Concert with the Fam & DIY

Hello my little cupcakes!

This weekend was pretty relaxing for me. Breakfast is one of my favorite meals, so of course I have to take pictures of every breakfast! Ha!

This first breakfast was 2 whole eggs cooked in coconut oil with green onions and smashed avocado. The coffee is cold brew coffee from Trader Joe's with unsweetened cashew milk. I sat next to my window in the natural sunlight. Mornings are my favorite and I tend to wake up earlier than I need to just so I can enjoy some "me" time. I think mornings are so peaceful. When I don't rush in the mornings it makes my more upbeat and happy all day long. 

Another morning this weekend I ate outside on my deck. I had banana pancakes with Trader Joe's cashew butter. If you want the pancake recipe it can be found here: Paleo Banana Pancakes . I also had some more cold brew coffee. It felt like fall all of last week here in Indiana. 

Yesterday I went to the Def Leppard concert with my parents and one of my sisters. We camped at a camp ground right across the street. My dad grilled up some burgers for dinner. Here is what mine looked like. I love using lettuce leaves as buns! It is so much healthier and also Whole30 compliant (paleo too).

Here is a shot from the concert! I didn't take many pictures because I was trying to enjoy the concert. 

I also made a cute DIY makeup board. I got the idea from one of my best friends who said she got the idea from pinterest. It was pretty easy to make and now I have so much more counter space in my bathroom. I got the frame on sale at Hobby Lobby for $10! Besides the frame, you only need: a hot glue gun, magnet strips, a piece of metal to fit in the frame, and paper or fabric to cover the metal. I didn't get a chance to attach magnets to all of my makeup, but hey it's a start! Here is a link to my pinterest board where you can find other makeup boards: Tori's Craft Pinterest Board .

Just to let you all know, crafting is another one of my favorite hobbies besides exercising and cooking!

Later Taters!

"It's a beautiful day, don't let it get away"

Pumpkin RX Bar

Hello cupcakes! 

I received two pumpkin RX Bars from the lovely RX Bar team. I am an official taste tester for this flavor and let me tell you what... It's freakin delicious! I am a huge fan of everything pumpkin and this really got me excited for fall. I love how I can pronounce every ingredient and I can count the number of ingredients on my hands. I am pretty picky when it comes to packaged bars, but these passed my standards. The bars are pretty decent size and are a perfect snack in my opinion. With my busy schedule right now, I always carry around snacks. I also think these could be used as a grab n go breakfast if you are crunched for time. After my first bite, I immediately tasted pumpkin! If you are a pumpkin lover like me, then I know you will love these! They bars are flavor and texture are perfect in my opinion. The bars are not crunchy, but more on the chewy side due to the dates used to create the bars. Dates have become my go to for adding a little natural sweetness to things I eat. I also like that I can feel good about eating something pumpkin flavored because there are many pumpkin products out there that are not very good for you. 

If you are on a Whole30, all of the ingredients are Whole30 compliant! Whoo!! Just don't use them on the Whole30 to curb your sugar dragon! 

Another thing these would be useful for is a pre-workout snack. I can see myself taking these with me when I mountain bike or hike in North Carolina.

I am so excited that I was given this opportunity to try out the pumpkin flavor and I would personally like to thank the RX Bar team! You guys rock! 

If you are interested in buying some, here is the link to their website: RX Bar . The pumpkin flavor will launch in September. 

Peace out! Later Taters! 

Healthy Paleo Pumpkin Cookies

Good evening cupcakes! 

Tonight I was in the mood to bake! I had leftover dates and coconut flour I wanted to experiment with. I decided to try to make some healthy cookies! 

Here is how I made them:

In a food processor, add 1 cup of whole dates, pitted. Process until a paste forms. The paste will be sticky. Next add two tablespoons of coconut oil and blend until combined. The oil will still be a little separated from the date paste. Add in the inside pods of 1/2 a vanilla bean, 1 T of ground flaxseeds, 1 small personal size unsweetened applesauce, and 1/2 c coconut flour. Blend until combined. If dough is too sticky, add more coconut flour until it is a good dough texture. Roll into balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Press down cookies with a fork to make marks in them like a peanut butter cookie. Bake in a preheat 350 degree oven for 8 minutes. I topped mine with my cashew pumpkin frosting. These cookies turned out better than the pumpkin cinnamon rolls in my opinion! 

I hope you all enjoy your weekend. Remember to be thankful for the little things in life! 

