Happy Friday! Hope everyone had a nice week! I had a lovely date with my roommate last night making chocolate covered strawberries and drinking wine! She has a potluck at work today and needed to make an easy dessert that only required a couple of ingredients. She was going to make an apple crumble pie but decided that chocolate covered strawberries would be much easier. Hmm…not so much.

I immediately knew we were going to have issues since we bought regular chocolate chips to dip the strawberries in. I know there is special chocolate out there that hardens as soon as you dip the fruit in. We were short on time so we bought the first two bags of chocolate that we saw in the baking aisle.

Can’t forget the strawberries!

It would not be a complete date without some fancy Trader Joe’s $3.00 wine!

We tried to melt the milk chocolate chips in the microwave. Our apartment started to smell like fire so Jackie decided that we should try adding some milk to the bowl.

Lesson # 1: Do not try to melt milk chocolate and almond milk together in the microwave!

The chocolate looked disgusting but I could not let half a bag of chocolate chips go to waste! I decided to dip my grapes in the chocolate and put them in the fridge overnight. Here is my attempt at chocolate covered grapes…

Lesson # 2: When chocolate looks like poop, throw it out!

I decided to sit down and drink my wine while Jackie attempted to make decent looking chocolate covered strawberries. She had much better luck with the white chocolate.

I felt bad just watching so I got up and decided to do dishes.

Lesson #3: When a glass has a slight crack in it, stop being a cheap ass and just throw it out!

I sliced my finger open on the glass and ended up under the sink for the next half hour gushing blood. I am such a romantic date.

I decided to stick with the only thing I am good at…taste testing and drinking. The strawberries came out delicious once I stayed far, far away.

 They were very happy that I left them alone!

I am done trying to bake things in the kitchen! It is just not meant to be. 

Final lesson of the night: NEVER MAKE CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES ON A FIRST DATE!

Related posts:

1. Horizon Organic Chocolate Milk Winners!
2. Chocolate Loveeee
3. Chocolate Chip Raisin Applesauce Cookies!

Hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend! I spent the past three days going to IntenSati classes, drinking wine, and relaxing. My parents came to visit on Saturday which was really fun. I also cooked for the first time in ages! I haven’t been posting much food on here lately just because I am always making the same boring meals for dinner. I usually just heat up frozen veggies in the microwave with a veggie burger or an Amy’s burrito. Last night I decided to take some time to actually cook a nice dinner. I was craving Chinese food so I decided to make a healthier version of Chicken Fried Rice!

I went to the supermarket and bought chicken, onions, eggs, and brown rice. I don’t make things that require me to buy more than five ingredients. I started off by cooking the chicken on the stove with onions and soy sauce.

While the chicken was cooking, I made Boil in a Bag brown rice. Yes, I still chose the laziest way possible to cook my rice. My roommate has a rice cooker but I have no clue how to use it.

Once the chicken was cooked, I added some sesame seeds and more soy sauce.

On a different pan, I cooked scrambled eggs to add to the “fried” rice.

I wanted some greens on the side so I made frozen veggies in the microwave. Some things never change!

Eventually my rice was done so I added some Smart Balance butter spray, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

I mixed the rice, eggs, onions, and chicken together to make Healthy Chicken Fried Rice!

I added some lettuce on top of the frozen veggies to make a big salad. Perfect dinner!

Even more perfect with a Blue Moon!

My chicken fried rice tasted very similar to the oily and salty kind at Chinese restaurants! It definitely satisfied my Chinese food craving! I should cook more often but don’t have the patience to do this on weeknights when I get home from the gym at 8:30pm. I am very happy with my 5 minute dinners but I will start to occasionally cook on weekends! You will never see me make a meal from scratch with 20 ingredients! I am all about the quick, easy, and healthy dinners!

What is your favorite fast, healthy dinner to cook?

Did you cook anything good this past weekend?

Related posts:

1. Healthified Shrimp Fried Rice
2. Missy Cooks
3. Chicken Fingers and Pizza for Breakfast

Guess what? I cooked two nights in a row so far this week! Shocking, right? It all started on Sunday night. I decided to take my time in the supermarket and buy some ingredients to make a fresh, home-cooked meal. I’ve been overeating a lot at night lately and felt that it was time to do something nice for myself. I think my 5-minute meals (hello Amy’s Burritos & Morningstar Farms veggie burgers) might not satisfy me enough. I decided it might help me to take my time preparing and eating my dinner. I went to Key Foods and bought some shrimp, veggies, brown rice, and beer. I don’t really know how to cook but I do know how to make a basic meal taste good.

