breakfast Archives - Page 3 of 7

Lean Lena May 30, 2014

Food Favorites Lately

Hey guys! TGIF!

Who’s got plans for this weekend? I am planning to blob by the pool for most of it with errands and workouts in between. Exciting!

Anyway. Today’s Five on Friday is all about food – my five latest likes! Here we go!

{ONE} Foodie Pen Pals

I got yet another box in the mail as part of this awesome program. This time I got paired with MyThy. She sent me a super wonderful Asian themed box and a letter on 3 pages!!!

I absolutely LOVED everything in my box: Cream Wafers, Mixed Fruit Chips, Cracker Nuts, Chocolate Milk Candy, Fruit Chews and assorted teas.

The letter was so wonderful, too! It was great to read about my Foodie Pen Pal and the treats she sent me.

These are all long gone – except for the teas – I’m still working on them.

Thank you so much, MyThy!

{TWO} Chicken and Veggie Skewers

We buy them at Giant – ready to go on the grill. They are pretty cheap and can make a quick and easy summer night dinner. I usually don’t need a side for these because they’re pretty big.

Giant sells them both “raw” and marinated. I have to say, I really like the way Giant marinates them, so I usually buy those.

{THREE} Chicken Lasagna

I’ve never tried chicken lasagna before – until one night we had a lot of leftover crockpot chicken. It’s a great way to use it up! So delicious and better for you.

{FOUR} Jumbo Salads

Just take whatever salad goodness you have in the fridge and throw it into a jumbo salad bowl 🙂 I had lettuce, broccoli, mushrooms, cucumbers, tomatoes, pepitas and feta in this case.

{FIVE} Breakfast Sandwiches

No secret to my regular readers – I love breakfast sandwiches and don’t take sweet breakfasts very well. Oh yeah, and I don’t eat cereal – just don’t like it.

So! I’ve been addicted to Walmart’s Ciabatta Rolls.

I toast it, add cream cheese, ham and egg – and that is how you make a super power breakfast in my books 🙂

Do share: what is your favorite food of the week?

Have a great weekend, guys, and stay fit!

Filed Under: breakfast, dinner, Five on Friday, Foodie PenPals, healthy snack ideas, lunch Tagged With: breakfast, dinner, five on friday, foodie penpals, good food, healthy breakfast, healthy dinner, healthy lunch, healthy snack ideas, lunch, salad 10 Comments

Lean Lena April 28, 2014

As you might have noticed from following me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook – I’ve been selected to review Vega Bars through Fit Approach. I am super excited and honored as it is my very first product review and it is for Vega! I wanted to thank both Fit Approach and Vega Team for this great opportunity!

The very first time I ever heard of Vega was when I got one of my Foodie Penpal boxes from Heather over at Kiss My Broccoli – she sent me a packet of Vega Sport Performance Protein. I am not very big on protein powders. I do add them to smoothies occasionally but mostly I dislike them for the artificial aftertaste. I was intrigued by the product of Vega back then for not having that aftertaste! So when Fit Approach sent out an opportunity e-mail to review Vega bars, I jumped right at it and was selected as one of the bloggers!

Anyway, back to the bars. I have received a box of goodness from Vega to try out.

There were four kinds in my box: Vega Snack, Vega One, Vega Sport Protein Bar and Vega Sport Energy Bar – I got 2 flavors of each kind.

I won’t bore you with nutrition facts and such in this post. All that information is available online and you can access it and decide if it is right for your nutrition goals. This post is all about my personal experience trying the bars and how my taste buds felt in the process. 🙂

Of course I had to try one right when I received my box! I just got home from work and was getting ready to go to my Wednesday night yoga class, so I thought that would be a perfect time for a snack!

Well, hello there!

I started with Cranberry-Almond snack bar. LOVED the combination of almond and cranberry! I personally found this bar a little too sweet, but you’re looking at the girl who loves super dark chocolate the most. Otherwise, it did the job just great – it was a perfect snack to keep me going for a few hours until dinner time.

Next up was Vega One meal bar and I tried Chocolate-Peanut Butter flavor.

Let me tell you, this is a one serious bar right there! It has 13 g of protein, it is just the right amount of sweetness, and it has peanut butter AND chocolate in it! I was a little skeptical about the name to begin with – meal bar? There’s no way I can be satisfied subbing a meal with a bar – I’ll get hungry in an hour! – I thought. So I had this bar as a snack between meals at work. Erm…I was not hungry for HOURS! I just wasn’t. I had it for a 10 am snack and didn’t have lunch until 2 pm while my usual lunch time after the 10 am snack is noon. Hey, if you know you’re going to be hellishly busy and will not have time to sit down and eat a meal – this is a perfect on the go solution. My favorite part was that having 13 g of protein in it – you get none of that disgusting artificial powder aftertaste you get after eating a protein packed bar. NONE!

