Brussel Sprouts?!

No wonder your mother always forced you to eat brussel sprouts - they're excellent for your cells. "They contain substantial amounts of a compound called brassinin, which helps support healthy cell growth...." says medical expert Dr. Isaac Eliaz from SHAPE


Why should YOU try them???

3 more reasons....

• Brussel sprouts are a nutritious vegetable. 1/2 cup contains 35 calories, 3 grams of fiber, and 3 grams of protein.  They are an excellent source of vitamin C and other antioxidant vitamins.  They are a rich source of minerals, such as, iron, calcium, and potassium.
• You probably need to eat more vegetables!
• They are sooo easy to make & taste delicious! 

(Muggs loved them! He used to say that he hated brussel sprouts! I kept snacking on them while the rest of the meal was cooking. I was pleasantly surprised at how good they were!)

Here's how I made them tonight:


We bought a bag of Brussel Sprouts at Sam's Club.

Put them in a bowl and tossed them in olive oil.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spread the brussel sprouts on a cookie sheet.  Sprinkle them with Garlic Pepper.

Bake for about 25 minutes. 

Enjoy!!!

countdown to SUMMER!!

Yesssss, I want to start one. I love countdowns!  There are 107 days until my official start to summer vacation!  I got super excited for summer when I bought a NEW bathing suit today!!

(Pic of my bathing suit from: www.victoriassecret.com. They have sooo many cute ones!)


We went to the mall & I tried a few on. I don't usually like ordering online because I get nervous that it won't fit. Now that I know my size, I might have to do some online shopping!!! Ahhhh, I can't wait to go to the beach!!

Countdown to summer means I need to BRING IT with my workouts!! Today I did x2 Shoulders & Arms and x2 Ab Ripper. It was an awesome workout!!

Yes, I used 2 cans of kidney beans for some of the exercises. hahaha. Tony Horton said to use "little to zero weight" for the Y-T move...so I busted out the cans of beans. I also used the beans for a few of the straight arm raises. They are still hard for me to do with 8 pound weights. But I did use the 10 pound weights for biceps and triceps.  Don't be afraid to modify the moves!! Don't give up. Stick with it and you will get stronger.


Do you want to get in shape for summer? You have PLENTY of time. Get started. Do it for yourself.

Portobello Mushroom Pizzas

Don't you just LOVE pizza?!

I do!

And I love these portobello mushroom pizzas even more because they are healthier!

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• salt, pepper
• 2 portobello mushrooms
• 1/2 cup spinach
• small can of tomato sauce
• 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup couscous
• 1 tsp pine nuts
• red pepper flakes

Directions:

1. Brush mushrooms with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
2. On preheated grill pan, grill 2 portabello mushroom until soft to the touch, approx 6 mins per side.
3. Top with 1/2 cup tomato sauce and 1/3 cup shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese and bake until bubbly. 
4. Place on a bed of cooked whole wheat couscous (1/2 cup) mixed with 1/2 cup steamed spinach and 1 tsp pine nuts. sprinkle with red pepper flakes if desired.

Notes:

• Used Hunts no salt added tomato sauce
• If you don't have couscous, serve it with pasta, quinoa, or your favorite side dish.
• Steam the spinach then put it ON TOP of the mushrooms before we cook them. That's my favorite way to make them because it ALMOST like like a real pizza! LOVE IT!!
• Add turkey bacon bits, sundried tomatoes, onions, or your favorite pizza toppings!
• Save some $$... Sam's Club sells mushrooms in a 4 pack for 5 bucks. 

Check out this recipe for a BBQ Chicken Pizza:
http://caralyoung.blogspot.com/2013/10/bbq-chicken-portobello-pizza.html

Peace, Love, and Fondue

Tropical Shakeology made its debut today!!! YAYY!! I can't wait to try it!
Here are some fun facts about the new Shakeology flavor:

My PB2 and banana sandwich morning snack was soooo good! I might make another one tomorrow.

Ends up that you need some gel fire stuff to keep the fondue pot hot and we didn't have that. We also weren't planning on eating a TON of chocolate...so we just decided to warm up some chocolate in a regular bowl for dipping. We still used the pokey things and super cute valentine plates!!

Menu:
pineapple
strawberries
16 discs of melting chocolate
(16 discs = 210 calories/2 = 105 calories for each of us...not too bad.)

I put the chocolate in the microwave for 1 minute, stirred, and did 30 more seconds. Then we dipped our fruit & enjoyed the fondue!

Obviously we REALLY enjoyed it!

