Egg In A Bell Pepper Ring

• 2 egg whites, 1 egg yolk (scrambled)
• 2 bell pepper rings (with all seeds removed)
• cheese
• avocado oil
• salt and pepper (optional)

When making your bell pepper rings, try to cut as straight as possible to prevent egg leakage (didn't do too well on the green bell pepper as you can see above lol).  Heat pan on medium and add small amount of avocado oil.  Place rings on stove.  Pour half scrambled egg into each ring.  If your egg leaks, use spatula to push the egg back towards the ring.  Flip and add some shredded cheese.  I didn't add any salt or pepper, but if you need more flavor, feel free to add some.  Serve with toast and sauteed veggies.  If you like sunny side up eggs, you can do that instead of scrambled eggs.  Enjoy this fun, healthy breakfast!

Kale Veggie Omelette

• 2 egg whites, 1 egg yolk scrambled
• leaves off 2 large kale stems
• 3 T diced red onions
• 2 T diced bell pepper
• 1 green onion chopped 
• small handful of cheese
• avocado oil
• salt and pepper

In pan, saute kale, red onions, and bell pepper with a small amount of avocado oil on medium high heat.  Once kale leaves shrink, add salt and pepper to taste and put veggies aside in bowl.  With same pan, add small amount of avocado oil and scrambled eggs.  Lower heat to medium.  Usually, the egg is not flipped but i like to flip mine to make sure the egg is cooked throughly.  As soon as you flip, lower heat to low and add sauteed vegetables to half of the omelet.  Then add green cheese and green onions and fold omelet in half.  Wait for cheese to melt and enjoy!

                                        

Energy Balls

• 1 1/4 c granola
• 2/3 c ground flaxseed
• 1/2 c peanut butter
• 1/2 c semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1/3 c honey
• 1 tspn vanilla extract
• small handful of almonds

All ingredients i used are organic.  Mix granola, flaxseed, chocolate chips, and almonds together.  Add peanut butter, honey and vanilla and mix well with spoon.  Cover and put in fridge for 30 minutes.  Make little balls about the size of a ping pong ball.  Keep refrigerated and last for a week.  They make great and tasty post work out snacks!

Fruit Cake!

So it was my daughter's bday recently and instead of getting her a regular cake, i decided to make her a watermelon fruit cake!  It was a lot of fun to make and was really yummy!  Here's how to make it!

What you'll need:

1 large watermelon

1 cantaloupe/honeydew melon

grapes

blue berries

strawberries

melon baller

cookie cutters (any shape you want)

shish kabob sticks (i used plastic ones i saved from Edible Arrangements)

toothpicks broken in half

candles

Start by washing all of your fruit really well.  Grab watermelon and cut off edges with enough meat on it.  Make sure you remove enough of the watermelon meat with the end so you can create little balls with them.  Remove skin from large middle piece and cut watermelon to desired shape for cake.  (i used circle but you can do a square, star, heart, etc.).  

Take your other melons and cut in half and clean out seeds.  With one half, use melon baller and create balls.  With other half, cut skin off and cut a large, 1/2 inch thick piece that you could cut a shape out of with cookie cutter.  I used a flower. 

Grab your pineapple and cut off the head and end and remove skin.  Cut into 1/2 inch thick pieces (hamburger way) and grab a dif shape cookie cutter and make your shape.  Clean fibers around edges with a knife. 

Everything else is up to you!  Decorate the top of your cake with whatever fruits you like!  I topped my cake with berries and lined the edges with cantaloupe balls.  With your shish kabobs, spear whatever fruits you like and top with your cookie cut fruit.  Put your shish kabobed fruits where ever you want on your cake!

For the flowers on the sides of the cake, i cut out little flower shapes with a pearing knife and stuck it in the cake with half of a toothpick.  I did the same for the blueberry i used for the center of the flower.  Finish decorating with candles!  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight so it's nice and cold.  Don't forget to take out all the toothpicks before serving!  Enjoy your wonderful fruit cake!

Here's how i served it.  I took off all the fruit on the watermelon and sliced watermelon like i would a cake.  Then i evenly distributed the rest of the fruit.  

