oh, hi! 
My name is Gracie. I'm a 23 year old recent college grad on a mission to live a healthy, happy, and FUN life. This blog chronicles my journey of eating and exercising my way towards a healthier lifestyle, even in the chaos of everyday life.
Feel free to contact me at GirlMeetsHealth@gmail.com
Follow me on Twitter @GirlMeetsHealth
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If you haven’t noticed, in addition to my love for all things health-related, I’m also a huge fan of pop culture. And fashion. And current events. And music. I’m just so well-rounded, what can I say?  (totally kidding, haha).
So here’s a recap of some of my favorite things from the month of July!
food.
VitaTop French Toast. A breakfast that’s decadent and healthy? Count me in.
Blue Diamond nailed it once again with these butter toffee flavored almonds.
I’m not a huge fan of candy, but Charms lollipops seem to make for the perfect 2am snack.
exercise move.
For some reason, I used to hate the plank. Somehow it’s become one of my favorite moves.
Tip: while in plank, alternate moving your feet to the left and right then back to center. Feel the burn.
beauty product.
Winning MAC’s Lady Gaga Viva Glam lipstick from Emily’s giveaway was one of the best things that has ever happened to me. July just screams for bubblegum-colored lips!
fashion.
I’m all about the southwestern print these days…
…as well as oversized shirts.
And polka dots are making a comeback in my book! (side note – my old AIM screen name was polka dots 318).
band.
Best Coast. Listen to “Our Deal” and “Boyfriend.” Bethany Cosentino’s voice is delicious.
song.
“The xx” by Islands. SMOOTH.
television shows.
I will shameless admit that I am hooked to this season of Roberto The Bachelorette.
Ohhhh Real Housewives of New Jersey. No explanation necessary.
movie.
When In Rome wasn’t a particularly good film…
…I guess this just goes to show you that I’ll fall for any cheesy romantic chick flick. Don’t hate.
current events.
Praise GOD that the oil leak was capped this month.
And, on a completely and utterly shallow note, I couldn’t help but find interest in LiLo going to jail. I sincerely do hope she can get the help she needs! WE LOVE YOU LINDSANITY LINDSAY.
blogs.
How Sweet It Is – Jessica’s phenom recipes and her sarcastic humor is a winning combination. LOVE.
Can You Stay For Dinner – Andrea not only has an amazing weight loss story, but she exudes honesty and beauty. Her recipes are killer as well!
quotes/verses.
“We learned everything we needed to know in kindergarten. Boys are stupid.”
“The only way to find true happiness is to risk being completely cut open.”
“It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” – Lamentations 3:22-23
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” – Philippians 4:6
- What are YOUR July favorites?
Hey lovebugs! Let me begin by saying I really appreciate your comments about dealing with regret. There were so many insightful ones that really got me thinking. Who would’ve thought that a comment forum could act as a therapy session? 
perfect summer salad.
As I was eating my dinner tonight, I could not stop thinking “man, this is thee perfect summer salad!”
The salad included:
- 1 cup romaine lettuce
- 1 cup baby spinach
- 1/2 of a mango, sliced
- 1/2 of an avocado, sliced
- pine nuts
- dried cranberries
I dressed it simply with olive oil and the juice of a lemon.
Refreshing. Flavorful. Filling. This salad covered all the bases.
white chocolate macadamia blondies.
Yes, you read that right. My love for all things white-chocolate-macadamia has been taken to a whole new level. And, I’m not the world’s biggest chocolate fan, so I’ll pick a blondie over a brownie any day of the week.
I’ve been jonesin’ for a blondie ever since Tina made them last week, and then I remembered that I’ve had another blondies recipe bookmarked for a few months. I chose to use the latter because it looked so darn easy!
(recipe from Eating for England)
ingredients:
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup macadamia nuts, crushed
directions:
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Butter an 8×8 pan
- Mix your melted butter with the brown sugar and beat until smooth. Beat in the egg and then vanilla.
- Add a pinch of salt and stir in flour. Mix in white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts.
- Pour the mixture into your buttered pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until set in the middle. Cool on a rack before cutting them.
Clearly I wasn’t patient enough to let it cool completely…
But my second serving was just perfect.
All I can say is…holymotherofblondie!
I’m off to drink some tea and track down a sappy love movie. It’s one of those nights  Have a good one, babes. xoxo G
- What’s your idea of the perfect summer salad?
- Brownie or blondie?!
Hola mamasitas!
So far today has been quite productive. Score. Is it weird that I get really excited when I can check things off my to-do list…?
