Pass the Potatoes, Er, I Mean Cauliflower!

Tonight I am going to share with you two of my favorite side dishes right now: Cauliflower mash potatoes and Greek salad! 

I don't know about you guys, but I love potatoes. They are seriously my weakness! I love them baked, mashed, fried, I could eat them everyday! While in moderation they aren't bad, let's be honest, if I are potatoes everyday I probably wouldn't get to where I want my body to be.

Except sweet potatoes! Sweet potatoes are a wonderful food, packed with fiber, vitamins, nutrients, protein, and they are pretty low calorie. But tonight I am not talking about sweet potatoes, I am talking about russet potatoes.

Since I know that I can't eat them whenever I want, I started experimenting with an alternative. Yep, cauliflower! Hey, don't knock it until you try it! ;) These roasted garlic mash potatoes are pretty delicious, especially for an alternative!

Roasted Garlic Mock Potatoes

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower 

1 head of garlic

2 tablespoon nondairy milk

1 teaspoon earth balance

2 teaspoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Chop the head of cauliflower into florets and place in a baking dish.

3. Coat the cauliflower with a little bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper.

4. Cut the head off the garlic head, place on foil, and drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the open cloves. Close up the head of garlic in the foil tightly.

5. Place the wrapped garlic in the center of the baking dish, and place in the oven for 35-40 minutes. (Until the cauliflower and garlic are both golden brown.)

6. Take the cauliflower out of the baking dish and place it in a food processor. If you don't have a food processor, you can use a bowl, or a hand blender.

7. Unwrap the head of garlic, and add 5 cloves of garlic to the food processor or bowl that you are using.

8. Add the olive oil, and begin to pulse. 

9. When it begins to look flakey, add the earth balance, milk, salt, and pepper. Continue to process until it looks like whipped mash potatoes.

10. Add chives on top, and enjoy!

It's summer, it's hot and humid, and sometimes all I want is something refreshing! Greek salad has been my go to for that lately. It is simple, easy, and bursting with flavor. Not to mention it's beautiful!

Greek Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 stalks of romaine 

2 Roma tomatoes

1/2 a cucumber

1/2 cup kalamata olives cut in half (optional)

1/2 cup red onion sliced and cut in half

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Chop the romaine, rinse, and pat dry.

2. Dice the tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and olives if you are using them.

3. In a salad bowl, add the lettuce, and toss with the olive oil until it is coated evenly.

4. Add the rest of the ingredients, and pour the juice of one lemon over all of them. Add a little bit of salt and pepper, toss until combined, and serve!

Body Image.

I was walking around the CA. Capitol today and the topic of body image came to mind. Both men and women suffer from body image, although it is more common in women. As I have discussed on my blog before, I have suffered from many different aspects of body image for many years. I was looking through old pictures the other day, and came across one from high school. In high school I always felt that I was overweight and disgusting. When I saw this picture again for the first time probably since it was developed, the first words out of my mouth were, "oh my god, I was so skinny!" 

The craziest part to me was the fact that for years I had thought I was overweight, disgusting, I couldn't stand how I looked at times, and I was insecure, only to look back 10+ years later and wonder why I felt any of that. The answer is perception and perspective. I think it's the answer for all of the body image problems. 

What's funny is people will blame Barbie and movie stars for the reasons girls grow up and feel insecure about themselves. Let's face it, I knew I was never going to be a Barbie, she was way too tall. I was always more like Skipper. But in all honesty, I don't blame Barbie or the movie stars, but I think society has a lot to do with the insecurities a girl or woman feels at times. If you think about it society molds how movie stars act too.

I remember when getting clothes at Target was the most uncool thing you could do. When I was younger I would cry if I had to go to Target to get clothes; I would be so embarrassed. Now, half my wardrobe is from Target! Target tried to revamp its image, and societies perception of Target changed, therefore changing my perspective on buying clothes at Target. 

So going back to body image, in the Britney Spears song Piece of Me, she sings (well kinda) a line, "I'm misses she's too big, now she's too thin." What I appreciate about this is the truth in it. No matter what you look like tall, short, overweight, underweight, perfect weight, perfect skin, acne, perfect teeth, gapped teeth, blonde, brunette, red head, White, Hispanic, Asian, someone somewhere is going to have something negative to say about you. A lot of the time, people tear down other people because of their own insecurities. They may or may not be directly related to the ones they are trying to point out in you, but regardless there will always be someone with something negative to say. 

