No Dessert Update - 6 Things I've Learned From Cutting Dessert

Happy Friday lovelies!

So, today marks 2 months of no dessert, but let me tell you, it feels like a heck of a lot longer than that! Also, a few updates, I've decided to only do it for TWO months instead of six. So yes, I'm done. Judge me if you will, but only after you try it. It's a lot harder than it seems (explained more below). Also, I'm the last survivor! My brother dropped out, but I gotta give him credit, he lasted for about 2 months.

But that's not important. Let me share with you some things that I've learned on this journey so far.

1. I'm way too ambitious for my own good. Six months doesn't sound too bad after you've just eaten pie. But late nights with friends who are all eating dessert around you is freaking hard to deal with.

2. Nutella pizza from Famoso is hard to resist. The sweet aroma of melted Nutella on a delicious crust gets to you.

3. I can say no to sweets more than I thought I could! Yay! Definitely a form of self empowerment.

4. You have tons of self control when it comes to cheat day You will indulge whenever there's an excuse - i.e. birthday's, weddings, holidays...Cinco de Mayo, Easter, and Mother's Day to name a few... I'd rather have one day a week as a "cheat" day to eat sweets and whatnot, vs only holidays.

5. Taste buds regenerate regularly and when you eat less sweets, you don't want them as much. That might seem contradictory to above, but I think it's because on holidays you know it's the only day when you can eat it so you eat as much as you can.

xoxo,

Lo

Happy Running Playlist

Hello lovelies! Thanks for stopping by!

So I was at the gym on Wednesday, and I had a really good playlist going, and I realized how important it is to have great music to motivate you while you're running. Good music takes your mind off of running, or at least motivates you to keep going - that is scientifically proven.

SO, I figured that I should make my own playlist of my favourite songs to help me on a run! Courtesy of 8tracks, here it is:

Happy Running from LoRo8 on 8tracks Radio.

If the playlist doesn't appear above, here's the link! Happy Running!!

Love, 

Lo

Favourite Five!!

Happy Wednesday!

This week I've been thinking mostly about working out, my sister's wedding, Easter, and finals. Most of the initial ones are because I've been trying to avoid thinking about finals. Finals really just suck. But hey, that's not what we're here to talk about! Instead, let's talk about happy things, shall we?!?!

On to my favourite five of the week,

Favourite Treat:

Gluten Free Banana Bread Oatmeal Bars. Although I'm not eating "dessert" right now, I still like to look at dessert on Pinterest. Although, I'm not 100% sure if these would count as dessert? Thoughts?? I feel like when I say I'm not eating dessert, it means not any refined sugar or chemicals, or generally things made with mostly white flour. Let me know your thoughts! Because I'd really like to give these puppies a taste-test! Find the recipe here. She also says in the above that she made it with a mixture of white and whole wheat flour and it turned out good top, so you might want to try that! You could probably just do oat flour entirely too. So many options, I love it!!

Favourite Quote:

I've actually been thinking about this recently. I wish it was normal for people to be entirely honest about how the feel.

Favourite Pretty:

Gah! This outfit is so classy! I love the nude pumps, trench coat, fresh cut tulips, and striped dress. Makes me think of spring! Although...a much warmer one than we're having currently.

Favourite Wedding Tip:

I've loved this blog for about 2 years now. This girl does the most beautiful makeup I have legit ever seen. I'm hoping that when I get married I can afford to fly her to me! ;) A girl can dream! Anyway, since my sister is getting married in a little under 2 weeks, we've been constantly thinking about wedding things. This post give AMAZING wedding tips, plus a tutorial! Score!

Favourite Fitness Post:

I was talking to my soon-to-be brother in law last night about how I get frustrated when people eat whatever they want and still manage to get ripped or toned. I love dessert and yet I feel like when I eat it, it automatically turns to fat in my body, whereas it barely affects other people (slight exaggeration). But he reminded me that a big part of it has to do with metabolism. And what's a great way to increase it (other than drinking water!)? Never underestimate the power of lifting weights! This post explains it perfectly!

