Young chef and a smoothie

  I am trying to eat healthier for a 30 day challenge and young chef is more than happy to help me with whatever task that requires in the kitchen.  Today she helped with a smoothie.  The even better news is she saw what went in it and still had a cup of it!!!

A peach and carrot smoothie was for breakfast today.  Some basic ingredients go in here and this smoothie went without yogurt as all my yogurts have been for the week.  This one did take water but a couple other smoothies from the week took almond milk.   I also haven't put yogurt in any of them.  Some may have called for Greek yogurt and at the moment I don't have any of that on hand either.

This smoothie just like all the rest called for a banana!

 Here comes the water!

Plus some carrots. Young chef is ok with carrots, she won't eat them but apparently can handle them.  She does however have this strange hatred towards broccoli. I told her I'm going to look that recipe up. I mean after all she just drank carrot and liked it maybe I can bring her and broccoli closer together.
 She is all of a sudden proficient in the blender.

I must admit she took the first sip before me but, only because I was still pouring my cup.  She approved it before I even took a drink.  I took a sip and decided to add the optional honey.  Umm, yeah. This smoothie was definitely strong in the carrot department in regards to flavor.  There were of course the shreds of it but, I didn't taste that poor yummy peach at all.  I will try this drink again and maybe reduce the carrots next time.

Recipe credit: peach-carrot-smoothie

Day 5 of 30 healthy challenge

  Started my morning with a carrot and peach smoothie compliments of my young chef assistant.  (See separate post for recipe and pictures)  I have been doing good with drinking 25 oz of water everyday with my breakfast.

  I always eat before my trip to the gym.  My workout today consisted of 30 minutes of the arc trainer and 15 minutes on the treadmill.  No weights today and no squats.  My pants didn't fit well enough me to move in that way.  Lol, they fit a little snug.  They fit enough for the cardio machine but definitely no bending, twisting or turning.  I must also tell you pulling them up after a trip to the restroom all sweaty was a chore too.  My problem is the thigh region (and maybe backside) but I think muscles are effecting the area more than that I am overweight.

Lunch today resulted in a meeting of the minds with my fitness group.  To make it this far is killing me.  I eat fast food, I eat sugar and I just wanted to go out.  Now granted I ate Mexican on Monday and Tuesday was chick fil A so I had been out but, not enough.  I wanted something and to smell fast food would have even been a reward.  I had posted my request of fast food and taco salad.  The ladies provided me with two places and good options.  Chipotles salad was the winner!

One word for this salad. H-U-G-E!!! I wound up eating half of it and may work on more tomorrow.  I did skip the sour cream and cheese.  The onions in the pico were a little much for me and for a non-guacamole lover I sure got a big dollop of it. Washed my lunch down with another 25 oz of water.

Lastly dinner was a simple spaghetti also prepared with the help of my assistant young chef.  The spaghetti was a wheat pasta, homemade scratch sauce,( I have previously  wrote about this easy 3 can + spices recipe) and sausage along with a side of carrots.  Again washing it down with 25 oz of water.

Pleased with my day regardless of the take out because I still did my best to get something healthy.

Day 4

  So I told myself that I am almost done with week one. It made me feel better.  This didn't start till Monday so technically it hasn't been a week not even close but, I'm sure I can coast through the weekend. Just need to make it past Friday.  Pizza or guaranteed junk food night.

  If nothing else from this week I am getting more endurance in the gym and gaining some new recipes.  I look forward to seeing the end result of this challenge and hope to have instilled in me some good habits.  Habit meaning I will keep it going and be more aware of what I am doing.

The only meal new to me was the smoothie this morning for breakfast.  I changed the spinach into kale and was very pleased with the taste.  My young chef even liked it despite what she saw me put in it.  The banana and peanut butter were more intense in flavor.

Lunch was nothing special but I will say a bowl of fruit is the best.  I never just ate a bowl of fruit. I would eat a piece here and there.  When you eat a bowl you are sitting down relaxing and enjoying it.  Not like eating a banana on the run.  I am going back to the store to get more peaches!! I hope they are still on sale.  The tuna wrap was plain nothing special tuna with a cut up carrot and some sesame seed oil on it.  I was not impressed and will not eat it like that again.  I was trying to add flavor to the dried tuna. I would rather just eat it dried.

  Dinner was Zuppa Tuscany soup.  The soup from Olive Garden.  This is a great knockoff.  Everyone in my family enjoys it.  Of course you could add something else with it; salad or bread but, I'm trying to stay on track.  Never a disappointment.  Young chef even helped me.  

She had to get her hands dirty to start with.

She is getting better at leveling ingredients!

 She added the spices!

This is the chicken bullion I use for the stock.

Soups simmering!

