Sneaky Snacks

  
    I don't know about you, but I live a pretty busy lifestyle. My days are typically full, with a schedule that is exploded with responsibilities, such as work, school, and endless errands. On top of living la vida loca, I try to lead a healthy lifestyle, which for most, including myself, is hard to do. In todays constant "go go go" society, we look for the fastest, most affordable option, which leads us to the self destructive path to fast food chains and vending machines. Perhaps friendly on the schedule and pocket book, but not so friendly on the waist line and overall health. After finally working off my freshman 15, I decided to ditch the excuses, such as "I just don't have the time to be healthy" and now pack  healthier, hunger beating, treats with me everywhere I go. Here are a few of my favorite sneaky snacks,  that offer a little more nutritional value than a bag of Doritos, are easy to pack, and even easier to enjoy. Bon appetite! 

For the sweet tooth 

Emeralds Dark Chocolate Cocoa Roast Almonds: 1/4 for 150 calories

Asian Pear: 51 calories

Side note: Pears gross me out, YUCK, but asian pears don't taste like pears at all. They are very crisp and juicy, like an exotic apple almost, I love them.
*Bananas, green apples, and bagged fruits, such as grapes or cherries, work wonders as well.

Greek yogurt and honey: 300 calories (Very filling)

*This is Starbucks greek yogurt, but you can purchase cheaper, less caloric, greek yogurts at the grocery store.

Kind Bars-Cranberry Almond : 190 calories

*No preservatives, all natural, gluten free, tons of different flavors!

For the salty savage

Pretzels with hummus to go: 280 calories

Tuna Lunch Kits: 190 calories

Pistachios: 1/2 160 calories

almonds, peanuts, and cashews, make for good salty snacks as well.

Ann's Organic bunnies: 50 crackers for 140 calories 

Sargento Jalapeno Cheese Stick: I stick for 80 Calories

For the thirsty

SanPelligrino or Perrier mineral water grapefruit: 0 calories!!!

Green Machine NAKED drink: 280 calories

*Packed with vitamins,minerals, fruits, and veggies. Surprisingly filling, could be used as a meal replacement.

Yerba mate energy drink: 110 calories

P.S. Always pay attention to serving size, most anything can be manageable in moderation. 

Britt's Wild Thang Trail Mix

1/4 cup plain Cherrios

1/4 cup Snyders pretzel sticks or mini pretzels

1/4 Reeses Pieces 

1/4 cup of Almonds

1/4 dried mixed berries (cranberries,cherries,blueberries)

Lollapalooza!

   Located at Grant Park in Chicago Illinois, Lollapalooza is known as one of the largest, and most exhilarating, music festivals of the summer. With 115 acres of space, and multiple stages, Lollapalooza consist of 130+ bands, ranging from different genres of music, and home to up and coming bands. Not only is there non stop music madness for three days straight, but also an array of authentic food and craft vendors. Chow town offers endless varieties of tasty treats and Green street promotes environmentally friendly living. This year Lollapalooza will be celebrating their 20th anniversary, and I'm most excited to announce that I will be soaking up the experience, sharing my moments with you of course. 

Small little history lesson: The idea of Lollapalooza was created in 1991 by Perry Farrell, the lead singer of Jane's Addiction, who was planning a farewell show for the band. While browsing through the dictionary, he stumbled across the word Lollapalooza, faling in love with it's unique name and fitting definition. As a result, he created a festival driven to promote popular and upcoming bands, as well as bringing together a community of music driven listeners.

Lollapalooza: an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; anexceptional example or instance. Also know as a large swirly lollipop. 

Bands I'm most excited to see:

Foo Fighters

Deadmau5

My Morning Jacket

Cee Lo

Explosions in the sky

Atmosphere

Flogging Molly

Lykke Li

Kid Cudi

and of course new and upcoming bands I've never heard of.

SUP

  

   Growing up on the lake, I spent a lot of time outdoors and in the water, so it was an exciting day when my friend and I decided to try stand up paddle boarding, aka "SUP". For those of you who don't know, stand up paddle boarding is a water sport which consist of a large, semi padded, surfboard with an ankle strap that you stand up on and use a paddle to push yourself around. My friend and I decided to take a mini road trip to the closest rowing dock, and had an absolute blasty blast. It was only $15 to rent the board for an hour, I'm sure prices vary from place to place, but time flew by fast and we didn't want to leave. We got out boards and the staff helped us get on, in which we started out on our knees and in literally no time at all, we were standing up paddling our hearts out. We stood up and paddled, then sat cross legged and paddled, we even got tired and laid on our boards at one point to catch some rays. Not only was it extremely therapeutic to be outside and around so many other active people, who were kayaking and row boating around us, but it was such a great workout. The day we picked was a tad windy, but paddling against the wind was the perfect resistance workout, as well as arms and abs. I absolutely love SUP, and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys being outdoors, in the water, or just looking for something fun and inexpensive to do. I'm obsessed now, so I will definitely be returning soon to paddle it up or even kayak. 