Have a great day all you lovely people!!

Love,

Lo

How Sugar Affects Your Body!

The other night I was looking around on YouTube and came across this channel called The Lean Machines. I saw this picture, and was like yeah, I guess I'll take a look.

I'm not blind, so obviously I took a look at it. They are actually super smart! Plus they have English accents (Can we please date?)! I watched one of their videos on what sugar does to your body and found it super interesting. As you probably know, I'm cutting out a lot of sugar from my food right now, so I like to be educated about what's happening.

Sugar is tasty. But it also can be highly abused. It can lead to crazy insulin spikes in your blood sugar levels and lead to the storage of fat as a result. I find that when I'm told to do something, I won't stick to it as well as when I know why I'm supposed to do it. These guys break down what sugar does to you in simple terms.

If you liked this video, check out their channel here! I love Tone It Up, but when I have guys asking me about fitness, I feel like I don't have as much advice for them since TIU's directed towards women. The Lean Machines are like the male version of Tone It Up. So any men who casually read my blog, here is your fitness bible! ;) They have plenty of workouts, informational videos, and recipes. Obviously the information is pretty much the same (we're all humans!), but there are obvious differenced in men and women's bodies, hormones, etc. 

SO, if you wanna look like those guys above (or the female equivalent), start following! ;)

Wishing you happy days and beautiful bodies!

Lo

Fit Friday Tip! How to Drink More Water!

If you saw this post a while back, I hope it encouraged you to drink more water! I told you all about how great water is for your body! It's essential!

So now that you know how important it is, how can you remember to drink enough?? Well let me help! :)

So you should be drinking half your body weight in oz each day. So for instance, if you weigh 160 lbs, you should drink 80 oz water/day - that's about 10 glasses. Since your body is made of water, you need to replenish it all, and the more you weigh, the more water you have in your body. Therefore you need more water. Makes sense. 

So, I even struggle with drinking enough water. That's right, I'm not perfect! Haha. But one of my goals for February is to drink enough water each day. So how does on who about doing that, you ask?

One tip I have is to bring a water bottle (or two) with you everywhere! I'm not just talking about when you leave the house -although this water bottle is perfect to throw in your purse and then fill up when you find a water fountain or cooler. Fill it up when you wake up and take a swig. If you start your morning off with a tall glass of water, you rev that metabolism up right away! So last week, on Friday morning, I woke up and had a glass of water before I ate my blueberry protein pancake for breakfast. Once I finished, I filled up my water bottle and took it up to my room, while I decided to write this blog post. That way, you have your water there as a constant reminder. In all honestly, sometimes I think I just get too lazy to grab a glass of water when I'm thirsty. I know I'm dehydrated, but I just keep doing whatever I'm doing and ignore it. Not good!

So now I'm keeping water with me always. Then I have no excuse! 

Let me know if this helps you! I love to help! :) I'm trying it too, and I think it's really gonna help! 

Now have a great day and drink plenty of water! You're body will LOVE you for it! :) Remember:

Love, 

Lo

How To Cure A Burnt Tongue!

Happy Tuesday!

Hope you are all doing well! Today I have an unlikely item on the agenda. Most times on Try-It-Tuesday, I would do a recipe or potentially a craft, but today I am testing out a home remedy. Sadly this weekend I developed a cold at the same time that I burnt my tongue trying to sooth my throat due to the cold.

Life: 1 Lauren: 0

Rookie mistake. I was just so excited to eat some of that chicken noodle soup that I took a big spoonful and slurped it on up. Then felt the intense burn and spit it right back out. It didn't help that I was FaceTiming at the same time. Sorry Ashley for the lovely picture!

I was hoping that the burn would go away when I woke up the next morning, especially since I sucked on about 3 ice cubes. But sadly, it was still there. Although, less painful at least! So, I went on trusty Google to find some home remedies.

