THE CONFESSIONS OF A SAHM

Baking My Ass Off

2009-12-21T11:59:00.006-06:00

....or to be more literal, on. No, actually with all the hundreds of cookies I have baked this month (and more to come) I have done pretty good enjoying them and not going overboard (except for Saturday) hehe.

I have basically lived in the kitchen the last week and have tons of pics of things I have baked and made but I will try and narrow this down for your sake. Thank me later :). I have also learned several things along the way of my baking adventures. Follow me as I recap....

Of course the little one and I made gingerbread houses. Its our yearly tradition. I had a vision of this beautiful gingerbread house we were going to make and photograph, sorta like the one....
my dreams were slowly crushed when I realized I was working with a 4 year old who wanted to draw x's and o's on the roof and Spongebob on the front of the house (I'll show you the better side)....
I also had a friend and her little ones over to help. Here is both the beauties side by side...
LESSON LEARNED

So Friday night I went on a little baking spree. And by little I mean four different types of cookies....Starting at the bottom we have Chocolate Chip with walnuts, then White Chocolate Macadamia Nut, Big Soft Ginger Cookies, and finally my newly famous Pumpkin Chocolate Chip.

As you can see I thought there was no better thing than having a glass or two or three of wine to ease my baking process....

( you can see our xmas presents in the back ground, the bar-stools)

Well, you see to much wine while baking isn't that great of an idea because it can lead to random ideas like tasting 3 of each cookie just make sure the recipients enjoy them as much as you...
LESSON LEARNED

I also baked a Carrot Cake a few days back and I learned that it is just as good without the frosting....
but unfortunately I learned the hard way that it doesn't keep well in the cupboard, BLAH!!!!

LESSON LEARNED

We also visited Santa the past week and I learned that Halloween is year round in my little ones eyes...
I am not quite sure the look she was going for here, somewhere between a cat and butterfly. I definitely got my ten bucks worth with that Halloween costume. She has worn it with everything for the past month straight. I am thanking my lucky stars right not that the tail broke the other day :).

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: All of our close family are getting this framed picture of the little one for Christmas...
Plus some of my fab cookies in a cute cookie tin :)

Christmas Cookies & Vegan Pancakes

2009-12-13T09:55:00.009-06:00

I have been dying to bake cookies for sometime now. I did make a few batches of the most amazing pumpkin chocolate chip cookies ever but it had been a while. I woke up sick Friday but knew that wouldn't stop me :) so I packed up the little one and all our cookie ingredients and headed to my mommas house for some rest and some cookie baking!

After resting for a few hours while she kindly watched my little monster I finally mustered the energy to get up and get baking.

First the little one and I had to put on our matching aprons...
and then we got to work on our dough..I have never seen anyone so happy to decorate cookies in all my life!

(even grannies can have some cleavage)

Working on a masterpiece...
hardly (haha)..

Before we knew it the whole fam joined in, gotta make one if ya wanna eat one...
Some of the other, sub par to mine, masterpieces...
Then just like that the hard work disappeared....

I love kids at Christmas :).

OK enough about cookies and on to my breakfast this morning, Chocolate Vegan Pancakes. I have been dying to make Katie's Brownie Batter Pancakes but have an allergy to all protein powder as well as eggs (which aren't in hers) so I did my own mixing and matching of recipes and came up with this...
Chocolate Vegan Pancakes

1/3 cup ww pastry flour
1/2 cup almond milk
2/3 tsp baking powder
dash of salt
1 tbsp dark chocolate cocoa powder
1 tbsp applesauce
stevia to taste

mix all dry ingredients and then add wet, cook in a hot skillet, add toppings..
and devour...
I love blogging with a full belly and a recipe fresh in my mind :) :)

How bout you, have you made Christmas cookies yet? What is your all time favorite Christmas cookie recipe? Do you have a secret family recipe?

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: This year instead of buying gifts for each other for Christmas my husband and I bought stuff for the house and I love it!! Can you say bar-stools and oriental rug!! :) :0

Long Time No Post

2009-12-09T08:27:00.007-06:00

Man has life just taken a hold of me and kept me away from the computer. It seems like the only thing I get a chance to do lately is update my facebook :).

Although I have been super busy I have also been having a lot of fun with my friends and fam. In fact last night a friend and I went to meet the amazing and multi-talented Pioneer Woman and get our cookbooks autographed and to our surprise we also got a free t-shirt. Here's some of my pics...
In other adventures of mine we took a large family trip to South Bend, IN where my dad is from. We visited Notre Dame on Thanksgiving...

Little one and man by the Gold Dome

Great, fun trip!!

Now on to a recipe that I think everyone should make! It is so so good and I have been meaning to post about it for a while now and I so happy that I have finally gotten to it :). It is yet again another amazing recipe from the Xagave cookbook which by the way they have like all the recipes posted on their own blog which you AB-SOL-LUTELY have to check out!! The recipe is for their Teriyaki Agave Glaze (please go look at his recipe is literally takes like 5 min to make)

Ingredients:

1 cup soy sauce (can substitute with Bragg's)
1/2 cup water
2 Tbl. white rice vinegar (unsweetened)
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbl. of Xagave
3 tsp. minced garlic
3 tsp. minced ginger
1 Tbl. corn starch
(mix with 1 Tbl. of water)

Steps:

Combine ingredients (except corn starch) in a blender and
blend. Pour blended ingredients in pan and bring to a boil.
Once sauce begins to boil, immediately reduce to simmer.
Mix corn starch and water and add to sauce, stirring constantly
until thickens (less than one minute).

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 2 tbsp
Calories 34.6
Fat 0
Carbs 8g
Dietary Fiber 1g
Sugars 5g
Protein 1g

I cut the recipe down to about a third of this. I didn't have fresh ginger on hand the first time I made it so I just subbed ginger powder and I also cut the agave in half and used some stevia. It turned out wonderfully and I served it over some salmon..
Great stuff!

I have also made several stir fry's with the sauce. Here is one of them...
Well I hope everyone is having a great holiday season!! Be back soon :)

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: My eating habits are much better when I am on the computer less:). The less I am looking at food blogs the less I obsess over eating.

Contest Winner & Cookies

2009-11-20T14:35:00.009-06:00

Thanks to everyone that participated in my Progresso giveaway!! Don't forget they have tons of great coupons and recipe ideas on the site.

The winner of my contest is Mikey from Randomly Mikey. Love her random eats, cute little boy and cool masks. Thanks again everyone for entering and I hope to have another giveaway soon :)

Now on to more important things like these yumma delicious cookies I just finished making from the fabulous cookbook Xagave sent me. I hope they don't mind me sharing the recipe.

PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP WHOLE GRAIN COOKIES
all the goodness going into the bowl....
I was excited to use my measuring cup from Progresso (thanks Progresso)!!
So I was lazy and my stomach was hurting from eating to many of these suckers. Taking a pic was so much easier than typing it all out :).

I did have to modify. I used 2 whole eggs and 2 eggs with Ener-G egg replacer, cut the Xagave by a 1/4 cup, nixed the nutmeg for pumpkin pie spice, and used a mixture of 2 cups spelt flour and 1 1/2 cup brown rice flour. I also used a small ice cream scoop to place o baking sheet so I got about 40 cookies. I say bake for about 16 to 17 min. if you like them extra soft and melty.

Here they are rising in the oven...

(I could tell they were going to be yummy)

This half the batter I used some raisins, oats and walnuts....
This half I used a whole bag (280s) of semi-sweet chocolate chips....
Both batches were amazing but I wouldn't even bother with the raisins!!! The chocolate chips are what make these babies!!!!!

Thanks again Xagave for allowing me to sample your product and for that amazing cook book!!

I will now leave you with my lunch from today that I never wanted to end....
Salad of...

spinach
tomatoes
cucumber
raw mushrooms
roasted red pepper hummus
Newman's Own sesame ginger dressing
left over coconut oil roasted veggies (broc, cauli, onion, cabbage)

Half an acorn squash. One side with organic ketchup, the other with stevia, cinnamon and pb. My taste buds couldn't make up their mind :). Ever have that problem???

I think you can guess what I had for lunch dessert...... :0

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: Recently I have come to learn that it is better for my diet and my sanity not to keep things in the house that are harmful to my eating habits. I used to just try and avoid them and buy them for the little one and the man but none of us need them and I do much better without them around. ***Reason I gave almost all the cookies away today and plan on giving the rest away tonight :)

My Birthday Never Ends

2009-11-19T06:46:00.009-06:00

Hey beautifuls!!! Don't forget today is the last day to enter my Progresso giveaway. Its super simple and there are 4 separate ways to win :).

I am back for a quick recap of by Birthweek celebration (which ended Saturday). Again, I just want to say that it was amazing and I want to share a few pics of some of my gifts and some from the activities on Saturday night.

I shall start with some gifts....

(shoes from my momma along with another pair and a blazer, I am also wearing the shoes in the pics below)

(a few gift cards to VS)

(amazing cookbook by one of the best bloggers ever and a mojito muddler for my fav drink)

(tall fleece pants from Old Navy, freaking love these!)

....I could go on and on about how gifts aren't really that important but come on, who doesn't love a good gift and why would I lie? hehe

Now pics of my peeps. My bestie and her sister in from Las Vegas before heading out...
We ate sushi first...

Then ate cake with chopsticks....

(until they brought plates and then charged us $20 for it!!!)

Then we headed to downtown Nashville for so good ole fashioned booty shaken just like the old days :)...

(Yes, that's a Jägermeister light flashing on my dress)

Oh my, what an amazing night filled with great memories! I love my friends <3. href="http://peanutbutteroats.blogspot.com/2009/06/recipes.html">recipe page soon so check back often :). Believe it or not between all this partying I have managed to whip up some yummy recipes.

DON'T FORGET TO ENTER MY CONTEST ENDING TONIGHT AT MIDNIGHT!!!

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: I was totally against the whole Twilight thing, even waited for it to come out on DVD to watch it and then google pics of Robert (teehee). Never thought he was cute but after seeing the movie I think something possessed me. Anyone with me here? Something about that movie just makes him hot!!! I think its the build up of the sexual tension. I love the fact that there is nothing dirty going on in the first one. I hope the new stays the same :)

Who's excited for New Moon??? Anyone camping out to see it tonight or tomorrow??

My Best Week Ever

2009-11-14T05:44:00.012-06:00

So if you read my last post you know that I don't celebrate my Birthday but my Birthweek :). If you don't already do this its a must next time around! I have to say this has been the most amazing week I think I have ever had. Let me fill you in on some the festivities that started on Wednesday morning with my sweet sweet friend HEABS. First we hit up a free boot camp class at Lululemon. Here's us posing with the instructor...
Next we hit up Whole Foods where we had a run in with Keithey Poo (aka Keith Urban)...

Doesn't he look thrilled?

Then we sat down flustered with shaking and tried to eat our Hugh Jass (aka Huge Ass)....
we also tried to talk but still stunned from our run in we kept forgetting what we were saying :). After lunch Heather gave me the most awesomest massage ever!! Seriously Heabs, you are the best!! Amazing!! I love you!!

Then I went off to shop all greased up from my massage. I was every shops worst nightmare and thought for sure I would slid right in to that size 4!! haha Who was I kidding :).

On my actual Birthday (Thursday) I had another lunch date with a dear friend I met through blogging (seriously what would I do without you ladies?). Darling Kim had me over for a home cooked lunch and a play date with our kiddos. She cooked an amazing lunch for me! Here is just some of the yumminess...

(Roasted cauliflower and brussel sprouts, grilled chicken, butternut squash fries, salad)

My personal favorite part, lemon cake...

(we got excited and cut into it before Happy Birthday)

My slice...
When I got home from a fab lunch with Kim (thank you Kim!!) the man was already at home slaving away on dinner and dessert for me. He made grilled lamb chops with peaches and roasted veggies for dinner...
Dessert was a cookie topped brownie...
Honey thanks so much! I love you :)

My BFF Jenny also stopped by and brought me a homemade brownies...
Love her!

Then Gary Allan's daughter personally delivered our tickets to her fathers concert :) (she is my nieces best friend). This my favorite Gary Allan song and this one. You might have heard this one.

So we headed out for the concert. Making a stop at the world famous Tootsie's for a drink first...

(Being goofy)

Then we walked to the Ryman for the concert. Its a beautiful intimate venue...

Gary on stage..
Gary singing with Jack Ingram...
Jack sitting by us...
After the show with Gary Allan in his tour bus...
My niece and I after the show...
OK I will stop smothering you with pics now and all the good times I have had so far this week. But the week is not over and tonight is my BIG and final Birthday bash in down town Nashville. Check back for more Birthday fun :)!!!!!

P.S. Don't forget about my generous Progresso giveaway. You have until Thursday.

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: I don't care what anyone says but having GOOD friends really makes life better. I have always had "friends" but in the last year or so I feel like I have made real friends. Friends who reciprocate the friendship. All thanks to my blog :) I am forever grateful for all of you!! Life is not complete without good friends!

Catching Up & A Contest

2009-11-11T05:06:00.010-06:00

Hey guys! I have been pretty busy since my last post. Last week was my mom's birthday which meant I got to bake up a storm :). She requested red velvet cake and red velvet cake she got....

Thick ass frosting

My beautiful mother

I used this recipe and I also used a similar one as found on the page for the frosting except I used 1 and 1/2 sticks butter and 3 bricks of cream cheese. The frosting was the best part :0 :).

