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Happy Weekend!

Our weekend is off to a good start as my parents are going to be in town, and the weather looks promising.  Yesterday I even got to open my windows while I worked.  I love it when I can smell the spring air!

Quick & Easy Pasta DinnerFriday night’s dinner consisted of our longtime “go-to” easy meal.  It comes in many different forms, and changes a little each time depending on what’s on hand, but the general concept is pretty simple:

Ingredients:
-- Chopped vegetables of choice (just make sure to include onion as one of them!)
-- Olive oil
-- Pepper & sea salt (as desired)
-- Vegetable bouillon cube
-- Canned beans of choice
-- Cheese

Throw it all together:
-- Sautee veggies in olive oil
-- Add water + bouillon cube + pepper + sea salt
-- Cook pasta according to package instructions
-- Add desired amount of beans to veggie mixture a few minutes before pasta is done
-- Drain pasta, add desired amounts of cooked pasta and veggies into a bowl
-- Add cheese, stir, and eat. The mix tonight was one small onion, Brussels sprouts, kidney beans, and Penne pasta.  Easy, quick, and satisfying!

Baked good of the weekThis week I simply went with a peanut butter chocolate chip cookie for my baked good recipe of the week. Could have been better. I’ll wait until I have a better cookie recipe to share it.
 
And for my new “regular” recipe of the week I went with lasagna.  Sounds pretty plain, but believe it or not, I’ve never made regular lasagna, only zucchini lasagna. 

Pre-oven:Either way, we thought it turned out pretty good (fresh basil + fresh mozzarella … how could it NOT taste good?)

Last but not least

I don’t really “get” (aka understand) sparkling mineral water, but none the least, we found ourselves purchasing some Pelligrino the other day.  I decided it’s fun to drink when I’m working … somehow, it makes my day more exciting, ha.(But it won’t be replacing Izze’s place in my life!)

That’s all for me!

What are you looking forward to this weekend??

 

Cupcakes, cacao & sucanat

In case you hadn’t noticed, I recently updated my top blog tabs so check them out if you haven’t already! 

“Highlights”, “Kansas City”, and “Health & Fitness Tips” tabs are newly added, and the rest are updated. Enjoy!

Remember these, from my last post? I think I’ve made about 4 batches of them in the last week or so, no joke, ha.  We really like them around here.
I’ve shared a few as well, I promise we didn’t eat them all
 
So what exactly are these, you ask? 

Chocolate Sour Cream Cupcakes

I followed the recipe exactly from its source, so I won’t post it.

However … HERE is the link so you can make them for yourself, if you so chose. Not surprisingly, the recipe comes from Clean Eating Magazine’s website. 
Cacao Powder

I thought it would be fun to highlight a few of the ingredients in the recipe.  First up, cacao powder.

What is the difference between “cacao” powder, and “cocoa” powder?  Cacao powder always seems to be found in health food sections, and seems to have a rap for being better than cocoa.

From what I have found they are actually quite similar, and there isn’t much of a difference. However, cacao powder refers specifically to raw, unsweetened powder whereas cocoa powder may still have small amounts of cocoa butter present for subtle flavor enhancement. Sucanat

Next up, sucanat.  I think it’s my newest favorite baking sweetener.  I’ve noticed that Clean Eating magazine uses it in a large portion of their baked goods, and I decided to finally try it.  Here’s a few things about it:

What is sucanat?
It’s a type of cane sugar that is naturally light brown in color.  It stands for SUgar CAne NATural.  Basically, it is a dried whole cane sugar that has not been processed or refined.

How does is taste?
Sucanat retains a molasses flavor, and is similar to brown sugar.

What are the health benefits of sucanat?
Sucanat contains less sucrose than white sugar because of its natural production method, retains more vitamins and minerals, and will have less severe effects on the body’s blood sugar levels.All I know is that sucanat and cacao powder (among other ingredients, of course) make a good chocolaty cupcake that goes perfectly with a fresh cold glass of milk.
They’re even good with a raspberry on top  Operation Motivation

It’s been a bit of a crazy week thus far, but despite that, I’m happy to report my two new recipes for the week are already cooked.  More on them to come later! 

