tasty tuesday's (...but on sunday. oops.)

"and his hair was made of spaghetti, spaghetti, spaghetti...."

anybody else listen to Raffi?

we like that song...and I always find myself singing it when I make this recipe.

it's just too catchy a tune.

anyway! i've been seeing a lot of methods out there 

(mostly pinterest) 

on how to make spaghetti squash.

well i've made two attempts and one was definitely easier/better than the other one...so i'm here to help.

i'm going to share the easy one, of course.

whether you are paleo like us,

OR you just want to get more veggies into your diet in a delicious way, OR you need to sneak vegetables into your kids without them noticing. 
this is definitely the recipe for you.

plus it's super simple and only requires 3 ingredients.

are you ready? good. here we go.

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti

what you need:

1 spaghetti squash 

1 jar of spaghetti sauce 

1 lb ground beef

(if you're paleo! get clean spaghetti sauce - one where you can read all the ingredients, know what they are, and they are in the paleo diet! also, try to get grass-fed beef if you can!)

what you do:

preheat your oven to 375 degrees

take the squash and pierce holes all throughout

place it in a baking dish and let it bake for 1 hour

while it's baking (in the last 10 minutes or so to go) brown your beef and heat up your spaghetti sauce.

when it's been an hour take out your squash, 

cut it open,

(i like to cut it into quarters just to make things easier)

take a fork (just a regular ole table fork) 
and start shredding the inside of the squash.

it'll be very easy to do and you can use 
all of the insides all the way up to the skin.

these will be your noodles!

they won't be quite as mushy as regular noodles, 
a little more al dente if you will, 
but they don't taste squash-y at ALL. 
they really blend in with the whole plate very well.

dish out some "noodles",

add some beef on top,

then add some sauce.

enjoy!

here is a pic of the boys really getting down and dirty with their spaghetti :)

and here's a pic of my bowl. the finished product.

looks like a bowl of spaghetti, right?!

any kid would eat this right up!

so what are you waiting for...? 

go make some for dinner...you won't regret it!

"And his name was, Aikendrum!"

had to get that out ;)

updates, yo.

So...it's been a while, I know.

I feel like life has been super busy, and I don't exactly know why.

It's like I get to the end of the week and think, "It's Saturday already?!"

So needless to say, blogging hasn't been happening if I don't even know what day of the week it is.

But better late than never right?!

A lot has been going on around here...

Cora Fayne is 9 months old!

So crazy!! She's definitely turning into a beautiful young lady with lots of personality :)

She can do the sign for 'milk' which she usually does anytime she sees me.
She can eat with her fingers like a big girl.
She really only likes meat.
She doesn't like fruit and most veggies, but not common ones.
She likes spinach and broccoli, but not mashed potatoes! Silly girl.
She's crawling on her knees some, but mostly just an army crawl.
She says 'dada' for both me and Graham. :)






The boys are wonderful as well. This is them excited to eat broccoli! haha

They can be silly too. :)

A lot has been going on for the grown ups too!

Graham and I have recently started Crossfit, which is amazing!

And have recently adopted a Paleo way of eating.

Graham had been taking some MMA (mixed martial arts) classes at a gym in Atlanta called Unit2 and one of his coaches mentioned a 30 day Paleo/Crossfit challenge. 

I had been going on and on about Crossfit for months and had been trying to implement Paleo into my diet for a couple of weeks, so he came to me excited and told me about the challenge.

I started on Saturday January 28 and the challenge runs through Saturday February 25.

It's 30 days of eating only Paleo from the book 

'The Paleo Solution' by Robb Wolf.

Crossfitting at least 3 days a week with two other active days 

(exercise of our choice).

Plus we did a performance test last Saturday, and will do one again at the end and compare the results.

My results from the first performance test:

1 mile run - 9:15

Max push-ups in one minute - 29

Max sit-ups in one minute - 23

Not bad if you ask me!

