"Nacks" aka Snacks

So the past couple days I have been focused on how I can make some healthy snacks, or "nacks" as Tripp says. I wanted to make a few things that I can take with us on the go that can replace our usual processed snacks that we usually throw in the bag, as well as snacks that are readily available in the fridge for when we are home.  First up is Hummus! I love this stuff, and homemade is literally 100 times tastier than the store bought stuff. There are a million recipes out there for Hummus but I believe that its best to play around with it and come up with one that works for you!

2 cups of chickpeas
3 garlic cloves
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup tahini
1/4 cup light olive oil
5 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Place chickpeas, garlic, and salt in food processor and blend, stop occasionally to scrape down the sides as needed.
Add lemon juice & blend, Add tahini & blend, add water & blend,  Drizzle in olive oil while the processor is running and then the vinegar

Here is a picture of it served with veggies and pita chips and Yes...even raw Onion...Aaron loves raw onion and loved it even more dipped in hummus << gag>> But Hummus is definitely a new and welcomed staple in our fridge that everyone loves! 

Now you might have just read that recipe like I did the first time and when you came across the ingredient listed as "Tahini" you said to yourself " a Tah what?" or "what on God's green Earth is a Tahini" or "that sounds like a fantastic cocktail!" Ha!!! But really all it is , is pureed sunflower seeds. You take about a 1/2 cup of just regular unsalted and shelled sunflower seeds and place them in a frying pan on the stove over med-low heat for about 10 min. Put them in the food processor and blend while mixing in a lil olive oil till it becomes a paste like or thinner substance. There ya go Tahini 101 , however I'm sure you can google Tahini recipe and you'll find a much more sophisticated recipe with more detail. But it does make all the difference because the first time I made hummus I did not include the Tahini and it was absolutely missing something , and all store bought hummus includes a tahini as well. 

Next on the snack list is Strawberry Banana Protein Bars...created by yours truly! :) I wanted to make some protein bars, however I was missing a few ingredients for the recipe that I had, and going back to the grocery store after I had already been once that day and being that Tripp had not had a nap , it simply was Not an option. So.... 

1 Cup banana walnut Quaker Hearty Medleys instant Oatmeal (about 2 1/2 packets)

1/4 cup coconut flour

2 scoops berry flavored protein powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup egg whites

2 tbsp stevia

8 (roughly) chopped fresh strawberries)

2oz water

Mix all wet and dry ingredients separately then mix them together. I chose to put the oatmeal in the food processor before I added it in as well as the strawberries to make them real fine and almost pureed. Bake in a greased 8x8 pan for 25 min. at 350 degrees.           

Aaron really liked them and I let a few of my gym buddies give them a try today and they liked them as well so they just may be a keeper, however next time I may just try to use unflavored oatmeal and add in a real banana and maybe a lil more stevia to make up for  the sugar that was in the instant oatmeal. 

Tonight I made some Oatmeal Raisin Protein Balls or Bars which ever you prefer! 

 This is one of the recipes that I wanted to make that included something called liquid stevia which was on my Whole Foods shopping list.

This tiny little jar was $16 I believe or maybe it was $13, either way I about shit my pants when I saw the price, but I've seen several recipes that call for it that I want to try and I thought well hopefully for that price it will last till the boys go to college! Ha! 

3/4 cup any Nut Butter ( I used half almond butter and half natural peanut butter)

3/4 cup quick oats

2 1/2 scoops of whey protein powder (I used Vanilla)

20 drops of vanilla stevia or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract if your not using stevia and using honey as a sub)

1/8-1/4cup water depending on how dry your mix is

1/4 cup raisins

1 tsp cinnamon

and if your using honey instead of the stevia just eye ball it, use enough to make it stick together

Mix by hand,  and form into a giant ball.

Place a layer of plastic wrap in an 8x8 pan then place mixture on top

Use the plastic wrap to smoosh the mixture into the pan

Place in the fridge for 30 min ,  then cut into bars or roll into balls (that word still makes me giggle) (true story)

Using the Stevia Dropper....and after using it the flavor is intense and I believe this stuff will last quite a while

Make sure the plastic wrap is  under the mixture

Oatmeal Raisin Ball finished product

Today I taught Body Pump and made sure my kids did not drown at the pool for my workouts! Ha!! Tomorrow I'm teaching Body Pump again as well as Sunday......but too much Body Pump never killed anyone, however I must find time for some high intensity cardio this weekend for sure! Goodnight! 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Black Bean Dip

Just wanted to log on real quick and share this Black Bean dip recipe that I made last night to go with our Chicken Burritos. This picture was actually taken today as I had leftovers for lunch served with iced green tea, and a side salad, but let me tell ya, this bean dip is sooo good!

