Hey friends! Today is day two of Kasey and I’s #plantPOWER challenge.
The theme for October 2 is red and we’ve seen a bunch of beautiful red-hued recipes, meals, and snacks already. Keep it up, belles and beaus! I actually kind of kicked off the red theme last night when my friend Raquel and I made dinner at her house.
Excuse the crappy phone camera picture! I can assure you it was a delicious dinner. We made roasted spaghetti squash rubbed in olive oil and garlic, and served it with Seeds of Change tomato sauce. I added a bunch of nutritional yeast to the sauce for some extra protein and B vitamins; it also gave the sauce a nice “aurora” flavor. We topped the spaghetti squash aurora with Kalamata olives and served it with a side of garlic-roasted asparagus. We’re big garlic lovers!
Workout
This morning’s workout was all about toning and burning! I did back-to-back arm workouts, starting with this awesome Bar Method-inspired routine from Sarah Fit. I loved it – my triceps were on fire! Next, I completed the Summer Arms routine from the Tone It Up Beach Babe DVD. Once my arms were sufficiently jello-like, I zenned out to two of Tara Stiles’ Livestrong Woman videos: Intense Cardio Yoga Part 1 and a Harcore Flow Routine. The entire workout took just under 40 minutes and I felt so strong afterwards!
Snack
Mid- morning, between patient phone calls, I snacked on a red Cherry Cashew Pure Bar. I’m not usually a fan of tart fruits like cherries but the tartness is so subtle, and the cashews and walnuts sort of mellow out the intense flavor from the cherries. It was heavenly.
Pure bars are one of very few organic convenience bars that tide me over. J’adore!
Lunch
Okay, let’s talk about lunch. It was something to write home about, to say the least. Basically, I put a bunch of stuff into a Tupperware container and it turned into a magical creation of #plantPOWER goodness. So, the usual. 
Here is what you see above:
- Kale
- Shredded carrot
- Tomato
- Avocado
- Trader Joe’s Tomato Basil Hummus
- Nooch sauce (2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast + 2 Tbsp. water)
- Raw sunflower seeds
Overcoming Food Binges & Food Anxiety
I’ve been receiving quite a few emails over the past couple of months in regards to binge eating and how to stop. It’s not an easy process but you can do it! I believe that it is important to connect our minds and our bodies before each and every meal or snack. Watch on to see how I do it and how you can too!
Stay lovely.
Heather
P.S. – Check out Kasey’s awesome recipe featuring goji berries!
you wore red to match the challenge! you are so adorable. love you! will check out the vlog when i’m not at work. matching bar wrappers to shirts though is genius. must do.
It was accidental!
Haha! But thank you kindly, BB!
You are so inspiring.
This came at perfect time cuz I had my first binge last night!
Two ?s could u maybe post ur meals on instagram so I can like and save them or pintrest.
Could you post amounts so we know how to make a full meal?
Love ur dinner!! Thank you for inspiring me to recover. It’s really hard right now!
Aubrey, this nearly brought me to tears. I sincerely hope this helps you. YOU CAN DO THIS. You have all the strength inside of you already – just have the courage and willpower to channel it and you WILL come out on top!
I post most of my meals and some of my snacks on Instagram. Any recipes are on the blog (see my recipage) with serving sizes and, for salads, I don’t measure anything! I’ve become pretty intuitiven with what my body needs so I throw things in a bowl based on that. Veggies are unlimited in my book!
Stop being so pretty!!!! And holy cow, that salad looks amazing. Love the vlog as usual
YOU STOP BEING SO PRETTY!
I absolutely love love love the vlog message! I think it is important to create a positive relationship with food even if you are not challenged with binging. It becomes such a source of enjoyment when you actually take the time to acknowledge what good things it is doing for your body.
So true, Emily! Couldn’t agree more. Beautiful thoughts. <3
Love the Vlog as always and I’m loving the challenge today! Trying to majorly up my plant intake this month!!! Pure bars are delicious! My favorite is the chocolate!
Mmmm the chocolate brownie is phenomenal. You’re right. Now, I want it…
I haven’t watched the video yet since I’m at work, but can’t wait to watch because this is a very important subject. I just wanted to make a comment on binging from my own experience. I never had the issue until I dieted for a fitness competition. After the diet I had strong desires to binge and it was almost uncontrollable. I had to use a whole lot of mind power, which was exhausting. One of the things I learned is that my body was trying to tell me something. It was starved! Being on a diet or denying my body of vital nutrients made it have strong desires to eat as if I was famined. At that point it was important to heal myself and give my body what it needed. It took a few months of nurturing my body with lots of plant based foods and less exercising to get back to feeling normal again. Just by giving my body great food and not fearing food, my desires to binge subsided on their own. It’s not easy, but I think most of the time we have desires to binge because we lack something in our diets or we may restrict ourselves too much. It’s easier to have faith in food and have a loving relationship with it. Sounds crazy, but it’s what I experienced.
Diana, this comment is poignant and there is TRUTH oozing out of every word. AMEN, AMEN, AMEN! You hit the nail on the head. I couldn’t have said it better myself. When we have the urge to binge, it is definitely because our brains and bodies are literally starving for something they’re missing. Once we give into what our body wants (we know that it knows best), everything subsides. It really is a beautiful thing. I’m so happy to hear that you’ve overcome your binging. You’re so wise and so strong!
I love this vlog! Binge eating is still a *huge* issue for me, as I still look to food for comfort in times of stress. It does sound silly, but a spiritual approach to eating my be just what I need, so thank you for sharing
Also, I’m *loving* the challenge! I’m going to see if I can do the photo every day!
You’re so welcome, sweet girl. I’m always here for you. Try it and, every day, you will feel more fulfilled as it becomes a bit easier for you!
I absolutely adore you <3 You are wise beyond your years gorgeous girl. Love ya!
Thank you so much Krissy! I miss you like crazy too. Your blog is one of my favorites! <3
Love all the red happening in this post!
I kind of love that you are wearing red in the vlog as well:)
Can’t wait to chat tomorrow!!!
Haha – you’re adorable. That is all. Can’t wait for our chat either!
Watched your video during my lunch! I had commented with “It’s easier to have faith in food and have a loving relationship with it.” before I even watched your video
I guess that means that we both used similar healing methods.
Thanks for being a positive influence
Heather, you are SUCH a babe! And such an inspiration. I cannot help but smile when watching you! You just radiate nothing but positivity and love in this video… And the red on you? Ummmm… Amazing. I hope you know how beautiful and inspiring you truly are… And I completely agree with Krissy’s comment… You are SO wise beyond your years! Love you love you love you. And just once more… I LOVE YOU! xoxo
JENN! Oh my. Thank you so much. You’re the best, babe. Coming from you, one of the most positive people I know, this means everything to me. I love you!
Gorgeous video Heather. I am a huge believer of maintaining a spiritual relationship to our food, and I love how you offer a way to do that which is fun and works. I often bless my food, but not my body. Now I will definitely be blessing my body too as it makes sense that it is so important to harmonize the two. Thank you for making me aware of this xx
Thank you, sweet girl! I love how open you are to incorporating new tactics into your life. You’re amazing, Lolita!
super video
Thanks Daddy!
[...] going along with Kasey and Heather's #plantPOWER October challenge, we put together a list of a few staples that we always make sure we [...]