I'M BACCCKKK!!!

Hey guys!! Remember me??

No?

Well, I don't blame you!!

It's been a hot minute since I've been on the blog and let me tell you- I have missed you guys!!

I love, love, love writing this blog and rambling on about food and health and fitness and ya-da-ya-da-ya-da because that's what I am so so passionate about in life.

However, the blog does take a little extra energy and time from me (which is definitely not a bad thing because all worthwhile things do!!) but whilst I was in the midst of my mock exams and then preparing for my actual final FINAL year 12 school WACE exams, I knew I had to scale back. And by scale back you all know I just stopped! :P

But guess what?

Exams are over.

Done.

I am a free woman!!

And I cannot express enough the joy I feel to never have to pick up my extended maths textbook again and try and recall how to differentiate a logarithm. To find out the area of a pineapple. For fun.

Anywho, I thought today I would do a little post outlining my experience through the most stressful time I have ever felt in my entire life and what I did to survive combat this.

First of all- BREAKFAST. Everyday. Especially exam days. SOOOO IMPORTANT.

My breakfasts were always big, hearty, balanced, filled with plenty of carbs, healthy fats and protein and preparing my brain to think and use up all the glorious nourishing energy I was feeding it.

 These are my no-bake black bean brownies made with black beans, rolled oats, choc protein powder, raw cacao powder, cinnamon, dates, almond milk and that's about it! Into the vitamin and blended up until smooth! Rolled into balls and then flattened into squares to be popped in the freezer for around 15-30mins (depending on how ravenous you get!! I'm always more on the 15 minute side of things :P)

 Plus cranberry fro-yo made by blending up frozen cranberries and greek yoghurt an popping the freezer for a few mins to set a bit more.

 If you want a full recipe you can find a similar one here :)

On the topic of breakfasts, to up my vitamins and minerals and all the other good stuff to keep me happy and healthy (i.e. me drastically trying to not catch the awful cold that was going around- that both my parents caught during my exams!!) I drank ALOT of green smoothies!

 Super big, thick green choc protein smoothie made with 2 bananas, 4 blocks of frozen spinach, 1 scoop vegan chocolate protein powder, 1 tablespoon peanut butter, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 3 big spoons greek yoghurt and water- whizzed up in the Vitamin until smooth and super creamy!!

Not just for those added nutrients though- also because they taste absolutely amazing!!

 But, if I was going to drink a smoothie, you can bet it was going to be fluorescent green!! Also; frozen spinach- adds so much more volume and thickness- win!

Green mango smoothie with almond butter and mixed nut butter granola- current favourite breakfast

And lunches and dinners followed the same kind of trend in that I tried to shove as many fresh and cooked veggies in as possible to ensure I was feeling my body with the best foods available!

 Raw veg sticks with a cooked up veggie and lentil patty 

 A bowl of sautéed veg, cooked up with a bit of olive oil in the frypan for a few minutes with some garlic tofu added in at the end

Super simple and delicious dinner of mashed mixed veg (steamed beetroot, pumpkin, parsnip, potato, sweet potato) with a small tin of reduced-salt baked beans stirred in along with some nutritional yeast and spinach- yum!

And of course, I never gave up my workouts because they helped keep me calm and motivated and helped keep my brain firing and concentrating through the long 3-hour exams:

Sure the burn-out I was feeling with study and sitting exams did effect my attitude towards working out but I knew when I chucked on the gear, went downstairs and got things started, I would start to feel that rush of endorphins and kick butt! So that's how I did it folks; just made myself get started!

Now, all that helped me get through this truly hard time and I did, but when I actually stopped and just listened to my body after that final exam, I almost broke down in tears. I have never pushed my body so far in my life and these exams broke me. And I'm a strong person.

I think I will just need a few days of resting up and recovering because right now I am in such a burnt out state I can't even.