So far I'm loving everything about it. The food tastes great. 

And Crossfit is new and fun and VERY challenging. 

Both the hubs and I have been enjoying it and the results we are getting!

I'll keep you guys posted as I go along.

And will probably do some posts with more details about 

both Crossfit and Paleo.

The Paleo Solution

And just a warning...most of my recipe posts will probably be paleo recipes from now on! 

But it won't kill you to try it!

I've been amazed at how much the boys have embraced the paleo lifestyle. 

We all have the same favorite breakfast (which helps with cooking/preparing in the morning!):

scrambled eggs

slice of ham (no nitrates)

fruit (usually berries or an apple)

Give it a try and see how you feel! Better yet, see how your kids feel! I think they feel so much better after breakfast and all morning when they eat a healthy breakfast as opposed to waffles or toast with jelly smeared all over it.

And as soon as I get my hands on the before and after pics that we took I'll post those too! 

Alright, well I hope this posts finds you all well and look for more posts soon!

Have an awesome week, y'all! :)

xoxo,

Heather

tasty tuesday

are you ready for nomtastic?

i hope so. 

'cause this bread recipe is just that.

it's gluten free, paleo friendly, and oh so scrumptious.

and honestly, the thing i like about it the most, it doesn't taste healthy. it just tastes like really delicious bread. 

i posted a banana bread recipe about a year ago and since then have found out my son can't eat gluten and have started my weight loss journey since having a baby...soo...needless to say, a healthy bread recipe was in order.

the only problem with most gluten free and "healthy" bread recipes is that they don't actually taste like bread.

and they crumble, are dense, and look like bricks.

while this does resemble a brick a teeny tiny little bit, it's most certainly NOT dense or crumbly.

also, i find a lot of times that gluten free bread recipes will have TONS of ingredients and most that are expensive.

also not the case here.

everyday ingredients or ingredients that are easy to come by.

awesome.

i got this recipe via pinterest (of course) and it originally came from wheatfreeandglutenfreebreadrecipe.blogspot.com

phew! that's a long web address!

so without further ado...

Paleo Banana Bread Recipe

what you need:

3 eggs, separated

5 tbsp honey

4 tbsp olive oil

2 mashed bananas

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

2 cups almond flour or finely ground almonds

what you do:

- preheat your oven to 350 degrees

- cream your egg yolks and honey in a large bowl until light and fluffy.

- add the oil, vanilla, mashed banana, baking powder, cinnamon, and almond flour. blend well.

- in a separate bowl beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form 
(tip: i used my kitchenaid mixer for this! 

much easier on the arms!)

- gently fold the egg whites into the mixture. do this slowly and try not to "break" the egg whites.

- you can either spray your loaf pan or 
i used coconut oil and rubbed down the sides 

(i use it just like crisco, but it's MUCH healthier!)

- place in the oven for 40-45 minutes.

- enjoy! :)

notice my fancy paper plate.
you know you're jealous. 

let me know if you get a chance to try this recipe. 

i'd love to hear what you think!

happy tuesday! 

xoxo,

heather

tasty tuesday's

i've made this recipe several times and it never seems to fail me.

it's delicious, healthy, and exactly what i need in the mornings.

now before i tell you what it is, just let me preface by saying any preconceived ideas you have about this specific product, throw it out the window!

if you, in fact, already love this product...
then prepare yourself to be amazed. 

today i'm sharing a recipe for protein bars.

that's right, you heard me.

these are delicious, yummy, very NON-bricklike protein bars.

i must admit, i have a major bit of a sweet tooth. especially at breakfast time.

pancakes, waffles, french toast, cinnamon rolls, you name it, if it's sweet i'll eat it.

