4 Steps To Controlling Your Period Cravings!

When that lovely time of the month comes, and mother nature lands the 5-7 days of death on me... my daily healthy eating habits fly out the window, and I say HELLO TO ALL THE CHOCOLATE I CAN GET MY HANDS ON!

As you know, I eat really healthy on a daily basis packing in the protein and getting a balanced diet of fruit and veggies.

BUT when the 5-7 days of deadly pain come, my cravings go out of control. 

I kid you not, a few months ago I remember eating:

A chocolate brownie with raw doughboy chocolate chip cookie dough on top, crumbled Oreos sprinkled on top of that, a side of chocolate fudge Ben and Jerry's ice cream topped with caramel sauce... for lunch. I won't even mention what I had for dinner!

Needless to say, during that time of the month our hormones go out of control we kick the words "fruit, veggies and salad" out of our dictionaries for a few days.

SO, I've decided to do a bit of research to see if there are any ways to CONTROL OUR CRAVINGS!

Here's what I found :)

1.) Drink Water First

If you CAN'T live with out chocolate everything like me, drink an ENTIRE glass of water before you eat it. Drinking water will not only hydrate you, it will also fill you up a bit so that you won't consume as many sweets as you would have otherwise.

2.) Exercise! 

Girls Girls Girls... you don't have to tell me about your cramps. I am the QUEEN of cramps, my grandma had really bad cramps, my mom had really bad cramps, and now I have REALLY BAD CRAMPS. It's hereditary, but I'll live. So trust me when I say I know what it feels like to not want to exercise on your period. 

BUT, I also know that if you pull yourself together and do even a mini-workout it will cause your body to not crave the sweets as much! Even a brisk jog around your neighbor hood will do the trick :)

Staying active during your period will undoubtably curve the cravings!

3.) Fill yourself up with other foods!

Obviously you won't JUST be eating chocolate for 5-7 days straight, so for your other meals eat a bit more (especially since you're more hungry than usual) to fill you up. This will leave less space for the unhealthy foods that you would normally be craving!

4.) Substitute out the sweets!

Yes, I know you naturally crave chocolate as your "go-to" sweets, but try substituting out a healthier sweet!

Try eating:

• Chocolate covered strawberries
• Nutella and bananas on whole wheat toast
• Apples dipped in a bit of caramel
• Sorbet or Frozen yogurt instead of Ice Cream

Don't give up, don't give in!!! 

If you even try just ONE of these 4 steps, that will be better than before! Baby steps :)

Remember, if you're eating healthy the other 24 days of the month, those 5-7 days won't kill you :)

Xox Brittany,

For all my followers with any Nut, or Gluten Allergies!

I just received a wonderful question from a follower who was allergic to nuts, which inspired me to do a bit of research to find some healthy and delicious food substitutes! 

If you have a Nut or Gluten allergy, eating healthy (or eating at all) sometimes can be a bit more challenging.

However, it is NOT impossible.

When it comes to Peanut Butter, there are a wide variety of brands that specialize in making peanut butter sensitive to your needs!

All of these pictured above are:

Peanut Free, Tree Nut Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Soy Free  
Kosher

There is even CHUNKY (nut free) Peanut butter! 

I went a bit further than just peanut butter, and found Nut Free, egg free, and tree nut free CUPCAKES! (Not gluten free though)

Sweet Alexis Chocolate Cupcakes are always peanut free, tree nut free, dairy free and egg free! Enjoy the delicious chocolate cupcakes with icing on the side for your next allergy friendly event.

Check out the website if you have allergies, are looking to try out the Vegan life, or just want a healthy substitute to your favorite sweets!

Peanut Free Planet

SHARE this with your followers, you might just really make someones day a whole lot easier :)

Xox Brittany,

The Fitspirational Blonde

Lunch- Making a healthy change

Starting off the week on a healthy food with a fabulous Vegetarian Fitspirational Lunch!!

Think you can’t eat a grilled cheese sandwich and fries without eating unhealthy fried foods? WRONG!

This meal contains protein, fiber, calcium, iron and WONDERFUL nutritious ingredients! I made this AT HOME in less than 10 mins. he healthiest “fast food” you can imagine.

