blog

Spicy Feta Dip

June 11, 2012 by Lindsay 65 Comments

Hi Friends!

Happy Monday! Hope all of you had a great weekend. We had some beautiful (hot) weather here and we definitely spent some time outside enjoying it. Today I’ve got a fun new recipe to share with you guys. If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you may have seen me raving about the feta dip I made last week.

When we go to our favorite restaurant and get the hummus, it comes with a little dish of spicy feta dip. I love to spread hummus on a piece of pita and then add a thin layer of the feta dip on top of the hummus! I have no idea what’s in the dip at the restaurant…but that didn’t stop me from trying to recreate it at home.

All I really had to go on was the fact that the dip is a light orangish color…so I guessed that there might be a red pepper in there that would turn the dip orange when mixed with the white feta.

So, I roasted a red pepper and a bulb of garlic (because who doesn’t love roasted garlic) and threw it in the food processor. I added some greek yogurt and gave it a few spins. Right away I could tell it wasn’t going to be thick enough to make a dip so I pulled some canellini beans out of the freezer, defrosted them and added those.

*Side note about the beans- After I cooked an entire bag of them and put them in the freezer to use in future dishes, hubby informed me that he doesn’t like white beans. SO, i’ve been looking for ways to use them up so that he doesn’t have to eat them in their plain, white bean form. He saw me putting them in the dip and said “ewwww…why are you putting those in there?” I assured him that he wouldn’t even taste them…and I was right. I also added a bunch of cayenne pepper to kick things up a notch. At the very end I added the feta! Voila!

The first night we ate it cold with some homemade tortilla chips. The next night, I toasted some pieces of homemade bread, spread some dip on each piece and stuck them in the oven until everything was warm. Good news is this dip is great either hot or cold!

Spicy Feta Dip

by Lindsay L

Ingredients

1 red pepper, roasted and peeled
1 bulb of garlic, roasted
1/2 c plain Greek yogurt
1 cup canellini beans
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup crumbled feta

Instructions

Place the red pepper and cloves of roasted garlic in a food processor and pulse several times.

Add the yogurt, beans and cayenne pepper and process to desired consistency.

Add the crumbled feta and pulse several times until mixed well.

Serve warm or cold.

This dip is super simple, healthy and tastes great!

Don’t worry if it still looks a little watery after the food processor.
It will thicken up after it’s been in the fridge.

Just in case you’ve never made homemade tortilla chips before, I just spray whole wheat tortillas lightly with cooking spray, cut into triangles and bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes, flipping once.

I tried to decide whether I like it hot or cold better and I can’t pick a favorite 🙂

In hubby’s words, this feta dip is “the business”…so you know it’s good 😉

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Fitness Friday 24

June 8, 2012 by Lindsay 52 Comments

Hi Friends!

Happy Friday 🙂 I have a couple new workouts to share with you…but before we recap my week of workouts, I want to share something else with you guys.

On April 6th, I got my Fitbit (To see the post I wrote about why I love it, CLICK HERE). I charged it up and on April 7th I wore it around. I didn’t workout and I didn’t put any extra effort into getting steps. It was a Saturday I think so we were out running errands. I walked 5,800 steps. That night I decided that from then on I wanted to get 10,000 steps every day. Today is June 8th. That means that every day for the past 2 months, I’ve walked at least 10,000 steps! Pretty cool, right?

Here are the Fitbit charts from all but this past week:

When I was working, it was easy. I’d easily get 6,000-7,000 steps in a 3 hour shift. But there were days when I wasn’t working. When I had my treadmill laptop stand, it was easy. I could get 6,000 steps while checking my email and reading blogs in the morning. But currently my treadmill is broken 🙁

What I’m saying is, it hasn’t been easy every day. And some days I only clear 10,000 by about 10 steps….but it doesn’t matter. I’m still getting to 10,000. I’m making the extra effort to move more, be more active, walk when I’d rather nap…

I thought I’d share a few things that have helped me get my 10,000 steps each day.

Let’s break it down:

