Tasty Tuesday 11/25

In honor of Thanksgiving I decided to post Thanksgiving themed goodies for you all today. It was NOT easy finding "healthy" Thanksgiving meals.

Fruit Turkey

How adorable is this? I thought it was so cute and while it's not a traditional meal (I am not sure if there is a such thing as a traditional breakfast with a Thanksgiving theme) it is healthy and gets us in the spirit. 

There isn't really a set recipe for this breakfast dish, its exactly what it looks like. The body of the 'turkey' is a half of a pear. The feathers are green grapes topped with blueberries and the nose and legs are matchstick carrots. 

Easy, affordable, healthy and cute. Could you ask for anything more?

Crispy Turkey Tostadas 

This is for a few days after Thanksgiving when you are just tired of the same old thing.

Makes: 4 servings, 2 tostadas each

Active Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

        1 14-ounce can petite diced tomatoes, preferably with jalapeños
        1 medium onion, thinly sliced
       3 cups shredded cooked turkey, or chicken 
       8 corn tortillas
       Canola or olive oil cooking spray
        1 avocado, pitted
       1/4 cup prepared salsa
  2 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
     2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
        1 cup shredded romaine lettuce
       1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Directions:

 Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 375°F.

    Bring tomatoes and their juice to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and most of the liquid has evaporated, 15 to 20 minutes.

 Add turkey and cook until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes.

      Meanwhile, coat tortillas on both sides with cooking spray. Divide the tortillas between 2 large baking sheets. Bake, turning once, until crisped and lightly brown, about 10 minutes.

       Mash avocado in a bowl. Stir in salsa, sour cream and cilantro until combined.

     To assemble tostadas, spread each crisped tortilla with some of the avocado mixture. Top with the turkey mixture, lettuce and cheese.

Open Faced Turkey Sandwich

This one seems pretty easy, average or boring but it was my grandma's FAVORITE thing to make with leftover turkey. In memory of her.......my grandma's favorite (and incredibly easy) sandwich

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb leftover turkey meat, sliced

1/2 cup or so of leftover turkey gravy

Stock or water (to thin the gravy if needed)

4 large slices of rustic bread

Directions:

1 Heat gravy in a skillet until bubbly. If the gravy is too thick, thin with a little stock or water.

2 Add pieces of sliced cooked turkey meat to the gravy. Coat with the gravy on all sides and heat until the meat is heated through.

3 Arrange a slice of bread (rustic French or Italian loaf would work great) on a plate. Top with sliced turkey and gravy.

I hope you and your family have a very Happy Thanksgiving, cook a lot of great food and get to spend time with your families. While I think it is horrible, if you are going to black friday, please be careful not to get injured and do your best not to injure those around you. Material possessions aren't worth a trip to the ER or someone's life.

Musical Monday 11/24

We're winding down! Today's musical Monday is the 25 top workout songs from the 2000s. That is between 2000 and 2010. I googled, I looked at votes AND I looked over Billboards top singles from the past decade to compile this list. I hope you enjoy and get a nice blast from the past.



1.) DMX - Party Up (2000)
2.) Papa Roach - Last Resort (2000)
3.) Nelly - Country Grammar (2000)
4.) Backstreet Boys - The Call (2000)
5.) Beyonce - Crazy in Love (2003)
6.) Marilyn Manson - Tainted Love (2002)
7.) Gwen Stefani - Hollaback Girl (2004)
8.) Jayz ft. Alicia Keys - Empire State of Mind (2009)
9.) Black eyed peas - I got a feeling (2009)
10.) Shaggy - It wasn't me (2001)
11.) Pink - Raise your glass (2010)
12.) Outkast - Ms. Jackson (2001)
13.) P.O.D. - Alive (2001)
14.) Katy Perry - Teenage Dream (2010)
15.) Enrique Iglesias ft. Pitbull - I like it (2010)
16.) Timbaland ft Justin Timberlake & Nelly Furtado - Give it to me (2007)
17.) Miley Cyrus - Party in the USA (2009)
18.) Eminem - Lose Yourself (2003)
19.) One Repbulic - Apologize (2007)
20.) Pussycat Dolls - Beep (2005)
21.) All American Rejects - Gives you hell (2008)
22.) Jayz ft. Kanye West & Rihanna - Run this town (2009)
23.) Nsync - Bye Bye Bye (2000)
24.) Christina Milian - AM to PM (2001)
25.)Jason Derulo - In My head (2010)

Sweat Fest Sunday 11/23

And I am back! I missed doing my sleep saturday post - I think those are my favorite because I get to talk about anything. Oh well. The important thing is my mom is home from the hospital and resting. I am still tired but with her home now I will be able to rest but not before Sweat Fest Sunday!

With Turkey day around the corner maybe you want to step up the intensity? I have never done P90x, I don't think it's any secret I'm not a fan of hardcore cardio but if you here is a 10 minute snippet of what a P90x workout is like. Maybe it will sway you to buy the dvds or possibly run for cover. You will need hand weights for this workout.

