Monday, March 25, 2013

Chicken Nuggets

So no more fast food chicken nuggets and fries, make them at home! This recipe is SO EASY and very DELICIOUS!!












Chicken Nuggets

1 large chicken breast, no skin
1/2-3/4 stick butter
3/4 cup italian Panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Directions: **These are also great to make and then put in freezer bags. Pull out and heat when ready. See, no more processed but just as easy!**

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Cut breast into pieces like nuggets.
  3. Melt butter in a bowl. 
  4. Mix Panko breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese in another bowl.
  5. Dip nugget pieces into butter and then dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Put on cookie sheet.
  6. Cook for 20 minutes. 
  7. Serve with homemade fries  and fruit/vegetable. 
This is a huge KID FAVORITE so let them enjoy and feel no guilt :)





Thursday, March 21, 2013

Weight Loss Inspiration- Amanda

So I think I've decided to start a new "tab" on my blog called "Inspiration." Maybe "Women of Inspiration." I'd like your thoughts on that! Anyways, I feel like I know a ton of women that are reaching their goals and it's so exciting that I want to motivate others with the progress and give encouragement to those who are working hard. So if you are reading this and you are reaching your goals, whether it's 10 pounds, 100 pounds, walking to running, whatever! Let me know and I will do a post on your accomplishments!!


Today's inspiration is a friend I've actually known my whole life. Her name is Amanda and she has a blog herself that is about raising her Autistic son. She is someone I have always looked up to and has been through a lot of things.....now another being losing weight!

Amanda has had 2 pregnancies, both boys, and carried extra weight. She finally made the change to lose it and look at her now!

BEFORE...

AFTER...

Look at this woman!!! Amanda started at 176 pounds and is now at 117 pounds. Her BMI started at 31 and now it is 19.9. Her body fat is down to 15.2% (which is definitely the lowest it should be and remember everyone has different body types but typically BF for women should be above 16%) because she is rocking those weights! Her weight loss journey began only 9 MONTHS ago!


She started slow with walking because she did no exercise. Cutting out sugar and getting her portions under control was a huge priority right out of the gate. Instead of eating a huge bowl of ice cream she would have a spoonful. A small brownie instead of a row of brownies. 


Amanda has now worked her way up to 5 days a week with exercising (Mon-Fri) and takes the weekends off. She runs all 5 days with 2 days being less running and lifting weights for different muscle groups. The other 3 days she runs 2-3 miles with 30 minutes of core work. 


Tips about Amanda

#1 Her mantra, "I like compliments more than calories"

#2 She slowly made changes to see lasting results with exercise and made it a habit

#3 If you saw the post on Jena, Amanda also does an extra 30 minutes of ab/core work 3 days a week

#4 Eating fresh fruit and vegetables is also a big thing she does. Keeping junk out of the house and lean proteins is a must for her regular diet now. 

What an amazing woman who is reaching her goals! Way to go Amanda!



Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Getting Toned Abs- Jena

How many of you are on a journey of weight loss and toning your body after having a baby? If you read my blog you know that I am on that journey (and will always be) and I love looking to other women who have accomplished great goals to motivate me. I hear so many times from women that there is no hope to seeing themselves with a flat tummy or especially a tummy with rock hard abs after pregnancy. Is it possible to achieve that after having a baby? What about more than one baby? 


Well let's look at this wonderful example above! This is Jena Moore. I know her from high school and she still lives in the Elkhart area. She is a mom of 2 and I believe her second baby is just over a year old. She is not an olympic athlete but she works hard! Jena leads a high school girls dance team (I believe) and exercises several days a week. She gave me permission to share this picture and a few things about how she got to this point. So be INSPIRED that a fellow mom is achieving her goals and let it motivate you to put the time in yourself to see the benefits!

#1 Time. Jena said it took her a good year to get this progress. Here's the things she does to get her body in this condition.

#2 Eat Clean.

#3 She does 30 minutes of core exercises 4 times a week on top of her regular workouts.

#4 Top 3 Exercises Jena does

  • Plank holds on each side
  • Bicycle crunches
  • Mountain Climbers (which is in the plank position)


Let Jena be inspiration for you in your journey with weight loss and know that transforming your stomach is possible after you've had kids! Thanks for letting me share, Jena!


Cinnamon and Sugar Doughnuts


Sugary. Fluffy. Delicious. Another post of a not-the-healthiest food but certainly healthier because these are not fried, they're baked!


