"I can't believe it's not potatoes"

I want to start off by saying HAPPY FRIDAY!! I am ready to kick off my shoes, pull on a bathing suit, and relax by the pool all weekend. I look forward to this day all week. Sometimes sitting behind a desk all week can make me a little crazy.

 

Now to my wonderful recipe

Growing up I was a huge fan of potatoes. Some might say I was a little obsessed with potatoes , like my dad. Just a funny story about that on this rainy, cold Friday. One night he had taken my brothers, sister and I out to eat to a buffet (my mom was out of town for some reason) probably so he didn't have to cook :). Anyways I go to fill my first plate up and I get a huge roll and a half a plate of mashed potatoes. I eat that then go back for a little bit more of the tasty mashed potatoes and when I finish that as I get up to go have my final plate (probably mashed potatoes) my dad says " Melissa if you get mashed potatoes again and not something healthy you are going to get a spanking". So I listened to what he said went and got a plate and this time I got a baked potato. I came back to the table and he said" Melissa what did I tell you". I looked at him very seriously as said "what daddy you said I couldn't get mashed potatoes. " haha This story always makes me laugh. Now days I can't eat mashed potatoes for every meal or I would be as big as a house. I probably haven't had a potato well since I started my healthy living lifestyle. Now I do miss them but I like my skinny jeans better. So I decided to find something that would help my potato craving. Boy did I. Before I found this recipe I had never even heard of this veggie. It is a called rutabaga. Right? Weird name I know. So I went to the grocery story and picked one and came home to try out this new recipe.

What you will need

1 rutabaga

any seasoning you like on potatoes ( I used garlic, Italian seasoning and paprika)

a peeler ( to peel the outside)

a VERY sharp knife

cooking spray

 

 

Preheat oven to 400"

Start by peeling off the outer layer.

After completely peeled, get ready for an arm workout. These things are tough to cut.

I ended up having to microwave for a few minutes to soften it up because I clearly didn't have a sharp enough knife.

Once you finally get it cut up put on baking sheet and add your seasoning and cooking spray (some people add olive oil but I think that is just extra calories)

Once everything is added put in the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes ( flipping halfway through)

Once they are golden brown and crispy, let cool and......

 

 

enjoy your " I can't believe there not potatoes"

 

 

All I have to say about today's workout is, wheeewww, this girl is sore.

 

Week 1 Workout 4

Today's workout

 

Treadmill: 15 minutes- incline 15 and 3.5 mph the 4 minutes jogging at 4.5 mph then ended with 1 minutes of 5.5 mph.

 

25 sit ups

25 mountain climbers

25 leg raises

1 minute plank

(I repeated this 3 times)

 

Day 115:

Post workout smoothie: handful of spinach, 2 tablespoons of pb, 1 banana, 2 ice cubes and a cup of almond milk

Breakfast: 2 eggs with skim cheese and a teaspoon of sugar free syrup

Snack: homemade hummus and broccoli

Lunch: Romaine lettuce, skim cheese, tuna and hot sauce as dressing

snack: mixed nuts

Dinner: homemade Skinny Mozzarella Sticks

 

64 days no diet mountain dew- 18 days no soda



 

 





Spicy Homemade Hummus

I was introduced to hummus this year and the first time I tried it I was like, whoa, how have I missed this. Then I found out that it is healthy? I was in heaven. Buttt it can be rather expensive. It can range from $4 to $7 (for just a little). Now me being the person that I am (cheap), I hate spending money on food. So a lot of the time I will make a homemade version and it ends up being so much cheaper. So that is what I did. All together this cost me about $8 buttt it made enough to last me for weeks.

What you will need

2 can of chickpeas

1/2 green pepper

1/2 red pepper

2 1/2 garlic cloves

juice from 1 lemon

2 jalapenos

sriracha hot sauce (of course this is only if you want it really spicy)



 

 

Start by dicing all your veggies

 



 

Then add all ingredients to a blender or food processor. If you only have a blender (like me) add a little bit at a time and blend, it makes it easier on your blender. Once everything is blended well,

 

Pour into container to store in fridge.

Let refrigerate for about an hour or until chilled.