On Saturday I headed out for my usual Saturday double in the morning – indoor cycling class and then yoga. Sometimes I eat breakfast before that, other times I don’t – depends on how early I get up and if I feel like eating. This past Saturday I didn’t – so Chocolate-Coconut Vega Sport protein bar came in very handy in between the classes – it was a perfect snack to keep me going for another hour of exercise after cycling.

Just look at this goodness!

Yesterday my husband and I went for a 30K bike ride at our local Rail Trail. I absolutely LOVED the event and the trail, but 30K is a long way to go and you know me – I need a snack every 2 hours. I made sure I am well prepared for the challenge!

Once again, Vega Sport Energy Bar performed – I had my snack before the ride and then half way through:

Don’t mind my face – I just really wanted to finish my Vega bar!

The conclusion, my friends is this:

If you’re looking for a healthy AND delicious snack – Vega Bars are the way to go – no funky ingredients, yummy flavors, plant-based, gluten free and non-GMO.

Best thing – they taste GREAT. They taste like a treat without the guilt part of having one.

I absolutely and sincerely loved being a part of this campaign held by Vega and Fit Approach!

I hope you decide to try Vega Bars, friends. They are 100% worth it!

Have a great week and I will see you back here tomorrow for the Tasty Tuesday linkup party!

Disclosure: this is a sponsored post. I have received complementary box of Vega bars from Vega and Fit Approach. All opinions in this post are my own.

Filed Under: articles, breakfast, Cycling, dessert, events, fitness, fitness events, healthy snack ideas, lunch, new experiences, Product Reviews, Sweat Pink Tagged With: good food, healthy lunch, healthy snack ideas, lunch, new experience, product review, vega, Vega Bars 8 Comments

Lean Lena April 25, 2014

Random Likes – Five on Friday

Hey guys! TGIF!!!

I can’t wait for this weekend! So much going on lately – I have to tell you about it in my Five on Friday post today 🙂 Here we go!

{ONE} Cumberland Valley Rails-to-Trails

This is an awesome trail close by where we live and we went there last weekend for a bike ride. It was my very first time there and I LOVED it!

It is a beautiful trail, and the day was just perfect for a ride – nice breeze, not to warm, no bugs yet. Pure AWESOMENESS! And I got a pretty good workout out of a recreational ride.

We went out 4 miles, but then Carmen got tired and we had to go back. Was still a fun ride and we got to style at the finish line. Well, I personally was mostly styling my helmet hair 🙂

This Sunday hubby and I are going back there again for the 8th annual Race, Run, Ride & Ramble Trail Festival – we’re doing the 30K bike ride part of it. SO excited! Stay tuned for recap next week, friends 🙂

{TWO} Lucky Brand

I’ve been a huge fan of their purses for a long-long time – well made, stylish, super convenient and spacious (crazy bag lady here) and just beautiful. I am a proud owner of this one:

I love their jewelry, too – like this Green Stone Woven Bracelet:

Or these gorgeous Two Tone Oval Orbital Earrings

{THREE} DIY Easter Baskets

We had a wonderful Easter this year! We had the kids and since they are all grown up now, we decided to go with the DIY Easter baskets rather than the egg hunt. So, on Good Friday when everybody was taking their nap in the afternoon, I put together these baskets:

Don’t mind my washer and dryer – I was hiding in laundry room while putting these baskets together 🙂

{FOUR} Homemade Quesadillas

Oh I have been addicted to those! Carmen loves enchiladas, so we always have tortillas in the fridge. What better way to use them than make a breakfast quesadilla?

Takes no time to make, too – just whisk an egg, fry it as a pancake, put on a tortilla, add whatever else you want on it (I have cheese and ham), fold, brown on both sides, cut and devour! 🙂

{FIVE} Indoor Cycling Instructor News

Well, you guys know that this Monday I taught my very first indoor cycling class at the local YMCA as my audition for the job there.

I passed and got a job offer, which I happily accepted!!!

I have yet to pass all the checks, orientations and such, but this goes to show how determination and hard work always pay off! Once you get on the right track, once you really want something and are determined to get it – the whole world helps you reach your goals.

You suddenly find just the right people to help and support you.

You suddenly find energy in yourself to do a cycling class, a yoga class and then come back to cycling room to practice teaching for another hour – all that on a Saturday morning.

It is an amazing feeling when you see your riders’ eyes and smiles at the end of the class. I want to do it again and again 🙂

I am super excited about this job opportunity and the community of people I will be working with.

And that was my Five on Friday, folks 🙂

Do share: what have you been liking lately?

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Filed Under: breakfast, Cycling, fitness, fitness events, Five on Friday, Gift Ideas, lunch, new experiences, spinning, Spinning Instructor Tagged With: bicycling, breakfast, fitness, fitness motivation, five on friday, good food, healthy breakfast, healthy lunch, lunch, new experience, spinning, spinning instructor 8 Comments

Lean Lena April 22, 2014

Breakfast Quiche Recipe

Hey-hey! Happy Tasty Tuesday! I hope you guys had a wonderful Easter and are ready to party today 🙂

Link up your favorite tasty posts below and get them to show up on my co-host’s blog as well! Don’t forget to be nice and check out other links of our party attendees.

