MY HEALTHY EATING ESSENTIALS

Hey y’all!

For today’s post, I wanted to share some of my favorite foods that I use consistently to maintain a healthy diet. In the past few years, I have definitely gotten more interested in eating healthier – I think its so important! I love the analogy that your body is a machine, and by putting good foods into your body, you will just operate better that way. I have definitely found that I love eating healthy and feel so much better when I do. Here are just some of my favorites if you need a little inspiration.

For me, I usually try to stick to proteins, fruits, and vegetables, with a few grains here and there. I find that I feel best that way! Of course, this might not work for you, so just be aware of that. But, perhaps you can even get inspiration for your eating habits, too!

Breakfast – for me, breakfast is usually the time that I eat a grain-filled meal, if I do at all throughout the day. Often times that is oatmeal, either whole oats, or my favorite Triple Berry and Flax seed oatmeal from Trader Joes (my absolute fav grocery store!) Other times it could be an English muffin, eggs, etc. I also love Kodiak cake protein pancakes. They are so delicious and a great source of protein, as well as some carbs to fuel you for the day if you’re into that. My breakfast also generally involves peanut butter in some way, because I love me some PB! I use this natural kind, with only peanuts and sea salt in it to ensure I am not just loading up on sugar.

Lately, my breakfast has been some of this Oikos Greek yogurt which is amazing! It is so filling and great for mornings. It has no fat, no artificial sweetener, and no preservatives. All great things! I also mix peanut butter into it because I’m addicted… oops!

I also have to note that coffee is what makes me excited about mornings, so I always use a little sugar-free creamer in my k-cups, and when I need it sweetened, I use the Whole Earth sweetener pictured above. Of course, this is definitely not the healthiest but I haven’t found a healthier way to drink my coffee that tastes this good. So it is my vice for now ;)

Protein smoothies – usually on the weekends when I have time to go on longer runs, I will follow up with a great protein smoothie. I have perfected mine by this point and I love it! I buy plant-based, chocolate protein powder from Target, add in a frozen banana, and some unsweetened almond milk. It’s a great way to cool off and get some protein back in after a hard workout!

Snacks – I try not to snack, but if I do, it is generally almonds, Lara bars, or some fruit. I love all Lara bars, but my favorites are the apple pie and the chocolate chip or peanut butter ones. They are more like dessert, though!

Spices – Trader Joe’s strikes again for my favorite add-ins. I love the sauces and salsas they have! My favorite salsas are the peach mango, as well as the pineapple island salsa. For spices, I love the 21 Seasoning Salute and the Everything but the Bagel seasoning. Both are amazing on veggies, meat, eggs, etc. Lastly, I also love cacao powder – it is a super food and a tiny bit tastes great in smoothies, yogurt, oatmeal, etc. I have even heard of people putting it in their coffee, so I should try that, too!

Drinks – I love drinks. I pretty much cut pop out of my diet entirely because I realized it makes me feel sick after I drink it (although I do love a diet pop every now and then!) to get the carbonated feel, I drink La Croix. *eyeroll* because I said I would never be that person who raved about La Croix. It definitely isn’t anything like pop, but it gives that feel of carbonation, which is what I love most about pop. It isn’t super flavorful, but it is better than any other flavored drink out there because it has no artificial additives which is a major plus! I drink one almost every day for lunch because I get so tired of plain water all the time.

Dinner – I love a good, filling dinner! I usually will do some sort of protein with a vegetable side, and some fruit. If you follow me on Snapchat, you would know that last week I tried out this protein pasta, made from chickpeas and y’all it was actually so good! I added some store-bought sauce because I was not in the mood for elaborate cooking, but I would ideally make my own sauce as well.

Fruits/Veggies – lastly, although not pictured as much, I live off fruits and veggies! I have realized the only fruit or vegetable I do not like is radishes. Otherwise, I will eat literally anything! This summer I have totally loved the great fresh produce. Some of my favorites recently include sweet potatoes, mangos, bing cherries, beets, Brussel sprouts, strawberries, corn, blueberries, cantaloupe, cucumbers, peppers – basically anything really!

I hope you all enjoyed this post and maybe got some inspiration if you needed some healthy eating tips! If you would be interested in seeing what I eat in a day posts, be sure to let me know as I love reading those!

Thanks for reading, y’all! Talk to you in my next post!