An Amazing Salad

Last week DH and I had a chance to go out for dinner sans kiddos. At dinner I was able to experience one of the most amazing salads I have eaten in a LONG time. The restaurant, Vivace, billed it as a 'seasonal' salad, and it was absolutely delicious. I've been thinking about that salad all week, and since a trip into Charlotte isn't on the books daily, I figured it wouldn't be that hard to replicate. So here's the end result!

Seasonal Salad:

2 c. of mixed organic baby greens

1/4 cup diced roasted sweet potatoes, cooled

1 T. crumbled goat cheese

1/2 oz. sweet and spicy pecans from Trader Joe's

2 T. Roasted Lemon Vinaigrette

I have also used my favorite ready made dressing with this salad, Trader Joe's Champagne Pear Vinaigrette with Gorgonzola, and it is also heavenly. (It's found in the refrigerated section of TJ's.) And who knows, my kiddos are on spring break this week with NO baseball or ballet, so I may actually have time to make a craft! I think I remember the craft room, it's upstairs somewhere...

Getting in Shape

When I was pregnant with each of my children, I was a very predictable person. I would read all the nutrition labels, make sure to get all my fruits and veggies each day, limit my sweets and fast food, drink tons of water, and generally eat healthier. Then each child would be born and I would revert back to my old eating habits. More fast food, more sweets, fewer fruits and veggies. Over time, I began to realize that I wasn't setting a good example for the kids. I expected them to eat their fruits and veggies, but I would never pass up a cupcake or piece of candy. What I realized was that I was willing to give my kids the best start in life, but I wasn't doing it for myself. That was something that needed to change.

As I said before, at the beginning of the year our family went organic and natural with our eating. We stopped shopping at the big box stores and started shopping at Earth Fare and Trader Joe's. I made sure that we were all eating enough whole grains and fruits and veggies, and started incorporating more lean meats and fish into our diet while simultaneously cutting out the higher fat dairy products and sugars. Gone are the carb loaded pasta dishes with creamy sauces, in their place came tons of dishes seasoned with herbs and spices and citrus. We all got more active, and the change in just a few short months is absolutely astonishing. Higher energy levels, more endurance, better attitudes even. I still bake a treat every week or two (and give away 2/3 of it to neighbors) and we still have times where we head out for ice cream, but those times are much further apart than they used to be. As a result, sweets and desserts have become much less of a meal ender and more of a treat, as they should be anyway.

One thing that has helped make the change is the app that I downloaded for my phone called My Fitness Pal. Available online and on your phone, this app is wonderful. It has a huge database of foods to help you keep track of your dietary intake for the day as well as your cardiovascular exercises and water consumption. Keeping track for a few days makes you realize just how much you are consuming and helps you make better choices for your dietary intakes. I won't lie, for the first several days I was STARVING, but after those initial days my stomach started to shrink back to where it probably should have been all along and now I am down to consuming what a healthy person should be eating in one day without feeling deprived. Whether you want to lose weight or just get healthier and feel better, this app is an amazing way to help you on your way to that goal.

I can honestly say that this was one of the best things that I have done for myself in a long time, and I feel better about the example I am setting for my kids and the lesson that I am teaching them. Hopefully this is a lifestyle change that will stick with all of us for life!

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

The weather in the south has been gorgeous the last couple of weeks. Mid to upper 80s and sunshine all the way! With the warm weather, I was inspired to try out a summery dessert and decided on these, raspberry lemonade cupcakes.

Oh my goodness these were delicious! I found this recipe on Pinterest a few days ago and was instantly inspired to try them. I didn't have any raspberries on hand, so I substituted strawberries in the frosting, and they were fantastic! I will say, if you use strawberries, you will probably need to cut the amount of berries in half or be prepared to add extra powdered sugar. I found that the strawberries were juicier than raspberries would have been, so I used four cups of powdered sugar to make the frosting the right consistency instead of three. Regardless, I highly recommend you try these! Enjoy!

Miss Me?

I'm back. I never really left, but I did take a hiatus and went (are you sitting down?) an entire week without so much as turning on my computer. I know. The devil is wearing earmuffs and gloves. Anyway, something I noticed that surprised me was that I didn't miss it at all. Not one bit. I checked my email by phone a couple of times a day, but overall I was much more productive and a much better mommy with it off. Not to mention the fact that we don't let the kids have any electronics during the week and I thought I should start living more by example. In addition, the Professor now has baseball three times a week and Mistress still does dance and tumbling two days a week. Add in DH's work schedule and I am one busy Mama! So, my plan from now on is to turn it on once a week or so, do blog posts that can post during the week, and turn it off again. My plan is to return to the much simpler time before the time sucking internet. After all, my kids need me more than facebook does. :)

Getting back to posting, last night I made the most amazing dinner! I found this recipe for Tilapia over at Scissors and Spatulas a while ago and finally got around to making it last night. It. Was. To. Die. For.