It's actually a little similar to breadsticks. Easy to make but different shapes. These are also dipped in some butter but instead of parmesan and garlic salt it's cinnamon and sugar. 












I used stuff around my cupboards to make the doughnuts since I didn't have a cutter that worked. I seriously used a cup and a Medela baby bottle I usually pump milk into to cut the whole in the middle. ha! If it works, why not?!

For the Dough
3/4 cups Warm Milk
1 packet Active Dry Yeast
1 tbsp. Unsalted Butter
1/3 cup Sugar
1 Egg
2 ½ cup All Purpose Flour
Pinch of Nutmeg
½ tsp. Salt



For the Cinnamon Sugar Topping
*Enough to cover all of the doughnuts
½ cup Unsalted Butter
1 cup Sugar
1 tbsp. Cinnamon

To make the dough, place ¼ cups of the warm milk in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Sprinkle the yeast over the milk.  Let sit for 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining ½ cup of milk with the sugar and butter.  Add it to the yeast mixture.  Stir to combine.  Add the egg and stir until incorporated.  Add the flour, nutmeg, and salt and stir until the dough starts to form.  Change to the dough hook and knead for until the dough starts to become smooth.  If the dough is too sticky, slowly add more flour until it is no longer sticky. 

Transfer to the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic and has formed a ball.  Place the dough ball in a large lightly greased bowl, and cover with plastic wrap.  Let sit in a warm place for about 1 hour, until doubled in size. 

Once the dough has risen, roll it out on a lightly floured surface until ½ thick.  Using a doughnut cutter (if you don’t have a doughnut cutter, you can use 2 biscuit cutters – 1 that is about 3 inches, and the other that is about 2 inches for the inner circle) cut out the doughnuts until you have no dough left (I used what I found in cupboards like previously mentioned above).  If desired you can gather up the scraps into a ball and roll it out and cut out more doughnuts.  I prefer not too because I feel the dough becomes too tough.

Place the doughnuts on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper, about 2 inches apart (didn't feel was necessary).  Cover with a clean towel and let sit for about 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven 375 degrees F. 

Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake for 7 minutes, until lightly golden brown.  Be careful to not overbake these.  You want them to be light and doughy inside.  Let the doughnuts cool for about 5 minutes until ready to top with either the glaze or cinnamon sugar topping

While the doughnuts are cooling make the cinnamon sugar glaze.  

To make the cinnamon sugar topping, melt the butter in a saucepan or a microwave, and place in a small bowl.  Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a medium sized bowl. 

To top the doughnuts with cinnamon sugar, dip the halfway (I did mine on both sides) into the melted butter.  Then dip them into the cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Set on a draining/cooling rack to set, about 5 minutes.

Serve and enjoy :)!

blog I got recipe from. She provides a glaze as well but I didn't like it very much. 




Monday, March 18, 2013

Amazing Breadsticks


Mmm. These breadsticks are seriously delicious. My sis, Lindsay, made these and shared it on FB so I decided to try them. 

So. Worth. It. 

They aren't crazy healthy but they aren't restaurant grease ball messes. When you make food that tastes so good like this (without the stomach ache) and still use healthy ingredients, you just don't care to eat out.



Amazing Breadsticks

1 TBSP yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 TBSP sugar
3 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick butter
parmesan cheese
garlic salt
parsley

  1. 1 TBSP yeast in dissolved in 1 1/2 cups warm water with 3 TBSP sugar.
  2. Let sit 3-5 minutes until bubbly.
  3. Add 1/2 tsp salt and 3 1/4 cups flour. 
  4. Mix together and knead for 3 minutes (I do it by hand).
  5. Let dough rest 10 minutes on counter. 
  6. Melt a stick of butter in a bowl.
  7. Roll out dough and cut into strips.
  8. One strip at a time, dip into butter and place on a cookie sheet that is rimmed.
  9. After every strip is on cookie sheet, drizzle butter all over if you'd like (like I said, not super healthy). 
  10. Sprinkle as much parmesan cheese and garlic salt with parsley on top of each strip.
  11. Let rise 10-20 minutes.
  12. Cook 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees. 
  13. Eat with homemade pizza, soup, or whatever you desire and enjoy every bite. Seriously.



