#healthy |

Patriotic Pizza

Posted on June 30, 2015 by komckee95

Hello there!

I hope this blog post finds you well!

So with the 4th of July this Saturday, I wanted to share with you all one of my favorite recipes from blogger Taralynn, over at Simply Taralynn! The title might have you thinking about a big cheesy pizza, buuut this pizza is for your sweet tooth! It’s a fruit pizza! I love this recipe because it’s light and healthy!

Let’s get baking, shall we? 🙂

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 box of graham crackers (or sticks)

1 medium banana

1 tbsp honey

6 oz vanilla greek yogurt

2 cups light cool whip

2 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut

strawberries & blueberries

First, place your graham crackers in a bowl and begin to crush them up. Try and leave some big chunks, so that they’re not too ground up. Also, preheat your oven to 350!

This picture was taken before I took a cup to the crackers to smash them a little better.

Once your graham crackers are all smashed up, mix in your banana. You can use your hands or a mixer, but anytime you can play with your food why wouldn’t you? 😉

Don’t forget to smile while you bake! You’re making a yummy concoction for pete’s sake, so be happy! 😉

Once your graham crackers + banana are all mixed together, place your mixture on a greased baking sheet. Press the “dough” out flat and remember to round the corners, like a pie! (I forgot hehe)

Next, swirl honey around the pizza. I love the taste that comes from the added honey! When your done making your pizza look just the way you want it, place it in the oven for 20 minutes! Make sure to watch it, as all ovens cook differently.

My house smelled so delicious as this baked!

While the pizza bakes, it’s time to make the topping! I loved how simple it was to make. Just mix together your cool whip + greek yogurt! (warning: it was really hard to resist scarfing down all the cool whip)

When the timer goes off, pull that bad boy out of the oven and let it cool for about 15 minutes! Try not to mess with it while it cools because it might just crumble.

Finally, frost your pizza and add your strawberries + blueberries + coconut! (side note: you can add whatever fruit your little heart desires, as well).

And presto! You have a delicious, guilt free pizza!

My mom and I were quick to grab a piece for a refreshing afternoon snack!

So there you have it! This recipe was a hit with me and several of my friends who were able to try it last year. It should serve about 12 slices.

For the original recipe, as well as nutritional info visit Simply Taralynn’s post!

I hope you all have a safe and blessed 4th of July!

Talk soon!

Dances, Kicks, and Crunches…oh my!

Posted on June 17, 2015 by komckee95

After taking my Orange Theory classes, I think I finally got out of my fitness rut! While I really enjoyed Orange Theory, I just couldn’t afford to keep taking classes. You see, I’m on that college kid budget and after a few weeks $25/ class adds up! Now if I could for free, I’d be all over that! 🙂

Now I workout at the local athletic center! The family I nanny for bought me a summer pass so that I could take their kids to the pool and also go to the gym on my day off! I’m really thankful for this! The best part to me about this gym is the fitness classes they offer. There are so many, so I’ve decided to try as many as I can! Here’s a quick recap of two of the classes I’ve tried!

Yesterday, I knew exactly which class I wanted to take…ZUMBA! After taking a class my freshman year, I’ve always enjoyed getting in cardio through dance! We met in the gym because the class was big, full of young and old women and men! Now I may not have the best sense of rhythm, but this girl loves to get down! 🙂 The instructor had a huge smile on her face and she was so full of energy, I loved it! Our dances included: salsa, hip hop, merengue, reggaeton, and I’m sure much more! I may not always know what I’m doing, but I like to just keep moving around with a smile on my face (no one suspects a thing 😉 )

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The class flew by and by the end of it I was drenched in sweat. To end a great cardio session I decided to go to the 30 minute ab lab class with the same instructor! My abs are pretty sore today and I love it!

Today I went hardcore with a cardio kickboxing class! Let’s just say I kicked this workout in it’s butt (no pun intended). It was challenging, but fun! All we needed was two 2 pound weights to punch with and a 9 pound bar. This class included lots of jabs, upper cuts, crosses, and kicks! I’ve been wanting to get stronger in my upper body and I really think this workout helped do that, as well as strengthen my core! This one also left me sweaty and I know tomorrow I’ll have some sore arms and legs, but that’s when I know what I’m doing is effective!

Tomorrow, I’m hoping to get in a cycling class at 5:30 in the morning before I go nanny! So basically tomorrow will be sponsored by caffeine!

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I’ll be sure to keep you posted with how the rest of my classes go at the end of the week!

I hope your week is awesome!

Talk soon!

mid-week shenanigans…

Posted on June 10, 2015 by komckee95

Happy Wednesday amigos!

I hope your week has been stellar thus far, mine got started at 6 am on Monday and so far it’s been awesome!

Lately I’ve been in a bit of a fitness rut. I would do some light running one day and then maybe some pilates the next day, but I felt pretty lackluster while doing them. So on Monday morning I tried a new fitness class called Orange Theory! I had heard about Orange Theory through word of mouth, so I decided to check it out for myself! After reading through their website, I called and scheduled my free class! I did the 8:15 class because I love to get my workout in first thing in the morning! Plus, a good morning workout can just make you feel so good throughout the day (thanks endorphins!).

