Author: lmpicard16@gmail.com

Summer Smoothie Recipe

Posted on September 6, 2013 by lmpicard16@gmail.com

Hello there strangers!

Well, I survived the first week of classes! Woohoooo.

Too bad this was the ‘easiest’ week of classes… And the work is already beginning to pile up. YAY! (I’m just complaining…it’s really okay, it feels good to be back in the swing of things).

I don’t have much time (per usual) because there’s a football game tonight (!!!), but I wanted to drop in with a recipe that was requested a little while back!

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Almost every morning this past summer I started my day with a couple scrambled eggs and a cold, refreshing smoothie.

Besides being portable (great for on-the-go breakfasts and snacks), smoothies are the perfect way to sneak tons of nutrients into your daily diet – and they’re absolutely delicious (especially on a hot summer day)!

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This is just one of my million smoothie recipes! You can literally add (or subtract) anything you want to create your own go-to smoothie.

You can amp up the protein by adding whey protein powder or any nut butter you like.
You can make it ‘thinner’ (I personally prefer a thick, ‘ice cream’ texture ;)) by adding any type of milk (dairy, soy, rice, almond, coconut), water, or fruit juice.
To make it thicker, you can add more yogurt (feel free to use flavors!) or xanthan gum.

As you can see, the possibilities are endless.

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Summer Smoothie

Ingredients

(makes 1 serving – a small snack or part of a complete breakfast)

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
1/4 cup vanilla almond milk
1 slice watermelon
1/2 frozen banana
handful frozen strawberries
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
handful fresh or frozen spinach
2 to 3 ice cubes

Directions:

Simply toss all the ingredients in a blender, blend away, pour into a cup, and slurp through a straw or, my favorite way, eat with a spoon!!

*The best order to add ingredients: liquids, frozen fruit, powders, ice, and then fresh fruit.

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I’m hoping to be back on here soon(ish) with a “Lately” post, and possibly some workouts for ya!

In the meantime, I’m off to shower (I ran over three hours ago…yikes) and get ready for the football game tonight! So happy it’s Friday 🙂

Have a great weekend!

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Questions of the day:

What’s your favorite smoothie recipe?
Got any fun plans this weekend?
Is there anything you want me to post about (food pics, workouts, life, recipes, etc…)?

New and Exciting

Posted on August 30, 2013 by lmpicard16@gmail.com

Hey hey! I’m so excited to finally have a few free minutes to check in with you all.

My days have been crazy between moving in Tuesday and full days of Health Coach training Wednesday, Thursday, and today.

But, training is finally over and…

I’m officially a CERTIFIED HEALTH COACH!!

Woohoooooo!

Now that the long days of training are behind me, I can give presentations to my peers about nutrition, and do iHP’s (aka individual health plans aka one-on-one meetings with students).

Talk about new and exciting! 🙂

Speaking of exciting, I’ve now got a three day weekend to relax, hang out with my roommates and friends, go to the first football game, head into the city, and enjoy my last few days of freedom before classes begin on Tuesday (womp womp…).

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Since I was so busy I wasn’t able to take many (or really any) pics, but I do have a few of the lunches we ate during training.

Portobello mushroom and veggie sammy with fruit and more veggies. Tasted good but I was starving about 20 minutes later…so I dove into the bag of almonds and walnuts I had packed.

Margarita pizza on whole grain crust with sun dried tomato and cranberry salad. Actually really good. I love me some sun dried tomatoes.

Last night I was starved after a sweaty workout in the gym (which was well needed after sitting for a full 8 hours), and my friends and I didn’t want to wait in line for hot food, so we grabbed some sandwiches and soup. Boy did that turkey and cheese sammy and vegetarian bean chili hit the spot.

An hour or so after dinner we grabbed a bit of froyo which was amazing after not having any sweets since I left home… (the dining halls had limited menus the first few days since most people hadn’t moved in yet, and I made sure all the meals and snacks that I ate would fill me up and offer me the key nutrients I needed to keep me running through the long days I had. But oh my gosh did I miss my daily treat(s) ;)).

