Pomegranate Madarin Quinoa

I made Pomegranate Madarin Quinoa and it is so good. It would be great for a Thanksgiving side or even with leftover turkey from Thanksgiving toss in it. Quinoa is a great replacement for white rice and is a good source of protein. I make the quinoa in the rice maker also which makes cooking super easy (might have read that in my previous post). I just hit the white rice button.The trick for good quinoa is making it dry. I have had quinoa to wet and it sticks together and doesn't taste to great. It won't toss well with other ingredients if it's not dry enough. If you cook it, make sure to not add too much water.Recipe below

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked Quinoa
1/4 cup Pomegranate
1/4 cup Canned mandarine oranges
1/4 cup Steamed broccoli cut in small pieces(you can use kale also)

Toppings:
Mixed nuts, I used walnuts and sliced almonds
Shredded parmesan regiano
Honey
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

 Italian Dressing

Toss all the ingredients together. Top with some nuts and parmesan cheese then drizzle honey, olive oil and Italian Dressing.

Healthy Food Shots Lately

Here are some healthier food options from the last month. I know my blog is about healthy eats but I just wanted to say I do eat unhealthy foods BUT it is definitely not all the time or everyday. I try to to eat the unhealthy things in moderation. I think everyone should indulge at least a couple times a week just watch your portion control!

Here is a tomato and roasted red pepper soup I got from Trader Joe's. I use it as a base and ad whatever vegetables I have in my fridge with a protein. I added tofu for the protein, okra and a frozen veggie pack of carrots, peas and corn with some fresh basil. I let it simmer til the veggies were soft. You can add chicken and it would be really good :)

My friend made this really good red quinoa dish. You can get the recipe here.

Here is some Chipotle Hummus with Tabbouleh and a romaine lettuce salad with green peppers and carrots.

My grocery cart from Trader Joe's. I really miss having one right down the street. The chicken drumsticks are ridiculously cheap, they are all natural and only about $3. Avocados, Quinoa and Coconut water are a must at all times in my house.

EATING OUT!! I love indulging when eating out, when I actually love it! Every time I eat out I am always unsatisfied because I feel like home cooked meals are better. We ate out at an Mexican restaurant and I almost always order ceviche. It is not too high in calories except for the tortilla. I ate one of these and brought the rest home.

Here is a salad I made with black bean/mixed grain pattie I had posted last week. I get the pattie and add a salad on top with some dresssing. You can get the recipe for the patties here.

An easy way to be healthier is to add vegetables. Eating just pasta is not very good for you. Adding a salad or some steamed vegetables makes all the difference and of course myglass of VINO!

Hope you are having a great week!!

Laugh and Love
Christine

Zucchini Lasagna

I know a lot of you are clicking on my tabs on the top of my page. I will have them ready soon, I promise!! Please bare with me while I get them ready. I have been gardening like a mad women lately which is taking all my time up. I think this should be my last day of extreme gardening so the blog tabs should be ready next week ;) On to the recipe!

I made zuchinni lasagna yesterday and it was aaamazing. I could definitely switch the noodles for zuchinni every time. My kids, not so much. I did end up making a separate one for them with noodles and when it was time for serving I mixed some of the zucchini lasgna with the regular lasgna for them. That way they could get some nutrients in.

All you do is replace noodles with slices of zucchini. I cut circles and also the long way. I think the next time I make it I will just cut circles.Then you just layer like regular lasagna. Zucchini,  ricotta, sauce then mozzarella. You keep repeating this until your tray is full. I also add fresh garlic, fresh sweet basil and parsley to the ricotta. Some people add egg but I don't. 

Have a great weekend.

Laugh and Love

Christine

Weight Loss Update

New blog. New Weight. I love my new blog layout and love that I lost some weight.

Here are current pictures of my weightloss update. I am 127 lbs! My original goal was 122 BUT I am pretty content with my weight right now. Also weight doesn't matter all the time. One of my best friends is 10 pounds less then me, same height and we wear the same size. So you can't always base it on your weight. If you have a lot of muscle it can weigh a lot too.

