Undereating- uh oh!

Hi there everyone!!

In today's post I wanted to touch on something I think I take very seriously in my life and work to influence many other teenage girls my age through day-to-day interactions and this blog too. It's the topic of under-eating and it's something my body has struggled through in my past which is why I find it so worrying to watch other girls go through the similar struggles I experienced.

There was a time when I lost so much weight. When I was cold every second of every day. When my natural cycles were stuffed up and I suffered from insomnia- what I felt to be the most debilitating result of not eating enough. When I would come home from school and collapse onto the couch ready for a nap. When I couldn't even go on a walk with my mum and the dog.

And that was a time I never, ever, EVER want to go back to. So when I see the girls around my school, tossing their sandwiches in the bin, or shivering under two jackets on a sunny day, or falling in and out of concentration... I'm sick to my stomach.

But this post isn't about those girls. This post isn't a commanding, preaching post telling you all to eat enough fro your bodies, ensuring you are getting enough kilojoules/ calories to fuel your day-to-day life, because I've already done that. I have quite a collection of posts now regarding eating to fuel your body. So no, that's not why I'm here today. Today I want to talk about my concern that I might be slipping back into bad habits.

You see, it's so easy to let your mind float into disordered unhealthy thoughts when a thought like; 'If I don't add in a chickpea patty I will eat a heck of a lot less.' pops into your head and you simply prep yourself a salad simply made of veggies (no protein or fats). And this happened to me the other day when I chopped up some raw veg to bring to school and then added in a few lentils and called it lunch. I was starving by the time I got home.

This was also the day I had early-morning cross-country training which involved re-running the course and then doing continuous sprint and recovery drills (boy it was tough!). This was also the day when my body needed more fuel and i gave it less? Why did I feel that small sense of accomplishment? It's moments like this that I can 100% relate to those going through an eating disorder or those who regularly suffer from disordered thoughts. As soon as you let one little unhealthy thought take hold of your mind, it's so easy to slip entirely off the rails.

^^This is one of my favourite posts on this topic by The Cookie ChRUNicles (part 1 and part 2)

And then on the other hand, the busyness of my schedule, combined with the stress of school and amount of homework I had ahead of me for the weekend left me with approximately 0% energy or creativity to come up with anything for dinner, so after my merger salad at lunch, this is what my dinner turned out to be:

I'm sure many people would eat this amount of food for dinner, but for me this is definitely not enough to fuel my body. I need to eat probably double this and yet all i made myself for dinner was 2 wholemeal crumpets topped with vegemite, avocado and poached eggs with a side of baked beans.

In short? Friday I was under-eating and the take-away message for me from this day was that i can do it both consciously and unconsciously. I both choose to undercut and I also end up underrating as a result of not being bothered to come up with anything else.

It was after this dinner when I noticed for the first time that day (when I actually took a minute out of my day to simply be present) that I felt the hunger my body was crying out to signal to be fed. So I took action. I knew I needed to up my protein so poured myself a big glass of cold soy milk and enjoyed a few squares of dark chocolate. I still had not eaten nearly enough to fuel that active day for me but it was important for me to recognise this and take action, something I didn't do a few years back and was so quickly and easily taken over by unhealthy under-eating.

This Instagram probably helped me with the wake-up call :)

This morning I woke up just feeling empty. I took an easy morning (your body needs rest too!!) and enjoyed this delicious HUGE Steph-sized brekky:

A big not-so-green-purple green smoothie with a side of freshly baked, warm, straight-from-the-oven granola!

 I'm telling you, a spoon would have probably been a better apparatus to use for this smoothie than the start but alas... I was hungry and it was delicious!!!
 I also felt a heck of a lot better with a substantial and nutritious and filling and awesome amount of food in my belly! :D

This is a wake-up call for me (and maybe one for you too) Steph- do not fall back into unhealthy, disordered thoughts and remember to eat. EAT. Eat enough because your body needs a lot of fuel to prosper!

What about you?
Have you ever under-eaten? Conciously/ unconsciously?
Favourite quick throw-together dinner?
Favourite meal to up the fuel into your body?!

I hope you all have an awesome, awesome day, smile lots and EAT SOMETHING DELICIOUS!! TRULY! Bye for now friendly friends!! :D

The Savoury Section!

