Big, big breakfasts!

I am a food lover.

Now, I didn't mean to shock you with that surprising revelation but there it is. It's out there. For the entire world to see. I love food.

I've never been the type of girl to turn up her nose at a meal, or limit my intake of food in order to lose a few kilos etc.

I've always eaten to fill the belly and even though, yes, I will admit I did have a run in with orthorexia for a while, I still ate a vast amount of food (even though it was all in my 'safe' and 'healthy' category).

I guess, in particular, I love breakfast more than anything else.

See, breakfast is the time after you haven't eaten in multiple, multiple hours. Your body hasn't tasted the sweet nectar of a morsel of food all night and your taste buds are just starting to forget what the vibrant, zingy, zesty, fusgey, rich, spicy, refreshing, sweet etc. etc. foods taste like.

Breakfast is the time to rev up the machine that is your body, kick start that metabolism once again for the entire day and give your body the best possible boost to fly into all the challenges and opportunities the day has to offer!

Breakfast truly is brilliant isn't it?

Yes, well, try telling that to the girl I was on a shift with from 8:00am-2:00pm who hadn't eaten breakfast or even a single piece of food the entire time I was with her. And wasn't even hungry afterward...

I come across this way too often in my teen girl life and it really does sadden me. Not only are these girls (and probably guys too) restricting their bodies that give them so much back in return, but the havoc and damage they're playing to their bodies natural metabolism and daily functions is too important just to ignore.

But this is not a post about dieting and metabolism and restricitve eating practices.
Nope, this is a post about food.

Because as you know, we love food!

So, below I included some of my recent breakfasts. Not small insignificant bites of toast. Or a spoonful of cereal. Or a banana. (Seriously how do people get through their morning on that?!) Nope, below are my huge, hearty, nutritious and utterly delicious brekky's that keep me going from morning to noon:

 Lemon coconut truffles with a massive cup of cherry greek yoghurt:

 The frozen yoghurt concoction was an extremely simple mix of a biggg handful of frozen cherries, 3 big scoops of greek yoghurt- whazzed together in a food processor until smooth :).

 Super tasty, delicious, filled with fibre, wholegrains, protein and vitamins and minerals!

Even better when combined:

 And yes, there were some sneaky wholegrain and reduced sugar cheerios in the mix as well:

 Next up we have a stack of choc protein pancakes covered in smooth PB (I tell you, I go through phases where I generally always love crunchy and then once every so often, I decide smooth is where it's at!) with a bowl of mixed berry fro-yo:

 The pancake recipe was a simple mix of rolled oats, wholemeal spelt flour, chia seeds, baking powder, cinnamon, oat bran, raw cacao powder and choc protein powder with some almond milk mixed in until pouring cream consistency. The fro-yo was simply a handful of blueberries and a small handful of mixed berries with some greek yoghurt.

 Again filled with so many nutrients and yet tasting like a decadent dessert... you can't go wrong with this one!

 Lastly a tried and true brekky that can be whipped up in a flash and never fails to disappoint:

 2 wholemeal crumpets topped with peanut butter with a massive green smoothie to wash it down!

 Into the Vitamix went 1 chopped frozen banana, 5 chunks of frozen pineapple, a small handful of frozen zucchini, handful of kale, handful of spinach, 3 big scoops greek yoghurt and some water:

 Et voila! Extremely delicious and trust me on this- you cannot taste all those extra veg. Bonus!!

 Why would anyone ever choose to skip brekky when it comes with so many benefits? One of the main one's being deliciousness!!

I guess it's a question that will continue to cross my mind for many more years to come but I just hope this post might in fact persuade even one person to change their mindset about the way they choose to begin each and every awesome day!

Your turn:
Are you/ have you ever been a breakfast skipper?
If you're a big brekky fan, what is the ultimate breakfast to you?
Favourite topping for pancakes? I think after topping mine with nut butter for so long, I can never go back to anything else!!

That's it from me today friendly friends. I hope you all have a great Friday!! Do something you love that you might not have done in a while and as always... EAT SOMETHING DELICIOUS!! Bye for now! :D

WIAW #82 Strange Cereal Habits

Hidy-ho friendly friends! Happy Wednesday to you all!!
I hope your week has been chugging along nicely and can you believe it's Wednesday already!

