Food for thought

Just taking a little time for self reflection...
What is your fitness goal? To have a hot body? To lift heavy things? To make boys like you? If the answer to any of these question is yes - let's modify. Fitness, in my opinion, is a point of optimum nutrition and self love. Nowhere in this definition are the words "abs" or "thin" or "hot". Nutrition + love, however, are the main key points.
From fitness I have discovered a stronger, leaner, happier me. Eating wholesome foods and soaking up endorphins has done more for my physical (and mental) health than I can ever express to you all. But I did not achieve this without some difficulty. I followed the path of restrictive eating and obsessive exercise. I was skinny, which is what I thought I wanted. But I wasn't happy. How can you be when all your mind can focus on is your next meal, or your next gym sesh?
Life is balance. And eating a cake pop on a Thursday afternoon isn't going annihilate your morning cardio, or make you unhealthy. McDonalds every day? Maybe. But baking an apple pie to share with your friends after having a dinner with plentiful whole grains and vegetables? I don't buy it. There has to be room for happiness.

SELF LOVE. FORGIVENESS. BALANCE.

These are the components of fitness. A desire to better yourself inside and out. Don't let the pressures of media and Victoria's Secret Fashion Shows kill your vibe.

Rock on, foodies. xoxo

vacay

hey foodies, 

so I've been on vacation in Washington, D.C. for a couple days and it's been FABULOUS. one thing that's super hard for me when traveling, though, is my routine healthy eating and exercising. The good news is - it's not impossible, and it's okay to indulge a little bit. :) 

I used my hotel gym and simply did a short 30 minute HIIT workout every day. I didn't have my fancy gym or yoga studio, but this was enough to keep me going. 

here's what I did: 

10 min treadmill - 

3 min @ 6

2 min @ 7 

1 min @ 8 (9 second time around)

& repeat!

10 push ups (so hard)

30 sec plank

30 sec mountain climbers 

30 sec ski jumps (or split jumps)

20 leg lift crunches

30 Russian twists w/ weight 

& repeat!

15 split lunge jumps 

15 jump squats 

20 reg squats (with weight)

15 donkey kicks each leg (with weight)

& repeat! 

------------------------------------------------

when it comes to eating out - have fun! try new things and have a cupcake from that famous bakery down the street. just remember that portions matter and try to get all your fruits and veggies in there :) 

[turkey panini and housemade potato salad]

[chicken pot pie from the BEST farm fresh restaurant]

[nuff said]

just don't forget that your body is your home and to take care of it and you can't go wrong. your health habits should never inhibit your love for travel! so get out there, foodies :)

xoxo

school daze

hey foodies!! so something people always ask me about is healthy eating while at school or on campus. there aren't always healthy options and it can get pretty expensive! my advice: always pack a lunch! snacks, drinks, everything. the only thing I buy at school is coffee ;).

it doesn't have to be hard or elaborate - here I have a pbj with superfood spread jelly and organic pb! it's easy and full of good fats and vitamins. Not to mention the whole wheat bread has tons of fiber. Hard boiled eggs and sweet potatoes are also popular foodie with a booty lunch snacks that I carry around. fruit is a super easy treat to carry around and satisfies that sweet craving guilt free. one thing I ~admittedly~ have trouble with is portions - I tend to eat too much when it comes to nuts or popcorn or whatever crunchy thing you're into. that's why I use graze box religiously (pictured). it's all healthy pre-portioned snacks, and a lot of them are super delicious and have chocolate. :)) moral of the story: be proactive! wake up 30 minutes earlier to throw together some stuff and save yourself lots of calories and money. follow me on instagram (@afoodiewithabooty) for my usual lunch options!

xoxo

school lunch

thankful today for early lunch of: whole wheat toast + hard boiled egg + side of strawberries (maybe the best I've ever had tbh). always try to get every food group in your meals, stock up on those vitamins and minerals. :) pack your lunch!! xoxo

dessert!!

Craving chocolate but don't want to eat anything too terrible? chocolate crinkle cookies are super easy and pretty!!! 

this recipe only contains butter + brown sugar + egg + cocoa + flour + baking powder + pinch of salt! and of course the powdered sugar topping 😋 treat yo self...always. xoxo

Omelette Always

the omelette obsession continues!!

woke up craving eggs and cheese and deliciousness, soooo....

eggs + cheese + avocado + tomatoes + spinach + turkey sausage !!

all organic, and all amazing. This should get me through the rest of my day with ease. :) fuel your day the healthy way foodies! xoxo

sweet tooth

this morning I woke up craving syrup, so I whipped up some sort-of-pancakes before class:

these are super simple and quick: oats + banana + cinnamon + egg + nonfat plain Greek yogurt! (topped with organic strawberries) 

it's totally possible to have what you want in a healthy way! take today by the horns, foodies. :) 

xoxo

snack

sweet spring snack:

plain low fat yogurt + honey + organic pear + almond butter drizzle + cinnamon + purely Elizabeth original granola sprinkle !!

snack happy and healthy my friends. :)

xoxo

dessert first!