Hi there amazing, inspiring people!
(Did that make your day a little brighter? With that little piece of truth? Good! :) )

I have a shocking post in store for you today and you won't believe your eyes when you read the next words that are soon to pop up on your reading radar in a few lines when I stop blabbering and finally get to what today's post is about. Right now. RRRIIIGGHHHTT now.

Ok, I'll get on with it!

Today I have a recipe.

No that's not the shock.

Today I have a recipe that is not intended for breakfast! (I mean, you can eat it for breakfast; each to their own right?) But no, that is still not the surprise...

On this very day I have a recipe that is of the savoury variety.

SURPRISE!!!

Creamy Pumpkin Veggie-Stuffed Pasta Bake

 As winter approaches with the cold, dark, chill of sadness... I kid, winter's great (sometimes)... comfort food is required to make the happy pleasant fairies in your stomach happy and you even happier.

But what's a girl to do if comfort food actually makes her tummy fairies a little unhappy... and decide to punch and rip and kick at the lining of her stomach until she's doubled over in pain approximately 30 minutes after eating a cheese-filled white-pasta filled dish? Why she makes a version that's just as tasty and gives her all the goodness her body deserves!

 So I made pasta bake.
And I think you should make it too.

Ingredients:
1 serving wholemeal penne pasta (or whatever pasta you want to use)
3/4 cup mashed pumpkin
3 brussels sprouts, chopped
A few broccoli florets (4-5)
1/2 cup green beans
1/2 cup greek yoghurt
1 tablespoon hommus
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/3 cup rinsed and drained lentils
One handful spinach

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius and grab a loaf tin/ pasta bake tin
2.Cook pasta according to packet instructions
3.Steam the brussels, broc and beans until tender
4. Drain pasta, stir in pumpkin, greek yoghurt, hommus and nutritional yeast.
5. Add the steamed greens and lentils and then stir in the spinach
6. Transfer to tin and place in oven. Bake for around 30 minutes or until golden brown on top and a little crispy :)

 ENJOYYY!!! (leave to cool first- my little mistake :)

The cheesey, comforting, warm, goodness of this meal is so gosh darn tasty and offers so much nutritionally that this dish ticks all the boxes (tasty, comforting, delicious and filled with the stuff your body thrives on!).

As a kid I hated pasta bake. As a teen I make this and I cry with happiness:

Nom.

What about you?
Are you a fan of pasta bake?
Favourite stuff to add into your pasta bake?
What's the one food you always burn your tongue on? Mine would probably be pizza straight from the oven.. because that smell is too good not to dive straight into!!

I hope you all have a fabulous rest of your day, give someone you love a hug, give yourself a hug and as always EAT SOMETHING DELICIOUS!! Bye for now friendly friends! :D

TWOOOO RECIPES! :D

Hidy ho friendly friends and happy Friday!
It is currently the end of the school week, about mid-afternoon, sun beginning to set (you know it's coming into winter when it gets dark this quickly in Aus!) and my mind is simply done, hence why I'm blogging when there is homework that could potentially be done right now-ish... but you know what, sometimes we all just need a break. Sometimes we gotta be kind to our bodies and our minds (I'm always going on about treating your body as a temple in terms of food and exercise but this also refers just as much to our mental state!)

So yes. I have chosen you guys over my much-loved, anticipated and eager-to-complete homework. Yep. You can thank me later.

Anyways onto the post!

On to the food!

Yes, this is in fact a food blog and thus I would like to gift you with some pictures of food that will leave you hungry, drooling and basically just needing a little snack to make it through. And if not... then you must have just eaten and I respect you just a little bit more :)

Today (because I was feeling bad for not posting in a while... ahh gotta love year 12 life) I have for you not one... not two... no it is two. I have TWO delightful breakfast recipes for you guys and not only that, they offer so much more than just a recipe... one of them is a Lazy-Sunday-I-Got-plenty-Of-Time-To-Make-Breakfast breakfast and the other one is a Quickest-Ever-Throw-Together-Meal-Evvveerrr breakfast so you have two great options for two completely different mornings!

Ok, enough talking (boy I can blabber on!) onto the fooooood

 What is that a picture of, you ask?