Enter today's rest day:

 Turmeric spiced oats made by placing 3/4 cup rolled oats, 1 thinly sliced banana, 4 chopped dates, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2-1 teaspoon turmeric (I just put a few dashes in; don't measure) 3/4 cup almond milk, 1/4 cup water- into a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until absorbed- greek yoghurt stirred in at the end (optional)

 Followed by a shower, lots of water and a beach walk; and that was my morning.

Happy days

Haven't got much else planned for the day and that is A-ok with me! Might even watch a movie or something after lunch! Who knows!! Gish it's been a while since I've watched a day time movie! :P

What about you?

How do you handle stressful periods in your life?

Best foods you make to ensure you keep firing through your day?

What did you have for breakfast today??

Have yourself a wonderful, wonderful day, do the things you love, be with those you love and as always; EAT SOMETHING DELICIOUS (that's my one goal for the day!!) Bye for now friendly friends! :D

A Day In The Life!

Hide-ho there friendly friends and welcome to one of my favourite posts to not only read from other bloggers, but also to write up for you guys! It's A DAY IN THE LIFE post!! Yayyy!!

I don't know what makes posts like this and others similar (What I Ate Wednesday/ Weekly Workouts, Friday Favourites) but I think in the end it's about finding that motivation and inspiration from others so you too might try some new things out and maybe experience something great that you never would have tried out before reading about it/ watching a YouTube video (currently so obsessed with Diana Malloy's Diet Diaries- she's just so funny and I love her videos!!

Anywho, as I said, I love writing up these posts, I hope you guys like reading them and if you want any particular posts, just let me know in the comments or shoot me an email and I'll be sure to give it a go!

So, without further a-do, this is a typical day in my life, where I'm no longer at school, rather at home preparing for my final examinations of my high-schooling!!

5am- Mornings usually start out pretty early for me, as I'm just one of those natural early-rises and when I'm up, I'm up folks!! my mind is awake, my body is awake and I'm ready to go! I've never been able to just tuck back up into bed for a few more hours (1. I would be wide awake tucked up in bed which leads on to; 2. I would be ravenous lying there wide awake in bed) so instead i just sort of go with whatever time my body has decided to wake me up with on the day and power through with a  nice little early morning workout...

And when I say little, you know I mean super sweaty-hot-mess-Steph-inducing workout :P.

After waking up around 5, frequenting the bathroom, chugging down some water, making my bed (yeah, I know...) curtains drawn, hair brushed and pulled up into a tight pony, jammy's off, workout gear on, I swing down the stairs to tackle the day's session which just so happens to be LEG DAY!!!

I secretly love leg day because that burn is so real!! And so is the sweat dripping down my face as I am on my last set of calf raises with the heavy (not sure what weight) barbell on my shoulders... in a low-wide-squat. Yep. Try that out for fun!

My leg-day workouts are usually around 1 hour-isa (sometimes a bit shorter, sometimes an hour and a half, sort of depending on how long my breaks needed to be/ how strong and powerful and energetic I was feeling on the day. This particular one was a 90 minuter I think and my legs were J.E.L.L.Y afterwards!!

7:30am- finish off the workout with some full body, deadlift, to low squat (x8... again another killer) and move to the bathroom to wash my face. Then I flow into the kitchen on my slightly shaking legs and plan out whats it going to be for brekky!! As I prefer to workout on an empty stomach, breakfast is utterly essential to ensure all those weights and squats etc. actually form into muscle. I also try and consume it pretty soon after my workout for quicker recovery.

8am
Breakfast finally ready, this particular day's deliciousness involved some freshly-baked choc nut butter granola with a big banana-mango green smoothie- favourite breakfast of late!

For the granola I simply placed 2 tablespoons of Mayversfood choc nut butter into a small bowl with 1/3 cup almond milk and microwaved for around 20 seconds until warmed through. Then into a bigger bowl I popped 3/4 cup rolled oats, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 large handful wholegrain, reduced-sugar cheerios, some maca powder and then rubbed in the warmed nut butter and almond milk.

