What I Ate Wednesday #35

Hola seniors y senoritas! 

Happy WIAW! I'm happy to share my past weekly eats with you all today.

Thank you, Jenn, for hosting such a fun little weekly internet gathering!

2/05/13 - Breakfast: cinnamon egg white flaxseed oatmeal made with all milk, mixed with a FULL tablespoon of Peanut Butter & Co. White Chocolate Wonderful, then topped with 1/2 a banana, melted + PB2 sauce + almonds (both sliced and whole) + some organic Cinnamon Toast Crunch! There’s also some extra crumbles of some of my clean baked goodies in there… The pieces I didn’t already consume, of course.

My first time in God knows how long using 1 full tablespoon of peanut butter... Progress!

2/06/13 - Breakfast: some of the best oats evah!

Vanilla almond crunch egg white flaxseed oatmeal with vanilla-infused plain Greek yogurt + an unmeasured huge glob of 1/2 Biscoff spread 1/2  White Chocolate Wonderful + warmed berries + organic and healthy cereal + some PB2 sauce!

2/06/13 - Dinner: chocolate almond banana protein pancakes topped with plain Greek yogurt + PB2 + melted White Chocolate Wonderful + a dash of maple syrup, with a spicy egg white protein scramble on the side!

2/07/13 - Breakfast: fluffy cinnamon apple spice tea-infuse apple pie egg white flaxseed oatmeal with some infused plain Greek yogurt + PB2 sauce + healthy and organic cereals, for crunch + some more apple slices with cinnamon + unmeasured amounts of Biscoff spread. Tooooooo gooooooood.

2/070/13 - Lunch: giant hot sauce & feta omelet stuffed with 1/2 a huge microwave-baked sweet potato (mashed with plain Greek yogurt) + turkey & ham slices + some leftover baked chicken + salsa + yellow peppers on top of steamed broccoli & carrots, all topped with SUPER hot mustard & some hot sauce because I like my food how I like my men… SPICAAAAYY! 

... Kidding!

2/07/13 - Dessert/Snack: SUPER thick and fluffy sweet potato protein microwave cake with a ground flaxseed crust, topped with clean chocolate & PB2 sauce + melted White Chocolate Wonderful & Biscoff spread and blueberry Greek frozen yogurt with rainbow sprinkles, all on top of a diced apple with some healthy/organic cereal! This cake = incredible.

2/08/13 - Breakfast: strawberry cheesecake egg white flaxseed oatmeal with warmed frozen strawberries + cheesecake (flavor)-infused Greek yogurt + chocolate PB2 sauce + some healthy/organic cereals + a spoonful of WCW.

2/08/13 - Dinner: giant microwave-baked sweet potato stuffed with salsa & steak and topped with hot sauce & a mixture of super spicy mustard + plain Greek yogurt + 4% cottage cheese (guys… I found a new love. Cottage. Freaking. Cheese. Especially 1-4%! A few people convinced me to buy it, and since Rite Aid only sells 4%, so I caved in and got it… And holy GOODNESS IS IT DELICIOUS!), with a side of chickpeas + egg whites + tomatoes + carrots mixed with salsa, and a few mini pickle slices.

2/08/13 - Dessert/Snack: tooooooo good.

1 diced apple, 1 container blueberry Chobani Greek yogurt, organic/healthy cereal, 1 crumbled up homemade peanut butter fudge black bean brownie topped with clean chocolate & PB2 sauce + melted WCW & Biscoff spread! Plus a few sliced almonds.

2/09/13 - Breakfast: seriously some of the best, most random protein pancakes.

Fluffy banana bread protein pancakes stuffed with a weirdly delicious combination of a spoonful of both plain Greek yogurt & 4% cottage cheese + ripened banana + chocolate PB2 powder, spiced apple slices & defrosted frozen blueberries, then all topped with half melted WCW & Biscoff + PB2 sauce + a drizzle of maple syrup!

2/09/13 - Dessert/Snack: super thick chocolate almond protein mug cake topped with chocolate PB2 “fudge” & melted PB + shredded coconut, on top of a diced apple mixed with some organic/healthy cereal with some strawberry Greek yogurt topped with rainbow sprinkles!

2/10/13 - Breakfast: post-workout cake, anyone?! 

Giant chocolate protein bowl(?) microwave cake topped with a sweet maple cottage cheese & plain Greek yogurt “frosting” + PB2 sauce + half melted WCW & Biscoff with a side of some organic & healthy cereal for a crunch + some banana slices! Over 40g of purely delicious and clean protein! 

