So, I Made Homemade Mayo....

I admit that I've fallen off significantly from my little health and fitness kick I was on last year. After feeling like a lazy slob and with a renewed desire for bikini-worthy abs, I'm slowly but surely easing back into it. To start, I need to get back into eating healthier. That doesn't mean I'm gonna become a vegan or anything (because lord knows I love a good sausage, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich) but the least I can do is start making healthier choices in my diet.

I was over on a website/blog called 100 Days of Real food started by a mom who took the challenge with her family to cut out processed foods for 100 days. That's a bit much for me and I know I couldn't just jump into it. They also have a 10 day challenge which I may start at a later date. For now, the idea of slowly cutting out processed foods appealed to me.

My homemade mayo. I think it looks pretty good.

I've never been one to read labels but you'd be surprised at all the extra crap in everyday food. Things like mayonnaise for example. Anyway, long story short I was inspired to try to make my own mayonnaise and the results were pretty good. This is the recipe I used ---> click here.

I only had two real issues with my results. At first it came out more like a creamy salad dressing than a mayo but after being in the fridge a couple of nights the consistency is more like real mayonnaise. I also don't care for the olive oil taste. It's a bit strong for me so next time I'll either add a bit less or use a different type of oil (some have suggested grape seed.) Try it for yourself and enjoy!

And again....yum!

Organic Reese's......Sort Of.

Okay, so it's not actually a Reese's cup but it's an incredible simulation. I was walking around the snack aisle in Target and happened to see some organic product by Justin's. To be honest I'm not sure if the company is just called Justin's or if it's Justin's Organic but whatever. According to the wrapper it's Justin's organic milk chocolate peanut butter cups.  

The back of the wrapper says to "Think of your favorite peanut butter cup. Next, magnify that feeling by a gazillion - that's ours." Now I must say I was worried at first because usually when think organic + candy = unsweetened nastiness but I was pleasantly surprised. These organic peanut butter cups were REALLY good! I'll definitely buy these again. I can't say for sure that I'll totally replace my real Reese's cups with these but they're an excellent substitution. I'll also be trying more of Justin's organic products in the future. Give them a try for yourself! 

August Workout Challenge

After successfully completing the beginner's calender from Blogilates.com, I decided to dive in and try the August calendar. Just by looking at this calendar I can already tell it's going to be much more physically challenging than the beginner's but that makes sense. For starters, each of the workouts this month are about an hour long compared to the previous calendar with 30-40 minute workouts. That means exercising for at least an hour a day 6 days a week. Good stuff.

                                              

One thing I really like about the August workout calendar are the meal/recipe suggestions each week. Let me break it down because I know you care....

Sunday - Cook a new recipe from the blogilates.com recipe index (all healthy, cheap eats)
Monday - Meatless Monday
Tuesday - Eat fruit anytime you want to snack
Wednesday - Drink 8 oz of water before each meal or snack
Thursday - Give up one "bad" food or condiment for the day
Friday - YOLO meal aka splurge on whatever you want
Saturday - Veggies with EVERY meal today

I have to admit, I've already failed my first meatless Monday. I just couldn't shake the craving so I'm gonna try to go meatless another day during the week to make up for it and start fresh next week. I also haven't bothered to cook a new recipe from the website but I'm sure I'll get around to it eventually. Other than that I've been good about following the diet suggestions so far.

The monthly calendars on the website are password protected so I wouldn't feel right posting it on my blog. If you're interested just sign up for the newsletter. It's definitely worth it. That's all for now!

My Favorite Snacks (of the moment)

"These are a few of my favorite things......."

Originally I did NOT like Chobani Greek yogurt but this little snack has changed my mind...sort of. I still don't like the plain vanilla flavor but these raspberry with dark chocolate chips bites are really good. I can't get enough.

I bought these on a whim while I was in Trader Joe's. I do a lot of snacking so I picked these up because I figure they'd be a healthier choice than my usual bag of Reese's Minis. Sweet potato tortilla chips. What's not to like? 

These Tostitos chips I literally bought today. I was actually looking for some guacamole chips (which I'll list later) but happened upon these instead. Very good. No salsa needed.

These things are just.....I love them. I can't even describe how much. I've convinced myself that they're a healthy snack because it's dark chocolate. I could be wrong but IDC!!!

There are plenty of others but that's all for now. Good day.

Beginner's Pilates Challenge: DONE!