Placed on a baking tray lined with baking paper and into the oven at 180 degrees celsius for around 15 mins until fragrant and crunchy on the outside!!

The smoothie was simply 1 large frozen banana, 1 large handful frozen mango chunks, 1 large handful frozen zucchini, lots of kale and spinach, greek yoghurt and a splash of water- whizzed up until smooth and deliciously creamy- SO GOOD!

I love enjoying the separate crunchy, rich flavour of the granola (as well as eating it straight form the oven and not worrying about melting the smoothie) and then the cool, refreshing, thick, creamy smoothie to pair it off perfectly!

Truly delicious:

8:30am after eating breakfast and scrolling through Instagram and Facebook and checking emails and the like, I head on upstairs to take a shower as my hair is a sweaty, truly mess and I am a sweaty mess, thus for the sake of the people involved in my day I shall clean thyself!

9:00am Showered, cleaned, dressed, teeth brushed and this is the time I usually post something to Instagram and then get on with the day!

This day featured a trip to the shops to hand in some resumes for a Summer job because 3-ish months of nothing after exams is going to become pretty dull without one! So hopefully I can land something for that break, if not I shall have to think of something else.

I also head up to the library to get some reading stuff to keep me occupied in this little break (around 3 weeks before WACE).

12:15 I have lunch at around 12:15pm today because I am quite hungry, surprise, surprise and today's lunch featured some oven roasted veg with lots of steamed peas layered throughout:

This bowl featured roasted pumpkin, parsnip, sweet potato, regular potato, beetroot and swede- simply coated in extra virgin olive oil and roasted in the oven at 180 degrees celsius for around 50 minutes to an hour.

I have an absolute obsession with roasted veggies and probably consume roast veggies at least 4 times a week- roasted pumpkin is my weakness! That texture and flavour though!!

After lunch, as I am not starting up my study routine again until after graduation (I don't want to burn out before my final exams!) I use this time to just do what I want to do, so the afternoon is typically pretty chilled, involving watching some netflix, possibly typing up a blog post, scrolling through Instagram, reading a book/ magazine and anything else I think to do.

I pretty much did all those things on this day and it was fabulous!

3:30pm This is typically when I get hungry again and thus my still all-time favourite afternoon snack of fruit entails and I enjoy every single bite!

As I'm a creature of habit, I always eat my snack watching my favourite YouTubers... one of my guilty pleasures/ favourite times of the day.

4:30pm- 5:15pm Now I always get really cold for some reason, so it is shower time once again, head upstairs, shower, change into comfy, warm pyjamas and head on down to the kitchen to prepare whatever it is I am making for dinner!

6:45pm
Dinner typically occurs around 6:30-6:45pm for me and my family and tonight I was feeling super lazy and decided to whip up a 5-minute dinner. No exaggeration:

This rice bowl featured a microwave packet of rice and quinoa, some chopped capsicum, celery, chickpeas, tomato, spinach and nutritional yeast-all mixed together and then microwaved for 4-5 mins until everything is heated through and tender:

Super simple and sooooo delicious!! My favourite type of dinner!
After dinner there pretty much is always a guaranteed after-dinner snack/ dessert as I need to ensure I am properly fuelled for whatever workout I've planned for the next morning!! Or maybe I just always need a little something extra after dinner :P. Either way- Tonights dessert featured two pieces of Lindt 90% cocoa chocolate (so creamy my friends!) and some ice-cold refreshing soy milk- deeee-licious!

7:00pm- 8:30/9:00pm After dinner I take my magnesium tablet and head upstairs to watch some telly and typically zone out and also typically doze off at around 8:30 wish where I finally manage to get up and take myself to my bed for some much-needed sleep time! Yep, early to bed, early to rise (definitely not a night-owl!!)

Aaaand thats a typical day-in-the-life for me, I am a creature of routine but do find that I sometimes need to switch things up to keep me from getting down/ anxious. Change is good my friends- I need to keep telling myself that!!

