Spicy Jalapeno Vegetables

This is a delicious, spicy side or main dish. I will warn you that it has a little kick to it so if you don't like a lot of spice you may not want to use a whole jalapeno pepper.

Ingredients:

• 1 Onion (sliced) 50
• 1 Green Pepper (cut into strips) 30
• 1 Jalapeno Pepper (seeded and sliced into strips) 5
• 1 tomato (cut into chunks) 25
• 2 t Extra Virgin Olive Oil 80
• Sea salt
• 1 t White Wine Vinegar (optional-adds a little zing to it which I really like)

Calories: 190 Calories in recipe (Usually feeds 2 <95cal/person> or 3 <65cal/person>)

Directions:

Heat oil in skillet between medium and medium-high.

Add the onion, green pepper, and jalepeno pepper. Sprinkle with sea salt. Cook for 10 minutes stirring frequently.

Add the tomato and white wine vinegar if desired. Cover and cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Eat up!!

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Spruced Up Eggs

One of my hubby's favorite things to eat is egg sanwiches. Eggs are a great source of protein but can sometimes get boring.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 C Green Peppers (chopped)
• 1/3 C Onions (chopped) 
• Sea Salt & Pepper
• 4 Eggs
• 1 t Extra Virgin Olive Oil 
• 1 or 2 Slices of American Cheese (optional-I rarely eat cheese so I don't add cheese to my eggs but my hubby loves cheese on his; just remember that this adds calories and other stuff)

Calories: 2 Servings at 176 calories per serving without cheese (352 Calories per entire recipe without cheese)

Directions:
In a small skillet heat oil to medium-high. Add the peppers and onions. Cook until onions are tender and slightly browned.


In a separate skillet cook eggs as you normally would (scrambled or fried). Then sprinkle them with sea salt and pepper to taste and add the peppers and onions on them. Then, if desired, add cheese. Reduce heat to low. Cover with a lid to let all the flavors come together and the cheese melt.

They are ready to eat! You can either eat them like they are or put them between 2 pieces of bread and make an egg sandwich. Just remember to go whole wheat ;-). This recipe will make 2 egg sandwiches.

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Roasted Vegetable Medley

We eat roasted veggies a lot. Sometimes they are a side and others they are the main course. The best thing about them is that there are so many options for them! As you can see in the picture, the other night we ate them as the main course and coupled them with some raw tomato, onions, and carrots.

Ingredients:

• 1 Squash (1/2 inch slices cut in half)
• 1 Onion (sliced)
• 1 Zucchini (1/2 inch slices cut in half)
• 1 Pepper (any type you want cut into strips)
• 2 t. Seasoning of Choice (I prefer Signature Blend and Herb Sesame Blend from The Spice and Tea Exchange)
• Sea Salt
• 1 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425

Put veggies, olive oil, seasoning, and sea salt (to taste) in a bowl. Toss to coat the veggies. The veggies should be shiny with seasoning. If all the veggies aren't shiny then you can add a little oil at a time until all the veggies are well coated (I say this because sometimes you may have large veggies rather than average size).

Put the veggies in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake them on the bottom rack (the very bottom) for 10-12 minutes. Flip them and cook them another 10-12 minutes on the other side. I cook mine the full 12 minutes on both sides because I like some of my onions and the outside of the other veggies crispy.

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Cinnamon Banana Oat Muffins

These are a healthy way to start the day and are very filling. I usually couple mine with some fruit. YUM! My wonderful hubby likes them with a little butter but I don't recommend that. ;-) Oh... and they're best if they're served warm.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 C Old Fashioned or Steel Whole Grain Oats
• 2 Bananas
• 3 T Apple Sauce (Unsweetened, No sugar added)
• 6-8 oz Plain Nonfat Greek Yogurt (1 serving cup)
• 2 Eggs
• 1 1/2 t Baking Powder
• 1 t Baking Soda
• 1 1/2 t Cinnamon
• 1 T Raw Natural Pure Honey
• 1/4 C Pecans 

Other Recommended Items:

Blender

12 Muffin/Cupcake Pan

Olive Oil Spray

Calories: 120 calories/muffin (1445/batch)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375

In a blender, blend bananas, apple sauce, yogurt, & 2 eggs until creamy. Then add oats a little at a time until well blended. This mixture becomes very thick. I have to stop blending and stir it several times. Then add all the remaining ingredients except the pecans. You can either add them to the blender or put the mixture in a bowl. I transfer the mixture to a bowl because my blender has a hard time mixing it after it becomes so thick. 

