A Chocolate a Day Keeps the Cravings Away

Diets suck! There I said it. You do all these crazy diets, crave the delicious food you neglect, you lose all that weight, you EAT the food you neglected, and BAM you gain all that weight back, The weight that you worked so hard to get rid of. Now that is a tragedy. This is why I am such an advocate in eating healthy and making that a habit as opposed to going on a diet. Having a balanced meal everyday is essential, but I also believe that rewarding your body is too.

There are days that all I want to do is just eat chocolate all day. Maybe I'm addicted to it, but chocolate is very important to me. I do believe that having a piece of chocolate a day can curb you cravings. Of course, will power to not eat the whole bag. it's good to have a reward system in place. Some people don't like it, but others like me love it. My point is eating healthy is a must, but its ok to let yourself splurge every once in a blue moon. As long as its not a habit and you don't go crazy!

Enjoy,

Food Lover

Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips

This past weekend I had my bother over from out of town. He kept hearing talk from the family that I am learning how to cook. He just couldn't believe me. I'm not going to lie, but I did need a little help with cutting some of the fruit. I don't think that my family would enjoy their finger food with my finger in it! But I did do the rest, and it came out delicious. The only downfall to this semi-healthy snack is the sugar intake. Just make sure you don't go food crazy and stick to proper proportions, or you just may end up in a sugar coma! 

Remember that making anything at home is way better than store bought. This way you know what are the ingredients that go into you concoctions. Hope you guys enjoy this recipe!

Happy Eating!

Do you have any ideas on how I can make this recipe better? Please share!

Mango Guacamole Fiesta!

I have been told that I am the type of gal that would get out of bed at one in the morning, and whip up some kind of delicious concoction. But I can't deny it, I am... And I did. There is nothing worse than craving something salty and sweet at the same time and not know what to eat. So I started experimenting with what I found in my kitchen. I must say that as yucky and mushy as it looks, it was finger licking good. 

The deliciousness below only took about 15 minutes to make and 5 minutes to eat. All you need is an avocado, mango, onions, squeezed lemons (or lemon juice) and salt. And it's still a lot healthier to eat than going to Taco Bell! 

Drinking H2O at the PURRFECT Times!

Every little detail counts!

Fruit Salad, Yummy Yummy!

 

Alright, we'll all have those days we just don't want to cook. But that doesn't mean you have to run to McDonalds. Heading to publix and picking up a fruit salad can do just fine. The most important part of every meal is making sure that you drink enough water. Including fruit into your regular diet can have some health benefits such as lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, and reducing heart disease and chances of having a stroke. We won't be young forever, remember the choices we make we will pay for later on in life. :)

- Food Lover

Itsa Bita Italy!!

Its all about the pasta! I am just obsessed. Alright, lets get down to business. So the plate above consist of a tri-color rotini pasta smothered in tomato sauce and shredded asiago cheese, accompanied by Italian breaded chicken parmesan, and an asiago garlic roll. I will add that the food was more delicious than it looked! Let get down to the details... How was it done?!

First, make sure you pre heat the oven to 424 degrees Fahrenheit. Now let's get going and actually start preparing the meal.. 

Tri-Color Rotini Pasta: This is the easiest part. Fill a pot half way with water and allow to boil. Add some salt for taste. Once the water boils, add the pasta til it's soft. Drain out the water and serve. The tomato sauce that is used can be once that comes in a can or make your own. Just make sure to heat it up. Add shredded asiago cheese.   The tri-color pasta is a wonderful way to add color to a dish.

Chicken Parmesan: The ingredients you need is Italian breading, Italian seasoning, garlic salt, eggs, and milk. In one bowl, depending in how much chicken you are breading, mix about a cup if milk with 3-4 eggs. Dip the chicken in the bater. Next dip the chicken in the bowl with the breading mixed in with 2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning, and 2 teaspoons of garlic salt. Place on pan and bake for 20 minutes. After pour the tomato sauce and asiago cheese. As for the garlic bread, it was the wonder Asiago Garlic Roll that I learned to make the other day. Refer to earlier post. 

Hope you guys enjoy! Share what is your favorite Italian recipe?

-Food Lover

Asiago Cheese Garlic Rolls

Sometimes food just sticks to us, and when we get cravings we would do anything to fulfill that need. How about making something from scratch solely based on memory? 

Ok, so here is my story, about three years ago I ate the most amazing garlic roll that I have ever tasted in my life. But the restaurant disappeared and it left a craving void in my stomach.  Since I started this cooking journey, I knew that this recipe was a must do. 

Things you need:

• Pizza dough 
• 1/2 a Garlic Minced
• 1/2 cup of Butter (room temperature)
• 2 tbsp Italian Seasoning
• 2 tsp Garlic and Parsley seasoning
• 1 tsp Onion Powder
• 1-2 pinhes of Red Crushed Pepper
• 1 block of Asiago Cheese (shredded)
• Flour (a handful)

1. Pre heat oven to 375° F
2. Let start by making the garlic sauce. Add the minced garlic, 1/2 a cup of butter, 2 tablespoons of Italian Seasoning, 2 teaspoons of garlic and parsley seasoning, 1 teaspoon of onion powder, 1 pinch of the red crushed pepper and in the mix you will add 1/3 of a cup of the asiago cheese and mix until all ingredients are completely mixed together. Once this is done set it to the side to prepare the dough.                                                                                                            *Warning, be very careful poring the crushed pepper. A little too much will make the garlic roll extremely spicy. 
3. Now to prepare the pizza dough: You will need aluminum foil spread across the counter to avoid a huge mess. I bought the dough already prepared from Publix, but feel free to make your own. Grab a hand full of flour and pour it on the aluminum foil and the dough to avoid from sticking all over the place. Don't go over board with the flour, but pour just enough that the dough is no longer too sticky, and it's easier to work with. Roll out the dough until it is rounded out. Always remember the knead the dough so that it allows it to stretch.
4. Once you kneaded and rolled out the dough, now you are ready to spread the garlic butter on the dough. Spread the garlic butter evenly. If you are a cheese lover like me, you would need to add LOTS MORE CHEESE over the garlic butter. 