I also love looking back at these posts to see just how much has changed in my day-to-day life over the months/ years, kinda cool to have that stored away to look back on!

Ok, that's enough rambling from me- gosh this post is a lot longer than anticipated- props to you if you made through the whole thing! now tell me:

What's a typical morning look like for you?
When do you prefer to fit in your workout?
favourite no-fuss dinner? Rice/pasta bowls, or toasted sandwiches etc. are usually the go for me! Yum!

Alrighty, I hope you have an awesome day, do something you love to do, smile lots, be kind to everyone and as always; EAT SOMETHING DELICIOUS!! Bye for now friendly friends!! :D

How I'm Not Sick, Tired or Struggling... Too Much!

Hi there friendly friends and welcome back to the time of the day when I have been studying for a number of hours that I have no intention of counting, or accepting for that matter and my brain is in that stage where one might describe the contents feeling a little like... jelly?

It's literally leg-day. For my brain. Brain-day.

Anywho, today I thought I'd ponder a bit on this whole most-stressful-time-in-my-entire-schooling-experience specifically on the fact (and touch wood here, because I DO NOT want to jinx myself!!) that whilst the vast majority of my fellow year 12 peers have experienced some form of flu/ infection/ bacterial, viral, scary, painful fun in the past few months leading up to and including exams, I have somehow managed to dodge all this??

At the beginning of the flu season when literally, and I mean l.i.t.e.r.a.l.l.y, every person I would talk to had some form or other of the sniffles (or, you know, bronchitis), I just sort of accepted that the inevitable would amount and I would have a few days to a week feeling not so sparkly, I'd shake it off as best I could and be sweet again.

The time past and I seemed to be the only one not stuffing mountains of tissues into my blazer pockets as I arrived at each class.

Alright-y, I thought, so it's going to hit me later, like usual, when everyone's recovering it's gonna get me good and in true Steph-style I shall suffer my late-blooming illness that's almost become yesterday's news.

Still nothing.

Half my exams down and I watch as people saunter in, slightly more pale, a little thinner perhaps, looking not so sparkly themselves and yet I stood as I always did during school; fit, fed and happy, yes- my brain filled with an inconsiderable amount of facts and figures, leaving me slightly dazed and staring off into the distance but I was still feeling pretty... good?

Fully aware that this jar of nutrients is the main cause for all this health! :P :D

Yes, I still have my second half of my mock/ trial exams to go (next week- this is like a little study break week) and then of course the final FINALS! So we shall see how we fair but in the mean time I want to delve deeper into what I believe has kept me fighting fit and healthy during this extreme stress-inducing, immune-lowering time:

1. I sleep.
Yes, clap clap to me. I know, what a hero. They should probably just give me an award now.
No, but seriously, I am a baby and like a baby sleep is a priority to me.
I don't stay up late to study (you know how much of a morning person I am- past 6:00pm and I'm out. Done for the day. The brain has gone night-night! Seriously just ask my mum about some of the looney things I say after a long day of study) and I also don't stay up late watching movies/ tv/ on my phone etc. Partly because I'm up at like 5am every morning (thanks natural body clock) but also because I know how good I feel when I am truly and fully rested.
It also helps me kick butt during my workouts! ;)

2. What else helps me kick butt during my workouts? What I'm eating. And with that I am certain that the way and types of foods I've been eating during this time has been the main benefiting factor to keeping me happy, healthy and ready to tackle anything.

 Say hello to the gloriousness that is this smoothie bowl- banana mango smoothie base (more like ice cream) topped with uncooked, crunchy peanut butter granola- best. breakfast. ever.

 ^What it looks like when I'm actually about to eat it! ^

 People often see stressful times as a time for extra treats. To forego a nice home-cooked, well-rounded, nutritious meal for a quick drive-thru take out that you devour in 30 seconds without even tasting/ savouring the flavours and leaving you with nothing more than a greasy mouth and spiking blood sugar levels.