As for me, I am sharing an awesome recipe for Breakfast Quiche with you today. I found it on Love and Duck Fat originally and made just a few small adjustments to the recipe.

I have to say, this breakfast quiche has been my savior last week. With husband and kids being away, my lazy gene was acting up in the mornings. I was so glad I made this quiche last Sunday! Breakfasts made easy – cut, reheat, eat. One, two, three. Easy! So, here you are, guys, and don’t forget to go and thank Love and Duck Fat for the original recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

1 9” frozen pie crust, pre-baked according to directions.
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
8 oz. baby bella mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
3 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
4 large eggs
1 ½ cups light cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (4-6 oz.) shredded cheese
Handful of fresh baby spinach, arugula or parsley leaves
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F

2. To make the onions: add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan. Add the onions and toss until soft, about 5 minutes. Lower the heat and allow to cook until reduced in size and golden. After about 10 minutes, sprinkle with salt. Allow to cook on low heat for 20 minutes, until very soft and brown. Set aside.

3. To make the mushrooms: melt 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter to a skillet on medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and season with salt. Continue to cook on medium-high, turning only a few times until the mushrooms get brown and crispy on the edges. Remove from the pan. Set aside.

4. To make the custard: whisk together the eggs, cream, and 1 teaspoon of salt until frothy.

5. Assemble the quiche: spread ½ of the cheese on the bottom of the pie crust, then mushrooms, and then the onions. Scatter some spinach leaves on top (or parsley/arugula), then the remaining cheese. Pour the egg mixture gently over the top.

6. Bake for 40 minutes, until the top is golden and the center no longer jiggles.

7. Cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.

8. Enjoy!

Easy, right? I love easy to make, healthy and delicious recipes.

I know you do, too.

Now your turn: share your tasty finds with me in the link-up party below!

Thanks for stopping by today.

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Filed Under: breakfast, dinner, healthy snack ideas, lunch, recipes, Tasty Tuesday Tagged With: breakfast, good food, healthy breakfast, healthy dinner, healthy lunch, healthy snack ideas, lunch, recipes 14 Comments

Lean Lena April 18, 2014

Five on Friday: Kitchen Gadgets Hoarding Edition

Hey guys!

Finally everything is right in my world – husband is back from his endless trip to China, kids coming back today, and so is the weekend!

Are you ready for the traditional Five on Friday?

Today we will talk kitchen gadgets. I am a complete hoarder when it comes to kitchen gadgets (anything really – appliances, tools, cookware, cutlery – ANYTHING). You name it, I’ll hoard it 🙂

Anyway. Surprisingly there are still gadgets out there that I don’t own and that is what I am talking about here today – kitchen gadgets I want but don’t have (yet) 🙂

{ONE} Paderno World Cuisine A4982799 Tri-Blade Plastic Spiral Vegetable Slicer

Can you imagine?

Image source

The only thing that’s stopping me from getting one right now is the limited counter space in my kitchen. And I mean really limited.

{TWO} Transparent Toaster – Magimix Vision

Image source

Never ever burn a piece of toast again! I am totally getting this one when our old toaster dies 🙂 Maybe by the time it happens this one won’t cost the ridiculous amount of money 🙂

{THREE} Euro Cuisine YM80 Yogurt Maker

Oh my god! Need I say more? This thing makes yogurt! Yogurt that you actually know what’s going into…. DREAM! And it’s only $25!

{FOUR} Hamilton Beach 25475 Breakfast Sandwich Maker

Image source

I LOVE breakfast sandwiches. The problem is I rarely have time to make myself one in the morning, and I don’t really like the idea of making them in advance, and freezing them to reheat later.

This little thing would be perfect for me! (if only I had counter space for it, too 🙂 )

{FIVE} Traditional Electric Crepe Maker Tristar

Image source

I am pretty good at making crepes.

See?

What I like about this crepe maker though is the lower edges than the regular pan I usually use – nothing gets in the way when you need to flip the crepe.

And that makes 5 kitchen gadgets I’d gladly own 🙂

Do share: What is your dream kitchen gadget?

Have a wonderful weekend, guys!

