Bangin' Banana Bake

Today's Sips:
Coffee: 1 cup
Tea: 0

Obviously yesterday's blahs ran over into today - and are a bit worse. No tea?! There is definitely something wrong. I don't know why I'm in this funk, it should have blown over by now. I think I need to go on a fast or meditate. Something extreme to wake me up!

So I did what any other girl would do...BAKE!

I rounded up my cousin Chrissy and we rolled up our sleeves. Chrissy is my almost 30 year-old cousin who has special needs. Though she may not be able to fully understand my bad day, she is such an amazing and uplifting spirit - will lift anyone's mood! And of course, she shares my same passion for all things yummy.

This banana bake was bangin'. I say "bake," because I don't consider it a real "cake." It consisted of 1. WATER 2. WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR 3. SPLENDA BROWN SUGAR 4. APPLE SAUCE 5. BAKING POWDER & SODA 6. CINNAMON 7. NUTMEG 8. MILK 9. SALT 10. EGGS 11. WALNUTS 12. 4 RIPE BANANAS 13. VANILLA

Yes, that's right...no butter. It passed the Chrissy test, then later passed the Grandma, Aunt, & Uncle test. The consistency was a cross between a cake, brownie, and an airy bread-y deliciousness. I did not measure anything, eyeballing it makes the best bakes.

Do I think using Splenda brown sugar as a sugar alternative is OK? Honestly, no. I realize Splenda is full of altered substances that are no good for the body. Why did I use it? Because I never do. I was not in a grocery store with healthier alternatives, it was late, and I really NEEDED to bake something. I figured that since I never typically use this product, I would let it go this one time. I don't plan to use it in the future, but if I'm out of options, and in a panic bake mode, then I better have a better alternative on hand. Good lesson for today: keep better alternative ingredients on hand at ALL times. You never know when you will need them even if you hardly use them. 

This concludes my post. I refuse to post again until I'm back to my sunny-self, which should be tomorrow. Night!

Blahs, Bikes, and Goals

Today's sips:
1/2 C of Coffee
1 C of Pomegranate Green Tea

You can always tell how my day went by looking at my daily sips. Today is a blah day for many reasons. I hate negativity and complaining, but I figure it is best to get it out then keep it all in! Shall I list the blahs? I shall:

1. No electricity this morning do to a roaring, ripping thunderstorm. Had to get dressed in the dark. Traffic took over 1 and 1/2 hours to get to work in what seemed like the wrath of God. Let's just say it was really wet outside.
2. Work had me stressed due to workplace gossip and drama. So unnecessary.
3. Broke the revolving glass plate in my aunt & uncle's microwave. I was so tired that I ended up pulling out the entire glass plate along with my perfectly warmed whole grain tortilla. Cleaned up and stepped on glass.
4. I ate like a beast and didn't work out. Now I feel like a bloated blow fish.

However - there IS always a perk to a crappy day. I escaped to Whole Foods for my lunch and had a delicious salad from their salad bar. A quiet lunch by myself at Whole Foods reading a Cosmo is such a good escape. It will be a ritual I have decided. An expensive one, so I will have to make it a "Special Occasion" ritual.

Thinking about goals lately and I realize that I'm not pursuing any of them with full force. Nor am I setting too many for myself. It just seems like I'm living to get by and that's not what I want out of life - at all. I'm only getting older here folks - time to start living to work, not working to live! Not sure if this enthusiasm is due to my blah day, but I'll roll with it. One goal I have set and accomplished is starting this blog. It was so difficult to build up to, but yet so easy to do! I feel like every goal is like that. The process of getting there seems too daunting, but in the end it was easier than expected. So, enough rambling...a few goals that I will set for myself this year are:

1. Run a half marathon
2. Go on a date (this is hard for me, as I will explain in another post)
3. Get pictures on my blog and actually get followers/comments
4. Regain my passion for spontaneity
5. Meet new people - I just moved to a new city, ATL baby!
6. Regain my control and enthusiasm for my health.

I have been getting 5 hours of sleep a night for the past 4 months and this has taken its toll. My health has been put on the back burner once again and I am NOT happy about it. I move in 4 weeks which means: shorter commute (by 45 min!), more sleep, more time for working out, and life in the city.

Another plus to my blah day? I bought a bike! Yes, I tend to buy myself new, shiny things when I'm sad. What can I say? It works for me. Meet my new BFF:

Isn't she adorable? We are going places once I move to the city =D

This bike purchase is a baby step to my goal #4. Though it's a new shiny THING, it will allow me to have experiences/adventures. I find that investing money and time into experiences rather than clothes, shoes, materials...makes me so much happier! Happiness is the overall goal of all my goals. I really believe that once you radiate happiness, only then can you extend that to those around you. Starting to sound a bit cheesy - but no one is reading this blog as of yet, so I don't care (:

It is 9:30pm. I plan to browse the web some more and be asleep promptly by 10pm. Working toward goal #6!

Like a Virgin

Greetings blog world. This is my very first post on my very first blog. You can call me a virgin blogger. Though, I have been reading food blogs for quite some time now, it was only a matter of time before I started my own!

To explain the blog title, it's quite simple. I love tea, I sip it frequently, and it makes me happy. Did that just rhyme?! I won't annoy you with my poems, but I will tell you that I love to talk about food, exercise, and simple things that make me happy. I hope this blog will help me learn more about myself and create a whole new avenue of sharing food loves and more.

I don't have my camera with me right now (process of moving) but I will do my best to post eats for the day...

Breakfast: 1/2 serving of Yogi strawberry granola crisps, 1 melted banana, 1 T wheat germ, 1 splash unsweetened chocolate almond milk, cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp cocoa powder...all thrown into the remains of this...






Have I created an image in your head yet? It really didn't look pretty for a picture anyway...but twas delicious!

Grapefruit and fresh picked strawberries for snackies:



Fresh salad for lunch: Romaine, left over spinach, 1/2 cup edamame, splash of balsamic vinegar, egg whites with hot sauce and salt & pepper.

Dinner: Went out with the fam to a country buffet. I know...a health nut's nightmare. This buffet actually had some fresh and tasty options. My salad consisted of iceberg lettuce (no nutrition, but whatever), cottage cheese, beets, mushrooms, tomatoes, little bit of olives, kidney beans, cucumber, carrots, and the kitchen sink. No dressing! I'm not crazy about dressing as it is, and if I have cottage cheese in my salad then I really don't need anything else to mix it up with!
1 cup diced cantaloupe for dessert:


Oh...and I must not forget the most exciting time of day: Coffee time! I have at least 2 cups a day and always with 1/4 cup of light vanilla soy milk and stevia. Coffee is really my weakness. Of course, I love my tea time too...but that goes without saying given my blog name and all.


Daily Sips:
Coffee: 2 cups
Tea: 1 cup Green, 1 cup White, 1 cup Peppermint

Workout today: 25 min of HIIT. Total body resistance training. Dumbells, squats, crunches, pilates moves, for 30 minutes.

What a relaxing and productive Saturday. Productive only because I started my new blog!