Why I love What I'm Doing Errrday

If you're a regular reader of this blog than firstly thank you for taking the time out of your day, and secondly, you'll know that I like to regularly update the types of food that I've been eating and any exercise I have been doing. From day one I decided to do this in an attempt to inspire and motivate others to make healthy lifestyle decisions and demonstrate that clean eating doesn't have to be boring. Having 'cheat' days and letting yourself have a bit of what you fancy maintains a nice balance that will not stagnate your process and could actually improve it. Today I thought I would try and explain a little more about the changes I have felt inside and outside of my body.

Warning: This blog is full of annoying positivity so if you're easily annoyed by annoying happy people then this may not be the blog for you :p

I'll start by saying. I feel fricking fantastic. It's been about 2 and a half months since I embarked on this journey and it has really been in the last couple of weeks that I have felt a positive change in the way that I think. Not only about myself, but about others and my general outlook on life. This is not something that I thought would happen but it has been a welcome side effect.

One thing that I particularly struggled with last year was feeling like I was missing out on having fun all the time. I gave up trying to live a healthy lifestyle and went back to drinking every weekend - but I was only really happy when I was out with friends, being home alone left me feeling bored. So I was really worried about feeling left out and falling into the same trap but this year I have gone the opposite way. Realistically, working full time and trying to live a super healthy lifestyle is time consuming but this is what I want, for my life. I probably could manage to go to work everyday, prepare 3 healthy meals - plus snacks, exercise and go out after but I would be so exhausted it doesn't even bare thinking about. Get me home from work, a workout and endless time in the kitchen to conjure up glorious foods and time to chill out and wind down and I am happy. I realise at this point some of you might be reading this and thinking F**k that, and fine, each to their own but being healthy is something that I have made a priority for myself and I've never felt better for it. This obviously took some getting used to but I always remember the saying "don't give up what you want most for what you want know".

I feel good about myself, where I am in my life and where I'm going. I feel grateful for the people in my life, thankful for my health and everything that I have. I'm happy that I can look in the mirror everyday and not hate what I see, that I have a healthy body and the opportunity to improve it everyday. To make the best version of me.

Remember in my post about my lack of progress I talked about not giving up on goals because of how long they take because time is always passing anyway? I love waking up every morning and working towards something - and I think this is transferable to absolutely any area of your life. Whether you're working hard towards changing your body, your job, your life... I have found that using my time constructively, working towards a goal makes every day feel fulfilled.

I have more energy, I can genuinely say that not once this year have I experienced the post lunch slump. I'm more alert throughout the day - that's not to say that when I finish work I'm so ready to go home and chill out, I'm only human after all. But in comparison to my former lifestyle, I feel capable of much more on a daily basis.
I have seen physical changes too, I am taking progress pictures once a month but I am too embarrassed to share these with the world just yet - but they will come I promise.

My skin hasn't been this good during the winter months for years and years. I am someone that cannot leave the house without make up on because my skin gets me down, but I am seeing very gradual improvements. My nails are growing at a crazy pace, I'm literally filing them down super short at least once a week. They're growing stronger and the little ridges I had started to develop are smoothing out.
These two improvements could be down to a number of things: 1. My diet, I'm not longer eating sugar (bad for your skin) and I am consuming a wide variety of nutrients and vitamins on a daily basis. 2. I have started taking Pure Cod Liver Oil tablets every morning. I don't get omega 6's from anything as I don't eat fish. These also have vitamin D (which I used to take before anyway) and vitamin E. Vitamin D is so important, especially to us pasty Brits. We don't get nearly enough exposure to sun light which is essential! 3. Because I'm home more often and have a few hours to spend to myself in the evenings, I have taken to having baths to wind down and help me sleep better, I usually use a face mask which is something I would have done very occasionally before rather than the recommended 2/3 times a week.

I am more comfortable in my own skin everyday which I do not take for granted. I know what it feels like to look at yourself in the mirror and be disappointed with what's looking back at you but at the end of the day, you're the only person that can do anything about it. I think it's easy to make these small gradual changes than it is to get up every morning and be disappointed with yourself. I wake up every morning proud of my achievements and that is a great feeling.