Black Bean Dip

2 cans of low sodium black beans

1tsp garlic powder

1tsp onion powder

1 cup medium chunky salsa

2 tbsp plain greek yogurt

Mix everything in the food processor and there ya have it! This would be delicious just to eat with chips or to make it a lil more spicy add some heat of your choice....the possibilities with this lil number are endless as well as delicious!!!  This is a picture from last night where I served it with  low carb tortilla, fresh tomatoes, and grilled peppers and onions with a lil shredded cheese!  

I plan on cooking a lot this weekend soooo hopefully I'll have some new fun recipes next week! 

For yesterdays workout I taught a Circuit Training class that included:

Burpees, Mountain Climbers, some Simple Step , Bicep curls, Tricep Dips using the step, Squat with over head press, Tricep kick backs, Push ups,  Jumping Jacks, and tons of Abs!! Afterwards I worked my chest a bit in the weight room. 

And here is a picture of Brock playing "Army" in the back yard in his underwear right before bedtime as well as a picture of Tripp basically calling me a bad Mom because I told him it was time to come inside! 

Today was a rest day and the boys and I finally made a trip to Whole Foods or as my good friend Laura put it "Whole Paycheck" Ha!!!! But we picked up a lot of the what I call weird ingredients that some of these baking recipes call for.  Then we joined our good friends at the Angier Library for the showing of Gnomeo and Juliet which was fun for Brock but Tripp, not so much, his biggest concern was what I had packed for a snack, (as if we hadn't just eaten lunch). Oh well, then afterwards Brock checked out a couple dinosaur books! 

This evening I made a new protein bar and kinda threw together the recipe.....the whole time I was making them I kept thinking....these are gonna be sooo gross....so therefore I didn't really keep track of the amounts of the ingredients so I'll have to make them again to make sure the recipe is legit. I also made a new batch of hummus and I think it just might be  "The One!" It turned out really good, so I'll also post that later! 

Pantry Overhaul

So since Aaron is in a school right now that takes up a lot of his time I'm taking this opportunity to make the to-do list, thats been hanging over my head for months now, happen! Tonight I decided to do a massive pantry overhaul, cleaning out all the crap that I'll never use or that I'd just rather not eat these days. Here's is a picture of all the stuff that I'll be giving to the food pantry tomorrow.  :)

Soo because I was in the middle of pulling everything out of our cabinets, dinner tonight......well let's just say it was a little sad. But hey we all have those nights where we just do not feel like cooking. So I made myself this fabulous Tex Mex egg white scramble with 4 egg whites, black beans, cilantro, fresh tomatoes and salsa! It was soooo good! 

And the boys had a turkey hot dog with fresh veggies and hummus and Amy's multi-grain pita chips! They actually didn't seem to mind at all! 

So while I was elbow deep in the cabinets they were playing warrior Vikings!!!! One thing thats never lacking around here is entertainment, and I wouldn't have it any other way!!! 

Good night all!!! I'm teaching a Circuit training class in the morning......should be a good sweaty time!!!!

Feeling Hot Hot Hot!!!!!!

So today is definitely an inside activity kinda day considering that with the heat index its supposed to be somewhere around 115 out there! Whew!

So here's how we began our day..with a lil Curious George on the TV and coloring while I made breakfast! Brock insisted that he wanted eggs again sooo I made eggs happen!











So I wanted to share with you a picture of some staple items that are always in my kitchen!

