Hi friends! How’s your week going? It’s been fuurrrreeeezing here in Washington, DC, which means that besides bundling up in five layers of clothing each day, I’ve been staying toasty by ensuring this happens every night.
Taking photos of the bathtub: totally normal 
Bubble baths. Ohhhh yesss. One of my favorite things in the world. Until I was forced to take showers in college (could you imagine what dorm bathtubs would be like? Eww!), I had to take a bath every day. Now, bubble baths are typically a once or twice a week luxury—with the exception of cold winter nights, which deem them a necessity.
Are you a bath person or a shower person?
I’ve also been warming by body by drinking lots of coconut milk hot chocolate, which I’m convinced is one of the tastiest winter beverages of all time.
1/3 cup full fat coconut milk/3/4 cup almond milk/3 T. cocoa powder/1 T. stevia
Add a dash or three of cinnamon, a few mini marshmallows, and you’ve got perfection in a cup.
Anyway. We were chatting about the weather. After five days of spring-like temperatures last week, Old Man Winter decided it was high time to reclaim authority in Washington DC. He reared his ugly head Monday evening—just in time for the inaugural ball.
I learned two lessons that evening: 1) never ever wear a short gown to a formal event if you plan on walking 10+ blocks in 10-something degree (F) temperatures, and 2) lace may look sexy, but it’s also itchy, and itchy isn’t sexy.
Other than those two minor snafus, I had a wonderful time dancing to the likes of Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson, and several members of the Glee cast. It was a fabulous evening!
I woke up the next morning with a slight fever and a scratchy throat, and realized that it was time to push the reset button. After enjoying a weekend of little rest and many gloriously delicious restaurant meals and sweet treats, my body was feeling a bit off.
I had no food in the house except eggs, Puffins, peanut butter and bananas, but I wasn’t in the mood for dry cereal, so I turned on the oven and got to work on a recipe I saw on Pinterest a few weeks ago.
Twenty minutes later, a warm bowl of banana bread pudding was ready for eatin’! I enjoyed an egg + egg white, cooked over-easy, on the side.
This breakfast was warm, sweet, doughy and satisfying. So good, in fact, I’ve been enjoying it for breakfast since Tuesday. It’s beginning to look like I’m entering a banana bread pudding breakfast food phase.
More than any other meal, I go through phases with breakfast. A few weeks ago, I was all about baked cinnamon bun oatmeal.
Then, I entered a yogurt bowl phase…
which was followed by a hard-cooked egg and sweet potato phase.
I’m glad I’ve snapped out of the latter, because, let’s be honest, it was borrrring.
Do you go through breakfast phases?
Banana Bread Pudding (grain-free, gluten-free, Paleo-friendly)
1 large banana, mashed (the riper, the better!)
2 egg whites (or 1 egg)
2 T. coconut flour (you could probably substitute 1/4 cup oat flour, but I haven’t tried it)
1/4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. cinnamon
several drops of liquid stevia (or sweetener of choice)
2 T. chopped walnuts (optional, but recommended!)
1. Preheat oven to 350. Mix banana with egg whites in a small bowl; set aside. In another bowl, combine coconut flour and baking powder, then slowly whisk it into the banana mixture, and blend until all ingredients are incorporated.
2. Pour batter into a small baking dish, sprinkle with walnuts, and bake for 20 minutes.
Enjoy!
Update!
It’s been over three weeks since I began bulking up my meals, so I’m long overdue to let you in on how I’m doing.
Overall, things are going well—or at least as well as they can when you’re eating larger-than-you’re-used-to amounts of food every 2-3 hours. I took a break from my plan over the weekend, which was really really nice, however I found that eating less frequently left me feeling ravenous every single hour of the day! It goes to show that my body has adapted to the new schedule, AND that eating more–and more often–has increased my metabolism. A speedier metabolism means one thing, if I want to keep making progress: I have to add even MORE food to my plate.
Case in point: this was my Fitbit’s reading two days ago—a REST day. Besides a short 20 minute stroll outside, I spent most of the day cooking, studying, and hanging out with friends.
don’t let the time confuse you–I pulled up the former days’ screen yesterday, which happened to be at 3:45 pm
I hesitated to include this image, because I’m really sensitive about comparison issues, but it offers valuable proof that no woman should fear eating well on rest days—and most definitely not on gym days. I need to exceed these numbers each day by several hundred calories, and as you can probably imagine, the tally is even higher on days I’m lifting weights in the gym.
I’d be lying if I said eating 2600 + calories is easy, because it’s not. As I’ve mentioned before, I am full ALL the time. However, I’m also physically satisfied, which is emotionally satisfying as well.
That said, watching the scale creep up is both exciting and,—during vulnerable moments— terrifying. I’ve gained four pounds since the end of December, which is the rate I’m shooting for, and I feel it. I feel stronger; I feel empowered; I feel proud; but I also feel a bit…err, puffy. A little water retention is expected during a “bulk,” so I’m doing my best to embrace my bigger belly, but I’m not sure it’s ever possible to enjoy bloat.
Some days I fall short, and some days I want to throw in the towel. However I know I’m doing the right thing for MY body and health right NOW, which makes the journey 110% worth it.
You are FREE to be anything, do anything or try anything. Who do YOU want to be?
Celebrate the you of now, but remember that your dreams and goals TRULY ARE within your reach. Don’t be afraid to take that first step.
<3
Hugs!
I want to know…
Do you go through breakfast (or any other meal) phases? If so, what are you loving right now?
Baths or showers?
What’s your favorite warm winter beverage?
What are YOUR current goals?