Teriyaki Salmon Fillet

This is my FAVORITE salmon recipe!  If you haven't noticed already, i really like salmon :)  

• 4 lbs salmon fillet
• 1/3 c teriyaki sauce
• 1/3 c lemon juice
• 1/2 c light brown sugar
• 2 T veg oil
• 1 T garlic powder

Combine above ingredients
Place salmon on heavy duty aluminum  foil.  Pour teriyaki mixture over salmon and baste.  Cover and place in fridge for 1 hr ( or longer).  You can cook it 2 ways, grilled or broiled.
To grill outside: wrap salmon loosely in foil and place on grill.  Grill over medium heat for 30 minutes, basting often.
To broil: Turn oven broil high until hot.  Wrap salmon loosely in foil and place in oven for 10 minutes.  Change setting to low broil and uncover salmon.  Broil for about 15 min. or until golden brown on top.  Take out of oven and baste.  Best served with brown rice or calrose rice.

Lemon Pepper Salmon

Here's a great recipe for salmon, that in my opinion, goes well with pretty much anything!

-Salmon (thawed, rinsed, and patted dry)
- lemon pepper
- garlic salt
- paprika
- lemon slices
- butter

Line a pan with foil and preheat toaster oven or oven to 350.  Put tiny pieces of butter where your salmon will be placed.  Use garlic salt and salt pan (foil).  Place salmon over butter pieces and sprinkle garlic salt over salmon.  Then shake lemon pepper over top of salmon.  If you like a more peppery taste, add more lemon pepper, if not, don't use too much.  Sprinkle paprika and top each salmon with a small piece of butter.  Cover seasoned salmon with lemon slices and stick in oven/toaster for 25-30 minutes.  Covering the salmon with lemon keeps the salmon moist and gives your salmon a wonderful flavor.  Right before eating, squeeze fresh lemon over salmon.  Enjoy with a salad, rice, quinoa, etc!

Fruit Infused Water

Fruit infused water is amazing!  In the pic above i put sliced oranges, strawberries, and cucumber!  Instead of cucumber, i recommend adding mint!  You can add whatever fruits you want to in your infused water.  Here's my fav one.  If you like stronger flavors, add more fruit.  If not, add less fruit.   

-pitcher of water

-sliced strawberries

- sliced lemon

- mint

Throw all ingredients in pitcher of water and put in fridge.  Drink with some ice!   

Eggplant and Kailan stir fry

Kailan (chinese broccoli) is one of my favorite vegetables!  It has similar texture as broccoli but a completely different taste.  It's a little bitter but is SO yummy!  It's a great source of vitamin E, B6, dietary fiber and a lot more vitamins!  Here's more information about the nutritional value of chinese broccoli.

http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-broccoli-chinese-cooked-i11969

What you'll need :)

- 1 pack of kailan

- 1 large japanese eggplant
- 3-4 cloves of garlic minced
- 2 T oil ( i used avocado oil)
- 2 T lee kum kee's no msg oyster sauce
- low sodium soy sauce

Heat wok on high.  You may need to lower your stove a notch depending on how hot your stove gets.  Add oil and garlic.  Mix till garlic is slightly browned.  Add kailan and eggplant and mix well.  Once mixed and heated evenly, add about 3T of water and mix well.  This will steam the veggies and prevent you from having to add more oil.  Continue to stir.  The amount of time you keep your stirfry on the stove depends on how crunchy or soft you like your veggies.  Once veggies are to your liking, throw in oyster sauce.  Mix and taste.  Add low sodium soy sauce to taste.  Mix well!  Enjoy this dish with some brown rice!!  If you feel like you are missing protein, you can make this same stirfry with some tofu!  Enjoy!

Vintage Floral Nails

Super cute nails for any occasion!  Best part about it is it's really easy to do :)  

What you'll need:

- buffer and nail file

- base coat and top coat

- your choice of nail polish color

- light pink polish

- darker shade of pink polish

- green polish

- 2 toothpicks

Step 1: smooth your nails with a buffer and file to desired shape

Step 2: wash your hands!  The particles from filing can leave bumps on your nails if not                     washed off.

Step 3: paint nails with base coat. Dry

Step 4: pain nails with desired color.  I used china glaze color: for audrey.  Dry

Step 5: repeat step 4

Step 6: paint random dots on your nail with a light colored pink.  I like to use 5 dots on my                thumb and 3 dots on my smaller nails.  (you do not have to wait for dots to dry,                    infact it's better not to)

Step 7: with a darker shade of pink, draw "U" shapes with a toothpick over the light pink                  dots.  I do 3-4  "U's" per dot.  