2/11/13 - Dessert/Snack: omgggg... Can't even describe how delicious this was!

Blueberry muffin (protein & flaxseed rich) flavored topped with loads of chocolate PB2 fudge & melted regular peanut butter + frozen blueberries + sliced almonds! On top of a diced apple mixed with some healthy/organic cereal, with a side of semi-frozen blueberry & plain Greek yogurt topped with rainbow sprinkles! 

2/11/13 - Breakfast: gingerbread tea-infused egg white oatmeal with healthy/organic cereals + plain Greek yogurt + apple slices + frozen blueberries + chocolate PB2 in a nearly & basically-empty Biscoff spread jar.

2/11/13 - Lunch: baked chicken, a microwave-baked sweet potato stuffed with sautéed fresh garlic spinach, and a huge side of steamed fresh vegetables topped with hot sauce & super spicy mustard  with a spicy Greek yogurt-cottage cheese mixture to dip. Also some jalapeños because ❤spicy❤

2/12/13 - Breakfast: I love having a nut butter addicted family! Why?... OIAJ two days in a row! Anyways! Today’s oatmeal: the -seriously- fluffiest, thickest chocolate protein egg white & flaxseed oats with a sprinkling of healthy/organic cereal + a few spoonfuls of plain Greek yogurt + banana slices + frozen strawberries + plain PB2 sauce, all inside a nearly-empty super creamy natural peanut butter jar!!

The trick to fluffy oats? Especially chocolate ones? Add 1/4 cup pumpkin purée + 1/2 tsp baking powder. (This works especially best with instant.)

2/12/13 - Dinner: microwave-baked sweet potato stuffed with fresh spinach + a Boca vegan veggie burger + spicy mustard with tuna mixed with salsa & vegetables and topped with jalapeños & almonds on the side! Oh! And also some pickles!

I have a spicy cottage cheese & Greek yogurt mixture to dip/mix in the tuna, as well.

2/13/13 - Breakfast: fluffiest of all fluffy and thick chocolate almond protein egg white & flaxseed oatmeal with a sprinkling of healthy/organic cereals + plain Greek yogurt + frozen blueberries, all topped with clean chocolate & PB2 “fudge” + melted regular PBs + melted banana + a sprinkle of slivered almonds & shredded coconut... All inside a nearly(and basically)-empty marshmallow creme/Fluff jar!

Workout {Pictures} of the Week:

The rest can always be found here and on my Instagram!

A Promise to Myself

Hello, my little lovebugs.

Recently, we purchased a new scale. Not that we weigh ourselves often, but our old scale was getting pretty old, and this new one was only $14.99 and claimed to measure body fat percentage, bone mass, and even your daily caloric needs.

Well, after a few days of having it, I decided to try it out. The result surprised me.
{Either our old scale was extremely inaccurate, or our new scale is just showing how cheap it was.}

I felt disgusted... I talked to my mom about it, and her response was something you would consider "tough love." Even though I'm at the middle/higher end of a "healthy weight" for my height, she threatened to get me into "rehab" because of my "obsession". I never thought she would actually consider that, but she wasn't joking.

She made some valid points, though. The scale says I've gained x amount of weight and that I weight x amount of pounds, but 1. I workout and burn calories like crazy... normally about 400-600 calories, plus school and work, burned 5 days a week. And 2. absolutely everything I own still fits me 100% fine... from my jeans to my dang underwear. (I don't even feel like I LOOK different.) So, if I really gained x amount of weight/more-so fat in such a short period of time, how would these two things be possible?

The answer could be one of two things. Either I've gained {mostly} muscle (which would be fantastic), or the scale IS really as worthless as it is said to be...
(Can 'all of the above' be an option?)

So, anyways, onto the real point of this post!

This post is a new promise to myself.

A promise only I can fulfill on my own. A promise to love myself no matter what I weigh.

{My newest tattoo! I got it on January 31st, 2013. It's on my inner right forearm, and the reasoning behind it is here}

A promise to not let a number control my life.

{That's more like it!}

A promise that I will not weigh myself obsessively. The next time I will step on that scale won't be until I KNOW I'm comfortable with it again. I'm not gonna force myself anymore. If that time happens to be summer, then so be it.

A promise that I will not fall back into old, restrictive habits. I will enjoy life, nourish my body, and exercise as I please. If I have to miss a day, that's okay, too. No more skipping out on social outings because I HAVE to workout. That's not living now, is it?

