Almond Butter Berry Smoothie

It's December 6th... less then a month until California and only one more week of classes!

Last nights dinner was one of my favorites so I had to share... roasted brussel sprouts and tomatoes with salmon.

If you think you're not a fan of brussel sprouts, don't knock em' till you try them like this!

It is so simple to do. I chopped the brussel sprouts in half, tossed them with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and then spread them out on a cookie sheet.

I then popped them in a 375 degree oven for 30ish minutes. Half way through I added some sliced cherry tomatoes and let them roast with the brussel sprouts for the last 15 minutes.

I seasoned the salmon with some fresh lemon juice, and a bit of my favorite lemon pepper seasoning, and then stuck that in the 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Ta daaa!!

I was craving something sweet later so I threw together some frozen fruit that I had and ended up with an AMAZING smoothie. I have been buying a lot of frozen fruit lately because at this time of year the "fresh" fruit only lasts about a day until it starts getting moldy... yuck! Anyway, make this ASAP, you will love it!

Almond Butter Berry Smoothie 
-1 frozen banana
-1 handful of frozen raspberries
-1 handful of frozen blueberries
-1/2 cup low fat vanilla yogurt (I use Activia)
-A splash or two of coconut milk (or whatever type of milk your heart desires)
-2 spoonfuls of almond butter

Thick and Creamy! =) I may have taken a couple of bites of Cort's while he wasn't looking...

 

Lentil Loaf and a Cookie Dough Blizzard!

My go-to meal is without a doubt salmon, sweet potatoes and asparagus. It is simple, healthy, and easy for me to put together without too much fuss. However, I have been making that, or some combination of those ingredients a lot lately, and I have been wanting to step outside of the box and try something new. That is where the "lentil loaf" came in.

Lentils are absolutely amazing. I have them quite often and usually mix them together with quinoa and veggies for a protein packed meal, so I was excited when I came across this recipe on another blog for a glazed lentil walnut apple loaf . After going to Wegmans to grab a few ingredients I didn't have (onion, garlic, balsamic vinegar, and thyme), I followed her recipe exactly. It came out even better then I expected, it was SO delicious! Cort gave it a thumbs up and had two huge pieces. Somewhere between the sweetness of the raisins and apple and the crunch of the toasted walnuts I fell in love! The best part is that it is loaded with protein and fiber and low in fat unlike traditional meatloaf. I'll definitely be making this one again. 

Before and after baking, (the sauce on top is amazing)...

I also made some redskin mashed potatoes that Cort and I got at the farmers market downtown. Cort paired his loaf with these mashed potatoes and broccoli and I had mine with a piece of salmon and broccoli. (Notice Giada on the cover of Women's Health, she's my idol!)

Now, onto the real reason you are reading this...the homemade cookie dough blizzard. Oh my god. So delicious. The cookie dough is completely vegan, no butter, eggs or flour, yet it taste identical to typical cookie dough. I couldn't stop taking tiny bites of it while rolling it into little balls, it is so addicting! (The best part is that you can eat all you want without worrying about any raw egg). 

 

So, onto the recipe... (adapted from ohsheglows blog).

Cookie Dough Balls 

-1/2 cup unsalted cashews

-1/4 cup rolled oats

-1/4 cup coconut flour (you can use any type of flour you want though)

-1/2 tsp sea salt

-1.5 tbsp natural cane sugar

-1/2 tsp vanilla 

-4 tbsp pure maple syrup (or a bit more if dough is too dry)

-1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions: 

Put the cashews, oats, flour, and salt into a food processor and blend until ingredients are a fine crumble. Add everything else except the chocolate chips and blend for another minute. Add the chocolate chips and pulse a few times. 

Roll the dough into little balls and refrigerate while you make the ice cream. 