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One thing that got me through the hectic days was taking 45 minutes to workout when I got back from training. As tired as I was mentally, my body just wanted to move! So I went on a 6 mile run one day, hit the gym for a spinning workout followed by some plank/core work, and then a little over 6 mile run today. Man did it feel good to sweat it out!

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I gotta run to dinner soon but I did want to quickly mention something about my new internship! I’m actually not working as an intern for GalTime.com right now just because I needed some time to get adjusted to school and health coaching, and wanted to try some other things. It was an awesome opportunity and I learned SO much.

A little over a week ago I was hired as an intern for Amanda Russell, the fabulous fitness guru and creator of FitStrongandSexy.com.

If you’re at all interested in fitness, healthy eating, fashion, and just living an overall happy, healthy life – check this website out! She has a gazillion workout videos on the website and on her YouTube channel, plus easy recipes and a bunch of other good stuff.

I have the honor to work with Amanda, and I am absolutely loving it. It’s definitely a lot of work to take on, especially right now with a whole new school year about to begin and becoming a health coach, but it was an opportunity that I just could not pass up.

Some of my duties include working on the weekly newsletter, working on blogs, adding recipes, and other back-end and social media work.

I’m super excited (do I say that too much…?) because I’m finding that the things I learned in my old internship, all my new health coach knowledge, my own blogging, and my new internship are overlapping and teaching me more that I ever thought possible.

If you couldn’t tell I’m super passionate about all things health/fitness/food/fashion related, and writing is one of my absolute favorite things to do.

All the work I did this summer and will continue to do (on top of all my work for my classes…yikes!) brings me so much joy. I know it sounds cheesy and sappy, but it’s true!

Let’s hope I can enjoy alllll my school work as much as I enjoy all of this. (Or maybe even just half as much…….?). 😉

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Alright, time to head out. Not sure when I’ll be able to get on here next but in the mean time, enjoy your long weekend!!

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Questions of the day:

What’s something ‘work related’ that brings you joy?
Do you have any fun plans for the long weekend?!

I’d love to hear from ya!

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PS – A big thank you to all of you who commented on my posts and started following me on WordPress and Bloglovin‘ (as well as Pinterest and Twitter)! It means so much to me.

You guys rock. 🙂

One More Thing!

Posted on August 26, 2013 by lmpicard16@gmail.com

Oh, just one more thing…

Tomorrow morning (at precisely 11:30 AM, not that I’m counting down or anything…) my guest post will go up on Courtney’s blog, Sweet Tooth Sweet Life!!!

Be sure to check it out, and follow her blog if you don’t already.

I don’t know about you, but I’m seriously freaking out over here… 😀

Okay, anyway, time to go. Have a great day!

Goodbye Summah

Posted on August 26, 2013 by lmpicard16@gmail.com

It’s sure been a while, hasn’t it?

I’ve been incredibly busy in the past few weeks with saying bye to my friends, packing, working on my internship, writing a guest post, and figuring out a whole new internship (more on that later).

I don’t have much time today but I wanted to get on here for a little summer wrap up post. I have tons of pics from lately that I want to share, and I want to let you know that even though I want to keep blogging, my priorities will have to change for a little while. My classes, health coaching, the new internship, and my friends will be my focus. Ugh, I hate even saying this because I made this blog this summer and it has become something that I absolutely love to do.

But of course, I will continue working out, eating fun foods, snapping photos and thinking of post ideas – with the hope I will find some time to get on here and share it all with you :).

I move back to school tomorrow and have full day Health Coach training for the rest of the week! And then classes begin next Tuesday…

Back to the old grind. Mehhhhh, not sure how I feel about that. It just feels like one day it was that super relaxed, not-knowing-or-caring-what-day-it-is, and the next it was time to pack up and start a new school year. Oh well, I suppose it’s pretty exciting. I just want to be all settled in and back in a routine. Soon enough!

Alright, that’s all the blabbing I have time for today.

Here are some pics from the end of the sum-sum-summah time.

