Lentil Soup.

Guess what I wear as a hat? A lentil.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, watch this video on YouTube: Marcel the Shell.

Hopefully Marcel will brighten your day a tad.

Lentil Soup

2 celery stalks chopped

2 large carrots chopped

1 large onion chopped

1 whole green pepper chopped

3 garlic cloves finely chopped

1 tbsp salt

2 1/2 tbsp olive oil

Saute the above ingredients for 5-7 minutes (until the crunch is gone)

Stir in 1 tbsp tomato paste and let cook for another 2 minutes.

Add:
2 cups dry lentils (rinse these first)

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp black pepper

 6 cups vegetable broth
(look for low sodium broth if from the store and not homemade)

4 cups water (yes, this is a HUGE recipe)

Bring to a boil and skim off the top when needed.

Simmer for 15-20 minutes - until lentils are cooked!

That's it! Store in a covered container in the fridge.
Mine lasted a good two weeks and still tasted just fine.

Or freeze in glassware for future servings.

Optional additions:

1 chopped tomato

1/2 tsp thyme

A one cup serving is approximately 157 calories.
And you know exactly what you are eating.

01 02 18

Foodie February.

I realized I did quite a bit of cooking this month when I was going through my photos today. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I decided to upload this months munchies. Recipes follow each photo (or will link up!). I love having time to cook, and bake, and cook and bake some more.

That's what winter is for, right?

Smoothie. Seems simple. And it is.

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1/2 cup frozen strawberries

1 tbsp honey

1 cup almond milk

(this was before I had my chia seeds. I would definitely add a tbsp of seeds to this now!)

Dark Chocolate Cocoa Muffins:

So good. Not overly sweet. If you want sweet. Don't make these. If you want dark chocolate-healthy-for-you, then make these. 

1 3/4 cup oats

3 egg whites

3/4 cup dark cocoa powder unsweetened 

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp real vanilla

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup hot water

1 cup sugar (I used sweetener...aka Splenda)

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips!

Preheat the oven to 350. Blend all ingredients (minus chocolate chips) in the blender. Blend until smooth - I love this part of the recipe. SO easy for pouring. Mix 1/2 of the chips in the batter and pour into a greased/lined muffin tin. I like giant muffins and use six large ones - this would also make 12 regular size muffins. Bake for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 of chips on top of muffins. Bake for another 10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean! 215 calories per muffin. Makes 6 muffins.

Quinoa Breakfast Bowl.

 (I love pronouncing this. KEEN-WAH. So great.)

1/2 cup cooked quinoa (sprinkle 1 tsp cinnamon while cooking)

1 small tart granny smith apple chopped

1/8 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

1 cup almond milk

Put all the ingredients in a bowl and pour over with almond milk. This will keep you full until at least lunch!

Lentil Soup.

This recipe is a bit long. The link can be found here.

Cauliflower Pizza Crust - Addicting.

2 eggs

2 cups mozzarella cheese

2 cups riced cauliflower (I hand grated this, uffda, try this method instead)

2 garlic cloves chopped

1/4 cup fresh basil chopped (or dried will do)

Mix ingredients in a bowl and form any shape you'd like on a greased parchment paper lined baking sheet. Press down until about 1/4 inch thick. Bake at 450 for about 15 minutes. 3 'fries' = 250 calories. 10 fries per batch.

Cinnamon Honey Baked Chickpeas.

1 can rinsed and drained chickpeas

2 tsp coconut oil (I only have olive oil on hand at the time!)

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp honey (optional)

Dry chickpeas and toss in oil/sugar/cinnamon mixture. Place onto a baking sheet for 45 minutes at 375 shaking pan every 15 minutes. The longer they bake the crunchier (and better!) they will taste. Roll in honey after baked (optional) - store in an open container so chickpeas don't become soggy right away (lesson learned). Makes three servings, 157 calories per serving.

Cottage Cheese Pancakes.

Find the recipe here from a previous post.

Broccoli Cheese Quiche + Brown Rice Crust

2 cups cooked brown rice

1 1/4 cup shredded cheese (any variety you prefer)

5 eggs

1 cup milk

2 cups cooked broccoli

a pinch of nutmeg

Mix the rice, 1/4 of the cheese and 1 egg together. Press into a sprayed pie crust pan. Bake for 5 minutes at 450. Mix remaining ingredients together and pour into baked pie crust. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 375, until the eggs are spongy (but doesn't jiggle when moved!) and slightly golden. 350 calories per slice - 6 slices per pie.

Chocolate Oatmeal Bites.

2 mashed bananas (very ripe)

1 cup oatmeal

1/4 cup dark chocolate chips chopped

1/4 cup shredded coconut

That's it! Mix all ingredients together and spoon onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Makes one dozen bites, 57 calories per bite!

And there you have it: Foodie February. Any healthy recipes you love? Post so I can try them!

01 02 18

Five Day Food Challenge.

Five days of no added sugar, no processed gunk, and hardly any flour.
After way too many sweets at a recent Sorority Retreat weekend I needed to do some sort of cleanse to get back on track. And with a wedding to attend tomorrow I know I will be having cake. YUM. I cannot wait. But this grand finale ending tomorrow meant a personal challenge - five days without added shtuff.

