What I Did Last Weekend (2/5-2/7/2016)

Dinner at Taft's Ale House in OTR. The brewery is in an old church, and the architecture was breath-taking. Plus, the food and drinks were on point. DEFINITELY recommend this place.

Instant Pot Braised Kale & Carrots

I warned you about the Instant Pot recipes! I can't help it. I'm friggin obsessed with this thing. And then when paired with the crockpot, you have a whole meal in under 10 minutes....

Could it get any easier!?!?

It has snowed a bit in Ohio, and it's starting to look and feel more like winter. Cold and flu season is upon us in full force, and comfort food is a must. Especially comfort food that packs a punch of nutrients and antioxidants.

Say what you will about Kale, but there is no denying it's health benefits. Kale is high in vitamins A, K and C. It is also a great source of calcium, magnesium, iron & antioxidants. And then there's carrots with beta carotene and fiber.

Hello!? This side dish is a no-brainer. With this delicious recipe from Nom Nom Paleo, you will have no problem going back for seconds. Cooking the ingredients in the Instant Pot leaves the kale tender and flavorful. You could also try cooking it a little longer in the Dutch oven as well, if you don't have a pressure cooker.

Easy Meal Planning 101

With the new year starting, many people make a pledge to get healthy! It's great! You have a super go-getter attitude, and nothing will stop you. What makes this goal easier to attain and maintain (key word) is planning. Without a plan, you are more likely to get tired of what you are doing. In order to stick to a new diet or workout plan, you need consistency. Your goal should be more like a lifestyle. I know you've heard this over and over and over... But, when you get in the habit of meal planning, everything falls into place. It's routine. And routine leads to lifestyle. Before you know it, you feel so much better, you have lots of energy, and you're loving life!

Here are my easy meal planning tips for a fantastic 2016!

Delicious Slow-Cooker Green Chicken Curry

The University of Cincinnati semester has started, and I am back to teaching Piloxing! Gosh, it feels so good to get back into that routine. Group fit is so incredibly fun for me to teach, and I have a great group this year!

With new group fit classes, comes late dinners. My schedule this year is a little later than I've had in the past. It's in kind of an awkward time, where I can come home from work, but I basically have time to change, turn around and leave. So, it's nice to have some crockpot meals ready to go. When I get home from teaching, dinner is ready. I know my muscles are grateful!

This curry had the most amazing flavor. The base of this recipe is from a wonderful paleo recipe blog called Rubies & Radishes. There are some really awesome things on this site. AND, I found that, like most crockpot meals, the leftovers from this meal were even better than the original meal. All of the spices seep into the chicken and veggies, and you're left with a great lunch the next day.

My 5 Go-To Healthy Lunch Staples

I think healthy lunches could quite possibly be one of the hardest things to plan. Sure, I can make a whole bunch of healthy meals when I'm at home. But on the go, it's so much harder to figure out exactly what I want to take. You have to think about what resources you will have at work, school, etc... Plus, you have to get proportions right and plan ahead.Leftovers are always nice, but you don't always have enough for the week.

I have a few lunch ideas that I keep in my back pocket....Just in case! These recipes contain ingredients that I almost always have on hand. They are things that I can whip up rather quickly at home in the morning or at the office. You should always plan at least a couple lunches ahead, but if you have these staples, you will never be left buying food you'll regret later.

My First Thrive Market Haul

So if you follow me on Facebook, you have probably noticed that I have been obsessed with a few different sites lately. Ipsy, Stella & Dot (don't get me started), FitFoodFoodie ;) (See what I did there?) and Thrive Market. You've probably heard of Thrive. Maybe one of your favorite food blogs has mentioned the site, or you've come across it, scrolling through Facebook. If you haven't checked it out, you definitely should! Read on to see what all I got in my first order!

New Recipe! / Paleo Chicken Chow Mein

It has been a very busy summer. I mean busy. Just about every weekend, we have something planned. Whether it's in Cincinnati (our current location) or in Indiana (Muncie is home, Indy is where my very best friends live) we have been pretty much booked solid through August, and even some into October. Needless to say grocery shopping has been difficult. I like to go to the farmers market, but when my favorite one is on Sundays from 9:30-1:30p, it's hard to get there. I've been trying to come up with low-key meals that don't take many ingredients and do not take a lot of time. If you'll remember from a previous post... I'm lazy ;)

Anyway, last week, I made Chicken Chow Mein adapted from Little Bits Of. It made plenty of food. I heart leftovers. I mean most of the time, it's just Jeremy and I eating the food that I make. But, I'll make tons of leftovers, so that we can grab some for lunches later on. They are WONDERFUL for lunches during the week. And a welcome break between salads. It keeps me on track health-wise, and it keeps me from buying something at work. Win win!

Have a Healthy July 4th!

HAPPY FRIDAY! :)

It's that time of year again...SUMMER! I'm honestly not the biggest fan of summer. I'm that person complaining about the heat and humidity...then turing around and complaining about the cold and snow. I'm an autumn kinda gal. Spring is great too, but it's still rainy. Fall is the PERFECT weather. Okay so I'm a complainer lol.

However I do enjoy July 4th. Everyone's always in a great mood. The weather is generally nice, there are parades, fireworks, and all sorts of delicious food. Whether you're grilling out, having a picnic, or having a regular meal in the kitchen, you are bound to have a delicious meal or two on Saturday. This year, we are traveling back to good ole Muncie to celebrate the holiday with my family! My mom is playing in America's Hometown Band, and we are planning on a picnic before the fireworks. I'm on the hunt for great ideas!

So here's my 4th of July roundup of some of my favorite go-to Paleo recipes to keep your holiday healthy and on track!

SUPER Easy Side Dishes

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love to cook. I love finding new and exciting recipes that will challenge my skills and my taste buds. However... sometimes, especially during the week, I am tired and lazy. Shocking right!? My go-to side for those lazy nights (and sometimes regular nights, because of their yumminess) is roasted vegetables!

You can use any vegetables for this side. My absolute favorite is oven-roasted green beans, but you could literally use just about any vegetable. It's always great to check out your local farmers market for the freshest and tastiest items. Here's how I typically roast veggies:

1.  Set your oven to 400 degrees F.

Weekend Camping / Mediterranean Dip Recipe

This weekend, I went camping with a lot of my TIU (Tone It Up) Ohio sisters. We were wary about the weather, but we ended up having a blast! We went hiking, ate healthy food and talked around the campfire. It is so nice to be able to instantly connect with people, and just have a really great time. We stayed at Hueston Woods in College Corner, OH. I would definitely go back. The woods were beautiful.