I got things like sugar (although it only temporarily soothes it), honey, anesthetic ointment, gurgling salt water (the thought of which makes me want to gag), cough drops, mouth wash, cloves (not sure if they meant the spice or garlic?), Advil, ice cream, raw potato, coconut, and even the genius idea of "not drinking/eating hot foods while waiting for it to heal". Thanks to captain obvious for the last one.

But maybe I was a little stubborn, and I didn't want to wait for my tongue to just heal on it's own, The tricky thing is that I'm not only trying to cure (not just sooth) my burnt tongue, but also not aggravate my cold. That kind of rules out anything dairy sadly. I was really leaning towards yogurt, because I read that it's medically the best thing for a burnt tongue. So I immediately took an Advil after breakfast and set out to find what actually worked!

I figured Advil would immediately help with the pain, mouthwash would also help with the cold, and cough drops were a two-birds-with-one-stone kind of remedy.

I noticed quickly that the Advil lessened the pain, although did not completely alleviate it. The only thing mouthwash did was give me fresh breath - but I guess I can't complain about that.

While I was looking through my medicine cabinets, I remembered this spray that I used a few years back when I had a wicked sore throat. And I found it!! I figured that if it could numb my throat, it could numb my tongue. And numb my tongue it did! Sweet, sweet relief. I could still feel the burn, but only if I pressed my tongue to the roof of my mouth - and even then, it was very minimal. It took about 5 minuted for the full effect to kick in, but it was glorious soothing. I found that you have to reapply it after a few hours, but that may be just because it had a best before date of 2010....(I swear I didn't have it that long ago!)...anyway, it still works! Just make sure to get an anesthetic oral spray of some sort.

Look! I tried out photoshop for the first time and made this cute handy-dandy guide for you!

And if for some reason, the above don't work well enough (they should if you actually use it before the best-before date), it's a good excuse to eat ice cream for a whole day. ;) No judgement coming from me! 

Happy Tuesday friends, and may you never have to deal with a burnt tongue!

Love,

Lo

What "Healthy" Means.

We hear this all the time, "Be healthy!" Or "It's not about being thin anymore, it's about being healthy!" 

So what does it mean to be healthy? This is something I've been pondering for about a year now. It was last year in January when I started on a journey to become healthy. 

Actually, what I wanted was to lose weight. But why did I want to lose weight? It's because I saw people around me and ads and models and all sorts of images and thoughts ingrained in my head, telling me that I wasn't good enough. I think that's really the reason that I felt like I should lose weight. We all are all affected by what's around us, and if it wasn't for that, I think most people would be generally happy with themselves and their bodies. I really wish there wasn't such a thing as "plus-size modelling", I wish it could just be called "modelling". But that's a subject for another day. 

I've grown up in a very supportive home, and for that I am grateful. I grew up with a dad who always told me I was beautiful. Probably every day. I know I am loved. I grew up in a church where I was constantly reminded of my divine origin and potential, and of the unconditional love God and Jesus have for me. I've been extremely lucky to have been told that I am loved, always. 

That love is an amazing backbone. It allowed me to gain confidence, although that love in itself did not give me confidence. That is something everyone needs to gain for themselves. Confidence is something you need to learn for yourself. You can't just be told it, if you want to know it. It's like any talent or skill. It takes time. My own confidence has come over time. And being healthy has been a large part of my confidence. 

So, being healthy helps with confidence. Pass around the sign up sheet!!

Now that that's established, what's involved with being healthy? 

To me being healthy is not about having flat abs, a nice booty, and toned arms. I'm not saying that those things aren't healthy, but being toned isn't what healthy is. Being healthy is also about what you put into your body, having moderation, and being happy. It's also about getting enough sleep. :) That's one of my favourites! 

I believe to be healthy, you should eat when you're hungry, stop when you're full, and on occasion eating a little more. I believe in moderation in all things, even in moderation itself. That's for your mental health. You shouldn't deprive yourself. 

Also, you should make sure that you aren't eating too much sugar. That's something I struggle with a bit. But that's one of my February goals! I'm trying to have sweetness in my meals naturally - from fruit. I'll drizzle maple syrup or agave on my protein pancakes, but I'm trying not to drown then in it. As tasty as that is! 

