You need one of these!!

I found this amazing item on Pinterest, and bought the red edition here from amazon.


I finally tried it a few nights ago! I made a simple spaghetti dish with two small zucchini and a butternut squash. I sliced all three of them up, and let them sit for 10 minutes, soaking them with a paper towel once or twice.

I sauteed them until they were soft, and added this Amy's low sodium for the spaghetti sauce. This is also what I use for my favorite broccoli slaw "antipasta"

Holy freaking awesome. I cannot wait to use this more often with other veggies.
Plus, it has practically no carbs!

a little taste of heaven.

One of my most favorite breakfast snacks everrrr.
I put some of my favorite Greek yogurt in a jar,
[I currently use Greek God's honey vanilla, but I'm thinking of trying out Voskos].
Before I leave my house for the day, I add my favorite frozen fruit.
[I personally love raspberries].
& then I top it off with my favorite crunch-- granola & flax seeds for me. :)


I absolutely LOVE this, especially early when it is still a little frozen, yum YUM!

Try it & let me know what you think?

California dreamin'

We've been planning our annual Newport Beach vacation this year, hoping I can go--I get only one week off during summer!
In honor of my California dreaming, here is a little healthy snack for you to try.
Inspired by Dough Boys, one of our favorite little breakfast spots by the beach. There's is not quite as healthy but it sure is oh so delish!

Toast your favorite bagel thin, apply a thin layer of your favorite cream cheese (I use either veggie or whipped plain), cover with avocado and tomato. Sprinkle some lemon pepper & enjoy!

To spice it up, instead of tomatoes, use your favorite salsa!

Anyone else use herbalife?

TRY THIS SHAKE!! 

8 oz. milk of your choice

8 oz. frozen peaches

2 scoops French Vanilla formula 1

A shake of coconut flakes.

Mmmmmm enjoy! 

Nutrition facts [via my fitness pal:]
210 Calories
2.2g Fat
39g Carbs
11g Protein

Burn Baby, BURN.

I am a Bloody Mary connoisseur and I believe we have found our most favorite Bloody Mary recipe! If you like Bloodies, and you like them HOT you will LOVE this one.
My mom found it in one of her magazines, and ripped it out because it said it was hot & to put it in a mason jar.. Basically she loves me & knows me too well! <3.
We used these ingredients:

Directions: Dip the rim of a mason jar, or glass into chipolte pepper sauce; then dip rim in fine sea salt and set aside.
Fill a cocktail shaker 1/2 full with ice cubes, add 1-2 shots pepper-infused vodka [We've used both absolut peppar and plain svedka -- you can't go wrong either way.]
1/2 tsp prepared horseradish
2 dashes celery salt
4 dashes pepper sauce [again we've used cholula and tabasco -- both excellent]
3 dashes worcestershire sauce
2 dashes Sriracha
1 cup bloody mary mix. [Either plain bloody mix or V8, I think we all prefer the mix a tad more.] 
Squeeze a lemon and a lime wedge into shaker [optional.]
Shake a few times, and pour into prepared glass.

We like to garnish ours with celery, a spicy pickle, and a jalapeño stuffed green olive but again, the options are endless.. 

I'm addicted! The only down side is, next time you order one from anywhere.. it just wont compare :(.

The best spicy pickles everrr.

If you know anything about me, you probably know I love pickles.
They are definitely one of my favorite foods. My amazing mother helped me can some this year, and let me tell you:
THEY ARE THE BEST PICKLES EVERRR!!!
Here is our recipe:
BRINE:
2 Quarts water
2 Cup vinegar
1/2 Cup pickling salt
1/2 to 1 T alum
- Boil until salt dissolves

Stuff one quart jars with:
Pickling cucumbers [we get ours from Okubo's]
dill weed
1 jalapeno sliced
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp black peppercorn
5 to 10 mustard seeds
pinch of red pepper flakes
(We added 1/2 habanero for extra spice)

Before you start scrubbing, make sure you have some clean mason jars, and brand new sealing lid disks. We load our dishwasher with our clean mason jars and run it on a HOT wash, with a HOT dry. You want your jars pretty warm when you are stuffing them.

Make sure to scrub all your cukes and peppers really well.

We sliced our cukes in quarters, but you can honestly do whatever you prefer. We also sliced our jalapeno in half, but left our hot pepper whole.

