WIAW: Back in the Game

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First things first: Thank you so very much for all of your kind words yesterday! Many people claim that they just write for themselves, but frankly, I do not! I feel a great sense of pride and accomplishment whenever I read a comment that somebody has truly related or benefited from my ramblings. 

Now, if you’re joining me for the traditional “What I Ate Wednesday” (WIAW), then might I suggest that, upon finishing this post, you  hop on over to my breakup post. My eats are interesting and all, but trust me, this post is way more of a page turner…or should I say “page scroller.”

For those of you new to the blog after finding my breakup post, let me quickly clarify WIAW. It’s a sort of “party” for the healthy living bloggers world. We all write about our daily eats and then post them to this blog in what is called a “link-up.” Then, throughout the day we all check out each other’s wacky food choices and comment on them. Believe it or not, it’s actually very interesting!


Alright, now that the intro is out of the way, let’s hop into breakfast. I was up very early to take a YOGA class. Yes, yoga – new year, new me, or whatever. Every year I try to make myself a yogi, and I usually give up after about 2 classes. But, given all the changes in my life, I figured, no time like the present.

It was a bit early for breakfast, but I forced myself to down a Chobani with fruit to avoid being that awkward girl who sucks at yoga and also has her stomach growling the entire class.

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Sometimes Healthy Kitchen Staples

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When I first moved to the country from the city, every grocery shopping experience was an exciting adventure.

Finally, I was in stores with room in the aisles to roam around, and I didn’t need to go to 8 different stores to find everything on my list (as I had done in the city).

But, eventually the shiny new experience of shopping at a suburban grocery store wore off just a bit, and then was when I noticed I had a problem…a food shopping problem. Yep, some women spend their hard-earned dough on shoes and purses, but not me. I spend mine on Goldfish and coffee creamers.

To curb my “addiction,” I try to hit up the grocery store with a list and stick to it. The problems arise when I decide to make something for dinner and notice that I don’t have all the ingredients. This gives me another excuse to go to the grocery store, and while there, I usually do a great job of convincing myself there are a couple of extra items that I need.

There are certain items, however, that I allow myself to purchase at any time. These are my kitchen staples, and since each product generally gets a lot of usage, it never feel like a waste when I purchase them.

Kitchen Staples

You never know what you’re going to find in a Sometimes Healthy Kitchen, but I guarantee you each of these items will be there.

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Double Dark Chocolate Avocado Cookies and a Sometimes Healthy Workout

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There is nothing a healthy living blogger enjoys more than substitution. We’re always in search of the next “big thing” in the world of healthy cooking substitutions. Sometimes, I actually wake up in the middle of the night with wacky ideas of potential food replacements for my next recipe. 

So, when I saw this infographic on Pinterest a few days ago, the mad cooking scientist in me literally giggled with glee:

Healthy Baking Substitutions-1

Source: Greatist

Not only does this handy-dandy substitution cheat sheet provide an exhaustive list of options, but also it tells you what recipes to use the replacements foods in and how they will help improve the health factor of your sweet treats. 

Since I’m always on the hunt for these types of things, I was pretty familiar with most of them, but my eyes zeroed in on one: avocados. I’ve written about my love for avocados before and have never been afraid to experiment with them. But replace butter with avocados…in a sweet dish. Now, that’s just crazy right?

Let me get this straight...you want me to add this to my cookie?

Let me get this straight…you want me to add this to my cookie?

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Posted in: Recipes, workouts \ Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Six Sometimes Healthy Snacks-on-the-Go

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In the spirit of healthy starts on the glorious fall Monday, I’m going to share with you some of my favorite healthy snacks. Let’s kick off the week on the right foot!

I’ve mentioned before on this blog that I’m a huge snacker. They sometimes replace my meals, so it’s important for me to get a lot of nutrition from my snacks. In general, most of my snacks will have 250 calories and contain at least one important dietary requirement, like protein or fiber. Another requirement is that they don’t involve a lot of preparation and are easy to bring with me everywhere (especially since I’m no longer sitting in an office these days).

1. SOMETIMES HEALTHY STAPLE: VEGGIES + DIP

Gotta get my veggies yo!

Gotta get my veggies yo!

Perfect For: Pretty much any occasion. I nibble on these babies whenever I want, with one important exception: before workouts. If I eat them before i workout, I feel them jumbling around the entire time. 

