Sweet Potato Breakfast Skillet

Hi guys! How was your weekend?

Mine was great 🙂 Hubby and I tried a new workout this Saturday – Les Mills Bodypumpâ„¢. Our Y just introduced those to the schedule and I was very curious to try it as I’d heard a lot of raving about it from my friends all over the place.

It didn’t disappoint! (I’m still sore)

bodypump

It’s basically weight training (not cardio) done in a group ex. setting with instructor’s guidance. I loved it! Once my muscles heal, I’ll definitely be going back 🙂

Now on to our normal Tuesday activity – Tasty Tuesday Linkup Party!Continue Reading

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

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:)

tasty tuesday Continue Reading

Kitchen Remodeling Progress and Tasty Tuesday Linkup Party #37

Good morning, my Tasty Tuesday Partiers! How have you been here without me?

It’s finally Tasty Tuesday and I’m back with my new tasty post and a linkup at the bottom of it for you!

tasty tuesday

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Zucchini Latkes Recipe and Tasty Tuesday Linkup Party

Hey guys! How is that Tasty Tuesday going over there? 🙂

I’m having an extremely busy week again – a lot going on and I still haven’t told you about my trip to San Diego! Shame on me!

But in my defense – I put together a super yummy post for you today 🙂

tasty tuesday

Every Tuesday I post a recipe, a collection of recipes, a restaurant review or anything related to food. There is then a linkup at the end of the post where you can add links to your food-related blog posts! The linkup stays open for a week – right until the next one comes around. How awesome is that?

Don’t forget to check out other link up participants and there’s only one rule to the linkup – link back to this blog or grab the link up badge from the sidebar. Let’s spread the word so we can have more people checking out your posts next week!

We also now have the Tasty Tuesday Pinterest Board where you can pin your posts every week. To be able to do that, please follow me on Pinterest and let me know in comments that you did, and your Pinterest username so I could send you an invite.

Also! If you haven’t noticed yet – right below this post there is a sign up form you can use to opt in for receiving an e-mail reminder every Monday about the next Tasty Tuesday Linkup Party. Fill it out if you’d like that and I’ll remind you to put together a post for the next TT linkup.

So! On to the tasty stuff now :)

I’m a big fan of savory breakfast. I just can’t start my day off with sweet stuff. Really, I can’t. Any other time of day or night – but not the morning 🙂

So because of this and because having eggs for breakfast every day can drive you nuts, I have to think of new recipes for my savory breakfasts. This one was inspired by the zucchini attack we all experience in the fall. 🙂 What better way to use them than making delicious zucchini latkes? Here’s how.

Zucchini Latkes

zucchini latkes Continue Reading

Single Serving Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe and Tasty Tuesday Linkup Party

Hey guys! Happy Tuesday! Happy Tasty Tuesday!

Did you think there will be no Tasty Tuesday linkup this week because I’m travelling? Did ya? 🙂

It’s happening! And here’s what it is:

Every Tuesday I post a recipe, a collection of recipes, a restaurant review or anything related to food. There is then a linkup at the end of the post where you can add links to your food-related blog posts! The linkup stays open for a week – right until the next one comes around. How awesome is that?

Don’t forget to check out other link up participants and there’s only one rule to the linkup – link back to this blog or grab the link up badge from the sidebar. Let’s spread the word so we can have more people checking out your posts next week!

tasty tuesday

We also now have the Tasty Tuesday Pinterest Board where you can pin your posts every week. To be able to do that, please follow me on Pinterest and let me know in comments that you did, and your Pinterest username so I could send you an invite.

So! On to the tasty stuff now 🙂

Continue Reading

Whole30 Days 11-20 Recap – What It Really Feels Like

Hey-hey! Happy Sunday, guys! Having a good weekend so far?

It’s time for my Whole30 Days 11-20 Recap.

This time, instead of showing you just what I ate day-by-day, I wanted to share more of how I felt during my Whole30 Days 11-20. And some things I ate, too 🙂

Here we go!

whole30 days 11-20

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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.

whole30 days 1-10

Continue Reading

Turkey-Ginger Breakfast Patties Recipe – Whole30 and Paleo Friendly

Hey, my foodies! How is your week going so far? Hope you didn’t have too bad of a Monday 🙂

Well, you know what day it is, right?  Yep, Tasty Tuesday!

