Healthfully Surviving the Crazy Weekend (PART II)

Gooood Morning!!!

Okay, so we left off doing abs after my playground workout.  But you can't have a good workout without good food!  That Saturday evening was the wedding and the long drive back to Fort Worth to arrive in bed at 2:30am, with a full 12 hour day of sitting at a CPA review in Dallas at 8am ahead of me on Sunday.  I don't drink caffeine, so the question is...

How did I survive that day keeping my eyes open?!?! 

The answer...

 ...HEALTHY MEALS AND MUNCHIES! 

I started the day with a coffee cup not filled with coffee, but delicious easy overnight oats mixed with raspberries and blueberries. I had my bag filled with a healthy lunch and snacks to keep me energized and awake through the long day.  I don't understand why sitting all day is so exhausting, but it is. It doesn't make sense at all, your just sitting.  I have to mention that the facility provided a zillion snacks... just think every unhealthy snack that you can possibly imagine.  I mean, Little Debbie oatmeal cream pies (that I was obsessed with as a kid), Hostess, muffins, cheese crackers, twix, snickers, and the list goes on.  They did have some pretzels and sunflower seeds so that was good to see.  I decided to forgo the never ending line of snacks and enjoy my own stock pile.

Mid-morning snack:  Decaf Mint tea and my trail mix that I always have with me... dried mixed berries, sunflower seeds, almonds, and walnuts.

Lunch: A veggie wrap.  A spelt tortilla with hummus, sprouts, avocado, tomato, onions, and salt and pepper.  Organic white grapes.  Some salt and pepper popchips.  Spelt is a cousin to wheat and they say it doesn't cause sensitivities in many people who are intolerant to wheat... interesting!

Afternoon snack: The rest of my grapes and popchips and some pretzels.  I had a banana with me, but I never got around to that.

To drink:  Lot's of water!  The best liquid fuel for your body.

I arrived home at 8:30pm.  I felt like I needed some nutrition even though I wasn't even that hungry after sitting all day and munching.  Sam had a quick and easy dinner waiting for us.  This really is quick. I had a bed of mixed greens topped with quinoa and my new favorite salad dressing, Lucini Fig & Walnut Savory Vinaigrette.

I also had a bowl of one of my favorite tomato soups, Imagine Organic Creamy Tomato Basil Soup.  It tastes really creamy, but there isn't any diary!  They didn't have the low sodium soup, otherwise I would have preferred that one.

I think it is very important to reward and treat yourself with DESSERT! ...one of my favorite things next to breakfast.  So we made these amazing COOKIES!  

You can definitely tell that these are homemade cookies because they are not perfectly round at all. They are more chunky, which I like.  The recipe came from The 30 Minute Vegan Cookbook.  We just happened to have all of the ingredients on hand, which was perfect!  I like recipes that I can make from things I already have without needing a special trip to the store. 

Perfection!

That evening I enjoyed the warm cookie fresh from the oven topped with a small scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. 

Macadamia Nut-Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour

2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp whole wheat flower 

(This acts as the binder, the substitute for 1 egg)

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 cup rolled oats (I love oats!)

1 cup vegan dark chocolate chips 

(You can normally find the chips in the gluten-free section of your grocery store)

1 cup chopped macadamia nuts 

(We didn't have a full cup so we did 1/2 cups chopped macadamia nuts and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts)

2/3 cup maple syrup

2/3 cup safflower oil (or canola oil)

2 tbsp water

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Whisk together the flour, cornstarch binder mixture, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.  Add the oats, nuts, and chocolate chips, and whisk together again.  Separately, combine the wet ingredients... maple syrup, oil, water, and vanilla and mix well. Bake for 10 minutes. 

And that's how I survived my crazy weekend!  I hope these meal and snack tips provided you with some good ideas for the next time you find yourself crazy busy.  But just remember... things are never too busy to keep your health and happiness in mind! Being healthy and happy allows you to meet all the demands of your busy schedule and check off those items on your to-do list, so it's worth it!  

With Love, Health, and Happiness, 

Cami