Random Recap

Hello cupcakes! 

Here is a random recap of some things over the past week. I wanted to start this post of by giving you some tips for travel food. For my flight Friday, I packed these things: Go Raw Zesty Pizza Bites, honey crisp apples, sliced green peppers, Chomps beef snacks, Larabars, Trader Joe's apple coconut fruit bar, banana, and 2 T almond butter. I didn't eat all of this, but it is always nice to have choices while traveling. I put the almond butter in a small container and placed it in my ziplock quart size plastic bag with my 3 oz liquid container. The rest I just packed in my carry on bag. Airport food can be expensive, and they don't always have the healthiest choices. Packing your own food is the way to go! Other good things to pack are: hard boiled eggs, grapes, carrots, almonds, nuts, raisins, protein powder in a container (add water after security). I also packed an empty water bottle to fill up after security. 

To back track a little, Thursday my daddy made me dinner. It was a belated birthday dinner since I didn't see my family on my actual birthday. He grilled fillets and shrimp (all Whole30 compliant and paleo). I microwaved some sweet potatoes. He also cooked some mushrooms on the grill with coconut oil. The fillet was so tender and was from a local butcher shop. 

I decided to try using my new Moon Rabbit Cassava Flour (link here: Amazon Cassava Flour). Here is the recipe:

Cassava Waffles

Ingredients:

240 g cassava flour (about 2 cups)

1 3/4 c unsweetened vanilla almond milk

4 T coconut oil

1 T apple cider vinegar

1/2 t vanilla

2 eggs

1/2 t pink himaylan salt

2 T honey or other sweetener

1 1/2 t baking soda

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a pourable container. Let sit while heating up the waffle maker. Once the waffle maker is hot, lightly coat with coconut oil. Pour 1/6 of the batter into the waffle maker (depending on the size of the maker- I used a big waffle maker). Let the waffles cook, then take out of the waffle maker and enjoy!

Top with whatever you would like. Here are some suggestions: 

1) almond butter and bananas

2) honey and berries

3) egg and bacon

4) enjoy life mini chocolate chips and cashew butter

5) pumpkin, pecans, and unsweetened coconut

Here is the nutrition stats for one waffle (1/6 of recipe): 

Here is a picture as I was flying into the Atlanta airport. I could see the skyline from above and I thought it was pretty cool. 

Here is a picture at the Atlanta airport as I was waiting to get off the airplane. 

Here is a picture looking out over Cory's apartment complex. I love how many trees there are in Charlotte. 

While my boyfriend was at work on Monday, I created a meal plan based on recommendations from Michael Matthews: How To Safely and Healthily Lose Weight. Like I mentioned in previous posts, I like to try out different approaches to eating. This helps me find what is right for me as well as informing my readers on all the options out there. No approach is right for everyone. So, Michael's article gives you a calculator to determine the amount of calories you should be consuming to healthily lose weight. He also breaks down how to determine how much protein, fat, and carbs you should be consuming based on the calorie recommendations. I calculated mine and they are listed in the chart below. Next, Michael suggests creating a meal plan based on those recommendations. I used Calorie King and my Lose It app to gather the food macronutrients. I also used an excel sheet so it could calculate my totals for me. Take a look:

Next, I used a word document to list my meals and grocery list: 

This style of eating is more of IIFYM (If it fits your macros) approach, but I will be using more of a paleo IIFYM approach based on Michael's suggestions for the next couple weeks. 

I tried the calorie cycling approach, and it was not really for me. I would get too hungry on the lower calorie days. While this approach may work for some, I don't think it was the right approach for me. I would love to hear from you all! What is your favorite approach to eating?

Here is a picture from this morning when Cory took me to the Charlotte airport. Uptown Charlotte's skyline is beautiful! I just got cold brew Starbucks coffee without syrup and added some soy milk. I brought sliced turkey and bananas with cashew butter. I ate that for breakfast, and I brought a chicken sausage and leftover potato hash for lunch. Like I said above, it's always nice to be prepared when traveling.

It is the hardest thing in the world to say goodbye to my boyfriend. I give props to all the military wives out there. It's so hard being away from your other half for long periods of time. I have some creative tips on long distance relationships if anyone is interested (just comment below). 

I have been craving some dairy free frozen yogurt since my last Charlotte visit, so Cory took me late last night. I got mostly vanilla with a little bit of chocolate (silk almond milk frozen yogurt). They had some many dairy flavors like pumpkin spice and coffee, but they only had two flavors of dairy free yogurt. No complaining here because I was so excited to finally enjoy frozen yogurt again! I topped my little bit of chocolate with unsweetened coconut and pecans. I topped my vanilla with blueberries, strawberries, and a cherry! I also added a little bit of Mochi. If you don't know what that is, here is a picture:

They are Japanese marshmallows. Here is a little description: Mochi rice cakes are a light, sweet Japanese dessert treat. With a soft, silky, and chewy texture. I like  them! 

Anyways, that's all my randomness combined into one post for you guys! My vacation time is slowly coming to an end. 43 days until my next vacation (thanksgiving)... And yes I am already counting down haha! I get so excited to spend time with my boyfriend! 

Later taters

"It's a beautiful day, don't let it get away."