Later taters <3

Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites!

Today I am linking up other blogs. Friday Favorite is hosted by: Momfessionals, A Little Bit of Everything, Grace and Love . I know two friends I went to high school with also do Friday Favorites: Miss Matilda May & She Who Longs To Be. If you get a chance go check them out!

I am also linking up with A. Liz Adventures . If you haven't checked out her blog yet...go for it! The design of her blog is adorable. 

Lastly, I am linking up with a darling blogger: September F A R M 

Now time for my Friday Favorites and what has been on my mind a lot lately:

1. Avocados 

I am so in love with avocados. I practically eat them at every meal. They are so good with eggs, sweet potatoes, chicken, on burger... again pretty much anything lol. They are also very good for you. It is a superfood! I tend to eat about 1/4-1/3 an avocado with a meal. 

2. Phone calls, text messages, and facetimes from my boyfriend

Since my boyfriend moved to Charlotte in May, I have come to truly appreciate the little things in our relationship. A simple "good morning beautiful" simply makes my whole day. Talking to him is definitely the best part of my day. Using facetime was a little weird at first, but let me tell you... it is so worth it to see his face! If you are in a long distance relationship don't let anyone tell you it won't work because if you know it will work then it will! I am a firm believer in trust and that is what makes a relationship work!

3. Stair climber

My favorite way to do cardio right now is to watch my favorite tv shows for 50-60 minutes while doing the stair climber. I love to sweat when I do cardio because it makes me feel accomplished and also helps me feel like I have sweated out any toxins. What is your favorite way to do cardio?

4. Quiet time

I truly appreciate the calmness of morning. I love waking up early and having time for myself. I think this sets my whole day up to be positive. Many people close to me will tell you I am a happy person about 95% of the time. This comes from taking time for myself and doing things to keep myself healthy. 

5. Lastly... eggs! yes with the yolks

I love eggs! I think I could eat them for every meal of the day. They are also so versatile. You can have them scrambled, fried, dippy, with vegetables, with fruit, you can have them on top of things, mixed in with things, you can pretty much do a million different things with them. Right now I am in love with the combo of 2-3 scrambled eggs, 1 piece of chopped prosciutto, avocado, and mushrooms! 

Well cupcakes, that concludes my Friday Favorites. Feel free to check out the other link up's blogs!

Thanks!

Later Taters

My Challenge for all of You

Hello! Welcome back to my blog!

I just wanted to say thank you for reading and I hope I can have even the littlest impact on your life :) I challenge you to be happy & healthy. This morning as I was laying in bed after my alarm went off to go workout, I had a light bulb moment. I thought, "I should be excited to go workout...Not everyone is blessed with the opportunity or capability to workout." This got me up and going! We should take the time to really appreciate all that we are able to do. 

With that being said, I want to start a Whole30 challenge. My challenge to you is to take the time to appreciate your food and your body. I will be here to help you with motivation, encouragement, meal ideas, etc. I am going to start the Whole30 on September 1st. If you are wanting to join me in this challenge, comment below and let me know you will be doing the Whole30 with me. If you do not know what the Whole30 is and would like more information before agreeing to the challenge, then you can read my past posts: printables , food, rules . 

Please share this post with anyone you think would like to join this challenge and journey to a happy and healthy life & comment below to let me know if you are joining me!!

Thanks everyone! You all ROCK!

Later Taters <3

Homemade Healthy Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Good morning cupcakes!

Yesterday I was in the mood to make something fall related. The weather here in Indiana has felt like fall all week. I decided on trying to make healthy pumpkin cinnamon rolls. Let me first start off by saying the recipe is not perfect yet, but it if you are looking to fix some pumpkin cravings these are definitely healthy and I have some tweaks to the recipe if you like things sweeter. So here is the recipe I used:

16 oz of almond flour

1 cup coconut flour

2 T of ground flax seeds

3 T cinnamon

-Mix these dry ingredients in a bowl. If you want these a little sweeter, you could add 1/4 c coconut sugar to the dry ingredients. 

-In another bowl, mix:

2/3- 1 c pumpkin, warmed * I would probably use 1 c to make the dough a little more sticky so it doesn't break when you roll it up

1/4 c unsweetend cashew milk, warmed

3 eggs

3 T melted coconut oil

- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until combined. If dough is too dry you can add more cashew milk until it reaches a dough consistency. 

-Spread dough out on parchment paper.

