While I am not looking to lose weight I do focus on eating healthy foods. Foodist was a quick read for being 300+ pages. A good combination of science mixed in with stories and a few recipes.

Here are some of my favorite tips:

Don’t Eat from the Package

I am so guilty of this! You end up eating a lot more if you just sit there mindlessly eating. Take the time to portion it out, use a bowl, plate or napkin and take the time to put the package away. You are seeing what you eat and your brain will know when to stop.

Top 10 Underrated Health Foods

• Oysters
• Sauerkraut and Kimchi
• Dark and Organ Meats
• Seaweed
• Egg Yolks
• Beans and Lentils
• Root Vegetables
• Coffee
• Hard Cheese
• Mushrooms

I eat a few of these but am neglecting oysters, sauerkraut, organ meats, seaweed and coffee. I would actually consider those 5 things part of my most hated foods list. I’ve got some work to do!

The Foodist’s Plate

Darya looks at the USDA’s MyPlate and makes a few suggestions for what it should look like. MyPlate is fruits, vegetables, grains, protein and dairy. The dairy part? That was mostly lobbying by the U.S Dairy Council. Apparently that lobbying worked.

What it should look like:

Vegetables (cooked in natural oils) (half)

Beans or Grains (1/4)

Wild fish or pastured meat (1/4)

Fruit as a dessert or snack

Water or Wine to drink (love this tip!!)

Eat Mindfully

Take the time to think about what you are eating, slow down, chew your food and just enjoy the meal. Let this be downtime with no distractions.

NEAT

It stands for nonexercise activity thermogenesis. I’ll stick to the acronym! It is all about getting activity in. You know those 10,000 steps you are supposed to get? Work towards that. This is something I struggle with, even though I workout 4-5 times a week I sit on my butt in an office all day. Having a Fitbit helps with this. She even recommends it in the book! I am still loving my Fitbit. It really does push me to get up from my desk and get moving. I am working towards 10,000 but often find myself around 6-8K. Better than nothing but I need to get more in during the day, even if that is a quick walk around the office. (Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Health and Fitness Voices program and have been provided
with a wireless device and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product)

The other thing I love? Darya encourages you to life weights. Yes! Please get in the weight room. I can not say that enough.

Take the time to cook and eat a healthy meal

Plan your healthy meals, go grocery shopping for those foods and cook a healthy meal. Make sure you are cooking enough of the meal to have some leftovers for lunch. Eating at work can be a big challenge. Hello un-healthy food! I bring a giant lunch box with me filled with fruit, vegetables, snacks and a lunch.

What I normally pack:

Greek yogurt or oatmeal for breakfast

Fruit and nuts for a mid morning snack

Lunch is leftovers, quinoa or greens salads, or soup.

Veggies and hummus for an afternoon snack

Sparkling water with a splash of juice. It helps me stay away from soda

If you are looking for a solid book about food and what to eat I highly recommend this book. Especially to those who are just getting started on their journey! Realistic tips and ideas. No fads or gimmicks but actual science on what works and why.

I was sent this book to review but all opinions are my own!

March seemed to fly by and felt like a blur. All of a sudden it’s April and hopefully spring weather will be stick around. My pick for the Secret Recipe Club this month was a spinach egg bake. I had breakfast for the week and it was packed with veggies. Thanks to Sawsan from Chef In Disguise for this great recipe. I spent so much time on her blog and really want to make some of her Middle Eastern recipes, she has a soup that I have all the ingredients for and will be making as soon as I have some free time on a weekend.

This egg bake is perfect for busy mornings. I portioned them out into containers and had breakfast all week. I grabbed my container in the morning and with a quick minute or two in the microwave I had a delicious, filing breakfast. Spinach, onion and peppers for veggies and protein from the eggs, it was great to get extra servings in the morning too.

Secret Recipe Club Spinach Egg Bake

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Author: A Fit and Spicy Life

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion chopped
• 6 cups fresh spinach
• 1 bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• ½ cup milk
• 8 eggs
• Salt/Pepper
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• ¼ cup shredded cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325.
2. Spray a mini muffin pan with olive oil or cooking spray.
3. In the blender or food processor add the eggs, ricotta cheese, milk, basil, salt and blend. Fold in the red peppers and onion.
4. Pour the egg mixture into the mini muffin pan.
5. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top.
6. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the tops are browned and the center is set.

