Sarah

Skinny VS. Healthy… let’s talk about it!

May 17, 2012 by Sarah 6 Comments

Hey guys!

First of all official grades are in for the semester- I ended up with A’s in Anatomy and Physiology Lecture, Biochemistry (did I already mention that I made a 100 on the final for that class?) and Literature in Nutrition. Those A’s are fantastic and I’m very proud of them but I’m most happy about the B that I got this semester in A&P lab.

Even though I looooove making A’s (I’m a straight up nerd!) I’m really really happy for this B! Between a TA and a lab coordinator both on a major power trip and no one EVER knowing what was going on in that lab (seriously it was horrible!) and no one in the class ever making above an 84 on a practical I’m very okay with that B. I honestly thought it was going to be a C and that ugly little letter is absolutely NOT allowed to be on my transcript!! So I’m surprisingly okay with this B. But next semester look out… I’ll be back to straight A’s!!!

Anyway on to the topic at hand!

Skinny vs. healthy…

This is something that I’ve been thinking a lot about lately since the weather started warming up and people started declaring it to be “bikini season”. Seriously don’t you hate those two words?! I’m hoping that I don’t just end up going off on a rant about this but start a conversation about it. Let’s talk about this!

The number of times I hear the words “get your body bikini ready” in one day is astounding!

Look at what I found through just a quick Google search…

Bikini Body workout from Self Magazine It even comes with pictures guys! Apparently this is what we should look like…

(source)

Here’s another…

Bikini body in only 4 weeks?! And another picture…

Bikini Body Opener
(source)

Also can we talk about this new book by The Biggest Loser trainer Bob Harper? It’s called The Skinny Rules. Seriously that’s what it’s called. Here are just a few of the more ridiculous “rules” I noticed while flipping through this at a store…

Go to bed hungry (what the what?!?!)
No carbs after lunch (it really says that- I can’t make this stuff up! No distinguishing between complex carbs and refined carbohydrates and why one is better for you than the other. Wow. Just wow.)
No potatoes (Apparently potatoes and all carbohydrates are evil)

Oh and he also claims that he has new and emerging science to back all this up but never cites a single thing to actually back up these insane claims. Just another “diet” book by a celebrity trainer who is absolutely NOT qualified to give out nutritional advice. Shame on you Bob Harper.

There are so many examples out there of why we should be “skinny”. But why do we need to be skinny? Why can’t we just strive to be healthy? What’s the difference?

this article

I was thinking just the other day how tired I am of seeing this stuff, and all the other “get bikini ready” stuff on every news segment, TV show, commercial and website. This cycle will never end until women everywhere stop promoting it themselves and decide to be healthy not skinny”

I totally agree!

This also came up in the conversation…

Being overweight is not healthy, being underweight is not healthy. Healthy is putting nutritious food into your body (the right amount) and getting strong through exercise. The point is that it should not be about the "perfect" bikini body or about appearances, instead we should be promoting TV segments and magazine articles that focus on living strong and healthy for life, not for bikini season.

Preach it sister!!

Don’t get me wrong I don’t think there’s anything wrong with rocking a bikini if you feel comfortable and confident in one! I don’t happen to (and probably never will) so I think that maybe I resent the fact that all these advertisements are only showing the super skinny people in their bikinis and making women feel like they aren’t healthy unless they look this way.

Does anyone else have thoughts on this? Seriously this would be great to have a conversation about- just leave a comment below!

Filed Under: healthy living Tagged With: body image, healthy vs skinny

Chewy Triple Chocolate Cookies

May 14, 2012 by Sarah 8 Comments

Is there really anything better than a warm cookie? Maybe one with THREE kinds of chocolate! That’s right… it’s a triple threat!

These delicious little cookies taste like a brownie and a chocolate chip cookie had a love child. That’s no joke friends… I never joke about cookies!

Chewy Triple Chocolate Cookies

by Sarah Collins Chapman

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 10 min

Keywords: bake dessert vegan vegetarian chocolate cookie

Ingredients (2 1/2 dozen)
(Print this recipe!)

1 T ground flaxseed
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup butter (I used Earth Balance)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup organic sugar
1 t vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips (if you’re looking for dairy free they can be hard to find in the store but they’re easy to find and order on the internet)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

In a small bowl combine ground flax seeds and water. Set aside for 2-3 minutes

In a large bowl cream together butter and sugars (I used a hand mixer). Add flax mixture and vanilla and mix well.

In a medium bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.

In small batches, add the dry ingredients into the wet mixing well with each addition.

Fold in chocolate chips by hand.

Drop by the tablespoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet about an inch apart. Press down a little on each ball of cookie dough to flatten it so that each cookie will spread evenly while baking,

Bake 10 minutes.

Let cookies cool 2-3 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

I felt like cookie monster when I was making these.

Mmmmm… COOKIE!!!

