Food for the… #4

It’s so weird, but a craving for a peanut butter sandwich just hit me like a ton of bricks. I wasn’t even looking at food photos (like I usually am), and all of the sudden I just wanted to bite into the simple crust of the bread and taste the thick but smooth peanut butter on my tongue.

Does that ever happen to anyone else? Out of nowhere you know exactly what you want to eat?

It occurs off and on with. Once, just randomly, the idea of a cold glass of almond milk popped into my head. And another time all I wanted was a strawberry Nutri-Grain bar.

I think most would call that intuitive eating signals? Unfortunately for me I crave food that I can’t eat, so they often go unsatisfied. Why can’t I crave fish and zucchini? That would nice, thanks.

So, what do I do instead? I pin, I read, I create (recipes and blog posts). I take a bite of chicken or squash, hoping to squelch the peanut butter sandwich from my mind. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. But at the end of the day, I have a nice list of wonderful links from throughout the week.

Then come Fridays, I get to share them with all of you!

FOOD FOR THE MIND

• How do I treat (or prevent) a cold or flu naturally? — from Balanced Bites
• Are food allergies the new eating disorders? — from Sprue Story
• Blog Tips You May Not Have Thought Of — from Sprouts N Squats
• After Reading This, You Will Never Look at Bananas the Same Way Again — from Sunny Skyz
• 60 Must-Read Health, Fitness, and Happiness Blogs for 2014 — from Greatist
• Blogging Tips for Beginners — from Pencils and Pancakes
• What’s Your Snack Food Horoscope? — from Buzzfeed
• She’s All That Cast 15th Reunion + Interviews — from The Daily Beast
• Snake Bite Victim Charged $89,000 for 18 hour Hospital Stay — from Yahoo! News

FOOD FOR THE BELLY

• Stuffed Roasted Onions — from Gluten-Free SCD and Veggie
• Cinnamon Bun Muffins — from Comfy Belly
• Fudgy Brownie Cookie Dough Ice Cream Sandwiches — from Averie Cooks
• BBQ Stuffed Sweet Potatoes — from Ari’s Menu
• Paleo Meatball Subs — from Lexi’s Clean Kitchen
• Gluten-Free Pop-Tarts — from Brave Tart
• Vegan Butter — from A Girl Worth Saving
• Frozen Banana Bites — from Run Wiki
• Cookie Pie Ice Cream Bites — from PaleOMG

FOOD FOR THE EYES

• Bully Calls News Anchor Fat, News Anchor Destroys Him on TV — from UpWorthy
• Make a Giant Rainbow Layer Cupcake — from My Cupcake Addiction
• Single Serving Protein Chocolate Fudge Cake — from Purely Twins
• Musicians Read Mean Tweets About Themselves — from Jimmy Kimmel Live
• Watch a Bunch of Dudes Try to Guess How Much Women’s Products Cost — from Buzzfeed
• Austin Wolfe American Idol Auditions — from American Idol
• Full House Guys Reunite on Jimmy Fallon — Jimmy Fallon
• Mailman Battles Angry Cat While Attempting to Deliver Mail — from YouTube
• When Ellen Met Elias — from The Ellen Show

FOOD FOR THE SOUL

• What I Won’t Miss: Wearing Jeans and the Most Insecure Post I’ve Ever Written (Guest Post) — from Living the Before
• Hike Your Own Hike — from Free Range Human
• Too Well Fed — from Flake and Cake
• When Instagram Photos Deceive — from The Big Man’s World
• Raw Beauty — from Long Drive Journey
• Season of Humbling — from Peace, Love and Oats
• Choosing Less, Gaining More — from Sarah Kay Hoffman
• I am BLESSED to be ALIVE — from Love Natalie Marie
• Third Wheeler — from The Run Within

FOOD FOR THE BODY

• What Every New Runner Needs to Know — from Shh… Fit Happens
• Time for Tabata — from Live from La Quinta
• The Deck — from It’s Harleyyy Life
• 6 Ways to Incorporate Yoga into your Daily Life — from Love Life Surf
• The 50 Rep Shoulder Set — from Shh… Fit Happens
• Guide to Winter Running — from Katrina Runs

Now, I must get ready for bed as I am absolutely exhausted! This morning I volunteered to help with registration at a DECA event my college was sponsoring. I had to get up about an hour and a half earlier than usual and I can definitely tell. I just had zero energy throughout the entire day.

I am going to try my best to get a lot of rest this weekend, and you should do the same!