Being healthy is about exercising to REWARD your body. Steph Hendel came out with a really great image the other day.  

Don't exercise to punish yourself for the way you eat. Do it because your body deserves your love. And you can love it, and make yourself happy, by exercising and releasing endorphins. 

Also, one tip I have is to exercise by finding something you love! That way it's not something you dread. So, if you don't like running (and you've already tried it), try biking! I love going on the bike and watching TV. Go play tennis, plan a hike with your friends, or take a spin class (it works your butt off, and it's fun). Also, I generally like running, but only when I'm in a warmish and beautiful place. I love to be outdoors and see the world. So, I prefer to run outside in the summer on trails when I'm surrounded by nature. But I have a deep dislike for the cold so I choose not to run outside in the winter. So, sometimes I run on treadmills. But if I really don't feel like doing that, I take a dance class (which I just found out I LOVE), go snowboarding, play volleyball, do yoga, or just be active naturally! You could even go roller skating, curling, or tobogganing. 

If you think about people in earlier times, they were fit and healthy. Did they spend hours in a gym on a stair climber? No. Obviously not. I'm sure they would think that that idea would be ridiculous. They did things naturally. If I do things naturally that are healthy, I find it's not so much of a hassle. Like walking for instance - I walk to and from the train to school almost every day. That's about 1/2 a mile each way. I figure if you get in about 2 miles of cardio each day, you're on the right track. And with walking, I'm halfway there.  

Things we can do naturally to be healthy are things like gardening, dancing (because everyone should dance around their house), taking the stairs, going to a park, cleaning, standing more (standing burns more calories than sitting), playing in the snow if it's not too cold (i.e. build a snowman), parking farther away, shovelling snow (bonus if it's for someone else), or generally just don't spend so much time in front of a screen (advice I need to take myself)!

If exercising and using your muscles makes you happy, then being toned will be just a happy bonus! :)

But, let me quickly mention, that sometimes you don't want to exercise, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't! Sometimes working out is hard and makes you sweat, but it is so worth it! Working out and exercising make you feel great after! Sometimes you have to suck it up, BUT if you do something you enjoy, it will be more fun!

So if you want to be healthy, don't base it on your shape or size, and especially not on your weight. Base it on what you put into your body, how you feel (don't eat until you feel gross), and that you're giving your body exercise. 

So to sum up everything I've said, use moderation, limit sugar intake (but only sometimes), find a form of exercise you love, exercise naturally, and you will be (in my definition) healthy. And healthy people are happy people! (Who don't kill their husbands). 

I just want to be happy, and laugh, and enjoy what's around me, and live a long, healthy life. And I'd like to hope I'm on the road to that by being healthy! 

Have a great day friends! :)

Love,

Lo

10 Afternoon Snacks!

Hey guys! Sometimes I have a hard time coming up with new ideas for snacks. Mostly for snacks after lunch. I try to stay away from too much sugar after I eat lunch. That way, when the food on the top of your stomach finally gets digested, you don't have all this excess sugar going into in your system, which ends up spiking your insulin levels, leading to weight gain -> Thumbs down.

Making healthy snack sounds easy enough right? Well, it wasn't for me. When I started doing this, I pretty much only felt like I could eat veggies and hummus for a snack. Which, don't get me wrong, is tasty! But, I don't love it enough to have it 5 days in a row.

So that got me thinking, what are some super tasty AND healthy snacks I can eat not only after lunch, but whenever I want?! And so, I made a list of easy and tasty snacks! Hopefully it helps you too! I try to have some kind of veggie, along with a protein to keep me feeling full and energized. 

1. Veggies and Hummus

Okay, I know I was just complaining about this snack above. But it actually can be super tasty. You can use any veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, cucumber, celery, radishes, cherry tomatoes, or peppers - I love roasting mine!) Once you've selected your favorite veggies, add some hummus! Costco has these perfect little portion sized packs or regular hummus right now. They're delicious. You can buy some hummus, or make your own! It's super easy. 

