is comparing yourself to others a good thing?

hey hey buddies. it's tuesday, jess!

i had a bombtastic day today. i acted like a blob all morning, read a little, went out to lunch with christie from honoring health (again! love her!), and knocked out a killer strength training workout.

yep. all in a days work :)

just a quick thought for you all tonight... i was reading some older posts from two awesome blogs and came across posts about how many calories they consume.

usually, i'm not really into other people's diets, but that day it struck a chord with me. i guess i was blown away by how active these girls are, and how little calories they actually ate (compared to me).

my first reaction was intrigue. they are both so healthy, and their diets really seem flawless! i'm amazed at their endless creativity and dedication to health.

... but then, i started internalizing. you know, comparing myself.

i started thinking about how beautiful and active these girls are, and how i move so much less, but eat so much more! it blew my mind.

i wouldn't say it made me uncomfortable, but i definitely had a few moments of uncertainty. how could this be? am i eating the right amount? am i overeating? 

i quickly came to a shocking conclusion: i am not either of them.

brilliant, i know. the important fact i lost sight of was that we are all unique. what's good for me may not be good for you, or anyone else for that matter. we are individuals, and we require different things to feel and look our best.

i know what i normally eat, and if i was to eat less, i would definitely lose weight that i don't want to lose. if someone else ate like me, however, they might gain or lose weight. or just feel like crap. or be bored. or not think i have very good tastes in snacks. whatever.

it was eye-opening, to say the least. i realized even when i think that i've conquered a weak area, i can always be taken off guard! i'm not immune to insecurity, that's for sure.

so i decided to do my own "day of food" post.

this is not meant to encourage more comparison. please, don't look at me as the standard. i'm quite the opposite, actually.

it's meant to be a declaration of self-acceptance: i am rebekah. this is what i eat, and i'm totally ok with that.

let's get started, shall we?

5:05am - must. drink. water. now.

5:31am - oatmeal time! oatmeal time! oatmeal time!

in the mix: chocolate chia tahini oats. yum.

6:00am - decaf coffee (and assume i am pounding water the rest of the day from here out)

9:20am - post-run recover smoothie (recycled picture, i ate too quick!)

in the mix: hemp protein, hemp milk, banana, strawberries, blueberries, + spinach

p.s. - you can tell it's finally daylight! lol.

11:40am - leftover amaranth savory pancakes

mix it up! try substituting leftover cooked grains in your next pancake recipe. blend them up a bit in the food processor first if you like a smoother texture.

+ snow peas and copious amounts of (unpictured) carrots

intermission: i just had to show you guys this shelf on our freezer.

i love my little brother! he's 16... can you tell?

1:30pm - gala apple + almonds + rooibos tea

second intermission: look at my mom's cute plants!

2:06pm - second snack. because apparently the first one wasn't enough.

(on a book up for review - coming soon!)

4:07pm - dinner, part one.

mom's homemade whole wheat bread + homemade hummus

5:15pm - leftover baked potato + homemade 3-bean chili

... where are my leafy greens today???

taa-daa! y'all sleepin' yet?

who cares what everyone else does? you are really quite lovely just how you are.

i want you to look at your body and what you eat, and promise not to judge yourselves, either. deal?

-rebekah

don't you bake in your running shorts?

i have a confession, y'all.

yes, i know that's a common theme here at Clarity in Creation.... i'm ok with that.

honesty is the best policy, right? i think so.

this morning, i got dressed for my workout, all ready to go.

let's go tarheels!

represent.

... which was wonderful, until i got the burning desire to use up the zucchinis from mom's garden.

literally, they're storming our house.

we are overrun by zucchinis, and it's only getting worse by the day!

anyone need any veggies!?! please!?!??!

well, until then, i will eat them faithfully.

i will saute them, i will roast them, and i will bake with them.

chocolate zucchini bread, two ways

adapted from here

as you can see, i made two batches.

one batch as is, but used a muffin pan, and a healthier batch for my mom's breakfast, baked in a loaf pan.

for the healthier version, i used 1/2 the sugar, and substituted whole wheat.

much to my chagrin, mom didn't want chocolate chips, either. strange.

because i'm late for a lunch date, visualize:

the verdict?

both were really good!

i ate one of the muffins and was sugar buzzin' for hours, and not shockingly, i preferred the whole wheat kind.

just so you know, when i make "treats," they are usually for my boyfriend or my 16-year-old brother. both of them are pretty hardcore athletes, and a little natural sugar won't kill them. for some reason, they aren't quite as interested in "that healthy stuff" as i am... go figure :)

also, on the rare occasion i eat dessert, i don't feel the need to try to make it healthy... it's dessert for crying out loud! no shame.

(not that i have a problem with healthy desserts - i just don't feel guilty if i eat a "naughty" one, capishe?)

do you grow your own veggies?

and what the heck do you do with all your zucchini!?!?!?

-rebekah

school, celebration, and sweets.

hey guys - i'm so impressed with your running experiences! you guys are amazing and have it together way more than i do. so never give up!

earlier in the week, i got my acceptance letter as a transfer into VCU's public health education program! i blogged about when i applied, but never filled you guys in on anything concrete.

i'll be there for sure in august... and i feel so blessed after all this to be able to go back :)

i might just graduate before i'm 50!

my lovely boy is taking me to celebrate at one of richmond's best eats, edo's squid.

ok, don't freak out - they do serve squid, but they also make the best italian food in virginia! incredible soup, fresh fish, and pasta like you wouldn't believe, and i don't even like pasta. i'm sure these lovely two have been... they can back me up!

so naturally, what did i do to celebrate?

made candy, of course!

sweet, salty, frito candy...? well, we had an abandoned bag of fritos in our pantry (my 16-year-old brother apparently moved on. the horror.), and it was begging me to bake with it. strange? it didn't seem so at the time, no. so bake i did!

