Breakfast!

 



 

Breakfast is by far my favorite meal!

I love yogurt and lately I

have really been loving yogurt parfaits.

These are good for a couple of reasons,

changing up your breakfast,

making it more filling, and also to help make sure you're getting your fruit!

 

 

Doesn't the above photo just look amazing?!

My favorite way to do these is,

a couple spoon fulls of vanilla yogurt (Greek of course)

Sliced strawberries, blueberries, or bananas next.

A layer of nature valley granola with dark chocolate (gives it a bit

of a more sweet taste).

And then another layer of yogurt,

another fruit layer,

and topped of with more granola.

 

 

I like to make it in a small glass, it helps keep the layers together.

I am addicted to yogurt parfaits!

Also this keeps me full and fueled

throughout the entire morning.

 

Fiber one bars

 

 

 

 

I have really been loving fiber one bars for snack!

They contain 20% of your daily fiber,

and I know I don't get as much fiber

in my diet as I need. It is just difficult.

So these bars are a good way to get it in.

 

 

 

 

The bars I have been loving are the cinnamon coffee cake.

It literally tastes like a dessert, and they are only 90 calories.

At first, when I opened one,

I was surprised the bar was half the size of the package.

And honestly, I was a bit disappointed.

They come with 6 bars in a box and the box,

I want to say was 2.99.

Well these honestly don't need to be any larger.

They are perfect the way they are,

a small taste of something sweet,

low in calories, but high in fiber.

My favorite time of the day to eat these are between breakfast and lunch,

or before a workout.

I also like how small they are,

easy to take with you on the go.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Banna Peanut Butter Frozen Yogurt

 

 

 

I love trying new Flavors of Ben & Jerry's.

Ben and Jerry just know what's up when

it comes to ice cream!

Of course my favorite brand is blue bell,

but they only have it in select southern states.

*sigh*

So I have to go with the next best thing.

Well I about flipped my shit when I saw the Banana Peanut Butter!
Seriously I think I screamed in the Wawa.

Banana & Peanut butter is my favorite combination of flavors to ever exist!

I have no clue if this is new or not, but our Wawa likes to rotate their flavors of ice cream often.

I just hope it is there, the next time I want it!

This was so smooth and creamy, the right ratio of banana to peanut butter.

I usually don't go for the frozen yogurts,

my philosophy is if you are going to go out and eat something delicious,

you mine as well just go all out.

But I really couldn't resist this flavor.

They didn't have it as the regular ice cream, only the frozen yogurt,

but honestly I really didn't mind it, it was a bit softer than your

typical ice cream, I suppose because it was yogurt.

This flavor though, is dangerously good.

I was halfway through the container when I realized oh my lord I have just

eaten a cup of ice-cream, yep time to stop before I eat the entire thing!

Well I hope if you're a banana peanut butter fanatic like me, and see this,

you grab it, and give it a go!

 

you're welcome!    ;)

 

 

Milkinis Chocolate

 

 

 

 

Chris and I often get chocolate cravings, especially at night.

I know, I know, it's so bad for you to eat in the evening,

but sometimes you just need to satisfy those cravings!

So this little beauty caught my eye.

The brand is Milka, and on the package it said

"Europe's favorite chocolate"

So I figured, what the heck, I'll try it.

 

 

 

 

It comes with 8 individual bars, 4 squares per bar.

I love how they are individually wrapped.

It helps keep them fresh if you only want a little here and there.

These were absolutely divine. So much so,

when Chris wanted some, I got a bit cranky about it...

(sorry honey!)

But they were that good!

They are chocolate squares with this smooth cream in the middle,

almost like kinder chocolate.

 

 

I did a little research on them, and it is Swiss chocolate,

which explains why I loved it so much,

Swiss chocolate is my favorite chocolate,

by far!

This brand makes other kinds as well.

Some other kinds are chocolate with,

almonds, hazelnuts, and toffee crunch.

If you ever come across this I highly recommend you try it.

I promise you will not regret it!

I found this at the commissary, on base,

but I was reading that you can find them at walmart as well!

 

 

New Yogurt flavors

I really love eating yogurt for breakfast. I have been loving Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt is thick, filling, high in protein, low in fat, as well as it actually makes your body fill full. I seriously can eat a small individual container of Greek yogurt and not be hungry for four or five hours. It really fuels my body for the day. I also love eating it as a snack, maybe in between breakfast and lunch, if I ate a really early breakfast. I usually only ever eat vanilla, strawberry, or blueberry yogurt, so I decided it was time to try some new flavors. I picked out two new flavors.

Banana Cream :        


And Café latte :


So how were they?!

I enjoyed the banana cream yogurt more than the café latte. I love anything banana, but damn was this delicious! It tasted like banana cream pie, like a dessert. I actually ate this late in the evening when I was craving something sweet, and it completely satisfied my craving!

The café latte one was alright, I tried it after the banana cream, not immediately after! lol but it was the second flavor I tried. I ate this late in the evening, like I had with the banana cream the night before. This one, however did not satisfy my sweet tooth! It definitely would be a better morning yogurt than a late night yogurt. It is very strong, surprisingly it tastes very much like an iced coffee. I love coffee, so I am positive if I tried this in the morning rather than when I'm craving a sweet snack, I'd enjoy it more.

