Daily Manna: pancakes, rest day, and a muffin recipe!

Well hello there! I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend and are having fun gearing up for Christmas! I know I am! My hubby and I decorated our apartment and we are so excited to celebrate our first Christmas together! I love everything about this season and am looking forward to many cozy nights sipping tea and watching Christmas movies! :) 

I thought I'd bring back my daily manna posts from...um...about 2 years ago? I used to write these daily posts as a journal to myself and I absolutely loved them! But, life got in the way, which is typically the case, and I didn't give this blog the attention it deserves. Blogging is near and dear to my heart so I definitely want to take care of my blog more and give you more content to read! 

And with that said...here is today's daily manna!  

Today was a rest day for me workout-wise. I don't take nearly enough rest days as I should, and since I felt a little under the weather earlier this week, I decided to take it easy on my body. So, I started my day out with quiet time with Jesus and read and journaled. Then I whipped up my shakeology and sipped on yummy superfoods! 

I blended a scoop of vegan chocolate Shakeology with coconut milk and ice...so good!  

I decided to make my hubby and I some pancakes since I had some extra time in the morning (I am a super early riser). I used the gluten free pumpkin pancake mix from Trader Joe's and mixed in oats and flaxseed for some extra fiber and healthy fats! I topped these babies up with sunflower seed butter (I'm obsessed). They hit the spot!  

Around 9am, I definitely needed something warm since our office was freezing! I had an extra tea bag from sbux (I usually order grandes with just one tea bag and sometimes the kind souls at Starbucks let you take the second tea bag home!) so I boiled some water and snuggled in my office chair with my tea. I also had a Larabar but forgot to take a picture of it...sad day! 

After a busy morning meeting with patients, it was time for lunch! 

Lentil veggie stew with brown rice and a side of carrots. And for dessert...kiwi! I love kiwis!  

Work ended pretty quickly in the afternoon and once I got home and did an inventory of our fridge, I grabbed my purse and headed to sprouts. We literally only had kale and quinoa in the fridge, and I knew we needed some more supplies! I love going to the grocery store when I'm NOT in a hurry, and this afternoon provided me with that opportunity! I walked along each and every aisle and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

I also snacked on some almond because PSA: do not go grocery shopping hungry!  

Almonds yummmm :)  

I got home and organized our fridge and pantry and settled down to some Netflix time. I love being productive when I'm home (and I DID clean the kitchen floor!) but today, rest was calling to me, and I listened. 

Until...baking called my name. I have been wanting to experiment with spelt flour lately, so I decided to whip up some almond blueberry muffins. I just basically threw what I had into a bowl and hoped for the best! The recipe went something like this: 

Makes 9 muffins:

1/2 cup spelt flour

1/2 cup almond flour

1/2 cup applesauce

1 T coconut oil

1 whole egg

1/2 cup almond milk

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup baking stevia (or sugar) 

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

I mixed the batter thoroughly, poured the batter in 9 muffin tins, and then baked them on 350 for about 20-25 minutes (I've found the baking time REALLY depends on your oven, so check with a toothpick!). While I waited for these to bake, I whipped up a quick dinner. 

I had made the quinoa and black beans yesterday, so dinner was a breeze tonight (yay for meal prep). Basically cooked quinoa and added a can of cuban black beans and about 1/2 cup fresh salsa (laziest dinner ever). So for today, I made a huge salad (massaged kale, romaine, cucumbers, and tomatoes with olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic salt), with the quinoa-bean mix, and a small handful of rice chips! This dinner hit the spot and left me feeling satisfied and happy! 

And a little bit after dinner, it was time to taste-test my muffin. I smeared it with a bit of Justin's vanilla almond butter which legit tastes like frosting...SO GOOD! And I'll definitely be baking with spelt from now on! Some benefits of spelt include its high fiber and protein content, and how abundant it is in important minerals such as iron, zinc, and B vitamins! Plus the spelt flour gave these muffins a crunchy top and a soft and fluffy middle...just the way I like it!