Fluffy, soft, buttery, great flavor. A must try. Here's the original recipe

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Supermom



I have been a Christ follower for 20 years this fall. I was only 5 but God gripped my little heart as a young girl.

God is working on yet another area of my life, one that runs deep. I am so thankful for our church and the leaders in it because God has used them to show me many things. My view on a lot of things has changed slightly since coming to this church over 5 years ago. I am learning to love God and others more deeply and fully. I am learning to breakdown prideful walls and not look down on others because that is not what Christ is about. I am a work in progress.


When I was younger a certain label was placed on me by most, "goodie-two-shoes." I was always seen as the one who never broke the rules, didn't disobey my parents much, didn't cuss, didn't drink, didn't have sex, didn't do most things kids experiment with. There were no glaring sins people saw. Isn't it interesting how we think that just because we don't practice some of the "big sins" we think that's all there is to Christianity? That following rules is what a majority of Christianity is about.

In church today one of our pastors talked about a very tough passage. I think it has to be tough for people on both spectrums. We were looking at 1 Corinthians 6 today. We have been going through this book for a few weeks now. Here is the text.

"9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous[b] will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived:neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,[c] 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 Andsuch were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

12 “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. 13 “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined[d] to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” 17 But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. 18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin[e] a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."

We can see plainly the sins that grip us. But this wasn't the typical message we hear often in churches. Our pastor didn't stand up there and say we need to put rules on staying away from these sins. He didn't say, "You have to put this curfew on your kids, don't allow them to dance, don't allow them to wear these certain clothes, set these boundaries on their every move, etc." 

Actually what he said was, "If we spend our lives learning how not to sin then we will not fully know how to love. If we spend our days learning how to love then we will draw away from sin."

Paul clearly says in this text what sins are and what we should stay away from. But he doesn't give us rules to follow. He doesn't point us in the opposite direction so we still orient our lives around our sins. When we put all kinds of rules around our sins and trying to stay away from them we are missing the point, STILL.

He doesn't say that a good Christian witness is orienting our lives around not sinning. He doesn't say it is full of "oughts, you shouldn'ts, and don'ts." He doesn't give us rules, he give us Gospel.

Instead he points us to God's grace. He says in verse 11 that we "...were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ..."


Fast forward to my current life. I am a wife, mom, trainer. I love exercising, learning, making food homemade, etc. In the last couple weeks I have heard a new phrase that some describe me with...Supermom.

Yikes. On one hand I'm flattered. People see my posts and apparently I'm looked up to. But on the other hand I really don't want people to think I'm supermom.....cause guess what? I'm NOT!! I am not the perfect mom, I am not the perfect wife, I am not the perfect fitness role model. I don't want to portray myself as something I'm not.


When I was "goodie-two-shoes" I had different struggles. I was still in bondage like some are to those sins Paul mentions about sexuality, etc. My bondage was following rules. I still sought after the Lord but for a while, especially junior high and early high school, my bondage gripped me deep. I had so many fears. I also had a pride that turned people away from Christ. My attitude was, "Yuck!" to some sins people struggled with. How loving, right? My first response was, "Stop! No! Just stay away from it and read your Bible."

My bondage created a fear of my own body. I hated the things that are still good about myself. I didn't want to show any skin. I wanted to blend in because I was ashamed of my body. I was ashamed of having a chest, or nice legs. I believed that sex was bad bad bad....I went to church "meetings" before youth group events of a "formula" with clothes on how to make sure guys don't notice our chests, butts, etc.

I was orienting my life around staying away from these sins but taking my eyes off Christ. I was finding my identity in other things. I was so gripped by fear for a few years that I missed out on a lot of things. I turned quite a few people away from Christ, I am sure. I was consumed with following rules. Now don't read into what I'm not writing. We have a duty to dress with dignity. But let's face it, guys get turned on by looking a woman dressed head to toe and can still think we're sexy! There is a responsibility on both sides to not be consumed with either doing the sin or staying away from it. We are not supposed to get saved and then say, "my soul is saved and I can do whatever the heck I want." Or say, "I'm saved by Christ now follow all these strict rules, look down on others who don't, and don't show any flaws."


