Sweet Potato Lovin!

Hello peoples!

I haven't posted in a long time :( I apologize. Life has been a tad crazy.

It's What I Ate Wednesday, in the blog world... so take a look!

Breakfast: Apple Pie Overnight Oats and Lemon Water (such a good detoxifier)

This morning I did HIIT's so this bfast filled me up til 12:00 when I got hungry againnnnn!

Lunch: I made a version of Whole Foods Big Yummy Smoothie (Omg Heaven!) Sad, funny story time... My blender decided to crash and burn this morning :( #whitegirlproblems And I had to finish it in the food processor LOL madness, I know! Second part of my lunch consisted of a baked, Organic Sweet Potato topped with guac, salsa, and black beans :) 

Dinner was quick because of a late Pilates class! I threw together a delicious sandwich which I will post the recipe later :) Dessert consisted of a raw choco brownie <3 

What did YOU have for dinner? Also, do you like Pilates? :) 

Good night friends <3

-Rach 

I'm A Sun Warrior!

Got a new protein powder to try!!!!

Any Sun Warriors out there? ;) I tried the vanilla one today (yes this one is chocolate lol I threw the nilla package out before I could take a pic!) Anyways, the verdict? Pretty tasty! I like how the protein base is brown rice protein. It's a nice change from the usual Vega powders.

Getting protein as a Vegan is not too hard, actually. You just have to make smart eating choices & read the nutrition labels. For an extra boost of iron, I'll throw in a handful of spinach too...making it GREEN and MEAN :D

Green, Mean, Protein Smoothie :)

1 medium banana (frozen unless using other frozen fruit or ice)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup coconut milk or almond milk
1 handful organic spinach
1 scoop or 1 package favourite protein mix
** add in any extra berries or fruit you would like! I love to add blueberries and cherries **

Blend and enjoy!!!

Smoothies are amazing ways to sneak in greens and protein. They also keep me full if I add in protein too. Has anyone ever added KALE to a smoothie? I have once when I ran out of spinach, and it is quite strong! I definitely prefer spinach.

Hope everyone is having a great night! I am off to do some studying.

What did YOU have for a healthy snack today? Did you make a green smoothie?? Lemme know!!!
Night Friends! <3

Pretty Pink & Superfood!

Good evening bloggers! <3 Hope you have had a wonderful weekend. What did YOU do for exercise? I shopped.... and did some walking. Us girls all agree that shopping is working out! Especially for the brain ;) #colourchoices

I bought some new shoes today! I was actually wearing the same fuzzy boots for the longest time, but now that the beautiful sunshine is coming out I decided I needed a new pair of shoes. Plus, I had a gift card to Aldo so yes please! Take a look at my new cuties:

Yes this is a bad picture lol BUT I have a reason behind it also! INSTAGRAM!!! Follow me at rachelbadachelxo ...I post constantly... ask my boyfriend ;) haha.

Okay now comes time for me to confess my heavenly indulgence! My mom and I shared this amazing superfood truffle!!! Omg amazeballz...

The rich cacao taste is so incredible! Now be warned, if you are not a fan of rich chocolate with a slight bitter taste... you may have to give this a few tastes! However, it is very healthy and raw! Who says vegans can't eat well?? Yes it has a few calories but it's the weekend & compared to a Mars bar or Twix that I used to indulge in daily, this was definitely a healthy treat!

So friends, what did YOU treat yourself to this weekend?? I also ate a Vegan Gingersnap Cookie afterwards. Treating yourself should be a healthy reward. If you work hard during the week, and eat clean every day, give yourself something to enjoy!

Have a great night everyone <3 I'm off to bed.

PS- just saw the movie Safe tonight... anyone else seen it? It has an Asian flare to it & that is up my alley! Lol

Eating To Live

Hey everyone! Hope you are having a great Friday night so far. Any plans? Just studying for me...sadly! :D


My post tonight is going to be about intuitive eating and all that jazz! Question for ya... do you have certain times you eat at? Or a certain time of day where your stomach is asking for something? I know I do. I usually eat 3 meals a day with 1 snack and dessert. It works for me, maybe not for everyone but I find that if I make my breakfast higher in calories, I am kept fuller longer.