Let's be honest: dessert rocks. but so does being the hottest one on the beach.

this practically-guilt-free dessert consists of nonfat vanilla yogurt (100cal) + chocolate chips + Laura's Wholesome Junk Food Bite-lettes (in oatmeal raisin) from whole foods broken up in it. it is chewy, chocolatey, and delicious. see? dessert first. :)

xoxo

warm mornings

Foodies, the sun has come out and inspired me to get my body in the best shape it's ever been!

This morning I got up early and did a quick treadmill HIIT workout all at an incline of 1: 

1-5 min, 4mph

5- 5:30 min, 6 mph

5:30 - 6 min, 8 mph 

I continued this pacing for 20 minutes, sometimes going up to 9mph! HIIT is such a great way to burn fat and jumpstart your metabolism in the morning. 

ps, don't yall love my new nike pros?! 😍

Post workout nutrition is just as important as the activity itself! I had this little number: 

vanilla siggis + craisins + pumpkin seed/flax mix + purely Elizabeth original granola + raw wildflower honey drizzle!! so good and chock full of protein and vitamins and minerals. 

kick today's ass, foodies!

xoxo

Taco bout it

Happy monday, foodies!
Today = grocery day! I went to class, tanned, worked out, and spent a glorious hour and half at Whole Foods. :)

 There's something I heard about grocery shopping a long time ago, and since then I have lived by it (okay, maybe not totally) completely: Shop around the edges of the store. Stay on the produce, and meat and cheese sections - these are less likely to tempt you to buy Poptarts or Hot Cheetos or whatever your vice is (mine is cookies). A couple trips venturing down aisles to get Annie's Bunny Grahams or toilet paper are obviously allowed, but it's a great general rule to follow.

 On the way home, I got rear ended. No damage, but I figured i deserved a bangin ass dinner:

Salmon fish tacos it is! Sounds weird, but this salmon is marinated with chipotle and I used a spicy mayo to flavor it up!

corn tortillas + spicy mayo + avocado + baby tomatos + spinach & a side of asparagus!
Let's just say: Treat yoself.
xoxo

It's what horses eat

I will never forget the day that I came into work and a coworker told me the realest statement about oats. I was moaning about still being so full from my breakfast (oatmeal and a banana) and she goes, "well, it ought to be filling. oats are what horses eat." 

I then, of course, couldn't stop picturing myself as a horse devouring my "filling" breakfast but ANYWAY - this is whole grain oats + almond butter + gojis + chia seeds + craisins + walnuts. enjoy your Monday, and eat yo oats horse style with no shame!! 

xoxo 

Sunday funday

veggie omelet anyone?

I think I have finally perfected my omelet technique!! This lil number has red and orange peppers + mexican cheese blend + avocado + onion. the veg was sautéed a little before being sandwiched in the egg mixture, but they are still hard enough to give a little crunch. :) 

happy Sunday eats, foodies!

xoxo

Good to be home

evening foodies, 

Man, do I love to cook. but, man, do I love being cooked for. 

momma foodie with a booty whipped up : roasted broccoli, roasted pork + cranberry glaze, grits + red and yellow pepper + Mexican cheese blend. 

SO GOOD!!! it's been rainy all day and this warm belly food just brightened it right up. all the food groups, and not too fattening or greasy. :) the perfect meal! go eat your perfect meal with ones you love and have a fantastic evening!! 

xoxo

Satur{yay}

hello foodies, 

it's Saturday!

{ thanks Bey }

Which means sleeping in for some people, early chores and errands for others, and - of course - badass breakfast! This morning I did about 10 sun salutations and then made myself an awesome feast. 

•••My sun salutations follow the traditional sequence and get me pretty sweaty if I do enough of them! I find that if I can't (or am just not feeling) a full blown work out in the mornings, some simple yoga sequences are enough to get my metabolism up and running.•••

anywho, here's what I ate in about .3 seconds: 

[coffee (duh), a large and juicy pear, whole wheat toast with apple butter, and two eggs (with yolks) + avocado + cheddar cheese. ]

note: when I make scrambled eggs, I add milk + salt + pepper to the mixture. the milk makes the eggs fluffy and creamy, just how I like em. 

