Pinterest Faves {Recipes}

Hello lovies!

Welp it's officially Spring Break. Well, technically Monday starts Spring Break, but whatevs.

Can I just say that I am totally ready to have a week off??!! I am coming down with a serious case of Junioritis...no bueno. Luckily on Friday I got a lot of tests/quizzes out of the way, but coming back from Spring Break means reviewing for AP tests/EOCT/and finals! Yikes.

This week is gonna be all about taking advantage of relaxation time. You all know that I've been super stressed lately, so I'm gonna try and just...chill.

I'm planning on making some recipes (I know, I know - I say that all the time), but I really mean it this time! And what better place for ideas than Pinterest?!! (Actually, lots of these came from blogs that I pinned from!!) Here's some recipes that are totally making me drool:

Lunch/Dinner

Crispy Chickpea BBQ Cobb Salad

Chickpea and Nectarine Poppy Seed Salad

Creamy Parmesan White Bean Stew with Spicy Greens

Tofu Stir Fry with Sunflower Butter Sauce

20-Minute Lemon Pesto Penne

Roasted Eggplant Quinoa Salad (okay I've already made this, but I need to again!)

Breakfasts

Toasted Oatmeal with Strawberry Chia Jam and Coconut Whipped Cream

Lemon Vanilla Brown Rice Pudding with Berries

Blissful Blueberry Banana Spelt Muffins {Vegan}

Vegan Banana Crumb Muffins

Snacks/Goodies/Desserts (....okay mainly chocolate):

No Bake Cookie Bars

Chocolate Peanut Butter Dessert Hummus

Less Slutty Brownies

One Bowl Vegan Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Pretzel Peanut Butter

Irresistible Chewy Trail Mix Cookies (Vegan/GF)

If you're not drooling, I don't really know what's wrong with you, but something is. For realz. (Jk I love you no matter what. But seriously though.)

Now go make some food! (And have a fantastic Sunday!!)

MIMM #........???

Eyyyooo! I haven't done a MIMM in a while (obvs, I don't even remember which number this is...6 or 7 maybe?) sooooooo I thought I'd shake up my Monday post with another one! Here goes:

Thanks Katie!!
Marvelous is.....a healthy breakfast sale at school!

Sis and oatmeal selfie

That's one of the big "projects" I kept mentioning about school - for National Nutrition Month, my friend Rachel and I decided to have a healthy breakfast sale!! We sold in our Healthcare Science room, and the reaction was really good from our somewhat...sparse turn out (haha).

We had oatmeal, toppings, Greek yogurt, granola, and fruit. Yum!

Marvelous is.....having a fun birthday celebration with my girls!

Abby on NCIS was creepin'......

Since we didn't have a birthday party, we just had a bunch of our friends over to hang out and have dinner. And just be weird. :) Cuz weird is awesome.

Marvelous is.....great runs in the warm weather!!!

Yuppers, I got the running fever.

Marvelous is....The Help.

I absolutely LOVE this book! This is the second time I've read it, and I've seen the movie at least twice. It's sooooo good, I really recommend getting it! Really heartfelt.

Marvelous is.....Reibs got her license!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now I just need to start Driver's Ed........

Marvelous is....a fun church retreat!

I love bikes!

This weekend, we drove up to Blue Ridge with my (very small but growing) youth group, just to hang out, unplug, and have fun. We stayed up way too late, had fun outside games, played card games, didn't eat enough veggies, and way too much junk food. It was awesome.

I hope you're all having a Marvelous Monday - I'm about to go out on a long walk in the warm weather!!!!!!

Peace out peeps.

WIAW!!!

Chelllooooo!
Muchas gracias, Jenn!
I took an unplanned rest day yesterday because I wanted to and that's the only reason. I love days like those. Sometimes curling up in my robe with a cup of coffee in hand is more what I need after school than sweat, ya feel me? Although today was a different story because I was craving a run/strength workout so I did that. Balance, people.

Sooooo I am like really late on the bandwagon here, but I wanted to give a tidbit of my opinion on a craze that has been circulating the blogosphere lately: healthy fats.

Healthy Fats: I freaking LOVE THEM! LIKE FOR REALLY!

I am so so so so happy that more and more people are embracing fats. Fats are fantastic. I really didn't start fully, truly embracing them for all their beauty until reading articles and posts such as this, this, this, and this (plus many, many more). I totally feel spiel coming on, but promise me you'll take a peek at those links! Pretty please?

In short, fats do wonders for your body. Every single cell is composed of them (just think: your brain is mainly fats!), they keep your skin and hair healthy, they satiate you at meals and snacks, they stabilize blood sugar, regulate hormones, help absorb nutrients, aid in metabolism, AND TASTE YUMMY. Yeah dawg.

Breakfast: Overnight Oats {Vegan} made with rolled oats, almond milk, an apple, chia seeds, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, and poured into the last of my Wild Friends Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter container. :(

Lunch: Chickpeas mashed with 1/4 avocado, Greek yogurt, salt, peppah, a little bit of garlic powder, and lemon juice. Kind of like a guacamole/hummus hybrid? Mixed veggies and an apple on the side. 