I would definitely purchase both again though, and I'm excited to try more new flavors!

Eating Healthy!

Some days, I get so hungry, and I don't have time to eat, so then when I get time, I go insane, and eat the whole entire kitchen? Do you ever have those days? Well a good substantial meal replacement I have discovered, are the cliff bars. I use to have them in the summer time before or after a run, and I recently sort of rediscovered them. I picked up quite a few the other day. They are great because they are small enough to take and put in your purse and take them on the go. They are also super filling. I ate one a day ago for dinner, because Chris was at work, and I wasn't in the mood for anything really but something sweet... but eating a candy bar for dinner isn't practical, well neither is an energy bar, but it's better than a candy bar. Well I was expecting to be hungry in an hour or so, you know, because candy bars don't fill you up, but the cliff bar filled me completely, and well, that was indeed dinner.

Another great thing for on the go, or for breakfast in the morning are the naked juices! I have only tried a few but the green machine is my favorite thus far! I love how the front says "looks weird, but tastes great," because that is very much true. The first time I saw this, I thought who would drink that, that looks so unappealing, but it is simply delicious. It is pretty sweet for all the vegetables it contains, and I love how it is all pure fruits and vegetables, because god knows I don't get my proper intake of them. Side note- I need to change that!

My favorite cliff bar was the one I most recently picked up, the blueberry crisp! Oh my goodness, this was really a treat. It was super tasty, in fact, it honestly tasted like a homemade blueberry streusel muffin! I highly recommend it! Also the cliff bars look gross at first as well, but try them, they are awesome! It also gave me energy to squeeze in thirty minutes of ab exercises. :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simple Smoothie

As I have mentioned before I love snacks, and snacking! :)

One of my favorite things is a really simple quick smoothie.

I usually put my bananas in the freezer if they start to look

like they are getting old. I don't like to waste, especially when

it comes to fruit, and fruits that generally go bad quickly. i.e. bananas.

 

So for this simple smoothie I use:

1 frozen banana,

about a tsp vanilla extract,

about a tsp of honey,

non fat milk, a good amount about a 1/2 to 3/4 cup

5-6 ice cubes

a handful of  semi sweet chocolate chips.

one scoop of 100% whey protein powder (vanilla)

 

I put all of the ingredients in my awesome ninja blender and blend away.

I really love the simplicity of a sweet banana smoothie, with a bit of the chocolate

chips in it to give it some texture, and a little taste of that chocolate.

This is good for either breakfast, a snack, or even a post workout smoothie.

You could add some spinach and turn it into a "green smoothie" or even some kale.

I love it as it is though, because with the white and chocolate my mind is thinking

it's like a milk shake or a starbucks Frappuccino almost. :)

 

It just needs a bit of stirring, throughout sipping,

to insure the chocolate doesn't settle at the bottom.

 

 

 

Smartfood White Cheddar Popcorn!

Hello lovelies, and happy May!

 

 

One thing I am super big on is snacks, and I absolutely love popcorn, I know it is so bad for you though, with all of the butter. For the longest time, Chris has been trying to get me to try the smart food white cheddar popcorn, in the bag... and I have been very reluctant to try it. I suppose, one of the main reasons I love popcorn so much, is because I love the warmth of it. Something about popcorn and a movie is just so comforting and homey. Wouldn't yall agree?!



Well I finally gave in and tried it, and the verdict is.... I absolutely LOVE it! It has the perfect amount of crunch, the flavor is supreme, and surprisingly it can sit in a rolled up bag for quite a few days and not get stale. I seriously cannot eat stale things, Chris can eat some things stale like chips, but even the slightest bit of staleness for me is a no go. Surprisingly the popcorn isn't that bad for you, it is a healthier option to the microwaved bag popcorn.

The white cheddar popcorn reminds me of the popcorn that came in the tins for Christmas time, remember those? I remember people would give them to my family every year, it came with regular buttered popcorn, kettle corn, caramel popcorn, and cheddar popcorn. This popcorn is very similar, only 10 times better and holds better! We just finished the bag off, but I think it is a snack I am going to want to always have around.


Here are some comparisons of the nutritional values of the white cheddar and regular microwaved popcorn.

White cheddar smart food: 



Microwaved popcorn this is for act II :



I mean they are close, but I feel like the smart food popcorn just all around tastes better and fresher.


 

Cheesecake Brownies! Oh My!

One of my favorite things to make are brownies, nothing beats a good brownie. I was on pintrest and was inspired from a picture/ recipe of a brownie basically sandwiching a cheesecake layer. Oh these looked so decadent, and I could spend hours on pintrest! I absolutely love to bake, and though I would love to take credit for these beauties I will always give credit where credit is due. The recipe derived from this site: http://www.recipe.com/brownie-bombs/ though I did do a couple things different, but this is where the inspiration came from. Well now, lets jump right in.



