Link Love #70

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been working with some of my Truve-rs to put together some fun specials and cross promote each other. We’re all running our own businesses so we’re also in the business of helping each other to grow our own networks and further our reach.

Most recently, I’ve been chatting with the nutritionist on staff and am pretty excited to share in the near future what we have in store. There will definitely be some changes to my diet that I’m going to be writing about. It’s going to be an interesting experiment.. especially when I made chicken bacon fra diavolo for dinner last night. Any ideas what it might be? 😉

Health

#moderation365 – Survive & Thrive

#moderation365 – Survive & Thrive
7 Gut-Cleansing Foods To Add To Your Diet – MindBodyGreen
Gut Loving Cranberry Pineapple Elixir with Turmeric – Cotter Crunch
Fad Diets Work Because They Trick You into Eating Less – Your Trainer Paige
How Exercise Keeps Us Young – The New York Times Well

Fitness

Advantage of At-Home Workouts – Mussel FIT

Advantage of At-Home Workouts – Mussel FIT
Tips On Getting Up & Holding A Handstand – Lifting Revolution
8 Minutes to 6 Pack Abs – Fresh, Fit & Healthy
Ten Reasons Why You Should Care About Muscle Maintenance – Cape Fear Nutrition
Warm Me Up Ab/Core Workout – Bendiful Blog

Food

Baked Sriracha Lime Chicken Wings – The Healthy Maven

Baked Sriracha Lime Chicken Wings – The Healthy Maven
Chocolate Chip Espresso Banana Bread Muffins – PaleOMG
Vietnamese Lemongrass Beef and Spaghetti Squash Noodle Bowls with Peanut Sauce – Half Baked Harvest
Brussels Sprout and Walnut Pizza with Whole Wheat Flax Crust – Kara Lydon The Foodie Dietitian
Chocolate Peanut Butter Breakfast Cheesecakes – Amy’s Healthy Baking

Food for Thought

What’s one of your favorite posts from the past week?

Link Love #68

It’s strange to me to think that last week was 2014. Even more strange that it’s 2015.. I’m still trying to figure out where the year went! Anywho, I went into yesterday being super pumped that I was going to get up for my 6:30 a.m. shift at the store, work 8 hours, and then hit the gym to get in my 30 minutes. I have to tell you, by the time the end of my shift rolled around and I still had more to do, I decided the gym wasn’t happening. That said, there was a lot of lifting boxes and fast-paced moving at work, so I’m going to count that!

I also made a one-pot paprika chicken for dinner that came out really well! It didn’t look as pretty as the pictures from the recipe and it wasn’t anything that was out-of-this-world crazy or fancy, but it was just darn tasty. I did change it up a little by roasting some potatoes on the side instead of adding them into the pot.. crispy is always better, am I right? Welp, onto Tuesday.. 🙂

Health

7 Foods That Will Work Wonders On Your Digestion – MindBodyGreen

7 Foods That Will Work Wonders On Your Digestion – MindBodyGreen
Why I Retired from Being the Fit Girl – Mind Body Musings
Resolutions: Why They Suck & The 5 Rules That Everyone Needs To Know To Make Then Not Suck – Lifting Revolution
Why You Should Eat Omega-3 Fats – Marisa Moore via fannetastic food
4 Things To Know Before You Lose Weight – An Avocado a Day

Fitness

New Year’s At Home Core Workout – Bendiful Blog

New Year’s At Home Core Workout – Bendiful Blog
6 Upper Body Exercises for Runners – Fine Fit Day via Love, Life, Surf
5 Exercise Alternatives to the Bench Press – Your Trainer Paige
Deck of Cards Ab Workout – Pumps & Iron
One song workout: Holiday Fit Frenzy – Fitnessista

Food

Paleo Double Chocolate Dunked Cookies – Peachy Palate

Paleo Double Chocolate Dunked Cookies – Peachy Palate
Apple Spiced Mimosas – The Healthy Maven
One-Pan Baked Champagne Cream Sauce Fettuccine with Truffle Oil – Half Baked Harvest
Salt-Roasted Beets and Carrots – Heartbeet Kitchen
Lucky Black-Eyed Peas Chocolate Chip Blondies – Diary of an Ex Sloth
Spicy Sweet Potato Carbonara – Running to the Kitchen

Food for Thought

What’s one of your favorite posts from the past week?