Now, this really is a lot of food, and I tend to eat more than the average female due to my quick metabolism (thanks morning yoga) and how much I run. So, feel free to shrink this meal down a little when you make it. The great thing about this bfast, though, is that it has every single food group. That is a major goal of mind for every meal that I consume throughout the day. it not only varies your meals, but is good for your body and ups your vitamin and mineral intake. 

Alright, enough long winded Saturday chats, go enjoy your day! 

xoxo

Runs with Pups

morning runs = the BEST. I do a simple loop around my neighborhood (4 miles today), and extend it onto the main road if I want some more mileage! Running doesn't always have to be a big, time consuming event. Any action is better than sitting on the couch with a cinnamon roll. 

This is actually my neighbors dog, but he's the sweetest thing ever. I am a firm believer in working out with your pets. It's great motivation for you, and what dog doesn't love getting run around with its favorite person in the world? So, moral of the story: get out! and take your doggie, too. 

xoxo

Camp Cookin'

Howdy foodies, 

Many of you may not know that I am pretty outdoors-y. I just love being outside! so, for spring break me and my dad went to Big Bend National Park for a few days. it was FANTASTIC! the only hard part about camping is the food. It's not like you can just whip up your usual whole foods smorgasbord for dinner. We did alright though! The key, I've realized (if you're not backpacking), is to take an extreme cold ice chest that keeps things cold for days at a time. This way, we had eggs and cheese and turkey sausage and veggies to cook up on our portable stove. camping doesn't have to mean nuts and berries and endless cliff bars (even though I admittedly ate a crap ton of cliff bars on this trip).

I will have plenty more pics later on this evening after I unload my Canon, but here's a few to keep you guys outdoor foodie inspired!!

xoxo

Snack Time

Today, it is cold and raining. The rain has not stopped for what seems like a solid 24 hours, and my foodie self wants to crawl into bed and eat a pint with my old friends Ben and Jerry while I study. Alas, the nutrition major part of me has overridden the unhealthiness of that longing and I decided to share some of my healthier snacks that I munch and crunch guilt free!

[ordered from light to heavier snacks]

1 cup of popcorn - a lot of the bagged popcorn at the store is air popped and therefore has very low fat content, but the salt and crunch is deeply satisfying (I like Angie's Boom-Chicka-Pop brand).

1/4 cup(ish) of mixed nuts - nuts are high in good fats and also have that salty crunchy thing going on. Plus, their fat content keeps you full longer if you got a while until lunch.

Apple with 1Tbsp peanut butter - it's a classic, and is sweet and filling. Plus, it takes a while to eat so it makes you feel like you're getting more (at least that's how my brain works).

Cottage Cheese - either alone, salted and peppered, or mixed with a little spoonful of jam or compote. Cottage cheese is just honestly really good, sometimes I put it mixed with peach preserves on a lightly salted rice cake...HEAVEN.

Hummus Plate - If you're home and being tempted to eat that entire bag of Doritos your friend left at your apartment last weekend...hummus with some green and red pepper slivers, carrots, broccoli, or even a couple pita chips is a great and tasty snack. The rich vitamin content of the veggies along with the fat from the chick peas in the hummus will hold you over for a while.

yogurt - plain and simple. Yogurt is awesome, flavorful, and can hammer out sugar cravings! I like to mix in some granola or breakfast cereal in mine as well (just enough to cover the top layer of yogurt) (my favorite yogurt is Siggi's...lot's of protein and little less sugar than, say, Yoplait).

If you just HAVE to have chips...
I know the feeling. Vegetable root chips are my vice. They are so crunchy and delicious and, although a little high in fat, full of awesome vitamins and nutrients. Not just carbs!

If you just HAVE to have chocolate...
I am a choco-holic. And sometimes, with your oh-so-healthy snack you just want some chocolate dammit. I keep 70% dark chocolate bars in my freezer at all times, and occasionally chocolate covered cherries (from Trader Joes) in my pantry. A couple squares of the bar or a few cherries aren't going to kill your progress, and they are rich enough to do the job! The thing to stay away from is the milk chocolate- processed stuff. It's icky for you and definitely not as satisfying.