Speaking of which, one of the musts on my to-do list is pay a visit to the grocery store later. I was able to scrape together some eats for breakfast and lunch, but I’m definitely lacking in the produce department. And maybe “scrape” wasn’t the best way to describe my meals…:P
Breakfast was yogurt topped with a Banana Nut VitaTop and almond butter.
For lunch I dug into the freezer and found an Amy’s Vegetable Pie, which I completely forgot I had.
It was pretty good! This definitely reminded me of my ex-lover, Mr. Hot Pocket.
I ate the “pie” with a side of black beans and celery + dip.
I also snacked on some Butter Toffee almonds and dark chocolate.
This certainly wasn’t the best lunch, but I have something in mind for dinner that should make up for it
dealing with regret.
You know what I’ve never really understood? When people say something along the lines of, “I live without regrets,” or, “I don’t regret anything because it has made me who I am.”
You know what? I’m only 23 years old, and I can honestly say that there are plenty of things I regret. For example:
- Opting out of immediately going to my original college-of-choice and instead going to community college for 2 years.
- How I handled certain situations with some friendships/relationships.
- Doing things or acting in a way that was out of character for me.
Okay, that’s too much vagueness to get anywhere. But I think you know what I mean.
I can’t help but think that the concept of not allowing oneself to have regrets is harmful. Why? Because you may be more likely to do those things that you (should) regret. That’s the case for me, at least.
With that being said, I’m not going to bask in my past mistakes for the rest of my life. Instead, this is how I think regret should be handled. (Mind you – I must admit that I’m sort of teaching myself a lesson right now.)
1. FEEL IT. If you experience regret – whether it was a situation that was out of your control or not – acknowledge how it has made you feel. Are you angry? Upset? With whom? Pretending like a situation never happened isn’t going to teach you anything, but it will leave you with bottled up emotions.
2. REPENT. Not all mistakes or regrets involve wrong-doing. But in my life, the majority of regrets I have in life are ones where I blatantly sinned. Whether you “believe” in sin or not, we all have a moral compass; we all inherently know when something we’ve done was wrong. I will be the first to admit that I’ve done some pretty crappy things in my short lifetime. Sure, they might have been no big deal according to some people’s standards, but they are things that I know were wrong for me. In these cases, the very first thing I do is acknowledge that I screwed up, and repent to God. How blessed I am to have such a forgiving, merciful God!
3. APOLOGIZE. Has a past mistake that you’ve made caused any sort of effect on someone else? Think about it. You may not have had bad intentions, but our actions can affect others more than we tend to realize. Giving an apology where it’s due is key when it comes to moving on from a particular regret.
4. ACCEPT. It’s difficult to think about a past regret without thinking, “I wish I didn’t do that!!” or “I wish I DID do that!!” But, as obvious as this is, you cannot go back and change it. You must be be able to accept the fact that the past is the past! Sure, maybe things would’ve worked out better if you made a different decision, but thinking about that is a waste of time. Let me note that accepting a regret does not necessarily make it okay.
5. LEARN. This is sort of a no-brainer. If we ignore the mistakes we’ve made, we’re never going to learn how to do things differently in the future. So, instead of accepting the commonly-held belief of: “I have no regrets because they made me who I am today,” my personal view is, “I DO have regrets. Yes, they made me who I am today, but they still sucked. And I never, ever want to make those mistakes again.” See the difference?
- How do you deal with regret?
- Is there anything in particular that you regret lately?
Good morning loves! I have quite the busy day ahead of me (you don’t even want to see my to-do list), so let’s get right to it!
Last night I met up with my best/roomie from college, Chrissy, for dinner at Seasons 52. Isn’t she a cutie?
(I love the heavenly light shining on her face, haha).
I actually had no idea that there was a Seasons 52 in our area! I’ve seen it on other blogs, so I was excited to pay a visit. The design and overall feel of the restaurant was very welcoming, and everything on the menu looked delicious.
For some reason the flatbreads caught my eye, so I went with the Garlic Chicken Flatbread with balsamic red onions, roasted red peppers and mozzarella cheese.
It was good!! I wasn’t expecting it to be so thin – it was almost chip-like. But still delicious.
What I was most impressed by was the dessert spread (no surprise there). It was a tough decision because all of the Mini Indulgences looked and sounded great!
I ended up choosing the Blueberry Cheesecake, and Chrissy went with the Old-Fashioned Carrot Cake.
YUM. We shared very date-like bites of each other’s desserts, of course But…let’s be honest…I kind of wanted to eat about three more of these.
