Friday Faves: Hydroflask

This post is long overdue. If you know me well, you know that my Hydroflask water bottle and I have become one over the past year and a half we’ve been together. In its 40-ounces of glory, it can be found with me at all times. It has become an extension of me, if you will.

Why do I love my Hydroflask, you ask? And how does this relate to my blog (besides the fact that it’s just something I love)? Here are a few things you should know:

Healthier Than Takeout Beef + Broccoli

One thing I’m really good (bad?) at is hoarding food in my freezer and cabinets. This may be due to the fact that I don’t have a car so I don’t ever know the next time I’ll make it to the grocery store, or just because I think I need a lot more “kitchen staples” than I probably do. Whatever the reason, my hoarding habit came in handy when I was craving takeout but wanted to use ingredients I already had. I had the beef and broccoli in the freezer, and quinoa is one of the things I try to keep on hand at all times. This dinner came together in about 30 minutes and made a little bit more than four servings, which means I have dinner for the rest of the week. Double score. Are you sold yet? Try it yourself.

Gluten + Dairy Free: Week 3 (ish?)

I believe it’s week four of going completely gluten- and dairy-free. With the craziness of finals and also working a bit more than usual, I didn’t get around to detailing everything I ate last week. If you want to see what I’ve eaten in the past, check out Week 1 and Week 2. Most things stayed the same. Lots of veggies, fruit, and meat.

Way more people than I thought have been following me on this journey. I’m so grateful for all the support from friends and family through this all. Many people have been asking me how I’m feeling and how it’s going. So here are my honest, unfiltered thoughts.

Everything I Ate In NYC

This post has been a long time coming. I went to New York City last month for the FIRST TIME EVER. A few years ago, when I was interested in magazine writing, I had this dream of moving out to New York and working for a super cool publication like Bon Appétit or Food Network Magazine. My professional goals have shifted since then, but my fascination with New York City has remained constant.

My friend Emily and I went to NYC for “the best food festival-conference hybrid you’ll ever experience”. Brainfood was put on by Spoon University, an organization I’ve been involved with since my freshman year at Iowa. Spoon University is essentially an online magazine written by college students, for college students. Emily and I are, respectively, the editorial and marketing directors of the University of Iowa chapter. Brainfood was an all-day event consisting of speakers (think: Alton Brown + Hannah Hart), networking with professionals in the food industry, and tons of free samples.

Gluten + Dairy Free: Week 2

Alright fam, it’s week two of not eating gluten or dairy. Last week was difficult but definitely manageable. I started to feel a little bit better and noticed my acne clearing up. This week? Not as smooth-sailing. Between Thanksgiving with my family and a Friendsgiving with some pals, I’ve definitely seen a difference in how I’m feeling. Read on to see everything that I’ve eaten this week.

Gluten + Dairy Free: Week 1

For those of you that follow along with me on Instagram, you know that I’m making a huge change to my diet for the next six weeks. (For those of you that don’t follow along with me on Instagram, you should. Find it here.)

I’ve been pretty vocal about my digestive issues on the blog, but just to recap, here’s what’s up. About a year ago, I went to the doctor about some persistent stomach pains after eating. After a simple blood test, they discovered that my body was low on amylase (the enzyme that breaks down carbohydrates), so they suggested that I cut back on carbohydrates. Fast forward a year later, and a few things have changed.

For one, over the last six months I’ve been trying to incorporate more whole grains like oats and quinoa. I’ve also added higher carb foods like bananas and potatoes. I mostly just shifted from intentionally eating low-carb everything to eating real foods with as few preservatives/junk/added sugar as possible. I also have loosened up on taking extra precautions while eating out because come on, this girl’s gotta live a little. My stomach pain hasn’t gone away, but I have found that avoiding certain foods makes it better.

Another thing I’ve struggled with since coming to college is cystic acne. In high school, I rarely ever broke out. I would get a few whiteheads here and there, but never a full blown colony of painful, under-the-skin zits. I’ve tried cleanser after cleanser and apply prescription cream religiously every morning and night, but nothing seems to cure my problem. It HAS to be coming from the inside.

After some research, I’ve learned that two of the biggest food intolerances are gluten and dairy, and they often go unrecognized. So I’ve decided to challenge myself and completely cut out gluten and dairy for the next six weeks to see if any of my symptoms subside. After six weeks, I plan to reevaluate and see what’s working and slowly add certain foods back in. I recognize that I am not a doctor and am unfit to make a diagnosis about my digestive issues. 

I will be using my blog to hold me accountable for this change and hope you’ll follow along. I’ll be posting weekly about what I eat, how I feel, and if I’m noticing any changes. If you have any expertise to offer, please do so in the comments at the end of this post.

Friday Faves: The Good Bean

My favorite study snacks are ones I can easily toss in my backpack, can munch on a little at a time (which may honestly be to keep me awake), and are preferably crunchy and salty. I’ve roasted my own chickpeas in the oven before, but it’s a lot of effort and precise timing to get the right consistency down. Luckily, there’s a company called The Good Bean that does all the work for you. They make chickpea snacks, bean chips, and just released their new fava beans and peas snacks. I had the chance to try the new fava beans and peas as well as their chickpea snacks.

Every Day Is “Cheat Day”

I often have friends ask me for advice on working out and eating healthy. While I love to help them out, I have to remind them that I’ve had no professional training whatsoever and I go by both research from health experts and the things I’ve found to work for me. The other day, a friend was asking how I’m able to stay in good shape while eating whatever I want. I explained to her that I follow the 80/20 rule: 80% of what I eat is veggies, lean protein, fruit, minimally processed, and low-sugar foods. The other 20% is whatever I want. “So like you eat healthy 6 days and unhealthy 1 day?”, she asked when I was done explaining. Not exactly, and the rising popularity of “cheat days” is something that confuses me.

If you could tell your 20-year-old self one thing right now, what would it be?

One night on a whim, I decided to text all the real adults in my life  (i.e. people that have their sh*t figured out or at least appear to) whose opinions I respect the same question: If you could tell your 20-year-old self one thing right now what would it be?

I don’t exactly know what my motivation was to text all these people. I guess I wanted to pick the brains of some people that mean a lot to me and see if I can gather some wisdom that’s applicable to my current life. Many of these individuals have been through similar experiences as me, so I figured they could offer some direction and insight into my life as a 20-year-old. As the responses began to roll in, I realized that this wisdom should be shared with the world. So here are their responses:

Pesto Pasta With Veggies

One night this summer, one of my friends texted me and said, “want to make something good for dinner and maybe do some crafts?”. Now let me tell you, if there’s one sure way to my heart, it’s food. This friend DEFINITELY knew how to get me to want to hang out with her. So we made dinner (the crafting never actually happened, but does it ever?) and we decided upon this recipe from Buzzfeed Tasty. I made some tweaks to the original recipe and thought that it was so good that I wanted to share it with you all.

Seriously, I took my first bite and was in love. I will absolutely be making this again in the near future. It can easily be made ahead of time and heated up in the microwave, so it makes a great meal prep option.