How To Get A Spring Break Body

Spring Break. Those two words alone are great. Juxtaposed together, they create something magical.

One of the first things I think about when I think of spring break is the beach, probably because that’s where most people go for spring break. Whether or not you’re going to the beach, it’s (finally!) time to start thinking about summer and swimsuits!

I want to feel confident in my swimsuit (you probably do too!). A great way to feel confident is to feel healthy and strong. I feel healthy when I eat well and exercise! Eating whole, plant-based foods + exercising often = the keys to health, happiness, and AWESOMENESS.

So, my advice to you as you prepare for what will be the best spring break EVER:

1. Throw those potato chips in your lap out the window.

Or in the trash. Or flush them down the toilet. It really doesn’t matter HOW you dispose of them as long as you get rid of them! But seriously, cut the processed crap outta your diet. The excess sodium in processed foods, especially chips, causes bloating. And I don’t think you want to look like THIS on Spring Break. Choose yummy and healthy snacks instead of icky junk food that never expires. Great healthy snacks are fruit, veggies and hummus,  homemade trail mix, energy bites, veggie chips, and homemade potato chips like these! Your body will thank you if you swap the junk for whole foods! Cut the crap, and get a six-pack!*

*Well, you need to do ab workouts to get a six-pack, but eating “clean” will definitely help you get a flatter tummy and a six-pack sooner!

Speaking of ab workouts…

2. BUST A MOVE!

Work out to rock out! Exercising releases endorphins, so you always feel better after you exercise. It also leads to a chiseled body.

Feel motivated? Well, if you’re just not motivated to work out at all, remember…

SO put on some workout clothes and then you might feel ready to work it out!

Below are a few ab workouts that I’ve been doing for a month or two. I typically do two or three of these every other day. I’ve noticed drastic results since I started doing the ab workouts from these videos! Now I can see my abs, which I am super happy about!  If you want defined ab muscles, you’ve clicked on the right link! These videos are short and sweet. They range from five minutes to ten minutes long, so they only take up .0069% of your day! They’re fun to do because the trainer, Rebecca Louise from X HIIT, is fun and encouraging. She makes you want to do the workout. She makes you WORK HARD to GET RESULTS. You feel really proud of yourself when you finish the workout, too! So try one or three and see how it goes! Let me know if you try them and if you like them!

And for some extra fun, here are three awesome booty workouts!

Have a great spring break! I hope these workouts help you feel strong and confident for spring break and beyond!

Happy Friday!

XX Ellie

P.S.-  The pictures in this post are from Pinterest.

This post is part of Spring Break V, a collaboration among vegan and veg-friendly bloggers. Follow along on social media at #SpringBreakV. Want to learn more or become a contributor? Find out more here.

Chewy Chocolate Cookies

Chocolate-y.

Chewy.

Sweet.

Is your mouth watering yet? If not, here’s a picture.

Still not convinced? What if I told you these cookies were…

Gluten-free.

Sugar-free.

Vegan.

Paleo.

AND had only 3 ingredients!?

Yeah, that’s what I’m talking’ about!

 

These cookies are the perfect pick-me-up snack, sweet treat after a meal, and on-the-go breakfast. They’re great for a SPRING BREAK road trip, since they’re easy to make and easily transportable! Make ’em and pop them in the oven while you pack the car. They’ll be done by the time you’re ready to go, so you’ll have warm cookies to eat in the car on the first leg of your road trip!

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

makes a dozen

• 1 banana
• 3 tablespoons dark chocolate peanut butter (a tablespoon of cocoa powder and 3 tablespoons of peanut butter would probably work if you don’t have a chocolate peanut butter spread)
• 1 cup oats
• chocolate chips, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Process the banana and peanut butter in a food processor. If you don’y have a food processor, you can mash up the banana and peanut butter together. Stir in the oats.  Form into the dough into balls with a cookie scoop. Press down the balls so they are flatter. Bake for 12 minutes, or until the cookies are soft and chewy! Let cool, and enjoy!

Have a wonderful day!

xx Ellie

This post is part of Spring Break V, a collaboration among vegan and veg-friendly bloggers. Follow along on social media at #SpringBreakV. Want to learn more or become a contributor? Find out more here.

Samoas + My STRANGE Day

Baking soda doesn’t just help baked goods rise. It also neutralizes acid. Want to know how I know this?

It was a typical Tuesday morning (well except for the fact that it was St. Patrick’s day so I was wearing green and orange). I woke up, ate breakfast, and got ready for school like usual. I arrived in first hour with seconds to spare, like usual. In first hour, Chemistry, we did a lab, which is relatively usual.

The lab involved  Hydrochloric acid, and you can watch the first 5 minutes of this video to see what we did if you are really interested in chemistry and FIRE. The purpose of the lab was to combine the acid with zinc to create a reaction. Then we would capture the gas it released and determine its mass. We could light the collected gas on fire if we wanted, which was pretty cool.

