Happy Wednesday, friends!
You know I’m not going to be able to start on today’s post without thanking you guys for all of your great discussion on my last one, so let’s just get that out of the way first, shall we? When it comes to the stigma associated with healthy living, many of you feel the same way, many of you say that I have nothing to worry about, and many of you read without saying anything at all 😛 The take away message? You’re basically damned if you do, and damned if you don’t – someone will always have a problem with something that you do, so at the end of the day, you’ve just gotta do what works for you. And at the beginning of the day, what works for me is a good breakfast…
Oats topped with Greek yogurt, almond butter, honey, and lots and lots of cinnamon.
… followed by a quick walk outside….
If you recall, I wake up kind of ridiculously early, which becomes oddly convenient considering that the early morning is my absolute favorite time to head outside; either that or the early evening. Truth be told, I’m not the biggest fan of the hours between 8 AM and 8 PM. I realize that sounds kind of wonky, and that’s not to say that I suffer through the days in a perpetual funk, but those hours just feel too… busy… to me – I like the stillness of dawn and the peace of dusk. I also like snacking primarily on fruit in the AM…
Recycled pics, but I promise my fruit usually looks the same…
… treating myself to a coffee after work…
Dry cappuccino from Starbucks.
… munching on something while I prep dinner…
Ketchup Popchips.
… and ending my day with a bowl of cereal…
Plain Greek yogurt topped with Kashi Cinnamon Harvest, half a banana, homemade applesauce, almond milk, and almond butter.
Sometimes I even throw a little bit of lunch and dinner into the mix ;)…
Leftover chicken enchilada casserole…
… and a basic salad with feta.
Grilled chicken and cheese wrap with roasted asparagus and baby carrots.
And that right there is a very me What I Ate Wednesday. No hyper-focus on healthy foods or spending time highlighting unhealthy foods – just eating in a way that feels completely natural… even if that, apparently, doesn’t involve any kind of dessert 😯
I always thought I was a “dessert a day” kind of girl, but after putting together my post last night and realizing there wasn’t anything I could really call a traditional dessert in there, I guess maybe I’m not? Granted, these days don’t really come around all that often, but they do come around. I mean, you guys know how much I enjoy my cookies and chocolate, but there are some days where I’m just not feeling it, so I don’t bother trying to force it – it’s nice to be able to have that choice (I know Laura knows what I’m talking about). It’s funny because I’ve always thought of veggies as being something that you have to force in, but there you go…
Happy Wednesday, friends 😀
. – . – . – .
If you’re a runner or a walker, when’s your favorite time to head outside?
Do you eat dessert every day?
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If I’ve learned one thing about myself over the last few months, it’s that I will NEVER be a creature of habit. Yes, I go through phases and food fixations, but after a few days or even a whole week, I move on to the next thing. Sometimes I will crave a dessert every day…or hell, sometimes after every meal, but then I may go a whole week not even thinking of anything sweet. The other day, I realized that I had gone two weeks without ONE ounce of nut butter! I know, I was shocked! Then I had some the other day because I felt I “needed to” and it totally did nothing for me…I just wasn’t feeling it. Funny how that happens, huh?
I love my daily walks. Most of the time, I head to the park when I wake up (around 2-3pm) but my favorite time to walk is around sunset…it’s just so much more relaxing when you can look up and see the beautiful pinks and purples in the sky and feel the day coming to an end (even though at that point, it’s just beginning for me).
I think you hit the nail on the head when you said that if you’re not feeling it, you don’t force it. That’s exactly how it should be. No two days of eating are going to be exactly the same and why should they be? Where’s the fun in that? Some days I crave bread and salty foods all day long and some days I can’t get fruit and chocolate off of my brain…we just gotta roll with it. (:
SO proud of you for your post yesterday, by the way. I didn’t get a chance to comment but I can completely relate to everything you addressed. Just remember that this blog is for YOU. It’s your little corner of the internet and you’re entitled to share exactly what you want, when you want. That’s why we keep coming back- because we like reading about Amanda!
I’m starting to eat dessert everyday.. i think it’s a good idea 🙂
I’m not a runner, but I do like to take walks sometimes. I live in a city with kind of funky (though lovely) weather: SF! Therefore, the best time to go for walks is when the sun’s out…otherwise, it can get a bit chilly. That means mid-day or early evening in the spring and fall (summer’s just a bit too cold in general haha).
I eat dessert everyday, but I guess my idea of dessert is probably different from a lot of people’s…I consider my after dinner fruit and spoonfuls of nut butter dessert (esp if it’s chocolate peanut butter mmmm). I probably have “real dessert” about twice a week, like a cookie or ice cream. In general, I have them as snacks rather than after lunch or dinner, and I usually buy them at a bakery or specialty ice cream shop since that’s where they taste best!