I also got cook up a storm with the little one. I present you with a cheeseburger, french fries, and tatar tots...

....

....
Come on.....you didn't think I was serious did you?? hehe

I have also been LOVING the Make Up For Ever HD Primer I got and talked about in my last post. I love how it smooths out my skin and I swear my makeup doesn't budge all day....
This week is my birthweek (yes, I am milking it) and I am so excited for the events to come that I have barley slept all week. The next few days (including today) are going to be very eventful! Today is going to be a busy day with a dear friend (pretty sure you all know her :)), tomorrow is MY BIRTHDAY and it is also going to be filled with fun. I have lunch with another great friend I met through blogging (Love you all seriously!!) and then my husband and I have backstage tickets to the Gary Allen concert. Also, Saturday night I have having a birthday bash in downtown Nashville.

Enough about me on to the contest for you lovelies. A few weeks ago I was contacted by the lovely Jessica from Progresso and she gave me an offer I couldn't refuse :). I received this amazing package in the mail....
which includes a sample of Progresso panko, a carton of Progresso broth, a measuring cup, slotted spoon, soup ladle, a sheet pan for baking and a recipe booklet. Then she let me know "I also have an additional package that you can offer to giveaway to a reader on your blog."

So my fellow bloggies (readers and writers) the game is on and here is how you can enter to win. Just pick one of the following 4 or do all for extra entries....

Follow me on Twitter and then leave a comment below with a link showing me you have done so
If you have a blog link back to this contest and then leave a comment and link below letting me know you have done so.
Tweet or Facebook about the contest and then leave a link letting me know you have done so
Scroll to the bottom of the page and follow my blog and then leave me a comment letting me know you have done so

That's it, easy peasy. Pick one or all four. Contest will be open for a week so you have till next Wed. night at midnight to enter.

Good luck. I am off to celebrate the rest of my birthweek :)

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: When I was younger I used to save food that was in odd shapes. I remember saving a giant Ruffles potato chip that looked like a heart. I stuck it under the couch for safe keeping. I wonder what ever became of that chip???

P.S. Check out this fab giveaway from one of my favorite lady's ....http://www.thehealthyeverythingtarian.com/?p=4235

Random Ramblings

2009-11-04T07:07:00.006-06:00

So yesterday I finally made it to Sephora to use the gift card I have had since last Christmas. Anyone else hold on to gift cards 4ever? I always get excited to dig into my shiny bag...
I am not really a fancy makeup person, more of a Wal-Mart makeup person but everyone needs a splurge once in a while right?
I picked up some Make Up For Ever Primer in #6 yellow (not sure if that was the right choice but the lady wasn't very helpful). Anyone ever used this stuff? Is it worth $32 bucks? I also snagged some NARS Bronzer in Casino, and I got a free gift since my B-day is next Thurs. :) I loved the sleek compact the bronzer came in...
In other news I have been enjoying a plethora of coconut oil roasted veggies. YOU MUST ROAST YOUR VEGGIES IN COCONUT OIL!!! Its amazing! I enjoyed them bathed in some of my leftover CURRIED BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND APPLE SOUP...
If you haven't seen it yet check out Mama's version of the soup. It looked fab.

I hit Trader Joe's about a week ago and picked me up some new goodies, all of which I really enjoyed and I think you need to check out if you haven't already. First up is the new Trader Joe's Smooth and Creamy Hummus....
This is definitely my new favorite hummus. Not to mention it only has 40 cals in 2 tbsp!!! As you can see I finished off both containers :).

Next up is this fab tea I found...
Add a little stevia and this tea, so so so good!! The stevia really brings out the Blueberry and Pomegranate flavors.

Bare with me just a few more random things from my random box. I received this great package the other day...
It couldn't have come at a better time with all this holiday baking just around the corner. I cant wait to give it a whirl and look at this fab cookbook they sent along...
I love cookbooks with lots of pics. Seriously whats a cookbook with out them?
On to today's chocolafied breakfast...

GF Hot Cereal In A Jar
Look At That Chocolaty Goodness
And Dark Chocolate Homemade Greek Yogurt

No, I don't love chocolate. Not at all.....

Finally, my random amateur pic of the little one...

Selective Colorization Using Gimp

I am rather proud of the pic but I wish I could figure out how to remove the power lines, hehe.

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: My husband and I got married in the court house. No wedding necessary and I am so glad we did it that way. No money wasted. Plus we had a huge party about 6 months later with family and friend to celebrate. It was perfect :).

Crazy With Curry

2009-11-02T09:09:00.005-06:00

As promised I will reveal my curry recipes that I talked about in my last post but first some pics of Halloween at my house.....

My Little Kitty

Little One and Her Buds

Candy Corn Cookies I made

Sweet Little Ghost
Yes, there were costume changes.

Now for some perfect fall recipes. First up is this delish Curried Butternut Squash and Apple Soup that literally took minutes to throw together...
I just took a pre-baked butternut squash outta my fridge, sauteed one apple with 1 small chopped onion and when nice and soft added 1 1/2 tsp curry powder and 1 tsp cinnamon. Then I heated the squash in the microwave and added the squash and apple curry mixture in the blender with 2 cups chicken broth and 2 cups water, then just blend away. You can start with less liquid if like and of course you can use all water. Then just added water and blend until you get it to your desired consistency. Super simple!!

Next was a recipe from Clean Eating Magazine and I just loved it! Such great flavors that you would never expect to put together.

FRUITY CURRIED CHICKEN
Serves 3

Olive oil cooking spray
1 apple and 1 pear, diced
1 small onion, diced
1/2 jalapeno, chopped (I omitted)
2 tbsp fresh ginger, chopped
1/8 raw cashews
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
fresh parsley (optional)

Spritz a large pot with cooking spray and heat over med-high heat. Add fruit (except cranberries), onion, jalapeno, ginger, cashews curry, cumin and salt. Cook until soft, about 5 min. Add broth and cranberries and mix. Add chicken and spoon some over mixture over top. Cover pot and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer about 15 min. or until chicken is cooked through. Turn chicken once halfway through cooking. Garnish with parsley.
226 cals per serving

So freaking simple and so tasty! A must make for sure. My little one even loved it :).

Hope everyone had a great weekend!!

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: I totally used the Treat Fairy idea for the little ones Halloween candy. THANK YOU MRS. PEAS!!!!

P.S. Check out these Progresso websites for some great savings on Progresso Panko Breadcrumbs and broths, here and here. Perfect for your holiday recipes and or everyday cooking :)

Eating Good and Doing Good

2009-10-28T08:45:00.004-05:00

The past week I have been back on the cooking ball. I had a little cooking lapse, that is why my posts have been kinda scarce but I am back in full force :). The past weekend I made brownies for a football party where we had a great time with family. Were the brownies were great? YES. Healthy? NO!! I got the recipe from this lovely doll that I have been stalking for some holiday recipes. The only change I made was doubling the amount of crushed Oreo's. They were the hit of the bash...

Out of the oven

Chilled over night and cut up at the party

There was another hit at the party but it wasn't food. It was this sweet pup...

On the dinner front, I finally broke out my Clean Eating Mags and decided to make something new for dinner. I present you with..

STUFFED CHICKEN with Veggies & Lemon-Basil Pasta
Serves:4

Olive Oil cooking spray
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup loosely packed spinach, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced and divided
3 Roma tomatoes, seeded, cored and diced, divided
2 tbsp ww bread crumbs
1/2 pkg ww spaghetti
4 4-oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts pounded thin
4 tbsp fresh basil, finely minced
1 tbsp evoo
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 1/2 tbsp parm cheese (optional)
Toothpick ( I didn't use them)

Instructions:

1. Heat large skillet over med-high heat. Mist w/ cooking spray and add onion, spinach, 1 clove garlic and 1 tomato. Saute for 5 min. or until just cooked. Remove from heat and mix in breadcrumbs. Set aside.

2. Bring large pot of water to a boil and cook spaghetti.

3. To stuff chicken, place 1 1/2 to 2 tbsp of mixture in the middle of each piece and fold chicken over securing with toothpicks.

4. Heat large skillet over med-high heat. Mist with cooking spray. Place stuffed chicken in pan and cook until golden brown (about 3 to 4 min. each side).

5. Drain pasta when done cooking, then put back in pot tossing with lemon juice, zest, basil, oil, and 2 remaining garlic cloves.

6. Serve and garnish with parm cheese.

Close Up

The next day for the little one I added some Trader Joe's Sun Dried Tomato sausage and mozzarella cheese to the leftover noodles for lunch....

She loved it :)

Over these past few days I also managed to go crazy with curry and I whipped up some Curried Butternut Squash Soup and a Fruity Curried Chicken. Recipes in the next post :)

I will now leave you with a breakfast that speaks for itself....

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: I am just now learning to do things for people and not expect things in return. Not that I ever or always did good and expected something but I am just now starting to grasp and understand the concept :)

QUESTION: Anyone one have any experience working with the GIMP program?

Apples and Beef

2009-10-24T09:27:00.006-05:00

...exciting title isn't it? I am sure all the vegetarians and vegans just clicked away. hehe (LOVE YOU GUYS :)!!!!

Hello all of you beautiful, happy people!!! Happy Saturday :).

Thank you all so much for your suggestions on apple desserts and head zits. hehe I did decide on a dessert after much deliberation. After blogging I saw an updated post from Healthy. Happy. Life. It was an interview with Karina Allrich of Karina's Kitchen website is the "Gluten-Free Goddess". I searched her blog, key word "apple" and was intrigued to find this recipe. Of course I had to make some alterations to make it fit my pantry, I used all apples, orange juice, regular sugar and honey, and ww pancake mix, and added raisins to the filling and walnuts to the crust but it turned out fab!! Thanks so much for the amazing recipe Karina!!

Fresh out the oven

Bubbling hot

The man said, and I quote "This is good, this is really good. This is the best dessert you have made in a long time." I didn't know whether to take offense or be happy. :) hehe Heres his yummy bowl...

I have been cooking a lot of random stuff lately not really going with a recipe but just by what sounds good to me. I made burgers the other night for the fam and put some of the meat aside for me because I was craving lettuce wraps. My concoction hit the spot!

CASHEW BEEF LETTUCE WRAPS

6 oz Laura's Lean ground beef
1/3 of a onion chopped
1 tsp. finely chopped fresh ginger
1 grated carrot
few shakes of garlic powder
salt and pepper
1 1/2 tsp. cashew butter
1 tsp. coconut oil
few dashes of low sodium soy sauce

Add coconut oil to hot skillet and melt. Add beef stirring and breaking up until just browned. Drain. Add onions carrot and ginger and saute about 3-4 min. Reduce heat to low and stir in garlic powder, s&p, soy sauce, and then cashew butter. Stir until well mixed.

Serve in your favorite lettuce.

I served mine in romaine boats and added a little more soy sauce to finish it off...

Absolutely Delish!!

In another quick snip it of news my little one won her 6 and under softball tournament and I was super proud of her and her teammates...

Ready for action

Showing of her championship metal

I hope you all are having a lovely weekend. Anybody watching the UT vs. Alabama game this weekend?

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: I have been having an internal struggle with exercise lately and whether or not I am doing to much. How do you know when enough exercise is enough or if you are doing to much? How many times a week do you all feel is adequate?

Looking froward to hearing your thoughts :)

I'll Drink To That!

2009-10-21T10:25:00.005-05:00

*Disclaimer* I apologize in advance for the excessive amount of pics but I got a new camera (me clapping hands and jumping up and down for joy). No, its not an slr but its not to late to take it back. I am just giving it a test drive :)

So I have been meaning to do the rest of my review for the wonderful products I won in Averie's Zevia giveaway like ages ago and I am finally here to do it. You can find some of my review here and more here.

These are two more flavors...
Well, I cant lie......I loved them both. Honestly! I will start with the Black Cherry. The first thing I loved about the Black Cherry was that it was clear. I am such a freak about my teeth and drank everything through a straw and it was a nice surprise to see that this was clear. The second thing was that it did taste just like black cherry soda expect it didn't have that super sweet sugary taste that makes me gag if I drink real soda. Third, it tastes good with Bacardi :), don't judge!

As a kid I always loved Root Beer and while this was good it just wasn't the same but it is definitely great if you are trying to deter a craving for the real thing. Zevia, are you listening to me we need a Cream Soda flavor!!

Unfortunately my hubby ever so rudely drank the Cola flavor while I was not home. I am not going to tell you what he said because I feel his palate varies greatly from most of ours :). hehehehe

I am going to have to say my fav was the Orange.

On to some more beverages of my choice. If you know me you know I love me some kombucha. GT's Kombucha to be exact :). A while back the Millennium company ever so kindly sent me a butt load of of coupons so I could try out several of their flavors. Well, that's exactly what I did. Check it...
I really love the bottles and don't want to throw them away. They are so pretty! Twist your head to the right for this one....
OK, so I am going to spare you every last detail of the flavors. Basically there are a lot of fruit flavors that pretty much all taste the same to me...

and then there are these babies....
...my favorite flavors so far by a mile!! The one on the left tastes like a yummy tea and well the one on the right tastes just like its name, DIVINE!!

