Insanity: Week One Completed

Happy Earth Day my friends! If you ask me, we should be celebrating this everyday…

earth day

Some things we can do to help preserve our earth:

  1. Use reusable bags when shopping
  2. Walk or bike instead of driving when we can—I’m so guilty of this one
  3. Take shorter showers and really watch our water usage—guilty
  4. Use cold water more often when washing clothes
  5. Recycle–DUH! I am huge on this one. Someday I hope MN is as posh as Colorado is in terms of their recycling habits.
  6. Use refillable water bottles more often versus throwaway plastic bottles
  7. Use energy-saving light bulbs
  8. Turn off lights in the house when you aren’t using them
  9. Unplug appliances when they are not in use

That’s just a short list! Even if we all start making a few changes it can make a HUGE difference! Don’t forget about our future generations and their well-being.

How are you helping to preserve our planet?!

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This is definitely going to be an odds and ends kind of post. As you may have noticed, I took the weekend off from the blog and had a couple of lovely guest posts for your enjoyment. In case you missed them you can check them out:

I pretty much gave the camera a break the whole weekend–it needs time off too. 😉 I did manage to snap a couple from last night so here are a couple of photos for those of you who enjoy food photos as much as I do…

For dinner last night we had the salmon dish that made me start liking salmon. Simply grill the salmon with pepper and then top it with an almond caper drizzle that is made on the stove top using:

  • about 1 tablespoon of butter
  • 1/4 cup or less of sliced almonds
  • 1-2 tablespoons of capers
  • 1-2 tablespoons of sesame oil

You want the almonds to turn slightly toasty but this whole process only takes about four minutes.

salmon salmon

It’s definitely my favorite way to eat salmon.

Check out our super healthy stocked fridge. It is filled to the brim with fruits and veggies and I love it!

fridge

******************

Insanity: Week One Completed

I told you this was an all-over-the-place post. Next up, I have finished week one of Insanity! I thought it might be interesting if I shared my progress week by week for anyone who might be interested in dabbling into the Insanity workouts, and also to do it for my own accountability and to really take the time to notice any progress I might be feeling or seeing.

Body and Strength Changes

Although it has only been a week and some may say you can’t see changes in a week, I am definitely feeling more toned already. I’m still working towards being able to keep up with the push-ups in the videos, but I do notice my strength is improving. After week two we will be completing another Fit Test which tests your stamina and strength, and helps you to note your progress. I will be anxious to see how that goes.

I am very excited to build my core and back strength. I feel this will really help alleviate some of my back problems.

Weight Fluctuations

No changes in weight.

Soreness, Fatigue, or Aches

After the first couple of workouts, I thought I was going to vomit (TMI?) but now I feel really good after a workout–no more nausea. My calves were tight during the first few days as well, but that has since subsided.

Right after a workout I feel pretty exhausted, but after I shower and get ready for the day I am finding I am highly energized.

Overall Thoughts and Feelings

I want to mention that although Insanity suggests you workout 6 days in a row and then take the 7th day for rest, if you feel like you need a break on any day in between, by all means TAKE A BREAK. Continue to listen to your body. Let your body recover to avoid injury, and get back at it the next day. Life happens, and there are days when you may be unable to get a workout in. That is okay but again, just start on up the next day.

I am doing my best to follow the program and follow it’s recommended schedule, but I am going to be throwing in days of rest and there will be days where I may be running instead and taking the day off from Insanity, but mostly I a sticking to the plan.

I love the trainer, Sean T. He is an excellent motivator and super easy on the eyes too. 😉 He really pushes you but not to the point where it’s annoying. He reminds you that it is okay to take quick rests during the workouts and that water breaks are super important!

I am so loving the fact that my hubby is doing this workout too. It always helps to have someone else going through the journey with you and we help to keep each other accountable and motivated.

I continue to eat a clean diet full of protein, fruits, and veggies which helps me fight through the workouts and recover from them quickly.

So far I am feeling GREAT!

Bring it on Week Two!!

Continue Reading Insanity: Week One Completed

Cabbage: An Underrated Vegetable?

(*Sigh*) Hmmm….

turks and caicos stand up paddle board

Oh sorry I was dreaming of paradise. Back to reality…

snow april

That’s all I will say about that.