If you want an equally tough workout without the weights this one is for you. Rather than paying money to tone your muscles this uses your own body weight for resistance.

Sleepy Saturday - No post for today - 11/22

Hello all, I didn't want to skip sleepy saturday but I have been at the hospital all day and am exhausted. My mother hadn't been feeling well so I took her into the ER first thing in the AM. After running some tests they decided she needed her gallbladder out. It was a very long day and I am just too exhausted. My apologies

Fitness Foodie Facts Friday 11/21

How many of you like peanuts? Or cashews, almonds, pecans etc? I love cashews and when I was younger my grandmother always had a canister somewhere. When she would go to sleep, or go the bathroom and leave me alone I would dip into the cabinet and literally scoop out a handful. As if she wouldn't notice the huge indentation next time she went for some. I don't keep nuts in the house because I am lacking in willpower and the amount of calories for the small serving size just does not work for me. However, if you do like eating nuts, most of them are good for you, this post is for you. I came across an article that actually breaks down the best and worst nuts to eat:

BEST NUTS ON THE MARKET
The lowest-calorie nuts at 160 per ounce are almonds (23 nuts; 6 grams protein, 14 grams fat); cashews (16 to 18 nuts; 5 grams protein, 13 grams fat); and pistachios (49 nuts; 6 grams protein, 13 grams fat). Avoid nuts packaged or roasted in oil; instead, eat them raw or dry roasted, says Caplan. (Roasted nuts may have been heated in hydrogenated or omega-6 unhealthy fats, she adds, or to high temperatures that can destroy their nutrients.) 

WORST NUTS ON THE MARKETOunce for ounce, macadamia nuts (10 to 12 nuts; 2 grams protein, 21 grams fat) and pecans (18 to 20 halves; 3 grams protein, 20 grams fat) have the most calories—200 each—along with the lowest amounts of protein and the highest amounts of fats.

Best nuts to/for your.....
Heart: Walnut
Brain: Peanut
Men: Brazil nut and pecans
Prevent Disease: Almonds


http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20585485,00.html 
The link above goes in depth about why walnuts are best for your heart and how almonds help prevent disease. It also tells you the best and worth brands, health wise, to buy.

Thirsty Thursday 11/20

So no facts or about what to drink and not to drink today. Today I am going to post 3 drinks you can make at home to keep you warm in this winter weather. I will say these drinks aren't exactly in line with my healthy theme I normally have going so be warned. But holidays are a time to indulge a little right? And as long as you don't drink all 10 servings I think you should be fine. I have never tried any of these drinks but I hope you do and enjoy - I may have to give in and try the last one.

Eggnog Latte

Prep time: 5 minutes, 

Cook time: 1 minute

Serving size: 1

 

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup 2% milk

• 2/3 cup eggnog

• 1 shot (1.5 ounces) brewed espresso

• Nutmeg (optional)

 

Directions

1. Pour milk and eggnog into a steaming pitcher and heat to between 145-165 degrees F, using the steaming wand.

2. Brew the shot of espresso, then add to mug.

3. Pour the steamed milk and eggnog into the mug, using a spoon to hold back the foam. Spoon foam over the top. Sprinkle ground nutmeg (or grind fresh nutmeg yourself) on top of the foam. 

Hot Buttered Lemonade

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

Serving Size: 4

 

Ingredients

• 3 cups water

• 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice

• 2/3 cup sugar

• 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine

• 4 cinnamon sticks (optional)

 

Directions

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, simmer water, lemon juice, sugar and lemon peel until sugar is dissolved.

2. Pour into mugs; dot each with butter. Drop in a cinnamon stick if desired. 

Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 1-4 hours

Serves: 9

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup powder chocolate milk mix or powder cocoa mix

• 8 cups hot water

• 3/4 cup chocolate syrup

• 1/4 cup peanut butter

• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

 

Directions

1. Pour cocoa mix in a 3-4 quart slow cooker.

2. Carefully stir in hot water.

3. Stir in chocolate syrup.

4. Cover and cook on low heat for 3-4 hours or on high for 90 minutes to 2 hours.

5. Whisk in peanut butter and vanilla until smooth.

6. Ladle cocoa into mugs.

Wardrobe Wednesday 11/19

It is currently 36 degrees out, and I am freezing. I am always freezing though, that's nothing new. My mom calls me a "bag lady" when I am home and not planning on going anywhere because I layer up and it isn't pretty. Usually my "bag lady" attire consist of cartoon character PJ pants, an over sized shirt that often hangs to my knees and then a sweatshirt or hoodie and the shirt hangs out from under the hoodie. Yeah I have no shame. Not like I am going out or taking a selfie to post to Facebook so as long as I am warm I am all good. So the point of the semi-embarrassing reveal of my "bag lady" layers is this awesome post I found with pictures to help us know how much to layer for the cold weather and how much is too much. You don't want to put so much on that mid run you're overheating and stripping in front of the little kiddies at the park. So, now pictures of clothes today but a helpful guide instead: