Happy Wednesday friendly faces! We've made it halfway through the week which has to count for something right? I've still got a smile plastered on my face from this past weekend, you can read my weekend recap here. I haven't done a WIAW post since before the 4th of July weekend, so no time like the present to bring it back!
I'm a creature of habit when it comes to food, especially when I find foods that fit my macros. I have no shame in the fact that I'm a repeat food offender, but as my uncle always says if it ain't broke don't fix it.
Breakfast is always on repeat for me because I love my oats. I have breakfast after I come back from the gym and I'm almost always starving. Lately my obsession has been mixing 2 tablespoons of Bob's Red Mill vanilla chia protein powder in with oats (after they're cooked) because it makes them SO thick and creamy- and no I'm not paid to say that. Not to mention the awesome vanilla chia flavor! Toppings always the best part and I normally pile on the fruit. All my favorite summer berries are in season so I've been eating my weight in fruit this summer. Of course no oats would be complete without a drizzle of walden farms zero calorie chocolate sauce and some sprinkles.
Ok, so as the title of the post mentioned I gave up nut butter. Back in January when I saw a gastro he drastically cut my fat intake for health reasons. In recent months we've been increasing it and he wanted me to try to add some foods back into my diet. Maybe it's because I went months without peanut butter, but when I started trying to add it back in the smell immediately gagged me. I pushed past the smell and for weeks tried eating peanut butter and other nut butters, but my body just wasn't having it. Within half of hour of consuming it I was sick to my stomach and felt horrible. After talking to him again I decided nut butters were not worth it. My former nut butter loving self is disappointed, but at this point the smell of it makes me sick so it's not worth it. Maybe my body will be able to handle it again in a few years, but for now I'm choosing to get my fat from other sources like avocado, eggs, salmon, etc. You have to do what's best for your body because no one knows your body like you do.
Anyway, on to lunch. I hate to say it, but I'm a lunch repeater too. Technically I'm a 2/3 lunch repeater. My go to lunch recently has been one O'Dough's bagel thin topped with avocado, spinach, tomato, organic turkey, peach salsa and goat cheese. The flavors work so well together and it's basically a party in your mouth. I'm also obsessed with peaches because they've been so dang good this year! I had some leftover carbs (I plan meals a day ahead) so I had some coconut milk yogurt and topped it with an allergy friendly trail mix I found at a local health food store.
No repeat offending for dinner! My brother gave me a Whole Foods gift card for my birthday so I finally made the trip out there, it's a solid 30+ minute drive in good traffic. Of course I had to hit up the salad bar so I loaded up on greens, artichoke, roasted beets, orange bell pepper, tomatoes, pineapple, strawberries, broccoli, mushrooms, turkey and a whole lot more is buried under there. I got two meals out of it so it was definitely worth the money! My sweet friend Cailee recently shared some tips on how to save money at the Whole Foods salad bar and definitely worth the read (it's short!!).
Do you have a favorite breakfast food that you eat all the time?
What's your favorite place to eat out?
This past weekend was so good and so relaxing. I haven't had a weekend that fun in such a long time and it was beyond needed. My heart is full to bursting at the moment. Bear with me as this might be long.
I finally got back in the kitchen to test out a few recipes. First up on the list was granola. I've been making a few gift baskets and packages in recent weeks and granola is always a hit. It's something that's perfect for a quick snack or to use as topping for yogurt, nice cream, etc. I'm the first to admit that I do buy packaged granola, but I'm super picky about brands- normally I stick to Purely Elizabeth or Jessica's (which is made in Michigan!). Homemade granola is nice because you're in control of what goes into it and you can tailor it to your taste. The end result of my recipe testing was this nutty granola which was used in a few gift packages over the weekend.
The weather has been so gorgeous that I've been outside almost all day, the only downside is that it's been rather humid. We had a harsh winter though so I'm not going to complain because I know what's around the corner, unfortunately. Cora has been in the lake pretty much 24/7 these past weeks because of the heat. I'm pretty sure she's half fish.
Speaking of being in the water nonstop I've been out on the lake a ton. A few friends and I rented paddleboards again and were out almost all day. I have to admit when the wind gets whipping it gets hard to paddle and my upper body was totally dead by the time we got back, but that didn't stop me from going back out the following morning after working out at the gym. I was out on the water by 7:20am and it was perfect. The lake was glass and so peaceful. After paddling for a few hours I was tired and sadly had to come back in to get the board on the car to return. I'm looking into buying a board so if anyone has any recommendations let me know!
I have to say paddleboarding makes me extremely hungry. I think it's because when I go with friends we are out all day, so when we come back watch out because we are all hangry. One of my go to post paddleboarding snacks has been coconut milk yogurt or fresh watermelon. I like both of them because they're cold and refreshing, but not too filling. Coconut milk yogurt is a great dairy free alternative and it does not contain soy, which personally I've found soy to cause skin problems.