Vanilla Ice Cream

-2 large frozen bananas 

-1/2 tsp vanilla 

-1 tbsp almond butter (you can use peanut butter but I like to use almond butter because it gives it the creaminess without the strong flavor)

-a splash of coconut milk (or any type of milk you have)

-A handful of your cookie dough balls 

Directions

Blend until creamy and then add your cookie dough balls and pulse a few more times. Top with a few more cookie dough balls, (and maybe a dash of powdered peanut butter, I can't help myself), and ENJOY! 

           

 

Random Recap and a Smoothie Recipe!

This semester is flyin' by and I wish I had more time to blog, but it comes second to my work which seems never ending. I'm just counting down the days until Thanksgiving break, Cort and I are going to Florida with my family for Turkey Day, I can't wait!

So, since it has been over a month since my last post, I thought I would do a recap of meals/events/treats that I haven't been able to share with you guys!

 October is the month of birthday's for my family. My mom, dad, cousins, aunt, uncle, and Cort all have October birthday's so I was more than happy to go home and celebrate. We had a big party for everyone, which included plenty of sweets. My aunt brought a delicious cake from the Pennsylvania Bakery, and I baked some apple crisp that I have been craving since the beginning of fall.

I was also able to spend some time with my little bug! 

Is she not the cutest thing you've ever seen? Wiener dogs are the greatest. 

Some other meals I made included cashew butter oat pancakes with an egg and fresh berries on top. These were to die for, and they stuck with me all morning. Cashew butter is a great type of nut butter to use because the flavor isn't too strong but it still makes the pancakes really creamy and delicious.

Today was a pretty productive day. I've had the same pair of mizuno's since I ran my half marathon on my 17th Birthday. That makes them over 3 years old and believe me you could tell, they were literally falling apart. I have a weird connection to my sneakers though so I always wait as long as possible to get a new pair. So, today I finally gave in and got the new wave rider mizuno's I've had my eye on for a while. I broke them in on a 6 mile run... the weather was gorgeous and my new shoes felt like clouds on my feet! 

When I got back Cort and I went grocery shopping for some hamburger meat for him. He made himself two burgers with mushrooms and cooper sharp cheese on a whole wheat english muffin with a side of broccoli and roasted tomatoes. It looked so professional I had to share! Guys can eat healthy too!

I thought I would end this post with a simple recipe. I made this smoothie last night and it was BANGIN'. The best part, only 4 ingredients. 

Banana Peach Smoothie 

- 1 frozen banana

-A handful of frozen peach slices (you can buy bags of these at wegman's)

-2 tbsp of lowfat vanilla yogurt

-1 splash of coconut milk (or almond or regular milk)

Blend until thick and creamy and enjoy with a spoon! 

Goin' to Cali!

Happy Monday everyone...crazy how fast the weekend goes by!

Last week was so full of excitement I didn't get a chance to write on my blog...first of all, CORT AND I WERE ACCEPTED TO USC! I still can't believe I am moving to California in 3 months, but I could not be more excited!! The health and fitness industry is huge out there so it is such a great opportunity, I can't wait!

Our acceptance came at the perfect time, since my birthday was just 3 days later, the big 2-0! Cort baked me this delicious confetti cake and I had no problem taking down 2 enormous pieces. Yum!

In other news, some people have asked what I do for my workouts each week, and it pretty much looks like this...

Monday: 40-50 min run, box jumps, and 20 min of yoga
Tuesday: Crossfit!
Wednesday: Crossfit!
Thursday: A 1 hour workout of hill sprints, burpees, push ups, and squat jumps
Friday: 40-50 min run, 3 sets of 30 lunges, and 20 minutes of yoga
Saturday: Crossfit!
Sunday: OFF! =)

I go to Crossfit Nittany for my crossfit workouts. I was determined to find a good gym when I got to school and I was lucky to find this awesome crossfit gym with really intelligent and experienced trainers. They totally kick my butt and I am officially hooked!

