Too Sexy for My… February 3, 2011

…sexy spice! What’s up, loves? It’s been a fun day for food around here!

Breakfast: I’m a Real Simple kind of girl, and this month they had a special section on smoothies. My goal is to make all 10 by the end of the month. Today’s breakfast…a take on their Banana-Cashew Smoothie.

In my mix:

• 1/4 cup raw soaked pistachios
• 1 cup ice
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 1 tablespoon light agave syrup

Directions

1. Place ½ cup water and the cashews in a blender.
2. Cover and refrigerate until the cashews have softened, at least 6 hours (and up to overnight). (I keep soaked nuts and frozen bananas on hand for just this occasion 😉 )
3. Add the ice, banana, and agave syrup.
4. Blend until smooth and frothy
5. Top with raw old-fashioned oats, 1/2 sliced nanner, and peanut flour “butter.”

It wasn’t super filling and needed some sexy spice 😉 Next time, I’ll add sexy spice.

After a lot of studying and practicing for Zumba, my rumbly tumbly was ready for some lunch! And it was a BEAST of a lunch…

… organic mixed greens, steamed Brussels sprouts, sliced baby carrots, butternut squash (cold, I know it’s weird, but I like the texture in my salad), edamame, original tahini hummus, and 3 pieces of celery. WOW!!!!

Lunch dessert: a Ball of Energy over a cup or so of grapes that I topped with sexy spice! I’ve never put sexy spice on grapes before, but I didn’t hate it!

I have been so hungry all day! Snack time brought yet another Real Simple smoothie…the Kale-Apple Smoothie and the other half of the apple I used with some almond butter.

I’ve been wanting to try this combo for a while, and it didn’t disappoint! Aren’t the colors of these smoothies so fun?! It’s like magic when you press ‘Blend.’

My Take on This One:

• 3/4 cup chopped kale, ribs and thick stems removed
• 1 small stalk celery, chopped
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 1/2 organic apple
• 1/2 cup ice
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. Place the kale, celery, banana, apple juice, ice, and lemon juice in a blender.
2. Blend until smooth and frothy.

I like this one!!!!!

I taught Zumba tonight to my biggest class yet! It was such a blast to feed off the crowd. Then it was cleaning out the fridge for dinner 😉

…2 chicken tenders that had been grilled with spices, the rest of my kale chips, some butternut squash (warmed), brussels sprouts and cauliflower that had been steamed and topped with nutritional yeast. I feel like I’ve been eating a lot of oil lately over all these veggies and such…I hope it’s not too much fat!

And dessert!!!! Some bedtime tea and Inside Out PB Cake that I was inspired by from Carrie

Inside Out PB Cake

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Trader Joe’s peanut flour
• 2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp baking powder
• dash sea salt
• Stevia to taste
• 1/4 cup almond milk

Directions:

• Combine all ingredients and bake at 390*F for 15 minutes

ONLY 185 calories and 24g PROTEIN! (without toppings!)

Top with anything you like!! I topped mine with fudgie paste and blackberries!

Fudgie Paste (also from Carrie)

•  1.5 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp agave
• splash vanilla extract
• water to desired consistency

And of course, I topped it all with sexy spice 😉 WOW!!!!! The inside was still gooey!

It’s good to be back. Off to watch some surgery on Grey’s! Reader’s Request on the way!

I read Romans 14:13-23 this morning. Am I am stumbling block for my family as far as food goes? I try to educate them in love, but I fear I come across as judgmental and condescending. I don’t want to be a stumbling block for them, for y’all, or for me with all my crazy thoughts lately. I’ve become a lot more vulnerable on this blog than I ever imagined. Do you experience this? I’d love to hear what you think.

Romans 14:13-23 (NIV)

 ¹³ Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. ¹⁴ I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. ¹⁵ If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. ¹⁶ Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. ¹⁷ For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, ¹⁸ because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.

 ¹⁹ Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. ²⁰ Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. ²¹ It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall. ²² So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. ²³ But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.^[a]

Today’s inspiration: (from my tea bag): “Experience your own body, your own mind, and your own soul.” This was great for me as I still haven’t decided how I feel about eating meat, and I had chicken tonight.

Do y’all have a favorite spice you like to use? Anything inspiring today? Thanks for reading today’s long post 😉 You made it across the finish line!

4 Boos-Boos January 24, 2011

My loves! Good evening. I’m so sorry for the late post, but it’s been a manic Monday!

I guess Disney’s getting to me because the little girl in me is coming out. Let the childhood favorites keep on rollin’…

One of my favorites when I was little was a peanut butter and banana sandwich that my Mom always made me when we had soup. So, this morning I made Peanut Butter, Banana, and Honey Oats!…a little more grown up than the sandwich.

In the mix:

• 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats, water, almond milk, greek yogurt
• 1 tsp chia seeds
• 1/2 smashed nanner
• sprinkles of sea salt and apple pie spice
• toppings: 1/4 cup of organic pumpkin seed – raisin cereal, drizzle of honey, blueberries and peanut flour sauce (basically this is what Mom would put between two pieces of white bread when I was little, except she made it with white sugar and mayo hehe)

I didn’t get to do my usual Monday workout, which stressed me out a little, but I had to get over it and re-prioritize as school work had to get done, and I had a doctor’s appointment. I had to get 4 vaccines for my trip (yes, that’s 4 needles!). Luckily, it’s better to use your arms after you get shots than to keep still, so I did BodyPump this afternoon and taught Zumba tonight. My arms aren’t nearly as sore as they were when I was still studying earlier! I was also suggested to start taking probiotics…do you take probiotics or have any stories associated with them?