 Why it is a big plate of cold, fudgey, creamy avocado choc fudge bites with a side of cherry fro-yo. Oh yes.

Ohhh yes.

 To make these bad boys I literally popped:
Ingredients:
1/2 an avocado
3/4 cup rolled oats (I probably put in a bit more because I made quite a lot!!)
1 scoop choc protein powder (sub in with a teaspoon or two of raw cacao powder)
2 dates
1 laarrggee spoon of nut butter (I used peanut butter)
A little splash of water to get it all moving

Method:
.... all the ingredients into the Vitamix and whazzed until smooth and combined.
Then I formed them into bites, placed on a parchment lined plate and popped in the freezer for atleast 30 minutes... Then I died of deliciousness:

 I don't think I'll ever be able to get across how fudge-y and creamy these bites were... so you're just going to have to go right ahead and make them yourself- I promise you will not be disappointed!

 And the cherry fro-yo? Well you all know by now- handful of frozen cherries + 3 scoops greek yoghurt- whazzed until smooth and popped in the freezer to harden slightly! Perfect partner to the rich, dense brownie bites :) :D

Gah! I want this again!!

Alrighty- moving right along to the easy-peasy-throw-together-in-5-minutes breakfast! Because sometimes we just don't got the time in the morning for luxurious pancakes, or steel cut oats or delicious, creamy, fudge-y, dense, delicious fudge bites (yep, I need these in my life again very soon!)

Breakfast Papaya Boat:

 Again, I have no words. So instead I have a recipe:

Ingredients:
1/2 papaya
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
small handful dried fruit
small handful raw, chopped nuts
3 big scoops greek yoghurt
1/2 cup almond milk
1 large tablespoon of coconut butter
2 tablespoon almond milk

Method:
Place oats, dried fruit, cinnamon and nuts in a bowl, stir in the greek yoghurt and almond milk and leave in the fridge overnight (or at least 30 minutes to an hour).
The next morning, place the coconut butter and almond milk in a small bowl/ saucepan and heat up (bowl in microwave for around 15 seconds) until melted and combined. Stir into soaked overnight oats.
Retrieve your half a papaya breakfast boats and scoop in the oats and.. nope that's it you're done!

 Cold, creamy, sweet, juicy- all the flavours, textures and deliciousness in one breakfast!

 Happy, happy days.
And whipped together in the morning with a little night-before prep in approximately 5 minutes- even happier happy happy days :)

Nom.

And there you go.

You're welcome.

And now I'm hungry again. *sigh* thanks Steph!

Your turn:
What's your favourite lengthy-throw-together breakfast?
What's your favourite quick-throw-together breakfast? Cereal doesn't count! (I'm not against cereal- love the crunchy delight- but it's just a bit toooo quick)
Sweet or savoury breakfast? I'm all about them sweet, dessert breakfasts!

I hope you all have a fabulous Friday- do something fun, fun, fun because it's FRIDAY FUNDAY! Yep it's a universally recognised thing! Eat something delicious and I will see you next time for whatever crazy, throw-together post I come up with for next time! Yay! Bye for now friends!! :D

The Race Recap!

Hidily-hodily friendly friends and happy happy whatever today is to you!!

Why am I in such a giddy, happy mood? It could have something to do with the delicious breakfast of lemon coconut bites and a frozen grape and banana green smoothie I enjoyed for breakfast this morning outside, under cover watching the rain crash down (oddly calming- anyone else agree?), or the fact that today was a lazy, lie-in, complete rest day that let my body just reeeelax (haven't had a rest day in a while and felt like the body could do with a little stress reduction... feeling a cold coming on!)

Anywho, it could have something to do with all of those things but that's not why I am so utterly and absolutely elated.

Nope.

The actual reason?

You're reading (was going to say looking but then I realised you can't actually see me :P) the words of  the open girls cross country champion for my school! So stoked right now!

You may remember from last year me doing a post on winning the year 11 cross country race.. but I feel like this is an even bigger deal and I'm not going to lie I'm pretty proud of myself. You see I've been in and out of almost falling into my old-friend ITB syndrome and runners knee injury for the past month or so, struggling to maintain good posture and running style and ensuring that I was stretching and foam roller-ing (you should see the bruises on my leg from my spike-y roller- ouch!) every night, combined with the nerves of knowing I was definitely doing a heck of a lot less training than I wanted to be for preparation for this race. I got to the point where I was doing multiple Blogilates cardio videos to last for a good 30 mins to get that same heart rate and breathing that I would from a tough run to increase my lung capacity and stamina!