After my run today I was starving and didn't feel like taking too much time to make dinner, so I decided to use the left over salmon from last night, and combine it with some quinoa and lentils, both of which only take 20 minutes to cook on the stove. It may look a little bland, but it was the perfect meal to fill me up... full of omega 3's, fiber, whole grains, and protein.

Yesterday my meals were much more exciting to look at so I had to share some pics. For lunch I had a big plate of cut up veggies, fruits, kale chips, and nuts. For dinner I made a fresh piece of baked cod over dark greens, zucchini, asparagus, and cherry tomatoes. Two really simple and delicious meals!

I bought a bag of organic frozen peach slices at Wegman's yesterday and I plan on making a fruit smoothie with those bad boys tonight, so I will let you know how it turns out! =)

"Peanut Butter Cup" Shake

Hey everyone!

I have a delicious new recipe for you. A 'healthified' peanut butter cup shake! It is a great snack to make after a workout, or for a guilt free treat when you are craving something sweet at night. It is so easy to make, there is no added sugar, and it is dairy free!

Peanut Butter Cup Shake

Ingredients:
-1 frozen banana (Peel and cut the banana before freezing!)
-1 spoonful of all natural almond butter (you can use peanut butter if you don't have almond butter)
-2 spoonfuls of powdered peanut butter
-1 spoonful of all natural unsweetened cocoa powder
-A splash or two of unsweetened coconut milk

Directions:
-Put everything into your food processor or blender and blend until smooth (but still thick!)
-Top with fresh berries and a sprinkle of powdered peanut butter and enjoy!

Florida!

Hey everybody!

I had the most amazing trip down to Florida, and I was seriously bummed about coming back today. Every time I go down I cannot get over the high quality of the food, beautiful weather, and happy people! It is just such an awesome place. We went to several really cool restaurants, but my favorite was (and always is) Christopher's Kitchen. My brother Mike works there so he always gives us the heads up on what to order, although pretty much everything on the menu is out of this world. It is a completely organic and vegan restaurant, and every single thing you order, whether it is an entree or a smoothie, comes out looking like a work of art. More importantly, don't think that just because it is a vegan restaurant you won't enjoy it. Cort and my mom are both steak lovers, yet they were licking their plates with me after our meal!

Cort and I went a total of four times over the past five days, and I miss it already! Here are a couple of pictures of our food...

How insanely delicious does that look? Why can't we have high quality food like this in Pennsylvania?!? A lot of times when you go out to restaurants to eat, you feel pretty full and sluggish afterwards, but I honestly felt great! 

Besides enjoying as much good food as possible, I also took time to enjoy the beach! I got up early everyday to get a good workout in, then spent the rest of the day with Cort and the fam!

Miss it already! Have a great week everyone! 

Fresh and Healthy Tuna Boats

Yesterday was such an awesome day... Cort, Ben, Bob, and KC were in the SPARTAN RACE! It was so fun to watch, especially since the guys killed everyone in their heat so congrats to them! Between watching that and the Crossfit games this weekend, I am definitely feeling bummed I didn't register to compete in anything this summer, so I'm looking for some good races to do this fall!

Now for the good stuff (food!)... I wanted to share one of my new favorite lunch/snack ideas with you guys, tuna boats!


I normally have a salad for lunch with some tuna on top, but today when I went to make lunch we were out of lettuce, so I thought I was out of luck! However, my mom recently bought some endive leaves for a recipe she was making, so I decided to use these little guys to make tuna boats! Endive leaves are great to use because they hold different fillings really well, and they are super crunchy. I topped three endive leaves with my tuna salad and some sliced tomatoes. I added some other cut veggies with some spinach hummus on the side to complete my lunch!


Tuna Salad Recipe:
-1 can of Bumble Bee Solid White Albacore Tuna (or any white tuna of your choice)
-1 tbsp of nonfat plain greek yogurt
-freshly squeezed juice from half of a lemon
-a bit of sea salt, pepper, and a sprinkling of onion salt

So light, colorful, and delicious!