Thursday, June 15, 2017

Living in Cali!!

Hey!!

Wanna hear something awesome? For about a month during this summer I will be living with my grandparents in Northern California!! WOOT! Northern Cal is my ALL TIME FAV.

I thought this would be a perfecto opportunity to share some more tips on how to eat healthy and be healthy when on vacation/out of town.

Tip #1 - Exercise! 
Try to find time during the mornings or at night to go on a long walk or get a nice little jog in. 
My mom came to California to drop me off and spend a few days with me and her parents! So we’ve been motivating each other to exercise early each morning before the day starts. (Which TBH means we’ve been waking up at 9 or 10… #whoops)
But it's been so awesome because we’ve been able to do so many fun things like walk the beautiful levy out back, make up our own “high fitness playlist” and run our own mini cardio class, etc etc.
And it feels sooooo good because we know we’ve worked hard and can chill and enjoy the rest of the day even more! Plus we feel less guilty at night when we down TONS of HU chocolate bars, white chocolate covered gummy bears, and Trish’s Mini Donuts. #Pier39 #Sanfransisco
Whether you get up early to do a circuit workout, or walk from place to place at the pier, or take the stairs instead of the elevator, or sprint to get a chocolate bar - been there done that - it pays off to get your body active and moving!


FAVORITE CHOCOLATE BARS EVER!! @HUCHOCOLATE

Tip #2 - Look for good food options 
There are always good options!
Okay cmon… for reals how many times do we end up cooking our own meals on vacations? 
While sometimes it's fun and convenient to make a healthy egg white, spinach & feta omelette for lunch or breakfast, most of the time the fam ends up wanting to go out to eat to our fav spots!
My grandma, grandpa, uncle, mom, and I went to a steak house for dinner one night and in an attempt to eat a bit lighter, I ordered a suuuuper yummy salad and a tender steak with the butter on the side. YUM.
When eating out, *TRY TO BE IN CONTROL* Like trying to control your butter intake by ordering it on the side. Or asking for the dressing on the side to control how much you put on your salad. 
My mom and I went to this really good cafe on Pier 3 called The Plant Cafe Organic. I tried to 'be in control' by asking for fresh spinach on the side of my power bowl so that I could make my own little healthy salad! I also asked for the Kale Pesto and Hot Sauce on the side cuz the oil in the pesto would have WRECKED my stomach and while the hot sauce would have done the same thing, it also woulda seared my tongue… #teamnospicy



We also went to CRAB HOUSE for dinner last night!! (MY FAV!!) Healthy tips: try to avoid too much of the bread and butter before the meal, don't dip your crab meat in extra garlic butter (RESIST!) and just TRY to portion control... even though it's nearly impossible...



Tip #3 - Bring healthy snacks to munch on
California traffic… always unpredictable. My mom and I got stuck in traffic from 12-3 when we hadn’t eaten lunch and we were FAMISHED. But Kass to the rescue! I had packed some almonds in a bag and whipped em out right in the nick o' time! Because I had packed almonds, we didn’t get hangry and pull off to grab 5 bean burritos from Taco Bell, or dive for the first treat we could lay eyes on. 

Tip #4 - Portion control your sweets and desserts 
I know I know… This one’s hard. But it pays off in the end I promise. When I’m trying to eat healthier on vacay, I don’t want to completely restrict myself from desserts n' treats especially when everyone else is eating them! SO I allow myself to enjoy!… But not inhale them like I could.
When everyone is eating ice cream, I'd munch on my “healthy chocolate” or if dessert is ordered for everyone after dinner, I’ll take a few bites then call it good. I’ve noticed that when I do this, not only am I a better person because I'm not fighting my family for the most bites... but I feel SO much better compared to when I would demolish an entire dessert and have the biggest stomach ache the whole night (and even the next morning).

Caveat! I'm such a hypocrite cuz I know all of these things are legit^^ but heck no I don't keep to them 100% 24/7. Honestly though, when I don't follow these tips.. I regret it. I always wish I would have listened to my body when it was telling me I was full 5 hrs ago. So it's a "fun" process! Ha. I'm always pumped when I DO listen to my body and feel great and ready party hard the next day!

yuhm



Have you ever tried White Cherries? If not, please put it on your bucket list!


One last thing... I ♡ this place




Wednesday, June 7, 2017

THE BEST Healthy Banana Bread

Trust me on this one...
Serves about 6

Ingredients
  • 2 ripe bananas
  • 1/2 T baking soda
  • 1 T vanilla
  • 1/2 c egg whites (or 2 - 3 whole eggs)
  • 1&1/2 - 2 c quick oats
  • 2 T cinnamon
  • 1/3 c pure maple syrup or honey
  • A few squirts of Stevia extract (optional)
  • Optional: dark chocolate chips


Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350* Fahrenheit
Mash the bananas in a large bowl
Add in all of the other ingredients and mix
Empty into a well greased bread tin (The mixture should be pretty sticky)
Bake for 35-45 minutes (Loaf should be light brown at the edges and should not have a wet center)
ENJOY!!!

*Tastes especially delish topped with maple almond butter, chunky peanut butter, spray butter, or just plain!

*Stores great in the fridge for up to 5 days!