Alternative title-Well, this is awkward.

I’ve never really had to think about making friends. Before you roll your eyes, no it’s not because I’ve always been so oh my god popular! It’s because I was born with a built in best friend, a twin sister. From the jump, I’ve had someone to talk to, someone to relate to and experience life with.

And then, yeah, I’ve been pretty lucky in the friend department

Until now.

I’m sure my sister and friends who are reading this right now are like ummm…hi? But here’s the thing. I have friends all over the world…the girls I count as my best friends are in Southern Cali, Vegas, Arizona, Canada…but I’m in a new city where I don’t know a soul, and there’s really no fancy way to say it…I’m lonely, you guys. I visit home a lot and see my girls and my sister, and I know that where we are living right now is temporary, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t missing something.

I miss random chats at the Coffee Bean. I miss frantic last minute shopping trips when one of us just needs to buy something because…well, just because. I miss late night frozen yogurt runs with my sister. I miss gym dates, yoga dates and I miss movie nights where we’d drink wine and talk too much to possibly pay attention to the movie.

I miss face to face, in real life, laughing til you cry friendship. And even though our living situation is temporary, I want to make the most of it. Just because something is temporary doesn’t mean it’s not important, I mean hello, LIFE is temporary.

Now, ya’ll know that I adore my boyfriend. That when it comes down to it, he’s my bestest bestest friend. He’s great…he tries to fill in for the lack of girl time I’ve had lately, bless his lil heart. But I know he could give two shits about the Bachelor and if false lashes are in fact appropriate during the day (I’m still on the fence). Plus, I like to obsess about things a lot, it’s quite the hobby of mine and he just wasn’t born with that gene. I need an obsess-er buddy!

No matter how fantastic he is, a girl needs more than just her guy. And I know that it starts with me-I know that I need to get out there, that I need show up at the yoga studio with a smile on my face and be open. It’s just a little weird to be looking for friends at this stage of my life, you know? I feel like a creeper…like they’ll think I’m going to expect them to wear a super stylish promise ring or something…

Why is there not an online dating site for new friends? Oh wait, I think there is. It’s called the internet.

I mean, I hope you didn’t come here looking for answers, because I really don’t know. What I do know though is this experience is making me appreciate my dear friends a hell of a lot more than I ever have. When I tell them “I can’t wait to see you!” I don’t think they have any idea just how much I mean it.

I really, really mean it.

So for now, I’m holding on to that…to them, no matter how far away we all are from each other.  I’m holding on to the girls I can call at all hours of the day, the skype chats that almost almost almost feel like we’re in the same room, and the blessing of knowing that we’re all just a plane ride away.  We have an extra bedroom, ladies.

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“M’aimer pour qui je suis”-”Love me for who I am”…perfect note to self.

Over the past five days, my boyfriend and I haven’t eaten any processed or packaged foods, any added sugars, or any animal products of any kind. We haven’t had any alcohol, and my four cup a day coffee habit has been reduced to one (what kind of loser can’t fully give up coffee, you ask? hi, this one). Instead, we’ve been juicing a lot, becoming reaquainted with that “water” thing that is all the rage, trying out new vegan* recipes and getting our greens in as many was as possible.

Why? To recharge and reboot. To mellow out my sweet tooth slash raging sugar addiction that came back with a vengeance after eating all of the cookies and all of the see’s candy in all of the land last month. To give our bodies what they need, not necessarily what they want, because let me tell you, all it wanted was chocolate truffles, wine, and crack pie (me) or jameson on the rocks, bacon and cheese (boyfriend). Preferably all at the same time. In a burrito.

The goal?  Free up some space! Cut things out so there is room to let other things in. Not necessarily “good food vs bad food”, hell no- I’m not going to ever say that a green juice is any better than a big hunk of brie and a cold Imperial. Both are absolutely necessary, amiright?

But balance most definitely needed to be restored-inside and out.

Mostly inside.