I hadn't run since Sunday and the race was on Friday. This was due to the fact that after a longer than planned run on Sunday (around 6.5km) my leg became quite stiff indeed and I felt the niggling pain in the outside part of my left knee starting to return. Dang it, Steph, I thought- why'd you have to go out and run for longer than needed?

Come Friday, I was nervous. This is something I truly wanted. This was a big goal for me. This added immensely to the nerves. To put it in perspective? I had two of my school services to attend where I was speaking in both as head girl and the one thing I was truly nervous about was running those 3km!

Better yet? The girls were the very last runners to be let out of the gates (it went social walkers in the middle school, then senior school, then the boys running the 4km and then when every single person was back, the girls running the 3km! Hello butterflies! I couldn't even eat all of my lunch- cous cous salad with veggies and 4 beans- because I was just starting to feel sick)

Should have told myself this to get me through!!

At last we were off, as per usual everyone started in a sprint, I got intimidated and of course tried to stay with the pack. Foolishly. I felt the pain pretty early in (and I wasn't even on the hill for the way back!) I tried to keep the same high pace but definitely felt my body crying out for my usual slow and sustained pace I run for my long runs. I had my eye on the prize though, and I think my mental strength started to take over after about the half way point when I noticed the one year 12 girl in front of me begin to slow down- she started so, so strong and I had pretty much resigned to the fact of getting runner up behind her.

 But I was catching her up this hill (spanning all the way back to my school- I know, how cruel is that!?!) Then I was by her side and gaining ground. And then she said; 'Go Steph. Go.' and off I ran. Those couple of words gave me some inhuman strength to keep going and push myself faster than I had started down the hill. I was gaining ground, I was getting closer and closer to school... then I saw the line-up of cars on the one bit of road we had to cross and I knew i would be stopped to let them through. Worst nightmare confirmed.

I jogged on the spot, not because I felt I needed to but mainly just to calm the nerves of not moving and my competitor being right behind me and suddenly in view. As soon as I saw her round the corner, I was let off and began an even quicker sprint/ run up that dreaded hill.

And then I saw the gates. Lungs not filling with oxygen, eyes cast down, feeling like I was going to throw up the entire contents of food in my belly... and then I was through. just half an oval before I would win. I saw a girl from another year in front of me, maybe 4-6 meters or so. She was fast but she didn't have anything left in the tank. And I did. Somehow I had the remaining energy to sprint my heart out, straight past her and through the finish line, finishing stronger than I ever had before.

I had done it. I had won champion girl. And I felt like I was going to puke! Alas, I did not, instead I got my name taken down, tried to drink (wasn't breathing properly yet) hugged the runner up (we're really close and have been running cross country together for a few years now) and tried to stretch out my throbbing legs (they hadn't worked that hard in a long time!). I was utterly bewildered how I managed the win after such a reduction in training and shaky legs. And just so so so happy as well.

In my smart ways of mine, I had agreed to go to a party that night too- which just felt so good on my legs! Not! But it was still fun, even though I woke up super early Friday morning (too nervous to sleep!) and so was ready for bed at around 9:30pm at the party! :D Ahh, life of a runner :P.

So that is my race recap for my school's 2016 cross country qualifying race! And guess what, there's going to be another race recap coming up soon after I run the 12km HBF Run for a Reason coming up later this month (22nd)! So get excited for that one (an actual distance I like to run!! :)

Today my legs feel tight, sore and like they've been cramping, but a few epsom salt baths, stretching and foam rolling should bring em' right back to their glorious selves!

Your turn:
What's the most recent race you've run? Any marathoners out there? My ultimate goal!!
Anyone currently injured at the moment? What did you do?
Tips fro feeling before an afternoon race? I never usually run any time other than before breakfast (with zero food in ma belly) so it was quite strange to eat around an hour before starting and I did feel quite sick during the run!)

The trophy :)

I hope you enjoyed this little recap and let me know if you want to see more of these kinds of posts (they're quite fun to write!!).

