Healthy eating= boring???

Healthy eating= boring.
How many times have I heard someone ( *cough* brother, friends, peers at school, people on tv etc.) say this. If I had a burger for every time someone said this.... the world would be forced to eat healthy because there would be a burger shortage! (Hmmm, plan?)

Ok, maybe not ;)

Any who, it bugs me! I mean sure steamed broccoli and plain old celery sticks are considered healthy... but if you think that is all that's considered healthy, boy do I have news for you!!

I find it utterly hilarious when my friends gawk at me when I tell them the basic outline of my diet (vegetarian, no processed sugar, low wheat, no cow's milk- just can't tolerate it, and very little processed foods) and then come out with the typical question of; 'What do you eat then?' The hilarious part of all this is telling them about the last meal I ate and watching their reactions.

' Oh, you know a super rich chocolate-y pudding like creation.'
'That would be some peanut butter banana ice cream.'
'A super yummy veggie pizza.'

I don't know about you, but if I'm going to nourish my body with the best possible foods... as well as eat for the rest of my life- it's going to be tasty!

Without further ado I present to you an insight into the utterly delicious meals (and extremely healthy) meals I enjoy on a daily basis. What even is deprivation?

The smoothie bowl:

I. Love. Smoothie bowls. I reckon they are one of the tastiest ways to get so many nutrients into your body. Fill the smoothie up with fresh/ frozen fruit, greek yoghurt, tons of greens (that you can't even taste!) and you're good to go!

This guy was 1 chopped frozen banana + 1/2 chopped frozen mango + 1 handful of kale + 1 handful spinach + 3 big scoops greek yoghurt + 1/4 cup water- whazzed until smooth!

So much goodness! Then to top it off (literally) some home made granola (super easy and delicious!) to add the fibre, wholegrain goodness and filling healthy fat to the meal!

Simply microwave 1-2 tablespoons nut butter with 1/3 cup milk (I use almond milk) for 30 seconds and then pour on top of 1/2 cup muesli and stir to combine (rubbing may be required) Bake in oven at 180 degrees celsius for 15 mins and voila! Some crispy, mainly doughy granola to top your smoothie off!

Healthy is...

That spoon full of joy!

Lunches can be just as tasty, if not more, especially when you know a few tricks of the trade in the vegetable department!

For example roasting deliciously sweet pumpkin, sweet potato and red onion with a little olive oil and ground cinnamon to create a deeper, richer flavour! (roasted for around 30-45 mins at 180)
Then marrying those flavour together with some cooked pearl barley, spinach, drained chickpeas, chopped fresh coriander and lemon juice:

Don't mind if I do!

Those are just two of the ways healthy meals can be great! I could go on for days... but then I feel like this blog post would be too long. Maybe.

What about you?
Do you ever forget how awesome healthy food can be?
Do your friends ever use that as an excuse to why they don't like healthy food?
Favourite meal that is healthy and tastes out-of-this-world amazing? 

I hope this has given you some inspiration and as usual I will always be popping in with fun new recipes to try when your lacking inspiration in the healthy (but ridiculously tasty) department!

Have a great day and make something that not only makes your bod feel great, but also you entire being :) Bye! :D

Because Eggplants are cool

Eggplants are so underrated... who agrees with me?
I'm the majority of you really hadn't thought too hard about eggplants in the past, however I'm also sure there's a few (ok, a couple) of you who, like me, think eggplants are awesome and should get more recognition for said awesome-ness.

In the non-taste related sector of eggplant magnificence includes fiber (protecting digestive tract), phyto nutrients (aiding in blood circulation and nourish brain- BRAIN FOOD!) and a whole bunch of other vitamins and minerals (iron, calcium etc.) required by the body!