SO GOOD.

so when i started eating healthier, let's just say it's hard to eat these things and be um....thin.

so a lot of eggs were consumed while i racked my brain and pinterest for a yummy and healthy recipe to try.

lo and behold, i found this blog:

thegraciouspantry.com.

the blogger, Tiffany, is known for her clean eating recipes that are delicious. and might i add, simple.

i find it so frustrating when healthy recipes are consisted of crazy ingredients you never have on hand.

while she does have some of those kind of recipes, mostly it's just good, regular clean food. 

including these delicacies.

Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Protein Bars

now i don't know about you, but the only protein bars i've ever tried are gross.

they are too dense, too artificially sweet, not sweet enough, to tough, too something.

but when her recipe looked delicious and was only 300 calories per serving with LOTS of healthy things in it, i said why not give it a try?

and man am i glad i did!

what you need:

2 cups of oats 

1 cup (NOT scoop) whey protein powder

 (regular or vanilla flavored)

1 cup of peanut butter 

(the organic, no sugar added kind)

1/2 cup of agave nectar (or honey)

1/2 applesauce (unsweetened)

2 tbsp grain sweetened chocolate chips

(i have been unable to find these so 

i'll show you what i use instead)

2 tbsp chia seeds

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

here's a pic of some of the more "obscure" items:

- i use trader joe's vanilla whey protein powder.

it's good, it's cheap, it's easy to get. done and done.

- thick & rough oatmeal. it has more texture than other oatmeals and i think makes for a tastier bar. use what you can find or looks good to you (but not gross, processed oatmeal!)

- agave nectar. this happens to be blue agave nectar. i bought this from costco. you can also find it at most major grocery stores in the health food aisle. it looks just like honey or maple syrup. it doesn't have to be blue btdubs.

- now for the chocolate chips i haven't been able to find what she uses, but i use the ghirardelli 60% cacao chips.

they are yummy and low in calories. plus made with mostly dark chocolate so you get all of the good antioxidants from it!

- chia seeds. if you don't know what these are they can be found at most health food stores. i get mine from the dekalb farmers market. up close they look like this.

don't get hung up on all black, all white, organic...blah blah blah. just get basic chia seeds. they are amazing no matter what form they are in!

the rest of the ingredients are pretty self explanitory. 

publix brand all the way baby!

what you do:

preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

put your two cups of oats on a cookie sheet and let them roast by themselves for about 10-15 minutes in the oven. 

you'll start to smell them and know they are done. :)

while they are cooling, dump all the other ingredients in a bowl. 

after the oats have COMPLETELY cooled 

(you don't want to prematurely melt your chips!)

dump in the oats and go to town on combining everything.

make sure you wash your hands because a spoon won't help you here. you'll need to mix everything with your hands.

it's quite.....gloopy...? i think i just made that word up.

but once you make this you'll see what i mean.

next put it all in a half cookie sheet and smooth it out. 

these will be cut into bars so do your best to make them as "uniform" as possible.

bake them for about 15-20 minutes or until they are golden brown. and what you get is...delish.

mmmm.....

this will be like a tasty treat!

i eat one for breakfast every morning.

it satisfies my sweet tooth while being healthy and giving me enough energy for my workout and last me until lunch!

it makes about 15 bars and i store them in 

an airtight container. 

breakfasts for two weeks that is simple, cheap AND delicious?! 

uh, you're welcome.

enjoy!

xoxo,

heather 

uhhh....it's been a while.

this thing still on?

it's like after Thanksgiving i somehow fell into the abyss!

sorry folks!

but, now i'm back, and better than ever!

i've been working out with my good friend leah and eating well and just feel real good about life in general.

the holiday's were super busy and i'm glad they are over, but they were fun and we made lots of good memories. :)


this is the kitchen the hubs and i made for the boys for Christmas from two different night stands. let's just say i wouldn't recommned waiting until TWO DAYS before Christmas to start a project like this.
when it comes to procrastination i'm the queen!
still turned out cute i think...

very masculine. ;)

we had some super cute elves help us decorate the tree...

the hubs and i enjoyed a wonderful lunch date sans babies using a special gift from our friends brandi & brandon :)

nothing says love like the shooting range and chili's. 

we also got a lot of projects down around the house. 

which is nice because we've only lived here...uhh...3 months.

