After a busy week traveling for training in Georgia, it was so nice to get back to my normal routine Friday morning.  Even better was that the weekend was just one day away!  Unofrtunately for me, my brain didn’t get the memo that it was Saturday and I was up at 6:00.  Instead of tossing and turning until a decent hour, I made my grocery list and balanced my budget and
checkbook - two of my very favorite things to do.  I know…I’m a nerd.  
 
So speaking of finances, one of the biggest stressors in our lives is money.  For some of us, when this stress exists, we turn to food.  As you probably know, emotional eating can leave you feeling even worse than before and it doesn’t even solve the
problem.  Financial stress doesn’t go away by eating a carton of ice cream or a box of cookies.   So what else can you do? I thought it would be fun to share some super simple ways to help save.  I use these tips for myself and with my condo in VA pretty close to selling (fingers crossed!) and with my next homebuying venture just around the corner, budgets and saving are high on my priority list!  

1.      Make your own coffee every morning!  I know that it’s super tempting to stop at the coffee shop for a caffeine fix but that $2.50 (or more) adds up.  If there are 20 working days in a month and you get coffee every day – that’s a whopping $50!  Brew it at home – it’s cheaper and there’s no line (plus the temptation of buying a donut or muffin doesn’t exist)!

2.      Brown-bag it. I know that putting a lunch together every day can seem like a lot of work, but the benefits of brown bagging it far outweigh the time it takes to put it together.  Easiest way to do this is to prep on Sundays so you can just throw everything in your lunch bag the night before.  Again, it’s
cheaper, there are no lines and you control what you eat. Keep lunches simple by eating fruits, veggies, and make ahead meals like soups.  Let’s do the math on this one:  if you spend about $10 a day
on lunch (I know it varies but I’m rounding) and you work 5 days a week that’s $200 a month.  Ok folks, we are up to $250 in coffee and lunches – that’s a lot of money!!

3.    Pamper yourself at home.  I absolutely love getting a manicure and pedicure, but at $50 (not including tip) every two weeks, I’m looking at $100 a month just for some nail polish.  Set time aside (even mark it in your planner like you would a nail appointment) to give yourself a mani/pedi.   Plus at home, you can have a glass of wine and watch one of your favorite movies at the same time!

4.      Before making a big purchase, wait 24 hours.  There’s nothing worse than buyer’s remorse after spending too much money on the latest Smartphone or new car.  So save yourself the pain, and hold off on making such an expensive decision for 24 hours. If after that time, you still feel it’s important to make the purchase, take a look at your fnances just to be sure you can truly afford it.  Here’s a hint though, if you are purchasing something and have to ask, “How much is too much to spend on a….” – you probably can’t afford it so put the plastic away!!

5.      Join www.mint.com.  Mint.com is a free website that allows you to track your spending, set short term and long term goals, and create budgets.  I use this religiously and it gives me a great perspective of my finances while keeping my financial goals front and center! 

Ok, so to get you started on an easy make-ahead lunch, here’s a new soup I tried out this week.  It gave me three big bowls to take for lunch so I’m all set for Monday – Wednesday!  Just to note – I made this with farro because I wanted a whole grain in my lunch, but you could switch it out for pasta like pastina or orzo.

Roasted Reds, Spinach, & Farro Soup 
ingredients
2 red bell peppers, roasted and skins removed (Click here for instructions on roasting peppers)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, minced
1 carton vegetable broth
2 tbs crushed tomato
2-3 cups of baby spinanch, rough chopped
½ cup quick cooking farro
1 tbs oil
1 tbs red wine vinegar
Juice from half a lemon
Red pepper flakes, pinch
Salt and pepper, to taste

directions
1.      Add the olive oil to a hot  soup/sauce pot and saute the onions for about 3 minutes.  Add in the red pepper flakes and garlic, cooking until the garlic is fragrant (but not browned).  Stir in the lemon juice, vinegar, and crushed tomato.  Cook for 2 minutes and then add in the broth and the red peppers, season with salt and pepper (I went heavy on the pepper for this one!).  Bring to a boil.
2.      In a food processor or blender (even better is to use an immersion blender if you have one), puree the soup.  Tip:  Add small amounts at a time to the blender/processor so that it doesn’t expand and you end up with soup all over the place.  
3.  Add the soup back to the pot and stir in the farro and spinach.  I use 10 minute farro from Trader Joe’s so after 10 minutes, my farro was done.  If you use regular farro, please read the instructions on the package because it may be quicker to cook it seperately and then add to the soup.  