What you see:

1. Toasted Cheddar and Avocado grilled cheese sandwich on oatnut bread, with a bit of butternut squash aioli sauce 
2. Side Ceazar salad
3. Sweet Potato fries (BAKED not fried) *Note- Did you know Sweet potatoes are ranked one of the highest nutritional vegetable on the planet? This is because of their high protein and vitamin content!
4. Glass of water

Eating healthy does NOT have to be boring! Get creative, have FUN in the kitchen finding new wonderful ways to incorporate health into your meals! 

I made this meal healthy by:

• Using Oatnut bread instead of starchy white bread
• Having baked sweet potato fries instead of normal greasy fried french fries
• Adding a salad
• Having water instead of soda

APPLY what you just read to YOUR life. Today when you make your next meal, stop and think what you can do to make it healthier!

Xox Brittany,

The Fitspirational Blonde

Acne- Natural (at home) Skin Clearing Remedies

If you struggle with acne, you're not alone!

There are MANY different types and reasons you may have it.

Top 3 reasons you have acne:

1. You're not taking care of your skin and your face is dirty which causes your pours to clog up.
2. It's hereditary, meaning one or both of your parents had it and passed it on to you.
3. You're eating unhealthy sugary and salty foods that directly lead to your face breaking out.

For reason 1: Make your own anti-acne face mask.

Some face masks, usually left on your skin for around 30 minutes, might contain compounds that soothe your skin and kill bacteria. Here are some common formulas that people like to use:

• Olive oil. Apply one tablespoon to your face, let sit, and pat off with a towel.
• Cucumber and oatmeal. Mix in a blender until you get a consistency you like, then apply to your skin. (You could even do the little cucumber slices over your eyes, too!)
• Honey. Rub a light layer of honey into your skin, and let it sit for 30 minutes. Rinse off with warm water.
• Egg whites. Separate the yolks out of one or two eggs, beat the whites a bit, and apply to your face. You should feel your pores tighten up.

For Reason 2: See your dermatologist.

If you've tried washing your face and know you keep it clean, then it is most likely hereditary! It is your best bet to head straight to your dermatologist. A majority of the people who inherit bad acne will need to take an oral contraceptive (meaning medicine that you take by mouth.) External washes may work for a while but are not a permanent solution.

For Reason 3: Start eating healthy!!

If you're reading my blog, you should already be eating healthy anyway! If you're not, don't get discouraged, it's never too late to start. If you pack in a LOT of water with a plethura of fruits and veggies, I bet you'll begin to see clear skin in no time.

Xox Brittany,

The Fitspirational Blonde

5 steps to get UN-addicted to sugar!

We crave sugar because we are looking for energy.

You may not eating enough which leads to having intense sugar highs followed by crashes, followed by wanting more sugar and then crashing again. Your body is continuously craving sugar and seems to never get enough.

How to fix this?

Eat more often. As I'm ALWAYS telling you, carry snack with you!

Snack Ideas:

• Carrot Sticks
• Pita and hummus
• Fruit (raspberries, blue berries etc)
• Peanut butter and celery
• Low-Cal popcorn (meaning not drenched with butter)

If you love sugar, then you love the way it makes you feel while you're eating it... but NOT the way it makes you feel afterwords. 

How can you tell that you're addicted to sugar?

Try going just 2 days without it. Can't do that, then chances are there's a high probability that you're addicted!

Fitspirational steps to take if you're a sugar addict: (YES THIS IS A REAL ADDICTION)

