Kickin' Sweets to the Curb

Well peeps, I have temporarily kicked sweets to the curb...again. (remember this, this and this?) It's good, really. It gives me a chance to re-focus my clean eating efforts and purge the indulgences for a bit. But it almost feels like cheating when I have guiltless pleasures like the Jocalat bars around! I've been loving on Larabars for a long time (more on that here), but until last week, I had never tried the Jocalat line. Where have I been?

There is something very liberating about eating something so pure that still tastes so sinful. Almost like I've beaten that nasty little sweet tooth:)

From my recent experience I can tell you, the chocolate hazelnut is good, the chocolate coffee is okay, but the chocolate mint is outofthisworld fantastic! Like eating a mint brownie!

But just in case you look at the nutrition facts and think you would rather have an actual mint brownie, hear this: yes, there are 20 grams of sugar in this bar. However, the ingredient list is this: dates, almonds, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa powder, vanilla and peppermint extract-that's it! No added sugars or preservatives, just good ol' wholesome foods. So the sugar is coming from fruit, ya know, the natural kind. Plus you've got all the beneficial healthy fats, fiber, protein and vitamins in there. Thanks larabar, for giving my sweet tooth a healthy fix!

Happy snacking!

On Preperation

When it comes to sticking with healthy eating and snacking, a little preperation goes a LONG way! It takes about 30 minutes on a Sunday afternoon to wash and prep fruits and veggies, hard boil some eggs and grill up a few chicken breasts so healthy snacks and meals are right at your fingertips all week.

And a little tip I have learned: if a beautiful array of produce is the first thing staring you in the face when you open your refrigerator, chances are, you are less likely to reach for the Girl Scout cookies and consume mindless calories!

Just remember: "Failing to prepare is preparing to fail."

In good health,

Kate

Larabar Love

Let me start by saying I am a big fan of simplicity when it comes to what I put in my body. I like to know what is in my food, which is why I prefer to to make most of our meals at home. But lets be honest, on days I am working from 6am to 8:30pm, I need some easy snacks that I can throw in my bag and eat on the go (especially when I only have a minute between clients!).

I am generally a big fan of portable fruit like apples and bananas, but sometimes I need something more. Something that tastes like a treat, yet has a lot to offer nutritionally, which is why I am LOVING Larabars. They come in the most delicious flavors (lemon bar, chocolate coconut, apple pie and cinnamon roll) and yet, they're gluten free and only contain pure and simple ingredients.

Take the Peanut Butter Cookie for example, the only ingredients: prunes, peanuts, salt. And you would have no idea! It seriously tastes like a little baked treat!

Bottom line - you need to go get yourself some Larabars today! You'll thank me later!

image/abeautifulmess

A Sweet {Potato} Twist

I recently came across this tasty looking Sweet Potato Hummus. Doesn't it sound intriguing? I love finding a new twist on this old favorite. Can't wait to test it out next week! Well done Martha, well done.

image/wholeliving

Sweet Treats

It came to my attention last week that homemade popsicles are all the rage this year and I had not yet hopped on the bandwagon. But after reading about them here and here and here I decided enough was enough and we were no longer going to endure these triple digit days of Summer without some popsicles for comfort!

And true to form, I also wanted these super cute Tovolo molds everyone was using, even though I have some multi colored ones I picked up at a garage sale a few months ago (never used!). But these were so much cuter! Deciding though to use my better judgement and save my $13 + shipping for a rainy day, I settled on using what I had.

That is until we came across them at Nordstrom Rack this weekend. And for only $9.96! To my suprise, Chris was the one who insisted I buy them. I'm pretty sure he's been hankering popsicles since I mentioned them last week. So we purchased some. And I couldn't be happier with the results!

That night I made strawberry, nectarine and blackberry pops (aka: the fruit the was about to go bad in the fridge) and oh my, they are so refreshing and so easy! The splendid thing is, they are a healthy alternative to store bought and the possibilities are nearly endless!

Next I would like to try some kind of watermelon mint combo! YUM!!

Berry Nectarine Popsicles
6 ounces strawberries, hulled
2 nectarines, pitted
3 ounces blackberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon agave nectar

Clean Eating Snack Ideas

As I explained here, Clean Eating entails eating 5-6 small meals a day. Which means you should be eating about every 2-3 hours. Great news, right?! This will keep a constant flow of energy to your body and help you feel full and satisfied all day long.

I realize to most people this sounds like a whole lot of food, but trust me, when you begin to feel the benefits of steady energy throughout the day, you won't want it any other way!

