Being Health Conscious May be Hard but It Does not have to be BLAND

Good Afternoon friends!
Last weekend was fall break and I spent the weekend traipsing around Chicago with a friend of mine. I run and do strength training daily. For the first time in two months, I gave myself a break. My exercise consisted of walking around the city and I (gasp!) ate dessert and carbs other than cereal or a wrap. As I was driving home I realized how upset I was for giving myself this break. I bought a pair of jeans that were a size 6 and they actually fit. This is a first for me, I have never had a period in my life where I was consistently a single digit size. I monitor what I eat, when I eat, what I drink, and on average can gage how many calories I ingest. Moral of that story: I have basically become a control freak with food and exercise, but what I have LEARNED through this is: you can enjoy healthy food because guess what?! It actually tastes good when done right.

For breakfast:
 I eat fiber rich cereal with almond milk and fruit. Usually a cup (or 3) of coffee is included in this. Eggs and egg-whites make me feel gross all day when I eat them so I usually stay away. If you are someone who must have waffles I suggest a whole wheat option with real maple syrup. (If real maple syrup does not have the desired sweetness, use it but put a little bit of vanilla and almond extract in raw batter)

For lunch:
Lunch is a meal that I skip very easily because of class. If I am in a bind, but need some nutrients I throw a cliff mojo bar in my bag. They have less calories and aren't as "chunky" as the original cliff bars. Today I tried something new for lunch: a whole wheat bagel flat (toasted) with baby bell light swiss cheese, mustard, spinach, oven roasted turkey, and heirloom tomatoes. This was delicious and nutritious! Full of fiber, low in fat, and full of protein pretty much the perfect combination for a middle of the day meal. Usually I eat a multi-grain wrap with turkey, mustard, spinach, mozzarella cheese, and oven roasted turkey. Pretty much the same combination as the bagel flat, and just as tasty!!

For dinner:
If you're in college, you know that dinner is difficult because 1. its rare that its at a "good time" 2. it usually needs to be quick and easy 3. getting a full 4 squares is just plain hard 4. eating poorly is easier
Well if I am in a time crunch, I usually eat a frozen meal from Trader Joes or a Healthy Choice steamer and a quick salad of spinach and tomatoes with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. When in a time crunch, but still want to cook I use my trusty George Foreman Grill and make a chicken breast and steam broccoli in the microwave (this is what I do most nights). If I actually have the time to cook I make stir fry with veggies, brown jasmine rice, and chicken, whole wheat pasta with pesto, chicken, and a salad, or I take whatever is in my kitchen and play top chef.

A few staples that I keep in my apartment at all times are:
1. seasonal fruit
2. cliff mojo bars
3. egg beaters
4. veggies
5. the most bland popcorn you can buy (doctor it up with some truvia and cinnamon)
6. hummus
7. veggie turkey burgers from Morning Star
8. peanut butter
9. cereal (great for snacks and dinner if you are really lazy)
10. La Croix sparkling water (drinking water curbs hunger and this stuff has ZERO calories)

This is a long winded post, but I hope it helps! If you truly want to lose weight and keep it off you need to train your body and your brain. I never thought whole wheat pasta and quinoia were good until I learned to like it by learning how to spice it up.

Just remember that it takes effort, but not necessarily a lot of time. Specific grocery lists and a little research also help.

Affectionately,
Annie

HelloGiggles

Clearly I am trying to get back in the game with blogging. I promise that this will be my last post today! My latest obsession and by obsession I mean complete and utter addiction/ devotion. HelloGiggles is a site that is entirely geared towards females. It was started by Sophia Rossi, a former producer of theHills (one of my favorite shows, LOVE LC!), Molly aka Molls McAleer, a writer on the new hit show 2 Broke Girls (so funny and clever!), and Zoey Deschanel, a woman with music and credentials a mile long. The only thing they do not cover is gossip. There are even tween contributors for the site. I end my day perusing the new posts. The men and women who write for the site are genuine people with wit and heart. You can tell that they care about the people reading their site. Everything from music to twitter and back again is covered. I just love love love it! I hope everyone checks it out. Here are a few links to some of my favorite posts.

http://hellogiggles.com/how-to-portray-girls-in-good-ways-on-tv
http://hellogiggles.com/you-got-yo-nails-did
http://hellogiggles.com/category/rants/page/7
http://hellogiggles.com/category/social-studies/page/6

Enjoy!!

and for the last time today...
Affectionately,
Annie

Who do you want to become?

I have noticed that the websites I love are sites I can relate too. Born and raised in St Louis, but as of late I feel as if things are missing. I find myself bored in my hometown because I am slowly outgrowing it. I never thought this would happen. The idea of leaving used to scare me. Now I find myself dreaming of the possibilities because though daunting they seem attainable. I was that kid who changed their mind on who they wanted to become when they "grow up" on a weekly basis. I wanted to be Barbie in the sense that she was every woman of every relatively affluent lifestyle. She was a doctor, lawyer, nanny, scientist, astronaut, mom, horse trainer, fast food worker, athlete and so much more. Yes there are many problems with this, one being that Barbie is not a realistic and necessarily good role model, but the main problem that sticks out is: Who was the real woman behind this doll? I find myself wandering why she was so many things without so much as an education. It sounds weird to spend so much time thinking about this, but most realities start with a dream and a chance. Well what if all we want is to be 'more'? More than the girl who could be anything but settled for a comfortable lifestyle. More than the woman sitting on a stationary bike when all she wants to do is run marathons. More than the doll in the box who changes her profession based on her outfit. Well I want more than my past hardships to define me. I want to expand my horizons because for the first time in a long time I feel like I can and I know if I do not try I will not achieve or succeed in the ways I want to. I look at my older brother who was going to move to New York with a dream, a chance, and no place to stay. A week before he moved he got "the call" and ended up getting a job that most people dream of. I wish I had that innate ability to just know, but right now the unknown is what's constantly pushing me towards wanting more. So I ask you, what are your dreams? Do you believe they can come true?

New School Year, New Blog

Hello, hello!


I am excited to get back into the blogging world. I was out for a while and decided to start a new blog. This will hopefully be something that I can keep up with. I follow quite a few and I decided that my old blog just was not what I wanted. I am excited about this new venture. 


Time to get on with my day, I have a pile of homework, a bunch of errands and a workout awaiting me!


Clearly this was a small post, but I promise there will be more soon! 


Affectionately,
Annie