 

tasty tuesday

Every Tuesday I post a recipe, a collection of recipes, a restaurant review or anything related to food. There is then a linkup at the end of the post where you can add links to your food-related blog posts! The linkup stays open for a week – right until the next one comes around. How awesome is that?

Don’t forget to check out other link up participants and there’s only one rule to the linkup – link back or grab the link up badge from the sidebar. Let’s spread the word so we can have more participants checking out your posts next week!

First off, I wanted to let you know that there is now the Tasty Tuesday Pinterest Board where you can pin your posts every week. To be able to do that, please follow me on Pinterest and let me know in comments that you did and your Pinterest username so I could send you an invite.

This week, in light of my latest challenge which is Whole30, I am posting a Whole30-friendly recipe here.

Whole30 pretty much bans all my favorite breakfast foods (oatmeal, avocado toast, PB toast, breakfast sandwiches) – I had to come up with a plan “B” when it comes to breakfast.

So last Sunday I made a bunch of turkey-ginger breakfast patties for an easy grab-and-go breakfast. Add some boiled eggs and vegetables of your choice and you got yourself a wonderful breakfast free of processed crap. Here’s how:

breakfast patties

INGREDIENTS:

  • Ground turkey
  • 2 eggs
  • Fresh cilantro, chopped coarsely
  • 1-2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
  • 1/2 yellow onion, diced
  • Salt and pepper to taste

HOW TO:

Preheat the oven to 350°F

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until well combined

Line a cooking sheet with foil and lightly grease with olive oil

Form patties and place them on the sheet (I made 6 big ones, remember they’ll shrink when cooked)

breakfast patties

Bake for 20-30 minutes (10-15 minutes on each side).

Broil for the last 5 minutes.

Let cool down, refrigerate or freeze for later.

Enjoy!

breakfast patties

And that’s it! How easy is that? Mix, pop them in the oven, take out, eat! 🙂

Spread the love:

Now your turn! Link up your tasty posts below, my dears! I can’t wait to read what tasty foods you ate 🙂

Have a wonderful week and eat well.

Lena

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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.

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.

whole30

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!

whole30

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):

whole30

Got the pork roast in homemade marinade ready and in the over for dinner.

whole30

Cut up some fruit for my smoothies during the week:

whole30

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!

Lena

 

Pro Cakes Review and Tasty Tuesday Linkup

Good morning, Healthy Eaters 🙂 Happy Tasty Tuesday to ya!

As always, I am sharing my tasty finds with you today and hosting a linkup for you to share yours!

Don’t forget to check out other link up participants and there’s only one rule to the linkup – link back or grab the link up badge from the sidebar. Let’s spread the word so we can have more participants next week!

Tasty Tuesday Badge 200x200

So, let’s get down to the tasty business here. A while ago, I got an opportunity through FitFluential to review Pro Cakes.

pro cakes

Pro Cakes is a high protein pancake mix, which is also gluten free, wheat free, contains 14 net carbs and over 20 grams of protein per serving.

I received this single serving of pancake mix in the mail shortly after I signed up for the review with an information card and a thank you note from the Pro Cakes founder.

pro cakes

I have to say – pancakes are my guilty pleasure – I could eat them for breakfast every day. Making a batch from scratch is not always feasible with my busy schedule. Making a batch from the store bought mix is not always healthy. So we make pancakes very occasionally.

This mix is a great solution to both issues above – you get a mix that just needs 1/3 cup of milk and an egg added to it (substitute with almond milk and an egg white if you feel like it) and is healthy and packed with protein. (see the full list of ingredients here)

Another thing that I loved about Pro Cakes mix is that it comes both in 13 oz bags and in 1.6 oz singe serving bags (makes 3 medium size pancakes) that are super convenient if you’re making breakfast for one or two people on a busy morning when you just have no time to measure those ingredients.

I made 4 small pancakes from my single serving sample that I received.

pro cakes

The pancakes were fluffy and oh SO delicious! I have to say I was skeptical to begin with – mostly because I don’t like the artificial taste of pretty much any type of added protein.

I could not taste anything funky in these pancakes.