After completing my Insanity workout yesterday I replenished myself with a big cold smoothie.

smoothie

In the mix:

Whew! That’s a lot of nutrients jam-packed into one smoothie.

I literally couldn’t keep my hands out of the fridge yesterday; my appetite was insane! I couldn’t even tell you everything I snacked on in between breakfast and lunch. By the time “lunch” actually rolled around I made myself a piece of toasted almond bread with peanut butter and a drizzle of honey.

pb almond bread pb almond bread

And more snacks happened after that.

Dinner

The crock pot came out last night. I wanted to use up a head of red cabbage I had in the fridge so I decided to make a crock pot version of my cabbage roll casserole. I used most of the same ingredients this time as I did before, but I also added zucchini and mushrooms this time around.

I added everything into the crock pot except for the mushrooms, gave it a stir, set it on low and let it go. I added the mushrooms in at the last 45 minutes of cook time.

crockpot casserole cabbage

It cooked for about 6-7 hours. I ladled a serving into my bowl and topped it with olives (do I seriously add olives to everything? It’s becoming apparent that I do). Sorry Kal–you can omit the olives. 🙂

cabbage casserole crockpot

This was a very nice way to spend my Thursday evening; eating a warm bowl of veggies and relaxing in my warm home.

Does anyone else think cabbage is a bit underrated? I understand the effects it can have on the digestive process but other than that, it’s some good stuff!

I am taking the day off from exercise today and letting my body rest. I am hoping to get a run in tomorrow, but based on the amount of snow we have, it may have to be a treadmill run. Booo…

Have a great day my friends!

I feel like cabbage is fairly underrated. Do you have any good cabbage recipes?

I really love Oriental Cabbage Salad with Ramen Noodles. Whenever it is at a get-together, I have to snag a bite!

**My thoughts and prayers continue to be with everyone impacted by the Boston tragedies and continuing trauma. My heart breaks. Stay safe and stay strong.**

Continue Reading Cabbage: An Underrated Vegetable?

Chicken Marbella & Weekend Scenes

Mother Nature is seriously testing my positivity and patience. It is ridiculous here. It has been consistently cold and rainy/snowy. Enough to make me want to crawl into hibernation again.

snow

We weren’t able to get our normal weekend run in due to schedule conflicts and freezing rain conflicts, and today isn’t too much better. Although, it isn’t raining or snowing yet. The treadmill has my name on it today unfortunately. It sounds like we’re going to have a week and a half or so of not so nice weather and then it’s supposed to turnaround. We can only hope!

Okay, enough of the downer talk. How about some photos from this weekend?

Mom and dad and Abbie time…

abbie

Morning coffee with coconut milk and a fruit and veggie smoothie…

smoothie coffee

Saturday night steak dinner!

steak

Moose shares my same love for peanut butter…

pb banana moose pb

Leftover steak salad with red bell peppers, tomato, olives, avocado, and Annie’s Green Goddess dressing…

steak salad

We planted some of the veggies for our vegetable garden which we will start off indoors and eventually move to our outdoor garden! These are the things we need to be doing to keep our spirits lifted.

dana garden

A batch of homemade gluten-free almond flour bread

almond bread

And the grand finale of the weekend is a recipe inspired from epicurious and introduced to me by Dana’s mom…CHICKEN MARBELLA. 

chicken marbella

Chicken breasts, olives, dried apricots, prunes, capers, red wine vinegar, oregano, garlic, red wine, honey, olive oil, bay leaves, and salt and pepper were combined in an oven-safe dish….

chicken marbella

And baked for an hour at 350°F…

chicken marbella

The result was pure perfection.

chicken marbella chicken marbella

I am a huge sweet and salty fan and this was the perfect dish to satisfy that taste combination.

Chicken Marbella
Print
Ingredients
  • 2 large chicken breast, cut into 10 large pieces
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced finely
  • 2 Tbsp dried oregano
  • ¼ cup red wine vinegar
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • ½ cup prunes, quartered
  • ¼ cup dried apricots, halved
  • ½ cup large green olives, rough chopped
  • ¼ cup capers and some juice
  • 3 bay leaves
  • ¼ cup honey
  • ½ cup red wine
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Arrange chicken in a shallow baking pan; set aside.
  3. In a small bowl combine all remaining ingredients; mix well; pour over chicken.
  4. If time allows, let marinade in the fridge for a few hours, otherwise place in oven right away.
  5. Bake for 1 hour, basting chicken with juices frequently, until chicken is cooked through.

