★New hair. (If you follow me on Instagram (@zandra0212) then you know it was technically last Saturday, but I forgot to announce it on here haha)
★New recipe lovin. (I made this and my tastebuds frolicked like baby deer)
The ground beef is playing hide and seek haha
★New favorite food. Eggs. WHOLE eggs. I never thought I’d say that because the yolk tastes like barnacles to me– but doused in salsa or cooked in a breakfast scramble??? TOTALLY TRANSFORMED.
2 eggs, 2 whites, broccoli, salsa, and tuna
same combo as above, but with blackberries 
★New wicked smoothie discovery. Remember that Gaila melon I got? Well, it tastes like a SUPER sweet cantaloupe, but looks like a honeydew. I thought hey, why not put it in my sweet potato smoothie. Someone tell me why I have never thought to put cantaloupe or any melon for that matter in the blender????
★New PR. I can now do 10 unassisted chin-ups! 
★New lifestyle. Eating paleo has been so amazing. In experimenting with new meals and foods, I’ve found that the combo of nuts and chicken is like Popeye with spinach for my body. I have SO much energy! And, surprisingly, not having cottage cheese (GASP!!!) has really cut back on queasiness for my gut!
I even concocted a new paleo-ish nighttime snack– First I nuke 1 cup of egg whites in a big bowl in the microwave and then chill in the fridge. Then I add in 1/2 scoop of whey isolate and almond flour and stick it in the freezer for ~40 minutes. Then, I plop TONS of Mara Natha sunflower seed butter on top with some drops of liquid stevia and mash it all up with a spoon. It sounds SO weird, but you can’t even taste the eggs and the consistency is almost identical to cottage cheese!
when i said a lot of sunflower seed butter, i meant a lot haha
★New feelings toward organic chem. I really like the subject! Will I get an A in it? No way, and type A alexandra isn’t handling that well. But I found this on pinterest, and it’s my new mantra. (Sorry for the bad language)
★New socks. For the record, I’m obsessed with the Mr. Men Show, especially Little Miss Daredevil and Mr. Tickle. Target dollar aisle baby 
★New outlook. I feel amazing without measuring/couting cals. I can’t even describe the joy and freedom!
Was it hard and scary to end something I’ve been doing since I started lifting 2 years ago? YESSSS. I went through a mild-depression over the weekend because it jarred my emotions so much, but as time has progressed, I’m beginning to not feel bad anymore
What about you?? What’s new and fabulous in your life?
whoa!!! so much newness! Love the new hair girl! and holy moly–10 unassisted, you go girl! my goal is 11…I used to be able to do 11 when I was swimming all the time and I tried yesterday and could only do one
*sigh….i’m gonna get there again! you have motivated me!
You’re gonna make it back NO DOUBT sista! I have a feeling you’re even gonna blow your old record away!
thank you so much!! I am so motivated now–you’d be an awesome personal trainer or coach! haha
I seriously LOVE your hair like that. It looks so gorg on you!! I love the e card hahaha, my life.
Thank you so much girl!
OH MY GOODNESS, your hair is to die for. You look amazing. I am loving all of these things especially some mighty good eats. Eggs are heaven, hands down.
Thanks so much Alex!! And yes, eggs are indeed heaven. I’m obsessed haha
I love following you on Instagram!
I’ve never thought to use melon in smoothies but it sounds amazing!
You HAVE to try it– so delicious!
1) LOVE your hair. 2) I seriously think if there was a national club for sweet potato lovers, we’d obviously be the presidents. Obvi. 3) AWESOME job on the chin-ups! It’s on the bucket list for me.
4) Okay, so I JUST finished a jar of peanut butter so I moved on to my sunflower seed butter. Originally hated it but I eat it with pretty much everything now… including my sweet potatoes. O_o No shame!
What’s new for me? It’s new for me to get nearly 100 degree weather here in Chicago. It makes me feel quite bad for you down in Texas! But I am sure you are used to it.
Glad you are doing well!