It's amazing how God works all things together for good because He brought a wonderful, fantastic man into my life who is now my husband. Kyle was kind of opposite of me. He went against those rules. He helped show me how freedom in Christ looks. It has taken many years for me to not be worried about what others think of me and it's because of this man and God working on my heart. We have had so many talks about this I can't even count with him saying, "Steph, who cares? What does this matter to eternity? God isn't concerned about this image or these rules." Wow. I prayed for this man and God delivered. He was my perfect match. He was who I needed to help mold me more into Christ's image.



Bottom line is I hope and pray you don't think I'm a supermom. I hope people don't resent me when they see my posts and I hope people don't idolize me as well. I am a work in progress. I still struggle with things such as pride, envy, selfishness, gossip, being judgmental, etc.



I am continually learning to fix my eyes on Christ so everything else is centered around Him. I am learning to experience freedom in not living by certain rules and also not swaying into sin. But the more I learn to love Christ fully then the more I experience the life He has for me. I just want to share that. I don't have everything figured out. Heck, I don't have much figured out.

But I do know that I am a daughter of the King. I do know that my mission is to glorify Him and for others to see the love of Christ through me. That is my true identity and I hope you find yours in Him as well.


Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Postpartum Week 20


Time is flying! But workouts are going great and I am feeling good. ChaLean Extreme has helped me get so much stronger, again. I finished it and this week I've started with Turbo Fire which is cardio instead of weights. I was going through my stuff and forgot that Turbo Fire has a "hybrid schedule" that combines Fire with Extreme. So that'll be the next program after summertime probably since Turbo Fire is 20 weeks and I want to workout in the sun this summer. Can't wait!  



I stayed at my 128 weight goal which is fine because my body is focusing on losing body fat and reshaping/tightening/toning all areas. So even though I am still the same body weight I have progressed immensely. This is why it is so IMPORTANT to measure yourself and check your body fat (I have a handheld one and caliper works at home too...other methods will cost you more money such as ultrasound and underwater measuring).


My eating has been going well. I have refrained from desserts. I did make a peanut butter pie for my hubby and had some one night and a bite another night but that's ok. I'm just trying to be in the habit of not being addicted to sweets cause when it gets it grip on me, look out! I have been eating more nuts and less grains which makes me feel better mood/health wise. Eating out sounds so much less appealing these days with all the yummy food I've been perfecting at home for my family. It's the little changes that make a difference over time. It feels so good to see the journey and live each day to glorify God.

I have been taking it one day at a time to look at how my eating and exercising habits have a pure motive of honoring my Savior. I so long to not be chained to eating unhealthy foods and yet not be chained to having a "perfect body." I just want my habits and attitude to reflect how God wants me to live. I want every meal to honor Him.

That's why learning about whether foods are good or bad for me helps me SO MUCH with this. If I know that the food I'm about to put into my body was created provide healthy vitamins/minerals, good fats, protein, and will improve my quality of life then I feel that it glorifies God, after all, He made it for me. But if I selfishly want to keep holding on to a food that has no purpose except to harm my body and create addictions that aren't supposed to be there then I don't feel I am honoring Him in that moment and I always regret it afterwards. Now I'm not saying that you can never have a cupcake but I think we all know what I mean. A few bites of a cupcake at a birthday party is different than eating cupcakes every single day and it expanding to other things.

 Bottom line, I want to keep experiencing freedom with my eating habits and letting go of what grips me and causes many problems in my life (more than just the physical) to give to God is the way to do it.



Current Weight: 128

Arm: 10 (no loss)

Chest: 34 1/4 (3/4 inch loss)

Waist: 31 (3/4 inch loss)

Hips: 34 3/4 (no loss)

Leg: 19 3/4 (no loss)

Calf: 11 1/2 (1/4 inch loss)

Body Fat: 21.7% (2.3% loss since last UPDATE on BF 8 weeks ago)


I am most excited about my body fat lowering. That means I have 27 pounds of body fat on me right now and before I had 32 pounds of fat. So the 5 pounds I have shed over the last 8 weeks has been ALL fat. That is weight loss I want because it is going to stay off and make me healthier. Figuring out your body fat is such a good indicator of what type of weight you're losing and how you're helping your metabolism and body be fit. This is awesome stuff. See how muscle burns fat?? I don't exercise for hours a day. It's usually 30 minutes. Make the most of your workouts.


So how are you making choices towards a healthier lifestyle? I'm still on my journey and I always will be. I'm not perfect and I haven't even reached my "goal weight" yet and I'm totally fine with that. Are you? I would love to hear of your progress with your goals and help you in anyway possible so please tell me! 