 

It is such an easy recipe that looks fancy but it is really so simple, and it tastes AWESOME. I highly recommend you make this one night this week. You won’t be disappointed.

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend and that your Monday is off to a great start!

Question of the day: Do you prefer salty or sweet?

Continue Reading Chicken Marbella & Weekend Scenes

Zucchini Carrot Refried Bean Tostadas

Happy Friday Eve! The snow is still drizzling down which makes for a super cozy morning. Yet again, a morning where all you want to do is sleep in and then cozy up on the couch with a good book and a cup of coffee. I am still anxiously awaiting the warm spring air that motivates me to jump out of bed and energizes me for the day. Soon enough….right? 🙂

For breakfast yesterday I had a veggie frittata thanks to some meal preparation on Tuesday evening. I used an old frittata recipe of mine for guidance but then added some different veggies into the mix. This time around I added 3 eggs, egg whites, kale, red pepper, mushroom, onions, and a little bit of cheese.

frittata

I took a couple of bites and then realized something was missing…

AVOCADO of course! I also added a little SCD ketchup to my plate. This dish was EGGcellet! I loved that it was ready for me when I woke up. Next time I will add more eggs to make it thicker.

frittata

Dinner

My creative foodie brain started wandering during the last 30 minutes of work about what to make for dinner.  I mentally ran through everything we had in our fridge and freezer.

Zucchini had been on sale this weekend so I had picked up a couple of those and wanted to use that for sure, and I had a huge batch of super cooked and easily digestible chili beans in the freezer and sort of wanted to use those too. After a while of pondering it dawned on me. I was going to make zucchini and carrot tostadas with refried beans! It sounded strange in my mind so no worries if it sounds strange to you right now too, but I just had to give it a shot.

Into the food processor went one zucchini and one cup of carrots which I shredded. I poured them onto a thin kitchen towel, gathered all corners, twisted the tops together, and rung out as much liquid as possible.

I added the remains of the veggies into a bowl and added an egg, garlic, some almond flour, and seasonings (recipe below for further details). I mixed this together and began forming my tostadas on a baking pan which I had sprayed with olive oil. I used my hands to flatten out the dough into tortilla-like shapes.

Note: You could use cornmeal or gluten-free flour instead of almond flour.

I baked the tortillas at 350°F for 20 minutes, followed by 10 minutes on broil, flipping half way during the broil.

tostada

When the tortillas were beginning the broiling process, I prepared the beans: In a saucepan on the stove, I sautéed diced onion in olive oil. I then added the beans, broth, and seasonings and gave it a good stir. I let the beans cook in the broth for about 8 minutes.

I chopped the cilantro, tomatoes, bell pepper, and grated the cheese so that it would be ready to top the tostadas.

Once the tortillas were ready, I plated them, added a sprinkle of cheese, a heaping spoonful of beans, followed by tomatoes, red peppers, cilantro and salsa. You could add avocado, black olives, or jalapeno if you would like too!

tostados IMG_2248

These are super-duper healthified refried bean tostadas if I’ve ever seen them! Don’t expect a super crunchy tortilla; it turned out pretty soft but found if you let them sit for a few minutes after they come out of the oven, they set a little further.

I had made a double batch, but scaled the recipe back for you all because it made an insane amount of these tortillas. I froze the leftover tortillas and plan on using them for mini pizzas in the future!

They require a little bit of work, but I think they are worth it! They were fun to eat!

