My last couple posts have been fashion or beauty related, so I wanted to change it up and do something maybe a little different. Let us talk about food, shall we. Sooo, October has Halloween, giving wiggle room for delicious candy, November has Thanksgiving, giving the perfect excuse to eat all day and eat left overs, and December has Christmas or Hanukah, giving yet another excuse to eat all day and eat left overs. So, I think it is wise to think of a game plan to prepare ourselves for the upcoming months of food.
I think what is important about these holidays is that we DO enjoy ourselves. That is why we look forward to these holidays, so let us eat cake! But leading up to these holidays, and in between the months, it would be wise to keep your diet clean and keeping up on exercise. I am going to divide the day into categories of eating (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snacks) and then I will talk about getting some exercise in to prepare for the yummy holidays that await us.
☯Breakfast☯
I have been a fan of hard boiled eggs. You can prepare them in advance by boiling a dozen on a Sunday, and then peeling them and refrigerating them for the rest of the week. They are great and filling when you eat them with fruit or (my personal favorite) BelVita Breakfast Crackers. These crackers are delicious and great for people on the go. I have to go to school every week day morning, and these crackers are great to eat on the way, and they are filling! If eggs or these crackers are not your thing, I recommend yogurt, berries, and granola. Super delicious and super good for you too. Just make sure that your yogurt is low fat (I like Greek Yogurt) and that your granola is not being super processed or being made with too much sugar and unnecessary ingredients that are not so good for you. I personally recommend Kashi granola. It can be found at any grocery store. Lastly, smoothies! Smoothies are so delicious and very filling, especially if you decide to put a little yogurt or protein powder in them. They stay with you until your next meal, and you can make them in a variety of different flavors. Be careful of what you are putting in them though. A typical smoothies that I make has frozen fruit of my choice, vanilla low fat Greek yogurt, a little bit of milk to thin out the smoothie, and honey to sweeten (if needed). Keep it clean, that is the best advice I can give! But have fun with it, you may end up making something delicious you would have never thought of.
✮Lunch✮
Lunch is always tricky for me because I am typically at school, and very hungry. I pack lunch every day, which can be limiting because only certain items fit into a lunch box. If I did not eat lunch everyday at school, I would really enjoy have a light whole wheat pasta salad everyday, or even some whole wheat pasta with a little marinara sauce on the top. Always be sure to include some sort of fruit and vegetable into your lunch. Fruit is easy for me, because I enjoy eating almost all fruits. Apples, plums, pear, oranges, and bananas are all very easy for packing in lunches. But do not neglect raspberries and black berries. Both of these have really good antioxidants that are great for your health, hey...and berries are delicious! Vegetables are harder for me to pack because I am much pickier, but carrots are always a good choice, they are crunchy and are very portable for school or work lunches. And in general, a salad with spinach and lettuce with olives, carrots, and a little sprinkle of cheese and light dressing is not bad either. Salads are really great because you can dictate the flavor profile of the salad because the lettuce is a blank canvas, so do what you will, and again...have fun with it!
∆Dinner∆
Dinner is one of my personal favorite meals of the day because it is always hardy and delicious. Dinner, in my home, depends on what my family is hungry for that night. Sometimes it is something I want to eat, and other times it is not. For me, a small side salad is a good way to get in some sort of vegetable content for the day. Salads go with virtually any dinner, and won't fill you up too much to the point where you are not interested in eating your dinner. My general rule of thumb is to have a protein, and good carb, and a veggie for dinner. Grilled chicken is always a good protein. For carbs, I think that whole grain rices, or a slice of whole grain toast is good too. Vegetables are really up to you: green beans, broccoli, spinach, or sugar snap peas are all vegetables that are good sautéed or steamed. Try out some new things and get comfortable with what you like to eat. However, I must admit, there are those nights that I do not like what is for dinner. If this is the case, I am a huge fan of soups, because they are simple, fast to make, filling, and delicious. My favorite soup to make is wedding soup because you can dictate the vegetables and protein that you put into the broth. This is something that is really fun to play around with, so do not be afraid to get started.
❉Snacks❉
Snacks are what will get me through the day. My school schedule really dictates when I will eat, but I always get hungry during school, and after school. Granola bars are a very filling and delicious way to hold over your hunger. I really enjoy any of the Kashi granola bars. There are many flavors to choose from and the ingredients are going to really hold over your hunger rather than make you more hungry 15 minutes down the line (because some not so good snacks will do that). Fruit, such as a banana or an apple, are good snacks to have, as these will also hold your over. Nuts are a good source of protein that you can eat with dried fruit, and maybe even a small amount of chocolate chips. These snacks are all easily accessible and delicious.
✦EXERCISE!✦
Ahh, the dreaded exercise...it honestly is not nearly as bad as people crack it up to be. It will be what you make of it, so make it worth your while, because it IS! Cardio is the most important. This is what will keep your heart healthy throughout your life. I understand that not all people are running people, I know I am not! I am trying to train myself to like it, but it really can be tough. So rather than torturing yourself...walk. Walking is a great source of cardio, it is better on your knees than running, and you are virtually doing the same exact thing, only slower. Walk at a brisk pace to get your heart rate up, and pop in your audio book or music and have some 'me time'. Walking can be done anytime any where...in your neighborhood, around the corner and down the street, in the city...anywhere! Another important part of exercise is toning and stretching out your muscles. Just basic stretches will stretch your muscles and make you look leaner...it is proven. While toning will give your muscles definition. There are many exercises on the web for you to look at that help with stretching. While toning can be done with anything from a weight to a bag of flour at your home. Lunges are even better, because all you need is will power and your body! Do not make it complicated, just put your mind to it....and I promise, exercise makes you feel better about yourself inside and out. DO IT.
That is all folks, just keep your diet clean and get some exercise in...every little bit helps! And just think how much better that candy and Thanksgiving dinner is going to taste knowing that you worked hard to be able to enjoy it! Have a great rest of the week...and as usual, here are some music recommendations.
♣MUSIC RECOMMENDATIONS♣
-Chance the Rapper: Favorite Song, Coco Butter Kisses, Smoke Again
-Toxic Wonderland (remix of the Melanie Martinez cover of Britney Spears's song Toxic)
-Kid Cudi: Teleport 2 Me
-Krissi ♡
-Chance the Rapper: Favorite Song, Coco Butter Kisses, Smoke Again
-Toxic Wonderland (remix of the Melanie Martinez cover of Britney Spears's song Toxic)
-Kid Cudi: Teleport 2 Me
-Krissi ♡