Tag: Cheat Snack

“You’re Vegetarian…What do you eat?” This is What MY Healthy Is!

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{Before & After Lifestyle Change}

{What Drives Me to Be Healthy?}

I will say right now, I have not always been healthy. I think when you take on a lifestyle change- if you aren’t surrounded by like minded people, people then they begin to question why you are changing, and where does that leave them? It’s been about 6 years now that I have been vegetarian (not for everyone) and completely cleaned up my eating habits. This has been a progressive transformation of a healthy lifestyle including mind, body, and soul. I didn’t lose weight overnight, nor did I do it without massive hard work and dedication to wanting to be better. I have become self educated on what my expectations are for MY own health, and I refuse to settle for any less. I didn’t always love to work out because that required that I actually got off my ass and did something! Go figure! But little by little, the more movement I did the better I felt and the more weight I lost. If you would have told me I was going to be in a circuit training class (FNS) a year ago I would have told you that you were absolutely nuts! Now, I feel guilty if I miss a day. I guess Newton had it right all along, for every action there is a reaction. I am a firm believer that being healthy is different for everyone. It doesn’t mean weighing 120 lbs, or starving yourself. It means living in moderation and not being too extreme on either side of the spectrum. People always ask, “How did you do it?” It’s simple. I made a change for ME, started eating better and started moving. The keyword is I….Nobody else can do it for you. I will continue this journey while educating others to take the same accountability. I encourage you to take a self examination (instead of blaming others) on what you can do better, and make a change. If I did it, anything is possible.

Some of my favorite snacks…

{Greek Yogurt w/ Fruit and Agave}

*This is so easy and delicious. Sometimes I will eat for breakfast, and other times as a snack mid day. Agave is also a little less sweet than honey on the glycemic index.

{Vega Protien Powder}

*I love, love, love this protien powder. It’s hard to come by protien powder that doesn’t taste like chalk….this is far from! I usually mix some fruit, a little juice, kale, chia seeds and agave for a smoothie after a workout. This product is completely vegan (no animal product). Your muscles need protien! Drink away.

{Raw Nuts are Best}

*It took me a while to get away from overly salted nuts like planters, but now if I even dare to eat that I will need a liter of water to wash it down. My favorite is going to Whole Foods and getting bags of different nuts out of the bulk aisle- and then making my own trail mix (instead of buying premade.) I add cranberries, apricots and banana chips also! Its healthy, light and a great go to snack. I recomend making small snack bags at the beginning of the week so you don’t have any excuses mid week as to why you need that Snickers bar!

{Bruschetta}

*This is such an easy snack. Obviously I am not pounding down bread by the loaves, but I do enjoy it once in a while. Fresh tomato, raw garlic, a little basil and salt and pepper to taste! So easy and fast. You can also add balsamic for a more tart taste.

Whole Foods Brand}

*Jalapeno and Lemon are my favorite flavors. I usually dip with celary, cucumber or carrots. Beans are great protien, and the veggies are great fiber. Pita chips are often the reason hummus can be fatening so pick my calories wisely. Whole Foods brand hummus is delish! If you don’t want to buy, you can always make your own hummus. (It’s really easy.)

Favorite Cheat Snack…

Yes! It’s true…I don’t eat nuts and berries all day. I am human!

{iced grande caramel macchiato}

*This is my version of diet coke.I get it, you just can’t live without it. Although I would never drink that poison if it was the last taste of liquid on the planet, I LOVE iced coffee! This is probably the only way I consume milk (not a big cereal drinker & I never buy it.) I also know that it has calories. Lots of them haha, but I work out hard and treat myself once in a while.

{Coffee is my favorite}

*I am a sucker for ice cream! You name it, I love it. With that said quality is extremely important when choosing dairy products. If there is anything you should eat organic it’s meat and dairy. Knowing that the animals weren’t pumped with steroids and antibiotics makes this ice cream experience a little more enjoyable. Don’t know what I am talking about? Read Omnivores Dillema. It will get you thinking. If you haven’t tried Straus Products, I recommend you do. They are local, sustainable and Organic.

Favorite Recipe…

{Quinoa Mexican Salad}

What you’ll need:

  • Black Beans
  • Corn
  • Cherry Tomato
  • Jalapeno
  • Cilantro
  • Lemons + Olive Oil
  • Quinoa
  • Avocado
  • Red Onion

Fast and Easy! Cook the quinoa. Dice onions, jalapeno and cilantro. Cut cherry tomatoes in half. Combine all ingrediants together. Lemon and Olive oil to taste as well as the salt and pepper. You can add chicken if desired, but I think it tastes great vegetarian.

