GRADUATING, MOVING, AND RUNNING. OH MY!

"Honey, was I this stressed last time we moved?"

"Yea...but I thought it was just because you were pregnant..."

Holy COW.

I really did lose my marbles a little bit.

Last week I was being suffocated by a dark thick cloud of stress. 

I graduated COLLEGE. 

= FINALS 

I MOVED. (Hi, aurora nice to meet you)

= cleaning and packing 

and cleaning and packing

and packing. 

(and taking breaks to nap on the floor 

because your bed is in storage already)

I ran a HALF MARATHON.

= runnning. lots of it.

And the week from stress city (and actually the entire school year) all came to a beautiful and triumphant head the second i crossed that finish line, holding hands with my sweet husband. we made it! it was so cheesily metaphorical. it even rained for every second of the race. when it rains it pours and all that jazz. seriously, so many metaphors could be happening right now but i think you get it. 

this was before the race started. you can imagine how badly we wanted to get out of the car.....

here are some watermarked pictures of the actual race:

this was one of the only times i was running alone because jeff had to stop to go to the bathroom and then he caught up with me (of course)

and after:

 we were so cold afterwards and it took some serious bribing to get jeff to take these pictures.

oh yeah, and even though my husband's hips hurt from going so slow, he ran with his sloth-like wife and helped me to beat my last half marathon time, cheering me on the whole time- for 2 hours 13 minutes. (slow i know but #WHOCARES) I didn't stop running once. There were times when i wanted to cry and kiss him and thank him profusely for motivating me and cheering me on; and then there were times when i yelled: "ok! stop talking to me right now or i'm going to punch you and walk up this blasted hill."

right after we finished the half, we packed up the rest of our stuff (my dad helped us and i was so grateful), said goodbye to kim (sad sad sad), and took off in our U-haul for Aurora, CO. The usually 8 hour drive took us 11 hours and there was so. much. pain involved in that drive. Just try running 13 miles and then promptly sitting in a car for 11 hours one day, and then you will understand. The only redeeming event that happened was when we finally rolled in at 1 am, 5 strong and heaven sent guys, who are working with jeff this summer, helped us move in all of our stuff. I literally wanted to kiss them all. But instead I just said thank you 26 times. 

so yeah! it's all over. we are moved. and i am an official stay at home mom. AND I LOVE IT!

p.s. don't forget to enter the giveaway i have going on! 

Healthy Snacks/desserts

Here are my top 5 FAVORITE healthy snacks. I already did my favorite breakfasts and lunches. I'm not one of those people who makes up a healthy recipe and claims it is good just because I don't want to admit that one of my healthy creations was actually gross. Because sometimes I try making a healthy snack and it IS gross. But these ones are not, I promise. Without further ado....

dried apricots

 Okay so I just buy them at Winco. They are also at Sprouts. So, no preparation on my part; but every time I am craving candy or dessert and I eat these- the craving is completely satisfied. (i will admit that sometimes i give into the real craving before i eat these. oops) They really do taste like candy. I love all dried fruits, but these are more fruit snack-ish.

banana ice cream

1 Frozen banana (easiest if sliced before you put in freezer)

3/4 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

mix in food processor until chunks are gone.

DELICIOUS MILKSHAKE

(in this one i added strawberries, my husband likes adding a touch of cocoa powder because then it tastes like a chocolate milkshake, but i'm not a huge chocolate fan.)

gosh dangit this stuff is so dang delicious. I honestly prefer it to ice cream and, to me, it tastes like a sinful dessert- but it's not!! i cannot recommend this enough! also this may sound weird but it's much easier to drink out of a cup than to eat out of a bowl. 

fruit salad

cut up and mix whatever fruit i have on hand

add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice

and 1 tablespoon of melted honey

drizzle over and mix.

sauteed zucchini

just sautee your favorite vegetable. I sautee in Earth Balance Olive Oil butter. (it's vegan; fun fact) i season with garlic salt and a bit of (real) parmesan cheese and it is probably my all-time favorite snack. 

peanut butter balls

1/2 C Peanut butter

1 C oats

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 C ground flaxseed

3 Tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

mix together and enjoy

 These are so good!

 MUFFINS

i make a batch of muffins pretty much every week. Zucchini muffins, banana muffins, oat bran muffins, and blueberry muffins- but these are my favorite. To make muffins healthier I always use whole wheat flour, add flax seed, sometimes add oats, substitute oil with applesauce, and use either no sugar and just honey or a small amount of sugar with honey. These blueberry muffins are delicious so i'll share my recipe of these with you. email me if you want the recipes to any of my other muffins. 