Happy, slightly exhausted, slightly dazed Steph after race!

Have yourself a fabulous day, do something that truly makes you happy and that your body with thank you for. Look after yourselves and as always; EAT SOMETHING DELICIOUS!! Bye for now friendly friends!! :D

When Life Gets Busy...

Hi there.
My name is Steph.
I love food.
I'm currently a year 12 student.
I have no time and my stress levels would be higher than that of an average human being.

Sometimes I truly feel like this is me... :P

Aaaaand that's pretty much my current bio!

Ok, ok, I lie, there's a lo more to me than that but I guess those are the biggest factors playing a role in my life right now as i set my sights on that end dream of studying nutrition at uni whilst also studying year 12 at school!

But this post isn't about that.

Nope, this post is about the effects a busy/ stressful/ tiring life can have on one's health. now, I think I've struck a pretty good balance with myself when i think about the study and stress I allow myself in balance with the breaks and time outs and Friends watching binges I allow myself. I've made sleep a priority and I try to get some form of movement into my day to day life in one way or another (generally a quick, fun Blogilates vid before brekky :))

However as much as I still possess the capabilities to make beautiful and delicious and creative breakfasts after a full night's rest, after a long day slogging the books/ meeting with people/ other commitments I have at school with my leadership role etc., by the time dinner rolls round I'm done.

 Literal dinner photo...

 Yup, that is one baked Japanese white sweet potato with coconut butter and a bowl of steamed peas and beans!

 Not gonna lie, it was delicious! ;)

And I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this. I have no doubts people working full-time jobs/ full-time studying students/ full-time functioning humans all have stages in life when returning home from whatever it is you were doing and being confronted with the prospect of cooking dinner has left you reaching for the easiest thing on hand. Hello cereal-for-dinner bowls.

 Or even just a bowl of oven roasted coconut oil potatoes (regular potatoes and white and purple sweet potato- so goood!!)

Whilst I'm not saying this is necessarily a bad thing (hey, we all have one of those days) it's probably not great long term.

But again, this is not what this post is about. Today I want to talk about how during stressful times in our lives, those of us who are used to preparing beautiful, creative, time-consuming, intricate meals- probably mainly talking about food bloggers/ instagrammers/ chefs/ actually anyone who loves to cook! -shouldn't feel guilty about having an extended (and this could be quite extended) period of our well-known, easy-to-throw-together meals. I know that is where I currently am right now (I've lost track of the number of roast veggie bowls I've had this week.)

 Roasted veggies with a side of refreshing cucumber with hommus  for dipping!

 Yes, I bit into one already... y'all know the hunger I go through!! :D

What I'm saying is, we shouldn't feel guilty about this. Ok, so maybe we aren't making the meals to the standards we're used to, or lack any creative flow whatsoever and thus dinners may seem a little on the simple side. But hey, this is a time when our focus needs to be somewhere else and if the only thing you're mind can conjure up for dinner is avocado and eggs on toast, than you gosh-darn make those delicious avocado and egg toasts and enjoy them! Sure, anyone can make them, but that does not matter- you're still feeling the beautiful machine that does so much for you, just with simpler meals that you might even love more than that complicated zucchini noodle with toasted garlic salad you made that one time. (Yes, I have made this before :P)

Yeah, this one was just a real I-have-no-thinking-capacity-left meal and I enjoyed the heck out of it. A chopped up green appple, toasted seedy sourdough bread spread with hommus and topped with sliced avocado and poached eggs and a whole cucumber broken in half :) Also, hello there feet!

And if you need any other reasons to not feel guilty? Know that everyone goes through this and I have resorted to eggs on toast, or simple roasted veggies, or heating up some instant rice and mixing it through with some chickpeas more times than ever before this year- and truth be told, I love going back to a little kid version of eating! Baked bean toastie? heck yes!!

 Nom.

As long as you're still nourishing your body with whole, beautiful, natural foods- what does it matter if your sweet potato has been spiralled or not? Your body is getting those same awesome nutrients and your brain is getting that same nice break of preparing something you know you love to eat and is simple enough to do while day dreaming :).

Your turn:
Do you ever have busy periods of your life where you turn to simpler meals? 
What's your go-to simple dinner?
Cereal for dinner culprit?