Warm soup = perfect Winter lunch = more money in your savings account. Win-win! 

Will you try any of these tips?  What are some of your favorite ways to save? Share on the GG facebook page!!

Hello there, friends! 
 
So let’s chat.  Have you ever felt stuck?  Ever feel like the world around you is moving forward while you stay put in one spot?  Kinda sucks, right?  
 
Over the last few weeks, I haven’t been able to pinpoint a feeling I’ve been having.  It wasn’t unhappiness or depression but I didn’t feel truly centered for some reason.  I went through a myriad of emotions as I tried to figure this out.  My poor boyfriend has been on the receiving end of many of these emotions yet he remains sweet and caring (Thank you!!).  I knew I had to figure this out because it was stressing me out, making me grumpy, which isn’t a good look, and probably driving Paul crazy. So instead of wracking my brain any further or crying through a pity party, I went to yoga.  My precious yoga, once again rescuing me from myself… 

The class I attended was simply amazing.  After setting my intention to find a way to be at peace with where I am right now, I cleared my mind and enjoyed the movement, the breath, and the strength I could quite literally feel back in my body.  I left feeling renewed and the fog that had set in had lifted.  I don’t know if I had an epiphany or one of Oprah’s “ah-ha” moments, but I was awakened to this: before I left Virginia, I devoted my life to finding a job in RI, planning a move, and more importantly, healing my heart.  For at least 6 months, this was my life, the reason I got up every morning, the topic in every conversation, my intention in every yoga class.  And now I’m here.  I have a job, I’m with my family and friends, and all the wounds have healed.  Great, right?  Sure but here’s the thing – I no longer had a purpose or a focus.  I was stuck without a goal, without movement to becoming a better me.  
 
I went to yoga again tonight. I’m finding peace with where I am right now and I know with my whole heart that I’ll figure out my focus, my purpose, and I’m really, really excited!!  And maybe this is it – learning to be content with life as it is until it’s clear what’s next.  Who knows!  See, there’s nothing wrong with being stuck.  It’s getting “un-stuck” that’s important.  I turn to yoga because it has never ever let me down.  It’s my church and helps me to look deep into my heart to figure out almost anything.  Find what works for you and remember there are people out there, like myself, to help you find your focus.  

Sticking with sticky subjects (say that 10 times fast)…I got a super easy, throw-a-bunch-of-stuff-in-a-food-processor type of snack/energy bar for ya!  And yes, it’s sticky. :)  It’s a Pinterest find so kudos to theKitchn for a fun recipe!

Fruit and Nut Energy Bars
ingredients
1 cup pitted dates
1 cup raisins
1 cup raw almonds
1 tbs Chia seeds
1 tbs unsweetened coconut
Parchment paper

directions 
1.      Add all the ingredients to a food processor and pulse until the dates start to get chopped up. Once everything seems good and chopped, run the processor for a minute or  two until the ingredients form a sticky dough. 
2.      Spoon the mixture onto a sheet of parchment paper. Using your hands, press the mixture into a square about ½ inch thick (or however thick you want them); wrap the square with parchment paper and place in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight. 
3.      Cut into cute little squares and enjoy!

I had a square after my yoga class tonight – so yummy and gave me a good boost!  What’s better than a no-bake, simple yet delicious snack?  Nothing!  Have at em!!  

