General Archives - Page 2 of 3

Putting Myself First in 2018

It’s crazy to me that another year has almost come and gone. Before we know it, the holiday season will be upon us. As I reflect back on 2018, so much has changed in a matter of months. I promised to myself in late 2017 that “2018 would be MY year!” and it really has been. I attribute most of htat to putting myself first and facing the deep problems (that I had been ignoring) head on.

The first step was finding happiness in my career. In college, I studied Actuarial Science, which if you are unfamiliar, is a discipline that applies mathematical and statistical methods to asses risk in insurance, finance, and other professions. In order to become a certified actuary, you must become qualified through intense education, experience, and exams. While I had passed some exams in college, I was left with the remaining to take in my professional career.

These exams consume your life for 5 months at a time, and I mean CONSUME your every minute. On top of your normal 40 hour work week, most successful people spend at least an additional 20 hours per week studying in their free time. I spent so much energy on these exams and they were driving me to my breaking point each and every single day.

After failing my latest exam earlier this year, I decided it was time to take a break. To take a break from ALL the things I thought I should be doing. Studying for exams, staying in a job that was beyond stressful and toxic, saying yes to every event – even if I didn’t want to go, binge drinking every weekend because that is how someone in their twenties is supposed to want to spend their time.

Supposed to want to spend their time…I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on who says I should want to do those things. Why should I care? Just because most people my age are living for the weekend doesn’t mean I have to. Don’t get me wrong, there is definitely a time and a place for a wild night out. But I’ve realized I don’t need alcohol to enjoy myself and I am capable of going out without blacking out…

Getting a new job, taking a break from actuarial exams, on top of an overall shift in my day to day attitude left me feeling so much better. However, I still had a long way to go in finding true happiness within and not allowing food to dictate my life, as it always had.

I’ve always had a passion for food in some way or another. Creating this blog has been almost therapeutic, to be able to express all of these feelings out loud for anyone to hear does not come easy to me. But it has given me a purpose. A possibility to make a meaningful change in the life of others is what makes me happy. Helping others to realize they can set their own destiny and create they life they want day by day. So I now spend a lot of my free time on this blog, making simple recipes to make healthy living a reality. Developing my Beautycounter business under a company that not only develops safer skincare but advocates for it as well has been life changing for me.

So my hope for you is to find what makes you happy, what gives you energy, what give you purpose. Find that and DO THAT. Do it every day, even if it is only for 5 minutes. Accept where you are and allow that to be okay. We can always strive to be better and work toward it every day, little by little. If 2018 wasn’t your year, that is okay! It is never too late to start living your best life.

Paleo Pumpkin Banana Bread

I have always loved banana bread. There is something so comforting about it, especially as the weather starts to cool down. As I love everything pumpkin related, you really can’t go wrong by adding some pumpkin to a great, fluffy banana bread recipe.

Paleo Pumpkin Banana Bread

Unfortunately, me and gluten do not get along very well. The conventional recipe makes me sick, bloated, and often fatigued the next day. Luckily, I was introduced to a Paleo lifestyle and have tested many different Paleo friendly flours and am lucky enough to not have a reaction to them. The one part coconut flour, one part almond flour combination leaves this bread extra light and fluffy with the perfect hint of pumpkin and bananas!

Paleo Pumpkin Banana Bread

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of coconut flour
1/2 cup almond flour
2 ripe bananas, smashed
1/2 cup of pumpkin puree
1/4 cup of almond butter
1/4 cup of melted ghee or coconut oil, softened
1 tsp of baking soda
1/4 maple syrup
4 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp of salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Combine coconut and almond flour together along with the baking soda and salt
In a separate bowl, combine mashed bananas, pumpkin puree, almond butter, ghee, maple syrup and eggs
Combine both bowls, your dry and your wet ingredients
Place in a non-stick bread pan and cook for 45 minutes, or until cooked through. Place a toothpick in the center of the bread and make sure it is clean when you pull it out

5 Steps to a Happier Life

My nickname growing up was always “Happy Hannah”. Which maybe felt more authentic when I was younger, but grew to be more ironic to me as I became older.

