This braised beef is awesome. My husband has requested it 4 times in the past 2 weeks and I am so proud of myself for creating this simple, yet delicious dish.

Make this! You won’t regret it!

(I had step by step photo’s…… but live writer is being annoying right now & won’t upload them. Sorry!)

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 2 sirloin steaks, 3 lbs total
• 1/2 cup dry red wine ( I used a Sangiovese blend)
• 1 cup of water or beef broth (I used water)
• 3 Tbsn salted butter
• Salt & Pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and heat a heavy duty pan over med-high heat. I used my Le Creuset braiser, it works great! Generously season the steaks with salt and pepper.

Melt 1 Tbsn of butter and sear the steaks for a couple minutes on each side. Pour 1/2 cup of a dry red wine, over the steaks. The wine will loosen up all those yummy bits stuck to the bottom of the pan <—— my favorite part! Next, add a cup of water or beef broth and top the steaks with 2 Tbsn of butter. Cover with a lid and place in the oven for 3 hours. When the beef is done, it will easily fall apart. Shred it apart with 2 forks and mix it to incorporate all the liquid.

Enjoy & You’re Welcome!

I’m so excited to share this savory dish with you guys! I realize that Lisa and I usually share dessert recipes, so I am making a point to include more meal recipes. I already have another savory recipe on the list to share!

This meal actually came about at the end of the week, when our fridge was bare – yet I still wanted to cook up something nourishing. Onions, sweet potatoes and eggs are staples in our house and I usually have some around, even at the end of the week. The second time I made this – I turned it up a notch and added the goat cheese and chipotle sauce. It definitely was a hit!

I can see myself making this dish often. I usually serve it for dinner with a side of greens for a delicious & balanced meal. I love that you can pretty much eat this for breakfast, lunch or dinner! If you have leftovers, the hashed potatoes reheat pretty well.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 3 medium sweet potatoes, shredded (I use my food processor to do this)
• 1 onion (red or yellow), chopped
• 6 eggs
• 11/2 tsp paprika
• 1tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp oregano
• 3/4 tsp of salt
• ground pepper
• chipotle sauce (I used this one, you could substitute hot sauce)
• 6 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
• butter or olive oil for frying

Directions:

In a large pan over medium heat, sauté’ onions in butter or oil until translucent. Add the shredded sweet potatoes and spices/seasonings. Try not to mix them too often – that way you will get some browning. Cook until the sweet potatoes are soft. They cook pretty quickly – between 5-10 min.Be careful not to over cook them, or they will get mushy. Plate the  hashed potatoes and begin to fry your eggs. I used the same pan I cooked the potatoes in (yay for less pans!). Top the hashed potatoes with the eggs, goat cheese and chipotle sauce.

Dig in!

I still cannot believe the number of comments I get every single day on my first oil cleansing post- there are almost 800 comments on it and it gets over 40,000 views every week. It went viral on Pinterest and I couldn’t be any happier that it has reached so many people. It is by far our number one viewed post. I wanted to share my experience in hopes of helping others, but I could’ve never imagined the amount of positive feed back I’d get. It makes my heart swell every time someone writes me to tell me how much the OCM has helped their skin. I haven’t been able to keep up with all the comments and most of the time I can’t answer the questions, so I am hoping this update will help clarify some of your questions.

A lot of you have asked me, how my skin is doing about 9 months after starting the OCM. I am glad to report that it is still doing great!

I have no foundation on in this picture (I rarely wear any), just under eye concealer, blush and mascara. I’m only writing this because I got a few comments asking if I was wearing makeup in my pervious update.

Here is a reminder of what my skin looked like 9 month ago prior to using the OCM. Those were some tough times months!

While my skin is not perfect, the only time I usually ever breakout is a couple days before my period and it’s usually just one small pimple and I can definitely deal with one pimple per month! I also sometimes get tiny white heads, especially when my skin gets dry during the harsh Chicago winters, but all I need to extract them out at night (sorry so gross) and my skin is good to go by morning.

