Workout Motivation! :)

This word is the devil.  I'm being totally serious.  I think this is the hardest thing possibly of ALL TIME. Motivation.  To motivate. 

My biggest motivators are those around me.  I love surrounding  myself with others that are trying to get in shape as well.  I think that having a solid friend base behind you is really important!

Good music is a must as well! I LOVE jamming out to some tunes while jogging, running or working out!!

This is my motivation!! Toby is a Newfoundland/Golden Retriever mix.  He LOVES going for walks!

Wake Up Call **Graphic Images**

To me this does not seem feminine OR healthy:

Quite frankly, I'm a little scared!!

I cried when I saw these women.  Their thinking is poisoned to think that they have to be skinny. That they are too fat.  That every "roll" and "flab" is disgusting and disturbing.  Anorexia destroys lives.  We NEED to help those suffering with this to overcome it! This is so scary and VERY real.

This, seems a lot more like it!

These women are REAL. Beautiful. Unique. They are smiling!

Each of these women are healthy- might carry a few too many pounds, but they are happy!! They are confident in their own skins!

 My goals I want for myself are simple. Real. Achievable.  I am tired of false goals and people setting the bars way too high for my body type.  I will probably never be a size 2.  I'm ok with that!!
I want to look good in jeans and a ratty sweater, shorts and a tank top, shoot- even in my underwear!
I'll be 100% honest- I WILL mess up and blow my workout routine.  I WILL "forget" to eat right.  But I will try my hardest to do what is healthy and right for my body type.

This is your WAKE UP CALL.

Our bodies are a temple of the Holy Ghost... we are to treat it as such! Food, proper drink, exercise, etc. should be taken seriously.  More often than not, it is abused.  We drink in excess, we let our bodies go to the point of literally no return.  The body is starved to the point that it can no longer take a breath for life.  Drugs and medications are pumped into the mainstream of our lives; to what point is there an end?!

Stand up TODAY and take a stand.  Treat your body the way it should be treated. It should be an honor to take care of the temple of the Holy Ghost... let's not ruin it!

Olive Garden's Zuppas Toscana Soup

I love Italian cuisine.  I love pork sausage.  I love everything about food.  I'm starting to think that I'm maybe obsessed.  Maybe just a little bit.  hehe... SO- Who doesn't love Olive Garden?! This soup is my all time favorite and I thought you would love the recipe.

Ingredients:
1 carton (32 oz.) low-sodium chicken broth
Small carton of heavy whipping cream
1 package of Italian or original pork sausage
1 bunch of kale
3 medium potatoes
salt and pepper to taste ( I didn't use any salt for my soup because the sausage flavors it perfectly)

The gang...

Dice your spuds and place them in a large soup pot to boil.

Brown sausage in a skillet and add to your soup once the potatoes are tender.  This helps to prevent too much grease in the soup.  When taking the sausage out of the pan, try to drain alot of the grease out of the meat.  The ultimate results should be a light, flavorful delightful soup- not something that will clog your arteries! :)

Once your soup comes back to a boil .....

Wash up a couple leaves of kale.

And cut off the woody stem that is in the middle of the leaf.

Chop up the kale into small pieces. (Think... "do I want to choke on this in my soup?" hehe)

Add your chopped up kale. 

Pour a generous drizzle of the heavy whipping cream into the soup and let it simmer away.  There is no need to bring the soup back to a boil.

BAM!! Serve with garlic french bread and enjoy!!

 

Wilted Spinach Salad

This salad is one of my favorites.  Keep in mind- I think I have only eaten this a half dozen times in my entire life... It's not the "most healthy", if you know what I mean. :)   But my, oh my! It sure is a winner! Traditionally, it is made with raw onions and mushrooms, but I love mine sauteed first :)

First start by boiling 3 eggs...

When they are cooled (I drained the boiling water, then replaced that with ice water) peel shells off and set aside to finish cooling.

Slice any way you wish... I chose to cut mine up like this

Next, slice a red onion from top to bottom and remove the outer skin and cut off the rough parts on either end of the onion.

Slice the onion as thin as you can get it, I don't like to have super thick onions in salads...

Slice up the mushrooms...

Fry up your bacon...

Place cooked bacon on a paper towel to remove any excess grease.

This is what happens when there a men around while cooking bacon.... so I had to fry up some more :)

Remove 1-2 Tablespoons of bacon grease and place it in a small frying pan.

Leave 3 Tablespoons of grease in the large frying pan.

Place your sliced mushrooms into the pan and saute until tender and golden brown!

Don't be scared to give em' a little flipping action!! Your mushrooms are done when they are golden like so...

Now it's time for the red onion...

Your onions are ready to remove from the heat when they are semi-translucent and tender.

Put onions and mushrooms into a small bowl and set aside.

Now it's time to make the dressing for the salad...

In your sauce pan with 3 Tablespoons of bacon grease, add 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 2 Tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1 Tablespoon sugar and a dash of salt.

Mix your onion and mushrooms into the spinach and pour HOT dressing right onto the top of it all.  "Fluff" up with salad tongs to coat all the spinach, and top with the eggs. Serve immediately.....

