Skinny Peaches

Crabalicious

2012-07-30T09:06:00.000-07:00

First let me start off by saying this is not the most amazing food pic I’ve ever taken and doesn’t do these delicious morsels justice. That being said, I just found out the benefits of crab, and let me tell you something, they are AWESOME. Way more awesome then what your “friend” got in college - ahem. Not only are crabs a great source of lean protein but they are also full of B vitamins which help change food to energy. Plus, it’s exercise while you eat i.e. cracking the crab legs. Ok, that may be pushing it a little but it’s still fun!

First, you have to learn the right technique for crab crackin’. Check out the video below for the perfect crack:

Second, You are NOT allowed to dip in the warm butter sauce (not so healthy) but feel free to load up on the lemon. My estimate is that the little cup is about 4 tablespoons of butter = 400 calories. SO not worth it. I asked for a few lemons and the little cup you put the butter in and just squeeze a shit-ton of lemons and then you have your sauce! Word.

For all of you Atlantan’s, get your crack to Fontaine’s on Wednesday nights. They do ½ off snow crab legs and they are delish. It's the perfect meal for a hot summer night.

Xo,

Fixin' for some Chicken (n' Biscuits)

2012-07-09T06:30:00.000-07:00

Move over Paula Dean, there's a new chef in town. Ok, that may be a little dramatic. The only thing I think Paula and I have in common is our love for all things cheese. I think I remember her one time saying, "Nothing ever tastes bad with a little extra cheese on top, it has never hurt a thing in it's life." True story Paula, true story. But besides from that I think our eating habits are a little different (and by a little I mean a lot).

So I was watching a southern cooking show and realized I've never really made or eaten Chicken n' Biscuits. Blasphemy in the south right? I think the reason is because it's such a heavy, carb loaded, cream-filled dish that I can't stomach (literally) eating it. So challenge accepted, South! Here's my take on a semi-healthy version of Chicken n' Biscuits.

My healthy version is a modified version of this recipe.

Ingredients:
- 1 Can of Whole Wheat Biscuits (in the Crescent Roll section of the supermarket)
- 1lb of Chicken Breast (Cubed)
- 2 bags of frozen mixed veggies
- 1 can of fat free cream of celery
- 1 can of fat free cream of chicken
- 1 cup of unsweetened almond or flax milk
- 4 cups of frozen veggies (I used broccoli carrot cauliflower mix with a bag of peas)
- 1/4 teaspoon of the following - thyme, celery seeds, paprika, pepper, mrs. dash original

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 400. Cook and cube chicken breast. Feel free to season a little with salt and pepper. Mix both soups in a big ass pan. Add all of the spices, chicken and veggies and cook till thawed. Throw everything into a baking dish and cook for 15 minutes. Take it out and stir it up (lil' darling). Put the biscuits on top and cook for about another 20 or more minutes. The first time I did this I didn't cook the biscuits for long enough (whoopsie) and they were quazi gross and super mushy, so make sure to do that.

Xo,
Zo

Hot Diggity Dog

2012-06-19T06:26:00.000-07:00

I’ve been meaning to go to HD1 (Richard Blaiss’s gourmet hot dog joint) for a while but always forget about it because who realllllyy wants a hot dog for dinner? So thanks to Scoutmob we decided to make a night of it and walk around the Highlands for, well, ten minutes after before we went home. So before I get into the food, my one rant about this place is that it’s at a great spot (old San Fran Coffee location on N. Highland and Ponce) and there’s maybe 3 outdoor seats. It was a perfect night to sit outside but we didn’t – who wants to look at a parking lot?

Ok, so the food. It’s tough to order healthy when all you want is a gooey chili cheese hot dog and fries but alas, it’s doable.

My Order:

Garden Chili Dog: Veggie dog with veggie chili (hold on the walnut mayo and fried shallots). The chili was good but a little spicy. They don’t give you a choice of a bun so you get it on this huge piece of white bread toast which is truly delicious but not so healthy. Clearly I ate the whole thing.
Spinach Salad: Spinach (obvi), raspberries and gorgonzola. They went a little overboard with the cheese but it was good, you can't really mess this salad up.
Optional Drink: Bluegrass sunset – bourbon, ginger ale, basil and orange. This drink was gross but I liked the idea of basil and orange. Can't win 'em all I guess. Instead of this opt for a light beer or glass of vino.

They also have an option of a carrot dog. I figured it was just another version of a veggie frank but no, it’s literally a big sauteed carrot for six bucks. No thanks. I can make that at home. Stick with the veggie or even turkey dog.

All-in-all, am I dying to go back? eh. But it was a nice experience, our waitress was adorable and super attentive and the food was good.

XO,

Ring My Bell

2012-06-07T10:03:00.002-07:00

Get it? Ring my bell el el, ring my bell! Anyone? Ok I tried. Disco may be over but how full I am from this amazing stuffed pepper recipe is not. Before I go into any detail, let me just say, when buying the peppers for this recipe, buy small peppers, for the love buy small peppers. I obviously went for the biggest most dramatic peppers in the store and I could barely freakin' eat one (although the BF had no problem demolishing the entire thing, I'm not sure if that's a salute to my tremendous cooking or that he was just famished. I'll take it either way).