Link Love #65

Can you believe we’re already half way through December? I went to lunch with a friend yesterday and we were talking about our New Years plans; it’s really only 2 weeks away. Wow.. 2014 has been a pretty crazy year for us and I’m doing my best to wrap it up on a high note.

Health

How to eat the gold standard of 7-9 servings of fruits and veggies – Run to the Finish

How to eat the gold standard of 7-9 servings of fruits and veggies – Run to the Finish
5 Ways You Can Restore Balance to Your Busy Weekend – Family Sport Life
What Would Happen if You Focused on THIS and Not That? – Nia Shanks
Why Easy Sessions Make You a Better Athlete – Cotter Crunch
‘Detox’ Diets Are a Scam, According to Report – Food and Wine

Fitness

12 Days Of Christmas Kettlebell Workout – Lifting Revolution via Love, Life, Surf

12 Days Of Christmas Kettlebell Workout – Lifting Revolution via Love Life Surf
At-Home Broomstick Workout – Your Trainer Paige
5 Exercises For Improving Grip Strength – FitKnitChick via Eleven by Venus
Resistance band travel workout – Fitnessista
New Holiday Hunny HIIT Workout – Tone It Up

Food

Peanut Butter Snickerdoodle Tarts with Cinnamon Peanut Crust – Garnish with Lemon

Peanut Butter Snickerdoodle Tarts with Cinnamon Peanut Crust – Garnish with Lemon
Sweet Potato and Apple Latke Cake with Baked Eggs – The Healthy Maven
Triple Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake Cookies – Half Baked Harvest
Peanut Butter Oreo Chocolate Bark – Sally’s Baking Addiction
Sage Kale Pesto with Parmesan Roasted Acorn Squash – Food Faith Fitness

Food for Thought

What’s one of your favorite posts from the past week?
Do you have plans for New Years Eve?

Link Love #53

Thank you all so much for all of the shares and comments on yesterday’s post! I love making other blogger’s recipes and it’s fun to see other people so excited about one of my recipe ideas. If you do try them out, tweet or instagram a picture to me so I can see 🙂

Speaking of other blogger’s recipes, I love my Tuesday link love posts because not only do I get to share some of my favorite posts from the past week, but I also take some time to revisit them too. Even if there are some posts here that you’ve already read, I’d suggest giving some of them a second look; you may take away something new than you did the first time. You may also get some new killer workout moves.. I know I’m looking for some new ones for when I’m training Nathan [watch out! ;)] Enjoy!

Health

How to Embrace Mental and Physical Rest – Family Sport Life via Cotter Crunch

How to Embrace Mental and Physical Rest – Family Sport Life via Cotter Crunch
5 Tips for Better Sleep – I Heart Vegetables
How to Eat Intuitively | A Guide to Mindful Eating – fannetastic food
Holistic Fat Loss: Is It More Effective? – Workout Nirvana
Don’t Be Fooled By the Sugar-Free Label – The Lean Green Bean

Fitness

Crazy 8’s Sprint Workout – Blonde Ponytail

Crazy 8’s Sprint Workout – Blonde Ponytail
5 Ways to Increase EPOC aka Workout After Burn – Trainer Paige
Kettlebell Training for Beginners – FitKnitChick
15 Minute Thunder And Lightening Workout: Kettlebell & Jump Rope – Lifting Revolution
Full Body vs. Body Part Split Routines – Reach Your Peak

Food

Roasted Butternut Squash Hummus – The Healthy Maven

Roasted Butternut Squash Hummus – The Healthy Maven
30-Minute Stir Fried Korean Beef and Toasted Sesame Noodles – Half Baked Harvest
Mini Pumpkin Pie S’mores Tarts – Treats With a Twist
Lamb and Millet Tagine with Cinnamon and Prunes {Gluten-Free} – Healthy Seasonal Recipes
Broken Farro Porridge with Coconut Milk, Almonds, & Roasted Plums – Blogging Over Thyme

Food for Thought

What’s one of your favorite post from the past week?