After my delicious muffin, I cleaned up the rest of the kitchen and am now enjoying some quiet time waiting for my hubby to get home. On Thursday nights, he leads a small group bible study for high school guys in our home, so I plan on heading to our bedroom and having some quiet time, reading, and journaling, then hopefully dozing off and getting a good night's rest for my Disneyland day tomorrow! I'm oh so excited! 

It truly was such a good day today. It's so important to look for the good in every day and gather the blessings God lays before us, just as the Israelites gathered the manna God provided for them. I am so grateful today for my job, my coworker, my sweet bosses, my husband, and our quaint little apartment. I'm thankful for my clients who bring such joy into my life and are KILLING it with their healthy lifestyle habits this week during our challenge. Lastly, I'm so very thankful for my relationship with Jesus and the grace and restoration He has shown a broken girl like me. His love is SO sweet! 

I hope you all have a restful evening...it's FriYAY tomorrow!! :) 

Adding Variety to Meal Planning

I've heard it said time and time again that the more simple you keep your meals, the higher the chances that you will stick to your healthy eating goals. While I agree with this to some extent, I do think there are a few exceptions to this piece of advice. Keeping meals simple helps us when we are planning because we don't have to overthink what we want to eat. I know that I do this from time to time, especially during busy weeks. If I have some of my beloved frozen turkey burgers from Trader Joe's in my freezer, BOOM, meals for the week. If I have some sausage and sweet potatoes, I whip up a casserole and call it a day. But sometimes, especially when you are finding yourself eating out of boredom and dreading your next meal, it's time to rethink the mundane simplicity of your every day, go-to meals.

I've been feeling this kind of boredom lately. And I am a big lover of food, so when I don't look forward to my next meal...it's a problem. I realized that all I've been eating are salads with the same dressing, and some kind of protein, usually my turkey burgers. I love those turkey burgers, but sometimes, a girl needs some variety! These past few weeks, I have been giving myself so many more options when it comes to my meals. My only "rules" are gluten free (I started sneaking that pesky bugger in during and after the holidays...not a good idea), and minimal sugars, processed carbs, and processed foods in general. All else is totally game.

Let's start with breakfast. Usually, I eat veggie scrambles. Every. Single. Day. And while I love eggs, eggs every day can get a tad bit repetitive. Last week, I made some protein pancakes instead. I hadn't made pancakes in FOREVER, and I decided that I would make them again. They don't take that long to make, and are still healthy when you pack them with some protein (I used Jaime Eason's Lean Body for Her Vanilla Whey; best whey I've ever tasted!). These turned out great and added some nice variety to my morning.

I also hadn't had oats in what felt like a very long time, so yesterday morning, I microwaved my oats (short-on-time syndrome) and topped them with some chopped walnuts and blueberries. This kept me full for a WHILE and I thoroughly enjoyed my warm mushy breakfast.

And speaking of blueberries, I've just been having them as a snack lately too! On Saturday, I was pretty hungry in the mid morning, but it was almost lunch time and I didn't want too much to fill me up. So I opted for a nice bowl of bloobs and they hit the spot!

Lastly, last night, I decided to have a vegetarian dinner. I am a huge, HUGE, meat eater. I was actually vegetarian a few years back in grad school, but because of some of the health problems I experienced, I decided to add meat back into my life, and I have never looked back. But as much as I love meat, having it at every single meal can get annoying and kind of gross. Last night, I heated up a can of Amy's Organic low sodium lentil vegetable soup. I added a WHOLE lot of spinach to the pot to make it more vegetable-y (yes, it's a word), and the spinach of course shrank. Then, I added a bag of Trader Joe's frozen brown rice. The whole meal was ready in about 5 minutes, made two servings so I am all set for lunch today, and is the perfect winter stew!

If you want to add more variety to your meals while still keeping them healthy, I recommend getting started in a few easy steps:

1. Take inventory of what you have at home. I realized I have so much frozen tilapia, chicken, grass fed beef, and a mahi mahi burger that are just waiting to get eaten. You can season these meats up differently every time you cook them and get a different flavor each time.

