It’s a new year. Again. Does anyone else feel like they should stay the same age this year’s birthday? Can I turn 26 again in 2021? 2020 was a limbo year. When 2021 hit, like most others, I set some new year intentions. Also like most others, one of those intentions is to lose some weight and gain some strength. Ground-breaking, right? This time felt and is different though. I didn’t set a date that revolved around me being in a swim suit. I didn’t start January off with a Whole30 or cut out sugar, although I almost started a Whole30. So what’s changed? Why is this time different? Why is this year, really the year I get healthier again?
What I ate in a day. Are these still a thing? They used to be. Well here it is. What I ate in a day. A good day. A day I was documenting so it did not include 5 ounces of chocolate chips that I sometimes eat in a day, or the gluten-free animal crackers and chocolate bar that I had for dinner one weekend because my chicken was taking to long in the crock-pot. No one ever shows those days.
It’s not this one either.
But. I will be more honest.
This was a planned, nutritious, feeling hydrated kind of day.
breakfast
Van’s gluten-free waffle
maple syrup
smart balance butter
banana
strawberries
Vital Farm’s egg
spinach
lunch
broccoli slaw salad
chopped salad
black forrest deli turkey
Tessemae’s cilantro lime ranch
dinner
shredded chicken with BBQ sauce
zucchini
summer squash
gold potatoes
snacks
cherries
Clif Builder’s bar
No Cow bar
Kite Hill yogurt
This was all about 2100 calories and 126 grams of protein. This turned out to be a lower energy consumption day for me.
And guess what?
I was hungry when I woke up.
I am saying all this to help other people realize that 1200 calories is not the way to go. I am not a dietician, nor do I pretend to be, but any good dietician, nutrition coach, trainer (there’s a difference between all of those) will not have you on 1200 calories.
And I got this from a good dietician. Laura Lygos is amazing. She is @thesassydietician and she will be real with you.
I am only speaking from a person who has been there. And has some credentials to her name.
I have done the 1200 calorie thing, the 1500 calorie thing, the not counting calorie thing, the paleo thing, the vegan thing, etc, etc. (I haven’t tried the keto thing because by that trend, I had already learned my lesson.) The lesson that I knew what foods worked for me– a mix of it all!
From every class of eating out there, I have foods that work for me and some that do not. From every category.
So there is what worked for me. On this particular day. I was hungrier the next day. I will probably have chocolate chips another day and when quarantine is over, go get some FISH TACOS!
What do you really eat in a day? Share below. Let’s start being honest.
Happy quarantine day….. 10? 11? Does anyone know? I don’t. I do know that I stocked up on canned pumpkin. Why? Well, I panicked in the grocery store and bought what was left, and what was familiar. Hence, canned pumpkin!
Scroll down for the recipe below! It is so yum! Very moist, and reminds me of Starbucks pumpkin bread!
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups gluten-free flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup dairy-free milk
(I used french vanilla nutpods!)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
(optional)
1. Pre-heat oven to 375ºF.
2. Grease a loaf pan.
3. Combine all ingredients.
4. Mix well.
5. Pour into a pre-greased loaf pan.
6. Sprinkle with brown sugar.
7. Bake for 35-40 minutes.
(until toothpick comes out clean)
8. Enjoy!
www.movingmountainswellness.com
I can’t believe it. If you can’t tell, my spirits are high and my energy is THROUGH THE ROOF! (I challenge you to count the number of exclamation points in this post… *wink*)
Here is a recap of the last few weeks, plus a delicious omelette… Continue reading →
Need a quick, easy and healthy breakfast or snack idea?
Jump on the avocado toast train.
I just toasted two pieces of my favorite gluten-free bread, mashed half an avocado and spread it on the toast, and finished it all off with some red pepper flakes and Trader Joe’s Everything-but-the-Bagel Sesame seasoning.
I posted this on my Instagram (@emvalerioti) a few weeks ago. It was a huge moment for me, one that I am still proud of. It also is so prominent because Melissa Hartwig, Whole30 headmistress herself, gave me positive affirmations on my food freedom story, and approved of my selection of cupcake with the “proper cupcake to frosting ratio.” Love. Love. Love. I don’t have celeb crushes really, Robert Downey Jr. aside, but I do have some serious author/blogger crushes. Melissa being one of them. Keep reading to read my original post on Instagram, word for word and see a pic of when I met Melissa two months ago, eep! Continue reading →
Another recipe video say what?? That’s right! I got down and dirty (in cacao powder) on snapchat the other night to bring you another video recipe! This one features my favorite dessert/sweet tooth diet saver: Chocolate Banana Chia Pudding. Some people do not like the texture of chia seeds in the pudding and to that I say BLEND IT! That’s right! Just blend/process the pudding to make a smoother, more pudding-like texture. Personally, I like the gel texture of the chia seeds. It is part of the reason I love chia puddings, but to each their own. Continue reading →
My oats are back and I couldn’t be happier! Exaggeration? Yeah, right. Well, first off, I was very indecisive this morning, so I took my dilemma to snapchat {@emvalerioti}, “Oats or Eggs for my b-fast?” The polls came rolling in and you all said oats! I probably would have made oats anyway. Does anyone else do this? You think you are indecisive on something, then ask around or flip a coin and you are unhappy with the result and go the other direction? I do this constantly. Eh, that’s okay because it brings me to a decision doesn’t it? Anyway… this morning I made an old staple: Apples & Cinnamon Oats. Continue reading →
Oooohhh baby! Summer is finally here and for once I am NOT taking summer classes! It has been a long four years of endless schooling, and although I am not graduating for another year-ish (hello two and a half degrees), this summer is just me, myself and I going on adventures and discovering more about myself. I am beyond psyched. I am not gonna lie, despite my awesome class schedule this past semester, my world around me seemed to crumble. Then I realized I was being a tad too dramatic and letting depression creep back to the surface of my being. Whoa! Deep for a post entitled Paleo Coconut Brownies I know, my apologies. So, let me get back to this bomb recipe because it really does deserve a spotlight. I will do separate posts about my severe semester slump, including the saga of my pretty much weekly trips to doctor’s offices and all the labs I’m having to do. *Spoiler: still no answers to why my body is flipping out.* To be continued… BUT read on for delish Paleo Coconut Brownies because chocolate fixes everything, right?Continue reading →
In case you missed it last night on my snapchat (@emvalerioti), I made my first video recipe: Shrimp Tacos for Cinco de Mayo! It’s definitely janky being my first video, and it was recorded on my snap and not a high end camera… BUT it was über fun to make! I enjoyed it and I got fabulous feedback from everyone, so thanks y’all! Here are the snips compiled together with the recipe below! Continue reading →
www.movingmountainswellness.com
Moving Mountains Wellness 