Link Love #51

Have you entered my AMRAP giveaway yet?

Check me out, two posts in a row! It took a few days but I think we’re getting back into the groove over here. I have to wish my oldest brother a very happy birthday. Without him, I wouldn’t have my little Jilly Bean! He’s a pretty great brother and father too though 😉

Health

This is What Dieting Does to Your Body – Better With Sprinkles

This is What Dieting Does to Your Body – Better With Sprinkles
The Importance of DHEA and an Omega-3 Packed Recipe! – Cotter Crunch
3 Reasons You’re NOT Losing Fat – Mussel FIT
Debunking Yet Another Low Carb Claim – According to Elle
How Can You Tell if You’re Overexercising? – FitKnitChick via Carla Birnberg

Fitness

Jump’N Pass Kettle Bell Workout – Lifting Revolution

Jump’N Pass Kettlebell Workout – Lifting Revolution
5 Ways to Transition Your Summer Workouts Into Fall – Trainer Paige
5 to 50 Ab Workout – Pumps & Iron
Protein Intake and Timing for Reducing Body Fat – Run to the Finish
15 minute Labor Day bodyweight home workout purely training #77 – Purely Twins

Food

Slow Cooker Japanese Pork and Ramen Soup – Country Clever

Slow Cooker Japanese Pork and Ramen Soup – Country Clever
Almond Butter Banana Bread Muffins – Fit Foodie Finds
Asian Farro Medly with Salmon – Skinnytaste
Smoky Chipotle Cheddar Burgers with Mexican Street Corn Fritters – Half Baked Harvest
Hidden Veggies Two Bite Brownies w/ Caramel Drizzle – The Healthy Maven

Food for Thought

What are some of your favorite posts recently?

What I Ate Wednesday #98: It’s In the Bowl!

I’m afraid to say this “out loud” but I feel like I’ve gotten into a good swing with foods that are consistently keeping me satisfied and satiated. It seems every time I say I’ve figured it out, my mind plays tricks on me and I suddenly seem to be changing it up. Change is good though. One of the best and most important things I’ve learned as of late, though still working on it daily, is how to listen to my body and its cravings. Some days I very clearly need more food than others, but these main meals and snacks have really worked for me lately.

[Pre-Workout]

I like to pretend the coffee beans in these bites are giving me extra energy at the gym 😉 Really though, they’re just freaking delicious!

[Breakfast]

Egg white oats are still going strong! Clearly running low on nut butters though [what a disaster!].. I only have coconut cashew peanut butter and macadamia cashew butter right now. I just bought a ton of almonds and am trying to figure out what to make next!

[Lunch]

Packed up my usual “throw it all into a bowl” salad for lunch at work and topped it with Monday night’s leftover panko oat chicken. It was a delicious shake-n-bake kinda recipe that I’ll be sharing soon. It’s Nathan-approved and he’s a picky chicken eater 😉

[Afternoon Snack]
Unpictured creamy peanut butter ThinkThin bar.. sometimes you’re just too hungry for pictures!

[Dinner]

This sloppy joe bowl ended up being a hit on Instagram! I love when people ask for a recipe that’s just basically the contents of my fridge ha! I did actually plan this out, but it would work with whatever veggies you have. Mind included carrots, bell pepper, onion, zucchini, and mushrooms. I also added lots of garlic, 1 lb ground turkey, and a combo of apricot bbq sauce and Trader Joe’s all natural bbq sauce.

Underneath all of that goodness is was grilled corn salad with more bell pepper, tomato, and jalapeno. Topped it off with avocado and spicy gouda cheese and I was good to go! This isn’t exactly what you think of for a summer dinner but let’s be real here, the bay area isn’t exactly known for its hot summers.

[Evening Snack]

Love ending my nights with a nice crispy, crunchy apple and a super chocolatey bite!

Food for Thought

What’s your favorite snack? Healthy or otherwise 😉

Link Love #47

Back to normal! Nathan’s home and I have to admit, it was really strange to be here without him for 4 days [we’re not actually attached at the hip ;)]. I certainly kept busy but it’s nice to have him back!