What a snowstorm we had this weekend!  Blizzard Nemo did a number on us all over New England.  My parents and I were lucky that we didn’t lose power, but we ended up with over 18 inches of snow!  Poor Nico can’t even see over the snow!  Rhode Island hasn’t had a blizzard like this in years.  Figures, I move home and it turns into a freakin’ snow globe around here. We were trapped in the house all weekend, which was ok for the most part.  I got a lot done – taxes filed, bills paid, cleaned, laundry, cooked and baked. Plus, I didn’t spend any money or eat out at all because we weren’t allowed on the roads!  Thanks,
Mother Nature for forcing me to stay home and save!!

I did get a little stir crazy so I started cooking.  First up, muffins!  I wanted something yummy to go with my coffee on Saturday morning.  These are a must try – they aren’t as dense as normal muffins but they are really filling.  Plus, there’s no oil or white flour in the recipe!

I found the recipe on a blog and I pretty much followed the entire recipe because it didn’t need any work at all.  I just added in some good stuff!  Mom wouldn’t let me add any nuts, but if I were you, I’d add in some pecans for a little crunch or some raisins or dried cranberries for a little extra sweetness. :)

Greek Yogurt Pumpkin Muffins
   (Adapted from The Simple Delights)

ingredients
1 ½ cup oat flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ginger
¼ tsp vanilla extract
3 dashes pumpkin pie spice
1 cup pumpkin puree
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup plain Greek yogurt
1 whole egg
1 egg white
1 tbs coconut milk (or whatever kind of milk you have on hand)
1 tbs flaxseed meal
¾ tbs Chia seeds

directions
1.      Preheat the oven to 350º. Line a muffin pan with baking cups. Tip:  Use the tin foil baking cups but remove the white inserts, using the tin foil cups and spray with cooking spray.  This will prevent the muffins from sticking since there’s no butter/oil in them.    
2.      To make a quick batch of oat flour, add 1 ½ cups of oats into a food processor and pulse until it turns into flour. 
3.      Mix all of the dry ingredients together and then mix in all of the wet ingredients with a hand mixer.
4.      Using a spoon or an ice cream scooper (easier to make the muffins the same size), scoop the mixture into the muffin pan.  Bake for 15-20 minutes (depending on your oven).

Warm out of the oven with a big mug of coffee is the perfect way to spend a snowy Saturday morning! But I think we’ve had enough snow so maybe we can just have the muffins and some coffee…pleaseeeee!  

Pinterest is one of the best inventions on the planet.  Some of you probably agree with me and some of you are probably wondering what I’m talking about.  For those of you who don’t know, Pinterest is a way to “pin” ideas you find online for cooking, exercising, crafting, decorating, dressing, etc. to boards that you create. People can follow you and vice versa. It’s basically a way to save what you find online and also to share it with others.  Bottom line – it’s addicting and for many “Pinners,” we can spend hours of endless fun perusing the various categories and boards of our friends.  It’s awesome.

While much of what we pin probably won’t ever be used again and will exist solely in our Pinterest world, I do find great inspiration from a lot of the quote boards.  One day, I came across this quote and it really hit home for me.  I definitely needed to be reminded of this.

What a great message, huh?  Anyone who has ever gone through heartbreak, failure, hurt, or loss knows how hard it is to pick back up and try again.  The voices in our heads often paralyze us with the fear that something could go wrong yet again.  If you’ve ever felt this way, you aren’t alone.  I struggle with this a lot too.  After my last breakup, I vowed that I wouldn’t date again for a while, not because I was still stuck on my ex but because I was so scared that the same thing would happen again.  Here’s the thing – there’s a great possibility that it will.  You and I could be hurt again, we may fail or we may experience some kind of loss.  But how will we ever know if we allow that fear to make our decisions for us. By focusing on what good could happen, we may be pleasantly surprised with the end result…or not and that’s okay too because we tried.  Focusing on the good empowers you, it builds you up, it makes you stronger, and most importantly, it frees your soul from fear.   Allow yourself to be happy…you deserve it.  
 