So, a while back I decided to try the beginner's workout calendar over on Blogilates.com as a way to help me start working out on a regular basis and as an intro to Pilates which I've been wanting to try for a while now. I'm happy to say that I have officially completed the entire calendar. Yay me! This is a huge accomplishment for me because in the past I've never actually stuck with a workout routine. I'll usually start and stick with something for about a week or so before I get lazy and just say forget it. I'm really proud of myself for sticking with it and completing the entire four weeks.

There were a couple of days that I didn't get up early to do the workout videos before starting my day but I made sure to do them later in the day when I had time. There was also one day that I didn't workout at all so I had to double up and do two day's worth the next day to stay caught up. Also, on rest days there's healthy meal suggestions but I only tried the very first one; the banana pancakes recipe. Now that I'm done with that calender I'm not sure what to do next. I'm not going to jump into the July workout calendar at the end of the month so I decided to make my own schedule for the last couple weeks of the month. I just went back through the calendar and picked out some of my favorite videos to do.

To be honest I haven't seen much, if any physical results but it's largely my fault. I really haven't changed my diet too much and I know I should. Just working out isn't enough to see real results, you have to change your diet too which I've learned. That's a lot harder for me and it's gonna take a while. It's actually really easy for me to ADD healthy foods to my diet but getting rid of unhealthy ones is my real challenge. What can I say, I'm a work in progress.

That's all for now.

Date Smoothie Recipe

So I'm still experimenting with different flavors of smoothies so I'm not just alternating between the same two recipes ALL the time. I recently bought some dates from Trader Joe's because I love them and wanted to see what they might taste like in a smoothie. I looked up some recipes online and pretty much took bits and pieces from each to come up with my own recipe. I didn't make too much because I didn't want to waste it in case I didn't like it so feel free to alter the amount of ingredients used to yield more servings.

                         

-Pitted dates, chopped ( I didn't count or measure them so I really have no idea how many, sorry)
-1/2 cup of unsweetened vanilla coconut milk ( I may use more in the future)
-2 Tbsp of vanilla coconut milk yogurt (I added this mostly just to thicken it up a bit)

                         

Blend it together and boom! There you have it. My one issue is that there was still some date chunks in the blender that I just couldn't get rid of. Maybe I didn't chop the dates up enough? I'm not really sure what happened but for the most part everything blended together nicely. My taste buds are VERY happy.

Coconut Milk Smoothie Recipe

I recently decided to give coconut milk a try because of this health kick I'm on. A while back I tried almond milk but it was just gross. I've never been a fan of almonds so I don't know why I thought I'd like the milk but whatever. Usually I make my smoothies with yogurt but I decided to try looking up recipes that use coconut milk and I found this one. It's very simple and only has three ingredients.

This picture isn't mine but this is pretty much what my smoothie looked like.

-1 cup coconut milk
-1 banana
-2 cups of raw spinach

Mix it all in a blender and there you have it. My only "issue" with this smoothie is the very milky texture. By using yogurt all the time I'm used to the texture of my smoothies being thicker, almost like a milkshake but this wasn't a big deal. Anyway, try it for yourself and enjoy!

Stuff I Like: Wholesome Sweeteners

To be more specific, organic blue agave vanilla flavored syrup by the company Wholesome Sweeteners. I found this product while I was browsing the aisles of Whole Foods yet again. I was actually looking for honey and more coconut manna but I happened to see the line of agave syrups and sweeteners. Now I've never tasted agave anything before so I wasn't sure about this purchase but it was definitely the right decision.

As soon as I smelled it, I knew I did the right thing because it smells SO good. Then of course I had to taste a little drop (just on my finger because I didn't want to just pour it in food without knowing how it would be). Heaven. I seriously want to eat this stuff by the spoonful it's so good. I may never buy regular sugar or honey again. It's that deep. The best part is that it's healthy. According to the label it's "organic, low glycemic, gluten free" AND it's 25% sweeter than sugar. I'm in love. You MUST try this stuff if you haven't already.

Banana Pancakes Recipe

This is a simple, 2 ingredient recipe once again from blogilates.com. I tried it for the first time this morning and it was really good and also super easy to make. Give it a try for yourself!

Here's how mine turned out (I promise they taste better than they look lol)....

