Tropical fruit bowl+homemade veggie pizzas.

Last weekend my sweet friend Chevy and cuzzo Alex came to Fl!! It was really a good, chill time. We pretty much spent our time at the beach, and even woke up early one morning to catch the sunrise. And thanks to Chev, I found out about this Asian Int'l market not too far from NSB!! And I can't forget to mention her and Alex discovered a really nice farmers market just a few miles down the road! I haven't put in enough effort lately to explore what's around here, but so glad to know there are some things around this small town. With all that said, I really admire their healthy eating. D and I have been making much healthier meals lately, but I won't lie...we still do have a couple cheat days here and there;) And after learning some new fun recipes, I  definitely feel motivated again. &That mango fruit bowl pictured above...is simply hands down one of my new faves. Sadly, I forgot the name of the fruit that's in there with the mangos. But the inside of its shell did taste just like a grape! And the pizza, well that's one of our favorite foods. So of course, we were looking forward to making this thing from scratch. It was tons of fun +some work. The best part was well, the eating part. Pretty darn good. The cheese melted off quite a bit but it was still worth it. So yup, lots of flour flying around and arm work involved for that one. I don't have all the steps memorized, I just know we had to get the flour into a ball and then roll, lol. There were other foods we tried last weekend, from vegan mac and cheese to a really delish kale salad. Chevy I hope your reading this...do the universe a favor please and go make a fooood blog!!!!

sending ya lots of love, xoxo!

:)

And on to the homemade pizzas....

Goin' Green.

 

Yesterday we officially began our smoothie green challenge! I have to say, I've tried a couple of them before last summer and just wasn't a fan. Mostly because all I could taste were all the carrots and other veggies added in. But this time around, its all about the fruity blends, baby. It's only been a couple of days of the challenge [Besides maybe needing a slightly bigger blender] I'm loving it. Yesterday we made a mango, kale smoothie which definitely is a must try. I added in 1 cup of orange juice, plain greek yogurt , 1 cup of frozen sliced mangos, mixed frozen berries, mix of chia- flax seeds, and a handful of kale. Btw, kale has so many great benefits for our bodies, it should be everyone's best friend. It's loaded with powerful antioxidants, helps lower cholesterol, its an awesome source of vitamin c and so much more. This morning, strawberry- raspberry annnd banana sounded kinda good. I'll cut right to it..

• I used half of a banana (frozen)
• Frozen raspberries about 3/4 (mixed berries would be good too)
• 1 cup of almond- coconut milk
• Handful of cucumbers (cucumbers are great for your skin, keeps you hydrated, flushes out toxins and more)
• 1 cup of Kale
• Handful of sliced strawberries
• Plain greek yogurt (any amount should be fine, whichever you prefer)
• Flax/chia seeds are optional as well

Throw it in the blender and WaLa! You've got yourself an energizing morning booster ! ♡

                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Raspberry + Banana Smoothie Bowl.

Sweet, nutritious, energizing and filling all in one bowl!
After a good workout, or even for a mid afternoon snack, I love throwing together a fruit filling protein shake. Today, I preferred something with a mix of granola, fruity and of course some protein. I could have easily just mixed something up with my favorite strawberry yogurt. But I've been wanting to try this smoothie bowl for some time now from @Sarah_Ingram...thank you! This is definitely filling, nutritious and of course satisfying for those taste buds. (&the best part? It's quick to make!) The trick is adding as little milk as possible to incorporate all of the ingredients, and the fruit needs to be frozen.  (Although, I kinda cheated on that part, once I mixed it in the blender..I let it sit in the freezer for later..still delicious!). It can be made even the night before, for the perfect on the go breakfast!
:)

Ingredients

 1/2 banana - frozen

3/4 cup raspberries - frozen

1/2 cup pineapple - frozen (crushed pineapples works also!)

1/3 cup plain or greek yogurt ( I used strawberry yoplait)

shot of milk/almond milk (enough to blend frozen ingredients)

* 1/2 tbs chia seeds  (optional)

Blend until creamy, about 1 minute.  

 *Top the frozen mixture with  whatever you like! Shredded coconut, granola, or whole (unfrozen) strawberry slices. &Indulge! 