So overall, I am feeling happy happy positive! Which I find very amusing because the old me would have wanted to slap the happy out of the new me. I didn't think it was possible to feel this great on a daily basis and I couldn't comprehend it but there you go. I think that being comfortable within yourself is the key to happiness and it's down to you to to feel that way. This doesn't mean you have to try and be super skinny, or toned or muscular or whatever, it's about being healthy and happy with where you are in your life. Don't settle for anything less that what you want! Whether it's a better job, change in career, a big move - you're capable of so much more so go out and grab it!

So if you're still with me and I haven't driven you away with all my happy positive vibes I have some weekend foods to share with you now! I mentioned at the beginning of the post that eating clean doesn't have to be boring. The changes I have made have not been drastic, my diet is not unrealistic and I get cravings just like everybody else. I try to find ways to satisfy my sweet tooth with healthy alternatives that don't come with the guilt trip. So here is my Cheeky Chocolate Brekkie:

This was my Saturday morning breakfast and it was soo good!! To make my chocolate 'milk' I whizzed together in a blender: 150ml almond milk, 1 small frozen banana and 1 tbsp of cacao nibs - I do realise that many people reading this will probably not have cacao nibs at hand so less nutritious but just as tasty you could add 1 tbsp of good quality cocoa powder.
I poured this into the bowl and then topped it with home made muesli, chia seeds and a couple of dried cranberries. That's it!

Obviously with the frozen banana this is really thick and cold and will make a superb summer breakfast! I already can't wait to make it again. Good ingredients = good food.





On a side note I just wanted to mention a bit about frozen banana - I always use them in smoothies as it gives a great 'milkshake' like texture, it's truly spectacular. The photo left is the above before I added cacao. Just one frozen banana and a little almond milk - looks like vanilla milkshake doesn't it.

To use frozen bananas in smoothies or whatever peel them first, break them up into bits and stick them in a freezer bag. That's all. I was so happy when I found this out because it's perfect for when your banana skins start going brown and they're left rotting in the fruit bowl. Never waste a banana ever again :) If you're a banana lover, you will not be disappointed with this.

Delicious clean oats:
This was Sundays breakfast, enjoyed in bed after a nice lie in. Sometimes you just need a nice warm hearty breakfast :) it really is the simple things!
I used 40g of oats and 1/2 pint of water to cook the oats on the hob and then mixed in about a teaspoon if peanut butter. Topped with banana, a small handful of blueberries, some chopped almonds, pumpkin seeds and sprinkled generously with cinnamon.


Chipotle chilli <3 I LOVE Mexican food. Actually I love everything Mexican. If I won the lottery I think I would just pay a mariachi band to follow me around all day. When I have a bit of time spare at the weekends I like to cook a big batch of colourful chilli and then put separate portions in the freezer so I always have a delicious, healthy lunch at hand. Another thing I love is chipotle. Chipotle seems to be quite a popular flavour at the moment and I love it - did I mention that already? I always order chipotle stuff at Mexican restaurants so I was over the moon when I found chipotle chillies! I was excited to use them. They give the chilli a deep, smokey taste. I do recommend! To keep my chilli healthy I tend to use more veg and beans and less mince. I don't follow a recipe, just see how it goes and what I happen to have!

This time I used:
3 peppers (1 red, 1 orange, 1 green)
1 large onion
1 clove garlic
250g lean mince steak
1 tin kidney beans
1 tin black beans
2 large tomatoes
Chipotle chillies
1 tbsp Hot chilli powder
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Oregano

To make, I fried the vegetables until softened and then added the mince and spices. I then blended my tomatoes and chipotle chillies together and poured the purée into the pot, added the beans, added a little water and left to simmer for a while. Easy peasy.

Sunday Night dinner was this Simple Chicken Goan Curry

Not much to look at I'll admit but very very easy to make and tasty. I of course made it for two so that's lunch sorted for tomorrow.

For dessert - as per usual, 0% Greek yoghurt with some nuts, seeds, blueberries, coconut and a drizzle of honey.

I start off thinking 'I'll just top it with a little fruit' and before I know it I have a small mound of toppings :/ I cannot control my sweet tooth after dinner! But it is the weekend and I haven't eaten anywhere near as much as I usually would as I have spent it alone so I won't beat myself up about it!

So there's another weekend in food :) And hopefully some positive words for you to start your week on. 

Hope you all have a great healthy week,

Minnie

xXx