Leave Early: When you have somewhere to go, and you have a little extra time, leave early. I would leave for class about 30 minutes earlier than I needed to and spend that extra time walking around campus to get some extra steps in. Prior to getting my fitbit I would have just sat on the couch, or in the classroom and waited for class to start.
Walk Daily: If you have a dog, take them for a walk every day. If you have a spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend/child/friend/coworker- go for a walk with them! It doesn’t have to be long. Squeeze in a 15 minute walk here or there and it’ll get you about 2,000 steps. My dogs have had more walks in the past 2 months than they previously had in a whole year.
Take the Stairs: It’s a no brainer, friends. Any time you find yourself getting ready to take the elevator or escalator, find the stairs and take them instead. Every step counts.
Be Indirect: I almost never take a straight path to wherever I need to end up. Use a zigzag pattern to walk across a store, walk around the perimeter instead of straight up the middle, park on the opposite side of the parking lot from the department you need to go to, walk up and down those extra aisles in between where you are and where you need to go instead of just passing them by.
Walk and Talk: If you’re on the phone, walk around. I understand this might not be possible at work, but if you’re at home talking to your mom, or at your kid’s soccer game talking to a friend, walk around. There’s no reason you need to sit still to talk on the phone.
Set a Goal: There’s no way I would be walking 10,000 steps every day if I hadn’t made it a goal for myself. If 10,000 is too many steps for you at first, aim for 7,500. You need something to strive for each day or you probably won’t be motivated to get all those steps.
Take a Lap, Not a Nap: Next time you feel like laying down for a nap, go for a quick walk instead. Tell yourself you’ll walk one mile and then if you’re still tired after that, you’ll lay down. I bet, a lot of the time, after you walk, your energy will be restored and you won’t need that quick nap. And if it’s not, then hey- at least you got some steps in before you rested!
Set the Timer: If having to walk x number of miles each day seems daunting to you, break it down into blocks of time. Whenever you have a small chunk of free time, set a timer and walk. It doesn’t matter if it’s 5 min, 15 min or an hour. Walk around your house, walk up and down the stairs, walk outside…just set the timer and go! And don’t stop until it goes off. Repeat throughout the day.
Develop a Routine: After trying to reach your goal steps for so many days in a row, you’ll find you develop some routines to help you get there. You learn when it’s easiest for you to fit in a walk. You learn which walking route to take depending on how many steps you need. You start doing everyday tasks a certain way in order to maximize the number of steps it takes you to do them. Then, on days when you’re really struggling…stick with what you know works to get you to that 10,000 mark.
Have No Shame: There is no shame in heading to the basement at 11:45pm to pace around and run in place in order to get those last 500 steps in. There’s no shame in going to the bathroom every time you have the slightest urge to pee, even when you really could hold it, just to get some extra steps….No shame, friends. Do whatever it takes to get those steps!

So there you have it. I don’t set a lot of goals, but this is one that I actually like accomplishing each day!

Let’s review this past week, shall we?

Friday – Sunday: I pretty much took the weekend off. We had our college reunion and were gone for part of the weekend and to be honest, I was just tired. I didn’t want to work out. So I didn’t. Sunday night I did some planks and we played volleyball.

Monday: I did a new 100 workout that worked both my arms and legs. It was ROUGH. I was sore for 3 days…especially my legs. Holy Moly.

I used 12# dumbbells and a 10# med ball.

#PROOF

When Hubby came home, we headed out on a 12 mile bike ride. I stalked a heron, trying to get a good picture and we rode enjoyed the view at the dam.

Tuesday: I was so sore I could barely walk so I stuck to just abs and walking the dogs.

Wednesday: It was National Running Day. My legs were still sore but I forced myself outside to do the following:

The third 10 minutes of running was miserable. I didn’t think I was gonna make it. But I did it!! Also note how red my face it. When I run, my face gets RED. It doesn’t matter if it’s just for 5 minutes, or for the entirety of an hour long soccer game. My coaches used to bench me because they thought I was overheating…but no, my face just likes to get red 🙂

There you go! Some new workouts and tips for walking.

So tell me… Do you have a goal for daily steps? What’s your favorite way to sneak in some extra steps throughout the day?

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Whole Wheat Banana Crunch Pancakes

June 7, 2012 by Lindsay 68 Comments

Hi Friends!

As promised, I’m back today to give you the recipe for the banana crunch pancakes I made for lunch on Monday…oh, and again for lunch yesterday!

I’ve been teasing you on instagram & facebook with pictures like this:

That wasn’t nice, was it?!

Well have no fear…I’m here to share today. But first, let’s talk about a few things:

I made these pancakes as kind of my own version of my all-time favorite Banana Crunch Pancakes from a restaurant we eat breakfast at sometimes called First Watch.
I’ve tried to replicate these before using banana slices like they do and failed miserably…the banana slices were always sticking to the pan, or burning, or creating pockets so the batter right around them didn’t cook. I decided to see if I could solve this problem by just mashing the banana up to begin with to give them the banana flavor without having to deal with the slices. Success!
Their version uses sliced almonds…I used chopped pecans a)because I had them and b) because chopping is a lot easier than slicing when it comes to nuts.

Oh, and the most important thing. If you make these and expect them to be light, airy and bisquick-like you are going to be VERY disappointed. You’ll probably cry. These are not light, airy pancakes. They’re dense, and chewy, and packed with protein, healthy fats and whole grains! They’re actually quite similar to my all-time favorite Whole Wheat Oatmeal Pancakes but with a few changes of course.

Are you ready for the recipe?

Whole Wheat Banana Crunch Pancakes

by Lindsay L

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: 15 min

Keywords: stovetop breakfast healthy vegetarian agave greek yogurt oats banana

Ingredients (8-10 pancakes)

2/3 c mashed banana (2 medium)
1/4 c Skim milk
1/4 c Chobani non-fat greek yogurt
1 egg
1 Tbsp agave nectar
3/4 c white whole wheat flour
1/2 c oats
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 – 1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp ground flaxseed
1/4 – 1/2 c chopped nuts
1/4 – 1/2 c Love Grown Foods Simply Oats Granola

Instructions

1. Combine the wet ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Stir in the dry ingredients until just mixed.
3. Let sit while griddle heats up.
4. Ladle onto a hot, greased griddle.
5. Top with chopped nuts and granola and press lightly down into batter with your fingers.
6. Flip when bubbles form and cook through.

Note: These pancakes will be moist, especially from the banana so I leave them on the griddle for a while, and press down on them with the spatula to help them cook.

I definitely suggest topping these pancakes with yogurt (read: more chobani!!) and sliced fruit. SO GOOD!