How to Make It: Every Sunday, I chop up a whole bunch of vegetables, which I then throw in a plastic bag and take with my everywhere, along with some dips in small Tupperware. Favorite veggies include tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, carrots, snap peas and green beans.

Combinations: I try to add more nutrition with the dips, and here are some of my favorites:

  • Greek Yogurt + Honey Mustard (protein bonus)
  • Greek Yogurt + Avocado (healthy fats, protein bonus)
  • Cottage Cheese (protein bonus)
  • Peanut Butter (vitamin, protein bonus)
  • Laughing Cow Cheese

 

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Wacky Food Combos + Wacky Workout Combos

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In honor of Friday, I want to do a bit of a “throwback” to what made my blog popular back in the beginning (circa 2011).

If you read my blog the first time around, you may see a bit of a difference. Now that I’m living the “real world life” with a nice little kitchen and house, I’m cooking “real meals.” Those meals usually contain a lot of fresh ingredients and a lot less processed foods than before.

Back in NYC, sometimes it was just easier to go the processed, pre-packaged route. When you’re getting home at 10:00 at night from work, the last thing you want to do is make a nice little homemade meal. You want something quick, tasty and easy. That’s where the concept of Wacky Food Combos came from. Throw a couple of unlikely foods together and BAM, you’ve got yourself a meal or snack.

Wacky Food Combos

As horrible as the photography was, and as weird as the combinations were, my first Wacky Food Combos post was a hit. I was surprised at how many bloggers related to the post, but now I understand. As healthy living bloggers, we’re constantly testing the boundaries of food, experimenting to see what healthy combinations we can throw together and still make good food.

So, today, I’m going to feature some of my favorite Wacky Food Combos, and I hope that in turn, you’ll share yours with me. Let’s start a “culinary revolution!” (others might call it something else…but let’s go with it). As a bonus, I’ve also got a crazy Kickboxing + Strength 15 Minute Combo workout to share with you. Step 1: Try one of these Wacky Food Combos. Step 2: Burn it off with this wacky workout!

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Posted in: Recipes, Wacky Food Combos \ Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Word Up Wednesday: Couch Monster and the Great Greek Yogurt Debate

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Couch Monster [kouch mon-ster]

-noun

A legendary, persuasive piece of soft and comfy furniture that tempts otherwise Type A individuals to stray from their normal routine to watch television, steal some extra sleep or simply engage in excessive bouts of laziness; Note: Said monster is not the same as the infamous Cookie Monster – however, the two sometimes work together to really throw a Sometimes Healthy Girl off her routine 😉

The Couch Monsta!

I’ve decided that every Wednesday will now be “Word Up Wednesday” where I’ll devote a post to a “new” word of the day. I’m borrowing the concept from Steven Colbert’s “The Word” segment. I’m sure he’s okay with it, provided I’m giving him credit. In an ideal word, one of my word creations will catch on in the same way Truthiness captured the nation. Here’s to hopin’ 😉

So, today’s word is “Couch Monster.” Continue Reading →

Posted in: Breakfast, Exercise Motivation \ Tagged: , , , ,

Wacky Food Combos: I Can’t Believe It’s Not…

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Wacky Food Combos: I Can’t Believe It’s Not…

Indoor Picnic in 2007...the last time I baked a pie!

As you can probably tell by now, I am not quite the “ complete package” healthy living blogger. As mentioned in my first post, I can barely get it together enough to PLAN a meal, much less cook it, much less take a picture! However, as an avid reader and fan of these blogs, I know it is very interesting to see how others eat. I’m still not sure WHY. I just know the first time I read SELF mag’s Eat Like Me blog a couple years ago I was hooked. There is something so fascinating about glimpsing into a healthy person’s daily food choices. Some of my favorites now include PB Fingers, Greek Yogurt and Apple Slices (love her recipes) and Sweet Tooth, Sweet Life

I can’t share any recipes with you…because I don’t have any right now…because I don’t cook very often. However, what I can share are some truly unique food combos that remind me of favorite foods that I’m either A) too lazy to make or B) too worried about the nutrition facts (full disclosure here ALWAYS). In a tribute to my old faithful I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spray, here are the “I Can’t Believe It’s Not!” food combos…

**Some of this may not look as good as it tastes…remember, don’t judge a book by it’s cover 🙂 Continue Reading →

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