2 C whole wheat flour
(one time i did 1 1/2 C wheat flour, 1/2 C white flour and it made the muffins much more luscious and fluffy. so you decide if it's worth it to you.)
2/3 C brown sugar (get over the sugar, that is like 1 teaspoon or less of sugar per muffin so it's fine)
2 Tablespoons honey
1 large egg
3/4 C plain greek yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 C unsweetened almond milk
5 Tablespoons apple sauce (can use melted butter if you don't have applesauce)
1 C fresh blueberries (rolled in wheat flour)

and ENJOY! Let me know if you have every to die for healthy desserts/snacks. And let me know if you try any of these! :)

Fast and Healthy Lunches + tips

Ok. So I already gave some fast and healthy breakfast ideas. Now next up is healthy lunches! I LOVE lunch! My most common lunch ingredients are avocado (hi, super food!), zucchini, cottage cheese, and salad. I don't have any pictures of zucchini but some days I just sautee an entire zucchini and that's my lunch! Or i'll eat it with some fruit or a piece of toast. So, without further ado, here are some of my regular lunches!

1. Turkey, cheese, avocado quesadilla.

I use whole wheat tortillas and have found some low carb, low calorie ones that I really like. All tortillas kinda taste the same to me. I do try to only eat tortillas, even if they are whole wheat, a couple times a week, though. I cook these on my George Foreman Grill without butter/oil. To. Die. For.

2. Guacamole on corn tortilla, nuts, and a fruit smoothie.
Hopefully pretty self explanatory. For my fruit smoothies i usually do strawberries, banana, blueberries, and plain greek yogurt. it's kinda like dessert....

3. Chicken Salad on a piece of whole wheat bread.
For Chicken Salad: mix shredded chicken with greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and whatever else you want. I frequently mix in celery, broccoli, craisins, etc. Do with it what you want- it is so versatile!

 4. Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Black Beans
Ok. Confession. I hate sweet potatoes. It's awfully sad. But I made this the other day for me and my husband. My husband loves it and its a great idea if you like sweet potato (another super food). I mixed the beans and potatoes with garlic salt, chili powder, and a bit of parmesan cheese.

ALSO can i just say that it's really weird that everyone calls these sweet potatoes, but they are actually yams. Maybe I'll just start calling apples oranges and see if people go along with it. But really, it makes no sense to me.

5. Broccoli and Cheese Quinoa.
I AM OBSESSED WITH QUINOA. It is just like a heaven-sent food. We have some sort of quinoa bowls at least once a week. But when it's lunch time I usually cook the quinoa, mix it with mozzarella, and garlic, and then eat broccoli (or another veggie) with it. It is SO filling and delicious. And it is a COMPLETE protein. Quinoa is my best food friend. mmmmm. If you haven't tried it yet- get on it! (oh and it only takes like 10 minutes to cook. LOVE)

6. Spinach Romaine Salad
I love salads- my favorite leaf mixture is romaine and spinach. I really need to hop onto the kale bandwagon as well, but the stuff is gross! Maybe one day...Anyways, I top my salads with sliced avocados, craisins, carrots, and croutons. MMM. I also use a small amount of ranch dressing. (not the store bought kind- it has all sorts of weird ingredients.)

7. Turkey Taco Soup
I love making a big batch of soup at the beginning of the week so I can eat it for lunches. Turkey taco soup is my favorite. It's just lean ground turkey, black beans, kidney beans, green lentils, and diced tomatoes. Seasoned with ranch dressing powder and taco seasoning. I may need to do a separate recipe post for this stuff. (let me know if you want it) It is heavenly. We often mix in greek yogurt and shredded cheese when we eat it. It would also be very easy to sneak in some more veggies like zucchini (cuz I'm obsessed...)

8. Guacamole Quesadilla & green Smoothie.

Cheese quesadilla on whole wheat tortilla- smothered in guacamole and tomatoes.

(I know, i know- cheese is my weakness!)

Green Smoothie- 1 C spinach, 1/2 Banana, strawberries, blueberries, greek yogurt, and a splash of unsweetened almond milk. 

9. Veggie Plate. I call it "Power Plate"uhhh self explanatory. I steam and sautee broccoli and zucchini (or whatever veggies i have on hand) with a bit of garlic salt....or whatever other seasonings I'm in the mood for. And then I add a raw veggie- usually carrots or cucumber. But seriously, i love this. I crave it. (except for that one burnt zucchini piece- don't crave that.)

Well- there you have it. I hope this gives you all some ideas of yummy, fast, and healthy lunches to make for yourself and/or your family! I'm just amazed at what clean eating can do for your body and energy levels! 

One major tip I have if you are trying to transition into a healthy lifestyle: do NOT try to do it all at once. Start small by eliminating certain things from your diet. (ie. soda, sugary drinks, chips, fast food etc). After you feel like you have eliminated some things from your diet, start replacing certain foods. (i.e. wheat tortillas for white tortillas, quinoa or brown rice for white rice, lean turkey for ground beef, sweet potatoes (YAMS) for white potatoes, etc.) That is how I've gone about this whole process and it is a lot less overwhelming that way. I went from eating basically fruit and candy my entire pregnancy to how i eat now. Just make small little goals for yourself and eventually you will find yourself munching on vegetables and enjoying it! :) 

Recently I've set a goal to eat 6 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. (1 cup of vegetables = 1 serving. 1/2 C fruit = 1 serving. 2 cups of leafy greens = 1 serving) It's been amazing that i've been full all the time and no longer had the desire to reach for a cookie or whatever else it might be. I've changed my mindset to "I can't eat that (cookie)" to "I need to eat that (broccoli)". It doesn't sound like it s a big difference, but it is.  And it has been amazing because I don't even feel like I'm restricting myself really since i love a lot of fruits and vegetables. Now I will say that I don't love ALL fruits or all vegetables, but work with what you got! Anyways, I think that is a long enough rant for today. Hopefully it was somewhat helpful to someone.