Also, to end on an even more positive note, I finally feel like I'm growing a booty! That's a plus, right?! I don't mean a flabby, fat booty like my past self, or a flabby, bony booty for my last year self, but a firm, actual booty! {Too much information? More like not enough information.} (Just kidding!)

What I Ate Wednesday #34

This is a totally last-minute WIAW post because I don't wanna miss another week! Pathetic? Psh... No! 

Anyways! February's theme is "love your veggies", wish I absolutely adore! I'm an avid veggie-eater, so this will be an easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy month for me! 

As always, thank you, Jenn, for always hosting this blogger part-aaaay!

Head on over to check out some awesome meals by other bloggers!

Since it is "love your veggies" month, I think I'll dedicated this post to... veggies! Clever, right?

1/23/13 - Dinner... errr, Brinner: SUPER fluffy banana bread protein pancakes with a super spicy egg white, vegetable & protein scramble on da side! 

1/24/12 - Lunch: giant, SUPER FLUFFY sweet potato microwave protein “pancake” filled with proteins & healthy fats, on a bed of fresh steamed vegetables mixed with fresh cold cuts my dad brought home on sandwiches (which I took apart! Haha)! Topped with my FAVORITE spicy mustard and some plain Greek yogurt.

1/25/13 - Dinner: bento at work consisted of loads of protein, vegetables with flaxseed, and a mini slice of semi-"healthy" pizza my mommy got and made for us!

1/26/13: eeeeerm... sweet potato fries are a vegetable, right? 

This was a HUGE recovery "win" for me. Treat meal #1 since Christmas time.

I had gotten a gift card for Chilis two months ago from a secret Santa, and had been DYING for a BIG, juicy hamburger. I wanted their jalapeño burger at first, but opted for this other huge, delicious one because, even for a treat (no, NOT "cheat"! I hate that word!) meal, I’d rather not have America’s #1 ranked worst-for-you burger (it has 2.5 days worth of fat, almost 4 full days worth of sodium… and a days worth of calories... and that's for just ONE meal (or even HALF meal, actually, since it just included the hamburger). I’d rather consume that for numerous meals.) Plus, I had LOADS of breaded jalapeños alongside my legitimately mouth-wateringly incredible sweet potato fries. Chili's food isn't my favorite, but their sweet potato fries are a favorite. Oh, and they also gave me the most fries out of four orders of burgers and fries! Haha! And I was the only one given ketchup on the side, as well, even though I gave it to my mom!

 1/27/13 - Breakfast: surprisingly enough, yes, there IS a vegetable in there!
Blueberry muffin protein & flaxseed spinach smoothie topped with chocolate PB2 sauce + the remainder of my organic Cinnamon Toast Crunch + shredded coconut + frozen blueberries + a spoonful of natural creamy peanut butter.
This actually tasted like a blueberry muffin. So good.

1/28/13 - Lunch: how gorgeous does this post-workout lunch look?!

My first PERFECT fluffy omelet (yes, I used YOLKS. GASP! Haha. I love my yolks!) stuffed with Greek yogurt & salsa + sweet potato + fresh turkey (my uncle and his girlfriend has an over 20 pound turkey sitting in their freezer, and they didn’t want it so they gave it to us!) + feta on top of a vegetable-filled salad with a side of a HUGE plate of steamed fresh broccoli & carrots + a sliced tomato topped with a sprinkle of Parmesan & a squeeeeeze of mustard! I've had this loads of times since, for both lunch AND dinner. Though, I had to sub with just egg whites some of the times because I ate too many yolks...

1/29/13 - Dinner: bento at work; tuna & vegetable side with salsa & mustard & ground flaxseed, a microwave-"baked" sweet potato stuffed with salsa & fresh turkey with a drizzle of mustard, and some pickles & extra turkey on the side! Plus some water, Vitamin Water Zero, and a much-needed energy drink that actually wasn't that bad for you. I'd recommend it! Kinda tasted like a carbonated Capri Sun... (Without all the sugar!)

1/30/13 - Dinner: after getting my license, I was more than happy to reward myself with this beautiful dinner!

Peanut butter banana bread protein pancakes (with a few chocolate chips to celebrate getting my license!) with White Chocolate Wonderful + some plain Greek yogurt, all topped with PB2 sauce & a drizzle of maple syrup + some organic cereal crumbles. Alongside is an egg white protein scramble!

1/31/13 - Dinner: another work bento consisting of vegetables and a mini slice of pizza. Plus some plain Greek yogurt mixed with spicy mustard as a dip.