So here's the deal. I'm trying to make less trips to Whole Foods so I can pay off some of my credit card (my organic, free range, cage free, grass fed, local food issue has gotten quite out of hand). I can get ALMOST as good produce at a regular grocery store even if I don't feel as cool. That being said, I'm trying to make healthy recipes on a budget and found a cheap, very delicious Stuffed Bell Pepper recipe. I clearly made some skinny modifications but I think it came out pretty damn awesome. Here's the Betty Crocker original recipe.

SP Stuffed Bell Peppers:
- 4 Green Bell Peppers
- 1 lb of the most lean ground beef you can get (prolly could use turkey too)
- 1 cup Homemade Brown Spanish Rice (See this first step in this recipe for the recipe - ha)
- 2 finely grated carrots
- 1 onion
- 1 can of tomato sauce (NOT pasta sauce)
- some sprinkles of your favorite cheese

Directions:

- Pre-heat oven to 350.
- Cut the tops off of each bell pepper (a thin cut) and gut and rinse them.

What's up Action Shot!?!?!?

- boil water in a big ass pot and make sure the water is JUST above the peppers. boil those bad boys for two minutes. (make sure the water is boiled first before you put the pepps in).

- Brown beef with onions. Once cooked add all the other ingredients and 1/2 the can of tomato sauce.

- Stuff peppers with the goodies. Pour the rest of the tomato sauce on them. Cover with some foil and cook for 8 minutes. Take the foil off, sprinkle some cheese then cook for another 15-18.

These bitches are hot so be careful taking them out and eating them.

xo,
zo

Date Night In

2012-05-31T14:03:00.000-07:00

It's summer. It's hot. I take 2 hours to get ready for a date and the second I walk outside my hair frizzes up, my makeup starts to melt, it's not pretty and it's not even June! WTF! So I had an idea (get pumped), what if I created a date night dinner in. Sounds genius right? We could cook a healthy and delicious meal together, no rush, no one has to drive home so you can drink as much as you want and you don't have to tip (unless the cook is really good, ahem). Get your mind out of the gutter, I meant tip with a yummy desert!

So, if you can get your boyfriend/friend/husband/wife/partner/lover to actually cook with you, it makes the night less stressful and not like every other night of cooking. If they're not going to participate you'll end up busy and stressed out and it kinda defeats the purpose of a relaxing night in and interferes with you getting bizzay (if you know what I mean - I'm cracking myself up over here).

Besides from the company, my favorite part about this is that I get to control what I eat (plus we sat outside which was nice minus the killer ninja Atlanta mosquitos that were attacking my legs and ankles - little fuckers).

The menu:
- Fish Taco's with ColeSlaw on Whole Wheat Tortillas
- Super Healthy Brown Spanish Rice
- Sauteed Green Beans
- Zoe's "Homemade" Guacamole
- Skinny Peaches!

RICE:
- Start with the rice cause it takes the longest.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup long grain brown rice (the kinda you actually have to cook for a while)
1 chopped onion
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup tomato paste
1 tbs diced garlic
- chop up online and pepper and saute until soft in olive oil add the garlic for a second. Then add the rice and brown it for a little (4 -5 minutes). Add everything else - cover and simmer for 40 - 50 minutes. If after 40 minutes it's still a little watery, simmer without the cover on.

FISH TACOS:
- Salt, Pepper, Dash of Low-Sodium Taco Seasoning and olive oil on fish - grill.
- For the coleslaw I boiled some corn. Cut it off into a bowl of cabbage mix. Added a little 0% fat Fage Yogurt and a splash of lime juice and called it a day.

ZOE'S "HOMEMADE" GUACAMOLE
- SOME people may laugh at this "recipe" (you know who you are) :) but really it's just delicious. Mash up some ripe avocado and mix in some Jack's Special Mild Salsa and TA DA!

And that's it! Happy date night! P.s. No kissing on the first date...unless the food is REALLY good.

XO,
zo

I Heart Nike

2012-05-11T10:25:00.002-07:00

It started at a young age, when my parents made me sign up for summer soccer camp at William & Mary college. Defying all current 1989 fashion trends I went with Nike soccer shorts vs umbros (always an individual). A true fan was born. I have been a Nike supporter ever since. The thing was, up until recently, I only was buying clothes & shoes (p.s. they have the best workout pants I know of, take a look!) and so I was hesitant to try out their Nike Training Club workout mobile App. Needless to say, they succeeded again (gawd they’re good)! I figured I’d test it out and see if it could combat my gym boredom - the answer: YES! This is the best workout app on the market right now if I do say so myself, and it's FREE! You pay zero dollars to be sore for at least 2 days (if you do the advanced workouts for 45 minutes). That’s at least $50 bucks in savings that you WONT have to use on a trainer. You are welcome, that means more money into your Whole Foods budget :)

Check it out…download the app, select your workout and then select the music you want to hear from your VERY OWN ipod! Plus, you get healthy recipe and celebrity workout rewards the more minutes you log…GENUIS!

