New Kitchen Toy!

I have discovered the joys of the over-the -sink colander. I picked up this little gem at a local kitchen outlet store, and it was the on-sale item of the week. I love cooking/cutting veggies and peppers, but I also love having dirty dishes in the sink.... okay not really, BUT that's what makes this product so great! It would gross me out having to sit my nice clean food anywhere near dirtiness... But now it all remains afloat of the sink, I am 100% satisfied, and also wondering why I didn't think of this! Just a little behind on the times.. ;)

GO GREEK: Yogurt!

There's SO many things to love about Greek Yogurt. 

1) it's low calorie

2) packed with protein

3) so many fruit flavors 

4) no extra unecessary sugars

My favorite thing is to dress up my greek yogurt. Pair it up with blueberries, strawberries, bananas, almonds, peanut butter (it's so good), and flax seed to jam pack it with nutrients. 

The ultimate GUILT- FREE (my two fave words) snack. 

My Top 7 Healthy College Eating Habits.

I completely understand...
Eating right is hard.
College is hard.
Affording stuff is hard.
LIFE is hard.
But when it comes down to it, making healthy choices in school is easier than you think. Simple changes you make today will benefit you not only right now, but also in the days to come. You'll find that when you make healthier choices you'll have more energy, you'll be in good spirits, and you'll truly enjoy what you eat.
I made a list of 7 simple tricks I use for staying and eating healthy during my college days.
(...and they actually work too!)

1."WATER you drinkin?" - There truly is nothing better than water when it comes to staying healthy. Carrying your own water bottle around school is such a helpful way to keep you full and hydrated for long treks across campus or just when you are in need of a better mood. I LOVE the water bottles by Contigo. Mine goes everywhere with me! And correct me if I'm wrong, but I am pretty sure Contigo means "go with you" in Spanish....Well played, Contigo.

2. Healthy snacks and LOTS of em'. - One of my on-the-go, go-to's is always SOME type of fruit or nut. There is nothing easier than grabbing a banana, apple, or a bag of unsalted almonds for on-the-run snacking. These are so easy to take with you and it keeps the munchies to a minimum.

3. Peace out soda. - Your best bet is to avoid sugary sodas at all cost. If you really think about it, aside from eating excess sugars, when you drink soda every day, you're practically drinking the sugar too. Every now and then, I will splurge with a Diet drink, but be careful of the artificial sweeteners too! They can be just as harmful. And as always; all things in moderation. :)

4. Being smart when eating out.- This is the moment where the little devil and angel appear on my left and right shoulder, tugging me in either direction as I try to decide whether I want a salad or double cheeseburger with fries. And most (keyword... most) of the time, my conscience does the right thing. I am the first to admit that eating out with friends is one of my greatest feats I have yet to completely conquer. There is no right or wrong way to choose meals when eating out; you know if you need/want that extra 500 calories or not. Unless I have declared it as official "cheat meal", I always look to see if restaurants have the healthy alternative side of the menu. Cracker Barrel, Chilis, and Logan's Roadhouse are great about having healthy options and low calorie menus; aka LIFE SAVERS.

5. Natural Peanut Butter is life. -..... No seriously. It's the clean eater's dream. Many times when you go hard on the veggies and meats, your sweet tooth can feel terribly neglected and unloved. Natural peanut butter is my favorite way to satisfy the sweet cravings, without sabotaging a healthy lifestyle. So why Natural? The beauty of going natural is eliminating those sneaky hydrogenated oils (trans fats) that are no bueno.

6. Say yes to breakfast. - Breakfast is the most important meal of the day as we've all heard many times. But did you know completely skipping it can hardcore wreck your metabolism? The goal here is to get your metabolism chugging along within the first hour of waking up. My all time favorite breakfast; I LOVE Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal with natural peanut butter. I'll add almonds, blueberries, and flax seed for bonus nutrients and helping make it super yummy.

7. Cheat meal - I'm saving the best for last, because if you focus on always trying to dot your i's and cross your t's when it comes to nutrition and staying healthy in your college years, it can get depressing, you'll feel deprived, and you'll forget why you're doing this. Having a cheat meal, whether it be a burger and fries or ice cream sundae is so crucial to maintaining your sanity and not punishing yourself. TRUST me. It does get hard feeling like you have to eat and wipe your tears with lettuce 24/7... so remember to relax, and reward yourself every now and then.

So whats the big deal about staying healthy in college?! The moral of the story here is not just about avoiding unwanted weight gain, but really trying to remember the importance of eating right and how it can contribute to not only your success in class and overall mood but help you form a better and healthier lifestyle. Many years down the road, you will gladly thank yourself for the changes you made today!

Rocket Raccoon & Groot; Acrylic Painting.

Guardians Of The Galaxy? Hands down, best movie of the summer IMO and possibly my new favorite movie of all time. It just so happened that I stumbled upon this cute graphic of a baby Rocket and Groot (the typical Han Solo/Chewbacca duo in their own fantastic way) on Pinterest...and I had to paint one of my own. 

 I drew the sketch with pencil onto my canvas, after looking at the picture and just drawing every detail I could ... (I like to make art in the most complicated way possible.)

I worked on filling in the basics, opting for a purple background; kind of an added girly touch, but what can ya expect?!

And roughly two days later, and about 5-6 total hours spent, I had my own baby Rocket and Groot; perfect for a nerdy nursery, or in my case, my bedroom wall. 

Hashtag, No Shame Whatsoever. 

GREEN SMOOTHIES. (feat. Kale)

Do you have any Kale lying around the house? Confused about what the heck to do with it? Sad because it tastes like grass? Sigh no more, because the oh-so nutrient rich and good for you vegetable, Kale, can not only be made edible, but tasty and SWEET. 

What you'll need...

2 cups of Kale 

1.5 cups of Almond Milk (Preferably unsweetened, but any will do.)

1 tbsp Natural Peanut Butter

1 tbsp Flax Seed

1-2 packets of Stevia Sweetener 

1 cup of ice 

1-2 cups of fruit (I chose to dice up an apple.) 

And of a course.... A blender.  

All ingredients will go into your blender, seal the lid, and blend until everything is liquified. If you use an apple like me, it might take longer to blend to ensure the fruit is totally diced up with no huge chunks. 

When you finish, you'll have your own Green Smoothie! Let us rejoice in this: we can find creative ways to incorporate such amazing and healthy foods, that actually taste good......Can I get a KALE YEAH?!??? (slightly inappropriate but completely necessary.)

Blend on, my friends. 

FIRST POST.

I must admit, that this being my first blog post, I am extremely hesitant about EVERYTHING. Am I using the right font? Is this long enough? Will anyone read this? Do I sound like I know what I'm doing? Is there even a font option!?

WHAT IS BLOGGING?!?!

Okay, so I'm gonna answer "no" to all of them. But that's okay, because I'm excited about starting this blog in hopes that I can share or inspire any one who stumbles upon my URL.
I'm gonna talk about FOOD.
I'm gonna talk about CRAFTS.
I'm gonna talk about being a huge NERD.
Most importantly, i'm gonna talk about my love for the Lord and the rewards of living a Christian LIFE. (had to finish strong with the capital letters..) Any other topic is a no holds barred! So here's to my very first post and here's a virtual toast to my blogging world ice breaker. :)