January Recipe Review

How is it already the end of January?!

I really didn't set any New Year Resolutions this year because I knew we'd have a lot going on the first few months of 2017. And while I didn't succeed in keeping up my goal of trying new Pinterest recipes every month of my newlywed year, I have had a few wins and added some new favorites to my recipe box.

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January saw us trying out two new healthy recipes that I found on Pinterest: Shrimp Fried Cauliflower Rice and One Pan Healthy Sausage and Veggies. 

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Cauliflower rice has become such a "thing" lately, but making it at home always seemed like such a mess. Now there are tons of flavors and varieties of it at the grocery store in the freezer aisle. I used this recipe, but made it easier by using the frozen cauliflower rice {unflavored} and a frozen bag of mixed vegetables. To add a little kick {you know we like it spicy in our house} I cooked the thawed, deveined shrimp in olive oil, garlic salt, and red pepper flakes. This was a super yummy, super quick meal that made a lot!

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I made this deliciousness in my wok one night, and let me tell you, it almost smelled like pizza. Not sure why, maybe it was the Italian seasonings, but it was so good. I left out the potatoes to make it lower in carbs, and just added whatever similar seasonings I had in my pantry {red pepper flakes for the win, again!}. I'm really not a fan of turkey anything, but this turkey sausage was really delicious! I'd definitely add more broccoli the next time around; it soaked up all the flavors and were the best bites of the bunch. This dish packs well for lunches throughout the week, and is so perfect with a sprinkle of parmesan on top! 

August Recipe Review

August has felt super busy for me. The hubs, affectionately known as CJM in my phone and now here on the blog, has/is taking all three of his tests for the Georgia Board of Pharmacy this month. I've been out of town for work one weekend, another to visit my family, and just overall really work focused. Needless to say, my recipe adventures this month have slacked a bit. I've been craving comfort foods {think pork chops + black-eyed peas + sauteed spinach, or meatloaf + green bean casserole} and less adventurous.

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My most exciting attempt came early in August with this wonderful, most amazing, bright and zingy Cilantro-Lime Black Bean Shrimp and Rice bowl. You're going to want to add this to your regular rotation. It is DELICIOUS! Easily the best thing I've cooked thus far in the marriage. I loved the large amounts of garlic and lime that brought this dish to life. I used just regular long-grain rice, not Jasmine, and it was perfection. Otherwise: don't change a thing. It's absolute perfection.

Switching gears from a perfect recipe, to one that is open to interpretation: one Saturday after shopping at the local Farmer's Market, we came home and made low carb pizzas using a low carb tortilla. I saw this inspiration on one of my favorite blogger Erin's Snapchat one day, and thought that might fulfill that pizza craving we get when trying to eat healthy. I loved it. We made four pizzas, two regular and two "white," with the low carb/high fiber tortillas from the grocery store. A jar of pizza sauce plus pepperonis and lots of cheese for the regular, and a mix of ricotta, mozzarella, garlic, spinach, olive oil, grape tomatoes, and grated parmesan for the other. Bake in the oven on 425 for 5-7 minutes until it gets bubbly in the middle. The crust is really crispy, and the flavors taste just like take out. Hits the spot!  

Be sure to check out my Lemon Oreo Truffle recipe from earlier this week here!

July Recipe Review

Almost three months of marriage down, and three new recipes in the books! This month we cooked a lot more at home than we usually do. It's great for the budget, and because I also need the practice. Christopher doesn't get home until after 7 or later each night, which is great because I usually like to eat later anyways. I'm practicing my wife skills and aiming to have dinner done when he walks through the door each evening...at least most nights of the week. We definitely eat out a lot more on the weekends, but have been cooking at home most of the four nights he works each week.

This month we tried three new Pinterest recipes: Low Carb Crab Cakes, Caprese Stuffed Portobellos, and Keto Egg Roll in a Boll. Christopher was really the cooker of the crab cakes, and they were so delicious I asked him to make them again this week! We used this recipe as a guide for our mixture. One cup of crab really wasn't going to do it for us, so we used the canned crab I talked about last month instead. This is a whole pound of crab meat, and I don't know about you, but I like a lot of crab cakes! We also skipped the coconut flour/oil totally, and just added another egg to the mixture to make the whole thing lower in carbs. These delicious crab cakes  topped with Braswell's remoulade sauce from the grocery store. I love using Braswell's products because they're made here in town!

