Healthier Salad Dressings

I used to be a salad dressing freak!  If I was eating a salad, I didn't want to taste the veggies, I wanted to taste the dressing.  Well, since I've been trying to eat healthier, salad dressings from the store have been cut from my list.  I just cringe when I see some of th ingredients that are in them so,I have compiled a few of my favorite salad dressing recipes for you( and me) to refer back to.

I usually make one recipe a week, and switch it up so I don't get bored.

Mexican Vinagrette

3 Tbs red wine vinegar

2 Tbs avocado oil

2 tsp raw organic honey

1/8 tsp pink salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 paprika

1/2 tsp garlic powder

dash hot sauce

Mix it in a jar, or salad shaker. Store in the fridge, and take out about 20 minutes before use.

Green Goddess Cilantro or Parsley  

1/2 cup of extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

3 cloves garlic, crushed

3 Tbl fresh lemon juice

2 Tbl chopped cilantro or parsley

1 tsp Himalayan sea salt

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 Tbl pure maple syrup

Directions:

Place oil, vinegar, garlic, lemon juice, parsley, salt, mustard, and syrup in a blender or food processor, cover with lid.

Blend until smooth 

Refrigerate dressing if not using immediately.

If dressing solidifies when cold, hold at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Stir before serving.

Enjoy!

Protein Ranch 

1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese

2 tbs 1% or 0% Greek yogurt

1 1/2 tbs (2 1/2 tbs if you want to use this as a dressing) low-fat milk, skim milk or unsweetened plain almond milk

2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp pink salt

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

3/4 tsp dried dill

1 1/2 tbs green onion, minced 

1 tbs fresh parsley, chopped

a pinch of black pepper, to taste

Instructions

In a blender, add in the first 7 ingredients (through dill) and blend away until the mixture is SUPER smooth.

Pour into whatever container you're going to keep your ranch in (it should last a good 5 days in the fridge). Stir in the minced green onion and fresh parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Yum!

Creamy Herb Dressing

Ingredients 

1 medium avocado

1 1/2 nonfat plain Greek yogurt

4 TBL finely chopped herbs

3 TBL lemon juice

1/4 tsp.  sea salt

1 dash pepper

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Place avocado, yogurt, herbs, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a blender; cover.  Blend until smooth.

2.  Continue blending avocado mixture, slowly adding the oil until well blended.

3. Store in the refirdgerator, tightly covered, until ready to use.

Honey Balsamic

1/4 cup avocado oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 Tbs raw organic honey or 1 packet of stevia

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp pink salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

Instructions

Place all ingredients in salad shaker cup and mix for 1 minute(or give to your kids to play with ;)

Store in the fridge.

Why I Talk to Myself

Sometimes I literally have to talk out loud to myself to drown out the negativity I have in my head.  "You CAN do this, good things take hard work, you'll be happy you did it, this is what you need"
So if you see me talking to myself it's not cause I'm crazy...not really 😂
#italktomyself #positiveselftalk #crazymother

Clean cafe rio

If you've been to Cafe Rio, oh boy you'll know what I'm talking about.  Their pork is delicious, and you HAVE to go on Pinterest to find a copy cat recipe.  Well, searching around you can find a TON of recipes--crap based recipes, but the main ingredient is Coke.

I wont drink Coke, but I've looked past that, used it in the recipe and got a decent result.  I'm just not ok anymore with compromising my values to get a certain result, so I went searching and found THIS clean copy cat recipe.

I feel like this tastes far better than the other copy cat recipes and I can feel good about eating it and feeding it to my family.  Check it out, and let me know if you try it!!

Ingredients

For the sweet pork:

3 1/2 Lbs Pork Loin Roast

28 oz Diced Tomatoes

2 in Chipotle Chilis (from canned chipotle chilis adobo sauce any unused portion can be frozen) (for Clean Eating sub 2-3 diced jalapeños)

1 Tbl Coarse Real Salt

1 Tbl Chili Powder

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp Cumin

1/2 Cup Maple Syrup

1/3 Cup Honey

1/3 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar

For the Tomatillo Ranch Dressing:

3/4 Cup Buttermilk

3/4 Cup mayo( home made is best!)