Foodies, I hope this helps narrow down on the kinds of snacks you could pick up at the store next time instead of the Crispy M&Ms...amirite?! I also hope these are slightly more appealing than the celery-and-carrot snack diet that is often pumped up. I plan to write another post soon about pre and post workout snacks as well, so stay tuned!!
xoxo




[Funny thing from today to make you feel better about your luck vs mine: My $5 umbrella broke on the way home in the torrential downpour and I came home looking like a wet rat. Lesson learned: you get what ya pay for $$$$$]

Fly Me To France

Good morning gorgeous, happy foodies!
Today was deemed a snow day by the University, so instead of being a normal college kid and staying up until 3 in the morning watching Netflix...I woke up at 6 am and worked out, then had a FANTASTIC breakfast ~foodie style~

Achieving perfect golden brown is only half the battle...

simmering raspberries

before compote...

after compote :)

Mom's French Toast
(1 serving version)
** mom likes to "guesstimate" so all measurements are extremely flexible

2 slices of big bread (not that limp sandwich type bread- 
Texas toast or I used Whole Foods multi seed bread)
2 eggs (with yolks!)
1 tsp cinnamon
splash of vanilla 
4-5 Tbsp of nonfat milk
2 Tbsp powdered sugar

Heat up a small pan on low - medium heat. Whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon and then submerge a slice of bread into the mixture. once it is completely soaked, place in the pan and cook until eggs are cooked. Once removed from pan, sprinkle one Tbsp of powdered sugar on top. Repeat for the second slice. [My mom always just cooked up any extra egg mixture to eat with our toast. It's very weird and sweet but something fun I always do.]

I also topped mine with a raspberry compote:
1 cup of raspberries
3-4 Tbsp of granulated sugar

Cook on medium heat until thick and smelling good. simmer on low heat until it reaches desired consistency. Top French toast!
(Compotes are a great way to sweeten French toast if you don't want to use syrup. Or if you do. I often use both cause I have an AWFUL sweet tooth, but hey there are worse things.)

My workout today wasn't extraordinary, since I'm still getting over being sick a little bit. But it still feels great to get up early and get that blood pumping! To be completely honest, I ran out of coffee last night and it was wayyy to cold this morning to venture out of my apartment complex, so I used exercise as my coffee replacement (not totally the same, but it works). Stay warm out there, foodies, and try something new today! xoxo

[written while feasting on french toast and watching House of Cards]

Sleepy Saturday...

Hey foodie bootys!
This girl has been sick for the past WEEK with a killer sinus infection that just wouldn't quit. In times of sickness, when all we want is for our bodies to WORK WITH US HERE and get off the couch, we have to look to our inner yogis and be thankful. Thankful that we have medicine, and beds, and warm homes in this icy blast Austin is having this week. So, I rested and lived off of peanut butter sandwiches and didn't work out for 5 days...but it's okay. Because my body got what it needed and I jumped back into action today. Results:

DID YOGA! I did a couple awesome flow sequences and went the farthest I've ever gone in a back bend, and I'm feeling so much more like myself. I'm endlessly thankful for what my yoga practice has done for my self confidence and self healing. (sorry for bad quality)

 I then rewarded myself with my favorite post-workout snack :) siggis yogurt + kiwi + banana + Purely Elizabeth pumpkin fig granola. Tooooo good.
I also made a kick - ass recovery dinner with a NeW ReCiPE!!! :)

Salmon and Creamy Tomato-Basil Polenta

3 ounces of fresh salmon (about the size of your palm)

salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder [or spices of choice]

1 cup of fresh broccoli

handful of cranberries or seasonings of choice

box of polenta (instant is what i use)

1/2 cup part skim ricotta cheese

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes (i use multicolored)

a couple leaves of fresh basil

be sure to salt! (usually butter is paired with polenta the ricotta can be a little bland if you don't!)

I cooked my salmon at about 375 degrees F for roughly 20 minutes, skin on. [when baking salmon, you can also bake in aluminum. If baked uncovered, wait until the pink salmon has turned almost translucent.] I roasted my broccoli in a pan on the stove in some coconut oil and spices until tender.

To make the polenta, follow the instructions on the box, constantly stirring the grain in some water until thickened. Be sure to pour slowly! Once the polenta is finished cooking, immediately stir in the tomatoes, basil, and ricotta so that they warm into the grain. Let set for 5 minutes, and then serve! 

Simple, easy, and takes less than 30 minutes on a busy school/work night. I have no sympathy for people who use "no time" as an excuse not to eat wholly and healthfully. You have to make time. And it is possible with a busy schedule! It just takes planning on your grocery trips, and maybe getting up a little earlier in your day. :) 

Have a fantastic evening, and don't worry about whatever it is you're worrying about - you still have Sunday!

ps. Y'all be sure to check me out my instagram if you haven't already! It features more day-to-day foodie things that don't always make it to the blog [link on the home page]

xoxo

Something happy to think about: twinkle lights