Clean Eating

Last night my mom and I went to this vegetarian cooking class. I was so excited to get some new recipes, and although the food tasted good, I was a little disapointed. For some reason a lot of people seem to think that vegetarian dishes need to be loaded with olive oil and cheese in order for them to taste good. I was expecting light, healthy meals, and almost everything the chef prepared was the exact opposite. For example, the zucchini potato pancakes were fried in oil, the butternut kale salad was drenched in olive oil, and so on.

I think it is important to remember that just because something is vegetarian, it doesn't automatically make it healthy. Don't try to mask the flavors of vegetables with cheese and unnecessary oil. It may take a little bit of time to get used to, but after a while you will seriously start to crave the vegetables themselves, simply cooked in water with some lemon, sea salt, and pepper... yummm.


So this morning I was all pumped to make my own apple cinnamon oat muffins.

They look pretty delish right?! Well they tasted amazing, but I messed up the texture somehow so I am going to experiment with my recipe a little bit to see if I can fix it, because I think you guys would really enjoy the them!


And now I am off to water Eric's tree, his parents asked Cort and I if we could take care of it while they were away. If anyone who knew Pitman hasn't been to the environmental center to see it yet, it is so pretty, such a great little spot!

This afternoon my workout will consist of a mash-up of a few things...


-2 mile warm up run
-The "Powerful Real Time Sweat Workout" from bodyrock.tv
-20 minute swim 


It's going to be tough, but you can't beat the feeling you get after finishing a really hard workout!

Why I am motivated

Before I get too serious, I wanted to share my dinner with you! Yesterday night we made one of my favorite meals for dinner... fish tacos!

Yep, it was as yummy as it looks! Cort and I took over the kitchen to make these for ourselves and my mom, and they definitely hit the spot. The watermelon salsa was the perfect topping to offset the spiciness of the fish (we used halibut). We also threw on some romaine lettuce, avocado, and corn for some crunch. Then we wrapped everything up in a whole grain tortilla! They are such a great and light summer meal, as apposed to traditional tacos which load on the calories with beef, sour cream, and cheese... so next time your family is craving tacos, try a fish taco recipe like this one instead! 

Okay, now a few thoughts I've had over the past couple of weeks...

As many of you know, I had a stroke a little over two months ago. It was completely random and really scary, but I was back to my normal self within two weeks. A couple of days ago I was doing some homework for my summer math class, and I suddenly got the same sort of feeling that I had before having my stroke. It's really hard to explain, but it's almost like everything slows down a bit. It scared me so I ran to the mirror and tried smiling and moving my face around, and shook my hands to make sure everything was still working okay. A few minutes later the feeling was gone and I was completely fine. 

I've always been really thankful for my health, but since my stroke I have been so appreciative every day for my physical and mental health. So when people ask me, "Where do you get your motivation?!", well, I simply try to take advantage of being young and healthy every day!

Put good food into your body, get enough sleep, drink lots of water, and get 30 minutes of some type of physical activity in each day. It really doesn't take much more than that. Don't take your health for granted, take advantage of these years when you have the potential to be in the best shape of your life. 

"Train Hard, Eat Healthy, Be Happy" :)

A Weekend of Workouts, Recipes, and Relaxation!

Hey everyone!

This weekend flew by! I have a lot to cover so this is a little long, but I promise there's some good workouts and recipes for you guys...

Saturday morning is when I do my hill sprint workout... dun dun dun... it sucks but when I'm done I feel invincible, so I fight through it! And this Saturday I had my cousin Paden there to tough it out with me, so it definitely made it more "enjoyable", if that's possible. 

So basically the workout is broken down like this:

-7 hill sprints (all the way to the top of this killer hill above) 

-34 burpees (w/ out a push up)

-34 squat jumps

-34 push ups

3 rounds 

We were dead by the end of this workout, it took about an hour, and when we got home I made my absolute favorite post-workout shake...the vanilla banana oat shake. I hate to put up pictures of this shake because I realize it doesn't look too appetizing, but trust me, it is so delicious and such a great way to refuel after a workout as tough as this one was. Paden even said "Wow, I'd eat this over ice cream!" And for something that is sugar and dairy free, that is pretty impressive!

Vanilla Banana Oat Shake

-1 frozen sliced banana

-1/4 cup of almond or coconut milk (I mix both types in)

-1/2 cup of oats 

-1 heaping tbsp of chia seeds

-1 tbsp of cinnamon 

-2 tbsp of powdered peanut butter 

-1/2 cup of crushed ice

-1/2 a scoop of vanilla protein powder or your choice 

Put all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender, and blend until smooth. 

Again, I know the picture isn't too appetizing but oh baby! It is so thick and delicious we had to eat it with a spoon. 

All gone :) YUMMMO!!! I'm serious, try this recipe out and tell me what you think. 

Cort took me out to dinner Saturday night and we sat outside, it was so nice! 

I ordered their fish special which was Hawaiian Ono (just a light, white fish) with spinach, and a black bean and chickpea salsa... so delicious! A tip when going out to eat--stick with lean protein and veggies, skip the bread and starches with your meal. I know a lot of people get that "uncomfortably full" feeling after going out to eat, so just try to keep it light and you'll enjoy yourself much more.

Sunday was a day to just relax! I went on a run in the morning while my mom biked next to me, and then I hung around the pool with Cort and the dogs for the rest of the day.

(Quick stretch before... lots of water after!!!) 

These are the best kinds of days =)

 If anyone has any questions about my diet, recipes, or workouts, or just anything in general, don't hesitate to ask! I love getting comments! 