Because who the hell cares what I’m eating? This whole “cleanse” thing goes farther, and deeper than just replacing salted carmel toffee (aka heaven in my mouth) with kale juice. I carried on the theme of cutting things out, the theme of dusting off and revealing my sparkle, of looking in a new direction, and made it my mission to give my mind, my heart and my spirit what it needs, not necessarily what it’s used to or comfortable with.

Shaking things up.  Just because I’ve been eating it doesn’t make it good for me, and just because I’ve been doing it or thinking it or hell, feeling it, doesn’t mean it’s ok.

Letting go of the worry and grasping on to hope and faith.
Putting the anger aside and holding on to acceptance and gratitude.
Shutting the hell up with the negative self talk and placing some intention behind those thoughts of mine. Loving myself for who I am.

Drinking my juice.
Eating my veggies.
Getting my sweat on.
Letting go.
Opening up.
Dusting off.

Making room.

*Heck no, I’m not going vegan, Mom. I have a hot, sexy date with some In-N-Out on Friday. We are gonna get down and dirty…Animal style.

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Wow, hi. I hope the holidays were lovely for you and yours.

The last month was a blur of family, friends, travel and way too much delicious food, and I was simply too busy shoving every kind of christmas cookie available in my mouth to play much attention to anything else, especially the blog.

But I mean, who cares?  Blog posts about why someone hasn’t been blogging are quite possibly the most boring thing ever.  So I’ll just say this-I’ve been living life, and it’s pretty rad. Do people still say “rad”? I’m bringing it back.

Moving right along.

Someone shoved a video camera in my face at 12:02 am on January 1st and asked what my New Years resolution was.  I didn’t have anything to say, so I chugged my champagne like the lady I am and said “I want a puppy!” Luckily my boyfriend followed that by a bunch of mumbo jumbo about “health” and “happiness” and “blah blah” to which I said “oh yeah, that too!”

I’m not the biggest fan of New Years resolutions.  I just feel that there is so much in life that is out of our control-good and bad.  A year ago, I didn’t know that I was going to drop everything, move to Costa Rica and become a personal trainer.  I prefer to live in the moment-or at least that is what I’m trying to do a little bit more, every day.

Tropical humidity + curly hair=THAT monstrosity

With that said, goals are fantastic. And really, as much as “resolutions” annoy me, there is something to be said about starting off a new year with a fresh perspective and a few personal goals.

1. Be Kind(er) Be Nice(er) Be Patient(er?)
Unless you’ve hurt my family or friends (don’t mess with my people), or eaten the last of my ice cream in the freezer (um, ruuude), I’m going to be pretty damn nice to you. I’m a nice girl. Manners, forgiving, caring, the whole thing. Usually. I also have a feisty latina temper, a strong personality and little patience for people I don’t understand. I am working on taking a minute before I react, and, on that note, reacting from a place of compassion.  I don’t always have to be “right”…sometimes being kind is just more important.

2. Power over anxiety
If you’re a long time reader, you know that I have shared my struggles with anxiety in the past. I’m at a different place with anxiety now, due I’m sure to my new life-moving to Costa Rica, living away from my family, and proving to myself that the anxiety won’t always win. The most crippling thing about anxiety, for me, is the fear. Fear of failure. Fear of loss. Fear of all the terrible, horrible, heinous things that could happen…fear like this traps you, and it makes you feel like these things have happened-when they haven’t. When they might never, ever, EVER happen. And this leads to the worst part of anxiety-the loss of your joy. My joy. I spend so much time worrying and being upset about things that simply haven’t happened and it holds me back from the life I want, and the wonderful life I have. My goal? Live in the moment-quite literally. Take more deep breaths. Squeeze my boyfriends hand to remind myself of where I am. And most importantly, keep taking chances and risks-the best way to take control of your anxiety is to prove it wrong.