Hope you’re having a great week!

Originally Organic Vending [dot] com

Happy Monday, everyone!

First up on the Lesley Lifting Life storefront ….. we’re happy to announce the launching of:

OriginallyOrganicVending.com

We’re excited to have a website out there now for people to more easily hear about us, and who we are. Feel free to check it out, and if you haven’t already, come and “like” us on Facebook!  (Here is Originally Organic Vending’s Facebook, and here is Lesley Lifting Life’s Facebook). 
Thanks for all your support!!!

Operation Motivation

I’m happy to report Operation Motivation was a complete success this week.  My four days of working out this week were: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday, and this post is all about the two new recipes that I tried, one being a main dish, and the other being a baked good. 

Bison Baked SpaghettiThis recipe was inspired by and adapted from a “Spaghetti & Meatball Casserole” found in the January 2011 issue of Clean Eating Magazine.  This magazine comes very highly recommended by yours truly!

You will need:
-- 1 package whole wheat spaghetti noodles
-- 1 lb. ground bison (or other lean meat)
-- 2 TB minced garlic
-- Mozzarella cheese, as desired
-- Olive oil
-- 1 jar marinara or tomato sauce
-- 1 small onion
-- 1/3 cup low-fat cottage cheese
-- 1 TB milled flax seed
-- 1 cup fresh basil
-- 1 TB low-fat milkAnd here’s what you do with it:
-- Preheat your oven at 400 degrees.  Cook your spaghetti al dente,  draining it, rinsing it, and setting it aside.
-- In the meantime, using a food processor, blend together the garlic, basil, olive oil, and cottage cheese.
-- Chop your onion, and start sautéing it in olive oil
-- Mix together bison, milled flax, milk, and a spoonful of your basil mixture, and form these into balls.
-- Add the formed balls into your sautéing onions, and cook, flipping them, until they are brown.
-- Add your desired amount of marinara/tomato sauce (I diluted mine with some water to make the sauce go further and help out with the sodium content), and let cook for about 10 minutes while sauce thickens.
 
-- Grease a large baking dish, and start layering! First, spread enough tomato mixture onto the bottom of the baking dish to cover it.
-- Next, mix together your meatball sauce and spaghetti, and add half of the mixture into the baking dish.
-- Sprinkle on some cheese, along with a few dollops of the basil mixture.
-- Add the rest of the spaghetti/meatball mixture on top of that, then finish with another small layer of cheese, and the rest of the basil mixture.
-- Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, covering dish with aluminum for the first 15 minutes.And you’re done!Erik and I liked this dish, but found the buffalo got a bit dry since it’s such a super lean meat. 

However, a definite success for Operation Motivation main dish #1!  (And we had a lot of yummy leftovers!)I’ll post about the delicious baked good I choose to make for week #1 in my next post. 

But here’s a preview: Thanks for reading, and don’t forget to check out the new vending website that I mentioned above!

How was your weekend??

Happy Weekend!

Best way to start a weekend blog post?

With dessert!Simply consisting of: a warm Kashi cookie, some melting peanut butter, and a spoonful of chocolate ice cream, this is an excellent quick dessert when craving something decadent.  Erik put it together the other night, and it was delicious!

Note #1: It’s very important that the cookie is warm!
Note #2: For optimal taste, and delightfulness, use a homemade cookie.

Breakfast

I’ve been making more exciting breakfasts lately than just oatmeal or cereal, and this was no exception.  Sometimes, there’s nothing better than waking up to some warm French toast!Here’s the general recipe I used.  The key to good French toast = cinnamon!  I put a dollop of strawberry Greek yogurt on top to add some flavor.Pizza Pie

Meanwhile, the pizza recipe testing is ongoing.  Erik’s getting pretty hardcore.  I even walked into his office yesterday and saw an Excel spreadsheet open on his computer with pizza ingredient calculations, ha.

He didn’t make the spreadsheet but has been researching different types of flours, yeasts, temperatures, ovens, etcetera. 
I’m glad that I love pizza This was his best crust yet:What are you doing this weekend??