The problem with body image is, it can control our lives and take over our way of thinking and feeling. When one person, even someone who is so insignificant in our lives, points out something we notice about ourselves everyday that makes us insecure, we allow that person to become so significant in our life. Reason being, that person made you aware that other people notice what you notice everyday. They made this insecurity feel real. The problem with this is, who the hell said your body, life, career or education path, is supposed to be one way or another? There's no such thing as perfect, but there is such thing as Photoshop.

We constantly allow society to dictate what we think about ourselves. Then we allow those that criticize our lives, how we look, how we do things, etc. bring us down even more. Suffering from a body image problem doesn't just happen to overweight people, it happens to underweight people, normal weight people, tall people, short people, men, women, children, teenagers, it happens to EVERYONE. As long as someone isn't hurting another person/animal/object, who cares what that person is doing? Who cares what they look like, as long as they are healthy. I say as long as they are healthy because I am a strong advocate for people living a healthy lifestyle as best as possible.

I still suffer at times from body image, I have my bad days, but most of the time it's because I am a woman and we tend to bloat and feel gross during certain periods of time. However, what I have done for myself is one of the best things I could've done. I stopped listening to other people, stopped letting them hurt me, and I started living for me. I don't workout because it's the "right thing to do", I workout because I want to. I don't eat healthy (what I consider healthy since there are many different diets/lifestyles) because it's the "right thing to do", I eat the way I eat because I want to. I don't buy other clothes because they are in style, I buy clothes because I like them. I do look in the mirror everyday, even on bad days, and tell myself that I am beautiful, especially on the inside because that's what matters most to me. I do tell others how gorgeous they are, how proud of them I am, and lift them up when they are down. Why? Because that IS the right thing to do. Since I have started doing this I have seen an amazing return on positivity and happiness in my life.

Stop listening to society, stop listening to bullies, stop letting others tear you down. I know it's hard because I've been there. I have spent nights crying, days depressed, years feeling like I wasn't enough, but you know what changed? My perception of myself, and my perspective on life. I used to say I can't all the time, I used to say I'm not good enough, pretty enough, smart enough. I let those who bullied me get the best of me because I listened to them and then became my own worst enemy, I became the biggest bully to myself. I allowed myself to suffer from selfpity because I didn't think I was good enough. I suffered from an eating disorder because I thought it made me better and prettier. When I was suffering the most from my eating disorder, I didn't understand people when they said I was too thin because I didn't see that. When I looked in the mirror I saw what the girls above saw. When I saw pictures I thought I looked great. The perception I had of myself was that I was finally beautiful, even though I knew I was sick. 

How did I overcome it? I have come to realize there is no such thing as perfect. Everything, everyone has flaws, and those are what make people beautiful. I confessed to one person, my fiancé, that I was sick, and then it became real. I knew I didn't want to be sick or cause my body pain anymore. It took me a long time to choose happy over selfpity, it took a long time for me to turn can't into can, and it still takes strength everyday to remember that I am better than what society dictates is perfect. Why? Because I am my own person, I am not in competition with anyone else, I do not thrive on others misery, and I do not seek joy from others pain. 

To the bullies: I wish you didn't have the power to affect peoples lives as much as you do. It's unfortunate. I hope you can realize that people other than you are humans too. They have feelings, and suffer from insecurities and hardships. Who are you to say they are any less than any other person? 

To those who suffer from body image: I hope when you look in the mirror you see a gorgeous human. I hope that you don't pity yourself for too long and waste precious time on things that are so insignificant. YOU CAN, AND YOU WILL.

To those who live with an eating disorder: Tell someone. Let those around you help you. Whether you over eat, binge, purge, don't eat, there is a way to feel better about yourself. Let yourself feel happiness in a healthy way. Change your life for you, and never look back. It will be hard, but you're a fighter, and you CAN and WILL do this.

To everyone: Take time out of your day to let others know how amazing they are, how proud of them you are, how beautiful they are, and help them to see what they are worth. 5 words, 5 minutes, 1 conversation can change somebody's life. Be the change you want to see.

I hope everyone chooses happy and healthy as their lifestyle, and sees how the positivity of making those life choices can only change your life for the better.

Love,

Christina

Oh Fudge! Peanut Butter Sugar & Dairy Free Fudge!

If you haven't realized it by now, I have a serious addiction to peanut butter. Almond butter is great too, so is seed butter, but there is just something about peanut butter that makes my whole universe complete! It can be creamy, chunky, flavored, there are so many varieties it never let's you down! 