I started off by defrosting frozen shrimp by running them under cold water. I cooked them on a skillet with mushrooms and olive oil.

I decided to finally make use of my awesome steamer! It’s been collecting dust for about a year now! I do like roasted veggies better than steamed veggies but my fire alarm always goes off when I try to cook anything in the oven. I filled my steamer with some broccoli and asparagus.

I am still very lazy when it comes to cooking so I used Boil-in-a-Bag brown rice. Don’t hate. All I had to do was boil water and throw the bag in for 10 minutes! Can’t get any easier than that!

When I bought the shrimp, I had no idea how I would give it some flavor and make it a little more exciting to eat.  Luckily, I have an Asian roommate so I know I can always find delicious sauces and spices in the cabinet! I can’t always read the labels but this time I was able to find some soy sauce and sesame seeds!

I cooked the shrimp in soy sauce and added some sesame seeds to give the shrimp some extra crunch.

Thanks to my cool steamer, my broccoli and asparagus were done in 10 minutes! I sprayed the veggies with Smart Balance butter and added some salt and pepper.

I did the same thing to the brown rice to give it some extra flavor.

My Asian-inspired shrimp, veggies, and brown rice turned out delicious! I felt like I was eating Shrimp Teriyaki straight out of a Japanese restaurant!

This meal only took about 15 minutes and was much more enjoyable to eat than a rushed, frozen dinner.

To top it off,  I had plenty of leftovers to bring for lunch on Monday!

Oh yeah, this is why I don’t cook more often….

I miss having a dishwasher! I guess I don’t mind doing dishes that much since I cooked again on Monday night!

I used my leftover broccoli and brown rice to make a Mexican salad! I know you guys missed seeing my Mexican salads on here every week! Maybe not…but I know I missed eating them!

I am very proud of myself for cooking two nights in a row!  I just knew I needed to get out of my usual 5-minute meal routine. My cooked meals still only took 10 to 15 minutes to make. I also have to mention that I enjoyed my dinner 100% more since I sat at my dinner table and took my time to savor my meal. Last week, I ate my quick dinners in my bedroom at my computer. First of all, I should not be eating anywhere near my new Macbook Pro!! I tend to break every piece of technology I own. My first week of college, I spilled nail polish remover on my brand new laptop. Insurance does not cover nail polish remover spills. I’ve also spilled water on my GPS, dropped my cell phone in a toilet, and dropped my camera in a pot of boiling water. I should not be allowed to eat dinner near my computer. I also do not focus on my food when eating at my laptop. I am always too busy catching up on blogs and Twitter! From now on, I will eat dinner at my kitchen table and play with you guys after! On that note, I am going to go drink my wine AWAY from my computer. I don’t want to come back tomorrow complaining about spillage…..

1) Do you sit down and only eat dinner or do you eat and do other activities at the same time?

2) What is your favorite dinner to cook right now?:

Related posts:

1. Healthy Chicken Fried Rice
2. Introducing Chef Missy!
3. I Can Cook but Just Don’t Want To!

Hello! About a month ago I mentioned that raw foodist David Wolfe spoke at my school and made a superfoods smoothie. He was so energetic that of course I wanted to get my hands on whatever he was eating! I had a really hard time finding all of the ingredients but finally found almost all of them. It is the perfect time of year to enjoy a nice cold smoothie so let’s take a look at the ingredients and their benefits!

Ingredients:

 1) Organic berries-Berries contain phytochemicals and flavonoids that may help to prevent some forms of cancer. Blueberries and raspberries also contain lutein, which is important for healthy vision (source).

2) Coconut Water: Has 15 times more potassium than that found in sport drinks. It’s also naturally loaded with the five key electrolytes: potassium, magnesium, phosphorous, sodium and calcium. It also helps keep the body cool and at the proper temperature, helps carry nutrients and oxygen to cells and boosts poor circulation, regulates the function of the intestine, helping promote smoother skin, helps detoxify your body and boost your immune system, and helps easy stomach pains (source).

3) Coconut Oil: Holds the smoothie together, helps with blood sugar, provides long-lasting energy, increased metabolic rates, as well as anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal activity (source).

