Delicious Pad Thai

This is the only Pad Thai Recipe I have ever made and that is okay with me because it tastes so good that I really don't need to try anything else! It has fresh delicious flavors and is completely vegan! I have really been starting to make more vegetarian meals during the week and this is one that is quick and easy to put together and tastes great! Enjoy! This recipe serves 4 so I usually halve the recipe to feed just me and my husband! 

Recipe: 

8 oz. Brown Rice Noodles (In Asian food section) 

4 TBS Brown Sugar 

3 TBS Fresh Lime Juice 

4 TBS Soy Sauce 

2 tsp Canola Oil 

3 Scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced 

1 Garlic Clove, minced 

1 Bunch Broccoli, steamed and florets cut 

1/2 Cup Fresh Cilantro 

1/4 Cup roasted peanuts

Cook Noodles, Drain 

Whisk Brown Sugar, Lime Juice, and Soy Sauce 

Cook scallions and garlic in heated skillet with canola oil, stir constant until fragrant 

Add Broccoli and noodles and soy sauce mix to the skillet, cook until coated with sauce

Serve topped with cilantro and peanuts. 

Amazing At-Home Work Out

Hello! Okay, I know I have been seriously MIA for the last...um...month...but, I am back with a great work out post! This work out really gets your blood flowing and your body sweating! All you need is some hand weights, a stability ball, and a space to work out! It took me about 30 minutes to get through and I think this work out is going to go into my rotation of work outs I do weekly! If you do this work out, let me know how you liked it! Exercise give you energy and it really is the perfect way to start the day!!!

Work out:

5 minute warm up (jogging, jumping jacks)
30 walking lunges
1 minute plank hold
30 sec. right plank hold
30 sec. left plank hold
20 plie jumps
15 straight leg deadlifts (use a heavy weight)
20 squats
25 crunches on stability ball
30 walking lunges
15 fire hydrants (each leg)
15 fire hydrants with kick (each leg)
15 rock star jumps
25 stability ball crunches
15 stability ball hamstring curls
15 frog lifts on stability ball (for your booty)
15 each leg donkey kicks with weights
25 crunches on stability ball
30 sec wall sit
50 bicycle crunches

If you are unsure of any of these moves, you can always look them up on youtube for a quick visual! Play some music and set 30 minutes aside for yourself today to do this! You will feel energetic and amazing : )

Easy Chicken Fajitas

This is a great meal that is fast, easy and great for trying to beat the summer heat! If you are looking for more meals that don't require you to turn your oven on, you are in luck! This meal is delicious and can be cooked on an indoor or outdoor grill, or even a skillet! I served this with a Simple Mexican Rice recipe (will post soon) and it was the perfect meal! The chicken marinates for hours so you can throw it all together the night before or early in the morning to be ready for dinner! Make this amazing meal before the Summer runs out! You will be happy you did! 


Marinade: 
1/4 Cup Lime Juice (from fresh limes is best!) 
1/3 Cup Water 
2 T Canola or Vegetable Oil 
2 Cloves of Garlic, Minced 
3 tsp Vinegar 
2 tsp Soy Sauce 
1 tsp liquid smoke (found in the BBQ section- I omitted this) 
1 tsp salt 
1/2 tsp chili powder 
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (I omitted because I had none on hand) 
1/4 tsp pepper 
1/4 tsp onion 


Mix all the ingredients together and place in a bag, place chicken breasts in the marinade and let sit in fridge for at least 4 hours, but preferably longer.  Reserve a little marinade in a separate container to splash on to peppers and onions while cooking. 


You will also need: 
A few chicken breasts (depends on how many people you are serving) 
Peppers ( I used Red and Yellow Bell) 
Onion 
Tortillas 
Toppings of Choice (sour cream, cheese, lettuce) 

Once you are ready to start cooking, Heat a grill or skillet and then cook chicken until done, cut into strips. Coat peppers and onions with EVOO and leftover marinade (if you have any) and grill for a few minutes until lightly charred. Heat tortillas on the grill or in the microwave and enjoy! 

slightly adapted from: http://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/fabulous-fajitas/

Eating Right and Working out after Vacation!

