Tangy Vanilla Mango Protein Smoothie

by

 Vanilla Mango Protein Smoothie

The mango obsession is unreal right now, you guys. It’s gotten to the point where I’m eating at least 1-2 huge ones everyday and unripe mangoes have become the bane of my existence. This might seem a little drastic, but I think I like them more than Kyle. 

I kid, I kid. 

Speaking of Kyle, get this. He’s been having these weird allergic reactions to something that cause him to puff up like a chipmunk (don’t worry, he’s a cute chipmunk). We’re not sure what is it, but they sometimes spring up the day after he eats, you guessed it, mangoes. GASP. I think he’s doing it to spite me…

But you know what? This mango-obsessed girl will not be stopped. Scratch that, she CAN’T be stopped. My mindset is eat aaaallll the mangoes and in any way, shape, or form possible. Today’s daily dose of the good stuff? This Tangy Vanilla Mango Protein Smoothie! 

Vanilla Mango Protein Smoothie 3

I actually did this recipe up before I left for Hawaii since I had this adorbs little vision in my head of posting Hawaiian-themed recipes a few days when I was gone. I did pretty well with my Best-Ever White Chocolate Macademia Nut Cookies, but after that, my enthusiasm tinkered off as I came back exhausted from the chores of swimming on the beach and going zodiac riding with dolphins and pilot whales all day. Did I mention all the delicious food I ate? My jaw got a serious workout and hardly had any time to rest. I think I pulled a jaw-muscle and I had to ice it with ice cream most nights. It’s a hard life 😉 . 

My point is I got lazy. So this tangy smoothie is coming at ya’ll a little late and doesn’t have that OMGZ posted-in-hawaii charm to it, but better late than never, no? It’s packed with a base of vanilla greek yogurt that contributes the protein punch and creamy texture, along with mangoes which add all that is good in the world. Not to mention it only has 4 ingredients that you simply throw into a blender and BOOM. Instant yumminess. 

Quick note, I’ve tried this with plain greek yogurt before and it was a bit too tangy for my taste. The vanilla adds a perfect sweetness! 

Make. Sip. Carry on my mango legacy.

Vanilla Mango Protein Smoothie 2

 

 

Easy Herbed Garlic Crackers

by

Easy Herbed Garlic Crackers. Just 5 ingredients and only takes 20 minutes from start to finish! Ayyy yoooo party people! Just poppin’ in with a super quick and super easy recipe for homemade crackers that I’ve been snacking on all day during my mini-vacay at my parent’s house. I was flipping through an old Food Network magazine that I picked up from my library’s used book sale (50 cents well spent) and was inspired by one of their photos to get my cracker on. Turns out they’re unbelievably simple and totally customizable! The original recipe use a bit more salt and paprika, but I decided to go with garlic and herb blend because… well, garlic=life.

Easy Herbed Garlic Crackers. Just 5 ingredients and only takes 20 minutes from start to finish!Anywhooo, today has been spent plopped down in front of the tv, re-watching Grey’s Anatomy from the season numero uno with a big plate of these crackers+a sour cream dip in the stimulating company of my cat. Scratch that (lol, cat pun. I laughed), my dad just got home from a business trip. This is what I’m sitting next to right now:

Kiki Collage I swear, she’s like a dog. So if you want to be cool like me and spend your Friday night with a needy and semi-psychotic cat and a big plate of deliciously garlic-y crackers, don’t worry, I can hook you up. Enjoy!

Easy Herbed Garlic Crackers. Just 5 ingredients and only takes 20 minutes from start to finish! 


   

Lightened-Up Cheesy Garlic Noodles

by

Lightened-Up Cheesy Garlic Noodles

Guess who got an A+ in productivity today? THIS GIRL. I’ve been up and running and knocking things off my to-do list left and right. POW POW.

I got up and did a few bloggy things over a homemade latte, went on a gorgeous 3 mile run at the beach, picked up some props for my photos from Michael’s, went to the grocery store, started typing up the newest income report, unsuccessfully made homemade banana chips (womp womp womp), but countered that failure with a big success: Lightened-Up Cheesy Garlic Noodles.

I also ate a copious amount of homemade pie and turned my brain into boogers with all the Keeping Up with the Kardashians I’ve been watching. So there’s that as well 😯 .

So anyways, I’m eating these noodles in front of the tv and am getting a little too wrapped up in Khloe’s love life. In this episode, her sisters secretly set up a profile for her on an online dating site and are setting her up with some randoms. That’s the way to true love, my friends.

Lightened-Up Cheesy Garlic Noodles

I think I’m developing a Netflix problem. Since I can get a ton of series instantly, I’ve been binge watching like no other. I’ve learned that if I want to get anything done at all, I need to completely shut off the tv. I try to convince myself that I will reply to emails and type up lab reports after juuust one more show, but Netflix automatically plays the next episode for you unless you click out after a few seconds. And once another episode starts, it’s like rude or something to turn it off. Right?