Lunch: a mug of Amy’s Tuscan Bean and Rice soup, a pear, and a salad BEAST! My Mom was sweet to let me shop at Whole Foods today, so I got some tabouli and herb mix (I LOVE THIS!!!) to make a salad with. Other toppings included carrots, celery, cucumbers, some green beans (steamed and in the frige over night…so good for a little texture on salad!), and Greek-style hummus.

I had some water with fresh mint to drink. I have been adding either cucumber or mint to my water lately to help hydrate my body better so that all the water I drink doesn’t just rush right through me.

Some more studying til snack time! An organic Fuji apple with NATURALLY MORE! (This is a particularly good jar. You can really taste the honey 😉 ) Garnished with a purple spoon hehe

…and some leftover green juice (about 6 oz.). It was actually pretty good even after being in the refrigerator for a couple days. Take a look in the deep dark cup of green juice sweetened with some light blue agave…

I taught a lot of “arm songs” tonight at Zumba selfishly to keep my arms moving. Sorry ladies! 😉 After Zumba and a shower, I present dinner: mixed steamed veggies and a piece of my Daddy’s famous pork…plus some more veggies.

Dessert! A BIG bowl of fruit (navel orange, a few strawberries, 4 slices of kiwi, some apple pie spice (I put it on a lot lately!), mixed soaked raw almonds and pistachios, a little greek yogurt sweetened with Truvia. Plus a garnish of a little less than 2 squares of 85% cocoa. Plus some bedtime tea to drink.

After a little more studying, I’m watching Castle with my parents. I appreciate getting to be here so much tonight!

Inspiration for today: You are beautiful…share it with the world! Making others happy makes you happy 😉

Trip update: I met my $500 support goal yesterday! Praise the Lord! Thank-you SO much for all of your support and prayers.

Also, I’m wanting some TOMS for my trip. Do you have a pair? How does sizing run?

Is this real life? January 19, 2011

Howdy y’all! (We did an American country mix at Zumba tonight, and I have it on the brain 😉 )

WHAT. A. DAY!

Let’s begin with breakfast: a bowl of everything raw in my kitchen 😉 well, sort of.

In the polka dot bowl:

• 1 cup of mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries)
• smashed nanner
• a few soaked pistachios and almonds (soaking nuts adds SO much flavors and helps with enzyme breakdown)
• 1/2 organic apple
• a few old-fashioned oats just plain
• sprinkle of sexy spice (no one says you can’t be sexy at breakfast!)
• almond milk to wet everything, but definitely not soaked (I love texture and crunch)

It was so yummy!

For lunch, I met my little sister for lunch in Chapel Hill. We tried Sandwhich for the first time. We both had the GMC…Amber as a sandwich and me as a salad without the bun and without cheese. The description is “Ashley Farms chicken breast grilled to order, grilled red onions, roasted peppers, our pesto, melted provolone on handmade hoagie.” It was Ashley Farms…how could we resist? 😉 The chicken was great, but I’m still deciding how I feel about truly eating raw and the adjustments that may mean for my diet. I’m so glad that they let me do it as a salad that came dry, which was great by me. The greens were fresh and crunchy, the pesto was a treat. It was a little pricey for me for lunch at $9.16 with tax. Amber wished it had come with a bigger side. It was just a few seasoned carrots…good!

And dessert…a staple: Yogurt Pump. I rolled with a small cake cone of Tahitian vanilla (my favorite!) and Oreo.

I got a hair cut, had a quick snack, ran some errands, and then went to teach Zumba at One Heart Yoga. I had some super fun new ladies!

After a hose off aka shower hehe, dinner is served…

A grain bowl of leftover quinoa-broccoli pilaf, a veggie burger with goat cheese over mixed green and tomatoes, leftover steamed veggies (aren’t leftovers SO great?!), and a piece of cinnamon raisin Ezekiel bread with 1 tsp Trader Joe’s Superfruit spread. (I’m craving carbs!) I had cucumber water to hydrate. One thing I learned from Mira is that adding something to water helps your body get more from it so it just doesn’t pass right through. I’m not a huge lemon water fan, but I do love the cucumber “flavor.”

And dessert…a little bowl of 1/2 organic apple, little but of greek yogurt, 4 soaked raw almonds, sexy spice, a few old-fashioned oats (I guess I missed my oatmeal this morning), and a square of 85% cocoa chocolate peaking up in the background.

plus an organic pear and 1 more square of 85% cocoa chocolate. Why am i so hungry?!

OK, so BIGGGGGG news!!!!!

1. I got this black beauty today…

2. We’re going to DISNEY WORLD for spring break!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Am I the luckiest girl princess in the world or what?!

P.S. – I don’t share this to look like a selfish brat, but just to let y’all know how blessed I am and how much God has gone above and beyond to surprise me and done WAY ABOVE & BEYOND what I could EVER imagine. Once I finally surrendered all to Him, He’s been able to work both in and through me in ways I never thought possible. Be encouraged!

It’s Off the Map for me, then sweet sweet dreams. I wish y’all the same! Let me know how you are.