Cup of Thoughts

I know what you're thinking. Green smoothie? Uck! No, thanks. Trust me when I tell you that this is one of the BEST smoothies I have ever tried. Not only is it tasty and super sweet, it is full of vitamins that your body needs! Plus, there are only 3 ingredients. The ingredients are: 1 frozen banana 1 cup of canned pineapple with the juice 1/2 a cup of kale How to make the yummiest green smoothie ever: Grab your blender or food processor (I used my Ninja Bullet Blender ) and toss in your frozen banana, pineapple, and the juice that it contains, and your greens. Blend thoroughly so you don't have any chunks. Voila! That easy. This drink is under 300 calories!  {banana (89), canned pineapple (149), and kale (17)} Adding toppings can add to the number of calories. But what I tend to do is replace my meals with a smoothie. I like doing this on my detox days or if I've been naughty the previous night. Yes, I know, we all do it sometimes....

My family decided we were all going to do the Whole 30 diet as our New Year's Resolution. Ever since the previous holidays, we haven't been keeping each other accountable for what we ate. We pretty much ate what we wanted, when we wanted it because, hey who cares? Not only did I feel bad about how I was treating my body, I felt it in the way I would go to work and my energy level was terribly low. My cravings were nonstop, even into the night. I wanted a change and I knew I had better start soon.  The Whole 30 diet occurs within a month-long period. During the month you are allowed to eat all fruits, veggies, and meats (as long as it doesn't contain sugar). You are not, however, allowed to eat any bread, dairy, legumes, or sugar within the time frame.  This diet is not a long-term thing. In fact, I've read several studies on how whole 30 is not the healthiest diet because your body will start to need the nutrients such as wheat and calcium. But, the diet is suppos...

Mouth watering yet? This was a breakfast that we had during our Whole 30 diet. My family and I have been on the Whole 30 diet every since the beginning of  January . Read more about the Whole 30 diet and why we decided to do it! One of the main ingredients you cannot eat is sugar. That made things really hard to find in the stores. Especially when you make sugar-less pancakes and you can't even use honey as syrup! But let me tell you that as long as you have almond butter, it will top it quit perfectly! One of my most favorite things to eat is almond butter, but you have to make sure it doesn't contain any sugar. Most 12 oz. jars that you can find in the store were priced between $8-$12. Um, I can eat that within a few days!  So, I looked online just out of curiosity to see how to make almond butter. Not only is it healthier for you to make it yourself, it's cheaper! I purchased a $14 bag and made 2 batches of almond butter! You will never believe ho...

Whaaat? A meal that is under 150 calories?  This cannot be fully satisfying. Yet it is. The eggs mixed with cheesy sauteed kale, alongside a crunchy piece of toast and sliced banana is surprisingly filling.  And yes, I am using a toddler fork. Don't judge, I haven't had time to do the dishes recently... Ingredients:  3 tbsp of Egg Scramblers 1/2 cup of kale 1/8 a cup of mozzarella cheese 1/2 a banana 1 slice of 35 Calorie Whole Wheat Bread Calories:  Egg Scramblers - 25 Kale - 9 Cheese - 20  Banana - 53 Bread - 35 Total - 142 Rate of Tastinesss:  ★★★★★ This is proof that there are healthy ways to eat your favorite meals. You just have to find the non-commercialized route and research a bit, but in the end it is so worth it! Investing in your body and treating what has been given to you is such a priority that we tend to neglect too often. I hope this post motivated you! If you want more inspiration o...

My high school graduation was this past weekend. I still can't wrap my mind around the fact that I'm officially graduated. Seeing so many family members and friends gathered all together was such a tremendous blessing.  Because of my local homeschool co-op group, I was able to have a regular graduation ceremony. At first, I have to admit, I was completely opposed to the idea. Walking in front of a big crowd, donning a sweaty gown and cap, in the meantime, trying not to fall and make a disaster of myself, haha no thanks. However, I was convinced that if I don't go through with this now, I will for sure regret missing out on the experience later. And now I am so thankful I did it. Here are some following snapshots that were taken during the big day. Total, there were only 12 graduates. Some of them I knew, most of them were complete strangers. Even though we were all shy and a bit awkward, especially me, the whole ceremony united us in ...