First thing is first preheat your oven to 350. In a saucepan melt 4 ounces of butter with 1/2 cup (one stick) of butter. Make sure you melt this over low heat. I used semisweet chocolate, because I have a sweet tooth, you could use unsweetened if you want them not as sweet. I also used Trader Joe's chocolate chunks, their chocolate is my favorite to bake with. When the mixture is totally smooth take it off the heat and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes.

 

I know, trying to let it cool 10 minutes can be impatient, but trust me let it cool! This is so that when you mix in your eggs, they don't scramble. Scrambled eggs in brownies are not a good match!

Now that we are all nice and cool, we are going to stir in 1 1/3 cup of sugar and whisk in 3 eggs. At this point we are also going to add in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. The recipe called of 1/2 teaspoon, but I always like a little more. We are also going to mix in 3/4 cup of all purpose flour.

Set this mixture aside and now it is time to start the cheesecake layer. In a separate mixing bowl or with your handy dandy kitchen aid mixer, place one 8 ounce package of room temperature cream cheese in the mixture. It is important to make sure this is room temperature to create a nice smooth batter with no lumps! Start mixing the cream cheese on a low speed, while mixing add one egg, after the egg is mixed in, add four teaspoons of flour still while mixing on a low speed. Next, add in 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract. (the recipe calls for 1/4th I used 1/2th teaspoon). We want to make sure we only mix this as much as we need to and nothing more, when you over mix cheesecake it tends to crack after you bake it.

Next, we want to grab an 8X8 pan, spray it really well, and I didn't do this, but I should have lined it with parchment paper. After you have lined the pan, place 2/3 brownie mix in the pan, then the cheesecake layer, try to spread as evenly as you can. It is easier in you place most in the middle, a bit each in 4 corners and pull it out with the spatula. After you have the cheesecake layer down, add the rest of the brownie layer. Now, you are all set to bake! bake for about 20 minutes, keeping an eye on it, top with chocolate chunks, bake another 12 minutes. The baking time will vary upon your oven.

  Allow brownies to cool, or dig in if you're like me and like a nice hot brownie. :) Just be careful not to burn yourself!

 

 

 

Ingredients:

 

Brownie mix:

 

4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

1/2 cup butter

1 1/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup AP flour

3 eggs

 

Cheesecake ingredients:

 

8 ounce cream cheese

1/3 cup sugar

4 teaspoons AP flour

1/2 teaspoon or 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

 

Directions:

 

1. In a saucepan, melt the unsweetened chocolate and butter over low heat. Remove the mixture from the heat.Stir in 1-1/3 cups of the sugar and the 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Cool the mixture for 15 minutes. Beat in the 3 eggs and the 3/4 cup flour.

 

2.In a mixing bowl, mix the remaining 1/3 cup sugar, the cream cheese, the 1 egg, the 4 teaspoons flour, and the 1/4 teaspoon vanilla.

3.Coat an 8x8x2-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spread 2/3 of the chocolate batter in the pan. Spoon cream cheese layer over batter. Dollop with remaining chocolate batter.

 

4.Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with chocolate pieces. Bake for 12 minutes more. Cool. Cover; store in the refrigerator. Let the chilled dessert stand at room temperature for 30 minutes to serve. Makes 16 servings ( supposedly, we cut ours big, and got 9 :p ).

 

 



 

 

 

Cleansing Water & Detox

After eating so many bad foods and coming back from a vacation it can be difficult to get your body back on track! I have told myself it is better to eat bad and exercise than to just eat bad and do nothing. Oh the ways of my logic, haha. Well it is time to get back on track! Even though there will be future posts on not so great foods for you, it is ok in moderation, or to bake for other people! :) A wonderful woman I know that I work with told me about this fat burning water. It is also suppose to give you energy, and thus far I am feeling it work. So what's in it?

here it is:

You take 1 grapefruit, 1 orange, 1 tangerine, 1 lemon, 1 lime, and 1 whole cucumber! You chop them all up, I left rinds on everything but the grapefruit, but it's probably tastier taking all the rinds off. The rinds add a bitter taste. You squeeze all the juices of the fruit into the pitcher, then place all the fruits in the pitcher, fill all the way with water, give it a good stir. After that you place half a bunch of fresh mint on top, make sure it is under the water but resting on top. After that you wait 24 hours after it has sat in the fridge, then you are good to drink it. You are suppose to drink it over the course of a week, warning it is really bitter. It only taste like grapefruit and cucumber but it works! it's like a natural detox but you aren't running to and from the bathroom, and it gives you energy! You should drink about three glasses of the water a day! It get's easier to drink as you get use to it.

 

I've been trying to eat healthier snacks as well. I have been on a peanut butter kick lately. I love peanut butter so much! I love it on apples, banana's, ( Thanks Gwen Stefani for teaching me how to spell banana's), and my latest favorite toasting a piece of bread, spreading peanut butter on it, and topping it off with some honey nut scooters. Yes, scooters because I'm too poor for cheerios. Haha not really, you just get more in a huge bag of scooters than cheerios. It's the same thing, right?!

What are some of yalls favorite healthy things?!