Now, I will leave you with my latest obsession (you must try this if you like ketchup), roasted veggies (yes, that's kabocha in there) smothered in ketchup...
More of that red goodness was added after the pic

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: I get zits on my head. Not my face (well, that too) but my actual head. Like, in my hair!! Gross I know. Anyone else have this problem? Or is it just weirdo me? I think its from sweating a lot while my hair is in a pony tail. Ugh, they hurt!!!

P.S. I have some apples that desperately need to be used. Anybody got a good dessert recipe using apples for me??? Looking for something semi healthy :)

PIMP YOUR PUFFINS!!!

2009-10-14T12:00:00.004-05:00

Wanna see how trick mine out? I mean, 1 serving is like 10 puffin biscuits, hardly enough to fulfill my puffin needs so I pimp mine out.....

I has this one this morning. Its one serving on PB Puffins, 1 serving of Kashi Warm Cinnamon, chunk of chopped banana, almond butter, almond milk and on the side is Fage mixed with stevia and dark choc. cocoa powder. MMmmmmm!!!!!!

Closer look

Next up is tricked out double Puffin love...
That's my new favorite Puffins, Honey Rice (go buy these you wont be sorry, they are way better than Kashi Honey Sunshine!), 1 serving PB Puffins, Crunchy Kroger PB, bananas, almond milk and cinnamon on top along with a side of Oikios with dark choc. cocoa powder and stevia.
Close up

This is bowl of detox Puffins after a brutal night out with some pals....
In the bowl in an unmeasured amount of puffins, PB, banana and cinnamon and almond milk and a side of my new favorite Kombucha.

Here's 2 more pimped out bowl of my Puffs...
1 serving Puffs, banana, PB, Greek yog., almond milk and cinnamon

Puffins, pear, apple, banana, PB, almond milk, cinnamon

*Big shout to Kroger for putting all your Puffins on sale for a $1.99!!!!!

My pantry looks like a Puffin factory. Do any of you pimp out your Puffins? Or any cereal for that matter? Tell me your favorite mixtures. I am all ears :) :)

Also, I just want to say Honey, I love and you, I am so glad we found each other, I could never imagine being married to a better husband/dad. I am so glad we have made it these 5 years and I cant wait to spend 100 more with you!!!

Special date planned tonight for the hubs and I. Cant wait!!!

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: I am having dessert tonight (not that kind you dirty girl! Well, ya I am but that's not what I meant) and I am not going to fell guilty about it!!!

Ginger Lime Tilapia With Banana Ketchup & Curried Quinoa

2009-10-11T08:34:00.006-05:00

Hey lovely ladies and gents. Thanks so much for all the comments on my last confession. You guys made me fell so much better!! And I was cracking the freak up at some of your comments!!

I know my posting has been scarce but for right now its whats working for me even thought there are like a million things spinning around in my head that I want to post about!

Since its been a while since I have posted a recipe I thought I would share one from Cleaning Eating Magazine that I really enjoyed recently. One of my favs fo sho :). Those of you that have Clean Eating Mag. need to try this recipe stat!! It sounds complicated but I promise its easy and delicious. The magazine estimates 20 min. prep time.

Ginger Lime Tilapia With Banana Ketchup & Curried Quinoa Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

Curried Quinoa

1 2/3 cups low-sodium chicken or veggie stock
2 tsp curry powder
pinch cayenne pepper or your fav hot sauce (optional)
sea salt and black pepper, to taste
1 cup quinoa

Ginger Lime Tilapia

2 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp agave nectar
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
4 6-oz tilapia fillets
sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

Banana Ketchup

1 tsp olive oil
1 small white onion, finely diced
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
3 medium ripe bananas, peeled and mashed with a fork
1 tbsp agave nectar
2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar (I used the dark)
1/2 tsp allspice (I omitted)
cayenne pepper or hot sauce (optional)
sea salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat over to 425
Prepare quinoa: Add stock, curry, cayenne, salt and pepper to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, uncovered. Add quinoa, bring back to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 12 to 15 min. Remove from heat, remove lid and fluff with a fork. Set aside.
While quinoa is simmering, prepare tilapia. In a small bowl, stir together lime juice, 2 tbsp water, agave and ginger. Place tilapia on a parchment-lined baking dish. Spoon lime juice marinade over tilapia fillets. Season fillets with salt and pepper. Cook in preheated oven for 12 to 15 min, or until fish is fully cooked and opaque and flakes easily when pierced with a fork. Remove from oven and cover and set aside to keep warm.
While tilapia is baking, prepare banana ketchup: Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and ginger and cook, stirring frequently for about 2 min. Add bananas, 1/4 cup water, agave, vinegar and all spice. Bring just to a boil, then reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for about 5 min, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and season with cayenne, salt and pepper. Set aside.
To serve, scoop 1 cup quinoa into center of plate, top with 1 tilapia fillet, about 1 tbsp fillet pan juices and a dollop of banana ketchup.

Nutrients per serving: 405 calories, 6.5 grams fat, 48 carbs, 4 grams fiber, 16 sugars and 42 grams protein

My pics aren't very flattering because I was ravenous and the sweet smell of the banana ketchup had me drooling all over myself....

(my husband even gave this 2 thumbs up and his palette is not that broad)

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: I am sure you all know the term Jaywalking. Well until about a year ago I honestly thought the word meant walking outside naked!!! Bahaha, Until my my dad was telling a story about how he got a ticket for jaywalking in college or something and I was like "OMG, you were walking outside naked??!!" Glad we got that cleared up :)

Steam Me Up Buttercup...

2009-10-06T09:17:00.006-05:00

....squash that is (aka: kabocha). I have to say thank you for all the cooking suggestions for my yummy kabocha squash. I finally decided to depart from my beloved fry form and try something new....
Per your suggestions, I steamed that baby. Look at the yumminess...
I love the thick soft texture of this type of squash. What is your favorite type of squash?

I ate my squash with a salad, some roasted turkey, and a huge mug of pumpkin spice tea...
I seasoned the squash with salt, stevia, cinnamon, and chili powder...
That's not all I did with steamed squash. I also made some souffles based off of a recipe I found online. I healthified and veganized it. Here is one of the souffles I made topped with dark chocolate chips and almond butter (Friday night sweet tooth)....
YUMMY!!!

This is the recipe I based them off of. Like I said I changed some things but they still turned out really really yummy!!

I have been enjoying so much food and variety lately that it really is a shame that I cant share it all with everyone but I can share a few of my Hot Cereals in a jar...
That is Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free Hot Cereal with my two favorite nut butters, Trader Joe's Raw Unsalted Almond Butter and Kroger Natural Peanut Butter.

Hope all you lovelies had a great weekend. I had an awesome Saturday with no hubby, no little one, lots of shopping and lots of mojitos made my way...
So, probably too many mojitos but hey, it happens :)

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: I totally got into a facebook fight with a relative over a picture of someones hair. I made a comment about this pic...
I think I said "amazing hair". Totally not meaning to offend. I really was captured by it (I suck at doing hair). Then the person commented back saying that she was a hair dresser and liked big hair. I replied by saying "obviously". Which then the next day I was greeted with a message in my inbox saying how rude I was and that I shouldn't judge other people and if I cant say anything nice than blah, blah, blah....

Anyway, I just wanted to ask you all, do you think my comments were rude and judgemental? I didn't mean them that way. I am a very blunt and honest person. I guess it could be a character flaw but I see it more as a personality trait :).

Some Yum Yums & A Date With The Girls

2009-09-30T08:14:00.007-05:00

I am lovin me some food here lately. I have been trying to eat a variety of things and keep my life spicy!! Lots of different breakfast, lunches, snacks and din dins. I have also found that my tummy does OK with one serving of dairy a day in the form of either Greek yogurt or my beloved cottage cheese. Here is one of the breakfasts I have been enjoying as of late...

2 slices of Ezek bread (one with pb, cinnamon, and bananas, the other with TJ's low sugar jelly)
Greek yogurt with strawberries, cinnamon and NuNaturals stevia

So I usually don't like to buy individually packaged products because its not good for the environment but I couldn't resist when I saw these 100 calorie packs of hummus..
Can you say portion control!! Which I totally need with hummus. This brings me to my snack..

Original Marys Gone Crackers
Tribe Roasted Garlic Hummus (I could only eat half the 100 cal pack)
Few slices of Boars Head chicken lunch meat

For dinner I made pizza with my fav pizza dough, Trader Joe's whole wheat...
I learned from reading forums that you shouldn't roll this dough (which never worked for me) but instead use gravity to stretch it out by holding it up and rotating it with your hands. It worked perfect and I think this is my first ever round crust :).

The big part with cheese was for the man
The little part with cheese and veggies was for the little one (she loves mushrooms)
The part with veggies, no cheese and hummus instead of tomato sauce was for me

Being the good girl that I am and practicing portion control I only had one slice atop a salad...
with turkey pepperoni.

So last night we had a little blogger/reader meet up at a local Nashville restaurant called Calypso Cafe. I ordered the tuna salad with two sides which included spiced sweet potatoes with coconut on top and the Martinique Callaloo greens...
To be honest it wasn't that great. I ate one scoop of tuna all the greens and about half the sweet potatoes. It didn't matter about the food though because I had a great time with the girls!! Here is the line up...
From left to right: My sweet friend Kim, adorable blogger Heather, some crazy awesome chick in the middle, another adorable blogger Amanda, and yet another adorable blogger with perfect hair, Mandy.

After dinner we all split. Kim and I headed off to Trader Joe's to fulfill my Puffins craving and the rest of the chicks hit up a frozen yogurt place. I got my Puffs and a Bag of Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Covered Pretzel Slims....

(I had to steal this pic from some blog because I ate 3/4 the bag in the car and the man and the little one ate the rest when I got home)

Talk about evil!!! Don't buy these unless you plan on surrendering all self control and polishing off the bag!!!

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: There is this really lean lady that takes all the same classes as I do at the Y. I found myself tempted to ask her what she eats to stay so lean. I had to stop myself and remember that the same thing doesn't work for everyone and that I am happy with the way I am eating now and I don't need to worry about other peoples eats in that way!! Do you ever find yourself envying someone else's bod and wondering what they eat??

Winner Of Kombucha Giveaway + Some Eats

2009-09-28T13:59:00.004-05:00

The lucky winner of my Gt's Kombucha Giveaway *drum roll* is.......Maria from Hearts Whole Foods (love your blog by the way). Maria, email me your address and I will get that coupon out to you ASAP!! Thanks to everyone who entered and look froward to lots more giveaways in the future :)!!

Because Monday is the busiest day of the week for me I am going to try to make this quick and share a few more new things I have recently tried.

First up is more Zevia. I am seriously lovin this stuff!! This time I tried the Natural Twist....
YUM!! I never drank a whole can at a time. I had half mixed with some carbonated water. Tasted just like real lemon lime soda and then addition of the carbonated made it not to sweet. Shhh...don't tell but I drank the other half another day with some Bacardi :). These sodas work great as mixers!!

Next, is this really good Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Cereal...
It contains: Whole grain brown rice, corn, sweet white sorghum, buckwheat. I like to sweeten it with this stevia (looks and tastes just like sugar) and bananas and then of course some nut butter was added after the pic :).

Another new find are these Hungry Girl approved noodles that I spotted at out newly stocked grocery store....
They are Tofu Shiritaki Noodles and the whole pack only contains 40 calories and like 6 carbs. I had a big ole chicken pasta plate with them along with 2 slices of Ezek. with hummus...
Close up..
Talk about a full belly!!! I must warn though that the texture is a bit weird. Kinda chewy and slimy. Not something I'd eat everyday but pretty good!!

And on to an oldie but a goodie...
Kabocha squash. My beautiful friend Heather brought be these beauts the other day when we had lunch and I have been enjoying them ever since. Thanks HEABS!! I am so glad kabocha is back in my life!!!

That brings me to a question. I have mostly enjoyed kabocha in fry form (my fav.) and haven't tried any other recipes really. I know you ladies have some great suggestions. Whats your favorite way yo eat or cook kabocha???

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: I am obsessed with all things doctor shows on TV. I love watching The Doctors and Dr. Oz! Have any of you seen these shows?

The Most Random Poem Ever

2009-09-23T19:30:00.008-05:00

Thanks so much for the entries thus far in my Kombucha giveaway :). I will leave all entries open until Sunday night. *Remember its for bloggers only and don't forget to comment with your link back*

Once upon a time there was a girl who loved all things friends, family and food
Homemade fajita salad always puts her in a good mood...
One day she took her mother in law to Whole Foods for a Birthday treat
She loved the store and couldn't believe all they had to eat!
But when the girl looked around she couldn't believe her eyes
Half the salad bar was gone and there, trying to fix it was a bunch of guys
So she had to settle for something that wasn't so bad
Sushi for her...
Ribs and lots of macaroni for dad...
Granny's belly was full because three pounds her salad did weight
she could have done without it though, all she needed was the little one to make her day..

Family is great and friends are fun
Here she is before the ass whooping that Tennessee got had begun..
Before the slaughter she played some corn hole...
Just so you know she kicked her mans ass and was on a roll

Finally lunch with a long lost friend..
at a new pizza joint in town just around the bend
She scanned the menu and what did she see
if she didn't order the hummus what kind of blogger would she be??
After that she should have went for a salad
But her cravings were strong so I will go on with the ballad
The pear and Gorgonzola were on the top of her list
She shouldn't eat dairy but she couldn't resist...
Eating the whole pizza was a big mistake
and what did she do? went home and made cupcakes...
Lemon was the flavor and they were gluten free
Her belly hurt even worse after she ate three!!!