I have cross country practice at 6 AM everyday, so I’m used to waking up 5-5:30ish. At first I thought that waking up that early would be just awful, but I really love it. I’m one of those weird people that’s actually a morning person. I love having so much done before the sun even rises or the clock strikes 8! That being said, my favorite times to head outside are at the crack of dawn or after 8 when the sun is setting. I live in South Texas, so 8AM-8PM are basically unbearable with the heat! My favorite snacks have to be fruit and nut butter, greek yogurt, or carrots and hummus! In regards to the dessert, I tend to have a dessert every day, but they’re not always ‘unhealthy’. I guess I classify my dessert as something after dinner, so sometimes it’s fruit and other times it’s cookies or froyo. Not sure that makes sense, but I’ll stop before my answer becomes so unbearably long! 🙂
SHUT THE FRONT DOOR they have ketchup popchips? jesus christ why can’t i live in canada
So that you have more incentive to visit us lonely Canadian bloggers? 😀
I love the early morning for a walk or a jog… when I used to run. It is the most peaceful! That is my absolute favorite time of day!
Delicious day of food as always Amanda, and good for you for continuing to go with the flow as far as what you are doing for YOU. When no rules or labels are put on anything, you give yourself that permission, that OK to eat what and when you want to because that’s just it, it really is alright!
My favorite time to head out for a walk is the evening and when I used to run (sad face) the mornings were just the best
I for one love the salad and the asparagus. The chicken casserole’s not too shabby either.
I don’t eat something sweet every day, well unless you count fruit and then I eat like 3 to 5 something sweets a day. Dessert is more an out of the house or homemade baked good kind of treat. Kinda like the upside down cake I made last week. I devoured it (I did share with the Hubby, although not much) in two days. Oops, but I haven’t eaten dessert since. It all balances itself out.
I loved your post yesterday, and I totally understand what you are getting at. Just because you enjoy a healthy life style doesn’t mean anything negative, and it is nobody’s concern whether you show”proof” of your desserts etc. Keep on being you girl, because we all love who that is! PS: HLS!!!! 🙂
yummmm your chicken enchilada casserole looks so good. I love waking up early for a run, i just love the quietness. Then around 7pm after dinner is when I take my dog for a walk, I love it. Some days I don’t want any kind of dessert other days a piece of fruit will do, then there is days I have to get out the stash of cookies lol. Always change depending on what I feel lik. Also I agree I eat veggies so easily, something I thought I would never be able to do.
I eat gelato or croissant or a dessert everyday- but I don’t think about it much just whatever I feel like 😉 I walk whenever it looks like a nice time for a stroll or I have to get somewhere again just a whenever I’m pretty flexible 😉
That’s the most wonderful way to be 🙂
Oh my! All this food looks incredible!!!
I do eat dessert (a few times) every day! <3 Especially ice cream and gummy candy!
I try to run in the mornings, but "morning" is not a clearly defined time of the day around here :o)
If I am going to run/walk outside it has to be at the crack of dawn because it just gets too hot here in Texas. However, I usually just hop on the treadmill at home and do that pretty early, too. With two kids, if I don’t get it done early it is not happening!! And yes, I also enjoy the peacefulness.
Dessert: Ummm, I think I eat it multiple times per day. Bad habit I have there!!
I eat dessert every day, all day long. At work, we sell these amazing dark-chocolate-covered graham cracker bites…and I can easily eat half a container in a shift. Yikes! But so good.
As far as times to head outside, it totally depends on when I worked… if I had to get up at 4am, I probably won’t make it out till evening, after I’ve gotten home and napped!
Like you, I love the quietness of early mornings or later evenings. I like that the hustle and bustle either hasn’t begun yet or is over for the day. Your wrap looks yummy! I may just have to replicate that. Thanks again for the picture of balance that you are. 🙂
Awwr girl. Thank YOU for your sweet comments 🙂
I LOVE working out in the morning! I have more energy and it feels good to just get it donw and out of the way.
My dessert a day is a miniature York Peppermint Pattie. I have one a day after lunch and it satisfies my sweet craving and I am good to go for the day.
I make it a point to make that my allowed sugar for the day. I am trying to cut all sugar out of my diet to help with inflammation and muscle soreness in my back.
I don’t think I really have a preferred time for heading outside – except if it’s really hot out, in which case I prefer the mornings. I never run in the evenings, but I like going for walks at that time (especially if the walk ends in fro yo or a McD’s ice cream cone haha).
I don’t know if I would consider it dessert, but I definitely eat a snack after dinner almost every day, unless I had a huge dinner. Most of the time I’ll have Greek yogurt with granola, but other times it’ll be something I’ve baked, a cookie that I brought home from work (the perks of working at a bakery!), fruit, part of a dark chocolate bar, or trail mix.
Looks like a perfect day of eats to me! I have been loving snacking on fresh fruit! So good! I’m also a huge fan of random dinners. Going with the flow and eating what sounds good at he moment.
I am convinced that you post pictures of the ketchup Pop Chips with the sole intention of making me ridiculously jealous! 😉
I’m neither admitting to nor denying that accusation 😛
😉
I pretend to enjoy running, but I’ve always been a walker. I’m with you on the early morning/early evening thing…though it’s pretty much always early evening. Sometimes I will get up early and run before it’s too hot out, but if I don’t (which is usually how it works) it’s a powerwalk with the sunset!