When I made them for lunch yesterday, I topped them with peach Chobani and a fresh peach. AMAZING. I really liked the peach/banana combo.

Either way, you really can’t go wrong 🙂

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Dessert Hummus: Three Ways

June 5, 2012 by Lindsay 58 Comments

Hi Friends!

I was a busy little bee in the kitchen yesterday doing a few experiments and lucky for me (and you guys!) I was quite successful! As you guys know, last week I took my last final and graduated with my second bachelor’s degree. Yesterday our grades were posted for our final exam and I confirmed that I graduated with a 4.0! In my book, that calls for a celebration!

You may remember how we got some free pints of ice cream at EarthFare a few weekends ago…and I’ve been thinking about making some cookie ice cream sandwiches ever since. Over the weekend, I decided that I was too lazy to bake cookies, so I planned to make some vegan cookie dough and just use that to make my ice cream sandwiches!

After I started looking a recipes, I started thinking about how I’ve also been wanting to make some dessert hummus and haven’t gotten around to it yet! Have you guys heard of this? It’s essentially a sweet hummus that tastes like cookie dough. Plus, it’s vegan! And generally healthier than cookie dough. Boom! Problem solved.

There are tons of different recipes out there but as usual, I just decided to wing it.

I rinsed a can of chickpeas and threw it in the food processor. I added some peanut butter and some agave nectar and a splash of water and mixed it all up. Then I took a quick taste, and voila! SO GOOD. I realized later that I forgot to add vanilla extract, but that’s ok..you guys can add it for me!

Once I tasted it, I realized there were quite a few ways I could enjoy this delicious treat! I’ll introduce you guys to three ways today. First, just eat it as a dip. Graham crackers would be especially good for dipping. Second, use it to make the sandwich part of an ice cream sandwich. Third, add some oats, form into balls and freeze for a quick summer snack.

Dessert Hummus

by Lindsay L

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Keywords: food processor appetizer dessert snack vegetarian chocolate peanut butter chickpeas agave

Ingredients

1 can chickpeas, drained & rinsed
3 – 4 Tbsp peanut butter (or desired nut butter)
3 – 4 Tbsp agave nectar (or honey)
1/3 c chocolate chips
1-3 Tbsp water (or milk)

For Dip

Graham Crackers for dipping

For Ice Cream Sandwiches

Ice Cream

For Snack Balls

1/4 c Oats

Instructions

For the Dip

Combing chickpeas, peanut butter and agave in a food processor and process until smooth.
Add water (or milk) as necessary until desired consistency is reached.
Stir in chocolate chips.

For Ice Cream Sandwiches

Line a pan with foil.
Spread half the dip on the bottom.
Top with slightly softened ice cream and freeze until set.
Spread remaining dip on top and freeze until set.
Cut into pieces.

For the Snack Balls

Stir in oats.
Form into balls.
Freeze and enjoy.

I used 3 Tbsp peanut butter, 3 Tbsp agave and 2 Tbsp water. I would’ve added some vanilla too if I hadn’t forgotten. If you want a stronger peanut butter flavor, add an extra Tbsp or two. If you want it sweeter, add more agave! My advice would just be to start with less, taste and then add more! For my ice cream sandwiches I used mint chocolate chip ice cream 🙂 Those are definitely my favorite. The dip is delish on it’s own as well. For the snack balls, I added the oats to thicken it up a bit…but it’d probably be fine just forming into balls and freezing without the oats if you didn’t want them!

So tell me, which way looks best to you?!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

SRC: Tortilla Bowls

June 4, 2012 by Lindsay 55 Comments

Hi Friends!

Happy Monday 🙂 It’s time for Secret Recipe Club.

This month I had Rache’s blog, Rachel Cooks. I was so excited because I’ve followed her on Twitter forever and she always makes the most delicious recipes! I had a great time browsing her site. I have quite a few bookmarked to try later, but I kept coming back to this recipe for Southwestern Salad Bowls. Probably because we LOVE Mexican food and eat it several times a week 🙂

Although I didn’t follow her salad recipe exactly, I did totally steal the idea for the tortilla bowls. They’re so fun…and the perfect way to make leftovers more exciting in my house! A couple weeks ago, I made some black bean and goat cheese quesadillas to eat with my Sweet & Spicy Strawberry Peach Guacamole. I always make extra filling when we have Mexican so we can use it throughout the week. This time though, instead of just putting in a plain old tortilla, I followed Rachel’s directions to spice up our lunches the next day.

Just spray both sides of a tortilla with cooking spray, flip over a muffin tin and press the tortilla down between the tins to give it a flat bottom. Bake at 425 degrees for about 8 minutes.

Once your tortilla bowls are ready, fill them with your favorites and dig in! I warmed up the leftover quesadilla filling and scooped it into the shells…topped with some leftover guac and voila, lunch is served!

Thanks for the great idea Rachel!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

#PhotoADayMay: Part 2

June 2, 2012 by Lindsay 16 Comments

Hi Friends!

Time for the second half of #photoadaymay!

Here are the prompts:

Annnnnd here we go:

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Fitness Friday Arms and Abs

June 1, 2012 by Lindsay 37 Comments

Hi Friends!

It’s already time for another weekend. I LOVE short weeks 🙂

It’s been a busy, active week! Let’s recap shall we?

Friday: I did an arms and abs workout and let me tell you…it was a good one. I was sore for about 3 days!

