Yams/ Sweet Potatoes.. same difference

While everyone is ranting about graduating I'm trying to stay focused and positive. Of course, I'm ranting just as much and scared more than I probably should be.

There is a lot of talk about Vegan, Gluten-free and Paleo options these days. With the Crossfit crazies, people have latched on to their Paleo practices. IMO- I sort of understand Vegan food choices. I have actually toyed around with gluten-free options. It wasn't until recently that I realized I have a slight intolerance for gluten. Come to find out, most people don't realize that they do! While all of these choices struggle to please due to specific ingredients and recipes, I thought I'd share one for you to try. 

 http://nomnompaleo.com/post/6714604464/microwaved-yams-sweet-potatoes






This is a great site for recipes, Paleo person or not. It's hard to bust the myth of healthy food tasting good, but this blog is pretty good at it. The little girl character is kind of cute too! I have made gluten-free options for events and people haven't even noticed. It's not until you tell them what's in it that they disprove. 

Paleo has shown to give great results and greatly impact your lifestyle in a positive way. However, that doesn't mean that others don't. 
Enjoy!

Cheers,
Danielle

Coffee Cake

This is a huge hit in our family and a personal favorite. We have actually had neighbors ask for it for their birthdays. Anyways, this is typically for breakfast, but we tend to eat it throughout the day. If you like milk, this goes perfect with it! The directions aren't as hard as they seem and it will totally be worth your time.

What you'll need:
1 pkg. yellow cake mix, moist deluxe
1/2 c. oil
1 c. water
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2pkgs instant vanilla pudding mix

Topping: Mix together
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon         

Mix everything (cake mix, oil, water, eggs, vanilla and pudding) together with electric mixer.
Pour 1/2 batter into greased and floured bundt pan
Sprinkle 1/2 topping on   
Add the remaining batter and finish with the rest of the topping.
Take a knife and swirl through the batter only going halfway down. --this is what makes the inside look cool!
Bake at 350 for 1hr. Let cool and flip over.
Sprinkle powdered sugar over the whole cake. Keep covered

Some like it hot!

Thinking about this is making me hungry so I had to grab some food as I write this. I figured since we are hopefully heading into warmer weather that we are inching closer to grilling season. These would be great for backyard parties!  This recipes incorporates all of my favorites: wings, chili and peaches, so it's automatically a win-win.Wings are great, but sometimes the fried part of them can be too heavy or filling.

Grilled Chicken Wings with Sweet Red Chili and Peach Glaze

12oz jar of Peach Preserves 

1 cup Thai sweet red chili sauce

1 tsp. lime juice

1 tbsp. minced fresh cilantro

Crisco Cooking Spray (no, not a whole can)

2 1/2 lb. bag chicken wings

1. Combine peach and apricot preserves, sweet red chili sauce, lime juice and cilantro in a medium bowl. Place half sweet red chili and peach glaze in a serving bowl.
2. Spray grill grates with no-stick cooking spray. Heat grill with medium heat. Grill wings about 20 to 25 minutes turning several times until juices run clear. Dip wings in remaining glaze. Grill wings an additional 3 to 5 minutes turning once. Serve warm with additional reserved glaze on the side.

Getting the ball rolling

With finishing my class projects and finalizing everyone during the last little bit of college I'm beyond stressed. Wow, it just hit me that I will leave Bradley in a month, I'm actually really sad about this. Any who, with so much going I have had no me time. I feel like I have been going non-stop for the past two-weeks. Whether its work to school or to projects, events, meetings, there is always something going on. I usually get home around 9:00 lately and then start on homework. You can imagine how crazy I'm going because I haven't be able to go to the gym. It sounds ridiculous I'm sure, but working out is one of the few chances I get to relax by myself and not worry about anything. I enjoy working out with my friends sometimes, but I usually prefer to be alone. I always thought my friends were rude when they wanted to work out alone, but now I get it! I get to be in my own little world for an hour and it's awesome! I try to justify not working out lately. It's not like I had the time and decided not to go, I just couldn't. On a more positive note, all this work is paying off, job search is going well and I'm making the most of my last little bit at Bradley.

I just sent this quote in a flower bouquet (from All In Bloom) to a friend and thought I'd share:
"Remember that you're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think"- Christopher Robin

High-ho, High-ho

The past week and the next couple are going to be pretty crazy. I haven't had a lot of time to relax, let alone visit the gym. As hard as it sometimes to get myself to go, I'm so happy once I get there. I decided I needed to do a full-body and get a little bit of everything in to start back up a routine. When I miss some days, I try to do one full body to get back in the mode. I waited till 9 tonight to go the gym since it's usually less busy.

To get warmed up I did some box jumps. The box was probably 2 feet-ish high. I did 3 sets of 10 and wanted to be done right then and there. After I finished, I was hoping that I could just count that as my workout and leave; I was beat. Who would think that jumping up onto a box would be tiring?! These would be great if you want a quick cardio session and lower body workout. I'm guessing you know what a box jump is, but just in case.

Fruit Salsa

It's hard to beat the great fruit in Florida. I ate fruit with at least every meal and anytime in between. This makes me excited for Spring and Summer up here in the Midwest. Fruit salsa is a little time consuming but is super easy to make. It serves a lot, lasts awhile and everyone usually likes it. This recipe is also easy to adjust depending on how much you want to make. I sometimes change what fruit I use, but for the most part I stick to the following:

1 red apple, 1 yellow apple, 1 green apple- dice the apples into small pieces.
About a bag of red grapes- cut these in half
A can of mandarin oranges- drain the syrup
Strawberries- 1 container, cut and diced
any type of berry- I like blueberrys for their smaller size
2-3 kiwi depending on size of batch- cut and diced
Jar of Orange Marmalade or Preserves

Cut and mix all of the fruit together. Mix in a spoonful of marmalde.

Serve with graham crackers

If you must ask..

Thank goodness for Spring Break, right? It is almost as good as Christmas break except warmer. It is crazy to think that during school I actually eat better than when I'm on break. You would think that with all this extra time I had I could really focus on eating good, wrong. I have been going down to Florida for the past umpteenth years and it never fails; Grandma's cooking always sucks me in, not literally of course. First of all, her food is amazing. How can you say no to a home cooked meal three times a day?! Secondly, she is so sweet, so even if I'm not hungry, I still eat it! Lastly, I do the ultimate no no and say, "You're on break, who cares?!"

Luckily while I'm here I have found a way to still stay some what level-headed with my food obsession. I try to eat fruit every morning, which isn't hard when it is AMAZING here in FL. I got my carb heavy breakfasts out of the way earlier in the week: casserole, waffles, french toast. Since I know that I won't make time to hit up a local gym, I walk a couple times a day around the subdivision, which is about a mile. There is also a clubhouse that offers some lack luster weights, the 12 in 1 combo deals.

Another great thing about FL heat is that you sweat like crazy! Since people will sometimes put on a lot of water weight, the FL heat takes it right out. For someone with a small bladder, that is a match made in heaven. Drink all you want and you don't have to excuse yourself to use the restroom near as much. Secondly, not that I condone this, but drinking fluids tends to help curb your appetite. Enjoy your break and happy eating!