Step 8: with another toothpick, draw leaves where there are empty spots.  Dry

Step 9: Top coat. Dry

Step 10: admire your beautiful nails!

Remember, your roses do not have to be perfect! If you mess up, don't worry about it.  Chances are, no one will notice.  :)

the one i'm demonstrating on here are different color polishes from the pic above.

Deconstructed Sushi Bowls

I personally don't like California rolls but this recipe is actually pretty good!  My sister first tried it at UCLA and then made it for me and my fam bam a couple weeks ago.  

I believe you can buy all these ingredients at Ranch 99.  (May be different brand but that's fine)

- nori seaweed (cut into thin strips)                                       spicy mayo recipe

- tofu (cubed)                                                                 1 T mayo, 1 t siracha sauce (mix)

- cucumber (julliened)

- edamame (shelled)

- avocado (sliced into thin pieces)

- capelin roe (pic shown below)

- fish cake (artificial crab meat) (usually contains very small amount of MSG)

- sushi rice seasoning mix {optional, contains MSG :(   }

- wasabi mixed in low sodium soy sauce

- calrose rice

                                                   capelin roe

sushi rice seasoning

                                                                   artificial crab meat

Mix rice seasoning in freshly made pot of rice (follow instructions on seasoning packet).  Put seasoned rice in large bowl and top with seaweed, tofu, edamame, avocado, cucumber, roe,  and crab meat.  Add desired amount of wasabi soy sauce and spicy mayo sauce.  Mix well and enjoy!

Brown Rice Gluten Free Veggie Wrap!

1 brown rice tortilla (gluten free)

your fav. homemade guacamole recipe

5-6 sliced cucumber pieces

2 small sweet peppers (cut long ways)

1/4 cup sprouts

1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes

3 pieces of romaine hearts

handful of spinach

salt and pepper to taste

Spread generous amount of guacamole over tortilla.  Add spinach over guac.  Add the rest of ingredients and salt and pepper to taste.  If you have a homemade vinaigrette dressing you like, you can add some in your wrap as well.  Wrap like fajita and cut in half at an angle.  Super filling and healthy!  Enjoy!

Juicing/Smoothie Experiment

As an experiment, i didn't juice or make smoothies for a week to see how i'd feel.  I noticed changes in my bowel movements by day 2 (sorry for tmi)  :P.  By day 3, my body felt really sluggish and i had a hard time waking up in the morning.  Each day, it got progressively worse.  My skin also started breaking out with a few zits by day 4.  I juiced for the first time yesterday and again this morning and i feel MUCH better!!  Juicing and making healthy smoothies DOES make a difference!!  Here's the juice i drank, along with mangoes for my dessert! 

3 stalks celery

3 large carrots (cut in half to fit juice feeder)

handful of parsley

1/2 apple

1 tomato  

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July everyone!!  I tried to eat healthy reds, whites and blues to stay patriotic!  

Kimchi Jigae

2-3 heaping T of gochujang (depends on how spicy you want it)

2 heaping t of miso (japanese soybean paste)

2 pork chops (fat trimmed off and meat cut into bite size pieces)

1 pack enoki mushrooms

1 block tofu

3-4 large handfuls of kimchi

4 green onions chopped
3.5-4 T sesame oil
3 cloves garlic minced
water

Heat large pot on high.  Add sesame oil and garlic.  Stir and add cut pork.  Mix frequently so you don't burn the pork.  Once pork is fully cooked on the outside, add kimchi and stir.  Continue stirring every once in a while until heated throughout.  Add water until everything is completely submerged.  Let boil then lower heat to medium high.  Add gochujang and miso and stir.  Add tofu and enoki mushrooms.  Cover and let simmer on medium to medium low for 10 minutes.  Add green onions right before serving and enjoy!

Spinach, kale, fruit smoothie! Make your own liquid base!

Made my own apple and clementine juice with my juicer today!  I like to juice them for a liquid base for my smoothies!  You can also freeze the juice in an ice tray and use them for slushies or pop-sickles.  I also like to give them to my daughter.  She LOVES the freshly juiced apple juice!  It's tastes better and is better for you :)

1  1/2 cup freshly juiced clementines/oranges

handful of baby kale

handful of spinach

1/2 cup mangoes (cubed)

1/2 cup pineapple (cubed)

2-3 ice cubes

2 big servings!

One for me and one for the hubby <3

Homemade Hummus!

Save $$ and make your own hummus!  Just as good as store bought hummus!

