March favorites: Healthy snacks

Before getting started on this post, I'd like to wish everyone a 

HAPPY EASTER!

Like I mentioned in the previous post, college life can get pretty hectic. With all the exams, projects, and activities going on, it's not only hard to make time with friends (here's some fun suggestions!) but also very challenging to stay healthy. As a HUGE foodie (proud carb-lover and desserts-fanatic~~), it's definitely difficult to stay away from those late night carbs and sweets. So for this month's favorites are all the things I enjoy doing for fun that are both healthy and not too time consuming! (February's favorites: inspiration quotes on dreams.)

1. Matcha latte. Matcha is such a great source of antioxidants and is super healthy. Take a small spoonful of matcha powder, 1 cup of milk (or soymilk/almond milk in my case), and a teaspoon+ of honey and blend it till it's nice and frothy! Now you have a delicious morning drink! Check out my sister's recipe!
2. Peach milk tea. If you've never had peach tea before, you're definitely missing out. And if you've never had peach milk tea, you're missing out X2! It is such a delicious and refreshing drink. Although it's can be hard to make authentic milk teas at home, all you really need is a (few) bag of peach oolong tea and some milk and honey! The end result is quite refreshing!
3. Oatmeal, pumpkin pancakes. I know some people really dislike the texture of oatmeal. Me? I really like oatmeal personally, but for those who don't, trying blending up the oatmeal into flour and using it to make pancakes! Add in some pumpkin puree for added nutrients!
4. Frozen bananas. As the weather gets warmer and warmer (especially LA!!), a chilling and sweet snack is a must. Cut the bananas into smaller chunks and freeze them in a bag. They'll take wonderful! You can also do this with grapes!

Thanks for sticking with me! Hope you find something fun to make for this week!

What are some of your favorite snacks?

How did you spend Easter?
I went to church and blessed by the testimonies that were shared!

Green tea matcha latte with soy milk~

Product were provided by Kiss Me Organic, but all content and opinions are based on my own experience!

Hi everyone! One of my favorite things to do first thing in the morning is to drink a cup of green tea latte! It's nice and refreshing, especially since I always wake up thirsty.

 

Isn't the color so lovely? The green is so pretty; it makes it so happy and relaxed when I drink it in the morning! Anyways, in an effort to be healthier this new year, I've been trying to avoid coffee (don't want to get addicted!) Since this oragnic matcha powder has 10 times the nutritional and antioxidant benefits than a single cup of tea and helps increase the metabolism, I felt that drinking a cup of green tea matcha latte would be a great way to start the day.

This cup of morning tea is very easy to make and requires only three ingredients! Hope you're excited!

          1/2 to 1 tsp of matcha (depending on how strong you like the green tea flavor)
          1 tsp of honey
          1 cup of unsweetened soymilk

          1. mix the matcha powder with a small amount of hot water (to help it mix better with the soy milk)
          2. heat the soymilk in the microwave for 1-1:30 minutes
          3. combine the soymilk and matcha "syrup" and stir in the honey
          4. ENJOY~

In this particular recipe, I used Kiss Me Organic's culinary grade green tea powder! I really like this brand because the powder mixes smoothly in drinks and gives a beautiful green color for baked goods! If you're interested in trying this brand, you can find it on Amazon here! If you're in the UK or in Canada, you can find the matcha powder here and here, respectively.

What's your favorite green tea flavored drink or snack?

Let's talk: Say NO to cookies and start building those biceps!

Girl Scout cookies are addicting...so much so that I can finish a box in a day (eeewwwww, I know that might sound gross to some of you >__<''' ). Sadly, for Somoas (my favorite), they're 150 Kcal for 2 cookies--I can see my waistline expanding already, and I predict diabetes for my future. T___T

yum yum! I can't stop eating D:

I know it's really easy to get caught up in appearances and in a continual cycle for weight-loss and dieting. I know because I do this a lot. I say to myself, "tomorrow, I will start eating healthy, and I'll eat very little so I can compensate for how much I ate today." That sort of mindset is so easy for me to adopt, and I know that's very unhealthy. Sadly, it doesn't work either...I just gobble lots of sweets the next day anyways.

However, lots of people say, "You're so skinny." To which I replied, "But look at my flabby arms, my jiggly legs, and my bloated, round tummy!!"

My muscles are literally like this...

I realized that for such a long time, I've associated losing weight with better body image. I've always been super short--5'1--and small-boned, but I've always wanted an unrealistic body weight. I get so caught up with the weight of Asian (mainly Chinese and Korean) models whose body stats are posted on online taobao shops. They are so cute and beautiful, and I really want to look like them. So I think to myself, if only I could get my weight down that low, I'd look fantastic, too.

My goals for this month (and hopefully rest of the year) is to stop looking at numbers but rather focus on building and toning up muscles, eating healthy but not restricting calories, and stop comparing myself to Asian models and beautiful girls on my school campus. I want to look the best for myself and live a healthy lifestyle, so that I will be a good model for my future children and decrease my risk of future health problems (like diabetes, obesity, and early aging) due to my carelessness.

I must build SELF-CONTROL!!!

What do you guys think of Asian fashion models? Are they too skinny, skinny but cute, too skinny and not cute, etc?

I know for me, I know they're super skinny but still look super cute in the clothes they wear >__< <3