(If you are interested in what my normal eating day looks like and/or want some ideas to incorporate all these fruits and vegetables into your diet, I'd be happy to let you know- just ask.) Also let me know if you have any good healthy and easy meal ideas! :)

6 healthy, easy, and delicious breakfast ideas.

I have been slowly transforming to a healthy lifestyle for the past year. I have come to love eating healthy and have many strong opinions on the matter. For instance, I believe in fueling my body with REAL food. But at the same time, i let myself have a treat every once in while. (People who never treat themselves bug me because they are just making their life miserable.) 

Ok I'm going to do a little series of FAST, HEALTHY, AND DELICIOUS meals, each segment including some extra tips and tricks I have learned.

The series will consist of: breakfast, lunch, dinner, desserts/snacks

My first segment is: Breakfast.

Here are 6 of my favorite breakfast meals that are on rotation. It is SO important to start your day off right by eating healthy foods. I'm guilty of being a breakfast-skipper in the past. Shame on me!

FAIR WARNING: I may have gone a little over the top on the blueberries. But umm, I'm obsessed. they are so incredibly healthy for you. Seriously, like one of the best things you can put in your body. Oh, and they taste like candy! umm, hello?! why the heck would i not put them on...everything? Yes they are expensive but a small little container can really go a long way. 

 1. Banana Oatmeal: 1/2 coined banana,  3/4 C unsweetened almond milk (or regular milk), 1 Teaspoon raw honey. (emphasis on the raw, the cheap honey that comes in those little bears might as well be straight sugar and doesn't really have any health benefits), 1/4 C pecans, and a small handful of blueberries. Heat the bananas up with oatmeal for 2 minutes, then stir. Add in the honey, nuts, and fruit. (obviously versatile and interchangeable)

 1. Fried Egg Tostado. crisp a corn tortilla on a skillet. set aside while you make the guacamole. (1/2 avocado mashed with 1 T milk, 1 teaspoon garlic salt, and 1 teaspoon lime juice). spread guacamole on tortilla and top with one slice of crisped deli turkey and a fried egg. Top with a bit of cheese.

 Yogurt & Granola: 1/2 C plain greek yogurt, small handful of almonds, 1/4 C granola (homemade is best- i'll post the recipe another time), and small handful of fruit. Of course this picture is of blueberries, but I switch it up with different fruit every day! This is such a good thing to eat when you are having a sugar craving!

 Grape Nuts & lemon water: Ok I know of so many people who hate on grape nuts, but I'm obsessed and I think you should just give it a try! Shake it up and add fruit like...blueberries. again. guilty. This stuff is just about the best thing you can eat in the morning...loaded with fiber and also a good source of protein and whole grains. Whole grains are the best to eat in the morning because they are slow burning carbs which makes them easier to burn off throughout the day and actually combat against late night sugar cravings. Fiber is good in the morning because it really gets your metabolism going. I also drink lemon water almost every morning. There are so many health benefits to drinking lemon water. It cleanses your system, aids in digestion, and improves your immune system. I feel so refreshed and energized after gulping down a glass of this every morning. See more benefits here.

Turkey and Cheese Omelette: me and my husband have this at least twice a week- it is our favorite breakfast! I start by getting a couple slices of deli turkey and crisping them on a skillet. I then mix, salt, and pour 2 eggs on top of the turkey. let egg cook and then sprinkle with cheese: mozzarella is the best but I sometimes use a bit of cheddar too. Oh and the turkey is great because it tastes like bacon! mm :) Sometimes we add in some green pepper or spinach or other veggies! Omelettes are also very versatile!

picture via

Banana-Egg Pancakes: Oh my gosh it took me so long to finally try these. I was SO skeptical of these pancakes but i LOVED them. I combined 1 banana and 2 eggs together with a mixer. I then added a pinch of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1 Tablespoon flax seed (optional), and a pinch of cinnamon. Spray pan and cook on medium-low heat. They taste wonderful, but I still can't figure out how to flip them without destroying them. (they are very delicate). So, i stole this picture because mine usually look extremely undesirable. I ate them with a very light spread of peanut butter and that's it because they already have sweetness. They are DELISH and if you have been hesitant to jump on the no-flour pancakes bandwagon; now is the time to jump on because i'm telling you- you will never look back. These would be a PERFECT post-workout snack as well. 

if any of you have any other good ideas or tips- let me know and leave a comment! Or if you try any of these let me know how they work for you :)