)

Goals

When new seasons arrive, people tend to evaluate their lives and make lists/goals of what they want to improve on.

With fall approaching, I did this very same thing. I started to think about what I wanted in life and what my passions were. Which actually ended up smacking me in the face after realizing how I spent my day off.

• 6:30 am wake up, quick snack, head to gym
• 7:00-8:00 am gym time (1.5 mile run and weights)
• 8:15 am shower, breakfast, read blogs and relax
• 12 pm Barnes and Noble. I spent a solid 45 minutes in the health/diet/fitness section grabbing all different types of books and skimming through them, contemplating on which ones to purchase. i wanted ALL of them, and sadly left with none until I do further research. Money is tight these days and I need to spend wisely so I will see what the library has available ;)
• 2 pm make a yummy lunch of left over baked chicken breast, mashed sweet potato and sauteed eggplant and squash.
• Spend the rest of the day reading more nutrition and fitness blogs online, looking up new fitness classes/gyms to check out, and making a monthly chart of my miles of running so I can see how I have improved. I will share this at the end of the month :)

I decided based on my evaluation of today that I needed to follow my passion. Clearly I absolutely LOVE anything health/fitness related. Hence why I created this blog. I wanted to challenge myself to be creative, to document different recipes and lifestyle changes and make goals for myself to achieve. One of these being more running. I love how I feel running, I want to become a runner, kick butt in a race and feel that I accomplished a personal goal. 

So why am I not pursuing a career in this? Being an only child who had divorced parents who worked full time and then some in business jobs, I often felt that they didn't really LOVE what they did. Instead I believed they felt comfort in knowing it was steady and safe regardless of if it was a passion or not. I do not want to follow that path. I want to wake up every morning knowing that I love my job, that I am following my passion, that I am helping people and growing as a person. 

I decided I am going to start educating myself further. Reading more books from the library and store on health and nutrition, following more blogs, promoting my own in the community, and saving my pennies to get certified as a personal trainer. I want to do this for a living, I can feel it in my heart, I can taste how bad I want it. So what's holding me back? I'm young, fresh out of college, and have the opportunity to do something with my life.

As I partake on this little journey of happiness, I will be sure to share everything. The ups, downs, good, bad, and everything in between. With that being said, I'll leave with this little inspirational quote: 

Don't be afraid to follow your dreams. It's better to know you at least tried, than always wonder "what if?" 

"Morning Person"

Quick Post:

I think that I have taken the term "morning person" to a whole new level.
I have been bug eyed and bushy tailed wide awake since 4:30 this morning, and completed my back/bi workout while still extremely sore from leg day by 7 am.

At least I'm being productive?!

Have a good and happy morning :)

Things that make me super duper happy :)

IT'S THE WEEKEND!!!!


Obviously thats the number 1 thing that makes me happy right now :) At 5 pm today when I got out of work I was filled with insane levels of  excitement knowing that I didn't have to step my little tootsies back into the office until Tuesday morning.

While we're on the subject of excitement, I thought I'd share some of the randomness that has crossed my mind throughout the week that makes me one happy camper.

So here it goes, things that "make me super duper happy"

Coffee makes me happy. This is a huge understatement. The thought crossed my mind the other day and after possibly consuming a few too many cups, I decided to write a love letter  to my cup of coffee. (I never said i was normal)

ahem....."Dear coffee, I love you so much. Thank you for always being hot, yummy, and for filling my body with oodles of caffeine. I don't know how I'd survive without you."

and just in case you are wondering, the coffee said it loved me back by giving me the energy I needed to spaz out and complete all of my assigned tasks.

This sandwich also made me super happy (considering i took a huge bite before remembering to snap a picture). This is TJ's sprouted bread, crunchy peanut butter, crofters jam, and a banana. Delicious doesn't even begin to cover it. Perhaps scrumptious? Either way, I could eat this bad boy for every meal.

And since it was payday, I FINALLY picked up this gem ON SALE :) I have been wanting to purchase this for quite some time now considering I have crazy amounts of recipes saved that require a protein powder. This is a brand I have researched quite a bit and have seen in numerous blogs, so I figured I'd give it a try. Cannot wait to use some after my Saturday morning workout.