I’m a big fan of the “Get Toned” option for Advanced called: True Condition. I also take a look at all of the workout sections before so I know what I’m doing, oh yeah, they have VIDEO to help you along with this really nice lady that tells you when to switch workouts and that you should, “Keep up the good work!”

Here are a few screenshots of the workout and the reward!

Xo,

Chicken Parm, Chicken Shmarm

2012-04-25T12:34:00.002-07:00

A new take on a old fatty fave. I wont lie, I love a good cheesy, carby Chicken Parmesan dish (otherwise known as cutlets and gravy to all of my Italian friends) but alas, the recipe is not so health conscious. So, I've created a new much more healthy spin on this old world favorite. I found that you can re-create the Italian flavors by using some standard seasonings and a little marinara. Welcome to the world, healthy Chicken Parmesan Stir-Fry!

Also - a few of you had commented on my horrible photography skills so I've hired a professional photographer to help me with my food shots moving forward (ok so maybe I just asked nicely). But check out how good these new pics are!

Chicken Parmesan Stir-Fry
- 1lb Chicken Breast - cubed
- 1 Green Pepper
- 1 Red Pepper
- 1 Crown of Broccoli
- 1/2 an Onion
- 5 Kale Leaves
- 1/2 Jar of Light Ragu
- 1 Cup of Trader Joe's Almond Meal (this stuff is the shit. It's the same thing as breadcrumbs but AWESOMELY healthy and not bread - obviously, but you knew that).

Directions:
1) Season the almond meal with pepper, oregano and basil.
2) Salt and Pepper the chicken and then shake it around in the Almond meal
3) Put a little olive oil in a pan and saute the chicken until it's done. Put it in a bowl and then set aside.
4) Spray a pan with a little cooking spray and saute all veggies for about 5 minutes, then pour in marinara sauce and let it simma' for a litta' (ha). Ok like 3 minutes.
5) Plate and serve! Bravo! Ole?! Ummm, Vino! Yes, that sounds right. Serve with wine.

I added a few shaves of parm on top.

Xo,

Summertime (almost) and the Grillin' is Easy

2012-04-10T06:41:00.000-07:00

Truth: I'm not the one actually doing the grilling BUT I am definitely preparing everything. Ok, that's a lie too - my skinny grilling efforts have been shared but I think that makes it less stressful for all parties and you both can relax a little and spend some QT together. Awwwww.

Grilling is the perfect way to get great tasting and very healthy dishes. Plus, sitting outside with a cocktail is pretty spectacular this time of year. Here’s a recipe that is SUPER simple, low-calorie and pretty damn tasty. For a side, just grab one of those bagged salads from the store, I added some nuts, avocado and light feta and it was the perfect side to a spring(ish) night. I also got a new Braggs ACV Ginger-Sesame salad dressing and it was AWESOME. Oh, and if you have extra shrimp you can eat it for lunch on a salad the next day! Look at that - healthy recipes AND saving you some dough.

Grilled Shrimp Skewers:

- ½ teaspoon of cinnamon

- ¼ teaspoon of paprika

- teaspoon of chopped cilantro

- 2 tablespoons lemon and lime juice (each)

- 2 tablespoons of tequila

- 3 tablespoons of EVOO

- 1 red and 1 green bell pepper

- 1 yellow and 1 green zucchini

- ½ Red Onion

- 1 LB of peeled shrimp

Basically, mix all of this together (minus the shrimp and veggies). Cut the veggies into big slices. Chuck all the goodies (veggies and shrimp) into a big ass bowl and mix together. Put your stuff onto skewers, salt and pepper and throw those bad boys onto the grill (3 minutes-ish on each side).

Photo Credit: JG Photography :)

Pair with a nice glass of wine or prosecco. Or even a Skinny Peach!

Xo,

Crabby Pants!

2012-03-23T07:15:00.000-07:00

It happens to the best of us. Some call it waking up on the wrong side of the bed, but I like to call it crabby pants (it's much less subtle). I had one of those days this past week and decided to make a delicious "theme based" dinner. I love seafood, especially crab cakes, but I always feel like they are LOADed with mayo and stuffing and just not so healthy things. So, I found a wonderful recipe on SkinnyTaste.com. Add any type of summer/spring (cause there's no use in denying that this 80 degree weather isn't actually the start of summer in the south) bean salad and you have yourself a meal! Yum!

too easy.