I spent a lot of my life being pretty unhappy, but keeping it all inside. I am a people pleaser to my very core. It is significantly easier to pretend to be happy and go with the flow than to fight it for me. No arguments with loved ones, and definitely no need to let people know about my depression or anxiety and futhermore be open to vulnerability.

Being overweight was the root a lot of my unhappiness growing up. But as I’ve gone through my weight loss journey, I learned that a lot of happiness comes from inside and has nothing to do with the number on the scale. I’ve put together the first few steps that led to my happiness and keeps me feeling (mostly) happy every day (Because no one is ALWAYS happy). Hopefully this can help you all too, to take the first steps needed to living a happier life every single day.

#1 : Put Yourself First

Sounds selfish, right? WRONG! You have to fill your own cup first in order to fill others. If your cup is empty, you have nothing to provide to others. Starting my morning with self-care and doing what I know I need in order to have a successful day is non-negotiable for me these days.

For example, I wake up before my boyfriend and spend some alone time preparing for the day, moving my body lightly – maybe with some yoga flows, setting my to do list, maybe saying a few prayers, and drinking some coffee or bone broth. I have noticed that since I began this routine, I have so much more focus and energy for the day. I have so much more of me to give to my loved ones, my coworkers, my blog even, when I have filled my own cup first.

#2 : Find What Gives You Energy

I now actively avoid things that I know drain my energy. If there is an activity I know I won’t enjoy, I don’t go. I don’t come up with excuses either, because I just don’t think I need to justify it.

I journal a lot to help evaluate what in life gives me energy. Sometimes it even takes writing out each activity you did during the day and how it affected your energy. Perhaps rating it on a scale of 1 – 10, where a 10 represents the activity that gave me the most energy. That meeting in front of executives? Probably fell around a 2 on my scale as it drained me and made me anxious. Whereas preparing a great dinner for me and my boyfriend may have been around a 9 on my scale, because I truly enjoyed that.

So, what do you do if there is an activity that drains your energy that you cannot avoid? For instance what if talking with some of your family members whom you love, leave you feeling around a 3? We can’t always avoid these people or even spend less time with them without seriously hurting their feelings.

I have put serious focus into not allowing those people to have a negative effect on my mood. I have to almost detach myself emotionally from the conversation. This may sound cruel, but it is the only way I know how to control my emotions and keep my sanity, leaving the situation feeling closer to a 6 than a 2 or 3.

#3 : Learn Something New Everyday

This is a big one for me as I am constantly looking to learn new things. Right now, I am very interested in nutrition and healing my body naturally. This requires a lot of research and reading, which I have grown to love and look forward to. I listen to at least one podcast throughout the day that I know will better me in some way, shape, or form.

Why not learn from so many people in this community that have already gone through similar issues. It’s often inspiring to hear more from these people and remember that is there is hope and to not give up! This also gives you a sense of accomplishment. If nothing else, you can say you became more knowledgable today!

#4 : Keep a Journal of Your Daily Thoughts

Have you ever looked back on your diary from 6th or 7th grade and just laughed at what you found horrifying or tragic then?

I find this still applies to me even weeks apart now. I find journaling and sometimes re-reading my journal entires an extremely helpful task in keeping perspective on life or situations currently bringing me down. If I had a very bad day a few weeks ago and I look back on it now, it helps me to remember that emotions come and go so often and so quickly. There are really good times in life and there are really bad times in life. We can only learn to be grateful for both. There are also days that are just “meh”, but I have found through journaling a whole new appreciation for days you don’t have much to write about.

#5: Find Joy and Gratitude in the Little Things of Life

THIS is probably the most important advice I can give on leading a happier life instantly. A lot of what I have talked about before this takes a bit of time and effort. But finding joy in the smallest things is a simple task you can start doing right now! Doing this is truly what makes me a happier person.

Once you start this mindset, I find the positive thoughts carry over into other aspects of life. For instance, as I walk in to work and someone is smoking a cigarette by me. Instead of judging that person or being annoyed by the smell, I am suddenly grateful for the fresh air I breathe the majority of the time. That spirals into me being grateful that I even have a job to walk in to. And that I get to spend my walk alone to process my thoughts for the workday. This then immediately puts me in a much better mood for work than had I chosen to focus on the particular smell I don’t personally enjoy from cigarette smoke.