#PROOF

Saturday: I ran 3 miles and biked about 10 miles!

#PROOF

Sunday: 15 mile bike ride and 1 hour of sand volleyball

Monday: 4 hours of yard work and a 2 mile solo walk instead of a nap

#PROOF

Tuesday: 8 mile bike ride with the hubby and a 3 mile walk with the dogs.

Wednesday: I took my last final and then squeezed in a 2 mile run before hubby got home from work!

The first one was actually about 8:10 and then I slowed down a bit on the second one…but still! My speed is coming back!

Fun fact: In middle school I could run a sub- 7 minute mile!
Maybe I’ll be able to do that again someday 🙂

Thursday: We were waiting for our mulch to be delivered so I wanted to squeeze in a quick workout that didn’t require any equipment! This one’s called the BW20. Basically because I was lazy and didn’t feel like coming up with a name for it. BW for bodyweight. 20 because it takes 20 minutes!

I finished up with 3 planks. It’s been a while since I’ve done planks and boy were they rough!

So there you have it friends! How were your workouts this week?

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

PS…if you want to see my workouts before Friday, follow me on instagram! (username: theleangreenbean) I post them right when I’m done.

May Foodie Penpals Reveal Day

May 31, 2012 by Lindsay 66 Comments

Hi Friends!

It’s my favorite day of the month 🙂 Foodie Penpals reveal day!!

This month I totally lucked out getting matched with Lena from Lena on the Beach! She is one of FPP’s biggest fans and has been a constant source of support for me as the program grows bigger and bigger each month. Plus, she’s from Boston. I love Boston 🙂 Anyways…she knocked it out of the park with this box. Seriously. It was packed to the brim with delicious goodies. Wanna see?!

Look at all that stuff!! Let’s make a list of what was inside:

Homemade Kombucha- delicious!
Homemade Energy Bars- perfect snack!
Homemade Savory Seed & Nut Mix- for topping soups and salads
Apple Butter- Delicious on toast
Bread- From her favorite bakery…inhaled it!
Single Serving Chia Seed Packets- perfect for my purse
Justin’s Nut Butter & PB cups- my fav 🙂
Trader Joe’s Green Tea Mints- awesome since I gave up gum!
Fun Foodie Magazines- LOVE foodie mags 🙂

Pretty good, right?! Well I saved my two favorite things to tell you about separately:

1) Ginger Peach Granola. OH.MY.GOSH. I am obsessed. It’s my new favorite thing. I LOVE the flavor pairing. SO so good you guys! In fact, I immediately emailed her and asked if she could write a guest post with the recipe so hopefully I can share it with you guys soon. I love ginger and peaches but have never thought of them together! Obsessed, I tell you! In fact, I”m gonna have Lindsay make me Ginger Peach Healthy Bites for my next order 🙂

2) She made me CDs! In her email she asked me what kind of music I like to listen to when I’m in the kitchen. When I told her country, she sent me two CDs…one of country jams on one with some Boston rock and roll 🙂 I thought this was the CUTEST idea! I’ve had the country one in my car since I got it. She got some of my favs on there but alson introduced me to some new artists. I’ve been listening to “Beer Money” by Kip Moore and “Georgia Peaches” by Lauren Alaina on repeat for the past 2 weeks. Love them!

Anyways, thanks so much Lena for an amazing package!!! I loved everything so much!

Now, don’t you wanna join in the fun?! Here are the Foodie Penpals details:

-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.
-Foodie Penplas is open to US & Canadian residents. Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa.

If you’re interested in participating for June, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.

You must submit your information by June 4th as pairings will be emailed on June 5th! You will receive a confirmation email from me within 24 hours if you sign up. IF YOU DON’T GET ONE, send me an email!

*If you’re from somewhere besides the US, Canada or Europe and want to participate, send me an email and I’ll see if we get enough interest this month!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Memorial Day Weekend

May 29, 2012 by Lindsay 38 Comments

Hi Friends!

Happy Tuesday. I hope each and every one of you had a wonderful weekend! I know I did. Let’s recap shall we 🙂

Friday Night:

The hubby got off work early so we took advantage of that and headed to happy hour. Then we ran some errands to get them out of the way!

1. We had a coupon to get a free ice cream, so of course we each used one!
2. I got a box full of the Xagave that I won at Blend Retreat!
3. I only ate 1 slice of cheesy bread so I made a hummus plate later.
4. I finally took a picture of the humorous chalk drawing on our sidewalk!
-“Like a sir” is apparently the new “Like a Boss”.
5. We rode our bikes to the Field of Heroes at sunset. (4 miles)
6. We rode by some sheep on the way home!
7. We watched The Muppets movie and laughed a lot
8. I captured the cuteness of my three boys
9. And yes, I’m obsessed with taking pictures of my dogs 🙂

Saturday:

1. I woke up at 6:30 am and ran 3 miles! What? Who am I?
-1 mile warmup inside, 2 mi outside @ 9 min miles!-
2. Sprouts are growing in our garden! Beans and peas especially!
3. I made my first trip to the farmer’s market this year
-I bought lettuce, tomatoes, a tomato plant & veggie burgers-
4. My family is cute 🙂
5. I made breakfast for hubby and I ate breakfast again.
6. We gave Poco some fresh catnip and he went CRAZY!
7. Marcus was less than impressed.
8. We ran some errands.
9. I prepped some healthy food for our cookout later.

