Who needs Chipotle?

This is again one of those recipes that you can really make your own and that's what I love about it. Of course there are those typical staples to this dish, such as the guac, some type of beans- however, it's really up to you whether or not you'd like to make those health-conscious substitutes for the other additions to this dish. One trick that you'll see here is my use of plain Chobani yogurt instead of sour cream. It's amazing how you don't even taste the difference! Also, I used a microwavable pack of organic quinoa and brown rice mix that cooks in 1 minute! I purchase a pack of these microwavable pouches from B.J.'s wholesale. It's quick AND healthy.
I honestly didn't make the salsa due to the lack of time, but it's a great little side project that I'll definitely touch upon later! The guacamole is homemade of course, and very simple to make in preparation for the burrito bowl. The chicken was also previously grilled on Sunday when I do my weekly meal preps. I like to grill a pack of chicken and store it for other uses throughout the week for salads, etc. This dish doesn't take long to make at all and it's perfect to sneak in those healthy ingredients without your kids or your family members noticing. Who really needs Chipotle when it's this easy? Not only will you save time but also $$$ and the calories. 

Homemade Burrito Bowl 
Guacamole 3 Avocados  1/4 of a minced onion 5 grape tomatoes chopped into quarters Pinch of salt & pepper for taste
Per Serving * 1/2 Pouch of Seeds of Change organic quinoa & brown rice with garlic * A small handful of cheddar jack cheese (You can use whatever cheese you'd like!) * 2 tablespoons of plain Chobani * 2 tablespoons of cooked black beans * 2 tablespoons of cooked corn kernels (seasoned with garlic powder)  * 3 tablespoons of guac * 2 tablespoons of salsa * 1 grilled chicken breast chopped up * 1 cup of shredded lettuce *** Add some hot sauce for a kick!

What's In My Bag?

Work Tote, Zara / Water bottle (I try really stick to the 8 cups of water per day rule!) / Rosebud Strawberry Lipbalm & Blistex Lip Medex (My absolute favorite. Perfect for harsh Boston winters.) / MAC Cremesheen in Creme d'Nude (One of the only lipstick I continuously repurchase.) / Brown rice green tea packets / Charliecard / Set of keys + Marc by Marc Jacobs key lanyard / Clutch wallet, Express (gift from my aunt a long time ago) / Mini sketchpad / Kleenex / iPhone 5 (with a sloth case!!!) + headphones / Marc by Marc Jacobs sunglasses / Purse organizer, Ebay (I hate when I have a bottomless pit of a bag. This helps a lot with organizing this large tote.)

I thought it'd be fun to do a post covering what was inside my bag at the moment. A girl's bag is a great way to get to know her- not suggesting any guys should rummage through a girl's bag though! This is actually more of my day-to-day work tote, so it contains more of my daily essentials than I would have in my weekend bags. 

How Everyday Should Begin

Every day should begin with a great breakfast and a great outlook on your day. Here's great quote from one of my favorite books, The Little Prince.

New Grocery Haul

Most of the groceries in this haul are usually things I by as staples in my pantry, like the stevia, pumpkin puree, apple cider vinegar, organic golden flaxseed meal, and organic old fashioned rolled oats. The hemp protein powder and powdered peanut butter are new products that I've been curious about. I'll explain the benefits of each and every one right below:

• Stevia- A natural sweetener (derivative of the sweetleaf plant). It's much sweeter than sugar, yet much much better for you than the artificially manufactured sweeteners like Equal or Splenda. Also, it's carb-free and calorie-free!
• Golden flaxseed meal- Flaxseed meal in general is of course made by the grinding of flax seed. It's very heart-healthy because it contains a type of omega-3 and provides a great amount of daily fiber. You can add flax to smoothies or pancakes and several other recipes. 
• Old-fashioned rolled oats- I LOVE this brand of rolled oats and this particular type of oats for my overnight oats. And these oats are perfect to grind up to make oat flour. 
• Hemp protein powder- The first time I've actually seen this ingredient being used was in one of my favorite juice bars in Boston. After visiting Whole Foods today and coming across it in the aisle, I thought I'd give it a try. It's a whole food source of omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids. Hemp seeds themselves are a natural source of protein. 
• Pumpkin puree- A great substitute for oil or butter in recipes if you want to cut the fat and calories. Pumpkins contain a great amount of vitamin A and lots of fiber.
• Apple cider vinegar- The apple cider vinegar helps to detoxify the body, promote weight loss, helps with skin problems like acne, and many more other benefits. I like to use this to pickle beets most of the time. It can also be used as a natural toner to balance the pH of your skin!
• Powdered peanut butter- Low calorie alternative to regular peanut butter! I had to try this because several of the fitness IGers on Instagram have mentioned this product in their recipes. However, I did have to settle for this particular brand instead of PB2 (PB2 wasn't available at Whole Foods). You might think powdered PB is weird, but you can't knock it if you don't try. The peanut butter is actually made into powder by having the oil squeezed out of the roasted peanuts. To use it, you simply add a bit of water to it to form a spread. 