The only thing I want to do is tone up a lot. Especially my stomach! After having three kids, yesss this is my problem area and even before kids was always my problem area. I started doing squats everyday. That is pretty much all I do and planks. I am not a big runner. Actually I absolutely dred the even thought of it. I always thought running was the best exercise but I feel squats and yoga are my favorite, for me. What has helped me a lot too is that I do my squats with my house work. When I fold my laundry, which I do everyday I sit in a squat position the whole time I am folding. I know weird, huh. My husband laughs at me! I am telling you I have seen results! I also like doing it while I am doing my laundry because I don't have to get a babysitter, get ready to go to the gym and waste two hours of my day. Saves time for my kiddos.

Pictures of my weightloss journey.

My heaviest pregnant at 158 pounds. 

My heaviest not pregnant at 145 pounds. This was me right after I stopped breastfeeding my last son. With all my kids I have never lost weight quickly because of breastfeeding. I would actually gain back. I didn't care though. I didn't like to worry If they were getting enough nutrition or not.

My most recent picture

Now that I have lost weight it is time to get fit! Well just a little toned.

Laugh and Love

Christine

I am still in the process of updating my blog so bare with me ;)

Linking up with Fitness Blondie, Pig and Dac

Chia Pudding

I am super excited because an Organic Market opened up right down the street from me this week. I can't tell you how excited I was. When I lived in California I lived 2 minutes away from Sprouts so when I moved here it was a big change I didn't want to get use to. Now, I don't have to order any of my health foods online and I can pop in and out and get fresh ingredients. Did I say how happy I am?!! 

I made some chia seed pudding with what I bought this week. I literally drank mine it was so good.

If you would like to browse other chia pudding recipes you can type the word chia in the search box to the left of my blog page. It will bring up more recipes.

Recipe below ;)

Serving: 2 cups
2 tablespoons chia seed
2 cups plain hemp milk
2 tablespoons goji berries
Mint leaves

Mix the chia seeds and hemp milk together. Let sit atleast 2 hours.  The seeds will expand the longer they sit but I don't recommend letting them sit longer then overnight. They get a little mushy for my taste if they sit too long. Top with goji berries and mint leaves and eat up!

Laugh and Love

Christine

Steak Leftovers

A super easy way for me to eat healthy is salads. I know your probably feeling blahhhh when you hear that because I know salads can be boring! I definitely can relate, but for me it is all about the end result. Being able to discipline yourself or having self control is definitely worth all that hard work paying off in the end whether it is for losing weight, being healthy or just a mental challenge. I know eating healthy is very hard when you start in the beginning. You feel like your an alcoholic not being able to drink but after you start eating healthy on a regular basis all that junk and crappie food you ate will eventually sound gross to you! If your a junk food junkie and are trying to start eating healthy don't get angry with yourself for going off track! If your eating healthier then you were before then your off to a great start. Just keep it up and slowly add more healthy foods in your diet ;)

ON TO THE SALAD

 During the winter on cold days I always want something nice and hot to eat and eating a cold salad is just not satisfying! I will grab whatever vegetables I have in the fridge and cut them up. I will also get whatever protein I have as leftovers which was steak for me and sauté them in a pan, with olive oil and garlic until it is wilted. I'll pour some dressing (I used balsamic glaze below) and have a nice hot meal that is super lean and healthy!

* I try to not eat red meats too much and tend to replace it with chicken, beans or seeds. Everything in moderation!

Laugh and Love

Christine

Link up with Fitness Blondie, Pig and Dac

Natural Skincare

Hope everyone had a great holiday and the New year is just a day away! I wanted to share my favorite natural skincare products that would be great to start a healthy year off with. My rule of thumb is no parabens and no ingredients I don't know of. I try not to put any lotions on myself and especially my kids because I feel like I am contaminating them. Sort of like giving them tons of sugar, once in a while it's ok but not on a regular basis. Natural products are just as important to me as eating healthy and organic so I will do my best to have natural products at all times. My list of must haves:

1. WATER:
This is the most important part of healthy glowing skin for me on top of eating healthy raw foods (raw veggies and fruit). You are suppose to drink half your body weight in ounces of water per day. So if you weigh 120 lbs you should be drinking about 60 ounces of water(about four 16 ounce water bottles). I try to shoot for more so maybe 5 or 6. It makes a big difference in how smooth your skin looks and feels. If your one of those people who get out of the shower and need lotion right away, I would definitely recommend adding more water in your diet. If you want to read more about healthy water click here.

