Peanut Butter Banana Bites | Girl Meets Life | a lifestyle blog by Gracie Gordon

#LEAN14 january jumpstart: a month in review.

31 January, 2014 by Gracie 20 Comments

I can’t believe January is already over! It was definitely an interesting month – taking on January Jumpstart while also planning a move, launching a new company, and keeping up with other life stuff.

Overall I would say that January Jumpstart was a success for me. Even though I didn’t stick to all of the goals 100%, it really held me accountable to keep up with healthy choices instead of letting them fall by the wayside a week in. I’m excited to keep up with LEAN14 for the rest of the year.

But for now, here’s a recap of how I did with my January Jumpstart goals.

1. Drink at least 64 ounces of water each day – YES

2. Eat at least 5 servings of vegetables each day – YES

3. Exercise 3 days a week (30-60 min combo of strength & cardio) – Eh, not so much. Some weeks I did great, others I did 1-2 workouts, or none at all. With the move and Speakable launch, life has been crazy!

4. Squats, squats, and more squats – see above

5. Eat more clean, whole foods – YES

6. Eat balanced meals and less snacking – Yes and no, I definitely cut down on the snacking, but not entirely.

7. Get 7-8 hours of sleep each night – YES

8. Limit soda/energy drinks to 3 per week (an improvement for me) – YES! I actually did way better with this than I thought. I haven’t had a single soda or energy drink all month.

9. Allow more time to walk/take the subway instead of cabs – Nope. I blame the Polar Vortex.

10. Track more of my meals/workouts here on GML – Not as much as I wanted to. At least I still have all year 😉

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And to wrap things up, here are some of my favorite #LEAN14 posts from January:

(Click the image to go to the post)

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Did you do a January Jumpstart of sorts?
How is LEAN in 2014 going for you so far?

a productive monday.

20 January, 2014 by Gracie 19 Comments

The other day I was chatting it up with Monica about blogging and picking her brain about what she likes/dislikes about blogs these days. She and I actually met inadvertently through GML, so I always like to hear her thoughts and advice.

One of the things Monica said she misses about blogs in general is the old school “day in the life” posts. I’ve definitely gotten away from them, mostly because I think who even cares? or that I should produce more “professional” content. But what Monica said really did make sense, especially considering I get a ton of email questions about what my daily routine looks like.

So, you asked…I’ll answer! I’m going to start giving more peeks into at what my daily routine(s) look like, which can really vary day by day.

So to follow up a lovely Saturday, here’s my productive Monday.

Mondays aren’t thee most exciting days for me, as they’re typically focused on getting a lot of work done and preparing for the week ahead. As always, I spend the first 45-60 minutes of my day reading, journaling, and praying.

Sometimes I’ll have time before work to go to the gym, but today I finished up some Speakable necklaces instead.

(For the new Valentine’s Collection, launching tomorrow!)

For breakfast I had a quick (and not photo-worthy) bowl of oatmeal with fruit before starting my “official” work day.

From 9-5 on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays I work remotely for my dad’s real estate appraisal company doing office administration, client/appraiser relations, and some accounting.

On those days I’m usually in sweats or workout clothes. Today that looked like…trying to convince spring to come a few months early 😉

While I’m working I usually watch my favorite talk shows and catch up on blogging/social media here and there. Around lunch time I usually take a break to run errands or go to the gym, but today I spent about 30 minutes photographing the new Speakable collection.

Fineeee, I’ll give you a sneak peek!

(Be sure to check the Speakable website and Instagram tomorrow for the full collection!)

For lunch I made a salad of things I had leftover in the fridge, and it turned out to be delicious!

In a bowl combine 1 cup chickpeas, 1 cup chopped kale, 1 large ripe avocado (mashed), and salt & pepper to taste. The result is so tasty and really filling. Definitely a new favorite (and simple) meal of mine.

Throughout the day I also snack on roasted almonds, on a fancy paper towel.

I ended up finishing work 10 minutes early today so I could run to a jewelry supply store before it closed. That’s right – I’ve swapped shopping for clothes with shopping for…anti-tarnish lacquer.

When I got home I spent a few hours editing the new Speakable photos, and writing this post. I also made a dentist appointment, scheduled movers, and cleaned out my five email inboxes.

Finally, it was time to relax. I treated myself to Blossom Du Jour for dinner, then I kept things as girlie as possible by painting my nails and watching The Bachelor.

(I went with the 2nd and 4th ones – Nude topped with Gold Star)

At least this pic isn’t awkward at all…

And for a very #LEAN14 dessert, I took a lazy girl’s approach to PB Banana Bites. The coconut butter hiding under there is what takes this from a snack to a (quite rich) dessert.

So there you have it! My typical productive Monday.

What does your usual Monday routine look like? Anyone else have spring fever already?

#LEAN14: peanut butter banana bites.

15 January, 2014 by Gracie 24 Comments

If you’re a peanut butter lover like I am, you probably know that banana and PB are a match made in heaven. That’s right - move over jelly, your time is up.

It really doesn’t get much easier than these peanut butter banana bites (which I’m sure you’ve seen floating around on Pinterest too). They’re one of my go-to’s as a perfect healthy snack or dessert.

All you need is one ripe banana and 2-3 tablespoons of peanut butter (or the nut butter of your choice).