I arrived early so I could fill out some paperwork and get a quick run through of the workout and the machines with my trainer. I really liked that the trainer met with you to make sure you felt comfortable with everything!

The neat thing about this workout is that they give you a heart monitor so that while you workout you can look up at a screen that tells you what zone your heart rate is in! There are 3 key zones you want to stay somewhere around those being, green, orange, and red. The trainer will give you a heart rate to try and stay around so that you get the maximum effect!

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At 8:15 I was pumped and ready to go! There are three stations that you switch between: treadmills, rowing machines, and free weights. I was on the treadmill first. We started out with a nice warmup and then got into our base pace, which is a simple pace that you don’t feel too much discomfort at. Then we switched to our push pace, which is where you might feel slightly uncomfortable. Finally, we switched into a quick 30 second all out pace, which is where you go, like the name, all out! Next, I went to the rowing machines to do a quick 3 minutes! In class today we had a competition to see who could get to 500 meters the fastest! I got there at 2:04, but the winner had a time of 1:50! After the rowing machines it was time for another round of the treadmills! I’ll admit, at times I felt really tired, but they encourage you to go at your own pace and try to push yourself the best you can!

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After the treadmills, it was time for some free weight reps! In the weight area there’s a TV monitor that shows you the moves you’ll be doing and the number of reps you have. I went with the ten pound weights and let me tell you, I’m still feeling the burn as I type this! After round one of weights it was back to the treadmills one last time! I loved how the treadmill intervals lasted for no longer than 10 minutes (but that might vary class to class!). Finally we ended with one more round of weights, some core work, and then a nice stretch session!

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Once the class was complete, my trainer showed me how long I was in each zone and said overall that I did a great job! I was really encouraged by this! This class really got me out of my comfort zone which is exactly what I needed! For a while now I would try and avoid group fitness classes because I would always compare myself to the other class members. I would just waste so much time and energy doing that! This class was different though! I felt like I was in competition with myself and now I’m on a mission to push myself harder (but in a safe way of course!) I’m heading back on Friday, so I’ll for sure update you all with how it goes!

Once I got home I received an email with my class results! It was so neat to look at how I did!

Afterwards, my mom and I had some brunch at Another Broken Egg Cafe! I got the granola and blueberry quinoa bowl! It has granola, blueberry quinoa, strawberries, toasted coconut bananas, greek yogurt drizzle, and coconut milk in it! SO yummy!

Well friends, I’m off to play some dance central becauseeeeee I’m hooked…plus, who doesn’t love to dance?!

Talk soon!

whole is the goal…

Posted on June 5, 2015 by komckee95

(made with canva)

*clears throat* weeeeell, this is a tad embarrassing, but I must be honest. I fell flat on my face trying to do Whole 30. I chose to quit at about 1 on Monday afternoon. I felt super irritable and drained. I know that they tell you you’ll feel this way, but no matter what I ate I could just not get full. Yes, I know I only gave it 6 hours before throwing in the towel, but in all honesty I was just not prepared for this plan. Plain and simple. With that being said, I have nothing against this program, I think it’s great if you’re looking to get back on the road to healthy eating, but trust me when I say be prepared. One thing I learned rather quickly was that you need to be prepared with some approved snacks on hand or else you’ll crash hard.

So with all that being said, hello friends!

Today I want to be honest about my future goals.

After I quit Whole 30, I felt a tad bummed. I felt like I was all talk and no action, and weak for not being able to complete a 30 day challenge. But with the help of the Lord, I picked myself up and shook off all the pity I was carrying around and made a new goal! My new goal is to try and be whole in all areas of my life. Not only do I want to start incorporating more whole foods into my diet, but I also want to become whole in my spiritual life.

For so long, I would always get so bummed if I messed up my “clean eating” routine. I wouldn’t enjoy the sweets I ate because in my mind I felt like it would go straight to my lower belly and thighs. One reason I would have this problem is because, like most people, I feel really self conscious about my body. That’s one thing I really hate. Whenever I hear someone compliment me it literally goes in one ear and out the other. And that saddens me that I just don’t believe people when they give me compliments. I just brush it off and keep worrying about how I look. I keep striving to be “skinny” and have the “perfect” body, but I’ve realized there’s just no such thing as the “perfect” body. But I have been working on this problem! I’ve started to truly listen and accept compliments and believe them. And I’m starting to learn how to truly love my body just as it is! My body is strong and capable of so much! I want to make sure I fuel it correctly and also let it rest! My goal is to just take each day one at a time and try and make better food choices each day! I also want to be adventurous in eating, and try new and interesting foods! Overall, life is just too short to constantly be worrying about what to eat and how I look in a bathing suit. I’m going to eat my veggies and my frozen yogurt, so deal with it! 😉

And finally, I want to become whole in my spiritual life. Guys, this is a tough one. For a couple of months now I’ve been dealing with some doubts. Now I’m not saying doubts are bad, I think if you face them and talk them out then they’re okay to have! But for awhile now I’ve become frustrated with these doubts. I would get frustrated because I felt like I knew nothing about the Bible, I wasn’t able to focus or retain things from my devotions, and overall I felt like I wasn’t growing spiritually. And one question kept haunting me in particular, what if when I die, that’s it? What if there is no Heaven? I couldn’t believe that I would think that way, but I like to think I’m not the only one who has thought this. I prayed and asked God how could I even have these thoughts? I love Him and it breaks my heart that I could even think this way. After praying, talking with my boyfriend and some friends, and even attending a workshop at a camp I was at about how to answer tough questions about Christianity I started to see these doubts fade. I’m not saying all my doubts magically disappeared, but I have been having a more positive outlook on my faith! Ultimately my goal is to challenge myself to go deeper into the Bible and to keep pursuing God.