Dinner: Stir fry of chicken thighs, veggies, and brown rice underneath. 

Snack: Banana Protein Mugcake topped with an epic pool of peanut butter. 

One thing I never thought I'd catch on to/buy: eating more saturated fats or dairy above 0%. Watery sugary yogurt? No thanks....Studies have been showing that saturated fats do not correlate with heart disease, or even have an effect on cholesterol, for that matter. (Hey, look! More posts!) Lately, Mom has been adding butter to our veggies when she stir-fries, and even to our rice or pasta. And you know what? It tastes friggin' delicious. And I don't think it's because butter is "naughty" - I think it's because that's how God created our bodies - we need those fats, we crave them, and when we eat them enough, we don't have to worry about "overeating" or "splurging" on butter. Butter=part of an every day, balanced diet.

Plus, doesn't it kind of make sense that we need saturated fats (think butter, coconut oil, high-quality red meat, and low to full-fat dairy) to balance out the unsaturated fats obsession America tends to have? We can't live on canola and olive oil forever.

Breakfast: 2% Mango Chobani, Cheerios, banana, and peanut butter.

Lunch: salad w/ boiled eggs, mixed veggies, lemon vinaigrette, an apple, and a KIND dark chocolate chunk granola bar.

Dinner: Pan-fried barramundi <---apparently a freshwater cod---with a lemon basil butter sauce, a sweet potato, and veggies cooked in olive oil and little bit of butter for flavor.

Snack: Greek yogurt, peanut butter, and banana. 

I also agree that it doesn't matter how many grams of fat we eat in a day, so long as it is eaten in balance. So obviously, I make sure to balance all of my fats with some form of carbs and protein to make sure I keep my body fueled most efficiently! I'd say I eat at least 6 servings of fat per day.

Breakfast: oatmeal (my crockpot oatmeal finally!!), topped with banana, blueberries/strawberries, chia seeds, and Sunbutter.

Lunch: Salad, a pita pocket with peanut butter, cinnamon, and banana, and an apple.

Dinner: Brown rice and veggies cooked with butteerr, and 2 scrambled eggs.

My favorite sources of healthy fats:
-Nut butters
-Olive Oil
-Coconut Oil (although I don't use it enough!!)
-Avocado/Guacamole
-Hummus
-Eggs
-Fish
-Chia seeds
-Butter

I think that the bottom line is, (like everything in nutrition), that variety is key. So long as you're making sure to get a variety of fats in your diet (along with your favorites ;)) you'll feel your best!

Remember: I'm not an RD, so obviously my opinions are my own experience and research. 

Have a fantabulous day, lovelies!

I'm Okay With Not Being Perfect

(By the way: I wrote this Saturday, and it ended up not posting! Technical difficulties. Pretend it's Saturday again. :))

Last night, I came up with the grand idea that I would be going on my "medium long run" for the week this morning. Five miles before breakfast, count me in. I had also set up the crockpot for overnight oats that are superb - rolled oats in the crockpot are just as fluffy and delicious as steel-cut!

Then I woke up. Both of my alarms were off (the one for 2am to turn the oats on, and the other for 8 to get me up for my run). What?!! I must have subconsciously turned them off.

I got out of bed (it was 9), went to the kitchen, and there sat my mise en place for crockpot oats, untouched. I could also still feel the exhaustion in my body, but was starving. There goes my morning run and my creamy dreamy crockpot oats.

This doesn't seem like a big deal, like at all, but I stood there and cried. I was upset over my missed run and lack of oats.

But I made a different breakfast (stovetop oats as opposed to crockpot), that was beautiful, nourishing, and delicious.

I lounged around in the quiet, and then motivated myself for a fantastic 5-mile run. I was relaxed, I had no pain in my knee or feet, and I loved every minute of it.

Peeps, I've been an absolute ball of stress lately. I try not to let that come through on my blog, but sometimes I can't really help it. The blog is one of my outlets, so naturally it reflects a lot of what's going on.

I've had a lot of stress in my personal life, and within myself. I've had a few not-so-nice things said to me. I've had a lot of doubt and anxiety. Everyone goes through phases where life just feels...well, it feels hard!

As I stood there, tearing up about a bowl of freakin' oats, I decided that enough was enough. I have been playing the comparison game too much lately. Who cares what I eat. Who cares how I exercise. Who cares what my body looks like. Who cares if I don't have all my crap together all the time. I am not perfect. Totally okay.

I am not a morning exerciser. I would rather have my morning "me time" with a bowl of oats and cup of coffee than out on the pavement. Totally okay.

High running mileage is not for me right now. I feel so much better with a variety of workouts, and max out around 5 miles on a run. Totally okay.

I don't blog every day. I can't blog every day. 2 or 3 times a week is what's most natural for me - I don't want blogging to be a chore, I want it to be my creative outlet. So if I blog only once a week, either not much is going on, or everything is going on. Totally okay.

I eat in a healthy, nourishing way. I get looks, and (sometimes, dare I say it),  judgmental comments and looks when I, for example, order a salad/opt for a sweet potato over a white potato/pack my lunch. It hurts sometimes, but I like salad. Totally okay.

