Fufu Recipe - Ripe Plantains!

Yes, I know the name is funny, but this is actually quite good! I am a fan of mofongo, however I let my plantains go ripe before I got a chance to use them. After searching, this recipe is kinda like mofongo, but made with the ripe plantains. It's origins come from Ghana & you can read more about it on it's Wikipedia page.

Ingredients:

Onions (to taste)
Garlic (to taste)
Ripe/Yellow Plantains (I used 3, but figure out 1 per person)
1 oz of pork rinds per person (I use pork rinds bc it's a lot easier than bacon, but bacon or facon is perfectly acceptable!)

You are going to peel the plantains & put them to boil for about 10 mins. While that's going, saute the garlic & onions until they are fully cooked. In a pilon (mortar & pestle), smash the pork rinds. Once everything has been done, drain the water from the plantains & then mash them. Add the garlic, onions & pork rinds & you're done!!!

Each serving is just a little under 300 calories and has tons of Vitamin A, Vitamin C & Dietary Fiber!!!

Enjoy!

xo,
Nancy

No Bake Almond Clusters - Less than 100 calories each!!!

This one is just super easy to make!!! I decided to use a mini cupcake pan to make these. Just super convenient & easy. This recipe makes 12. 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup almonds

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup hemp seed

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

2 tbsp coconut oil

In a food processor, combine first 3 ingredients & process until finely chopped. Put aside. You're then going to melt the chocolate (I do mine in the microwave at 15 sec intervals & stirring in between) Then line the cupcake pan with the liners & drop one tsp of the almond/cranberry mixture & press down. Then you're going to add some chocolate on top & then add another 1 tsp of the almond/cranberry mixture & push down some more. Do this until you're done & just put in the fridge for an hour or so!

Enjoy!

xo,

Nancy

Cold Quinoa Salad

So, this was my first time EVER cooking with cumin...so I was excited to try this recipe out! I took a lot of steps in making this recipe because I used dried black beans that were soaked & then cooked before I even started the actual recipe. Doing this will eliminate any additional sodium when buying the canned black beans & of course...who wants their food sitting in an aluminum can that's lined with BPA! Sounds yummy to me! lol

Here are my black beans soaking! You can get these (and similar carbs) for super cheap if you buy them in bulk at Whole Foods or another health food store. 99% of the time organic!

And this is the finished product! The original recipe called for red peppers, but Casey & any type of peppers don't get along, so I substituted them with tomatoes. This is a cold salad, by the way!

Ingredients

3 cups cooked quinoa (this is approx 1 1/2 cups of dried uncooked quinoa)

1 cucumber, diced

1/4 cup onion (I LOVE my sweet Vidalia onions!)

1 cup corn

1 cup cooked black beans

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp cheyenne pepper

3 tbsp cilantro (I didn't have any at the time & substituted the cilantro with parsley)

And MIX!!!! lol

I never figured out how many cups it made, so it would be hard to give any sort of individual nutritional information. However it made a lot! Casey & I had about 2 cups ea & then I had enough for 3 smaller servings for leftovers. The entire recipe does have 3,063 calories (a tad over 1,000 coming from the quinoa), but the great news is is that it has NO bad points!!!

Enjoy!

xo,

Nancy

Coconut Nola Bars - 122 calories each!!!

These came out fantastical!!!! And Casey asked me to make them again...so that's always a good sign that they were yummy! Real easy to make, although I think next time I'll just roll them into balls. 

This recipe made 12 squares & the info reflected below is based off of one square/serving. 

Ingredients:

15 dates

1/2 cup almonds

1/2 cup cashews

3/4 cup shredded *UNSWEETENED* coconut 

2 tbsp coconut oil

2 tbsp water

In a food processor, you're going to blend the almonds, cashews & coconut flakes first. Once that has been blended, you're going to add the dates, coconut oil & water & blend some more.

Once everything has been mixed, you're going to line a 8x4 loaf pan with parchment paper (although I used wax paper). Add the mix & spread evenly. I then cover the mixture with the paper that's hanging over & push down to get it nice & tight. Refrigerate for a little bit, then remove the mixture by the parchment paper & cutting into squares. I don't have a pizza slicer (you'd think I would though with the kitchen full of accessories that I have! lol) so the edges were kinda wonky, but still yummy!

Calories 122

Total fat 8.6g

Sat fat 4.1g

Cholesterol 0mg

Sodium 2mg

Total Carbs 11.3g

Dietary Fiber 1.9g

Sugars 7.3g

Protein 2.1g

Good Points

No cholesterol

Very low in sodium

Bad Points

High in saturated fat

High in sugar

Enjoy!

xo,

Nancy

 

Detox Water - My Way!