The best part of the meal was definitely being able to catch up with Chrissy. She can relate to this weird, early-twenties transition I’ve been going through, so it felt good to have someone who is just as confused as I am!
No matter where life takes us…nothing can take away our fond memories of apartment 296D!
tan burn free update.
It’s no secret that I’ve been spending a lot of time at the beach this summer. And you know what? This “tan free” lady has gotten a pretty decent amount of freckles color.
So, first of all, I feel the need to clarify that I never condemned getting a tan from the natural sun (It’s those indoor tanning beds that we need to kiss goodbye!).
BUT – I *do* think that it’s imperative to wear sunscreen. Up until this year, I was convinced that wearing sunscreen = no color whatsoever. Boy, was I wrong.
I kid you not when I say that not a day has gone by where I don’t cover my entire body with sunscreen at least every 2 hours when I’m in the sun. My point? You can get a safe and healthy tan while wearing sunscreen! So lather up, babydolls. Your skin will thank you.
Time to get to that to-do list! Which includes some more posts for today Buhbye. xoxo G
- Have you ever been to Seasons 52?
- Do you avoid sunscreen because you think you won’t tan?
Let’s be honest. Chia seeds are one of the strangest health trends as of late. I mean, did anyone else instantly think of this trend from days of old?
That was the 90’s. Today, chia seeds are back with a vengeance, but in a whole new way.
what are chia seeds?
According to WebMD,
Chia is an edible seed that comes from the desert plant Salvia hispanica, grown in Mexico dating back to Mayan and Aztec cultures. “Chia” means strength, and folklore has it that these cultures used the tiny black and white seeds as an energy booster. That makes sense, as chia seeds are a concentrated food containing healthy omega-3 fatty acids, carbohydrates, protein, fiber, antioxidants, and calcium.
health benefits of chia seeds.
Chia seeds are an unprocessed, whole-grain food that can be absorbed by the body as seeds (unlike flaxseeds). One ounce (about 2 tablespoons) contains 139 calories, 4 grams of protein, 9 grams fat, 12 grams carbohydrates and 11 grams of fiber, plus vitamins and minerals.
Michael Roizen, MD, and Mehmet Oz, MD, recommend two daily doses [of chia seeds], each consisting of 20 grams (a little less than 2 tablespoons) of chia seeds. The authors [of You Staying Young] also note that the antioxidant activity of chia seeds is higher than any whole food, even blueberries.
Chia seeds are said to have two times the protein of any other seed or grain; five times the calcium of milk — plus boron, which is a trace mineral that helps transfer calcium into your bones; twice the potassium of bananas; three times the reported antioxidant strength of blueberries; three times more iron than spinach and copious amounts of omega 3 and omega 6, which are essential fatty acids.
They are a complete source of protein, providing all the essential amino acids in an easily digestible form (source).
Furthermore, it has been found that chia seeds help to slow the process by which digestive enzymes break down carbohydrates and convert them into sugar in our bodies (source).
where to find chia seeds.
Chia seeds can be found at most natural health foods stores, including Whole Foods. It is also available to buy online from sources such as:
how to eat chia seeds.
Chia seeds can be added to almost any food as they have a very mild, nutty flavor. Not only do chia seeds add healthy nutrients, but they also expand and add volume to foods. When added to liquid, chia seeds form a gel-like consistency, which can be used as a thickening agent. Some of my favorite ways to eat chia seeds are in:
oatmeal.
overnight oats.
Green Monsters:
pancakes:
loaded yogurt:
chia pudding:
any drawbacks of chia seeds?
Chia seeds have been touted as an aid to weight loss, but studies have shown that that might not be the case. Instead of viewing chia seeds as a supplement, they should be used a food to add healthy nutrients and antioxidants to your diet.
Furthermore, it is cautioned that if you have food allergies (especially to sesame or mustard seeds) or are on high blood pressure medications or blood thinners, you should ask your health care provider before adding chia to your diet.
my take.
 I’ve made it no secret that when it comes to healthy living, I take a pretty realistic approach. So, to me, at first chia seeds were just straight up weird.
But after learning about the health benefits of chia seeds and adding them into my diet, I’ve found that they’re not so strange after all. I’ve noticed that adding chia seeds to food does seem to leave me feeling fuller longer, and also with more energy. And, with such great nutritional stats, why wouldn’t you give chia seeds a try?
- Have you tried chia seeds? What’s your favorite way to eat them?
- Have you noticed any difference in your health since eating chia seeds?
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