♡♡

{Zucchini-Ziti}

So, what's for dinner tonight?

  This is the question we always seem to ask ourselves or relatives, right? I wanted to get a head start today and well, not have to do much cookin' either. There's been a ton of zucchini lately in the fridge.So I went online and searched for {crock pot} zucchini recipes and came across a good one, with the least ingredients. Only thing missing from the fridge was marinara sauce..but thankfully tomatoes saved the day. There's some awesome homemade marinara recipes on pinterest, so that also helped. & I love that my lil Ej loves helping out in the kitchen! He helped lay out all the necessary ingredients annnd surprisingly... he wanted me to snap a few pics of him too :) We easily tossed everything in the crock pot and it was a wrap!

Putting this together only takes a few minutes! Took me a bit longer since we were out of sauce, and needed to cut up some veggies.But so glad I was able to try a homemade marinara sauce+it's healthier!
Once again, thanks Pinterest!
Homemade marinara:

• 6 small tomatoes, the riper the better (or 3 large tomatoes)
• 1 jalapeño pepper, add a little more if you like it spicy (I skipped this one today)
• 1 carrot 
• 1 celery stalk
• a large handful of fresh basil leaves  (used basil seasoning)
• 1 tablespoon of apple cidar vinegar (or a juiced lime)
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• dried mixed herbs
• salt
• pepper

Start by chopping the veg – the carrot needs to be peeled and chopped in half before slicing it. Then chop the celery into fine slices, the tomatoes into quarters, the red pepper into bite size chunks and the jalapeño into tiny squares – both the pepper and jalapeño need to be de-seeded first though.

Zucchini- Ziti Ingredients:

1 (25 oz.) jar marinara (no sugar added)

3 cups (uncooked) whole grain ziti shells, optional penne

2 cups fat-free cottage cheese

2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 large zucchini (1/4” slices)

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

kosher or sea salt to taste

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Directions: 

In a medium bowl combine the cottage cheese, mozzarella, and spices. Add one cup marinara to bottom of the slow cooker. Combine (uncooked) pasta shells with remaining marinara. Layer pasta coated marinara, zucchini, and cheese mixture until all ingredients have been used. Cheese should be the last ingredient added.

Cover and cook on low for two hours, or until pasta is al dente. Recommend using a 5 to 7 quart slow cooker.

Lastly, ENJOY!

:)

Healthy {gluten+ grain-free} Holiday Cookies...say whaaat??!

  This time of the year is about being with your loved ones,watching those classic and hilarious Christmas movies, sipping on hot cocoa and of course baking all the good, sweet stuff. It's always been a favorite time for our family. So, of course I was browsing online for some quick cookie recipes. I wasn't planning on making any tonight, considering we're having our baking/cookie night mañana. But, this recipe looked so simple and yet looked oh, so great. My taste buds decided to give in, so I searched for whatever was already in the pantry. Surprisingly, all the ingredients were there! This literally made me so happy. My younger sis Kayla saw me getting everything out, and she already knew, so she happily joined in. She did most of this, i'm so proud! And the best part about all of it? There's no sugar, or any of that extra unhealthy stuff added. It's gluten,and grain- free! We used Almond flour, almond milk, and also raw honey, which gave it a pinch of sweet flavor. This is definitely a delish, healthy- alternative cookie recipe, everyone should try. Also, you can add whatever jam you like (we used apple since we were out of strawberry jam), i'm positive you,your fam (annnd that sweet tooth) won't be disappointed. 

                                                                                                   ♡♡

&No we didn't take branches off from the xmas tree, nothing wrong with a little rosemary food decor right?  
:)

JAM THUMBPRINT COOKIES (PINTEREST RECIPE)

Makes a batch of 18 soft + chewy cookies.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups blanched almond flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/4 cup honey or agave
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened almond milk
• 2 tablespoons of blanched almond flour for finishing
• 2 tablespoons of your favorite jam

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine the first three dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. With a whisk mix it together well. Then add in the coconut oil, honey, vanilla and milk. With a spoon stir the batter until it forms a dough.