2. COCONUT OIL
 Now aside from cooking coconut oil is my favorites for hydrating my skin. I will place some in small container for my bathroom and use as lotion. You only need a tiny little bit because it will go a long way. Coconut oil I will also use as a mask for my hair, a facial scrub I will mix with 1 part baking soda to 2 parts coconut oil. It is also great replacment for vaseline and the best make-up remover I have ever used. There are many other uses of coconut oil but these are the main ways I use them.

Picture from Firstdecents.org

3. RAW HONEY
Honey is another great product I use on my skin and it's one natural ingredient again. I will get a lemon and squeeze some juice in with honey.  I'll take the rind and scrub my face with it. I'll wash it off then put some of the raw honey and lemon juice on and leave it on as a mask for about 20 minutes. It makes my skin super soft and smooth and has antioxidants which are great for aging. I see this brand of honey at local grocery stores so it is pretty easy to get.

Now aside from these natural one ingredient products my two favorites natural ingredient products are Neals's Yard Remedies and Burts Bee's. Both of these products are very close in ingredients the only difference is Neal's yard is ORGANIC. Both of these products smell so good I feel I could eat them, I love them so much. For a quick product that is sold at all drug stores, etc Burt's Bees is the most convenient and all natural ingredients. I love all their products and they are very affordable. The lotions are my favorite, Honey and Shea butter and Milk and Honey are my favorite. Neal's Yard is much more pricer but WELL worth it. I have tried all the products below, including more and recommend ALL of them. If your opted to try one product I would go for in order:
 Beauty Sleep Concentrate, Frankincense Hydrating Cream, Frankincense Toner and Rose Facial Wash. You can click the on them for more info. They are all amazing and will last a long time. You need very little and you can switch back and forth with the natural one ingredients I recommended above so they can last longer.

Some products from Burt's Bees I love and raw coconut oil. You can click the picture for more info.

Laugh and Love

 Christine

cgnhgc

More Burt's Bees...

Health Habits Grocery Shopping

An easy way to stay healthy is always have fruits and vegetables in your kitchen.  When I go grocery shopping I always go to the produce section first. I fill up on fruits and veggies. My kids love to be able to go in the refrigerator and just get a piece of fruit wash it and eat it. Quick, easy and healthy snack!

Coconut Almond Chia Oatmeal

Here is another chia pudding recipe that is sooooo good. I first tried canned coconut but that has a lot of fat so I subtituted it for Blue Diamond half coconut/almond Milk blend. It came out great. Chia is so good for you. Make sure to always let it absorb in a liquid to get the most nutrients out of it!

If you don't want oatmeal you can skip it and add another 1-2 more tablespoons of chia seeds.

Entire recipe is only 344 calories (if you add sweetener it will be more)

2 tablespoons chia seeds

1/3 cup old fashion oatmeal

2 cups Blue Diamond half coconut/almond milk unsweetened

1/2 fruit

Agave or honey to taste
Shredded coconut (optional)

Mix together and let sit over night. Another easy recipe. 

Peach and Blueberry Chia Pudding

I made some chia pudding last night. It is super tasty and really good for you. The best part is it the easiest to make. There is no heating or cooking involved making it even better for you! Raw food is the best. I also love this recipe even more with some oatmeal.

Recipe: 1 serving: 211 calories

1 cup milk ( I used Blue Diamond unsweetened almond)

2 tablespoons chia (if you like it thicker you can add more chia)

1/2 fruit

Mix together and refrigerate over night. Yes that is it! You can sweeten with agave or honey whatever you prefer.

Healthier Rice Bowl

Being part Vietnamese we eat a lot of rice. My kids love rice but it doesn't have that much nutritional value. I switch out the white rice for quinoa, black rice or red rice. If your kids are not use to the quinoa you can add a little bit with white rice. It's really good and you can't even tell a difference, my kids love it.  When I do feed my kids quinoa or rice I make them rice balls. It's a lot less messier especially when you have toddlers just beginning to eat with her hands. Super simple to make them. Get your hands damp with some water, grab some cooked quinoa and mush it together like dough. Then roll it in a little ball. My kids love them and they even say it taste better!

Here is a typical quinoa bowl with tofu, shrimp and broccoli. I garnished it with green onions, cilantro and a lime wedge. For the sauce you could use soy sauce, teriyaki or Japanese dressing.

The kids plate With their quinoa balls.