Sweet Potato Mash

Wow, I'm blown away by all of your amazing comments in this afternoon's post!! A lot of people had some really great things to say- I think we can all agree that the comparison trap is something no one wants to fall into.

For dinner tonight, I wanted something comforting and quick. After using a sweet potato against a wall in an attempt to roll out a knot in my shoulder blade (I kid you not) I decided that eating said potato would probably be better then making it a massage tool.

To make this easy but delicious dish, I poked a few holes in the 'tater, wrapped it in a paper towel and microwaved it on high for three minutes. Then, I peeled and mashed it with a fork and added:
   -   ~2 T almond butter
   -   ~1 T Earth Balance
   -   ~1 T maple syrup
   -   ~2 T nutritional yeast
   -   a splash of almond milk

The result was an incredibly creamy, mildly sweet creation that was the perfect size for one, and delicious served with an extra dose of carbs in the form of toasted whole-wheat bread.

I was a bit nervous about the nutritional yeast, but it ended up adding a great flavor!

Though my main course was pretty sweet, dessert was still mandatory, of course. First I had a large serving of frozen red grapes:

Followed by another dairy-free chocolate chip cookie. I think they've reformulated the recipe on these recently, because I've eaten them before and they were nowhere near as soft and chewy as this was.

I've got my first final exam tomorrow, so tonight I'll be studying...or wasting time on YouTube and Twitter. I've never been a big studier and I've gotten this far, so I don't see the point in getting all gung-ho about it this late in the game...

Hope you have a wonderful evening!

When it comes to big tests, are you the type that stays up all night to study, or the type that conks out and opts for a good night's sleep? I'm definitely the latter. I'm practically incoherent when tired, but I'm best at BSing when well rested ;)

You Do You

Serious thoughts to come, but first, my packed lunch today was rather fishy...

I made a tuna wrap by combining a can of chunk light tuna with a few spoonfuls of Tribe garlic hummus, then folded it into a whole-wheat wrap with a bed of spinach. If you're never tried it before, hummus makes a great substitute for mayo in tuna salad!

Along with my wrap, I had a fuji apple, chopped raw cauliflower and a handful of roasted unsalted almonds.

The whole lunch ended up being a really good balance of flavors and textures- love when I randomly put a bunch of things together for a stellar meal!

* * *

For awhile now, I've been meaning to address the comparison aspect of blogging. A few other bloggers have touched on this recently, but I wanted to put my own two cents in! I've been reading blogs for about two years, and I admit that sometimes, it's hard not to compare my diet/body/exercise/personality/life to others. I think to a certain degree that's human nature, but for the most part I've learned to avoid the comparison trap by realizing that no blog ever paints a complete picture of the author's life. Most censorship doesn't intend to mislead, but some things are better left private. It's easy to romanticize someone else's life based on their posts, but just because they never seem to talk about the bad stuff, that doesn't mean their life is problem-free!

Though Une Vie Saine is mostly a lifecasting blog, I choose not to share certain thoughts, feelings and events. Just like the rest of the world, I have problems and insecurities- I'm not perfect, I'm human! There are days where I'm a moody beeyotch, days where I feel lonely or overwhelmed, days when I want to scream with frustration and days where I'm just not myself. I often keep those days to myself for two reasons: one, there are some things that I just don't feel comfortable posting for thousands of people to read, and two, writing a cheery post and focusing on the positives usually helps to lift me out of my funk. Fake it 'till you make it, right?

My point is that no one, no matter how "together" they seem, has issues. Wishing you had someone else's life doesn't do anything to change the struggles in your own. When I'm comparing myself to another person or blogger, I ask myself where it's coming from- often, comparison grows from my own insecurities. But honestly, when does comparing yourself to others ever made you happier, or made your life any easier? Instead, why not turn that jealousy into admiration, and let it inspire you to emphasize your own positive qualities and improve the negative ones? "So-and-so is awesome because of X, but I'm really awesome because of Y- and maybe I'll use her advice to aspire to Z!" As cliched as it sounds, you're not them, you're you. Learning to accept and love that saves you a lot of unhappiness in the long run, and while it's something I'm constantly working on, I always try to remind myself to do me :)

Do you ever struggle with comparing yourself to others? How do you deal with it? And what's one thing that's unique about yourself that you love?

The Last Week

Good morning! Today is the first day of the last Monday of classes in my academic career. Crazy! I have finals next Monday, but those are different ;) It's hard to believe that after 18 years of daily school (I started full-time pre-K when I was 3, as the French do it), I'm finally almost done. Weird.

This morning I woke up early to hit the gym for a strength workout. I created a new routine using my Women's Healthy Big Book of Exercises. Its a really good resource! After a 10 minute elliptical warmup, I did 12 reps of each exercise in the following three circuits (someone asked recently if I use dumbbells or a bar- I use dumbbells with the indicated weights in both hands) :

   -   squats, 15 lbs
   -   rear lateral raise, 5 lbs
   -   dumbbell deadlift, 20 lbs
   -   dumbbell bench press, 10 lbs

   -   dumbbell shoulder press, 5 lbs
   -   overhead triceps extension, 5 lbs
   -   biceps curl, 10 lbs
   -   pushups (on my knees)

   -   bicycle crunches
   -   side plank, 30 seconds on each side
   -   plank, 30 seconds
   -   sit-ups

The second circuit was especially tough. Does anyone else find triceps exercises to be really awkward? I have to concentrate so hard to keep good form!

My post-workout breakfast was another pumpkin smoothie.

Into the blender went:
   -   1 c canned pumpkin
   -   1 banana, broken into chunks
   -   1.5 scoops vanilla Sun Warrior protein powder (wanted an extra boost after that workout!)
   -   spoonful of almond butter
   -   1 c almond milk
   -   drizzle of maple syrup
   -   cinnamon

The extra powder made this smoothie extra thick. I must say, I was kind of sick of it by the time I got to the bottom of the bowl. Maybe my body is telling me to stop with the fall foods and just embrace spring? Will do :)

Time to get this last week started! Hope you have a good one!

How long were you/have you been/will you be in school for? I have crazy respect for people who go to grad school after college, especially those who stick it out for nearly 10 more years in med school. I toyed with the idea of getting my Master's in French, but decided pretty quickly that it's just not for me!