Now that’s settled…let’s talk food.  I have a new quinoa recipe for you!!  Wooohooo!!!!!
 
Big Green Quinoa Bowl
ingredients
1 cup quinoa, cooked
Crown of broccoli, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 pinches red pepper flakes
3 handfuls of baby spinach
2 tbs extra light extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs basil, torn into small pieces
½ avocado (per bowl)
½ cup chicken stock
Salt and pepper, to taste
 
directions
1.      In a hot sauté pan, add in the olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes.  Cook until the garlic is fragrant, but not brown or it will burn.  Add in the chopped broccoli and sauté until tender. 
2.      Add the chicken stock, spinach, and basil to the pan.  Cook until the spinach wilts.  Add in the cooked quinoa and season with salt and pepper.  
3.      Top the individual quinoa bowl with chopped avocado.

The next day, I had this leftover as a salad simply by adding a drizzle of olive oil and a couple splashes of white balsamic vinegar.  Perfect lunch!!  
  

Have you ever felt like there’s not enough time to make dinner during the week?  Do you tend to just order out or opt for something not-so-great as an alternative to cooking?  Juggling family responsibilities, social obligations, and work is extremely challenging.  I completely understand!  For some reason, the first thing to go is a home cooked meals but really this is the perfect thing to help you weather all of the things on your plate.  When you aren’t eating well, you don’t feel well.  This most certainly impacts all that you have going on in your life.  
 
My boyfriend and I have completely opposite work schedules.  He’s off on Mondays and Tuesdays and I’m off on the weekends. 
We have figured out a pretty decent routine for making sure we have time for each other, but the majority of time is during the work week.  By the time I get home from work, I’m pooped!  For a while, we were going out or ordering take out, but this was taking its toll on our bodies and our wallets.  So instead of going out for dinner with him, I’ve started to make fun date night meals. The key to pulling this off – make it easy and prep ahead of time!  
 
This week, I wanted to do a healthy version of taco night.  I love taco night during the work week because there isn’t a lot of prep
and for the prep that is required, you can do ahead of time.  But beef tacos in taco shells often leaving me feeling heavy and
blah.  So since Paul is trying to eat healthy too I decided on shrimp lettuce wraps.  To spice them up – I made them buffalo style! I also threw together a chick pea salad to cool us down from the spicy shrimp.  

The night before plan:  
     - When I was making my salad for lunch, I chopped all of the veggies for the Chick Pea Salad and the celery for the wraps (why chop more than once!?!).
      - Mixed up the salad and kept it refrigerated overnight (be sure to add a little more vinegar before serving because it soaks it up).
       - Defrosted the shrimp so they were ready to go the next day (I would also suggest doing this early in the day so that you can then clean the shrimp, if they aren’t already, the night before.)

Only a few things left to do! Have at it…
 
Buffalo Shrimp Lettuce Wraps
ingredients 
1 bag of frozen shrimp 
2 garlic cloves 
Iceberg lettuce (or another kind of lettuce that you can make wraps with)
4 stalks of celery, chopped
¼ cup Franks Hot Buffalo Sauce
2 tbs Smart Balance buttery spread
Black pepper, to taste
Blue cheese (optional)

directions
1.      Melt the butter in a hot sauté pan.  Once melted, add in the garlic cloves and cook until fragrant.  Stir in the hot sauce and cook for about 5 minutes.  
2.      Add the shrimp to the pan and cook through, about 7-8 minutes, coating them with the sauce.  Season with pepper.
3.      To assemble: Line the “wrap” with about 5 shrimp, top with celery and some of the crumbled blue cheese.  Fold the
sides of the wrap over the shrimp and enjoy!  It’s a little messy, but so good!! 