P.S. Don’t forget to join in on the Happy Herbivore giveaway before it ends Sunday night.

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Happy Friday. 🙂

What is your weekly Food for the… Mind, Belly, Eyes, and Soul?

Spill It: TV Shows

I’m so glad that you are liking my link love posts on Fridays! I would really like to make them a more consistent feature on Eating 4 Balance so that I can share all of the wonderful things that I find every week on the internet. I already have a bunch of funny videos to share for the next edition!

Now, as it’s Sunday, I’m linking up to Arman’s Spill It Sundays. This week’s theme is TV Shows!

Required selfie:

What was your favorite TV series growing up?

Scooby Doo. Hands down. No question about it. From the prequel series called “A Pup Named Scooby Doo” to “Where Are You Scooby Doo?” to the movie spin-offs there isn’t one version that I’ve seen and not liked. Really, it’s not possible.

What is your current favorite TV series?

Arrow. I finally caught up with all of the episodes last night on Hulu and the CW. As of right now one of the minor (probably soon to be major) characters, Roy, just got injected with some funky stuff and is now supernaturally strong. And someone is walking around terrorizing the town in a scarecrow-like mask. What’s not to love?

In all things serious though, my favorite part is the back and forth flashbacks that show what Oliver’s life was like when he was stranded on the island. Often during a tv series you may wonder why a character is the way he is, and with these flashbacks you get just that. Maybe I’m just a nosey tv watcher, but I always want ALL of the details. I don’t like to be left hanging for long.

If you could guest star in ANY TV show, which would it be?

How long would this guest appearance be lasting? If it was just for one episode I would probably want to be in Rookie Blue, Bones, House, or a similar medical/police drama where I’m the featured case (and get the most air time 😉 ). If it was for a longer character arc… maybe Sherlock? I’m not very good at a British accent, but I would love to work with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman!

What genre of  television do you enjoy the most? (Reality, Action, Drama, Comedy)

I’m not really picky on what kind of television I watch. It just has to be good. For example, some reality tv series like American Idol, The Voice, or Wipeout are not so ridiculous that I can’t sit down and enjoy an episode occasionally when they’re on. I like comedies too, but they can’t have characters who are super embarrassing. Take The Office- that show is hilarious; however, watching Michael make a fool of himself made me want to curl up in a corner and die.

I guess I like a combination of action and drama. I’m all for cop shows, medical shows, superhero shows, lawyer shows, etc. Throw in some supernatural features and that’s even better (think- Star Trek, Buffy, Heroes, Continuum, ).

Which TV series do you think should NOT have been renewed after its first season yet had?

Any of those adult cartoons. I’m sorry (not really) but The Simpsons, Family Guy, South Park are not something that I ever or will ever like to watch. Also, certain reality shows like Jersey Shore, The Hills, The Kardashians, Jon and Kate Plus Eight… Really, any show that ruined the lives of its stars. I like people. I don’t like people being exploited (or exploiting others).

Which TV series do you think deserved to be renewed yet was not? 

Lizzie McGuire? Phil of the Future? (I need to know what happened! Did Lizzie and Gordo stay together? What is Miranda doing now? Does Phil ever come back from the future?! This is important stuff people).

Aside from these childhood shows that ended way too soon and resulted in life long trust issues, some more recent shows that shouldn’t have been cancelled are Leverage, Surface, Heroes, Tru Calling, Dollhouse, Dead Like Me, Eureka, Life Unexpected, Kyle XY, Freaks and Geeks, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It’s not necessarily that I felt like all of those shows should have been renewed (okay, maybe it is), but I just didn’t appreciate the endings. They were either cliff hangers, or so unrealistic that I felt like they were thrown together in a hurry and totally ruined all that was good about the series.

What is your favorite TV show theme song? (This one I added myself)

Do you mean other than Scooby Doo‘s? (Isn’t it just so… catchy? 🙂 )

Fresh Prince of Bel-Air springs to mind, as does The Big Bang Theory, Batman (POW!)), Wildfire, MASH, Buffy, Cheers, Rugrats, Pokemon/Digimon, Step by Step, Phineas and Ferb, Boy Meets World, The Addam’s Family (tell me you didn’t *snap* just upon hearing that name!), and I saved the best for last- The Greatest American Hero. You really need to listen to all of these, because they are all amazing songs and soon will be stuck in your head all day.

If you are currently undergoing some snow storms and sub-zero weather, stay safe my friends! And for everyone else, enjoy the rest of your weekend. I’ll see you on Monday (hopefully) with a giveaway 🙂

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Answer any/all of the questions above!