3. Love Better
My boyfriend is insanely amazing. He constantly does things to make my life easier, to make me smile, and to make me feel loved. He’s extremely patient with this feisty anxious latina, and all cliche’s aside, the dude is my absolute best friend. Plus, he’s hot. I feel like I do a good job of letting him know how appreciated he is, and how much I love him, but there’s always more I can do. So I’m gonna do it.

Add car photos to the list of things he sits through for me…doesn’t he look thrilled?

And I still want a puppy.

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I know I know, I’ve been an actual adult for quite some time.  And, for the most part, I’m ok with it. It still hits me when I have to write my age on something-30, flirty and thriving, baby. Looking back on my twenties, it was just one big clusterfuck.  I didn’t know who I was, what I wanted, who I wanted to be.  I was struggling to find my place in the world, always tiptoeing around, always afraid to firmly stand, because I had no foundation. And I knew it.

So, maybe there is something to the (in my opinion) majorly played out “quarterlife crisis” but really, you guys-it’s just growing up.

Lately, I’ve been divided.  Like, on one hand I’m super mature, making all these responsible decisions and I love who I am, where I’m going, and who I’m going with.  I have my feet planted firmly on the ground.  I’m taking risks, living life on my own terms, and planning a future with the man of my dreams that includes marriage and babies (or just fur babies) and buying houses and traveling and starting new businesses. And it’s not scary. I’m more kind than I used to be-to myself and others. I don’t have much drama in my life these days-no backstabbing friends, no jealousy, no she said she said nonsense…nada.  It’s weird, and quiet. But a good quiet. I know who my girls are-my soul sisters if you will-and while we don’t see each other that often or talk everyday, we don’t need to-we’re connected. My actual sister and I have reached that point of being great friends, I call my parents because I want to chat, not because I need something…I’m working through my anxiety issues instead of over medicating or distracting myself with alcohol or shopping.  I eat super clean, I juice almost everyday, I take vitamins and supplements and drink a shit load of water.  I go to bed before 11 most nights, and my weekends are usually spent running errands and watching Dateline and 20/20 on the couch with my boyfriend.

Sometimes I feel pretty damn adult.

But then! I start crying when I get sick for the second time this month, and I kid you not, I was thinking “I want my mom to rub my back.” I question my decision to leave fashion behind and pursue my personal trainer/weight management coach certifications-was that a big dumbo mistake?  I will be doing something completely random and out of nowhere it will hit me that my grandpa is dead, and I have to remind myself to breathe because I feel like I might die myself, the weight of the realization is too heavy, and shouldn’t it be getting easier?  I eat a whole box of cereal in two days because I ate it for every meal, super good decision.  I buy too many pairs of jeans, and too many pairs of boots.  I still buy US Weekly and my idea of checking the news in the morning is TMZ and E!.  Sometimes, I don’t want to do anything but watch the Food Network and HGTV, so I don’t.  I get in these moods where I MUST cut/color my hair and I can’t think of anything else, even though I’ve been down this road before and it rarely works out-when will I learn?  I get scared going downstairs alone at night, I leave my clothes in piles on the floor, I can never decide what to wear, and I need a manicure.

Sometimes I feel pretty damn…un-adult.

I’m getting the feeling that it will always be like this. That this is life.

Always growing, always evolving, but at the same time, not really changing at all.

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I always get a bit stressed out this time of year.  My favorite thing to say becomes “Ohhh I have to do that before the holidays” OR “I will put that off until after the holidays” both of which are stressful depending on how you look at it.  It’s silly, considering it’s not even November yet, and these “holidays” I speak of are 2-3 days out of the entire year.

It sounds good in my head, though.  It always does.

Lately, I’m working on being in the moment.  Being present right now. It’s difficult to say the least, especially when you are the President of Let’s Worry About Everything Island.

Right now, this is what I should be doing…but after being out of school for years, I will admit it’s difficult to get back into study mode.  Snacks help, and why yes, that is an entire jar of peanut butter.

It’s normal to carry a jar of peanut butter around in your purse, promise.