This is just an example of how quickly you can CHOOSE to change your outlook on a situation. Instead of focusing on the negative, focus on the joy you can find in that moment right there.

There is so much pain in life that we cannot control. My thoughts are that situations are going to happen anyway whether we want them to or not. Only we can control our reaction and how we choose to let it affect us.

Chickpea Coconut Curry

Did you know I spent extended periods of my life as a vegetarian? Well now you know! When I was younger, I felt bad for eating the animals. As I grew even older and learned about factory farming, my guilt got even worse. I now at least try to get my animal products from highly sustainable and humane outlets (which is not always easy or cheap).

Because of this background, I always try to think resourcefully and have one meatless day a week at least in my food freedom. Meatless Monday is a fun trend that I like to participate in. For me, Meatless Mondays often involve chickpeas or some form of a legume that my stomach/digestion reacts well with.

This chickpea curry is so flavorful you won’t miss the meat, but you could certainly always add some of you wish! I love to place this over cauliflower rice or mashed cauliflower. I especially love this dish in the fall but it can really be enjoyed any time of the year. It freezes great as well if you want to double the batch and have some on hand for a later time.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans
4 stalks of carrots, chopped
15 oz canned diced tomatoes
1 onion, diced
1 tbsp of coconut oil (or olive or avocado)
3 tbsp of coconut cream
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tbsp curry
1/2 tsp ginger
2 cloves of garlic, minced

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large pan
Add onion and allow it to become translucent
Add the garlic and let it become fragrant
Add the chickpeas, carrots, tomatoes, and spices. Let this cook for 20-30 minutes to let the carrots soften.
- Tip: If you are looking for this dish to come together even quicker, boil the carrots separately, or even the night before!
Add the coconut cream and mix it in
- Tip: put the canned coconut milk or cream in the fridge a few days before you are going to use it to allow the cream to firm

Steak Power Bowl

It seems like bowls are all the fad lately. Power bowls, smoothie bowls, burrito bowls…you get the idea. Not sure how I missed the memo for so long but now that I’ve hopped on board, I totally get the appeal!

Bowls are such a great way to pack protein, veggies, and your needed carbs and fat in a neat package. If you are not a huge meal prep person, bowls are key for you. Just cook a few different kinds of protein and veggies and mix and match all week long. This especially helps if you get sick of the same thing day after day.

First thing you want to do is pick a base. I usually go for spinach or messaged kale. Next grab your protein – I love to do steak but chicken or pork would work too depending on what you have on hand.

Next, choose a hearty vegetable like sweet potatoes, cauliflower, or brussel sprouts. If you do well with grains you could add brown rice or quinoa as well.

Now it’s time to make it pretty with the finishing touches. I think broccolini or asparagus not only taste delicious but add a great texture to the bowl. I love to then top it off with bright colors or pickled onions or tomatoes. And of course we can’t forget about the sauce, because that’ what we’re all here for, right? I love to add some avocado, creamy ranch, mayo, or tahini dressing (below) to finish the bowl off right.

Ingredients:
4 ounces of steak, cubed and cooked to desired wellness
1 cup spinach
1 sweet potato, cubed
4 – 5 sticks of broccolini
1/2 cup of pickled onions
Sesame seeds
1/2 avocado

Tahini Lemon Dressing Ingredients:
2 Tbsp of tahini
Juice of half a lemon
1 tsp of olive oil
1 tbsp of water to thin it out to your desired consistency. Start with a tbsp and go from there!
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of pepper

Directions:

Cook steak – I used Butcher Box sirloin steak
Bake sweet potatoes at 400 degree F for 30 minutes
Bake broccolini in oven at 400 degree F for 15 minutes
Combine lemon tahini dressing ingredients
Add all ingredients in the bowl and enjoy

Strawberry Vinaigrette

There is something that happens to your taste buds when you switch from a Standard American Diet (SAD) to a whole foods based diet. I NEVER wanted fruit on my salads before. I even remember when I was younger I couldn’t imagine eating strawberries without dumping loads of sugar on them first.

Thinking back on that is so wild to me because strawberries have so much flavor to me now! There are perfectly sweet just the way they are. In so many ways I am glad I went on this journey from a pretty terrible diet to a whole foods based diet because it makes you so much more appreciative of food in its natural state.