Well friends, I really appreciate you taking the time to read! I want every blog post I write to be open and honest. I don’t want to put on some facade that my life is perfect, because let’s be real it’s not. I have great days and sometimes I have days where I’m not myself, but I’m pushing through those because I know that better days are ahead! I would love for you to join me as I journey through each day as I learn to live a life that is pleasing to God, embrace each and every moment I’m blessed with, and also accept and love my body just the way it is!

A whirlwind of a month// Love with Food!

Posted on April 20, 2015 by komckee95

Has it seriously been a month since my last post?! I’d be lying if I said this past month hasn’t been crazy. With classes coming to a close, my professors have been piling on the work like there’s no tomorrow. On top of that, I’ve had club commitments and work…so my “me time”/blogging time has been cut short. I know this might sound like a lot of complaining, but trust me I’ve loved every second of it! (Well almost every second 😉 )

With all that being said, expect some more post coming soon! Summer break is right around the corner so I’ll have lots more time to write!

So now let’s get down to real reason for this post: Love with Food!

Love with Food is a subscription service that sends you snacks that are either organic or all-natural each month! I was so excited when I heard about this because not only are they delicious healthy snacks, but for each box sold they donate a meal to feed a hungry child! I love that because no child should ever go hungry! Plus, these boxes start at only $10/month, so with me being a semi-broke college student I really like this!

I was so ecstatic to see this gem waiting for me when I returned back to my apartment!

Each box has a theme and this month’s was Starry Nights.

The guide they put in the box is so nifty! It gives a description of every item in the box!

This month’s box had some really neat goodies inside! The first thing I went for were the Sour Beans! (Excuse the torn rapper, I just couldn’t wait to eat these lil guys!) I have a horrible sweet tooth, like if it was acceptable to only eat frozen yogurt and jelly beans I’d be just fine with that, but I’m really thinking these little beans could take care of that! They tasted sweet with a little sour punch! These beans are made with real fruit extract and contain 100% RDA of vitamin C! I think these would perfect for little ones who aren’t big fans of fruit! I give these two thumbs up!

Next up, I ate the Luna Lemon Zest mini! Isn’t it just the cutest little thing you’ve ever seen?!

This was the perfect snack to nibble on between classes! I also really enjoyed the lemon flavor, it was so light and perfect for a spring day! These bars are nutritious and fun fact: they’re tailored for women! (Although, I won’t judge my male friends if they want to sneak one in 😉 ) These bars are packed with calcium, folic acid, vitamin D, and iron, which us women need daily! Luna also has many other delicious flavors! One of my favorites is the smores flavor!

Before going into work, I squeezed in a quick snack with Wild Garden’s Snack Box to Go! This little box had hummus and sea salt quinoa chips! It was delicious! It was also, super convenient on the go! The quinoa chips tasted like potato chips, but they were obviously much better for you 🙂

Back to Nature Honey Graham sticks had me feeling like a kid agin while I snacked on them outside! These little guys are made with no hydrogenated oils, no artificial preservatives, and no high fructose corn syrup! Back to Nature’s mission is to give people truly flavorful, wholesome foods made with simple ingredients! That’s what I like to hear, because there’s no need for cruddy ingredients in what we feed ourselves! I think these would be great paired with some peanut butter, but then again what doesn’t go good with peanut butter? 😉

THESE. These were too good. If I had to choose my favorite savory food from the box it would be these Garlic Olive Oil Pasta Chips from Vintage Italia! If you have a craving for pasta, these bad boys will do the job. They literally melt in your mouth and they were just so yummy! They’re baked and made with semolina flour AND they have 60% less fat than regular potato chips! That’s a win win…win. 😉

These are the only two products I haven’t tried yet, but I can’t wait till I get to! I think they’d be wonderful paired together for a simple night time treat! While reading, I saw that Mighty Leaf’s Green Tea Tropical is the perfect way to ease into drinking green tea. I wish I could say I like straight green tea, buuut mine usually ends up with a splash of honey in it.

Finally, Walkers Shortbread cookies are made with four simple ingredients: flour, butter, sugar, and salt. I could see myself pairing these with some tea or a nice cup of coffee!

Overall, I was extremely satisfied with this month’s box and I’m sure next month’s will be awesome as well! This is a great company and I highly recommend you watch their video on how they got started! You can click here to watch!

I mean who doesn’t enjoy fun snacks shipped right to their door? 😉

Talk soon!

Kendall

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