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I made these caprese stuffed portobellos last Tuesday, followed the directions to a T, and loved them! We ate them with turkey meatballs in a garlicky pasta sauce that really completed our Italian themed dish. This will be another make again meal.

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The Keto Egg Roll in a Bowl was an adventure. If you're not familiar with the Keto Diet, it's basically super low carb and really high fat. I was first introduced to it during my brother's battle with epilepsy a few years ago as an alternative to medication. For him, following the diet strictly and eating less than 15 {if not fewer} carbohydrates a day in addition to high levels of fat intake, kept his seizures at bay. He's now seizure free for 2+ years!

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The Keto Diet can also be helpful if you're familiar with the Atkins diet, but have experienced a plateau. When I saw this recipe, I thought the flavors would hit those late night Chinese cravings on the head while being a lot healthier. Unfortunately, a mistake I made caused this to be a miss that I'm willing to try again. While working through the recipe {by the way, just purchase a bag of pre-shredded cabbage to make this a lot easier!}, I used mistakenly used coconut oil instead of sesame or basically any other type of oil. As much as I've tried, I just don't love coconut oil, and the amount in this dish really over powered us. Overall the idea of the dish was delicious, and I'm planning on trying it again with a different oil soon. It really did taste just like an egg roll sans wrapper, all coconut aside!

What new recipes should we attempt in August?

My Favorite YouTube Workouts

Last week, I shared two of my favorite low carb recipes {you can check them out here}. As someone who basically hates to exercise, it's really hard for me to get motivated. A few weeks ago, I realized that I would be on the beach in a bikini at the end of the month for my bachelorette and wanted to tone it up a bit! So I thought I'd share a few of my favorite workout videos that I watch on YouTube at home on my Fire TV. 

In high school, I found this Prevention Fitness Systems belly, butt and thighs video. For some reason, I loved it. It's quick and pretty high energy, and I don't find Chris Freytag to be annoying like some video instructors can be. It's kind of old school, but it's an oldie but goodie for me!

I've recently discovered a love for the kettle bell, and love that it's a hard workout I can do at home. There are quite a few different kettle bell workouts, but this one is quick and easy to knock out in less than half an hour. Be sure to keep your pets away when doing the kettle bell...both of my pups are curious, and have come close to getting knocked in the head once or twice!

My family has something my brother refers to as "The Densmore Pooch." We all have it. It's the worst. And it doesn't help that crunches are also the worst. I really like this lower ab routine because it targets "the pooch" in short, minute-long bursts so I don't get bored or too miserable. Ten minutes for abs is about all I can take. It's also a great routine if all you have is ten minutes, or want to tack it on to the end of a longer video. 

I'm not really a yoga fan, but with the added stress of wedding planning really taking it's toll lately {bad dreams, back aches, etc.}, I thought I would focus on incorporating some yoga into my routine to help de-stress over the next few weeks. The Tone It Up girls are total goals, and their bikini body series is great. I like the specific toning movements included in this yoga-focused video, and it's a great "rest day" option. 

What are your favorite YouTube workouts? Share in the links below to keep me going! And don't forget to register for my spring giveaway...winner to be announced tomorrow at noon! 

Why Series Vol. 3: Low Carb Lifestyle

In January 2015, I made a New Year's Resolution to lose the weight I had gained post-college and get in shape. Not just because I had a wedding in the future {at that point, we didn't even had a wedding date!}, but to be healthier for me, my future spouse, and my future family.

I had gained a little bit of weight in college, although not your typical Freshman 15, but it was post-grad that I really began to "pack on the pounds." A new job, major family stress, and lots of traveling to see my fiance does not a well-rounded diet/lifestyle make. Once I moved back to Statesboro, and started to get grips on my life, I realized what had happened: I was almost 30 pounds heavier than I was the day I graduated high school! And while that number may not be the most realistic goal for someone in their {almost...eek!} mid-twenties, I knew something had to change.