Although she was aching and wanted to hurl
it was softball time for her little girl
So to the park to watch 4 year olds play
Just look at these faces they made her day...

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: I sometimes struggle with the intensity of my workouts. If I am having an off day I struggle in my mind trying to justify it saying "it was better than doing nothing at all" but then sometimes I think "If I am not giving 100% then I am wasting my time".

What are your thoughts on a workout you are just not feeling? Do you think something is better than nothing? Or that if your are not giving it 100% why bother?

Things I am Lovin!!

2009-09-21T07:04:00.007-05:00

Guys thanks so so much for the warm welcome back!! You guys sure know how to make a gal feel great! ;)

On with some products and such that I have really been enjoying lately. First off is this yummy snack that I discovered at my local Publix...

Those are Mr. Krispers Salt and Pepper Baked Rice Krisps

These little suckers only have 120 calories for 37 crackers. They are great with hummus or salsa and are also gluten free, wheat free, cholesterol free, saturated and trans fat free. Need I say more??

For breakfast I had to think outside of the box (since I am still not eating oats) with the help of my new favorite cook book Go Dairy Free and I found a keeper. I give you Brown Basmati Rice Pudding...
This is actually 3 servings that I cooked ahead of time. When I am ready for it I just cut me out a slice...
heat up, blend, add topping and serve...
For the actual beginning cooking method just..

take your favorite rice (I highly recommended brown basmati), measure out your serving or servings which should be about 1/4 cup each
blend dry until it is broken down into a powder like texture
place on stove with package recommended amount of water
bring to a boil
then simmer for about 30 min. stirring and adding water as needed

Adding in raisins is really yummy. I like to add bananas, stevia and peanut butter just like I did my long lost oats :(

Another thing that I have been loving is this great product I won from the contest on the lovely Averie's blog....

Thats right, Zevia baby!!

I have actually only had the Orange though. What can I say, I am a sucker for all things orange and lemon flavored. My first thoughts, Does it really have no calories? No chemically processed artificial sugar substitutes? No artificial flavors or artificial colors? No, none!! And it was just as good as the real thing!!

I had a half a can mixed with some soda water...

...and half of an Apple Pie Larabar for dessert.

I am also digging the T-shirt they sent...

Thanks ZEVIA!!! You have a great product on your hands!!!

Wait, that's not it lovelies. I am holding a contest for all you lovely ladies with a blog!!! Sorry, girls, you do have to have a blog to enter this contest. Maybe Synergy Drinks will help me out later with another contest for readers as well.

This contest is for 1 of the coupons that GT's Kombucha kindly sent me for a free Kombucha
All you have to do is have a blog and link back to this post for your one chance to win!!!
Also make sure you let me know that I was linked in a comment below

Good luck!!

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: I have an obsessive habit (that my husband cant stand) of picking the dry skin off my lips.

Go Dairy Free: Book Review

2009-09-18T12:45:00.005-05:00

OMG!! Hello lovelies!!! I am back. Do not know if you missed me but I sure did miss you all. Thought about my blog and all the great readers everyday. OK enough sappy stuff.

It just so happened that the lovely Alisa Fleming over at One Frugal Foodie sent me her book, Go Dairy Free and I hate it that I was going through a rough patch at the time and it has taken me so long to do a review but I am here to tell you all that THIS BOOK IS GREAT!! Really, this book is not just for someone who wants to go dairy free, I feel like this book can be used by anyone. The over 225 recipes are great for all people even those with food allergies (egg, soy, wheat, gluten, nut, etc), vegans, vegetarians, people cutting back on dairy or just your average everyday cook or foodie.

The book takes such a great approach and isn't trying to convince or persuade you to be dairy free its just stating the facts. If you don't believe me just check out the ratings here. 33 reviews all 5 star except for two which were 4 star.

All the chapters are laid out neatly addressing any concerns you may have about going dairy free such as calcium intake, infant and childhood allergies, health concerns related to dairy (acne, IBS, headaches), eating away from home and a million other things.

I could go on and on about how great this book is but I think you all should definitely pick up a copy for yourselves!!! The recipes are seriously amazing and of course I made one to share with you all.

I present you with Alisa's very own BANANA CRUMB COFFEE CAKE

I quote Alisa when she says, "According to my husband this cake should be sold at Starbucks. The first time I made it, the two of us polished off the entire pan within 24 hours".

It is that good!!
My only criticism is the crumble is so good I think it needs to be doubled :). Cant wait to make more recipes outta this book and thank you again Alisa for allowing me to review it.

In other news the great and wonderful GT's has graced me with all of these lovely coupons to sample all the flavors of my favorite drink....
Talk about a freakin score!!!

On a quick stop by Whole Food's I managed to use two coupons on these babies...
So Divine Grape is my absolute favorite, so far. It has some added grape juice to make a magnificent flavor along with amazing health benefits. The Raspberry Rush was a new flavor for me. I am not a picky person at all so I loved this flavor as well but it did not beat my love for the Divine Grape.

Anyway, I thought that you all would also want to try out this awesome drink so in my next post look for details of a giveaway!!!

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: I feel 100% better after stopping my journey with raw foods. It may work for some people but not for me. I still love raw desserts so expect more to come and of course I still eat raw food, can you say S-A-L-A-D!!

I also wanted to share that I feel like I fell into a bad place with food. Looking at blogs all day began to influence me. I didn't want to believe that it happened but it did. *Has this happened to any of you? I am just glad to say that I shook it and I am back to my old self again :) :).

HAVE AN AMAZING WEEKEND!!!!

BYE BYE....FOR NOW

2009-09-05T06:59:00.003-05:00

Hey guys!! I just wanted to pop in and tell you all that I am taking a little bloggie break from writing and most likely reading. Don't know how long yet. Maybe a week, maybe less, maybe more.

Doing the whole raw thing really threw me off with my food and I am just trying to step back and press the reset button if you know what I mean. Also, its approaching the 1 year anniversary of my sisters death and I just plan on spending as much time with my parents as possible the next few days :). Thanks for understanding because I know you all will.

Miss you all lots but I will be back sooner than later.

LOVE YOU!!!!!

HAVE AN AWESOME LABOR DAY!!

~JUSTINE

Not So Much About Food..

2009-09-01T08:20:00.005-05:00

Thanks for all your support and positive comments on my last post about my decision to not stay raw and instead eat what keeps me sane :). I am really enjoying not being so restricted and I am also trying things I never would have before. In the midst of eating what I want and not doing so much thinking about my next meal I realized I have a slight lack of food pictures but I do have some others that you might find entertaining.

Quickly back to things I don't normally eat. I recently decided to branch out and pick up some of these babies that everyone seems to love...
I am so not a bar person and I have always been afraid of so many calories in such a small package but I am loving these babies and instead of trying to replace a meal or snack with them I have using them as a dessert. I love the Apple Pie. Cherry Pie was great also, Chocolate Mole just so-so. Cant wait to try the Lemon Bar. I love lemon dessert stuff :).

Since I don't have anymore food pics I thought Id entertain you with some pics of a weekend surprise birthday party I attended. The birthday girl and her hubby walking up to the party...
The birthday girl and her hubs...
The beautiful family built party area we hung out in...
What is it with boys, alcohol, and wrestling??...
Don't worry he prefers the opposite sex....Me and the birthday girl...

(Wow my tan looks dirty!! haha)

Well, I have a busy week and weekend ahead of me so I don't know how much I will be posting but I know you wont miss me too terribly :). Hopefully I can get in a recipe this week.

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: I like using men's deodorant and anti-perspiring and plus I am that stinky!! :)

Check out these great Zevia giveaways!!!
http://loveveggiesandyoga.blogspot.com/2009/08/zevia-giveaway-for-6-lucky-winners.html
http://eatingmachine.wordpress.com/

Oh No She Di'in't!!!

2009-08-30T18:40:00.001-05:00

Eat a burger for breakfast.....

1 extra lean ground beef patty
2 slices expensive as shit spelt bread
tomato
spinach
avocado
ketchup
broccoli

Mmhmm, Oh yes I did!!

As most of you know I am not practicing raw/food combining anymore. A lot of you wondered what my reasoning was and I though about dedicating a whole long post to it but really the reasons are pretty clear cut and simple so I wont go on and on.

It was becoming entirely to restrictive which led me to want/crave the "forbidden". Which then led to me eating those things and other things I wouldn't even normally eat.
Ever since starting I have been on a constant up hill slide of weight gain.
I feel my ideal body is something more in this area...

and I just don't feel that raw/food combining is going to help me get there any time soon :).

I am sure I could think of more reasons but I don't feel like it. The process wasn't all bad because I did cut out oats because of it and almost all the tummy troubles I have had for the last 3 years have virtually disappeared. Yes, I know oats!! I still don't know if it just the oats of maybe a gluten thing?? So sorry no yummy delicious bowls around here anymore :( but that doesn't mean I still cant enjoy grains in a jar...
Quinoa blended dry and then cooked with water, cinnamon, vanilla, stevia and banana. Mango and more banana added after cooking.

Right now I am just trying to stay away from oats and most things that contain gluten but I am enjoying all other things with no limitation on things like carbs, fats, protein etc... I am just rolling with the flow and eating what I want, like...
This is a bowl of puffins with coconut milk, blueberries, cinnamon and peanut butter. Can you believe this is my first bowl of cereal in about 2 years!!!?

A yummy smoothie made with Grape Kombucha, frozen cherries, mango and lime sparkling water...
Kombucha is my new favorite smoothie ingredient!

Over priced purple sweet potato with peanut butter...
With a salad...
While chillin at the pool with these crazies...

I also made some yummy fish tacos...
Before I go some of you asked me why I made a Raw Brownie Pie and not a real one in my last post. Honestly, it is just that damn good!! And who says I cant enjoy raw treats still? I have always eaten lots of raw food in my life and just because I am not doing raw/food combining doesn't mean I still cant enjoy all the raw yummy treats and meals. Plus this is a heath blog isn't it? I much prefer the raw pie anyway :).

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend.

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: I have a really nasty bad habit of not washing my fruits and veggies before eating them. Yes, I am that lazy!! haha If I am feeding guests I almost always wash the goods but when it comes to myself it always goes straight to my mouth :o!!!

Chocolate Brownie Pie

2009-08-26T15:47:00.007-05:00

I bet that got your attention, didn't it??

Well, I hate to say it, wait actually, I am not, I am thrilled to say that I AM NO LONGER TRYING TO BE RAW OR FOOD COMBINE and it feels MARVELOUS!!!! More on why in a future post :)

Tell me, was there a better way to initiate this than with a Hugh Jass from Whole Foods? I think not!!!

chicken
turkey
mushrooms
grilled eggplant
2 kinds of hummus
wheat berry salad
broccoli
artichokes
tons of garlic cloves
green beans
sugar snap peas
and a bunch of other shit served over a bed of spinach

TAKE THAT FOOD COMBINING!!!!!

I celebrated with my buddy Kim and her little kids and I was thrilled that she was eating for the first time at Whole Foods with me!! Check out her monster....
She didn't even make a dent and left with a box. What a Whole Foods Rookie!!!! lol

My Whole Foods loot...

dulse
ww pie shells (for a raw brownie pie, I know I was to lazy to make the raw pie shell, plus I am rebelling!!)
frozen cherries
brown rice vinegar (for no reason)
goats milk yogurt
larabar/jocalat
dates
unsweet ketchup
salsa
red sweet potato
huge thing of tilapia
cookies and cake for the little one and the man
coconut butter (THANKS SO MUCH KIM!)
sushi
grape kombucha (by far my fav)

We also made a quick stop by Trader Joe's as Kim has never been there either (hello, what planet are you on?)

Can I just say DO NOT go serious shopping with 3 kids under the age of 4 that have never been socialized in any type of school! hahaha

The bag I bought for my loot...
All my stuff fit perfectly in the bag. Its all pretty self explanatory...
After a long a day of shopping the little one zonked out and the man went straight from work to a Fantasy Football Draft Party (BLAH!!). I was alone and decided to put one of my ideas into action :). I present you with RAW BROWNIE PIE....

Oh Yeah!!! You know you want another look...
It was so simple to make. I basically took Averie's recipe for raw brownies and put it in a pie shell. Here it is laid out the best I can do (I didn't really measure)...

.95 lb of dates
.95 lb of walnuts
about 1/2 cup Hershey's dark choc cocoa powder
1/3 cup agave nectar
stevia to taste
1 tsp vanilla extract
tiny bits of water to blend
1 pre-made pie shell or 1 recipe raw pie crust

I used a food processor and divided up the ingredients into 3 batches which I highly recommend unless you have the super hero of blending machines. If you have a shell that needs to be baked do that while you are blending. Remove the blender gook and place batches in a bowl until you are through blending it all up...
Then spread it in the shell the best you can (its a sticky little booger) I must warn you, it is quite messy...
I held out, refrigerated and enjoyed a piece this afternoon with my left over sushi from lunch...
CONFESSION OF THE DAY: I am horrible at doing laundry. I mean if its stained you might as well toss it horrible!! I need tips ladies??? Bring them on please!! How do you separate your loads?? Anything special you do for stains?? How do you keep your whites from getting dingy? What about washing tennis shoes?