My Routine

I do the OCM every night and have never used any other facial product since. I tossed everything after a couple months since I knew I wouldn’t need them anymore. During the winter I use mostly olive oil with a drop of castor oil to cleanse my face. My skin was on the dry side and since castor oil tends to be drying, I had to reduce it. After I am done steaming and wiping my face, I let it dry and add a tiny amount of jojoba oil to moisturize my skin. If I workout in the morning and sweat a lot, or my skin just feels icky from cleaning the house – I might do the OCM again in the am to unclog my pores from the sweat. Otherwise I just rinse and add another drop of Jojoba oil.

To remove any make up, I just lightly dab a cotton ball in the oil and wipe the make up off. It works like a charm!

I found two great masks that work for my skin. The first I have mentioned before. It is a bentonite clay mask(I use this one). I feel like it does a great job at pulling out all the “gunk” deep inside my pores. The second mask is a mixture of 1 Tbs mashed avocado and 1 Tbs raw honey (must be raw). It has a very soothing effect on my skin and adds a great glow. It did tingle a bit when I had it on…. which I think is from the raw honey. I didn’t experience any redness or irritation from it, but be careful if you have very sensitive skin. It’s always safe to test it out on a small area of skin first.

To exfoliate I use about a tsp of baking soda and add enough water to make a thick paste. First I remove any makeup – then gently rub it over my skin for a few minutes and rinse it off. Then I follow with the OCM. You can do this as often as you like, depending on the sensitivity of your skin.

Getting to the Root Cause 

A few people have mentioned that the OCM hasn’t worked for them. I want to explain while the OCM is great for your skin, it simply isn’t enough if you have an underlying condition and your acne won’t go away until it is resolved.With Western Medicine they tend to focus on each symptom individually. The problem is that the body works as a whole and by treating each symptom separately, your simply not treating the root cause. In my opinion, a couple important things to look into are your digestion and hormones. They play a HUGE part in your health and are connected to a lot of illnesses.  It’s very easy to get frustrated when your face is full of acne, but you have to remember it’s your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong on the inside. From my experience something that is overlooked often is, chronic stress. It can wreak havoc on both your digestion and hormones – big time. At least it did for me. I might do a post soon on how chronic stress can wreck havoc on your digestion, but in the meantime I suggest you look into it.

Several people have asked me if they can do the OCM while on prescriptions from their dermatologist, or if they should even stop using their prescriptions. I don’t have an answer since I am not an expert and only speak from my experience.  Again, the only advice I have is to look for the root cause because prescriptions and birth control are only covering up your symptoms.

Some of you have questions if your skin will get worse before it gets better. I didn’t have that problem, but others have commented that they did but stuck with it and their skin eventually got better. That’s a personal choice you will have to make on your own. Each individual is very different and I unfortunately don’t have the magic answer.

That said… I hope that as I continue to study to become a health coach, I will be able to help others get to the root cause of their symptoms. I have been doing a lot this year to improve my own health and I hope I will soon be able to share my story with all of you.

Has the OCM helped you?

Have you discovered the root cause to your acne?

Oh, how glad I am that curry found it’s way into my life 6 years ago.

Is there a food in your life that you were introduced to by someone
you know? One that you probably wouldn’t have tired on your own?

6 years ago, when my husband and I were just dating, my sister-in-law ordered Thai take-out  and encouraged me to try her  yellow curry chicken. I was a little hesitant at first. Prior to that day I always assumed I wouldn’t like curry because the spices would be… I don’t know,
pungent, overpowering, strong? Well, I gave it a try and my taste buds exploded in my mouth.

Ever since that day I have been trying to recreate it at home….without much success.

The main problem was that I could not find a curry paste that had that sweet and
mild taste like the one from Thai takeout. I think you guys know where this is heading.

The other week I was at World Market (they have a World Market section inside the Bed Bath &
Beyond by me now) and spotted this.

I was sold at first sight and it ended up being a great impulse buy.

That night I threw together some chicken, coconut milk, veggies and added the sauce and… Queue the angles… It tasted just like the yellow curry from take out!