Anywho, Wednesdays are about sharing glorious full days of eats, drooling over other people's glorious full days of eats and linking up WIAW style! All thanks to the wonderful Peas and Crayons for creating this weekly link-up :)

Breakfast: 7:15am
Brekky this morning brought me back to my childhood...
When I was little I used to love Nutrigrain (Iron Man Cereal!!) However I did not like Nutrigrain when it got soggy- ie. placed in milk. So my oh-so-clever solution was to pour my bowl of Nutrigrain, pour a seperate glass of milk and enjoy the two separately... together?

I still got the taste of cereal and milk, however with the added benefit of an always dry, always crunchy piece of cereal!

So, how does this relate to this morning's brekky? Well I did it again! A little more Steph 2 Chef style though this time:

 A super thick and creamy green mango smoothie with a side of freshly baked, warm peanut butter granola, eaten separately because I wanted to enjoy the fudgey crunch of the granola and the challenging slurping through a straw of the super thick, creamy smoothie!

 You can find the recipe for the peanut butter granola here and the smoothie was a simple blend of frozen banana, frozen mango, kale, spinach, greek yoghurt and frozen zucchini with a touch of water to get it all moving.

 This breakfast did not dissapoint, however it's not to say I'm moving on from my beloved smoothie bowls :D

 Nope, just taking a break...

 And having a little too much fun with the thickness of my smoothie and it's resulting capabilities:

 :P
Lunch: 12:30pm
So recently the hangry monster has been visiting my belly, so lunches have been a little earlier and involving a few snacks while I create it (think nomin on a carrot whilst cooking up other veg).

 Today wano different. Come 12 o'clock and I was ready for food!
Enter high fiber spaghetti with grilled eggplant, capsicum, tomatoes, mushrooms and pumpkin with steamed spinach and garlic tofu:

 A few blobs of hommus were also stirred in afterwards fro good measure :)

 And for some reason I still wasn't entirely satisfied after that bowl of deliciousness so I had a small square of dark chocolate to round out lunch.

Snack: 4:00pm
At around 4 I noticed my stomach started to sing grumble again, so I chopped up some fruit!

 Hello perfectly ripe rockmelon and pink lady apple. Gte into my belly!

 Perfect pick-me-up to carry me through to dinner.

Dinner: 6:45pm
I was quite hungry again come dinner (seriously guys, I'm telling you! I'm gonna blame it on the increase in muscles I've started getting from my blogilates videos and fitness challenges :) so I roasted up some sweet potato, parsnip, beetroot, swede, baby carrots and brussels sprouts in coconut oil for 45 mins.

 To the roasted veg I added some broad beans, corn and mixed four beans:

 Quite tasty if I do say so myself!

 To round out the day and keep my stomach quiet throughout the night I had a cup of soy milk.

All in all a very tasty and nutritious day filled with a lot of good eats!!

Aaaaand that's what I ate!

Your turn:
What did you eat this fine Wednesday?
Are you a fan of soggy cereal? My brother is. He actually pours his milk into his cereal and then goes and takes a shower so it's a soggy cereal gloop. I can't even imagine eating it!
What do you nom on when you can't keep the hunger bug at bay? I kind of try and make myself snack on veg, but sometimes it's just not what the body wants. Soy milk, seems to be pretty good at quieting the monster though!

That's it from me today folks. I hope you have a loevely rest of your day and week. Do something you love doing that you haven't done in a while and tell someone you love them- everyone needs to hear that once in a while! Oh and... EAT SOMETHING DELICIOUS! Bye for now!! :D

Eating a nutrient dense, happy inducing diet :)

Diet is a word we misuse over and over on the daily.

Sure, it can be known as a special course of food to which a person restricts themselves to lose weight...
 However if you google the word diet yourself you will see that the definition above is the second definition for the word diet.

The first (and foremost) definition is simple. The kinds of food that a person, animal or community habitually eats.

Diet doesn't just refer to a calorically deficient, inevitably bland, restrictive eating plan that guarantees 'great weightloss' and a model-like body.

Nope. Diet is so much more... and yet so much simpler.

See, the problem I have with the above description of diet is this ingrained and even inherited idea suggests that the only way to be healthy and look your best is to torture yourself with your food choices.

You and I know just how much I love food and just how much I hate eating foods that make me unhappy. Sorry overly bland and cardboard like, low-carb/ other crazy bread invention. Sorry low-fat and barely-there-kilojoules quinoa milk (yes, it does exist)

So when I read eating plans like this, or here people claim that the only way they'll lose weight is to go on a delicious-food hiatus and live off steamed broccoli...