Notice Something?

2009-08-25T08:44:00.006-05:00

....Like something all my meals coming up don't have??

Yesterday was sorta a busy day for me. Started with my beloved gym, then breakfast and house stuff, then story time at B & N, then hit up the fountain with these crazy kids...
Then home for lunch...

Romaine
Spinach
Cabbage slaw
Chinese bean sprouts
Red pepper
Tomato
Raw mushroom
dressing made of, vinegar, soy sauce, lime juice, agave, and mustard

Side of Mexican Roasted Sweet Potatoes...
The glaze browned perfectly..
Put little one down for a nap and then onto some baking...
I made banana, plain and coconut oat bran muffins (they were out the box and not healthy). Then I pre-made dinner (recipe coming soon). Woke the little one up so she could test a muffin and get ready for karate. I snacked on my version of a AB & B sammie...
Then from karate to home to change for softball. Threw dinner in the oven and headed out to the ball park. Then home for dinner....
I made myself a stir-fry

Onion
Red pepper
Chinese bean sprouts
Squash
Brussel Sprouts
Tuna
Soy sauce
Fish sauce
Peanut butter

Served over raw spinach. Weird combo I know but tasty :)

Anyway, this brings me back to all my meals. What do all these meal have in common?

NO DAIRY!!!!

I don't know if some of you new readers noticed or not but I do not consume dairy. This was a personal decision I made about 6 months ago, later finding out that I have a slight allergy to cow's milk. I made this decision for several reasons one major one being all the tummy troubles I experienced for about 2 1/2 years. Another being my dear friend HEABS who had nothing but great things to say about this book, written by this awesome chick, who runs this awesome blog!! Recently I was in contact with Alisa, who so very kindly sent me her book to review....I am super excited about reading this book. I have already flipped thought just about the whole thing. The awesome recipes really caught my eye. Like this one...

You can check out tons of free recipes here

Expect a review and lots of recipe reviews in the near future :) Thank you so much Alisa!!!

Hope you all had a great Monday. My Tuesday can do no wrong because I am shortly headed to lunch at Whole Foods!!!

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: I walked out right in the middle of my weights class this morning. I was just not feeling the teachers routine this morning! Me and Theraband Balls are not friends. I felt bad but I went to the weight room and did my own thang and it was great!! Big ole sweaty mess. Definitly more so than if I would have stayed in class!!

The Old and The New...

2009-08-24T08:08:00.006-05:00

...joining forces.

First, lets start with some old...
Same old raw pasta, same old squash fries, same old brussel sprouts, same old salad but with a new ingredient...
I have had sprouts before but never these. Love the crunch and the stats...
I also bought the same old mango...
but in a new ridiculously huge size...

This sucker weights about 3lbs!!

This weekend I had the privilege of attending a new Southern Woman's Party, where I got to hang with new friends...
and old...

LITERALLY!!! hahaha!! Yes, that's my crazy mother in law :).

Another new for me was these yummy Muscadine Grapes...
They have seeds but I am loving these babies!! They taste like a sweet wine. Apparently they do make Muscadine wine also and Muscadine flavored vodka. I am now on a mission to find this stuff locally :).

My final new that I have been using for a few weeks now is this yummy new milk...
The price is steep but it was a good change from my good old almond milk. Stats...

I hope all you beautiful ladies had a great weekend!! Any good weekend stories??? I'd love to hear them!

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: I never wore my seat belt until I meet my husband (the seat belt Nazi). I have worn it religiously ever since except for recently. I don't know what my deal is but lately I have been forgetting and then just not buckling it when I realize. Especially on short commutes. I had to call myself out so I will buckle the damn thing!!! BAD ME!!!

Is That It? Hardly

2009-08-20T19:45:00.007-05:00

(Before I go on I just wanted to say I really enjoyed reading all your confessions about reusing the bath towels! I was cracking up and love knowing that I am not the only one!)

I was just thinking about when I post my meals how I hope you all don't think this is all I eat in a day. Most of the time I don't even post a whole a day I just post some "blog worthy" meals from a few days period. For instance, if I show you this breakfast...

Banana Soft Serve with fresh mango

..just know that I also had an apple and half, lots and lots of cantaloupe and grapes :). I eat tons of fruit throughout the morning but for your sake I am not going to photograph every grape or piece of cantaloupe I eat straight out the fridge.

For lunch yesterday I made the Raw Sloppy Joe's featured on the Fitnessista's site...
Had to use blender instead of processor so they were a little less chunkier then I would have liked. I also subbed tomato for the red pepper along with a few other small alterations.

But anyway what you don't see is the several carrot sticks I snacked on while making this, along with the celery I ate dipped in salsa and a few walnuts I had straight from the bag :). My verdict on the Raw Sloppy Joe's? Well they didn't really taste like sloppy joes, but they were good and they were sloppy...
Maybe my snacking between meals or while making meals isn't good. I am not really sure. Either way I don't want you all to get the impression that the pictures you see are the only things hitting my mouth (and hips). Do you all snack while cooking your meals?

After making my Sloppy Joe's that day I had an after noon snack of hummus, salsa and these new yummy crackers...
For dinner later on I made more Pork Lettuce Wraps...
Along with some sauteed eggplant, mushrooms and zucchini. I am sure there was dark chocolate involved somewhere in there.

Today I ended up eating way to much directly after lunch so I haven't been hungry but I did manage to make up some dinner for the man and the little one this time...
Salad along with mini pizzas made from a loaf of fresh bread that I sliced, sprayed with evoo and then baked. Took out, topped with tomato sauce, fresh tomatoes, some left over meats in the fridge, mozzarella and then baked until cheese was melted.

Do any of you have a problem with overeating from time to time? If not how do you control the urge if there is one? If you do is there anything that has helped you?

Cant wait for the weekend. Hope you all have a lovely Friday! Thanks for reading. I appreciate each and every one of you :)

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: I totally did a google search for the Eric Dane, Rebecca Gayheart, and Kari Ann sex tape. To bad the only ones I found were censored :( ha!!

P.S. Please dont forget to enter Holly's spectacular giveaway!!!

Me And My Rawness

2009-08-19T08:03:00.005-05:00

Well, I guess its more like semi-rawness. Let me take you on a journey through some of the meals I have managed to de-raw over the past few days...

Above is a perfectly raw salad consisting of zucchini noodles, corn and tomatoes, massaged with some guac, a top a bed of romaine, de-rawed by some Ezek bread with salsa and a side of steamed green beans.

Above in the bowl is some raw coleslaw made with a cabbage slaw, tossed in some vinegar, stevia and almond milk. On the plate is some raw corn and tomatoes a top a bed of romaine, de-rawed by tossing the corn and tomatoes in some hummus and a side of homegrown butternut squash fries.

This baby is in all its rawness

In my defense, the next two meals were dinner and I don't do raw at dinner :)...

This is some kind of random leftover veggie stir fry containing cooked onion, squash, BBQ grilled eggplant, chicken and green beans, a top a bed of raw romaine and carrots

The above are my pork lettuce wraps. Pork was marinated overnight in my fav. organic BBQ sauce, garlic powder, and s&p. Then broiled for about 8 min. total, turning once. I then placed them on romaine with raw cabbage slaw mix and low sodium soy sauce and a side of green beans. Mmmmmm!!!

In other news my little angel had her first fast pitch softball practice on Monday (she also played last fall). She spent most of her time making sand angles with the other girls but I did manage to get two action shots...

I am not the coach this year (coached last year with the man assisting) but the dude had no idea how to handle these little girls (6 and under). I ended up having to take to the field and help out his poor soul.

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: I use a bath towel at least twice before tossing it in the laundry basket :). Hey, I am saving water and plus your clean when you get outta the shower, right?

Go Titans!!

2009-08-17T13:40:00.006-05:00

I had another crazy busy weekend, minus Friday and Saturday :). Thanks to my lovely parents, the man and I came upon some tickets to the first Tennessee Titans preseason home game. We started of with dinner with my parents at this new pizza joint in town called Brixx. I ordered the hummus app. and instead if the white pita I requested the ww pizza dough for dipping (warning most of these pics were taken with a cell phone)...
I believe it was black bean hummus, red pepper hummus and regular. Yum, the four of us ate it up!! My mom and I also split the veggie pizza. Her side was vegan cheese and my side had no cheese. I ate 2 slices and boxed the rest for later...
I also had a glass of Riesling.

Next we headed of down town for some pregame drinking. We meet up with my brother and sister in law a bar next to the stadium...

Bacardi and water in hand

We also meet up with some more peeps outside the stadium. Here's the view from the top or our section...

We stayed until the end of the 3rd quarter and then headed on the long walk down town to our car (where I finished my pizza) and then to the world famous TOOTSIES. We meet with lots of friends...
and then headed to my favorite bar ever, PARADISE PARK. From there we headed to another bar called TIN ROOF were we happened to run into non other than Blake Shelton. He is way hotter in person and he got on stage and sang a song...
Some songs you may know him from are Some Beach, Ol' Red, and She Wouldn't Be Gone. Here's him and girlfriend Miranda Lambert. After that a group of us headed to Waffle House were I am proud to say I ~~passed out~~ slept in the car and did not eat :).

I don't think I need to say that I spent Sunday recovering. I have had a crazy last 3 weekends and I am hoping to calm it down some for the next few but we will how that goes.

Hope everyone is having a lovely Monday mine has been busy and I still have to take the little one to karate at 4:30 and then her first softball practice this season at 6:00 and somehow fit dinner in there. Wish me luck!

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: I "borrowed" a magazine from the Y. I totally plan on returning it when I am done!! Have you guys ever jacked a magazine from anywhere like the doctors office or a waiting area somewhere? Its a nasty habit!!

Mommy Dates and Candy Apples

2009-08-14T07:28:00.005-05:00

Every mommy loves a good play date right? Wanna know what makes it even better? A mommy that cooks and eats like you do!! All you mommas know what I am talking about. Instead of being invited out to a play date to ~~Chuck E~~ Suck E Cheese or McDonald's and watching the other mom chow down on Big Macs and greasy over sized pieces of pizza I got to chill at one cool mommas house and she got to watch me shovel my face with her homemade guac and hummus :). My new mama friend Kim really hooked my little one and I up the other day at our play date. Check out this spread....

(Half was eaten before I remembered to take a pic)

We had hummus with zucchini, carrots, broc, and tri colored peppers. Guac, grilled portos, and red peppers. Natalias "peanut sauce", a salad with goat cheese, Ezek bread and little gooey yummy almost raw chocolate cookies :). My final plate..
Kim, honey it was amazing! I am going to return the favor soon babe :).

Now time for another recipe. Last week when I made the Tex Mex Sloppy Joes I ended up with some leftovers and wanted to do something creative with them. So I stuffed these little Nasoya things I found on sale with the leftovers...
and stuck them in the oven to bake...
Can I just tell all you mamas out there that little ones love these things. I am pretty sure it doesn't matter what you put in them, they love them!!! Cheese, meat, chocolate, whatever, they love them!!
I also made another (simple) recipe from Clean Eating.
CANDY APPLE PORK TENDERLOIN
Serves 4

1/4 cup unsweetened apple butter
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp agave nectar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 lb pork tenderloin, cut into 4oz pieces
1 1/2 tsp olive oil, divided
sea salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup unsalted toasted almonds, chopped, on a plate

preheat oven to 400
in a small bowl combine, apple butter, vinegar, agave, garlic and cinnamon. Set aside
season pork on all sides with a 1/2 tsp oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Heat remaining oil in a skillet and sear tenderloin on both sided until light golden brown, about 4 min total.
remove pork from pan, coat each piece entirely with apple butter mixture and place on a lined baking sheet. Roast in oven for 15 min. or until pork is cooked throughout. Remove from oven and roll each piece in sliced almonds. Slice and serve.

The mans plate...
I skipped the almonds and served mine over salad...
It was amazingly yummy and I am convinced the apple butter marinade would be great on chicken or fish!

Have a lovely weekend everyone!!! I am going to the first Titans preseason home game on Saturday and I am looking forward to a fun night!!!

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: Today I am going to the YMCA to swim for a play date and I am scared to wear my bikini around other moms. I am ok if I am out on the lake or something but if I know I am going to be around a bunch of other women I get nervous. Like at one of my hubby's business trips all the moms took their kids to the pool and we were all in our mom suits (one pieces). Anyone else this way?

Super Sloppy Joes and Some Sludge

2009-08-11T18:38:00.006-05:00

Thought I would drop in and show off a few of my eats/cooks from the last few days. Here's my fruit cereal from this morning...

half a mango
whole kiwi
giant banana
cinnamon
NuNaturals Stevia (packet)
almond butter

I have been sticking with tons of fruit every morning since trying the raw/combining detox. That was just one of my many morning bowls :).

I picked this fresh from my garden the other day...
Which in turn produced these...
Yumma delicious and crispy...
I ate that along with a salad for lunch yesterday and my new favorite hummus dressing...

Its Trader Joe's Tahini Free and properly combined :)

For dinner I made pizza for the man and the little one using Trader Joe's ww crust, chicken, leftover roasted potatoes, pizza seasoning and lots of mozzarella....
I ate some AMAZING leftover Tex Mex Turkey Sloppy Joe over a bed of zucchini "noodles" with fresh steamed green beans and brussel sprouts...
Lunch today was a huge ass, juicy portabella sandwich on Ezek...