Zucchini Carrot Refried Bean Tostadas
Print
Serving Size: 2
Ingredients
  • Tostadas:
  • 1 medium zucchini, grated
  • 1 cup carrots, grated
  • 1 garlic clove, finely grated
  • 1 egg
  • ¾ cups almond flour
  • sprinkle of onion powder
  • salt and pepper
  • Beans:
  • ¼ cup onions, diced
  • 1½ cups cooked kidney beans (pinto or black beans would be fine)
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder
  • salt and pepper
  • ½ cup chicken bone broth (veggie broth or chicken broth would be fine)
  • Toppings (optional):
  • diced tomatoes
  • diced red bell peppers
  • grated cheese
  • cilantro
  • avocado
  • black olives
  • salsa
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat one large cookie pan with olive oil.
  2. In a food processor, shred zucchini and carrots.
  3. Pour onto a kitchen towel. Gather all corners of towel and twist tops together. Ring out excess liquid over the sink.
  4. Pour remaining veggies from towel into a medium bowl.
  5. Add egg, garlic, almond flour, onion powder, salt, pepper and mix well.
  6. Use hands to form large balls of dough and place on pan. Pat down to flatten to a little less than ¼ inch high and form a round "tortilla." Repeat until all dough has been shaped.
  7. Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes.
  8. After 20 minutes, turn oven to broil. Broil each side of the tortillas for about 4-5 minutes or until they turn golden and begin to crisp up.
  9. While the tortillas are broiling, saute onion in olive oil in a medium pan on the stove top for about 3 minutes.
  10. Then add beans, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and broth. Stir until beans are cooked through and liquid has cooked out.
  11. Once tortillas are crisp, remove from oven. Place a tortilla on a plate then add the beans and finally your favorite tostada toppings.

 

I hope you all have a wonderful Friday eve! Catch up with you soon!

Question of the day: Have you made any creative dishes lately? Tell me about them and feel free to add a link to the recipe if you have one!

Continue Reading Zucchini Carrot Refried Bean Tostadas

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Yesterday the last bit of snow in our yard had finally melted. Today, I woke up to this…

april snow

Mother nature has decided to prolong our winter a bit longer around here and we are faced with some more snow. Instead of getting upset about it, I am trying my darndest to embrace it. I had forewarning that it was coming so I was at least able to “prepare” myself for it, but it still hurts a little bit to see the ground covered in white.

But, there is absolutely NOTHING I can do about it. So I’m trying not to let it ruin my day.

It’s kind of like life. Sometimes life throws you a few inches of snow in April. We are all faced with ups and downs and curveballs along the way. We can choose to sulk and get dragged down by the downfalls, or we can choose a positive attitude and make the most of the situation.

To embrace the weather we decided to make a fire in the fireplace. I honestly didn’t think we would be having any more of these this spring but last night I figured, why not, it’s cold enough outside and it would make for a cozy evening.

Yup, this is a real scene of an April evening.

fireplace fireplace

moose

What else do you think of when you think of a perfect cozy evening? Homemade soup of course! I had a package of frozen butternut squash that I roasted in the oven with onion and garlic.

butternut squash soup butternut squash soup

Once it was roasted I added it to a soup pot, added bone broth, and some spices, and let it simmer for 20 minutes or so. I then used my immersion blender to puree the soup. I ladled the soup into a couple of bowls, topped them with fresh cilantro, and that was it. This soup is so incredibly easy.

butternut squash soup

butternut squash soup

Butternut Squash Soup
Print
Ingredients
  • 2 lbs butternut squash, cubed
  • 1 large white onion, chopped
  • 5 small garlic cloves (or 3 large ones)
  • 4 cups chicken broth (I used homemade bone broth)
  • 2 tsp salt
  • black pepper
  • 2 Tbsp coconut aminos (you can substitute with soy sauce)
  • ¼ tsp cumin
  • ⅛ tsp garlic powder *optional
  • a sprinkle of nutmeg
  • fresh cilantro
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. If you have a roasting option, select roast.
  2. Spray one large baking pan with olive oil. Place squash, onion, and garlic on the pan and spread into one layer. Spritz top with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  3. Roast for 30 minutes.
  4. Remove from oven and transfer to soup pot.
  5. Turn stove top to low. Add remaining ingredients except cilantro. Stir, bring to a simmer and cover.
  6. Simmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally.
  7. Use an immersion blender to puree soup. Ladle into bowls and top with fresh cilantro.

 

An outdoor workout is not in the cards today. I’m going to continue to “embrace” the snow situation as best as I can and lace up my shoes and hit the treadmill downstairs. Spring WILL make its appearance again and it WILL stick around soon. I am not losing hope.

Life WILL have its ups and downs but I refuse to let the lows keep me low. Keep your head up, be thankful for a new day, and make the most of a less than perfect situation.

Question: How do you stay positive? 