1. Old Fashioned Oats, I use these for anything basically that would normally call for flour, I just place a cup or so in the food processor and make my own oat flour. It's especially great for pancakes or waffles, and we just eat plain oatmeal with all sorts of toppings probably a couple times a week. My two favorite oatmeal mix ins would be almond butter and Hershey's special Dark cocoa! Yummm!
2. Chickpeas, as I shared with you yesterday I love them in my eggs and we're huge fans of hummus which I'm still working on perfecting my hummus recipe and once I do I'll post it on here as well! I also have found that I would much rather buy the dry uncooked chickpeas and cook them myself rather than the canned, they just taste so much better! 3. Green tea, one of my new years resolutions this year was to drink more green tea soo every couple days or so I'll brew up a bunch of it and gently sweeten it with Stevia and put it in the fridge. Because sometimes I just do not want another glass of water with dinner so its nice to have this on hand.
4. Cottage Cheese , usually the 1% is my lifesaver! Since I'm really really trying to keep my carbs under 130g cottage cheese is great for when your craving some sort of starchy side to go with your meal. Its a great substitute and its super high in protein and low in sugar/carbs.
5. Plain ol dry almonds, I keep these puppies in my bag where ever I go. They are especially great if I make the mistake and don't plan my food and I come in freakin starving...I can just grab a handful of these and it keeps me from eating something that I'll regret while I'm taking the time to prepare something else.
6. EGGS EGGS EGGS Seriously if it weren't for eggs I'd probably be dead! Ha!!! I love them, I eat literally between my breakfast and hard boiled snacks probably 5 a day! They're cheap and soooooo healthy for you. Whenever I just have no desire to think about what I'm gonna eat, I eat eggs! Very rarely do I eat the yolks, however my grandma has clipped me several articles out of her magazines that now say that research shows that they yolk isn't chuck full of bad cholesterol like they once had thought. But I do give the boys the yolks.
7. Baby Mixed green salad , I keep this on had and obviously use it for salads for lunch or dinner and I use it as our lettuce for sandwiches for the boys and I pick out the spinach to throw in anything from scrambled eggs to shakes.I'm a huge fan of spinach, because it has a very mild taste and you can hide it in anything!  I was raised thinking the only type of lettuce was pale green in color and called ice berg, but I never buy that anymore considering it has little to no nutritional value.
8. Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk, this is what I use to mix with my protein powder mostly, but I've cut regular milk completely out of my diet cause its really high in sugar and carbs. So whenever I have a milk craving this is a Fine Substitute. I still buy 1% for the boys but for Aaron and I its almond milk all the way.
9. Fage 0% Plain Greek Yogurt is fairly new to my fridge however I welcome it with open arms lol!!! This stuff is awesome! Anything that you would normally use sour cream in you can use this as a substitute and its loaded with nutritional value! I mix it with medium chunky salsa to make a creamy sauce to put on top of chicken, I use it as a chicken marinade paired with lemon juice salt and pepper, I make a kick ass buffalo chicken salad in the food processor that just includes greek yogurt, franks red hot, and chicken breast! I mean the possibilities are endless with this stuff!
10. Flax Seed meal is excellent. Its sooo good for you so I hide it anywhere I can. I put it in all recipes that include ground meat, pancakes, oatmeal, you name it!
11. And finally last but definitely not least is my coconut oil. It's also fairly new to my pantry but my favorite use of it is for eggs!  You can use it in anything that calls for oil but just be careful considering it has a lower heat content.

A few people have asked me about protein powder, and honestly I use this.....the biggest bag I can find for a great price at Sam's club. I usually have 1-2 shakes per day but its especially great right after a workout considering the importance of your post workout meal and it should be high in protein and consumed within 30 min after the workout. So before I go to the gym I just go a head and mix one up and throw it in my bag and drink it on the way home.

Here's another lil fantastic gadget that I could not live without! My blender bottle......you can pick one up at Wal-Mart around here but if not GNC or any vitamin store always has them. 

Now as far as protein bars go.....which are great if your out and your hungry and theres nothing else healthy to eat my absolute fave are called Quest Bars! They are down right DELICIOUS and have Zero Junk included. 20g of Protein 4g of non fiber carbs, no sugar alcohols, no sugar used, gluten free, and no trans fats which is sooooo hard to find all of that in protein bars that I have tried in the past. The only downside is that you can only get them off the internet at www.questproteinbar.com and they may seem expensive however once you do the math they average out to about $2 a bar which isn't bad! 