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Filed Under: breakfast, dessert, dinner, Five on Friday, gadget-head, Gift Ideas Tagged With: baking, breakfast, dessert, five on friday, gadget-head, good food, healthy breakfast, healthy lunch, lunch 23 Comments

Lean Lena April 2, 2014

Foods and Moves – Last Week’s Recap

Hello friends! Happy hump day! I hope you’re having a great week so far! And while you are, I thought I’d share my last week’s exercise recap with you with some food highlights here and there to (maybe, just maybe) inspire you 🙂

Here we go!Continue Reading

Filed Under: breakfast, dinner, fitness, fitness events, lunch, spinning, Spinning Instructor, Weight Lifting Tagged With: bicycling, breakfast, dining out, dinner, fitness, fitness motivation, GGS, good food, healthy breakfast, healthy dinner, healthy lunch, lunch, oatmeal, pasta, salad, spinning, spinning instructor, yoga 2 Comments

Lean Lena March 19, 2014

A Hectic Week Recap – Eats and Exercises

Hey guys! Happy ~~Hump~~ Pump Day! 🙂

I’ve had a very hectic couple of weeks as you probably noticed by the lack of my “What’s on my plate” Wednesday and Motivation Monday posts this and last week… Well, guess what? I am making it all up to you today by combining the two 🙂

Not much was going on on the exercise front last week – between the sharp right shoulder/arm pain and busy schedule I managed to squeeze in just a few workouts/classes last week.

{MONDAY} Cycling and Chicken

Cycling class with Jim on Monday

I don’t like Mondays most of the time. I am excited about Monday being a new beginning and all, but by the end of the day I am beat. It is usually the busiest day of the week for me – at work, exercising after work, etc. etc.. What do I make for dinner when I am busy? That’s right – crockpot anything 🙂

Last Monday it was chicken! I used to put it in the crockpot in the morning, set on Low and turn it off when I get home at 5 PM. It made the chicken a little overcooked to my liking…So what I’ve been doing lately is I would come home for lunch, and throw the chicken into the crock pot (Low) for 4-5 hours. That’s plenty of time to cook it and it comes out just perfectly juicy.

Hubby made wok veggies on Monday night – and we got a perfect dinner right there!

{TUESDAY} No Exercise and Lamb

Took a rest day on Tuesday night.

Foodie’s highlight of the day was lamb for dinner – grilled to perfection by my husband.

and this fruit and veggie platter I had at work for my snack throughout the afternoon:

{WEDNESDAY} Yoga and Pork Chops

I did make it to yoga on Wednesday but didn’t take any pictures so you’ll just have to trust me on that one 🙂

And then I got home and made rosemary pork chops and a salad for my tired husband.

Mmmmmm….

{THURSDAY} Rest Day and Orange Salsa

Yeah, that was the day my shoulder and arm started acting up. It was that kind of muscle paralyzing pain that makes it hard to lift even a cup of coffee.

That did not prevent me from making an awesome orange salsa to go with tilapia and rice for dinner on Thursday evening, though 🙂

{FRIDAY} Another rest day and Beet Root Salad

On Friday my shoulder/arm was hurting so much it would wake me up at night. So…another rest day for the Lena 🙁

The food highlights of the day included the beet root salad I made for lunch on Sunday during my meal prep.

Canned beet roots, lettuce, feta, roasted pepitas and purple onions

{SATURDAY} Yoga and Big Family Breakfast

By Saturday I felt good enough to go get some gentle stretching done in a yoga class.

Yoga was followed by a breakfast fest made by my husband!

I also had a super-delicious lunch – leftover pasta with scallops from eating out the night before:

YUM!!!

{SUNDAY} Food Prep

Well, that decision to go to yoga the day before was a little pre-mature. My shoulder and arm were not ready for any Sunday workout.

They were good for Sunday meal prep, so I went wild 🙂 I actually started on Saturday with this:

Apple-Cinnamon infused water, sweet potatoes and quinoa

and then continued on Sunday by making lunches and snacks for the week days:

No working out on Sunday either 🙁 Some nice kitchen time though 🙂 🙂 🙂

And that was my week of eating and non-exercising at a glance 🙂

Do share: How did you do last week? Anything fun? Anything delicious cooking?

Take care, friends, and stay fit!

Filed Under: breakfast, dinner, FitFluential, fitness, Fitness Challenges, Girls Gone Sporty, healthy snack ideas, lunch, Motivation Monday, recipes, spinning, Sweat Pink, what's on my plate wednesday Tagged With: bicycling, breakfast, dining out, dinner, fitness, fitness motivation, good food, healthy breakfast, healthy dinner, healthy lunch, healthy snack ideas, infused water, lunch, pasta, recipes, salad, spinning, yoga 4 Comments

Lean Lena March 18, 2014

Tasty Tuesday: Ham and Cheese Baked Egg Cups

Hey, guys! Happy Tasty Tuesday! How is your week going so far? Are you ready to see some tasty stuff? 🙂

Don’t forget this post is a link up party! Link your favorite tasty posts below so everyone can see what tasty foods you’re eating 🙂

Are you a food blogger who wants to co-host this link up party with us every Tuesday? Contact me for details or leave a comment below!

Now down to business already 🙂

My post today is about a wonderful page – The Lemon Bowl. Liz is my go to resource for simple, healthy and delicious recipes!