In other news, I was reunited with my number one stunna last weekend.

Ms. Bella <3

I’m off to work on that whole being present in the moment thing and watch an entire movie sans laptop on my lap.

We’ll see how that goes. xo

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“Happiness. Simple as a glass of chocolate or tortuous as the heart. Bitter. Sweet. Alive.”
— Joanne Harris (Chocolat (The Food Trilogy, #1))

Close your eyes.
Imagine the absolute worst case scenario ever. Breathe through it…live through it.

Now stop thinking about it-don’t stay there one more minute. Fixate on the best possible outcome. Never stop thinking about it. Live there. Get comfy in this frame of mind. Sometimes life is hard, but it’s inherently good. Expect positivity-greet it at the door with a glass of pinot and a funfetti cupcake. Or two.

Control is overrated. Obsessing is a waste of energy. It-whatever IT is, is going to happen, no matter how much you worry about it. Give up your need to control everything, and let life lead you. Roll with it, not against it. Why are you fighting so hard?

It doesn’t have to be a Monday or a Holiday to start something or turn over a new leaf. Do it NOW. Begin the job search, apply for grad school, start working out-whatever it is, start right this second. Live your life as if tomorrow isn’t an option. One day, it won’t be.

Stop calling your protein powder and egg white concoctions “cake”, and while you’re at it, stop eating that shit. Cake is made of sugar, flour and butter. Enjoy it-preferably a corner piece with extra frosting.

Get disgustingly sweaty daily doing something you actually enjoy. Don’t run just because you think you should or because running is the cool thing to do. Guess what? You pretty much hate it. Yep, you do.

Blog about fitness. Blog about fashion. Blog about something…just blog. Remember how you used to share your every thought and feeling in this space-don’t force it, but recognize there is strength in sharing your vulnerabilities.

Never grow up. Keep learning. Take classes. Read books. Find people you admire and stalk the shit out of them, legally.  Hunt down inspiration like it’s the last pair of Louboutins on earth. Don’t feel silly for feeling silly at this point in your life…there’s no such thing as a quarter life crisis…it’s called life.

Spend money on the following: the perfect pair of jeans, heels-especially boots, expensive bedding and workout clothing from Lululemon. It’s worth it, no matter what anyone says. Not worth the cheddar: most makeup and hair products-on that note, stop spending $100 dollars everytime you walk into the black hole that is Target. Let’s try to utilize a bit of self control every now and again, shall we?

Be proud that you’re turning into your Mother. Start catching yourself sounding like her, acting like her, sharing her quirky mannerisms…hear yourself say how you’re “just like my mom!” You wanted to be just like her when you grew up, remember?

Keep traveling and exploring the world. Eat the food. Learn the language. Embrace the culture. Step outside of your bubble as much as possible-do not stay at 4 star hotels that are mini Americas. Say “yes” more often than “no.”

Get your boobs done if you want, who cares what people think. Read Vogue instead of Newsweek. Watch trashy reality T.V. Do what makes you feel good. Stop allowing other people to make you feel shallow or vain. It’s ok if you want to look your best. Pretty and intelligent are not mutually exclusive. Some people get it, some people don’t. You don’t have anything to prove.

Appreciate and accept people for who they are at this very moment. Don’t wish they could be different. Remember that everyone is on their own journey, and it’s not always all about you. Try to not take everything so personally. Never assume you know what demons someone else is fighting. Love them now, not when they are “fixed” or “better”. Call your Dad.

Take advantage of the built in support system you were born with-your twin sister. Yes, it’s scary having someone who can see through you, who knows you better than you know yourself, but could you live without it? Without her? No. So don’t push it away.

For the love of God, don’t be so hard on yourself. Ease up. Would you talk to your best friend that way? Be kind and gentle with yourself. Stop with all the pressure and judging. With the negative self monologues. Stop rehashing moments when things didn’t go your way, replaying them over and over until you have no choice but to feel completely shitty all over again. Throw those moments away,-they don’t define you. One singular moment in a lifetime full of so many can never define you.