Needless to say, my husband and I have been obsessed with it ever since. Last night, I had planned on us eating leftovers for dinner, but really didn’t have a taste for chicken. I wanted something warm and comforting. Food combinations were running through my mind and I thought, warm=curry and comforting=sweet potatoes and added some shrimp in for protein of course. It took me 20 minutes from start to finish and  it turned out so delicious. My husband and I sat there wishing there was more!

I definitely recommend trying this curry sauce. Look for it at a World Market or if your Bed Bath and Beyond store has a World Market section. You can locate where they sell it near you on their website or buy it online here. I only use about 2-3 Tbsn per recipe (for 2 people), so I think it will last through around 6-10 recipes depending on how strong you like your curry.

You can also find the ingredient list and nutrition facts at this link.

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 lb of shrimp (I used thawed shrimp that where frozen and peeled)
2 small or 1 large sweet potato(es), spiralized (If you don’t have a spiralizer, u can try using either a large hand grater or  a food processor with the shredding attachment.)
2/3 cup chicken broth, I used my homemade bone broth
3 Tbsn Yellow Thai Curry Sauce
1/4 cup coconut cream (I used the thick part that settles to the top of the can)
1 Tbsn coconut oil
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp salt
parsley to garnish

Directions

If you are using frozen shrimp, place them in a bowl with cool water
to thaw for 10 minutes. Once thawed, drain them and pat try. Heat up a
pan over medium heat and cook the shrimp for about one minute on each
side. Transfer the cooked shrimp to a plate and drain any excess
liquid in the pan. Add coconut oil and sweet potatoes to the pan.
Saute for a couple minutes and add the broth, yellow curry cause, curry powder
and salt. Add back the shrimp right before the potatoes are done
cooking. You don’t want the sweet potatoes do get too soft and turn into mush. I kept mine a little “al dente” . Mix everything together so that the flavors are incorporated
and garnish with parsley if you’d like.

Do you have a favorite curry recipe? I’d love to try some new recipes!

I just checked and the last time I posted anything here was in January. Since we’re in March now, that means I didn’t write anything for the month of February. I guess you can tell that I’ve been busy, but aren’t we all?!

The free time I get when Roberto naps or is bed for the night, I do fun things like clean, cook, do laundry, study and watch the Bachelor! <—– Don’t judge me! It’s the only garbage show that I watch. I cannot wait for the season finale next week!

Anyhow, Roberto is 7 months today!!

He is so much fun right now because he’s starting to really come alive with his personality and he’s such a sweet & shy little boy with a fiery spark.

We started to introduce some solids once he turned 6 months, but he’s really not that interested in anything yet.

He’s had some mashed bananas and carrots a few times, but most of the time he won’t open his mouth to be spoon fed. I think the picture below can tell you how much he liked avocado!

And there was lots of gagging involved too….

Poor thing, he’s not ready yet!

He’s definitely interested when we eat in front of him, so I’m sure he’ll get into eating real soon. I’m still breastfeeding and going strong, so that will be his source of nutrition until he’s 1.

Speaking of nutrition, Maria & I are 8 weeks into the Integrative Institute of Nutrition program. We’re really enjoying it and are learning so much great stuff. It’s really nice to learn about all sorts of diet lifestyles that are healthy. There isn’t just one way to eat. We’re really taking this program seriously and look forward to becoming health coaches. There’s nothing more that we want to do than inspire others to not only lead healthy lifestyles but to enjoy it too! Nurturing your body and feeling great is so rewarding!

This week we’re learning about women’s health and the healing properties of natural foods. I love topics that revolve around women’s health. I feel like so many woman struggle with their weight because of hormonal issues that go undiagnosed. I’m sure we’ll write a post on this topic in the future, but Maria and I both have hormonal issues and have learned so much about our bodies over the last year.

I honestly never want to stop learning about nutrition and health. There is so much out there to know. Not only are we learning from our studies, but our blogging friends are always inspiring us as well.