Tonight I’m headed into the city for a free Barry’s Bootcamp class thanks to ClassPass [. I’ve never been to Barry’s Bootcamp but I’m psyched; I’m thinking that’s definitely my kind of workout. I’ve heard really great things and I’m really glad I have the opportunity to check it out with ClassPass but I’m a little scared the workout might kill me ha! I’ll report back though.. it’ll be good to mix it up.

Your turn to mix it up with some of these posts! 😉

Health

An Important PSA: Your Body on Lazy – Lifting Revolution

An Important PSA: Your Body on Lazy – Lifting Revolution
Focus On: Carb Cycling (what is it and how does it work?) – Fitnessista
5 Proven Techniques to Beat Stress Eating – Thrive Personal Fitness
Ripped And Miserable: How Neghar Fonooni Gained Body Fat And Got Her Life Back – Neghar Fonooni via Molly Galbraith
8 Easy Nutritional Switches That Prevent You From Binging – JillFit

Fitness

3 Best Exercises to Work the Lower Abs – Trainer Paige

3 Best Exercises to Work the Lower Abs – Trainer Paige
My Workouts + Another NEW Workout – She Rocks Fitness
The Importance of Cross Training – Nut Butter Runner
Resistance Band Core Workout – Pumps & Iron
Locked and Loaded Purely Training #72 Workout – Purely Twins

Food

Blueberry Lemon Cake with Lemon Glaze – Averie Cooks

Blueberry Lemon Cake with Lemon Glaze – Averie Cooks
Gluten-Free Cherry Crumble – The Healthy Maven
Sweet Balsamic Strawberries w/Whipped Ricotta Cream and Maple Glazed Seeded Nuts – Half Baked Harvest
Vietnamese Springs Rolls with Crispy Tofu – Minimalist Baker
Grilled Romaine Salad with Quinoa, Apples, Corn, & Dijon Vinaigrette – Climbing Grier Mountain
Coconut Vanilla Latte Protein Bites (Healthy Bites giveaway!) – Cotter Crunch

Food for Thought

What’s one of your favorite posts from the past week?

What I Ate Wednesday #95: Killer Sweet Tooth

Don’t forget to enter my Swanson Vitamins giveaway!

It’s all in the title. I’m telling you, my sweet tooth has been out of control lately. Especially at night!

Breakfast

The usual. Oatmeal, egg whites, banana, nut butters, coffee. It’s pretty much heaven.

Lunch

My lunch spread. On the floor of the break room at work haha. I mixed up some tuna with apricot bbq sauce and kefir to spread on a rice cake and had some leftover bbq mix for veggie dipping. It was delish.

Afternoon Snack

I came home to a box of Cookies & Cream Quest Bars [from my Swanson order.. don’t forget to enter the giveaway!] so obviously I popped one in the oven right away. Holy moly I forgot how good these things are!

Dinner

Another new take on the baked turkey meatballs with zucchini noodles, no-cook tomato sauce, and freshly shredded parm. It was SO good! I used half turkey italian sausage and half regular ground turkey for extra flavor. This version is a keeper, for sure!

Let the dessert games begin!

Up first, a fig with almond butter. Because everything is better with nut butter!

Followed by a bunch of peaches and plums.

And finished off with salted caramel brownie brittle with peanut butter. No time for pictures of this.. just eating. It’s too delicious! But who am I to turn down chocolate, peanut butter, and salted caramel? I mean, really! I’m actually glad that the bag of brownie brittle is almost gone so I can control myself again! Ha!

Food for Thought

What food is your biggest weakness?

Gimme Some Routine!

First things first, I totally forgot to choose a winner for my Pure Via giveaway on Friday. Congrats to Emily D! Shoot me an email at Brittany@BarrAndTable.com with your shipping in and I’ll make sure it gets sent out right away!

Yesterday the SIL headed back home and Nathan and I relaxed at home by ourselves for the first time in over a week. Heading back to Baltimore and then coming back with a guest was fun but we were really ready for some quiet time. Not to mention we couldn’t wait for some light, healthy, home-cooked meals! That said, we did Saturday right for my SIL’s last day with us.