2. Pickles wrapped in Chicken Breast

This snack idea comes from years ago, when my mom, my siblings, and I would go to the Dutch store to get groceries. I don't know who came up with the idea, but I'd like to thank them. I seriously looove pickles! I could eat them for days. And a great way to get extra protein is by wrapping some lunch meat around it. Whe I was younger, we used salami, but you can use almost any kind - beef, turkey, ham, chicken - and wrap it on up to have a super tasty treat! 

3. Beef Jerky and Snapea Crisps 

Another Costco favorite is their Snappea Crisps. They basically look like dehydrated peas, but taste like slightly salted chips. Honestly, I like them better than potato chips. And they come in convenient 100 calorie packs! Need some protein? Add in some Beef Jerkey! Although make sure it's not heavily loaded with salt! Hard pass on that one. My family gets some from this little shop that specializes in making it, so it's fresh and has low sodium in it. Win-win! 

4. Mixed Nuts and Veggies 

You can get mixed nuts from pretty much anywhere. They're super tasty and rich in nutrients. Just make sure you get the unsalted kind! Otherwise they can load on the salt to an unnecessary point. If you like yours salted, try roasting them in the oven and adding some Himilayan pink salt, or sea salt to them. You can still have them tasty, but you're avoiding the high levels of sodium, which do not do nice things to your body! Have a handful of those with your favorite veggies and you're set! 

5. Bean salad w/ chickpeas 

Again, I love Costco. They make the best stuff! I love this bean salad they have. It's marinated in some kind of vinegar and tastes soo good! It's even a little sweet. It has chickpeas, red kidney beans, green and white beans, onion, and maybe even something else....either way! It's delish!!

6. Rice/Quinoa Cakes

I've loved rice cakes since I can remember. Especially the cheddar flavor one. Talk about heaven in your mouth! Mmm Mmm Mmm. So, you can imagine, I was very happy to find out that they're a healthy snack! Plus you can add whatever you want on top of it! Think of it like a mini open-faced sandwich. If you can find them, quinoa cakes are dang tasty! I found some at (guess where!) Costco. Either one of the two works, and they're relatively low in calories which means, you can eat more!!  

7. Amy's Organic Cheddar Bunny Grams 

The snack that smiles back! Remember the Goldfish commercials? ...until you bite their heads off....(I always thought that part was a little strange). Anyway, I loved them as a kid, and who says you can't enjoy the tasty treat now?! You can! Plus you can have it healthy. This brand has packs of 3 flavors (chocolate, honey, and cheddar), and they all taste good! Enjoy them with some veggies or some form of protein. Now go buy some. You can thank me later. 

8. Kale Chips

Now, don't knock this until you try it guys! Personally, I think kale chips are sent from above. And they are super easy to make! All you need is some olive oil, salt, pepper, and whatever other spices you feel like! Set that oven and bake away. Just make sure you don't leave them in for too long because they burn easily. Cut up, or break off, large chunks of this leafy green since they do shrink a little when cooked. Also, if you want to buy some that are even tastier than homemade ones, I whole heatedly recommend Kale Krunch. I think it's the cashews and nutritional yeast they use that gives it such a crunchy texture. I'm gonna try it one of these days! 

9. Kind, Lära, Luna, Vega, or Clif bars

If you're in a rush, a bar is your best friend! There are many that are good for you, but also many that are bad and and laden with chemicals and fake ingredients that will spike your blood sugar levels and lead to a drop in energy later on. These bars have sugar, but it's all natural, which means your body recognizes then and can utilize them more effectively. Still it's better to have less sugar in the afternoon. All these bars (and more!) are good for your body and give it nutrients it can use, without compromising taste. Sound good? It is. :) 

10. Nut Butter and Celery

Remember ants on a log from your childhood? Well, I'm bringing it back. You can use raisins, or opt them out. Make sure you're choosing a natural butter to put on the celery so you avoid nasty chemicals being put into your body. I love almond or peanut butter, but I've heard walnut is delicious also!