There is also a product out called PB2. This is a defatted peanut butter that comes in a powder form and you add water to it. I'm not crazy about the taste on its own to be honest, but I think it's great for adding into baked goods or mixing with other things. You can get PB2 on Amazon, or in a store like Target or Walmart. They have a regular peanut butter and chocolate PB as well. For this recipe I used the regular because it was what I had, but I'm sure the chocolate would taste AMAZING too! (Might have to do a blog update on that. ;)

In order to make this sugarless, I had to use something that could be a sugar alternative, so I choose dates. Dates are high in fiber, no fat, high in potassium, and while they have natural sugar, it is well natural, none of this refined stuff. I bought over 3 pounds worth of pitted dates at Costco for $7.00! 

Let's make this incredible, melt in your mouth fudge! 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup natural peanut butter (creamy or chunky)

1/2 cup PB2

1/4 cup water

2 cups pitted dates

1/2 cup almond or coconut milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

To Prepare:

1. Measure your dates out into a container and fill the container with water above the dates so they can soak. Soak them until their outer layer looks like it could peel off. 

2. Drain the dates into a bowl to a bowl, allowing you to keep the water from the soaked dates.

3. In a food processor or blender, process the dates and 2 tblsp of water at a time (only use more to reach the right consistency) until you reach the consistency of applesauce. 

4. Mix the 1/2 cup of PB2 with the 1/4 cup of water and stir well.

5. Add the 1/2 cup of peanut butter to the PB2 mixture and continue to store until smooth. 

6. Grease an 8x8 pan by putting coconut oil on a paper towel and wiping the pan down. (You don't want a lot of oil, just enough to coat the inside.)

7. In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, add the almond or coconut milk and the purée dates. (The dates should equal about 1-1/2 cups when puréed.) Continue to stir while you bring it to a boil.

8. Allow the mixture to boil for 2 1/2-3 minutes, then remove it from the heat. 

9. At this time add in the peanut butter mixture and vanilla and continue to stir until evenly blended and mixture starts to thicken. 

10. Pour into the greased pan, and let it cool in the refrigerator for 30-40 minutes.

11. Once the mixture has cooled, cover it with foil or other wrap and put it in the freezer until fully hardened. About 2-3 hours.  

12. Take the fudge out, cut it into squares, and store in an airtight container in the freezer.

Enjoy!

Oodles Of Zoodles! How To Make Zoodles 3 Different Ways!

If you haven't heard, Zoodles are all the rage! Zoodles are noodles made out of zucchini. It's funny because when I was raw back in 2011, my boyfriend at the time made raw Zoodles and I thought he was out of his mind. What I didn't realize was flash forward a year later and I would be using zucchini as a noodle all the time. Flash forward three years and there would actually be a spiralizer for all your zoodle needs!

This veggie instead of pasta option is great because it is low carb, tons of vitamins and nutrients, and it is pretty easy to make. You can eat it raw or cool it. Below are the nutritional facts for zucchini, pasta, and whole wheat pasta, in that order.

This is comparing one medium zucchini to one whole serving of pasta or whole wheat pasta. 

Now I do have to say, 2 zucchinis is enough Zoodles to feed Tyler and me. Sometimes we use 3 zucchini but it is not often. Tonight I am making homemade tofu crumbles (making a new recipe) that I hope will be delicious. Top all of it with a little marinara and it will be an amazing meal! You can make it with turkey meatballs as pictured above, turkey meat sauce, or sauté it in garlic and olive oil. Those are just some of the possibilities but there are a ton more.

Today the main purpose of this blog is to show you 3 different ways Zoodles can be made!

First, you can do it by hand, julienning the zucchini with a knife. 

1. Clean the zucchini and cut the ends off both sides. 

2. Slice the zucchini length wise into slivers, as show below. 

3. Cut down the zucchini to julienne the zucchini. (Shown in the second picture below.)

Second, you can use a julienne peeler to achieve your Zoodles.

1. Clean the zucchini and cut the ends off both sides. 

2. Cut the zucchini in half.

3. Place the julienne peeler at the top of the zucchini, pressing into the zucchini and pull. (Show in second picture below.)

3. Repeat this until you get down to the end of the zucchini.

Third way to make Zoodles is by using a spiralizer. I got this contraption off Amazon for about $40.00 with PRIME Shipping. (I love PRIME!) It is easy to use, takes one minute to make a full zucchini into noodles, and takes 2 minutes to clean. If you think you will be zoodling a lot, this might be a good buy for you. If not, I would try one of the other ways first! If you end up loving them, you can always buy a spiralizer! 

1. Clean the zucchini and cut the ends off both sides. 

2. Stick the head of the zucchini in the steal metal circle, and shove the butt of the zucchini in the prongs and lock into position. Make sure there is a bowl at the spout of the spiralizer for the Zoodles to fall into. (Shown in the first picture below.)

