Guest Blog: Boulder Locavore [AKA... FOOD!]

The world wide web is home to literally every piece of information out there. Sure, the validity of some of what's posted may be questionable, but I don't know if I've yet hit the search engines with a question that answered, "No Results Available." The worst I think there's been is that little dinosaur guy from Chrome:

rawrrrr

^ And yes, I Googled that image. See my point?

Anyway, I was on a quest today for some new recipes to refresh my collection. For once in my life, I actually went on this mission with a full stomach, so as to avoid an impromptu grocery run right in the middle of it - you know, hungry shopping? My wallet hates hungry shopping.

So yeah, there I was, brain open to suggestions and the web at my fingertips. To say there is a plethora of foodie pages out there is like saying there's a couple drops of water in the ocean, but fortunately I managed to stumble on some good ones.

For the sake of time, here's the one I'm highlighting today: Boulder Locavore. It's authored and kept by this gal Toni Dash, and it's chock-full of that light & healthy - but still edible food that so many of us have promised ourselves for this year. Not only does she post the recipes, she additionally shares the nutritional value of what's in them, and why our bodies depend on some of the staple elements in each of her recipes [protein, amino acids, etc.]. Having grown up with my own mother and her holistic approach to... well, everything, I have to say I agree with a lot of what she has to say here!

One recipe that immediately caught my eye was this:

SLOW COOKER ALMOND MILK TAPIOCA PUDDING

1. I love tapioca pudding. 

2. I have - and enjoy using - a slow cooker. 

3. This one is dairy-free! 

4. I seriously... love tapioca. 

If you're a fan of tapioca the way I am, and either need or want a dairy-free option, do yourself a favor and go save that somewhere for yourself. Here's a preview: 

........ want. 

I will make that. NOM! 

Also on her page: 

GLUTEN+DAIRY-FREE OVERNIGHT QUINOA-CHIA CHOCOLATE BREAKFAST PUDDING

That's a mouthful.... but LOOK: 

yum! 

yes, please.

^ AND, it's overnight?! Bring.. it.. ON. 

The more I share this with you all now, the more excited I am to actually get this stuff in my fridge! 

Just a couple more. Perhaps something I highlighted that isn't a breakfast/dessert option.

LEAN TURKEY+BLACK BEAN QUINOA CHIPOTLE BURRITO BOWLS

I'm tellin' you, this gal knows the way to my heart! Lean turkey? Black beans? Quinoa? AVOCADO?!

Okay okay okay, one more. 

For something even lighter than lean meat, fresh fruit & quinoa options: 

COLD CUCUMBER NOODLE SALAD

Gahhhhhhhhh, YES. There's a lot going on with this salad, which includes toasted sesame dressing, watercress, mint & a few other things. 

drooling.

Folks, I will gladly be in the kitchen for a few days; Ms. Dash [wait... no way....]. your page has been bookmarked, and if you should ever roll out an app, consider it downloaded here. 

A lot of those recipes are gluten-free, dairy-free or otherwise catered so that you can adjust to your specific dietary requirements. I'm pretty excited to get on these. Oh, and for the record, in case you didn't notice, all of those pictures and recipes above are property of Boulder Locavore, which means that I didn't create, devise or otherwise own in any way/shape/form... any of that material. What I WOULD claim is a call for you to get yourself over to that page and see what looks like a fit for your kitchen :). 

Happy Eats! 

xo | cmd

Meal Prep.. GO!

My mission at the end of last week was to do a test run of cooking ahead [aka, weekly meal prep] for an entire week's worth of lunches. I eventually want to phase into both lunch and dinner, but baby steps.. baby steps.

okay little guys..

Thanks to Pinterest and some other tips from the world wide web of people who are professionals at this, I gathered some tips, recipes and things to avoid, and dug in to a bulk cooking session.  

meal prep

Chicken, fish, cous cous, rice and a variety of different vegetables are on the menu for this week, and at the risk of bragging, I'll just say that I'm actually proud of myself for doing it!


finished, labeled and ready to go! :D

Success. Believe it or not, this is the first time I've actually done a full week's worth of cooked meal prep that didn't include sandwiches and light stuff. Here's to frugal, healthy eating!

xo | cmd

Dinner Served Fresh

It's not often that I turn down fresh food. Actually, it's never. 