Spray muffin/cupcake pan with extra virgin olive oil cooking spray. DO NOT USE CUPCAKE LINERS because the oats do not cook as well in them. Pour the mixture equally into the 12 spots. They should be 2/3-3/4 full. 

Sprinkle some extra cinnamon and the pecans over the muffins. Lightly press the pecans into the muffin mixture. If you don't do this then they won't bake into the top and will fall off.

Bake on the middle rack at 375 for 15-18 minutes. Enjoy!

*Store them in an airtight container (ziplock bag or tupperware container). 

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Very Light & Healthy Tuna Salad Sandwich

This makes a wonderful lunch and is a great source of protein. So it's perfect for those hardcore workout days. 

Ingredients:

• 1 4-5oz Can Chunk Light Tuna in Water
• 2 T All Natural Nonfat Plain Greek Yogurt
• 1 t Mustard
• 1 1/2 T Relish
• 1/4 t garlic powder
• 1/4 t of Cajun OR Italian Seasoning (whatever your preference is)
• Sea Salt & Pepper to taste
• 4 Whole Wheat Bread Slices (I only use Sarah Lee's 45 Calories and Delightful)
• Thin Tomato Slices (optional)
• *I also add veggies such as chopped celery, green peppers, and/or onions to my tuna salad (These do not add many calories, etc so just add what you like of them. It's really just a matter of preference. The other ingredients provide a base tuna salad for you to add veggies to or to eat as is...both ways are good.)

Calories: 130 calories in entire batch of tuna salad; makes 2 full sandwiches at 165 calories per sandwich w/ tomato slices & Sarah Lee's 45 Calories and Delightful Bread

Directions:
Toast the bread slices. Mix all of the ingredients together. Equally divide & spread the tuna salad mixture on 2 toasted bread slices. Top with the tomato slices and remaining toasted bread.

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PB & B

This PB & B (Peanut Butter & Banana) recipe is perfect as a breakfast, snack, or preworkout food.

Ingredients:

• 1 Banana (sliced in 1/2 length wise)
• 1 T Natural Peanut Butter
• 1/2 T Raw Natural Pure Honey

Calories: 240 good calories (I usually 1/2 it with my daughter which is 120 calories for each of us)

Directions:

Mix the peanut butter and honey together. Spread the mixture on one of the banana halves. Then put the other half of the banana on top. Sometimes it will want to slide around so you can insert a toothpick to hold it together or you can just enjoy the messy goodness. 

Another option is to cut up the banana into bite size pieces and mix the peanut butter and honey together. Then just dip the banana bites into the mixture. Either way is great! 

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Yummy Sweet Potato Fries

These are a great alternative for regular fries and even my picky eater likes them! Sweet potatoes are awesome for you and are very filling.

Ingredients:

• Spray Olive Oil (preferably extra virgin)
• 1 large sweet potato (or however many you need to serve your group)
• Seasoning of choice (Some of my favorites are tequila lime seasoning with garlic powder, chili powder with chipptle pepper powder, and my husband's favorite... cinnamon). Just experiment with it. *I also sprinkle sea salt on all my sweet potato fries along with my seasoning of choice...except cinnamon.

Calories: approximately 180 calories per large sweet potato (1 large sweet potato feeds all 3 of us so approximately 60 calories per person)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425

Spray cookie sheet with olive oil and sprinkle your seasoning of choice on the pan.

Cut the potatoes into fry strips (video link below for the easiest way to do this).

Lay the cut potatoes in a single layer on the cookie sheet.

Spray cut potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle seasoning on them. Experiment with the amount of seasoning. Every seasoning is different. I usually just add seasoning until they look well covered and it is obvious they have seasoning on them...but be careful with the spicy ones like chili and chipotle powder which take less.

Bake on the lowest rack in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Turn them and then bake them another 10-15 minutes (or to desired crispiness). I usually prefer softer fries with just a little crisp on the outside or ends.

***For the easiest way to cut sweet potato fries watch the following video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuX54_HlXQ8.***

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Incredible New York Strips

Praise the Lord! Last night we got to grill some New York Strip steaks that we found on sale. I made up a marinade for them and they turned out INCREDIBLE so I just wanted to share it with everyone. They were honestly some of the best steaks we've ever eaten...very juicy, tender, and tasteful. We never even opened the A1, which is extremely rare for us. Hopefully someone else will love them too. ;-)

Marinade Ingredients:

• 1/8 C (or 2 T) Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/4 C Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
• 1/4 C Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/4 C Balsamic Vinegar

Dry Seasoning:
Weber's Smokey Mesquite Seasoning

Directions:

Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a large Ziploc bag. Then add your steaks (we had 4 steaks). I marinated them in the bag for 24 hours in the fridge.

