Real Summer Treats

For the most part, we eat pretty well in our household.  But like most people, there are a few areas we could improve on (cereal, granola bars, etc).  Recently I was revisiting Lisa Leake's blog, 100 Days of Real Food (if you haven't already checked this out, do it!) and as careful as I am about reading ingredient labels, I let some things slip occasionally for the sake of convenience, but after reading a few of her posts I was re-inspired to be more careful.  More careful about looking where my food is coming from; about how many ingredients are listed and how many are unfamiliar; about whether or not my food comes from a bag, box, or can.

In my opinion, eating whole foods is the easiest "diet" out there because you don't have to count or keep track of anything.  You just eat real food.  A lot of people think that means giving up sweets, but they're sorely mistaken.  It might take a bit more effort, but your food (including treats) will taste that much better.  Not to mention, you'll crave more wholesome, nutritious food, and less of the junk.

Take popsicles for example.  A typical box will have a list of ingredients including things like artificial dyes, processed sugars and other unrecognizable ingredients.  Now take a look at this:

It only has three ingredients.  And you'd recognize all of them.  These Berry Yogurt Pops are easy to make and taste so fresh.  The hardest part is waiting for them to freeze.  All you need is a popsicle mold (I found this one at Bed Bath and Beyond) and a few simple ingredients.  Find the recipe here.

What's your favorite frozen treat to make at home?

Homemade > Store-bought

Just as the name says, I like things "Made from Scratch" better than things from a box or bag.  Even if it takes a little extra work.  I like to know where my food comes from and what's all in it.  I have been itching to make hummus from scratch for a while now (I've had a jar of tahini sitting in the pantry for months) and today, I finally did.  I only have regret: I didn't make it sooner!

The flavor isn't anything special, just your classic hummus, but sometimes simple is better.  Although, now that I know how well it turns out, I'm excited to try some different flavors - roasted red pepper, spicy, etc.

You can find the recipe here.  If you try this recipe or another flavor variation, please, share your ideas below!

Happy Spring Break to Me!

Yes, spring break has finally arrived, although here in Wisconsin, it certainly does not feel like it.  I think Mother Nature forgot to change her calendar because it's nice and sunny, the birds are chirping, but it's only a chilly 29 degrees outside.  I need some warm weather soon or I might just go crazy!!

{Thinking warm thoughts.}

I found a recipe for sweet potato chips on Pinterest earlier this week and I've been dying to try them.  They are from Undressed Skeleton.  If you haven't checked out her blog yet, do so!  It's very inspiring; her transformation is incredible!  She also has several recipes to browse as well as healthy eating tips that she has learned along the way.  

Anyway, I was finally able to make them for lunch today since my last class of the day was cancelled (surprise!).  I followed one of her recipe suggestions but then made another flavor of  my own.  Click here to check it out.

Is anyone doing anything fun over the weekend?  David and I are joining a group of friends for a day full of brewery (and even a distillery!) tour-hopping.  We are starting out with New Glarus followed by Minhas Brewery and finally their distillery.  I'm not a big drinker so I'm a little nervous, but regardless, it's bound to be fun!

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Shopping by season

I know some people hate it, but I love grocery shopping.  I really do.  I could wander around in there for hours.  Going up and down the aisles, looking at all different varieties of the same product.  It's kind of is fascinating... but maybe it's just me. 

Recently, I made a new goal of trying to stick to recipes using in-season produce.  Tonight was the first recipe I made with that goal in mind.  The dish: Green Pizza.  Test it out for yourself and let me know what you think!  

I also decided to make a chart so I can easily check which fruits and vegetables are in season during which month.  I wanted to share it here to help anyone else with the same goal.  I apologize for the tiny font (and the fact that December is cut off) but I wanted to get it posted.  I will try to make some adjustments soon to make it easier to read. 

Tomorrow is Wednesday, that means we are halfway to the weekend!  I hope everyone is having a great week!!

Why I'm doing what I'm doing

Photo credit: Food Inc.

