Friday Funny: Fitness Protection Program

This has totally been me recently- looking forward to warmer weather next week so I can get some fresh air and vitamin D! 

Happy Friday! 

Tasty TidBit Tuesday: Spinach Sausage Egg "Muffins"

I get asked all the time "What do you have for breakfast?" Well, it varies, but when I am good at planning ahead I like to have these tasty little hunger blasters full of protein ready to reheat in the AM! 

Ingredients: 

8-10 eggs (depends on their size) 

1/2 lb. breakfast sausage (I like to buy mine over the meat counter at Earthfare- it's already seasoned) 

2 cups spinach

salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 

1.  Brown the breakfast sausage
2.  Preheat oven to 350*
3.  While sausage is browning- beat all the eggs into a large bowl
4. Salt and Pepper to taste (please don't actually taste the now seasoned raw eggs!) :-)
5.  Once the sausage is done, pour into beaten eggs and use the sausage pan to wilt your spinach (the oil from the sausage helps keep the spinach from stickin
6.  Once spinach is wilted mix into sausage/ egg mixture
7. Pour mixture into muffin lined tins (makes 12 servings) 
8. Bake for 30-40 minutes

These keep well for about a week and reheat well for a quick breakfast. I like to throw a little bit of fruit on the side of 1 or 2 of these as my breakfast! Enjoy! 

Friday Funny: Facebook workout posts!

Tasty TidBit Tuesday: Frozen Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bites

I LOVE ice cream! I could literally eat it everyday for every meal. And if I'm being honest- I've eaten a large blizzard from Dairy Queen as my dinner before... oops!

ANYWHO, I'm always looking for an after dinner treat that has some nutritional benefit but enough sweetness to quench my sweet tooth!

This is my current favorite post dinner treat: Frozen Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bites



Ingredients:

• 1 package(4oz.) unsweetened 100% cacao Bakers baking chocolate bar 
• 8 TBSP Peanut Butter 
• 2-3 Bananas (depending on slice thickness)

Directions:

1. Melt chocolate in mug if using microwave or in glass measuring cup in boiling water if using stove
2. Once chocolate is fully melted add peanut butter and stit until completely mixed
3. Slice fully ripened bananas into 1/4-1/2" slices
4. Drop each banana slice into choco/pb mixture and use large fork to lift coated banana from mixture 
5. Place each slice on wax paper (on a baking sheet)
6. Once finished put in freezer for at least 4 hours or until frozen- remove from baking sheet and transfer to sealable freezable container
7. ENJOY!! 

Friday Funny: Chocolate Salad

What's for Dinner?

I experimented with a new fish last night- Swai! And it was DELICIOUS! 

The menu included Lemon Pepper Baked Swai, Steamed Cauliflower and Baked Red Potatoes with a side salad of spinach, arugula, tomato and cucumber with balsamic vinaigrette! The recipe for the lemon pepper fish is linked above, enjoy! 

Tasty TidBit Tuesday: Green Bean Produce Delivery!

Eating healthy is much easier when you have healthy options available. That's why I LOVE Green Bean Delivery! They deliver fresh, mostly local and mostly organic fruits and vegetables directly to your door. I've been very pleased with the quality of my produce so far and wanted to pass along some great savings if you are interested in trying out this great service!


Now through January 31st, 2014, take advantage of our special offer for Grasshoppers members. Receive $20 off your first order by entering the Promo Code: GHOPPER$20 upon registration.

Happy Tuesday!! 

Friday Funny: Nacho business!

Tasty Tidbit Tuesday: Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

I've been feeling drained the last few weeks and the cold weather is making we crave warm, comforting foods. Last week I came upon a recipe for a Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup from one of my favorite bloggers, Peanut Butter Runner and decided to give it a try since I had some fresh chicken stock already in the freezer! I like her idea of cooking the whole chicken that she uses in the stock that she uses in the soup- so I may try that next time.

For my recipe- I used my Chicken Stock in a Crockpot recipe from last week and I purchased a rotisserie chicken from Earthfare for the meat. (Of course I kept my chicken bones to make more broth again soon!) 

Ingredients: 

2 tablespoons butter
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 onion, diced
2 tablespoons turmeric
2 tablespoons flour
4 quarts stock
Shredded chicken from one whole cooked chicken
3 cups egg noodles
4 sprigs parsley
Salt to taste (lots)
Pepper to taste

Directions: 

1. Put butter in a pan then stir fry carrots, onion and celery until they are tender. 
2. In large pot combine 4 qts of chicken stock with the meat of the whole chicken, salt and pepper to taste.
3. Once veggies are tender add flour and turmeric to coat veggies  then add to chicken stock and chicken. 
4. Allow to cook and flavors to combine- 45 min to an hour.
5. Add egg noodles and parsley to finish cooking for 10 minutes, then Voila! 

Tasty TidBit Tuesday: Chicken Stock in the Crockpot

I'm making a Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup tonight that I plan to share the recipe for next week as long as it turns out yummy! :-)

The base of this chicken noodle soup calls for 4 quarts of chicken stock- but I have been trying to stay away from chemicals and preservatives so I decided to make my own stock in the crock pot instead of buying a dried, boxed or canned version!

I like to purchase the hormone free, free range rotisserie chickens from Earthfare for one of our meals every couple of weeks and I keep the carcass (bones, fat and skin) in a freezer bag until I make my broth. Of course this can also be done with any leftover chicken bones!

It's ok if you don't have every single ingredient on this list- the nutrients and the majority of the flavor come from the chicken fat and bone marrow as it breaks down- so feel free to improvise!

Ingredients: 

• Leftover chicken bones or carcass roughly equivalent to one small or medium sized chicken
• 1 onion, peeled and loosely chopped
• 1 rib of celery, roughly chopped
• 1 carrot, roughly chopped (no need to peel)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig fresh parsley or 1 tsp of dried
• 1 sprig fresh thyme or 1 tsp of dried
• Salt, to taste

Directions: 

1. Place carcass or bones on the bottom of Crockpot and cover with veggies and spices. 
2. Cover with water until only 1/2" is seen around the edges at the top of the Crockpot.
3. Turn Crockpot on "Low" and allow to simmer for 8-10 hour or overnight. 
4. Allow to cool then remove all chicken bones and veggies. 
5. Strain the broth with a fine strainer into a large bowl which can be placed into freezer bags to store for later date (which is why I let mine cool first!) 

Tasty TidBit Tuesday: Hot Lemon Water

Something I started doing during my Daniel Fast that I've been enjoying again recently is Hot Lemon Water first thing in the morning.

I squeeze half a lemon (usually organic) into 6-8oz of hot, purified water. 

This is an Ayurveda technique that has been around for centuries and has many health benefits! 

1. Aids in digestion: because lemon is alkalizing to the body (despite being acidic) it helps flush out the digestive system and stimulate digestive juices in the stomach which can help alleviate indigestion

2. Natural diuretic: helps flush the kidneys and livers

3. Boosts the immune system: high in vitamin C

4. Helps clear skin: because of the toxin flush and high vitamin C levels 

Friday Funny: New Year's Revelation!

Don't let your resolution become this kind of revelation! Keep going! 

Happy Friday!