-And if these ideas aren't enough, feel free to check out my instagram for more ideas! :)

Have a lovely Friday my friends!


xo,

Lo

Healthy Pancakes!

Happy Friday lovelies!!

I'm sharing one of my all-time favourite breakfast recipes with you today! Pancakes. I have a big sweet tooth, so one of my favourite ways to have breakfast is with maple syrup. What can I say, I'm Dutch! ;) The Dutch actually have a word for people with a sweet tooth, which is pronounced something like "Slickhert". I actually have no clue how to spell it, but that's not important. What is important are pancakes!

I don't like to deprive myself, but I do like to be healthy. So, these pancakes are the perfect way to have your cake and eat it too! It's super easy, and the secret healthy ingredient is.........protein powder! It works as a great substitute for flour. Along with pancakes, I've made chocolate cake and muffins with it as a replacement for flour.

You need to make sure you add the baking powder though, otherwise it will not hold together very well. Trust me, I've tried. I've tried many different recipes for protein pancakes, and this one is the best, by far!

So here it is!!

One of the great things about this recipe is that it's so versatile. You can literally make hundreds of different combinations. This recipe is just like a base. You can add whatever other flavours you like to it!

Protein Pancakes

1 Banana

1 Egg

1 scoop Protein Powder

1 tbsp Flour*

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/4-1/2 tsp Cinnamon

*any kind - I've tried almond flour and all-purpose flour - both work good!

Step 1: Mash the banana with a fork or whisk. Add the egg and mix together until evenly combined.

Step 2: Add all the other dry ingredients, plus the vanilla, and mix together.

It should look like this.

Now's the fun part!

You get to add whatever ingredients you like! This time I added strawberry jam & coconut flakes.

Here's a list of things you can add to/on top of them, to make them even more tasty:

Chocolate Chips**

Almond Extract

Crushed up nuts

Peanut/Almond Butter

Lemon Juice and Stevia

Dates

Rasins

Nutmeg

Unsweetened Coconut Flakes

Cacao Powder

Apple Sauce

Baked Apples

Strawberries, Blueberries, Blackberries, etc

Pumpkin Puree

Greek Yogurt (mixed with vanilla & stevia)
Banana Slices

** I try to use semi-sweet or dark, but sometimes I just want milk, so I use that! Extra refined sugar is not good for you. Neither in an excess in sugar. So, even if you're using real natural maple syrup, it's best to keep your sugar intake on the low side, by not using milk chocolate. 

-Even better is to get your sugar from natural sources, like fruit! I love baking apples in the oven and then putting them on top. It's warm and delicious!

Once you're ready to cook them, you can do a few things. You can make a bunch of little pancakes or one large one. But keep in mind, it will be large, so you'll need a massive spatula, if you want it to come out in one piece. Yet again, learned from personal experience. This one is great. I totally own it. 

Another thing you can do is cook them in coconut oil! It kind of fries them, and makes the edges crispy, which I really like sometimes. Coconut oil is a great oil/fat to use, but it is higher in calories. (You can look up the amazing benefits of coconut oil here, or anywhere on Pinterest or Google). If you want to cut back on calories, I suggest using a spray such as EVOO or Pam.

This time, I used coconut oil.

I was able to make 3 - 2" pancakes in my pan. I probably could have fit 4 though. Cook, and wait until bubbles have formed on top before flipping. Cook for about 30 seconds on medium to medium-high.

And that's all there is to it! Delicious protein pancakes, that are healthy and taste oh-so-good.

Here's a couple other versions of the protein pancake that I've made:

Banana & Chocolate Chips

Chocolate Chips & Coconut

Banana and Coconut Vegan Icing

Apple Sauce

Peaches and Greek Yogurt

Banana, PB, and homemade chocolate sauce

Strawberry & Greek Yogurt

Blueberry & Coconut

Pumpkin, Greek Yogurt, and real Maple Syrup

So yeah, you could say I like pancakes. ;)

You can also make them savoury, but more on that later. 

Now go make something delicious and good for your body! It will thank you for it.

Love,

Lo