splendor & folly

First of all, I have to give credit where credit is due. I came across an awesome blog called meals and moves written by Janetha. She provides wonderful recipes lots of fitness inspiration.

One thing I knew I wanted to try right away was her recipe for chicken & white bean salsa soup. I modified it just a bit due to the fact that I don’t have a large crock pot. 

So all I did to make it work for me was boil the chicken first. I used a mixture of 1/2 chicken broth, 1/2 water and boiled the chicken for about 10 minutes until I could shred it with a fork. Then in a large pot I combined the chicken broth, salsa, pinto beans, corn, chicken and cumin and DONE! I’m letting it simmer for a while right now…can’t wait to chow down.

Note: I don’t have a lot of spices on hand so the cumin was something I had to purchase. It was kind of expensive, around $4.50, but it is definitely worth it to enhance the flavor of the soup!

So I finally made something yesterday that I have been meaning to try for a while – A Green Monster! This is the term used around the blog world for smoothies containing leafy greens. There is even a website dedicated to them! People that drink Green Monsters claim many benefits, such as higher energy levels and healthy glowing skin, just to name a few. It’s an easy way to get tons of awesome nutrients at once.

So why did it take me so long to try it? I was scared it would be disgusting! But everyone was right, you cannot even taste the spinach! I wanted it to be a little sweeter, but that is probably because I am used to fruit smoothies with added sugar. I would definitely recommend it and I can’t wait to try out some different variations!

Here is how I made mine:

1 cup of almond milk (you can use soy or cow’s milk too)

1 small banana

1 cup of raw spinach leaves (most recipies call for 2-3 cups, so I was being shy!)

2 large chunks of pineapple (This is optional – I had this on hand so I thought I would throw it in for extra sweetness)

A few icecubes

 Blend in a blender until everything is smooth, pour into a glass and ENJOY!!!

The holiday season is the perfect time to indulge in sweet treats! But there is no need to spend hours baking, here are three easy recipes that even the most kitchen-challenged cooks can create:

1. Christmas Cake Mix Cookies:

(via Megan’s Munchies – click pictures for full recipes)

2. Easy Saltine Toffee Bars:

(via allrecipes.com)

3. Easy Preztel Turtles:

(via Our Best Bites)

+

+

+

(NOTE: I’m not endorsing any of these brands in particular, these are just the pictures I could find.)

Just combine baby spinach, mozz cheese, raisins and dried cranberries with ranch dressing. Shake it up and enjoy!

+

+

+

For this salad, combine romaine lettuce, grated parmesean cheese, canned artichoke and red wine vinaigrette. Shake vigorously and voilá!