Chick Pea Salad 
ingredients
1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed
½ red onion, diced
1 cucumber, diced
¼ red pepper, diced
10 Kalamata olives, sliced
1 tbs Extra Light Extra Virgin Olive Oil 
Red wine vinegar, to taste
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper, to taste

directions
1.      Mix all of the chopped veggies in a bowl with the beans.  Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.  Mix in the oil and the vinegar, coating the entire salad.  Place in the refrigerator overnight.  Mix well before serving and add seasoning as necessary. 

I know how hard it is to make dinner during the work week.  If you can plan ahead and prep beforehand, the stress and time in the kitchen is greatly reduced.  Your family, friends, boyfriends/girlfriends will really appreciate the effort and you’ll have a nice
and healthy meal to enjoy as well!  Good luck!!

Welcome to 2013, ya’ll! The beginning of my year has been super busy and somewhat stressful.  I’m still working on the transition back to my old life here in RI – it seems that there is always someone to see and something to do!  I love it,
don’t get me wrong, but in addition to figuring out my new job, it leaves hardly any time to do much else. I’ve been pretty hard on myself about not being able to juggle all of this stuff but today I had a pretty great conversation with my boyfriend (Yes, I have a new BF here in RI!  Paul is really great and super supportive! More about him/us in another blog...), who really encouraged me to just cut myself some slack and not get “crazy” with my inability to do all of these different things.  So I think that’s what I’ll try to do!

But with some extra time on my hands on Sunday, I was actually able to get some of the things on my plate in order. 
I was able to make up some schoolwork that I was behind on and I was able to cook up a new recipe!  Plus, I watched my New England Patriots play their butts off leading them to the AFC Championship game next week!  Woohoo! Go Pats!!

For some reason, my mom and I don’t communicate before we head to the grocery store so we ended up with two spaghetti squash so I figured I’d do something fun and new with them. I also had some kale leftover from my Kale and Farro Soup.  I like this “pasta” dish a lot because it’s a really easy way to get some leafy greens in a meal plus it’s super simple and pretty quick if you roast the squash ahead of time.  Enjoy!

Lemony Kale and Spaghetti Squash

ingredients
1 Spaghetti Squash
3 handfuls prepared kale
1 tbs Extra Light Olive Oil plus more for drizzling
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup chicken stock
1 ½ tbs sunflower seeds
Red pepper flakes, pinch
Salt and pepper, to taste
Zest of half lemon 
Juice from ¼ lemon (or more if you like your food more lemony)
Parmesan cheese (optional)
 
directions
1.      Preheat the oven to 400º; cut the squash lengthwise, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Set the squash cut-side down on a baking sheet and roast for 1 hour or until it’s easily pierced with a knife. Shred the squash into spaghetti like strands with a fork.
2.      In the meantime, add the olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes to a hot sauté pan. Allow the garlic to cook a little but don’t brown it.  Stir in the kale and cook until it’s wilted down (about 5 minutes); add the sunflower seeds, lemon zest, lemon juice snd chicken stock; season with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes.  
3.      Stir the squash into the sauté pan.  Top with parmesan cheese, if desired.

My 2012 had some major downfalls but it ended exactly where I wanted it to – with me happy and living in RI. I’m so looking
forward to the year ahead even though I’m still figuring out my new life. I hope everyone’s 2013 has kicked off to a great start, but even if it hasn’t, there’s a lot of time left to make this the best year yet!  

I hope everyone had a great Christmas!  I definitely enjoyed it and allowed myself to relax, enjoy some cocktails, and eat some amazing food.    Christmas Eve at an Italian house is pretty much insane.  We try to stick closely to the Feast of the Seven Fish so our counters are covered with calamari, shrimp, scallops, little necks, etc.  But we don’t stop there, for the non-fish eaters, my Mom makes two different kinds of pastas, ham, chicken and pork!  You’d think that after all that, we wouldn’t have room left for dessert…but you’d be wrong. It’s then on to the over 20 different types of homemade cookies my Mom makes every year.  Amazing!!  So by the end of Christmas day (leftover day), my body is craving fruits and veggies!  Now, it’s back to my “regular” eating and working out. 

