Happy Wednesday!
Since I have been extra productive so far this week, this afternoon ended up being wide open….enter blog time! Score.
So lets get this party started!
Breakfasts, I’ve still been loving eggs, eggs, and more eggs. I’ve started topping them with a magical combination of onion flake, dill, big sea salt crystals, and black pepper. Uh, so good. I didn’t think I would be a fan of dill, but it totally works with eggs.
[soft eggs with oatbran egg white pancake + dark cocoa sauce (dark cocoa powder/milk/stevia)]
[Stuffed and baked banana almond butter french toast]
[sweet and savory zucchini muffins, steamed veg, and my new favorite sweet sandwich which consists of a microwaved egg patty (1/2 cup egg whites, cinnamon, vanilla, stevia) topped with grape jelly then a cinnamon swirl cream cheese wedge. Lastly I grill it up in my sandwich maker because toasted bread wins at life.]
[turkey beef meatball salad]
[blended cottage cheese, zucchini cake bars, and peanut butter]
[honeycrisp apple, banana bread, cottage cheese]
How good are apples right now?! I love a crisp, juicy apple.
[single serve banana bread with butter]
This was just a little combo I put together to use up the last of the bananas from last weekend. It turned out pretty tasty!
Single Serve Banana Bread
- 1 large mashed banana
- 1 heaping scoop vanilla protein powder
- 1/4 cup greek yogurt
- 1 egg white
- 1/2 cup blended oats (oat flour) (can sub in any flour)
- dash of cinnamon, vanilla, stevia, and baking powder
Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.
[I had ahi tuna steak for the first time! with soy sauce, roasted baby yellow potatoes in olive oil and S&P, and steamed green beans]
Oh man, what a comforting meal. This tuna was found on a manager’s special sale and I had been wanting to try it for forever. I kept it simple, coating in olive oil, liquid aminos (or soy sauce), black pepper, ground ginger, and garlic powder. Then I seared it in my cast-iron pan on high heat for about 2 minutes each side. This left the inside nice and rare, like a good tuna steak should be eaten! It was so soft and luscious. Yes, luscious. 
[dark chocolate sludge batter (chocolate casein protein, blended cottage cheese, greek yogurt, dark cocoa powder, almond milk) topped with mint chocolate chip ice cream!]
Yep, that chocolate mint kick is still going strong. I just love it!
I feel like I am fueling myself pretty well and have found a good balance between my active lifestyle and the amount of fuel I need to keep up with it. In comparison to the year before, i definitely have more energy and life in me now, thanks to some needed adjustments…basically, just eating more in general. With changes in life, adjustments need to happen in all other other areas as well. No wonder I was so warn out before!
In many cases, the issue may be eating too much, but in just as many cases, people are not eating enough. Whatever the reason may be, its easy to to sway too far one way or the other. Under eating is a common theme I see in the world of health conscious individuals and is something I feel needs to not be overlooked. I think a lot of it comes from misinformation and not enough education. Nutrition is very complex and can be hard to understand! When I first wanted to get healthier, I know I definitely ate much too little. I know that now, but at the time I thought I was doing a great job at being “healthy.” So let’s get this straight: Healthy does NOT equal eating as little as possible. Healthy does equal eating enough to fuel your body’s individual needs. So here comes the next issue of people assuming they need X amount of calories, when in actuality that number is way off. I was so surprised to find out how much I could eat while still maintaining my weight.
Finding that balance is so important and I hope you all can take the time to access whether or not you are in a ‘balanced state’ and then proceed with change if needed. We should all feel our best!
Okay, off my pedestal for today. 
Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Kristi
EXCELLENT reminder about the importance of balance! And I love the banana bread recipe. Yum!
Happy Wednesday!
Love this! So true that finding that balance is key! That banana bread bowl looks amazing! I will have to give that a try!
Girl you hit the head on the nail! I don’t understand why some people think eating the bare minimum will maximize their health when they feel tired and cold. all. the. time. Plus, when you dont have enough energy you are no fun to be around. For me, I’ve found the right amount, which was a lot more than I though but I’ve never felt better
PS if your single serve banana bread is anything like your brownies – I’m sure its great.
Oh girl you have no idea how badly I just wanted to jump up and scream “YES!” when reading the last part of your post. SO many people try to get by on the bare minimum, and the result is that they end up getting the bare minimum amount of enjoyment out of their lives. I was kind of shocked when I found out how much I really needed to feel my best. At first it was like: “no.freakin.way,” but lo and behold, it was exactly right and I managed to maintain my weight as well, while feeling 100x better. I wish more people could hear these kind of messages, because we’re constantly being bombarded with the whole idea that a 1200 calorie diet is enough, when really… it’s just slow starvation.
I love this post – a great read as usual!
I used to freak out when I thought I’d hit 2000 calories a day. But now I believe that I eat way more, and I fit into the same clothes (I’ve stopped weighing myself) as well as feel much more energetic!
Such a great post. So many people will be inspired and influenced by this post. Thanks for sharing girl.. ohh & your meals, they all look amazing. I literally want to fly to your home right now & eat it all
I feel like I want to tell you this on eeeevery post you write-> You are going to make SUCH a FABULOUS dietician! Your attitude to fuelling oneself adequately is amazing:), so many people would benefit greatly from taking on your advice.
Xxx
LOVE your post and your eats my friend. Your view on balance is SO fabulous, I genuinely wish more people out there had your attitude!
Every time I see your WIAW, I always get the bug to bake!! All of your homemade goodies have me drooling!! I HAVE to find time this weekend to make some!!
OMG yes! Everyone is so different in their energy needs, but eating too little can only do harm! It takes time to find that right amount for you and it can change a lot. I change daily sometimes! OMG single serve banana bread! I can’t wait to make this!
I totally agree! Sometimes it’s hard for people to grasp the fact that not eating enough actually slows your metabolism! Your eats looks awesome as usual!
I completely agree. Any good suggestions or resources for finding out the correct information to educate more people on how to find that balance? We all know how to count calories but how do you know how much you are burning? That’s what I’ve always struggled with in addition to keeping up on the lastest research of the nutritional balance of grains, protein, fat, fruit/veggies, & dairy
Thanks for put this out there, it does need to be addressed.
Check out this post: http://sweetlyfit.com/2012/06/20/upping-the-cals/
I linked 2 different resources for finding caloric requirements and I feel they are pretty accurate. Try out the 2nd link for sure, it will bring you to a spreadsheet that allows you enter in your own info. I found that to be the most helpful!
So proud of you for achieving your balance! It is amazing what our bodies are capable of when we give them the proper nourishment to live! I used to totally fall for the low calorie mindset and maintained my weight on that…when I increased at first I gained weight (duh, volume) but now I’m at the exact same weight but feel less fatigued and stronger because I’m nourishing myself properly! It feels so good. And once again I want to steal all of your food:)
Awesome post! Many, many bloggers seem to eat so little and it makes me sad to see that, especially considering the influence they have on their readers. One of the main reasons why I like your blog is because you seem to provide your body enough fuel. However, that’s also why I was confused to see you comment ADashOfMeg which is exactly what you describe. :/
Eggs and dill are the best! Needs some goat cheese though
You are right. What was I thinking?!
You are so right! I feel like I am still trying to find balance, but it’s kind of hard to know what’s right. You are an inspiration though
Your eats look amazing too!
This post is so awesome, Kristi. I love how you called it balance. That is something I’m striving for in my life. Thanks for always being there for me!
Your food is making me drool/want to reach through the computer screen to eat it all!!!