-In another bowl, mix:

3 T melted coconut oil

1/2-1 c unsweetend shredded coconut

1/2 -1 c raisins 

2-3 T cinnamon

* you could also add 1/2 c coconut sugar here if you want the cinnamon rolls sweeter

-Sprinkle this mixture ontop of the rolled out dough.

-Roll the dough up so it is in one big log & cut into 12-15 rolls.

-Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes

Frosting:

-2 c raw cashews

-1 vanilla bean

-8-10 dates or 1/4- 1/2 c honey * the variation depends on how sweet you like things

-1/4 c unsweetened cashew milk- you will need to add more 

-coconut oil

In a food processor, add the cashews, dates or honey, vanilla bean, 1/4 c cashew milk, and coconut oil. Process until combined. You will need to stream in more cashew milk to make the frosting more creamy and smooth. I like this by itself! You could also add in the rest of the can of pumpkin if you want the frosting pumpkin flavored.

The verdict on the taste test was pretty good! I don't like my "desserts" super sweet but I can see how others would like to add some honey or coconut sugar to these. I also think the dough was a little dry and cracked when I tried to roll it out. This is why I recommend using the 1 c of pumpkin because I only used 2/3 c. This is the process of how I go about making up my own recipes. It is all about trial and error. Some things turn out awesome the first time, and other recipes take a few times of tweaking to get them perfect! This post was meant to help others not be afraid to experiment in the kitchen. It's fun to see how things turn out and get a little creative. 

Here is the leftover frosting that I added the rest of the can of pumpkin to... let me tell you what... I can eat this just by the spoonful! So good! It was also my first time using real vanilla beans and have fallen in love with the flavor they have!

Stay tuned later today... I have a challenge coming up for all of you!

Later Taters!

Nutrition 101

Hello!!

I wanted to take the time to write a little about nutrition * (note a bottom of post). If you have a question for me just comment below and I will try to answer it the best I can!

So to get started... I always talk about having a fat, carb, and protein at every meal. These three things are called macro nutrients.

FATS-Of course there are good fats and bad fats. Try to stay away from trans fats. Good kinds of fat are found in things like nuts, coconut, olive oil. My favorite ways to get healthy fat are from avocados, coconut oil, and nut butters (make sure the nut is the only ingredient). I also have been enjoying hemp milk. This has a good kind of fat called omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3's can also be found in salmon and walnuts. Good fats help your body to absorb micro nutrients that I will discuss in a little bit. Healthy fats also give people energy when carbs are not available, help with growth and development, and helps protect your cells.

CARBS-once again, there are good carbs and bad carbs. Bad carbs come from things sugar, white bread, white rice, candies, etc. Good carbs are things such as sweet potatoes, fruit, and vegetables. Carbs give people energy and help your brain and other vital organs function properly. Carbs help your digestive system due to fiber found in carbs. Have you ever been on a low carb diet? Most of the time when people are on a low carb diet they will be cranky and tired. They will feel like they have less energy.

PROTEIN-Protein is essential for muscles! Protein is needed for growth, tissue repair, preserves lean muscle mass (also helps build lean muscle), helps make hormones and other enzymes, and also used for energy when carbs are not available.

There are also things called micro nutrients. These are things such as vitamin d, vitamin a, iron, and so on.  When trying to add a variety of nutrients to your diet, think about adding the rainbow. For example, add greens to your eggs for breakfast, add carrots to your salad at lunch, make fajitas with multi-colored peppers for dinner. Sodium is also a micro nutrient. Your body does need some sodium to help balance the fluid and pH balance in your body.

Okay so now I will give you my favorite macro-nutrient foods!!

Fats- avocados, coconut oil, homemade cashew butter
Carbs-bananas, really any fruit, eggplant, peppers, carrots, sweet potatoes, mushrooms
Protein-chicken, turkey burgers, cilantro lime chicken burgers from Trader Joe's, and eggs

Foods I try to avoid: sugars (check labels... you would be surprised how many foods have sugar. For example: pasta sauce, bacon, bread, drinks, etc.), alcohol, grains, peanuts, beans, & dairy products.

Now the reasons why... first off I completed the Ultra Simple diet last year to figure out where my stomach problems were coming from. This was an elimination diet with a reintroduction phase. I figured out that dairy was a huge NO-NO for me. I am lactose intolerant. Yes, this means I cannot have butter, yogurt, milk, ice cream, most baked goods... this list is pretty long. Grains, peanuts, and beans also make my stomach hurt.