For lunch we stopped at a little restaurant called Southie where we sat up at the bar watching the cooks and drooling over all the food. They were really friendly and happy to answer all of our questions about what they were making when it looked like something that wasn’t on the menu. It all looked so good but I think next time we’ll have to get a steak sandwich!

Making the Steak Giardiniera sandwich.

Making Nathan’s spicy hog pulled pork sandwich.

Ahi tuna sandwich made into a salad!

I need to remember that so many restaurants like this are so accommodating and more than happy to make a sandwich into a salad. The ahi tuna was delicious and this might have been my favorite tapenade ever. I’m not a huge olive fan and these olives had such a light flavor and weren’t salty at all. Fabulous!

Of course we couldn’t go out for a stroll without grabbing a couple of drinks. After some beer, we made our way over to Smitten for a little liquid nitrogen ice cream.

Brown Sugar with Cinnamon Shortbread liquid nitrogen ice cream

Everything is made-to-order and you can choose a flavor plus add-ins. I stuck to a regular [homemade] cone with no add-ins and it was great! They have some really interesting flavors and I think we’ll have to head back for Nathan to try the flavor-of-the-month, Nectarine.

We finished off the SIL’s trip with our favorite Indian food.

The best tandoori chicken and naan.

I love the tandoori chicken; it’s the first spicy tandoori we’ve ever had! She had the curry chicken and it was equally as delicious and flavorful. With all of the food we had throughout the day, we ended up splitting 2 meals between the 3 of us and it was plenty of food!

So you can imagine I was glad to keep it light yesterday.

Salmon sushi.

Coconut basil grilled chicken, grilled asparagus, and roasted sweet potato.

My body will be thrilled after a few more days of being back to normal eating! Looking forward to this week’s plan.

Weekly Meal Plan

Sunday – Coconut basil grilled chicken, grilled asparagus, and roasted yukon and sweet potatoes
Monday – Chopped chicken and couscous salad with sweet basil dressing
Tuesday – Chicken and dry-braised green beans and baby bok choy
Wednesday – Leftovers
Thursday – Apricot barbecue chicken with roasted brussels sprouts
Friday – Feta chicken kabobs with roasted broccoli
Saturday – Leftovers

Food for Thought

How was your 4th of July weekend?
What’s on your meal plan this week?

Link Love #30

The Orioles won yesterday! And that’s not an April Fools joke 😉 Excuse me while I bask in the glow of of a perfect record right now. I’m also super excited because Nathan decided to surprise me with tickets to the A’s game this Sunday. I think watching the Orioles game yesterday really got us extra pumped for baseball season. We have a couple fun things planned for the weekend so I’m already psyched for the next few days to fly by. In the meantime, let’s play a little catch up.

Health

Benefits of Strength Training – Slim Sanity

Benefits of Strength Training – Slim Sanity
8 Tips to Have a Positive Body Image and Stop Obsessive Eating Habits – Trainer Paige
My Addiction to Exercise Permanently Damaged My Body. But It Also Taught Me How to Love Myself – Tara Fuller via Greatist
Antioxidants 101 – Nutritious Eats
How Rigid Diets Threaten True Digestive Healing – Mind Body Green

Fitness

A Core Workout for Runners – Crazy Running Girl

A Core Workout for Runners – Crazy Running Girl
30-Minute Bodyweight AMRAP Workout – Pumps & Iron
10 Advanced Ab Exercises for the Summer – Lifting Revolution
7 Boredom Busting Treadmill Workouts – Run to the Finish
Leg Burnout Workout – Blonde Ponytail

Food

Sushi Salad with Carrot-Ginger Dressing – The Healthy Maven

Sushi Salad with Carrot-Ginger Dressing – The Healthy Maven
3 Gluten-Free Recovery Snacks for Coffee Lovers – Cotter Crunch
Lemon Vanilla Brown Rice Pudding with Berries – Edible Perspective
Microwave Breakfast Berry Crumble – 24 Carrot Life
Black Pepper Rub Chicken Fingers with Greek Yogurt Ranch – Half Baked Harvest

Food for Thought

What was one of your favorite posts from the past week?