Last week I stumbled upon her Ham and Cheese Baked Egg Cups and I knew I had to make those as part of my Sunday meal prep.

They come together in less than 10 minutes, bake for 25 and make a super delicious and nutritious breakfast. My husband called them “breakfast bombs” 🙂

Because I, believe it or not, couldn’t find Canadian bacon the recipe was calling for at our grocery store, I had to improvise with Liz’s recipe.

I also didn’t have enough eggs, so I used half the amounts on the recipe and also used mini muffins pan, so I still got 12 muffins with the ingredients below.

Before we get to the recipe, make sure you give Liz some love:

On her blog
On Facebook
On Twitter

Ham and Cheese Baked Egg Cups

INGREDIENTS:

7 eggs
1/3 cup 2% milk
2 oz of Extra sharp cheddar (shredded)
3-4 oz leftover lunch meat (I used chicken breast and ham)
1/4 cup minced scallions
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and spray a muffin pan with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and milk until light and fluffy. Stir in the meat, scallions and salt/pepper to taste.

3. Divide egg mixture evenly between 12 muffin tins then sprinkle evenly with sharp cheddar.

4. Bake until eggs are set, 25-30 minutes. Let cool slightly to ensure eggs are set before removing from pan to serve.

Enjoy as a healthy breakfast, snack or even lunch!

Have a wonderful week, guys, and don’t forget to link up below 🙂

An InLinkz Link-up

Filed Under: breakfast, fitness, healthy snack ideas, Link Up, lunch, recipes, Tasty Tuesday Tagged With: baking, breakfast, fitness, good food, healthy breakfast, healthy lunch, healthy snack ideas, lunch, muffins, recipes 10 Comments

Lean Lena March 11, 2014

Tasty Tuesday – Latest Tasty Finds and a Linkup Party!

Hey guys! Happy Tasty Tuesday to you!

Before I start talking about all the tasty stuff, I wanted to bring your attention to the fact that starting from today, the Tasty Tuesday blog post is officially announced to be a Linkup Party!

Come here every Tuesday to add links to your favorite tasty recipes, restaurant reviews, meal prep tips, etc. etc.. – we are talking anything tasty!

And…since it is a party – once you add a link here, your links will also appear on the Tasty Tuesday blog post of the linkup co-hosts.

This week it is just me and Meranda over at Fairytales and Fitness. Be sure to check out her blog!

So. Down to business now – this Tasty Tuesday I am sharing recent Tasty Finds!

{ONE} Peanut Butter Pie Ball by Wishes and Dishes.

To all of you, peanut butter lovers – you are welcome! 🙂

{TWO} Red Velvet Mug Cake by Kiss My Broccoli

Heather, I just want to give you a hug for this one! I love red velvet anything 🙂

{THREE} Ham and Cheese Baked Egg Cups by the Lemon Bowl

{FOUR} Banana Blueberry Cinnamon Bread by A Hungry Runner

I have recently received a private message on Instagram with a video statement from my 11 year old daughter’s friends at school that this bread is super delicious. You gotta trust those girls! This bread is super awesome!

{FIVE} Lemony Cookie Bars by Lauren Kelly

Aren’t the gorgeous?

Stay fit, friends, and keep it tasty!

Don’t forget to link up your favorite tasty stuff below!

An InLinkz Link-up

Filed Under: breakfast, dessert, healthy snack ideas, Link Up, lunch, recipes, Tasty Tuesday Tagged With: baking, breakfast, dessert, good food, healthy breakfast, healthy snack ideas, lunch, muffins, recipes 10 Comments

Lean Lena March 5, 2014

What’s on My Plate Wednesday

Hey guys! Happy hump day!!!

Oh, I am so very happy it is Wednesday!

So, how about taking a peak at what I ate in the past week? Yeah, I thought so. But I am posting anyway 🙂

For some reason I wasn’t feeling like taking a lot of pictures in the mornings this past week.

I can tell you that I ate a lot of oatmeal:

why of course I have cinnamon chips on it!

And breakfast sandwiches with a fried egg, cream cheese and turkey breast on an English muffin:

I ate my wonderful salads for lunch most of the days (those I prepped last weekend):

And then they tore out my kitchen last Tuesday… We live in an old house with horse hair plaster in the walls (yeah I know it is hard to imagine there were “before drywall times” now). When you have plaster in the walls and ceilings, this can happen:

yep, a hole in the ceiling

So they tore my kitchen ceiling out completely.

like…entirely…as in no ceiling at all

Gives my kitchen kind of a rustic look, doesn’t it? 🙂

Did that effect my cooking schedule? Yeah…all that plaster dust took a while to get rid of, that’s why we had Chinese for dinner on Tuesday.

But once I got all that dust cleaned off, we were back on track with dinners!

Yeah, lots of grilling and crockpot action!

Lemon-shrimp pasta, crockpot beef with wok veggies, steak and mashed potatoes, crockpot pork and wok veggies, chicken wings.