2. Make a list of all the meals you could make adding and combining these foods. I brainstormed that I could use the chicken as a stir-fry with vegetables and some coconut aminos, I could make it into a vegetable casserole, or I could eat it with some marinara sauce and lentils (such a great combination!) I could make the grass fed beef into taco meat, or into little sausage patties. There are so many things we could create if we actually knew the foods we had on hand!

3. Start today. Start changing up your schedule today. You can still eat healthy foods while adding variety to your meals and not getting stuck in the same patterns every day. For me, getting stuck causes me to reach for variety in the form of not so healthy foods. I'd rather change up my daily meals knowing that they are still healthy and look forward to eating every day of my life!

I hope this helps someone out there who finds themselves in a food rut! What is your go-to meal every day, and what do you think you could do to spice up your meal plan a bit?

Workout Rant & Mugcake!

Blah. That's the word I would use to describe my workout this morning. Lately I've been feeling like if I don't run, my workout is not as WOW feeling. But I also have to take care of my knees/joints, and don't want to get into the habit of running every day again! Yesterday, I ran 4 miles and had a great session with my trainer. I left the gym feeling amazingly fatigued and so happy with the workout! Today, I got a good back/biceps workout in the weight room, then did the elliptical for 30 mins. I felt NOTHING. I didn't break a sweat, my heart rate barely made it in "the zone," and I left feeling kind of disappointed in myself.

But then, as many Pinterest quotes have reminded me, a bad workout is better than no workout at all! And plus, it wasn't a bad workout! My arms are already sore from my toning session, and I definitely challenged myself with my weights. Some days, it has to be okay to not completely push yourself in both cardio and toning work, but still know you got a solid workout in. It isn't always about the number of calories you burn! Working out has to have a deeper meaning than just burning some calories. So I am going to be proud of my workout today, and have a great and healthy day!

On a side note, I made an awesome mug cake post workout!

It consisted of: 3T peanut flour, 1/2 mashed banana, 1/2 scoop cellucor protein powder, and 1 egg! Mix all the ingredients in a microwavable bowl, then microwave for 3 minutes! I sliced mine in half, then topped it with some strawberry jam!

Have a great Thursday everyone, and get a workout in, even if it's a blah one!

Friday Night Picnic Date

Last Friday night, I decided to plan a little surprise date for my fiancé and I. He has been working so hard for the past few weeks, staying at work late and going in early. I wanted to do something special and nice for him that would be personal but also relaxing so we could enjoy a nice Friday night together. We only see each other during the weekends, so we try to make the most of that time. I was brainstorming ideas and finally decided that I would plan a nice picnic with all of our favorite foods. The weather has been beautiful lately, so a picnic worked out perfectly! I got to work on the menu earlier in the week and made sure I made a list of all the ingredients I needed. I also carved out Thursday night as my night to cook and bake so I would be well prepared before Friday! This was the menu that I planned out:

Appetizers:

Hummus

Milton's gluten free crackers

Dinner:

Mediterranean Meatballs from Picket Fence Paleo (http://picketfencepaleo.com/mediterranean-meatballs/)

Salads in Mason jars

Hawaiian bread rolls

Dessert:

Grapes

Carrot cake muffins (recipe coming soon!)

I wanted something yummy and light as an appetizer or something to snack on at the park during our picnic. We love hummus and I have recently been on a Milton's gluten free crackers kick, so I thought that would be perfect as a snack food. We also dipped the meatballs in the hummus, which...YUM!!!!!

I decided to make Mediterranean-style meatballs. I used the Picket Fence Paleo recipe, but omitted the olives and apricots. These meatballs turned out absolutely delicious! I highly recommend them. I also bought some Hawaiian bread rolls so my fiancé could make meatball sandwiches. He loves this bread, it is always so fluffy and yummy! So I thought I would treat him with that option. My mason jar salads also complimented the meatballs nicely! I used a red wine vinaigrette on the bottom, then loaded all the veggies in!

The carrot cake muffins were also baked on Thursday night. I had to try a few versions of various recipes before I came up with one that I was pleased with! I will be sharing this recipe soon! I packed a few muffins along with some green grapes...Vasken's favorite!

