I'm So Hungry!!!

I don't know about yall, but I'm a snacker. Part of the reason I've struggled with my weight. I never chose the right snacks.

Since I've started this journey, I'm much more conscious of what goes into my body. I started making much more of my own food, especially my favorite snacks to have on hand. I've mentioned several times in this blog that my schedule is insane, so all the food I eat has to be portable.

My morning snacks are usually a mix of fruit, grain and protein. Granola is my favorite way to get that.

I make this a lot. My brother requests it all the time. It's great as a cereal, yogurt topper, or by the handful.

My base recipe is fresh oats. Not quick oats or any of that. Fresh raw oats. I fill a mixing bowl and get to work adding the rest.

I add cashews, almonds, candies (if I have them), raisins, craisins, any other dried fruit and add it in.

When it comes to dried fruit, I go for organic and natural. Basically, read your labels. Don't get anything with names you can't pronounce. Deal?

Now, on the stove heat up a cup of maple syrup (real stuff) and a cup of honey. Let it boil for about a minute and add to your mix o' stuff.  Then spread onto a greased cookie sheets.

Place those cookie sheets in a preheated oven of 350. I usually bake it for 25 minutes, just keep an eye on it.

It's so delicious. I keep it in my desk drawer at work. Makes it easy to grab between clients and meetings.

Enjoy!

As If You Couldn't Get Enough Breakfast

I know I've blogged a couple times about breakfast. It's my favorite. Not just because of the health benefits, but because it's comforting to me. My mother makes the best breakfasts, especially around the holidays. Sausage bread, quiche, fresh fruit, all the good stuff.

A few months back, I hosted "Illinois Dinner" at my house. "Illinois Dinner" was created by my friends here in Nashville that have all relocated from somewhere in Illinois (I'm honorary because I went to college there). My best friend was in town, also from Illinois, so I thought it to be a great night to host. I made my favorite meal, breakfast.

Nice spread, huh? I made mini-versions of my mom's sausage bread, mashed sweet potatoes, pumpkin cinnamon rolls, and egg "cupcakes".

The pumpkin cinnamon rolls were my favorite. If they were healthy, I'd eat them daily. The recipe is way easy. 


Preheat oven to 375. 


1 can of pureed pumpkin (not PIE)
1 stick of butter
3/4 cup of brown sugar
3 tbsp. of cinnamon
1 tbsp. of nutmeg


Place all ingredients in a bowl and mash. Set aside.

• 1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup margarine, melted
• 4 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons yeast

Mix dry and wet ingredients separately. Add dry ingredients to wet slowly to make dough. Roll out to desired size. Spread pumpkin mixture inside dough and roll. Cut into 1 inch rolls and place in a 9x12 greased baking pan. 

Bake for 40 minutes in the oven. 

I used a standard cream cheese frosting. And you get these!

They're dangerous. 

The Egg Cupcakes..Probably the easiest thing you'll ever make. 

I found the recipe on Pinterest. I thought it was clever because I could make these at the beginning of the week and just reheat every morning. Since my schedule is crazy and my breakfast is usually on the go. 

You just need egg beaters and whatever you fancy to fill them with. 

I used peppers, onions, salsa, black beans, cheese and some left over sausage. Fill each muffin cup with filler, then fill remaining space with egg beaters. They bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Pop out and eat. So delicious! The reheat so well. 

I hope this gives you a couple ideas for easy and delicious breakfasts. It is the most important meal of the day. 

Managing Vacations

Hey Yall. I know it's been awhile since I've made a post. I went on vacation and my job (mostly clients) don't enjoy that very much, so I've been busy..in so many words. I'm working on some interviews, I have to send out questions and make dates for those. There is more inspiration coming your way. Thanks for reading what Rita and I have to say. I'm thankful you want to share in this journey with us.

Now, for the subject of my post.

 My favorite thing to do ever is travel. I like to experience all different parts of my country and others. However, traveling comes with responsibility when you're trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle. A lot of tough choices. Some of these choices I don't like making, especially when the people I'm traveling with aren't making the same choices. It's hard to not eat what everyone else is eating. I have developed some tricks for traveling. I'm going to share them with you. First tip, while enroute. I pack food with me when I travel, even by car. This trip I got to take a plane, and I know airports can be such a temptation. I pre-made a breakfast and lunch. Both packed with protein and veggies. I bought bottled water in the airport, since you can't carry in liquids and I also bought unsweeted applesauce to fill up. I wasn't hungry at all.

This vacation was to Disney World, the happiest place on earth, but certainly not the healthiest. My family purchased the meal plan, which allowed one sit down and walk up meal. Which was great, however a lot of the options were not fantastic in a healthy way. There are a lot of buffets and large portions. For buffets, I always use dessert or salad plates. I get plenty to eat and I can manage the portions. At one buffet, the waiter stopped me on the way back to my table to let me know that they had bigger plates, that I didn't have to use the small ones. I giggled, glad he noticed my efforts. As far as other places, I usually chose fruit instead of fries or ordered from the kids menu. The kids menu have pretty decent sized portions. 

I don't want this to sound like you can't eat and have a good time while on vacation. I had a blast, but you don't want to fall off the wagon just to say you had a good time. You can enjoy what you eat and the memories you created at the same time. This was my niece's first trip; her smiles and giggles were way better than any fries or burger I could have ordered. 

 (this is my niece on her Minnie cell)

I had two friends text me daily to ask about my exercise and my food while I was on the trip. We walked A TON, so I didn't have to worry about that. The daily texts really helped me be accountable. It was encouraging to know that I had friends who cared about my progress too. This is not a journey you take alone. They also encouraged me to have fun and not worry so much about food; that helped making the better choice easier. 

I was able to fit on roller coasters for the first time in years. I didn't have to get an extender for seatbelts and I was able to sit next to someone. I was so happy that I could actually enjoy and not just watch. That's a victory in itself. 

P.S. You can treat yourself while on vacation. I saved on meals so I was able to have ice cream with my niece and go drink around the world in Epcot.