However, near the end of the hour I looked down at my pants and noticed grayish colored spots on my bright orange pants. I first thought, “what is that?” Then I realized that I had somehow gotten acid on my pants! I had been measuring acid into a test tube, but I had no idea how it had gotten from the tube onto my pants! I told my teacher, Mr. L, that I got acid on my pants and he immediately got worried.

“Do you feel any pain in your legs? Any burning sensations?” He questioned.

“No…” I replied.

“Do you have any extra pants at school!?” he asked.

“Uh… I have gym shorts in my gym locker,” I answered, realizing that he probably wanted me to put them on. Keep in mind, it was 30-something degrees outside, so most sane people weren’t wearing shorts.

“Go as fast as you can and put them on!” He urged. So, I speed-walked to the gym lockers to put on my gym shorts, navigating through a crowd of orchestra students as I made my way. I hadn’t thought that getting acid on my pants would be a big deal, but apparently it was a big enough deal that I had to freeze in gym shorts for the rest of the day! I yanked off my pants and slid on my shorts. I bounced out of the locker room and into the hallway. There were only about 3 minutes left of class, so the hallways were pretty crowded. I had to maneuver around people who started at me and my acid pants to get back to the classroom. When I arrived, everyone was silent as Mr. L instructed me to take off my shoes and socks. “What in the world?” I thought.

Then it dawned on me: I was going to have to be sprayed off with copious amounts of water by the green chem wash station!

Mr. L instructed me to rub baking soda all over my legs. It sounds ridiculous, but the baking soda would neutralize the acid that may or may not have been on my skin. So, I massaged baking soda all over my pale, hairy legs. I couldn’t stop laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation! After my legs were covered in baking soda, Mr. L hosed down my legs with copious (Mr. L’s favorite word) amounts of water. Then I wiped myself off with scratchy brown paper towels.

My shorts got a little wet, but it was better than possibly having acid on my legs and getting acid burns (well duh).  Mr. L told me to contact my doctor if I felt any strange burning sensations. I couldn’t believe that a little acid could possibly be so harmful! Good thing it wasn’t! When my teacher finished hosing me down, he put baking soda all over my pants. We decided to leave the pants in his room so they could dry. With any luck, I’d be able to wear them again. The bell had rung a few minutes before (but after I was rinsed down so my whole class got to watch that), so I grabbed my stuff and headed out of the classroom. I thought to myself that it was a good thing I was taking team games, or I’d probably have to get hosed down in my underwear. Or Mr. Larson’s lab coat.

All I can say is, good thing I was wearing pants!

At tennis practice after school, I told my tennis buddies about my adventure to acid land. Now my tennis coach is calling me the acid queen. I brought them treats and he asked if he would hallucinate if he ate one (he didn’t). Haha.

Now I’ll change the subject to food since this is a food blog and stuff. The treats I brought to my teammates were Samoas, and they were DELICIOUS! 7 healthy, wholesome ingredients. They’re also vegan, gluten free, practically raw, and almost sugar-free! Win-win-win! The recipe is from Chocolate Covered Katie.com. I used water instead of agave nectar for the recipe because the coconut I used was sweetened. I also made them into bars because that’s a whole lot easier than cutting them into cookie shapes. Dare I say they were better than Girl Scout Cookies? They were!

Here’s a picture of them from my Instagram: 

So, my St. Patty’s day consisted of acid and Samoas. An interesting mix. It was an interesting and eventful day! I hope yours was too (in a good way)!

xx Ellie

Ps: have you ever been hosed off or had to use the eyewash machine in science class? Or, have you seen someone use it?

Caramel Nice Cream

It’s not a secret: I LOVE banana ice cream. Banana ice cream, nana ice cream, and nice cream all mean the same thing: frozen bananas blended in a blender to create a healthy-yet-delicious treat. Nana ice cream is a miracle. I’ve been eating it every day this past week because I just can’t get enough! It’s okay because it’s a healthy addiction. Riiiight??? Here is the nana ice cream I had this morning. I had to share it because it was just so delicious!

serves 1

• 2 frozen bananas
• 1-2 tablespoons nondairy milk
• 2 tablespoons white chocolate peanut butter
• 2-3 tablespoons caramel (recipe below)
• a handful of walnuts

Add the bananas, milk, and peanut butter to a high-speed blender or food processor. Blend. If using a Vitamix, start at setting 1 and increase until the mixture is blended. Use the tamper to press down and mix the bananas. Add the “nice cream” to a bowl and mix in the caramel with a spoon. Top with a sprinkle of walnuts!

Caramel

• 17 dates
• 1/3 cup almond milk
• 2 Tablespoons almond butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Blend dates in a food processor. When they’re tiny chunks, add the other ingredients. Blend and enjoy! This makes a lot of caramel, and I only used a few tablespoons on the nice cream. You can dip apples and other fruit into the rest of it, or you can make caramel apple pie!