Santa was fun, but it looks like it’ll be a salad day for me.  


Wintery Cobb Salad 

ingredients
Romaine lettuce (big handful or two)
Baby spinach (big handful)
½ pear diced
1 ½ pieces of turkey bacon
Dried cranberries (small handful)
Raw sunflower seeds (small handful)
Blue cheese (small handful)
White balsalmic vinegar and oil

directions
1.      Cook the turkey bacon to desired crispness and chop/crush into small pieces.  In a big bowl, mix the lettuce with the diced pear, bacon, cranberries, sunflower seeds and blue cheese crumbles (optional).  Dress with vinegar and oil.

Even though the holiday festivities continue throughout the next week or so, I’m going to squeeze in some healthy meals where I can.  Plus, I’m back to work so away from the cookies I go!!!   Enjoy the rest of the holiday season!!

Phew!  What a weekend!  I accomplished something I never thought possible – I finished a 5k and I ran almost the whole way!  Now, this may not seem like a big deal to some but considering I basically only do yoga and haven’t run in years (except to  chase Nico around the house – his favorite game) - give me some credit! Ha!  I’m pumped!  
 
So the race my friends and I did was the Downtown Jingle Run.  It was adorable!  Everyone was decked out in their finest Christmas running gear, from elves to Frosty to Santa, everyone showed up!  We weren’t over-the-top-festive but we rocked our Christmas socks and our antlers for the big race! So fun. But I woke up on Monday and the whole not-preparing-for-this-race thing really took on another meaning.  Walking down the steps is the most painful but really just about everything hurts. 
My body hates me.  But it was worth it.  

I also had a chance to stay home on Saturday and cook up a doozy of a pasta dish!  It’s full of healthy fats, omega 3’s and veggies and you would never know!  It tastes super creamy, rich and totally bad for you.  Winning!

Creamy “Green” Pasta with Shrimp
      Adapted from The Irish Mother

ingredients
1 ½ cups fresh basil
½ cup walnuts
2 cloves garlic
A little less than ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Small palm full of parmesan cheese
1 ½ avocado 
1 ½ - 2 cups reserved pasta water
¾ lb of veggie or spinach pasta
1 ½ cups of shrimp
½ cup of grape tomatoes, sliced
Salt and pepper, to taste

directions
1.       Bring a pot of water to a boil, add salt to season the water and stir in the pasta.  In the meantime, combine the basil, walnuts, and garlic in a food processor.  Slowly drizzle in the olive oil.
2.      In a hot sauté pan, add a small amount of olive oil, the shrimp and the tomatoes.  Cook until the shrimp turn pink. 
3.      Before draining the pasta, reserve 1 ½ to 2 cups of water; drain the pasta and set aside, adding the shrimp and tomatoes to it.  To the food processor, add the avocado, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and some of the pasta water.  Continue to add the
pasta water until it reaches your desired consistency.  Pour the sauce over your pasta and stir well so that everything is coated.

The jingle run and my “green” pasta are the perfect ways to kick off the holiday season!  

I literally can’t believe the month of November is over today.  I mean, I feel like I was just talking about the start of Fall and now we are creeping up on Winter – although it certainly feels like Winter in RI right now! I got in my car the other day and it said 25º and I thought my car was broken!!  
 
To keep the feeling of Fall alive, I opted for a new quinoa recipe last week that really does feel like Fall to me.  A mix of sweet cranberries with sweet potatoes – it’s like a Thanksgiving meal in a bowl!  Not quite, but I’m not a big Thanksgiving food fan anyway, so this works out just great for me.  In fact, I asked for tilapia
on Thanksgiving and I was shortly told, “No.”  Worth the try…


My new quinoa salad is a nice switch up from maybe the “boring”quinoa that I just throw in salads.  This one has so many different flavors going on but they all work!  What’s better is that I worked on this recipe while I was working on the recipe for the Cinnamon Sweet Potato Muffins – so I only did the work once!  Love saving time in the kitchen (I think I need to write about that too as it’s gotten increasingly difficult to work my new hours, drive my new commute, cook, and do all the other “stuff” I do.  We may need some time saving tips!  Sound good?).  
 