Before you start stuffing, put your new lid disks into water on the stove. You want them to be pretty hot, but not necessarily boiling. Stuff your jars with dry ingredients first, and then full of your cukes. You want a little room at the top. Pour your hot brine over your pickles, and wipe the rim of the jar with a dry towel. Place a hot disk on top and screw it tightly with your screwband. Your pickles are ready to be sealed.

To seal your jars, it is best if you have canner pan, but a large, deep pan with a thicker bottom should do. These jars below were done with a thinner bottom pan and they broke due to too much heat. You want the water boiling, and allow them to be fully submerged in the water for about 10 minutes.
This is a great reference website for canning pickles.

Check your jars to make sure the lid does not move when you push on it, if it does move, try boiling them again. Once you have them all sealed, allow them to cool for up to 24 hours and then place them somewhere dark and cool.
Pickles will be ready to eat in three weeks, and should last for at least a year (if you don't eat them all by then ;). Refrigerate after opening.

If you need any help, please comment below.

Juicy :)

My Mom and I have been on a green juice kick as of late. I highly recommend it! All of our juices have turned out surprisingly tasty [Not to mention, extremely good for you].

We fill our mason jars and drink half [of a quart sized jar**] daily.
One daily serving size is the juice from this: 

four carrots,

four stalks of celery,

half of a beet,

one lemon,

half a cucumber,

a thumb nail of ginger root,

one and a half granny smith apples,

and four to five handfuls of spinach.

**UPDATE: We've researched into it losing it nutritional value if you do it for a few days at a time. The best way to do it, is in a jar, but you need to fill it all the way to the top, and screw it tight. When you open it, you need to drink the whole thing at a time so it doesn't have a lot of time to oxidize and lose it's nutrients. We have not changed our recipe just the size of our jars. We now use pint size jars as one whole serving. :) Freeze to last longer.

(Shake before you drink!)

Hydrate.

Another obsession of mine lately: SASSY WATER.



I got the original idea from pinterest of course. It is part of the Prevention magazine's Flat belly diet. The original recipe is here.


Health Benefits:
"Proponents of the diet maintain that ginger in sassy water helps your digestion and can reduce your risk of constipation, while lemon works as a natural diuretic and promotes a healthy pH balance. Cucumbers contain erepsin, an enzyme that helps your body digest protein and also supports the health of your kidneys due to their diuretic properties. Chemicals in mint leaves also support digestion." Along with many other nutritional perks.
You can find more information here.

I make it for my mom and I every night. I put about 5-6 slices of cukes, around half of a lemon, a few mint leaves, and peal some ginger (I like a lot, my mom likes less). I bought a ginger root from Harmon's, pealed it and keep it in the freezer. When I need some I just use my potato peeler. Also, the mint needs to be twisted and broke apart a little bit to better release the herb's oil. Without fail, it always tastes great. I just fill it up with ice (and sometimes water) all day long.

The biggest reason I love it tho, it tastes AWESOME. I usually drink a lot of water, but I feel I have increased my H2O intake by quite a bit. So cheers to this amazing, refreshing summer beverage. Isn't it pretty?

#blessings.

A cheesy little post is better than no post at all right?
Three things I am extra thankful for today:
Pinterest.
Pinterest.
Pinterest.

Celery Soup

Let me introduce you to my new obsession:

CELERY SOUP

I actually happened to stumble upon this recipe a few years ago in a People magazine. I have made it here and there, but lately it is a weekly staple to my diet.
Did I mention it is also supposedly Jennifer Aniston's favorite. [But I don't take any magazine too seriously]

Recipe:

* 4 cups celery, chopped in 1-inch pieces
* 1/2 to 1 head cauliflower, cut into 2-inch pieces (or 1 potato, peeled/cut)
* 1 small onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
* 8 cups chicken broth or vegetable stock
* 1/2 tsp. salt
* 1 tbsp. heavy cream (optional- I usually opt out to make it healthier)


1. Put all ingredients,(except the cream) in a large stockpot.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and skim off any impurities off the top. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until vegetables are tender.
3. Mix with a hand blender [I blend it in my Ninja] and stir in cream, if desired. Return the soup to the pot and gently reheat if necessary. Taste with salt and pepper.
I have found I like it a little chunkier vs. more runny
Also, I put it in mason jars for perfect lunch servings all week. (makes 5-6 jars)

Eat within a week, or freeze.

*UPDATE: I plugged this recipe into "My Fitness Pal" and for one mason jar sized serving it has about:
75 calories
12g carbs
0g fat
6g protein
and 856g sodium
Not too shabby..