I love to enjoy this dressing in my food freedom with some goat cheese, onion, and almond salad. It really heightens the dish and is perfect for gathering as it brings so much color to the table.

1 medium shallot, minced
1 clove of garlic, minced
3 tbsp of avocado oil
2 tbsp of white balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp of sherry vinegar
8 small strawberries

Directions:

Add oil in a sauce pan on medium heat
Add the shallots and allow to cook until softened
Add garlic and let cook for another 2 minutes
Place pan mixture in an immersion blender friendly container and add vinegars and strawberries
Note: you can really get creative and use any kind of vinegar mixture. I’ve used red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, try a few out! Even switch this up with raspberries or other fruit as well.
Blend together with immersion blender and allow to cool before serving

Yields about 1 cup

Italian Dressing

I always say a salad is only a couple tablespoons of dressing away from being unhealthy. Unfortunately so many of the “healthy” choices in restaurants are salads, which are topped in multiple different cheeses, croutons, and tons of dressing. Unfortunately many of these dressings and dressings found in the grocery store are filled with unhealthy oils such as soybean oil, sunflower oil, or safflower oil that is highly processed.

Our attempt of making a healthy choice is stripped right from us without most people knowing. Or at least knowing to what extent the damage those oils can do on your body.

There are definitely more options that are Paleo and Whole 30 compliant that are certainly great for convenience. I would be careful though, as many of those are still made with oils that aren’t great for us to consume on the regular.

I almost always make my own dressings these days. It’s not difficult, you can double or triple a batch for the week, and you can control what is going in your body. In my opinion, these are also wayyy tastier than those factory made dressings.

Ingredients:
1 medium shallot, minced
1 clove of garlic, minced
3 tbsp of avocado oil
2 tbsp of white balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp of sherry vinegar

Directions:

Add oil in a sauce pan on medium heat
Add the shallots and allow to cook until softened
Add garlic and let cook for another 2 minutes
Place pan mixture in an immersion blender friendly container and add vinegars
Note: you can really get creative and use any kind of vinegar mixture. I’ve used red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, try a few out!
Blend together with immersion blender and allow to cool before serving

Yields about 1/2 cup

My Journey To Healing

If you read my “About Whole Hannah” I gave a quick introduction to myself and what brought me here to create this blog. For a quick recap, I spent a lot of my life overweight and really unhappy with myself in general. I spent so much of college yo-yo dieting and losing 20 lbs and then gaining it all right back.

In October of 2015, I had once again lost some weight for what felt like the 10th time. I had graduated from college and just knew it was time to “get my act together” and make a serious change in my lifestyle. I saw someone on Instagram doing a “Whole 30 Challenge” and I was, of course, interested. I was always on the lookout for a diet or quick fix that someone saw real results on.

I started my first Whole 30 shortly after doing some research and decided I could abide by these guidelines. It always made sense to me that I should follow a whole food based diet in general.

When I was finished I felt so great, better than I had ever felt in my life. I lost weight yes, but my mind was so clear and I felt like I could conquer anything. I became obsessed with this feeling. I never wanted it to go away. This led to fear of alcohol, grains, or anything not on the Whole 30. I also became obsessed with losing weight.

Over the course of a couple of months I became so restrictive and obsessive that I was only consuming 600 – 800 calories a day. I continued this for a very long time. Once I hit my first plateau, I started exercising. I fell in love with the high spinning gave you and began spinning every single day. Sometimes multiple times a day if I “binged”. Which looking back was probably 1200 calories in a day max.

This went on for a year. I would continually update my “goal weight” and was more unhappy with myself than ever before. Sure, people were praising me and telling me how great I looked. On the inside though, it was never enough. I was SO hard on myself. And I wasn’t enjoying life AT ALL.

I was constantly light headed, I had no energy, my stress level was out of the roof at work, I wasn’t enjoying any aspect of life. I hoped and begged that every morning when I got on the scale I would be lighter and feel happy for those 2 minutes before it was time to set a new goal.

I remember the day distinctly when I realized this had to end. I was 7 pounds away from my “goal weight” (which had changed 3 times) and I was barely eating 600 calories and going to spin everyday. But the weight wouldn’t come off anymore. I had actually put ON a few pounds and I was losing my mind.