I wanted to share some quick and easy clean eating snack ideas. The important thing to remember with your meals and snacks is to pair quality protein with a complex carbohydrate. This will ensure you stay full until your next meal!

Here are some of my favorite combos:

greek yogurt + fresh berries
cottage cheese + a few dries apricots
veggies + spicy hummus
apple slices + 2 tbsp natural peanut butter
tuna + Wasa crackers
almonds + grapes
air popped popcorn + 1 serving fruit
vanilla protein powder + blueberries + skim milk = smoothie
ww tortilla + 1 tbsp natural peanut butter + banana sliced
ww tortilla + grilled chicken (sliced) + shredded carrots and lettuce + hummus
hard boiled egg whites + old fashioned oats

As you can see, the options are endless and portable, making it easy to take them with you throughout the day!

Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe has been on my "to make" list ever since I saw it in the March/April issue of Clean Eating. I finally got around to making them several weeks ago and am only now posting about them...whoops! But I should tell you, they were worth the wait!

These gluten-free, dairy free, low-sugar treats are super simple, quick and full of nutty goodness! They boast 110 calories and 1.5 grams of saturated fat per cookie, so while not exactly an everyday indulgence, definitely a healthier alternative for that pesky sweet tooth we all get every now and then! I made these with 70% espresso chocolate, which gave them a nice twist, but whichever chocolate you use, make sure it's top quality!

Cooks tip: we found they got better over a few days and were especially tasty when a little cold from being in a chilled lunch box!

Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
recipe from Clean Eating

1 cup unsalted almond butter, stirred well
3/4 cup Sucanat
1 large egg
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t fine sea salt
3 oz dark chocolate (70%cocoa or better), broken into small pieces

Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, stir together first 5 ingredients until blended. Stir in chocolate.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto parchment lined baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and let cool for 15 more minutes.

Lovely Things

I just wanted to share a few simple things I've been enjoying this week.

Given my deep love for being comfortable, I was such a happy girl when I found these fun, nautical themed jammie pants! And because I was so achy from the half marathon last weekend, they were perfect for lounging around at home. Wonderfully lightweight and great for the warmer weather!


Homegrown roses straight from the garden! Let's be honest, they don't even compare to the store bought kind. They smell fantastic and have been going strong since Sunday!


The past two weeks or so I have been getting my sweet fill from chocolate peanut butter. I mean, everyone knows chocolate and peanut butter are a match made in heaven!

This was made by my mom in her Vita-Mix using only raw peanuts and a few dark chocolate chips, but if you don't prefer to make your own you might like Peanut Butter & Co.'s Dark Chocolate Dreams, or try grinding it yourself at Whole Foods! I personally enjoy it with fresh apple slices!


Have a lovely Thursday and Happy Earth day!

Cracker Dilemma Solved

I admit that if it weren't for my husband, there are many delicious snacks I wouldn't know about. Mainly because when it comes to lunches, he tends to be a little, well, high maintanence. This is an area I often lovingly tease him about because he literally needs his lunch components to vary somewhat every week or he just gets bored.

It is for this reason I make a conscious effort to purchase different lunch meat, crackers, fruit and even bread type (whole wheat, rye, pita, etc) on a weekly basis. I personally don't love lunch food so it couldn't matter less for me, but these are the sweet quirks you come to know and love about a spouse.

Truth be told, the cracker arena proves most difficult since I am a faithful Whole Foods shopper and they don't carry most of the popular brands such as Nabisco and Lay's. And much to my husband's dismay because he typically ends up with some wannabe Wheat Thin or Cheez-It with very little resemblance to the real thing he loves so much. Poor guy!

But Saturday was one of those rare occassions where he accompanied me to the store (which is usually dangerous for my budget!) and as we entered the humble cracker aisle, we noticed a little section we had never seen before with Blue Diamond Nut Thins (a familiar brand). As we stared at the 9 different flavors, he had to solicit my advice because he wanted to try them all. We finally landed on the Country Ranch flavor and went on our way.

Of course the real test was still to come. Monday afternoon as he opened his lunch box and pulled out the crackers I think I saw a little bit of nervous anticipation because it they were bad, it meant he had tapped all available cracker resources and there was no suitable option left. But alas, they were delicious! Both perfectly crispy and flavorful. Of course, you knew that or I wouldn't have five paragraphs to tell this story.

So the moral of the story: there is a delicious, Whole Foods approved, cracker that even my husband can be pleased with. And now we have 8 other flavors to explore!

And after reading a little about them I discovered that they are also wheat and gluten free! And apparently Blue Diamond is a sponsor of the Celiac Disease Foundation and National Foundation for Celiac Awareness. Awesome!