2/1/13 - Lunch: had such a long, busy day out and grocery shopping with my mom and little sister, so I recommended we stop for some Subway on the way home so we can eat lunch before dinner time! I got my FAVORITE, which is a steak, bacon & mozzarella (not much! Just a sprinkle) salad with all the toppings/vegetables, plus vinegar as a dressing! I also had some steamed fresh broccoli & carrots on the side with a mustard & Greek yogurt mixture to dip, as usual.

2/1/13 - Dinner: *drools* Can I have this all over again?!

Lobster fried rice, boneless spare rib tips, a pork egg roll, some General Pso’s chicken (and loads more beforehand… We got a whole entrée of it free!! Haha), and LOADS of steamed vegetables with some spicy mustard! Second treat meal with no regrets. So proud of myself.

2/2/13 - Breakfast: another hidden vegetable dish!

Reese's (chocolate-peanut butter & banana… Yes, a FULL scoop of protein powder and a WHOLE banana!) protein flaxseed & spinach smoothie bowl topped with almonds/sliced almonds + shredded coconut + some crushed organic cereal + a few peanuts & a scoop of creamy natural peanut butter!

I've really been loving my smoothie bowls as a post-workout Sunday breakfast!

Other meals (including loads of oatmeal!) can be found on my Instagram or Tumblr!

Workout {Picture} of the Week:

The rest can be found on my Instagram and Tumblr, as well!

Well... That's all for now, folks!  I'm so happy I got a new WIAW up! It was about time, right?! 

I hope you're all having the most loveliest of Wednesdays... Mine's been great, but according to my horoscope, it should be getting even better...

OH! P.S.! I got my license and a new tattoo within the past week!

I blame my hair and big chin for the horrible picture. (It was really hot that day, okay?!)

I mean, what is a license without a bad picture? Not a real license! 

I found this tattoo concept somewhere on the computer, and I really loved it. It was pretty simple and plain at first, but my tattoo artist, who’s fortunately one of my dad’s good friends, put some extra detail into it to make it personal… and I love it. And, if you’re wondering why I have a heart fading into the word “yourself”, it actually stands for “love yourself”, and it's on my inner right forearm. After struggling with eating too much, being overweight (basically obese at a BMI of 31), being bullied (A LOT) for being that way, eating way too little and becoming obsessed with every little calorie, dropping too much weight and obsessing over a number on a scale, and now looking to find that completely healthy medium again, this is something I continuously need to remind myself to do. I struggled too long by myself being too insecure to forever live like that. This is the first time I can honestly say I'm starting to love myself. I've never felt as confident before as I do now. But this tattoo isn’t only a reminder for ME, but for every single person who reads it/this. It’s facing outward for that reason — to spread the word to love yourself. The only person you truly need to love to live, is yourself. The only way to succeed, to be happy, to be healthy, is to LOVE YOURSELF. It’s so important to care about yourself and to love yourself. If you love and believe in yourself, even the slightest bit, you can and WILL get FAR. It’s time to stop caring what others think. It’s time to start loving yourself. ♥

Better Late Than Never...? I'm still a FPP!

Omg!! Guys, I'm SO sorry for being so late on posting my Foodie Pen Pal goodies from January!!!! 

I honestly had ALL intentions of posting it on the appropriate day (January 31st), but that day ended up being so incredibly busy! (I know, I know, excuses...) I got my license on Wednesday ( YAY! Finally! My driver even said my parallel parking was spot-on! I was freaking out over nothing! I only got it so late because I had to wait a year to get my permit) and then got a new tattoo on Thursday, then had work on Friday... It wasn't until I saw the NEW FPP email that reminded me I NEVER POSTED ABOUT MINE FROM JANUARY!! Ah! Don't hate me!!

But, now I shall shut up and get onto it! Drumroll please *daddaaddada*...

January 2013 Foodie Pen Pal

Sent by the lovely Angela! Again, thank you SO entirely much!

With a lovely note came all of these goodies from the one and only Las Vegas!

I don't know how Angela knew, but I had JUST run out of one of my all-time favorite nut butters - Peanut Butter & Co.'s Cinnamon Raisin Swirl - just a few days prior! I was happy to see a brand new jar when I opened up my FPP box that evening.

Also in the box was German pasta (which my family happily enjoyed a few nights later!), basil oil, a roasted mango chipotle sauce, and single-serving packs of Nutella (that my brother ate up in basically one sitting).

I'm very thankful for how generous Angela was, and I'm excited for February's FPP box! Thank you, again, Angela, for the delicious box of goodies!