Quinoa fans rejoice – we got another winner! 

Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad 
     Adapted from Macheesmo

ingredients
1 cup quinoa
1 large sweet potato, roasted and cubed 
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup dried apricots, chopped
1 cup sunflower seeds
¼ cup olive oil
1/8 cup (plus a little more) red wine vinegar
Lemon juice (I squeezed a few slices)
½ tbs honey
½ tsp paprika 
Salt and pepper, to taste

directions

1.      In a 375ºoven, roast the tin foil wrapped sweet potato. Once done, allow it to cool before cubing. 
2.      In a small bowl, mix the whisk together the ingredients for the dressing:  oil, vinegar, lemon, honey, paprika and salt and pepper.  
 3.      Meanwhile, cook the quinoa according to package instructions.  To the cooked quinoa add the cranberries, apricots, potato, and sunflower seeds.  Dress the salad (I dressed the quinoa when I made it but you could reserve the dressing until you serve it because the quinoa does tend to soak it up). 

I ate this cold one day and warm another day – I liked them both.  You decide what you like!  It could definately be a warm salad if you need something to take the chill off as these long Winter months take over (at least over here on the East
Coast)!  Enjoy and stay warm out there!! 

Moving back home has turned me into a busy body!  I mean, before I got home, I stayed in most nights especially on work
nights, but I have been non-stop since I got here.  So, when Sunday comes around I am pumped to be able to stay home and cook some food.  Yay Sundays! 

But first let me backtrack to Saturday – this was my very first night home all alone with Nico since I got here!  It was sooooo quiet.  I literally did nothing but enjoyed every moment of it.  But as I sat there, I realized that my throat was getting a bit scratchy (maybe it was from my outdoor excursion earlier in the week…). I hate taking medicine and I absolutely hate going to the doctor so   tried out some very simple natural home remedies.  That night I had some hot water with two lemon wedges and about 1 ½ teaspoons of honey. It was nice and soothing and then first thing Sunday morning I gargled with warm salt water (so
gross, but it kills the bacteria).  And no more sore throat!!!  So as cold season begins, keep these two super simple remedies in the back of your head. They might work for ya!  

Ok, now back to the good stuff.  I had a couple of sweet potatoes leftover from during the week (I didn’t stick to my meal plan because I ended up going out) so I decided to try out a sweet potato quinoa recipe (I will post this later this week) and a sweet potato muffin recipe.  I LOVE these little puffs of goodness! They are super moist and you can really taste the potato and the cinnamon.  I skipped the glaze but the ingredients are available in the original recipe if you would like to add it – that may make them taste more cupcakey (new word alert!).  I wanted these for breakfast and I didn’t want the extra sugar but they were still yummy – so yummy, that even my Dad ate them!!!  

Cinnamon Sweet Potato Muffins (makes 12)
                Adapted from Taste of Home

ingredients
1 cup self rising flour
½ cup sugar
½ cup organic unsweetened apple sauce
½ egg
1 medium sweet potato, mashed (no butter or milk)
½ cup canola oil
1 tsp cinnamon

directions
1.      Preheat the oven to 375º; line a muffin tin with paper wrappers.  
 
2.      In a medium bowl, whisk the sweet potato, canola oil, and egg.  In a separate bowl, mix the flour, sugar, apple sauce, and cinnamon. Mix the wet ingredients into the flour mixture until combined.  
 
3.      Spoon or scoop (I used an ice cream scooper so they were all the same size) the batter into the muffin tin.  Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  

I usually turn away from muffins at the coffee shop but these are some muffins I really feel good about eating!  I hope you enjoy them as much as we do over here at Mom and Dad’s house!!