Thursday, February 13, 2014

Snow "Cookie Dough" and Valentines Day

So it seems to be the winter for snow. . .I mean yes it usually snows in the winter, but this is one the of the snowiest and coldest winters I've seen in awhile- I like snow and all, but I certainly wouldn't mind spring coming a little early! 

So yesterday I had a super busy day, and was packing my breakfast, lunch, and snacks for work at 11pm Tuesday night.  I was trying to come up with something fun and different for a snack. . . I feel like I get in food ruts some times. So I grabbed the small amount of greek yogurt I managed to make last weekend, and I added in a tbsp. of unsweetened coconut, a tbsp. of organic semi sweet chocolate chips, and a tbsp. of my homemade 1 ingredient PB.  I was thinking calcium, protein, fat and a little sweet treat with the chocolate. Around 4pm yesterday when lunch had warn off and I was ready for a snack I whipped it out of my little work fridge and stirred it all together, then I took a bite. . . it tasted EXACTLY like COOKIE DOUGH. . I couldn't believe it1 I just stumbled upon my most favorite thing in the entire world, and in a MUCH healthier way. If you are looking for some healthy "cookie dough" give this a try I wouldn't steer you wrong and then let me know!

Tonight I ended another busy day with some baking.  I am headed to my parent's house tomorrow while they are out of town for a much needed girls weekend. I look at Valentine's Day as a Hallmark holiday, not a fan . . .I'd rather hang out with good friends and eat yummy food- I don't however mind all the chocolate associated with day : ). With my one friend being dairy/soy intolerant, and me being wheat intolerant, there was definitely some research involved in my recipe search. Thanks to Pinterest I didn't have to go far, one of the first pins I saw met all the requirements, was valentine themed, and looked super yummy. . .enter coconut flour heart shaped valentine cookies. . .



They were pretty easy to make too, only hard part was rolling and cutting out.  The avocado chocolate frosting? a SERIOUS success. . .



However next time I think I'll add a lot more frosting, I was being cautious with it because I didn't want to run out, but I even had extra left over- I'm sure it won't go to waste : ) 


What are your Valentine's day plans?

Monday, February 10, 2014

Greek Yogurt Fail & HOT BalletFIT

Sunday morning I ventured into the land of Greek yogurt production, much harder than I thought but fun too! I saw a recipe posted on Instagram to make your own Greek yogurt- and based on how much I consume I thought it would be a great thing to make not only for cost savings, but I like being in control of ingredients in everything I make whenever possible. I made the novice mistake of trying to cut the recipe in half and let's just say it was not a good idea. Out of the whole day long process (don't worry you don't have to be involved, most of it is it just sitting and or straining), I think I managed to produce a cup of yogurt.  Fear not, I am going to try this again, maybe next weekend, and I will post the recipe and pic's if it's a success.

I continued the day tackling my laundry, and Sunday prep., time to stock the freezer for easy grab and go lunches and snacks. Saturday's adventures in soup were so successful I decided to go for another recipe. This time I made a Winter Detox soup. I don't really believe in cleanses but I'm not opposed to real food and or meals that promote healthy detoxification. I got the recipe for the soup  from fitsugar.com, it's one of my go to sites! Between Saturday and Sunday, I think I should be set in the soup department for awhile.


New England Soup Factory containers 
have definitely come in handy!

Now on to the veggie burger, it is definitely improving. . .but I don't think the recipe is ready JUST yet.  This time around they taste MUCH better, but they are still lacking protein and are only clocking in at 63 calories- which isn't always a bad thing; I try to keep my meals to 300-400 calories and I am often frustrated by packaged veggie burgers containing 280-350 calories without adding anything else! I don't think the picture is that pretty, so I'll save that for when I am finally happy with them.

As if I wasn't tired enough from cooking, laundry, bill paying, and cleaning, I ended the day with a friend in the studio fro HOT BalletFIT. . .think HOT Yoga on steroids! One of the best workouts you'll ever get in my opinion. We do ballet barre work, cardio spurts, and abdominal strengthening all in a heated room- I love it!



Happy Monday. . . .





Saturday, February 8, 2014

BalletFIT Cardio and Winter Farmer's Market #eatlocal


So I realized, I haven't really talked about the fitness portion of my life very much, I've mostly focused on my jaw surgery, and adventures in the kitchen. I generally workout 5-6 days a week for 45-60 mins a day, some days 2 hrs if I take two classes. I dance, do Pilates, run, spin, and do yoga! I like to continually cross train and switch things up, I feel like if you do too much of one thing your body gets used to it and you don't achieve the results you may be seeking. Also if I do one thing day after day, I get bored! Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, Imagine Dragons and Maroon 5 are just a few of the people that fuel my workouts  . . .what are some of your workout playlist favorites?

I began my Saturday with a virtual BalletFit Cardio class. DanceFIT Studio has an amazing virtual workout program that let's you work up a sweat in the comfort of your own home!  For most classes you only need the latest version of Skype, a mat, and a chair, a few classes require weights and or resistance bands. After a shower and some plain greek yogurt with pomegranate seeds, walnuts, shredded coconut, ground flax, 1/2 a homemade protein bar, and a strong cup of coffee, I bundled up and headed to a winter farmer's market.

The winter's farmer's market was so fun! Live music, local bakeries, coffee, and mountains of fresh from the farm fruit and veggies. Last summer I had a CSA and I went to the market every Saturday, I love eating local and organic fruits and vegetables, and also supporting our farmers! Today I stocked up on lots of root veggies to make a soup I pulled a recipe for, as well as ingredients for some veggie burgers- I am determined to knock a recipe out of the park for those tomorrow1 


          Root Vegetable Yumminess. . .   
   
     


Pretty coffee. . . 



When I got home from the market I put together a delicious salad with Organic mâche rosettes, curls of yellow, orange, and purple carrots, cherry tomatoes, julienned red pepper, raw hemp hearts, a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of coarse sea salt & pepper.





<3 Salad

After a late lunch I tackled the soup- totally forgot to take a pic. but this is worth making, glad I read the post full of Winter Friendly Soups this morning!


On tap for tomorrow, veggie burgers, maple pecan muffins, and maybe some egg muffins. For now? back to watching the Olympics, and then time for bed!