1. Thank you!!!!
2. AGREED
3. You’re gonna be rockin that goal in no time with your guns!
4. HOORAY for sunflower seed butter!! It’s my weakness heehee
5. 100 in Chicago?! Well I guess it’s preparing you for when you come visit me down in this inferno of Texas haha
i’m so freaking happy for you! words cannot express! ps – i HATE egg yolks too but i’ve been hiding them in tapatio
Thank you so much friend!!! And yay for a fellow egg hider haha!
Whole eggs are SO the way to go
haha I just can’t imagine life without them. Lately I have been loving them with an avacado and a baked potato…heavenly.
Not counting is just so freeing to me – my meals are much more satisfying!
Agreed!! Meals ARE more satisfying, I never thought I would be able to say that haha And man that combo sounds delicious!
Your hair is SO pretty! I’m glad everything is going well! I love love love egg yolks.
Thank you so much! And agreed– I don’t know what I’d do without those eggs in my life now haha
girl, you are sooooo awesome and tough!! I love that you can do 10 chinups, yayyyy!
And I love your new blog, and I can’t believe you went on the half dome! omgsh omgsh I loooove that place and the Half, and I can’t wait to go on it again (hopefully soon). Congrats on your new space, and I’ll definitely check back in Alex~
Ahh thank you so much sista!!! I’m already itching to get back to Half Dome, it was so awesome…if you go, I may have to be a stowaway in your suitcase heehee
Wow, first of all: I LOVE THE HAIR! It looks fantastic on you! So many great “new” things here! I love the Mr. Men books too! I have almost all of the books and refuse to through them out! That is great your new food lifestyle is working out so far. I am totally interested in that night time snack concoction, and will totally be trying it out at some point!!
Ooooh lemme know what you think about the snack combo! And thank you girl!!!
I love that new paleo night snack! It looks really good and sounds like its full of protein. New in my life is that I’m starting to train for my first half marathon and am so excited about it!
Awesome! You rock!
Thank u
Ummm HELLOOOO hot stuff, LOVE your hair, it works so well on your beautiful self and certainly enhances your already lovely features, I mean that, not just saying it
The new paleo snack is great too, and I am seriously so glad to hear that these changes are in fact working for you!
Thanks a billion chica!! That means a lot comin from a smokin lady like yourself!
Wow, that’s great that you have stopped counting calories and macros. My goal is to hopefully eventually get to the point where I’m no longer measuring either, once I reach a healthier weight (trying to gain right now). I want to stop counting macros ASAP though! It’s so time consuming and it honestly is just NOT that big of a deal!
I seriously JUST colored my hair in that exact same shade! I’m lovin’ it on both of us!
Yay for a fellow redhead!! I bet it looks fab on ya
And I KNOW you’ll be able to stop the counting one day, you will LOVE it! Best of luck with the gaining too, I’m in the same boat. And man you’re so right about the time consumption and annoyance with counting, oy!
Heck to the YES about not counting calories! It’s sooooo much better to focus on what makes our bodies feel great instead of those stupid numbers! And your hair is mucho grogeous, it looks great on you
Thank you!!! And AMEN sista, when I read your post today I was amazed at your desire to succeed!
yay for new hair! i love the color. and yes for not feeling like you have to count calories..it totally makes me feel obsessive so I stopped doing that! it would be all i thought about and i like just going by how my body feels
what’s new with me? not much but going to the beach in 10 days and i’m super excitedddd
Ooohhhhh the BEACH?!?! JEALOUS
Love the hair! It suits you so well!!! And I’m so proud you are not counting calories and its working for you! You rock girly! And its awesome that your stomach is feeling better with going paleo! Its so nice when we figure out those tummy issues, it took me forever to sort mine out and I still have a few problems. Loving all these changes your making
Thanks Lisa!! <3
Your hair is AWESOME!! And I love your new attitude toward organic chem, I hope I can manage the same (I’ll be taking it next year).
New and fabulous is all my extra free time that I can spend doing things I actually enjoy. Awesome feeling!
Your hair looks great,I love that color!
Plus,I am super happy you’ve been able to give up measuring… That’s such an annoying habit I definitely need to work on,too!
Aww thanks Kat! I just know you’ll be able to stop counting one day, you have the drive and determination to do it!
