Snacking

I love snacks. 

No scale victory: previously I would have put 2-3 almonds in my mouth at a time. Now I mindfully eat one morsel at a time, not only am I practicing mindfulness (so important for all aspects) but I am also letting myself feel fuller longer by taking longer to consume my snacks! 

Huzzah to grazing 

Xox 

Keen k8

The Golden Mean

A bit of a ramble but nevertheless... 

Aristotle called it the golden mean... Buddhists refer to it as the Middle Way... Finding balance between extremes can be precarious but it is so important to a happy life. Balance is one of my main goals in my fitness journey - to be able to enjoy times that call for meals out or drinks - but to be disciplined for the remainder. By nature I become obsessed with things, perfecting them until I have met my goals. It's hard for me to take it slow, enjoy the process, but this is what will be necessary for a sustainable lifelong healthy journey of clean eating and fitness. 

The concept also brings to mind one of my favorite reads, Eat Pray Love - live a balanced life and it will be full, happy and full of love. 

Xox 

Keen K8

Mac&Cheese

Stupid Easy Mac & Cheese from Fit Girls Guide

Literally it's stupid easy and stupid delicious. When (IF!) I ever have kids they will grow up thinking all mac&cheese includes cauliflower. Hopefully by then GMOs and processed foods will be a thing of the past (ha) 

Xox 

Keen K8

Chia Pudding

I'm late to the chia seed party, I know. But I'm glad I tried it! Loving the texture. The recipe I used was a bit bland but that makes for a great blank canvas. 

I'm thinking some chocolate or PB chia pudding is in my future. 

1/2 c lite coconut canned milk

2 Tbp chia seeds

1 tsp honey 

1 splash vanilla 

Oops

Note to self: Shake the coconut milk can before using....

Chia (ch-ch-ch-chia!) pudding in the works

Imitation meat

I'm on my second round of the 28 day jumpstart presented by Fit Girls Guide and I was taking a closer look at the beginning of the cookbook where it talks about alternative proteins (I've been a vegetarian turned pescatarian for 8+ years now) and they were saying that the imitation meat made out of soy is basically a vegetarians version of junk food (yikes!) this has been my go-to for protein for years. . It also says that a lot of girls have found that soy makes them feel bloated and blah (also sounding very familiar to me) 

Making it a point to cut out these imitation meats and opt for eggs or seafood from now on. I cooked tofu for the first time today (I know, what kind of vegetarian AM I?!) it was a lot less intimidating and a lot more delicious than I had anticipated for all of those years. 

(Marinated in juice of 1 lime, 1Tsp olive oil and sprinkled with taco seasoning for 30ish minutes)

Xox

Keen K8

Staycation

I'm a traveler. Ask me what my hobbies are and travel will be the first thing out of my mouth every time. Life and money don't always allow for me to travel when I get the itch, this weekend I had the itch, but also had the weight of monetary responsibility on my mind... I decided on a staycation. 

First of all, I think staycation is a state of mind more than anything else. Literally program your mind in to playing make believe with yourself - being an adult means forgetting this ability, but we all did it in childhood and it isn't a far reach to acquire the land of make believe once more. 

I started my morning with a "hotel breakfast" - something you would have if you were seated in a banquet hall or the in-house restaurant. Simple foods plated nicely can completely change the experience. 

Have things ready at home to do that you would normally treat yourself to on a vacation. For me, that means soaking up a bit of sunshine with a good book in my hand and visiting the spa. 

Target and sephora both have excellent and affordable facial masks. Jamberry is perfect for a salon quality at home manicure... And my kindle offers an endless library to me. 

For lunch, I created a light sandwich style Kale ceasar aka I ate at the chic cafe around the corner (play make believe with yourself, remember?) I did my nails and had some lemon, lime and cucumber water (aka had my nails done and sipped extravagant spa water) and slathered on SPF for a day of reading in the sun. 

For dinner, I made a Greek style pita pizza (PS all my clean eating recipes come from FitGirlsGuide.com) and presented it differently than I normally would, spread blankets (snowmen blankets, in June) on my front lawn and was again in the mindset of vacation. 

For dessert I had the banana nice cream (previous post) and had changed the sheets on my bed so that I could watch a movie on fresh linen. Light some candles, you're on staycation, after all. 

A vacation is only a daydream away, make your life as fun and exotic as your mind will allow. Life is WAY more fun, trust me. 

Xox 

Keen K8 

Nice cream

Did you know if you put frozen bananas into a blender it literally becomes the consistency of icecream? Why did nature hide this secret from me for so long? Freeze one or more bananas in the peel until completely frozen through, when ready, peel them and cut into manageable coins. Place into the blender with (or without) almond or peanut butter and blend until the consistency you prefer (3-4 minutes for me) 

Top with nuts and chocolate for a truly sinful experience. (1tsp pecans and 1 square 76% dark chocolate pictured) 

Intro

Keen: adjective

1. 1. 

   having or showing eagerness or enthusiasm.

   "keen believers in the monetary system"

   synonyms:

   eager, anxious, intent, impatient, determined, ambitious, champing at the bit; More
2. 2. 

   sharp or penetrating, in particular.