The key to any sort of success is to stay consistent. I will say that this is Day 5 of me drinking my Detox Water & I am down at least 5 lbs (Long story short, I weighed myself before a weekend getaway, but didn't have the nerve to get my "to date" weight when I started)

I've seen a few detox recipes, so I kinda came up with my own. All of them wanted you to just cut up the fruit & place it in the water. Well, I did it sort of differently! 

Ingredients:

1 cucumber
2 lemons
2 oranges
1 grapefruit
mint leaves
1 empty gallon

So, I run everything through my juicer (mint leaves go first), then I add the juice to the empty water gallon & then fill up the rest of the gallon with water. Keep it cold & I make sure that it is all gone by the end of the day. I don't use any sweetener. If you don't have the juicer, then cut up the fruit & add water & allow to sit overnight. 

Enjoy!

Nancy
xo

Chocolate No Bake Energy Bites

I cannot believe I haven't posted a blog in over a month!!! Forgive me followers, for I have sinned! However I am updating with such a yummy post...and so easy to make that your three year old can dig in & help out!

I am a huge fan of healthy snacks, particularly in the trail mix/granola region. I've done granola before, but this one was just too easy not to make...took about 5 mins for the mix. 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup nut butter (I used all natural peanut butter)
1/2 cup honey (local honey, duh!)
2 tbsp dark cocoa powder (I'll tell you a trick down below about dark chocolate!)
1 cup rolled oats 
1/4 cup almond meal (left over from my homemade almond milk)
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup hemp seed
2 tsp vanilla
pinch of sea salt
1/2 cup of WHATEVER!!!! I used raisins, but be creative & toss in whatever "mix in" is in your kitchen

Heat the nut butter & honey over low/medium heat until it liquefies a bit. Once that's done, remove from heat & mix everything in until it is well coated with the nut butter & honey. This took some man power, considering using my Ninja (oh, I forgot to mention I got one for my birthday! lol) next time.

If it's too hot, let the mixture sit in the fridge for a little bit. Or you can be like me; took off my rings & started to roll! lol. I made about 24 balls. Casey loved them & started sneaking some from the kitchen way before I was done rolling the mixture.

This recipe came out to approx 100 calories a ball.

Now, about dark chocolate. Here is what I have discovered...this may not be a giant "secret" but I sure learned the hard way. 99% of the time, I will substitute any chocolate a recipe calls for for dark chocolate (bc it is better for you!!!!). However, my very first attempt was to make some brownies & used dark chocolate (which, I was not a huge fan of in the beginning) & the taste of the chocolate was toooo over powering for the recipe. What did I do? Well, now I just use 1/2 of what the recipe calls for in dark chocolate. So if a recipe calls for 1 cup of chocolate, I use 1/2 dark chocolate, still get the dark chocolate benefits without the dark chocolate mouth attack. AND in the end, the container will last longer, saving you some cha-ching!

Delicious!!! Comment wit your favorite "mix in"

Enjoy!

xo,

Nancy

First 5K

Holy moly! I just realized it had been over a month since my last update. Well, life simply got busy when working 3 part time jobs plus fitting in my workouts. I am pulling close to 50 hours a week now & need to schedule in my "relaxation" days! lol. 

Well, between blogs, March 2 I ran/walked/almost crawled on my hands and knees my first 5K! I completed it in 48:30 (my goal was under 45 mins) so I did have mixed feelings when I managed to cross the finish line. I knew I was going to finish the 5K (hello, it was only 3 miles) however it was 53 degrees (in Florida in MARCH! I know!!!), so I basically burned my throat because of all the air I sucked in, my legs were total mush having worked 2 11 hr days 2 days prior, plus taking a Bikram yoga class at 8am the day of the 5K.

By the 2nd mile, I always felt like I was either going to pass out and/or puke...I pushed through that feeling & continue to walk/jog. At one point, I honestly considered just tossing myself in someone's front lawn & having my friend (whom got me to do the 5K with her) to come get me later...however, despite everything, I FINISHED!!!!

I had anticipated the sore legs, achy back, etc, however I felt fine!!! What got to me was my wheezing later on that night from all the freezing air I sucked in, and such a terrible tummy ache that developed from all the running (later on, discovered that sometimes that happens due to lack of electrolytes.) The pain was torturous & I ended up sleeping 13 hours that night, only to wake up at 1030 to get ready for my 12-7 shift! 

Below are a few of the pictures. You can do anything you put your mind to. Right now, I am at 110 lbs GONE!!!!

Cheesing in front of the camera before the race.

Rocking # 119 & my DIY tshirt!

Almost there!

Crossing the finish line like a boss!

And we're off (the chica in the blue pants is my running buddy!)

Let's do this!

xo,

Nancy