Love People to Life

healthylivingforyou:

fitvillains:

Protein packed Banana Bran Muffins!

About to go in the oven, should be delicious as usual. Will post the recipe in a bit! They’re a great pre-workout snack & full of fiber.

The plan: Freeze and make them ‘grab & go’. They taste best fresh & warm, but if you freeze them right away they retain moisture & flavor when thawed. Separating them in 2’s, and they should last the next week or so. Made extra since I’ve found that muffin thieves (a.k.a. my friends) sneak & snack more often than they’d like to admit. :)

Are you doing any baking this weekend?

Recipe can be found here.

fromgymtoslim:

chasefear:

“Ahhh…” Satisfaction (sat-is-fak-shuhn); who doesn’t love that wonderful feeling after a good, healthy meal? Below are some key pieces of advice on keeping you satisfied, both faster and longer.

1.) Fiber: Foods that are full of fiber fill you up with fewer calories. Fiber is found in complex carbs that come from whole grain products such as bread, pasta, cereal, etc. Fiber is also found in many fruits and vegetables. Avoid simple carbs (refined flour) such as candy, soda, and other junk food.

2.) Fruits and veggies: Not only are fruits and veggies loaded with fiber, but they are also loaded with good ole’ H2O. Eat your water; hydration never tasted this good! Have the mid-morning/afternoon munchies? Grab an apple, orange, etc. to keep your hunger at bay until your next meal.

3.) Lean protein: Protein is ranked high amongst the foods that help keep you feeling satisfied for a longer time frame. Protein doesn’t have to come from lean meats such as chicken, fish, or turkey. Protein can also come from eggs, fat-free Greek yogurt, and beans. Change things up and you’ll never get bored with healthy eating!

4.) Good fats: We need fat for survival (insulation/nutrient absorption) and people are often afraid of the word “fat” when it comes to food choices for obvious reasons. There are such things as good fats, as long as the fats are monounsaturated or polyunsaturated. Foods that contain healthy fats include almonds, avocados, olive oil, etc. Stick to the serving sizes! Although healthy, they are high in calories. Avoid foods high in saturated/trans fats!

5.) Drink water: Some people have a lot of trouble recognizing the difference between hunger pangs and thirst (dehydration). If you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. Try drinking a glass of cold water and if the pang still persists, enjoy a well-balanced meal or healthy snack! And if it’s gone, now you’re hydrated and you’ve boosted your metabolism. WARNING: Refrain from drinking empty calories!

6.) Start smart: Begin your meal with a broth based soup or veggie salad with low fat dressing. Doing this will cause your belly to feel satisfied much sooner when you are served the main course, lessening the chance of binging/over-eating. These 2 food choices allow you to eat in bulk without adding a lot of extra calories to your day.

7.) Smaller plate: In a society filled with super-size-deluxe-have-it-all food options served on what can be considered family-sized serving dishes, it’s easy to become astray in sensible portioning. Try eating off/out of smaller dishes. You’ll subconsciously trick yourself into thinking you’re eating more. Dig in! Now you can clean your entire plate and feel satisfied (not stuffed) at the same time.

8.) Eat breakfast: It’s never a good idea to skip a meal, especially breakfast! Your chances of binging later on in the day will increase dramatically. Keeping your meals spread out evenly during the day will keep you feeling full, focused, and energized. Your metabolism will also work more efficiently if you stick to a normal eating schedule. Pressed for time? Hate breakfast? NO MORE EXCUSES!

9.) Eat slow: Put the brakes on fast eating. This isn’t a pie eating contest. This is time for you to enjoy every morsel of your meal. Use all of your senses while eating. It takes approximately 20 minutes for the stomach to send signals to the brain that it’s full. Take smaller bites, put the utensil down, chew slowly, and you won’t feel that uncomfortable I’M-GOING-TO-BURST feeling ever again.

This is what I needed!

(via yogi-health)

What a beautiful story of a Father’s love for us. 

What is it to be chosen? To be taken? To be the beloved and blessed of the Lord?

It is breaking free of self-rejection.

It is accepting the truth of who we are. Claiming the belovedness that we are. 

Being a child of God means that we are chosen, called, loved, and blessed by Him. He doesn’t just choose us, but he chooses to love, to bless, to provide, and to satisfy His children. This calling to us is not to be taken lightly, but to be seen as the beauty and glory that it really is. God entrusting us enough to bestow His own glory upon us to show it and represent Him to the world. 

We are His representatives. 

He chose us.

What more beauty, glory, and trust is there.

And, what does He get in return?

Self-rejection, fear, despair, loneliness, insecurities.

God’s calling upon our lives is a calling to let go of our weaknesses and accept His strength. To let go of our fear and accept His guidance. To let go of our self-rejection and accept His belovedness. To let go of loneliness and accept His loving presence. 

When we accept that we are chosen, we are being seen by a special person. We have been noticed for our uniqueness and are being desired to be closer and known more intimately than ever before. The God of the universe chooses us just in this way. But not only does He choose us, he first designs us to reflect His glory then prides in our beauty. He then bestows His belovedness and grace upon us. Something that radically changes us. 

Being His beloved. Partaking in His grace.

This is the beauty of the chosen.

This is how His glory radiates through us. 

“To be chosen as the Beloved of God is something radically different. It is not a competitive, but a compassionate choice.”

How do we fully accept this belovedness that God chooses to bestow upon us?

Break free of our own self-rejection.

The feelings of self-rejection must be named for what they are. Not from God. And, not about us. As strong as the feelings may be, they are not telling the truth about who we are. The truth, even though not felt all the time, is that we are chosen children of God, precious in His eyes, called the beloved for eternity and held safe in an everlasting embrace.

We have been chosen.

You are not an accident or a mistake, but a divine choice and design of God. 

Only when we break through our self-rejection and have claimed our own place and part of God’s love can we experience His all embracing, non-comparing love and feel truly safe.

This is the place of peace.

This is the home of the Beloved, the Beauty of God, the Chosen.