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhmyword. it's like saltine toffee candy ON CRACK! i'm not normally a sweets person, but a few bites of this and i was in heaven (or sugar high. same difference?). i just didn't add the peanuts on top just because i didn't have them... next time!

please head on over to the amazing anna's blog at cookie madness if you're interested in the recipe (which is where the picture is from, too, because i was too lazy). this woman is a goddess, y'all. i want to make everything she's posted!

and i'm still buzzin'.
this is what happens when you turn an avid sugar-avoider loose in the kitchen with good news, i guess... chocolate chip cookies, coconut brownies, banana cookies, brownie cookies, lemon curd trifle, birthday cake... i cannot be trusted! i just love to bake for other people when i'm excited.

anything new with y'all? let's celebrate :)
- rebekah

coconut brownies, anyone?

guess what i finally got around to opening?

the tropical traditions coconut cream concentrate i won in miss stephanie's giveaway like two months ago!

i'm so on top of things.

so, what is it?

coconut cream is simply ground coconut meat. period.

just like how peanuts are ground up to make peanut butter, coconut meat is ground up to make coconut cream.

it's 70% fat, so it's similar to coconut butter, except coconut cream has all the fiber of whole coconuts... score!

ok, so what do you do with it?

the website recommends using it to make homemade coconut milk (my wallet rejoices!), as a spread on toast, a soup base, or blended into smoothies.

well, what did i do with it?

funny you should ask...

cocoa coconut brownies

adapted from the tropical traditions recipe blog

1 cup coconut cream concentrate

3 room temperature eggs

1/3 c maple syrup or brown sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

splash vanilla extract

1/3 c cocoa powder (my favorite ingredient ever!)

and 1/3 c each add-in: nuts, chocolate chips, shredded coconut, dried cherries, etc.

mix all ingredients until just combined.

bake in a greased 9x9 at 325* for 18-20 mins.

um... aren't they gorgeous?

i couldn't help but drool.

these. are. so. good. these. are. so. good. these. are. so. good.

hey sexy!

i wish i had planned to be this awesome, but i also realized after i made these they are flour and gluten-free.

score. my little sister can now join me in snacking my face off.

and promise you won't laugh?

here's... um... dinner:

ohhhhhhhhhh mmmmmyyyyyy.

because really,

what's better than yogurt, fresh strawberries, chocolate, and coconut?

thanks again stephanie!

p.s. - check out the tropical traditions website.

they're a really cool company with an awesome story behind them. and hello coconut peanut butter!!!

- r

y'all make me blush.

you guys are too sweet!
thank you all so much for your comments on my pictures yesterday...

the crazy thing is, i had long, curly hair halfway down my back in high school...! see?

from summer 2007...

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last night, i had the pleasure of meeting up with two lovely blog buddies, brittany and meredith, at one of my current restaurant obsessions, ipanema cafe. is it obvious how much i love this place?

it's also a favorite of miss brittany's, and since meredith had never been, we felt we must introduce her :)

meredith, brittany, and i in front of a 7-11...

gotta love richmond!

i had an amazing arugula salad with roasted beets, gouda cheese, and the most incredible salad dressing of all time! brittany donated a handful of her sweet potato fries, too, which i could have kissed her for.

think if i ask really nicely, the chef would give me the recipe???

the girls were lovely, and we chatted the night away about foreign food, work, and how our men deal with our quirky blogging habits.
i mean, doesn't everyone photograph their food?

if you guys haven't checked out their blogs yet, please do! they both have incredible, motivating stories to share, and their eats ain't too shabby either.

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i also did a little sumthin' in the kitchen.
roasted up an eggplant, zucchini, and a sweet potato for lunches this week.

i also marinated some tempeh in sriratcha, honey, and dijon mustard, and popped it in for the last few minutes of the veggie roast...

by the way, i roast my veggies/taters on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for easy clean up. i set the temp to 350* and leave them for 40-60 minutes. try it!


aaaaaaaaaand i made more hummus. 
try this recipe if you're in the market for some incredible, face-rockin' curried honey hummus.

thanks ashley! this girl is amazing, talented, and super sweet, as if her hummus recipe wasn't rockin' enough!
it's her picture, too - i'm clearly not that talented, because mine was too gross-looking to post.

if you guys are still buying hummus, you're cheating yourself!
the cost for this recipe?
- can of chickpeas: $.89 at whole foods
- 2 cloves of garlic: basically free???
- scoop of peanut butter: maybe $.30 or so
- tablespoon of sesame oil: $.15
- spices: only a tablespoon of each, probably $.05 each
total: around $1.50 for a container, versus $4.99 from whole foods... whaaa?


and allow me to introduce you to the best thing you'll ever eat:
whole wheat wrap, banana, strawberries, sprinkle cinnamon, and a spread made from 1 tbsp cocoa and 2 tbsp almond milk.
holy junk.

i really doubt i could ever top this snack. my life is complete.

so, your turn!
do you guys have an incredible snack/meal recipe to share with me?
i'd like to see you beat this one! :)
- rebekah

p.s. - check out katie's awesome giveaway for a giftcard!

happy easter!

hey all.

i had a long day/am way too tired to post my real post i had planned for today, but i do want to wish you all a happy easter!

i hope you enjoyed your families, traditions, and most importantly...

chocolate.

- rebekah