Ingredients:

1 can organics garbanzo beans  (save liquid in bowl)

2 cloves garlic

1/4 c tahini

1 t sea salt

3 T lemon juice (freshly squeezed)

3 T liquid from garbanzo beans

few dashes of cayenne pepper  (optional)

I used a blender but if you have a food processor, i recommend using that instead.  Add all ingredients to blender and blend well.  Taste and add more salt/chilli powder if necessary.  Chill and serve with pita bread or chips!  

Father's and Mother's Day Presents

Here's a pic of what i made for Father's Day!  I made a detox bath mix, lavender sea salt scrub, and tea tree oil bath salt!  My dad, grandpa, and husband work really hard to provide for their families and often times come home very tired.  I wanted to make them something that would allow them to relax and pamper themselves for all the hard work that they do.  It's not just the women that need to be pampered.  Men also need it every once in a while :)  

For Mother's day, i made bar soap!  Making it was actually a lot harder then i thought it'd be, but it was still fun :)  My mom and grandma love the soap and the smell of it.  Best of all, it lasts longer than most bar soaps do :)  Homemade soaps are always the best because you know exactly what you're putting into it. That's why i made them for the best moms i know :)  

Kale Chips

- 1 bunch of kale 

- 3-4 T nutritional yeast (optional)

- 1 T olive oil

- salt to taste
- parchment paper

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Rip kale leaves off of stem and wash thoroughly.  Dry with salad spinner.  In a dry bowl, mix kale leaves with olive oil.  Add nutritional yeast and mix again.  Lay out on baking tray over parchment paper.  Make sure you lay the kale out in a single layer so they cook evenly.  Sprinkle VERY little salt over your kale.  The kale will shrink a lot so don't oversalt.  Stick in oven for 10 minutes.  Kale chips are done when they are slightly browned on the edges and are crispy.  If they are not done after 10 minutes, leave in oven longer and check every 1-2 minutes.  They burn VERY easily.

Nutritional yeast has a cheesy/earthy flavor.  I personally love it but i know several people who don't.  Here is some information about nutritional yeast.
 http://www.justgoodenergy.com/2010/06/14/the-health-benefits-of-nutritional-yeast/

For people who like spicy foods, add pepper flakes/cayenne pepper/etc.  Squeeze fresh lemon over cooked chips and enjoy!

cucumber, kale, peach smoothie

1  1/2 cup coconut water
3 heaping T plain yogurt
leaves from 4 kale stalks
1/2 large cucumber diced
1/2 peach frozen
(serves 2-3)

I recommend peeling off the skin of the cucumber because there is wax on it to prolong its shelf life.  If you use a english cucumber like i did, you don't need to remove the skin. 

Enjoy this healthy smoothie!  

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

Here's another one of my fav. summer meals! My version of Vietnamese fresh spring rolls!  I first had them at my best friends house.  SUPER bomb!  

- spring roll wrapper 

- bean thread noodles 

- carrots (julliened)

- green onions (sliced thin long way)

- cucumber (sliced thin long way)

- mint

- green leaf lettuce

- shrimp (cooked, shell removed, deveined, cut in half) 

- any other veggie you want to add in

- big bowl of water 

- siracha sauce (optional)

peanut sauce                                                                    T = Tablespoon

- 2 T peanut butter                                                             t = teaspoon 

- 1 T low sodium soy sauce

- 2 t vinegar 

- 2 T water

- 1  1/2 T sugar

- 1/2 t tabasco 

- 1/2 t onion powder

Take 1 spring roll wrapper and wet it thoroughly in bowl of water.  The spring roll wrapper will still be hard but will continue to soften as you assemble your spring roll.  Place on plate and add veggies, noodles, siracha sauce, and shrimp. Fold in the edges and roll tightly(burrito style).  If wrapper breaks while rolling, wet a new one and wrap it around your broken roll.  Dip in peanut sauce with each bite!  NOMS! 

easy fresh bibimbap!

I LOOOVE eating this in the summer!  It's very healthy, simple, satisfying and best of all, no stove/oven cooking required!  It's not the traditional bibimbap style recipe most people are familiar with, but to me, it's just as good!     