Don’t dull your sparkle. Bust out the windex and SHINE.

Life isn’t all or nothing. It’s not always going to be so extreme. Don’t dwell on the lows, and don’t chase the highs in search of your next fix. Some days are just a happy medium. Make them that…happy. Just because you’re comfortable doesn’t mean you’re complacent.  Allow yourself the ability and freedom to relax.

Work at being the best partner you can be. Don’t react so fast. Build him up. Love him first, he deserves it.

Smile and laugh often.

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***********

I’ve felt a little bit lost this summer.

Traveling. New countries. New places. New homes. Suitcases instead of a closet and what my bed feels like has become a distant memory.

Grief and anxiety have attached themselves to me this summer.

The things I used to do to comfort myself aren’t available to me right now. I’ve spent the last month trying to find the bright side, attempting to embrace the changes. I’ve turned inward a bit, and that’s ok. Texts have gone unanswered, emails take a few days to respond to. My nails are chipped, my hair needs to be touched up.

Though it’s been on my mind, the blog has suffered. I don’t post just for the sake of posting. I could give two shits about my Klout score, or how many followers I have on Twitter.  Google + invites and notices are deleted.  It’s the Internet, it’s not going anywhere.

There are many reasons why I blog. I’ve met some of my best friends through this blog. I’ve found jobs and clients. The fun money I make blogging funds my quest to try every liquid eyeliner ever made.

Blogging forces me to turn outward. To share and listen and match the noise in my head and heart with words and feelings. I needed to turn some of the noise off this summer though.

I’m doing my best to turn outward right now. I think that this post is more for me than anyone else. It’s a reminder that I’m trying, it’s a reminder that the grieving process is a long one, it’s a reminder to stop being so hard on myself all the time.

I’m excited for the future. My future. The blogs future.

It’s no big deal if I suck at texting today, or if my nails aren’t done today. It’s ok if staying at home reading a new book is the only thing I really want to do when I’m done with work today.

I have high hopes for tomorrow.

This summer isn’t over yet.

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I’m in the middle of a blog redesign, so pardon the random changes. xo

Yesterday I was watching UltraMarathon Man, a documentary about a guy who ran 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days (whew) when I received a text from my mom stating, “You are on the AOL HOMEPAGE!” Without saying anything to my boyfriend, I quickly opened up my laptop to verify because my mom says silly things sometimes…and there it was.  A close up of my “before” picture with the headline “Elizabeth Really Looks Different Now” or something to that effect.

I knew that my weight loss story was going to be featured in the fitness section of the Huffington Post-but I didn’t know it was going to be on the homepage of AOL.  Despite it being the free for all that is the internet,  the comments on the article are surprisingly kind although the socks I’m wearing in my “After” photo aren’t for everyone, apparently!

I’m happy to help inspire people, even if it means that the ABSOLUTE WORST PHOTO OF ME EVER AND EVER AMEN is blasted on the front page of the Huffington Post AND aol.  I’m a giver.

It’s not always easy to be a walking “before and after” photo.  Before?  Before I was a happy, successful, beautiful girl with a big heart and a feisty attitude who’s weight didn’t define her.  I wasn’t hiding in my house shoving twinkies in my face-my life was great…and it’s still great.  I want to reach through the computer screen and give her (me?) a hug and tell her (me?!)-there is nothing wrong with you.

I get it, this whole thing is about weight, and the point of it all is that I’ve lost a lot of weight.  I’m very proud of myself for sticking to my goals, doing it the healthy way and not giving up.  Before and After photos don’t tell the whole story though.  I’m the same girl I was before, and simply because I look like the “After” and no longer eat white bread or sugar doesn’t mean my story is over.  And before my Mom, sister or boyfriend beg to differ with me on that last point-everyone knows Yogurtland doesn’t count!

