Stuffed mushrooms and other thoughts

I’m covering all four topics today. Fitness, Food, Fashion & Faith updates

Fitness: No exciting news here. My workouts have changed from heavy lifting to more body weight exercises and full body workout moves. The husband has been working later hours so instead of our outside workouts I’ve just been meeting him at the gym after he is done with work. This has pros and cons. Benefits to working out with him at the gym are it changes both of our routines. For him this means more legs, for me it’s more upper body. One big negative aspect of working out with him at the gym is it makes it harder to focus on the workouts. It’s the first time I’ve seen him all day and usually we spend more time talking and laughing than working out. It’s hard not to make fun of each other and take each workout seriously!

Food: I’ve been having a blast using my slow cooker! Made chicken twice last week with super healthy, easy recipes (post soon) and also trying some new ideas. Tonight I gave the crockpot a break and we enjoyed stuffed portabello mushrooms. There are a ton of different versions floating around so I’m not sure where I first saw this. I had been craving tomatoes and when I saw them at the store I just had to buy some. Didn’t follow a recipe: roasted tomatoes seasoned with olive oil, salt, and pepper, stuffed in mushrooms and topped with feta cheese. 

Fashion: Fall fashion season is about to begin! One good thing about moving across the country is I can wear red, black, white & houndstooth without being mistaken for a rivalry SEC school fan. Looking forward to trying these new color combos out that have been “off-limits” for so long!

Faith: Day 13 of The Purpose Driven Life and I am loving it! This book is teaching me something new every day. I usually read it in the morning and then refer back to it if possible during the day. I can see why so many people give this book good reviews.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

-A 

Cookies & Coffee

It’s already so chilly here!

What better way to relax in the cool weather than with an oatmeal cookie and pumpkin spice latte? 

The oatmeal cookie recipe is from a blog titled “Watching What I Eat”. I’ve never tried any of the recipes before but will definitely be sampling some more after these cookies. They were SO good!

The recipe was straightforward and didn’t have any complicated ingredients. There are no added sugar/sweeteners in these cookies, which I love. All of the sweetness in this recipe comes from the fruit. Bonus: the husband even liked them. I caught him with his hand in the cookie jar sneaking second helpings a few times! 

If you’ve got an extra 30 minutes, I would recommend whipping up a batch of these cookies and enjoying with a nice cup of coffee and a book. Perfect way to wrap up the summer!

-A

Breakfast for Dinner

Anyone who knows me at all knows that breakfast (aka breakFEAST) is my favorite meal of the day. So why only have it once a day? I made “breakfast for dinner” for myself and the husband when we returned from a particularly grueling workout last week. This was quite a new experience as I bravely attempted French toast!

Took a recipe from Pinterest and tweaked it a bit. Turned out great! I think it will be even better if I cook it on the griddle next time:

Batter for the French Toast:
3 egg whites
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 Tbsp coconut oil
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Whisked together and then dunked 3 slices of Ezekiel bread into the mixture before cooking in a skillet. Paired this with scrambled eggs(1 egg and 2 egg whites-yum!) and turkey bacon. Instant simple, fulfilling breakfast.

-A

Inspiration

A sweet friend posted this picture on Facebook. It’s a quote from “The Purpose Driven
Life”. I’ve often seen others reading this book, but have never read it myself. Believe this is next on my list.

-A

Traveling

Gearing up for a trip this weekend that involves lots of walking!!!

Here’s a look at some of the snacks I’m packing for the road…

As I was shopping I was thrilled to see Artisana products on the shelves. I’ve been craving coconut butter. They failed to have that in stock, but the store did have pecan butter, cashew butter, and walnut butter. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before coconut butter hits the shelves. In the meantime, I’ll be more than happy to sample these yummy treats!

Have a great weekend.

-A

Cooking Fever!

I’ve found some great recipes online

I enjoy cooking and want to take advantage of it while I have the time. This week I made Turkey Muffins, Egg Wrap-ups, and Protein Cookies. They were all delicious!

Jamie Eason’s Turkey Meatloaf Muffins:

Found this on a body building website. They’re spicy but you could easily tone that down with different flavorings if that’s not your thing.

Recipe Here

Egg Wrap-ups:

I have no link for this, just saw it on Pinterest. It’s simply one strip of turkey bacon filled and wrapped on the bottom of the muffin tin to create the bottom, and then an egg on top. Baked in the oven. You’re done, so easy!

Protein Cookies:

YUM! I didn’t follow the recipe exactly but the cookies turned out great anyway. This blog has a ton of recipes and I can’t wait to try more.

Recipe Here

Also had a nice baked banana oatmeal after the gym this morning. I’ve never actually had the patience or energy to make these in the morning but decided to go for it. So happy I did!

(looks like I might also need to clean my stove after all that cookin’-haha!)

Enjoy your weekend!

-A

Sweet Potato Egg Nests

A healthy recipe that the boy likes!?

Excited to introduce: Sweet Potato Egg Nests.

These yummy treats are easy and fun to make. Great way to incorporate veggies and protein into your diet.

I found the recipe here: http://paleomg.com/spinach-sweet-potato-egg-nests/

LOVE, love, love this website and have been trying a ton of her recipes lately. I also like the idea of sautéing the spinach with garlic & onion powder. I’ve done this several times and eaten it just as a side for dinner some nights.

In fitness news- me and the hubbs have been trying fun cardio/speed/agility workouts at a local park about 3 times a week. He coached little league football and the drills that he would put those kids through have been wearing me out! The biggest problem is he likes to work out first thing in the morning while I am more of an afternoon exerciser. Pictures coming soon! (usually we look so gross we don’t want to take any-haha) The location is great because we can walk to the park. It’s a mile away but it’s uphill there, so my heart rate is usually up by the time we are ready to start our workout.

Also trying the HIIT class at the gym today. We shall see how this goes….