Monday, March 11, 2013

Guilt-free PBB Dessert



So I'm trying to stay away from sweets because once it get's a hold of me I just get addicted. An awesome idea popped in my head tonight and quite frankly, it was just as good as I imagined!! I also want to add that I have never been a chocolate lover. I actually really didn't like the taste of dark chocolate. But eating it in little "chips" or morsels has had me growing fond of it lately; mainly because it provides an extra taste with nuts, it's not overwhelming, and it's so stinkin' healthy for you! Please let me share...



Isn't it cute? 

This is great for a dessert in the evening because it is lower in carbs (which is great before bed so it doesn't turn to sugar and then fat because carbs provide energy and if you eat carbs and don't use it that's what happens), has natural sugars, and is healthy. We already know how healthy dark chocolate is by my last POST. Be sure to buy some without any filler stuff. I got Toll House at Target today because it was on sale and the ingredient list was as follows: dark chocolate. Bam. Easy.


Peanut butter is healthy as well because it contains healthy fats, protein, fiber, and potassium. I used to think it was unhealthy but continued research is showing quite the contrary...thank God cause I like the stuff. Peanut butter has been proven in over 5 recent studies to lower cholesterol, lower your risk of coronary heart disease, triglycerides, and cardiovascular disease (quoted from a professor Richard Mattes at Purdue University). Now, make sure you're purchasing a natural or organic kind with no crazy additives like hydrogenated oils, soybean oil, and sugars. It should really be a 2 or 3 ingredient list such as: peanuts and salt. Aldi sells natural PB and I got it for $1.99 last week. That's cheaper than the normal junk at Walmart. 


We all know bananas are a fruit. They kind of have a bad "rap" with some people saying they'll cause belly fat. That's nonsense to be honest. Bananas contain no fat or cholesterol but are high in potassium, vitamin C, vitamin B-6, manganese (good for bone growth and health), iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin E, A, folate, choline, and carotene. Bananas are also a very healthy carbohydrate which is great before or during a workout. One banana also contains 3 grams of fiber which is great for losing weight. I think this huge list blows the myth away that bananas are a problem when trying to lose weight and/or belly fat. I mean, really, can we think about what other foods are out there proven to cause obesity and health problems??


 Chocolate PBB Recipe (Peanut Butter Banana)
1 medium banana (I used organic)
2 tbsp natural or organic peanut butter
1 tbsp dark chocolate chips (I used Toll House larger morsels, about 9)

Directions
1. Slice banana into larger pieces.
2. Spread on peanut butter.
3. Top with one dark chocolate chunk.
4. Enjoy every bite.

Cost: about 25-30 cents at most and that's with an organic banana...pretty cheap dessert. 

Calories total: 369
44 g carbs
22 g fat
9 g protein

**I actually ate about half to 2/3 of the amount I listed above. It was definitely satisfying enough. You could easily use a large banana and split it with someone in your family or just make half and eat the other later.**





Sunday, March 10, 2013

Sweet and Salty Snack Bags

I am moving more into meal planning and prepping. I got out of the habit with pregnancy and taking care of kids. But I really do enjoy having everything planned out and available. I think one of the greatest tools we have to be healthy is by being prepared so when we are in a pinch or hunger strikes, grabbing a healthy snack is possible.



Having the right balance of your calories makes a huge difference. It balances blood sugar, satisfies hunger, provides healthy fats, and gives you vitamins and minerals. So here's a couple snacks that provide that and you can make them ahead of time for a week or a couple weeks. Pull them out when you are hungry or pack them in your bag before you leave home. I've already done all the work for you so you can easily follow my directions.

Eating several times a day helps with speeding your metabolism and balancing blood sugar levels. It's what fit people do so I know you want to be fit too! Do what fit people do and you'll become fit. These snacks provide a healthy amount of calories between 200-300 for a snack. They have healthy fats which we want so don't be worried if you are afraid of eating a little more fat. The "low fat" era actually did more harm than good and we are worse off now than before because it ushered in so many harmful processed foods. If we are eating whole foods that contain some "higher fat" don't worry because it is actually not going to make you fat (I once thought it would too).


I chose dark chocolate because it's good for the heart, brain, helps control blood sugar, full of antioxidants, it's high in vitamins and minerals such as potassium, copper, magnesium, and iron. It also contains theobromine which hardens tooth enamel which lowers your risk of getting cavities.