I, even at a healthy weight, am more slender than curvy. My body shape favors my father's side of the family, I am not terribly muscular, and I do not have a very womanly body shape. Yeah, I have hips and thighs and boobs, but they are not, ahem, voluptuous (and yes, this makes me insecure sometimes). This is my genetics. Totally okay.

I have awful skin. It does not matter HOW MANY healthy fats I eat/dairy I avoid/creams I use, my skin just sucks at the moment. Around my nose/mouth might be dry and flaky, while my forehead/the corner of my nose has acne. I'm a teenager. I have hormones. Totally okay.

#nofilter

I don't get noticed by boys much. Yeah, I said it. Sometimes I am just not happy wondering why all my friends have boyfriends. Prom season is here, and I'm planning on staying at home with ice cream in hand and watching a movie with my sis. I'm only 17. I have time. Totally okay.


I am freakishly stressed about my future. I am going to be in college full-time next year, but still enrolled in high school (joint enrollment), and I have a while before I choose my career. But I stress about what career I want God to lead me into, if I'll make the right decisions, if I'll ever be able to travel like I want to. I am future- and goal-oriented. Totally okay.

The truth is, my heart is so full. My heart is filled with love from my family, friends, and my church. Attempting to be perfect just brings you down - what's the point? What's the point of comparing yourself to other people, who are completely different than you?

I am far from perfect. And I'm totally okay with that.

Warm Weather = Hot Oatmeal and Hiking (duh)

Happy Tuesday lovelies! How goes it?

I had a fantabulous weekend! Of course, any time with the sun shining is a great time for me. Especially after the Snowpocalypse!

I preach about how much I love winter, but I'm so over it at this point. I love being outside, so the warm weather made me a bundle of happiness this weekend.

Of course, hot oats still aren't off the menu.....

I had gotten out of an oat kick (remember my oat bakes/pancakes/french toast ordeal? Brief but definitely happened), but I'm totally back into them. It's still freezing when I wake up, so I guess it makes sense.

Saturday, my friend and I decided that it was the perfect day to hit the trails! Woo I have missed hiking so much!

I wore a pullover because there was a slight breeze, but I honestly did not need it. I got a little red-faced but refused to take it off because I didn't want to carry it!! I guess I could have just tied it around my waist....whoops.

I love doing active things with my friends! It's so much more fun doing stuff with a buddy! We hiked the trails for about an hour and a half, and I'd say we covered around 3.5 - 4 miles. My Garmin died 10 minutes in, go figure.

Sunday consisted of shopping, shopping...and more shopping. I didn't take any pictures because..well, I just forgot.

Oh hey I did find this one!

Seriously my life motto.

Aaanndd yesterday I began my 5k "training." I'm not really considering it training, because I'm not training in a traditional sense. I mean, I know I can run 3.2 miles without stopping quite easily. I just wanted to add a few runs back into my current exercise routine - which isn't really a routine because I just do whatever I feel like.

That's always been my preference anyways. So I'm being super flexible.

Anywho, the run was fantastic and the weather was gorgeous. Like, insanely gorgeous and I wanted to stay out there forever. And ever.

The first run on my "plan" was an easy 3 miles, plus strength. For strength, I did an arm workout that consisted of 20 reps each, repeated 3 times of:

Bicep Curls
Hammer Curls
Tricep Extensions
Tricep Kickbacks
Overhead Presses
Side Lateral Raises
Bent Dumbbell Rows

I upped the weight to (and please don't laugh at me if you lift heavy...I'm just a mere strength-training beginner) to 8lbs and I finally got some burn! Those 5lbs were not cutting it any more, and I was really happy to challenge my muscles. Believe me, burn was felt. Like, I could hardly lift my arms. Cha-ching.

And then for abs, Morganne's 300-Rep Workout:

25 each of:

Crunches
Left Crunches
Right Crunches
Reverse Crunches
Bicycle Crunches
Toe Touches
Russian Twists
Crunches
Scissor Kicks
V Crunches
Roll Ups
Single Leg V Crunches

Holy. Sore.

Today, I was supposed to do a circuit workout (I replaced the speed work for circuits), but low and behold - in the middle of third period, I got a terrible, terrible migraine. It lasted through lunch and into sixth period, when my mom picked me up.

Seriously, during algebra I had to bury my head in my hands to keep the light from making it worse, and to keep myself from throwing up/crying. It was for realz. I signed myself out, got home, promptly crawled into bed, and slept for 3 hours.

So yeah. Workout was not happening today. I looked up symptoms of a migraine, and I have no doubt that that's what I suffered from - it was so bizarre. There are also lots of causes of migraines, and I think mine was probably dehydration/lack of sleep. Clearly I still need to work on those two things.

^^^^P.S. That is precisely the reason I did not post my "training" schedule - because my life is so crazy busy and unpredictable at the moment that I'm sure I would not follow through with everything. It's kind of really frustrating for a gal like me who likes structure, but when everything settles down I'm definitely training for a 10k!

Gotta hit the sack! Have a lovely evening, darlings.