Deconstructed Beef Samosa

Indian food is for sure one of my biggest weaknesses when it comes to food. I mean it's just SO good. I really have never had a bad experience. I mean, yes, there are places that are better than others. But, I literally don't think I have ever tried an Indian dish and been like "Eww, that doesn't taste good."

So, when I find a healthy version of anything Indian, I get really excited. I found this recipe on Pinterest. It's from My Heart Beets. It was a very fast and simple meal with tons of spice and flavors. I tweaked it a little, and found it very delicious. :)

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.

Sweet Potato Noodles with Chicken & Cashew Sauce

You heard right! Sweet potato noodles :) When I was searching for a recipe to utilize my new spiralizer, I saw this beauty of a recipe and stopped dead in my tracks. I mean YUM right!?

The original recipe is from Pinch of Yum. And after looking at her site, I guarantee I'll be back for more recipes soon. They all look pretty delicious.

The Paderno Spiralizer was another awesome gift this Christmas. I've been making my zucchini noodles with a large box grater. It works okay, but this way is super easy. It cuts down on a lot of time and waste. You get a lot more noodles with the spiralizer. I also received the Inspiralized cookbook, so I'll be diving into that soon as well. The spiralizer took a couple tries to get used to, but once I got going, it was AWESOME! I'll be making everything into noodles from now on ;)

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!

Foodie's Friday Favorites | Week of Nov 8. 2015

Alas... Another week has gone by! Hard to believe it is mid-November. I feel like I am already miles behind on Xmas shopping, However, I did make strides this week. I found some great deals, and bought a few things off my list (thanks to one of my favorites below)! Wahoo!

Here we go! My Friday Favorites :) Hope they give you some inspiration or something new to try for the weeks ahead.

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.

Taco Night! : Plantain Tortilla Recipe

Don't freak out! The first time I was looking for a way to make tacos on the Paleo diet, I came across a Paleo plantain tortilla recipe from ZenBelly. I saw the title, and I kind of freaked out a little. In my mind, there was no way I could make these tortillas. No way it would work. Sure, this blogger  I was following could make them, but I'm sure mine would turn out horrible.

Well, quite the contrary! I reluctantly tried these out anyway, and was VERY surprised, when they turned out perfectly :) They were also surprisingly easy. A few ingredients thrown in the food processor, and baked for a few minutes. It's actually a pretty simple. And the hint of sweetness from the plantains compliment your tacos wonderfully.

I've made a few different meats to go in my tacos, but after Jeremy made Kalua Pig without me, I was just craving that porky goodness. So I popped some Boston butt in the crockpot that morning. By the time we got home, we could literally smell it cooking from outside the house. SERIOUSLY! All I had to do was cook the tortillas, and we were ready for Taco Tuesday.

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!