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: chewy triple chocolate chip cookies, chocolate, cookies, Recipes

Blog Makeover!!!

May 11, 2012 by Sarah 8 Comments

First of all HI!!! I’ve been MIA for WEEKS because of school- they really pile the work on the last month of the semester. Then finals… oy! That has pretty much left my brain fried and I’ve not even known weather I was coming or going for weeks now!

But finals have been taken and I’m waiting for grades to see if my hard work paid off for the semester! I only know two grades for certain so far- an A in my Literature in Nutrition class and an A in Biochemistry (I made a 100 on the final y’all! Whaaaatttt??) Everything else is up in the air a bit and one I’m borderline in so I’m praying they show kindness and curve it up- I’m like 1 point away, c’mon!)

So anyway over the last few weeks I’ve been working with Emily White Designs (formerly known as The Blog Fairy) on a new design for my blog! And I absolutely ADORE what she came up with for me!

I told her I loved retro-y housewife and I gave her the colors I wanted and she really delivered! (seriously I adore 50’s stuff- In my head I’m totally a housewife in the 50’s). I love the cute gal up at the top juggling the veggies and the pinks, greens, and blues! I just love it all!!!! I’m going to do a little more personalizing my widgets (how cool is it that she gave me widgets at the bottom?!) over the next few weeks but other than that how cool is my new blog???

So thank you thank you thank you Emily!! I just adore it!

Also Emily is fantastic to work with guys! If you are wanting a blog redesign (or even if you just want something small done- she does a la carte stuff too!) take a look at her site- you will not regret working with her. She had so much patience with me especially since I was going through finals at the time of my redesign and my communication skills weren’t that great. And also I had no idea what I wanted when we started- she really just took my ideas and made them into something I love!

YAY for new blog designs and YAY for being back to blogging! I have so many recipes coming at you over the next few months!

Filed Under: Blog Stuff, school Tagged With: blog makeover, Emily White Designs, new blog design, school, The Blog Fairy

Smoky Black Eyed Peas

April 9, 2012 by Sarah 4 Comments

Hey!! Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend spend with friends and family! I spent a lot of time thinking about what Easter was really about and it had nothing to do with bunnies and chocolate eggs. I thought a lot about sacrifice, hope, and blessings that I’ve received and in no way deserve. I also spent time thanking Jesus for his sacrifice for me. That’s what Easter is about.

We spent part of the day with family- my brother and his wife and my brand new little niece!! My parents and my sister in laws wonderful family was there and we had some serious chow for Easter lunch! We had two types of grits, spinach salad, asparagus, biscuits, and these black eyed peas! (also I think there was ham there, but honestly I pay absolutely no attention to meat). We also had really great seats at the Rangers game and watched them whoop up on the White Socks!

These black eyed peas are pretty amazing over grits or you could serve them with some corn bread and a big ole mess of greens! The key to the deliciousness of this dish is the smoked paprika, so don’t skimp on it! (tip: in grocery stores that have bulk spices smoked paprika is super cheap- we’re talking 50 cents versus the $5 you’ll pay for it in a bottle!)

Smoky Black Eyed Peas

(Print this recipe!)

by Sarah Collins Chapman

Prep Time: 5-10 min

Cook Time: 30 min

Ingredients

1 onion, diced
1 poblano pepper, diced
2 t chili powder
2 t smoked paprika
1/2 t ground cumin
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t salt (or to taste)
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup vegetable broth
2 (15 oz) bags frozen black eyed peas

Instructions

Saute diced onion and poblano over medium heat in a little olive oil or cooking spray in a large saucepan until onions are translucent.

Add chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and salt. Cook for 1 minute.

Stir in tomato sauce and vegetable broth.

Reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally. During the last 10 minutes of cooking uncover your pot and so that the sauce will thicken and some of the liquid will evaporate.

Hope you love this as much as I did!

Filed Under: healthy living, Meatless Monday, Recipes Tagged With: beans, black eyed peas, easter, recipe, vegan, vegetarian

Springtime in Texas

April 2, 2012 by Sarah Leave a Comment

Howdy! Spring is my favorite season! And it’s gorgeous in Texas this time of year!!!

The wildflowers are the best part of spring. Our roadsides are absolutely covered in them! Seas of absolutely gorgeous bluebonnets!! I’m in heaven during bluebonnet season!

Also walking/jogging/biking on the Trinity Trails is absolutely amazing right now!

Yes we have trails for our horses, however we don’t have pooper scooper laws for them unfortunately!!

So pretty!!!

One day when I took a new trail head I came across a gorgeous waterfall area! Turns out it is the only natural waterfall in Fort Worth!! It’s breathtaking! I’ve been back twice since then and just sat and stared at it and had some prayer and reflection time. It’s so serene and you really put a lot of things in perspective when you’re staring at the natural beauty God created! Also I don’t think many people know about this area- there’s never anyone else there!