This is just to show you guys that when someone tells you there isn’t going to be much healthy food at a get-together, you can still eat healthy! I made a big salad, threw together a hummus plate and cooked some green beans and stuck it all in the fridge with the locally made veggie burgers for later.

1. I made a modified version of these from Cooking Light to eat for lunch
2. Hubby built a stand for his rain barrel
3. Even though it was 96 degrees, we packed up our healthy food and rode our bikes 4 miles to the cookout!
4. When we got there, I added some fruit and a beer to make a full meal 🙂

And after biking 4 miles home, we added another mile to get some of this:

Sunday:

Hubby got up early to remove the stain from the deck so we can re-stain it

Then we set out on an EPIC bike ride. We biked to our favorite local coffee shop to read the paper and get some coffee:

Then we did some exploring and stumbled upon a little nature preserve so we biked around that…and then we biked to one of our fav restaurants for lunch!

For lunch we got our favorite hummus, and a pesto pizza. We took the leftover pizza home for a snack later.

All in all, we biked about 15 miles…and yes it was 95 degrees!
Get out and be active…even when it’s hot!!

Next we headed to get some flowers for the garden. We decided to hold off on planting them until Monday since we’d been outside all day.

We squeezed in a quick nap and then headed off to play volleyball!
We’re undefeated so far 🙂

Monday:

Every year we go to the Memorial Day Parade with my in-laws.

After the parade we headed home to tackle our yard work.
We spent about 4 hours working out in the yard.

1. We gathered our tools and got to work.
2. On one of our water breaks I threw together some salsa for later.
3. We trimmed bushes, weeded and filled 5 yard waste bags.
4. The dogs tried to stay cool.
5. We planted our planters.
6. We hung our hanging basket.
7. I added black beans to the salsa…
8. And we devoured it when we were done.
9. Instead of taking a nap,
I went for a walk to make sure I got my 10,000 steps.

#MOVE MORE

Our garden beds were full of huge prickly weeds and all the bushes needed to be trimmed:

On the left are the ugly weeds.
On the right are the newly planted flowers and trimmed bushes.

Next weekend we have a ridiculous amount of mulch being delivered…
so that should be fun.

Fun fact about me: I worked for a woman that ran her own landscaping company every summer during high school and college. I worked with all my best friends…we worked from 5:30am- 4pm six days a week and we made crazy good money. Oh…and I grew up in Kansas where it regularly got up to 110 degrees in the summer….And you know what? It was a blast!!! Best summer job ever. Working in the my yard like this always make me a little nostalgic for those days 🙂

So there ya have it. My weekend in pictures. The theme of the weekend- getting outside, being active with your family and feeling great.

As a Fitfluential Ambassador, I think it’s important to share with you guys how I stay healthy & active and have fun doing it.

To recap:

Friday night, we biked 4 miles and saw an amazing display honoring our nations heroes.
Saturday morning I ran 3 miles and later we biked 9 miles total to enjoy a cookout with family & some fro-yo.
Sunday we biked 15 miles and enjoyed coffee, lunch and even found a nature preserve. Later we played sand volleyball for an hour.
Monday we worked hard in the yard for 4 hours to make it look pretty and I took a leisurely 2 mile walk around the neighborhood.

Yes, I’m exhausted…but I’m grateful that I have a hubby who loves being active as much as I do…and that we’re both strong and healthy so that we can enjoy all of these activities together!

How was your weekend? Did you get some exercise?

–Lindsay–

More Than An Extra Vacation Day

May 28, 2012 by Lindsay 10 Comments

Gone But Not Forgotten.
Honor the Fallen.

As you’re enjoying your day off school or work today…take a moment to remember why we celebrate this day. In case you don’t know:

Spend some time thinking about and saying thank you to those who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom. For those who have given their lives so we can enjoy everything we have today. It’s more than just a day for cookouts and parties. It’s a day of remembrance and respect for those who deserve it most.

–Lindsay–

Fitness Friday 22

May 25, 2012 by Lindsay 42 Comments

Hi Friends!

It’s Friday. I’m so excited for the weekend! We’ll be heading to the Farmer’s Market for the first time this year and hopefully getting some work done in the yard. I have two great workouts to share with you today, but first we have some other things to cover!

First, I’m being featured on Fitness Magazine’s website this week as their “Fit Blogger We Love”! I’m so excited about it! If you want to check out the post, CLICK HERE!

Second, I get to do a REALLY exciting interview in a couple weeks with Ellie Krieger!!! Yes, THE Ellie Krieger. Like from The Food Network! How cool is that?! I love her and have several of her cookbooks in my collection. She’s an RD, a New York Times best-selling author and the host of a TV show called Healthy Appetite. I’ll be interviewing her via phone and webcam so I’ll be able to post the video of the interview for you guys to see!

The best part? I can ask her any questions I want about healthy eating, snacking, nutrition, etc….so here’s your chance! Do you have a question you want me to ask her? Leave it in the comments or email it to me and I’ll do my best to get it answered!

Third, oh…well that’s all for now I guess. I was really getting rollin’ with my list!

Anyways, now we’re back to regularly scheduled programing. It’s Fitness Friday so I have two workouts to share with you guys!

On Monday, I did this workout on the treadmill:

I covered 3 miles in the 30 minutes and was a sweaty mess by the end!

