Welcome to the Blog! I am SO excited to get this site up and running. I decided to start this blog as another outlet to share my eats and keep myself accountable, while hopefully inspiring others to really think about their eating and lifestyle habits.

Around this time last year, I decided to stop worrying about the calorie-counting and point-tracking, and I joined the Tone It Up Nutrition Plan. I know, joining a nutrition plan sounds even worse than calorie-counting- but this one is different! I didn’t have to worry about counting anything! And better yet, I didn’t have to follow a day-by-day plan for all of my meals (although it was available if I wanted to do so). It was really up to me to educate myself on the science behind what and how to feed my body. And though I did not know at the time, this became a lifestyle change for me. Now, one year later, I am still at it. Not necessarily sticking to the TIU plan (although they just came out with a challenge on January 1st with so many great looking recipes), but sticking with my philosophy that it’s all about knowing what to feed your body. And most importantly, how to balance life with it.

Here’s a few things that I have learned along the way:

• Eat 5 meals a day (breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner). This cuts out most cravings and desperate hunger. No longer do I find myself sitting at my desk craving the chips from the vending machine.
• Plan, Plan, Plan! Every weekend, I sit down and plan my meals for the week. And then on Sunday, I prep most of my meals, which takes out all of the guess-work and excuses.
• Embrace the balance. I no longer worry about those nights where I reach for the piece of bread, or order my fave (not-so-healthy) dish at a restaurant. It makes me happy, so why not? As long as I know this isn’t an every-day type of occurrence, then there is no guilt at all!
• You can eat those superfoods even on a budget! I am a few years out of college, so I can by no means afford all of those fancy, organic foods (hello, Whole Foods!). BUT, you can splurge on one of them each week, so you don’t break the bank on one shopping trip.
• Stay accountable. The reason I have my Instagram account and this blog. I find inspiration from the accounts I follow, as well as the comments I receive on my own posts. When I feel like people are paying attention, I find myself wanting to stick with it and show everyone who my best self is.