Seriously.

(I also borrowed the picture from Scissors and Spatulas, ours didn't last long enough to get a photo!)

The Professor had FOUR helpings and we had to cut him off since the other two wanted a second helping as well. I will most definitely be making this one again soon!

I added a side of our favorite oven roasted broccoli (minus the lemon juice this time) added a salad, and we were good to go! Absolutely delicious!

So try it out, seriously. Run to the store and get this fish. You'll be glad you did!

New Recipe Saturday

In keeping with my healthy approach to eating I have been trying a ton of new recipes this week off of Pinterest.

First off, Marsala Chicken and Mushroom Casserole. Very good, although I think when I make it again I will double the sauce and grease the pan a bit. The rice stuck a LOT. Overall it was delicious though, and the whole family liked it. I also substituted evaporated milk for the cream to save on the calorie and fat content. I do that a lot, and can honestly say that I have never noticed a taste or consistency difference. Definitely recommend this one!

Second, I tried a healthy banana bread recipe. Made with whole wheat flour, honey in place of sugar and unsweetened applesauce in place of oil, it was moist, rich, and delicious. It most definitely doesn't taste like the banana bread you are used to, but it was fantastic in it's own way. The kids all loved it and so did the grown ups!

Finally, Quinoa Bites. I have to say these weren't my favorite thing ever, but I think that's because they didn't taste how they looked. Does that make sense? If I tried them again, I would probably add more cheese and some more flavoring. (Onion, garlic, pepper, etc) The Honey Dijon Sauce that I made to go with them though was really delicious!

Happy cooking everyone!

Happy Valentine's Day!

We celebrated Valentine's Day with...

Heart Hair

A Simple Skirt

And a Fun Shirt!

Happy Valentine's Day, I hope your day is filled with love and hearts, and all things red and pink!

A Healthy Approach

Normally I don't do New Year's resolutions, but January 1st does seem to be a good kick off date for a household change. I have slowly been changing our diets over the last several years towards more healthy food. Chips, store bought cookies, and soda, (to name a few) have all been absent from our house for years, fast food a rare treat, and we always ate a ton of fresh fruit in our house, but this year we finally bit the bullet. We cut out all additives, preservatives, pesticides, and artificial junk COMPLETELY. We added more fresh produce, lean meats, whole grains and beans. The kids still get some of the things that they love, but everything has been replaced with a more natural brand or variety. Strangely enough, I found that it was much easier than I thought it would be and two out of three of our kids completely embraced the new eating style. Bug, well, he's working on it. He'd still rather have a cookie or a lollipop than an apple, but slowly he's becoming more accustomed to it and accepting the new menu. And you know what? My kids come in the house after school and gravitate to the fruit bowl now instead of looking for a cookie. We still have desserts a few nights a week, but there is an emphasis on portion control and making good choices. We read the ingredient lists together to make healthy choices and talk about vitamins and what's good for us. I'm not going to lie, eating this way is a touch more expensive, but what we spend now on better food will go a long way towards making us healthier in the long run which is worth every penny. You know what? After about six solid weeks of these changes I honestly don't miss the junk. (I miss my Diet Dr Pepper, but that's a love affair that's been going on since I was 13 so missing it is only natural. Besides, I still have one every now and then. Shhh. Don't tell!) I'm not the only one either, the kids don't ask for the junk anymore and DH is happily eating his way through every vegetable I cook. Plus he got me to cook fish. That is a true miracle. Ask anyone, I am not a fish person. Or at least I didn't think I was, turns out I actually do like fish, I just wasn't exposed to it growing up. You can keep your shrimp though, that stuff still makes me gag.

You all know how much I LOVE Pinterest, and I have been cooking my way through my recipe boards. Tonight, I made a Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi, with a side of roasted broccoli (that I picked fresh from my garden. Yes, in February. I LOVE SC!) a large salad of mixed greens, and carrots. And you know what? It was delicious! The kids ate it all. Two of three loved it, and Bug ate it without gagging. I'll chalk that one in the win column!

And now I've learned to cook fish. Join me in the near future as I venture into another uncharted territory...quinoa.