This x2

Snack...
Another snack...
The sludge above is Averie's Raw Vegan Brownie Recipe. I didn't measure but threw in about 8 dates, 1/4 cup walnuts, dark chocolate cocoa powder a few squeezes of agave, and NuNaturals Vanilla Stevia (good stuff by the way). This was supposed to last a few days. But by accident the little one and I finished it off on one sitting. Man Averie, I don't if I can make this stuff anymore. It is that good!! Averie has a Vitamix so hers looks a bit different. My measly blender didn't make it as pretty but I can assure you it didn't effect the taste!!

TEX MEX TURKEY SLOPPY JOES with Corn & Peppers
Serves 6

1 ear fresh corn
8oz. extra lean ground turkey breast
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 large red onion, diced
4 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp. no salt added tomato paste
2 tsp. low sodium soy sauce
ww buns/bread
1 tbsp arrowroot powder dissolved in 2 tbsp cold water (I omitted)
1/2 cup low fat jack cheese, shredded

Cut kernels off cob and set aside
In a large skillet, cook turkey. Add peppers and cook about 2 min. Add onion and cook about 4 min. Add chile powder, garlic powder, and salt, cook 1 min. Stir in tomatoes, corn, broth, tomato paste and soy sauce, increase heat and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 min.
Add arrowroot mixture to sloppy joe mixture and stir until sauce thickens.
Serve on buns and top with cheese.

Here's the mans...
Extra sloppy because I didn't have arrowroot. But it was also extra delicious!! There are so many things you can do with this. I think adding beans would make an awesome chili and it worked great over my zucchini noodles!! I know it was a lot of ingredients but it was super simple to throw together. Thank you CLEAN EATING MAG!!!

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: I feel bad for my fam. on days I feel like I have over eaten because I never end up making dinner on those days for some reason and they are left to fend for themselves. Today for example, too much raw brownie sludge = no dinner for fam.

Did Someone Say Lake? And Chocolate?

2009-08-10T10:14:00.017-05:00

....Yes, please. So I had a little hiatus. Unplanned but none the less it was a hiatus. There was some shopping, some lakin', some birthday fun and some recovering (we wont get to much into that :) part). I will recap the best I can without getting to lengthy.

Friday, I got and got ready for some tax free shopping with my momma. No gym because I knew I would get in lots of retail cardio. I did do about 30 min. of the P90X yoga though (tough stuff!!). The little one and I did each others hair before heading out...

There was about 13 clips in all. I pumped gas at a full station like that. Now that's love!!!

My mom and I serenaded our shopping trip by first making a stop for lunch at Whole Foods...

Pure Deliciousness
The best flavor of Kombucha eva!!!
My momma
My leftovers

For dinner I made the man and the little one some White Enchiladas, thanks to the Fitnessista :)

They loved them

Saturday I hit the gym early and then got ready for a long day on the lake with some friends....

Yes, the mug is filled with liquor :)

Do I have to tell you we had a good time???

Sunday was my dads birthday. We brought over the watermelon and ate and watched football with the fam. My mom made No Pudge Fudge Brownies as the cake. I tried hard not to eat any because I was in detox mode. I had a bite and it did me in!! Ugh, I ate way to much after that :(.

The birthday boy....
A Sunday snack and my new purse....

Was not a fan of the nut butter :(

I had a fun weekend and hope you all did as well. I will now leave you with my super simple recipe for an Inside Out Reece's Cup

dates
chocolate or carob chips
natural peanut butter

*fill the date with chips of choice (I use organic dark)....
*cover in peanut butter and refrigerate, freeze or if you are impatient like me enjoy immediately...

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: Sometimes I do a load of wash and forget about it in the washing machine and its dries all smelly and moldy. Oops.

Brownies Baby!!!

2009-08-05T08:15:00.008-05:00

Hello loves! Its almost time for the recipe you all have been waiting for. But first, some notable eats of the past few days.
This ^ is Natalia Rose's Raw "Peanut" Sauce. I have been seeing it everywhere and knew I needed to try it for myself. I of course had to make a few changes because I did not have all the ingredients on hand. You can Google it and find the recipe in several places like here. The first adjustment I made was scaling it down to one serving just in case I didn't like it (even thought there is not much I don't like), also I didn't want to sacrifice a whole cup of almond butter :). I nixed the water, the oil and the Nama Shoyu (whatever that is?) and instead of lemon juice I used lime and instead of a jalapeno I used red pepper flakes. The result? A beautifully creamy, tangy but slightly spicy dressing. I loved it and served it over this salad for lunch at my moms...

leftover broccoli slaw
zucchini
carrot
tomato
raw corn
cucumber
sea salt

My mom tasted it and loved it so much she made her own salad and dumped the leftover juice from mine onto hers :) I also had some Ezek smeared with some of the dressing..
For dinner I was craving me some salmon. I marinated and then cooked in the oven and topped with BBQ sauce...
It was a 6 oz fillet and this was half. I went back for the other half :).

Now for the recipe you have all been waiting for.... SWEET POTATO AND CINNAMON BROWNIES
I adapted it from this months Clean Eating Magazine. It says that it serves 16 but I beg to differ!!

1 cup ww flour
1/2 unsweetened cocoa powder (I prefer Hershey's Dark)
1 tbsp cinnamon, ground
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 cup cooked sweet potato
1/4 cup agave
1/4 cup NuNaturals More Fiber Stevia Baking Blend (recipe calls for 1/2 cup agave)
1/4 cup coconut oil (recipe calls for olive oil), peanut butter would be great as well
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
egg substitute equal to 6 egg white (recipe calls for 6 egg whites)
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350
Combine all dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside. In a processor combine sweet potato with rest of wet ingredients and puree until smooth.
Gradually incorporate wet into dry, until just combined. Do not over mix
In a separate dry bowl, whisk egg whites until fluffy. Then fold into batter gently, using rubber spatula.
Spray the sides of a 9x9x2 baking dish. Pour into pan and place batter into oven. Bake 16 to 18 min. Remove and allow to cool for 30 min.

The Frosting is as follows (I recommend just straight up peanut butter)

1/2 low fat plain cream cheese
3 tbsp agave
1 tbsp unsweet cocoa powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp water (optional)

Mix all together and spread on cooled brownies. Don't make the mistake I did and not let the cream cheese soften if you buy the brick. That's why mine looks lumpy. There is only so much I can remember with 2 sweets crazed kids in the house at 10 o'clock at night.

Nutrition for original recipe: 140 cals, 5 grams fat, 21 carbs, 12 sugars, 4 grams protein

The man didn't even know there was sweet potato in them but if you look close enough you can see it...

....It sure dint deter the little one!! The brownies were polished off in less than 24 hours. They were so thick and fudgy and I absolutely loved them.

Ok, now for the 10 things honest things about me for the Scrap Award I received from dear sweet Linda (this is doubling as my CONFESSION OF THE DAY)

I have a brother that's 38
I have an older sister that died last September
I played volleyball, basketball and softball in my freshman year of HS (I later just stuck with softball)
Scary movies make me cry
I met, got pregnant and married my husband with in 5 months (yes, in that order)
I was the school bus bully in elementary school (that's what happens when you are at least a foot taller than everyone else)
I never finished college
My littlest kitten is named "Puffin" after the cereal Peanut Butter Puffins
I am looking for job (anybody wanna hook me up?)
I went to 5 different high schools

Whose excited that's its almost Friday?? Any plans? The lake is calling this mamas name!!!!!

To come....
Tex Mex Sloppy Joe's
Inside Out Reece's Cups

Monte Cristo

2009-08-04T19:56:00.009-05:00

Hey guys!! Things are good here. I am back to lots of cooking (and not just raw) and loving it :). I had a couple people ask me if I lost weight while doing the raw/food combining detox and to be perfectly honest, I don't know. I didn't weight myself but I do know that my dress that I bought 2 weeks before was not as snug as when I first bought it.

Before getting into the food I want to just say how honored I feel to receive the Honest Award from my fellow bloggie Linda from Linda Gets Fit. ...

This is what the award is for...
"This award is bestowed upon a fellow blogger whose blog content or design is, in the giver’s opinion, brilliant. This award is about bloggers who post from their heart, who oftentimes put their heart on display as they write from the depths of their soul."

There are three rules that need to be followed upon accepting this award.
1)Brag about it
2)Select 7 Blogs you find brilliant and link to them
3)List 10 honest things about yourself

Woohhoooo I got an honest award!! Take that biaaachesss!!! Ok, I think that's good enough for bragging :).

7 honest blogs that I think deserve this award????

http://ksgoodeats.wordpress.com/
http://www.thinspiredblog.com/
http://www.thesaladgirl.com/
http://thehealthyeverythingtarian.wordpress.com/
http://ohonemorething.wordpress.com/
http://iheartrunningfood.wordpress.com/
and this is new bloggie but I can already tell I am gonna love it, http://loveveggiesandyoga.blogspot.com/ (check out her hot abs!!)

Check back for the 10 things in my next post. That one is gonna take sometime. I mean seriously what do not already know about me????
(sorry guys I am stopping at 5)

Now, on to some good ole fashioned cooked food. This recipe is from Clean Eating Magazine. A BETTER MONTE CRISTO...Serves 4

1lb turkey breast scaloppini (thin sliced), cut into 4 oz. pieces (I used turkey cutlets)
2 tsp. olive oil, divided
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
sea salt and ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup egg whites
2 tbsp skim milk
cayenne pepper to taste (I omitted because my man and little one don't like spicy)
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
8 slices whole grain bread
1 cup baby spinach leaves
1 pear, thinly sliced
4 1oz slices low fat Swiss cheese

Season turkey with 1tsp olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper
Heat skillet over medium high heat. Add turkey and saute until light golden brown at edges and fully cooked. Set aside.
In a shallow dish, whisk together egg whites and milk. Season with salt and peppers. Set aside.
Spread about 1tsp Dijon mustard on 1 side of each slice of bread and place, Dijon side up, onto a flat work surface. Layer equal parts spinach, pear, and turkey onto all four slices. top each with cheese and other slice bread, Dijon side down, pressing gently.
Heat remaining oil over medium heat.
Carefully dip both sides of sandwich into egg mixture (egg should go about half way up each side of bread). Transfer to pan and saute, turning once, until golden brown and crisp. Cut and serve immediately.

These can easily be made vegetarian or vegan with the proper substitutions. Such as portabello for turkey and an egg, milk and cheese substitute.

Approximately 420 cals per sandwich, 7 grams fat, 34 carbs, 53 grams protein

I did not eat the sandwiches but they got 4 big thumbs up from the man and the little one. This was my dinner....

(the green beans are fresh from my garden)

Stay tuned for the SWEET POTATO AND CINNAMON BROWNIES

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: I burst into tears this morning at the gym while on the treadmill listening to the story of how 8 people were killed in a car crash in New York. The part where the ladies brother was talking about his three children at the funeral really got me. Such a sad story. Did you here it??

Reunion Recap Part II

2009-08-03T19:35:00.010-05:00

(Thanks ladies for all the sweet comments on the last post, you all really know how to make a girl *blush*)

On to part 2 of the reunion. Lets see where I left off .... running into Heatherpies brother when I skipped out on the bash for a Whole Foods fix :). Totally worth it! After returning to the bash there was some more drinkin. I sipped my drink of choice, Bacardi and water with lemon and lime and a few dashes of stevia that I smuggled in in my purse :). I believe I had 3 of those.

Here's some random pics of my hubs and his friends...

After the Reunion ended at 11:00 a few couples and singles headed out for my favorite Nashville bar, Paradise Park. We changed in the car on the way cause otherwise we would have been waaayyyy over dressed. My only real memories of this place are lots of several pitchers of beer, being packed in a trailer like sardines, a hefty, hefty girl smashing my big toe with her 4 inch spiked heels, people throwing pitchers of beer and me being soaking wet, and being pulled on stage to dance by the guitarist....

Drunken cell phone pics :)

On the way out my shoe totally broke. That happens to me 50% of the time. We stayed until the bar closed and planned on hitting up the Waffle House but some how those plans feel thru. We did not drive and ended up back a friends house around 4:30, 5 am where I proceeded to gobble up way to many chocolate cookies and then passed out. Opps.

I know all you chicks were wondering and I did see one (that I know of) of the mans exes. Just said a quick hi and that was the extent :).

Overall I had a great time but the highlights of the night were definitely Whole Foods and Paradise Park. I spent the rest of the weekend on the couch recovering and not really food combining. For instance....

(Oats in jar)

But I did by accident have some well combined meals...

(had to detox)

We will see where the whole food combining thing goes. I have no real plans for my meals right now.

For the upcoming week I plan on posting a lot of new recipes and focusing less on what I am eating everyday. Some recipes to look forward to are..

Sweet Potato Chocolate Cinnamon Brownies
Healthified Monte Cristos
Turkey Sloppy Joes

Hope everyone had a great weekend and an awesome Monday.

