Category: Tips and Guides

Why I Eat Healthy

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Hello everyone;) Today I have a bit of a different kind of post for you. I wanted to share a little about myself, and why I eat the way that I do.

I feel like there’s a lot of speculation about healthy eating, especially among teenagers. We know that we should be eating well, but are kind of suspicious of the taste of healthy food. Whenever I order a water instead of pop at a restaurant or say no thanks to ice cream, I feel like people assume that I’m on some kind of diet or something.

The truth is, for me healthy eating isn’t a diet, it’s a lifestyle. Eating whole, healthy food makes me feel so good. I know that I’m putting things inside my body that will nourish it. I never limit the amount of food that I eat, I just eat food that is healthy, and I honestly love it.

This has definitely been a recent development, because for the past couple of years I’ve been experimenting with healthy eating and have only now really been able to make food that is both nutritious and delicious. At the beginning of my journey, I had a notion that healthy eating was all salads and carrot sticks, which is something that I think a lot of teenagers believe. My mission as a food blogger is to show you guys the amazing variety of healthy and tasty dishes that you can make, and hopefully get you to fall in love with healthy eating like I have.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that you should only eat the way that I do or that you should never eat junk food ever again, because I treat myself every once and a while too. I just want to share my passion with you and show you that healthy food is awesome;)) I hope that through my posts you learn how to cook good food and have fun doing it. Thanks for reading and be sure come back Friday for an awesome recipe!!

Yours Truly,

MyDayIsBooked;)

Why I Journal plus 10 Journaling Prompts

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Hi guys;) I’m this post I wanted to share why I journal, and I don’t mean bullet journaling. I mean sitting down and writing about how you feel and what’s going on in your life.

Journaling really helps me to know where I’m at. Releasing all of the thoughts in my head onto paper kind of organizes my mind and makes me reflect on what’s going on and what my next steps should be.

In my bullet journal I tend to do two reflections per month; one in the middle of the month and one at the end of the month. Some people journal every day or every week, but I’ve found that that’s what works for me. You should journal whenever you feel overwhelmed or you feel like you need to reflect on anything. I usually just write down whatever’s in my head at the moment, but sometimes I need a little nudge to get me started. Down below are ten journal prompts that you can use. Remember, like bullet journaling, there’s no right or wrong way to journal. Write whatever you need to, whenever you need to.

  1. How are you feeling right now? Why are you feeling this way?
  2. What could you do to make yourself feel better?
  3. What are three things that you’re grateful for in this moment?
  4. List five things that you love about yourself.
  5. Think ahead to the person you want to become in five years. If that person saw you now, what do you think they would say? What can you do right now to become that person?
  6. Make a list of the things that make you happy.
  7. In the past week, what have you done for others? What have you done for yourself? Which do you need to do more of?
  8. What can you improve on in your life right now? What are some things you’re doing right?
  9. What is something that you could do to bring you closer to your goals? Write something for today, this week, this month and this year.
  10. What’s something to look forward to in your life?

I hope that you find these prompts helpful and that you enjoy journaling. For me it’s a really helpful tool to reflect on my life. See you all next week!

Yours Truly,

MyDayIsBooked;))

Healthy Lunches 101

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Hey guys!  This is a post I’ve wanted to do ever since I started my blog, and today I was inspired to write it when I made one of my favourite lunches of all time. Packing a healthy school lunch isn’t as hard as it seems, so long as you have the right resources, and no, ‘healthy’ does not necessarily mean salads. When I first started packing my own lunches, I literally had a salad every day, and that got really boring really quickly. There’s nothing worse than when you start excitedly counting down the minutes until lunch break, but then realize you have a container full of vegetables for lunch. Of course there are some pretty good salad recipe out there, but eating one everyday is a little extreme for me. So here is my ultimate guide to packing a delicious, healthy lunch that you’ll actually look forward to.

 

1. Start with a nutritious mainimg_8750.jpg

When putting my lunch together, I typically start with my main item, usually a sandwich,  wrap or thermos full of goodness;) In the picture above, I have a chickpea and avocado salad sandwich. It’s super easy to make; just roasted chickpeas (which you can find the recipe for in my Roasted Chickpea Salad post) mashed avocado, and some green onion on sprouted grain bread. If you’re going to make a sandwich, I definitely recommend this bread instead of white bread because grains inside go through a “sprouting process” that breaks down the carbs in it, which makes it easier for your body to digest. This means that more nutrients are absorbed into your body and not lost in the digestive process. Also when making your sandwich, try to stay away from processed meats. Canned tuna, chicken breast and chickpeas are all good substitutes.