Lunch from the other day featuring raw carrots, cherry tomatoes, capsicum, mashed avoid, wholegrain brown rice and quinoa crackers and steamed peas and corn- YUM!

I fully believe in treating yourself and looking after your mental and emotional wellbeing just as much as your physical, but truthfully friends, this has been a time when I've stepped up on my diet game, not dropped back and added in extra green smoothies, extra veggies, extra antioxidants, fruits, wholegrain- the whole shebang!

Just a whole bag of raw, shredded mixed beetroot, carrot, and broccoli stems popped into a bowl with some spinach, capsicum and peas and corn :)

If I felt a little lethargic/ fatigued I'd plate up a bowl of oranges. Soups, stews, salads, roast veggies, veggie sandwiches, beans, oatmeal, raw fruit and veg- they all make daily appearances in my meals and I've honestly never felt better!

 One of my all-time favourite meals- simply roast veggies (pumpkin, parsnip, swede, beetroot, sweet potato and regular potato) drizzled in extra virgin olive oil with some spinach hiding underneath and lentils mixed throughout

Take this time as an opportunity to challenge yourself to see how many amazing, vibrant, colourful foods you can fit onto your plate, how many vitamins, minerals, body-loving nutrients you can stuff into your blender,

I mean, I think I win- but you can try!! :P ;)

how many delicious, home-made meals you can truly sit down to and enjoy every flavour and richness that is lost from reaching into a spotted with grease brown paper bag.

Pumpkin is SO GOOD!

3. Finally, I've also taken a step back. I know these exams are a big deal and the most important ya-da-ya-da-ya-da, but honestly it is not the end of the world and I'm not going to go into a stress-induced panic attack over them because in the bigger picture they are an awesome opportunity for me to reveal how much I've learned and really shine from all of my hard work!

So yes, my friends, I honestly believe that through my consistent exercise, proper eating and bigger-picture thinking, I've definitely come out of this time in the best way possible, keeping my body as happy as possible and listening to it whenever it requires my attention.

Move your body my friends. Find the exercise you love (have you tried Blogilates? Some of her videos for cardio are dancing!!), do it often and consistently, feel the benefits!

Eat the foods your body truly craves for wellbeing. The colourful veggies, the rich sources of proteins, healthy nourishing fats, delicious, flavourful wholegrain carbohydrates, nature's candy- fruits! Eat good foods in abundance- fuel your body, brain and happiness! Trust me, your brain is your biggest energy consumer!! Especially during times of intense brain-day!

Take a step back and truly appreciate everything around you for what it is. Life is good. Live it.

I hope this has shed some light on what to do in times of stress/ hard times of the body and truthfully it can be applied to any situation really! I'm no expert but this is my highly certain hypothesis as to why I'm surviving in a strong and healthy manner and I hope it can help anyone out who might be struggling at the moment!

Your turn:
What are your best tips for handling exam stress/ any stress?
Do you make diet changes during different periods of your life?
Fav meal you've eaten recently?

That's it from me today folks, I hope you have a truly wonderful day, do something you love and as always; EAT SOMETHING DELICIOUS!! Bye for now friendly friends! :D

Two Bowls of Deliciousness!!

Hi there friendly friends and HAPPY MONDAY!

Yeah, sure, Monday has that bad stigma around it that being the very beginning of the work/ school/ uni/ whatever it is you do week, it automatically brings with it feelings of despair, angst and just plain negativity. But alas! I believe Mondays should be celebrated for what they are! the beginning of another week of opportunities, experiences and discoveries!! Who knows what the upcoming week will bring and without Monday to kick us off, we'd never find out!

And to also brighten your Monday a little further I have not one but two utterly delicious breakfast bowl recipes that will simply knock your socks off on the YUM-TACULAR spectrum, so grab that blender, magically freeze those bananas in record time and gift your taste buds with the creamy, dream,y fudge-y, sweet, dessert-like experience of either of these two happy-inducing and nourishing bowls!