Usually, I will eat oatmeal for breakfast and since oatmeal packs a whopping 8-10 grams of protein (depending on serving & brand) per serving, my stomach stays happy for a few hours. I won't lie though, it is tempting opening the fridge and seeing a batch of yummy vegan cookies calling my name at 10 am... but by practicing intuitive eating, I tell myself that I just had breakfast and I am truly not hungry. If you talk yourself through it, it can help a lot. According to a wikipedia page, If someone has rigid rules for so-called healthy eating, he or she is more likely to succumb to overeating, as a consequence of breaking their well-meaning rules.  


^^This can't be more true. I was once a strict dieter and it doesn't end well at all. There is no way a person can restrict themselves forever. It will most likely end in a binge and major setback (something I will talk about in the future). If you exercise 5 x a week, do some strength training, and make healthy choices, the occasional indulgence is only working on YOUR side. 


Some of my favourite cheats are..... *drumroll* 

     Oh deep fried tofu..... how I love thee.

So what are your favourite indulgence foods? Btw, I indulge everyday! And yes, just like everyone else, I have binged before. Actually a LOT. It's just something you can't beat yourself up over & remind yourself that tomorrow it's a new day <3 YOLO? lol.


Anyways friends, gotta get some studying done. Have a great night! See ya tomorrow. 

Riding The Oat Boat!

Meet My. Favourite. Food. <3

Hey guys! I'm ready for a second post and I just made my blog today! Lol <3 Talk about addicted much?

We all have that favourite dish that gets our mouths watering just thinking about it. That one dish we won't share with ANYONE, no matter what! And that one dish where if anyone says they don't like it we just wanna go all -------->>>> 

Yes this is the face!

Ok, maybe not THAT crazy but you know what I mean! :P Anyways, MY favourite food has got to be oatmeal! Overnight oats, cooked oats, oatmeal breakfast cookies, oatmeal in parfaits, etc. I just have this thing about oats. I started eating them for bfast when I began losing weight and at the time I was just rolling (no pun) with the instant oatmeal! That is, then I heard they are so processed and not as good as whole oats! Once I gave those babies a try, I was hooked! 


I'm definitely a huge fan of OVO over cooked. Have a look at some of my proud creations :) 

                                                                       Is it breakfast yet? :(


So friends! What is YOUR favourite food? Overnight oats? Gosh, I just love how versatile they are! Lemme know! Have a great night everyone <3


-Rach xo

My Very First!

Hey friends! Hope you are all having a fabulous day <3
This is my first post and I want to focus in on something very special to me... or more like to my stomach ;) 


Healthy eats! When I first jumped on the exercise bandwagon, my eating habits adjusted pretty quickly. I ate mostly chicken salads, low fat yogurt, and fruit. This was what I came to enjoy quite a lot. However, exercise was the big obstacle I just didn't want to take time to overcome. I did it though! And lost 50 lbs. That was all in 2009 and in 2010 I continued with working out and eating diet foods. I could control my food, my exercise and that allowed me to control my weight. What I couldn't control though was how much weight I lost. I had become an 'over-exercises'. I would burn lots of calories but failed to consume enough to maintain weight. When I got down to 109 lbs on my 5'7 frame, I just didn't feel right. And I had comments to make me feel even worse.


After revamping my exercise routine and adding healthy fats (which wasn't easy to talk myself into doing) I am at a 120ish lb weight. I hate scales and try not to weigh myself all the time. Since studying holistic nutrition and fitness, I have realized that a balanced diet full of whole foods is key to looking healthy and feeling good. No one should have to run 10 K a day to be fit. And you shouldn't have to restrict yourself from eating foods you enjoy. (That being said, fast foods and junk foods should be avoided in my eyes)


In 2010 I became a vegetarian (actually just a test to see how long I could go w/o meat....turned out to be a permanent thing!), and in 2011 I switched to an all vegan diet. I feel amazing knowing that I am living a cruelty free life! I will post more about that in the future though ;)


What I'm trying to say is, food is meant to keep us alive and thriving. Not sick and lethargic...yes I'm talking about calorie laden Dunkin Donuts that leave us in an afternoon slump. Food is a very touchy subject and most people who KNOW they have an addiction do not want to admit it. I was addicted & I still love food! You just have to change the type of food you love...it is possible. And you can do this change without getting rid of old favourites (Hello Vegan donuts! :P)

Let me know what your input is on food and how it has helped you or hurt you in the past. I would love to hear what you have to say! Annnnnd....what is YOUR favourite food????