Continue Reading Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Honey P. Nutty Bars

It’s a rainy day, it’s a rainy day, raining outside so we can’t go out and play, so what are we gonna do, anyway? What is that from? My mom always used to sing that with us when we were young. My guess would be Barney or Sesame Street but I really don’t know.

Anyway, it is very rainy and very gloomy over here today. The kind of day that makes you want to snuggle on the couch with a movie and a bowl of popcorn and just stay there for a while. 🙂 Who knows, that may be on the agenda for the evening, we will see.

Breakfast

I can’t believe I’m saying this but I did not have one single bite of peanut butter yesterday. That is unheard of for me! I started the morning off with a bowl of Fage Greek yogurt with blackberries, blueberries, a touch of honey and chia seeds.

yogurt with berries

 

Gym

 

I hit up the gym shortly after for a chest, shoulder, and tricep weights day. Dana was my “personal trainer” and definitely pushed me harder than I would have if I were there by myself. This is a GOOD thing. I am hoping to be able to make it to the gym more often with him so we can train together. I need the extra help especially if I’m going to reach my April Fitness Challenge!

(old photo)

workout

 

Lunch

While I threw my lunch together, I snacked on some walnuts. Lunch was a humungo salad with mixed spring greens, celery, red bell pepper, mushrooms, black beans, peas, and red wine vinegar mixed with olive oil and herbs. I added some cheese and hummus after I snapped the photo.

salad

For dessert: an apple.

Afternoon snacks included a Honey P. Nutty bar!

I received this package of bars from Honey P. Nutty after checking out their website and drooling over their products. They make delicious honey and peanut butter bars that come in a variety of flavors: Chunky PB, Red Chili PB, Cranberry PB, Salty PB, Espresso PB, and Chocolate PB. Their products are also gluten and dairy free with the exception of the chocolate PB which may have some dairy.

honey p. nutty

Of course the first one I reached for when I received the package was the Chocolate PB, aka my favorite combination EVER!

honey p. nutty

I love that the ingredients are so simple: Whole and ground roasted peanuts, honey, organic cornmeal, vanilla extract, and sea salt. Depending on the flavor there are add-ins for example the chocolate PB has chocolate added, the cranberry PB has cranberries, etc. You get it.

honey p. nutty

The bars are chewy and sweet. Personally, I would consider them more of a dessert treat but they could also be used as an energy bar before a workout, after a workout, or for an afternoon pick-me-up.

honey p. nutty

They remind me of peanut butter cookies. They have a wonderful roasted peanut flavor and in combination with the honey, they are perfectly sweet.

honey p. nutty honey p. nutty honey p. nutty honey p. nutty

 

Yea, I REALLY enjoy them. To check out their products you can go to their website at honeypnutty.com. They are a new company and have so much potential for growth with this tasty product! I LOVE IT!

Dinner

Last night we grilled up some salmon and green beans. I actually deviated from my favorite salmon recipe if you can believe that!

I marinated two salmon filets in this marinade:

  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 Tbsp coconut aminos (you can use soy sauce instead if you prefer)
  • 1/4 tsp dried ginger
  • 1 garlic clove, grated finely
  • 1 tsp honey

I let them marinade for about 30 minutes before the grilling them up! The green beans were seasoned simply with olive oil, salt and pepper and then grilled.

salmon

 

I still prefer the other recipe for salmon with the sesame oil, butter, capers, and almonds, but this one was really good too! I was proud that I switched it up.

Alrighty, I’m going to go milk this cold I’ve got and get on with my day. Have a good one!

Continue Reading Honey P. Nutty Bars

Chicken Stir-Fry with Coconut Aminos

It’s Friday! Oh yea, baby! Before we get too excited about this glorious day of the week, let’s take a quick look at Thursday, shall we?

I had a really great day. I actually kept thinking yesterday was Friday. I was super messed up on my days.

I had the day off and I started it off by meeting up my high school friend Ted, for coffee at Caribou. Why on earth have we not gotten together sooner, I don’t know. All I can say is it was so nice to catch up with him. He is such a positive person and I love having positive people in my life! There is no room for negativity in my life.

In the afternoon Dana and I took the pup out for a 3-mile loop around our neighborhood. The weather was absolutely perfect for an outdoor run; about 50°F and sunny. I was even able to wear my capris outside for the first time this year!

