#proteinpack

First off, f*** that saying.

Nothing is worse than food shaming. Nothing. If you are out to dinner with a friend and she wants the fried chicken sandwich and a large coke while you want a veggie burger hold the mayo, that’s your own choice. If you feel like eating a can of chocolate frosting- hold the cake-, you’re totally in your right to do so! Which is why we need to delete that mentality. If you guys haven’t figured out, I hate cooking. And healthy foods without a side of carbs and oil. However I also love being incredibly active, from going to the gym for hours or jogging to the beach with my friend, and anything that allows me to wear workout clothes and Nikes is where I want to be. This makes for a difficult battle between myself, society, and the cupcake staring at me with the *perfect* swirl of cream-cheese frosting on top. 

So what’s a girl to do? To begin with you will never catch me food shaming, not now, not ever. My entire existence is food shaming from my parents who are just about D O N E with my constant teenage-boy-starvation level, raised eyebrows when I put away a pizza and then say “I need a brownie, dude”, and confusion why I work out as hard as I do and then eat half of China. “There’s just no winning!” I always respond, and keep doing & eating what I want. 

However there is a point where it’s just necessary to put a vitamin in your body. Believe it or not- I have a recipe for you. Not a real recipe but SOMETHING that I can put together and therefore you can too because I have wooden spoons for hands and a lack of mother-like nature. Post 9am circuit class today I decided to balance out the stir-fry, fro-yo, and half a can of Pringles I put away last night by creating my perfect salad. All of it is from Whole Foods, but Jewel will work just fine. 

Here’s what you’ll need: 

1 cup of kale

1 cup of spinach

1 cup of mixed greens 

Small handful of dried cranberries 

Small handful of candied walnuts (or salted ones work too!)

TINY bit of blue cheese or goat cheese

Shredded carrots

Crumbled up raw broccoli and cauliflower 

Tiny bit of cooked quinoa 

Half cup of tofu squares

Literally throw it all in a bowl and toss with balsamic (not dressing, pure balsamic) and then enjoy while it’s still cold! If you’re feeling *fancy* you can sear the tofu chunks with some kind of asian-inspired cooking oil or dressing, or more balsamic mixed with a little olive oil! WOO YOU JUST COOKED A SALAD! Made a salad? Tossed a - nope. 

And because a salad is *not* enough, add a side of guac & baked tortilla chips for avocado and crunch! While this salad wasn’t pizza or tacos and certainly did not provide a food high, it was delicious and fresh and I don’t feel weighed down by calories. But when I go to the Goddess & The Baker to do homework later, there’s a STRONG chance I’ll be caving for a cookie. Those chocolate hunks just MELT ME. 

Until next time, Happy Eating!