Chickpeas & Changes

Hello Friends! 

Wheww... It's been quite a couple of weeks for me.  I FINALLY finished the CPA exam process, celebrated that, started my career as an auditor, got the 72 hour stomach flu (on my first day of work- horrible timing), and I spent this past weekend recovering.  So needless to say, my life has kind of turned upside down as I adjust to the working world after being in school for the past 18 years of my life (I'm starting that 18 year count at kindergarten).  And the other half of my family.... Well, Sam is crazy busy with his second year of law school, and Major has a new dog walker to let him out during the day.... So talk about Changes!

I also have a newfound chickpea recipe to share with you that I absolutely love because it's so delicious and easy.

Soooo considering all of that, I just had to title this post... "Chickpeas & Changes."

So now that I am a part of the corporate world working in an office and being surrounded by free donuts on Fridays (I have a huge sweet tooth by the way) and team lunches, I know it's going to be much more difficult to keep it healthy. So here some of my thoughts on how I'm going to keep it healthy...

1.  Work out in the mornings.  That means I'm at the gym around 5am.  If you do it in the morning, then you don't even give yourself a chance to make up an excuse not to do it after work.  Plus, you are more awake and more productive during the day, AND you make better food choices.

2.  Continue having my Vega Sport Performance Protein and Boku Superfood smoothie for breakfast.  I like the Vega Vanilla Protein with almond milk, frozen blueberries and goji berries, half a banana, and a handful of ice. I love the Vega Protein Powder because  it has 5,000 mg of BCAA's (branch chain amino acids) and glutamine which support muscle cell repair, exercise performance, reduces soreness, and more.  It also has digestive enzymes which aid in digestion. And I talked about why I loved the Boku Superfood in this post.

The smoothie is green because of the superfood and it 

didn't have blueberries, otherwise it's a more purple color.  Go frogs! 

3.  Make and take healthy snacks to work.  This way you are not tempted by the unhealthy snacks lingering around the office. I will probably take fruit and snacks from my list of Traveling Snacks, and I hope to make some healthy snacks like the granola that I've talked about and maybe some healthy cookies too!

4.  Take my lunch and NOT eat out every day.  I love eating out because it gives you a chance to get out of the office and get to know your co-workers a little better, BUT it can do a number on your health and bank account.  But you can still make your lunch and find a place outside or go to a Barnes & Noble that  has a Starbucks and pick up a magazine and enjoy your lunch that you made.  I like being in control of what goes into my meals and the only way you can do this is if you make your own lunch.  I usually put my snacks and lunch together the night before so if I'm running late in the morning, I still have a healthy lunch.   And this is where my new favorite chickpea recipe comes in!!

Chickpea "Chicken" Salad

1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)

2 celery stocks

2 scallions (green onions)

2 Tbsp Veganaise (or Mayo)

1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard 

Salt and Pepper
1/2 tsp - 1 tsp white vinegar (optional)

Dash Paprika (optional, but it's yummy)

Directions: Roughly chop the celery and scallions.  Put everything in a food processor or blender and process until it becomes the consistency of chicken salad.

You can put the chickpea salad on a sandwich (with Ezekiel bread) or in a wrap (I like spelt tortillas) with avocado, tomato, and lettuce, or enjoy on top of a bed of greens with salad dressing (I prefer Amy's Honey Mustard Lite Dressing.)  By the way, spelt is better for those who have a gluten intolerance.  I don't have one, but sometimes I just want something a little lighter than whole wheat.  This is a great lunch idea! If you decide to take the salad, just put the dressing in another smaller tupperware and add it on right before you enjoy so the salad greens don't get soggy.

5.  Force myself to take time to unwind.  I'm not the best at slowing down.  If I have things to do, I want to get them done right then.  My body does not like stress and if I get too stressed or if I overwork myself without giving myself time to relax, my health takes a hit.  Which is why I think I got the stomach flu.  I had been stressed all summer about the CPA and I finally finished that, and then a few days later, I started the new job. All of that added up and just hit my body... in a bad way... at a bad time.  So I learned the hard way that sometimes you just have to STOP.  Your "to-do" list will still be there when you get back.  My "me time" is usually during my workout, but I also need to give myself more relaxing "me time."

Speaking of unwinding, I took this peaceful picture while I was in my car the other day.  

Not the safest thing in the world, but, I will say, my car was stopped while I took the pic.  

Makes me happy.

These are just a few thoughts that I have for keeping it healthy in the corporate world, but I'm sure I will have many more to come.  And as I find things that work for me, I will be sure to let you know.

On another note, I'm sad to say that my post frequency is going to take a hit, which makes me so sad!!  I'm probably looking at once every week and a half or two weeks.  I'm working at a computer all day so it's tough to come home and look at a computer.  My eyes just crave a break.  BUT I want you to know that I still am thinking about you, and I still want to share all my healthy and happy tips with you.  When I think of things that I want to blog about, I write them down.  I keep a list.  And I'm still going to share everything that I write on this list with you...just less frequently.  SO to sum it up, you will still get all of the info that I want to share, it will just come over a longer period of time.  Yes, this makes me sad because if I could blog to you every day, I would. :)

Well, that is it for me.  I hope everyone is enjoying this amazing fall weather.  Perfect weather for getting outside and getting active! I plan on making this recipe for pumpkin cookies that I recently found.  If they are a success, I will definitely share the recipe with you.  Until next time... Have a great week!

With Love, Health, and Happiness,
Cami

Question of the Day: How do you stay healthy in the working world?