Pin Ups

It’s time again for another Pin It Party hosted by the wonderful Lean Green Bean, herself! I love these posts because not only do I get to share some of my more recent favorite recipes, but I get to see so many other awesome pinnable posts from other bloggers in the link up. Don’t forget to make your way over there to check it out!

You can also see my first 2 Pin It Party posts here:
Pin It Party #1
Pin It Party #2

Breakfast

One of my favorite breakfasts. How can you say no to oats,
nut butter, and a perfectly runny yolk?

Entree

Another yolk! In case you’re feeling a little breakfasty for dinner.

Sweets & Treats

Mini snickerdoodle biscotti are great for any occasion! Maybe this should be under breakfast too 😉

This would be a great snack for the Superbowl. It’s nice a light and not too sweet.

Some dark chocolate fudge with a glass of red wine? Match made in heaven!

I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as I did! Now go ahead and start pinning 🙂

Food for Thought

Are you a big pinner?

What I Ate Wednesday #69: My New Kitchen

I’m in love. Seriously, my new kitchen, while still a bit cluttered, is so wonderful. Maybe I’m excited about the granite countertops and stainless steel appliances, maybe I’m just plain excited to have a real kitchen again, or maybe it’s that I have a some extra time on my hands. Whatever it is, I’m really enjoying taking my time and putting together some pretty delicious meals these past few days.

It didn’t start out so pretty though..

I call this my STUFT mama-inspired lunch! The day before we got all of our furniture delivered, supplies were limited, including plates and utensils. Luckily I had some leftover sweet potato and a packet of Naturade VeganSmart Chocolate Shake which, with only a little water, I turned into this delicious-looking mess 😉 Trust me, it tasted way better than it looks! Naturade sent me 2 packets of chocolate and 2 packets of chai; I would absolutely get the chocolate again. It has such a short ingredient list, low in sugar, and chock full of [20g] protein!

Since then, I’ve made some pretty colorful, tasty salads.

And obviously I had to roast up some squash and brussels sprouts for our first dinner here! I also made honey sriracha chicken which turned out great even though I fudged half of the ingredients.

AND!! I broke out my brand new spiralizer for a chicken stir-fry with tomatoes, broccoli, red onion, garlic, and white wine. Topped with shredded gouda, of course. Got Nathan to eat zucchini so I’d say that’s a win for me!

I’m super excited to try spiralizing more veggies! It was so fast and easy, I think this is really going to become a thing around here. If you need me, I’ll be spending some time over at Inspiralized 😉

Food for Thought

Are you a sweet or savory sweet potato fan?
Have you ever used a spiralizer?

This is a sponsored post from 4sponsor.com with my unbised thoughts. Naturade sent me these products for free to for an unpaid review.

Link Love #18: My Top 5

Happy New Years Eve!! Wow, I can’t believe the year is over.. it seems like it just began. It’s time to wrap this baby up and look forward to creating new goals [and achieving them!], new experiences, and new memories. I usually use my link love posts to share some of my favorite posts from the blogosphere, but in the spirit of wrapping up this year, I thought I’d share my top 5 most popular posts and my top 5 favorites from this past year.

Most Popular

5. What I Ate Wednesday #4 – 5 Day Slim Down Edition!

That’s a tasty pineapple protein pancake!

I most certainly have some Tone It Up ladies to thank for this being up there in numbers! People seriously want to know about that slim down. It’s no joke.. you need to be really dedicated and if you are, it really works!

4. Spaghetti Squash Kugel

Definitely making this again soon!

Between Passover and all of the Paleo and low carb diets, it’s no wonder this recipe was a hit! And have you ever had kugel? YUM! Give me my kitchen!

3. Recipe Remix: Carrot Cake Protein Pancakes

Ooh baby! I almost forgot about these.

I love my sweet breakfasts and anyway I can sneak a little veggie in there makes it that much more perfect.

2. Foodie Friday: Peanut Butter Wonderful Powerballs

Everything is better with peanut butter!

My first attempt at protein bites and they were a delicious success! I definitely recommend this recipe.

1. Minty Irish Powerballs

The perfect mix of chocolatey, nutty, and minty!

How do you make a protein bite better? Use your homemade nut butter 😉

My Top 5 Recipe Posts

Eggy Quinoa Stuffed Squash
Coconut Flour Pancake Variations
Homemade Cashew Butter
Buddha’s Feast
Chipotle Lime Sweet Potato Tofu Burgers

My Top 5 Life Posts

Hitched
Dealing With Doubt
I’m grateful for…
The “S” Word
Baltimore Bucket List and Big News!

My Top 5 What I Ate Wednesday Posts

#44: Wine in Italy
Quick Honeymoon Update
#45: The Wedding Food
#59: Ten Years Gone
#64: The First Weekend

Food for Thought

Do you have an all-time favorite post from this past year?
Any big plans for NYE?

Riding Out the Storm

It’s National Oatmeal Day and other than a snow storm, I don’t think there’s better weather to celebrate! Welcome, Sandy!

If you’re a North Eastern-er, grab yourself a nice hot cup of coffee (or tea), a big bowl of oatmeal, and hunker down. Speaking of hunkering down, I think I’ve heard the newscasters say that approximately 10 times in the last hour. Sounds like a drinking game if I’ve ever heard one..

A few of my favorite go-to oatmeal recipes are below. Not only are they super filling, they’re also chock full of protein (about 20g per bowl!) which makes them a great pre- or post-workout meal.

Chocolate Protein Oats

Pumpkin Spice Latte Proatmeal

And what else is there to do when you’re stuck inside all day but cook and bake? I did plenty of that yesterday for my Barr Bites clients so I wanted to share a few recipes that I’ve made recently that would be great for a rainy day.. or week.

Baked Pasta with Sausage & Spinach via SkinnyTaste.com

This is a new recipe for this week’s menu, but with tons of leftovers, I’ve been able to taste it and can confirm that it’s fantastic! I love Gina’s recipes; they’re delicious and healthy and are always sure to be crowd pleasers.

Cajun Chicken Pasta on the Lighter Side via SkinnyTaste.com

The Cajun Chicken Pasta is a recipe I’ve been making for a while now. It’s a big hit in my house and I was so excited when it went over just as well for Barr Bites.

Mayan Harvest Bake via Eating Bird Food

Finally, another deliciously comforting dish that was a big hit was Brittany’s copycat version of Kashi’s Mayan Harvest Bake. Having these hearty vegetables over top of a bulgar wheat and quinoa combo makes it a great stick-to-your-ribs kind of meal without being too heavy. I’ll definitely be making this one for myself soon!

Food for Thought

Are you stuck inside as Sandy passes? What are you doing to pass the time?