Tonight I decided to start fresh with some veggies and chicken; it was just fajita night in this house ;) 

yummmm (:

Whew. It's been a long day. 

I'm fed, I'm happy, and I'm... callin' it a day. 

xo | cmd

Day 2: Let's Talk Food.

Confession: I haven't started my Z-Pak yet. I feel most of this sinus goop clearing up on its own, so I'm going to revert to my stubborn ways and not take anything until I feel a little closer to death like I did last week. So there. :) My mom would be proud...

packed lunch | salad + cucumbers + cuties

So today I thought I would pay homage to one of my personal favorite things in the entire world: food.
Ever since I started this Moreno regimen, I've gained a whole new appreciation for food and what I should be defining as actual food.

There's a book by Michael Pollan entitled, Food Rules, and for anyone who's even a little curious as to what they're actually putting into their bodies, this is one of the best places to start. It's outlined simply: what we put in our bodies should be compatible with our bodies, not foreign and fake. I would definitely vote in favor of anyone reading this if they haven't already.

Anyway, back to this Moreno diet plan that I've been doing for the last 30some days. I'm not entirely unaccustomed to eating healthy; not much fast food, if any at all, rarely indulging in junk food, no pop [or soda, you silly people who prefer that word] eating cooked food when at home, and packed lunches for the majority of the workweek. I don't eat red meat, either, which isn't necessarily a good or bad thing, but a personal decision.

In terms of translating that into my tales I share here: ya'll must think I'm the only one that eats around our house! :) Well, if you've ever met little Sydni, you would be amazed at the amount of food she can intake in relation to her petite frame. It's pretty impressive. This girl eats like a champ! One of my proudest moments thus far in my quest as a mother has been the ability to make educated discernments regarding what will nourish well-rounded development of itty bitty bodies. It takes a bit more effort and dedication than giving her a bag of cheetos and a piece of processed lunchmeat, yes, but consistency makes the whole idea nearly effortless over time. I gained so much dietary wisdom from one of the best mothers to walk the path of motherhood, and if there's one thing I won't ever regret, it will be repeating some of the things she did along the way.


Here's just a touch of what little monster will devour if you let her ;) ........

fresh fruit crepe w/ organic yogurt | gluten-free granola | whole wheat toast



homemade whole grain chicken quesadilla | organic green beans
vit d milk [she wouldn't give that up for a photo]

And last but absolutely not least!! -

scrambled eggs | biscuits | lemonade w/ fresh berries [not pic'd]



now that's country.

Yessss, that's right, MISTER Dills is entering the cooking arena! [I am so proud :)]. I received these two shots via text, and had to share them here. I am so proud to say that he's expanding beyond his signature scrambled eggs to sides, and even a little downhome country food. This is good. This is really, really good. I wonder if one day we can occupy the same kitchen harmoniously, at the same time, while it's in use. Hmmm. Baby steps. ;).

SO..

For any skeptics out there, I can't stress enough the exponential difference you'll feel if you try it, even if only for a week. I'm not suggesting you do something drastic like a colon cleanse or grass smoothies [but if that's your calling, good for you!], but even starting small, like cutting back on how many pops [sodas, yeah, yeah yeah... ] you drink a day, or maybe eating a piece of fruit instead of a cookie if you're hit with a sudden craving for sweets. Even popcorn [not the super butter extra butt .. yes, I said butt] is a better substitute than half a bag of potato chips. Oh, and don't forget to do something other than sit on your behind [aka, exercise helps!]

Sorry. I'll stop my soapbox. :)

Happy healthy Wednesday!

xo | cmd

Friggin' Relapse. | D13.

Yeah.. so about that moment of ecstatic but temporary relief I had the other day [yesterday]:

sayonara.

*sad me.

So here's my next battle plan:

Sinuses, meet the neti syringe.

Neti syringe, meet my sinuses.