This little (but not really) frozen yogurt treat made my Friday night absolutely wonderful. Peanut butter, vanilla, and dark chocolate frozen yogurt with strawberries, some white and milk chocolate chips, cool whip, sprinkles, tad bit of caramel, lil bit of reeses, lord knows what else I piled in there. Absolutely delicious :)

My Saturday consists of either the gym or a run, we will which one i feel like accomplishing in the morning ;) followed by the farmers market (HUGE SMILES) and some errands and COLLEGE FOOTBALL!!

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend.
What are some things that make you super duper happy?!

v-card

My very first WIAW!! :)

I decided to just put together a few of my recent favorite eats to get the dice rolling on my very first WIAW. I always love reading (spending hours) other WIAW posts and have been dying to participate!


Here goes nothing :)

This is some of the things I have been loving this summer. Lots of fresh greens! Especially asparagus yummm. WATERMELON! and of course in the upper left corner a greek yogurt bowl. Below that I tried a Larabar Uber bar. It was okay, but I only ended up eating half of it and tossing the rest. I wasn't super happy with the nutrients I read on the package but was starving at my office job. Quest bars are still my favorite :)

This was my dinner last night. Again lots of greens with asparagus and kale along with mushrooms, cucumber, red pepper and TJ's chicken breast (my favorite). So refreshing in this heat!

Both of these "treats" above hit the spot when I'm craving something sweet. I either add greek yogurt, cottage cheese, or a mixture of both with an apple or banana and a little nut butter and cinnamon. So yummy and creamy it's like I am digging into dessert.

Well that is it for my first WIAW. Can't wait to keep participating each week!! Happy Wednesday all :)

TMI Tuesday

I have seen this post on pretty much every blog I've scrolled through. I decided I would participate in this fun little "get to know me" since my blog is just a brand new baby of mine :)

List of loves from A-Z

A: APPLES!! I have one almost every day. They are fantastic with any nut butter, including almond butter (a close tie to winning the 'A' spot). i eat them almost every way possible and they make me do a happy dance each time :)

 

B: Beer. Yeah, I said it. I do follow a pretty clean eating lifestyle and it has benefited me in every way possible. However, I do love an occasional ice cold brewski. Moderation right?

C: Chocolate. Anything. Cookies, cake, candy, you name it i love it. Again, all in moderation?! Thank goodness for unsweetened cocoa. A little bit mixed in my greek yogurt/cottage cheese with some stevia and I get my "healthy" chocolate fix. 

D: Dogs. I love those furry little animals. i have one of my own. His name is Baxter, he was born in Las Vegas on Christmas. He has one of the most unique personalities I have ever come across. I know most dog owners say that, but mine truly believes he is a toddler. He sits on my hip when i hold him and he hits when he wants something. Couldn't get any closer to a toddler in the terrible two stage.

E: Etsy. They have the most unique products. 

F: Farmers Market. You can get the freshest produce at such a reasonable price. Knowing I am helping out the community by buying local produce makes me feel good as well. 

G: Greek yogurt. Consumed every single morning by yours truly. Fage 0% plain is my favorite, but Chobani is also extra delicious. So good with fruit, nut butter, kashi, granola, pretty much anything :)

H: Hummus. Makes my veggies extra yummy!

I: Itch. Because what is worse than an itch you cannot scratch?

J: Jalapeños. A new favorite of mine. 

K: Kitchenaid. I want one of those mixers so I can become a baking goddess. Kale is good too. 

L: Lululemon because I want to go shop there SO BAD.

M: Mat. He's my best friend and I love him dearly. He also puts up with me and my attention span of a gnat, so thats a plus. 

N: Nutmeg. It just smells so wonderful. 

O: Olives. Because I do not like them one bit no matter how many times I try to make myself. 

P: Peanut Butter. YUM.

Q: Quinoa. Another new favorite. 

R: Running. It helps me clear my head, no matter how far, fast, or slow my run is. I never regret a good run. 

S: Santa because Christmas is awesome and he's a jolly fellow.

T: Trader Joes. I mean that place is just awesome. Any the prices rock.

U: Under Armor. The workout gear is awesome!

V: Victoria's Secret. Because unfortunately I have a credit card there. And we all know what that means. 

W: WMU. Because Western Michigan University was my school of choice at the age of 10 and I graduated this past April. It will always hold a special place in my big heart. 

x: XXX? lol I have no idea!

y: Yogurt. Frozen yogurt. Yes that was kind of a cheat but I couldn't help it. It is just so delicious!

Z: Zenon girl of the 21st century. Disney was awesome as a child/preteen! 

Happy TMI Tuesday :)