It’s finally spring! Rejuvenate and energize your body and soul with this mini weekend spring cleanse.
March 10, 2015
Smoothies: 7 Recipes for 7 Days
Smoothies season is upon us! Start yours off with these 7 Smoothie Recipes for 7 Days. Fresh fruit, vegetables and other nutritious ingredients will give your body a boost of energy and health after the long winter months.
February 24, 2015
Larabar Giveaway and Tasty Tuesday Linkup #55
Hey-hey, guys! It’s Tuesday! Tasty Tuesday no less!
I’ve had a rough couple of weeks, which I’m sure you have noticed by the fact that this blog has only been updated once a week lately.
Such is life that you never know when it’s going to get in the way next time and prevent you from doing what you really want making you do what needs to be done instead. #philosophical 🙂
Anyway, due to life things getting in the way – no new recipe this Tasty Tuesday for you, guys. But before you get disappointed and click away – it’s LARABAR giveaway day instead!
February 11, 2015
Yoplait Whips! – Whipping Up Healthy Meals
Whipped Greek yogurt? 100 calories? Yes, please! I’ll take these Yoplait Whips! as a healthy breakfast, snack, lunch and dinner 🙂
January 27, 2015
Delicious Eats Lately and Tasty Tuesday Linkup Party #51
Another round of the Tasty Tuesday Linkup Party is here! This time I’m sharing some delicious eats I’ve had lately as well as some exciting news for my linkup party attendees!
January 13, 2015
Tasty Tuesday Linkup #49 and Exciting Tasty News
Hey guys! Happy Tasty Tuesday Linkup day to you! How was your weekend?
Mine just flew by. Seriously, before I knew it – it was Sunday night 🙁
This Saturday we (just out of the blue) decided it was Christmas – Take #2 at our house, at least food wise.
Hubby made an incredibly delicious leg of lamb! (I have no idea what’s gotten into him, I was afraid I’d spook him if I asked).
December 16, 2014
Baked Apple Oatmeal Protein Bombs and GNC PUREDGE Giveaway
Hey guys! It’s Tuesday again!
Which means we’re talking tasty stuff here on this blog.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been indulging in delicious cookies (both at work and at home) lately. With me teaching 2-3 cycling classes a week those are not hard to burn off, but what the what, right? 🙂
So. Since it’s holiday season and treats are mandatory, I’ve decided to make my treats healthy. HUGE thanks to GNC and their PUREDGE line of products for helping me create this recipe for Baked Apple Oatmeal Protein Bombs!Continue Reading
October 28, 2014
Pumpkin Bread Recipe and Tasty Tuesday Linkup
Hey-hey, my foodies! How is your week going?
It’s that time again on Lean Lena! Tasty Tuesday Linkup Party:)
August 21, 2014
Whole30 Days 1-10 Recap: Program Friendly Meal Ideas
So I am 1/3 of the way through – done with my Whole30 Days 1-10.
In case you missed the beginning – after some thinking I decided to try this program with my buddy over in the Netherlands – Yuliya.
Ok, now that you have all the links, go ahead and read – I’ll wait 🙂
Welcome back!
So. 10 days later I decided I’d recap the highlights of the first 10 days of the program, let you guys know how it feels and what it takes.
August 11, 2014
So…Whole30 Gets a….YES!
After careful consideration, my Whole30 Challenge is a go!
Won’t go into much detail as to why – I guess there’s both pro and con opinions out there – and plenty of both, too. I just feel it’s the right thing for me to do at this point in my health journey.
I’m missing something. And I’m hoping that Whole30 will help me find that “something”.
Anywho. It just so happens that Yuliya over at Welcome to Mommyhood is starting another round of hers over there in the Netherlands as well. How exciting is that? I have a Whole30 buddy!
We decided to cheer each other on and post recaps on our blogs for every 10 days of the challenge.
We will also be posting daily highlights over at Lean Lena and Welcome to Mommyhood Instagram pages.
Make sure you follow both our blogs and Instagram pages if you would like to follow along and find out what the first Whole30 feels like (that would be me telling you that) and how to make it enjoyable with Yuliya’s recipes and previous experience with this program. 🙂
Don’t miss out on the real experience and true recaps!
So… Whole30.
This weekend I sat down to plan my meals for the week. I’m saying “my” because my family is not following me along. They’re not crazy enough 🙂 Joking. They are. They just love pizza too much 🙂
The good thing is we don’t have the kids with us for the first 7 days of my Whole30, my husband is very flexible with food so we can eat program-friendly meals and hopefully, I will ease into it pretty quickly with less temptations.