Moose is still working on his stamina. He was pretty wiped immediately after the run.

moose

Allergy Update

I seem to have worked whatever food or medication allergy I had out of my system, because I have been feeling back to normal. The only thing I can think of that may have triggered it is the abundant amount of strawberries I had eaten those few days, but I’ve never had a problem with them in the past! Again, another reason I would like to have an intolerance test done.

Lunch

For lunch I threw together a ginormous veggie-packed salad. I loved the volume of this salad. In the mix was mixed spring greens, broccoli, carrots, red pepper, celery, a spritz of olive oil, hummus, and sunflower seeds. Wowza it was GOOD.

veggie salad

There were a few snacks eaten throughout the day to tide me over between meals, all of which went unphotographed.

We made a purchase yesterday to add to our “at-home gym”…..

A PULL-UP BAR!

chin up pull up bar

I wasn’t messing around when I said I am going to conquer at least one unassisted chin-up before May. We put this up in the doorway on our main floor so that I will be more likely to use it often. Like I said previously, I still have a LOOONNNG way to go, but I’ll get there!

Stir-Fry Dinner and Coconut Aminos

Mmm mmm, dinner was tasty last night. Stir-fry has got to be one of the easiest meals to make and it always comes out well.

Last night I pulled out the wok and sautéed up onion, garlic, red bell pepper, broccoli, sugar snap peas and carrots in sesame oil. Once the veggies had cooked through, I added about 1/3 of a cup of bone broth along with 5-6 splashes of coconut aminos (more on that in a sec). I also added a few sprinkles of garlic powder, onion powder, ginger, and salt. I then let the liquids cook out, added some leftover cooked chicken, allowed that to heat through and VOILA!

stir fry

I served the stir-fry over cooked quinoa (I let the quinoa soak for 24 hours before cooking to help with digestibility) and had myself a deliciously gluten-free and soy-free dinner!

stir fry

stif fry

So, about those coconut aminos I mentioned….

Yesterday I stopped in at Whole Foods and oogled over all of the great products. I meandered down the Asian-food aisle and my eyes spied this intriguing sauce:

Coconut Secret’s Raw Coconut Aminos

coconut aminos

I had to give it a go after what I read on the label. Here is what I have learned about Coconut Aminos (information taken from their website):

Their product is:

  • 100% Organic
  • Gluten-free
  • Soy-free
  • Dairy-free
  • Vegan
  • Contains 17 naturally occurring amino acids which are important for muscle tissue repair and rebuilding, enhance nervous system function, and aid in boosting the immune system
  • It is made from certified organic raw coconut sap and naturally aged and blended with sun-dried, mineral-rich sea salt
  • It can be used as a substitute for soy sauce!

Source

The flavor is a bit more bland compared to regular soy sauce, and less salty, but it did add a really nice flavor to this stir-fry dish. For those of you out there who are looking for an alternative to soy-sauce, I would definitely recommend giving this a shot. I will be 100% honest with you though, I still prefer soy sauce.

But it’s still pretty neat, right? What will they think of next?!

I had a fun new treat later in the evening including another Whole Foods find:

Gluten Free Cereal

These are SO good! And the ingredients are so simple: Organic corn meal, organic evaporated cane juice, organic peanut butter, organic soy oil, sea salt, tocopherols (natural vitamin E), organic tapioca starch. I don’t plan on eating these daily, but they are going to be nice to have around if I want a little treat.

Alright, now that we caught up on Thursday we can officially celebrate Friday. I hope you all have a FANTASTIC day! Keep on smilin’ my friends.

Question of the day: Have you ever used liquid aminos before? What are your thoughts?

Continue Reading Chicken Stir-Fry with Coconut Aminos

Mom’s Ham and White Bean Soup

Hello hello and happy Wednesday!

I’ve been dealing with some type of allergic reaction the past few days, so I am keeping a close eye on my food intake to see if it is a certain food that is triggering an allergic response or perhaps it’s from a medication. I’m in touch with my docs too so I am in good hands; no worries! It’s just really weird. I am feeling more and more inclined to have a food intolerance test done to see which foods I should really be staying away from.