I was listining to the Chalene Show and she keep talking about goals for the year and making sure you wrote them down. Not just had an idea in your head but writing them down with a pen and paper, or putting them in an app. The act of writing it out helps solidify that goal for your brain. I figured why not, I wrote it on a small piece of paper and I put it in my to do list app in my phone. And guess what? I honestly feel like it’s helping.

2015 has already been filed with change!

1. My sinuses are getting better!
2. I am sticking to my 4-5 workouts per week
3. I am trying new things (new workouts, foods, classes etc)
4. We are in Colorado this week (gets after that desire to travel)

I would say that is pretty good progress and I am proud of myself. I wrote out my goals and have been really focusing on them and I KNOW there is so much more good to come.

And to keep with that goal theme I know a lot of people make a goal to move more. Well this giveaway will help you do just that. Jawbone was nice enough to send an UP MOVE to giveaway. Get fit, lose weight and have fun doing it. UP MOVE comes in a bunch of brilliant colors that you can mix and match with accessories. Clip it on and wear it anywhere. And with an LED display and Smart Coach to guide you, the UP MOVE tracker doesn’t just count your steps and track your sleep—it gets you over the hump and moving on your path to a better you.

Pretty sweet! I am giving away one UP MOVE in yellow. Sorry no color choice on this one but this is discrete and you can wear it on your pants, in a pocket, on a shoe, heck even clipped to your bra.  You can get a different colored clip or strap if you don’t want the yellow. The actual tracker is the gray circle.

Want to win this awesome tracker? Just tell me your goals for 2015. It could be a word, a few goals or even something you want to try. I will pick a random winner next Thursday the 22nd. Good luck! I have the Jawbone UP 24 and love so many things about it.

Yes, at $60 a bottle this is pricey. But we opened this with a big group of friends so everyone could try it. I want those around me to experience wine, everything from $5 a bottle to this. This has a beautiful deep red color and is a very traditional cabernet, rich with hints of oak and is just delightful. This would be something I know I would enjoy in front of a fire with a phenomenal steak dinner.

As someone who travels a lot for work (I had 40+ nights in hotels last year and 40+ flights) I am picky about where I stay. We typically stay at Marriott properties (like Courtyard’s) and I was already a Marriott Rewards® member. When Millennial Central contacted  me about being a Marriott Rewards Ambassador I had to say yes to that one! I will be posting 2 more times over the course of the next 6 months.

In honor of its 30th birthday, Marriott Rewards is celebrating with its members all year
long with a Year of Surprises.

• Marriott Rewards® wants to celebrate its 30th birthday by throwing your special
  someone a surprise party he or she will never forget. Does someone in your life
  deserve to be celebrated this year? Marriott Rewards is looking for the most
  memorable ideas you can come up with, so go to yearofsurprises.com and
  nominate your loved one today for a surprise party.
• The first round of nominations for Year of Surprises takes place February 1 to
  February 28. Nominations will be reviewed based on creativity/uniqueness of
  entry, overall appeal of nomination essay, and feasibility of the surprise party.
  Three winners will be awarded and announced in March and parties will be
  scheduled each month throughout the year. There will be a total of three
  nomination periods throughout 2014. The second nomination period is during
  the month of May, and the third is during the month of August. Limit one (1)
  entry per person/email address per nomination period. Please see the
  “Nominate” section at yearofsurprises.com for the nomination entry form and
  requirements.
• You do not need to be a Marriott Rewards member to submit a nomination, but if
  your nomination is chosen, you and the nominee will need to enroll. For more
  details on the contest, check out the Year of Surprises official rules at
  yearofsurprises.com/rules.

Marriott Rewards brings memorable experiences to life for its members.

• Voted “Program of the Year” 6 years in a row, Marriott Rewards has maintained
  excellence rewarding members with points to redeem for hotel stays, flights,
  exclusive events and shopping. Marriott Rewards has maintained excellence
  rewarding members with points to redeem for hotel stays, flights, exclusive
  events, and shopping. Through their membership, guests earn status to receive
  memorable experiences during their hotel stays with benefits such as priority
  check-in and complimentary room upgrades.
• Marriott Rewards is free to join. Members can earn and redeem points at 3,700
  hotels in 14 distinctive brands in 70+ countries around the world. Members can
  also redeem points for frequent flyer miles, cruises, car rentals, merchandise and
  more. Join at Marriott.com/rewards
• Marriott Rewards has won the Freddie Award for “Best Hotel Rewards Program
  in the Americas” six years in a row and the 2011 and 2010 Frequent Travel Award
  for “Best Hotel Rewards Program.” It has been named best hotel rewards
  program by the readers of About.com, Business Traveler, Global Traveler,
  Executive Travel and BusinessWeek magazines.
• For more information on the Year of Surprises, visit yearofsurprises.com