Our friend Laury, over at The Fitness Dish, started a real food challenge called Process Free March that we’re partaking in.

We really think this is something that every American should try out. Our grocery stores are filled with WAY too many processed foods. Most are filled with many unhealthy ingredients, some which are very harmful.

Laury has such passion about leading a healthy lifestyle for her and her family. I wish every mom would feed their kids the way Laury feeds her daughter, Ella! There would be much less illnesses and diseases in this world…

Back to the food challenge. Basically this means that we won’t be eating anything this month that has more than 3 ingredients on the package. I do eat out 1-2 times a week, so I will do my best to choose meals that come from fresh and whole foods.

I really don’t eat much processed foods as it is, but I thought it would be fun to have zero processed foods at home. As a side note, don’t be fooled by packaged items that claim to be “healthy.” Most of the time they’re loaded with sugar and additives.

Here are some things I whipped up to have on hand this week.

Cheesy Garlic Kale Chips

These were really good, but I still love Maria’s Veggie Kale Crackers better. I’m obsessed with them! I’m going to make myself a huge batch later this week.

Vanilla Almond Milk (Sugar Free)

I love having some kind of nut milk on hand to make pancakes and waffles. Most of the time I just purchase store brought milks, but I will definitely try sticking to making my own from now on. It’s super easy.

Dehydrated Kiwi Chips

I tend to eat 1-2 servings of fruit a day and I try to choose lower sugar fruits like berries. I’ve been on a kiwi kick lately and thought it would be so fun to dehydrate some. They turned out really good! They taste like sour candies. YUM!

Lemon Cashew Coconut Cookies

I made a small batch of these cookies to try out and I was very pleased with them. They consisted of cashews, dried coconut flakes, lemon juice and a tiny bit of maple syrup. Simple, yet good.

Waffles (Grain-Free & Very Low in Natural Sugars)

I saw these waffles on Pinterest Saturday night and knew I HAD to try them. They got really good reviews and boy was I glad I made them first thing Sunday morning. They were delicious and filling. They had a nice fluffy texture and were soft. I do prefer my waffles more crispy so I think the next time I will make these as pancakes!

So, have I inspired you to cook more and eat less processed foods? I hope I did and I really encourage you to take more time to spend in the kitchen.

Even if you don’t want to go 100% processed free try to go only 50% or maybe make sure that you’re dinner is processed free every night and get to cooking!

Do you eat many processed foods?

What’s your biggest challenge when it comes to eating healthy?

Lisa

Kale chips have gotten really popular over the past couple years. My favorite recipe has been Fitnessista’s cool ranch chips, they are ahhhmazing. Lately I’ve been amazed at how much little Ela loves Brad’s Raw Kale Chips. There’s something about a child chomping down on kale chips that makes my heart swell.

Now, I’ve never tried Brad’s Raw Kale Chips before, but one look at the ingredient list and I knew I could make them myself and for much cheaper too.  Brad uses buckwheat groats in his chips, but I subbed almond flour instead. I’m calling these kale crackers since they are thicker than a chip might be and I wanted to differentiate them from the typical kale chips I’ve made in the past.

You can quickly put together this recipe, especially if you prewash your kale the day before. I stretched one recipe to four servings but actually doubled it the second time I made it, so that I would have enough to last a while week.

I couldn’t believe how great these turned out on my first attempt! Lisa tasted them too and has put a dehydrator on her birthday wish list These will definitely be made regularly in my house.

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

• 2 bunches of kale
• 2 carrots,roughly chopped
• 1 cup of almond flour
• 4 scallions, roughly chopped
• 2 Tbsn extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsn apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (Optional)

Directions:

In a food processor, pulse carrots until finely minced. Set aside in a large bowl. Add kale & scallions to food processor and pulse until also finely minced (it will take two batches to fit all the kale). Add minced kale and scallions to the bowl with carrots and add in remaining ingredients. Mixed until combined. Test the mixture to see if it is moist enough to stick together. If it isn’t add a Tbsn of more oil until it is. Pour half of the mixture on your tray and press down until it is about 1/8” thick. Repeat with the rest of the mixture on a 2nd tray. Dehydrate at 115 degrees for 10-14 hours (depending on how thick it is). Half way through the drying process, take another tray and carefully flip it over and peel off the non-stick liner. This will help speed up the drying process. Once completely dehydrated break into bite sized pieces and store in an air tight container.