So I have recipes for you! Yup- recipesssss! Highlighting the awesome-ness that is eggplant! :D

Firstly, these awesome grilled eggplant falafels:

Ingredients:
3/4 cup chickpeas/ red kidney beans/ mixed four beans (any cooked beans really)
Spices- kind of up to you- I used 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon+ 1 teaspoon cumin + dash of paprika + dash of ginger
Freshly chopped coriander
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
2 slices of eggplant (1 cm thick)

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius, line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Place eggplant and onion in a non-stick frypan and heat on medium heat until cooked through
3. Meanwhile in a small food processor whazz together the beans and spices (might need to add a little water if mixture is quite dry)
4. Add cooked eggplant and onion to mashed beans and spices as well as chopped coriander and mix to combine:

5. Wet hands and form into balls:

6. Bake in oven for 20-30 mins (until golden brown)
7. EAT!

I enjoyed my eggplant falafels topped with some Mexican salsa with a side of steamed brussels sprouts and oven roasted white sweet potato (Y.U.M)
So. Much. Flavour!

And, as usual, we need to take a moment to appreciate the absolute unbelievably awe-inspiring taste of roasted white sweet potatoes. Good.

Happy Days.

But that's not all folks! Oh no!
EGGPLANT PIZZA!
Ever feel like pizza but just don't have the time/ effort to make a base? What do you do? (No you do not go out and buy a pre-made base/ pizza!) You slice up an eggplant, roast it a little and then top it with all the regular pizza guests!

First of all roast your eggplant (about 1 cm slices) for around 15 mins at 180 degrees celsius.

Then spread it with some no-added-salt tomato paste, mixed with dried oregano and basil for pizza flavour!):

Next, top it up! I topped my 'pizza' with capsicum, mushrooms, semi-dried tomatoes and black olives:

Bake it in the oven for around 20-30 mins until veggies on top are cooked to your liking, then nom!

Eaten along side some homemade lentil bread topped with avocado and poached eggs and some roasted broccoli and brussels sprouts!

For all those interested in the bread, I don't have exact measurements but it was something like 1/2 cup lentil flour and a dash of garlic powder mixed with 1 tablespoon greek yoghurt and then water until the dough came together:

Rolled out and grilled on a griddle pan for around a minute either side on high heat:

Ta-da!

Easy-peasy grain free, high protein bread!

What a fabulous dinner!

That eggplant though...

The real star of the show ;)

What about you?
Do you like/ don't like eggplant? I used to hate it in all honesty! I never really experiemnted much with it though!
Favourite eggplant recipe?
Vegetable you think is completely underrated and overlooked?

Bye for now friendly friends! Have a magnificent day, do something you love and eat something yummy!! :D

Chocolate and mint...

Some combinations in life are genius and whatever lucky folk stumbled upon those brilliant combos... I thank you indefinitely.

Examples?
Tomato and basil
Sweet potatoes and nut butter
Peanut butter and banana
Cheese and crackers
Chips and salsa
PB&J
Caramel and salt
Pancakes and maple syrup
Carrots and cheese...

Maybe that's going a little far... even for me ;)

The list goes on and on! To be quite honest I'm a (or sometimes was) a huge fan of all these combos, they just work!

Although one combo I never quite understood is chocolate and mint.

First of all I'm not a big mint fan to begin with. I blame it on those white, chewy, teeth-ripping Minties that come in massive bags that we used to take with us on car trips. I'm not gonna lie- I over did it one time. Now I hate mint. Haven't had a Mintie since.

I really loved the wrappers though :)

So how come when I was mindlessly scrolling through Pinterest and scanned my eyes over a picture of a chocolate-y mint-y smoothie, did I start to want one. To really want one. To neeeed one!

Yesterday, out grocery shopping, saw me do something I had never done. I went over to my beloved fresh herb section.... and did not pick up any fresh basil/ coriander/ rosemary. Nope I picked up some fresh mint leaves.

Under 24 hours later and a few torn up fresh mint leaves were being thrown into my blender! (With a couple other ingredients ;)

Decadent Chocolate Mint Smoothie

Ingredients:
1 chopped frozen banana
1/2 chopped frozen avocado
1 handful kale
1 handful spinach
4-5 fresh, torn mint leaves
3 big spoons greek yoghurt
1 scoop choc protein powder + 1 teaspoon raw cacao powder (or just use around 1 tablespoon raw cacao powder)
1/2 cup milk (I used almond milk)

Method:
1. Layer the ingredients into your blender so the leaves are weighed down by something. (My layering generally goes; some frozen banana, kale, frozen avocado, spinach, mint leaves, protein powder and cacao powder, yoghurt, more frozen banana and milk)
2. Whaz until smooth!
3. Enjoy!!