     5. Now its time to cut the dough horizontally and rolling it onto a pan. Make sure that you pour just
        a little bit (1/2 a teaspoon) of olive oil to prevent the bread from sticking and burning underneath.
        Use a paper towel to spread the olive oil over the whole pan. Once you placed all the rolls on the  
        pan, splat just a little more olive oil over the rolls to keep them moist as they bake. If you like, add
        more of the asiago cheese over the bread.
    6. Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden.

    7. Tada!!! This is what your delicious treats should look like. Allow to sit for a couple of minutes to     

        cool down. Enjoy!

I hope you will enjoy this recipe as much as I did. It is one of my favorites so far! I can definitely say that is Satisfied my NomNom.. Hehe.

What is your favorite bread recipe?!

- Food Lover

Guilty Friday

Alright, I know we have all those moments where you drive by one of those fast food chain restaurants and thought to ourselves, "No sir, not today!" but end up giving in anyways? You know, that meal you end up regretting the moment you start eating it? 

Like the meal above, that I so delinquently indulged in today after I told myself that I wouldn't. I must say, it was delicious and I enjoyed sipping slowly on that soda, But I hated myself after, I felt so sluggish and lazy. The problem is that when we try to go on a "diet" we automatically set ourselves up for failure. We have the mentality that diets are bad, and it has to be done to the extreme. When in truth, you consider being healthy a lifestyle. Repeat after me "its not a diet, its a lifestyle." When you are doing it for the benefit of a healthier you, it is more likely that it will stick. I am proud to say that the rest of the day, I made better health decisions. 

A healthier you, is a better you!

What are some of the healthier decisions that you have recently made that you are proud of? What are some of the not so healthy decisions that you are ashamed of? Was is worth it?

Lemon Crazy!!

As a college student, eating cheap and eating healthy doesn't always work out. Most times healthy just isn't part of my diet. But I'm determined to prove that cheap doesn't mean you are a bite away from a heart attack! I am proud to say I'm quite excited to have prepared this dish.... It's the first real meal I have ever cooked in my life! Much to my surprise, it was delicious. ( I know this because my boyfriend cleaned his plate and didn't even get sick.) Ha!

All you need to prepare this scrumptious dish is 

     

- 1 Lemon

- Lettuce (which ever you prefer)

- Orange 

- Chicken 

- Seasoning 

- Skillet Pan

First you marinate the chicken lemon. All you really need for the chicken is 1/2 a lemon. Add a mixed seasoning such as Complete Seasoning by Badia (Sazon Completa, my favorite). Then chop up some onions. I usually like to prepare the chicken about 30 minutes before I cook it to let the flavor sink in. 

* I have found that the thinner the chicken is cut the better it cooks. You can usually by the chicken cut cutlet style at your nearest supermarket. 

Using a skillet pan, allow the chicken to simmer in low heat and after about 6-10 minutes turn up the heat. Starting the heat low and slowly turning it up allows the chicken to cook thoroughly inside and not burn. 

Use the other half of the lemon to prepare your salad. I have found that substituting the salad dressing for lemon is much more tasty! Lemons also have a great affect on the body, it's high on vitamin c and cleanses the liver.  What about the orange? I just like eating fruits with my meals! 

Share your favorite chicken recipe, and I may just have to try it. ;) 

Hope you enjoy my very first dish!

 - Food Lover

Guilty Pleasure

I know I'm not the only one... The minute you walk into a backyard and smell that food on the grill. You know that no matter are full you were from before, your stomach will me like "Yo, let me get some of that!" 

Most of us assume that red meat is bad for us. But it is all about portions. Too much of anything is bad for us. The problem comes with how the meat is raised. Whether it was grass-fed or grain-fed. Grass-fed meat results in healthy and more nutritious meat. While grain-fed  will produce a by-product of fatty meat and low nutrient and vitamin meat. 

Eating meat has its benefits. It provides us an essential amount of proteins and nutrients that our body needs. For example, the iron that we get from eating meat helps our body produce hemoglobin, which helps the oxygen be transported throughout our body. 

The most important part about eating meat is the way that it is prepared! It should always be carefully washed to avoid diseases.  

Tell me, what's your favorite way to eat meat?

- Food Lover

Its a New Beginning!

As a recovering junk food addict, I found myself in desperate need to get my body back to full health. I knew that Taco Bell just wasn't the way to go any more. So I set out on a mission to find an alternative way to enjoy all my favorite foods well keeping it healthy.

Is it possible? People have this common misconception that a healthy meal has to be an ill tasting meal. But what if I told you that was a lie?

I want to be able to help not just myself, but anyone that wants to make a significant change in their life. Or maybe you just need a quick recipe for dinner tonight? Either way, as we retrain my taste buds know that you aren't alone. Where there is a will, there is a way. And will power, my friend, is what we have. That is why we are here. :)