Because Fro-yo Isn't Low-Carb

With all of our celebrating lately, I’ve felt myself start to slip back into bad habits. The eating out, the drinking, the fun plans that started to replace workouts…it was all starting to send me way off track. I’ve been too good so far this year to let myself totally fall off the wagon, though.

My birthday was on Tuesday and I decided that would be my last day to indulge because let’s be real, I’m not crazy enough yet to skip birthday treats. Fro-yo, bread, lemon cake and wine were consumed and I didn’t allow myself to feel bad about any of it.  

To help get back on track, yesterday I started limiting myself to less than 20 carbs a day and for anyone who has done the low-carb thing, you know the first few days of this routine are pretty miserable. I’m talking zero energy and kinda feeling like you’re starving. By the end of day one yesterday, I was dragging and it was pretty pathetic. I’m not even going to lie to you, my 20 carb limit went straight to a glass of red wine and it was a godsend.

The good news is that after 3 days or so of this, I’ll be feeling pretty good and I’ll be buzzing with energy because of it. So at least there’s that to look forward to.

Normally I would be super down on myself because I got off track and lost my motivation, but I’m not. I feel in control because I didn’t let myself completely fall back into old habits just because I had a few bad days.

After just a day and a half of this, even though I’m struggling a bit, I feel better physically already. It’s good to know even after a few weeks of slacking, I can easily get back into good habits and feel great.

Now that I’m refocused on my goals and getting back on track, I’m sticking to what I know works for me to help me stay on board. I think we all have certain tips or tricks for helping us stay motivated and healthy. Here are just a few mine:

(one) Never skip a Monday workout.

It’s inevitable that even though I plan my gym schedule for the week in advance, there might still be day I can’t make it after all. It’s usually fine because I know I’ll make up for it the next day. Mondays are different, though. If I skip the gym on Monday, I feel like it sets the tone for the week and I’m already getting started on the wrong foot. I will do whatever I can to get myself there for even a short workout and I feel like it gets me in the right mindset to keep it up for the rest of the week.

(two) Prep a yummy go-to meal in bulk every week.

For a few weeks, I was on a Paleo Chicken Salad kick. I would make a huge bowl of this early in the week and kept it in the fridge as a “go to” meal in case I didn’t feel like cooking or didn’t have time to make lunch. I love this recipe, so it was something I knew I would still look forward to eating and it helped me avoid going out to eat or eating badly when I didn’t have something planned. This week, it’s a simple salad with grilled chicken which has been my jam lately. I made a HUGE bowl of this last night and it’s good to know we have several meals on hand because of it! Sure, the thought of eating the same meal multiple times a week sounds a little boring and it can get old, I guess. But for me, it’s better than eating out and beating myself up for making a bad choice.

(three) Find a new way to treat yourself.

Instead of treating myself to something like ice cream or cookies every now and then, I’ve found that there are so many other options for splurging that don’t send me spiraling totally off track. For me lately, it’s been acai bowls. This is already a pretty healthy option in general, but with all the granola I like to add to mine and all the fruit that goes into this treat, it isn’t realistic to eat these often with the low-carb focus. Making acai bowls my “sweet treat” every now and then is a much better option than what I used to choose and I still get the satisfaction out of it because if you’ve never witnessed me enjoying an acai bowl you don’t understand how much joy I find in them. Jonathan came home from the gym one night a few weeks ago to find me watching Friends and enjoying a bowl of this cool, crunchy goodness and I’m pretty sure he thought I was on drugs I was so happy.

What are your tips and tricks for staying motivated and healthy? I’d love to hear them!

Homemade Acai Bowl

Hi friends! Happy Thursday.

I've felt completely exhausted all week and I'm just starting to feel like myself again today. All the Easter planning and prep took a lot out of me for some reason and I've spent most of my free time this week getting our house back to normal and sleeping as much as possible.

I cannot wait to fill you in on Easter and share some photos from our day, but for now, all I can say is that it was absolutely perfect. We ended up with about 40 family and friends in our home and I can't begin to tell you how much joy and love I felt having so many of our loved ones in one place. I tend to go overboard with crafting and planning this brunch but when it comes, I am in awe when I see it all come together and it is so worth it. Remind me to come back and read this next year when I'm up  baking at 1 a.m. the night before Easter. 

I will share all the fun once I have a chance to upload our photos and whatnot, but for now, I'm just glad to be making an appearance here this week. My sister and the kids are still visiting but they've been at my parents for a few days. They'll be staying with us tonight and tomorrow and I'm meeting up with them a little later this morning at Downtown Disney.

For now, I'm enjoying a quiet Thursday morning at home and it sure feels good. I'm also treating myself to another acai bowl, so I figured now would be a good time to tell you how I make this bowl of cool, crunchy goodness.

Before I get to it, I should tell you that when I was looking to make this for the first time, I found lots of different suggestions on how much of everything to put in here. This happens to be how I like to make it, but you can mess with the amounts until you get it to your liking.

As far as the main ingredients go, it's easy peasy!

Ingredients:

• 1 Acai Superfruit Pack (I found these in the frozen food section of Publix but I've heard they can be found at Trader Joe's and similar stores as well)
• 1/4 cup of almond milk (I think you can skip this or replace with protein powder or whatever mix-in you prefer!)
• 3/4 cup frozen fruit (can be anything - bananas, peaches, strawberries, mango, blueberries)
• 1/2 cup granola
• fresh fruit for topping
• flax seeds, chia seeds, almonds, pecans for topping (completely optional but I used flax seeds on mine)

Instructions:

1. Put acai pack, almond milk and frozen fruit in blender and blend. You want the acai base to be blended but thick enough that you have to scoop it out. (Too thin: add more frozen fruit, too thick: add more milk)

2. When you get to your desired consistency, put the mixture into a bowl and top with granola, fresh fruit and other toppings.

3. Enjoy!

See, I told you this was super easy to make. The best part is you can really make this however you want. You can skip the milk or if you're like me and love yourself some granola, you can add more granola or switch up the toppings depending on what you have at home. It's a wonderful thing.

Seriously, I'm thinking I may need to treat myself to one of these at least once a week because I can't help but feel like one of these adds a little something special into my day. On that note, I better get on with this day. I hope you all have a happy Thursday!

Have you experienced the deliciousness of acai bowls yet? What are your tips for making them at home?