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Cosi Smart Fit Salad. And bread. Gotta have the bread.

More drumsticks. Someone’s obsessed.

A sleepover with some high school track buddies means ~~at least four~~ Funfetti Cookies… Zero craps given.

The night before the John Mayer concert means trying on outfits and taking awkward mirror selfies.

Guilty as charged… but in my defense my friends and I were figuring out what to wear and sending pics back and forth.

I went with the shirt (from Nordstrom), but different shorts.

Perfectly wrapped hummus avocado veggie and grilled chicken wraps. (The first was takeout and the second was when my family and I went to the restaurant a couple weeks later. Can you tell I kinda sorta might like it?)

A summertime classic.

And of course that became this.

Breakfast almost everyday – smoothie and eggs with salsa.

Not too pretty.

Little prettier.

I’ll have to post the recipe for this awesome summer smoothie because it is heavenly.

Pizza. Enough Said.

Pulled pork sammies with way more un-photographed pop chips than I guess I initially thought I could handle when I took this pic. (Seriously, who was I kidding?)

Mint oreo Carvelanches before saying bye to friends. Makes a goodbye much more sweet than bitter.

Really ugly mini protein pancakes and smoothies.

Drizzled with protein powder ‘icing’ and sprinkled with cinnamon, of course.

Attempt #2 – not much better looking. Tasted awesome, though.

Fiber-ful chicken stir fry.

Tried a new salad. *Note to self: Don’t get the “Watermelon, Arugula and Feta Salad with Grilled Shrimp” when you hate feta and ask for it to be held. Leaves and watermelon aren’t that exciting.

Slightly more exciting bubba burgers and summery salads at a ‘Goodbye Summer’ BBQ.

Actually exciting – the new TCBY Silk Chocolate Almond Froyo. I may or may not be obsessed.

Aw, the final froyo date of the summer.

But let’s be honest here, who only eats ice cream in the summer? Not this girl ;).

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On that note, I’m out (for now)!

Hope you have a wonderful end of your summer! Soak up those last few rays of glorious sun, enjoy a couple more barbecues, and spend quality time with your family and friends while ya can!

Catch ya (hopefully sooner rather than) later 🙂

The Rainbow After the Rainstorm

Posted on August 16, 2013 by lmpicard16@gmail.com

My last post was a little emotional, so I thought I would check in with a more fun, upbeat photo post!

Over the past week or so I’ve been enjoying some much needed fun in the sun and oh soo many delicious eats…

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Like…

Soft serve with toasted coconut.

DROOL.

Girl’s night out = Counter Burger!! The usual – veggie burger with roasted red peppers, mixed greens, tomato, and corn & black bean salsa!

After that awesome dinner date with some of my girls, I was reminded that the most amazing things can come even after a terrible storm… or as Dolly Parton once said, “if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain”.

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*Little update on my ‘situation’ – Let’s just say the torrential rain has slowed to a light sprinkle, and the sky is beginning to clear up in the distance. I’m still patiently waiting for the sun to come out and reveal a rainbow, but I’m staying positive and trying to enjoy the change in weather that happened a few weeks ago.

Okay, enough of the metaphorical talk…let’s get back to some pics.

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Homemade flatbreads topped with fresh un-photographed salsa.

Classic summer barbecue (plus tons of BBQ pop chips!)

Is anyone else as obsessed with Drumsticks as I am? Holy YUM.

Fresh beets, carrots, and way more steak than what’s in this picture… (plus of course, dinner wouldn’t be complete without my fave roll!)

More ice cream…this time a twist with rainbow sprinkles. Probably my favorite way to eat soft serve. Seriously, who doesn’t like sprinkles? They make everything better. And it’s hard to make the best food (ice cream) taste better.

Babysitting means easy meals…aka frozen pizza. This was not exactly my favorite…I’m more of a thin crust veggie pizza girl, but I mean, it’s not like any pizza is bad. It was actually pretty good for a change and it brought me right back to my childhood.

