Hydration Celebration!

Hello Clean Eaters!

I know that summer is here so that means it's time to stay hydrated! While I may be one of the few people out there who don't mind the bland taste of water, I know that others might not. I recently went out and bought a slew of goodies (and stole some teabags from my moms house) so I wanted to try some new water and tea combinations!

So before I get into the nitty-gritty, let me say that I was pleasantly surprised by how delicious and versatile the mint was. It lasted me a week and added a fresh flavor to the water and the tea! I also heard that infused water can be used at detoxes. I have always wanted to try a detox or maybe even a teatox but have not done enough research into to it to fully commit. In the meantime, check out what I drank.

Here is what I made:

• Green tea with mint and lemon - Putting lemon in my tea is not new to me put adding mint sure is! I have to admit, at first I was scared about burning and ruining the mint leaves but it actually provided a great flavor.
• Lemon grass tea with mint - Lemon grass tea is completely new to me. I didn't bother adding more lemon to this tea so the mint was a great counter balance!
• Water with mint and lemon - I have seen this one time and time again on Pinterest. I have read that mint helps settle ones stomach and aids in digestion (peppermint tea for example) and that the added lemon helps to cleanse the body and boost the immune system. I am not sure if these have helped (since I have been only been drinking them for a week) but I sure do like it!
• Cucumber lemon water - Classic, nothing more
• Cucumber mint water - A new favorite! Adding a few slices of cucumber to water makes me feel more hydrated and the mint was a welcome, fresh taste

In all, even though I only played around with a few different ingredients, I got good flavor combinations out of them. Go ahead and try some out for yourself and tell me what you like to infuse your water or tea with!

-Eating Clean in College

Granola Energy Bites

Hello Clean Eaters! I have been so busy theses past few weeks between work, finally going on a vacation, and LIFE in general that I barely have time to breathe. I know it's not healthy...that is definitely something I will address in a later blog.For today, I am going to post a delicious recipe that I finally got to make! It is not an original as it was inspired by soooo many amazing bloggers before me! I took bits and pieces from my favorite and adjusted it to what I had in my kitchen! :)

Just a warning, these are simple to make and DEEELLICIOUS! Once I popped one in my mouth, I literally could not stop eating! Make at your own risk!

Ingredients
The simpler, the better!

• 1 cup quick oats
• 1 tablespoon powdered peanut butter
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup ground extract (I tried to ground them in my blender but it didn't turn out too well)
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries

Prep

To make these delicious bites, all you do is blend and stir all the ingredients together! This is what I did

1. Combine the powdered peanut butter, oats, and ground flax seeds together. Stir well!
2. Mix in vanilla and honey.
3. Spoon in peanut butter
4. Sprinkle in the dried cranberries and give one last good stir!
5. Once the ingredients are thoroughly mixed, roll into into balls and chill into the fridge for 30 minutes! They can be stored and kept fresh in an airtight container for 3 days!

This last part is messy (I'm not fancy shamncy enough to have parchment paper so I had to use my hands and Tupperware). I tried rolling the energy bites into balls using tablespoons. I just ended up using my hands and had more fun eating the stuck on granola than I did rolling them!

Working and Working-Out

Hello Clean Eaters!

I am sooo happy to be writing to you all again! As you all know, I am no longer a college student and have officially started a "big girl job." I never knew who stressed or overwhelmed a person could be until I started working full time! When you combine the commute and total work time, that leaves me 2 hours to clean, cook, work-out, socialize, blog, etc...needless to say time is NOT my friend!

My tennis shoes, which I pack in my messenger bag everyday!

My biggest concern with my work schedule was not being able to work-out like I used to. I tried exercising in my office during my lunch break but that quickly ended. I think the combination of a lack of space plus forgetting to pack extra clothes made it hard to do my work-out videos. Then, our HR Director came up with a wellness challenge of walking everyday. Then it hit me, why don't I just walk every day? I mean it doesn't take me a long time to eat so why spend the rest of my lunch hour walking?! IT WAS GENIUS!

I have been walking daily since our Fitness Challenge started in February. I know it is not much, but it better than doing nothing. Walking in the middle of my day is also the PERFECT release from work! For me at least, the first half of the day seems to drag on forever while the second half breezes by.

Another fitness hack that I do at work is drink lots of water and use the restroom farthest from my office. Luckily for me, that restroom is below me so I am also making at least a dozen trips up two and down two flights of stairs...daily!

For now, this is my routine and I am sticking with it. Do you have any fitness hacks for staying healthy at work? Please share below!

-Eating Clean in College

Riding the Bus

Sometimes, life hands us lemons and when you don't have car, getting around can seem nearly impossible. I know how that feels because I was careless in college. While I did have roommates who would occasionally take me to the store when they went, there were times that I had to make that journey alone. Thankfully, my school was a local bus hub which featured three downtown express buses and 3 local metro buses. Over time, I found the perfect combination of riding the bus to get groceries.
At first, I used the plastic bags. Not only were they wasteful but they were hassle to walk around with. Then, I moved on to tote bags but they would eventually hurt my shoulder. Finally, I realized that using a backpack was the smartest way to go! Here are some of my favorite tips for surviving college AND grocery shopping while on the bus!