What you'll need :
                                                                                gochujang red chili paste sauce
~ calrose rice (i use brown rice instead)                      
~ julliened carrots                                               ~  4 heaping Tbsp gochujang
~ julliened cucumber                                           ~  2 Tbsp rice vinegar
~ romaine lettuce (chopped thin)                         ~ 1 Tbsp sugar
~ sesame leaves (chopped thin)                          ~ 1 Tbsp sprite/7 up or water
~ fried egg (optional)                                          ~ 1 Tbsp mul yut (korean corn syrup)
                                                                          ~ 1 Tbsp sesame oil

Mix red chili paste sauce ingredients together with a spoon.  Add all ingredients in a bowl and top with red chili paste sauce.  If you like the taste of sesame oil, drizzle a little bit over your bibimbap.  Mix well and enjoy!!  If you're having trouble finding some of the ingredients, they sell them at any korean market.  Ranch 99 also carries them.

food swaps to cut calories and add nutrients!

1) swap sour cream/ranch dressing with plain nonfat yogurt!  Add some fresh dill to plain yogurt and you have some bomb dip for your veggies :)

2) Instead of drinking bottled juice, make your own homemade juice with your juicer!

3) Swap whole milk with non fat milk or soy milk

4) Throw out the potato chips and make kale chips! (i'll post a kale chip recipe later)

5) Swap alfredo sauce with tomato sauce.  White creamy sauces are LOADED!

6) Swap ramen with homemade soba (buckwheat noodle) salad

7) Swap white rice with brown rice

8) Swap store bought croutons with homemade croutons!

9) Swap pop-sickles and ice cream with frozen freshly juiced fruits (my fav is strawberries)

10) swap red meats with fish (salmon)

11) Swap chicken thighs/wings with chicken breast.

That's all i can think of for now

Strawberry kale smoothie!

2 cups coconut water

3-4 kale stalks

5-7 strawberries

3-5 heaping table spoons of organic fat free plain yogurt  

1 banana (optional for taste)

Make sure you add coconut water first and yogurt!  Then throw in the kale and blend.  Add strawberries and banana and viola!  I made this for my fam bam when it was super hot and it hydrated them right up!  I personally don't like the taste of plain yogurt and coconut water so I put them in my smoothies to hide the taste.  The reason i add coconut water is because it has SO many nutritional benefits!  Click on this link to learn more about coconut water!  http://www.coconutwaternutrition.net/  Stay hydrated this summer :)

  

Detox bath!

I first heard about detox baths on pinterest several months ago and i immediately fell in love with them!  It makes your skin feel really soft and your entire body feels relaxed.  It's a perfect way to ease tense muscles! Men love them too! (esp after a long day at work)

what you'll need

2 cups epsom salt 

1-2 cups baking soda

1-2 table spoon ginger (optional, makes you sweat more)

few drops essential oil (i use lavender)

magazine or book

Before you do this, make sure you are hydrated!!!  Draw a warm (make sure it's not too hot) bath and dump all of the above in.  Swish around to dissolve salt and soak for 40 minutes.  Your body releases bad toxins in your body through sweat and absorbs the nutrients and minerals in the water. After your bath you can either pat yourself dry or rinse off in the shower with a natural soap that has no perfumes, dyes or chemicals.  I use Dr. Bronners lavender castile soap.  Moisturize with a natural product such as shea butter or coconut oil and once again hydrate yourself!  

Mixed green salad with salmon

Dinner tonight!  

Just get some organic greens, whatever salad veggies you like, (i used avocado and cucumber) berries, and your favorite homemade vinaigrette dressing!  If you want to add more texture and a more nutty/earthy flavor to it, add cooked red quinoa!  (just make sure you wash well before making or it can be bitter) 

For the salmon, all i did was salt and pepper it (both sides) and pan fry with some olive oil.  Squeeze a slice of lemon over salmon after.

Super healthy, filling, and best of all yummy dinner idea!  

I've been trying for 6 months to grow an avocado tree and after 4 tries, i have FINALLY got one to to start growing!  I've also been growing my own green onions from scraps!  Save money by regrowing your own veggies!  

Juicing

I decided to start a blog because one of my friends told me i should start.  I'm not the best writer but I think this will be good for me and will help me remember things better (cuz i'm HELLA forgetful)  So here i go...
  I started juicing a couple months ago and it's been amazing!  I have terrible skin, but juicing has made it nearly clear and smooth!  Not only that, but my insides feel great too!  Here's one of my favorite ones!

2 carrots

2-3 parsley sprigs

1 beet

1 fuji apple

2 kale leaves

2 celery

My 21 month old daughter loves it as well!  Great way to get kids (and picky hubbies) to get their daily veggies!