Caramel Corn and a movie night

 

I am very, very, very, excited because tonight is finally the night that I get to watch Breaking Dawn Part 2. I am a huge Twilight fan (books more than movies, but love the movies too!) and never got to see the movie in theatres, and even though I bought the movie a whole week ago and it has been taunting me from the shelf it sits upon, I HAD to wait until my friends were free for our annual Twilight movie night. A bunch of us girls (because no guy would ever admit to liking these movies or be caught dead watching it with anyone besides his girlfriend/wife) get together every time a new movie is released to watch together. Tonight is the night.

 

I decided to make caramel corn for us to eat, along with regular popcorn. I love this recipe because it is super simple, and there is no corn syrup in it! I pretty much lived off of this caramel corn all summer while I travelled around Canada.

 

Caramel Corn

 

1 cup popcorn kernels, popped

1/4 cup butter

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1/3 cup water

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tbsp. vanilla

 

1. Pop the popcorn and put it into a very large bowl or separate it into two bowls. Remove any un-popped kernels to save your teeth.

2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan on the stove.

3. Add the brown sugar and water to the saucepan.

4. Stir until it comes to a boil and cook for 8-10 minutes until the mixture hits soft-ball stage (use a candy thermometer, or drop a bit into icy water, or wing it like I do).

5. Add the vanilla and baking soda to it and stir. It will bubble up so be careful.

6. Drizzle over the popcorn and lightly stir.

7. Pour the popcorn onto large baking sheets and let cool. I like to throw mine into a 200 degree F oven for 30-60 minutes to let it set up, but it's unnecessary.

8. Eat until you have a tummy ache.

 

*I store my popcorn for a few days in an airtight container.

 

 

No Bake Oatmeal Cookies

I just finished saying to a friend that I need to get super strict and cut out sugar from my diet so I can wear my bikinis on Spring Break. Then I made these. A one piece is cute too, right?

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 cups white sugar
1/4 cup baking cocoa ( I used carob powder instead because it is caffeine free)
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
4 cups oatmeal ( I used wheat free oats)

Melt butter in a saucepan. Add sugar, cocoa, and milk. Stir well. When the mixture comes to a rolling boil, time for one and a half minutes and stir constantly. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Stir in oatmeal until well coated. Use two spoons to form cookies on waxed or parchment paper. Let cool. Or don't...I like them best when they are still warm and gooey. They will harden as they sit.

Easiest cookies ever! My dad used to make these for us when I was a kid and we called them "dad's cookies".

Spaghetti Squash

Yesterday I posted my grocery list and then the request for recipes was immediate, but I also had a few friends give me their recipes! I love cooking so I can't wait to try new things.  Thanks friends!

Tonight for supper I had spaghetti squash with homemade meatballs and tomato sauce. I have tried gluten free pasta, and it's actually not bad, but I try to get my veggies in at every meal so spaghetti squash was a better choice. My brother was the one who introduced me to spaghetti squash and for awhile it intimidated me, but it really can't be easier to prepare.

You can cook spaghetti squash in the microwave or oven, which is nice for days when you are starving or rushed. Regardless of how I am cooking it, I stick the whole squash in the microwave for 2 minutes to soften it enough that I can cut it in half easily.

Once you cut it in half, place the squash cut side down in a baking dish with enough water to cover the bottom. Then either stick it in the microwave for 14 minutes or oven for closer to 30 (it is done when it is tender). Then drag a fork through the flesh to make strands that resemble spaghetti.

Serve the spaghetti squash with tomato sauce, meat sauce, more veggies, parmesan cheese...whatever you like!

I topped mine with tomato sauce and meatballs today. I make my own meatballs and had some in the freezer so I used those.

 

Meatballs

1 lb. extra lean ground beef, turkey, or chicken
1 small onion, finely diced
salt
pepper
1 egg
1/2 cup oatmeal

Mix all of the ingredients together and form into balls. Bake in the oven at 350 F until they are cooked.

My Grocery List

So I’ve had several people ask me for my grocery list and each time I laugh and tell them to just buy healthy things. Well after spending a fair amount of time reciting my grocery list to friends and strangers and feeling a little silly doing it, I think I finally get it.  It is easier to just DO something than have to think about it.  Some days all I want at the gym is for someone to tell me what exercise I should do next and how many to do. So here it is folks…my weekly/biweekly grocery list!

Fruits/Vegetables

Baby spinach

Romaine lettuce or spring mix recipe

Cucumber

Shredded carrots and regular carrots

Celery

Cauliflower recipe

Sweet potato recipe

Spaghetti squash

Asparagus recipe

Lemons

Leeks recipe

Onions

Garlic
 

Potatoes recipe

Green pepper (or whatever color you like)

*I don’t eat fruit, but buy whatever fruit you like to eat and there are some vegetables I don’t like but if you do, buy them!

Dairy

Skim milk recipe

Low fat cheese (mozza, cheddar, marble are my favorites)

Butter

0% Plain Greek yogurt recipe

Goat cheese (for topping salads and pizza)

Buttermilk (if I’m making oatmeal pancakes)

Meats

Ground chicken or turkey

Chicken (whole, thighs, breasts, wings) recipe

Beef roast

Lean cuts of pork and beef

Other

Plain rice cakes

Oatmeal recipe

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

Maple syrup (to sweeten my Greek yogurt or mix with EVOO for salad dressing)

Ground flaxseed (I sprinkle a Tbsp. on my oatmeal and a Tbsp. in my Greek yogurt) recipe

Gluten free Rice Krispies

Quinoa

Tomato sauce

Chicken stock

Beef stock

Popcorn

I'm not sure if this will help you at all, but it gives you a better idea of where to start. And now I should probably post some recipes so you know how I eat all of this food.

