Mini Turkey Meatloaves

Some people are weird about meatloaf. Honestly, I don't know why. I mean you do know its like eating a giant meatball, right? I know you like meatballs. See, now you want to try meatloaf. You're welcome. I'll be here all week. 

I created a hybrid of a popular meatloaf recipe/Martha Stewart mini meatloaf recipe/turkey meatloaf recipe. Using ground turkey cuts the calories and fat dramatically, and portion control is seen at its finest by using a muffin tin. 

Yield: 6 servings // Serving Size: 2 loaves // Calories: 247 // Carbs: 14g // Fat: 9g // Protein: 28g

Please visit my link parties page to see who I linked up with this week!

#ThirstyThursday

No, it's not what you think.

I usually roll my eyes when someone talks about drinking enough water. Why? I honestly don't know because its 98% of what I drink. And I swear by it. When I slack on drinking water, I feel a w f u l. 

I gave up soda 6 years ago (I will have a Coke once in a blue moon when my migraine won't go away). Seriously the thought of going to a restaurant and ordering a soda make me feel gross. Not that there's anything wrong with it (I mean there are bad side effects to your health), that's just how I feel.

So, #ThirstyThursday aims to help us all drink more water. Use this calculator to determine how much water you need. Share each glass throughout the day on Twitter and Facebook and use the hash tag #ThirstyThursday.

Come on, it will be fun. Drink up.

Crock-Pot Roasted Chicken

Let's make a roasted chicken in the crock-pot! Ok! 

There are seriously just a few things that make my house smell as good as a roasted chicken-Puffs tissue infused with Vicks and Pumpkin Roll Scentsy. 

Moving on. 

This is a great crock-pot recipe, simply because EVERYTHING cooks in the crock allllll day. The recipe calls for baby Yukon golds, but I only had adult Yukon golds on hand. I just chopped them up close to baby size. 

Let's begin!

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Have you entered the latest giveaway?? Custom stamped necklace from Bella Vita Jewelry! 

Please visit my link parties page to see who I linked up with this week!

Flu Fighter Cookies

Put down the phone, I didn't find a cure for the flu. I just made some yummy cookies filled with ingredients to help your body battle the flu! 

If you don't follow me on Twitter or Facebook, then you have missed the week long saga of  every member of my family being sick. We even paid the ER a visit on Wednesday! Fun times.  I am just now starting to feel human again (can't you tell? I made cookies) thanks to a LOT of herbal tea with honey and enough Vicks products to make any shareholder happy. 

Let's break down a few of these ingredients!

Cinnamon: anti-inflammatory properties, antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic properties.

Nutmeg: helps regulate your GI tract.

Allspice: helps ease digestive symptoms (use your imagination), acts as an anesthetic to numb pain, it is also knows to have string antioxidant properties, and it is used to treat coughs, chills, bronchitis, and depression.

Ginger: widely used to treat colds and the flu.

Honey: helps treat allergies

Cranberries: rich in antioxidants and helps treat infections

Raisins: another concentrated source of antioxidants

Walnuts: Eating as few as six to seven average sized nuts a day could help scavenge disease causing free radicals from the body

Apricots: enriched with numerous health promoting phyto-chemicals; that helps prevent heart disease, reduce LDL, ("bad cholesterol") levels and offers protection against cancers

You might think they will taste like a spice cookie but the lemon zest adds a lovely freshness and keeps them light!

Have I convinced you yet?? 

Now go whip up a batch! 

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Flu Fighter Cookies

Ingredients

2 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup Greek yogurt

1/2 teaspoon ginger powder

Zest of 1 lemon

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

1 1/4 cup dried cranberries

1 1/4 cup raisins

1/2 cup walnuts

1/4 cup dried apricots, diced

Preparation:

Spray 2-3 baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray. 

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt until well combined.

Beat the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Add the honey, yogurt, ginger powder and lemon zest and beat until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the flour mixture to make a sticky batter (do not overmix). Fold in the oats and half of the raisins, cranberries, apricots, and walnuts.

 Mix the remaining dried fruit and nuts in a small bowl and set aside.

