Gluten Free Pancakes

These pancakes are absolutely DELICIOUS and super easy to make. Its basically just like oatmeal but in a pancake form.

Ingredients
-1/4 cup gluten free oats
-2 egg whites
-1/2 a very ripe banana
-1/4 tsp baking powder
-1 packet of sweetener
-pinch of salt
-1/4 tsp cinnamon
-1 TBSP almond milk

1. mash the banana and mix with all other ingredients

2. grease a pan and cook on medium heat.

3. the entire recipe should make about 3 small pancakes.

4. top with peanut butter, pure maple syrup or fruit

My Go To...

Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite foods and for a good reason too. Not only do they taste delicious but they can be made sweet or savory depending on what you add to them. Also, the health benefits are endless! They contain essential vitamins like B6, C and D as well as magnesium and iron. These little babies are my go to when I get home and need something quick to eat and they also pack well for a long day at dance. Just wash and dry the potato, put a few slits in the side and pop it in the microwave for about 5-6 minutes for a small and 9-10 for a large flipping it half way through. Cut it open and top with things like coconut sugar, pure maple syrup, cinnamon and pecans, a spoonful of peanut butter or simply by itself. 

Chickpea, Barley and Zucchini Salad

I was a little hesitant about creating this recipe at first because I wasn't quite sure how well all the flavors would go together but when it was finished it was DELICIOUS!! (if i do say so myself). So here it is my gluten, dairy and meat free "pasta" salad.

Ingredients:
- 4 cups of vegetable broth
- 1 package of trader joes Barley
- 1 can of chickpeas
- 1 medium zucchini
- pinch of salt
- 3 TBSP olive oil
- 1/2 a lemon

1. bring the vegetable broth to a boil in a medium size pan and cook the barley for about 15-20 minutes or until almost all the broth has been absorbed into the barley.

2. while the barley is cooking cut the zucchini into strings or if you have a spiralizer (which i really really want) you can use that too. place in a bowl and sprinkle with salt. set aside for later.

3. open and drain the can of chickpeas and heat them over the stove.

4. while those are being warmed up in a small bowl mix together the olive oil and the lemon juice.

5. mix together the barley, chickpeas and the mixture of olive oil and lemon juice.

6. place in a bowl and top with the zucchini strings.

Ballerina Granola

Ingredients:
-1 cup raw pecans
-1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
-1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
-2 cups gluten free quick oats
-1/2 cup dried fruit (my favorite are dried cherries)
-3/4 cup pure maple syrup
-1 stick of cinnamon
-1 vanilla bean

1. pre-heat the oven to 370 degrees

2. put the maple syrup, cinnamon stick and vanilla bean in a small pot on the stove and heat on medium for about 5 minutes.

3. mix all the other ingredients in a large bowl and pour the maple syrup over the mixture, removing the cinnamon stick and vanilla bean.

4. spread the mixture on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the oats are nicely toasted

5. remove from the hot pan immediately to stop the cooking so the granola doesn't burn.

Enjoy over coconut yogurt or a banana!

Change

Accept what you can't change... Change what you can't accept

Every person has something about themselves that they would love to change. For instance I would love to be shorter and skinnier but reality is I can't magically shrink and lose 30 lbs. So I must accept that but to be honest it's near impossible for me to accept that. I've been told numerous times that I'm just "to big" (those were the nice words) to be a ballerina. For a long time I was so determined to prove these haters wrong. I was going to prove that based off pure talent and passion I would make it as a ballerina. Recently though I've been told this so many times it's hard to stay positive. Of course I want to prove this person wrong who keeps telling me these things but at some point a person can only take so much. It's hard to get these negative thoughts out of my head and it's really been eating away at me. 

A few years ago I had many problems with food and self image. I would restrict my intake and workout a ton. I had rules on what I could eat and when I could eat. I knew these habits were terrible for me but once I started I couldn't stop. I was spiraling downward really quickly. I had told a friend about what was going on and connected me with a mutual friend who had been going through the same thing. Eventually I started to eat normal again and excercise less. I was content again, not necessarily happy but content. 

About a month later I started to get really sad, and I mean like lock myself in my room and cry for hours sad. There was not specific reason for being sad, it was just uncontrollable. I started to binge to comfort these feelings. Temporarily the food would mask the sadness but after the guilt was so unbearable that I would restrict the next day. It was an ongoing battle between me and food. At this point I had put on a few pounds from all the binge eating. Unhappy, sad, and bigger than I wanted to be.