This year I found the Whole30 program and absolutely fell in love with the concept. It is basically a version of a paleo. The foods I try to avoid regularly are all cut out during 30 days. It is amazing how much better your body feels. The Whole30 also has a reintroduction phase to find out how different foods affect your body personally! The Whole30 also helps target unhealthy relationships with food, sluggish metabolisms, disruptive digestive systems, and overactive immune systems. If you want to learn more about the Whole30, visit their website: Whole30 Program's Website .

If you are an athlete or prepping for a show, then counting calories may be alright for you. I think personally, I like to eat when I am hungry and stop when I am full. I like to eat what my body is telling me to eat and when my body tells me to eat. Not counting calories gives me a healthier relationship with food. Meals become more relaxing and enjoyable.

***Now I need your help as readers!!

Please comment on this post and let me know what nutrition or food related questions you would like answered! ***

Today I went to the grocery to pick up a few necessities. I found this tea, and I fell in love at the first sip!

Here was today's workout:

Set 1:
10 burpees
15 bent over reverse flys
15 bench jumps
10-15 chest press
-repeat set for a total of 4 times

Set 2:
8-10 pushups with rotation (go from knees if need be)
10-15 pull aparts with resistance band
15 lying chest press
15 pullovers- engage chest
-repeat set for a total of 4 times

Set 3:
10-15 chest flys
10 burpees
8-10 inclined pushups
10 bench jumps
-repeat set for a total of 4 times

That's all I have for tonight! Goodnight!

Later Taters!

*All of my knowledge has come from nutrition class I took in my undergrad, articles, books, etc. and has accumulated over the past 10 years.

Meal Plan for Next Week plus Workouts

Good morning cupcakes!

I have some exciting news! I am officially a taste tester for RXBar!!! I just received my first package in the mail for pumpkin spice. I am so excited to try it! I'm sure it will be amazing. What I love about this bar is that it is made with all natural ingredients. It is also dairy free & gluten free. There are no added sugars because it is sweetened with dates. The ingredient list is very short and I know every single thing I am putting in my body. The team also sent me a cute little note! So I just wanted to say thank you to the RXBar team for giving me this awesome opportunity!

I wanted to give you a snap shot into my meals I planned for next week. Sometimes this plan changes if I see something I want to cook with at the grocery store. But for now, this is what it is looking like.

Meal Plan:
Breakfast: eggs, avocado, mushrooms, & peppers
Lunch:lean ground turkey, zucchini noodles, tomato paste, red onion with avocado
Dinner:chicken sausage, plantain chips, and homemade guac

I will post pictures once I meal prep this weekend!

Here is a workout you could do at home from leg day:

4x20- each side- curtsy lunges

4x20 each side- standing kick backs

4x20 each side- leg swing across

4x20- each side- donkey kick backs w/ or w/o weight

4x15- leg raises on bed (squeeze glutes)

4x15- straight leg dead lift

4x20- each side- elevated sumo squat

4x12- each side- bulgarian split squat

4x20 calf raises

4x20- each side- lateral lunges

interval run for 15-30 minutes

Workout from back day (thanks to jen heward- youtube):
6 sets x 15 reps straight arm cable pull down
5 x 12 bent over row with barbell
5 x 15 cable rows
4 x 20 single arm overhead cable pull
4 x 20 lower back hyper extensions with weight
 * slow reps with max weight
walk 30 minutes

I had orientation for may internship yesterday and instead of eating out... I packed my lunch. I had a cilantro lime chicken burger from Trader Joe's, plantain chips also from Trader Joe's, and cashews. I try to have fat, protein, and carbs at every meal! This is super easy to carry with me and super easy to prep! No excuses.

Here are some banana pancakes I prepped. I mixed 2 eggs and 1 banana in a food processor. This is one serving. I like to triple the batch and use 6 eggs and 3 bananas so I have leftovers. 

Here is some granola I made. The recipe is in this post: Granola RECIPE. 

Peace out!

Later Taters!!

Enjoy your day today and remember: It's a beautiful day, don't let it get away!

Meal Prep and Plan

Good afternoon cupcakes!