It had gotten to the point where I didn't enjoy seeing myself in pictures or shopping for clothes. I knew I wasn't healthy, and I was finally tired of feeling yucky. As someone with long-term health inhibitors {I don't really like the term issues...inhibitor requires some work to get around, but can be conquered!} like hypothyroidism and PCOS, managing my weight has always been my number one issue. I learned early on that a Low Carb Diet works best for my body.

Diet or lifestyle...whatever you'd prefer...it's something that I've seen change lives. I've seen countless people lose weight eating low carb, and saw the immediate benefit of the low carb/high fat diet when my youngest brother was diagnosed with epilepsy. I am by no means a doctor or nutritionist, but eating low carb is what works best for me, and really my whole family. I feel mentally clearer, my skin glows, I can lose and keep off weight. I definitely sleep better, and have more energy, too.

I am by no means perfect and definitely have cheat days, and weekends, but try to stick to an 80/20% kind of outlook. It's much easier for me to 'low carb' during the week with some quick meals {like my eggs & avocado dinner!} and meal prep. Eating low carb has helped me lose 20 pounds over the last year, and I'm back to where I was throughout college. I'd still like to lose a little more to be back in that high school bod, but we'll see!

Here are two recipes I am practically addicted to that have made this journey a little easier...and yummier:

Eggs & Avocado
Two slightly runny eggs seasoned with pink Himilayan salt and ground pepper over half an avocado, seasoned with red pepper and garlic salt. I cook the avocado on the other side of the pan while the eggs are cooking, and layer them on the plate when it's all done. The runny egg goodness and the avocado together is rich and delicious...even if it does look a little bit like a Dr. Seuss specialty!











Spicy Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Equal parts ricotta, shredded pepper jack cheese, and frozen kale or spinach mixed together with a dollop of sour cream, a sprinkle of garlic salt, and a few red pepper flakes. I slice chicken breasts lengthwise in half, so they're thinner when cooking, spread the mixture on half of the breast and roll. Place the stuffed breasts in a baking dish sprayed with oil, sprinkle rotisserie seasoning, and top with any of the remaining cheese mixture. I bake for 30 minutes uncovered at 375 degrees on a middle rack. This dish is quick, easy, and savory, and is something that makes a lot that I don't mind eating on all week. It's very yummy with a side of green beans or broccoli! 

The next step for me is exercising. Ugh, exercising. I hate it. I've never enjoyed it unless it was through dance, or cheer leading. I don't enjoy the gym, and I hate for people to see me sweat buckets {and turn bright red!}.

I've been doing a lot of YouTube videos now that I have Amazon Fire TV, and it's so easy to pull them up or fling them from my phone! I've also developed a love of the kettle bell for the quick workouts, quick results, and full body workout. I'll do a roundup soon of my favorite YouTube workouts, and Pinterest fact sheets, so stay tuned!

Healthy Yogurt Yummy

Back on the healthy eating bandwagon today, folks. It's amazing how unsettling a move, new job, etc., can be to a routine. I finally had my full of my favorite junk foods, and kicked the day off with an Atkins meal replacement shake {serious yum if you've never tried it--they even have flavors with coffee!!}, and did a big haul at the grocery store tonight to get supplies. That's my number one downfall: not being prepared. Not having food on hand sends me straight to Chick-fil-A. 

I've been seeing this low-carb/healthy dessert recipe on Pinterest lately and thought tonight during The Bachellorette would be the perfect time to try it! So easy peasy, just yogurt and sugar free pudding mix. That's it! I looked for the lowest carb yogurt I could find, scooped it into a bowl, and mixed in the pudding powder a little at a time. I knew it was ready once the tart yogurt scent swapped to a graham crackery/cheesecake scent. I let it sit for a few minutes to thicken like real pudding, and yummy! This may be my new favorite thing! 

What's your favorite healthy recipe?