There are plenty of kids who grow up knowing exactly what they want to be when they get older.  Perhaps a teacher, a lawyer or maybe a nurse.  I was never one of those kids.  Now that's not to say I didn't have dreams when I was little; I had always wanted to be an artist and when I graduated high school that dream wasn't entirely lost.  At that point I wanted to be a photographer, but after taking some photography classes post-high school, I soon realized I'm not the type of person who can make a career out of a hobby.  As soon as I do, it just isn't fun.  

Fast forward a few years, I thought I wanted to go into nursing.  I had become a licensed esthetician and wanted to take it one step further by getting my nursing degree in order to pursue the dermatology field.  Then one day I was sitting in my Anatomy and Physiology 2 class while we were discussing nutrition and digestion.  All of a sudden, it hit me.  I didn't want to be a nurse.  It just wasn't meant for me.

Afterwards, I did my research and eventually came across dietetics.  How I never knew of it's existence beforehand, I still don't know.  But I do know I have never been more excited to be in school because my heart is finally in it.  I truly believe that the health problems we do or don't have, are strongly associated with the foods we eat and unfortunately not enough people take it seriously.  I want to change that.  I want to change the way people look at food.  I want to help them learn to enjoy it the right way.  I want to help kids grow up making healthy choices.  Mostly, I want to make a difference.

So enough about me, what about you.  What do you want to do?   

Long time, no type.

It has been a busy past few days.  This past Saturday I ran a very popular race in Madison, the annual Crazy Legs!!  It's an 8K, so 5 miles, and this year was the first year I was actually ready.  I ran it with a friend, which always helps, but unfortunately it was COLD, RAINY, and WINDY.  But once we got running I was okay and I finished just over 47 minutes-- not bad!  Afterwards we snagged our free beers and headed to lunch.

That evening I had a little girls night because David was gone.  We feasted on bacon-wrapped shrimp, turkey meatballs in a cranberry chili sauce, twice baked potatoes (made with Greek yogurt instead of sour cream), stuffed crescent rolls, veggies and dip, fruit salad, angel food cupcakes AND, the mother load of all mother loads.... Twix brownies.  Oh. My. Gosh... they were deadly, but a very nice treat after a cold race. :)  Gotta treat yourself once in a while, right?

The rest of the weekend, and yesterday, I spent helping my parents move.  After thirty years of living in the house I grew up in, they moved to Madison.  It's bittersweet for me.  I'm happy for them, but I'll miss having that as "my home."

With all the moving (and my giant to-do list lurking in the back of my head, it is the end of the semester after all) I wasn't being very careful with what I put into my mouth.  I treated myself a little bit more than once in a while, so now today I am trying to get back on track!  Starting the morning off with coffee and a smoothie to follow.  Tonight I'll go to Zumba for a cross-training session and I think tomorrow I'll run.  I am still feeling a bit sore since I didn't stretch as much as I should have after Crazy Legs.  Naughty, naughty!

Alright, enough rambling.  I have a pile of homework to work on, so I better get going!

Happy May Day!!

Kitchen therapy.

I work at a hospital and this weekend is my weekend on.  Even though I'm not a nurse or anything, my weekend shifts can be very draining and today was no exception.  Worse than usual actually.  I work in the food and nutrition department taking patients' orders over the phone, and today the computer program we use froze up.  It might not sound like much but I'm still fairly new in the department and this was the first time anything like this had happened.  Super frustrating.  Needless to say, I was ready to go home at the end of my shift.  Couch, pizza and pj's.  Perfect.

Yesterday I was craving some cookies but was too tired to make them.  David isn't home tonight so I decided to take advantage of my time alone and do some baking.  Plus I find it therapeutic.  I looked around online and came across these cookies.  I decided to give them a whirl.  I was intrigued by her secret ingredient.

The madness all mixed up.

Final product.

Dark chocolate, coconut and the secret ingredient!!

Photography is another passion of mine that I've kind of neglected lately.  I figure this blog is a good excuse to dig out the ol' Canon Rebel and snap some shots. 

...Just taste tested the cookies with some ice cold milk.  Two thumbs up!  I will definitely be making this recipe again.  I still have a few more batches to bake, so off I go.

Goodnight!