We aren’t doing anything wild on our vacation week but it’s kind of nice to be able to go with the flow! We are headed to Rhode Island tomorrow morning to visit family & friends for a long weekend. Next week we plan on heading to the beach with Ava and then hopefully Marc and I will do a day trip somewhere just the 2 of us.

This week I have had a lot of “favorite” things that I wanted to share with you. Most of them are food related because I just love food and trying new things.

Things I’m loving this week:

Sugar Snap Peas from Trader Joes are pretty amazing. I can’t believe it was Ava’s first time having them this week but she absolutely loved peeling them a part and finding the peas inside. They are such a delicious healthy snack to keep on hand!

Trader Joe’s Sprouted Multi Grain Bread has no preservatives and is made with super healthy ingredients. For the last 2 weeks I really hadn’t eaten any bread but when I saw this at Trader Joe’s I had to try it and I’m glad I did. It paired nicely with my over easy eggs and Marc enjoyed it too.

Mamma Chia Pouches have made it into my Things I’m loving posts before but I found them in a box of 4 at Target and I was excited. Individual ones cost more so it was nice to be able to have a box of them on hand. They have all 3 omega’s, fruits & veggies, plus fiber. These snacks are great to keep in your purse or car and I’ve enjoyed having them as a quick no brainer healthy treat.

Omega Trek Mix speaking of Omega’s this nut mix is packed with healthy ingredients like walnuts, pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries & pistachios. Ava has been on a nut kick lately and I like having trail mix to give her. It also keeps her nice & full.

I always like to finish these posts with a picture of Ava. She’s constantly growing & developing and to see her personality come out has been so fun. She absolutely loves being outside and of course playing with Cooper.

Oh and this Quote is a great reminder for when you need a little boost.

I keep reminding myself about positivity.. you can really tell convince your mind to do anything!

What are you up to this weekend?

Do you have any favorite things from the week?

I wrote this post because I’m curious as to what everyone else has in their pantry. I try really hard to keep these 7 items on hand at all times because I use them a lot!

My Top 7 Healthy Pantry Staples:

1. Peanut Butter I usually buy Stop & Shop’s jarred peanut butter. It has 2 ingredients: peanuts & salt, and it only costs about $2! Marc, Ava, and I go through a jar in about 10 days or less so extra is always necessary in our pantry.

2. Canned Tuna & Canned Chicken Some days are busier then others and if I have no food in the fridge I love having a quick protein option like canned tuna or chicken that I can whip up in 2 minutes with some avocado & tomatoes!

3. Mixed Nuts & Dried Fruit When in doubt a filling snack for me is a Nut mix. My favorite nuts are pistachios & almonds. This is from Trader Joe’s and is about $5 or so and I’m obsessed with the great flavor this mix has.

4. Oats & Oatmeal Packets Believe it or not growing up I hated oatmeal. The texture was just gross to me. Now I am a huge fan. The single serve plain oatmeal packets are great for portion control and on the go snacks! I have been eating oatmeal at least 5x a week this past month!

5. Healthy Soup Not all canned soup is healthy. I make sure mine doesn’t have extra sugars, processed chemicals, or any ingredients I can’t pronounce. I usually make home-made soup but a back up soup is always great to have!

6. Almond Milk this is only $1.69 at Trader Joe’s. Almond milk has grown on me and I love it with my oatmeal and coffee! It also contain 45% of your daily calcium.. that’s awesome!

Pickles I try to keep pickles on hand when I need a salt fix they are packed with sodium and I love the taste! An added bonus is they are low-calorie!

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I definitely have other pantry staples but I would say these 7 items are on my top used list!!

Well it’s Friday the 13th again… not like that matters but I am looking forward to a relaxing weekend!!

What are your healthy pantry staple items? 

Are you a snack person?

When we first met, the closest I got to eating seafood was fish sticks. Now I will eat any type of fish and even mussels and stuffed clams.

Growing up I hated mushrooms, now I love them! You can literally make me stuffed mushrooms any day and I will eat them. Brussel Sprouts, yuck… I used to think they were so bitter. Now I would eat them as a snack if you put them in front of me! The first time I had salmon I literally gagged and now it is has become a weekly dinner staple in our house.