Well, after taking a week off from working out, lets just say I NEEDED a few good work outs yesterday and today! Also, these last couple days being home I am trying to "cleanse" my body from all the unhealthy foods I ate while on vacation! One of the first things I did after getting home is went grocery shopping and bought tons of fruits and veggies and healthy things to eat this week!  I know you have probably heard this before, but working out really is a love/hate relationship! I love how I feel after, but I hate having to actually do it and I hate the burn I feel while doing it! Sometimes I really just need that extra push to get going and start a workout and then once I am done, I feel so good for getting it done! So yesterday I ended up taking a SPIN class with a few friends and it was just what I needed! A great tough work out that made me sweat it up! It felt great. Today, I am trying something new, Pilates! I have never done a Pilates class, and I know they can be quite expensive, so I found a website online that I really like! You can do all the different Pilates classes right in your living room on your laptop for free! I did the 30 minute Pilates for Beginners video today and I really enjoyed it! I have a feeling my legs will burn tomorrow! After just working out for 2 days after my break, I feel better, have more energy, and don't feel so sluggish! I really need to get back in a routine of working out everyday and working out hard! It really does make my day so much better! Now, I am off to finish up my work out by doing some treadmill intervals and then off to run errands today!

http://www.blogilates.com/workoutindex  ( The link to Pilates Work outs online)

Here are a few meal ideas if you are trying to detox from a junk food filled weekend or vacation. These foods are really helping me feel better!

Breakfast:

• Kashi Go Lean Cereal with Fat- Free Milk 
• 2 Slices Whole Wheat Toast with Almond Butter 
• Whole Wheat Toast with Peanut Butter and Banana and Chia Seeds (optional) 
• 1 Whole Wheat Slice of Toast with 1 Drippy Egg and a Piece of Fruit 
• Fruit and Spinach Smoothie

Lunch: 

• Salad- with chopped celery, carrots, cucumber, peppers and light dressing (or homemade!) 
• Veggie Wrap with Hummus and a Side of Fruit 
• Fruit and Spinach Smoothie with Protein Powder 
• A Piece of Trader Joes or Other Naan or Flatbread with Chopped Veggies - drizzle with EVOO, Sprinkle S&P and Cheese and Broil a few minutes 
• Spinach and Egg White Omelet with a  Greek yogurt and fruit parfait

Dinner 

• Grilled Chicken Salad with Veggies and Light Dressing 
• Veggie Stuffed Spaghetti Squash ( Recipe to come) 
• Homemade Veggie Thin Crust Whole Wheat Pizza 
• Turkey Burgers with Homemade Whole Wheat Buns and Homemade Baked Fries

Tips for cleansing after a junk food filled weekend or vacation: 

*Eat lots of Veggies, Drink tons of water, No snacking or salty foods for a while until your body feels better, Take Fiber in your water or smoothies, Try to eat as clean as possible and less processed foods! 

Vanilla Caramel Popcorn

After a week off for vacation, I am back! Sorry to leave you hanging for so long. I wanted to start back up with a tasty snack recipe that I absolutely love! I apologize in advance for everyone who is dying from a heat stroke and won't even dare to turn on your oven to make this, but just bookmark it for cooler weather! 

I tried this caramel corn recipe a few months back and I really enjoyed the results! It was crunchy, sweet and had a really tasty flavor! It makes quite a bit of popcorn, so I suggest you bring it to a party or at least give some of it away so you don’t have it sitting in your cupboards to munch on throughout the day. It is a great snack to have during a movie night or anything like that! I will continue my search for more versions of caramel corn because I absolutely love this snack, but I think this recipe will be my go-to for a fairly simple and delicious version of the treat! Enjoy!

8-10 Cups popcorn, unsalted or salted lightly (about 5-6 TBS of kernels)
1 Cup light brown sugar
1/2 Cup light corn syrup
2 tsp molasses
1TBS butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 TBS vanilla

Pop corn and let cool. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with lightly greased foil. Preheat oven to 250F. Place large bowl in oven to warm while making the caramel.
In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, molasses and butter; bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook until the mixture reaches 250F. You can use a candy thermometer to double check. This will take 2 to 3 minutes.
In the meantime, transfer popcorn to now-warm glass bowl (you may need two bowls so you can thoroughly stir the popcorn)
Remove caramel from the heat and immediately stir in salt, baking soda and vanilla. Pour the mixture over the popcorn, stirring until most of the kernels are coated. Pour popcorn onto baking sheet and spread out into an even layer.
Bake popcorn for 1 hour, stirring (and if necessary, spreading out) every 15-20 minutes.
Let cool and break into pieces. Store in an airtight container

Original post : http://bakingbites.com/2005/03/vanilla-caramel-popcorn/

Healthy "Ice Cream"

This recipe is amazing, EASY, fast, and healthy! I don't really know who discovered this, but they are genius! I literally crave ice cream almost every day and I would eat it every day if it was actually good for me, but this "ice cream" recipe IS good for you! The best part about this, is you don't have to feel guilty about getting your ice cream fix! Interested!?!?!? Okay, here is what you need: 