And, I did do my usual meal prep this Sunday! I did some nice lunch prep (salads with baby romaine lettuce, avocado, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, quinoa, green onions, goat cheese, chicken breast and hardboiled eggs + a sandwich) including snacks (apples, celery, carrots, snack cheese).

And right after that – this happened!

Well…what can I say? “All work and no play” would make Lena a one boring personality – gotta break the rules sometimes 🙂

Eat well, my friends, and have a great week!

Filed Under: breakfast, dessert, dinner, home improvement, lunch, recipes, what's on my plate wednesday Tagged With: breakfast, dining out, dinner, good food, healthy breakfast, healthy dinner, healthy lunch, home improvement, lunch, pasta, recipes, salad 1 Comment

Lean Lena March 4, 2014

Tasty Tuesday: Peanut Butter Banana Blueberry Protein Smoothie

Hello guys, and happy Tasty Tuesday!

I have another guest post in store for you today. Please, welcome Nicole @ Fitful Focus who is here to share one of her most favorite power breakfast recipes with you today!

Nicole is a young professional living in NYC. Back in January 2012, she challenged herself to live a healthier life. Since then, she’s lost 20 pounds, competed in a half marathon, become a vegetarian, a Greatist Ambassador, a Sweat Pink Ambassador, and a Girl Gone Sporty Ambassador. Now, she’s trying to maintain that lifestyle, learn even more about health and fitness, and share her adventures with you.

Don’t forget to take a moment and show Nicole some love on her blog and social media pages:

Facebook: facebook.com/fitfulfocus

Instagram: @fitfulfocus

Twitter: @fitfulfocus

Pinterest: pinterest.com/fitfulfocus

I will let Nicole take the floor now.