Drop 2 tablespoon sized scoops of batter onto the prepared baking sheets. Top each with some of the reserved dried fruit and nut mixture and chill for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Bake the cookies until dark golden but still soft, 10 to 12 minutes; cool on a rack. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Please visit my link parties page to see who I linked up with this week!

tuesday ramblings.

Hey! How was your weekend? Yes, I know it's Tuesday.

Mine was good, thanks. We had dinner with Melissa and her family on Saturday! We enjoyed a really yummy taco soup she graciously made us! He family is just fabulous. I mean her kids are THE sweetest! She is also fantastic! :) I NEVER ever thought I would meet and make friends through blogging. I'm glad I was wrong.



Sunday was filled with a wind storm. For real. 35 mph winds with 50 mph gusts?? Hello, allergies. It was seriously so hazy outside. Ew.

In other unimportant news, I want this top.

Since stopping my Elavil, I have seen a noticeable change with my body. I am actually getting results from my workouts and diet (no, I'm not on a diet, I'm talking about healthy eating habits). My cravings for carbs and sweets has decreased and my energy has increased. I go in phases of practically making all of my meals from scratch to occasionally cutting corners and buying packaged items, like Clif MoJo Bars. I went a few weeks eating Amy's Frozen meals at lunch, so I decided to take a break from them and switch my focus back to clean eating. I switched up my workouts as well, I always need something new!

What have I been eating?

Breakfast
Fiber One Shredded Wheat
Horizon 0% Organic Milk
1/2 cup Blackberries

Mid-Morning Snack
2 Tablespoons Hummus
Baby Carrots
While Grain Pretzel Chips

Lunch
Low Sodium Turkey and Reduced Fat Cheddar Melt on Whole Grain Sandwich Thin
Organic Mixed Greens Salad with Tomatoes, Broccoli, Carrots, and Balsamic Vinegar
Chobani 0% Black Cherry Yogurt (yesterday it was pineapple)

Afternoon Snack
Banana
100 Calorie Pack Walnuts and Almonds (unsalted)
1 Babybel Light Cheese

Dinner 
Last night I had homemade Chicken Noodle Soup (look for the recipe soon)
Tonight? Not sure.

Post Workout Snack
Whole Grain Sandwich Thin
1 Tablespoon Organic Peanut Butter

What have I been doing?

Chest/Triceps (last night)

Wide Pushups 12 reps/3 sets
Dumbbell Bench Press 12 reps/12#/3 sets
Dumbbell Flys 12 reps/12#/3 sets
Close Triceps Pushups 12 reps/3 sets
Dumbbell Standing Triceps Extension 12 reps/12#/3 sets
Triceps Kickbacks 12 reps/12#/3 sets

Skinny Pizza Rolls

I have shared several sweet recipes, so thought I would share a savory one with you today! I originally found this on Dashing Dish. Katie is one of my favorite bloggers and is a true mentor.

I make these pizza rolls a few times a month. Don't be intimidated if you have never used wonton wrappers before, they are very easy to use. You can find them in the produce section of the grocery store, paired with the eggroll wrappers. These make a great dinner paired with a salad or would be great for the upcoming Super Bowl!

With the use of turkey pepperonis and wonton wrappers, these pizza rolls come out to be 30 calories each. Yes, 30. My husband (the ultimate taste tester) LOVES these. I promise you won't be sacrificing any taste or nutrition by leaving the frozen ones at the store.

What I love about these rolls, is how diverse you can make them. You can add any other typical pizza toppings to the mixture, sausage, chicken, veggies, you name it!

**The original recipe calls for regular turkey pepperoni. I had the mini turkey pepperonis on hand. By using these, I was able to skip slicing the pepperonis.***


Skinny Pizza Rolls

Prep Time: 15 minutes 


Bake: 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes


Cool: 3-5 minutes


Yield: 24 rolls

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup tomato sauce OR marinara sauce OR pizza sauce

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (or more to taste)

1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning (or more to taste, I also substitute fresh basil occasionally) 

20 turkey pepperonis

24 wonton wrappers

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (for sprinkling)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. 