Superbowl Wednesday

Happy first (and extremely HOT) day of summer!

Wednesdays are one of the two days that I go for my long runs, so I woke up at 6am this morning to get my run in before it got too hot! I like to run in the heat sometimes to really get my sweat on, but 97 degrees is pushing it, so I was glad I got up early. Plus, I love getting my workouts done early in the morning, finishing 6 miles before 7am makes you feel like you are ready to take on the day!

I was a sweaty mess after my run and I was ready for a big breakfast, so I had my favorite peanut butter and banana oatmeal with strawberries on top, half a grape fruit, and a bottle of water.

After math class I came home and made a quick salad for lunch. I just mixed some dark greens, kale, sliced almonds, sliced grapes, carrots, cucumbers, and one hard boiled egg together. At the beginning of the week I will make a bunch of hard boiled eggs, and then store them in the refrigerator so I can have them on top of my salads! It is a great way to add some lean protein to your lunch.

Dinner was my favorite meal of the day! I went to Wegmans to get some of their wild caught salmon, and oh boy it was so delicious! I made a side of quinoa with tomatoes and kale to go with it, and just ended up mixing everything together in one big bowl! It was such a simple and awesome meal. If you are still hesitant about quinoa, try this recipe out, it has such great flavor and many nutritional benefits.

-1 cup of quinoa 
-2 cups of water
-2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
-2 handfuls of kale 

I simply put the water and quinoa on the stove and let it come to a boil, and then let it simmer for 15 minutes. I then added the tomatoes and kale and let it sit for another 3 minutes until the kale was wilted but still a bit crunchy.















Finally for dessert, I had a bowl of homemade granola with half a cup of dairy free almond yogurt with sliced strawberries. I will be brining you guys the recipe for my granola asap!

When I loaded my pictures onto my computer at the end of the day, I realized every single meal I had today was in a bowl and it made me laugh--hence the title "Superbowl Wednesday" for today's post. :)

Have a great next couple of days everyone!

A Typical Tuesday

Hey everybody!

This is the LAST week for the math class I am taking this summer, so I am definitely going to be putting a lot more time into my blog!

This morning I had the most amazing pancakes, and I would feel bad if I didn't share the recipe-- they were that good! Besides oatmeal, pancakes are my favorite breakfast food, but I don't eat them that often because they really aren't too great for you, and the healthier pancake recipes I have tried normally just don't do it for me. However, yesterday I found an awesome blog called peanutbutterfingers, and I followed her recipe for banana bread protein pancakes, and it was honestly the most delicious recipe i've tried so far. It is so simple and such a great way to start your day! So major props to Julie for coming up with such a great recipe.

After my class I met Cort for lunch in Harrisburg, and he works right by the Susquehanna so it is always nice sitting outside by the river! I packed us tuna salad with some nuts and a couple whole wheat crackers, apple slices, grapes, and some cut veggies. This is one of my favorite lunches, it has everything you need to reenergize and get through the afternoon. 

Now it is time for my workout! (Another reason I am glad class is ending--I can finally have my morning workouts back!!) 

Tuesday's Workout (3 circuits)

1.5 - 2 mile warm up run

3 sets of 10 single leg squats (each leg), 110 pounds

3 sets of 30 walking lunges (15 each leg), 40 pounds

3 sets of 5 around the world arm lifts, 10 pounds

3 sets of 10 plank rows

3 sets of 10 star jumps

3 sets of 100 jump rope skips

3 sets of 10 burpees (with push up)

3 sets of 20 leg raises, 60 bicycle, 20 pulses (abs)

After this workout, I will be having a nice big bowl of whole grain pasta with my mom's homemade tomato sauce for dinner, yummmmm. :) 

"An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away" Salad!

Hey everybody! So everyone knows that having a salad for either lunch or dinner is a healthy choice to make. However, a lot of the time salads can actually be loaded with a ton of fat and calories due to the cheese, bacon, dressing, and other ingredients included. For example, while some may think ordering a chicken caesar salad for lunch should count towards their healthy meal for the day, lets be realistic... a bunch of iceberg lettuce covered in creamy dressing with cheese and croutons shouldn't even be called a salad! At the same time, I know that a big problem with "healthy" salads is that they are pretty boring. BUT, I have a really great salad recipe that I love to eat for lunch, and I think you guys will really enjoy it!

"An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away" Salad

Salad:
1. A handful or two of dark green salad mix
2. A handful of kale (don't be afraid of kale! You can get a bunch of it at any grocery store, and it's health benefits are amazing!!) 
3. One handful of organic carrots peeled and chopped
4. A quarter of an organic cucumber chopped (I don't peel it, it makes it crunchier!)
5. One handful of organic snow peas, cut in half
6.One half of either a granny smith or a red delicious organic apple (I mix both types in!), chopped
7. One spoonful of flaxseed, sprinkled over the salad
8. A small handful of plain almonds
8. One hard boiled egg, chopped
9. A pinch or two of pepper and sea salt

Dressing:
1. Simply just squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the salad, no dressing needed!

Method:

1. Mix the dark greens, kale, carrots, cucumbers, peas, and apples all together in your salad bowl

<-- Kale! 

2. Sprinkle the almonds and flax seed over the salad. (This is a great ingredient to buy! You can use it in salads, smoothies, oatmeal, and baked goods! In just one serving (2 Tbsp.) it has 3 grams of protein, 3 grams of fiber, as well as omega 3 fatty acids!)

3. Add the chopped hard boiled egg on top as well as a sprinkle or two of sea salt and pepper

4. Squeeze some lemon juice on top, and enjoy!!