Last Week's Pins- Food

Although making food is fun, I am not necessarily the chef in our home. The hubs is the one who enjoys finding new recipes, making reductions, and testing crazy things that take hours of kitchen time to make. Me, I like baking and a long time in the kitchen cooking is anything over 30-minutes. 

But, there is something about the summer in Michigan that makes me want to spend all day in my kitchen back home making super healthy snacks. This usually leads me to binge cook when we get back home or make super healthy noms for the family while vacationing on the lake (after camp, of course). 

Well, my need to cook/bake/be in a kitchen and make some super healthy meals took over this past week and almost every pin was something to do with food. Here are a few that I am absolutely counting down to August till I can make! 

Fig, Honey, and Ricotta Tartines

Pina Banana Colada Smoothie

Cheesy Broccoli Muffins

Stuffed Caprese Bites

Blueberry Coconut Pecan Breakfast Cookies

Cheesy Spaghetti Pie

Poached Egg and Avocado Toast

Raw Vegan Cheesecake Recipe

4 Health and Fitness Books I Will be Reading

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There are plenty of health and fitness books out there, some great, some not-so-much. So far, I have pretty much lucked out on reading the good ones and steering clear of the crazies. In the past few months this has mainly occurred through only reading fictional books about love during the Regency era and a few in our post-apocalyptic future. To get back on track and feel less like a time-waster reading books that I love but are not increasing my knowledge base much,  have decided to read some very highly reviewed and very much anticipated books from the health and fitness world. Which ones, you ask? Great question! Let's get into four that have caught my eye and I cannot wait to read! 

The Big Picture by Tony Horton

We all know and love him from his insane P90X workouts, one of which I will be doing today! But, did you know that he is also an inspirational author? True! The Big Picture is Horton's first book that is no fitness related, but does still talk on health.

I have heard tons of fantastic things about this book and cannot wait to read it for myself. Horton talks all about how to achieve life goals and set a purpose for your life in 11-steps that will also help you attain optimal health. I have heard that this is a really great outline for things we may already know to do, but have not started for whatever reason.

If you are interested in Tony's other book, Bring It!, you can find it here.

Yoga Anatomy 2nd Edition by Leslie Kaminoff and Amy Matthews

This may not be for everyone, but I have been seriously wondering about how to really make sure all the right muscle groups are feeling what they should be feeling during each pose. It is so ridiculously easy to be just a little bit off in a pose and think we are doing it right. Goodness, I am guilty of this so often. This book even goes into the psychology of flows and breathing. 

Leslie Kaminoff, is pretty well known in both the yoga community and health and fitness world. He is a world renown yoga instructor who, if you ever read Yoga Journal, you have probably already learned something from. The book is separated into pose types such as sitting, standing, and inversions. Oh boy, I cannot wait to get my hands on this goodie!

Note: I say, "get my hands on" because I have read many kindle reviewers complain that the picture size is too small. Paperback seems to be the way to go for this guy.

Also, these cards may be a bit better for those who feel a book of yoga anatomy is a bit intense. Besides, they look super fun :)

Eat to Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness by Scott Jurek

I first hear about this book at least a year ago when Scott Jurek was being interviewed on a popular running blog. Although I do not remember which running blog it was, I do remember being enthralled by his story. He is an ultramarathoner, a record breaker, an extreme high performance athlete, and a vegan. If that last one surprised you like it did me, get ready for what I think will be a mind blowing reading experience. A high performance athlete who does not eat meat or any animal by-product- whhhaaatt?!

Jurek also adds in some inspiration to help us overcome the mental barriers as well as the physical. It has surprised me how many people talk about this book in relation to philosophy as much as fitness. It also surprises me that I have not read it yet. Let's just stop the embarrassment and read it now, ok?

The Body Book by Cameron Diaz

I recently hear Cameron Diaz talking about her new book on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and though, "yep, that is something I want to read." To be completely honest, I have always though of Cameron Diaz as a super fit and fantastic looking girl, but never really considered her to know a whole ton about nutrition. Seems like that thought would be wrong and her book would be crazy interesting to anyone who enjoys knowing the interactions of chemicals on a cellular level. Yes, yes that interests me a lot.

This book looks great for learning easy recipes and quick tips, but it also seems to be full of health information we all have wondered at some point bet never known the answer to. I also very much enjoy what Cameron said about healthy people not dieting and that those who are the most healthy eat a lot; they just eat a lot of really great things. Nothing speaks to this food-loving girl more than throwing those constrictive diets to the wind and deciding to eat lots of yummy, healthy things!

Meat Free Mondays: Vegetarian Thankgiving Recipes

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of year but it can also be one of the hardest for a vegetarian. Food comes by the tons over Thanksgiving, but very little of it is meat-free. That is where some tasty meat-free dishes that will please everyone come in quite handy! These yummy dishes are sure to be great sides, and one or two have been known to steal the spotlight all together. Sorry gravy, maybe next time.

Brussel Leaf and Baby Spinach Saute

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Love for Brussel Sprouts, check. Love for spinach, check. Love for yummy things that are also health, big check. This Brussel and Spinach Saute not only sounds amazing, it looks absolutely incredible as well. The green color of the, well, greens, mixed with the light brown almonds makes me want to jump into my laptop and eat it all right now. Must Thanksgiving be two days away?

Stuffed Kabocha Squash with Quinoa and Chickpeas

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This one seems to be a bit more work that your usual quinoa or potato side, but it also looks to be more than worth it... Really, this guy is worth the work for the pictures of your beautiful table alone. The fact that it is a healthy and vegetarian friendly option just makes it all the better.

Cranberry Sauce

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Who says cranberry sauce is for the turkey alone? This lady has made a cranberry sauce that can be eaten as a side dish on it's own. This stuff is filled with fresh ginger, frozen cranberries, and cloves. Yes, yes, and yes!

Roasted Squash Toss

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Mmm, nothing says fall like acorn squash and Thankgiving. Combine these to fall staples with this incredible looking acorn squash and veggie medley. Sure, it looks great, but really, all I want to do is eat it!

Meat Free Monday: Cookies for a Vegan Santa

These vegan Chunky Monkey cookies are so yummy, mildly healthy, and something that everyone can enjoy. The cookies use banana instead of butter and include chocolate and peanut butter! Yes, chocolate and peanut butter are not the most healthy, but it's a cookie... As far as cookies go, this is not too shabby :)

Servings: 30 cookies    Prep Time: 15 minutes    Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

2 bananas, chopped

1/3 cup peanut butter

2 tablespoons almond milk

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

2 cups oats (I use Red Baron)

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Set oven to 350 degrees. Mash the chopped bananas with a fork or pastry knife until there are few to no bumps. Add in the peanut butter and mix. Add in the almond milk, whole wheat flour, and cocoa. Mix well. Mix in the oats, then the chocolate chips. Place a spoonful of dough on cooking sheet, keeping cookies about 1/2 an inch away from each other. Bake for 10 minutes and enjoy! The cookies should be moist in the center and a little firm on the edges. 

Use either forks or a pastry knife to mash the chopped bananas.

Add in the peanut butter. Mix well

Mix in the almond milk, whole wheat flour, and cocoa

Mix in the oats.

Mix in the chocolate chips

Place spoonfuls of the dough on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Serve with some almond milk and enjoy!

Original recipe from squashblossombabies.com