ENJOY the glorious miracle of nana ice cream.If you’ve never made it before, RUN (not walk) to your blender and make it STAT!

xx Ellie

EXCITING NEWS- I started a club!

Hey everyone! I can’t believe that it is already March and that it’s already Friday! Hooray for the weekend! This week has been great, even though I had to take the ACT on Tuesday and some other tests at school. Why so great, you may ask? Becaaaauuuuse….

I started a club at my high school this week: VEGGIE CLUB! We’re going to meet every Thursday after school in one of the teacher’s rooms. In veggie club, members will learn that plant-based eating can be fun and delicious. The club is for anyone who likes food, especially plants! We’ll share food and recipes, we’ll have potlucks, we’ll go on restaurant outings, and we’ll learn more about healthy and plant-based eating. It’s going to be so much fun and I’m so excited!

The first meeting was yesterday and over 30 people showed up!!! It’s so exciting to see that so many people are interested in healthy eating. I made signs and posted on both Facebook and Instagram to let people know about the club. I also made chocolate cupcakes for the first meeting. They were devoured! I’m just so excited (can you tell?) that I get to help spread healthy eating with this club!

Question for you: What clubs are/ were you in when you are/ were in high school? Have you ever started a club? I’d love to know!

I hope you have a fun weekend!

xx Ellie

Peanut Butter and Jelly French Toast

I am so excited to announce that I joined the peanut butter bash!

The peanut butter bash is a group of bloggers who make and post a sweet treat of some kind involving peanut butter and a mystery ingredient on the first Thursday of  each month. Each month, the mystery ingredient is announced on the Facebook group and bloggers from all over make and post a treat involving the peanut butter combo. When I discovered this group from Miranda’s Instagram, I KNEW I had to join. I love peanut butter (as my blog name hints), so I’m always happy to have the chance to share my love of the super spread. This month’s challenge is also just so fitting! Why? Because the ingredient combination is peanut butter and jelly! Peanut Butter & Ellie makes a peanut butter & jelly-inspired treat.

I sought the internet for something unconventional I could make with peanut butter and jelly. Lo and behold, this Buzzfeed post popped up! It gave me major inspiration on how to elevate the age-old pb&j combo.

Peanut Butter and Jelly French Toast

inspired by this Buzzfeed post and this recipe

serves 1

• 2 big slices of yummy bread (such as sourdough)
• 1/3 cup nondairy milk
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 heaping tablespoons peanut butter
• 2 heaping tablespoons jelly
• strawberries, to garnish

Whisk the milk, flour, cinnamon, and vanilla together in a medium-sized bowl. Dip a piece of bread in the mixture and let it soak for a minute or two. Meanwhile, get out a skillet or pan and spray the bottom with cooking spray. Add the soaked bread to the pan and cook for around 2 minutes on medium-high heat, or until the bottom is brownish. Flip, and cook for 2-3 more minutes. Slide the toast off the pan and onto a plate. Soak the other piece of bread, re-spray the pan, and repeat. To assemble: spread about 2 tablespoons of peanut butter onto the first piece of toast, then add 2 tablespoons of jelly onto the other piece and smush them together. Top the “sandwich” with more peanut butter, jelly, and freshly cut fruit! Enjoy your unconventional french toast sandwich!

You can click HERE to view all the other Peanut Butter Bash entries from this month! Check them out! There are fun recipes like peanut butter and jelly fudge and doughnuts! Yum!

Happy Thursday!

xx Ellie

The Only Fish I’ll Ever Eat

…is a fish made out of fruit!

I took the ACT today. The ACT is a timed standardized university placement test and it’s 4+ hours long. It consists of 5 sections: writing, mathematics, reading, science, and an essay prompt. It’s grueling, and needless to say, I was exhausted after 4 hours of filling in bubbles.

I made a smoothie bowl after I finished to cheer myself up. But not just any smoothie bowl: a picture smoothie bowl! I decided to depict my goldfish, who was only supposed to live for a week, but instead lived for 9+ years! Has anyone else had a fish that lived that long?

This is also the only “fish” that I’ll ever eat (since I’m vegan and all). It’s made of a mix of frozen peaches and strawberries and is much yummier than I remember fish tasting. Enjoy!

Fish Bowl Smoothie Bowl

serves 1

WATER: 1 frozen banana*, a handful of blueberries, a handful of spinach, and a splash of almond milk. Blend and pour into a bowl.

FISHY: a handful of frozen peach slices and 2 strawberries blended with a bit of water. Blend and pour on top of water. Mold into a fish shape.

fisheye: a blueberry

seaweed: spinach

sand: coconut flakes and lucama (for a pretty golden color)

bubbles: raw jungle peanuts

Smile today!

xx Ellie

*I love bananas! They’re so good for you too- check out these healthy facts about bananas (from “Well-Being Secrets”) to learn more about them. What are your favorite banana recipes? Here are a bunch of yummy ones for you to peruse!