Today I am prepping food for the week ahead. I will be using my crock pot meal I made this weekend (link here: Crock Pot Meal) for lunch or dinner. I also made some cilantro lime chicken burgers that I will have with some plantain chips and cashews and this will be for lunch or dinner too. Tonight I will be making a smoothie to have in the morning. The smoothie will have hemp protein powder, spirulina, banana, berries, and hemp milk. I also always carry snacks with me in case I get hungry between meals. I have Trader Joe's pure fruit bars (featured in this blog post: Fruit Bars) and Larabars. Later this week I will probably cook up some eggs to have for breakfast. 

Pictured below are some zucchini noodles I made using a spiralizer I purchased from amazon. I used coconut oil, pink himalayan salt, garlic powder, and ground pepper. I like to top mine with some hot sauce. To spruce up the noodles you can add many different things. For example: lean ground turkey with tomato paste, parsley, & garlic or you could make chicken and add avocado, cherry tomatoes, & cilantro or you could add eggs, bacon, green onions, and peppers. Really there are no limits with these zucchini noodles. Make sure your zucchinis are not squishy because they will not work well in the spiralizer. 

I also like to have something on hand for when I am craving sweets. I sliced up 3 little bananas and topped with a dollop of cashew butter. I added raisins to some and unsweetened coconut to all the banana slices. I popped these into the freezer. Once they are frozen I will transfer them to a plastic bag for easier storage in the freezer.

So hopefully this gives you all some inspiration to meal prep and prepare for the week ahead. I used to track my macros, but I am currently just listening to my body and eating when I am hungry. I eat clean foods and mostly stick to a whole30 plan. 

This morning I did a shoulder workout in my apartment using the Nike Training App on my phone. I also added in some of my own shoulder workout. Then an hour later I went to the gym and did an interval run on the treadmill for 30  minutes. Tonight I will be doing this Yoga video: Balancing Flow. 

Let me know if you have any questions and feel free to comment below!

Later Taters <3

At Home Workout

Hello again!

I thought I would share my workout of the day with you all! First, I did these YouTube videos. You will need a pair of 5-10 dumbbells for the last two workout videos. You could also use something around your house if you do not have weights! Get creative, No Excuses!
5 minute arm toning
tone your abs- 13 minutes
calorie torching workout-13 minutes

I also did an interval run on the treadmill for 30 minutes- 2 minute warm up of walking followed by intervals of 3 minutes running/ 1 minute walk.

Try it out and let me know what you think!

Later Taters... Peace out!

Healthy Fig Neuton recipe& Crockpot Meal Prep

Hello cupcakes and welcome to the newly renovated blog!

I am slowly learning more and more about how this whole blog thing works. I am in love with the new layout and colors of my blog! Comment below if you like the new layout and options on the page. I will be working on adding more stuff later today and tomorrow. 

This morning I drank some cold brew coffee from Trader Joe's - I added hemp milk & ice to the coffee concentrate! I also had an egg scramble consisting of eggs, mushrooms, prosciutto, and avocado while I started working on my blog. 

Last night I started up my handy dandy crockpot! My boyfriend bought me a nice one for Christmas last year. I love using it for an easy meal prep option. Crockpots are also my favorite during fall when I get excited to make soups and different chili recipes. I plugged the crock pot in and put it on the low setting. I added turkey legs, enough water to cover the legs, ground pepper, pink Himalayan salt, dried crush onion, and garlic powder. I don't measure these things, I just kind of throw them in depending on how you want it to taste. You really can't mess this part up because these blend into the water and just flavor the meat. I let the turkey cook over night. In the morning I took the turkey legs out of the water and took all of the bones out. Once the bones and fatty stuff were out, I added a bag of carrots and 5-6 mini red potatoes. I sliced the red potatoes into cubes. I placed the top on the crockpot and let it cook until the potatoes and carrots are soft. The finished product is below! I separated mine into 5 portions and added avocado slices. 

One of my avid readers requested the healthy fig neuton recipe from yesterday's post. Here is a link to that post: Healthy Fig Neutons. Scroll to the bottom of the post to see the picture. 