1. The Raw Granola Green Smoothie Bowl:

 Who else loves my baby pink 'Seconds?' Bowl :) :)

This bad boy featured that ginormous mountain of uncooked, rich, fudge-y and nutty, nut butter granola with a big bowl of creamy mango banana green smoothie/ ice cream underneath for that creamy, sweet, refreshing factor!

 For the smoothie:
1 frozen banana
1 handful frozen mango chunks
1 handful frozen zucchini (trust me you cannot taste it and it just adds more volume to your smoothie bowl!)
1 handful kale
1 handful spinach
3 spoons greek yoghurt
- whaz until smoothy-smooth, pop in freezer to harden slightly

 For the Raw Granola:
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 handful wholegrain cheerios
1-2 tablespoons nut butter (I used a mix of crunchy PB and mixed nut butter- just split the dry ingredients into two bowls then making)
1/2 cup almond milk
optional- maca powder, ground cinnamon, raw cacao (choc sensation) or anything else you would add to granola for that extra flavour kick; above recipe is just the simple nutty-flavoured base :)

-Simply combine rolled oats and cheerios and any spices/ powders if adding to a bowl
-Place almond milk and nut butter in a small container and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds until warmed through
- Use hands and rub into granola until combined
-Place on plate lined with baking paper and pop in freezer for 10-15 mins

 Then simply grab your cold smoothie base, top with your cold raw, chewy, delicious granola and NOM!

 Seriously guys, this is so refreshing and satisfying and literally kept me full for hours and hours!! Happy, happy days!

 So creamy and delicious; breakfast never tasted so good!!

 Nom.

2. Our second out-of-this-world breakfast bowl features CHOCOLATE. For breakfast. Oh yes.

 This guy came about from a craving for a HUGE bowl of chocolate ice cream. Of course, probably not the most practical of breakfasts but then again, I'm Steph. The girl who will make anything she's craving. Just tweaking the ingredients a bit to make sure all those awesome nutrients are entering the body along with those delectable flavours!

 Thus enter the HUGE Choc Hit Green Smoothie/ Ice Cream bowl topped with roasted almonds (because, seriously, how good are roasted almonds- whole new deliciousness level!!)

 This also followed a rather sweaty Blogilates HIIT and cardio sesh whereby the need for something nourishing, filling and delicious was real!

 Into the vitamin went:
2 frozen bananas
1 handful frozen zucchini
1/2 frozen avocado
1 tablespoon mixed nut butter
1 handful kale
1 handful spinach
3 spoons greek yoghurt
2 teaspoons raw cacao powder
-All blended up together until smooth and creamy!!

 topped off with a small handful of roasted almonds for that crunchy, nutty, roast-y addition :P

 And enter one very happy Steph:

 Seriously guys, this just hit the spot- creamy, chocolate-y soft-serve ice cream for breakfast... plus like 2-3 serves of veggies hidden in there that are literally untraceable. This makes me very happy indeed:

 Fairly sure I ate this whole bowl with my eyes closed just taking in every flavour and happiness.

And there you go!

Most definitely go ahead right now (or wait til breakfast, sure) and make one of these two delights because you will not regret it! The greek yoghurt can easily be replaced with vegan yoghurt; soy/ coconut etc. or just opt it out completely. I use greek yoghurt because of the high protein levels (growing girl who loves to exercise!!) and calcium fro strong bones but feel free to swap and choose your own add-ins! (I know silken-tofu creates that creamy factor just as well!!)

Your turn:
What's your favourite breakfast of the moment?
Best breakfast bowl recipe?
Roasted almonds- yay or nay? I usually prefer raw nuts over roasted but when it comes to almonds; the roasted babies are just miles above the raw variety!

I hope you all have a truly lovely rest of your Monday; do something you love, be open to opportunities should they arrive/ slap you in the face unexpectedly (the best kind really) and as always; EAT SOMETHING DELICIOUS!! Bye for now friendly friends!! :D