Paddleboarding Stance

A few tips to help you keep your balance as you stand upright on the paddleboard:

• Your feet should be parallel, about hip-width distance apart, centered between the rails (board edges). Don't stand on the rails.
• Keep toes pointed forward, knees bent and your back straight.
• Balance with your hips—not your head.
• Keep your head and shoulders steady and upright, and shift your weight by moving your hips.
• Your gaze should be level at the horizon. Avoid the temptation to stare at your feet. It's much like bicycling: When your forward momentum increases, your stability increases as well. [www.supglobal.com]

Day 4 Detox-the finale!

   Day 4: Well folks, it's been real, but I'm really glad I can eat peanut butter tomorrow! (that has been my one and only craving) The 4 days of nothing but raw fruits, veggies, and decaf teas have surprisingly flown. I would have liked to set my goal for a week, but as a beginner to the detox world, it is recommended to start out slow and steady. As you probably would expect, this was a very mental challenge, but I can genuinely say that the feeling of honest accomplishment was well worth it in the end. I feel fantastic, and now I'm ready to restart my healthy eating habits and hit the gym again. I love setting challenges for myself, there is never a dull moment in doing this and I feel a great sense of personal accomplishment. I would absolutely recommend this detox, especially over any other type of juice, smoothie,or fasting detox, because you at least get to eat. I've heard the cayenne pepper, lemon juice, and maple syrup detox is good, but very intense, perhaps I will try that one next. As a result, some small changes I've noticed in my body have been rapid nail growth, a clearer complex, flatter stomach, lack of sluggishness, regularity, hunger management, and an earned sense of discipline. I never once felt  overbearingly sick, nauseous, or devastatingly weak. I will admit that you need to detox during a low activity week, because you have very little energy to spare from your intake. When shopping, buy a variety of fruits and veggies, organic if you can, especially for soft skinned fruits like berries, and drink as much filtered water as possible. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I will use this detox method again! 

Day 3-Detox

   Day 3- Positive attitude, hungry stomach! This is not unbearable, but it's getting a little tricky. I had a grapefruit and strawberries for breakfast, so far so good, until I made the mistake of working out. I went running in the park with a friend, and came home and slept the whole day until work. Guess I should have saved the small amount of energy I had for something less active, any who, I replenished myself with a watermelon and blueberry blend and called it a day. My favorite snacks of the day were an apple,mango, and cucumber slices. Although I'm eating deliciousness, I'm starting to crave "normal" food again. I'm a little excited tomorrow is my last day because I'm running low on supplies and I could really use something with substance. This was a great way to start off a better eating pattern and cleanse myself of the junk I ate on vacation, as of today, I would do this detox again!


*Tomorrow is day 4, my last day! Full report and analysis soon to come!

Day 2-Detox

   Day 2: I felt energized when I woke up in the morning, enjoying a nice breakfast of blueberries,strawberries, and a cup of hot vanilla rooibos tea. I had to run to the store and grab some avocados before work so I could make a yummy dip for lunch. I mashed up the avocado, added fresh lemon juice, freshly chopped garlic, and threw in some  finely chopped cilantro to add a little extra zing. My concoction came out so good, I had my coworkers eating it. I bought some raw asparagus to dip in my mix, they are great in nutrients and fiber, and did wonders in keeping me full throughout my work day. I made myself drink much more water than the previous day, and it helped. Bananas, again, work wonders on hunger, as well as celery sticks and carrots. I can honestly say I haven't felt overwhelmed, starving, or craving anything extreme. Since I'm eating a variety of things, and eating them whenever I want, I don't feel deprived. I can't say if I've lost any weight or not because I rarely weigh myself, but my stomach appears a  a bit flatter, and I feel wonderful. I still have a positive energy and it's made me realize that your body doesn't need as much food as you think. I've learned that it's only necessary to eat when your body is truly hungry, drink water to decipher if it really needs food or fluid, and when you need to eat, eat well. So far so good!

*I'm on my 3rd day today, news report tomorrow!

