What I Ate Wednesday

PB&J Protein Smoothie without even thinking about snapping a pic. The nerve! We can just pretend that it looked as pretty as it does in this picture. Ha! I was hangry pants t minus five seconds after my smoothie because that's how my body rolls these days so I snacked on a No-Bake Mint Chocolate Protein Bar. These protein bars are the BEST---they're even man-approved! Big-muscle-man-approved, to be exact.  I've been having some weird salty cravings lately, so an hour or so later I noshed on a couple pieces of unpictured wild smoked salmon from Trader Joe's. It kicked that salty craving right in the behind! I think I've been such a hungry beast lately because I've been doing Barre3 or Body Pump every week day. Or at least I'd like to blame it on that. I took the girls I babysit to the pool to celebrate their last day of summer, and it actually has some impressive healthy options! We got the Mediterranean wrap as a salad instead of a huge white flour wrap, a couple hummus bowls with veggies and pita, and a fruit cup. They have plenty of pizza, chips, nachos, and ice cream, but I really appreciate that they have real food as well. Afternoon snacks included a sliced granny smith apple with almond butter (totally into green apples right now), a few snap pea crisps (otherwise known as crack), and an unsweetened peach black iced tea from Whole Foods before Barre. Speaking of Whole Foods, I have two new natural body care products that I'm loving lately! The first is their Good Bar soap. The coconut bar smells beyond unreal, but they have lots of other yummy flavors too. Obsessed! Typical soaps are packed with harsh detergents and artificial fragrances, so it's important to me to buy soap bars with just a few simple ingredients since I'm slathering it on my body every day. Second is this Tom's Wicked Fresh Cool Montain Mint Mouthwash. I must admit that I hate the taste of Tom's toothpaste (I use Nature's Gate, which I adore), but their mouthwash tastes so fab and fresh without that stinging alcohol affect. It's sweetened with xylitol (just like my favorite aspartame-free Pur gum), which is a natural sweetener alternative to the usual artificial sweeteners you'll find in toothpastes, gums, and mouthwashes. You'll notice that it isn't bright blue either, so there aren't any sneaky artificial colors hiding in there! Who wants to swish those around their mouth? For more of my natural body care faves, check out my post Life Lessons: On Natural Body Care. I was the first spot on the wait list for Body Pump and didn't expect to get in, but then I did! Two workouts in one day hayyyyyy! That pretty much never happens. #Hungryalllllthetime. I was starving after Barre so I snacked on some sprouted tortilla chips with salsa and hummus before leaving for Body Pump. Not the most ideal pre-workout snack, but I was craving tortilla chips so I ate tortilla chips. Lots. Thank God I already had roasted sweet potatoes and broccoli in the fridge because I wanted something quick when I got home from Body Pump. I sautéed a chopped red bell pepper and some onion, topped it with some of the reheated sweet potatoes and broccoli, and then topped the veggies with scrambled eggs. I had salsa and hummus with hot sauce on the side for dipping. It was super easy and loaded with veggies, so I'll definitely be doing this more often. Eggs are such a great meal in a pinch! After dinner I had half of a vegan zucchini banana muffin and a piece of the best dark chocolate ever---Endangered Species intense dark chocolate with cacao nibs. Heaven.in.my.mouth. Lastly, I'm thinking about doing a Q&A post about any questions that you'd like me to answer (nutrition, food, fitness, blogging, personal, etc.) so if you have any questions, leave them in the comments or email me at hummusapien@hotmail.com!]]>