Category Archives: Food

10 Foods you should be eating for a healthier you

Posted in Fitness, Food, Health by

PicMonkey Collage

  1. Water – I always start any of my fitness and nutrition posts with this.  It is essential for your health!
  2. Natural Peanut Butter – Peanut butter is full of good fats!  It also has potassium, protein and fiber in it and it is a GREAT source of energy.  Not to mention, it tastes super yummy!  I used to carry a small jar of peanut butter around with me and eat a spoonful if I was craving something sweet.
  3. Non-Fat Greek yogurt – Low in calories and carbs but high in protein!  Add in some nuts and fruit and it makes a perfect, filling snack.
  4. Almonds – These little nuggets have good fats, fiber and antioxidants.  Grab a handful of these for a great snack!  (Tip:  Eat them raw or roasted for the healthiest option.)
  5. Eggs – High in protein and can be eaten so many different ways!  The recipes are endless and these things are easy to eat on the go.  We always have a bowl full of hard-boiled eggs in our refrigerator.  It makes it easy to grab and go!
  6. Blueberries – Blueberries are one of the best sources of antioxidants!  Add them to your yogurt or freeze a small baggy full for a sweet, after dinner treat.
  7. Oatmeal – Oatmeal is one of the best ways to start your day.  A cup of oatmeal contains 6 grams of protein!  Oatmeal is also full of fiber.  It is a great weight loss food and the fiber in it helps protect against high blood pressure and diabetes.
  8. Avocados – Fiber, potassium, Vitamins and good fats are all things you can find in an avocado.  So add them to your salad, sandwich or just cut one in half and enjoy!
  9. Quinoa – Fiber, fiber, fiber.  Quinoa also has proteins and amino acids and is a good source of iron, magnesium and lysine!  Prepared like rice and can be eaten with virtually anything!  Cook up some of this yummy side dish tonight and reap the health benefits!
  10. Dark Chocolate – I know…  it can’t be true.  But it is!  Dark chocolate is full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.  It helps to lower your blood pressure, reduces risk of stroke and increases blood flow to the brain!  (Tip: Make sure that the dark chocolate you buy is at least 70% cocoa and nothing sweeter than bitter-sweet.)

SUPER BOWL SUNDAY!

Posted in Food by

Although my team is not in the Super Bowl…  I shall still partake in the festivities of Football watching, beer drinking, game day food eating, Puppy Bowl watching and crazy overpriced commercial spot hilarity.  Can I get an AMEN?  So fire up your grills and preheat your ovens beauties!  It’s time to get cookin’.  The game will be on soon!  Below, are my two FAVE game day recipes.  Chicken wings are a staple but make sure you check out the Chicken & waffles too!  Yuuuummmmmmmmy!!!!

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-wings-with-blue-cheese

Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese Dip

Ingredients

DIP:
4 ounces crumbled blue cheese
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper
WINGS:
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup hot sauce (such as Frank’s RedHot)
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 pounds chicken wings, tips removed, wings separated at joints

Preparation

1. Make dip: In a bowl, combine blue cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, lemon juice and garlic powder, stirring well. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill for 2 hours.

2. Make wings: Preheat oven to 450ºF. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place a large cooling rack on top of sheet and mist with cooking spray.

3. In a small pan, combine ketchup, hot sauce, vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, sugar and butter. Cook over low heat, stirring, until well combined and smooth. Pour into a bowl and let cool.

4. Pour 1/4 cup of sauce into a small bowl; cover and set aside. In a large bowl, toss wings with 1/2 cup sauce until coated. Place wings on rack. Roast for 10 minutes, then brush with more sauce. Roast 10 minutes longer; brush with more sauce. Turn wings over, brush with sauce and roast 10 minutes. Brush with more sauce and roast for a final 10 minutes.

5. Remove wings to a large bowl and toss with reserved sauce. Serve with blue cheese dip on the side.

 

Chicken & Waffle Sliders…. Have Mercy!

{Game Day Eats} Chicken & Waffle Sliders

Ingredients

  • frozen mini waffles
  • chicken tenders, cooked
  • {real} maple syrup
  • toothpicks

Instructions

  1. Slice your cooked chicken fingers into 3-4 pieces each. Break your cooked mini waffles apart.
  2. Sandwich 1 piece of chicken between 2 mini waffles. Secure with a toothpick. Drizzle with maple syrup and serve warm.

