August Goals / July Recap

Hi friends!

How is everyone? I am still enjoying my time on vacation so here is another pre-scheduled post! Woo!

Wow, AUGUST already? Imagine that. I love August here in Michigan. This marks the start of my favorite season it’s called “AUG.-OCT., the most beautiful time in Michigan” I think that’s a good name.

July Goal Recap:

• At least 1 hour of exercise 5 days a week. This can include nature walks, runs, gym time, biking, and Zumba. I NEED this hour everyday to lower my stress. I did the best I could.
• Use up my Zumba punch card at the dance studio. I bought a 10-class punch card in January and have only gone once. Mainly because the classes are all at night. Expires in August! I only used it twice, whoops! I think I am going to try to use it after it expires on the fifth. I might even slide a 1 in before the 5 on “Aug. 5th” if you know what I mean..
• Make time for family and friends. Check!
• Attempted to be more organized. Like paying bills on time, keeping my room clean, keeping up on laundry, filing important papers. Ehhh, check?
• Apply for Fall classes! Check!
• Roller blade on the new bike path by my house (repeat daily, I ❤ roller blading). Fail.
• Stay away from processed junk like oreo’s and nutter butter’s. Not worth the belly ache! Check!
• Limit fried foods to maybe once every 2 weeks. Yes, this included my favorite roll (sweet potato roll) at the sushi joint. Check! I’ve been eating a lot more salads and actually enjoying them!

August Goals:

• Reeelax.
• Read my Biology book to get a head start!
• Start studying early for fall semester.
• Go to Canada
• Celebrate my 20th Birthday on the 31st!

Did you make any goals for August!

 

Before I go…

This is what packing looks like:

Whew! That’s a lot so far and I’m not even 1/4 of the way done. It’s going to be a long day! 🙂

Have a good weekend!

Feature Friday: Vegan on Vacation

Hi guys! Happy FRIDAY! The weekend usually doesn’t excite me because it usually means being extra busy! However, I am totally excited for this weekend because I will finally be on VACATION! The boyfriend and I are taking our annual camping trip and we will be gone for 6 days! I am so excited to just relax on the lake for an entire week.

I thought it would be interesting to do this week’s Friday Feature on….

VEGAN ON VACATION!

For the past year and a half of following a vegan diet I found that I’ve had the hardest time when traveling.

Vegan eating on the road: Most people think that fast food is the only food to eat when traveling. Sure, it is convenient, but it is definitely not the only choice! If I am not prepared and need to eat something right away, I feel the best way to grab something to eat fast is at a grocery store. Pick up an apple, banana, carrots, berries, snack bars, soy yogurt, or a bottled smoothie. I also find it fun to stop at new local markets for fresher produce!

Packing a lunch isn’t just for children: I pack lunch like it’s nobody’s business. Remember last semester when I had to pack a lunch and dinner all in one day? Yeah, I’m not joking. For longer trips, pack a mini cooler! For my vacation I am packing days worth of overnight oats, potato salad, maybe some faux tuna or egg salad, bread, premade vegan desserts, chocolate, fruit, lots of veggies, tofu, cereal, and non dairy milk.

The perfect tools for a great packed lunch:

• Ice-pack
• Thermos
• Reusable bags
• Cloth
• Spoons

Salad bars are your best friend: What a great way to chow down on good food! It can be a challenge to find a good salad bar but definitely take advantage of it!

Prepare, Prepare, Prepare: In my opinion, preparation is the key to any healthy diet. Things like packing a lunch, meal planning, and bring along the right tools you need to stay on diet is very important. For me, this means packing dessert, I cannot live without chocolate! I would just be super cranky without it. Cravings are no fun to deal with on vacation.

 I am thinking about taking the Vitamix camping. I could make green smoothies out of the local produce! I think that will be fun. What do you think?

Any other great vegan/healthy tips for travel? Leave them below!

West Side Story

Whitney loves Lake Michigan

Wow I sure have seen a lot of bodies of water this summer. It is not too often I travel to the west-side of Michigan. I don’t really know anybody who lives out that way so I feel like I don’t really have a reason to go there.  We went out there for a wedding that was in Holland, which is still in the middle part of Michigan. (Up-north on the west is beautiful!) There was sooo much to see in only three days!

Friday, Scott and I hung out at the beach and did a little shopping in downtown Holland. We went to a peanut store (more like a candy store) and I found one vegan candy. The brand was called “Maple Grove Farms”. The candies were shaped like little leaves and acorns. The best part was the candy only had two ingredients; pure cane syrup & pure maple syrup! Yumm. The candies were so rich and creamy and tasted like nothing I have ever tried before.

Saturday, was the day of the wedding. The continental breakfast being served and the hotel literally had a few types of cereal, milk and a bag of bread. Not too impressed. Luckly down the road there was a cafe called “Good Earth Cafe” that served a good breakfast.

Judging by the name you would think this cafe was vegetarian friendly and they were. Lots of hummus, cheese and veggies. I didn’t see any totally vegan options for breakfast so I got an over-priced cranberry-walnut bagel toasted with organic PB.

I knew I wouldn’t have a lot of other food options on this day so I tried to get full!

After breakfast we got ready for the wedding and met up with some of Scott’s family. The weather was perfect for an outdoor ceremony.

Sunday, I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

On the way home we stopped for an Indian dinner near Grand Rapids. I wish I could remember the names of the dishes I tried because they were all so wonderful! A little spicy for my taste, but nothing I couldn’t handle!

After living off peanut butter and potatoes all weekend, I could not wait to dive into some real, whole foods. I started making this dish today when I discovered the organic broccoli I had just bought was covered in bugs. Not one bug… not five bugs…. COVERED IN BUGS. Gross!!! I understand it is organic and they do not use pesticides to kill the bugs but they should still clean the produce first! I was so disgusted I didn’t even want to eat the meal I made but you know I would anyway…

Chickpeas, fresh corn & portobello’s with pasta sauce

Today, I am relaxing by reading though everybody’s latest posts and sorting though some photo’s. I have no idea what I am going to do for my birthday tomorrow. I still need to make a cake!