Cauliflower Leek Soup and a Friend Catch-up

The other evening my friend Erin called and we had our first real chat since I visited her in August.  It was the type of conversation where you share everything that has happened since the last one, and it came at the perfect time.  I needed a friend!  Erin is the type of friend who says it like it is and I appreciated her advice and wisdom. She didn't tell me anything I didn't already know, but it was good to hear it from someone else.

Part of our chat was about food because she eats clean too, and we both agreed that we couldn't eat another salad for awhile and needed some new recipes. I told her about this great soup recipe that I make and decided to share it on here. I have made it a few times now and love it!


Cauliflower Leek Soup
Adapted from Clean Eating Magazine

2 tsp. olive oil
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced leeks, white and light green parts only (approx. 2 leeks)
2 celery stalks, sliced (the original doesn't call for this)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large Russet or Yukon gold potato, peeled and diced
3 1/2 cups chopped cauliflower florets (I used one whole small head)
1 carton chicken or vegetable broth (the original calls for 2 cups, but I don't like to waste the rest of the carton)
1 cup water
1/4 tsp. pepper

Optional toppings (I don't use these):
turkey or regular bacon, cooked and chopped
grated cheddar cheese
sliced green onions

1. In a large pot, heat oil on medium-low.  Add leeks and celery and cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add potato, cauliflower, broth, water, and pepper and increase heat to bring to a boil; reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until potatoes and cauliflower are very tender, approximately 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

2. With an immersion blender puree soup until smooth. If you don't have an immersion blender, transfer the soup in batches to a blender.

3. Add toppings if you like.

Tips for a Healthy Life

After talking to a friend the other day who wants to start off the new year much healthier, and then running into a lady at the gym who asked me 50 questions about reaching my own health and fitness goals I realized that I haven't written a post about things I did that helped me be successful. I think it is about time, don't you?

Here are some of the things I did that I 100% believe contributed to my weight loss and overall improvement in health.

1) Food journal
I think this is the most important thing I did that helped me lose weight. I wrote down every single thing I put in my mouth (both food and drink) every single day. It got to be a tedious chore so after around 8 months I quit, but when I start to slide in my eating habits I start journaling again. I found that this worked best for me because if I had to write it down, I thought carefully about if I should be eating it in the first place!

2) Get it out of the house
This one is easy...if you don't have it in the house, you can't eat it! Only buy healthy, clean foods (lean proteins, fruits, veggies, low fat dairy-no sugar, flour, alcohol, processed foods, etc.) because you will eat "junk" if you have it in the house. Don't even test your willpower, because I found I had none! Eventually the cravings will stop and you won't even want to eat that junk again.

3) Drink water
I carry a water bottle with me everywhere I go and refill it constantly.

4) Weigh yourself weekly and take measurements every two weeks and record them
I like doing this because it is very motivating to see your numbers change and it also keeps me motivated to maintain them or go lower.

5) Write down and highlight your gym days on a visible calendar
I write "gym" on my calendar each day I go and highlight it in pink. I love seeing how many times I get there in a week, and if I have a bad week then it motivates me to go more often the next!

6) Eater smaller meals more often
I eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, and have one or two snacks in between, but each is no more than approximately 300 calories

7) Set specific goals each month
My monthly goal changes depending on what I want to focus on. For example, I wanted to be able to do "real" pushups so I made it a goal and worked towards it that month. My next goal is unassisted chin ups!

8) Decide how many days a week you will work out and for how long
Saying you are going to work out more is pretty vague.  Saying you are going to work out 4 days a week for 45 minutes is a goal. Whatever your workout goal is, decide to do it and then do it!

These things worked for me, along with clean eating and exercise obviously, and maybe they will help you too! Good luck and let me know if there is something you do differently that I should try!

behind GREEN eyes

You know how you shrug off compliments from your friends with a "Oh thanks." You think they are saying it just to be nice or they have ulterior motives, or it is coming from your husband and he HAS to say that! Well I have been told several times that I have nice eyes, and am especially fond of the compliment I once received of "Your eyes are mesmerizing", but while I appreciate those comments I am insanely jealous of my mom's and brother's sapphire blue eyes.  I have always wanted to have blue eyes like theirs, and although I am proud to have inherited my dad's green eyes instead, it has always been a case of me wanting what I don't have.

I spent a few hours this afternoon shopping with my two sister in laws and their aunt and had just stepped out of a store when two men passed by us.  One of the men stopped walking, turned around and said, "You have the most beautiful eyes, lady." Then he continued walking after I mumbled a thank you.  I'm pretty sure I was five shades of red after that! It was so totally unexpected and very flattering, especially since it came from a random stranger who could have just kept walking. 

The rest of the day I spent thinking about two things.

One, maybe I should be grateful for my green eyes and start believing people when they say they are nice instead of just shrugging off the compliment like I usually do, or any compliments at all. Why do we always get weird when we receive them? And why are we never satisfied with ourselves? It is time to change both of those things!

And two, people should give more compliments.  That stranger totally made my whole day with one simple comment.  I know I don't give out compliments as often as I should even when I think it.  But I'm going to start! Everyone appreciates a feel good compliment as long as it is genuine and you feel good too! It's a win win situation.  Try it.

Oh and my day 3 of 365 Days of Happiness photo?  My green eyes of course!