In a medium bowl, combine tomato sauce, mozzerella cheese, and spices. Slice pepperonis into quarters and add to mixture, stirring to combine. 

Add a tablespoon of filling to the center of a wonton wrapper. 

   

Dip your finger in water and trace along the top edge of the wrapper. Bring the bottom point up to meet the top point and press firmly to seal. Place roll onto baking sheet. Repeat until all wrappers have been assembled. 

 Lightly spray the tops of the assembled rolls with non-stick cooking spray and sprinkle Parmesan cheese over rolls. Surprisingly, the Parmesan cheese in the plastic tube works best. It gives the rolls that "cornmeal" type feel. I had fresh on hand, so that's what I used!

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Just like pizza, it is always best to let it cool a few minutes before serving. Things seem to stay together better that way. Enjoy! 

**EDIT**

I thought I would also add, that I normally double the recipe to use all of the wonton wrapper up. I end up with 2 baking sheets of pizza rolls. One sheet goes into the oven and the other goes into the freezer. Once frozen, I add them to a large freezer bag in single layers with parchment paper in between each layer. They freeze SO well and just like the store bough frozen pizza rolls, they are so simple to take a few out and bake! 

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Please visit my link parties page to see who I linked up with this week!

Also, have you heard about the upcoming Find Some Love Fest? Grab the button and meet back here February 1st!

obsessed.

Who wants to know what my current obsession is?? 

Anyone? 

Yeah, no. But I'm going to tell you anyway! 

Seriously. It is amazing. It really only takes about 1 tablespoon to get the yummy ranch flavor we all know and love. I have eaten an entire bag of broccoli in 2 days...the dip? 80 calories for THE WHOLE THING. All the pleasure of typical veggie dip, but no guilt!  It makes my heart happy. 


I found this amazing idea on Pinterest! 

Oh! Also, more details to come, BUT Pineapple Lily, Digging Deeper, Hollie Takes Notes, and Behind the Scenes will be hosting Find Some Love Fest {A loving link party for your blog, shop or Facebook page} on February 1st! The theme is, of course, Valentine's Day crafts, recipes, DIY's, home decor, shop items, and more! Stay tuned! It will be a blast!

Family Bake-off and Pumpkin Granola {recipe}

Heeeeyyyy! Remember me?? Yeah, so life gets in the way of blogging sometimes. Remember that annual family bakeoff I told you about? I have been meaning to share some photos and a recipe from it! The women in my family (8 of us this year) get together and bake, and bake, and bake until there is no butter left.

Here goes!

Here is my nephew packaging up some almond brittle. Yes, he washed his hands. 

My sister! She made these super cute ornaments from Pinterest!

My brother! I'm getting him a pair of scissors for Christmas. 

My mom! She is the artsy one of us all. Need a tiny pair of felt elf boots? She's on it. 

We were frantically trying to finish the ornaments. This meant dull scissors and lots of hot glue.  

Whoa. Monster Baby. 

Nope. Try again. 

Perfect. 

Like I said, we package it all up and send them out as gifts. I made the Cowboy Cookies (seen here, Pinterest inspired packaging!) and 3 batches of Pumpkin Granola (recipe below).

In addition we had Lemon Squares, Chex Mix, Pistachio Seat Salt Bark, Almond Bark, Pumpkin Bread, Puppy Chow, Hello Dollies, Peanut Butter and Maple Rice Krispies Treats, Tarts, and Pecan Muffins.

Pumpkin Granola

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Bake: 325 degrees for 20 minutes 

Cool: 20 minutes

Yield: 6 cups granola

Ingredients

5 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine the rolled oats, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and brown sugar.

In another bowl, combine the pumpkin, maple syrup, applesauce, and vanilla.

Pour the pumpkin mixture into the oat mixture.

Toss the mixture until all of the oats are coated. Spread the granola onto a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment.

Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 20 minutes. Take the granola out and stir it around. Bake another 20 minutes or until the granola gets crisp. Take the granola out and mix in the cranberries and almonds.

