sometimes you need pasta

Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to go faster and farther when the wheels are in perfect alignment, you perform better when your thoughts, feelings, emotions, goals, and values are in balance. - Brian Tracy

Back on track with a delicious PB mocha covered strawberry smoothie! (Recipe below)

Balance looks different to everyone. You have to try it on sometimes to see if it fits, and sometimes you simply have to accept the fact that you're not perfect. You're not perfect in your words, thoughts, and for me food choices. But that's the beast of burden of our lives. If you can learn to live with it, let it slide off your back and move on, you'll feel a bit lighter walking the path of your life with the guilt monkey off your back.

 

Like a little glass of healthy heaven!

I have to kick myself constantly simply to remember that you cannot plan your whole life. Sometimes there's not going to be a healthy vegetarian option for you, and if you're real hungry you'll be just fine eating some bread and butter. Your body won't hold it against you. On Saturday my mom made her version of my Grandma Betty's spaghetti, and having lost her a few months ago, this was quite possibly one of the most emotional meals of my life. I know it sounds odd, but her spaghetti is like a little nugget of my childhood, when all the world falls away and enjoying some spaghetti is the key to all that is great. Needless to say I indulged in two full plates of spaghetti, and topped it off with some vanilla ice cream with the hubs. Granny Betty preferred cookies and cream ice cream, but she never believed in skipping a dessert, so I really had no choice.

Mmmm frozen strawberries, almond butta, coffee and protein does a body good! 

This morning I thought I would wake up 10 pounds heavier, upset and irritated for over eating and ruining a strong week of workouts and clean eating. Luckily I slept it off. Not the extra calories but the extra negative 'tude I gave myself for enjoying some pasta, ice cream and a night with the fam. Instead I woke up, laced up the sneaks and Jackalope and I set out for a 3.5 mile loop around the sunny block. I came back to a delicious peanut buttah mocha covered strawberry smoothie, a recipe which I adapted from PB Fingers, and bounced right back into health and happiness.

Bottoms up bottoms up whaa?

Take a breath sometimes.  It's totally OKAY to eat pasta now and then.  Grandma Betty would be proud.  Don't beat yourself up, and don't use working out and healthy eating as a trophy to over indulge.  Live it breathe it balance it.

xo

PB mocha covered strawberry smoothie! 

* 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
* 1/2 c. almond milk
*1/2 c. coffee! 
* 1 tbsp. almond butter
* 1 tbsp. cocoa powder
* 3 ice cubes
* 5 small frozen strawberries

flannel, kale, jean jackets... someone's making a comeback...

Jean Jacket - Vintage Calvin Klein, Flannel tunic - Forever 21, wunder unders -lululemon, old boots - Frye, messy room - Mine.

On today's menu we have flannel and kale served on a bed of jean jackets. I don't always like to document my looks, but there was something Paul Bunyan meets Pat Benetar in my mojo today that ignited the occasion. Planning my menu for the day is oddly similar to my daily outfits, if it doesn't happen in the morning or the night before, it's turns out to be a real haute mess.

It's just one of those days...

Today was no exception to the rule, except I think maybe I compromised one for the other. After my daily morning cardio assault, I packed a kale salad for lunch, a mini Larabar for a snack, guzzled my meta-d morning tonic, and by the time I addressed my outfit it was time to hit the road Jack.

Little nugget fallen from heaven...

In the end, thank you Whole Foods for the bag of pre-cut and pre-washed kale/carrots/cabbage mix, you make my heart warm and my daily menu plans doable. Additionally, two shakes to Larabar for the minis that taste like a 10:30am slice of apple pie. Not quite sure what the diagnonscience is on my outfit of the day, but since working out more and eating mo bettah with rather elaborate planning, I've embraced messy hair and the occasional mishmash outfit. Chew on this, "About half my designs are controlled fantasy, 15 percent are total madness and the rest are bread-and-butter designs." - Manolo Blahnik

xo