Monday Funday

My husband and I have Sundays and Mondays off, rather than the traditional weekend.  Yesterday I was lucky enough to spend the day with my bestie for an early birthday celebration that consisted of going to dinner and getting massages.  Yes, I let myself eat what I wanted yesterday, because it was for a special occasion.  I didn't go crazy, but I'm more than certain that what I ate for dinner was highly processed.  Back to normal today. :)

I like to cook things for the week on my days off when I have the time to do so.  Today I am making Black Bean Cupcakes with Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting.  Sounds dangerously high in calories (and probably odd if you've never made a dessert from Black beans) doesn't it?  It isn't!  

[Starting with this recipe and going forward I will be posting nutrition information for each recipe so those that are counting calories or just want to know the calorie information will have it.  If you have never tried a Black Bean brownie or muffin before, you should.]  It doesn't taste like beans at all!  You won't even notice they are there, plus there is added protein in these chocolately delights.  I have made plain chocolate Black Bean brownies in the past, but after seeing a recipe for "muffins" I decided to take it to the next level and create my own twist on Black Bean Cupcakes.   You can modify some of the ingredients as needed, and I have listed some substitutions if you do not want to use exactly what I did.  The recipe is located in the Dessert Ideas and Recipes tab. :)

Black Bean Cupcakes with Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting

I also tried a new recipe for dinner, Citrus Ginger Chicken Thighs with Green Beans and Bulgur:

This recipe was definitely a winner.  I created my own flavors based off of a recipe I found while browsing online a few days ago.  Bulgur is a really great whole grain alternative to rice.  You can basically make it taste like anything you want, and I cooked mine in a mixture of (canned) light coconut milk and chicken broth with basil.  YUM.  The full recipe is in the Dinner Ideas and Recipes tab. :)

Last, but not least, I tried a new bread recipe.  I am looking into different baked good ideas to give with my annual Christmas gift baskets for family and friends.  This bread is very delicious, healthy and can be modified for people who are vegan or may have gluten allergies.  Berry Banana Bread:

Seriously delicious.  You can substitute the berries I used (blackberries, blueberries) for whatever kind of berry you like.  I am going to try this with strawberries next time.  You can also use frozen, unsweetened berries if you can't find the fresh berries you like in your grocery store.  Whole grain bread with no oil or eggs.  It turned out sweet, tart, moist and delicious.

As you can probably tell, I thoroughly enjoyed my day off. :)  I can't wait to share my baked goodies with some of my classmates tomorrow!

The joys of ordering online

So I was searching different websites online to try and find the best deal on certain products that are hard to find.  I also wanted to find better prices on things I buy in bulk at the store, as many websites offer the same brands at lower prices than my local co-op.  I stumbled across a website: www.vitacost.com and I feel like I hit the jackpot of health stores online!  I really thought I was getting the best deal from amazon, but after lots of searching, I found the brands I like and the things I needed for much cheaper on vitacost.  I placed my first order, which I received today, and I have a second order of things coming in next week.  I spent about half of what I would have if I would've purchased these items at my local co-op.  Check out my loot:

- 1 bag Made in Nature brand tree ripened dried plums (unsulfured)

- 2 bags Made in Nature brand tree ripened dried apricots (unsulfured)

- 1 12oz bag of Best of All brand organic raw unsalted pumpkin seeds

- 2 10oz bags Sunspire brand Vegan Carob Chips

- 1 16oz bag of Frontier Co-op Fair Trade Organic Cacao Nibs (these were such a great price!!)

- 1 bag Bob's Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten (I did not add it in this picture because it leaked a bit inside the     ziplock bag in came in and didn't want to risk it spilling)  I cannot find this at any of my local stores.  I paid about $6.00 less for it than amazon was selling it for, which made the deal even sweeter.

I decided to get both cacao nibs and carob chips to experiment different recipes with because I know they are both great milk chocolate substitutes and both healthier options (as long as no one eats the entire bag, of course).  I also purchased a bottle of multi vitamins (180 count) for $10.00.  6 months of vitamins for $10.00?  Yes please!  They are Nature Made brand, which is the brand I currently take, but paid almost twice the price for less vitamins at my local store.  All in all, saved some cash and have necessary ingredients for snacks. :)


On a side note, I worked out a little too hard over the past few days.  I started weight training the other day, and yesterday I was only "a little sore" so I decided to do cardio, but it involved my "only a little sore" arms.  I can barely raise my arms today and am definitely paying for it..I am in a lot of pain , but with the help of my trusty Tiger Balm and Ibuprofen, I'm making it through the day.  I'm letting myself rest today, even though I actually want to go to the gym.  Boo for strained muscles.  Yay for the weekend! :)

Happy Friday!