                               

Beginner's Pilates Challenge: Week 1

My week in review:
***Disclaimer: I'm not sure if I'm gonna do a post like this every week. If I do it may not be as detailed.***

Day 1: Total Body

Not much to tell for today. I woke up at a reasonably early hour and did the total body workout per the calendar. I've actually done that particular video before so I knew what to expect. However it's been a few weeks since doing it so it was a little tougher but doable. That's really it.

Day 2: Abs

Due to a change in my work schedule I didn't get up and do my workout first thing in the morning. Had to be to work by 8am and I really wasn't trying to get up that early to exercise so I put it off until later in the evening. First off, I nearly died doing that 1 minute plank. I wasn't able to do the full minute all at once but I was able to last about 20 seconds at a time before breaking down. I think that's good considering I've never done a plank before in my life.

Day 3: Total Body

It probably took 30 minutes or more for me to do 10 roll ups because I had to rest between each. Terrible I know. The cardio workout was really fun. The total body was cool but I realized yet again how terrible my balance is with some of the side lying moves. Guess I have to keep trying.

Day 4: Lower Body

The 10 burpees were easier to do than I was expecting. For some reason I really thought I would struggle with that because I've never done them before but I didn't. Although they did make me VERY winded. I was so out of breath after it was crazy. I'm still having balance issues with some of the workouts calling for you to balance on one knee and one hand but otherwise the videos were today were alright. Also, I really enjoyed the quite cardio this morning. Not much else to say about today's workout.

Day 5: Abs

Another ab day. I honestly don't have much more to say than that. Oh, other than the fact that my balance is still terrible. That's it.

Day 6: Total Body

I realized that I can just barely do sit ups but around about 15 of 20 I got a little better. The back workout was okay but nothing I'd want to do on my own. The booty workout was short but definitely intense. I really felt the burn with that one. Not much else to say about today.

Day 7: Rest

Self explanatory.

Stuff I Like: Red Jacket Juices

The purpose of this post is to pimp out yet another healthy drink I discovered at Whole Foods. Gotta love that place. Admittedly I haven't done much research but from what I understand, Red Jacket makes a line of apple juices mixed with other fruits. This is not to be confused with a regular mixed fruit drink. The primary component is apples. I haven't tried all of them but the ones I have tried I really like. My favorites are the strawberry apple juice and raspberry apple juice. The best part is that this drink is healthy and really tasty. And according to the label the only ingredients are apples, strawberries (or another fruit) and vitamin C. 

I'm sure they sell these at places other than Whole Foods but honestly I haven't bothered to look. Give them a try and enjoy! 

4 Week Beginner's Pilates Challenge

Okay, so I'm not entirely sure this thing I'm doing is called a challenge, but it will be for me. Over on blogilates.com there's a 4 week plan for those just beginning their Pilates journey which is perfect for me. For one it has everything you need to do each day spelled out in front of you so you don't have to worry about it. Also, there's a different combination of workouts everyday so you don't get bored. There's also a rest day included with healthy meal suggestions.

Basically, there's a calendar that you can print out that has a few different workouts each day for you to check off and sign to mark your progress. On the website there's links to the videos for each day so you don't have to bother with trying to search for them. 6 days of Pilates workouts and 1 day of rest at the end of each week. I've already decided that I'm probably not going to follow the healthy meal suggestions just because I don't want to have to go out and buy anything. I'll just continue with my smoothies, salads and oatmeal and call it a day. I'll make weekly posts updating my progress.

See you in a week!

Cranberry Spinach Salad Recipe

I think it's safe to say this is my new favorite salad recipe (my first is a Caesar salad with grilled shrimp...yum!). I originally saw this recipe over at blogilates.com and it sounded delicious so I had to try it for myself. It was even better than I expected. So good in fact that the first time I ate it I made two! Wait, does that sound greedy? Anyway, give it a try for yourself.

               

Ingredients Include 
Baby spinach (washed)
Dried cranberries (a regular pack of Craisins will do if you like)
Candied walnuts (the original recipe uses almonds but I prefer these)
Goat cheese (I used Chevre brand from Trader Joe's)
Raspberry vinaigrette

                

Mix it all together and bam! There you have it. Enjoy!

Stuff I Like: Bolthouse Farms

Has anyone heard of the company Bolthouse Farms? I'm sure you have. They have a pretty decent sized line of drinks and salad dressings but to be honest the only thing I really pay attention to are their drinks. Mostly healthy and full of protein, fruits, veggies, etc. Anyway, the point of this post is just to highlight my two favorite drinks of theirs (so far....I haven't tried all of them). The Vanilla Chai Tea drink which I've been a fan of for years and the Green Tea Soy Latte which I discovered only a few weeks ago. I'd definitely recommend giving the entire line a try because everything I've had has been pretty good. Look in the produce section of your local grocery store.

A small idea of the rest of the drinks but they have WAY more than this.

Banana-Pineapple Smoothie

This should be pretty brief but as I said it my last post I have two favorite smoothie recipes that I really like so far. Again, the recipe doesn't include measurements so I'm just going to tell you what I put in to give you a basic idea. Honestly the only thing different from this recipe and the previous one is the use of bananas instead of strawberries. If done correctly, this smoothie tastes like a virgin pina colada. In the future I may add my favorite rum into the mix for a little smoothie party.

                             

Banana-Pineapple Smoothie
-Frozen bananas (I tried using fresh but they ended up going bad from not using them so frozen works better)
-Crushed pineapple
-Coconut manna
-Goat's milk yogurt
-Vanilla extract (again, a little goes a long way)
-Honey
-Kale

Frozen bananas....

                                                

Looks gross I know lol. Yogurt, kale, pineapple, bananas on the bottom.

                           

And there you have it, one of my favorite smoothie recipes. Enjoy!

My Favorite Smoothie Recipes

As I mentioned in a previous post, I've started making my own fruit smoothies at home as a way to try to add some healthiness to my diet. Lord knows I don't eat anywhere near the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables each day. Right now I'm sticking with fruit but maybe someday I'll branch out into vegetables or mixing the two together. I haven't decided yet but we'll see.

                           

Let me preface this by saying that I never measure anything with my smoothies (or cooking in general for that matter) so I'm just going to give you the ingredients I use and a general idea of weather it's a good amount or just a pinch. Personally, I'd say to just add things based on your personal taste and preference. That seems to work well for me. After a bit of trial and error I've found two smoothie recipes that will be my staples. To be honest I haven't tried very many varieties and mixtures but I'd rather just stick with what I know I like for now. Check them out below:

Strawberry-Pineapple Smoothie
-Frozen strawberries (you can use fresh if you want)
-Crushed pineapple (I prefer to just buy cans and put the leftovers in the refrigerator)
-Goats' Milk Vanilla Yogurt (you read right, goat's milk...it's actually pretty tasty)
-Coconut Manna (after melting it I add a few tablespoons)
-Kale (I just take a few leaves and break them up into the mix)
-Vanilla Extract (less is more so I'd say no more than a teaspoon)
-Honey (no idea how much, just let it drip for a bit)

Coconut manna and goats' milk yogurt both bought from Whole Foods.

                                   

Like I said, I never measure anything. Just use your best judgement. Blend and taste test until you get your desired results.

Stay tuned for my other favorite smoothie recipe in the next post!

Time to Get Healthy

A while back I said I was going to start working out on a regular basis. In fact I've said it several times but it never really happens. I'll work out regularly for a few weeks, maybe even a month or so, then I'll start to get lazy again and just stop. Why you ask? I honestly have no idea. I guess I'm just unmotivated but I'm trying to motivate myself now.....again.

Let me start by saying my goal is not to lose weight, but to get in shape and just be a healthier person overall. I'm skinny but I'm definitely NOT in shape so that's what I'm working towards. Also, I really want to get some nice beach ready abs for the summer. The hardest part for me I think will be trying to eat healthier. I'm not a huge candy/junk food eater but I have my cravings now and again. Especially around that time of the month. Chocolate could easily be my downfall because I love it and I'm not willing to give it up. It's all about moderation they say but chocolate is the least of my problems. I also love salt, hot sauce, cheese, butter, white bread, fried foods and ketchup. I can also be really lazy about food. I'm more likely to eat something healthier while out at a restaurant than I am to take the time to make it at home.

So anyway, that's where I am right now. Slowly trying to incorporate exercise and healthy eating habits into my regular routine. So far I've started making fruit smoothies at home which isn't much but at least it's something. Baby steps and all. And as of this post I'm on day 2 of starting Pilates. I've been wanting to try it for a while now but I'm a little worried about going to a class with people who have been doing it for years and looking a hot mess. For now I'm using YouTube videos because not only are they FREE but I can do them at my convenience in the comfort of my own home. I've started with some POP Pilates beginner videos from blogilates. So far I'm enjoying them and the instructor, Cassey, is really good. Give it a try for yourself! I'll keep you posted on my progress.