Aug 18, 2016

Thoughtful Thursday

This week has flown by. It's probably because I started back to school today. One more class and then I'm done (or until I decide to get my Masters)!!!! I have officially decided that I am going to totally revamp the blog. I am going to change things quite a bit over the next few months. I'm excited to see where all these new changes go. Until then, here are some quotes for y'all today:















Peace and Blessings all!!!

Aug 15, 2016

Celebrate National Rum Day Early

I am that person that is all about random National days i.e. National Pretzel Day, National Cheesecake Day and so many more. Tomorrow, is one of my favorite since it also one of my favorite spirits (next to Vodka and Tequila). August 16th is National Rum Day!!! 
Since I do fitness post on Tuesday usually, I decided to share some rum recipes with you today from the two rum brands I drink mainly: Bacardi and Cruzan













I tend to like fruit flavored drinks or drinks you can add fruit too. If you get a chance, you should try some of these.
Peace and Blessing all




Aug 12, 2016

Friday Thoughts

Not going to lie: I was super busy the last 2 days. I have actually lost track of what the days are at this point. They are kinda meshing together. Since I'm the queen of forgetfulness these days the thoughts are going to be done today:















Aug 9, 2016

Berry Yogurt Bark

When you are trying to eat healthy and not give into temptation i.e. eating a row of Oreo cookies, finding a snack can be hard. I posted this recipe last week and I decided to make it a few days ago. It is super easy to make.
Ingredients
2 cups plain yogurt
2 cups Strawberries chopped (with a few Blueberries)
4 packets Stevia (I used Zing that I received from Diabetic Educators )
Agave in the Raw (amount to liking)

In a bowl mix the yogurt, Stevia, and Agave in the Raw.

Dice Strawberries (I added a few blueberries as well).


Stir in Strawberries.
Spoon in to freezer-safe container.

Freeze for 5-6 hours or until bark is frozen to liking.


Sidenotes
-I added Agave Nectar to the recipe (the original did not use it) to make it sweeter. I used 3 tbsp of it in the end since I had to add to the original batch.

Also, It's sad that I'm super excited about the bowls in the picture. They are measuring cup also. They are super handy when I need to measure an exact amount along with mixing ingredients together. I don't have to make an extra mess, which is great.

Happy snacking!!!!

Aug 8, 2016

Skinny Beerita

Another week is about to begin and to say that the weekend went by fast was is an understatement. 
A few years ago when Monday rolled around it meant one thing: Margarita Mondays. Now, I might not go to eat Mexican food like I use to every Monday but I do make sure to have this Skinny Margarita every now and then. 

The base for this is a recipe from a Classic Margarita recipe from Eating Well magazine.
This recipe is consider skinny since you leave out the sweet and sour mix used in traditional margarita recipes.  To add a little kick to it, I added some grapefruit beer to the mixture.

Ingredients
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1 cup club soda
3/4 cup tequila ( I used Altos Tequila)
1 bottle of Grapefruit beer (I used Stiegl-Radler Grapefruit)
6 tbsp Triple Sec
Ice
Optional: 1 tbsp finely grated lime zest and 1 tbsp kosher salt (if you want salt on the rim)

Combine lime juice, club soda, tequila, beer, and Triple Sec in a pitcher.
Fill glass with ice.
Top glass with margarita mixture.

I doubled the ingredients in this recipe for the large pitcher that I used.What I like about this recipe is that it's not super sweet like a regular margarita. Thinking that eliminating the sweet and sour mix took out the extra sugar. Squeezing the limes can be consuming but it taste so much better with fresh lime juice instead of the pre-mixed kind.


Happy Monday, All!!!!

Aug 4, 2016

Thoughtful Thursday

Happy Thursday and one day closer to the weekend being here. I have been a busy bee as of late. I officially decided to make some changes to the blog over the next couple of weeks and months so be on the lookout for those. Here are some thoughts to help you get through the rest of the day:











Have a great, blessed, and productive day all!!!

Aug 2, 2016

Fitness Tuesday

Since I am trying to eat healthier, one of the main areas I'm trying to work on are my snacks. I definitely reach for the things that aren't the healthiest sometimes. Domino magazine made a list of 35 healthy snacks to try making. Some of them are easy to make but all are kid-friendly. I'm going to make some in the next couple of weeks so be on the lookout. These were some of my favorites:

Fresh Fruit Pops
I would use another flavored water instead of coconut (whole food allergy).


Sugar free Caramelized Nuts
I am going to do Almonds, Cashews, and Peanuts when I make this.


3-Ingredient Banana Nutella Popsicles
I think I might try strawberries in this also.


Antipasto Skewers
Definitely making these but without the olives.


Yogurt Bark
Probably making this one this week. I am going to do mainly fruit (strawberries, blueberries, and black berries).


I would love to know what your favorite healthy or go-to snack is.

Aug 1, 2016

Black Bean Brownies

I finally did it: I made by Black Bean brownies. To say they were good is an understatement. I was actually surprised that you couldn't tell they were made out of Black Beans at all. All the ingredients below make one batch of brownies. I still have another can of Black Beans and half bag of chocolate left over so I am making another batch this week.
Here is the recipe:

Ingredients
-1 1/2 cups black beans (1 can drained and rinsed well)
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
-1/2 cup quick oats
-1/4 tsp salt
-1/3 cup of agave
-pinch of Stevia
-1/4 cup vegetable oil
-2 tsp pure vanilla extract
-1/2 baking powder
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
-(Optional) 1/2  chocolate chips with Caramel in the center

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 350.
2) Combine all ingredients except chips in a food processor, blend until completely smooth.
3) Stir in chips, then pour into a greased 8x8 pan (or in my case, a greased mini muffin pan).
4) Place 2-3 caramel filled chocolate chips in the center of each brownie.
5) Sprinkle extra chocolate chips over top.
6) Cook for 15-18 minutes, let cool for at least 10 minutes before removing.

Sidenotes
-If you try to take them out while they are still hot, they will break. I found that out the hard way from trying to take one out while still hot.
-I added extra chips which I think definitely helped mask the black bean flavor.
-They are super moist, hence the small pieces of brownie on the plate (I never claimed to be a pro food photographer).

And for once my boyfriend was right: you can't tell they are beans. This is a great way to get people who don't like beans to try them. I am going to post some more black bean recipes in the near future.

Try these and tell me what you think.