And let your socks go up and down.. haha OK, just kidding, but for real!I think you will love this salad!

 

BBQ Steak!!

So at my local Wallyworld store I picked up some mouthwatering steak marinade :) Since I was planning on pairing steaks with the wilted spinach salad and loaded mashed potatoes listed previously in my posts, I thought I would let you know what I did, and some tips for grilling!

My steaks are marinading away!! YUM!

BEEF STEAKS : 2 inches thick

8-12 minutes of cooking time (Flip the steak at 4-6 minutes)

Here are some tips on choosing your perfect cut of meat for your budget:

HAPPY GRILLING!

Guest-worthy Mashed Potatoes

I don't know about you guys, but I LOVE loaded mashed potatoes when going out to eat.  But I do not want to pay the price for all of the extras! I guess I'm cheap.  That makes it nice for going on a date I suppose. :) hehe

These taters are super easy, cost effective and pretty darn amazing for when company comes over!

Ingredients:
7-8 pieces of bacon
2-3 green onions, chopped into tiny pieces
1/2 cup butter (1 cube)
Sour cream
Milk
Cheese (optional)
French fried onions
Salt and pepper to taste

Wrap 10-15 red potatoes in tin foil and bake at 375 degrees until a knife is easy to insert. (Roughly 30-45 minutes)

While you are baking the potatoes.... do the rest of your prep work.

Chop up your green onion...

Fry up some thick-cut, applewood smoked bacon (It's my favorite, but you can choose whatever)

Chop up your bacon into tiny bits and set aside.  Remove your taters from the oven and cut into smaller pieces.  Place in a large soup pot or large bowl.  I like to keep them in a pot so keeping them hot is easier. Cut your butter into chunks and let them melt into the potatoes like so.....

I tend to not measure anything, so take roughly a 1/2 cup to 1 cup of sour cream and start mashing  away. You can tell if you need more (potatoes seem dry)

Add some milk as necessary if your potatoes become too thick.

When the sour cream is mixed into the potatoes, stop mashing.  I always love to leave them a little bit "hearty" with a nice creamy to lumpy ratio.

With a spoon, mix in your salt, pepper, green onion and bacon.  Feel free to shred some cheese on top- I didn't, but it makes these potatoes mmm-good!

An optional trick that is sure to impress, at the very end- right before taking your finished product to the table, mix in French fried onions. Trust me- it's stinkin' amazing!

Scoop your taters into a "fancy" serving bowl and let people's animal instincts take over.  lol I'm kidding, but these will be gone in minutes!

See my posts on "BBQ Steak!" and "Wilted Spinach Salad" to make it a meal!

Onion Strings and Buffalo Burgers!!

Yeowza... sometimes it's OK to cheat a little on diets.  Or at least that's what I tell myself.  Sorry. :)

So I found this recipe out of the Pioneer Woman's cookbook.. and let me tell ya, this lady has some of the BEST ideas for cooking! Oh man- my stomach is growling.  Pretty sure it's time for lunch!

So I'm here to inform you that DO NOT make these while you are starving.  I was HUNGRY and just about ate everyone's portion.  And I don't think they would have forgiven me.  Not even one bit. 

Onion Strings!!

Start by slicing up your onion super, duper thin.  You should be able to see your knife through the onion... Hence why they are onion "strings" and not onion rings.  :)

Place onions in a shallow dish and pour the buttermilk over.  You don't need to drown the poor suckers, just enough so that each onion is somewhat submerged.

Set aside and let them soak away for an hour or so.

Mix up the flour and spices and toss onions in it with tongs until generously coated.  Give em a little shake and drop into your piping hot, 300 degrees F oil.

Drop just a few onions in the hot oil at a time so each and every one is sure to get cooked evenly.  Don't walk away.... or this is what happens!!! (I had a definite sad face when this happened!)

So... long story short, I had to dump out everything and start all over with fresh oil. Thank goodness this is the only batch that got messed up!

You are all done and ready to start making your burgers!

Buffalo Burgers

Use any meat you desire, but I had buffalo burger handy... so that's what I used to whip this up :)

Don't be afraid to get down and dirty and use your hands to mix up the meat, diced onion, mayo and seasonings! Mix, mix, mix!

Start melting one Tablespoon of butter in a medium sized skillet...

Form large, thick pattys on waxed paper.  This makes it so much easier to get the patties into the pan.

Place the pattys in the pan and sizzle away.  Cook on one side then flip.  Put cheese on just cooked side and let the bottom cook.  Remove from the pan and place on....

Buns spread with butter then placed in the broiler!

Load up your burger with what you love...

I had to cut mine in half it was so large! Enjoy!!

Onion Strings:

1 onion

2 cups buttermilk

2 cups flour

salt, pepper and red pepper to taste

Oil for frying

Buffalo Burgers:

1 lb buffalo burger

1/2 cup onion, diced

1 Tablespoon mayo (adds flavor and creates juicy, tender hamburgers!)

Dash of Worscheschire sauce

salt and pepper to taste