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!

A little bit of everything

I don't know about you guys, but this week has been crazy. I feel like I have had every major project, test or mid-term happening. This is the part of the semester where we all start to panic. We push to get stuff done before we head to break, forget everything during break, then come back to freak out about what we have left to complete. Senior projects are some of the best experiences I will get, but the most time consuming. I have stayed up later this entire week studying then I ever have. To give an example, I'm writing this post at midnight and struggling to stay up. I have been trying to stay organized but tend to break down and lose sight of my to-do list. This makes it hard to turn that into a to-done list. I try to stay positive and think of the reward that i will have on break. I'm grateful for not having a lot of classes, but the 9am one I have tomorrow I couldn't dread more. I'm hoping to somehow get a lot accomplished while I lay on the beach and come back relaxed and ready to finish the semester strong.

Work.It.Out

Well, everyone including myself is starting to go crazy since spring break is nearing. People are eating next to nothing and spending more time in the gym than they do in class. I will exclude myself from that category :) Anyways, due to school work I have had to keep pushing my workouts back. I hit the gym a few nights ago and did some sprints. Even though I hate them, they are a great stress reliever. Tonight I'm actually going in to do a leg workout at my favorite local gym, Five Points. On the docket tonight I have squats, deadlifts, rack chins and curls. Since I started this new plan, I have fewer exercises and harder weight. It makes going to the gym seem that much better because you have less to do. I'm a big believer that you can still have a great workout and get a lot accomplished without sweating like crazy. If you are looking for a good break to get your mind of mid-terms, head to the gym.

Cheers!

Danielle

In a Pinch?

Here is another time where I made too many promises and got in over my head. I had some group meetings today and naturally I offered to bring food and drinks. Meetings are always better with food. I should have checked my own schedule before I offered. I got home late last night and I had the choice to start baking at 9:30 or wake up early. My original plan was to make something unique and different. Well, those unique recipes take time. I decided to bake that night and allow the finished product to either set or cool over night. I whipped out my go-to cookbook, a church cookbook, and looked for a recipe with the ingredients I already had at home. The chocolate chip cookie recipe I found was probably the easiest recipe I have ever used. Not to mention it was "Liked" by many. Besides the fact that I had to do a bunch of batches, I think the whole thing made about 50 cookies.

Each batch takes 8 mins ( or till you see golden brown on bottom edges) so if you are in a pinch the whole prep, cook time is about 45mins.

2/3 cup margarine
1c. brown sugar
1c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
2/3c. oil
3c. flour
1tsp. baking soda
1tsp. vanilla
dash salt
12oz chocolate chips

Directions: Mix everything together. Bake at 375 for 8 mins. take out a little before done. Let them sit on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before you remove them.

Bake On!

Chicken Cordon Bleu

The first thing I thought about when I came across this recipe was the Market Day pick-ups when I was in grade school. I remember that my mom always ordered these when I was young. This is definitely one of my favorite recipes now. The prep and cook time isn't awful but can seem a little overwhelming.

The recipe lists 6 chicken breasts but we only used 5. When you pick the ham out try and get something a little thicker than regular deli slices. If you get too thick of ham, like I did, it will be hard to roll it. Instead of using 6 tbsp. of butter we did 3 tbsp. olive oil and 3 tbsp. butter. That also helps to prevent the butter from burning. We had the chicken bouillon cubes but crushed them up and it worked fine.

- 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

- 6 slices Swiss cheese

- 6 slices ham

- 3 tbsp. all-purpose flour

- 1 tsp. paprika

- 6 tbsp. butter OR 3 tbsp. butter and 3 tbsp. olive oil

- 1/2 cup dry white wine (the cheapest is fine)

- 1 tsp. chicken bouillon granules 

- 1 tbsp. cornstarch

- 1 cup heavy whipping cream

1. Pound chicken breasts if they are too thick(If you get halves, you won't need to). Place a cheese and ham slice on each breast within 1/2 inch of the edges. Fold the edges of the chicken over the filling, and secure with toothpicks. (All you do here is roll it up. We used 2 or 3 toothpicks to make it secure) Mix the flour and paprika in a small bowl, and coat the chicken pieces.
2. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the chicken until browned on all sides. Add the wine and bouillon. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. (Ours took closer to 15-20minutes)
3. Remove the toothpicks, and transfer the breasts to a warm platter.(Just leave them in the skillet) Blend the cornstarch with the cream in a small bowl, and whisk slowly into the skillet. Cook, stirring until thickened, and pour over the chicken. Serve warm. (We ended up leaving the toothpicks in because we couldn't find them after we cooked it. Leave the chicken in the skillet covered and heat off while you wait for the sauce to thicken.)

If you have some time and patience to experiment, I strongly suggest this recipe. We had extra and warmed them in the oven the next day and they were just as good!

Cheers!

Leg Day!

I did a leg workout a few days ago so I thought I would talk about a workout you could try. My workout now is a little different, but I used to do this one a lot. If done correctly your legs will feel like jello and hurt the next morning. As a girl I have always been self concious about my legs. I found that lifting has helped me with how I feel about them.

I prefer to start my workout with squats. Squats are often considered a 'power' exercise and usually take most of your energy. Try and avoid doing power exercises back to back. To avoid confusion I have attached a video of squatting. A few key things to keep in mind: Keep your chest up. Keep your upper back tight. Align your feet shoulder width apart. Try and squat to 90 deg. I would start by just using the bar to get used to the form. Add weight as it gets easier. Try 5 sets with 5 reps, 5x5.

Next I went to leg extensions. This is a machine exercise. Adjust the seat and cushions so you can reach and don't slide. Try doing 3 sets for 8-10 reps. If you can reach 10, then increase weight. 

Deadlifts, along with squats, are one of the best exercises you can do for your legs. The form can be tricky so I recommend doing stiff legged dumbbell deadlift. Grab some weights, try 25. Put your feet together and put a dumbbell in each hand. Keep your legs straight and bend over to come as close to touching the ground as you can with the dumbbells and stand back up. Try 3 sets of 8-10.

Finish up with some leg presses. Hop on the machine and adjust your seat as far forward as you can. Do 3 sets of 8-10. Increase weight as necessary.

Happy lifting :)

It's ok to cheat

This post may be a little contradictory, but it is one of my favorite recipes. I have made this numerous times and it is so easy. I now make a double batch for parties because they go so fast. It also helps that they are bite size. I found this on allrecipes.com awhile ago and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
 http://allrecipes.com/recipe/peanut-butter-cup-cookies/detail.aspx

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Makes 40 cookies

1 & 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter (I use JIF)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. milk
40 mini reeese's peanut butter cups, unwrapped *I keep these in the freezer. It is easier to peel and not have the chocolate melt on your hand.
* Depending on your oven, I always set the time a little short just in case. 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2.  Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda; set aside.
3. Cream together the butter, sugar, peanut butter and brown sugar until fluffy. 
4. Beat in the egg, vanilla and milk. Add the flour mixture; mix well. 
5. Shape into 40 balls and place each into an ungreased mini muffin pan.
6. Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press a mini peanut butter cup into each ball. Cool and carefully remove from pan.