New things sure are fun! U have got to try making a peanut sauce to have with your chicken…or for it to be 100% Paleo, an almond butter sauce- SO divine! And I’m with you about gala melons (frozen) in smoothies- it’s my current fave smoothie add-in along with frozen banana, soy milk, plain yogurt and a lot of vanilla essence!
Oh man I HAVE to try frozen melon in it, you’re a genius! And I have a feeling almond butter sauce would rock my world too!
OMG I LOVE YOUR HAIR!!!!!!!!!! Okay, I mean this in a good way, it reminds me of Ariel! And she had the BEST hair of all the disney princesses, I was always super jealous. Anyway you look fantastic and I think this fits your spunk-tastic personality PERFECTLY!! Also ummm melon in a smoothie? I totally have half a canteloupe chillin in my fridge right now AND am in need of breakfast ideas….word, done and done. love that you’re feeling free from calories too! it’s pretty crazy how once you actually dial in, your body does start communicating with you. I really wanna stop counting, but intense cardio (running, cycling, my life lol) really screws my appetite so my RD’s say I need to eat regular meals even when I’m not hungry to support my training/energy…and so counting makes that easy for me but it gets REAL OLD. haha. I want to move away from it though!
OH MY GOSH Ariel?!?! You have no idea how much you just made my life– I was always so envious of her hair as a little kid!
Thank you so much sista!
YAY! I’m so happy to hear you’re doing so well!
And I’m so proud of you for ditching calorie counting and getting comfortable with your eats. It looks like you’ve been whipping up some delicious creations. I’ve been loving whole eggs lately too. They’re my go-to dinner to eat after work since they’re so fast to make!
Life has been grand without worrying about those dumb numbers, thats for sure
And yay for the convenience of eggs!!! 
Awww I’m super jealous – I always wish I could pull off red hair but it doesn’t look good on me =( Looks GREAT on you though! <3 <3
Thanks Sable!!
So many good things going on in this post! I saw your picture on instagram and LOVE the colour on you! You rock it so well! I am so impressed by your chin ups! I still can’t do one hah. I love that you’re figuring out what works best for your body. The whole paleo thing really interests me but meat AND eggs taste like barnacles to me so I would never be able to do it!! Can’t wait to see some new eats that you put together!
Thanks friend!!
I can’t wait to start experimenting more in the kitchen too heehee
I’m soooo happy that your new way of eating and not counting calories is going so well for you!! YAY! Love your new hair
. And seriously- so impressed with your chin-up accomplishment!
Lindsay, you rock! Thanks so much!
Wow new hair! What a change! And I find that most any food becomes delicious when doused in salsa
Congrats on the PR! I’m working on increasing my chin-ups, too. And gotta work on the wide-grip pullups. Those things are TOUGH.
Wide grip pullups ARE tough! And yay for salsa!!
10 chin ups?! You are a machine!!! Congrats on the PR
Thanks girl! But I’m afraid YOU are the one who’s a machine!
wow cute hair!!!
!
and the egg substituted for cottage cheese sounds awesome! I must try it sometime now
I feel ya on O Chem. It’s actually pretty fun, even if the grade you get doesn’t show how much work you put in. I got a B+ in it this quarter, but I still love the subject!
Thanks! And ya, I wish the grade would reflect the work haha it’s hardcore!!
Love the new hair- I bet it looks just lovely in the summer sun! I’ve never tried sweet potatoes in a smoothie before, sounds gross- maybe sometime I’ll try it, maybe.
Congrats on the chin-ups- next up: Pull-ups!
Go get ‘em girl!
Thanks!! And girl you gotta try it– when you mix it with fruit, you can’t even taste the tater!
Yay! Loved reading this as it sounds so positive and happy
You’re amazing chicka!
Love the new hair, it really suits you! Also I’m so glad that your new lifestyle choices are working so well for you, and that your newly positive outlook is proving to be so beneficial – you deserve it
Seriously impressed by the chin-up PR!! I can’t do a single one
You always have the sweetest comments Sophie, thank you so much!
