5 Tips For More Energy

Being thin doesn’t always illustrate the epitome of healthy. Ever hear of the term “Skinny Fat”? That’s right, just because you’re thin/skinny doesn’t mean you’re fit and healthy. Perhaps you’re feeling lethargic and don’t quite understand why. Have you looked at what you’re eating? Here are some quick and relatively easy ways to have more energy every day.

gummy-bears1) Cut out the sugar
It’s obviously okay to indulge once in a while, but having your afternoon pepsi, or morning iced coffee can give you too much of a spike in your blood sugar. Causing you to have a ton of energy but then you literally come crashing down and need another ‘fix’. Not only that, sugar is addictive and clearly doesn’t do you any good. Eat a balanced diet, preferably free from processed foods. What I’ve been doing lately to curb my sugar cravings is having a few mini m&ms sprinkled in my homemade raw nut trail mix.  It satisfies my sweet tooth without over indulging.

 nuts2) Healthy Fats
Avocado, oils, and nuts are both healthy fats which keep you fueled and full until your next meal. If you incorporate these into your snacks or meals you’ll be less inclined to reach for sugary snacks throughout the day. Don’t forget you can use avocado on your salads with some homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing topped with nuts or seeds.

water-bottle3) Hydrate yourself
Did you know that you should be drinking HALF your body weight in ounces of water, every day? Weight 140lbs? You’ll need 70 ounces of water. If you have a desk job like me, grab a cute water bottle and only fill it up half way. That way, you’re more inclined to drink cooler water (I’m not fond of room temp water) and bonus? Once you’re done you get to stretch your legs and walk over to the water filter/cooler to fill’er up.

4) Most important meal of the day
Please don’t skimp on breakfast.  It truly is the most important meal of the day. If you’re in a rush, why not cook up some egg muffins each week? The Boyf & I eat two every morning so the dozen doesn’t last that long in the fridge. Have some fresh bananas, fruit or tomatoes handy and pre-washed, ready to grab and head out the door.

5) Greens
I realize the most ignored and avoided foods are the dark green leafy vegetables. But they’re the most important super foods we have! Not everyone enjoys salad, so incorporate your green veggies into a smoothie! Thrive Juice Bar makes a delicious chocolate avocado ganche smoothie that tastes just as good as a McDonald’s chocolate shake. No joke.

What do you do to get more energy? Do you have any tips?

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Quinoa caprese chicken salad

quinoa-headerQuinoa caprese chicken salad. That’s a mouthful. Try and say that three times fast, then backwards.

It’s what was for dinner one weeknight after an evening full of back-to-school shopping for my nephews. See what I bought them.

I’ve never had one of the famous fresh caprese salads before. So I decided rather on having a light supper I’ll have a semi-light supper and incorporate quinoa, chicken and pine nuts into the mix. Sounded good, so it must taste good, right?

quinoa-caprese-chicken-salaSo easy guys.

Grab a box of quinoa and cook it in chicken broth. Prep your tomatoes (I used grape tomatoes and sliced them), chicken, pine nuts, basil, and bocconcini cheese (Not gonna lie. Definitely had to look at the image in order to spell that fancy cheese correctly). bocconcini cheese
To die for. Didn’t really realize how strong of a taste basil has. First few bites I was doubting the meal, but once I got into it — it was numba one. I would definitely recommend. It’s so quick and easy to put together too. Plus, hello bonus? I have leftovers. This will definitely be a weekly staple in the household. May not add fresh basil each time. quinoa-capreses

What do you cook when you’re too tired/lazy to make a meal?

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OOTWW

I forgot to mention I was over on Happy Fit Mama’s site yesterday doing a guest post talking about my favorite summer foods. Check it out if you’ve got the chance.

Love that today is already Friday and pay day. Bonus. Since we had a civic holiday in Ontario on Monday, the week just flew on by. Newfoundland did not get the holiday though, but did get Wednesday off due to the annual Regatta.

Just want to say how GLAD I am that summer decided to make a reappearance. This may sound weird, but I love being overheated. I wear a company hoody over top of my regular work clothes almost every day. I just love being cozy and warm, so finally seeing the sun out the past two days is definitely making me happier. Thanks Ma-Nature!

To take advantage of the gorgeous sun that was out yesterday, my co-worker and I went to a Portuguese bakery & deli. A different co-worker asked where we went for lunch, and this was my answer:

“I ate at the best place today! Lesbian for lunch”. Not even close: Lisboa Bakery and Deli
Uh. Totally came out wrong. I forgot the name of the place and that is what I blurted out. HAHAHA. Then that was the running joke of the entire afternoon.

My lunch was just a plain chicken sandwich but the garlic mayo and fresh bun definitely left me wanting more. It was a decent price too.Lunch

I also got a sparkling passion fruit drink with my meal. It tasted kinda weird, but I liked it.lunch2
For dessert we went across the street for Marble Slab Creamery ice cream. I’ve never been there before. It’s neat that they scoop your ice cream and add any toppings you want and it gets mashed together on this ….frozen marble slab. I got Rocky Road. It was way too expensive for what its worth. I’ll stick to Menchies, or this one gelato place near my house.dessert
I’m not the biggest fan of Winter (least fav season) but I do love Fall. I don’t ever want to rush away the seasons, or months. I want to enjoy living in the moment and not look too forward into the future. Know what I’m getting at? Let’s enjoy what we’ve got, right here, right now.

This post is all over the place but I wanted to share the blog-love today with some new (to me) blogs and some good posts I found this week.

Asling @ Sunny Side Up
Not just a cool name. She also has a delicious looking food blog.

Leanne @ Fresh-Season
My Newfoundlander blog-friend is moving from Ottawa to Toronto this month! Hopefully we’ll get to meet face-to-face in the next little while.

Kristin @ Iowa Girl Eats
A long time fav blogger of mine, who just had a baby boy named Lincoln.

Char Eats Greens
Hilarious new (can I say she’s new if her babe is 7+ mths old? lol) Mom who is a plant based eater and has some great recipes to share.

Michelle & Lori @ Purely Twins
These ladies made gluten free & egg free COCOA PUFFS CEREAL! Recipe is in the link above. Omg.

Onto the outfits I wore this week to work!ootww

What are your plans this weekend?
I’m overdue for a visit to the Farmer’s Market and need to purchase some fresh produce this weekend, so that’s what I’ll be doing in the morning.

Do you purchase your produce from a Farmer’s Market?

Have you ever had Portuguese food?

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