Ingredients:

Crust:

-1 bag of almond flour (16 oz bag)

-2 egg

-a splash of milk of choice, I used unsweetend hemp milk

-3 tsp of cinnamon

Filling:

-12-24 fresh figs- more figs= more filling

-1 spoonful of coconut oil, melted

-1-2 Tablespoon of cinnamon

-3-6 Tablespoons of ground flax seeds

* If you want to make this sweeter you could add some dates into the crust or filling. *

Also you will see that the filling ingredients vary depending on how much filling you want. If you use more figs then you will need more ground flax seeds. 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Use a 9X9 or round cake pan and line with parchment paper or aluminum foil (it makes clean up easier). If you use aluminum foil you will need to grease the pan with some coconut oil. Place all of the crust ingredients into a food processor and process until a dough ball forms. If you need to add more milk, add it slowly until a ball forms. Take dough out of the food processor and divide into two balls. Flatten out one ball on the prepared baking pan and leave the other ball for the top. Next, in the food processor add the filling ingredients and process until combined. Spread the filling out onto the crust. Once the filling is spread out evenly, flatten out the last dough ball and lay over the top of the filling. Bake until the top starts to turn golden brown. Mine took about 15-20 minutes. Keep a close eye on it because it may cook faster or slower!

I really like to eat mine warmed up in the microwave and then I top it with sliced bananas, unsweetened coconut, and a little bit of hemp milk or other milk alternative. Let me know if you have any questions or if you recreate any of these recipes! 

Later Taters!

Trip to Purdue plus Trader Joe's Haul

Good evening cupcakes! 

Grad school is starting on Monday, so I am trying to soak up the last couple days of freedom. Thursday morning I drove to Purdue to help my sister move into her studio apartment. She literally had soooo much stuff! It took my sister, my dad, and I more than 4 hours just to bring all of her stuff up to her apartment on the third floor. 

Well... I am getting a little ahead of myself. Let me start with breakfast that morning. I made eggs with prosciutto and spinach. I topped it with some avocado and had 1/2 a banana. I love breakfast and eggs are pretty much one of my favorites! I also used some hot sauce on top!

I made some kale chips too! One of my new roommates showed me how to make them! I like to eat them with my meals. They are actually very easy to make. I just put a couple handfuls onto a foil lined baking sheet and topped with some melted coconut oil and pink Himalayan salt. I baked them at 400 degrees. I don't know how long to cook them because I just go by how they look. About 3-5 minutes into baking, take them out and give them a little stir. Stick them back into the oven until they are crispy!

I also made some eggplant in the oven. I just slice the egg plant and bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes then flip them over and bake until tender. I topped mine with chicken, avocado, and salsa. I packed the leftovers to take with me to Purdue. 

Here was the breakfast I made to take with me to Purdue for the next morning. I knew my sister would not have any food that I really wanted to eat. I always try to stay prepared when traveling. This had eggs, avocado, mushrooms, and prosciutto. 

Once I got to Purdue, my dad wanted to take us out for lunch. He chose Scotty's Brewhouse. I knew they had things I could eat since I worked at a Scotty's Brewhouse last summer. I ordered the paleo bowl with a bison burger. You could choose any burger you wanted. The paleo bowl consisted of a burger, red onion, greens, tomatoes, and a side. I chose fresh fruit and put it in with my bowl so I didn't need dressing. 

After all of the walking Friday, my steps totaled 22,502 which is about 9.5 miles according to my fitbit. 

This morning on my way home I stopped at Trader Joe's in Indianapolis. I may have a slight obession with Trader Joe's now! Haha!

Here is what I got: cold brew coffee (less acidic since I have acid reflux), coconut water, watermelon juice, unsweetened berry green tea, cilantro lime chicken burgers, green beans, zucchini, eggs, coconut aloe water, bananas, avocados, raspberries, plaintain chips, and fresh figs. I have never tried fresh figs before and they were actually pretty tasty.The first fig I tried wasn't ripe enough, but the second one was sooo good. I decided to try to bake something using them!

Here is my favorite La Croix flavor so far! This one is so good! I also love the slim cans. 

So back to the fresh figs.... (I apologize for the unorganized post!)

Here is what I made out of the fresh figs. I tried to create healthy fig neutons. These are made with almond flour, egg, cinnamon, fresh figs, coconut oil, and hemp milk. I think these would be great warmed up with a little dairy free milk drizzled over top! Comment below if you would like me to post more about the recipe.

Happy Friday and the start to the weekend! 

Later taters! Peace~*

Family vacation

Hello!!! 

Sorry I have been m.i.a but I was on a family vacation in Michigan with my family . I made sure to take some pictures for everyone! My family went up by Traverse City, Michigan for a week to stay in a cabin on a huge lake. It was so nice and relaxing. 

The night before we left my family went out for Mexican food. Here is what I got: a steak with lettuce, red onion, tomato, and avocado slices. It was a lot of steak and I could not finish it all. I also had some chips and salsa since I am not on the whole30 currently. I try to eat as close to whole30 as I can though, but every once in a while it's nice to treat yourself. Just don't go overboard! 