... I can't help but cry a little inside.

So what do I suggest then?
I suggest you do like the pros. The pros don't come in a set category with a title that I can specifically refer to. No, the pros are simply those who thrive off a diet filled with variety, tastiness, whole foods and awesomely prepared meals, don't fluctuate all over the place messing with their bodies natural set point, eat to the point of satiety and eat when they're hungry too. Who allow themselves the foods they truly desire. The pros that have this whole eating thing worked out (but are always making changes coinciding with the changes of their bodies).

Who eat breakfast when they rise in the morning:

 And fill it with so many nutrients and even more delicious flavours!!

 Green smoothie: 1 chopped frozen banana, 1 handful chopped, frozen zuchinni, 2 big handfuls spinach, 3 big scoops greek yoghurt, 1 tablespoon peanut butter, 1/2 cup soaked oats in almond milk, chia seeds, 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, water- WHAZ!

 And enjoy every second of eating it! (In other words, are mindful of their happy eating time :)

 The pros don't stick to a rigid time plan, or the typical time-of-day foods. The pros listen to their bodies, what they're calling out for (quite often hinting at lacking nutrients!)

 Roasted white sweet potato wedges, raw veg (mini roma tomatoes, cucumber and capsicum) with a big dollop of hommus for dipping) and a bowl of popcorn on the side.

 The pros have worked out the idea that our bodies need nourishment and restricting food can only lead to problems. Instead? Load up on all the good stuff!

 Snacks also seem to occur in the pros diet. But again, snacks seem to have taken on a different meaning in this day and age, so let's bring it back to it's simple meaning: A small amount of food eaten between meals. So the pros know to keep their bodies chugging away and brimming with energy all day long, wholesome, nourishing snacks are essential.

And then along comes dinner:

 A time not to restrict even further, but again, a time to nourish the body for the long day of work it has given to us.
Carbs after dark won't kill us. Instead it will give the body the energy and nutrients it requires to rest and recover and rejuvenate throughout the night to prepare for the next exciting day to come!

 Roasted veg (pumpkin, potato, parsnip, swede, sweet potato, beetroot, baby carrots, brussels sprouts) roasted in olive oil with some drained and rinsed lentils and spinach.

The pros also know that a little something after dinner could be just what you need to wind out the body from eating and leave it happy and satisfied with the day of good, good food!

And we all have the capability of being pros- in fact a lot of us know what our bodies thrive on, we just have to make the conscious effort to respect the machine that keeps us running day in day out and feel the best we can.

So let's become pros!

Tell me:
Best thing you've eaten this passed week?
Favourite food, hands down, ever!?
Food that makes you feel your absolute best?

I hope you all have a little think about some of the things I've mentioned and look after yourselves and your bodies- because you deserve it! Have a fabulous rest of your day/ week/ year and I'll see you next time with some more food fun-ness!! Bye for now friendly friends!! :D

 

Tasty Truffles and Links You'll Love!

Happiest of Sundays friendly friends!

I hope you've got something nice planned for today (if not... plan something nice :P) and are enjoying the brilliance that is Sundays.

In true Sunday form I woke up, moved a little (a more technical description of exercise, wouldn't you agree?) and then proceeded into the kitchen to whip up a gloriously delicious breakfast!

 On the cards today were some utterly amazing lemon coconut truffles with a mixed berry not-so-green green smoothie :)

 The truffles were a simple mix of rolled oats, chia seeds, lemon rind and melted coconut butter mixed with almond milk (microwaved together to warm and combine- then added to dry mix), left to firm in the freezer for around 30 mins.

 The smoothie was a simple-pimple concoction of frozen banana, mixed frozen berries, big handful of spinach, greek yoghurt and water. Plus a vitamix blender which took the smoothness factor to the next level!!

 I love the combination of the coconut and lemon flavours and then the fudge-iness these truffles offer... this truly is a worthwhile brekky!

 This is also very much allowed. ;)

Happy, happy days!

Now, as it is Sunday, I have some links for you that I have been loving from the past week!

Food:

Healthy 4 Ingredient Cake Batter Rice Crispy Treats

Chocolate covered dates with brazil nuts 

Vegan Chocolate Cake

Lime & Coconut Cake

Vegan Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate {GF, Paleo, Vegan, Low Cal}

Spelt and Olive Oil Foccacia with Braised Fennel, Pine nuts + Rosemary Za’atar

 Superfood Pumpkin Pie Green Smoothie (Vegan)

Gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free pumpkin fudge cookie dough chocolate recipe

Fitness:

Fitting the Long Run into a Busy Life

Swap Your Prerun Banana With This Food

Snowbunny Blast!