**I have a feeling this will work just fine in a oven too. Set your oven to it’s lowest temp and leave the door ajar. I’m not sure how long it would take to bake, but I could guess around 3-4 hours. Depending on how low your oven setting goes.  If anyone trys to bake it, please let me know!

Our friend Laury, over at www.thefitnessdish.com, is hosting a 31 day challenge to go process & packaged food free in March. While Lisa and I already don’t eat much processed & packaged foods, we are going to take on the challenge to take a closer look to our diets to see exactly how much processed and packaged foods we actually do eat. I know one thing I need to cut down on is protein powder. We plan on sharing some of our healthy recipes either on here or Instagram so that we can motivate other participants.

Have you ever made Kale Chips before?

What’s your favorite way to make Kale Chips?

Take a moment to think of all the products we use daily. Shampoos, conditioners, hair spray, body washes, deodorant, shaving lotions, body lotion, make up, toothpaste, mouth washes etc.

Between beauty and cleaning products, the average home contains over 50 toxic chemicals that over time wreak havoc on your body! This can explain why more and more people suffer from asthma, hormonal problems, headaches, depression and frequent illnesses. Checking the labels on all products used for your home and body is important. Avoid products with words that you don’t understand, or if there is a warning label on it. There is a general rule that I like to use is.

“If you wouldn’t put it in your mouth then don’t put it on your body.”

Here is a list of some toxic chemicals that you should avoid:

-Sodium laureth/lauryl sulfates
(most commonly used in shampoos, shower gel, bubble bath)
-Propylene glycol and polyethylene glycol
(found in everything from deodorant, mascara, baby powder, after shave and more).
-Formaldehyde & paraben preservatives
(found in sunscreen, shampoos, shaving gel, toothpaste and more)
-Artificial fragrances
(Avoid most perfumes/colognes, which legally aren’t required to list ingredients to protect their trade mark )

I can’t believe it took so long for Lisa and I to realize that we should be just as careful about what beauty and hygiene products we use, as we are about what foods we consume. We have made it a point these last 6 months, to switch over to safe and natural products both for our bodies and for cleaning purposes.

I think we are about 95% of the way there and hope to be 100% very soon.
We have found that its cheaper and easier to just make many of our own products. It’s been pretty simple once we stocked up on a few basics.

You can make a lot with these few ingredients
Shea Butter
Cocoa Butter
Beeswax
Essential Oils (I love lemon and lavender)
Baking Soda
Vinegar
Bentonite Clay
Tea Tree Oil

While we are not experts, we plan on doing a series to share what natural beauty products we now use.

I thought it would be a good idea to post about body lotion/butter first, since you put that all over your body everyday. I started off by just using coconut oil as a moisturizer, but I quickly disliked sticking my fingers into hard coconut oil and getting it stuck under my finger nails. I wanted something that felt more luxurious on my skin. I’ve made a couple different lotions, but this is my favorite by far.

The most important thing I learned that whipping the oils is a must. It’s what makes them so decadent and rich feeling. You can just whip coconut oil and use that as your lotion, but I wanted to take it an extra step and add shea butter and almond oil.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of organic Shea butter
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup almond oil (or any other mild liquid oil like jojoba, avocado or olive oil)
• Essential oils, optional (I love lemon and lavender)

Method

In a small pot melt the Shea butter and coconut oil until completely liquid. Stir in almond oil or liquid oil. Add in essential oils. I used a mixture of 10 drops of lemon and 15 drops of lavender. Allow to chill in the refrigerator until the oil mixture begins to firm, but has not turned completely solid. Using a standing mixer or hand mixer, whip the semi-solid mixture until white peaks form. Scoop into glass jars and store at room temp. The lotion will go on a little greasy, but will be absorbed by your skin in just a few minutes.