I switched up my breakfast a bit from the usual and went with a bowl of mixed berries (strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries) with FAGE Greek yogurt, a touch of honey, and chia seeds. I gave it a good stir and thoroughly enjoyed this sweet breakfast.

fruit and yogurt

I snacked on a huge baggy of carrots to tide me over between breakfast and lunch, and there was a huge bowl of shelled peanuts at work so I snagged a handful of those too.

For lunch, I used celery stalks to scoop up freshly made egg salad. I was so inspired by the deviled eggs from Sunday that I went ahead and made this similar tasting, protein-packed meal right away on Monday.

egg salad

I attempted a run in the early afternoon but was hindered by some new pain, so I kept it short and made my way home.

I had a few snacks in the afternoon before heading over to mom and dad’s for dinner.

yogurt

Mom had made ham and white bean soup from the leftover Easter ham, per my request. She’s the best!

mom's ham and bean soup

I love this soup! It’s so simple yet so flavorful, comforting and belly-warming. It’s such a good way to use up the remainder of the Easter ham too. I would love the recipe for this one but I’m almost positive mom just does her own thing when she makes this soup and goes by taste, adding a pinch of this and that here and there. She adds her motherly TLC in there too so that’s probably why her food always tastes good. 🙂

It was the perfect meal for a very cool evening. It is supposed to be in the 50’s again today so I am super excited about that!

I officially saw my first robin yesterday which means that spring is definitely here. My mom and grandma always used to say that to me when I was younger and I would always look forward to it every spring, and I still do!

Happy Hump Day! I hope it’s a good one!

Question of the day: What are your favorite ways to use holiday feast leftovers?

Continue Reading Mom’s Ham and White Bean Soup

No Bake Key Lime Pie

In the mood for a light and refreshing dessert? Then you’ve come to the right place! I jump on the opportunity to bring desserts to holiday functions and get togethers, so of course I volunteered to bring something sweet to our Easter celebration on Sunday. It was actually my mom’s idea to go the key lime route, and then I took off with it. Great idea as always madre!

I found a recipe for Key Lime Pie from thetastyalternative.com and used her recipe for my inspiration. Here it goes!

Lightly coat one pie dish with butter; set aside. In a food processor, mix together dates, raisins, and almonds to make the crust. Use hands to press the crust mixture into the pan. It will cover the bottom of the pan completely. Place the crust in fridge. Clean out the food processor.

Easter 2013

In a small saucepan, heat coconut milk over low-medium heat until hot; do not let it boil. Meanwhile combine lime juice, honey, and avocado in a clean food processor and mix well. Then pour juice mixture into glass bowl. Add gelatin to bowl and whisk until incorporated. Whisk heated coconut milk in with the gelatin mixture until mixed thoroughly. Pour into pie crust and place in fridge for at least 8 hours.

Easter 2013

For the cream cheese frosting: use a hand or stand mixer to whip together cream cheese (I used homemade but you can use your favorite), honey, vanilla, and a little coconut milk. After the pie has completely set, carefully spread the cream cheese frosting over the pie.

Place in freezer for 45 minutes before serving to help with slicing.

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Slice carefully and enjoy!

Easter 2013

Note: I didn’t freeze the pie before cutting into it hence the reason it looks like a messy piece of pie, but placing it in the freezer for a short while should help it to set a little further and will hopefully cut easier!

No Bake Key Lime Pie (Gluten-Free, No Refined White Sugar)
Print
Ingredients
  • Crust:
  • ⅞ cup dates
  • ⅛ cup raisins
  • ½ cup almonds
  • Lime Filling:
  • 1 can coconut milk --- ***reserve 2 Tbsp for topping
  • ½ cup honey
  • ¾ cup fresh squeezed lime juice
  • 1½ small avocado or 1 large
  • 1 envelope of plain gelatin
  • Cream Cheese Topping:
  • ¾ cup cream cheese
  • 1-2 Tbsp honey (to taste preference)
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 Tbsp. coconut milk
Instructions
  1. Lightly coat one pie dish with butter; set aside.
  2. In food processor, mix together crust ingredient until it resembles coarse sand. Use hands to press the crust mixture into the pan. It will cover the bottom of the pan completely. Place in fridge. Clean food processor.
  3. In a small saucepan, heat coconut milk over low-medium heat until hot, but do not let it boil.
  4. Meanwhile combine lime juice, honey, and avocado in food processor and mix well. Then pour juice mixture into glass bowl.
  5. Add gelatin to bowl and whisk until incorporated.
  6. Whisk heated coconut milk in with the gelatin mixture until mixed thoroughly. Pour into pie crust and place in fridge for at least 8 hours.
  7. For cream cheese frosting: use hand or stand mixer to whip together all ingredients. After pie has set, carefully spread cream cheese frosting over pie.
  8. Place in freezer for 45 minutes before serving.