After marinating the steaks (right before putting them on the grill), remove the steaks from the bag and place them on a plate. Sprinkle Weber's Smokey Mesquite seasoning on one side of the steaks. Then place the steaks on the grill seasoned side down and season the unseasoned side (the side now facing up).

Grill the steaks to your preference. We grilled them on a charcoal grill for approximately 25-30 minutes turning them every 5 minutes.

***Sides: Raw veggies platter (sliced tomatoes, sliced onion, sliced squash, baby carrots, sliced green peppers, and sliced cucumber) & sweet potato fries***

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Live a Healthy Life-Live for God

Most of us have heard the scripture a million times, "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."-1 Corinthians 6:19-20, but do we truly accept it in every part of our life. It is not only commanding us to glorify God in our bodies through worship, praise, and living a Holy lifestyle, but also by taking care of his temple. I've always found importance in dressing modestly, having good hygiene, acting appropriately, living my life in a way that shows God's power and control, and looking presentable as a lady of God, but what I've recently come to understand is that I was only concerned with my outward body, physical appearance, and other's outlook/opinion of me. I somehow neglected or perhaps just overlooked the importance of being presentable inwardly also... which is the Lord's temple and home. I know that I, along with many other ladies, often go into a frenzy when company is coming to visit. I want to make sure that the house is clean and everything is just right. Why is it that I forget to do that for the Lord? I'm not talking about cleaning my home for him, but his home...within me. After all, he is the most honorable, glorious, and magnificent guest of all! I have come to understand the importance of being healthy inwardly and outwardly. We must not only make ourselves presentable to God through our physical appearance but also within. Preparing and cleansing ourselves internally for God is both a spiritual and physical action. We must make sure that we are getting the right spiritual foods as well as the right physical foods. With that said, eating healthy is very important in living for God.

Eating healthy, exercising, and doing other things to live a healthy life are also related to living for God through the concepts of self-control and self-discipline. If we are unable to overcome our fleshly desires to eat excessively or be lazy, then we are not putting Christ first in our lives. For he commands us to "... take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares."-Luke 21:34. Therefore, it is dishonoring to God and sinful to lack self-control when eating. Also, Proverbs 25:28 states, "He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls." This verse clearly acknowledges the importance of self-control and self-discipline; it also explains how damaging the lack of can be. By learning self-control and self-discipline in many areas of our lives, there will be a domino effect on EVERY area, including spiritually. If we can gain more self-control in our life, then it will ultimately help us with our self-control spiritually, including prayer, Bible reading, and quality time with God. When training and teaching a child, consistency is a major key. Likewise, it is important when training ourselves. By gaining self-control in many areas, we have the consistency of self-control and self-discipline in our lives. It is a way of training ourselves...training ourselves physically....training ourselves spiritually....and training ourselves consistently!

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."-Romans 12:1

"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."-1 Corinthians 10:31

Healthy Peanut Butter Oat Balls

This is one of my favorite recipes. I make a batch of these and keep them in the fridge for a great breakfast or snack. 

Ingredients:

2 C. Old Fashioned (or Steel) Whole Grain Oats

1/2 C. Natural Peanut Butter

1/4 C. Raw Natural Pure Honey

Other recommended Items:

Olive Oil Spray (Extra Virgin Preferred)

Cookie Scoop

Calories: 1640 in the entire batch

*My scoop makes 36 peanut butter balls per batch which is approximately 45 calories per ball...but remember...these are healthy calories and very filling.

Directions:

In a bowl, mix all of the ingredients together.

Lightly spray whatever container will be used for storage with olive oil spray to keep the peanut butter balls from sticking to the container.

Scoop the mixture into balls. You can pat them into balls by hand; however, I do not recommend it because the oats will stick to your hand and it can be very frustrating. What I have found to work best is using a cookie scoop. That gives a flat side for them to sit on and they hold together very well. I usually spray the cookie scoop with olive oil spray a few times during the process of scooping them out. Put parchment/wax paper between each level of peanut butter oat balls to keep them from sticking to one another.

Then just stick them in the fridge for a great, healthy, yummy, easy snack!!! Hope you enjoy them as much as our family does!