#fitfluential #PROOF

On Wednesday I went back and re-did one of my old workouts. I loved it just as much as I did the first time. I upped the speed on my runs to really push myself, and i’m not gonna lie, I almost threw up after the last run. I wanted to decrease the speed SO BADLY for the last 2 runs…but I powered through and I was so proud of myself!

Holy moly. I was a mess after this one.

Give it a try! Let me know what you think 🙂

Now it’s your turn, friends! Leave me something good for the weekend….a question for Ellie, a fun workout you did this week, some fun weekend plans? Let’s hear it!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Chunky Greek Hummus Plate

May 24, 2012 by Lindsay 37 Comments

Hi Friends!

Just popping in with a quick post today. As you know, this weekend is Memorial Day weekend. If I had to guess, I’d say many of you will be going to a cookout/family gathering/party of some kind. I’d also guess many of those get-togethers will be filled with unhealthy foods and you’ll probably be indulging in some of them.

And that’s fine…but why not balance it out with some healthy stuff?!

When Hubby & I go out to eat at one of our favorite neighborhood restaurants, we always get the hummus. It comes with a little side dish of marinated tomatoes, cucumbers and olives. He loves it and I’ve been meaning to recreate it at home but just haven’t gotten around to it. When I saw this idea in Kraft Magazine, I knew it’d be a great compromise until I get around to making the marinated version.

Here’s what you do. Make a batch of your favorite hummus. I chose roasted red pepper, but garlic would be good too. If you’re in a pinch, pick some up at the store…but we all know homemade is better! Spread it on a plate and top with diced veggies. I used cucumber, tomato, red pepper, red onion and feta cheese! Add olives if you like them or leave them off like I did.

Serve with crackers or pita chips.

This is a fun twist on the typical plain old hummus and veggie sticks! In fact, it’s so pretty I bet it will be gone before you know it. The perfect party appetizer if you ask me 🙂

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

My Go-To Meals: Mexican Loaded Sweet Potatoes

May 22, 2012 by Lindsay 48 Comments

Hi friends!

I’m back with another one of my go-to meals to share with you guys! In case you missed last week, you can check out my Lentil & Veggie Curry by clicking HERE.

This week’s meal is the one I probably make the most out of any other meal ever. It’s so easy, so delicious and I can throw it together in about 15 minutes. Plus it’s super healthy. An all-around win in my book 🙂

I usually make mine Mexican themed, but feel free to use whatever you have on had. Here’s what you need:

Sweet potatoes
Veggies
Beans
A grain
Toppings

I almost always use black beans from the freezer. For the base I usually use red peppers and onion mixed with beans and whatever grain I happen to have leftover in my fridge. Brown rice works well…so does quinoa, farro, wheatberries…you get the idea. Saute the peppers and onions with some garlic. Add a little cayenne pepper and cumin….put the mixture on top of a microwaved sweet potato and top with tomato, avocado and cheese. That’s it!

Mexican Loaded Sweet Potato

by Lindsay L

Prep Time: 15 min

Keywords: microwave saute entree healthy vegetarian low-sodium black beans sweet potato Mexican

Ingredients (serves 4)

4 small sweet potatoes (or 2 large)
1 red bell pepper
1/2 c onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c black beans
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 c cooked grain (rice, farro, quinoa)
1 medium avocado, diced
1 tomato, diced
mexican cheese

Instructions

1. Poke the sweet potatoes all over with a fork and microwave on high for 5-6 minutes or until soft.
2. Saute the garlic, onion, red pepper and black beans in a medium-sized pan.
3. Add spices and mix well.
4. Add the grain and stir until heated through.
5. Slice the sweet potatoes in half length-wise (cut in half if using 2 large).
6. Top with bean mixture.
7. Add the avocado, tomato and cheese and serve warm.

The most important thing to remember is that this recipe is not exact. I usually don’t measure anything…just throw in what I have on hand. I always make extra toppings and we use that in tacos or burritos for lunch the rest of the week. If you eat meat, add some chicken or pork to the mix.

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Sweet & Spicy Strawberry Peach Guacamole

May 21, 2012 by Lindsay 29 Comments

Hi Friends!

Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! Let me give you a quick recap of mine. I barely touched my computer all weekend. Which explains why last night I had 150 unread posts in my google reader.

Instead, I did some other fun things:

We had a garage sale all day Friday
We went out for happy hour drinks with friends
We stayed out for post-happy hour drinks with friends
We took lots of fun pictures in the sunbeam that was shining on our table
We had a garage sale all day Saturday
We found a garage sale mascot
We brought the boys out into the garage to hang with us
We had a cookout with my in-laws
I played with all the photography apps I have on my phone
We rode our bikes to get coffe on Sunday morning
I discovered the blur function on instagram
We donated all our garage sale leftovers to charity
I made a menu plan for the week for the first time in about a year
We played in our Sunday night sand volleyball league
And we won 🙂

Oh, and then this happened:

Yep…I put fruit in my guac. And I’m in love. Here are the recipes that inspired last night’s dinner:

I had ripe avocados…and I snagged a container of strawberries while we were out running errands on Sunday…but I also bought my first bag of peaches of the season! SO PUMPED. They’re my favorite fruit. Then, when I got home and tried to make the salsa, the avocados were too ripe. So I made guacamole instead. And since I was planning to put goat cheese in my quesadillas…and fruit goes well with goat cheese, I just went ahead and threw some strawberries and peaches into the guac!