4) Goji Berries: the goji berry offers an exceptional balance of daily macronutrients: containing carbohydrates, high-quality protein, healthy fat, and soluble fiber. The goji’s solid plant-based protein is packed with 18 amino acids — including all 8 essential amino acids – which is 10% of the fruits composition. Also full of free-radical-devouring antioxidants, goji berries have been historically used to support the immune system and longevity. Rich in vitamin A and a good source of vitamin C, these berries additionally possess over 20 trace minerals and vitamins including zinc, iron, phosphorus, riboflavin (B2), vitamin E, and carotenoids which include beta-carotene. And to put things in perspective on just how powerful the little goji berry is, ounce per ounce it contains more vitamin C than oranges, more beta carotene than carrots, and more iron than soybeans or spinach (source).

5) Camu Camu Powder:The most potent known source of vitamin C in the world, Camu contains 30 to 60 times the amount of vitamin C found in oranges.” Camu also contains a wide range of antioxidants and other phytonutrients, and helps reduce inflammation in the body (source).

6) Maca Powder: As you can see above, this one increases libido!  It’s also been used to increase energy, combat stress, and increase stamina. It contains plant sterols, essential minerals, amino acids and healthy fats (source).

7) Raw Cocoa Beans: David Wolfe said that chocolate is the #1 antioxidant food in the world. It is 15X higher than blueberries, 30X higher than red wine, and 20X higher than green tea. Oh yeah!

Blue Manna Powder:  promotes:
. Greater mental energy, attention, memory, and focus.
. Emotional and mental balance.
. Healthy joints and tissues.  (source).

9) Spirulina:At 60 to 70% protein, it is higher in protein than any other natural food. Spirulina is rich in vitamins and minerals and other nutrients. It increases energy, stamina, and has a blood glucose lowering effect (source).

I’m not sure of the exact measurements for each ingredient but I will give you a general idea of how much I used. I filled my Magic Bullet about 3/4 full with coconut water, a tablespoon of coconut oil, a handful of goji berries, about a cup of the frozen berries, and a teaspoon of each powder.

I blended it for about a minute and a beautiful superfood smoothie was created!

The smoothie actually tastes very good since the berries overpower all of the green algae and other powders. David Wolfe said that you can also use raw honey or almond butter instead of coconut oil. There were a few mushroom powders that he also added but I could not find them anywhere! I found most of my ingredients at Whole Foods and at NavitasNaturals.com. I love that the smoothie is very filling and gives me a lot of energy after drinking it! So long coffee!

1) Do you eat/drink any superfoods?

2) What is your favorite smoothie combination?

*Don’t forget to enter to win 1 of 3 Core Fusion Lean and Toned DVD’s!!

*Check out the new Lite Choice Giveaway! You can win a $50.00 gift certificate and a “Behind the Scenes” tour!

Related posts:

1. Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil Giveaway!
2. Tropical Traditions Antioxidant Omega 3 Greens Giveaway!
3. Poopy Spin…and a Navitas Naturals Review!

A few weeks ago I was given the opportunity to choose something from CSN Stores to try out and review. As soon as I saw the Magic Bullet as an option, I ordered one right away. I’ve always wanted a food processor for the simple fact that I wanted to make my own hummus from scratch!

My Magic Bullet arrived and I went online to find a hummus recipe. I found a simple one from http://mideastfood.about.com/od/appetizerssnacks/r/hummusbitahini.htm.

The recipe called for:

I had to go to 4 different stores before I found tahini! With the help of my Twitter friends, I found it near the nut butters in the health food store.

I followed my instructions…

Preparation:

Hello hummus!

It looked good and creamy! Unfortunately it was probably the worst hummus I’ve ever had! I tried it a few times because I really wanted to like it. I hate throwing out food. I dipped some cucumbers in it…

I topped my veggie burger and salad with it last night for dinner….

I even licked it straight off my spoon just to make sure I hated it! Hummus—FAIL!

First of all, it was not creamy at all. Did I blend it too long? I think I only did it for 20 or 30 seconds. The first thing I tasted was garlic. Too much garlic. Then I decided it had absolutely no flavor…or just some really weird throw up flavor. So sad. I know cooking something new takes some pratice but I didn’t think hummus would be very hard. This is where I need your help. Please comment with some hummus recipes! I’ve seen some of you make delicious looking hummus so I need a tutorial. I’m obviously not an expert in the kitchen. Thank you! For now I will continue to eat my Sabra.

Related posts:

1. Yummus Hummus!
2. Kopali Organics and Hummus Heaven
3. Tribe vs. Sabra Hummus!