I'm going to, for the sake of both brevity and gag reflexes, spare you the graphic details of what this produced. Anyone who's ever done the neti pot, the syringe, or any variation of a saline sinus rinse, ya'll know.... this isn't a beautiful thing.. [lol].

Long story short, while I spent a solid 3 hours post-rinse blowing my nose, it did alleviate some of the pressure in my head. In my attempts to follow holistic remedies, I drank some apple cider vinegar, too.

Oh, the things we health nuts do to avoid western medicine. womp womp womp....

Keep in mind I've lacked the ability to taste anything pretty much all week. So to celebrate a window of cleared sinus pressure, I whipped up this little buddy and admit it's never tasted better:

lemon pepper salmon & garbonzo-cucumber salad

nom nom nom.

So while it seems now as though I should probably just come to terms with this sinusitis, or whatever I have plaguing my head, I really don't want to. I've scheduled a dr. appt for Tuesday of next week; I hope this has let up by that time, but if not, I might just have to give in and actually.take.medicine.

We'll see.

xo | cmd

11 | still sick. :(

It's a flat out shame that I can't taste much today.



cuties | originally uploaded by laura | sampled today by me :)



berry kefir smoothie

I'm bummed that my tastebuds are temporarily out of order
... even (unbelievably so) for this one:



steamed asparagus w/ pine nuts | turkey not pictured



--------

Fever: 102.1

Sinus headache: right side only.

Migraine: check.

Body ache: check.

Praying for recovery: check. check. check.

--------

another early night.
g'nite.

xo | cmd



Tres [Amigos]

Know what I call that?

-- A Good Day

'nuff said, foodies.

xo.

♥ | cmd

*Sweet Sixteen*

That's a zucchini.
[[ It and its friends were oh so scrumptious :) ]]
And this is day 16 of the first cycle.

One more day!!

[cycle one] 

xo.
.: c :.

#15 : Improvising.

... These magical little soybeans ...

Edamame is probably one of my favorite things, ever.

Oh now, don't you judge me...

This stuff's as healthy as it comes, if you take it sans all the salt.

I decided to liven up the day a bit.

Two days left in cycle one.
Not too bad!

xo.

.: c :.

Natural Colors! [14!]

chicken fajitas | roasting red & yellow bells



almond green beans

 There has been lots of cooking lately.. and it's been deeeeelicioussss.....

One thing I've re-discovered on a whole new level:

Natural colors are gorgeous!

- red, green, yellow, orange, brown, white

Last night for dinner, KP & I made fajitas [sans sour cream or cheese: believe it or not, it's possible!], with a side of almond-speckled green beans. That was after a 2.5 mile run in the perfect drizzly haze that covered the park right down the street. Amore....

Today was all about chicken vegetable soup for lunch and turkey burgers w/fresh peppers & veggies on the side.



beautifully matched bells



lean turkey | burger style





Only 3 days left in cycle one. I'll keep you posted on total weight loss & other details. I've gotta say, this isn't nearly as difficult as I'd thought it might be! Once you conquer kefir & plain greek yogurt, you can pretty much stomach anything. See ya soon!

xo.

.: c :.

[a] Super Succulent, Sizzly [day] SEVEN!

Hello, you delicious dish!

Dinner = stir fried veg's.
Lite soy sauce.
Garlic.
Oh, it's been broughten.

Sorry, couldn't help myself.
I didn't get to the taco salad part of the day, so I threw in some chicken noodle soup instead. I'll trade the soup out for taco salad the next time it's on the menu.


I'm not typically a woman of excuses, but for what in order to keep myself accountable:

I didn't work out today. I know, I know. Booooo, on me.

Why?
I have not one, but two[!] reasons....
1: I'm still recovering from the sinus infection I adopted sitting through wind & rain at the Saturday Red's game. I've shaken most of it.
2: I invested the entire evening to adding finishing touches to our wedding/vow renewal invitations. These suckers are *FINALLY* ready to be mailed. {insert: haaaaaaallelujah!}

BUT! It is the one-week mark since we started this ordeal & so far, so good!
Erghh..
Volleyball tomorrow.. Tournament week. Hopefully this'll make up for my doing all of nothing today.

we. will. see.

xo.
.: c :.