I had such a nice relaxing time together. Thank you to my friend Jessica for the cute strawberry blanket for our picnic!!!!

I'm so glad with how this evening turned out. The food was delicious and it was such a cute, fun, and relaxing way to start the weekend together! Take advantage of this beautiful summer weather, and plan a healthy and fun picnic for your loved ones as well!!! Have a great day everyone!

Mega Meal-Prep Sunday!

Good morning everyone and happy Sunday! I hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend. Mine has been great, except for the fact that I seem to have injured my foot from my run yesterday...

I know I know...I am always injured somewhere! I'm quite frustrated with the whole thing, but I am trying to focus on what I can do, and even feel that this was God's way of helping me take it easy on myself. As much as I love working out, I have been feeling worn down lately. I also feel that it was my new shoes, which I am beginning to think are a size too small, that put extra pressure on my foot during my outdoor run yesterday. In any case, I did NOT work out this morning, and I meal prepped instead! I want to be extra prepared and on top of my eating this week...so I made about 5-6 different dishes I can eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! As well as snacks!

The first thing I did was chop up some sweet and Yukon gold potatoes and baked them. I also made my Cajun chicken dish, but instead of rice, I wanted to use the sweet potatoes as my starch. The Cajun chicken recipe can be found on my blog...just search it! :)

I used ready made lemon pepper chicken and spicy jalapeño chicken sausage to add a kick to this dish, as well as Whole Food's Cajun seasoning! Yum!

I also made tzatziki dip with plain, nonfat Greek yogurt, cucumbers, mint, garlic, and lemon juice. This dip is so tasty and is extremely high in protein, which is perfect as a midday snack to hold you over until your next meal.

For some ready protein, I made some grass fed ground taco beef as an emergency protein source to have on hand. I always like to have some kind of healthy protein at home to rely on...because you never know!

Lastly, I made a frittata! I just used 8 eggs, 1/2 cup almond milk, kale, peppers, and tomatoes. I wanted a quick and easy breakfast I could eat at home or pack for work, as I've been doing a lot of morning overtime lately and need to get a healthy breakfast in before heading out the door!

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OH! And the BEST part of the morning was seeing on Instagram that Trader Joe's now carries cashew butter! I ran out and bought some and had it with a banana while I cooked. It. Was. Amazing!!!

Woooo! What a morning! And it's not even 10am! Now it's time for church! Have a great day everyone!

Special: 3-day Low Grain Meal Plan

Hello everyone! We made it over the hump and now it's officially almost the weekend! I thought I would share a special 3-day, jump start meal plan with you all. It's a low-grain plan which is a perfect way to start on your healthy eating journey, lose some bloat, and have more energy. I shared a more extensive version of this plan with one of my clients, but I thought I would just share a small portion of it on my blog as well! If anyone is interested in some nutrition, weight loss, or healthy eating counseling, I would be more than happy to be of service to you! Just email me at tveenrd@gmail.com and we can get started! I'm not on a strict, restrictive diet myself, but I do know that when I feel the bloat coming on, I have to watch the amount of grain-y, gluten-y products I am eating. Grains ferment in our bodies, causing gas and bloating, which explains that stuffed feeling after downing a bowl of pasta that I am sure we have all experienced! I put together this plan and I believe it is pretty flexible compared to some of the other, stricter plans out there. Deprivation is not my friend, physically or emotionally, so I don't want anyone I am trying to help to feel deprived either! This is a low-grain, not NO grain plan (you will notice some oats and 1/2 pieces of bread in the plan), but you can tweak it to your dietary comfort level. The main message of this plan is to fill up on vegetables instead of grains, eat plenty of proteins and healthy fats, and limit grain/bread products to every other day maximum, or even once  week, as needed.

I hope this 3-day plan it is helpful to someone out there! If you click on the link on the link below, it should take you to a PDF version of my plan.

3day Jump Start

Have a great, happy, and healthy Thursday everyone!

Sick Day....therefore....Paleo Pancakes!