We had a wonderful little celebration. Remember to love yourself & each other every day!

Prep for Valentine's Day!

Tomrorow is Valentine's Day!! <3


Last week, I noticed that our fondue pot is STILL in the closet and has not been opened...We decided to try out our it for the first time TOMORROW!!!

The Gracious Pantry posted about Clean-Eating Valentine's Day foods! I am gonna use the fondue recipe and change a few things to make my own. I bought pineapple and strawberries and chocolate!! I'm excited!


Check out the other delicious ideas here: 
http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-valentines-day/


Valentine's Day Food:


Breakfast:
Shakeology with strawberries :)


First snack: 
2 slices of Ezekiel Bread, 2 tbsp chocolate PB2 mixed with 1 tbsp water, 1 banana (sliced)

YUMM! Thanks Mom for the idea! Haven't had one of these in awhile.


Lunch: 
Boca Burger, veggies, roasted garlic & herb spice

2nd snack:
string cheese, almonds

Hmmm...I might pack another snack just in case....I love snacks.


Dinner:
We are going to have a GIANT salad...lots of romaine lettuce, avocado, tomatoes, chicken sausage, cheese. Then we will have our FONDUE!! yayyy!! I will be sure to take pics :)


Happy Valentine's Day Eve! <3

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos

I am overly excited about having a blog and posting recipes!! So here you go...two recipes in one day!


Tonight for dinner we had Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos. They are SO simple to make & delicious!


Ingredients: (makes 2 servings)
1 large sweet potato
cumin
chili powder
honey mustard
1 can of black beans
grated cheese
2 tortillas

I like to microwave the sweet potato b/c it's faster then baking. First, poke holes in the potato. Then pop it in the microwave for 5 minutes. Flip it over and microwave the other side for 5 minutes.


While the sweet potato is cooking, rinse the can of black beans.

Also, mix the honey mustard, cumin, and chili powder in a smaller bowl. This will be used as the sauce.

I had to make sure I got a pic of my cute cow bowls :) I love them!! Muggs said that nobody would care about the bowls...but I had to disagree. Cute bowls make cooking dinner even more fun!


Then carefully peel the skin off and put it in a mixing bowl. I don't like to do this part because its super hot. So be careful ;)

Mash the sweet potato with a fork.

Add the black beans to the bowl. Add the sauce and stir.

Once it is all mixed in, you are ready to put it on the tortilla. I like to add the cheese first so it can get all melty and delicious.

Top it with the sweet potato and bean mixture.


Wrap it up...

and EAT!!! :)




Notes: 

• We like to use Ole Tomato and Basil Tortillas. We buy them at Sam's club. They are super yummy and it's only 68 calories.
• We don't really measure the mustard or spices...Just take a taste of it and add more to your liking.
• This recipe made 2 servings for us. I use www.loseit.com to track my calories. When I added this into LoseIt, it was approximately 335 calories per serving.

Butternut Squash

I love taking pictures & I love food!!

Last week we made this Butternut Squash recipe. I decided to take pictures along the way so that I could attempt to do a recipe blog and share the delicious recipe with you.

Ingredients:

butternut squash

1/2 of an onion

spinach

goat cheese

cayenne pepper

italian seasoning

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Cut butternut squash in half and remove the seeds.

(I'm dangerous with knives, so I microwaved the squash for a few minutes to soften it up before cutting it in half.)

Place the butternut squash onto a cookie sheet and bake until soft. 

We baked it for about 25 minutes and it was not done. We attempted to scoop it out anyways because I was STARVING...but it didn't work. So I would recommend baking it for about 45 minutes. (???) I guess you just have to try out what works for you. It still tastes delicious if it isn't soft...but it's better if it is cooked a little longer.

While the squash is cooking and almost ready... you can start getting the other ingredients together.

Cut the onion in half. I saved one half of the onion in the fridge for another recipe. 

Put the onion in a pan and start cooking. Add cayenne pepper and italian seasoning. I didn't measure them, I just eyed up what I thought would taste good. I don't like things too spicy...but the cayenne gives the recipe a nice little kick.

Once the onion is starting to cook, throw in a few handfuls of spinach.

Remove the butternut squash from the oven. Allow it to cool a little bit. Scoop the squash out of the skin and into a bowl. Add the spinach and onion mixture to the squash. Top with goat cheese. (I LOVEEE goat cheese!!)

                                                   

Your dinner is ready!! Eat & enjoy!! :)

Let me know how you like it!! 

I wonder what other recipes I could try with butternut squash...Any ideas?