Today is the day! I have officially survived my teenage years. Isn't it strange how anti-climatic birthdays become as you get older?! I remember waking up on my birthday when I was younger full of excitement. Today I woke up dreading the exam I was about to take.
Even though I don't have as much excitement as I did when I was younger, I still took the time to celebrate.
On Saturday, my parents came to visit. I always love when they visit because we spend the day walking around campus and going out to eat.
In honor of my parent's visit and my birthday, I decided it was time for a cheat meal (or two). Instead of ordering my usual salad and grilled chicken when we went out to dinner, I got chicken and cheese quesadillas. It felt so good to just let myself not worry about calories, carbs, fat, etc! This leads me to something I can't stress enough...
Cheat meals are so important!
If you constantly deprive yourself you will end up craving everything so much more! You body will also get used to the foods you eat and you will find yourself hitting a plateau (post on plateaus coming soon!). My cheat meal didn't just stop with dinner. After we finished, we went across the street to Gluten Free, Vegan bakery that recently opened. It's my favorite place in town. I had a GF, vegan Vanilla Pecan Coffee cupcake (and a few bites of my mom's Cinnamon cupcake and my dad's Blueberry Pancake Cupcake). Everything was so delicious and so worth it.
However, I must advise you to shop before you enjoy that cheat meal. After we finished eating, my parents and I took a trip to the mall. Let's just say trying on clothes with a "food baby" is a bit discouraging. Instead of getting upset, I kept focusing on the positives. I'm allowed to slip up sometimes and my body doesn't always feel this way. It's honestly nothing a full day of eating clean and exercising can't fix. While I'm not saying have a cheat meal every week, it's fine to have them every once in a while. Your body and mind will thank you. :)
What's your favorite way to spend your birthday?!
-Rachel
PS. Keep checking up on my recipe page for new recipes coming soon!
Even though I don't have as much excitement as I did when I was younger, I still took the time to celebrate.
On Saturday, my parents came to visit. I always love when they visit because we spend the day walking around campus and going out to eat.
In honor of my parent's visit and my birthday, I decided it was time for a cheat meal (or two). Instead of ordering my usual salad and grilled chicken when we went out to dinner, I got chicken and cheese quesadillas. It felt so good to just let myself not worry about calories, carbs, fat, etc! This leads me to something I can't stress enough...
Cheat meals are so important!
If you constantly deprive yourself you will end up craving everything so much more! You body will also get used to the foods you eat and you will find yourself hitting a plateau (post on plateaus coming soon!). My cheat meal didn't just stop with dinner. After we finished, we went across the street to Gluten Free, Vegan bakery that recently opened. It's my favorite place in town. I had a GF, vegan Vanilla Pecan Coffee cupcake (and a few bites of my mom's Cinnamon cupcake and my dad's Blueberry Pancake Cupcake). Everything was so delicious and so worth it.
However, I must advise you to shop before you enjoy that cheat meal. After we finished eating, my parents and I took a trip to the mall. Let's just say trying on clothes with a "food baby" is a bit discouraging. Instead of getting upset, I kept focusing on the positives. I'm allowed to slip up sometimes and my body doesn't always feel this way. It's honestly nothing a full day of eating clean and exercising can't fix. While I'm not saying have a cheat meal every week, it's fine to have them every once in a while. Your body and mind will thank you. :)
What's your favorite way to spend your birthday?!
-Rachel
PS. Keep checking up on my recipe page for new recipes coming soon!