I changed the recipe around a tad bit to add more veggies and less filler. Also - you could probably add a PINCH of Old Bay for flavor, cause who doesn't love that stuff (please note I refrained from saying shit. I'm trying to start using less curse words, this should be interesting). :)

Baked Lump Crab Cakes:

9 ounces lump crab meat

10 reduced fat Ritz crackers, crushed

1 whole egg plus 1 egg white, beaten

2 tbsp finely chopped red onions

1/2 a chopped red bell pepper

1 tbsp low fat mayonnaise

2 tbsp fresh cilantro (or parsley)

1/2 lime, juiced

salt and pepper to taste

Pre-head oven to 400. Mix all ingredients BUT the crab meat in a bowl, then fold in crab meat. Don't get aggressive or you wont have those big chunks of crab that are so good. Form the mixture into 4 medium size cakes and put in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.

Spray a cooking sheet with spray (Spray with spray, wow, I'm waxing poetic in this post). Bake about 10 minutes on each side and serve with your salad! Booya! I made the salad below...

Black Bean & Avocado Salad

1 can black beans, rinsed
1 avocado, in chunks
9 can of corn
1/4 cup of lime juice
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
cilantro to taste (leftover from the crab recipe).

ENJOY - Happy Pollinated Spring ATL!

XO,
zo

ACV for ya BODy

2012-03-11T18:40:00.000-07:00

I realize that there are many ways people use apple cider vinegar (ACV). From mixing with water to clean hard wood floors, remove residue from styling products in your hair or help take away the pain from a jelly fish sting, today I'm not going to focus on those but I AM going to tell you a few interesting (and unproven) health benefits of this liquid.

So what is it? It is a type of vinegar made by squeezing the liquid from apples and fermenting it (adding bacteria and yeast so the sugars turn into alcohol) twice. It turns into vinegar during the second fermentation process.

So why is this good for you? Well my dears, if you're trying to lose some lbs, two teaspoons of this vinegar (after you eat) prolongs the feeling of being full and also aids in breaking down body fat. It also contains pectin which is known to help regulate blood pressure and reduces crappy cholesterol.

I use BRAGG, you can get it at Whole Foods or Dekalb Farmers Market

Note: None of this stuff is FDA proven so it's kinda just like, try it out, if it works awesome! If not, no big whoop. But if you have diabetes or something else that effects your blood sugar, definitely have a little chit chat with your doctor before you down this stuff. Oh hell, might as well just chat with your doc and do some online research even if you are 100% healthy. Oh and my suggestion would be to only drink the raw, organic kind. Don't need all of you guys drinking random stuff that's not good for you.

Cheers!

xo,
zo

Pecan Crusted Chicken

2012-02-23T19:34:00.000-08:00

Oy. What a week? I promise I'm not neglecting all of you Skinny Peaches. I admit, I have been traveling and fell off the band wagon for a hot second. Note to self: The green icing on king cake is not a vegetable. But I'm back, I promise. I'm in the midst of a move so I haven't been going out to any new restaurants recently. I've been MAJORLY slacking on the whole packing thing - besides from my shoes which are all moved (this is probably not a shock for those who know me) but will have a good ATL restaurant for you soon. In the meantime, check out this great, healthy recipe for Pecan Crusted Chicken.

What you'll need:
- Chicken breast
- 1/2 cup of Pecans
- Whole wheat flour
- Whole wheat Panko crumbs
- Oil
- One sweet potato
- Already cooked edamame

What you'll make:
Pre-heat oven to 375
- Sweet potato chips: Thinly cut sweet potatoes and mix with oil, salt and cinnamon. Bake for 20ish. I like mine a little crispier/burnt (I know, I'm weird) so I sometimes keep them in for 30 or more. Just watch them every 5 minutes to make sure you don't burn your house down.
- Chicken Coating: Chop the shit out of pecans or put them in a food processor and mix with 1/2 cup of Whole Wheat Panko. Keep in a bowl and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder.
- Chicken: Dredge (the BF had to tell me what that word meant, but basically it means lightly coat or sprinkle) chicken with flour. Dip it into some oil after and then coat with the mixture above. Place into baking pan and cook for 15-20 minutes.
- Edamame: Heat up in the microwave (that's a toughy)

XO,
Zo

Spaghetti...Squash?

2012-02-13T18:19:00.000-08:00

You read it right. Spaghetti squash, it's the ish. And I loooove a good Italian meal. One of my favorite parts of training for a triathlon is the few nights before when I get to carb up. Hello white pasta (which I never eat) and meatballs (not scared). But alas, if I ate like that on a regular basis I would need to be doing a triathlon a week. I've tried whole wheat pasta which is delicious but still not the same. I've been reading a lot of recipes that substitute spaghetti squash for real pasta and I figured, what the hell right?

Kinda just made this recipe up but it was delish, if I do say so myself.

1. Cook the spaghetti squash. Pre-heat oven to 375. Cut that bad boy open, rub some olive oil up in there and cook for 45 - 55 minutes. Just check it and make sure it's not burning (a little char on the skin isn't too bad). Take it out, let it cool for 5 minutes and seperate the squash meat so it looks like spaghetti. Booya!

2. Saute the veggies in a little olive oil and then pour a half a cup of light marinara sauce in there and let simmer.

I heart veggies.