Stay fit, my friends!

~~~~ Drumroll~~~~

Hi Lean Lena Fans! Nicole from Fitful Focus here. I’m super excited to be guest posting over here today. Big thanks to Lena for having me and you all for reading. I know Lena loves to share a lot of eats, treats, and recipes with you all, so I’m here to share one of my favorite recipes.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day for me. Without a good breakfast, I’d be sluggish and hangry, and no one likes a slug, especially not an angry one! A healthy breakfast refuels me after an AM workout and gives me energy to power through the workday.

I like to switch things up with things like this Perfect Start Cereal or Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats, but my absolute favorite thing to have for breakfast is a smoothie!

I don’t think there is anything better than a good smoothie. I have a ton of smoothie recipes up my sleeve, but since being over here on Lean Lena is a special occasion, I don’t want to share just any smoothie recipe with you all; I want to share my absolute favorite recipe! Oh yea! Get excited, get pumped, and say hello to this Peanut Butter Banana Blueberry Protein Smoothie!

This smoothie is so delicious you’ll start loving your morning alarm for waking you up so you can go make it. Ok, ok, you’ll still hate your alarm. But you’ll be overwhelmed with happiness as soon as you take your first sip!

But for reals, it has everything you need to start your day off right. The peanut butter & protein powder give you a nice dose of protein to keep you full until lunch. The potassium in the bananas helps your muscles recover after a workout, and the blueberries give you a nice helping of antioxidants. Oh, and did I mention it’s gluten-free and vegan?!

And I haven’t even gotten to the best part yet.

Are you ready for the best part?

Are you sure you’re ready?

Ok, I’ll tell you.

The best part is it’s a piece of cake to make. Just throw everything in a blender, turn it on, and you’re done! Bazinga!

So go grab your ingredients, whip this up, and get ready for a morning of bliss!

Thanks for having me, Lean Lena readers! Come swing by Fitful Focus any time you’d like. I’d love to have you!

xoxo,
Nicole

Filed Under: breakfast, fitness, guest post, recipes, Tasty Tuesday Tagged With: breakfast, fitness, good food, healthy breakfast, recipes, smoothie 4 Comments

Lean Lena February 27, 2014

Recipe: Ham and Cheese Corn Muffins

Hello-hello! How are you today, guys?

I am sleepy and it is way too cold here! Also, they say we’re in for another winter storm this weekend with snow and ice coming down Sunday into Monday… Yuk!

So. If you’re going to be snowed/iced in – why not use that time to make something yummy? Something you can freeze and eat later, or just refrigerate and re-heat every morning for breakfast. How does that sound?

To me that sounded good last weekend, so I hade some of these breakfast muffins during my meal prep. As I promised here – I am sharing the recipe with you today.

The original recipe is by Maureen Callahan and was discovered in Cooking Light, I made a few modifications to it and here we go! Awesome muffins for breakfast.

HAM AND CHEESE CORN MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS

7 1/2 ounces whole wheat flour (about 1 2/3 cups)
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk
3 eggs
3 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup (3 ounces) reduced-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions (about 1 bunch)
1/2 cup frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
1/3 cup (2 ounces) diced extra lean ham
Cooking spray

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through pepper) in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture.
Combine buttermilk, eggs, and oil; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.
Fold in cheese, green onions, corn, and diced ham.
Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray.
Bake at 350° for 23 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
Remove muffins from pan; let cool on a wire rack.

These muffins are super good for breakfast! Just throw into the microwave, reheat and enjoy!

Stay fit and warm, my friends!

Filed Under: breakfast, healthy snack ideas, lunch, recipes Tagged With: baking, breakfast, good food, healthy breakfast, healthy lunch, healthy snack ideas, lunch, muffins, recipes Leave a Comment

Lean Lena February 26, 2014

What’s on My Plate Wednesday – Weekly Eats

Hey guys! It’s hump day! Just 2 full work days left and then it is the weekend! Got anything special going on this weekend?

I will probably sleep a lot – I was not getting enough sleep this week. And when I don’t get enough sleep…well…you know…”don’t get body slammed by a low land gorilla” 🙂

It’s been a while since I shared my eats with you here, so here we go – “What’s on my plate Wednesday” post in store for you today. 🙂

Egg sandwich on an English muffin, corn muffin (recipe coming soon), oatmeal with cinnamon chips and sliced almonds, buckwheat with honey and butter, oatmeal with cinnamon chips and marshmallows. I’ve generally been pretty good with my breakfast choices as you can see.

Warm quinoa salad on a bed of spinach, pre-prepped salads, lentil soup (crockpot), salad/sandwich combo, Italian Grinder. Lunch…I am a Queen of Lunch Prep! So pretty good choices here too.

Pork loin with buckwheat, mushrooms and onions on the side; pork chops with buckwheat; salmon, rice, avocado and spaghetti squash; home made beef enchiladas; chicken roaster with veggies. Except when my hubby is making dinner (yes, enchiladas, I am talking to you), my dinners look pretty healthy. 🙂

Celery + homemade hummus, snapeas crisps, PB-banana smoothie, raspberry-banana smoothie, cuties. Yeah, this is my weakness. Can’t even begin to describe you what I snack on that doesn’t get to the social media in the form of pictures 🙂 Het, bare with me – I am working on it and it’s a journey!

What fun foods have you eaten lately?

Stay fit, folks!

Filed Under: breakfast, dessert, dinner, healthy snack ideas, lunch, recipes, what's on my plate wednesday Tagged With: breakfast, dessert, dinner, good food, healthy breakfast, healthy dinner, healthy lunch, healthy snack ideas, lunch, muffins, oatmeal, recipes, salad, smoothie Leave a Comment

Lean Lena February 24, 2014

Weekend Cooking Spree

Hey guys! How was your weekend?

Mine was busy!

The weather was just gorgeous here this weekend, but sadly, I didn’t get to do much outside.

On Saturday morning hubby and I headed out to the Y to take Jim’s indoor cycling class. It was so nice out that I decided to take my new Vibram Five Fingers for a walk.

Love-love-love them!

Since my Spinning® instructor training I noticed that my workout attitude and the overall “feeling” at a cycling class has changed dramatically! For some reason I was always going for the speed – thinking that if I go faster, it will be better for me, I will burn more calories and all that crap. Well, that all has changed now. I am doing speed work, too but generally try to apply more resistance on the wheel than I used to and focus more on my heart rate rather than the RPM.