Laughing Cow two ways.

Hello!

So I keep forgetting to mention this, but in case you hadn’t noticed already (see this pizza), Erik and I have been eating meat since we moved to KC.  If you will remember, we had been eating a vegetarian diet since September ‘10.  It started out mostly for fun, and didn’t think it would last forever, and sure enough … it hasn’t!

We do eat a lot less meat now, and have learned there are many ways to enjoy meat free meals.  And now that we’re in Kansas City, it’s much easier to get ahold of grass fed/organic meats. 
Just wanted to clear any confusion in future carnivorous pictures found on Lesley Lifting Life

Breakfast

Yesterday, the theme of the day seemed to be Laughing Cow cheese.  First off, in breakfast.I decided on an egg sandwich + Laughing Cow cheese wedge combo.  This has longtime been a favorite of mine.  Here was the mix:

-- 2 eggs, beaten and cooked on a skillet with coconut oil, seasoned with pepper
-- 2 toasted pieces of bread (I used Rudy’s Spelt bread, my current all-time favorite)
-- 1 Light Original laughing cow cheese wedge, spread onto toasted bread
-- Ketchup, as needed

Eaten alongside a grapefruit with some hot chai tea = breakfast perfection!Afternoon Lull

I accidentally slept in yesterday (forgetting to turn your phone off silent will cause that to happen from time to time), which threw me off a bit.  By last morning/afternoon, I was suffering from a tired lull, ha.

Izze came to my rescue.  It always does. 

Clementine is one of my favorite flavors, and what I love about Izze is that there are not added sugars, it’s simply sweetened with fruit.Note to self: Pay attention to where you’re pouring when you’re trying to take a picture and pour at the same time.  As you can see below, I failed.Lunch

Apparently, I didn’t get enough Laughing Cow, or Rudy’s bread at breakfast because come lunch time, I had some more! This time … with tuna.My tuna sandwich mix:

-- 2 pieces toasted bread (we like our bread toasted around here, ha)
-- 1 can tuna, rinsed and seasoned with lots of pepper
-- 1 Laughing Cow cheese wedge mixed in with tuna
-- Chopped baby tomatoes mixed in with tuna/Laughing Cow mixture (this is unpictured … I didn’t have any, but for optimal tuna sandwich experience, they are needed, trust me)
-- 1 slice pepper jack cheese for kick (optional)

I found my sandwich was a little dry, so I added some ketchup.  I blame this on the lack of cherry tomatoes.And that’s a wrap!

If you like them, what’s your favorite way to eat Laughing Cow cheese wedges??

Go with it.

Happy March!  

I’m partial to this lovely month because it happens to be the month I was born and it also means warmer weather is alllllmost here!

Progress

I’m happy to report that Operation Motivation is off to a good start.  I started off Monday and Tuesday by waking up earlier and getting my workout in, which consisted of Jillian’s 30 Day Shred. 

My thoughts?  I definitely feel it, it’s challenging, and my muscles are aching so I know it’s working! What I like about Jillian’s workout DVDs is that they incorporate weights along with cardio.  I went through a period of busyness (moving, etcetera) that I didn’t workout for quite awhile and I’m definitely feeling out of shape, so I think I picked a good DVD to get me back on track.

Breakfast

Something about working out in the morning makes me crave hearty oatmeal and hot tea for breakfast, so I go with it … I stuck with my current favorite combination.Speaking of food and Operation Motivation, I’m still on the lookout for new fun recipes to make!  I’ve been bookmarking things that appeal to me, and flipping through old Clean Eating magazines for inspiration.

I’m most excited to bake something each week because I really enjoy baking, but I rarely ever actually do it!Just for Fun

My sister sent me some pictures of my adorable little nephew, Walker, and I couldn’t help but share.  I haven't seen him since Christmas, almost right after he was born, and I’m sure I will barely recognize him whenever I get to see him again.I especially love this picture!

Hope your week is off to a good start! 

 

What’s your favorite baked good??