2 Small Tomatillos, quartered

1 Clove Garlic

Juice of 1/2 a Lime

1/4 Cup Cilantro

1/2 Tbl Dill, fresh (packed)

2 Tbl Parsley, fresh (packed)

1/2 tsp Real Salt

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

1/8 tsp Ground Mustard

For the Salad:

8 Large Tortillas (use whole wheat, spelt or einkorn) (for the gluten-free diet, use gluten-free, corn or omit)

4 Cup Cooked Rice, Cilantro lime rice would be a great option (use brown rice to keep clean)

2-3 Cup Cooked Pinto beans or black beans

16 Cup Chopped Romaine Lettuce

1 Cup Pico de Gallo, to top (diced tomato, onion, cilantro)

Cotija Cheese crumbled, to top

Sour Cream, to top

Guacamole, to top

Tortilla chips or Tortilla Strips, to top (Corn tortillas sliced and fried in oil)

Instructions

To make the pork:

If Pork Loin is very large, cut into two or three pieces.

Place the pork loin in a crock pot and turn on to high heat. Place all other ingredients in a blender and puree until very smooth.

Pour over the pork in the crock pot and cook for 5-6 hours, or until tender and shreds easily with a fork. Shred and toss well in sauce. Keep warm until ready to serve.

To make the dressing:

Place the buttermilk, mayo, tomatillos, garlic, and lime juice in a blender.

Puree until very smooth. Add the remaining ingredients to the blender and puree just until the herbs are finely chopped.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

To assemble salads:

Place a tortilla on a plate or in a bowl.

Place desired amount of sweet pork on the tortilla.

Top the pork with with a scoop of rice and beans. Top rice and beans with desired amount of lettuce. Garnish with a scoop of pico de gallo, sour cream, guacamole, a handful of tortilla strips and crumbled cotija cheese.

Top with tomatillo ranch dressing.

What does chlorella do?

Odds are you gotta dodge those smudged fingerprints just like me.
I may not have an automatic mirror cleaner for that junk but one thing I DO have everyday is *chlorella* to automatically clean me up on the inside!
Think of this green algae as a magnet for chemicals and heavy metals.  It's also got some other great benefits but you should look it up for yourself!
Amino acids, chlorophyll, magnesium BOOM!

P.S.  I will ALWAYS give my own findings, opinions and testimonials of how things work and why I use them, but don't take my word for it, do your research(cause I'm no scientist) 

How to Create Sustainable Energy

January Recap-
For the month of January I decided to focus all my attention on creating more energy in my life physically, mentally and spiritually. I wanted to feel like I could keep up with everything going on around me. Little did I know that during the month of January I would be tried the most with energy zapping experiences. I began watching my niece and nephew during the week which meant that I had to be awake at 5 a.m. to let them in the door. It also meant that I had to run them back and forth to school and and everything else that has to do with caring for an 8 and 11 year old.

January is also the wonderful month where my one-year-old decided to sprout his first four molars(all at once). Read on to see my top 5 tips that actually did help me build more energy into my life amid the craziness that ensued.

1. Sleep more--  I know what you mothers are thinking...sleep more??!! I wish I could. Well with kids sleep is all too often sacrificed, but I am here to tell you if that you can get more sleep if you are dead set on it. I made the goal to sleep 7-8 a night. I know we hear this all the time you need more sleep and it's one of those things that you don't think is really affecting you because you can't see the effect. I heard a study recently where there was a brain scan of sleep-deprived to women done and they equated the brain damage that was created by lack of sleep to that of frequent prolonged drug use. I don't know about you that could explain why there's that thing called Mom brain, lol!

2. Workout-- Cut the excuses off at the knees and just do it!  30-45 minutes a day is all you need, no gym, minimal equipment and NO it does not have to be crazy lifting or cardio to get you in good shape!  There are tons of AMAZING at home programs I have completed over the last year and a half, ask me and I can point you in the right direction!