Taking the training also changed my entire perspective on what a bike set up should be – I have my saddle a lot higher now and I’ve noticed that it is making it much easier on my knees – a lot less cracking! 🙂

Anyway, with that in mind, I went pretty close to my usual distance on Saturday but burnt the number of calories I haven’t burnt in a cycling class in a long time.

I did take a nice two-hour nap on Saturday after this class + yoga. I just had to! It was the best nap of my life 🙂

When I woke up from my nap, it turned out the youngest had gone for a sleepover, so suddenly me and hubby had the evening to ourselves. We headed out for dinner to a Chinese place, and then decided to do some wandering around TJ Maxx. Well, I never leave that store without a score (yep, I rhymed that on purpose!)

Got me some yoga socks 🙂

I’ve been eyeing those for a while, but they just cost some ridiculous money it seems like. These were $3.something a pair so I got them and will give them a try this Wednesday!

On Saturday I also managed to squeeze in some meal prep into my day somewhere between the two workouts and the nap.

Homemade hummus, quinoa, water infused with cucumber and frozen mint leaves

Did you notice I got my water infusing water bottles that I mentioned here? 🙂 I just love the one with the orange cap except for one thing – it had a huge sticker on the front. Being an OCD driven woman, I took it off and now it’s sticky. Some Googone will have to be applied – and that’s just too many motions for something I want to get in the mail and simply enjoy. If you don’t have an OCD, you will do just that without Googone – enjoy 🙂

The one with the red lid and bottom – I haven’t quite figured it out yet – the infuser part comes out through the bottom, if you don’t put the bottom lid back on tightly – it leeks. It’ll take me a while to make friends with this one 🙂

Anyway! On Sunday morning we slept in and hubby made me an awesome brunch.

crispy bacon, poached eggs, potatoes and English muffin

And then it started…My cooking bug was obviously up and full force this weekend. I just couldn’t stop cooking!

I did my lunch prep for the week:

Cut up some bananas to freeze for my smoothies:

Made some more infused water (oranges and tangerines):

Made these super awesome breakfast corn muffins with cheese and ham:

By the time I was done with my meal prep, it was time to make dinner. So I threw together this chicken with veggies.

And yes, those are pecan bars you see in the background – I made them, too. What? The oven was warm anyway 🙂

Tell me: what fun stuff did you do this weekend?

And as always – stay fit!

Filed Under: breakfast, dessert, dinner, fitness, healthy snack ideas, lunch, Motivation Monday, recipes, spinning, Spinning Instructor Tagged With: bicycling, breakfast, dinner, family, fitness, good food, healthy dinner, healthy lunch, healthy snack ideas, infused water, lunch, muffins, recipes, salad, spinning Leave a Comment

Lean Lena February 18, 2014

Tasty Tuesday – Foodie’s Guide to Snacking

Hey, happy Tuesday! Tasty Tuesday! 🙂

Are you a snacker?

I am a “snacker”. Oh, I am such a “snacker”.

I am one of those people who needs to eat every couple hours. WHAT to eat is a big question here as you want to keep your body fueled, not overwhelmed by what you put in your month in between the meals.

I have been on the hunt for perfect snacks and sharing my finds with you today.

{ONE} Homemade Peanut Butter and Banana.

First of all, you can easily use store bought PB if you don’t feel like making your own. If you do feel like making your own, check out this recipe here that I used. I should have processed mine a little longer though – it is a little crumbly.

{TWO} Smoothie

There is nothing like a good smoothie to keep me going until my next meal!

Usually I put all the ingredients for my morning smoothie in the blender cup the night before and put it in the fridge. Whirl it up in the morning after breakfast and take to work with me. This way I don’t reach for that candy in the break room at work but drink my delicious smoothie that keeps me going until lunch.

The flavor possibilities are endless and you are your own chef!

My “must include” ingredients are frozen fruit and cottage cheese/yogurt – they create the thick and creamy consistency that I like.

{THREE} Homemade Hummus

Love it! Try making it using this recipe and you will never buy hummus again! Have it with veggies or tortilla rounds.

{FOUR} Fruit

Perfect snack! Sweet, juicy and good for you. Prep some the night before or on the weekend (rinse, peel, cut, pack in zip lock bags) and take to work.

{FIVE} Nuts

If you love nuts as much as I do, it is probably very difficult for you to avoid buying and eating nut bars. Am I right?

Choose raw nuts over nut bars and spare yourself that extra added sugar. Don’t buy the “super-protein-and-fiber-packed” promises on the labels. Just eat raw nuts instead.

{SIX} Homemade Granola

Is a super-snack! Make a batch on the weekend, pre-pack in zip lock bags or small plastic containers and enjoy during the week.

Here’s a recipe for you to play with – add/substitute the ingredients depending on what you like and keep it healthy!

Add fruit and/or cottage cheese/yogurt to it and you got a perfect snack or breakfast!

{SEVEN} Baked Oatmeal

This is not only a GREAT breakfast, but also an awesome snack – one of my all-time favorites. Make a whole batch on the weekend and you have a ready snack/breakfast for the whole week.

One of the base recipes is right here for you – play with it as you like.

Enjoy with yogurt, fruit and/or cottage cheese on top.

There you have it – 7 snack ideas for 7 days of the week.

To sum it up, here are some general guidelines when it comes to snacking:

Prep-prep-prep. Don’t be lazy to do your meal/snack prep on the weekend – you’ll be happy you did. Rinse and pack fruit and veggies, make a batch of baked oatmeal, granola or hummus and pre-pack for the weekdays. Cut up and freeze bananas and other fruit for your smoothies. Put all the ingredients in the blender cup the night before for your morning smoothie. You will thank yourself later.
Always carry a healthy snack in your purse. Never leave the house without one. What happens is – you are out and about – > you get hungry – > Les Big Mac. Don’t let it happen and have a healthy snack with you.
Make smart choices (choose raw nuts over sugar packed nut bars).
Before you buy, ask yourself – can I make it myself? If you can – make it!
Let fruit and veggies always be your number one choice when it comes to snacking.

Share: link up your favorite snack recipes below or share in comments: what is your favorite snack?

Stay fit!

An InLinkz Link-up

Filed Under: breakfast, fitness, healthy snack ideas, recipes, Tasty Tuesday Tagged With: breakfast, fitness, good food, healthy breakfast, healthy snack ideas, oatmeal, recipes, smoothie 2 Comments

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