This dough will make 18 cookies. Divide it into 18 equal parts. Roll each part into a small ball and dip just one half of the ball into the almond flour that was set aside for finishing. Place the ball on the cookie sheet with the bare side down, meaning the side that was dipped in the almond flour should be facing up. Press the ball down leaving a small indentation in the center of the cookie.

Fill the indentation in the middle of the cookie with your favorite jam. (raspberry,strawberry, fig jams,etc). They’re delicious with any flavor!

Bake for 8 – 10 minutes. To prevent burning the bottoms I strongly recommend that you double up your baking sheets.

When the cookie come out of the oven their texture will still be quite soft, transfer them to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely. During the cooling process the cookies will become a little more firm, but still soft and chewy. Finish with a little sprinkle of almond flour. Then eat, gift and share these little babies right up!

Southern Style.

I got inspired today by Modern Wifestyle and wanted to try my own version of the 'Southern Style'. There's a ton of other ahh-mazing recipes on there, that i'm excited to try.  I just happened to be looking for the quickest finger food recipe and use whatever was in the fridge/pantry. Mondays:) I've always loved eating boiled eggs, and this definitely added a nice, delish mix. Dylan loved it so much he asked if I could throw this appetizer together again for Thanksgiving. :)

My toppings:

Mayo 

Small amount of mustard

Jamaican Style Curry Powder

Green Onions

Pinch of lemon Juice,salt+pepper

Thanks @ ModernWifestyle! If you love cooking, baking or your more of a coffee lover, be sure to check it out:)

HelloTuesday

 <<<

The highways were backed up today (even at 12pm) , so I decided to just take the backroads. Kinda happy I did. Since September, I've driven by this 'Star Provisions' place a dozen times. And once again, I was nearly driving past it. So today, Elijah and I finally stopped in for a visit. (was in desperate need for some caffeine/energy...errands/running around will do that, grocery shopping wasn't even in the picture today). Besides, I've been on the hunt for some new coffee shops nearby.  While walking up  to the shop, realization hit. I've seen this place before...on IG. I get these random pics on my feed based on other pics I've liked and with that, well it's helped me discover some pretty neat places. They even handed Elijah some fresh baked cookies.Not sure of the exact flavor or name for them. I just know every bite made this visit, oh so worth it. Did I mention the words FRESH, baked and cookies?? (This place is right next doors to the coffee shop ) .They had other things in there like subs, fresh breads, and yep even wine.There were some other cool looking cafes,boutiques + restaurants around, just didn't have much time to explore on this pretty Tuesday. But hey, glad I can add it on to my lists of favorite atl [COFFEE] spots. And note to self: remember to take pics of coffee,latte or whatever caffeine drink is in my hands, for the next..well, coffee post :)

All smiles here«

  ☕ ☕ ☕ 

This happens to other moms too, right?

I don't know what's been going on with me&Elijah's sleep routine,but today is the 3rd day in a row we've slept in till nearly 10:30ish. I plan on doing some grocery shopping today since we're out of breakfast stuff,lunch,etc. All we've been eating is healthy organic things mostly,not eating out much. Personally I feel better,more energized and even Dylan too. Today was opposite. [maybe this whole week so far] Figured we would drive down to the closest spot [Burger King] to grab something quick, thinking we'll get some breakfast. It was already over by the time we pulled up. Elijah wanted only some nuggets and chocolate milk.I didn't even think till after the fact to just go to the grocery store &buy some breakfast. [considering Publix is right next to us].I kinda feel like a bad mom today! I know it's not that serious,it's not a daily thing but still..Ugh.I'm bothered,LOL.Then after seeing donuts were nearby,I was all about it. So yeah,I gave in to the Krispy Kreme today.Lets hope lunch and dinner goes better:)

I'm probably posting too much about food.

                   

                    May 18, 2014

Thai food is just way too goood. We had fun checkin it out!(We got the red curry-mild,with rice,soup,salad and a couple of their shrimp appetizers.&All for under $30 bucks! *lunch special ). It’s called Papaya Thai Bistro&yeah of course I got a few pics..oh and their watermelon drink was pretty good,fruity&refreshing,something different. Ej approved:)