Or maybe it was the terrible Disney movie we watched that did that…

(let’s just say that channel is not what it used to be :()

(multiply what’s on that plate times two)

Slightly more sophisticated fresh tomato, basil, and mozzarella so gorgeously prepared by yours truly…

…paired with BBQ meatloaf, sweet potato with cinnamon, and rolls.

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This past weekend my parents wanted a vacation, so they let me bring along one of my best friends for a nice little getaway with them.

Not too shabby, eh?

The first night, I had salmon with some sort of spinach and fruit risotto. Fancy-shmancy.

Followed up by raspberry chip gelato.

I’m obsessed with the tiny spoons they give with gelato. It forces you to take teeny bites aka eat way slower aka the deliciousness lasts so much longer.

We also indulged in some super fine dining every morning…

…not.

(But actually, the Dunkin’ Donuts Egg White Veggie Flatbread is pretty good!)

For lunch, I ~~spilled hummus all over myself~~ had a hummus veggie wrap on the beach.

For dinner the second night I had a killer sweet potato and black bean veggie burger smothered in horseradish aioli with a side of kale and leeks. Oh my gosh. SO. GOOD.

Then, obviously, we had to get gelato (it’s a given that ice cream is consumed every night of vacation). This time I had mint stracciatella. Perfection in a cute little bowl.

Lunch on the last day was a veggie wrap with goat cheese and balsamic vinaigrette. I wish I could have bought the goat cheese spread. It was so light and creamy and really complimented the roasted zucchini, onion, tomato, and other veggies.

We also snacked a lot in between meals, but that all went undocumented, clearly ;).

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Believe it or not, I have even more foodie and fun snapshots from the past few weeks, but I think I’ve bored you enough for one day. Plus, I don’t want to post all my pics at once!

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On the fitness side of things, I’ve been running a lot more lately than I was earlier in the summer. I ran with my friend during our mini vacation which was fun since we were XC buddies back in high school. I’ve also just been loving the alone/thinking time that running provides, so since I’m still enjoying and not dreading runs in the summer sun, I’ll stick with it for now! I’ve also been alternating between some core work and arm/back/hip(PT)/leg strengthening on days when my runs are 5 miles or under. On days when I run 6+, I just leave it at that (plus my stretching/rolling routine, of course)!

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Hope you’ve been enjoying yummy food, awesome workouts, and lots of fun with family and friends! Summer’s almost over… gotta live it up while we still can! 🙂

I get by with a little help from…

Posted on August 6, 2013 by lmpicard16@gmail.com

I’ve taken quite the lengthy break from blogging, but I have to say I really missed it. I had it on my mind all the time, thinking of things to post about, taking pictures, and keeping up with my fellow bloggers.

Even though I wanted to get back on here, I also really needed the time away – time to put the pieces of my life back together.

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I am definitely still figuring things out, adjusting to some changes, and becoming whole again. Despite all the shock, anger, pain, and sadness, I have really been able to reflect and become a stronger person. I feel like I know who I am better than I did just a few weeks ago, and for that, I can only be grateful.

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Besides the amazing support and love from my friends and family, I’ve really turned to running, music, and the inspirational words of others.

Long runs are the perfect way to be alone, feel my emotions, and sort through all my racing thoughts.

Even more so than normal, I’ve been blasting music. While I exercise, work, drive, and just relax, it’s not only my escape, it’s my way to not feel so alone in what I’ve been going through. There are so many songs with lyrics that speak the exact words I want to say, in ways I never would have thought to say them.

I have to admit, my girl Tay Swift has finally come in handy ;).

Being someone that is moved by the power of words, I’ve always been obsessed with motivational quotes. Recently, I’ve spent more time than ever looking through quotes and pinning on my beloved Pinterest.

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Here are some of the inspirational quotes that really stuck out to me and have stuck with me. These wise words have helped me to make sense of my situation and begin the journey that will lead me to a place that is even better than where I was before all of this.

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So, that’s kind of where I’m at.

I’m certainly not going to say I’m all better, or that I’ve been able to fully let go of the past and move on completely.

