Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Just A Reminder

I wanted to share this important picture with you all. Remember, what you eat DOES matter. 

Monday, April 6, 2015

Simple Grilled Chicken

Spring is here and my grill has been getting a lot of attention. On Easter weekend, I decided to make a new marinade for the chicken before grilling it. 

Ingredients:
2 large chicken breast 
Drizzle of olive oil
1 lemon - juiced 
Zest of 1 lemon 
Fresh parsley 
Tablespoon of minced garlic 
Teaspoon of sweet basil 
Sea salt and pepper 

Marinate your chicken for about 30 minutes before grilling. Cut your chicken breast into 3 long strips making a total of 6 strips. Grill as is or use skewers for an easier method. 


Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes

Is anyone else a stress baker, or is it just me? Tonight I decided to make a new recipe. Homemade vanilla cupcakes with homemade vanilla buttercream frosting.

Ingredients: 
Vanilla cupcakes:
1/2 cup butter at room temperature 
2/3 cup sugar 
3 large eggs 
1 tsp vanilla extract 
1 1/2 cups flour 
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 
1/4 tsp salt 
1/4 cup milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Line a muffin tin with paper liners (I got 16 cupcakes from the recipe). In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the egg mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk. Mix until smooth.  Scoop into paper liners, filling 2/3 full. Bake 18-20 minutes (mine took 16) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Ingredients:
Vanilla Buttercream:
1 cup butter, softened
4-5 cups powdered sugar
2-4 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter until smooth. Gradually add 2 cups of powdered sugar, and beat well to combine. Add 2 tablespoons of milk and vanilla. Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Add additional milk if too thick.

For fun, I drizzled caramel on top and put chocolate chips on also. It made them just a little extra special. Overall this recipe was a big hit! I was unable to try one, but my coworkers gave them 5 stars. 

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Homemade peanut butter

Before I started the 21 Day Fix, I wondered what we would do about peanut butter. My husband is obsessed with it. Jars of peanut butter have so much added sugars and salts. Luckily I found something so simple that will completely blow your mind. A friend and coach of mine was so generous to share this tip with me! All you need is a food processor.

INGREDIENTS: 
Jar of unsalted roasted peanuts 
Sea salt 

Directions: 
Place peanuts in food processor. Pulse until it's in powder form. Run the food processor constantly until the peanut butter becomes smooth. Add a little sea salt for taste. 

That's it! Crazy, right? Trust me, it works and you won't be disappointed.