3. Start turning the handle clockwise and the noodles will start forming.

4. To clean up, remove what is left of the zucchini and discard. Take the blade out and wash it, be careful it is super sharp! Next take the handle piece out and wash it. Then finally wash the rest of the body of the spiralizer.

The different Zoodles you end up with are picture below. From left to right, the first using a julienne peeler, second using a knife, third using a spiralizer.

If you are interested in buying a spiralizer, click on the link below to check it out!

Paderno World Cuisine Spiralizer

Have a great time zoodling!!!

Taco Tuesday On Hump Day!

The fiancé kept telling me he wanted taco salad, and naturally I kept putting him off. Just kidding! Honestly it has been so hot here in Northern CA, that I thought it would be perfect and refreshing too! 

I knew I wanted it to be easy, light, healthy (obviously) but I also didn't want it to take too much time to prepare. I actually prepped everything earlier in the day, went for a walk and finished it in 10 minutes. (I wasn't sad about that!) 

Since the recipe I made is for 4, we had it two nights in a row and both nights were equally as delicious! Below is a picture of my salad from the first night, when it is all mixed together! 

This recipe is very versatile for people's eating needs. It can be made for meat eaters, vegans, vegetarians, it is gluten free, and it is easy to make any of the variations! All the variations will be discussed below.

Taco Salad 

4-5 Servings

1/2 lb ground turkey/chicken/soy crumbles 

1 can of beans (I used kidney)

2 avocados 

2/3 cup chunky salsa

1/2 lime or small lemon

1/4 cup onion

1/2 TBLSP cumin

1/2 TBLSP chili powder

1/2 TBLSP + 1/2 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper

3-4 corn tortillas

olive oil

1/4 cup diced green onion

2 stalks romaine hearts

1/2 cup cooked corn (optional)

**Note: If you don't want to use beans in the recipe, use 1lb ground turkey/chicken/soy crumbles

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350*
2. Cut corn tortillas in half and then each half into thirds to make triangles.
3. Place them on a baking sheet, brush them with a tiny bit of olive oil and sprinkle with a bit of sea salt.
4. Bake tortillas for 20 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
5. Take them out of the oven and let them cool.

While the corn chips are baking:
1. Drain and rinse the kidney beans and set to the side to let dry.
2. Mash two avocados in a bowl, add 2/3 chunky salsa and mix together, then add the juice of half a lime or lemon, 1/2 tsp of garlic powder, and a bit of salt and pepper, mix well, cover, and put in the refrigerator.
3. Chop the romaine hearts, put them in a strainer and rinse them well. Pat them dry with a paper towel, and put the strainer back in the fridge.
4. Next wipe down a nonstick pan with coconut oil or olive oil, or spray with Trader Joes' cooking spray. Heat the pan to a medium temperature.
5. Start by sautéing the onions for about 2 minutes. At this time add the ground turkey/chicken/soy crumbles and cook for 2 minutes.
6. Stir the meat/crumbles and then add the cumin, chili powder, the rest of the garlic powder (1/2 TBLSP), a dash of salt, and pepper. Cook for another 2 minutes.
7. Next add the beans to the meat/crumbles and keep stirring every 1-2 minutes until meat/crumbles are browned and beans are cooked.

To Assemble:
1. Take a portion of the lettuce, top it with 1/4 or 1/5 of the beans and meat/crumbles mixture, green onions, 3 to 4 tortilla chips broken up, a couple tablespoons of corn, and guacamole for the dressing. Toss together and enjoy!

Peanut Butter, Chocolate, Protein Bites, Oh My!

I don't know about you, but I love anything that has peanut butter, I love anything that has chocolate, and anything that has both... Well, I REALLY LOVE!!! These peanut butter protein bites can be made in a variety of different ways to meet everyone's food and allergy needs. (Vegan, Gluten Free, Nut Allergies)

Some other things that I enjoy in life are: working out, cooking, music, dancing, singing, laughing, traveling. These bites incorporate a lot of what I love into my day when I make them. Today, I came home from working out, (these bites are an awesome post workout pick me up!) put some music on, and started to cook (assemble really) these amazing treats. Oh, and I definitely danced and sang the whole time!

Peanut Butter Protein Bites - Serving Size 2 Bites

To make these bites you'll need:

1 cup oats

1/2 cup natural peanut butter/almond butter/seed butter 

1/2 cup toasted coconut

1/4 cup ground wheat germ or ground flax seed

1/4 cup protein powder (I used Sunwarrior vanilla brown rice protein)

1/3 cup honey or pure maple syrup 

1/4 cup non dairy chocolate chips/cacao nibs/carob chips

Method:

1. Toast coconut in a nonstick pan. It toasts quickly, so make sure you are continually stirring it to get an even browning. 

