It's learned...

I love Mondays! I love being able to start fresh… and after the weekend I had (food wise) I needed a fresh start. Fridays are our “cheat day” so we had some Ben and Jerry’s (half baked) and some amazing chocolate babka bread (if you haven’t tried this before I highly recommend it). Then Saturday one of the kid’s friends had a birthday party (his mom is an amazing baker) so I had cake and poppy seed bread. Of course Sunday was the Super Bowl and we had lots of treats. Needless to say… I over did it and my body felt it this morning. I was slower and it was hard to wake up but I started the day off right with a green smoothie and a workout. Even though I ate more junk than I wanted to this weekend I’m not going to let it get me down. There will always be a “bump” in the road… birthday parties, holidays, girl’s nights. There will always be something. That’s why I am trying my best to keep on track the rest of the time. I let myself have a cheat on Friday. I don’t eat out so I usually just eat more bread with my dinner (that’s a treat for me) and Troy and I will spilt some ice cream or cake or something like that. It took a few weeks for that to seem like “enough” for me. Food is an addiction. It takes time to get used to your new “normal” but if you want it… you’ll make it work.

I hear all the time that eating healthy is so hard. That it doesn’t taste good. When we first became vegan I hated it. I remember thinking that if I had to choke down another salad I was going to die. I was determined to be healthy though so I kept going. I found new recipes and learned to like new fruits and vegetables. I LEARNED to like it. I believe all behavior is learned, good or bad. If there is a bad habit you have (and it bothers you) you change it, right? Do we eat what we eat out of habit? I think so. Habits can be changed. It takes 21 days to break a habit. If you think of bad eating as a habit that can be broken in 21 days doesn’t that make it seem more doable? That’s not even a full month! After that first month of becoming vegan I stopped thinking about it. I didn’t crave cheese or meat. It just became second nature.

I have some exciting news! I’m collaborating with someone very close to me over the next few weeks. It’s a fun little project she approached me with today and I can’t wait to start. I’ll be keeping you all updated (to some degree) as we go but the big reveal is still a few weeks out. We’re hoping to inspire and show that being healthy with little time and little money is very possible! Health and fitness isn’t limited to the wealthy and those with ample time. We can be busy moms or students or whatever and still have the resources at hand to be our best selves. So stay tuned!

Weight loss update: I didn’t lose a pound this week. At first I was discouraged but then I realized I can’t beat myself up. I am working to become my best self. I ate healthy, worked out every day … I did my part. I won’t let the scale tell me if I’m improving. I know that I am. I’m stronger than I was yesterday; I’m eating better, feeling better. I am not a number, I am not a size. I am a women working to improve myself and becoming someone I’m proud of and believe in.

Recipe-

I’ve decided to start posting more of my recipes on the blog instead of my Facebook page (Vegan Lifestyle). So I thought I’d start with a good one. We had these AMAZING brownies for the Super Bowl. You’ll want to make these ASAP!

Brownies with Cashew Caramel-

Brownies-

1 cup peanut butter

¼ cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

2/3 cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

Add all ingredients into mixer and mix until smooth. Grease an 8x8 glass pan and pour mixture in. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Let cool completely. If you are in a hurry put them in the freezer for 20 minutes.

These brownies are so fudgy and rich and tasty!

Cashew Caramel-

½ cup maple syrup

½ cup cashew butter

Place ingredients in a high powder blender and blend until smooth. A food processor would work as well. Warm the sauce and drizzle over cooled brownies.

This sauce is so good. I was ready to lick the bowl (maybe I did… just a little).

Enjoy!