 

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April Fitness Challenge

At the gym yesterday, I tested my strength to see just how far away I am from doing one unassisted chin-up, which is my April goal. I was able to do one chin-up with 75 lbs of assistance from the machine. I have a LONG ways to go, but I truly think I will be able to reach my goal! You have to start somewhere, right?!

Happy Tuesday my friends!

Question: Have you made any nummy desserts lately?! Please share!

Continue Reading No Bake Key Lime Pie

A Lovely Easter & April Fitness Challenge

Is anyone else recovering from a slight sugar shock from yesterday? Yes, I had some sugar yesterday. I don’t regret it and I absolutely enjoyed it, for ONE day. Now that Monday is here, the candy will hide out until next weekend. At least that’s the plan.

I do not believe in depriving yourself of the foods you love, it is all about MODERATION, but since I am in the last stages of my gut healing, I’m trying to stay clear for now.

Our Easter celebration yesterday was absolutely lovely. My parents, my brother Kevin,  Dana and I all went to 11:00 church service and I loved everything about the service; the music, the atmosphere of all of the happy people, being there with my family, the message, everything.

Easter 2013

After church we headed home. The Easter bunny did a great job of filling Dana and my basket with mostly healthy things since she knows we are watching our sugar intake. 😉

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It was 12:30 at this point and we were all pretty ravished, but mom had plantain chips and salsa, sweet potato chips and hummus, and shrimp all ready for us to munch on. I really enjoyed the plantain chips.

Once 2:30 pm rolled around, dinner was served. I brought a fruit salad which I found on Pinterest. I wish I could take credit because this bowl was beautiful. It was simply fresh strawberries, blueberries, and green grapes which I drizzled with a honey and lime homemade mixture. I had two bowls of this sweet goodness!

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The rest of the delicious fare….deviled eggs, which I have officially decided I need to eat more than once a year because they are so tasty and I love them so much.

Easter 2013

Cheesy potatoes….I actually resisted these this year except for one bite to taste! I could have had some but I’m trying to let my body continue to heal and didn’t want to push it with the richness of this dish.

Easter 2013

I loaded up on the asparagus! The ham tasted awfully good too and I’m not always the biggest ham fan. NUM.

 

Easter 2013

 

After dinner, both mom and I were a little antsy, so we went for a quick walk around the neighborhood. It was windy and a little cold but it sure felt good to get the legs moving.

When we returned, I plated the dessert. I made a gluten-free, no refined sugar, Key Lime Pie. It may not be picture perfect, but it definitely tasted GREAT! I will be posting the recipe this week so stay tuned!

 

Easter 2013

Both Easter #1 and Easter #2 were huge successes. I have so much love for my family and I so enjoy spending time with them! I love the holidays!

So, back to that sugar real quick. Up until this point in the day I hadn’t had any processed refined sugar, but when we got home last night, I really wanted some Easter candy from my basket. I had a few piece of licorice and some dark chocolate M & M’s. They tasted very good. I was very excited to have this special treat, but like I said, now that Easter is over, the candy will go away for the week and I will be back to limiting my sugars throughout the week. Next weekend, I might dabble into a piece or two, but we’ll see. I really savored those sweets last night, though. Mmm mmm. I can’t lie and say I didn’t like them, but again I remind you all of my favorite word: Moderation.

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April Fitness Challenge

I’m hesitant to make this public and hold myself accountable for this, BUT, I have a fitness goal that I have been wanting to attain since I can’t remember when and it’s about time I gave it a go.

This month, I am challenging myself to do at least ONE UNASSISTED CHIN-UP. 

There, I said it. It’s out there and it’s published. It’s time to start making these dreams come to life!

Q: Any words of wisdom/tips/advice for me?

Continue Reading A Lovely Easter & April Fitness Challenge