I love going out for a walk right before I have my evening meal; so around 6-7pm, we don’t often get the chance for a nice stroll in the UK so I’ve been making the most of it the past few evenings haha! Nothing more relaxing to get out in the sun and amble along haha.
I pretty much always have dessert; I don’t usually have it straight after my meal though, I usually leave about an hour before I tuck into something else hehe.
Happy WIAW! 🙂
I like early morning walks/runs – it’s so quiet & peaceful. I love feeling like the world belongs to ‘me’. When the mornings start getting warmer, I’m going to do pre-work yoga on my deck. 😀
I do actually appreciate mornings, as long as I’m well-rested and I have plenty of time to ease myself into the day. I don’t mind having to wake up early if it gives me some extra time to just lay in bed or make a leisurely breakfast, but feeling rushed to get ready and get out the door is not my thing. That being said, I prefer to go on walks/hikes in the late morning or early afternoon because I have more energy then, but I definitely understand the need for taking earlier or later walks when it’s super hot out. Luckily, I live in a really dry place so humidity is never an issue, but it’s still not fun coming back from a walk drenched with sweat!
I would say I eat dessert every day, but it’s not always an actual dessert. Sometimes I just have some protein powder mixed in a bowl with almond milk topped with berries and chocolate, or some banana softserve, but ending the day on a sweet note is a must!
That sounds like a pretty good dessert to me! Especially this time of year when fruits are so sweet.
Within the last couple of years I’ve started to appreciate mornings more (once I stopped sleeping in until 10 am). I’m still not a super-crazy-early morning person, but 6-7 am looks nice to me nowadays. And I think early evening has to be my favourite part of the day, especially in the summer. It’s warm without being crazy hot, the sun’s just starting to set, I’ve been home from work long enough that I’ve caught my second wind…it’s just nice.
And I suppose I eat dessert pretty much daily, but my definition of dessert is pretty generous. A consider a handful of berries, a couple chocolate chips or a square of chocolate to be dessert, which I do have pretty much every night after dinner. Or hell, even a peppermint counts in my book. But in terms of a ‘real’ dessert (a bigger serving of the chocolate mentioned above, or ice cream or a baked good) not all that often. Although admittedly, it has been happening more frequently lately.
Truth be told, 6-7 would look pretty nice to be too… Care to trade? 😀
Think I’m going to have to turn you down on that one 😉
I do usually like something sweet every day (creature of habit…trying to break) but have lately been ending my day with a cup of chamomile tea. I like to start my day with some sort of exercise but have always enjoyed taking an afternoon hike or walk with friends or my mom and sister and dog.
Every looks so good! 🙂 you ate beautiful pics! I want to try those ketchup pop chips do badly, but they’re not available in the US ): how are they?
They’re really great! Think ketchup with fries – it’s basically the same thing.
I never miss dessert… often they are on the healthy side, but my sweet tooth must be fed. 🙂 Cereal for dinner is sounding soooo good right now!
so I have to say I love that opening line “at the end of the day, what works for me is breakfast”….because you often eat breakfast for dinner too ahaha love it. Anyway, I’m with you on the early morning business – personally I am not one of those people that wakes up super-early naturally – I usually have to in order to run before class/work or to beat the summer heat (if I’m not out the door by 6:30 in Philadelphia then I’m going to fry) I like to run before I eat (otherwise major mid-run GI issues) so that’s another reason I try to get up and go early…..but naturally, I am kind of a 7am wakeup girl lol. I guess I’m also not really a dessert-a-day girl either – though I do always eat a pretty good size bedtime snack (given that I run before breakfast). which works for me and you’re right! You just gotta do you, because someone is ALWAYS going to find something to criticize, for no other reason than it’s not how THEY do it. Also…still jealous of your ketchup popchips lol I really need to take a trip to Canada!!
Well I do have a spare room… just sayin’ 😉
Great follow-up day to your previous post. I think this shows perfectly who you are.
I always complain about people being late risers, but actually that’s why I like getting up early- the lack of other people!! 🙂 I should try taking a walk in the morning before I start my day. I always have a few extra minutes and that would be a great way to get moving seeing as how I am always too tired when I come back from work to do much of anything but lie down and eat 😉
mmm yummy breakfast! and everything else – I would have been perfectly happy eating all of what you ate today.
I’m definitely the earlier type too when it comes to heading outdoors for a walk or run. Most likely a walk. And lately I’ve definitely become a dessert everyday (er multiple times a day) type of person, but I’m working on cutting it back a bit 🙂
First of all, that grilled chicken and cheese wrap looked amazing!
I love to head outside in the am when everything is cool and the sun is just waking up too 🙂
I eat dessert kind of whenever; some days I want it, some days I don’t
I totally agree, you can only be yourself and do what is right for you. People will judge you regardless but at least you have been truthful to yourself.