Fall Leaves, New Thoughts, and my Daily Manna: 10/8/13
Wow! I can't believe how long it's been since I've written a post! Last time I wrote I'm pretty sure it was still summer weather and now the leaves are finally changing! I absolutely love the fall season and am so excited it is finally October! These past couple of weeks have been a little crazy, but I'm finally trying to have some kind of routine back! My workouts have still been on point, which I am so glad about! I have been keeping up with my runs even though my toning efforts went a little downhill last week. But I've been better this week so far!
Before I get into what my day looked like today, I wanted to update you all on my gluten/grain free adventures! I wrote a post about a month ago about my history and adventures with gluten and grain-free eating. While I have been eating this way about 80-90% of the time, I have decided to give myself a little more freedom when it comes to these food choices! I naturally lean towards gluten and grain free foods in my everyday dietary choices; however I also do not want to severely restrict myself because, as I have stated before, I am a bread/tortilla/cereal LOVER and the more I tell myself to not have these things, the more I want them! I have been spacing out my gluten/grains if I decide to have them to make sure to prevent any stomach upset that may occur if I overflow my system! Above all else, I am making healthy nutrient-dense choices that work for MY body and am always listening to my body in the process, as well as my mind! With that being said (one last thing I promise! Then on to my day...) I have also been intrigued lately with the iifym lifestyle or "if it fits your macros." Even though it requires calorie counting, it encourages nutrient dense choices while allowing for some flexibility as long as it fits into your daily "macros" which are carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Even though I have yet to fully commit to this idea, I have been researching and looking into it! From what I have read, it seems to really help people who are severe perfectionists and rule followers with their food (ahem...guilty!) and allows them to develop a more balanced approach to healthy eating!! I will probably post more on this topic later on as I research it more...but! Without further ado... my day!
I woke up pretty early this morning around 5:30am and did my quiet time. I've been reading through the Bible and have been doing a Daniel and John Bible Study workbook (two separate ones!) which have both been phenomenal! After my quiet time, I got ready for the gym and ate an egg with a small handful of nuts as my pre-workout meal!
This meal gave me GREAT energy! I was able to comfortably do a 5 mile run, but didn't push myself further because I knew I wanted to do the toning segment of my "Frisky Fall" workout routine made by "Tone it Up" trainers Karena and Katrina! Check out their website for more awesome workouts!
http://www.toneitup.com
After my run + toning session, I was drenched and STARVING! I decided to make some paleo pancakes with the remainder of my coconut flour. However, I had some flipping issues, but still managed to make the pancakes look pretty in my heart plate! Belle and the Beast are under all that pancake goodness. But! Don't judge these pancakes by their cover, they tasted GREAT! I am waiting on a shipment of some almond flour to arrive, which is when I plan on experimenting a bit with these two flours and finding a recipe that works!
After breakfast, I got ready for my day and headed to the park near my house to study for my RD exam. It's been really hard being able to focus at home because of so many distractions! However, the park was perfect today and the weather was just right! I was able to get a few really good hours in which made me feel very productive.
I had packed a salad to eat at the park, but decided to go home instead and eat while relaxing for a bit before an appointment I had!
This salad had spinach, tomatoes, carrots, snap peas, and a cut up string cheese. I also made my own dressing with lemon juice, olive oil, mint, garlic, and a bit of salt. I don't really measure out this dressing and usually eyeball the ingredients, but maybe one day I can standardize this recipe and share it with you all. The salad tasted great and was a perfectly light meal!
After lunch I decided to relax a bit before my dentist appointment at 2:30! As usual, the appointment took a while, and with the usual traffic I didn't get home until about 4:15. I was meeting my friends for dinner at 5, which I wasn't even feeling hungry for! I was surprised at how full my lunch kept me! But at 5pm, my friends and I went to Tender Greens which is a really yummy salad place! I usually always get the Mediterranean Spinach Salad which is DELICIOUS but decided to try something new and get the Chipotle BBQ Chicken salad, which was also very yummy!
This salad had such a light cilantro dressing too, which made it so refreshing yet filling! After dinner I headed to Bible Study and had a great time with some amazing women! We watched the video component to the Daniel Bible study we are doing and learned about how important being humble is and how clothing ourselves with humility is an intentional action that we need to do daily! I will definitely be trying to apply this to my daily life and always keep asking God to humble me and remove my pride!
Well, that's it for my day! It was a great one and I honestly loved all the yummy greens I ate today! Tomorrow is supposed to rain which I am so excited about! Looking forward to a cozy day! Have a great night everyone!