Yayyy I’m so proud of you girl! Not counting IS super freeing! I used to count religiously, now I’m just like, “Lalalalalala don’t caaaare!” and it’s awesome. I’m glad paleo is working for you! I always want to try it, but I’m pretty much obsessed with yogurt. The egg white snack sounds delicious though! ALSO, your hair is gorg missy!
Thanks! Hahaha I like your lalalala mentality with counting
Haha I love that E-card. I’d like to file all my bills and work responsibilities under there too
Your hair is beautiful!
Haha I’m SO with ya on that!
And thanks so much!!
I HEART this post.. You’re awesome. Glad your new eating style is working for you! And love the new hairs.
Aww thanks Errign!!
OMGAHHH!! I love this!! Your hair is badass!! I love the change. THOSE SOCKS!! I used to have all those books when I was a kid..LOVED them. I love that life mantra picture, I am officially taking that into my life haha. 10 chin ups!?!?! WOW! I can’t even do one..I think I will stick to the running for now haha. WAY TO GO!
Thanks so much hot mama!! I’ll give you some chin up skills if I can have some of your running skills! Deal?
Just to echo a few of the comments above
)
(because let’s be honest, everyone who has commented can say it 100 times better than I can
1. Props on paleo! I don’t think I can fully commit, but I enjoy more paleo-esque meals
2. 10? DANG. You are a machine. Fully impressed & amazed!
3. Love the hair! You work it well.
4. WOOHOO for being more chill about O-chem! Just enjoy the learning and take it one day at a time. You’re awesome.
5. Live up this weekend, my dear!
Jessica, you always make me smile! Thanks so much!!
Check you out with the chin-ups, brilliant! And gorgeous foxy hair colour, I loved being a redhead but it fades too quickly in mine.
I love the look of that dinner – and the Mr Men socks, they’re so cool
Thanks girl! I bet you looked gorgeous with red locks!
i need a love button for that HAIR. GORGEOUS! and the pullups and the meals, love it all!
Thanks sista!! I need a love button for YOU in general because let’s face it, you rock!
SO PROUD OF YOU!!!!!!! You’re amazing. Pull ups, no calorie counting. You’re awesome. That is all
Way to go girl!
Haha thank you Electra!! YOU are awesome
Ahh, so much fabulousness in this post!! I am so so SO excited for you, Alexandra! The freedom you’re experiencing brings me so much joy! I experienced that feeling when I cut out cardio—it really is indescribable! Cheers to you! <3
*Gorgeous* hair! Love the color! And I am now dying to try your faux cottage cheese creation! How creative! I'm sure I'll love it; anything made with egg whites and nut butter is a sure way to my heart. And I to have the same reservations about egg yolks…Now I love 'em!
I hope you have a fabulous weekend, darlin! HUGS! xoxo <3
Thank you so much Sara!! So glad you’re experiencing happiness too! Lemme know what you think of the egg thing if you try it
All of that is really awesome (:
Thanks!
A few words for you: You are freaking awesome! I’m glad that you are enjoying the paleo diet. I’ve been reading a lot about it, and I find it really interesting. I need to try whole eggs again. I’ve been living off egg white substitutes forever that I’m not even sure what a real egg looks like.
I looove that pinterest quote. That is how I feel about most of my summer school right now. Mine is more true life: problems of being a senior in college and not caring lol
ALSO LOVE YOUR HAIR. You sooo purddddy girl lol
AHH Thanks friend!!! Oh man, I’m worried about the not caring when I’ma senior too– heck I’m just a junior in college and I wanna already be done haha
I just love your hair!! It’s rockin
Also, I’m glad you’re enjoying the freedom of not counting calories and stuff. That is just so awesome !!
loveeee your hair! it looks fantastic girl!
that egg white concoction is freaking genius! do you just not let the egg whites cook in the micro all the way and then stir in the protein powder & almond flour when they’re still liquidy?
what’s new with me? hmmm i got my new glasses today! woo hoo!
Nope! I cook em all the way and then mix in the stuff after they’ve chilled a bit. It’s kinda freaky, but it works great!! I do wanna try it your way now though…that sounds kinda cool
I bet your new shades are rockin!