I hope you all have an awesome day, remember to take a breather if you need it, and don't feel guilty if you're dinner turns out to be a whole baked sweet potato with nut butter... you know it's going to taste good! Bye for now friendly friends! :D

There's Always Room For Improvement!

Hi there friends and welcome back to the awesome blog of destinyyy.

Or not.

Maybe just the awesome blog of health, fitness and FOOOOOOD.

Either way.

:P

So I'm a perfectionist. If I can do more, I will do more. I expect more from myself everyday and if I don't meet the high standards I unknowingly place upon myself, then I will simply work twice as hard to ensure I do.

It probably stems from my upbringing, whereby getting an 80% in something didn't just mean an A and a job well done. I was told that this reveals there was room for improvement. There was an opportunity for me to do better and so should work harder next time.

I suppose this (as from-the-heart as it was) advice started to ingrain itself into my head and now pings up every time I do less-than-stellar in something.

Woah- this just got deep.

Funny, because this is not a deep post! nope, this intro into my life was simply to introduce today's topic which is there's always room for improvement... when it comes to health.

If I were to ask my past self one year ago today if I thought I was mega healthy I would reply with an emphatic YES! And my current self would in fact agree that I did have lots of healthy habits, food choices, exercise and good ways of looking after my body a year ago today. But then I think about how far I've come to this present day. I eat a heck of a lot more veggies (if that was even possible), I've figured out ways to incorporate at least two servings of veggies into my breakfast. Yep, just breakfast. I've found exercises and workouts that I enjoy so much and push me to limits I didn't even know I had and I take a lot more time now to rest and look after my body than I ever did in the past.

Sure I was healthy. But I've come a long way since then.

A great example of this is just having a look at some of my breakfasts past and present:
In the past:
A simple bowl of oats with peanut butter:

Post

Today:

Grate some zucchini in there, bubble it all up and you can't even taste it! (Just adds more volume so I get a huge bowl of oats! Happy days!)

In the past:

A smoothie made with banana and other frozen fruit:

Post

Today:
Smoothie made with a ridiculous amount of leafy greens, frozen zucchini, frozen fruit, soaked oats

This was literally the biggest smoothie I've ever made! I chucked in a big handful of frozen zucchini, 1 chopped, frozen banana, 1 big handful frozen mango, around 3/4 cup soaked oats and chia seeds in almond milk (10-15 mins soaking), huge handful of kale and huge handful of spinach, 3 big scoops of greek yoghurt and water- whaz!

So good!

I've also taken to craving veggies for lunch and have been known to devour a whole plate of raw veg sticks and homes (and I mean a WHOLE stacked-full-of-veg plate) because that's what my body knows it thrives on and feels awesome eating!

I mean this just looks so good to me right now! I could eat this daily!!!

So what is my purpose with this post? It's to show that our health is a constantly changing, developing and potentially improving thing that always has room for us to do a little better, to love our bodies a little more- and this works both ways; not just eating a whole lot more veg, but if you are too obsessed with healthy eating, it could be letting go every now and then, enjoying a veg-less lunch of a grilled cheese sandwich and doing just as much for your mental, emotional and wellbeing health that a big ol' salad would do for you nutritionally! (definitely something I have to remind myself sometimes- health is a long term picture, not just one meal changing everything- both good or bad!)

And in the end I wanted to link it all to this picture I saw on Instagram the other day and just had to save and share it with you all:

It just hit me right in the face how true this was and I think made me more aware and happy to fuel my body with the nourishing foods I know it needs to feel amazing!

This time when I tell myself; 'Steph, there's always room for improvement!' I'll happily nod my head in agreement because you know what, there always is but I will always know that I will never reach perfection, there's no 100% in this test of life- and that's absolutely fine!

Your thoughts:
Do you ever look back at your past eating/ exercising/ health habits and think how far you've come?
What are some sneaky ways you sneak extra veg into your meals?
Fav smoothie concoction of recent? Mine is just anything FILLED with fruit- fruit is so delicious!

I hope you all have a ridiculously awesome day, recognise all the times you smile (it's a lot more than you might think!) and as always; EAT SOMETHING DELICIOUS!! Bye for now friendly friends! :D