Sometimes it takes me a few tries to like something but I am happy to try most foods a second time around.

Growing up I always knew what Fennel was but the licorice taste was just gross to me. This was until Marc threw together this lovely side dish using fennel & apples which compliment each other so well in this dish. I couldn’t put my fork down!!! I asked him to make it again and again, apparently I’ve asked so much that now when Fennel is on sale he will buy it make the salad because he knows how much I love it.

This past weekend I came home to Marc making it and I decided it was time to share these flavors with you!

If you love the tartness of a granny smith apple and the tang from lemon juice I promise you will think of Fennel in a different way!

APPLE & FENNEL SALAD

Ingredients:

1 Head Fennel

1 Granny Smith Apple

2 tsp Olive Oil

1/2 lemon, juiced

1/4 tsp Thyme

Salt & Pepper

Directions:

1. Slice Fennel & Apple into matchstick slices.
2. Add Lemon juice, Olive oil, Thyme, Salt & Pepper. Toss well!

I may or may not have eaten right out of the bowl while Marc was making it, and then I think I had 2 servings after. The leftovers didn’t even last long enough for me to write this post, but he will make it again

What is something that you just recently started eating?

What is 1 food that you refuse to eat? 

I usually have 2-3 snacks per day. Over the years I have figured out that there are some snacks out there that don’t fill me and that don’t give me the energy. I need foods that help me make it through my day of teaching classes, training clients, and chasing after my crazy 1 year old Ava.

In the past I would easily have grabbed a processed granola bar or ate crackers/pretzels until I was overly full (because I didn’t know better). Although that junk tasted yummy while I was eating it, I hated the way I felt after! It wasn’t until I studied nutrition that I learned what foods gave me energy but most importantly kept me satisfied.

Here’s a list of some of My FAVORITE Grab & Go snacks that I eat in between meals:

Apple with almond butter or natural peanut butter (1 tbsp)

Hardboiled eggs with avocado & tomato

2-3 tbsp spoons of hummus & veggies

Protein Shake (Most recently I added Shakeology & it’s been a big night time snack saver)

Instant Oatmeal (unsweetened) with almond milk, cinnamon, fresh fruit, nuts, or honey

Celery stalk topped with 1 tbsp natural almond or peanut butter

Egg Frittata Squares

Green Monster Smoothie

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds with olive oil, salt & pepper

Deli Turkey (2 slices) with 1/4 cup avocado & tomato in lettuce wraps

Mixed Nuts

This list can go on…..

• Greek yogurt w/ chopped almonds, pistachios & honey
• 2 slice Deli turkey (I buy Applegate farms) and low fat cheese (1 slice)
• Banana Sliced w/ almond or peanut butter, sprinkled with coconut or crushed walnuts
• Lara Bar (Cashew Cookie, Apple Pie, or Peanut butter cookie)

As I read over this list not only does it make me hungry but it also makes me think about how good I feel after eating each of these snacks!! The best part is, you can prepare all of this ahead of time and throw them in tupperware containers to take with you wherever you go!

What are your favorite healthy snacks?

Do you have a lot of packaged snacks in your cabinets?

I LOVE Christmas.

This weekend was all about productivity. I jammed a lot in to a small amount of time but I am so proud of my accomplishments!

Friday night I had a cookie party with my mom.

But first we ate some take out! I had Chicken Marsala & Veggies… so good!

Once I finished eating we got prepared for a night of baking. My mom and I each chose a different cookie recipe to make. My mom chose my Grandma’s Anisette Cookies which are a family favorite. They are loaded with eggs & butter but they bring me back to my childhood Christmas celebrations so I was all for it.

I chose a Soft Sugar Cookie recipe that I incorporated a Chobani Greek yogurt into. They came out GREAT! I was a little nervous and went back and forth about making it, but I went with my gut and I’m glad I did! We all agreed that they were yummy and how could you not enjoy a HEALTHIER traditional sugar cookie.