But I’m getting there, and I’ve learned a lot along the way.

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I learned that it’s okay to be fragile and fall to the ground and cry.

It’s okay to let it all out and scream and be angry.

It’s okay to close yourself off and really feel your emotions.

It’s okay to be broken and vent and ask for help.

It’s okay to not always be strong.

…For a little while.

And then I learned that after a few days (for me, it was three) of allowing yourself to do and feel everything you need to, there comes a day when it’s time to start s l o w l y putting the pieces back together again. That day should not feel forced. It should come naturally and feel right. Yes, it will be extremely hard and there will be plenty of moments when you find yourself breaking down again – and that’s okay. But you should feel ready to begin again.

Most importantly, I learned that just like a wound doesn’t heal instantly, neither do you.

It takes time to feel 100% again, and that’s okay.

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With time and a positive attitude…

I can, and I will, find happiness again.

I’m already starting to 🙂

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Truly Blessed

Posted on July 28, 2013 by lmpicard16@gmail.com

I wish I had a better reason to say why I haven’t been blogging this past week, like – “I was on a super awesome vacation in the Bahamas”, or “I’ve been backpacking around Europe”, or “I got a job making a ton of money for the rest of the summer”. That would not only be amazing, but it would also be a billion times better than the real reason I haven’t been too in tune with the blog world.

This week, a lot has happened in my life, and sadly I can’t even try and find some way to word it that will make it sound even remotely okay. I will say things could be a lot worse, and it fortunately has nothing to do with death or illness, and I am so thankful for that. I know nothing else could even compare to something as horrible as that, so I really cannot complain.

However, I have been dealing with a lot the past few days due to some shocking, devastating news. I’m not comfortable revealing any more than that right now, but I’m trying my best to keep a smile on my face and a positive outlook because life is good, and I know things will get better in time.

My thoughts and emotions are so mixed up right now, so as much as I want to get on here and let my fingers type every single one of my feelings (because, after all, writing is one of the main ways I release and deal with my emotions), it’s all too fresh right now. The emotions are too raw, and to be honest, it’s just too painful.

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Through it all, though, I thankfully have still been able to sweat it out, eat very well, and most importantly, enjoy quality time with family and friends.

I’m actually getting choked up thinking about what an incredible support system my friends have been through such a difficult time. I always try to count my blessings, but, I’m human and will admit I do take the most important things for granted sometimes. It’s sad that it takes something terrible to make you realize how lucky you truly are. My family and friends mean the world to me. I would be nowhere without their love, their shoulders to cry on, their advice, their trust, their support, and their ability to make me laugh when I think there’s no way I could even smile. They are literally everything to me.

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As I said, even when I thought I had no appetite, I’ve somehow been able to eat every meal, and some of them have been pretty fantastic.

Here are a few ‘highlights’ from this past week –

Mint oreo Carvelanche:

Chicken, salsa, apple, and veggie tacos:

Fruit and almond milk smoothies:

Mom’s shrimp, spinach and roasted red pepper whole wheat pasta:

Classic vanilla soft serve with rainbow sprinkles:

Salmon with mango salsa, my fave rolls, beets, and sweet potato with cinnamon:

New (at least to me) Emerald Vanilla Bean Almonds (and apple slices):

Panera Strawberry Poppyseed & Chicken Salad:

Packed pb banana pitas and snacks for days on the shore:

Meals enjoyed while looking out at this:

And ice cream stops on the way home from a relaxing day with amazing friends:

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No matter what happens in life, I will never forget how truly blessed I am.

Weekend Workouts

Posted on July 22, 2013 by lmpicard16@gmail.com

I can’t believe another weekend has come and gone! I hope yours was filled with family, friends, food, fun and maybe even a good workout or two!

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On Saturday morning, I woke up early and got a good running workout in.

I had planned to run outside, but even at the early hour that it was, it was already approaching 90 by the time I was ready to run… So, I decided to hop on the treadmill and pound out a 5 miler. To make the time go by quickly, I did the following workout:

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This morning, I had plans to hit the beach bright and early!

