My Sweet, Sweet Spirulina

Behold the magic of Spirulina Powder!!!!

Spirulina is an organism that grows in both fresh and salt water, more specifically, it's a bacteria called cyanobaerium (commonly called blue-green algae) and it is so incredibly good for you.  It is packed with nutrients that can have powerful effects on your bran and body.  A single tablespoon of this stuff has:

4g Protein
11% of your daily Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)
15% of your daily Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
4% Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
21% Copper
11% Iron
Also contains plenty of Magnesium, Potassium, Manganese and many other vital nutrients.

Now, I must warn you, this stuff does NOT smell good......it's basically pond scum if that gives you an idea!!

Here is how I have been drinking it and its SO good!

Tropical Spirulina Protien Smoothie--Vegan

2 scoops Vegan Vanilla Protein powder...This one's my Fav (link here)
8 oz Trader Joes Vanilla Coconut Milk
1 TBS Spirulina Powder
Handful of frozen pineapple bits

Mix in blender and top with 1 TBSP hemp seeds and enjoy!!

Spicy, Vegan, Chickpea "Burgers"

I made these the other night and not only were they FANTASTIC but they took no time to make!  Did I mention they are also Vegan and Gluten free?!  

INGREDIENTS

1 can chickpeas, drained, well-rinsed, and mashed

½ onion, finely diced

1 small zucchini, finely chopped

3 tbsp finely chopped parsley

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp Sriracha Sauce

2 tbsp natural peanut butter (I prefer the chunky)

1 tsp cumin

    1 tsp Garlic Lovers seasoning from Flavor God.. it's the BEST (link here) regular garlic powder will work as well!

2 tsp black pepper

½ tsp sea salt

½ cup Gluten Free quick oats

2 tbsp olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Lightly oil a grill pan and heat over medium-high heat

Mash chickpeas in bowl with a fork or use a food-processor (much faster).

Mix with the rest of the ingredients

Form into patties and place on grill pan about 3-5 minutes each side.

I served mine over a kale and broccoli slaw salad topped with dates and sunflower seeds dressed in a lemon, turmeric vinaigrette (recipe here)

Motivational Monday!

I think Monday's get a bad rep and should be treated with as much excitement as Friday's do!  Here are a few inspirational pictures and quotes to kick start everyone's week!  Happy Monday!!

Zucchini Lasagna

I've gotten a lot of requests for my zucchini lasagna recipe and have been slacking with posting, so here it is!  I got my recipe from SkinnyTaste, one of my favorite blogs!  Link here

Zucchini Lasagna
Skinnytaste.com 
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1/8 • Points +: 9 pts • Smart Points: 9
Calories: 345 • Fat: 17 g • Carbs: 16 g • Fiber: 2 g • Protein: 36 g • Sugar: 8 g
Sodium: 801 (without salt) 

Ingredients:  

• 1 lb lean turkey meat (optional...I prefer no meat)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 onion
• 1 tsp olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 28 oz can crushed tomatoes.......feel free to use AMS (already made sauce)
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 3 medium zucchini, sliced 1/8" thick
• 15 oz part-skim ricotta
• 16 oz part-skin mozzarella cheese, shredded (Sargento)
• 1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano
• 1 large egg

Directions:

In a medium sauce pan, brown meat and season with salt. When cooked drain in colander to remove any fat. Add olive oil to the pan and saute garlic and onions about 2 minutes. Return the meat to the pan, add tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Simmer on low for at least 30-40minutes, covered. Do not add extra water, the sauce should be thick.

Meanwhile, slice zucchini into 1/8" thick slices, add lightly salt and set aside or 10 minutes. Zucchini has a lot of water when cooked, salting it takes out a lot of moisture. After 10 minutes, blot excess moisture with a paper towel.

On a gas grill or grill pan, grill zucchini on each side, until cooked, about 1-2 minutes per side. (optional) Place on paper towels to soak any excess moisture. 

Preheat oven to 375°.

In a medium bowl mix ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese and egg. Stir well. 


In a 9x12 casserole spread some sauce on the bottom and layer the zucchini to cover. Then place some of the ricotta cheese mixture, then top with the mozzarella cheese and repeat the process until all your ingredients are used up. Top with sauce and mozzarella and cover with foil. Bake 45 minutes covered at 375°, then uncovered 15 minutes. Let stand about 5 - 10 minutes before serving.

Our First Home!!

It's official....my husband and I just purchased our FIRST home together and we couldn't be MORE excited!!  Our house was originally built in 1890 and completely renovated two years ago.  When we began our home search, my husband had his heart set on a new, open concept type house and I wanted something with old-school charm.... so this home couldn't have been more perfect for the both of us!