I will (hopefully) be posting daily, with anything new and interesting I find as well as what I eat and any recipes associated with the food I have each day.  I have lots of new recipes to try out and will definitely share them!  I appreciate any feedback, and if you have any questions at all, please ask!  If you have any recipes you would like to share, please do so as I love to try out new delicious things. :)


I typically try to change things up when I can as far as my breakfast goes.  I am currently a full time Nursing student, so I don't always have the time to cook breakfast.  On the days I have classes, I typically choose something fast and easy like yogurt and cereal/granola or a protein shake.  Today, I decided to have this lovely green shake.  I use a powder called Rockin' Wellness.  It is pricey, but it is worth it.  It is made of all natural, plant based nutrients.  It is also vegan, and contains a lot of Omegas.  It is recommended that you mix it with any non-animal milk (almond, coconut, etc), but if I have this for breakfast, I usually add it to non-homogenized whole cow's milk, aka Cream Top Milk for added protein.  After bariatric surgery, patients have a higher protein need than someone with a normal stomach.  If I am drinking a 8oz shake for post-workouts, I use unsweetened vanilla almond milk.  If you haven't tried Cream Top milk before and you can find it locally, you should try it!  It has a lighter taste than traditional, homogenized milk and the kind I buy is from a local farm with grass-fed cows.  It is a bit pricier than regular milk, but if I return the glass bottle, I get a deposit, as well as a discount at my local co-op on member days.  They also usually have a lower price on this particular milk for members as well.  Eating whole, non processed food can be expensive and I like to save money just as much as the next person, which is why I joined my local co-op.  I typically will spend more on animal products (meats, butters, cheese and milk) and spend less by buying non-perishables in bulk or online because they are much cheaper.

Anyways...back to today's breakfast :)  I had this lovely concoction, which contained lots of healthy goodies.

It contained 2 scoops of Rockin' Wellness, 1 TBSP Nutribullet Superfood powder, 5 leaves of Dinosaur Kale, 1 banana, 16 oz Whole Cream Top Milk, 1 TBSP Hemp Seeds (I love hemp seeds in shakes, delicious!!), and 1 cup of ice.  Yum.  It is chocolately and really good, it definitely satisfies my sweet tooth and I feel no guilt drinking it because it has so many things in it that are truly nourishing for your body.  It also really helps out with energy in the mornings.  It also keeps me feeling satisfied for hours..I had my shake around 11am and did not have "lunch" until 5pm.  My husband works late so we usually don't have dinner until 9 or 10pm depending on the day of the week.

For Lunch, I decided to pick something up from the store while I was grocery shopping...I love my local co-op for many reasons, but a big reason why I love them so much is because they have an array of fresh, daily made foods that are ready to just take home and cook if I am too busy/tired/lazy to make dinner.  They list all of the ingredients of what they put into the food and let you know where the food came from.  I picked up a few fresh veggie-grain burgers and some freshly made spinach dip.  The dip was...amazing, to say the least. 4 ingredients: spinach, artichokes, feta and lemon juice, blended up into a splendor of flavor.  The veggie burger was placed on a low carb whole grain tortilla with 1 oz of Gouda and two tomato slices.  I had 1/4 c of the dip with English cucumber slices and 2 celery stalks.  I couldn't finish all of my veggies and dip (even though I wanted to, that dip is effing delicious.) because of the veggie burger that was so good I had to try really hard not to stuff it all in my face at once.  My lunch was packed with protein, whole grains, and veggies.  Yet another very tasty, healthy meal with no junk, and it took less than 5 minutes to put together.

I also have challenged myself to train for a 5k (not a specific 5k but I would like to be able to jog one someday), which I started this week.  It is 3 days per week following the Couch to 5k program, and I also am doing a 100 mile walk/jog challenge.  I am basically keeping track of the miles I walk each week, and I would like to get in 100 miles in over the next few months.  I also lift weights but only do that a few times a week.  Today, I walked 3 miles at a brisk 3.5 - 4mph pace (I walk in different intervals of speed), which means so far this week I have done 10 miles.  Feels so good to be back on track!

Happy Friday!