 

Then enjoy your Spicy Homemade Hummus. ( I topped mine with extra hot sauce, of course)

 

Then I cut up some broccoli for some yummy dipping. (great for a snack at work)

 

I then noticed I had some leftover peppers so I chopped them up and made an omelet for breakfast this morning. ( more veggies in my belly the better)

 

 

 

Now to my workout....

 

It is amazing how different my mornings are now that I am getting up earlier to go to the gym. I even ended up getting ready faster this morning and did some house cleaning before I left for work. Yes, you heard me right, house cleaning. So since 6am I have worked out for 45 minutes, showered and gotten ready, vacuumed the living room and hallway, cleaned Motor's bathroom, and straightened up the kitchen. I don't think I have ever finished that much that early, so once again I am pretty proud of myself.

 

I like to say this to myself every morning when I hear that loud alarm clock.

 

Week 1 Workout 3 

My workout today

20 minutes on the treadmill (14 incline - 3.5 mph)

3 times 10 push ups

100 crunches

30 squats

2 times 25 bicycle crunches

30 lunges both legs

2 times 20 side crunches

50 reverse crunches

2 times 20 mason twists

20 scissor kicks

 

Day 114:

Post workout smoothie: handful of spinach 1 1/2 tablespoons of PB, strawberries, almond milk and 3 ice cubes.

Breakfast: 2 eggs with red and green peppers

Snack: broccoli and hummus

Lunch: turkey sausage pasta with spaghetti squash & side salad with skim cheese and balsamic vinaigrette

Snack: mixed nuts

Dinner:

 

63 no diet mountain dew- 17 no soda

 



 



Slimming Chocolate Chip Cookies

I wanted to start of by mentioning Catherine, a very impressive/sweet blogger. She has a health blog that everyone should check out. http://rabbitfoodformybunnyteeth.com/weight-loss/. I had posted previously about a very special cause called United Luv and was very impressed when I purchased a decal they mailed a handwritten thank you note with it. Well it didn't stop there. Catherine's blog is where I learned about the cause and on Monday I received this in the mail.

She not only wrote me a handwritten note to thank me for supporting but also included one of her recipes (that I have already tried and loved) and an adorable carrot charm. Just goes to show how passionate they all are about their cause and it makes me want to do anything I can to support them. Once again go check out the United Luv website http://www.unitedluv.com/ and Catherine's blog.


Now to a yummy recipe

Last night once I got home from dinner, I had somewhat of a sweet tooth. Now I rarely have a sweet tooth these days but I knew I wanted something to satisfy it right then. So I started looking through  my kitchen because I knew I didn't want to get out and buy anything so then it hit me. I would try to make homemade healthy chocolate chip cookies. In the past I had made pancakes out of a banana and so I thought hmmm maybe a banana would work in a cookie. So I got all my ingredients together not knowing if it would work but in the end my sweet was totally satisfied.

 

What you will need

2 bananas

1 cups of oats

 handful of dark chocolate chips

1 egg

 

 

 

Start by preheating your oven to 350'

 

Then you want to begin by mashing up your bananas ( I find it easiest to do it on a flat plate and then put in a bowl)

Then add the rest of your ingredients to the bowl.

Once completely mixed,

 

Roll into little balls on cookie sheet and stick into the oven. (The will be very gooey)

Cook for about 15 minutes or until you can stick a knife in the middle and nothing sticks.

Then let cool for about 10 minutes,
 



 

then you can satisfy that sweet tooth.

All the leftovers I put in a tupperware and put in the fridge to enjoy later.

 

YUM!

 

Make sure you check out tomorrow for my step by step Spicy Hummus Recipe!!