On first sip... I was surprised! It was so fresh and had a really nice flavour. It was hard to stop after one sip, but I had to because my coconut truffles were still hardening in the freezer..

Recipe for truffles here.

 Thick, creamy, chcoclate-y, mint-y... it really was a perfect smoothie!

 I think I finally understand the concept of adding mint to chocolate- it makes it so much fresher... meaning you can eat more, as it's less rich! Genius!

 My mum's favourite ice cream flavour is mint chocolate chip ice cream, so I guess I had to accept the combo sooner or later!

What about you?
Favourite food/ flavour combo? Gotta be sweet potato and nut butter for me- it's like a super decadent dessert!

Fan of mint and chocolate?
Mindless pinterest scroller too? It's my biggest procrastination when my mind has had enough of homework! :)

That's it from me this fine Sunday- full from a fabulous... smoothie (yep, good try alliteration)! I hope everyone has a great day and make sure you eat something awesome (chocolate and mint, perhaps?) Bye for now friends! :D

Inside the mind of a runner

Hello, hello! How's Saturday going so far? It's a bright and sunny and warm and lovely and... impeccable day in Perth, Australia! Don't know how many of these we've got left before winter starts to chill the air! (I just need to work out how to bottle this heat and sun and blue skies and then I'll be fine)

Ahh, always nice to start a post chatting about the weather, hey? The wall paper's looking nice too! (Just kidding, I don't have any wall paper)

Today, after my typical Saturday run, I thought it might be fun to recap a run... from the inside of my head, mainly because I think it's kind of funny and I also love reading about what other's think about when they run!

Stephanie's brain: 5:15am- 7:15am
5:15 am- Walks outside
Boy, it's a little chilly, how am I going to cope in winter when it's going to be super cold? Maybe I will have to wear thermals. Definitely not wearing these short shorts and tank top!

5:30am- running
So not feeling this run. I blame my speed run on Wednesday- so much more exciting then these long, boring ones. I wonder how long I've been running for. Why does it feel like midnight? Come on sun, hurry up and wake up!

5:35am- running
Loving this! So that's why I love running! Just gotta get past that first stage. Still not sure whether or not I'll get mugged though... it's so dark!!

5:45am- running
It's kind of cool how I can keep running and not get puffed. Run, run, goes my legs, ooh! Look at my legs! Look at them run! Woah! Eyes in front Steph! Light posts jump out of nowhere!

6:00am- running
Ok, the sun has definitely left our universe and gone to live in some other one. I guess stars are kind of pretty. Why are there so many bike riders? Is this bike riding hour? I like their flashing things. Maybe I should get some flashing things.

6:01am- running, imagining myself with flashing things
Definitely getting flashing things

6:10am- running
I wonder if any of my friends are runners? Most of them don't know I'm a runner. I'm pretty much a superhero! Running- my secret identity! Doo-do-doo-doooo!! (singing superhero tunes)

6:15am- running, face undoubtedly grimacing
Kinda hungry right now. Yep, that was my stomach. Shhh, stomach! Behave! You will be fed when we return home, until then, behave yourself. Now distractions, distractions. Well, there goes another group of bike riders. I like that they talk to each other, although they're quite loud. Shhh bike riders!

6:30am- running
Legs are getting tired. Come on legs, you got this! You are machines! Best legs ever! You were built for this- you. are. strong! Smile at the runner passing you. Ok they're not in the mood for smiling. Keep running. Now, where are we going after this park? Feeling like another park? Yeh!

6:45am- running
Wooh! Feeling awesome! I.Love.Running! Best sport ever! Yeh, you can look at me like I'm crazy, all you passing cars, but I am having the time of my life! So motivated, I got this hill!

6:46am- running
Gahh, running, why do you do this to me!?! Hills are not my friend. Hills are evil.

