The Healthy Foodie: Eating Healthy – as fun + easy as you want it to be!

When I was around 5 years old, I remember asking my Mom what made a good friend. She’d responded with ‘A good friend is someone who will be there for you, listens to you; and above all, values you just as much as you do them’ I’ll never forget that last part – values you as much as you do them.

When I read Sonia’s guest post, this conversation with my Mom came to the forefront. I’ve never physically “met” Sonia, yet when I read the beginnings of her guest post, and all the unbelievably nice things she said about me, my blog, and my efforts at trying to make HP a place of love, inspiration, and creativity, I was amazed because I feel the exact same way about her! The pictures she takes of her food, the recipes she creates, and her honestly is what makes The Healthy Foodie one of my favorite blogs.

Take it away, Sonia!

Hi guys! That girl, up there, would be me. My name is Sonia and I hold this blog, which some of you may know, called The Healthy Foodie.

First off, I have to tell you just how incredibly honoured I am to be writing these words, knowing full well that they will not be posted on my site, but on Leanne’s Healthful Pursuit.

Ever since I started blogging, Leanne has always been such an immense source of inspiration for me! I’ve always really looked up to her and hoped that someday, I might be where she’s at… and well, I still do to this today, to be honest!

Needless to say that when she contacted me to ask if I would consider making a guest appearance on her site, I just couldn’t believe it! I was shocked, incredulous, flattered, excited, but mostly, honoured and thrilled. Now, don’t tell anyone, but I even made a little dance! I mean, seriously… ME, guest posting on Leanne’s site? Not in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine this would be happening.

So thank you, thank you Leanne for selecting me as one of the privileged bloggers who get to “hold the fort” in your absence. I am truly, sincerely honored.

Now, I have a huge confession to make. I’m really intimidated to be posting here. I mean, guys, I am no professional, you know.

I’m just a regular girl who happened to turn her life around…

A regular girl who used to smoke… A LOT!
And drink… way too much!
Food? OH YEAH! I did lots of that too, of course. And my choices in that field were not always the greatest, really…
As for exercise… You say what? That word was not even part of my dictionary!

That was me then, a little over 3 years ago.

Slowly but surely, though, I managed to change all that. First, I quit smoking. The year after, I slowed down on the drinking habit. WAY down. I went from having several drinks a day to indulging only a few times a month.

Then, it was the food’s turn to get the “health” treatment. I started eating way less and making better choices.

And finally, I started exercising regularly. I went from not being able to run for 30 seconds straight to running my first half marathon in just a little over 2 hours.

Let’s just say I really turned my life around and I want to keep going in that direction!

I’ve learned to truly enjoy eating good, healthy, wholesome food and I try my best to come up with all sorts of ways to make healthy eating real easy and accessible. Mostly though, what I really strive to do is keep it super fun!

I mean, seriously, who ever said that eating healthy has to be boring? Certainly not me!

In fact, I so strongly believe that healthy food can be a whole bunch of fun that I started blogging about it. I just couldn’t keep all those super delicious and exciting recipes to myself! I really wanted to inspire others go down that healthy road with me. The more people walk by my side, the happier I am, and the more creative I get.

So tell me guys, do any of these inspire you?

Here are a few of Leanne’s personal favourites:

Little energy bombs

High in protein, they make for a perfect healthy snack, or grab a few for a quick breakfast on the go! 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Energy Squares

They’re good enough to be called dessert, if you ask me, but healthy enough to be enjoyed as a light morning or afternoon snack.

Chocolate Mint Green Smoothie

As good looking as it is tasty, this smoothie is a surefire way to get some greens into the pickiest of stomachs. You simply won’t believe the list of ingredients!

And here is a sample of a few recipes that I recently came up with…

1. Creamy Avocado Pasta
2. Heavenly Healthy Matcha Green Tea Cake
3. Almond Joy Chocolate Spread
4. Chicken Goat Cheese Pizza
5. Lean Mean Green… Pea Salad (and creamy cucumber dressing)
6. Crispy Baked Chicken Tenders
7. Home made Spelt Pasta and Healthy Fettuccine Alfredo
8. Ratatouille Pizza
9. Pear, Blackberry and Blue Cheese Salad

Tagged as: bars, chocolate, energy snack, green smoothie, guest post, smoothie, snack bar, spinach