I sooo wish I had this shirt! But ....enough of food talk now its time to get down to business and talk about  todays workout!!! <<Fist Pump>>

Today was a lil Bi's Tri's with Abs and Plyo's inbetween

~ Warm Up consisted of Reverse pull Up's / Squat with and over head press using a 50lb Bar / and the         good ol faithful Push Ups for 21x15x9

~ Cable Machine Tricep pull downs

   70lbx10/ 80lbx10/ 90lbx10 and yes that last one was rough

   Inbetween these sets  20 mtn climbers/ scoop planks 10 on each side/ sit bone ab rotation using a 20lb  

   DMB for 20x2/ V-Up Abs passing an exercise ball from hands to feet for 20

~ Bicep Curls using 25lb DMB 10x3

~ Side Bicep Curls using 20lb DMB 10x3

~ Assisted pull up machine using 80lb resistance 8x3 and boy was that last set rough 

   Inbetween theses sets I did 20 burpees using the Bosu Ball

~Tricep Dip using 10lb weight in my lap 15x3

~ Top half Bicep Curls using 40lb Bar 12x3

    Inbetween these sets I did lying alternating Ab toe reaches side to side for 20/ 4 count bicycle crunch 

    for 20/ and lying heel reaches side to side for 80

Tonight will either be a fend for yourself kinda night for dinner considering I have several leftovers in the fridge or I thought about making my almond meal chicken nuggets.....we'll just have to see !!!! 

Perfect Summer Day

Today was a typical/perfect summer day here at the Sullivan house. It started with our usual sleepyhead snuggle time with our favorite PBS cartoons, breakfast, gym, pool, dinner and baths!
     I make sure that breakfast is a big deal around these parts. It varies between eggs, oatmeal, and flour free pancakes for the boys but I basically eat the same thing every morning and I'm ok with that!

So there ya have it, I warm the skillet with coconut oil (by the way eggs are sooo good when they are cooked in coconut oil) 3 egg whites with spinach and a few chickpeas, with cottage cheese on the side and the fruit varies depending on what I have on hand! And of course my caffine, which is a cup of black coffee!












For Lunch I had my usual one scoop of protein powder with unsweetened vanilla almond milk and some chicken stir fry leftovers from dinner. For dinner tonight I tried to make my own mini turkey loaves recipe, and they turned out just ok...they were a lil dry so I'll have to try that again. For sides we had puree'd butternut squash (my new go to YummmmmO') and mixed green salad. Brock is the only one in the family who's not fond of the squash but I still make him eat ...he'll love me for that someday!

Today I finally got my PB2 in the mail!!! It's a peanut powder that you mix with a little water and wholla...you have peanut butter with 85% less fat than the regular!! I can't wait to taste this lil number in a shake or hell in anything for that matter....who does't love PB...but its fat content is through the roof if you ask me so hopefully this is as delicious as I'm hoping! (fingers crossed)

Today's workout was pretty good! I had a lot of motivation which always helps as well as AC/DC radio on Pandora cranking in the ear buds!

I focused on Abs and intervals

-For Warm up I did a circuit of  Reverse Pull Up's, Wall Ball's/Squat, and Bench Straddles/Alternating Lunges using the bench as well 6 sets with 15 reps for each as fast as I could and using a 12lb/15lb weighted ball

-Abs I used the bench for leg raises while holding the bar stationary

no weight on the bar for 10

5lbs for 8

10lbs for 6 

Inbetween these sets 20 mountain climbers, 15 burpees, and the last round 20 burpess/mtn climber combo

-Assisted pull up machine using wide grip with 90lb resistance 3 sets for 8

Inbetween these sets 20 tuck jumps, and 10 tuck/burpee/mtn climber combo

-Lower back extensions using 18lb ball 20X3 as well as oblique dips on each side same amount of reps

-Sit ups on incline bench while holding 18lb ball and with over head press at the top 20x3

-5 Turkish Get Up's on each side using 20lb kettle bell

just to end with a picture of my happiness!!!! Aaron and I with the Boys at Epcot taken this past May! 

Hello Blog Land

Welcome to Healthy Yellow Ribbons! I've actually been thinking about starting my very own blog for quite some time now, 1) because I'm tired of using my facebook page for stuff that would clearly be best in a blog such as recipes, and food pics and 2) I've kept a written journal since I was 12 and what better way to have an online source to write whatever I please! Ha! So what is Healthy Yellow Ribbons? Well I thought it would be a great blog title considering I've been an Army Wife now for 10 years and fitness and maintaining a healthy way of life for my entire family is truly my passion. So thats what I plan to write about....if it has to do with kiddos, healthy recipes or workouts you can find it here! I hope that this can be a blog that you refer to when you need a lil positive motivation, or a new recipe when dinnertime needs a lil pick me up but in a healthy way!