 

 

I once again went to the gym at 6 am before work. This is making me pretty proud of myself because it sure is hard to get out of my warm comfy bed to go sweat :)

 

Week 1 Workout 2 

Today's workout:

15 minutes on the bike (set on fat burn)

10 minutes on the treadmill (set on 10 incline at 3.5)

10 minutes of abs

10 minutes of arms

Total: 45 minutes

 

 

Day 113:

Post workout: Smoothie (handful of spinach, 2 tablespoons of PB, handful of strawberries and almond milk)

Breakfast: 2 eggs with hot sauce

Snack: banana

Lunch: turkey sausage pasta with spaghetti squash &  side salad with skim cheese and low fat cesar yogurt dressing

Snack: mixed nuts

Dinner: the bf and I went to eat at a Mexican restaurant( I LOVE MEXICAN) we shared the Fajitas for two. So instead of using a tortilla I made a mexican salad. ( and yes I stayed away from the chips and salsa, believe me it was hard)

 

 

62 days no diet mountain dew- 16 days no soda



A Weekend Tale of Two Lovebirds

 

All the girls started the weekend at The Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC, where we pampered ourselves all day.

 

 

After we had relaxed all day, we headed downtown for a night on the town.

 

 

The next day we headed to the venue for rehearsal, when we noticed the groom (my brother) was missing. No he didn't get cold feet, just got stuck behind a wreak. This is him getting to the rehearsal right after we finished. She was waiting at the bottom of the stairs :)

 

My brother and nephew Carter.

 

My dad giving the speech that my brother is officially a man :)

 

My sister  (holding Carter) and sister in law

 

The two lovebirds

 

I might be a little biased but they are the cutest little family I have ever seen

 

The Bowen Bunch just keeps growing (this makes my momma VERY happy)

 

He is taking after his aunt, already wanting to take pictures orrrrrr maybe he just liked to chew on my camera case.

 

The morning of the wedding

 

Carter and I snuck out on the porch for a relaxing morning.

You can't tell me he is not the cutest little one you have ever seen.

 

All the girls and my lovely grandparents

 

My Alabama family

 

 

IT"S WEDDING TIME

 

My beautiful mom and the bride

 

Me and my brother, the groom

 

The Bowen Sisters

 

Here we go!

 

Let's get this dance party started :)

 

The bf and I

 

Old family friends

 

Yes they are STILL dancing, I don't think they ever stopped.

 

Then it was time to say farewell to

 

MR. & MRS. BOWEN

 

As you can see this was a beautiful wedding and words can't express how happy I am for these two!

 

 

I PROMISE NEW, YUMMY SUMMER RECIPES COMING VERY SOON. Just been very busy this past week! xoxo 

 

Now today was my first day at the gym that I joined and you are not going to believe it. I went BEFORE work. Which means I went at 6 am. yeap 6 am. If you know me I am not a morning person but I think I have found the cure. I feel so great this morning. So I am going to continue to try to do it 4 to 5 times a week. I will share with you my workouts and if you have any tips just let me know.

 

 Week 1 Workout 1

Today's workout:

20 minutes of cardio

15 minutes of arm weights

(I will add on everyday but I wanted to start slow so I don't get burnt out)

 

 

Day 112:

Breakfast: Green Smoothie (strawberries, banana, spinach, almond milk)

Snack: 2 medium eggs with a teaspoon of sugar free syrup and skim cheese

Lunch: Turkey sausage pasta with spaghetti squash & side salad with skim cheese and low fat yogurt cesar dressing

Snack: mixed nuts

Dinner: once again the BF and I went to Thai :) so I had the same thing I always get garlic chicken and veggies no rice

 

 

 

61 days no diet mountain dew- 15 days no soda

 

 

 



 

 

 

 



Just a Preview

My brother got married this weekend and let me it tell you it was just plain perfect. They have been together for so long and would never find someone more perfect for each other. I forgot my cord to hook my camera up to my computer so I will just give you a small little preview of the big day and they then I will share more tomorrow

 

 

 

Now I let my healthy eating habits splurge a little this weekend because to be honest I deserved it. But I am back on track today and also my gym membership starts today so now I will be able to share my fitness routine/ journey with you.

 

Make sure you check out tomorrow

Day 111:
Breakfast: 1 tablespoon PB, 1 banana, strawberry and almond milk smoothie
Snack: 2 eggs
Lunch: turkey sausage, marinara pasta with spaghetti squash
Snack: trail mix
Dinner: side salad with a little bit of pork and bbq sauce with a side shrimp


60 days no diet mountain dew- 14 days no soda