So, back to the weekend prep.
On Saturday we went berry picking. It was so awesome! The place is wonderful and we had so much fun. If you’re in the area, check out the Yellow Hill Farm.
We picked a ton of blackberries.
We made blackberry cobbler that night, and I lie to you not – on Sunday morning my family sat down for breakfast and put away the whole 8″x8″ of it – right out of the pan 🙂 Ok, well…that wasn’t very Whole30 friendly 🙂
Back to the good stuff now.
On the way back from the berry picking we stopped by at the Peach Festival, and got a whole huge bag of peaches!
On Sunday our hot water heater said “I’m done!” My husband and the girl worked on it all day and ended up replacing the whole thing, while I was getting busy in the kitchen.
I made these awesome Turkey Ginger Breakfast Patties (stay tuned for the recipe tomorrow):
Got the pork roast in homemade marinade ready and in the over for dinner.
Cut up some fruit for my smoothies during the week:
Boiled some eggs, too.
I may or may not have made another 2 cobblers (peach and blackberry) for my hungry family 🙂
So, there you have it, guys! I’m ready for the Whole30 and I feel good about it. Bring it on!
Take care and stay healthy. Come back tomorrow for the awesome breakfast patties recipe!
July 1, 2014
FitBloggin’ 14: Tastes and Sights of Savannah
Hey guys! How was Monday?
I was dragging after the FitBloggin’ weekend. Lil’ better today, but still catching up on my sleep and getting back to my routine.
So! As you may have noticed, yesterday’s brief overview of the whole experience did not touch the two exciting parts of the trip to Savannah – food and sights 🙂
Since it is Tasty Tuesday, I’m going to tell you what I ate in Savannah as well is what I saw.
If you get to Savannah by air, here’s what you see when you get to the airport:
yep, that is INSIDE the airport
Most of the meals were provided so we had just a few chances to go and explore Savannah and eat out. Here’s a glance at our typical breakfast:
fruit, eggs, sausage, potatoes and a muffin
On the first night, Jennifer and I decided to eat at the hotel we were staying at (Hyatt Regency Savannah) at their Lounge called “Windows”
I ordered a crab cake sandwich looking forward to tasting the delicious fresh crab in it!
Mmmmmm
Well, that crab cake was HOT! It was so spicy I could not eat it. Thankfully Jennifer came to my rescue and we swapped halves of our sandwiches. The lounge was so nice as to give us 50% off that crab cake sandwich since I didn’t like it.
After dinner we headed out for the Ghost Tour with Peg Leg Ron and his shipmate Jacob 🙂 It was a ghost tour in a real hearse!
Ready to Roll! Photo credit
I didn’t take many pictures on the tour. I mean I did but none of them really turned out. Mysterious, isn’t it? 🙂
except this one pic of this spooky house!
But don’t you think Savannah is all that spooky and dark. It’s not. It is a very beautiful place – full of history and beautiful places to see and go to.
View from our hotel terrace
One of the 23 squares in Savannah
City Hall
But back to the food….
FitBloggin’ 14 was sponsored by many yummy brands 🙂
California Almonds had a whole snack bar set up for us to use!
California Avocado Commission made THE BEST blueberry muffins ever!
Run Disney provided lunch one of the days while presenting to all the runners in the audience 🙂
We also had a chance to explore Savannah and grab some food outside of the conference venue, so Jennifer and I went wondering around and found this:
Pralines from River Street Sweets
Remember I got a Foodie Penpals box from Tiffani with a bear claw from this store in Charlston? Yep, that was the same chain and their sweets are ahhhhhh-mazing! They deliver, you know? 🙂
On Saturday we had dinner to ourselves (not arranged) so we ventured out to Ruan Thai Cuisine where I had this delicious reminder of my days in Thailand:
Fried rice with scallops. YUM!
All in all, guys – I am in love with Savannah! Despite the heat and humidity – I’m ready to go back TODAY!
Now link it up! Share your recipes or any food related posts below. Nothing to share? Tell your friends!
Take care and talk to you soon!
Loading InLinkz ... June 6, 2014
A Week in Food – Award Ceremony
Good morning, World! How is it turning today? 🙂 I bet it feels like it’s turning faster, because it’s Friday 🙂
Have you had breakfast yet? No? Well, I’m just about to make you hungry!
I’m talking food here today (again) – highlights of the past week and awards in 5 Categories! Ready?