SOFT SUGAR COOKIE

Ingredients:

• 1 Egg
• 1 container plain Chobani greek yogurt
• 2 cups of flour
• 1/4 tsp of baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup butter
• 2/3 cup sugar

Directions:

Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Place softened butter, egg, vanilla, and sugar in mixer and beat well. Slowly add in dry ingredients until dough has formed. Roll dough into medium size balls and flatten them on the pan. Add sprinkles. Bake at 350 degrees for 5-6 minutes or until golden on the bottom (all oven’s are different so make sure to watch them, they cook fast)

Enjoy!

Saturday morning I did Christmas shopping fairly early. I was able to get all of my shopping done by 10am. I was super pumped and impressed with all my good finds. I can’t wait to give everyone their gifts!

In the afternoon we headed to the YMCA to play while Marc worked out. Ava loved chasing the ball around, we had fun!

I didn’t need to use any of the equipment in the gym. Chasing Ava around for 45 minutes was plenty enough exercise for me!

Apparently being ultra productive and running a crazy amount of errands Saturday really did me in…..because I woke up with a sore throat on Sunday. I think it was a combination of not giving myself a break and catching a bit of Ava’s cold (YUP! She has another cold) She literally can’t win!

Not feeling too great and with a super productive Saturday already behind me, meant my Sunday was going to be a relaxing day around the house! However, it wasn’t too long after 10 am that I found myself out running a few more errands and continuing to check things off my holiday to do list! I did take it easy though… I watched a little football, took Cooper for a long walk, and then both Marc and I spent lots of time playing with Ava around the house.

We had a little Tea Party… Ava played with this toy set for 30 minutes. That is a long time for her to sit still.

Thankfully I can say I was feeling a bit better by the end of the day and Now I am off to teach Group Power! 

Are you all set for the Holidays?

Do you make cookies for Christmas? 

I really can’t, but I am super excited to see Ava in her Halloween Costume.

We all know the staple with Halloween is candy and more candy. Fortunately for me I’m really not a candy girl. Growing up my favorite was Reeses because as most of you know I love peanut butter. We also had M&M’s around a lot because my Mom loves them, so I guess I naturally like those too.

After a night of trick or treating, I would pretty much let my brothers and my dad eat all my halloween candy . I was never the kid that sat there and ate a million pieces, I would probably only have one or two and be over it.

Obviously you guys know I have to put a healthy twist on Halloween, it’s just what I do!!

I was looking at making some fun treats that were kid and adult friendly but also healthy. Ava doesn’t eat chocolate but she does love bananas, so I decided to make these Ghost Bananas. Aren’t they cute?? They do have chocolate chips as the eyes and mouth but I took them out when she ate her breakfast.

Clementine Pumpkins… These pumpkins look adorable and they are SO easy to make!

To make them, Peel your clementines or tangerines and place a small celery stick inside! They would be really cute to add to your halloween party!

and for all you chocolate lovers out there, last night I made these Reeses Protein bites. (These are slightly addicting so watch out!!!)

Reeses Protein Bites

Mix ingredients with a spatula. Divide into 8 balls and chill for 30 minutes or eat right away

 

What is your favorite Halloween candy?

What are you or your kids dressing up as?

You know they came out great when the husband approves 

1 cup pitted soft whole dates

Of course fruits, veggies, healthy fats, and lean meats are always my first choice when it comes to shopping but here are some of my packaged product picks.

My Top 5 Healthy Food Picks from Trader Joe’s:

1. Coconut Cranberry Granola… this out based cereal is great as a snack or yogurt topping. An added bonus is the healthy fats from the Coconut oil. Just looking at the picture of this granola is making me crave some!

2. Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter… this peanut butter has 2 ingredients.. peanuts & salt! Enough said.

3. Trader Joe’s 96% Lean Beef… if you need a red meat fix this beef is extra lean and costs around $5.

4. Trader Joe’s Hummus.. I have tried most of the flavors and my 2 favorite are the edamame and chipotle hummus. YUM.

5. Plantain Chips.. most of you know that I have been on a huge plantain kick over the last year. Whether they are baked, pan fried, or in chip form they are delicious. These are hands down my favorite brand of plantain chips! One bag just isn’t enough!

What are your favorite Trader Joe food items??