1 1/2 Frozen Bananas (to serve one person) 

ummm.....THAT'S IT!!! okay, well that could be it...but, I like to jazz it up a bit! Basically, when you blend a frozen banana in a food processor or magic bullet for a few minutes, it turns into an ice cream consistency delicious treat! You can add things to the banana to make it more flavorful, my favorite add-ins are peanut butter and a little milk! I have not tried doing this in a blender, so I can not say if it works or not, but go ahead and give it a try if you want! The worst that could happen is you would end up making a banana smoothie...I could live with that! So, what you want to do is make sure your bananas are frozen completely...I buy a bundle of bananas, peel them and freeze them in a freezer bag so I have some on hand at all times. Then, you chop up the frozen banana into smaller pieces(to fit in my magic bullet) and blend until it is the consistency of ice cream- you may have to stop it and scrape down the sides a few times too! I know this method works better in a food processor, so if you have one, USE IT! Like I said before, add in peanut butter, milk, chocolate milk, or whatever your heart desires! This is a great snack to feed to your kids too- just don't tell them it's not really ice cream, they won't know the difference! Enjoy! 

Peanut Butter Banana "Ice Cream" 

I blended a few raspberries in my with banana this time! Added some chocolate drizzle and gobbled it up!

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Bread

Homemade fresh baked bread is such a delicious thing to have around your home! Homemade bread is probably one of my favorite things to make and it is just SO much better than store-bought bread! Making yeast breads is a little tricky at first, and I have definitely had my share of "failed attempts", but it is so worth it once you get the hang of it! My bread definitely does not come out perfect every time, but I believe this recipe is just so fool-proof and delicious! I have used homemade bread as a delicious breakfast, topped with jam or peanut butter and I have used it for grilled cheeses- AMAZING! The sandwiches are thick and hearty! You could also use it for french toast, dip it in Olive Oil and Vinegar, or you could slice it and freeze for whenever you want a tasty slice of bread! Bread freezes very well and it tastes practically fresh if frozen properly and thawed! I do love sweet bread like banana, chocolate chip or coconut bread but this whole wheat oatmeal bread is one of my favorite yeast bread recipes! An extra bonus is that while baking this bread your house will smell delicious! 

Recipe: 

Makes 1 large loaf 

1 Cup water
1 Cup milk
1 TBS active dry yeast (found by baking powder in baking aisle)
1 TBS honey
2 TBS molasses
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups bread flour
1 cup rolled oats (not all purpose flour- you can find this next to flours in baking aisle)
4 TBS unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 TBS kosher salt
Additional oats for topping the loaf (optional)

Directions: 

Lightly grease or butter a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan.

1. Heat the milk and water in a glass measuring cup in the microwave until warm but not too hot, about 115 degrees if you have a thermometer. Combine the water, milk, yeast, honey and molasses in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.  Let stand 5 minutes until the mixture bubbles, to make sure your yeast is good. If your mixture does not bubble, your yeast is probably not fresh. 

2. Add the flours, oats, melted butter and salt to the mixing bowl with the liquid. Knead for 6 minutes on medium speed.  The dough should climb the dough hook and slap around the sides of the bowl without sticking. If your dough is sticking to the sides too much, add a TBS of flour at a time to get it to not stick. 

3. Cover the bowl with a towel and place in a warm area to rise for an hour, or until doubled in size.  If you are not sure if it is ready, gently poke the dough.  If it springs back, the dough needs to proof longer.  If a dimple remains, it’s ready. (I usually heat my oven to the lowest setting and then place the covered bowl on the counter next to the oven to make sure that it is warm enough to rise)

4. To shape the loaf, transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface.  Shape into a square, then grab the top and bottom edges and fold together towards the center, meeting the edges in the middle.  Pinch the seam and sides, sealing with your fingers.  Roll the dough back and forth, into an even log and about the size of your bread pan. Gently place the dough into your bread pan, seam side down. Press the dough gently into the corners of the bread pan.

5. Cover the loaf with a towel and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.  It will puff up over the edges of the pan.When the loaf is ready to be baked, Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush the top of the loaf with water and then sprinkle the oats on top of the bread.  Bake for about 40 minutes, rotating halfway through. The bread is done baking when the crust is dark golden brown. Remove the loaf from the oven and let it cool in the pan on a wire rack. Remove the loaf from the pan and let it cool completely before slicing. After it is cooled completely, you can slice it and place in a freezer bag to use for later use! 

originally from: http://whiteonricecouple.com/recipes/wheat-oatmeal-sandwich-bread/