Saturday I had a few friends over to hangout by the lake. A few of them I hadn't seen in over a year because we've all been busy finishing up school and living hundreds of miles apart doesn't make it any easier. It was coolish so no one swam, but we grilled, drank wine and laughed so hard my stomach hurt by the end of the night. I didn't take any pictures (probably a good thing) because I was just enjoying time with my friends, but it was funny to see my guy friends drinking wine out of girlie glasses. The guys mostly drank beer but I convinced them to try some wine and they liked it, don't doubt me or my wine picking skills!
I did not track macros on Saturday, but instead focused on having a good time. Now did I go crazy and eat everything in sight? No. I had worked out in the morning and knew what my macros were for breakfast and lunch (because I eat the same thing a lot) so for dinner I focused on balance. I had some grilled chicken, salad, watermelon and baked beans. I also had a few glasses of wine. Sometimes you just need to let lose and have fun with your friends without worrying so much about macros.
Sunday was a much needed recovery day. We stayed out way too late the night before so I cut myself some slack and didn't go to the gym. I slept in until 6, which is unheard of for me and that's probably because I didn't get to bed until around 2- way past this grandma's bedtime! A few of the neighbors were around so I hung out with them and later on we took the boat out for a ride. Cora isn't a big fan of the boat, but we are working on it. I'm hoping that if we keep exposing her to it that she will become less afraid of it and learn to enjoy it. So far she loves when she sees other dogs.
The night was capped off with a beautiful lake sunset. If you've never gotten to experience a Michigan summer sunset then you're missing out. I definitely hate on Michigan, especially in the winter, but in the summer there's no place like it and no place I'd rather be. Being out on the lake is the perfect way to spend the day and watching beautiful lake sunsets remind me how lucky I am to call this place home.
What did you do over the weekend?
What's your favorite thing to do with your friends?
"A friend is someone who can see the truth and pain in you even when you are fooling everyone else."
I came across this quote this past week and absolutely loved it. Friendships are such an important part of life and finding really good friends can be really hard. I can count on one hand the number of best friends I've had in my life. Best friend isn't a term I use loosely because it actually means something to me.
To me a best friend is someone who always has your back, is there for you no matter what, listens, drags you back down to reality when you need it, loves you, defends you, and would drop everything in a second if you needed them. There's so many other qualities I could add to the list, but these are just a few that I think are important.
Occasionally I like to share snippets of real life and today is one of those days. I want to introduce you to my best friend Kate! She's totally gorgeous, even with a silly mustache :)
The crazy thing about our friendship is we met less than a year ago. I was interviewing her sister for a news story about breast cancer awareness and she introduced me to Kate. We immediately hit it off because we both had lupus and as they say the rest is history. So, Kate this post is for you!
Kate,
I cannot believe I got lucky enough to have a best friend like you. From the day I met you have been nothing short of amazing. I am eternally grateful that our paths crossed because my life would not be the same without you.
You have the biggest heart of anyone I've ever met. In all our time hanging out I don't think I've ever heard you say a bad thing about anyone; there's not a mean or negative bone in your body. You have a heart of gold.
I don't think I've ever trusted anyone as completely as I trust you. Maybe it's because we share a bond over lupus, but I knew right away that I could trust you. I've told you things I've never told anyone else because I know you won't judge me. I know you will never betray my trust.
You've never failed me and you've had my back through all the highs and lows of the last year. Your surprise letters and cards have always brightened my day and the love and thought that you put into my birthday gift astounded me. The wine glasses are getting a lot of use ;) You have a way of making a person feel loved even when you're hundreds of miles away.
In so many ways it feels like I've known you forever, but its crazy to think its only been a year. Despite all the aches and pains I wouldn't trade this last year for anything because through it all you've kept me laughing.
I cannot even begin to put into words how thankful I am to have you in my life. You're so much more than a best friend, you're a sister and a fellow lupus warrior. Your beauty, grace and poise even during painful and frustrating situations amaze me. I'm forever in awe of your strength and determination and how you manage to keep such a positive outlook throughout some really tough situations. Your smile lights up a room and you always know how to make someone laugh. You've taught me so much about life, love and friendship over the past year that nothing I could ever do would fully express how grateful I am.
You're a rare gem Kate. You're a triple threat of the best kind- brains, beauty and a heart of gold. I don't know how I got so lucky to have such an amazing best friend, but I hope one day I can be half as good of a friend as you are. There's no way for me to even begin to get to your level.
You've made me a better person and my life is forever better because of you. Thank you for being the best best friend a girl could ever ask for. Most importantly thank you for being you!
Love,
Rachael