1. DON'T DROP SUGAR ALL AT ONCE. This is setting yourself up for FAILURE. You will not, and I REPEAT- WILL NOT be able to drop sugar in one day, or maybe even one week. It is a slow process and takes time and dedication, but it will ABSOLUTELY BE WORTH IT once you're off of it completely. Sugar turns into FAT.
2. Slowly ween yourself off of sugar by replacing it with healthier natural sugars. For example, apples have a very high natural sugar. Every time you crave a chocolate, eat a few apple slices :) Add some Peanut Butter too for some extra flavor in there.
3. Drink a LOT of water. A lot of the time when you're feeling like you need a sugar high, it is actually your body telling you that you're dehydrated. Drink 3 glasses, wait 1/2 hour and see if you still want it. (PMSing doesn't count. If you're PMSing and you are craving a chocolate... EAT THE CHOCOLATE- Coming from a girl with INTENSE cravings during that lovely monthly gift from mother nature)
4. Cut down the sweets in your drinks! There is SO much sugar in the drinks that we intake, that a huge percentage of our daily sugar comes from drinking. FACT: did you know mountain dew has 19 TEASPOONS OF SUGAR IN ONE SERVING?!?!?!?!! How is that even legal? I did an entire presentation on this in my Spanish class and everyone was SHOCKED.
5. Exercise! This may sound crazy, but exercising really will help you beat a sugar addiction. There is something about exercise and endorphin that makes you want to eat better and takes your mind off of cravings. 

I've given you the tools, now it's your turn to take them into your hands and apply them.

A majority of America has no idea what it feels like to feel their full bodies potential.

Don't be a part of that majority. Get UN-addicted with me NOW!

Xox Brittany,

The Fitspirational Blonde

Fit and FABULOUS Crepes!

Crepes are one of my FAVORITE morning foods in the universe, so I decided to come up with a healthy way of making them!
By using egg WHITES instead of the whole egg, skim milk rather than whole milk NO added sugar,  and NO added salt these are a bit better for you than your typical crepe :)
They're really easy and are a great substitute for your typical sugary morning cereal.

What you need:

• 2 Eggs 
• 1 tablespoon of butter (NOT margarine)
• 1/2 cup of skim milk
• 1 cup of flour (you can use whole wheat flour to make it a bit healthier)
• Nutella!!
• Strawberries (or your favorite fruit) 

What to do:

• Whisk everything together until you get a semi-watery consistency (1/2 as thick as pancake mix would be.)
• Preheat a pan and LIGHTLY spray with olive oil
• *This is IMPORTANT* Pour your mix onto the MIDDLE of the pan, and before it has time to thicken by the heat, spread it around by turning your pan in a circular motion. This spreads your mix into a thin crepe circle!
• Flip when lightly brown

Then spread some Nutella down the middle, cover with fresh cut strawberries and EAT!!
If you make too many, you can even put them in the fridge and save for the next few days :) All you have to do is Re-Heat them!
This is what our "Brunch" ended up looking like today:

I added my Quick 3 Minute Italian Salad to get some extra veggies in there and some delicious pineapple mango juice to go along with it.
Fabulous, easy AND healthy!
Xox Brittany,
The Fitspirational Blonde

Vegetarian Artichoke Adventures!

Did you know that Artichokes are one of the WORLD'S most healthiest foods? 

YES! But Why?

• REALLY high in anti-oxidents 
• Cancer fighting properties
• Really good for the liver *Also known for as a hangover treatment for you drinkers out there!*
• Reduces cholesterol
• Really high in Fiber (which helps with digestion)

If you had asked me a year ago to eat this weird flowery looking cactus shaped vegetable... I would have looked at you like you were crazy. 

Now that my taste buds are developing, I tried them for the first time about a year ago and I AM IN LOVE WITH THEM!

If you've never tried an artichoke before, I highly recommend it!

MAKE SURE YOU READ THIS BEFORE YOU TRY AND EAT ONE! They're complicated to eat, but totally worth the extra effort.

How to eat an artichoke:

After you've steamed or boiled it for 25-35 minutes begin to eat.

1. Pull off outer petals, one at a time
2. Dip white fleshy end in melted butter or sauce. Tightly grip the other end of the petal. Place in mouth, dip side down, and pull through teeth to remove soft, pulpy, delicious portion of the petal. Discard remaining petal.
3. With a knife or spoon, scrape out and discard the inedible fuzzy part (called the "choke") covering the artichoke heart. The remaining bottom of the artichoke is the heart. Cut into pieces and dip into sauce to eat.
4. I dip mine in a home made garlic sauce that I make myself with FRESH garlic. This not only adds to the flavors of the artichoke, it adds another entire health benefit from the fresh garlic!

It's a brand new year, try something brand new!!

Xox Brittany,

The Fitspirational Blonde