There was no artificial powder aftertaste whatsoever.

I punched in the numbers for just the pancakes into MyFitnessPal that morning and here’s what I got:

pro cakes

Of course that’s not everything I ate that day, but looks pretty balanced to me for one meal – especially taking into account that the meal was PANCAKES!

I loved these pancakes and the fact that they are packed with protein without the artificial aftertaste. I would definitely recommend them!

Now tell me all about your tasty finds, guys, and don’t forget to link up your tasty posts below. Please, share, link back or grab the linkup party badge from the sidebar.

Have a wonderful week!

Lean Lena

DISCLAIMER: Pro Cakes has provided me with the complementary product in exchange for this review. All the opinions above are my own.

This post was shared on Healthy Tuesday Blog Hop.

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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:

fitbloggin

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:

fitbloggin

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!

Fitbloggin

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!

Fitbloggin

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? 🙂

fitbloggin

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.

fitbloggin

View from our hotel terrace

fitbloggin

One of the 23 squares in Savannah

fitbloggin

City Hall

But back to the food….

FitBloggin’ 14 was sponsored by many yummy brands 🙂

fitbloggin

California Almonds had a whole snack bar set up for us to use!

fitbloggin

California Avocado Commission made THE BEST blueberry muffins ever!

fitbloggin

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:

fitbloggin

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:

fitbloggin

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!

Lean Lena

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Quinoa the Queen and 5 Ways to Easily Incorporate it into Your Diet

Happy Tasty Tuesday morning to you, my friends!

What fun things did you do this weekend? I was on a cleaning spree – so I scrubbed and cleaned, and washed and dusted, and vacuumed and what not 🙂

Love to have a clean house! Great feeling.

There was also some pool time on Sunday and hubby’s company picnic on Saturday.

FUN!

But back to tasty things 🙂 It’s linkup party time! Do you have something tasty you’re talking about on your blog? A new recipe? A restaurant review? Link it up below!

Don’t forget to check out other links!

Me? I am talking Quinoa today 🙂

Quinoa is a wonder-seed. Rich in protein (8 g, 16%), magnesium (118 mg, 30%) and fiber (5 g, 21%) it has become extremely popular among people with various dietary restrictions, preferences and tastes.

I personally discovered it about a year ago (thank you, Internet 🙂 ), and I have been hooked ever since I tried it for the first time.

If you’re looking into trying quinoa, here are some tasty ways to incorporate it into your diet.

{ONE} Salads

I usually make a whole batch of it on Sunday and add it pretty much to all my salads.

On a bed of fresh baby spinach

On a bed of fresh baby spinach

Here’s the link to my Quinoa Power Salad and ways to serve it.

Every salad (except the beet root salad) in this Sunday meal prep photo has white quinoa in it:

IMG_4428

{TWO} Baking

I haven’t tried baking with it yet, but this Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Quinoa Snack Cake by Peanut Butter and Peppers looks super-yummy!

{THREE} Breakfast Recipes

Some people eat quinoa cooked as oatmeal for breakfast.

Or, you can make this awesome Quinoa Pudding by Honest Fare and have that instead!

{FOUR} Add to Soups

Add your quinoa to soups instead of that pasta! So much better for you!

This Black Bean and Quinoa Soup by The Post Punk Kitchen looks simply ah-mazing!

{FIVE} Add to Smoothies

Yes, you read that right! I can’t wait to try and add quinoa to my smoothie!

Check out the recipe for this beautiful Tropical Quinoa Smoothie by Rabbit Food for my Bunny Teeth.

And those are your 5 ways to incorporate quinoa into your diet.

Now it’s party time!

Share your tasty finds with me 🙂

Questions of the day:

Have you ever tried quinoa? How did you like it? What is your favorite recipe with quinoa?

Take care, my friends!

Lean Lena

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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?

SoBreakfast/Snack” category winner is…..

Granola

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….

sandwich

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

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!!!!

Thai tea

Mmmmm…I love me some bubble tea!

“Lazy Wife” category winner is…

pasta

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!

Lean Lena

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!!!

Foodie Pen Pals

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

grilled chicken

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

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

salad

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

breakfast sandwich

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.

ciabatta sandwich 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!

Lean Lena