In honor of #Nationaltrailmixday, I'd like to share my lazy, simply, delicious granola recipe. I've scurried and copied some recipes that I've discovered online and created my own version, and here's the final product. The ingredients to create this yummy snack: 1 cup (or more if you desire) of old fashioned quick oats 2 tbsp of coconut oil 1 tbsp of cinnamon 1 tsp of vanilla extract 1 1/2 tbsp of some local honey a dash of cranberries hand-full of coconut shavings How to actually make the granola: Preheat the oven to 425°is your first step. While the oven is heating up, get your oats in a non-sticking dish and place them in the oven. This gives the oats that extra toasty flavor which you definitely taste in the end. Heat your coconut oil in a pan over one of your burners and allow it to melt. Or if you're like me and would rather just pop it in a microwavable-safe bowl, you can do that instead. Mix all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Wait for th...

"Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." ( 1 Corinthians 10:31 ) This was ( and still is ) my mantra for a healthy lifestyle. If you've tried the New's Year Resolution of a healthy diet and failed at it miserably, you're not the only one. Everyone tries to shun the guilt of indulging ourselves over the holidays. Trying every diet out there, going as far as half-starving yourself for that perfect image that society tells you is necessary. Forget it. It's not worth it. Who's body is it anyway? It's not the world's. And it most definitely isn't your own. We were born with a living temple. God breathed life into you for His purpose. Not ours, but His. Life is a precious thing, and we take it for granted too often. Our bodies deserve to be treated as living sacrifices for God because in the Bible that's exactly what His will is for them. "I beseech you therefore, brethren...

Crunchy, surprisingly delicious, and healthy. Kale chips are one of my most favorite snacks. If I make a large batch of them at once, then I have snacks for meals later.. as long as they're not all devoured beforehand. The only ingredient you need are the leafy greens. Unless you would like to add some extra flavor, then you can grab some grated parmesan or salt. Instructions:  Preheat your oven to 350°. Pick a baking sheet, the bigger the better. Spray it with a light layer of olive oil spray. Wash the selected kale leaves and pat them down until mostly dry. Now you can spread the kale over the baking sheet, sprinkle some salt or parmesan if desired. Once you've placed the fluffy greens into the oven let it cook for at least 10 minutes. Then continue to watch until crispy, unless you like some moisture to be left, then you can pull them out. And that's it! Easy, right? I hope this inspires you to try it out for yourself! Just remember, whatever you p...

Don't you just love the anxiety of having to pack your lunch? Especially trying to choose healthy options in the midst of your rush. Sometimes you don't even have time to create an impromptu meal before work/school, and then you go to McDonald's for a quick hamburger that will only make you feel guilty afterward. Yeah, been there. Done that. What if I could tell you that you could make yummy lunches for days in less than an hour? I've meal prepped a few times before, but this is the first time I've done it for a week-long portion. As you can see there is a bit more than one week's serving because I had plenty of leftovers, I went ahead and made some for my mom. Since she works too, we're both going to try this meal prep thing. The ingredients used were: 3 cups of brown rice 6 frozen chicken breasts two frozen bags of peppers and onions taco seasoning olive oil (to sauté the veggies) salt and pepper to taste Instructions: Preheat the oven...

I love nothing more than creating experimental breakfasts or recipes on a morning when I have no plans. There's just something about making things from scratch that satisfies, is there not? The inspiration for this recipe came from a variety of other sites and pins on Pinterest. You might even know what three ingredients I used for making these fluffy pancakes are. Nevertheless, I will share how I came up with what is shown below. The three ingredients I used were : 1 medium banana 2 eggs 3tbsp of ground cinnamon Those are all the items I used to cook my scrumptious pancakes. Toppings are optional. A bit of drizzled honey, flakes of coconut, or whipped cream.. jk. I wouldn't encourage you to ruin your healthy breakfast with loads of unnecessary sugar. I chose almond butter to top off my pancakes because I am simply infatuated with the stuff. Of course, you can top it with whatever you prefer. I probably go through a jar of peanut butter, almo...