It was a great day. Thanks for listening. Thanks for reading! Thank you for your support!

Recipe credit:

clean-eating-peanut-butter-and-banana-smoothie

real-food-copy-cat-zuppa-tuscana-olive-garden-copy-cat

Workout today was 67 minutes on the treadmill.  I alternated between speed and incline.  Various weights and ab work.

Young chef is back

Today she made granola.  She did assist me in cooking soup as well but her real focus was on the granola.  She is gradually getting better.  You take advantage of your knowledge in the kitchen but teaching someone is entertaining.  We talked about pots and frying pans and cookie sheets.  I pointed out the different measuring utensils again and she nods her head as I go through everything.

We discussed what we were making.  She ran around the kitchen to get the items she could reach. Introduction to the cookie sheet.  I guess it looks different without cookies.
 

We always start with washing our hands and she gets her stool out to reach the counter and to turn the oven on.  I show her the degrees to set the oven and she has to punch the number so set the temperature.   She also needs to set the timer after I show her what that is.  I let her grease the pan. That will take some practicing.

This recipe needed two ingredients melted together which I watched on the stove.  She mixed and added her dry ingredients.

Squeezing wasn't too bad.  But I needed to remind her over the pan.

 She has stirring down.  Meaning everything stays in the bowl.

She tasted coconut and decided it was good enough to add to our granola.

She then dumped it onto the tray and leveled it out! Slowly is the key word.

We added chocolate chips to the granola after I took it out of the oven.  The granola was still warm so they melted into the mixture and we may add more to it along with craisins for some more texture.

She sampled it and declared it good.  I know she will eat it with some yogurt tomorrow.

You know I am about easy recipes, so don't be intimidated.  Give this a try and make a parfait.  Good with a bowl of milk too I'm sure.

Recipe credit: crunchy-peanut-butter-chocolate-coconut-granola

Young chef appearance canceled tonight!

 Well the young chef was here but not ready for performance.  She had a hard time finishing her food so as they say the show must go on.  Tonight was featuring a dessert with a healthy twist.

Chocolate Peanut butter Avocado Pudding!

Did you catch the healthy part?  I was going to make it anyways in hopes that I could slide it past the children. My son is a very picky eater whom also skipped his meal and I thought I would let him eat this to replace his lack of eating.  Sadly my young chef was still savoring her dinner.

This recipe had very minimal ingredients which you know I like! Easy and healthy let's get this thing moving.

Put all your ingredients into your food processor.  Pulse it until everything is blended together.

You now have a great dessert! Healthy, fast and easy! My type of meal!

Little man was not so fooled.

Its as if he knew something healthy was in the chocolate, peanut butter goodness.

This recipe took very little liquid so it was very thick. I suppose you could add a little more to thin it out.  I liked it though and I have had avocado puddings before.  This one had a nice chocolate flavor with hints of peanut butter and banana.  You couldn't taste the avocado at all.

Recipe credit:

chocolate-peanut-butter-avocado-pudding/

Day 3 and I tried it! (Recipes included)

  Today was much better as I reflect on it now.  Isn't it funny when your in the middle of the day you can't appreciate it until it's over?

  This morning we choose oatmeal for breakfast  (young chef helped with this).  She even declared what was for breakfast and what kind of oatmeal she was going to have. Cinnamon roll oatmeal it was. Mine was just the cinnamon and not the roll, lol.  Which consisted of mine without the white cream (powder sugar and milk).

My lunch consisted of a bowl of fruit.  I don't think I have ever eaten as much fruit as I have now.  There's multiple good things resulting from this.  It's good for me and it's less produce I am throwing out.  I didn't throw out a lot but I did throw out enough that was very unnecessary all due to my poor planning.

Dinner was sloppy Joe's made with ground turkey and I used lettuce in place of the bread.  I was pleased with how good it was.  This meal was accompanied by carrots and homemade baked fries!  

I managed another 100 oz of water.

My workout consisted of 33 minutes on the elliptical and various weights to include a focus on abs.

We had dessert tonight too see separate post!

Recipe credit:

hodies-sloppy-joes

cinnamon-roll-oatmeal

Wordless Wednesday

I have been outside a lot this summer.  More this year than any other.  Maybe because my little ones are older or I am getting older and appreciate it more.  Here are some scenes from our outdoor visits.

We have visited multiple state parks, our local Botanical Gardens multiple times, the local park, Colonial Williamsburg and the beach.  I think the more time we spend outside the more comfortable my kids are getting.  The bugs bother them less and they are getting used to seeing natural beauty.  I hope they see the beauty and learn to respect it as they grow.  Picking up after themselves, minimize their waste and enjoying it.  

  They are always pointing out a bird or mushroom even a rare flower gets their attention so I know they understand that it shouldn't be taken for granted.