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You will rarely find me EXCITED about cooking anything. HOWEVER, I love to eat yummy stuff and I especially love to eat yummy stuff that’s REALLY simple!!
Here is a quick recipe I found to make my sweet potatoes/yams a little different than just… say.. the microwave.
PS– Dairy free, gluten free, and meatless! Whoop!
PS this video was a sponsored vid
If you’ve heard me talk, you know I don’t cook much or like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen…
Mostly, because I just eat as I go and I don’t like waiting for my food! Ha! I eat half the meal by picking before it gets cooked!!
Here is an almost “instant” meal that I make for dinner sometimes and its great this time of year!
http://www.letsfightholidayfat.com
Recipe:
1 bag of pre-made salad or spring mix
1/4 c. feta
1/4 c. dried cranberries
1/4 c. chopped pecans (or walnuts)
1 chopped apple (fuji, honeycrisp, or granny smith)
Mix and serve with leftover turkey or rotisserie chicken
If you haven’t been a fan of this page for long, I’ll give you a quick briefing:
I came from the world of fitness competitions and “the fitness industry”, where extreme dieting runs rampant and its normal to “diet” for weeks on end for a contest, a photoshoot, or an expo and event.
Unfortunately, even though, I knew this was unhealthy for my clients, I somehow thought that I was different.
Well.. I was.. for a few years… but eventually my body rebelled and it left me with metabolic damage and why I’m pissed off. (first video)
I would have never guessed, that one year ago (October 2011) when I basically “gave up” and conceded to “just getting fat” that it would be the catalyst to healing. It wasn’t immediate, and in fact, I didn’t have a clear path to healing until I reached out to some good friends and colleagues for some help. I listed the help and resources in my second video and update.
It has been officially 7 months of healing now, and I’m down 13lbs with about 15-18 to go, but a totally new outlook and one thats not hyper-focused on the scale. I would have never thought, in my tears and frustration that I would look back on this and be grateful for the experience, but it has taught me about the life there is to live and how sharing my story would help so many other women.
Here is my latest update, along with the recent update of a girl who emailed me due to these videos— Please share— I have found this to be very common not only in the world of fitness competitions, but group exercise teachers, marathon runners and personal trainers as well.
Fall is here and you may want some cleaner options for all the yummy desserts. This is one you can even use for a warm breakfast side
2 Apples chopped
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp truvia/stevia or honey
Mix the above until covered and place in a small pie dish
1/2 c oat flour (grind oats in a magic bullet or food processor)
1/4 c. whole oats
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 scoops vanilla protein
1 Tbsp Water
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Mix the above until crumbly and top the apple mixture
Toss the pie dish into the oven at 350 for 15-20 minute
Makes 4 Servings
ENJOY!
(not ACTUAL pic…. ice cream deletes the “clean part” LOL)
(revised recipe from Anna Slotnick)
Sometimes the old egg whites and oatmeal breakfast gets a little boring. Maybe you just don’t have time! This Oatmeal Bake you can make the night before and just grab a bar in the morning!
(or sometimes I like to have a bar after dinner for a little something sweet, but not too naughty!)
They are all freakin’ awesome and you can create your own combos too!
Ingredients:
2 c. old fashioned oats (not quick oats)
4 scoops vanilla whey (I’ve used Dymatize Elite XT and Muscle Pharm Combat, both worked great)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
lots of brisk shaking of cinnamon (2 itsp??)
4 egg whites (or 1/2 c liquid egg whites)
1.5 c cold water (or almond milk if you want)
3/4 c. Pumpkin (or you can use no sugar added applesauce)
Sweetener as desired—4-6 packets of splenda or truvia, 3-4 dropperfuls of lohan (or none)
Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix together wet ingredients – except fruit, nuts, or coconut
3. Mix together dry ingredients in separate bowl.
4. Spray pan with non-stick baking spray or grease with coconut oil (we used a cake pan– 8×13)
5. Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients – make sure it is distributed evenly. Then add nuts, half of the coconut or fruit. **if doing a banana, line the pan with banana slices
6. Pour mixture into pan and top with extra shredded coconut or extra apple slices
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes (make sure a knife/toothpick comes out clean in the center)
They taste amazing when still warm from the oven, but still are delicious when room temp or reheated;)
Cut into 1/4ths. (This makes 4 servings.)
Each serving has:
1/2 c. oats
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 egg white
little bit of: pumpkin, sweetener, spices, etc.
29 g carbs (less than 3g of sugar– from fruit and little bit of pumpkin), 33 g protein, 0.5-2g g fat (depending on if using nuts or not)
image from http://foodhero.wordpress.com/2008/11/01/baked-oatmeal/
I have had a WHIRLWIND of a week!
First, I hosted my first Inspiration & Perspiration #inspireLV12 weekend.
It was one of the most memorable events of my life. I had two amazing guests; Angie Gooding, Body-Image Specialist and Bex from Bexlife awesomeness- specialist.
We talked about food, diets, personal issues and how our thoughts create our reality. We had a nice yoga session with Bex and went down to Crossfit Las Vegas to learn some skills and get our butts handed to us on a nice workout.
All in all, I couldn’t have asked for a better group of women.
Every woman walked away with not one but TWO huge goodie bags FILLED with stuff from MPG Sport, Labrada Lean Body 4 Her, Naturebox, KLUTCHClub, Perky Jerky, Zico, Chobani, MusclePharm, Quest Bar, Pure Barre and Train Dirty Fitness.
They also all received a very special gift, only available to participants and future participants of the workshop; The Inspiration & Perspiration necklace designed in thought by me and made into being by Creative Galina.
THEN, I was asked to speak to the ladies of UNLV Rebel Girls (dance team). I came in and told them my story of Metabolic Damage and how restrictive eating and over exercising can really cause damage. The girls were touched and there were many tears in the room.
I left that night feeling an overwhelming sense of purpose, that I was exactly where I should be, doing exactly what I needed to be doing. I actually called my husband and began to sob because of the overwhelming feelings I was having and also the small miracles that had been happening over the last few months that led me to this week.
The next day I flew to LAX to meet with Ali Brown, Entrepreneur mentor, whom I won a half day with in August. She is someone I admire and have been following for many years. The chance to sit in her home and strategize with her was an unbelievable experience that was very valuable to me. I share a little story in the video of a falcon sighting. Sometimes when we start to look for the signs in life, we will know when we are on the right path because they will be revealed to us.
Enjoy the video 
(PS ignore the random ZOOM halfway through, I couldn’t fix it.. so.. oh well!)
I’m often asked to review different products on this page; from gadgets & doo-dads, to different diet shakes & energy formulas, but when I was asked my Green Giant to review their Seasoned Steamers™ vegetables in October, I thought, What perfect timing! It’s the month of our JERF Challenge (Just Eat Real Food) and I am realizing how often it’s just inconvenient, to get real food prepped, cooked and seasoned to taste good!
I’ve said this many times: I am not a cook. I have definitely been trying new recipes and new methods lately, but some days I still go to my old pal the microwave so I can heat up something quick and easy.
I’ve actually bought frozen veggies many times; they’re convenient and are always in season! The Green Giant® Seasoned Steamers™ however, had a nice– already seasoned flavor, so they were ready to eat. The ingredients were simple; a little but of sea salt, pepper and olive oil.
I don’t like to make complicated recipes, so throwing the bag in the microwave, some rice in the cooker and some turkey on the stove to brown (not pictured) and I had a simple tasty dinner. This is something that I can do anytime and I love that there are six different blends to choose from!
Seasoned Steamers™, a new line of Green Giant® vegetables, gives you unexpectedly delicious taste in every vegetable bite. These chef-inspired, seasoned vegetables come in six new varieties ranging from smoky roasted cues to ethnic inspired flavors. By roasting, seasoning and freezing individual pieces, our vegetables lock in flavor so delicious, your family will ask for more. In less than 8 minutes, your family can enjoy new Seasoned to Delicious™ Seasoned Steamers™.
Disclosure: Compensation was provided by General Mills via Glam Media. The
opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the
opinions or positions of General Mills.
Ingredients
• 1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
• 2 T plus 1/4c extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 stalk celery, diced
• 1 small carrot, diced
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup chicken broth (veggie broth, if vegan)
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 T dried basil leaves
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Strain the chopped canned tomatoes, reserving the juices, and spread onto a baking sheet, season with salt and pepper, to taste, drizzle with 1/4 cup of the olive oil and roast until caramelized, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat remaining olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the celery, carrot, onion and garlic, cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the roasted chopped canned tomatoes, reserved tomato juices, chicken broth, bay leaf and butter. Simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add basil. Puree with a hand held immersion blender or blender until smooth
Coconut Pumpkin Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 leeks, chopped
1 small white onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 small carrot, chopped
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 medium sugar pumpkin, seeded, peeled and cubed (or 1.5 cups canned)
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 32oz container of chicken broth (use vegetable broth if you want it to be vegan)
1 can coconut milk
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon dried sage
1 tsp whole cloves
½ tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
Directions
1. Heat oil in a heavy-bottom pot. Add leeks, onion, celery, carrot, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and garlic, and saute until they start to brown.
2. Add bay leaf, stock, and coconut milk; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until all vegetables are tender.
Add sage, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaf and puree. Serve hot.
I just posted this Blog: What is the Best Protein Powder for Losing Weight & Toning on Facebook, and instead of people reading it, I got a lot of links and advertisements for different companies. Grrrrr.
I just made this quick video to explain what protein powders are good for and what they really do 
Enjoy
and PS When in doubt #JERF