The first night I was in the cabin, my daddy grilled us some burgers. I picked out some lean turkey burgers. I also cooked up some squad noodles. This had tomato paste, spices, mushrooms, and green onion. The turkey burger had mrs dash garlic and herb and hot sauce. 

Cory couldn't come with me this year which was tough, but here are the past two years he came! 

One of the days I made a smoothie for lunch and took it to the beach. This smoothie had hemp protein powder, hemp milk, spirulina, frozen banana slices, and frozen berries. It tasted so good on a hot day. 

Another day I made some chicken pepper nachos. I cut the mini peppers in half and scooped out the seeds. In a bowl I mixed in canned whole30 compliant chicken and homemade Guac then cooked them in the oven until the peppers were cooked. The tasted so awesome!  The guac is just a squashed up avocado and add garlic powder and pink Himalayan salt to taste. Start with a little and you can always add more. I like mine really garlic-y. I also like to add chopped up green or red onion to my guac. 

My family really likes to play games. One game we played on vacation was sequence. For dinner I made a side that had butternut squash, kale, peppers, red onion, garlic powder, and pink Himalayan salt. Check out that awesome Purdue cup too!! (I am a big Purdue fan and I completed my undergrad there!)

Here was our dinner that same night. My dad cooked steaks over the fire and sweet corn too! The steak was seasoned with mrs dash garlic and herb. 

For lunch one day I made some stuffed mushrooms with the leftover turkey burger and homemade Guac. I baked them in the oven until the mushrooms started to get softer. Aren't they cute? 

Here is one of the awesome views from the week. We couldn't have asked for better weather. It rained a few times but not all day, so I'm perfectly okay with that. 

One of the nights we went to turtle creek casino. Everyone over 18 always goes as a big group and the grandparents stay back to watch the younger kids (well they aren't so young anymore). I'm not a huge gambler. I would rather keep my money than leave with less money. It is fun to go and watch everyone else play though. 

We decided to try out the casino buffet. It was pretty good! Here was one of my plates. I tried the sausage, pulled pork, and chicken. The chicken wasn't the greatest so I didn't really eat that, but the other two things were bomb! 

I made a stir fry at the stir fry station. It was so much food and there was no way I was going to finish it all but the little bit I had wasn't too bad! I could eat my homemade stir fry every day. I some times get nervous when other people make my food because I know I cannot have dairy. I never know what they put in it for sure. I have gotten better about asking when I eat out of there are any dairy products used or put in the food. 

For dessert I had some angel food cake with strawberries. Again, I try to stay away from sugar but this was a healthier option that was dairy free. 

This week I found this paleo smore on Instagram. I think I am going to have to try to make it sometime! It has a homemade pales graham cracker and a date roasted over the fire. I think it would probably eve be good without the primal fudge! 

Here is another game we played! It's called racko. 

This night my daddy cooked pork chops over the fire! 

Our group was 23 people this year and everyone gathers around one cabin's fire each night to tell stories. 

Breakfast is one of my favorite meals. I like waking up at a decent time and eating breakfast. I'm a morning person! I made some banana pancakes and topped them with berries and almond butter. Plus... Look at that view from our cabin! 

Here was another breakfast: 2 eggs, almond butter, and nectarine and apple slices. 

I cooked up some mushrooms, peppers, and green onions the last night to use up some veggies we still had in the fridge. 

It was a successful week of beach activities, laying out, sitting by fires, and much more. I also started reading The Pact by Jodi Picoult and I finished it in two and a half days! It was so good! If you are wanting a good book to read I suggest that or any other book by her! She is one of my favorite authors! 

This past Sunday, my boyfriend Cory was home for a few days from Charlotte! It was so nice to be able to see him and spend some time with him. He even helped me move into my new apartment :) What a sweetie! After moving and visiting friends and family in Indianapolis, I was starving. I asked Cory if we could stop at Trader Joe's to get me something to eat (every chance I get... I'm always trying to go to Trader Joe's now!). I got this super spinach salad. It was pretty good, and only one thing could have made it better...some CHICKEN! 

Yesterday I went to Fort Wayne with Cory to his appointment. We met his mom for lunch at Cork and Clever and had the salad bar. It was to die for! Look how delicious and fresh this salad was!

Well, time to get school stuff ready! 

Peace out! Later taters! 

P.s. One more year of grad school left! Whooop!