Kitchen Trickery

As I mentioned last week, I have temporarily given up sweets and desserts, which quite honestly, has been difficult at times. Like when I got a work email yesterday saying there were chocolate covered coconut balls in the kitchen (come on!). But not all hope is lost as I've found some creative ways to "trick" myself into thinking I'm getting a sweet treat.

What are these tricks, you ask? Well, possibly my favorite is a little secret I learned many years ago: freezing grapes! That's right, the bum fruit we pick around in a fruit salad is completely transformed when frozen. The insides become slushy while the skin gives a hearty crunch as you bite into them. They honestly taste like bite-size popsicles (which is what we decided we'll tell our kids they are!).

Unknown to me, my husband had never tasted this frozen delight. As I pulled out the bag last night to satisfy a sweet craving, he sceptically grabbed a few and popped them in his mouth. Obviously he was pleasantly suprised, even to the point he told me to take away the bag or he might finish it off! Haha! At least I wouldn't feel bad if he finished them off, unlike, say, a box of Girl Scout cookies...

And did I mention this is the easiest snack ever? Just wash a bag of grapes, stick them in a plastic bag and pop in the freezer until you're ready to eat.

These may have saved me from sneaking a few treats currently sitting in our pantry!

via

A Perfect Pairing

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I tend to get on kicks when it comes to food, but I mean, who doesn't? You've got to change it up to prevent boredom!

Lately, greek yogurt is one of my favorite snack choices! Something about its super thick, creamy texture makes it feel like I am seriously indulging, when I am really providing my body with healthy energy. Who doesn't love that?! Over the years I've tried numerous brands, but these days I am loving Chobani non-fat vanilla greek yogurt with sliced strawberries.

Now I know, I know, strawberries are not actually in season and I am almost always against buying produce that is not in season. But while grocery shopping this week I made an exception because they were calling my name, not to mention they were reasonably priced and looked tasty!

I should also mention that Chobani was recently featured in Clean Eating magazine as the best greek yogurt! Take a look at the label for yourself. (these are for the nonfat vanilla variety)

Mmm...enjoy!

True North Snacks

One word about these delectable little snacks: Addicting! Chris and I simply can't keep our hands out of this bag! They are positively delicious and with 5g of protein per serving, they make a perfect snack to keep in your purse for those pesky little cravings of a sweet/salty snack. And an added bonus, they’re all natural: no preservatives, no artificial flavors, no added colors, no trans fats. Most varieties are gluten free, wheat free; all are vegan and kosher. Hooray!

Check out their website and see all the other great products they have to offer!

Getting the Hang of This

This weekend I finally started making the ever talked about snack bags! I must say, I think only now do I grasp the time that goes into prepping a project such as this! Washing and ironing the fabric, cutting the pattern, attaching the pattern and cutting out the fabric, cutting out the applique...and all that before you even get to sew! Anyway, I only have one (the smallest of the four) finished. Mainly because I am still trying to get the hang of stitching on the applique, but hey, practice makes perfect, right?!

I am proud as can be of my little snack bag! Isn't she cute?!

All In Good Health

Today's post is on some of my favorite components to my daily snacks (or meals)!

Since I can remember, oatmeal has been a true comfort food of mine. I basically have it everyday and if I don't have it for breakfast, it is usually a part of my morning or afternoon snack. Some think it's weird, but I just think it's delicious!

A few years ago, my Mom shared her discovery of Trader Joe's frozen steel cut oatmeal with me. I was amazed at how tasty it was even though it came frozen! Which, by the way, makes it a great thing to keep at work since it takes a mere 3 minutes to heat up in the microwave. Now before you write this off as another "healthy food" you won't like, let me get to the good part. This steel cut oatmeal is lightly sweetened with brown sugar and maple syrup, making it (I believe) a winner even for an oatmeal hater. Now if you happen to be a bit of an oatmeal snob like me, you should know that these taste as good as when I spend the 12 minutes cooking them over the stove! And as oats so wonderfully do, this treat offers 4g of dietary fiber to your meal. Now just add a banana or some berries and you are well on your way to the 25g recommended daily for women (30g for men). How sweet is that?


You all know how much I love my coffee, but maybe not as well known is how much I also love tea. In fact, usually after my morning fix of coffee, I switch to a few cups of tea. So today I'm going to share two of my favorite kinds. They are made by Republic of Tea (thank you, Lael) and very different from your typical green or black tea, as they are red teas made from a blend of rooibos. They are called Get Clean and Get Charged and if you are a tea drinker at all, I recommend you explore these or any of their other fantastic flavors!



Wishing you good health always!