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Friday, October 10, 2014

Banana Ice Cream!!

I don't know about you but I have a huge sweet tooth. One of my biggest weaknesses is ice cream. Not only is it not very healthy but being lactose intolerant, I really shouldn't consume it.. However, as a result of Halloween BOOt Camp, I found probably the best alternative.

BANANA ICE CREAM!! :D

I am actually very excited about this stuff because it's healthy, tasty and incredibly easy! Banana ice cream is literally just that, bananas. That's it! No added sugar, no yogurt, no milk, nothing but bananas. I'm not much of a baker or cooker, I'm pretty challenged when it comes to the kitchen, but this recipe is impossible to mess up.

Ingredients:
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- 4+ Very Ripe Bananas

Process:
- Slice bananas
- Place banana slices into a Ziploc bag
- Put in freezer until frozen (may only take a few hours, but we kept them in there for a day)
- Take bag out of freezer and put banana chunks into a blender
- Blend until smooth*
- Place in a container and put in freezer
- After a few hours it should be solid enough to eat! Enjoy :)

* At this time you can add any flavoring you may want. Some of the flavors I have found on Pinterest are honey, peanut butter, cocoa powder, strawberries (frozen), and chocolate chips.

When my roommate and I made our banana ice cream we added two spoonfuls of peanut butter and it was delicious! It is actually quite amazing how much it tastes like ice cream.

Hope you enjoy your banana ice cream!

Love Always,

xo Noelle

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Halloween Boot Camp

It honestly blows my mind that it is already October.. Where has time gone? Since it is October, it is time to start indulging in all sorts of fall activities. Such as, drinking hot chocolate, wearing boots and scarfs, cuddling up in blanks while watching a movie, eat lots of candy because Halloween is at the end of the month, etc. However, my October is going to look a little different. I will still break out my scarfs, sweaters, and boots; but I will also be breaking out my tennis shoes and workout clothes.

Since Halloween is quickly approaching, I felt like now is as good a time as ever to finally get some things in my life in order. And what better motivation than Halloween? My costume this year is slightly more revealing than my long princess dresses from past years, and with that being said, I want to feel comfortable and confident in what it is that I am wearing. With the help of my roommates I am starting Halloween BOOt Camp (get it?): eating healthier, working out more, and learning to all around live a healthy life.

In the past I have tried to lose weight or get fitter and leaner, but I went about it all the wrong way. I got hung up on calories. I didn't try to be healthy, I just wanted to be skinny. Instead of motivating myself with quotes saying, "Your legs aren't giving out, your head is giving up." I would try to motivate myself with pictures of skinny girls, who had the kind of bodies I desired so badly. Thigh gaps, hip bones, flat stomach, slim legs... It consumed my every thought. My self-worth came from numbers on a scale and numbers on food labels and I was very unhappy.

However, this time I am changing things up. No more counting calories. No more scales. No pictures of extremely skinny girls. I am going to eat healthy foods in the right portion amounts, work out as much as I am able to, and motivate myself with quotes and sayings rather than skinny girls. I am going to measure my success by how clothing fits me and by how I feel. I know weighing yourself  isn't bad and is apart of the weight loss process, but I am too afraid to go down that dark path if I were to begin to weigh myself again.

For Halloween BOOt Camp, I am going to work on eating healthier. I am definitely a fan of all things sweet and sugary, so as you can imagine Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year. But I want to stay strong and not let any little cravings get the better of me. When it comes to living a healthy life, working out is honestly the first thing that comes to my mind. I didn't work out too often last year and I was not happy with that little Freshmen 15... So now I am easing into working out almost every day. We (my roommate and I) switch off everyday between doing a cardio workout and doing some sort of strength training workout. Is it weird that I kind of enjoy feeling sore after a workout?

I am hoping to have some recipes, workout ideas, and other fun fitness related posts to come. In the mean time here are some of my favorite motivational fitness quotes. I may or may not have a Pinterest board devoted to them.. :)

Motivational Fitness Quotes:
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"I don't want another girl's body. I want my body, but leaner, stronger and healthier."

"Go ahead tell me that I'm not good enough, tell me I can't do it, because I will show you over and over again that I CAN!"

"I will NOT starve for this, but I will work hard for this. It may take longer doing it the healthy and right way. But it will last longer this way. It will be better. And I will be happy. Happy and Beautiful."

"You've always been beautiful. Now you're just deciding to be healthier, fitter, faster and stronger. Remember that."

"No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress you are still way ahead of everyone who isn't trying."

Love Always,

xo Noelle