So “Breakfast/Snack” category winner is…..
Granola and Yogurt
I usually make my own granola. This time I couldn’t resist this yummy looking all organic granola I found at TJ Maxx, so I bought it and enjoyed it ever since.
“From Hubs With Loves” Category winner is….
Steak Sandwich
Just that – steak, provolone and lettuce on whole wheat bread – the sandwich hubby made me last Friday and left in the fridge with a note for me. Isn’t he the sweetest? 🙂
“Eating Out” category winner is…
Chicken Pho Soup from Issei Noodle
This is one of our most favorite places to eat in town – always quick, fresh, cheap and super delicious! And that place just got even better – they now serve Thai tea with bubbles!!!!
Mmmmm…I love me some bubble tea!
“Lazy Wife” category winner is…
Store-bought chicken tortellini with mushrooms
Our go-to meal when the wife is feeling to lazy to cook anything more complicated 🙂 What? I added veggies! 🙂
Do share: what’s cooking today?
Have a great weekend, guys!
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!
May 27, 2014
Sweet Potato Wedges – Tasty Tuesday Linkup Party
Hey-hey guys! The Tasty Tuesday party is back!
I am so glad to be back to normal with my life and blogging after 3 weeks of just work and no play!
Bringing the party back to you today with my sweet potato wedges recipe! As always, this recipe was inspired by what was leftover in my pantry. This time it was sweet potatoes and I felt like just baking them was way to boring so I made the sweet potato wedges – super easy, quick and my kids just LOVED them! So, here we go.
SWEET POTATO WEDGES
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 large sweet potatoes
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp dill
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400F.
Scrub the potatoes (I didn’t peel mine) and cut them into wedges, put in a large bowl.
Add oil and spices, mix until well coated.
Bake for 20 minutes, turn the wedges over and bake for another 20 minutes.
About 5 minutes before they are ready, turn on the broiler to make them nice and crispy.
Enjoy!
Now your turn – link up below and remember to visit the blog of my co-host Meranda to see what she’s cooking, as well as other party participants!
Have a wonderful week, friends.
This post was shared on Urban Naturale
Loading InLinkz ... May 6, 2014
POPSUGAR Must Have Snacks from Nature Box – Review
Hey-hey, my friends! Happy Tasty Tuesday to you!
I am totally crazed with work these days – I had to get up at 4:30 am and commute 2 hours (vs. my usual 10 minutes), so it’s been a few 12-14 hour days at work. On the plus side – it’s all outside 🙂 FUN!
I will try and pop in every now and then in the next couple of weeks but will be extremely busy, so hang in there 🙂 For now – it is time to PARTY!
I am talking about snacking here today. Again 🙂 Well, whatcha gonna do – I’m a snacking queen 🙂
Anyway, a while ago I received an e-mail from Popsugar Select with an invitation to take part in their #MushHaveSnacks campaign with Nature Box.
Nature Box snacks? Count me in! So I signed up and Popsugar and Nature Box kindly selected me to be part of this awesome campaign. I have received a box of goodies from them free of charge to try and review:
Want to tell you up front – I absolutely LOVED every single snack in my box. No exceptions at all. So let’s take a closer look at what I got:
Dried California Peaches
You know it is good stuff when there is only one ingredient on the list and that’s peaches.
Blueberry Almond Bites
These are moderately sweet and oh so good as a healthy treat!
Next up was the Popsugar Must Have Mix – that one was my most favorite! Savory, delicious, healthy and beautiful! What more would I want of a snack? 🙂
Seaweed Rice Pops
These babies disappeared from my snack drawer before I could say “rice pops” 🙂
Lemon Pucker Pistachios
These were the favorite of the men in my family. I left them on the dining room table in the morning and they were gone by the time I got home from work. I have no idea how that happened because I am the last to leave the house and often the first to come back 🙂 Somebody must have snuck into the house and ate them 🙂
Anyway, guys! I enjoyed the snacks from Popsugar and Nature Box very much! And I am very excited to tell you that for a very limited time POPSUGAR Must Have Snacks by NatureBox will be 50% off!!! Follow this link to sign up and get you first box in the mail!
And that’s it for today, guys! Don’t forget to link up your tasty posts below and check out other partiers!
Have a great week!
Disclosure: POPSUGAR and NatureBox provided me with a complimentary POPSUGAR Must Have Snacks by NatureBox box. The opinions I have shared about the box are my own, and POPSUGAR and NatureBox did not tell me what to say or how to say it.
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