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: Please don't have a heart attack when I say this but I had oats this morning and really wasn't digging it. I even checked to see if I had a pulse. Don't know what has gotten into me but I think its just time for a change :)

Reunion Recap Part I

2009-08-02T15:42:00.008-05:00

Hey, I know you all have been peeled to computers all weekend long checking your blog rolls every few seconds to see I have updated my page with lots of juicy reunion pics :). LOL!! Well, you have to wait just a few moments. After my fruit cereal Friday morning I was still hungry as usual. I waited as long as could and then around 10:30 am I made some banana soft serve with a fresh peach and strawberry sauce that I just mashed up and nuked....
The warm sauce really made it!!! MMmmm. Goal accomplished, full tummy.

I was in a hurry to get outta the house to run some errands before my hair appointment so I whipped up something quick and not very pleasing to the eye...

Salad of whatever left over veggies were in the fridge and Ezek toast with guac.

I got my hair did at a new salon and it totally sucked a big and the girl said she couldn't do my hair the way I wanted it. WTF?? When I left I rushed across the street to another salon to see if they could fix my hair. Mission accomplished. I was going for the Jennifer Maniston look that she had at the 2009 Oscars....

My dress for all you lovelies to see.....

I scored this sucker for $24 and it was regularly $140!!

I think I ate some carrots and ab and then we headed to the mans bff's house. They have been best friends for a super long time....

Hes also the guy that built our house.

The man and I...

I was trying not to look to tall in my 4 1/2 heels :)

Before heading to the reunion we headed down to a place called Mafiaoz's for dinner. The menu looked great but I opted for the blurry Caponata Salad with a side of goat cheese and a glass of Riesling....

I ate a little more than half

Everyone else shared an '18 in. pizza...
After dinner we made it to the reunion at The Crows Nest with about 10 min. left to take advantage of happy hour. Which me most certainly did :). Sometime during the reunion myself and a couple of the wives headed across the street to Whole Foods 10 min. before it was to close. We were hankering for something sweet. Jennifer and I shared this beautiful carrot cake cupcake...
Here's the 3 of us that made the trek in our heels...
The craziest thing happened while we were there. I ran into HEABS brother who I have never met but recognized me from the blog. CRAZY I know :).

I know this post is getting lenghty so I am going to cut it off and I will be back soon with more photos and what we did after.

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: I haven't gotten my lazy butt off the couch today and I barely moved yesterday. I only got up to pick up the little one and head to the park for a few hours for part 2 of the mans reunion. Needless to say the house is a disaster!!! I know what my plans are going to be this week. Cant drink like I used to. I have to have at least 2 days recovery now.

Fairy Fight Club

2009-07-31T07:24:00.004-05:00

Where to start, where to start??? How bout yesterdays brekkie? The day before I picked up this cool find at the grocery store...
A banana Mango. Mmm, after my 5 am Y workout I knew it would be perfect addition to my fresh fruit cereal...

banana
apple
banana mango
almond milk
NuStevia (after pic)
cinnamon (after pic)

I just quickly want to say that the NuStevia White Stevia Powder is the best Stevia Powder I have had. When I first started using stevia it was in powdered form but it always kinda gave a funk taste afterward. Then liquid stevia came around and I never turned back, until now and this stuff is great!! I love sprinkling it on my fresh fruit cereals.

After brekkie, cleaning up, making the mans lunch, and showering the little one and myself, we got ready for the little ones "Princess/Fairy Party" at the local Barnes and Noble. She looked so sweet...
Queen and Princess...
With her Fairy friend and her Fairy friends Knight brother...
Man that party was outta control!! A word to the organizer, 30 children + 5 balloons = 25 mad kids, one of them being mine. Yes, her and another fairy engaged in a 5 min. tug of war with a balloon that refused to pop. Is it wrong that all I could do was laugh while the 2 fairies almost ripped each others wings off? The other mom wasn't to happy. Sorry lady, I found it rather entertaining :)

After lots of screaming kids, free vanilla wafers covered in frosting and M&M's, free Starbucks "fruit" smoothies, a scavenger hunt and 2 craft projects, I was ready to get the hell outta there. The bookstore was left in shambles. I feel for those employees on the real!!! Lunch was just what I needed..
Salad containing....

romaine
mushrooms
red pepper
broccoli
carrots
summer squash
avo

and the last on my 15lb butternut squash in fry form :(

Later in the day I snacked on a few carrots with ab. Wasn't very hungry for dinner but made some anyway...
Its really not worth talking about except for the fact this was my first time using Nori...
The combo must have been off. I emptied out the insides on to my salad and tossed the Nori. Blehhhh!! To fishy tasting for what I put inside. What do you all put in your Nori?

Later I had some frozen chocolate milk. Hit the spot :)

I have worked out everyday except Sunday for the last 2 weeks and also done this whole raw/food combining detox to prepare for my husbands high school reunion tonight. I skipped the gym this morning (along with the next 2 day) and I think it was much deserved :). Woke up and had the usual...

extra juicy plum
peach
banana
grilled pineapple (leftovers)
almond milk
cinnamon (after pic)
NuStevia (after pic)

Since then I have also eaten part of an apple :). I have a busy day ahead of me. Got my pedi last night, hair appointment today at 2:00, headed for dinner around 4, happy hour from 6 to 7, reunion from 7 to 11 and then the real party starts :)!!!!

Hope everyone has an awesome and safe Friday night!!! Check back soon for reunion pics!

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: I am kinda excited to meet some of the mans exes tonight at his reunion :0. Cant wait to get a look at them!!

5 Calorie Frozen Chocolate Bar, What????

2009-07-29T19:31:00.007-05:00

Totally been craving chocolate lately. Heres some of my creations/recreations. Chocolate Chia Stuff....

1 cup unsweet. choc. almond milk
1 tbsp. chia seeds
NuNaturals Stevia
Now dark choc. stevia

Stick in fridge, let thicken, enjoy :)

5 Calorie Frozen Chocolate Bar...

1 tbsp. Hershey's dark choc. cocoa powder
4 tbsp. water
few drops of NuNaturals Stevia
few drops of NOW dark choc. stevia

Mix in a small bowl, cover and freeze. Then eat when frozen :)

Dinner last night...
BBQed pork tenderloin, sugar snap peas, and a salad w/ homemade dressing.

After the gym this morning I had a different twist on my fresh fruit "cereal". I present you with Banana Soft Serve Breakfast Sunday...
It was FREAKING AMAZING!!!!....
The only thing missing was a big heaping spoonful of nut butter :(

After breakfast and cleaning up the little one, me and my madre and padre headed to the Nashville Sounds minor league baseball game. On the way I ate my current fav sandwich...

Portabello mushroom
romaine
avo
red bell
Ezekiel

We had great seats a the game. Directly behind the back stop...
And a great view of the hotties in both dug outs...The little one got her wish of sugar laden, cotton candy...
Which somehow invoked another chocolate craving in me....

Properly combined? No. Good? Hell yes!!

My dad had his two favorite beers....

Shocktop and Blue Moon

He also had a heaping helping of "plaque" to add to his already 163 point cardiac calcium scoring. ...

Italian Sausage and other crap

Way to give that heart disease another head start.

The little one wasn't leaving without seeing "Ozzie" the mascot...
After a special request I came home and made Lasagna for the little one and the man. I made myself some "spaghetti"...
Now I am just chillin catching up on some shows and my tum tum is already starting to talk to me.

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: The little one totally "walked in" on me and the man this morning!! First time this has happened and I think I am more traumatized then she is!!!

Combo Shmambo????

2009-07-28T13:12:00.004-05:00

Hey guys :). Ugh, sorry I haven't posted. I had a great weekend but the last two days have been really suckie. My stomach started hurting yesterday morning and hasn't stopped since. I don't know if I had some bad combos or what?? Needless to say I haven't taken very many pics either. Here's some of my fresh fruit cereal...

bananas
peaches
strawberries
roasted ab
almond milk

huge banana
golden delicious apple
strawberries
blueberries
raw and roasted ab
almond milk

and one of my new favorite lunches...
the portabello/bella (idk the right way) and avocado sandwich on Ezekiel Bread. Just realized this meal is badly combined because of the hummus. Which is a bad combo within itself (nuts/starch), bleh. Anyway, I don't really know what I am going to do know eating wise. I felt good the first few days of combining but now its seems like I have been screwing up the combos and my stomach feels like hell. I honestly don't know what to eat anymore but I do know something is wrong in my gut especially after reading these articles: Fix Your Gut Fix Your Health, The Adrenal Glands: Nature's Roller Coaster or the Source of Your Fatigue? So I am pretty confused and I am actually starting to think becoming a BREATHARIN makes sense. Check it out, it only costs $10,000 or gold for a workshop. Who knows it might be fun living off nothing but air and purified water with the occasional 20oz Diet Coke and McDonald's double quarter pounder with cheese.

On to other things, I just received the new issue of Clean Eating Mag so except some yummy recipes soon. Oh, and I have Twitter so check me out yo!!

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: My husband and I want to move out of the state of Tennessee. Any suggestions??

Inspired By HEAB's random comment of the day: (me with bleaching tray in my mouth trying to talk to the little one) "I cant talk with this big thing in my mouth"

The man: "That's what she said"

He totally got me!!!

Weekend Update

2009-07-26T18:49:00.009-05:00

Hey guys :). I am here to recap my relaxing weekend with some of my eats and activities. I will start with eats. Here are some of my snacks...
That is some delicious carrots and honey and a half drunk glass of frozen chocolate milk all enjoyed together after Friday nights dinner.

My ants were Saturdays post boat snack.

Most of my breakfasts have been fresh fruit "cereal"....

1 peach
1 banana
blueberries
almond milk
almond butter

lots of banana
1 peach
strawberries
almond milk
almond butter

And fresh fruit on its own...
...while catching up on my shows :)

Lunches have been nice and carby with lots of salads...
Salad with fresh garden green beans and lots of guac "dressing" and a side of oats with coconut butter....
Talk about some healthy fats! The oats were sweetened to perfection with my new NuNaturals Stevia.

Salad with hummus "dressing", and an opened face grilled portabella mushroom sandwich on sprouted bread with slices of avo....
Mmmm. My favorite lunch of the weekend.

Dinners have consisted mostly of protein...

Big ole salad topped with chicken, portabella and lots of hot salsa.

That corn was pretty odd. Don't ya think...
Dessert has been mostly this...

73% Dark

83% Dark

I also made the man his first banana soft serve with raw chocolate sauce...

We also chilled on the lake. Just us and the little one...
And I tended to my garden...

I've got 3 of these babies!!

Hope everyone had a just as fun and relaxing weekend as I did. My detox/food combining is going great so far now that I have taken a few steps back.

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: (sorry if there are any guys reading this) My bikini line is outta control!! The weird thing is it is only on one side. Even if I shave it you can still see it under the skin. Do any of you have any bikini line advice? Waxing? or other methods that have worked for you? Much appreciated!!!

P.S. Have any of you ever seen the show 1,000 Ways To Die? That shizzzz is cuhrayzeeeee!!!!

Mystery Solved

2009-07-24T20:04:00.006-05:00

This post is kinda late but I had to wait until my a something substantial on my camera to show you.

From the last post, some of you had some really good guesses on my MYSTERY MEAL and some sucked. Nobody actually got it all right but I believe Alison from Mama's Weeds was the closest and Therese you are the only one who guessed honey and you are absolutely correct :). Anyway, Alison shoot me an email with your address and ya da ya da and I will send you a jar of pb of ab, your choice.

The MYSTERY MEAL actually contained...

oat bran
avocado
honey
stevia
corn

It was meant to be a sweet concoction but turned out savory. I added a pinch of salt and it was just like a creamy avocado soup. Weird I know.

I know this is a lot of writing and not so many pics but just bear with me. K? So as most of you know I started the whole raw food detox crap, well I did great the first few days but then as I tend to do I starting getting a little obsessive. Unlike Natalia says I jumped in way to fast instead of taking baby steps. I started googling the hell out of food combining and I got really overwhelmed and restrictive. I almost broke down and gave it up but after talking to a few very sweet and lovely ladies from blog land I decided I would stick with it and just take a few steps back.

I am not going to post any of my food from yesterday because it was really random and all over the place. Ok I lied, I will post a pic of the raw corn Spongebob and I shared...
I usually take Fridays off from the gym but I wanted some extra exercise since I have an event next Friday so I hit that sucker up this morning. When I came home I feasted on fruit...
There was more than this involved later in the morning. I then meet up with a friend for lunch at Whole Food about 30 miles away. Lunch was spectacular and I stuck with the starch theme....

3 kinds of hummus
carrots
tomatoes
cucumber and tomato salad
chickpeas
Cajun sweet potato fries
broccoli
squash
peppers
green beans
spinach and romaine

and some Kombucha...
Call me crazy but I think I prefer the plain flavor.

We then hit up my favorite mall for about 4 hours of hard core sale shopping. I snagged a $140 dress for $20. Dress, shoes and necklace for a little under $100.

The little one and my childhood BFF...
After shopping I had a couple of spoon fulls of almond butter in the car.

For dinner I made what I wanted. Raw pasta and raw marinara, side salad...
and small, juicy, organic, free range, slightly pink steak...
Mmmm. I heart meat :)

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: When I was little I had an imaginary friend named "Cooley Bear"

????Mystery Meal????