I was at the gym and I felt like I was going to pass out. Unfortunately this wasn’t an unusual feeling though, so I persevered. When I finally got off the bike (10 minutes after spin had ended), I rushed to the water fountain as I was severely light headed and blacking out. On my way there, I lost consciousness and fainted.

I really only remember a girl who was a nurse standing over me checking my pulse and asking if I could hear her. It was the strangest thing I’ve ever experienced. It shook me to my core. I consider that my Day 1 on my journey to healing.

I slowly started to add more calories in my diet. Which again, looked like 1000 instead of 600. But even THAT was so hard for me. I went to see a functional practitioner who I continue to work with today on healing my body with nutrition and overall wellness.

My mental health is what has struggled most in all of this. I have tried to teach myself how to love myself. To forgive myself, to accept myself, just the way I am today.

I am FAR from this still. I still struggle every day with this one. I have put on about 30 pounds a few months in to my healing process while still consuming a relatively low amount of calories for the average person. To accept this weight gain after all I had to worked to lose it, knowing it was more beneficial for my body to have the proper nutrition, was so hard for me. It’s still hard for me.

I’ve still kept on about 15 pounds since my healing journey began and I am still working with different functional practitioners to see the damage that still exists with my metabolism almost 2 years later.

And sometimes…
I still want that goal weight
I still want to look like I did when I was beyond exhausted
I still want to restrict
I still want to binge
I still want to punish myself with exercise

It’s called a journey for a reason. I’ve come to realize that these feelings may always stick with me for life. Some days are certainly easier or harder than others. But I have to still try!

I share this with all of you to hopefully have you all avoid my mistakes. Or, if you are going through something like this, you are not alone. Never be afraid to reach out and ask for help. It is a sign of your strength, not your weakness.

Warm Sweet Potato and Arugula Salad

Warm salads are a bit of a controversy. You either hate them or you love them. I personally was not a fan until recently. I think I especially love to enjoy them during the transition of seasons between Summer and Fall.

You get to enjoy some roasted vegetables that bring the warmth and comfort of Fall but keep some fresh ingredients such as arugula or spinach to represent Summer.

Not quite ready to jump into stew and chili season? Maybe think about trying a warm salad to have the best of both worlds. You could easily substitute any root or starchy vegetable and mix it with a green that can hold it’s own texture among the veggies. I personally love my homemade on anything but you could do ranch as well. The lemon juice on top enhances all of these flavors

Ingredients:
2 sweet potatoes, cubed
1 package of arugula
1 cup of homemade mayo
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/3 cup of scallions or green onions
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of pepper

Directions:

Roast the cubed sweet potatoes at 400 degree Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes or until at desired texture
Add sweet potatoes and arugula to a large bowl and combine with mayo, scallions, lemon, salt, and pepper
Enjoy!

Greek Salad with Roasted Chickpeas

Most of the time my food freedom consists of delicious salads that you would never guess are healthy! For some reason it is just what I crave! Throw together some romaine leaves, protein, all the toppings, and some killer dressing and I am good to go!

While this recipe is not specifically Whole 30 or Paleo, it is super easy to omit some of the toppings that don’t fit into your lifestyle.

Have you guys ever roasted chickpeas? They are seriously delicious and serve as a great replacement for a crouton if you are really missing that crunch on top of your salad.

Roasted Chickpeas in a Greek Salad with Grilled Chicken

I don’t often eat salami. In fact before I made this salad, I probably hadn’t had any in years. But isn’t that what food freedom is truly about? Listening to what sounds good to your body on that day at that time. Was this salami Whole 30? Definitely not. But I made the best choice available to me and enjoyed it without any guilt.

greek salad with grilled chicken and salami

Finished this salad off with all the artichoke hearts, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, and my homemade dairy free tzatziki dressing.

Ingredients:

1 can of Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)

1 can of artichoke hearts

1 package of sliced salami

10 ish olives

1/3 of a Cucumber

1 cup of cherry tomatoes

1/4 thinly sliced red onion

1 tsp of dried dill

1 tsp of dried oregano

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

Tzatziki Dressing

Feta cheese to top

Directions:

Roast chickpeas with oil in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes, or until desired crispiness

Combine all ingredients and enjoy!