Now that I have this fresh pallet to do stuff with I've been playing around with different looks.  Jeff told me I'm free to furnish and decorate as I wish.......(Jiminy Cricket was right.....dreams really do come true!!)  HAHAH! 

For the kitchen I want to lighten the cabinets and I'm thinking of doing our island a different color like a deep blue or gray.  Oh, and I'm OBSESSING over brass hardware..that's definitely happening.  I'm also kind of loving the bottom right photo where the upper cabinets are white and the bottom are a blue/gray.  We are also going to be doing a whitish granite, and I'm deciding if I want to do a full back splash or go with something different....decisions decisions! 

 Our current living room furniture is a dark brown so I was thinking of doing the walls a pretty shade of blue/gray.  I think it will really make the white trim and large windows pop and add a cozy feel to the room.  I also like the idea of doing the walls a light gray and sneaking in a pop of blue like the picture in the bottom right.  

 For our master bedroom, I really want to give it a hotel/get-a-way feel, like a place you look forward to escaping to.  I'm loving all of these rooms and how cute is the bottom left picture with the wedding date canvas??!!  

Sale Alert!

Today only Victoria's Secret is having a "Buy a sports bra get a FREE pair of workout pants!" Use code: GIFTSPORT

Wine Not Wednesday!!

While I sit here watching Real Housewife re-runs enjoying a fab glass of vino, I thought I would share my top 5 FAVORITE wines all under $20!!

1.  Travernello Pinot Grigio- I LOVE this stuff!! Not sweet and perfectly tart! Link here

2.  Alexander Valley Vineyard Cabernet- OK, I lied.  This is actually $22 but soooo worth it...it's delightful!  Link here 

3.  Sunday Bay Sauvignon Blanc- Oh baby this stuff is sooooo gooooooood! Link here

4.  Louis Jadot Macon Burgundy Chardonnay- I'm not a big Chardonnay person to be honest but I tried this at a wine tasting and it blew my mind! It has this creamy almost buttery flavor (sounds a little strange but trust me....delish.) Link here

5.  Tom Gore Cabernet- Note from the vineyard "Our Cabernet Sauvignon is dark red in color with aromas of currant and plum and wonderful hints of mocha and coffee on the palate." Enough said.  Link Here

Here's to a fabulous rest of the week!

Quinoa and Hummus Stuffed Collard Green Wraps

Did my meal prep today and made these super simple and yummy collard green wraps! 

This recipe makes a LARGE portion of quinoa which is great for adding to your meals during the week!

Quinoa Salad:

1 cup quinoa 

2 cups water

Kalamata olives

1/2 of red onion finely chopped

around 1 C cherry tomatoes 

1/2 English cucumber

chopped green onion to taste

1/4 C feta cheese

handful of fresh parsley

Dressing:

Juice of 1 1/2 lemon

1/4 C white wine vinegar

2 Tbsp olive oil

lemon pepper seasoning

Directions:

Cook quinoa in 2 cups water.  While the quinoa is cooling, mix together the above solid ingredients.  When the quinoa is cool enough, add the ingredients as well as the dressing and toss.

Prepping collard greens:

Bring a large pot of water to a simmer, and in a second bowl add water and ice cubes (I use a whole tray).  Cut the stems off the collard greens and submerge one at a time into the stove top water for about 30 seconds, then submerge in the ice water for about 10 seconds.  Dry on a paper towel. These will last in the fridge for around 3 days.

Lay out the collard greens, layer on some hummus, a scoop of the quinoa salad and top with a little hot sauce if you would like!  Role as you would a tortilla and enjoy!!

 

2016!

2014-Got engaged

2015-Got married

2016-Purchasing a home and pursuing passion

The past few years have been chock full of happy fun things and I am beyond excited for all 2016 has to offer!  I am focusing this year around pursuing passion.  Reaching towards that thing that makes me "tick." 

I watched Steve Jobs' inspirational speech over the holiday break and it gave me goosebumps!  He talks about following that desire we all have to achieve greatness- that you can't connect the dots looking forward, only looking backward.  If you haven't seen it you can watch it here.  

“Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice."

[Stanford University commencement speech, 2005]” 
― Steve Jobs

 You see, I recently got news that my papa (who raised me and is the best dad I could have EVER asked for) is pretty sick.  Knowing I may not have as much time with him as I would like has really been a wake up call for me.  A sudden reminder of the obvious- today is all we have so we should do our best to harness the power of now.  That being said I am grabbing this year by the horns and making as much of it as I can!  I plan on spending as much time as I can with my grandparents and pursuing my passion of healthy living-hopefully I can inspire a few along the way!

“Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” 
― Steve Jobs