Notes

Cook up as many waffles and chicken fingers as needed. As a rule of thumb, 1 chicken finger will get you about 3-4 sliders.
Now get to it and ENJOY!

Fit Tuesday – Cauliflower

Posted in Fitness, Food by

Eating healthy is a choice….  and a VERY hard one if you like potatoes as much as I do.  Baked potatoes, french fries, mashed potatoes…  I like them any way and every way!  I have found my substitution to overloading on potatoes.  Cauliflower!!!!  Below are two AMAZING recipes for you to try.  These two recipes have helped me kick my potato habit and ultimately helped me live a healthier lifestyle.

 

Cauliflower Mash

Ingredients:

  • 1 large head of cauliflower
  • 1/4 cup of almond milk
  • 1 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 head of Garlic, minced
  • Fresh chives, chopped
  • Salt & Pepper

Directions:

  1. Cut cauliflower into florets.
  2. Boil cauliflower until completely tender. (About 12 minutes)
  3. Melt coconut oil
  4. Add cauliflower, coconut oil, almond milk into a mixer (can use a blender if you do not have a mixer)
  5. Blend and add your garlic, chives, salt & pepper until it meets your taste!
  6. Serve immediately while hot

 

Roasted Cauliflower

Ingredients:

  • 1 large head of cauliflower
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • Olive oil
  • salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400F
  2. Oil a large baking sheet
  3. Cut cauliflower into florets.
  4. Toss florets with the minced garlic, lemon juice and olive oil. (I put it all into a large baggie and shake until the florets are covered)
  5. Spread the florets out into a single layer on your baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  6. Cook in the oven, uncovered, for approximately 30 minutes.  You want the top to be slightly brown before you remove them.
  7. Serve immediately!

I LOVE these with a little ketchup.  They taste like french fries!

Fit Tuesday – Holiday STUFFING (as in… stuffing food in yo mouth)

Posted in Fitness, Food by

Tips for a healthier holiday.

We all know this time of year is tough when you are trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  Here are my top 5 tips to keeping the weight gain under control during this time of year.

1.) Get moving – It’s super easy to stuff yourself full of food and sit down to watch tv or take a nap.  Challenge yourself to do something active!  My Dad and I run our own version of the “Turkey Trot” every year.  We run from my Grandmother’s house to my parent’s house after we eat lunch.  It’s a little over a five mile run.  Then we drive back for football and more family fun!

2.) Eat a healthy breakfast – If you start your day off with a good healthy breakfast then you will be less inclined to binge eat once your sitting in front of those mashed potatoes and creamed corn.  An egg white omelet, bowl of oatmeal or fruit and yogurt will help you curb those cravings later in the day.

3.) Drink Water –  Alcoholic beverages, fruit drinks and sodas are high in calories and sugars.  Water eliminates those empty calories and keeps you hydrated.

4.) Keep it light – Are you doing the cooking?  Opt for choices with lower calories and fats.  Choose fat-free chicken broth, plain yogurt or fat free sour cream.  You can cut fats, sugars and calories in a lot of the ingredients.

5.) Portion Control – Before you fill your plate, do a survey of all of the dishes.  Give yourself only small portions of those foods you just CANNOT turn down.  Foods like turkey, roasted veggies, and baked sweet potatoes are great choices to put on your plate.  Keep the casseroles and other fatty sides small.

Thanksgiving is not just about this amazing bounty of food.  Keep things into perspective.  The most important thing to remember is to focus on being thankful for your friends, family and relationships with the people that you love.  THAT is what Thanksgiving is about.

Showering Fun!

Posted in Decor, Food by

Recently I held a wedding shower for one of my best friends.  Those who have hosted a shower know how overwhelming it can be to plan.  Food, drinks, games, decor….  Here are a few pictures of some fun and thrifty things I pulled together!

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My “Mimosa Bar.”  Because everything is more fun with Mimosas!  Guests could add fruit to their mimosas.  They could also choose to have a champagne free mimosa or just have a juice of their choice.

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I took tine and tied them around different sized pitchers.  We served Grapefruit juice, orange juice and cranberry juice.

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I found some very reasonably priced cupcakes at my local grocery store that were just plain white, then bought these cute cupcake holders at Michael’s for about $2.99 for 10.  They dressed the plain white cupcakes up and gave them a more wedding like vibe.

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And I made this sign with just thick paper, stencils, some paint and glitter.  Then I used more tine to string it up on the mantel and placed one of their engagement photos on the mantel.

I had a BLAST planning this shower and was very pleased with how it turned out.