3. FOOD!!
Eat green foods-- You know you tell your kids to, so take your own advice
eat healthy fats-- But not too much!  An avocado binge isn't healthy for you either!
Take vitamins-- Most people are nutrient deficient, yes it's ideal to get those nutrients from our food we shew, but most of the time(even if you're eating perfect) that doesn't happen.  Shakeology is a great plant-based way to get your body all of the right nutrients so it can fight off disease naturally and help you feel more energized!
Refuel after workouts-- Do NOT, I repeat...do NOT think that you are doing yourself a favor by starving while you are working out(but cutting calories) or eating junk because you work out(like I used to say).  If you are truly concerned about your energy levels, not just the level of your boobs and butt compared to Miss Squats-Alot, you need to eat food!!  Personally I don't like eating before a workout, but I ALWAYS eat a healthy meal afterwards.  You can't run on empty, so don't even try it!

4. Get ready for the day--Makeup, hair, lips, real clothes(not those yoga pants you live in).  Whatever routine most makes you feel like a person rather than a zombie...do it!  Take 5-10 minutes preferably in the morning, and get ready for the day.  I don't care of you are just staying home cleaning toilets and doing laundry, when you walk past a mirror and see yourself you will get a little confidence boost instead of thinking that you look like you got ran over by a monster truck.  If you need a really fast makeup routine check out my 5 minute tutorial...seriously it's my almost everyday go-to!

5. Act how you want to feel--Easier said than done, but we do have control over basically ONE thing in this life and it is ourselves.  We CAN control how we act, and if you want to FEEL a certain way, then let your actions show it.  Tonight I was putting my kids to bed and I had an attitude, I was snippy with them and I caught myself saying I don't want to be like this, so I stopped, took a breath and decided to be nicer and more loving.  It takes practice to recognize and then follow through, but if I can do it, you can do it!!

I would love to hear how you put each of these to play in your own life, comment below or message me!!  You can check out my video below for these tips straight from the source!!

Thursday night vibes

Grilled Pineapple Pear Salsa

I always see pictures on Pinterest(of course) and I think, pshhh I could make that.  Well, I'm really good at mimicing ideas or recipes, but when it comes to photography...I stink!  Here are my versions of a deicious Grilled Pineapple Pear Salsa.  It may not look pretty, but it tastes heavenly!

INGREDIENTS 1/2 ripe pineapple, trimmed and sliced into 1/2" rounds 1 large medium-firm pear, sliced into 1/4” slices 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and quartered 1/2 small red onion, peeled and cut in half (so you have 2 quarters of whole onion) 1 whole jalapeno 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro, finely chopped 1 tablespoon lime juice 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Grease grill and heat to medium high heat.
2. Drizzle red onions with olive oil and thread onto a skewer (if using a wooden skewer, soak skewer in water for at least 30 minutes beforehand). Drizzle pears, red bell pepper quarters, and jalapeno with olive oil to lightly coat.
3. Working in batches as needed depending on grill size, grill pineapple and vegetables at medium high heat (uncovered) until tender crisp and lightly charred all over, about 12 minutes for the onions, turning occasionally, about 8-10 minutes for the pineapple, or until caramelized, flipping once, 6 minutes for the red bell peppers, flipping once, 4 minutes for the pears, flipping once, and jalapeno for 3-5 minutes, turning occasionally.
4. Once cool enough to handle, dab (or rinse) off any excess oil with paper towels and chop pineapple (cutting around core), pears, red bell peppers, and onions. Devein and deseed jalapeno and dice, reserving some of the seeds if desired.
5. Reserve the jalapeno and toss the pineapple, pears, red bell pepper, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, ginger, cumin and salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Add half of the jalapeno and more to taste if desired. If you would like it spicier, add some of the jalapeno seeds to taste as well.
6. Can be served immediately or even better chilled

Make sure to check out Carlsbad Cravings for the pretty pictures and the original recipe!