Sunday Mornings and "Dessert" for Breakfast

Happy Sunday! I've been having a slow start on weekend mornings but I still get my breakfast in. I've been slacking on the gym since I've been working on some life projects, including this one. There's really no excuse because I'm supposed to be young and have so much energy but after all, I'm human. But cheers to having this productive Sunday with this dark chocolate chip protein pancake! I also have a side of japanese yams and a cup of green juice I juiced. 
This is the recipe for those of you that are curious! You can truly mix and match the ingredients to whatever fits your mood. 
DRY INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup of oat flour (made from steel cut oats)  1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal  3/4 tsp of baking powder  1/2 scoop chocolate whey protein (I use About Time) 2 tablespoons of brown sugar WET INGREDIENTS:  2 egg whites 1/3 cup of almond milk  2 tablespoons agave nectar  5 drops of Stevia (or the packet kind)
And add whatever you want! Blueberries, mashed bananas, dark chocolate chips, etc. This time I added dark chocolate chips and topped it with strawberries and blueberries.  And I know some of you are wondering what exactly is in the green juice that appears in my pictures every now and then. I started juicing just recently actually since there was just a juicer lying around unused in my house. I started to look up 'juicing' online and read what I could about it. I did try to do a juice detox, however I had to stop after day 1. It's unfortunate that I didn't have the willpower to survive without solid foods for just a few days, but I did start to introduce juicing into my daily life. One of the juices during the detox was called the green juice. I don't exactly follow exact measurements to which the recipe I had called for but this is the jist of it: 
Green Juice:  2 cucumbers A bunch of parsley A bunch of kale A bunch of spinach 2 green apples 6 ribs of celery Half a lemon (squeezed) * Add chia seeds (when I have them)
And lastly, if you're wondering about the track I'm playing in the background of the Vine video, it's Dream Koala. Here's a chill track to go with your Sunday. Enjoy!

First Post and ChocoNanaNutter Protein Muffins

Those that know me KNOW I love breakfast, and for that being my favorite meal while being the most important meal of the day comes hand in hand. Recently with becoming passionate about clean eating, I've learned about the several different substitutes and tricks that we could use while baking. One of my favorite tricks is making my own flour ..out of oats! Great whole grains turned into a baking staple. I make my oat flour from both organic steel cut oats and rolled oats.

And on that note, I said I would post a recipe for my Choco-Nana-Butter Protein Muffins the other day and the reason I took so long was because of this blog. I wanted it to be the intro to my new life project. Karmesan Cheese. I hope you all enjoy and I'd love any feedback! And last but not least, here is the recipe! 

DRY INGREDIENTS

1 cup of flour (made of steel cut oats, ground up using coffee grinder)

1 1/4 tsp of baking powder

1 tsp of Hershey's special dark cocoa powder

1/4 cup of flaxseed meal (I use Bob's Red Mill)
1 scoop of chocolate Whey powder (I use About Time, all natural!)

3 tablespoons of brown sugar

WET INGREDIENTS 

4 egg whites
4 tablespoons of plain Chobani

1 tablespoon of agave nectar

2 mashed bananas

1/3 cup of almond milk

Combine dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately. 

Then, mix wet ingredients in with the dry. When the ingredients are properly combined, spoon into muffin top pans or regular muffin pans. Bake at 350°F for 25-30min.

Top with peanut butter and enjoy!