Mindless reality tv also lends itself to mindless eating and, looking down at the pot (who uses actual plates these days…pshh) I’m already halfway through the entire batch. WOOPS. But can you blame me?! Cheese yummyness. Garlic. GAH. It’s so simple and comes together in just 20 minutes, yet I could eat it all day err’day. I want to swim in a pool of cheesy garlic noodles.

And by swim I mean eat my way through it.

So here’s to a super easy, super speedy, super delicious dinner or lunch that just happens to be on the lighter side as well in terms of calories. WOO!

Lightened-Up Cheesy Garlic Noodles

 

Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

by

Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

I actually can’t stop eating this right now.

So good. So so so good.

I was skeptical at first, but I have been turned into a healthy fudge believer. Like, do those words even belong together? It’s seems like some sort of food miracle. Hallelujah! 

I’ve actually never worked with coconut oil before. The last time I was at my parent’s house, I noticed an unopened jar hiding in the back of the cupboard. It was just taking up space, so I stole it my mom let me take it back to school with me. SCORE. I opened it up yesterday and took a small taste. I was totally thinking it would be, well, coconut-y tasting, but it’s actually super mild and neutral tasting. And guess what? It helps make the most amazing (healthier) fudge ever!

Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

This is one of those recipes where you keep finding yourself taking leeeetle “taste tests” throughout the cooking process. I think I ate a solid 1/3 of the batter before it even made it into the pan to solidify and I walked around the house for 30 minutes before realizing that I had brown fudge smeared all over my forehead. And not like a little dab, either. Full blown poop-face was happening. But it’s okay, don’t stress. It’s a delicious sacrifice that I am willing to make. 

Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

This is a one-bowl recipe that I slightly adapted from The Nourishing Gourmet to include honey as the sweetener. The one catch is that it needs to be stored in the fridge or else you’ll be dealing with a (tasty) healthy chocolate mousse instead of fudge. 

Enjoy! 

 

Healthy Asian Lettuce Wraps

by

Healthy Asian Lettuce Wraps

So it turns out that strong black coffee is not meant to be had at 9:30 at night.

Granted, I did have a long-ish lab report to do and had an ochem midterm today so I needed some liquid energy, but two cups was probably overdoing it. Just know that at the moment, I’m practically bouncing off the walls.

One good thing about being so hyped up on caffeine? I have the energy to get up this here tasty post at 1:30 a.m. 😯 .

ANYWAYS. Let’s bounce towards the main point of this post: Healthy Asian Lettuce Wraps

When it comes to different cuisines, asian food has always held a special place in my heart. Maybe it stems from all those weekly family gatherings at my obachan’s house, or maybe it comes from the delicious sweet and salty flavors that are characteristic of a lot of asian dishes (sugar+soy sauce on everything, please), but I just plain luuuuuuuuurrrrrve Japanese/Chinese/Vietnamese/Korean dishes.

Healthy Asian Lettuce Wraps

I know I’ve said this before, but growing up with a Japanese mom and Norwegian dad lends itself to a pretty weird culture mix. Holidays involved Japanese festivals and dressing up in traditional Japanese clothing along with marching in my little bunard dress waving Norsk flags around for syttende mai (the Norwegian national day). Weekly dinners involved copious amounts of steak and potatoes, as well as hot sukiyaki, curry, and sashimi topped with raw salmon eggs and octopus at my obachan’s house. I don’t think I even tried more all-American fare like meatloaf or baked beans until I started dating Kyle and eating over at his house, even though I’ve lived in the US almost all my life.

NorwegianJapanese collage

Even Christmas was celebrated differently. Unlike most families that get together on Christmas day, the festivities for my extended family start on Christmas Eve. We all fit into one house that’s practically bursting at its seams with all the people and love in it and open presents after a fantastic dinner. It wasn’t till I got older that I realized that most kids had to wait till the next morning to open presents and have the traditional Christmas celebrations (muhahah).

Since Christmas day is always left open, we have a family tradition of going out to a nice Chinese restaurant for a big lunch. One of my favorite dishes have always been their delicious lettuce wraps which include a mouthwatering sweet and salty ground beef that’s filled with crunchy water chestnuts. As soon as the waiter would bring the dish to the table, my cousins and I would make a beeline to serve ourselves a heaping pile on a crisp piece of lettuce and spoon a little extra sauce on top. <—— –the BEST.

These are a spin off of those taste lettuce wraps, only they’re much more pimped out thanks to the addition of toppings like roughly chopped peanuts and crunchy carrots for extra texture. AND they’re healthified. Lean ground beef (or your choice of meat, pork and chicken would work great as well) cooked with a little olive oil for healthy fats and, if you’re looking for a dinner that’s low in carbs, the lettuce wraps make the dish come out with only 7g of carbs per wrap naturally. I made a big batch for dinner tonight and Kyle and I inhaled all of it within a day.

I’m telling you, these wraps are that good!

Healthy Asian Lettuce Wraps