Do you know someone who would deserve a great surprise? Maybe a good friend has had a really hard year or a parent has a big birthday coming up. I already nominated a loved one and I seriously hope they win! They really deserve it.

This frittata is awesome. Seriously. So unique, easy, full of flavor and the spaghetti in it is perfect. Make this asap!

This was a great pick for the Secret Recipe Club this month. I had a really hard time choosing something from The Spinach Tiger. She lives in the Nashville area and really shares my interests of food and restaurants. So many good picks!

Baked Frittata with Spaghetti and Broccoli

by A Fit and Spicy Life

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Keywords: entree

Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• 1 tbsp heavy cream
• 2 tbsp shredded mozzarella
• 2 cups cooked broccoli
• 1 cup cooked spaghetti
• Salt/Pepper
• 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375.

Scramble eggs with cream. Add cheese.

Add spaghetti and broccoli to a greased pan or individual baking dishes. Pour enough eggs to fill the pan.

Add eggs into pan. Top with salt/pepper and red pepper flakes.

Bake at 375 for 15 to 25 minutes in the top third of the oven. The frittata will be done when the middle is cooked. You may need to press out some of the liquid egg so it can cook down.

Fix the deck. Ugh. This was the one major issue that came up on our inspection when we bought the house. The deck would need additional support added. Scott knew this was something he could do himself. We needed to buy the wood, cut it to the exact size of the current deck supporting posts and bolt/nail/drill them together. We will eventually stain them to match but the most important thing was getting 5 additional posts put in so when we are entertaining we know the deck can support all of that weight.

Mission accomplished. It took him (with a tiny bit of help from me) about 5 hours. I did make him take a break to eat some lunch and drink enough water.  That lunch needed some protein, healthy fats and to be full of veggies. My rule, not his 

For the Secret Recipe Club this month I was assigned the Inquiring Chef. Jess is an American from Kansas currently living in Bangkok. How fortuitous, we were just there in September! I had a blast reading all her posts and recognizing a few places that we were at. She does a great job of cooking health recipes in a new country.

I made a few small changes, the addition of shredded carrots and using agave nectar instead of honey to make the recipe 100% vegan.  This was the perfect I’ve been working all day salad. Cool, crisp, & packed full of veggies.

Carrot, Edamame & Snow Pea Salad

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Ingredients

• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• ½ lb snow peas, trimmed and thinly sliced on the diagonal
• ½ lb shelled edamame
• 5 ounces shredded carrot
• 4 radishes, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp agave nectar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp soy sauce

Instructions

1. \\Whisk together the rice wine vinegar, olive oil, agave nectar, sesame oil, and soy sauce.
2. Combine the carrots, snow peas, edamame, and radish in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine. Sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds over the top and serve.
3. The salad can be refrigerated, fully prepared, for several hours before serving.

First up on the list was a Oat and Quinoa Porridge that I heavily adapted from Bon Appetit. The prep time was just a few minutes but it did need 20 minutes of cooking time. Not something I really have time for in the morning. So I made a big batch on Sunday and have been reheating leftovers for during the week. Cook once and eat a few times. Best time saving tip ever.

The thing I love about this Oat and Quinoa Porridge is that you can change up the flavors, use another dried fruit, add different jams, try nut butter, different spices and using things like agave and maple syrup give it the right hint of sweetness. Having two kinds of grains also give it’s a great texture and is a nice change up from regular oatmeal.

I am rather partial to the homemade rhubarb cherry jam my Grandma made us with a few pepitas, chia seeds and maple syrup.

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Ingredients

• ½ cup dried cranberries
• ½ cup steel-cut oats
• ½ cup well-rinsed quinoa
• ¼ cup raisins
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 4 cups water

Instructions

1. In a saucepan bring 4 cups water, fruit, oats, quinoa, raisins, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg to a boil.
2. Let simmer for 20-30 or until cooked through.