I didn’t want to wake up at the crack of dawn to get a whole workout done before we left, but I knew I would not be able to bring myself to do a full workout after a long day in the sun…

I decided to do a 20 minute, sweaty room workout before I left that went a little something like this:

Then, I washed up a bit and headed to the beach!!

It looks as if it was a cloudy day in this pic, but it was actually gorgeous! Every now and then some clouds rolled by, but the sun was shining down all day long. The heatwave is now over, and I am loving the feeling of the low 80s after this past week’s crazy high temps/humidity!

Once I got back home, I did a 15 minute no-equipment-needed workout that I discovered on Shape.com. It’s an awesome full body workout that I swear by when I just have time for a super quick cardio burst!

(source)

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Time to go enjoy the rest of my Sunday!

Have a great start to your week 🙂

Chili on a Hot Day… (Plus a COLD Smoothie Recipe)

Posted on July 20, 2013 by lmpicard16@gmail.com

Last night, my mom and I cooked up a nice big pot of chili. Perfect way to ‘chill’ out on a 95 degree day, no?

Yeah…not exactly.

Luckily, we’re fortunate enough to have central air, so we can still make hot meals during the hot summer months.

As promised, here is the chili recipe (from a Taste of Home cookbook) that I love to make any time of year!

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Hunter’s Chili

(Recipe from Taste of Home)

Prep: 20 min. Cook: 1-1/2 hours
Yield: 18 Servings

Ingredients

1 pound uncooked bratwurst links (*I use kielbasa)
1 pound ground beef
2 cups chopped onions
1 large green pepper, chopped
4 cups water
1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
2 cans (16 ounces each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15-1/4 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
1 can (15 ounces) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans (4 ounces each) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 bay leaves

Directions

In a 6-qt. Dutch oven or soup kettle over medium heat, brown bratwurst; drain. Remove and thinly slice; return to pan along with beef, onion and green pepper.
Cook over medium heat until beef is browned and onion is tender; drain. Add all remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer for 1-2 hours. Discard bay leaves before serving.
Yield: 14-18 servings (4-1/2 quarts).

Nutritional Facts 1 serving (1 cup) equals 212 calories

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The final product! It was a tad more liquid-y than normal because we halved the recipe and didn’t include some of the ingredients (pinto beans, mushrooms, some of the tomato sauce).

I actually liked it a bit more broth-y because it was perfect for dipping my beloved rolls into!

I finished a superb day of eats with an ice cream cone at my friend’s house. Nothing says summertime quite like a belly full of chili and ice cream! Well, maybe not the chili part…

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This morning was a whirlwind. From the moment I woke up, it was go, go go!

It was one of those days where there’s no time to waste making a meal, but you need the fuel more than ever, so I took 5 minutes out of the chaos to blend up a quick smoothie:

Strawberry Banana Protein Smoothie

-1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder

-1/2 cup cold water (more or less depending on what thickness you like)

-1/2 frozen banana

-4 or 5 frozen strawberries

-small handful frozen spinach

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I also snacked on a hardboiled egg for some additional protein to power me through my morning.

I worked from 8:30-2:30 without taking a break for lunch (I ate my egg around 9 and sipped on my smoothie as slowly as possible until I finished it around 10). Going that long was rough to say the least, and by the time I got home I was famished.

I practically sprinted into my house and reached for whatever I could get my hands on fast enough and lunch ended up being quite a hodgepodge of things.

I’m usually a slow, savor-every-bite kind of eater, but today I managed to scarf down a wheat wrap with almond butter, cinnamon, and banana slices, way more than a normal serving size of BBQ pop chips, a glass of vanilla almond milk, and a white nectarine in possibly less time than it just took me to write that.

As quickly as this neat little beauty was assembled, it was gone.

After ‘lunch’, I got right to work on some internship stuff, then did a quick workout, and then ate a few large handfuls of almonds and an apple.

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Finalllllly, I was able to relax, take a nice long shower, and sit down to eat dinner with the fam.

