G O O D morning

The start to your day, the energy you choose for the next 12 or so hours, new possibilities. It's true, I am a lover of mornings. You choose how you start your day, what you do and what you think when you wake in the morning is all up to you. Yesterday, I had a lovely morning; I woke up and chose to do a few of my favorite things which always leaves me with positive energy for the rest of the day.
My alarm is generally set for 8:30 A.M. if I have no specific plans, but I almost always wake up before then. I laced up my Nike's and went on a jog around my community. Working out first thing is just what my body prefers. It's great to get up and do it before having to think too much or getting too busy or losing any motivation. After my jog I completed about a 15 minute ab workout routine plus pushups and lunges. Whew! This left me feeling good and ready to EAT! I headed home to make a scrumptious breakfast. Smoothie bowl + KIND bar it was.
Strawberry Banana Smoothie Bowl
Blend: 2 frozen bananas
            1/2 cup frozen strawberries
            1 scoop of Vega Vanilla Protein Powder http://myvega.com/product/protein-greens/
            Splash of water (so it can all blend a little easier)
Top: Strawberries/Bananas
        1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
         Scoop of almond butter
I poured my smoothie in a teacup and enjoyed it as I wrote a bit in my journal and read. I'm currently reading "The Four Agreements." I just started it and would already recommend this book to you-can't wait to finish and share more about it. So this is a look at how my morning went before I headed to work. This is one way I love to spend my morning and it might be completely different for others- but do something you love to start your day. You'll know you did something to make yourself feel good and that's really important.
P.S. Listen to the Spotify station "Have a Great Day!" when you're getting ready.

"Let us read and let us dance; these two amusements will never do any harm to the world." -Voltaire

A Smoothie for You

Good morning all you lovelies. Morning means breakfast and breakfast makes me happy. It's the best meal of the day! Smoothie bowls are such a pretty food and completely healthy, call me obsessed. After scrolling on the Free People Blog, I found a delicious recipe for a smoothie bowl. Lee Tilgham's website is filled with bright, healthy fruits that inspired me to make a smoothie bowl and share this post. I did't use all of the exact ingredients as the recipe called for (I saw the price for Goji Berries at Whole Foods and thought better not) however, I don't think the taste is much different. You can check out www.leefromamerica.com for more healthy and gorgeous recipes! I particularly loved making this smoothie bowl because it's all ingredients that you probably have at home or can go grab at your local market, if needed. Treat yourself right, give your body nourishing foods that will leave you glowing all day!

Smoothie Bowl

Blend: 

2 frozen bananas 

1/2 cup frozen blueberries

1/2 cup frozen raspberries

1/2 cup almond milk 

A sprinkle of cinnamon 

Toppings: 

1/2 banana 

Spoonful of chia seeds

Handful of blackberries 

Handful of blueberries

1 tbsp pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup granola 

For Lee's exact recipe, click this link: http://www.leefromamerica.com/recipes/2015/1/9/free-people-in-the-kitchen-with-lee 

"Try to learn to breathe deep, really to taste food when you eat, and when you sleep, really to sleep. Try as much as possible to be wholly alive with all your might, and when you laugh, laugh like hell. And when you get angry, get good and angry. Try to be alive. You will be dead soon enough." -Ernest  Hemmingway

3 Healthy Breakfast Ideas

If you're tired of your normal breakfast routines, here are three simple recipes that are all very healthy! They all take no more than 15 minutes to make and give you the energy to start each day.  All of the recipes below are vegetarian.
EAT GOOD. FEEL GOOD.

Acai Bowl
Ingredients:
Sambazon Acai Smoothie packets (you can buy these from Whole Foods-aka best place ever- in the frozen section)
1 banana
1/2 cup almond milk
Strawberries
Honey granola
Blueberries
Kiwi
-Any other fruit you may want! The possibilities with acai bowls are whatever you desire.

1. Rinse 1 smoothie pack under warm water until it is softened. Place in blender, along with 1/2 banana, 1/2 cup almond milk, and just a few berries.
2. Blend, blend, blend!
3. When your smoothie is completely blended, pour in a bowl.
4. Add your fruits to the top now. Make sure you have cut your strawberries into halves or fourths.
5. Sprinkle granola, almonds, or shredded coconut to the top!
There ya have it! A beautiful, healthy, refreshing breakfast to kickstart your day.

Toasted Avocado Sandwich

Ingredients:

1/2 avocado

1 or 2 scrambled egg(s) or egg whites

1 piece of wheat bread

Hummus (roasted garlic hummus from Trader Joe's is delicious) 

Spinach

Mushrooms 

Tomatoes 

1. Prep your veggies by washing and cutting the ones you wish to use and placing them to the side. Don't forget about that avocado. If you use mushrooms, sauté them using a splash of vegetable oil.

2. Scramble up your eggs using a little bit of butter in the pan.

3. Toast your piece of bread while the eggs are cooking.

4. Once your eggs are fully cooked, spread your hummus onto the toast and cut in half. Then, place the scrambled eggs onto the toast.

5. Add your veggies and enjoy!

Instead of using toast, try using half of a bagel or an english muffin! 

Greek Yogurt w/ Fruit 

If you're in a hurry, this is probably the best option for you. I've been eating these so much this summer and just can't get enough. It's amazing how filling greek yogurt is! You can buy Yoplait 100 Greek Yogurt at your local grocery store.

Picture taken from the Yoplait website

1. Stir your yogurt and add some granola or almonds to go in it. A bowl of fresh fruit always goes great with yogurt because you can mix it in or eat it separately. Extremely simple, perfect for on-the-go. 

I am by no means a chef or professional in this area! This year I've definitely been eating MUCH healthier as well as experimenting with food. It's such an incredible difference in how you feel, even by simply eating a feel good breakfast. Hope you enjoy these if you try them out. Let me know!

"It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not." -Unknown