healthy lifestyle — Blog

20150617_144356-1-01

you know that symbol when you see it.

it means you are in the vicinity of some healthy, organic, and all natural goodness!

thanks to Applegate we enjoyed these healthy hot dogs for Dego's first birthday lunch. i had zero faith Chiso (the 4 yr old picky eater) would even take a bite of anything in that box but boy did he surprise us!

my lil' helper was so excited to unpack the goodies.

what's in there? only the best of the best components needed to build a BOMB, healthy hot dog:

Sir Kensington's all natural yellow mustard & classic ketchup
Applegate all natural, grass-fed, uncured beef hot dogs
Vermont Bread Company Potato Hot Dog Buns
napkins
meat thermometer
cooler
'you grill girl' apron
oven mit
the cutest Apple gate buttons <3

it rained cats & dogs outside that afternoon so my grill pan was perfect. 20150617_151600-01

yeah.... i don't think i'll ever be boiling our hot dogs in water ever again. soooo much more flava this way.

stats per dog: 70 cals, 6g fat, 6g protein, 330mg sodium

ingredients: beef, water, and less than 2% of sea salt, paprika, dehydrated onion, spices (black pepper, coriander, mace, nutmeg), nutmeg oil, and celery powder. all recognizable stuff, right!

20150617_151654-1-01

do you toast your buns? YOU GOTTA TOAST YOUR BUNS. spending just a little extra time on the minor details really makes an ordinary meal extraordinary! i added a little Earth Balance Buttery Spread before toasting.

per Chiso's request, we had an indoor picnic in the middle of the living room floor.

i walked out to the front porch to snag some thunderstorm lighting before we started though.

2% colby jack cheese, green onions, mustard, ketchup went on top of my dog!

so, Chiso ate 2 dogs all by himself! it's like pulling teeth to get him to taste ANYTHING new... so this was big.

next, CAKE! on the way home from the gym that morning i stopped by Whole Foods Market to pick up a mini cake for Dego and ended up with two! did Dego like it? check out our birthday song video below and see ;)

[wpvideo WwobLKxl]

20150617_194252

happy 1st birthday, big boy! this day was Dego's actual birthday, but we had another small, family party that following saturday. so, who wants their very own Applegate grilling kit while the summer is in full swing!?

COMMENT & SHARE this post below and enter the drawing by answering the following question:

Q: WHERE is/was your dream family vacation?

i'll be picking a random winner this friday, July 10th. go!

i went out this past weekend!!! ok not out out, but it was to a private dinner celebrating my dear friend turning 30. it was held at Perry's Steakhouse - one of my faaaaaaave places for a magnificent dining experience! always great service, and the food...well, look:

i kept it clean and enjoyed the grilled salmon (sauce on the side) and kept the sautéed spinach that accompanied it. i reeeeeally wanted to sub it for the butternut squash puree, but our waitress quoted me some ungodly price for that small change and i declined. anyway, i made sure i altered my macros to fit this meal in- it was delectable. i'm glad i got my sauce on the side cause i put a little on my fork and it tasted like straight flavored butter!!

my friends were so sweet- they snapped pics of their plates for me :lol: that was steak topped with crab with steamed asparagus spears on the side.

here we have pecan crusted red snapper and broccollini florets.

this is totally what i would normally order!! surf and turf, YUM. lobster tail, fillet mignon, and asparagus spears.

quick pic before we got busy! the birthday girl is in the upper right corner:) i'm honored to have been apart of her celebration.

so this is from yesterday's workout which means this post was supposed to go out yesterday too.

i'd love to have my competition abs/core back! i took this pic immediately after my class- 1 hour of HIIT and some core work at the end.

Q: what's the best type of cardio? HIIT or steady state?

A: BOTH. incorporate both types into your weekly routine. i do HIIT once or twice a week, and steady state either early in the morning, or after my weights session. switching up the days you do either one will keep your body from plateauing and constantly burning fat.

i sped home to my breakfast- scrambled eggs this time with fat-free feta, dried parsely, and reduced sugar ketchup,

aaaand a bowl of cinnamon oats made with unsweetened almond milk and topped with bananas, more cinnamon, walden farms syrup, and raw, unsweetened coconut flakes.

i bought a crap load of kale at HEB so i've been incorporating it into my dishes these past few days! we have here:

ground turkey and egg white kale wraps lol

for another lunch or dinner i had a bowl of torn, raw, kale, roasted sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and lean ground turkey.

but this recipe right here is my fave so far. grilled smokehouse maple shrimp and kale tacos!

with fat-free feta cheese and homemade guacamole.

(1 avocado + half a roma tomato + liquid aminos)

the shrimp was marinated in liquid aminos and smokehouse maple seasoning.

i'm head over heels in love with sautéed kale. oh and those are La Tortilla Factory white-wheat soft wraps.

i posted this on IG the other day- Trader Joe's cranberry apple butter. i went in looking to replace my fig butter but happily left with this instead after i didn't see any.

it tastes just like the traditional canned, jellied, cranberry sauce, but fresher and more tart. i'm cool with it! 20 cals, 4g sugar, 5 carbs for 1 tbsp. i do believe it has the lowest calorie and sugar count of all the butters. i missed it on Thanksgiving, but i will definitely be eating some with my Christmas dressing this year!

which means after 30 years of this stuff, i have no more use for it. those stats are outta line for only 1/4 cup serving...i can eat the whole can by myself with my plate. too high in sugar and has high fructose corn syrup at that. no thank you.