Healthy Eats!

I know many of us are in the same boat during quarantine where I got into a slump and its hard to want to take care of myself. I’ve been trying to incorperate more fruits, veggies, proteins, and whole foods into my daily meals to make sure I’m getting all the nutrients I should have. Here’s a few quick and easy healthy meals and snack options I’ve been loving recently.

Let’s start with smoothies!!!

My two favorite smoothies are straw-bana and chocolate PB banana smoothies and heres what I put in them.

Straw-bana smoothie: A ton of spinach (seriously, stuff it all in your blender), a handful of frozen strawberries, 1/2-1 whole banana (doesn’t matter how mushy), a scoop of vanilla protein powder, and oat milk (or any nondairy milk of your choice) to make it all come together. I love this smoothie because it tastes like bananas and strawberries but it actually has spinach in it and you can’t taste it at all. If you have one of these smoothies to start your day, you’ve already had more greens than some people have in a whole week! It’s a great way to get in your veggies if you don’t love the taste of them.

Next is the chocolate PB banana smoothie.

I take some frozen banana (or a regular banana+ice), a heaping spoonful of peanut butter, a scoop of chocolate protein powder, and oat milk. When I tell you that this is literally a milkshake-trust me. It tastes just like ice cream, so sometimes I even have this for dessert so I can get my protein in for the day.

Next on the menu is overnight oats! I always hated oatmeal growing up but I have recently been loving overnight oats. The best thing about this breakfast is that it’s totally customizable. I add a 1-1 ratio of oats to oat milk, but I also add a splash of flavored coffee creamer. Recently, I’ve been using pumpkin spice creamer, but I’m excited to try a peppermint mocha flavor for the holidays. You can add whatever spices you like (ex: cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, different protein powders) and then warm it up in the morning and add some maple syrup. Not only is this such an easy form of meal prepping, but it keeps me full for hours.

Next is my favorite meal- avocado toast.

I could eat this for every meal (and I have, many times) because it has so many variations. My classic avo toast uses toasted Joes Killer Bread (so good!), a little bit of olive oil, smashed avocado, EBTB seasoning (what would I do without it) and red pepper flakes. However, you can fry up an egg and add that on, as well as sautéing tomatoes with some garlic (heavenly). Avocado toast is something I cant live without and is a meal I think everyone should know how to make.

For healthy dinners, I’m honestly not a huge salad person. I love a good chinese chicken salad or a southwest salad, but most salads I have at home are pretty bland. So I mostly have protein filled dinners, my favorite being chicken made in the air fryer. My family just recently got an air fryer and we’ve been using it for basically every meal. We put broccoli, potatoes, and cauliflower with a TON of spices to make them super crispy and flavorful.

My main goal everyday is to have atleast one source of fruit, one source of veggies, and one source of protein. Some small snacks that help me reach that goal are apples or bananas with peanut butter, any veggie with hummus (I love cherry/grape tomatoes), and turkey and cheese roll ups.

These were all healthier suggestions, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad to have dessert or order takeout for dinner. Life is about balance, and a balanced “diet” is the only one that’s sustainable for a long period of time. I feel best when I fuel my body with these foods, so I hope these suggestions help you include necessary nutrients in your everyday meals!

Let’s talk about body positivity

In a day and age where diet culture and super models are thrown in our face, it is basically a universal experience to experience insecurities surrounding how we look. Virtually everyone I have ever talked to has made a negative comment about their own appearance. Growing up, I never was worried about how my body looked, I was just an average kid who ate whatever they wanted and didn’t think twice. But times have changed now that social media is being introduced to kids at younger and younger ages. The biggest problem I have seen in social media in regards to body positivity is TikTok. 

I’m sure that many people can relate to the anger and frustration I feel when I see “what I eat in a day” videos. I believe these videos are incredibly toxic, no matter how much/what food these strangers eat. I have seen videos of people basically starving themselves, videos of people eating only fast food, and everything in between. The bottom line is, no one should be posting a “what I eat in a day”. The only people you should listen to in regards to what you should be eating is a nutritionist. A lot of the videos don’t mean any harm, but to an impressionable young audience, they can seriously harm someone’s relationship with food. 

I know people who have recovered from eating disorders, and people who still struggle with them, and there is one thing that I have learned from listening to their stories that really resonates with me. If you are trying to look good for anyone other than yourself, you will never be happy. This goes hand in hand with trying to lose weight in an unhealthy way. If your mindset towards losing weight is, “If I lose 10 pounds, I will be happy,” then you will never be happy. No matter how low the number on the scale is, it will never be enough if you associate a low weight with happiness. A friend once said to me that she was happier when she weighed more, because once you develop a toxic relationship with food and exercise, your entire life is centered around it. 

I believe that being fully confident in the way you look is a lifelong journey. You can’t just wake up one day and decide that you’re never going to feel insecure again, because that isn’t realistic. The truth about body positivity is that you are going to feel insecure from time to time, but the difference is that you don’t let the insecurities rule over you. So next time your friends want to get ice cream, don’t miss out because you’re worried about the number on the scale. You only live once, and you don’t want to look back on your life, wishing that you would’ve just let yourself enjoy dessert. 

Halloween Inspo

Halloween is just around the corner, and no matter what age you are, it’s always fun to dress up. This year, Halloween will look a little different due to COVID, but you can still safely celebrate the holiday with a few friends or family. Here are some of my past costumes and some that I can’t wait to wear this year.

This year I’m sure we’ll see many dressed as the iconic best friend duo, Cassie and Maddy from Euphoria. If you haven’t seen the show, I highly recommend it and it’s makeup looks and outfits will be sure to inspire an amazing costume.

A costume you can pull together with things from home (and maybe your parent’s closet), is retro skiers. I did this costume last year, and it was extremely easy to pull together. You can likely find ski goggles, a top, and leggings for this outfit in your closet. Some may be lucky enough to have a vintage ski jacket in their parent’s closet, but if you’re out of luck, you can find ones like these on amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Funny-Guy-Mugs-Totally-Windbreaker/dp/B0171XMZ2E/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=retro+ski+jackets&qid=1601085422&sr=8-3

A super cute costume I wore last year is GoGo Girls. All you need are some white boots, a groovy dress, and a couple of friends. This costume is easy as it doesn’t have any accessories needed, but the boots will leave your feet hurting by the end of the night. At least you’ll get some cute pictures out of it!

My role model and feminist icon Elle Woods is always a good costume. All you need is a pink dress, a blonde wig, a stuffed dog, and heels if you’re brave enough. Bonus points if you go to Harvard or are a lawyer.

(What like it's hard?)

A cute group costume with minimal accessories is a Gatsby theme. I absolutely ADORE The Great Gatsby, and have been begging my friends to do this costume with me ever since I read it. Pair any plain black top with these sparkly skirts and a fake pearl necklace (or real if you’re a risk taker) and you’re set for the night!

Happy (and healthy) halloween to all and to all a good night!