Soooo today was awful. I've been feeling SO sick for about 5-6 days now (put quite a damper on this long weekend) so I finally called off of work today. I feel miserable and like someone is cutting my throat open! Really...it's that bad. When I was younger and I would get a sore throat, I used to always want to eat warm bready things. For some reason, in my brain, they soaked up the pain and made me feel better. Baguettes, bagels, chewy cookies, anything to "soak up the pain" and I was all in. Well, now that I know better, (unfortunately or fortunately, I cannot decide) I have realized that bread does NOT help the pain go away. However, this doesn't stop me from wanting some pancakes to make me feel better on a sick day! I decided to create a paleo pancake recipe because a) I wanted it to be healthy-ish and b) because I have been disappointed by every recipe out there and just wanted one to work! Let me tell you, this one worked! These pancakes taste like the real deal, but are totally guilt free and made from quality ingredients! I added some blueberries in and on top of my pancakes, and they turned out delicious. Whether you are feeling sick or not, these make a delicious and healthy breakfast for any day of the week!  

Makes 1 serving (3-4 medium sized pancakes)

2 whole eggs 2 T coconut flour 2 T applesauce 1/3 cup egg whites (these really did the trick to add fluffiness!) Dash of cinnamon 1/8 t baking soda 1/4-1/2 cup blueberries

First things first, heat up a skillet over medium heat. Then in a mixing bowl, whisk the two eggs together. Add the coconut flour, apple sauce, egg whites, cinnamon, and baking soda and mix the batter until it becomes a pancake batter consistency. Then, spray the skillet or melt some coconut oil on it. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto the skillet. Plop some blueberries on top, and wait till the entire top of the pancake is covered with bubbles...

This part takes patience...as these pancakes take a bit longer to cook than regular ones! But don't worry, the wait will be worth it. Once the top bubbles, flip the pancake over carefully and cool until cooked through. Do the same with the rest of the batter!

I topped my pancakes with the leftover blueberries I had. SO GOOD!! You can eat these plain or top them with nut butter, more fruit, or anything!

Enjoy this recipe and happy Monday everyone! :) I am off to the doctor to see what is up with my throat!

Stars and Stripes Scones

I am soooo excited for this long weekend! It feels so nice having a Friday off...and I especially love Fourth of July! I decided to bake a themed scone for this weekend to be a little festive. These scones have strawberries, blueberries, are healthy and taste delicious! I can't wait to share with you all! Read below and make your Stars and Stripes Scones this weekend! Makes 12 scones

3/4 cup pancake and baking mix 1/2 cup almond meal 2 scoops protein powder 1/2 cup rolled oats 2 T flaxseed meal 1 cup baking stevia 3/4 cup applesauce 1 T coconut oil 1/3 cup almond milk 1 egg 1/2 cup chopped strawberries 1/2 cup blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350.

Mix the dry ingredients, then the wet. After they are thoroughly mixed together, add the fruit!

Spray a baking pan, then pour the batter/dough (the consistency should be somewhere in between) onto the pan in a large circle.

Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes. Once cooled, cut into 12 wedges and enjoy!

These turned out so delicious! A little bit of a crunch on top with a gooey middle, exactly how scones should be! I hope you get to enjoy this patriotic recipe sometime this weekend!

Life Lately

Happy Saturday everyone! I am so glad it is finally the weekend. I am currently icing my ankle as it has been randomly swollen all week. I had pain and tingling in it at the beginning of the week but worked out through the pain, then Thursday I noticed that it was seriously swollen! So I am icing and elevating and hoping it's nothing serious!

I thought I'd share my latest eats with you all and how life has been lately. In one word, life has been BUSY! I feel like every second of my week and weekends are accounted for. Thank God all my plans are fun with some lovely people, but I am actually looking forward to during the day today! Work has been keeping me busy too...always learning something new and slowly getting more and more comfortable! At least I have been able to keep up with my workouts and healthy eating through it all!

My latest pre-workout meals have been either toast with peanut butter, or some kind of baked good creation. This week, I used Nature's Own Honey Wheat bread to put my peanut butter on.