I love my sweets. View my Pinterest boards and every other pin is typically a dessert. There is something so satisfying about chocolate, sweetness, and the warm ooey-gooeyness of a cookie. I know there are people who don't care for desserts, that is not me. And I don't know how you do it. But anywho. I survived this week. And honestly, it wasn't too hard.

My latest obsession? Chia Seeds. I am not sure when these hit the shelves, perhaps they have been around my whole life and I just now discovered them. Well, I am glad I did. I have been adding one serving (a tablespoon) to pancakes and smoothies. And when I say pancakes, I'm not talking about the white flour boxed mix - I mean cottage cheese pancakes and banana protein pancakes.
Here are the recipes, super easy, super good:

Cottage Cheese Pancakes(sounds odd, I know, but so delicious - trust me)

3 egg whites (I use one egg white + one whole egg)

1/2 cup oatmeal

1/2 cottage cheese

1 tsp sugar (I use Splenda)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla extract (use the real stuff)

1 tbsp chia seeds

Blend. Makes four small pancakes. 397 calories.

Banana Protein Pancakes

1 mashed really ripe banana

2 whole eggs

1 tbsp chia seeds

Mash banana with fork, add eggs, and whip together.
Makes two large thin flapjacks. 233 calories.

I have made the cottage cheese ones for both breakfast and dinner, but actually prefer them for dinner. Something light and delicious is a great way to end my night. The banana protein pancakes are a breakfast food for me, a banana-eggy-omelet combination. Try them both and bask in the glory of clean eating.

Food list for the week
(Download the Lose It App for anyone interested. I'm obsessed.)

Whole Wheat Mission Tortilla Wraps
Tuna Packets  + Mayo with Olive Oil + dried basil + celery seed + black pepper

Homemade Vegetarian Lentil Soup (Recipe to be posted soon)
Romaine Lettuce Salads + Zesty Italian Dressing

Baked Sweet Potatoes Fries with Olive Oil
(seasoned with Paprika, garlic powder, & black pepper)

Planters Nut-Rition Health Mix

Trader Joe's Everything Pretzel Slims

Trader Joe's Garlic Hummus

Lite String Cheese

Creamy PB + Celery Sticks
Trader Joe's Everything Whole Wheat Thin Bagels + Jarlsberg Lite Cheese

(toasted in the toaster oven = dinner!)

Grapefruit

Apples

Bananas

Oranges

Fresh Strawberries + Life Cereal + Almond Milk

Wild Cod Fish

Brussel Sprouts

Avocados

Triscuit Cracked Pepper & Olive Oil Crackers

Beverage List

Water

Tomato Juice

Organic Ginger Tea

Organic Hibiscus Tea

Organic Fair Trade Green Tea

Organica Chamomile & Spearmint Tea

And there you have it. My week. My cravings for sweets have been few and far between. And my philosophy of you can eat anything, as long as it's in moderation still holds true. I will be adding sweets back into my food list - but 'healthy ones' such as pumpkin bread made with Greek yogurt and dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa). Happy eating. Happy clean eating. And always remember, you are what you eat. And expect more postings of being crazy healthy, I'm not perfect, but I'm on a path I am so happy to be on. #fitnessfever #lifeisgood

01 02 18

Happy Day.

As another layer of joint compound dries in the basement, the clickity-clack of train wheels rumble past the house, and country music fades in and out, today is a good day. A great day.

After a successful Double Daze at Rainbow (yes, this really is my life I tell you) I put the groceries away one by one and continue my health kick. Preface: I have been sick for a week now. I pride myself on not getting sick. This has to be fixed and basically never happen again. Hence, the health kick.

The multi-vitamin has been bought to add to my daily flaxseed oil regime. Spinach was added to my very first green smoothie. Blended with honey, cinnamon, peanut butter, banana, and almond milk. Tell me this does not sound good. I was leery, vegetables in smoothies? Try it. Any combination you'd like. This was much more fun to consume then a whole bowl of spinach. Because I kid you not I tossed in a HUGE handful of spinach and arugula. Salad-bowl worthy.

Vitamin C in the natural form of oranges have been bought. To be had with breakfast each morning. Vitamin C helps absorb iron more efficiently. To which my most recent cereal, Nutty Nuggets from Cub, was bought solely for the iron content, not the hard, crunchy, cardboard-esque quality, although that sounds appealing, I know. Not to say I have an iron deficiency, but Web MD can sure freak a person out, or kick start one to get all their vitamins and minerals. Hence, the health kick.

Extra tea and honey has been a constant brew for this very long sickness week. Switching my usual green for black and white tea's has brought new senses to my taste buds, and the decision of which to have brings me much happiness. Choices! There are so many! Next: to buy darker honey from the Apple Orchard, which has even more antioxidants than the golden honey I have been accustomed to.

Finishing my snack of a green smoothie and sunflower seeds, I feel great. Today is a happy day. I look out the window and the leaves are rustling. Golden leaves flutter from the branches, squirrels run about the yard, and birds come and go from our feeders. Life is good. No, make that life is great. This health kick is exactly what I needed.


Delicious-ness in a pretty little glass.

01 02 18