3. Cook chicken sausage, cut into slices.

4. Throw all ingredients together and mix.

5. Cook shrimp with garlic and a little oil and place on top of the "spaghetti"

Sprinkle a little parm on top and voila - you have yourself a delicious mock-Italian meal.

XO,
zo

Healthy Berry Dessert

2012-02-02T19:08:00.000-08:00

After a long week of uber healthy eating (see Healthy Budget-Friendly Menu), I felt as though I deserved to treat myself to a little something sweet but not ridiculously detrimental to all the good healthy eating I just did.

I threw this together for a dinner party and it was a HUGE hit, if I do say so myself. Plus has a TON of anti-oxident power.

Ingredients:
- Strawberries
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Raspberries
- 1 package of shortbread (Optional)
- Dark Chocolate drizzle
- 2 Cans of Fat-Free Whipped Cream (no need to use all just don't wanna have too little)

Basically, just half the strawberries, wash and layer each fruit. Super simple.

I did it like this: strawberries, whipped cream, shortbread, more strawberries and blueberries, whipped cream, raspberries and blackberries and one last layer of whipped cream and a small drizzle of dark chocolate sauce.

Cha-check it out!

XO,
Zo

Healthy Budget-Friendly Weekly Menu

2012-01-29T13:41:00.000-08:00

So I am making a conscious effort to spend less money in 2012. I realized that a lot of the big line items on my bank statement were food because either I wasn't planning meals and buying tons of random shit or I was just buying way too expensive items at Whole Foods. This is my first shot at planning for the week so let me know what you think!

A few tips if you're in the same boat:
- Only buy specialty items at more expensive stores. Example: You can't find Manuka honey at Publix.
- Write down your daily menus and only buy from that. Example: Last week I almost got $5 worth of diet cranberry juice with fizz because it was new. Really necessary? Nope.

MENU
p.s. the links link to the recipes!

MONDAY:
B - Egg White & Veggie Omelet, Ezekial Bread Toast, Fresh Spinach/Carrot/Apple Juice
L - Grilled Chicken Breast (Use Mrs. Dash seasoning) & 1/2 a Sweet Potato
D - Turkey Lettuce Wraps w/ Cashews
S - Fat Free Yogurt, Pre-Made Snack Mix (15 almonds, handful of cranberries), Strawberries, BabyBell Light

TUESDAY:
B - Steel Cut Oats w/ Blueberries and Peanut Butter, 1/2 cup Almond Milk
L - Grilled Chicken & other 1/2 of Sweet Potato
D - Turkey Burgers w/ Avocado and Salad (Whole wheat bread - duh)
S - Fat Free Yogurt, Pre-Made Snack Mix (15 almonds, handful of cranberries), Green Tea, Blueberries, BabyBell Light

WEDNESDAY:
B - Egg White & Veggie Omlette, Ezekial Bread Toast, Fresh Spinach/Carrot/Apple Juice
L - Nicoise Salad
D - Out to Dinner (I figured no one really cooks EVERY night and if you do that's amazing)
S - Fat Free Cottage Cheese w/ Blueberries, Pre-Made Snack Mix, Green Tea

THURSDAY:
B - Steel Cut Oats w/ Blueberries and Peanut Butter, 1/2 cup Almond Milk
L - Nicoise Salad
D - Baked Tilapia w/ Veggies & Brown Rice
S - Fat Free Cottage Cheese w/ Blueberries, Pre-Made Snack Mix, Green Tea

FRIDAY:
B - Blueberry Banana Shake (w/ Peanut Butter), two pieces of Ezekial Toast
L - Turkey Sandwich on Whole Wheat
D - Fish Tacos w/ Guac & Greek Yogurt Slaw
S - Fat Free Yogurt w/ Blueberries, Pre-Made Snack Mix, Green Tea

GROCERY LIST (Print and tear this off if you want):
- 2 chicken breasts
- 5 tilapia filets
- 1.5 lb of ground turkey
- Eggs
- Whole wheat tortillas
- Ezekial Bread
- Berries
- Veggies (for all meals)
- Brown Rice
- Cabbage (for fish taco slaw)
- Almonds
- Cashews
- Cranberries
- Cottage Cheese
- Yogurt
- 1 sweet potato
- romaine lettuce
- spinach
- bag of carrots
- 2 tuna packets
- steel cut oats
- 2 avocados
- baby potatoes
- green beans

I probably forgot something (whoops). I hope you enjoy the meals!

xo,
zo

Farm Burger

2012-01-17T17:30:00.000-08:00

Hello why did it take me so long to go here? I just don't understand. How did not one of my friends drag me down to Decatur (and now Buckhead) to eat one of the more delicious veggie burgers I've had in Atlanta. Local produce, grass fed beef, composting?!?!? Yes please.

