Meal Prep Sunday

I'm starting to notice more and more people getting into weekly meal prepping. I personally think this is a great way to keep yourself on track if you have a busy schedule! I understand not wanting to cook after a long day of work, but this make it tempting to grab fast food or dine on "junk food."

During my current rotation, I have started to get extremely busy during the week. So...to stay on track, I have started having myself a "Meal Prep Sunday." Every Sunday, I go to the store and purchase food that I can make in advance and store in containers. Pick out any day that works best for you!

My go-to items are:
Chicken breast (pack of 4)
Beets (3-4 bulbs)
Kale (2 bundles)
Quinoa (1 cup dried)
Red Onions (1 large onion)
Brussels Sprouts (one package of fresh sprouts)
Tomatoes (*optional* get however many you want)

Directions for delicious baked chicken:
I bake the chicken at 400 for 20 minutes, and then lower the temperature to 325, cover with foil and bake for another 30 minutes.

Directions for the quinoa:
I use about 1 cup dried quinoa and prepare it by bringing the grains to a boil for about 15 minutes and then taking them off the heat and cover so that they can absorb the rest of the water and "fluff" up.

Directions for the kale/onion sauté:
For the onion/kale sauté, I start by heating 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large sauce pan on medium heat and sauté the red onion until soft. I then dump the chopped onion in a bowl and sauté the kale. In the end, I toss the kale and onions together.

Directions for the beets:
I boil the beets until soft enough to be pierced with a fork (approximately 30-40 minutes depending on the size of your beets).

Directions for the Brussels sprouts:
I cut the Brussels I half and toss them in a baking dish with olive oil and rosemary and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.

Directions for the tomatoes:
And lastly for the tomatoes...I just slice those and eat them raw (maybe drizzle some balsamic over them if I happen to have some)!

All of this only cost me about $23 from Food Lion! What a steal! Who said it was expensive to be healthy??

The Tupperware contents definitely fill up a average sized plate!

Happy Pi Day!

It's March 14th and you know what that means...It's National Pi Day!! Being the foodie I am, I couldn't not celebrate. I had a really hard time trying to figure out what type of pie I wanted to make. While I have a weakness for blueberry and pumpkin pies, I decided to go with an ever-so delicious Coconut Cream Pie!  And, with limited amounts of butter and sugar, this is a "healthier" option when it comes to pies.

Ingredients

One Traditional pre-made crust
One 13.5 Fl oz Can Coconut milk
1 1/2 cups of half and half
4 lightly beaten egg yolks
3/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup corn starch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon butter
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups sweetened coconut
*Cool Whip Topping (optional...most coconut cream pies have this but I left it off of mine)

Directions:

1.   reheat oven to 400 degrees and use a fork to poke small holes in the bottom of your pie shell. Bake pie shell until it is golden brown.

2. Combine the coconut milk and half and half.
3. Place the coconut/half and half mixture into a medium saucepan. Add in the egg yolks ,3/4 cup of sugar , salt and the 1/3 cup of corn starch into the pan and whisk to combine. heat pan on low heat and constantly whisk slowly. Whisk mixture until it thickens. This step could take 20 minutes...be very patient! 
4. Once the pudding starts to boil, whisk it very fast for about a minute and take it off the heat. Immediately mix in the vanilla, butter and coconut.
5. Pour the hot mixture into the crust and refrigerate! Top with Cool Whip if desired!

Hope you enjoy this pie or any other delicious pie for this year's Pi Day!!

If you want more ideas for Pies, check out these lovely blogger friends of mine:

Kate's Recipe Box: Strawberry Pop Tart Pie

Eva Bakes: Indiana Sugar Cream Pie

Cheese Curd in Paradise:

Individual Pepperoni Pizza Pot Pies

Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks: Lemon Cheesecake Pie

Cookaholic Wife:

Chocolate Pecan Pie

Kosher Kitchen: Sweet Potato Pie

National Nutrition Month

March is National Nutrition month! Celebrate by making at least ONE change. From eating more fruits and veggies, to drinking more water, to getting more sleep...there are so many small changes that you can make that will make a huge impact one your health!

For me, my goal is to try getting a little more sleep. When we sleep, that's our body's time to heal and recover from the previous day's wear and tear. Aim to get 7-9 hours every night.

Check out: http://www.nationalnutritionmonth.org/nnm/  or click the button on the side of my blog to learn more about health and wellness and even get connected to other health themed bloggers!

Shark Tank!

So this post is not about food, health, or nutrition, but I want you all to know that my best friends, and owners of Frill Clothing, will be airing on Shark Tank tonight at 8/7c on ABC! You can see me on the side wearing the bow skirt! This one probably one the coolest experiences of my life! You don't want to miss it!!

Spontaneous Weekend Trip to Greenville, SC

This past weekend, my best friend Kate and I took a spontaneous trip to Greenville, SC, to visit one of our friends from Appalachian State. It was a weekend full of exploring, laughing, and reminiscing...and not to mention, good food as well! Below are a few pictures I took!

We were able to have an AMAZING meal at Luna Rosa Gelato Cafe in downtown Greenville on Saturday. Though we had to wait about 30 minutes, it was well worth it. All the menu items were made from scratch. I had the "Sicilian Panini" that consisted of a chicken breast and prosciutto ham that had been pressed on a grill with provolone and pesto.

I think you can tell how much I enjoyed my sandwich

I also thought this was very respectable for a restaurant

We then ate at the ever so delicious Tupelo Honey Cafe! Having previously been to the location in Raleigh, I knew this meal was going to be delicious. I started with a mojito as we waited to be seated. Though we had a one hour wait, we were able to pass the time by discretely playing "Heads up!" Talk about trying to contain excitement...ha ha!

Mojito from Tupelo Honey Cafe

I ordered the new sauteed shrimp with carrot/kale slaw and sweet potato fries...so good!! 



If you have never been to a Tupelo Honey Cafe, I HIGHLY recommend you try it! I promise you won't be let down.

This was the last meal we had in Greenville, and it couldn't have been any better! There's no better way to spend a weekend than with good friends and good food!