There you have it…This about sums it up!

*I do not claim the rights to these photos.

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New Mama On the Go: What’s your Healthy Stephania Panayotopoulos?

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{New Mom On The Go}

{What Drives you to be Healthy?}

Living and emulating a holistic and healthy lifestyle has never been more important to me than it is now. Healthy habits are learned at a young age, and now as a new mother I want my daughter to have a head start with a strong foundation.  I want her to have healthy and natural tools as she navigates her way through her everyday. I also want her know and appreciate that living as holistic as we can is a normal way of life. Eating organic, living in a healthy home with nontoxic cleaning products and toys is just what we do. In our house we don’t use plastic food storage, only drink filtered water, eat as organic as we can, clean with nontoxic or homemade natural cleaning products, eat gluten and sugar free with very little dairy. We treat the planet and our bodies the best we possibly can, because when you know better, you do better.

Here are some of my favorite  Go-To’s as a young mama on the go.

4 Healthy Snacks:

{Synergy Kombucha}

*This elixir is one without compare. I’ve tried several other kombucha brands and there’s just something about Synergy that takes the cake. This cool, effervescent and unique drink has health benefits galore and tastes super yummy. You get that crisp carbonation with just a little bit of fruitiness all while doing good for your body. The other cool thing I love about this drink is that it’s something to sip on all afternoon long. I keep in my diaper bag and sip as I go through my day – and at only 60 calories a bottle it doesn’t make a dent in your daily caloric intake. My favorite flavors are passionberry bliss and cosmic cranberry. I always get my kombucha and all my groceries for that matter, from Whole Foods and if you buy it by the case you get 10% off! Mmmm Mmmm good!

{Easy Access Snack}

*This prepackaged roasted seaweed comes 10 sheets to a container. Because I don’t eat rice with my sushi, getting this sushi-esque taste is a great fix. This is often something I eat on the go too. The sheets are a little bigger than the size of a playing card. They have a neat texture and low calorie count.

{Baked Kale Chips}

*This snack is super cool and easy to make. You can get your salty crunchy fix without nasty chemical filled potato chips. While you can buy this premade at Whole Foods, it’s too easy not to make at home. I buy two bunches of organic green or purple kale. I wash each bunch and then throw it in my salad spinner, after is been torn up in cracker size pieces omitting the stem. I throw both bunches onto a baking sheet and mist with olive or grape seed oil and then top with pink Himalayan salt. I toss both baking sheets in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until the kale has a crisp appearance and feel.

{Almonds are healthiest when eaten RAW}

*An easy hassle free snack that is truly grab n’ go – but don’t get greedy because while these little suckers are super healthy they are also calorically dense. I throw 15 whole almonds in a reusable baggie and keep them with me all day if I’m out and about with my daughter. Almonds provide a ton of energy with minimal consumption. I love the texture and crunch too!

Favorite Cheat Snack…

{Berries & Banana with Cold Whipped Cream}

*Berries and banana with cold whipping cream – Love heading to my local farmers market and grabbing fresh raspberries, blackberries and sliced banana. I wash and throw these organic fruits into a bowl and top it off with fresh whipping cream right out of the bottle by Straus Family Creamery purchased at Whole Foods. Nothing tastes better than chilled organic whipping cream from a glass bottle topped onto fresh fruit!

{Philz Mint Mojito Coffee}

Favorite Recipe…

Kale Salad with Honey Lemon Dressing

What you’ll need:

  • 1 bunch or organic green or purple kale
  • 1-1/2 lemons garnering fresh squeezed lemon juice 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1-2 tables spoons honey
  • 1 pinch pink Himalayan sea salt
  • 1 pinch fresh cracked black pepper

Directions: Wash and dry kale and throw into your salad bowl. In small mixing bowl whisk together your lemon juice, honey and pepper. Then drizzle your olive oil onto the kale and massage for a couple of minutes with your hands. This helps break down the fibrous kale making it more palatable. Once the kale has softened pour on your dressing and top with sea salt. Mix it up a bit and enjoy!

Thank you, Stephania!

 

*I do not claim the rights to these photos.