So basically, use your favorite guac recipe, add fruit and voila!

Sweet & Spicy Strawberry Peach Guacamole

by Lindsay L

Prep Time: 5 min

Keywords: appetizer healthy avocado strawberry

Ingredients

2 ripe avocados
2 Tbsp cilantro, minced
1/4 c red onion, diced
juice from 1 lime
1 jalapeno, minced
1 c strawberries, diced
1 c peaches, diced

Instructions

Mash the avocados in a bowl.
Stir in the cilantro, lime juice, onion and jalapeno Mix well.
Stir in the fruit.

As you can see, this isn’t so much a recipe as a summer guac modification!

Before we went to volleyball, I sauteed some onion, garlic, red and green peppers and black beans in a large pan with some cayenne pepper and paprika. I diced a sweet potato and microwaved it for 1 minute before adding it to the mix. Then I stuck the mixture in the fridge. When we got home, I pulled out the veggies, scooped them into tortillas with some mexican cheese and some goat cheese and tossed them on the George Foreman. When the cheese was melted, I topped them with guac and dug in! SOOOO GOOD!

The perfect summer weeknight din!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

May Photo-A-Day: Part 1

May 19, 2012 by Lindsay 8 Comments

Time for another edition of the #photoaday challenge!

Here are the prompts for May:

And here’s the first half of the month:

Happy Saturday!
–Lindsay–

Fitness Friday 21

May 18, 2012 by Lindsay 33 Comments

Hi Friends!

Time for another Fitness Friday!

I’ve only got 2 workouts to share with you this week but they’re good ones! This week it was all about full body weights with cardio bursts! I used 2 of my old workouts as a base, updated them both with a few changes and made them look pretty for you this week

I took it easy this past weekend. My body was screaming for rest so I took several days off. Monday I jumped back in and did this workout:

Holy moly. I used heavy dumbbells to really push myself and I was SO sore on Tuesday and Wednesday.

#PROOF

Tuesday I did I little reading on the treadmill with the cat:

Totally normal right? We’re having a garage sale this weekend and it’s got Marcus a little stressed out so he’s literally going wherever I go. Didn’t leave his perch for the whole 3 miles.

Wednesday I did this workout:

I did my runs at 7.0 which is faster than I’ve been running lately. By the end I was a sweaty mess:

#PROOF

Soooooooooo, there you have it. PUSH YOURSELF! And have a great weekend!

–Lindsay–

Tropical Quinoa Cookies

May 17, 2012 by Lindsay 54 Comments

Hi Friends!

Yep, you read that right. I put quinoa in cookies. And they’re delicious!

Let me back up. Last week on my Facebook Page (have you liked it?) I posted that I was going to try to make some tropical granola bars. I found some dried pineapple (with only a little added sugar) and some dried papaya (with no added sugar) at Earthfare and got to work.

And I failed. I made two batches. One with a lot of applesauce. Usually I use peanut butter as my binder but that didn’t seem very tropical (although I could have used the coconut peanut butter we got at Blend retreat…but I gave mine to Sarah since I’m not huge on coconut). Anyways, the applesauce made them chewy but they were too wet for my taste. Then I tried with less applesauce, more oil….and they didn’t stick together.

Not one to wallow in my kitchen failures- they happen all too often for that, I moved on the plan B. I’d been thinking about adding quinoa to some baked goods for a while now. In fact, I made some of this gluten-free banana bread, subbed 1/3 c agave for the sugar and added 1 cup cooked quinoa. They came out great! However I also added some peanut butter chips, which I’ve never used before, and I didn’t like those. They were too sweet or something, I dunno. Anyways, they kinda ruined the muffins for me…but you better believe i’ll be making them again (sans pb chips) next time I have some ripe bananas. Added protein, for the win!

Anyways, after a half success with the muffins, I decided to try adding quinoa to some cookies. And I just so happened to still have enough dried tropical fruit to make some sort of tropical cookie…with quinoa….and then I threw in some granola…and some almonds. So really it was kinda like I was making my tropical granola bars….just in cookie form…which worked out well for me 🙂

These cookies are fluffy, chewy and crunchy…all at the same time!

Tropical Quinoa Cookies

by Lindsay L

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: 12 min

Keywords: bake snack dessert quinoa cookie

Ingredients (2 dozen)

1 1/3 c white whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
6 Tbsp butter, softened
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c honey
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 c cooked quinoa
1 c granola
1 c dried fruit (pineapple, papaya, cranberries)
1/2 c almonds, chopped

optional

shredded coconut

Instructions

1. In a medium-sized bowl, cream the butter and sugar together.

2. Add the honey, eggs and vanilla and mix well.

3. Combine the flour, baking soda and baking powder in a small bowl and add to the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined.

4. By hand, stir in the quinoa, granola, dried fruit and almonds until just mixed.

5. Scoop onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

I used Love Grown Foods Cranberry Pecan granola which has some coconut in it. If you really like coconut, add some shredded coconut to the mix. If you don’t have granola, just use oats. If you don’t like pineapple or papaya, try mango or chopped up banana chips!

By my best estimation when I tried putting these into a recipe calculator, these have about 3 grams of protein and 2 grams of fiber per cookie, with about 9 grams of sugar (some coming naturally from the fruit) and about 130 calories. I had enough dough for 27 cookies.