While I do love my Yeah! Burger cobb salad, their veggie burger needs a little help. Farm Burger, on the other hand has a kick a$$ veggie burger and from what it looked like, an amazing regular grass fed burger (my hot date/bf had finished it all before I got a chance to even ask for a bite! Thanks a lot!). I bet you're wondering what the big deal is with this grass fed stuff. Well, readers (all 20 of you, thanks mom for forwarding to your list serve) a cows stomach is meant to digest grass, not corn and grain like most beef shops. When cows walk around and eat grass, not only are the raised in a humane way (moooooo) they don't over-eat and they're not being force fed with hormones, the absence of these things inevitably makes the beef healthier with higher concentrates of beta carotene and Omega-3's all of which help reduce cholesterol, diabetes, cancer and high blood pressure.

Now to the veggie burger. It's no secret that I heart quinoa and that is the base of this burger, along with some awesome chopped carrots and other veggies. Needless to say, it was a smashing hit. Also, they have a chalkboard of seasonal fresh local veggies that I'm sure you can ask to get added on.

My Order:
- Veggie burger with lettuce, tomato and Swiss - sauce on the side

XO,
zo

My Favorite Tips from Dr. Oz

2012-01-09T18:55:00.000-08:00

It ain't no lie, I love Dr. Oz. He explains health issues so they make sense to lil' ole me and he lives a super healthy lifestyle. I don't know what it is about him...he's like my cool uncle that I trust to give me sound advice (and sneak me wheat grass shots under the table). I wanted to share some of my favorite tips from him with you all. I figured right about now everyone is struggling with their weight loss New Years resolutions (I know I am) and need a few pick-me-up's to get back on track. Here goes the best one is at the bottom...

I heart Dr. Oz

#10: Plan your meals ahead of time. That way you're less likely to make an unhealthy last-minute food choices.

#9: Check your poop. Ha, poop. It's no laughing matter. If your poop isn't brown and you may be super sick, unless you ate some beets.

#8: Skipping meals can cause your body to go into a fat-storing starvation mode (yikes), making it harder to burn calories.

#7: Slow the hell down. I'm guilty of this but slow your roll when you're eating. You will get fuller faster and wont eat as much.

#6: Try distancing yourself from negative vibes/people by observing them without judgment when they occur and just walk away. Peace, man.

#5: Floss your teeth. This is from the Dr. but I originally got this advice from one of my greatest friends. She said to me "Be true to your teeth or they will be false to you!" She was 87 years young and still had ALL of her real teeth. Miss you Pearly.

#4: Stretch. Even if you didn't exercise that day. It will help your posture and just get your blood flowing in the AM to wake you up for a productive day.

#3: Ok so this isn't Dr. Oz's but it's mine. Get OFF WebMD and stop self-diagnosing. I convinced myself I had a brain eating amoeba from my neti pot just because I had a fever. If you think you're dying, go to the ER. Good lord.

#2: Talk to your friends, family or a shrink. When you face life's stresses by yourself, you make yourself older through anxiety and that can actually physically hurt your body. You can reduce your aging by having a chat over a glass of wine with a friend (make it red and you will get a double dose of goodness).

#1: Replace an occasional dinner with some good ole fashioned knockin' tha boots (that's right, I just said that). Healthy sex may help you control the amount of food you BOTH eat and it's great exercise, among other things. Ahem - get your mind out of the gutter!

You can check out his show's site here or follow him on Twitter.

Xo,
Zo

Radial Cafe

2012-01-04T06:20:00.000-08:00

Vegan options, check. Farm-to-table, check. First certified Green Restaurant in the state of Georgia, double check! So many reasons to love Radial Cafe besides from the fact that the food is wonderful! Check out what being green means for this local restaurant. It's located right smack in between downtown and Decatur. And on weekend make sure you call ahead because the wait can be a tad bit long. However, they do have delicious organic shade-grown coffee, which discourages weed growth and encourages bio-diversity among many other things, for patrons while you wait.

I've been going here since I moved to Atlanta and am finally ready to share this gem! Plus, they are open for dinner now which they weren't before. So now when you're going to dinner in that area you don't have run straight to Fox Brothers (hard to stay healthy with Frito Pie, just saying). My typical order is the Biscuits and Vegetarian Gravy but I'm trying slim down so I decided to try something new!

Just an fyi - they're closed on Wednesdays. And for dinner, you can order any entree halved.

My Order (Make sure to check out their weekly specials too):
- Hummus with Whole Wheat Pita (awesome)
- Walnut-Lentil Burger. So Yummy with spinach, onion, oats and quinoa flour.

Whoopsie I forgot to take a picture because I was too busy stuffing my face. So here's one I stole from the world wide web that I thought was pretty. :)

Xo,
Zo

Honey for my Homies

2011-12-21T16:15:00.000-08:00

Celebs are talking about it, Scarlett Johansson swears by it, Kourtney Kardashian eats it on her oatmeal, and I went through an entire jar of Manuka Honey in one month. Not only does this raw honey taste amazing in tea, on toast or just by itself, it has some pretty unbelievable healing qualities and quite honestly, I'm obsessed with it.

So what is manuka honey you may ask? It is raw honey that is created from bees that only feed on the manuka bush found in New Zealand. Most manufacturers of manuka honey remove all other plants from the are so the honey is pure.

