Diets. Yuck.

It's time to address the question I have received the most:

"Emma, What do you eat!?"
So many people who want to pursue a healthy lifestyle automatically assume that they need to cut out their favorite "guilty pleasures" and focus solely on chicken and broccoli.
Don't get me wrong, I eat more chicken and broccoli than any other foods, but that is because I'm a fitness competitor. Dieting to these extremes is not necessary for someone who just wants their pants to fit better.
So, I'll tell you about a few of my favorite foods.
But, no, they aren't all healthy.
They all don't have tons of benefits.

I love coffee more than any other liquid, and I'm pretty sure you guys are sick of hearing me talk about my insane love for B&J, but I'm just trying to keep it real.

So let's do this.

Breakfast:
Boy, do I love breakfast. Pancakes, waffles, cereal, CARBS, you name it. I love breakfast.

So that's my spill for the unhealthy breakfasts.
When it comes to being health-conscience, I have a pancake recipe that I always use!

1 Cup egg whites, 1/2 Cup oatmeal, a LARGE handful of spinach, cinnamon, and stevia, blended up and cooked in a skillet just like any other pancake.
I am a huge pancake-lover, and this 100% satisfies my cravings.
It sounds weird, and yes, the pancake is green, but it's delicious.

If you decide not to try it.. well, more for me!

Lunch:
Most of the meals I eat a day could totally fall under the lunch/dinner category.

Here are some typical meals I chow down on during those times.

Veggies, brown rice, red/sweet potatoes, lean turkey, tilapia, chicken.

Good proteins, VEGETABLES, and good carbs. :)

One of my favorite and most delicious dinner/lunch recipes is salsa chicken!

It's super easy to make, too!

Take a serving of chicken and place all the pieces in the crock-pot as is! Then dump a full jar of salsa on top of that baby, and let it sit for four hours on low. When you pull the chicken out, you can shred it so easily, then stick it back in the crock pot and stir it all together.

While that's sitting, mash up some avocados with tomato, onion, lime juice, garlic, and salt. That goes perfect on top! If you're a sour cream person, a dollop of plain Greek yogurt tastes the same, but is packed with protein! And I won't tell if you sneak a bit of cheese on top. ;) It's healthy Mexican, and you really can't beat that.

Snacks/Desserts:

Let's be real, if you know me, you know my favorite healthy snack, HANDS DOWN, is an apple with some PB. My love for peanut butter is up there with my love for B&J, sorta. Well, not really. But I do love peanut butter with a passion.

Another one of my favorite healthy snacks are QUEST BARS. Boy, do I go to town on those questies. 

I make mine in a very delicate process, as follows:

Microwave that bad boy for 13 seconds (Yes, it's that specific, it's not my fault it's science.)

Then, press it down until it's flat, and throw it in the oven at 500 degrees and watch it. I don't actually time this part. I just make sure nothing is burning. (Go ahead and call me Betty Crocker.)

While it's in the oven, I take some plain green yogurt and mix in a big of sugar free/ fat free cheesecake pudding mix, it's amazing. Trust me on this one.

Once the quest bar is done, I put some peanut butter and yogurt on top. I could literally live off of these things.

If you learn one thing from me and this blog, it should be that quest bars are the world's most important protein resource.

And my all time favorite unhealthy treat (You all knew this was coming)

Out of all the flavors, this is one of my favorites! I believe in moderation in all treats, however, this is one that I do not practice with. 

I straight-up devour the entire pint. Do as I say, not as I do.

My mouth is Bored, please help foods:

It wouldn't be unreasonable for me to buy a stock in gum for how much I chew that stuff. And sparkling water. I love it.

Anything with flavor to keep me going. If you drank one to two gallons of water a day, you'd find ways to make it less miserable, too. I'm also a huge fan of the Mio water enhancers. Lifesavers, those suckers are.

I mentioned before that I love coffee. And I do. I might as well attach an IV drip to my arm and carry it around campus and the gym for as much as I drink it. Maybe I'm over exaggerating, but coffee=life.

One of my biggest concerns is the amount of people who ask me about the foods is that the most common question is 

"What foods should I avoid?"

OH MY GOODNESS.

NONE.

I was watching an episode of Dr. Oz while I was doing my cardio one afternoon and the Doctor had on multiple men and women who had successfully lost an enormous amount of weight. One of the woman made a statement that really stood out to me, and I'll share it with you:

"When I decided to start loosing weight, and I was faced with deciding what foods I would or would not eat, I'd ask myself: Can I go my entire life without eating this food ever again? If the answer was no, I wouldn't cut it out of my diet."

You see? It's all about moderation. Don't deprive yourself and be miserable. Eat the foods you enjoy, but be smart about it. Eat healthy foods, clean foods, whole foods, and the soul-foods!

My suggestion is to take your favorite unhealthy foods and spend some time in the kitchen recreating it and making recipe swaps until it's healthier!

A good example for me, is my cheesecake yogurt! I LOVE cheesecake, but obviously, eating a cheesecake everyday isn't going to get me any closer to my fitness goals. But when you take plain protein-packed greek yogurt and turn it into something that reminds you of what you love most, it makes it easy to not feel like you're missing out!

Same with my green pancakes and quest bars!

Make your healthy food SO GOOD that it feels naughty! ;)

So if you expected me to give you a long list of no-no foods in this post, sorry to disappoint. 

Life is not about avoiding delicious foods.

Treat yourself to the things you love while nourishing your body with the foods it deserves.

(#TEAMCOFFEE)