Have you ever baked with quinoa?

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Berry Breakfast Quinoa

May 14, 2012 by Lindsay 88 Comments

Hi Friends!

Happy Monday 🙂 Today I have a delicious new breakfast to share with you guys. As I’m sure I’ve mentioned on here before, quinoa is not my favorite. However, I know how healthy it is and what a great source of protein it is, especially for vegetarians, so over the past year I’ve been making an effort to eat it more often. This means I’m always searching for different recipes in hopes of finding some I really like.

The good news is, I’ve found a few over the past several months. The great news is I have one to share with you today!

As we all know, I’m a huge breakfast fan. In fact, a lot of days I eat it for multiple meals. Last week I made breakfast quinoa…and ate it for lunch….and it was delicious.

I cooked the quinoa in milk with some strawberries and it topped with with peanut butter, almonds, sliced bananas, a few chocolate chips and a drizzle of agave. Holy YUM!

Berry Breakfast Quinoa

by Lindsay L

Cook Time: 20 min

Keywords: stovetop breakfast healthy vegetarian low-sodium fruit quinoa

Ingredients

1/4 c quinoa, dry & rinsed
1/2 c milk
1/2 c berries
dash cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla

Toppings

nuts
fruit
chocolate chips
nut butter
agave/honey

Instructions

1. Combine the quinoa, milk, berries, cinnamon and vanilla in a small saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes until liquid is absorbed.
3. Add toppings and serve warm.

This recipe could easily be doubled to make a larger batch to eat throughout the week. I looked at some recipes that added the berries in after cooking, but I decided to just throw mine in while it was cooking. As a result, the berries kinda disolved into the quinoa making it a pretty pink color!

The only thing you need to keep in mind is that adding the berries means there’s a little extra liquid as they dissolve so you may need to cook the quinoa a bit longer than usual so all the liquid can be absorbed. Play around with the toppings to find a combo you like! Next time i’m adding greek yogurt!

Dig in, friends!

So tell me, what’s your favorite way to eat quinoa? Have you ever made a sweet version like this?

–Lindsay–

Happy Mother’s Day

May 13, 2012 by Lindsay 6 Comments

Just popping in to say:

Happy Mother’s Day

to both the moms in my life.

Thanks for everything you do for me.

I love you both.

–Lindsay–

Fitness Friday 20

May 11, 2012 by Lindsay 23 Comments

Hi Guys!

It’s time for another Fitness Friday!

My workouts this week since I got back from blend have been somewhat sporadic. Quite frankly, I’ve been exhausted. But have no fear! I still have a few workouts to share with you 🙂 Apparently I was in the mood to go with a numbers theme this week.

Monday and Tuesday I wasn’t really in the mood to workout…I had a test on Wednesday so I spent most of those two days studying. Even though I wasn’t working out, I still wanted something to get me up and moving throughout the day. That’s how I came up with these first two workouts. They only take five minutes but they’ll elevate your heart rate and get you moving! They’re great for getting you up off your butt without taking up a lot of time! The perfect study break.

The first one hardly requires any space at all. You can basically just stand in place to do it. Give it a try in your office at work, or while you’re cooking dinner.

Here’s a video in case you’re not sure about toe taps. She uses a medicine ball but you can basically just pick a spot on the floor or wall and use it to alternately tap your toes. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO.
For the air punches, you can do whatever you want- jabs, crosses, hooks, uppercuts…just keep your arms moving!

If you have a little bit more space, try this one:

You can do these several times in a row for a full workout, or use them throughout the day to bump up your heart rate!

Wednesday I was finally feeling slightly more rested, so I put together the following workout. It’s easy to remember: You do seven exercises…seven reps of each exercise…and repeat the cycle seven times!

Use a medicine ball for the ball slams and the wall passes!

Until I did this workout, I forgot how much I love my medicine ball! The next day I put together an ab workout using the medicine ball again.

FYI- planks on the ball are HARD!

That’s all for today friends! Hope you have a great weekend 🙂

–Lindsay–

Spicy Feta Dip

Fitness Friday 24

Whole Wheat Banana Crunch Pancakes

Dessert Hummus: Three Ways

SRC: Tortilla Bowls

#PhotoADayMay: Part 2

Fitness Friday Arms and Abs

May Foodie Penpals Reveal Day

Memorial Day Weekend

More Than An Extra Vacation Day

Gone But Not Forgotten.
Honor the Fallen.

Fitness Friday 22

Chunky Greek Hummus Plate

My Go-To Meals: Mexican Loaded Sweet Potatoes

Sweet & Spicy Strawberry Peach Guacamole

May Photo-A-Day: Part 1

Fitness Friday 21

Tropical Quinoa Cookies

Berry Breakfast Quinoa

Happy Mother’s Day

Just popping in to say:

Happy Mother’s Day

to both the moms in my life.

Thanks for everything you do for me.

I love you both.

–Lindsay–

Fitness Friday 20

Recipes

Kids

Resources

About

Learn how food affects your body.

blog

Gone But Not Forgotten. Honor the Fallen.

Just popping in to say:

Happy Mother’s Day

to both the moms in my life.

Thanks for everything you do for me.

I love you both.

–Lindsay–

Gone But Not Forgotten.
Honor the Fallen.