Ok so that's all great but the best part about this magical honey is the health properties. People have been using this honey for thousands of years because of it's antibacterial properties. Some of it's uses include:
- mouthwash
- to heal cuts and prevent burn blisters (woah)!
- as a face mask (put a teaspoon in your palm and mix with a little water. massage on face and then wash off. It's like a yummy antibacterial exfoliating mask).
- tummy issues
- the common cold and sore throat

Some brands have the initials UMF on the label which stands for Unique Manuka Factor. This acronym is a reference to the unique special disinfectant properties. The rule is not to rely on the manuka factors unless the rating is above 10. I like 15+.

You can get it at Whole Foods or online at My Natural Market.

Xo,
Zo

Turkey Lettuce Wraps

2011-12-11T16:00:00.000-08:00

If you know me, you know my obsession with The Biggest Loser and Jillian Michaels. I don't know what it is...but I can watch one episode and immediately feel the need to go run to the gym and drink water from a Brita. So needless to say, when I'm hungry and watching the show, I always want something they make that looks healthy. I also went to a baby shower this weekend and ate WAY to many white chocolate covered Oreo's (they were amazing). So I took a vow of no carbs today.

Lettuce Wraps seemed like the perfect answer. These little healthy wraps are perfect for a weekday night as well cause they only take about 20 minutes to make and are an instant hit (especially after the gym when you need a little protein kick).

I got this recipe from Delish.com ! Serves about 4. I modified their version a little bit by adding more veggies.

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb. ground chicken breast (you can make this with turkey or tofu as well - equally as yummy)
2 tablespoons all natural or low-fat peanut butter
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons low sodium teriyaki sauce
1 small can drained chopped water chestnuts
1/2 chopped onion
1 green pepper (or red)
4 chopped celery stalks
4-6 leaves romaine lettuce

PREPARATION
1. In a pan, heat olive oil. Add ground chicken and brown; stir occasionally to separate the meat.
2. Add peanut butter, soy sauce; and teriyaki sauce to the chicken until well mixed.
3. Add water chestnuts, onion; and cashews.

I felt that a bloody would go very well with this meal.

4. After chicken is completely brown, let simmer for about five minutes; stirring every couple of minutes. Uncover and cook until a thick consistency.

Ben was waiting for a taste too! Sorry bud. Ok, I almost gave him some but feel like I heard that turkey isn't good for dogs.

xo,
zo

Tea for Two

2011-12-02T09:04:00.000-08:00

It's December. Everyone is flipping out that it's December and everyone is sick. It's making me a walking anxiety attack. So besides from washing the shit out of your hands and putting an air purifier in your office (true story I did that), "they" say that you should be drinking a lot of fluids. I totally agree but also think that you might as well spruce up your fluids with some health benefits. Some people think a hot cup of tea can prevent sickness. Do I agree...not really. BUT I do think tea helps and it tastes good AND there are other great qualities tea brings to the table. I'm not going to go into them here but take a look at the health effects of tea.

Not all of us have the time or patience to go get loose leaf tea and get all of the utensils needed to make it. Although, if you do, the tea is freakin' awesome and you can find the stuff to make it at Teavana. If you don't know what you want or need go to one of their stores and an expert will help you.

So below is my top list of grocery store teas. At the grocery store there are usually two tea areas, one near the coffee and another in the health food section. I have nothing against generic tea but it's like eating two gummy bears in the morning instead of gummy vitamins (that was a horrible example but you get the picture). So, walk yourself over to the health food section and pick up one of my favorites below:

1. Yogi Tea. Check out their tea finder so you can find the perfect tea for your mood/ailment.
2. A Mighty Leaf. You want the tea pouches. This site also has a tea finder.
3. Traditional Medicinals. This stuff is organic so that's cool. Also the purpose of the tea is on the box so you can just go straight to the store and pick what's best.

We used to have this kettle growing up. It whistles!

When all else fails, go for any Celestial Seasonings tea. They're all pretty good.

xo,
zo

No no, thank YOU!

2011-11-23T10:10:00.000-08:00

Every email I have gotten in the last month has been about a Thanksgiving sale or what to eat to not be in a food coma for the weekend. I totally could have written a post giving you tips on how to eat healthy, what to shy away from or even substations. But I'm not gonna do that. You may be asking yourself, but why Zoe? The reason, you can get all of that info from the bagillion emails you have probably received also.

My tip for you this Thanksgiving is to enjoy yourself. Spend time with your friends and family. One day of eating a little unhealthy is totally ok. Pick a few things that you just can't live without and then load up on the veggies. Take a long run or long cardio session the next day after your shopping binge and you will quickly get back into your normal routine.

If you want to feel extra good about life, make a food donation to a local shelter for peeps that aren't as lucky as you to be able to stuff your face with mom's marshmallow sweet potatoes, they will be very thankful.

VOLS sweet potatoes - a family tradition.

