On a healthy lifestyle

Breakfast: mini everything bagel with butter, grapes, and limeade with a splash of pomegranate juice.

Did you know? Back when bagels were first invented, they were the size of today's mini-bagels. And have you ever wondered why juice is so many calories? Well, take a look at vintage juice glasses; they're meant to hold three ounces, not eight. Humans, in America especially, have super-sized everything, from foods to houses to people themselves!

This super-sized mentality leads to unhealthfulness in a plethora of ways. Portions are enormous; you're only supposed to ingest three ounces of red meat a day, and yet most restaurants sell ten- or twelve-ounce steaks and burgers. People looking to lose weight often don't realize that it's portion size, not the type of food they're eating, that's doing the most damage, and start eating processed diet foods that actually slow down the fat-burning process. Those taking the exercise route of weight-loss tend to over-exert themselves or even exercise to the point of unhealthfulness (yes, it is possible to have too much muscle). And let's not forget the legions of individuals who yearn for a healthier lifestyle, but are overwhelmed by what seems to be a ton of work to get there.

Let me tell you: being healthy is simple. You don't have to exercise three hours a day. You don't have to eat only vegetables and protein bars. It's quite easy, really. There are a few basic rules: stay away from processed foods, savor each bite, and get up on your feet as much as possible.

The key to nutrition is to eat real foods. If you can't pronounce something on the ingredients list, put it back on the shelf. Our body is not meant to process chemicals and synthetic sweeteners and lab-made fat substitutions. Take a look at the ingredients list before you toss that package of ramen or low-fat cookies in the cart. It may boast "100 calories!" or "Low-fat" or "Now with 75% less sugar!!", but you'd be better off eating a 400-calorie, fresh-baked all-natural muffin than eating those "healthy" snacks. So if you want a cookie, consider baking them yourself instead of buying processed Chips-Ahoy. It'll probably taste a lot better, anyway.

Humans have adopted to a sedentary lifestyle. The majority of adults wake up, sit in their car on the way to work, sit at their desk all day, and sit in their car on the way back, anxious to get home and--guess what?--sit down on the couch and relax. Pause. Rewind. What?

Even if you work a desk-job, you can incorporate a bit of movement into your day by parking your car far away, taking the stairs, even just taking a few short strolls around the office. It'll most likely even increase your productivity and put you in a better mood!  Exercise doesn't have to mean a grueling ab workout or a gym membership. This morning, I went for a jog around the neighborhood, and spent ten minutes jogging and the other ten walking. Even if you take a short walk every day, you'd be in a lot better shape than if you didn't! 

So try it out. Ignore the super-sized foods and the super-sized ads pushing them on you. Eat fruit. Walk around a bit. If you go out to eat and have a big meal, take half of it home and have it for lunch the next day. Don't wolf your food down, but enjoy every bite. Instead of spending your days off lazing about, work on a project around the house or go for a hike. It's not difficult to live a healthy lifestyle, and once you start, you won't go back!

Miniature Key-Lime Pies

These tiny treats are not only delicious, quick, easy, and filling, but healthy, too! In fact, this recipe totals up to less than 200 calories--not to mention all the protein and nutrients in the yogurt!

Ingredients:
-key lime Greek yogurt
-mini graham-cracker crusts
-whipped cream

Directions:

1. Spoon yogurt into the pie crust until it is level with the edge. I used about half the container, which is maybe half a cup of yogurt.

2. Squirt whipped cream over the whole thing.

3. Enjoy! These little pies are ready to eat right away.

Alternately, make these pies with lemon Greek yogurt, or any other flavour of your choice! :)

As you may have noticed, I'm on a bit of a recipe kick lately! As well as a health kick - nutrition is fascinating me at the moment. While I get my spring cleaning done and resettle into daily routine, I probably will be posting less/mostly outfits and recipes. After these next two weeks I'll most likely be back on track, with lots of cute DIY ideas!

Zucchini Muffins, anyone?

Hello, all! This morning I am here to share with you one of my absolute favorite bread recipes from the, er, well-loved family cookbook. Zucchini muffins may sound disgusting to you, but as the world's pickiest eater it is some of the most delicious bread I've ever tasted, so I'm sure you'll adore it. Plus, it's a much healthier snack substitute than what you may usually munch on!

Ingredients: 

1½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

1 cup sugar

1 cup finely shredded unpeeled zucchini

¼ cup cooking oil

1 egg

¼ tsp finely shredded lemon peel

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° and line muffin tin with paper baking cups (or, if making zucchini bread, grease and 8x4x2-inch loaf pan).

2. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg. 

3. In another mixing bowl, combine sugar, shredded zucchini, cooking oil, egg, and lemon peel; mix well.

4. Add dry ingredient mixture, stir until just combined.

5. Pour batter into muffin tins, about ¾ full. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (if making zucchini bread, bake for 55 to 60 minutes). Cool before eating.

Enjoy!

A health kick, Anything Goes, and some other jumbled thoughts

Hello, all! You are looking at an obnoxiously large photo of my new Nike Free Runs! I got them this morning and I kind of don't want to take them off. They're super comfortable and they actually look good, too! I always hated wearing sneakers because they would completely clash with any sort of outfit I had planned, but I can actually see myself wearing these as part of an outfit! They're extremely lightweight as well. Good purchase? I think yes.

Getting these fabulous new shoes made me want to go for a run, so I did - I jogged 1.4 miles. Considering that outside of gym class I never, ever run, I'm very proud of myself for not dropping dead with cramps. My body was built for athletics, honestly, and I'm pretty fast, but my stamina is awful because I've always had an aversion to sports. Ah, well. I intend to jog or at least walk every single day now.

As well as contracting a furious case of spring fever, I'm on a health streak as well. I've never needed to watch what I ate, and I still don't, because my metabolism is so high. But it's actually kind of interesting, nutrition and such things... and I might as well get into an exercise routine now, so when I hit 40 I don't gain 1235979123 pounds. And the endorphins produced while exercising are always a plus. Now, instead of eating chocolate in lame attempts to fight off depression, I pledge to go for a jog instead!

I apologize for my absence this week. I've been pretty busy and feeling a bit down, so blogging hasn't exactly been my top priority, but I am getting back on track! Yesterday was pretty exciting, though; in the morning I attended a dance rehearsal for the upcoming school musical, and then around noon my family and I drove down to NYC to see the Anything Goes revival on Broadway! And let me tell you, Sutton Foster is basically a goddess. In addition to being wildly attractive, she has a phenomenal voice, and incredible dancing and acting skills! It was a fantastic show, I'm so glad to have seen it.

Forgive my scatter-brained thoughts; I'm a little bit sick and very tired. And since the final days of preparations for the musical is next week, it's a fine time to start living on Vitamin C drops, protein bars, and tea! (: I hope you've all had a smashing week. I'll be sure to blog more often from now on!