2. When the coconut is toasted, pour it in a bowl to cool a bit.

3. If you are using flax seeds or wheat germ that is not already ground, grind flax seeds or wheat germ in a blender until it is like a flour/meal.

4. In a separate mixing bowl (if you have a standing mixer use that bowl), combine oats, ground flax seed or wheat germ, and protein powder and stir.

5. Add in toasted coconut and give it a stir, followed by the butter of choice and honey or maple syrup.

6. Combine all ingredients well. If you have a standing mixer or hand mixer, you can use it on a low to medium setting. 

7. Once it is fully combined, put it to the side to sit for a few minutes, while you prepare the chocolate. 

8. If you are using cacao nibs, you do not need to prepare anything, but if you are using chocolate or carob chips, put 1/4 cup of chocolate/carob chips in a baggy and seal it, making sure all the air is out of it. With a meat pounder, pound the chocolate/carob chips until they resemble nibs.

9. Add the chocolate/carob chips or cacao nibs into the mixture and combine well. 

10. Roll the mixture into 14 - 1 1/2 inch balls, place them in a plastic container, and put in the refrigerator. 

11. Eat cold and keep stored in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

Vegan

If you are a vegan that does not eat honey, use maple syrup instead of honey. Make sure that if you are using chocolate chips, there is no dairy in them. You can also use carob chips instead. The protein powder used should be plant based protein instead of casein or whey protein.

Gluten Free

If you are gluten free, make sure your oats are certified gluten free. In addition, make sure that you use ground flax seed instead of wheat germ. You will also want to check to make sure your nut/seed butter is gluten free. (I used Skippy's natural peanut butter and it stated it was gluten free!)

Nut Allergies

If you are allergic to nuts, there are seed butters now that you can use instead of nut butters. Make sure you use a seed butter for this recipe if you make it!

Celebrate The 4th With Amazing Kabobs!

Happy 4th of July Eve! We leave for Seattle tonight and I couldn't be more excited! the weather in Sac has been pretty hot. Plus, I am in need of a vacation ASAP! 

So obviously you have picked up that I'm obsessed with grilling. It's easy, doesn't heat up the house, and it's perfect for summertime! In need of something to make for the July 4th festivities? I've got the perfect thing! Kabobs!

Kabobs are versatile, easy, and always delicious. Also, a great thing with a kabobs are they can be easily vegetarian or vegan if the menu needs to be. 

The other night I had some girls over for a gathering and we grilled some chicken and veggie kabobs and vegetarian kabobs as well. Everyone loved them, and there was something for everyone to enjoy. 

Other things that make kabobs wonderful, generally speaking, they are lean, clean, and green. The prep time and cleanup time is next to nothing as well. So, common... Who isn't craving kabobs?!

Some variations I like are: {chicken and veggies} {salmon with cherry tomatoes, lemon wedges, and zucchini} {BBQ or terriyaki chicken/tofu with red onions, red bell pepper, and pineapple} All are delicious! 

For my dinner party, as I mentioned, I made chicken and veggie kabobs. Below are pictures and the how to!

What You'll Need:

(Makes 10 chicken & 2 veggie skewers)

1.25 pounds of chicken breast

1 zucchini

1 summer squash

1 red bell pepper

1 red onion 

1 package crimini mushrooms

Lemon pepper

Garlic salt

Sea salt

Pepper

12 skewers

1. If you are using wood skewers you will have to soak the skewers before you put the food on them so they don't burn. Get out a container, (I used a baking sheet) put some water in it and put the skewers in it to soak. 

2. Season the chicken, on half I seasoned the chicken with lemon pepper and sea salt, on the other half I put garlic salt and black pepper.

3. While that's sitting for a few minutes, cut your veggies. You want to make sure that they are as evenly cut as possible so they grill at the same rate.

4. Wash the mushrooms by dampening a paper towel and wiping the mushroom tops off. Trim the steam of the mushroom a little as well.

5. Cut the chicken into cube like pieces that are about the same size as the veggies.

6. Preheat the grill to a low-medium heat while you assemble the kabobs to your liking. 

7. Grill the kabobs on the grill turn every 4 - 5 minutes depending on the heat of your grill.

8. Take off the grill and enjoy with side of rice, potato salad, pasta salad, or a great leafy greens salad! 

**Notes: Depending on what grill you are using, you might have to check on it earlier than later. Make sure to feel out your grill so you don't burn your skewers.

Also, if the middle skewers are cooking faster than the outside skewers, rotate the position of the skewers when you turn them.