So here I am today, wanting a change. Wanting to hadle my emotions and eating in a mature manner and get my life on a path of happiness. I am going to change what I can not accept about myself, But in a positive way by fueling my body with healthy, organic foods and treating myself when I'm craving it.  After much experimentation with food I found that I do best without dairy, gluten, and limited meat (only fish and a little chicken). Many of you probably think I have a mental problem if I'm cutting out this many food groups from my diet but this time I'm cutting out these food groups cause it makes me feel better, not because my ED told me I could not have these food groups. I am slowly coming to peace with myself. I know the journey will be long but it will be worth it. Being healthy and happy is something everyone craves as a human being.

Coming out of my shell

As much as I love being home and spending time with the family I have to admit I'm excited to be on my own again. I am naturally an introvert. I love being alone and am perfectly fine spending the day completely by myself. I get nervous in big groups and am not so good at meeting new people. This is something that I've slowly had to accept about myself. I always envied the girls who could walk into a party and talk to anyone. They are so confident in themselves, something I wished so badly I could have.

 I have a friend whom I admire for being so confident. It amazes me at how she can carry on a conversation with just about anyone and convince them of just about anything. I felt comfortable with her being around because I knew if I felt awkward talking to someone she would be right there to pick up the conversation for me but now that we live over 1,000 miles away from each other I've had to learn how to comunicate on my own and meet new people. It's so easy to hide in my room and watch netflix for hours or knit so many pairs of mittens my fingers feel like there about to fall off and up until this point that about all I've been doing. 

This time is going to be different though. I have a few goals that I plan to accomplish to try and spice up my life and get me out of my rut as being an unhappy person...

1. Find a job. Either at Starbucks or the local gym... I haven't decided yet.

2. Volunteer at a nursing home. I secretly love old people and think there adorable! 

3. Join a gym. Working out gives me an adrenaline rush and relaxes me when I'm stessed.

Hopefully by working towards theses goals I can come out of my shell and meet new people. I know that I will always be an introvert and choose my bed over a party but baby steps to being happier is better than no steps at all.

Audition season

It's January and as every dancer knows this is a very stressful time. This next month determines your future. Every audition must be spot on, no room for mistakes. We work so hard our entire lives giving up much of our social life growing up to train in the studio but I wouldn't have done it any other way. I love dance especially ballet and couldn't imagine my life without it. I've met so many great people through dance and it's helped me grow as a person. I owe so much to my teachers who have put so much effort into making me the dancer I am today and being home over break made me realize this even more.

So here's to all the ladies and gentlemen out there auditioning this month. Merdè to you all! 

Routine

I admit it... I'm addicted to coffee. I can't make it through a day without at least one cup of coffee. My typical morning routine consists of sleepily walking to the kitchen in the dark and flipping the switch on the coffee machine. When it's finished I add one packet of truvia and a little bit of soy coffee creamer. Every morning, without a doubt, I know my coffee is going to power me through the day. It's nice having routine. Without it my life would be complete chaos. I like routine. I love schedules. But sometimes I can get stuck in a rut, just going through the motions. I have a fear of trying new things but new things keep you on your toes and keep your mind sharp. Today I'm going to try something new, something that I usually wouldn't. I haven't decided what that will be yet but I'll post about what I did tomorrow. Today I'm going to find something that challenges my mind and body. 

How beautiful is this latte one of my friends mom made for me!? Do I dare say its better than Starbucks... 

A beautiful breakfast

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. I am always trying new breakfast foods and switch up my breakfast quite frequently. Today was gluten free Ezekiel bread with natural peanut butter, banana, granola and a side of fresh berries. It was delicious! 

Here goes nothing

Hello! This blog is my New Years resolution. Usually I hate New Years resolutions. I think they just set people up to fail. They'll say there gunna workout more or start eating healthy but I don't understand why you need a new year to start something new but here I am. Starting this blog. 

I actually didn't plan on making a blog or starting my pursuit of happiness until a few mornings ago when my mom wanted me to come to spin class with her. The teacher, whom I'd know prior to the class, was one of the coolest and most inspirational people I've ever met. I always tell me mom that I hope I'm as cool as her when I'm older. That got me thinking, what is it about her that makes her appealing to me as a person? What is it about her that makes an entire room light up when she enters it? It's that she is so comfortable in her own skin. She genuinely loves herself which makes it easy for her to love others around her. She's happy. She's what I like to call a "glass half-full" type. Always looking at the positive side if things. Now me on the other hand am completely opposite. I am naturally a very negative person. I tend to be very realistic about things which isn't necessarily a bad thing but my negativity can sometimes get in the way of loving myself and the people around me. 

So this year I am on the pursuit of happiness. I want to find peace with my body, my mind and with others to create a less stressful life. This will be my journey of finding myself and hopefully I can inspire others to do the same. This is my pursuit of happiness.