2009-07-23T06:53:00.006-05:00

Day two of detox went alright. I was much hungrier yesterday than I was the first day. Especially in the afternoon. Lunch was some what of an odd combo...
Anyone who can guess the ingredients or the most ingredients in this I will send a prize. Maybe some pb or something if your lucky and I can afford it. Sorry HEABS your out. You already know. I will give you another look...
I also had a salad which I ate first by the way, just in case you were wondering...

romaine
spinach
zucchini
red pepper
cucumber
mushrooms
carrots
tomatoes
corn
balsamic
Annie's lite ginger dressing

Lunch dessert...
I only had that 1 square.

Somewhere in between all this my oldest niece who got her license that morning came by to show off..

$20 to anyone who can guess what show is on the tv in the back. Ok I wont give you any money but that would be pretty impressive :)

A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by NuNaturals to test out their products and I was elated when my doorbell rang and I found these goodies in the box...

The nice people of NuNaturals sent me tons of good stuff plus a plethora of info and even some recipes...

Afternoon snack...

It ended up being a carrot and raisin sandwich...
I think I got a little carried away because I am not used to eating raisins because of the sugar count. Lets just say the little raisins ended up floating in the big jar of almond butter and they needed a big spoon to come and rescue them :). Ugh, felt a little bloated afterward :(.

Dinner was a veggie stir-fry. Apparently cooked veggies are embraced by some raw foodists. Who knew...

red pepper
zucchini
onion
yellow squash
garlic cloves chopped
mushrooms
soy sauce
balsamic vinegar
carrot
chicken
served over spinach

Went back for more dark chocolate later. Sometime later I also made my version of "frozen
chocolate milk"....

1 cup uvam
NuNaturals cocoa bean extract drops
Nunaturals clear stevia
heaping spoonful of Hershey's dark choc. cocoa
ice

I tasted it and it didn't quite have that sweet chocolaty taste I was looking for so I added a few drops of Now Dark Chocolate Stevia and that made it perfect!! I also had about a 1/3 of a piece of raw corn.

Kicked it with "Gym" this morning and did lots of lifting and thrusting followed by some heavy breathing and lots of sweat. Shhh, Don't tell my husband.

Now I have almost polished off this ginormous bowl...
Singing off, I am about to pee on myself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: I am totally fixing to cheat on my hairstylist of about 8 years. I feel like shes to comfortable with me and is to "safe" with me. Like when I tell her to do something she doesn't "all the way" do it because maybe she is scared I wont like it or I'll be mad at her. Does that make sense? I need someone new who will take more risks!! haha

Jumping On But Not Convinced

2009-07-22T09:06:00.009-05:00

I am not usually one to fall into trends or jump on the bandwagon (you can hear the "but" coming from a mile away) but this time its a little different. I am sure most of you have seen this Raw Food Detox crap floating around and this whole food combining crock. I have to tell you I am pretty skeptical but I did jump on the band wagon yesterday. It really all makes my head spin and pulls my panties up my crack but I am going to give it a go only because I have a "special event" coming up in a few weeks and I want to be looking my best. I am not going to go into great detail about it because right now I only plan on doing it up until the event. I just wanted to for-warn because my eats are probably going to be a little wacky.

Breakfast yesterday pretty much lasted until lunch. I went to visit my guy "Gym", came home, ate an apple and then had this ginormous bowl of fruit...
After peeing 15 times from the watermelon the little one and I headed off to a free movie for kids at a local theater. Before going to the theater I picked up a huge bag of grapes and a few boxes of blueberries to smuggle in. I honestly think most of these moms use this time as an excuse to shove as much chocolate, candy, 120 oz Icees, and trans fat butter filled popcorn down their faces as possible. It made me feel good that the little one and I were content munching on blueberries and grapes :).

This was my lunch...

Can you see my 2 little homegrown green beans in there?

Followed by this...
Oat bran, coconut butter and the few chia seeds you see were an accident and a no no. Opps!!

Afternoon snack....
Those are romaine wraps, carrot sticks, broccoli and almond butter. Mmmm. I had more almond butter with the left over carrot sticks. Close up of the goodness..
After my snack I started getting ready for my girls night. This time it me and my other stay at home mama friend. We were first timers at a restaurant called Mad Donnas. We both started with some wine...

I ordered the Sweet potato enchilada with green beans....
Kim got the Thai curry salmon...
We shared and I totally broke my food combining rules. It was preplanned though.

We thought about staying for "Drag" bingo or maybe heading next door to the Lipstick Lounge but the party animals that we are we decided to go the grocery store...
Nothing like the produce aisle after a few drinks. Had a great time Kim!! We need to do it more often!

**EDITED TO ADD: Kim's hubby said this reminded him of us. I was laughing my ass off. You have to watch it...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soRz8ehtstY&feature=related

This morning I slept in and I have been munching on fruit in between bathroom breaks. Heres my first bowl...

1 whole peach
1 giant banana
strawberries
grapes

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: I totally stare at other people carts and analyze them while I am at the grocery store. Watch out I might be looking at yours!! haha

Burning Questions Answered

2009-07-20T20:05:00.006-05:00

...Maybe not but that just sounded good.

Whats up? I am so happy right now to be typing on the lap top. It has been out of order for a few months now and the man finally fixed it (thanks babe, its about time). So the plan is to go over a few of my eats and activities from today and then answer a few questions that I have been getting from you lovely ladies. Capesh?

After hittin up my man "Gym" this morning I was really missin an old fav so I brought back the blended grains spinach style...
...and topped with pb of course :).

Snack was a shake and then it was off to story time at the local Barnes and Noble so the little one could be entertained while I suck in as much information from all the books I have been wanting to read but am to cheap to buy.

After story time we headed to the fountains for some fun....
We went with a friend I made through my blog :) and her two little angels. I feel very lucky and fortunate to have made friends through my bloggie!! I would have to say that is my favorite part of having a blog.

We came home and had lunch. I made what I was hankering for....
Spicy butternut squash fries. I also made a quick stir-fry served over spinach...

chicken
onion
broccoli
yellow pepper
fresh ginger
soy sauce
tomatoes for color :)

Before karate I had the left over spicy butternut fries dipped in pb...
Carrot sticks and apples with two jars for dipping...
Came home and made spaghetti and garlic bread for the gang. I served mine over zucchini noodles with a side salad...
Now on to a few questions I have received lately. A lot of you have been wondering how I make my Dark Chocolate Oat Bran...
Nothing better than dessert for breakfast without having to feel guilty right? Here's the breakdown..

1/2 cup oat bran
1 heaping spoonful of Hershey's dark chocolate cocoa powder

Mix together until evenly dispersed and most lumps are gone. I then add water and I always eyeball it. Nuke for 2 minutes. Add 30 sec. if its too watery. Next, I add several drops of Dark Chocolate Now Stevia. I also usually add a small hunk of banana before cooking and sometimes I add chia seeds. The possibilities are really endless.

Another question I have been getting is how I cook my butternut squash fries so they are crispy and not soggy. I always start by trying to...

Cut them all about the same size that way they all cook in the same amount of time
I then place them on a plate and season them to my liking. I do many combos of the following

chili powder
salt
pepper
cinnamon
paprika

3. I then find a pan at least an inch deep and place a wire oven safe rack on top as seen here.
4. This is an important step: Make sure to space out the fries with at least an inch apart. If you place them to close together it will cause the squash to hold in the moisture.
5. Finally I bake it on the center rack at 425 for about 25 minutes

The result is perfect crispy fries :).

I am signing off and will be back tomorrow to answer more questions. Keep em coming :)

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: I love shopping at used designer clothing stores. I recently found a new one here in Nashville and picked up a pair of Habitual Jeans that go for $220 for a measly 20 bucks!!! What a deal, huh?

A Cold Winter In July

2009-07-19T20:51:00.008-05:00

Man, its just been one of those weekends. A little picture taking here and there, shopping, lake, family and lots of baking today (we'll get to that later). I' start with some of eats in no particular order. Smoothie in a bowl...
Dark chocolate oat bran with mashed banana and almond butter...
Butternut squash fries baked to perfection...
I love it when they are crispy and not soggy...
Served with a salad that's topped with broken up pieces of a Black Bean Turkey Burger
Cuddly kittens...
Oh, sorry I didn't eat that :)

On to some eats I made for other peeps. Chocolate Chip Cheesecake for my brothers 39th birthday...
and a peanut butter cake with chocolate peanut butter frosting for my nieces 15th birthday because her dad didn't get her one or sing her happy birthday. Whats up with that???...
Wish that my brother and his family of 35 don't come over and eat it all...
and last but certainly not least, cherry yogurt popsicles for the little one...
I also managed to freeze my ass of in the middle July out on the lake....
The 8 beers I drink helped keep me from hypothermia. Ok, I am lying they didn't help. Whats up with that anyway. It was the coldest day in July in like 28 years and it happened to be the day we planned 2 months ago to go out with friends.

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I really need to get to the gym in the morning. I didn't eat any of the desserts I made but I did do a little bowl lickin while making them. Opps.

Tonight the little one gave us an at home concert at my parents house. I thought I'd let you lucky gals be graced with a little bit of her presence. Here's a peek...

Now I know shes good but don't go calling agents and crap. Actually, she is probably a little hard to hear in this video but don't worry your ears are thanking you. I am thinkin maybe the next Janice Joplin. I don't know though shes scarily comfortable with that pole in a bikini. She might have a future in Vegas.

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: Is it bad that I completely avoid all products with fake sweeteners like sucralose and aspartame but still give them to my man and little one? Its just hard for me to ween them off of sugar free syrup :(

Kids These Days

2009-07-16T17:53:00.007-05:00

Happy almost Friday!!! I Cant wait for the weekend. Nothing to exciting has happened to me the past couple of days so I will just try and do a quick not to boring recap of Wednesday and today. I feel like I should start off with this sweet pick of my little Puffin (yes, like the cereal)...
Wednesday after my jar oats and some unknown/forgotten morning snack I sat down for an everything salad...

napa cabbage
romaine
spinach
boiled broccoli
carrots
fresh garden tomatoes
tuna
coconut curried chickpeas
balsamic vinegar straight up

I love these kinda salads where you just use all the leftovers.

Later I made dark chocolate banana soft serve and strawberry soft serve for me....
and the little one...
I used UVAM to blend mine and a few spoonfuls of yogurt to blend hers. She was in soft serve heaven...
Watch it there girl your about to have a little slippage out the sides of that dress. God, I swear, kids these days!!!

For dinner we made BBQ kebab's and I had salad just as an excuse to have hummus.....
I didn't eat all the meat but returned for more veggie skewers. I added fresh peach to some of the skewers and man grilled peaches are my new fav!!!

Later I had this....
I went to the gym this morning for my 5am class and regretted every minute. We had a "sub" teacher because the normal one is outta town and man does she suck!! I think she was just winging the shit. Anyway, I went and got some blood drawn and then came home to this...
Oh Mr. Coco, you have been missed in more ways than one!!!

Snack wasn't very interesting but lunch was :)! My blogger BFF came to my house for the first time with hummus in hand and I supplied the rest....
My plate...
To much to explain.

We hung for a while and then had a photo op with little one in charge. Who needs eyes anyway???...
Heather, you have greatly influenced my child. She now has tattoos, pink hair and judging from the earlier pic thinks shes on spring break at mardi gras...
(just for clarification the only thing she picked up from HEABS is the pink hair)

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: I absolutely cannot stand my childhood friends boyfriend!! He is such a loser and is milking her for everything she has!!! Nough said...

To Much To Handle

2009-07-15T11:44:00.007-05:00

Hi Lovelies, How has your week been? Mines been good but I am excited for the weekend. I see the lake in my future :). Lets fast forward to yesterdays snack. I didn't have my usual oats for breakfast because instead I had my Raw Mango Bread and by snack time I was craving them bad! I also had my eye on some cherries the little one talked me into buying the other day at the store so naturally I mixed the two together....
Cherry oatgurt. Tasted great :).

I was ravenous at lunch so I had a big one. (that's what she sai....) I had a leftover Black Bean Turkey Burger on a romaine bun, a side salad with lots of hummus, and a side of sweet potato fries....
Afternoon snack was more Raw Mango Bread with a plethora of butter. I give you Cacoa Bliss, almond butter and I doubled up on the peanut butter...
I'm not saying I didn't go back for more ;)

The man had late appointments so the little one and I had dinner alone. She chose mac and I choose...
A nice Black Bean Turkey Burger topped monster of a salad. On top on the burger is the Raw Beanless Zucchini Hummus I made on Monday. Its a little salty but starting to grow on me.

Between all my meas I did some kitchen and much needed floor cleaning. Dark wood floors and pet hair are not a good combo. Around 9 O'clock I finally got the call from my bestie to come and take what I wanted from her fridge and pantry. She is leaving for Israel for 3 months :( and new Id be more than happy to take some food off her hands. I left with tons of fresh veggies, hummus and some High Fructose Corn Syrup filled stuff that I would never buy but my husband was thrilled to see.

I usually don't go to the gym on Wed. but I just felt like I needed it so I went for a light session this morning. When I got home I really wanted to make Katie's Brownie Batter Pancakes but I forgot I had a doctors appointment and was in a hurry. Instead I had oats in every ones favorite bowl.....
Yum, Yum, and more Yum!!!

Had an apple on the way home from the docs and now I am fixin to cook up some lunch :)

Now, don't everyone wet their pants with excitement over this post. I know it was entertaining and a lot to take in but please contain yourselves!!

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: I totally hold grudges. I am trying my darnedest to overcome it though!!