Day 1: Detox

   I was glad that I bought a variety of fruits and veggies, or else this would have been a troublesome first day. Motivated, I began my day with a large glass of iced filtered lemon water, and a cup of cherries with pineapple chunks. I packed up different fruits and veggies in tupperware to take with me for the day, I was not about to fast. The real battle began when I got in to work and a coworker had brought in breakfast tacos, my absolute weakness! Then someone else brought in chick-fil-a, torture chamber! I quickly reached for a banana, and to my surprise my craving was gone. I kept myself busy throughout the day, and anytime I started to feel hungry, I would snack on carrot sticks or a peach. Bananas were my favorite snack because they were the best for beating intense hunger kicks, they kept me fuller for a longer period of time. I would honestly say that the first day was not that bad at all though, I never felt sick or fatigued, and although I was hungry, the unlimited amount of fruits and veggies made it a lot easier. I definitely drank a lot of water, adding lemon juice to mix it up, I'm thinking of trying mint leaves next for a little extra flavor. I will say this though, I'm more of a night eater, so to fight my intense late night snacking, I enjoyed unlimited amounts of decaf herbal tea, Vanilla Rooibos to be exact, saved my day! My favorite treat of all was sliced cucumbers dipped in mashed up avocado,lime juice, and freshly chopped garlic...so good! I work at a coffee shop, surrounded by yummy pastries and snacks, so if I can do it, anyone can!


*I'm on day 2 now, stay tuned for tomorrows update!

DeTOXIC

    
   I've been extremely inspired this year to become the best person I possibly can. I have recognized that life is an ever growing process of ups and downs, that you have to discover the people and passions that are best for you, that truly make you happy. In recognizing this discovery, I have become stronger in my faith, more active in my life and community, as well as more in tune with my body. In becoming more aware of my body and its needs, I have been much more aware of what goes in, and how it effects a variety of functions, from proper digestion to hormone stimulation. In the process of becoming a science major, I have obtained a great deal of information over the human body and health, which I believe to be absolutely necessary for everyone to be aware of.
        My best comparison of the human body is to that of a car. A car uses a specific type of gas as energy to function, frequent oil changes to keep up with it's overall lifespan, and  continual maintenance of parts to keep it functioning longer. Similar to a vehicle, you can not put junk in to your body and expect it to work right. The better you take care of your car, the longer it last, the better you take care of yourself, the longer you live. I believe in a healthy detox, a way to help your body catch up with itself after bad eating habits, while stabilizing your metabolism. I've personally never done a detox, so after my junk food weekend vaycay, i researched a number of different detox programs and decided to try the most reasonable one I could find, a detox of unlimited raw fruits and veggies. The minimum recommended goal is 3 days, my detox goal is set for 4, in which I'm going to blog my progress and experiences each day. In doing so, I hope to share the experience with you in hopes it will help you better decide if this particular detox is something you would be interested in trying, along with tips and tricks that make the process easier.

Tips of the trade:

*Set a reasonable amount of days to detox, preferably during a mellow, inactive week.


*Hit up the grocery store and stock up on your favorite RAW fruits and veggies. (No canned, no frozen, no cooked) The more raw the food is, the easier it is for your body to recognize and break down, making it easier to absorb the full nutritional value it has to offer. 


*Invest in a large water bottle.


*Determine your reasoning for a detox, (weight loss, cleansing, personal challenge, etc.) and remind yourself that it's mind over matter!

My starter shopping list:

Strawberries

Blueberries

Blackberries

Pineapple

Watermelon

Bananas

Cherries

Peaches

Mangos

Avocado

Celery

Baby Carrots

Cucumbers

Zucchini 

Lemons
Raw Almonds

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?

   Summer is here, and for my fruit loving fans, this means peak season for pineapples! I'm a big fan of the fruit, but every time I walk in the produce isle at the grocery store, I pass it up. The thick skin and odd shape constantly have me questioning, "How in the world do you cut that bad boy?!" I may be the only person who feels this way, but if pineapple blues have got you down, don't fear, cutting instructions are here!

Much thanks to my best friend Alyssa for showing me the way.

Lets begin:

Choose a beauty of a pineapple and chop its head off!

 When cutting the top off, you will notice 4 brown small holes cornering your pineapple. To remove the skin, cut closest to the skin, near the holes, to remove the skin, saving as much of the good stuff as possible.

Don't forget the bottom!

Once you have removed the skin, you might want to touch up your cut to remove any skin stragglers. You will be left with a large rectangular piece, which is hard and white in color in the center, that's the core. Cut four slices around the core, getting as close as possible to the skin to avoid waste. The thick core is much too hard and yucky to eat.

With your clean cuts, cut desired slices. I like to slice the pieces down the middle, and then cut those pieces in half, until I have made bite sized bits. Easy access snackin! Congrats on your accomplishment!   

Five fun facts about pineapples!

1. Pineapples are a symbol for friendship and hospitality. (Hence the use for the pattern on door knockers, door mats, and mail boxes.)

2. Pineapples are known to be a type of anti-inflammatory, reducing swelling in instances such as sore throats. They are also known to help speed up recovery from surgeries or injuries. 

3. Forget the coffee, pineapples contain a trace mineral known as manganese, which has been known to assist in energy production.

4. Pineapples contain Vitamin C and B1, which help assist in the break down of carbohydrates, promoting good digestion. (Pineapple pizza anyone?)

5. The sweetness and mineral content in a pineapple makes seminal/vaginal fluid sweeter, less salty/fishy taste.