The steamed broccoli looks pretty lame, but that was only half of the side order and I went back for the second half after I wolfed down the wrap (filled with grilled chicken, avocado, hummus, veggies, and raspberry vinaigrette).

I guess I ~~was~~ am a hungry girl today…

Now it’s time to hang with some of my friends who I haven’t seen in quite some time since we’ve all been so darn busy. Not sure what exactly we’re going to do, but I can quite confidently predict that ice cream is on the agenda! 😉

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Hope your Friday is going well, and that you have an amazing weekend!! 🙂

Lately

Posted on July 18, 2013 by lmpicard16@gmail.com

As I keep saying, I’ve been super busy lately but through all the work and craziness, I’ve had one thing on my mind – this blog!

I’ve been attempting to take lots of (discreet) pictures of my meals lately, because 1) they’ve been delish and 2) I want to share them with you!

So, here are some of the things I’ve been nommin’ lately.

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On Monday night, my mom and I made Julie‘s Healthy Italian Meatloaf. We had never made this recipe before, but we love her BBQ Meatloaf, so we figured this one would be just as tasty!

Yes, that's more corn (off) the cob...I'm kinda obsessed at the moment. — And yes, that’s more corn (off) the cob…I’m kinda obsessed at the moment.

Once again, another one of Julie’s recipes did not disappoint!

*Side note: The rolls that are basically always pictured on my plate are Multi-Grain Pepperidge Farm Stone Baked Artisan Dinner Rolls.

(source)

I know “multigrain” is not always the best choice for bread products, and I generally choose whole grain/wheat, but these are so good I just can’t resist. I probably have one for dinner about three times a week! Basically all my other grains are whole, which is what I recommend.

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While watching The Bachelorette on Monday night, I sampled a few scoops of the Cookies N Cream SO Delicious Coconut Milk Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert that my friend had in her freezer.

I wasn’t expecting it to taste so coconut-y, but I was pleasantly surprised! It certainly doesn’t taste like normal dairy ice cream, but it’s light and refreshing! I would definitely have it again!

I snapped this pic after scarfing down half of my serving! Yum. — I snapped this pic after ~~scarfing down~~ daintily sampling half of my serving! Yum.

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Last night, the boy and I went to California Pizza Kitchen! We love all their food, especially their pizza and salads! I especially love the Waldorf Chicken salad, which is “A right-coast classic with a left-coast makeover. Grapes, green apples, candied walnuts, crisp celery, field greens and Gorgonzola tossed with housemade Dijon balsamic vinaigrette”.

I also am obsessed with this bad boy.

That would be the California Veggie, “Decked out with fresh vegetables! Baby broccoli, eggplant, corn, red onions, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, Mozzarella and tomato sauce”. I always get it on the honey-wheat with whole grain crust, and I finish it all by myself every single time. I’m telling you, I can really put it away ;).

After digesting for a few hours, my stomach began to growl. Around 10:00, I scoped out his freezer and found this little guy.

(source)

Oh my gosh. The perfect size, the perfect flavor, the perfect nighttime treat. LOVE it.

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Lately for breakfast I’ve been whipping up microwave mug eggs with salsa, and a smoothie. I love the warm, savory eggs paired with the cold, sweet smoothie! The perfect combo on a summer morning.

So thick and creamy - almost like having ice cream for breakfast! — So thick and creamy – almost like having ice cream for breakfast!

They may not be the most pleasing to the eye, but they sure do please my grumbling belly!

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I know I keep saying it, but I really want to start posting some recipes and workouts (I’ve done a lot of good ones lately!!). I also realize I’ve been slacking in the fashion posts department :(, mostly because I’ve been lazy with my outfits and just wearing running shorts and tanks. Once my internship/work schedule becomes more regular, I’m hoping I can find the time to make this blog everything I want it to be… and more!

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I just ate dinner (an awesome chili recipe I will share probably in my next post), and now I’m off to walk my neighbor’s golden retrievers and then head to my friend’s house to hang out!

Hope your week is going well! It’s almost the weekend!! 🙂