 

2. Select your sides

Include LOTS of fruits and veggies in your lunch. Some of my favourites are cucumbers, snap peas, mandarins, apples, and berries. Try to pick most of your sides from the fridge, and only one thing from the pantry, as fridge items tend to be more nutritious and contain less preservatives then those stored on a shelf. I usually choose one fruit and one veggie to accompany my main. Make sure to pack stuff that you like, so you’ll eat it and stay satisfied through the day.

 

3. Prepare a snack

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About halfway through the morning I like to fuel up on a good snack, which usually consists of a fruit or veggie and one pantry item. Up above I have an apple and some sweet potato crackers. I generally make sure that even my pantry item has no added sugar and ingredients that I can pronounce.

 

4. Take a water bottle- and put some fruit in it

If you don’t bring a water bottle to school or work, start doing it. It’s recommended that we drink at least 3 litres of water a day, and an extra litre for each hour of physical activity. Putting some fruit in your water bottle makes the water taste better, and if it tastes better you’ll want to drink it. Plus, you get some added vitamins in there too.

 

That’s it, that’s all! I’ll definitely post some healthy sandwich recipes in the next week or two, and who knows, maybe a few salad recipes will join them! To make packing a good lunch easier, try preparing it the night before, or waking up a bit earlier than usual to make sure it gets done. I hope you found this useful, and that it inspires you to create some works of lunch art!

Yours Truly, MyDayIsBooked;)

What to Do During a Book Drought

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Hello everyone! Guess what? It’s the weekend and I’m out of books to read! I’m practically dying inside! I’ve ordered a bucket load of new books on Amazon, but they’re not supposed to come until Monday. That’s, like, two whole days away! So, I’m desperately trying not to freak out while my brain is suffering from a serious case of book deprivation (yes, book reading is just as important to my brain as oxygen.). Down below I’ve comprised a list of things that you can do during a Book Drought, to keep you from going out of your mind as you wait to get your hands on a novel.

 

1. Read a Book That You’ve Already Read

Reading a book that you’ve previously read is something that you might like to do even in times when books are in abundance. I find that whenever I reread a novel, I discover something that I missed the first time, and the story takes on a different meaning. Rediscovering a book is one of the great joys of reading, and that is why it is number one on my list.

2. Read a Book That You Never thought to Read Before

Even though reading a book for the second time can be great, sometimes I’m just not in the mood. Instead, I suggest scouring the house- or even your own bookshelf, for a book that maybe you never thought that you’d read. Everyone has that one book on their shelf that they look at in disdain, and just sort of shove aside in favour of other titles. Well, it’s time to read that book! Desperate times call for desperate measures, and a Book Droughts are definitely desperate times.

3. Read Magazines, Newspapers, Anything You Can get Your hands On!

If you don’t have any books that you can devour, look around your house for magazines, newspapers, heck even flyers will work. Anything to trick your brain into novel-reading mode. And even if your mind doesn’t quite fall for this clever bit of tomfoolery, at least you’re reading something!

4. Keep Yourself Occupied

When you don’t have a good book to read, keeping yourself busy is a great way not to notice. By packing your day full of activities, you won’t have time to worry about your serious dilemma. However, this strategy only works for a few days, because after that your brain will soon succumb to the effects of book deprivation, which include drooling whenever you see a book, daydreaming over books, and, in serious cases, stealing books, which does not look good on your library record. if you know you’re going to be without books for longer than four days, try options 1, 2, or 3.

 

Well, I hope that now you’re better prepared for Book Droughts in the future. if you have any questions or suggestions about what to do during these times of crisis, let me know in the comments! May you forever have an abundance of books.

 

Yours Truly, MyDayIsBooked;)

DIY Whipped Coconut Body Butter

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Welcome to my first crafty post! Well, other than my bullet journal setups. I LOVE this body butter because it moisturizes really well, plus its super easy to make and smells amazing! It’s also a great gift for your mom or grandma if you put it in a cute little jar. If you  don’t have any coconut oil at home, I seriously suggest that you go buy some! It has many uses in baking and in homemade scrubs and lotions. Anyways, here’s what you’ll need for this amazing body butter!

What you’ll need:

  • 1 cup of coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla
  • A hand-held or stand mixer

 

Instructions:

  • Put the coconut oil in a bowl and beat on medium speed for about 1 minute, or until it looks smooth.
  • Add in the vanilla and mix for another minute.
  • Store in an airtight container and enjoy!

 

Directions for use:

Apply to skin in the shower and rinse thoroughly. If applying on face, wash with soap after to prevent oily skin.

 

It’s that simple! I hope that you like this body butter as much as I do and go buy some coconut oil! See you on Friday;))

Yours Truly, MyDayIsBooked