6:50am- running
Ok, feeling good again. Loving the sun! Loving the sounds of birds chirping and the world waking up. Not the loving the sound of those crazy motor bike riders behind me. Do not smile at them. Ruining my zen, how rude!

7:10am- running
Hungry. So hungry. Home. So close. Will I make it?

7:11am- running
Don't know if I'll make it.

7:12am- running
Never gonna make it.

7:13am- running
How am I still running?

7:14 am- running
So. Close.

7:15 am- collapsing
That was awesome.

That's pretty much the general thought path of my brain, but it still perplexes me how I manage to pass the time without a podcast/ music. It certainly does not feel like 2 hours pass, but there you go- along with my constant mindless thoughts I must day dream a lot too ;)

Story of my life.

Your turn:
Tell me some of the things you think about whilst running?
Do you sometimes think the weirdest things when you're not really concentrating?
Do you own any flashing things that people wear when it's dark outside?

I hope everyone has a fabulous and relaxing weekend , filled with love, laughter and lots of good food! Bye friends! :D

Thinking Out Loud- Not overdoing it!

Pushing oneself.
This can be such a positive thing.
This can result in a person becoming the best possible version of themselves. Reaching new goals. Exceeding expectations. Blowing the minds of all those around them.

Pushing oneself.
This can also very easily turn into a very negative thing.

If you were to get to know me on a face to face/ personal/ in real-life kind of way, you would come to realise pretty quickly that I am crazy.

Ok, you might have already guessed that, but also that I am crazy hard on myself. I push and push myself until I reach whatever task is laid out in front of me- whatever it is. I don't tolerate failing, it's not an option and this has lead me to achieve some pretty awesome things that I look back on and smile at. Like painting an entire wall in my bedroom. By myself. At the age of 12. Like landing my first back flip and first no-handed cartwheel. Like ingraining in my memory the first 30 decimal places of pi. And that's just a few of the examples that come to mind!

I'm a control freak, organisational, hard working maniac... and it's one of my most treasured qualities. Until it starts to have a negative affect.

You guys know I'm a runner. Running is a big part of my life now- which would have shocked me only a couple of years ago! I run because I love it, it takes me away from the world that stresses me out, it relaxes me, puts my thoughts in order and rejuvenates me for the day ahead. It's such an awesome, positive aspect of my life. Until my crazy, control freak, organisational, hard working self decides to play with the one thing that saves me from my craziness.

I mentioned in a post how I ran for 2 hours for the first time and didn't think twice about that fact until I read a very important comment. The commenter told me (in a really nice way- I truly appreciate it) That I should be careful not to overdo it on the running, it could end badly. I stopped, the world paused and I thought about this.

It was at this point that I realised my 'pushing-myself'' side had taken over and instead of enjoying the run for all those reasons listed above, I was gaining pleasure (if I can call it that) from increasing my distance to ridiculous amounts. I was ignoring the toll these long distances were taking on my body. Did I really need more stress (ie. worrying about waking up at 4:00am so I can fit in my run before school) added to the ginormous mountain of stress year 11 already has weighing on me? The answer is a big fat no!

So what did I do the following day when I had a pre-planned run? I slept in a little. Then I did a quick thirty minute sprint/ run to gain strength and speed. Previously I would have hated this because I wouldn't have felt like it was a proper workout as it was so quick a mere 1/4 of my usual runs, but I knew then and there that it was important I alternated between ridiculously long runs and shorter, faster ones.

And you know what? I felt great for the rest of the day. Isn't it ironic how much I preach about listening to one's body and I had basically duct taped my body's voice.

I'm not going to lie, the next day I felt a little guilty, I didn't have the aches and pains of my usually day-after-run and I sort of felt like I should eat less. Then I gave myself a mental slap and told myself there are much bigger things to worry about...

like the upcoming heart dissection in human bio. Good times. :)

Your turn:
Have you ever pushed yourself to achieve something awesome?
Have you ever pushed yourself too hard?
What was the consequence?

That's just me Thinking Out Loud on this Thursday! Thanks as always to Spoons for hosting this link-up each week! Have a great day friends! BYE! :D