Also - thank you for reading my blog! It's been really fun to write and I'm excited for many more Thanksgivings with you all!

Xo,
Zo

Miller Union

2011-11-19T14:52:00.000-08:00

Ok, don't kill me but the meal at Miller Union was so good (and I was a little drunk) that I forgot to take pictures of the food. Whoops, my bad. BUT the good thing is that the meal was amazing there were definitely healthy options, even though I didn't necessarily choose to eat all of them (you have to splurge sometimes right?).

All of the food is prepared farm to table and they have a great "Harvest Dinner" every third Tuesday of each month where all meals are served family style and it's $35 per person for 3 courses, yum! My suggestion - arrive 15 to 20 minutes early and have a cocktail at the bar. It's a great scene and the bartenders are very knowledgeable and make very tasty drinks (a little too tasty). Try the Miller Thyme or the French Connection.

My Order:
- Farm Egg Baked in Celery Cream w/ Rustic Bread (ok so this is not so healthy but it was delicious).
- Carolina scamp grouper, leeks, fennel, radish, celery

Xo,
zo

Comfort Cuisine (Kinda)

2011-11-09T11:25:00.000-08:00

We all want it, we just don't want the calories associated with gorging into a huge chunk of fried chicken with some deliciously gooey mac & cheese. I was challenged with this conundrum a few weeks ago and didn't know what to do. Do I go to Whole Foods and get the chicken fried tofu, do I just say F it and head over to South City Kitchen or do I be the Skinny Peach that I know I want to be and try to make a healthy version of this age old southern delicacy? Obviously the answer was C. try and make a healthy version.

Recipe for: Bab's Cornflake Chicken w/ Vegan Mac & Cheese

What you will need:
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Chicken breasts
- Corn Flakes
- Honey
- Paprika
- Salt
- Pepper
- Garlic Powder

Directions

Chicken: Put the oil in a bowl. Put a lot of cornflakes in a different bigger bowl and ad a few shakes of paprika as well as garlic, salt and pepper to taste (I don't like a lot). Dip the chicken breast in the oil, let a lot of it drip off. Then place the chicken in the cornflake mixture, push down on both sides so it's totally covered and then throw it in a baking dish. Once you've coated all of the chicken drizzle some honey on top and bake for 375 for about 30 - 45 minutes.

Mac and Cheese: follow directions on box. I took a look at a handful of different options and chose the vegan version with the least amount of sodium, calories and fat. Dairy Free Shells and Cheese (what a clever name). I thought it was delicious...my boyfriend had mixed feelings. I bought one other box but haven't tried it yet. I'll keep you posted.

Broccolini: Steam and Serve (tough one).

TA DA!!!!!!

xo ya'll,
zo

Tailgating Troubles

2011-11-05T06:14:00.000-07:00

In light of the much hyped about big game tonight, Tennessee vs MTSU :), I figured it was topical to give everyone a few healthy tailgating food ideas and tips.

It's so easy to get off the wagon on days like today, especially after a few traditional Jack & Coke's. However, you don't want to wake up with a hangover AND the feeling of guilt because you ate an entire tupperware of queso, gorged yourself on greasy fried wings and popped more than a handful of brownie bites.

Whenever I am faced with this challenge there are a few rules I try and keep:
- Portion control. Good lord - did you really need to eat an entire bag of chips?
- Atkins diet on game day. TRY and stick to the meats and veggies (again remember the portion control).
- If people are hanging out and chatting around the food, catch up with your friends that aren't in arms reach of the table. You'll be less likely to snack on stuff you're not hungry for.

A few foods that are healthy that are surefire at all tailgates. And if they're not, you can always bring food. The hosts will always appreciate it.
- Guacamole
- Pita Chips
- Veggies (sometimes I steal all of the celery from the wing tray, whoops)
- Smoked meats (in moderation and w/ no sauce). My fav is smoked brisket.

Also, make sure to pick ONE thing to treat yourself to or once you get drunk you'll eat everything in sight. Or maybe that's just me but I usually indulge in 3 or 4 wings.

Happy Tailgating and GO XXX (Fill in the blank for your team) VOLS!

xo,
zo

Acne Dote

2011-11-02T19:22:00.000-07:00

I mean what am I...13? My face is breaking out like a teenager and it's giving me an anxiety attack. I went to the dermatologist and she was no help. Gave me some topical bs that didn't do one thing. I tried the Target version of Proactive and nothing. I was about to burn a few layers of my face off but figured I'd try some natural stuff first for one last go round. Oddly enough...it worked! I went to the face wash area at Whole Foods and saw a wash that said "Better skin in 7 days." Yes please. So check out alba Botanica acne dote. I used the deep poor wash and oil controlling lotion. They were about 12 bucks a pop but well worth it.

Ok, so I realize this isn't my usual workout or or food post but I figure this revolves around health and appearance so I might as well, whateves. If this bs is happening to me, it's got be happening to other people...right?

BTW - can you believe it's November? Lord. Good luck to all you fellas growing staches for Movember!

Xo,
zo