'bout time right?

hooks in the hallway/laundry area.

everyone has their own hook for book bags and jackets and things and shoes go underneath.

these hooks are huge and awesome looking and were only 99 cents at ikea. love it!

i also got my desk in order, with all my cute girly things, recipes, and my orthodox icons :)

fun side note: this was my mom's desk when she was little. 

isn't it the cutest ever?! LOVE the yellow. :)

we also hung some "shelves" up for the boys books because they were getting out of control!

we bought two spice racks from ikea for $3.99 each and pared down the books by a LOT. 

we put the rest of the books in the attic and will switch them out from time to time so the books seem new and exciting instead of overwhelming and the same old, same old.

all in all, things are good.

no, things are great!

we've decided to put cora fayne in her own space now too, she'll be sharing the office, and needless to say i've been sleeping better at night. :)

more pics to come of the rest of the house and cora fayne's room once it's done. 

hope everyone had happy, healthy & busy holiday's.

here's to a new year with lot's in store!

hear hear!

(just imagine me raising my coffee up in a 

general cheers like fashion)

xoxo,

heather

tasty tuesday's: thanksgiving edition v.2

y'all getting geared up for thanksgiving?

i know i am. 

we have already celebrated with the hubs side of the family, but we are still looking forward to more family time (and more leftovers) 

on actual turkey day!

i've got two new recipes to share and i'm excited about them!

one is tried and true and one is a newbie.

let's get started, shall we?

first up is my mom's recipe...not sure where she got it from, but it's wonderful. 

Mama's Squash Casserole

what you need:

5-6 good sized yellow squash, fresh

(or two packages frozen sliced squash)

1 egg

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 package shredded cheddar cheese

1 package of bread crumbs or stuffing mix

(we use the Pepperidge Farms stuffing mix in the blue bag)

couple of spoonfuls of mayonnaise

1 small onion, or onion salt

what you do:

preheat the oven to 350 degrees

wash, cut and sauté the squash with the onion 'til soft

in a bowl mix together the egg, soup, 3/4 of the bag of cheese,

mayo, and bread crumbs (just eyeball the bread crumbs).

then mix in the onion and squash.

pour into a greased (or "pammed") dish.

top it with the remaining cheese and bread crumbs.

bake for 30 minutes.

voila! 

this isn't really healthy, but it is miiiiighty tasty. :)

next up we have a new recipe that i haven't tried yet, but i found it on pinterest so it must be good, right?! 

it originially came from a blog - 

pressed down, shaken together

- a cute site run by Keri. 

Mini Pumpkin Pie Croissants

what you need:

2 tubes of crescent rolls

1/2 block of cream cheese

1 can pumpkin 

(pure pumpkin not pumpkin pie filling)

1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

3 T sugar

*an additional 4 T sugar & 1 T pumpkin pie spice for later

what you do:

preheat oven to 375 degrees.

undo all of the crescent rolls and cut each one in half.

now you have 32 pieces of dough.

beat together the cream cheese, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and sugar until it's nice and fluffy.

then spoon/spread some of the filling into each of the pieces of dough.

then roll them up and roll them around in the additional sugar & spice mixture so the outside is coated.

then bake them for about 15-18 minutes.

i'm so excited to try this recipe!

i'll try to remember to come back and 

update this post after we have tried them.

 they look so cute and delicious!

i will also try to remember to take pictures while i'm making them...not sure if this will happen though since i'll be gearing up for thanksgiving and watching the parade :)

have a happy thanksgiving, y'all!

just so you know...i'm thankful for all of you.

and my wonderful family.

and fantastic friends.

and am very thankful that this thanksgiving...

i am NOT pregnant!!!

yay!!!!

gobble gobble,