{Costa Rica…doing what we do best. Me-photos of myself. Him-Making cocktails. Standard.}

It’s just beginning, and thank you all so much for your support these last few years! I’m trying desperately to find a way to merge my new passions with my old ones on this blog and while it’s a little overwhelming, I feel like our blogs should evolve as we change and grow.  I find comfort in knowing that It’s Unbeweavable! will be here for me no matter what-before and after.

If you’re currently finding it hard to find plus sized clothes, especially ones that are stylish, then check out the K & Co shop where the same stylish clothes can be found in all sizes.

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It should come as no surprise when I tell you that I have a raging slight addiction to shoes.  Usually these shoes are of the high heeled variety, and when I say high I do not mean 3 inches or kitten heels (shudder). I’ve always said I was born to run in heels.

Running in heels is cute in theory, but rather than break an ankle, I bought a pair of cross trainers a looong time ago, and in my closet they sat.  And sat.  Annnnnd sat.  In my opinion, work-out shoes are appropriate only when one is ya know, actually working out-and there wasn’t a whole lot of that going down in my world.

When I began my journey to health, I was relieved that at least I wouldn’t have to buy a new pair of shoes.  At the beginning of this whole thing, I was fairly cheap when it came to workout attire, because I didn’t want to spend money unless I was certain I was going to stick with it.  I would throw down for a new pair of heels or wedges no problem, but $100 on a pair of running shoes?  Not so much.  They weren’t name brand, they weren’t anything fancy, they didn’t correct my overarching left foot.  They did lace up though, and they weren’t completely heinous so that was good enough for me.

Everyday, I would lace them up and get in the zone, even if I didn’t feel like it.  At first, they felt big and clunky and stiff and just not cute.  Soon, they started to feel like a second skin.  We ran countless miles, we suicided all over a football field, we stair-stepped and planked and kept going. I started to feel more comfortable in them than I did in my beloved heels.  I packed them along when I went on trips, and I felt sexy and confident with them on my feet.

After a year, the right sole was dangling off and needed to be duck-taped.  They are too heavy for the longer distances I am currently running, and I knew that if I didn’t replace them I was securing myself a first class ticket on the injury express. I went to an actual running store, ran on the treadmill/computer thingy, had inserts made and settled on a new, fancy pair of running shoes.  They are the shoes of someone who knows what she’s doing, or at least looks like it.  They are the shoes of an athlete, they support my overarch, are light as a feather and they are PINK.

I guess that’s why the last run in my old shoes was so oddly bittersweet.  When I pulled them out of my closet that first time, I didn’t know what I was doing, and I didn’t care if I looked like it or not.  I was not an athlete. I was just a girl who wanted to make a change, and took the first step.

I’m running my first half marathon in December.  I’ll probably go through another pair of shoes by then and I imagine I’ll look back and think it silly to be so emotional over a pair of fugly grey cross trainers.  The thing is though…I always knew that as long as I had my shoes, I could do it.  I didn’t need personal trainers or fancy gym memberships or lululemon speed shorts, alllllthough those are fun.  As long as I had my shoes on, I could walk outside and go for a walk around the block.  I could run with my boyfriends dog.  I could sweat, and challenge myself and keep chasing my goals.

I catch myself making excuses sometimes, not for working out per se, but just for…things. Life things.  I think, well…if I don’t have that, I can’t do it.  It won’t work.  I should wait. I will wait until I have all my ducks in a row, and everything is perfect, and then, and only then will I take the first step.

Fuck that.  The only step is the first step.  Waiting is not a step.  Make a move.  Be a badass.  And do it now.

This is as perfect as it’s going to get.

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Why, hello gorgeous. This post is about diet, health, food and weight loss-so if you aren’t interested in any of that, skip this one! I’ll have some other nonsense up soon, trrrust me.