I also baked some banana oat bread (recipe already posted!) with some added flaxseed (about 2 tablespoons) and an extra banana. This bread came out amazing!

My workouts have been about 40-45 minutes long as I do not have much time in the AM before work! However, I am NOT an evening worker-outer, and will definitely blow off my workout the minute I get home from work. So I love getting my workout done in the morning because it fills me with a sense of accomplishment, as well as energy to sustain me throughout the day! I've been doing 30-40 minute bike workouts with some toning work at the end. Short and sweet!

Post workouts have been tricky. Some mornings, I have time to make a nice meal after my workout. This week, I made oatmeal with half a scoop of protein powder, flaxseed, almond milk, bananas, and nuts! Oh and of course, tons of cinnamon!

I also had some leftover beans in the fridge one morning and sautéed some kale and ate that with half an avocado. Seems more like a lunch, but it tasted great as breakfast too!

And some mornings, I just grab a quest bar and go. I love these bars because they are full of protein and fiber and really act well as a post-workout meal when I am short on time!

Lunches have been delicioussss this week. I packed tuna earlier on in the week, and had some trouble getting excited about it. Usually I love tuna, but I wasn't feeling it this week. I decided that I MUST pack foods I am excited to eat! Especially at work when that 30 minute lunch break is something I really look forward to! So, my mom and I made a Seven Bean soup recipe we got from our William's Sonoma soups cookbook. It's basically sautéing onions, garlic, bell peppers, and whatever veggies you have, adding however many types of beans you want, a can of diced or crushed tomatoes, and some broth. And viola! You've got a nice and healthy chili to take with you all week to work!

I also made a salad with tons of greens, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, black beans, and avocado. Let's just say I've been on a bean and avocado kick lately :) such a great combo!

Well, that's it for my update. I hope this post gives you some meal ideas for your busy week to come! Use this weekend for some serious meal planning and prepping to ensure healthy choices all week long! Enjoy the weekend everyone!

P&P with Pumpkin Biscuits!

Happy Tuesday everyone!!! I feel as if I have been neglecting this blog for far too long! I promise to be better! I have been sick for over a week now but finally getting over it and hopefully starting up my workout routine again tomorrow! I seriously CANNOT wait!!! This past weekend was a very low key one for me as I was diagnosed with bronchitis, a double ear infection, a sinus infection, and a throat infection! I basically isolated myself to my home other than going out to eat just to get out and get some fresh air. However, I really did enjoy relaxing at home and was finally able to do something that I have been wanting to do for a long while...watch the five hour BBC version of "Pride and Prejudice" with my boyfriend! I prepared quite a spread for us...as it was five hours long and we would definitely need our sustenance!

In the bottom left corner, you will see my lovely pumpkin biscuits that I baked! These biscuits came out so fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside, and had a scone-like feel! Not only are they delicious, but they are low calorie, high in vitamin A, and are a good protein and fiber source! Here is my recipe for my Pumpkin Biscuits!

Makes 11-12 biscuits (depending on how big you make them)

2/3 cup pancake and baking mix (GF or multigrain)

1/2 cup oats

2 scoops vanilla protein powder

1 T coconut flour

1/4 cup almond flour (or additional scoop of protein powder)

1 whole egg

2 T brown sugar

1 cup pumpkin

16-18 packets stevia

1-2 t pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon (depending on your preference!

The method is pretty simple...as always! Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix all of your ingredients together. The mix will be a drop batter type of consistency, but will hold together to be able to form biscuits on a baking sheet. Line your baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray. Make 11-12 small biscuits with the batter, then bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from one of the center biscuits!

Then...enjoy!! These make a perfect dessert or movie snack, but also served well as my breakfast the next day, or while enjoying afternoon tea with my Mama!

This recipe is sooooo easy and delicious; I really hope you all get to try it! They perfectly complemented our lovely british film and were the tastiest, healthy treat! 

Nutrition facts per biscuit:

100 calories, 3g fat, 14g carbs, 2.5g fiber, 6g potein, 37% daily value of Vitamin A!