Healthy Go-To's

So, I decided to go ahead and start my fitness blog. I figured, why not? Couldn't hurt! 

I want to start off by talking about my healthy "go to's". If you follow me on IG, you'll know that I'm a huge snack person. Also, I'm a sweet person, which makes my snack cravings even worse. So, I do my best to find healthy alternatives to everything I know and love so much. It definitely isn't easy, and most of the recipes take getting used to, but it is SO worth it! Here is my ever growing list of snacky goodness. 

1. Smoothies. My biggest "go to". You have so many different variations of smoothies out there, from fruity to sweet.. the possibilities are endless! So, for me, I obviously go for sweet. My usual morning smoothie is 1 banana, ice, almond milk, cinnamon, cocoa powder, rolled oats, vanilla whey protein powder, flaxseed meal, and White Chocolate Wonderful peanut butter. Sometimes I'll throw in some frozen berries, chocolate chips, or even some coffee for an extra kick. It all depends on what flavor you're going for, really. If I have my smoothie in the morning, I feel less prone to want something sweet later on. It helps keep me on track, without feeling limited. 

2. Steel Cut Oats. Again, another meal that you're able to pretty much put whatever you want into it. I've seen people on IG put cottage cheese, yogurt, Kashi cereal, Quest bars, etc, etc. Again, your options are endless! If I don't feel like a smoothie for breakfast, I usually go for some oats. They keep you full for a long time, and it helps keep my enormous sweet tooth at bay. I usually throw the same things into my oats that I would throw into my smoothies. It tastes pretty much the same, just more filling.

3. Egg Whites. Now, I love eggs. It was hard switching from whole eggs, to just the whites. But I get to eat a lot of egg whites, so I don't feel too deprived. I usually hard boil my eggs, and then save the yolks for my fiance. Occasionally I'll scramble them up with some peppers, spinach and coconut oil. It's really yummy! Especially with some turkey bacon on the side.. Mmm mmm! Anyway, with my hard boiled egg whites I throw on a little sriracha and call it good. (I'm not normally one for spicy things, my fiance calls me a "spice wimp", but it gives it just enough of a kick without being overly spicy. Also, it gives it more flavor! Which I am all about)

4. Peanut Butter w/Fruit. If you ask me, peanut butter is pretty much the closest thing to heaven on Earth. When you're eating clean, pb becomes your best friend. And I say that because before I started my clean eating journey, I wasn't very fond of peanut butter. Yeah, I had it on my pb & banana sandwiches.. but that was about it. There were better, more unhealthy, things I could snack on. But, peanut butter and Nutella was pretty darn good. Anyway, after I started my journey, I found my love for nut butters. Especially almond butter. Talk about yum! And there are so many different flavors out there now, it's great! I usually have a tbsp of White Chocolate Wonderful (by Peanut Butter Co.) with apples or bananas. It's delicious, try it! 

5. Banana Choc. Chip Cookies. These definitely don't taste too much like cookies, but it's close enough to it for me! The taste is definitely banana-y, but it's warm and chocolately and so so good. Especially when you're craving unhealthy chocolate chip cookies. I'm a huge baker, so my baking heart was broken when I started eating clean. I tried baking unhealthy things still, and just not eat them.... Yeah, did NOT happen. It went more like- bake unhealthy things and eat them all. And my waistline did not appreciate that. So, I had to change. I decided if I could find healthy alternatives to things, I could still bake! So I came across these "cookies" on Pinterest. (If you haven't already looked for healthy recipes on Pinterest.. do it! I promise you, you won't be disappointed). These cookies are just oats (or oat flour), bananas and then whatever you want to put in it. So for me, chocolate chips. Bake them til they're golden brown and then boom! Eat them. You could even put protein powder into them to make them even better. Again, endless possibilities. 

That's all I have for now, but I'll update this list soon! I'm always on my quest for finding healthier, yummy treats!