Peak in the life of a Long Run

Health:

23 Little Choices That Can Make You Healthier

Juice Cleanses: Do They Work?

How This Blogger's "Healthy" Habits Became The Most Unhealthy Part Of Her Life

Happiness:

12 Glorious Things You Should Waffle Right Now

1 Look at This Foodspo Is All You Need to Make Today Your Healthiest

I hope you found some good reads in that basket of links!

Enjoy the remainder of your Sunday, do something you enjoy and as always; eat something delicious!! Bye for now friendly friends! :D

What we need to STOP saying

Hello folks! Or should I say strangers!

Well, it has only been a couple of days, but the amount of stuff that has been packed into these past few days has made them feel like a couple of weeks!!

I'm not sure if I have mentioned this yet on the blog, but because we are all so super close (and, come one, you basically know my daily eating habits!) I'll let you in.

So for my senior year at highschool I've fortuitously earned the title of Head Girl. This means next year will be even more hectic than this one!! So this last Tuesday and Wednesday I have been on a prefect camp with the other 20 or so prefects (all heads of different sections of the school- eg, art, music etc.) packed full of team work exercises, leadership tasks and problem solving games.

Anywho, that's not what this post is about- I just thought I'd get you all caught up on what was happening in life currently (feel free to let me know what's happening in your life currently in the comments below!).

No. This post is about something else. This post is about something that gets to me more than it should.

Other people's words.

As a kid, I always took the things my brother or sister said to me too personally and took a long time to get over it. As a growing child I would easily get hurt by what other people said to me if it were in the least bit harsh. I never asked for a teacher to look over my work because I was afraid of criticism-feeling as though they were critisising me personally.

Of course, as I've gotten older and wiser :P I've come to realise that people usually don't mean to hurt you and not to take those comments too close to heart.

However, in saying that, there are certain comments that could simply be left unsaid. Here are a few that come to mine from either hearing someone say it to someone else, or having someone say it to me.

1. How are you so skinny when you eat that much!

First of all- can you imagine if you said this to someone recovery from an eating disorder/ exercise addiction etc? They might have only just come to terms with being ok with the amount of food they now have to eat to become healthy once again and are now slammed in the face with that.

But really, saying that to anyone is quite hurtful. It would replay in most people's minds as they look down at what they're eating and start to obsess over how much is too much? Do they overeat? If they are at a healthy weight for their bodies, have the energy to complete all their daily tasks and feel happy and energised, how can we assume that they are eating so much for their bodies?

 A delicious veggie filled roll! :)

2. Running really? Why do you torture yourself?

Like any outlet, running could be a person's way to release any build up of stress, disconnect from a busy world they live in, or simply be with their own mind for a short period of their day. Dissing running to a runner is like dissing science straight to a scientist. It's just hurtful.

On that point, everyone has their own fasvourite ways of working up a sweat and in that we should all be grateful that we can in fact move our bodies in a way that feels good for us. WE SHOULD BE CELEBRATING those who have found their outlets.

3. You're so healthy- you eat perfect, you exercise perfect- you are perfect.

This one. Written down it may come across as a compliment. But that's in the way it is read. You see, when I've heard this said it is always riddled with a slight undercurrent of jealousy and malice. Said not to encourage the person, but to bring them down and make them feel bad.

No body really wants to be called perfect because then they're automatically isolated. Marginalised from everyone else. If you are in a group and someone tells you you're perfect it's as if it is the group against you. The group bonds on their 'similarity' of not being perfect and you stand there, knowing full well that you are not perfect either, but anything you say will go unheard.

I wasn't expecting this post to get so long and detailed (these things happen when I am passionate about something) and there are many, many more scenarios and comments that hold more negativity than positivity to the receiver.

Your turn:
Have you ever had any of these things said to you?
How do you combat other people's negativity towards you?
Any others that should be mentioned?

This was just me Thinking Out Loud today. Be sure to head on over to Spoons to see what random thoughts everyone else is having this fine Thursday!

Have a fabulous day, do something you enjoy and EAT SOMETHING DELICIOUS!! Bye for now friendly friends!