Since my guest post on Skinny Runner, I’ve received a lot of support, and a lot of questions asking HOW I specifically changed my lifestyle and lost a significant amount of weight. What do I eat? What are my workouts like? According to my analytics, “weight loss” is the number one thing being searched for on my blog, after pictures of my boyfriend. Stop that! The boy already has a big head

I’ve been hesitant to go here, because I don’t want to alienate anyone or sound preachy.  I’ve decided to write these posts for one reason-because I used to have tons of questions, too, and I’m forever thankful to the people who took time to answer them. This is my own lil way of paying it forward.

I’m going to break this into a lil series, starting with What I Ate/Eat. But first let me explain How I Eat.

Like I said in my guest post on SR, I was eating CRAP. Fast food, junk food, soda. I went cold turkey off these foods because I realized I was a french fry, cheez it, peanut m&m, ben and jerrys, taco bell lovin crackhead. Did those foods taste particularly good? I didn’t really know, because I wasn’t genuinely tasting them. I was just eating and eating and eating, mindlessly.

If you ask yourself a few questions before you put something in your mouth, you can slowly stop eating mindlessly. “Is this good for me?” is the first question I ask, but my answer does NOT decide if I’m going to eat it or not.

The second question does. “Do I really want it?” is the kicker, and dolls, you have to be real with yourself. For me, “do you really want it” was more than a yes or no. How would I feel after? Was I even hungry? Is it cheap, processed food or is it homemade amazingness? Did I really want it? And lemme tell you! Sometimes I did!  Momofuku’s Crack Pie that my pastry chef in training sister recreated one night? Heck and yes!  Packaged cookies? Not so much. To quote cinematic genius, Clueless-“Do you see the distinction?”As if.

Pretty soon, you won’t even realize you’re thinking about it anymore. It can, and will, become second nature. I never say no to frozen yogurt. That’s just ridiculous. However, without getting too psycho-babble up in here, I will say that looking back, I believe I was hunting for my joy through food. What this journey has taught me is that not every meal is going to be INCREDIBLE-let’s not kid ourselves. Everything you eat isn’t going to be some orgasmic culinary experience. I don’t believe that it’s supposed to be-sometimes I just needed to put on my big girl panties, eat some veggies and find my joy elsewhere.

Sidenote, I did not and do not count calories.

Enough about what I’m not eating-who cares?! I certainly don’t, because it’s not like I’m existing on celery sticks and grilled chicken. I eat well, and I eat often. Here are some of my staples.

Breakfast
Ezekiel tortilla with almond butter and banana or
egg whites, spinach and salsa
Oatmeal with banana, berries and protein powder
Overnight oats
Quinoa pancakes

Lunch
We do smoothies often for lunch simply because 1. I love em and 2. I like to get protein in after I work out. Basic recipe is-
1 cup almond milk
Frozen banana
Berries or almond butter
Scoop protein powder-trying to get through our bag of  nast, chalky Sun Warrior. Expensive chalk.
Cocoa powder if I’m going the choc/almond butter route, which is AMAZING
Fresh organic spinach

Snacks
Almond butter and banana
Hummus and pita chips or veggies-can’t get enough red & yellow peppers right now, it’s bizarre…
Larabars
Frozen grapes
Protein muffins
Dark chocolate-Lindt with Sea Salt is my favorite
Almonds
Popcorn

Dinner is where I have the most fun, because we love to cook. Current faves-
Salmon burgers
Black bean burgers
Shrimp and white bean burgers via The Food Matters Cookbook by Mark Bittman
We ALWAYS have veggies-roasted is my fav, specifically roasted cauliflower.
Salads and wraps with grilled veggies & hummus
Soups-packed with lots of veggies and lots of lentils
Homemade pizza with whole wheat dough, veggies galore and goat cheese

This is not all I eat, and since my boyfriend and I LOVE trying new restaurants and foods, we also eat out a lot. These are the things that I know I like, that I know keep me satisfied and full, and are healthy. Note-we are pescatarian, in case it wasn’t glaringly obvious

Work-outs are next!

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