Almonds give relief from constipation, respiratory disorders, heart disorders, anemia, and diabetes. It also helps with hair, skin, and dental care. It is the most nutritious nut out of all the nuts. It is rich in vitamin E, calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, zinc, and copper.

Dried prunes, which are dried plums, are am excellent source of fiber and are one of your best friends for weight loss. They contain potassium, vitamin A, antioxidants, and help prevent cancer and heart disease.

Walnuts provide a huge source of daily omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin E, manganese, copper, potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, and selenium. Therefore it helps with growth, digestion, helps with dry skin, sperm generation, and is loaded with anti-oxidants. Walnuts also contains important B-complex which is a group of vitamins to help with the skin, hair and nail growth.

Cranberries, which are craisins, are also healthy for you. They helps with urinary tract infections, help with gum disease, stomach ulcers, heart disease, certain cancers, and have antioxidants.

You just can't really go wrong with these snacks when you have lists upon lists of health benefits!



Prune Mix
Almonds - count out 6
Dark chocolate chips - 1 tablespoon
Dried prune - 1 cut into 4 small pieces
Walnuts - 1/6 cup

Calories total - 240
18.5 g carbs
4.5 g protein
15.5 g fat
11 g sugars (3 from prune which is natural)


This next mix is perfect for my father who is a diabetic and has to have snacks available for his blood sugar if it goes low on him. The craisins provide more sugar to bring his sugar levels up but not too high. The protein helps his blood sugar stabilize once it's brought back up.

Craisin Mix
Almonds - count out 6
Dark chocolate chips - 1 tablespoon
Walnuts - 1/6 cup
Craisins - 1/8 cup

Calories total - 280
28.5 g carbs
4.5 g protein
15.5 g fat
24 g sugar (unless you get no sugar added craisins, which I recommend so sugar is lower)


My mom cannot have walnuts due to allergy so this contains only almonds.

Almond Only Mix
Almonds - count out 18
Dark chocolate chips - 1 tablespoon
Craisins - 1/8 cup

Calories total - 270
29.5 g carbs
5.5 g protein
13.5 g fat
23 g sugar

Feel free to swap any of these things like the prunes for raisins or other dried fruit. Be careful to get no sugar added with dried fruits and the nuts to be plain, unsalted, no sugar added.



I made up 22 bags of snacks with many more it can make. I would need to buy more walnuts and dark chocolate though. Definitely goes a long way!


Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Fresh Strawberry Lemonade


I've wanted to make strawberry lemonade for a while now. It is the one flavored drink I actually like that has sugar in it. Other than that I stick with my smoothies and water. I cannot stand to buy the processed stuff and I just knew you could make it from scratch (like everything else!). 


Well, it's pretty easy! And my husband loves the stuff. So I had the right amount of ingredients in the fridge and freezer to make it with only 2 cans of Mountain Dew left for him and his brother (can you believe I have a husband that is addicted to that junk?) so he asked for some beverage.....and bam! They both loved it and so do I :)


Strawberry Lemonade
2 lemons
1 container of strawberries or less...I used 1/2-3/4 a container and it turned out great
1 tbsp honey
3/4 cup sugar
enough water to fill a 2 Quart pitcher

1. Cut the lemons in quarters with skin on and everything.
2. cut tops off strawberries.
3. Put both in a blender (I used my Nutribullet) or food processor. I only put enough strawberries to my fill line which was just a handful. Then I blended a full cup of frozen ones.
4. Put water in so it's thin enough to blend easily.
5. Blend and then put through a kitchen strainer over a bowl.
6. Put in a pitcher after strained.
7. Fill with water, 3/4 cup sugar or to taste, and 1 tbsp honey. Feel free to dice a couple strawberries small to put in the lemonade as well.
8. Put ice in a cup and pour!


This really did taste like a lemonade you'd buy for over $2 at a restaurant. I am so excited. It's the little things you know. Plus the best part. NO. High. Fructose. Corn. Syrup. And NO Packets Filled With Chemical Junk that cause all kinds of health problems. Alleluia! Praise the Lord (I may be too excited here)!


Stay tuned for these awesome homemade recipes as well!!!


Homemade doughnuts. Need I say more?


Plus these awesome breadsticks my Sis - Lindsay Jacobs made and shared the recipe with me :)