Week 1: Day 3 {Abs}

Good Morning! Did anyone join me with Day 1 last night? I like to start my week of workouts on Monday. Day 1-Monday, Day 2-Tuesday, and so on. That means tonight is a round of cardio then lower body weight training. Need the workout? Go here.

Along with planning my meals, logging what I eat keeps me accountable. There are several calorie counter apps and free online food logs out there! One of my favorites is Livestrong. I like it because I can get extremely specific with the food I eat. There are thousands of products that you can find just by the brand name.

So, what did I eat yesterday?

Breakfast
1/2 cup Old Fashioned Oats
1/2 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup skim milk

Morning Snack
5 Back to Nature Organic Stoneground Wheat Crackers
Baby carrots
1 tablespoon roasted red pepper hummus

Lunch
Morningstar Farms Spicy Black Bean Burger
Minute Ready to Serve Brown Rice
Steamed veggies
Babybel light

Afternoon Snack
Apple
1 Chocolate rice cake

Dinner
1/4 cup ground turkey
2 tablespoons refried beans
1 tablespoon shredded cheese
1/2 cup mixed greens
2 tablespoons salsa
1 tortilla

After Workout Snack
Handful of natural almonds





Ready for Day 3?

Week 1: Day 3

30 minutes cardio

Abs

Yes, this ends up almost being 300 individual ab exercises. :) 

In between each set, rest 30 seconds. 

And remember...

Exercise	Rest	Reps	Sets
30 Second Plank	30 seconds	1	3
Air Bike	30 seconds	30	3
Bent Knee Hip Raise	30 seconds	30	3
Exercise Ball Pull-in	30 seconds	15	3
Sit Ups	30 seconds	8	3
Toe Touchers	30 seconds	15	3

back to the basics

Instead of avoiding it any longer, I just have to admit it.

I have not been focused on fitness lately. I can just feel its toll on my body, mind, and spirit. I felt uncomfortable on my clothes allllll day yesterday. Talk about a workout motivator. There are about 569874564 other things that needed to be done around my house, but I just had to put them all in the back of my mind and GO WORKOUT.

I pushed myself harder than I have in a long time. Partially because I'm tired of nothing fitting correctly, and partially because I haven't been pushing myself...at ALL.

Immediately after my workout, I felt great. I then saw this photo in my husband's office.

Why yes, that is me. Talk about reaffirming my motivation. No, I will probably never look like this again. Considering this was 5 years ago when I didn't give a flying flip about what I ate, exercise, or healthy eating...I honestly have no clue how I looked like this. None. 

What's the point of all this?

It is time for me to refocus. Remember what I love and what I want to blog about.

What does this mean for you-the reader? Expect more workouts and "skinny" dishes. I'm all about home workouts and hope to supply you with some information and skills you can use with me! I have somehow reached 70 GFC followers, and plan to do a fitness themed giveaway at 100 GFC followers OR for New Years...whichever comes first.

In the mean time, I have designed a 12 week fitness plan to get me back on track. But as always, you can workout all you want, but if you can kill healthy living by what you put in your mouth.

Again, my workouts involve a small amount of equipment (yoga ball, free weights, resistance bands), but can all be done at the gym as well. I was blessed to be handed down an elliptical trainer from my fabulous aunt, so you will have to fill in your choice of cardio. JUST MOVE.

The plan consists of 30 minutes of cardio followed by strength training. Once you get the pattern of the first 2 weeks down, you will be set for the total 12 weeks.

Week 1
Day 1: Cardio + Chest/Triceps
Day 2: Cardio+ Lower Body
Day 3: Cardio+ Abs
Day 4: Cardio+ Shoulders/Biceps/Back
Day 5: Cardio+ Lower Body

Day 6 (optional): Yoga



Week 2
Day 1: Cardio+ Lower Body
Day 2: Cardio + Chest/Triceps
Day 3: Cardio+ Abs
Day 4:Cardio+ Lower Body
Day 5: Cardio+ Shoulders/Biceps/Back

Day (optional): Yoga

See the pattern? I will post Week 1: Day 1 on Friday (12/2)  so you can plan and prepare for Monday!

I invite and encourage you to join me.