How is the weather where you are?

What was the last thing you watched? (Online or on TV)

5 Ways To Know When You Have Been Back Home For Too Long

I don’t know about everyone else, but school breaks are never as stress-free and relaxing as I expect them to be. During my final exams right before I leave for home I daydream about long relaxing hours of reading books and baking. I picture waking up refreshed each and every morning with my schedule free as the birds to whatever the heck I want. And finally, in these imaginary fantasy lands that I long for as I’m studying, I see a wonderful, smiling family who never fights, never bickers, and who reside in rainbow-lined cottages among the clouds…

As that ridiculous ending already clued you in on, being home for three weeks straight is no walk in the park. Would I have rather been someplace else? Of course not. I love my family and I’m glad I got to spent all of that time with them. However, sometimes there is something as being together TOO much. And so, for today’s Thinking Out Loud I have come up with my personal list of…

1. You start to notice those little quirks in your family members that you had forgotten about. Like the fact that your mother will not answer the phone if it is an unknown number. “Really? What are they going to do? Reach through and kidnap you?”

2. You start to get so bored that playing Ninja Kiwi with your brother starts to sound appealing. “Tell me again- where should I put the dart monkey to destroy the most amount of balloons?” Just NO.

Note: This is not my picture. I was never able to get past easy.

3. You start to get annoyed by the littlest things. Somebody forgot to wash their plate before loading the dishwasher? Watch out for Godzilla with the reign of terror that you are about to inflict on your unsuspecting sibling.

4. You start to clean up after everyone else’s messes as well as your own. This is NOT acceptable. Leave now before you enter the land of no return.

Okay, not entirely, but sometimes it really does feel this way!

5. You start to dream about being back at school. Literally.

Needless to say, I am ecstatic to be back at school… even if it is only for 5 days before I return home for a holiday weekend.

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Now go make sure to check out all of the other thinkers in Amanda‘s link-up!

 

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Questions for you:

• Have you ever experienced a similar situation when coming back home for an extended period of time?
• What little quirks bother you?
• When was the last time that you were a “Godzilla” too?

The One Where Madison Rambles and Updates You on Life

Happy Friday everyone! I hope if you are experiencing cold weather right now you are doing your best to stay warm and are toughing through it. And if you are currently experiencing warm weather… eh, I don’t have anything nice to say to you. Except give us back the sun!! 😉

Today is going to be a rather short post since I have a surprise for you.

I made a vlog!

After doing a Blogilates workout on my TV I was inspired to make my own video and give you a little update on what has been going on with me stomach-wise. I swear that I am not hyped up on anything in this post, despite what my wandering eyes and random tangents may lead you to believe…

A few thoughts about the video:

• Sorry again for the horrible lighting and earthquake-like shaking that resulted from me holding the camera by hand for 15 minutes straight.
• Oh ya, and sorry for the 15 minute length too. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again- with strangers I’m a closed book, but if you can get me talking I’ll never stop!
• The Blogilates workout that I did today was this one. And the one I did yesterday was a bit longer as a Whole Body Workout. I highly recommend either, and despite their fun titles, those are some serious workouts!
• Yes, I was still in my pajamas when I recorded the video. Well, I actually took a shower and changed back into them to do the exercise video, so that’s a little better, right?
• I realized why it was so dark in my living room AFTER I was finished recording– my mom closes the drapes at night to help with insulation and the temperature inside, and we had yet to open them for the day. *Head smack*
• Of course I will let you know what I find out with the health tests with my new doctor.
• These are the PaleOMG pancakes that I was talking about. I’ll share more about my adjustments in a future post.
• While I didn’t take any medicine for my fever, I want to assure you that if my fever had gone any higher or hadn’t broke that day, I would have definitely taken some medicine to bring it down. Test or not, I’m not willing to risk my health for something like that.
• I am feeling much better but still need a little recovery time. Hopefully by Monday when I return to school I’ll be back to normal.
• Seriously, I AM excited to go back to school. Call me strange if you must 😉
• Obviously I am linking up this post to Amanda’s Thinking Out Loud because I literally thought out loud. Ha.

Now, once again, happy Friday! I hope you all have a marvelous (warm) weekend and I’ll talk to you soon.

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Questions for you:

• Have you ever made a vlog?
• Do you prefer video or word posts?
• Has the cold spell passed where you live?
• What are your plans for the weekend?