A little goes a long way so this will last you a while. I made mine about 3 months ago and only used a third of it.

Have you already changed to safe & natural beauty/hygiene products?

If not, have we inspired you to?

Unfortunately, we don’t often plan something so crucial to our health and well being. Planning a fitness routine to be healthy, should be just as important as taking showers to be hygienic. You don’t find people saying I couldn’t shower today because I had more important commitments. Many times, we find ourselves not working out because by the time we get home from work and cook dinner, we just don’t have the energy after a long day.

Lisa and I have mentioned before how working out in the morning greatly increases the chance that we don’t skip our workouts. Additionally, we have recently discovered  that if we sit down for 5 minutes and plan our weekly workouts, it motivates us to stick with it and we don’t have to waste time thinking of what workout to do.

Here’s an example of my workout schedule for this week.

I love having the option of checking off each workout I complete. It’s both motivating and rewarding.

Over the years, I realized it’s not only important to do a variety of workouts, but to also make sure I focus enough time on strength training. I used to be a cardio queen, always walking or jogging for miles on the treadmill, but I quickly incorporated more strength workouts when I learned how important it was. Lifting weights will give you a longer metabolic spike than doing cardio will and the more muscle you build, the more calories you’ll naturally burn. Afraid of looking like the hulk? Don’t worry you won’t, unless your eating 4000 calories and taking steroids

I can imagine  that many people will take one look at my 5:30 am workouts and think that’s not for me! I cannot stress enough how surprised you’ll be if you give it a try. When we were both  working we used to wake up at 4:30am to head to the gym and would’ve never imagined that we would love it so much.We were shocked to see so many people at the gym too. It started our day off feeling accomplished and gave us lasting energy all day. While we never jumped out of bed at 4:30am or even now at  5:30am, once we were up we felt good and never regretted a workout. Now that I workout at home I still try to workout mostly in the mornings before work so I can check it off my schedule right away and know it’ll get done. It’s also nice to come home from work and take a breather before I prepare dinner.

I hope I’m not coming off preachy because I’m just throwing out something to think about.  We would’ve never fathomed early morning workouts, if it wasn’t for  our trainer who motivated us.

Have you fallen in love with early morning workouts?

What motivated you to try it?

Call me crazy, but I actually miss getting up at 4:45am to meet Maria at the gym. Not only did I love having a workout partner, but it always felt so good to have my workout done before I began my day.

Now, we both workout at home. I’ve been wanting to workout in the mornings for the longest time, but it was always difficult since I could never predict the time Roberto would wake up. For the past month, we’ve gotten the closest that we can to a schedule. He sleeps from 7:30pm-7:30/8:00am and he only wakes 1-2 times to nurse in between. It’s really nice that I’m finally getting plenty of sleep myself. Last night I was feeling brave so I set my alarm to get up before Roberto.

This was the first time I’ve actually set an alarm since giving birth! Up until now, Roberto was always my alarm clock. Anyway, I got up and was so excited to start my day off right. I did a 10 min warm up on the treadmill and I had just finished the first round of some strength training I was doing until this happened…

Yah, of course the one day I decide to get up early, that little guy decided to wake up earlier than normal. At least I did half of my work out and I’ll give it another shot tomorrow. Hopefully I can do a complete exercise!

Ok, well now let’s get to that recipe.

I’m a huge fan of soup. Rinaldo on the other hand is NOT.

He really isn’t a picky eater but if there’s one thing he doesn’t love, it’s soup. GREAT…

It’s always a challenge to create a soup that he will eat and love.

What he does love are creamy soups. Lobster bisque, clam chowder, etc. Basically, vegetable less soups. He hates the texture of boiled vegetables so soups like minestrone are a no go. For the record, I made a fire roasted tomato chicken soup last night and he DID NOT like that one! Poor guy, he really tries hard to like them, but just can’t help it.

It’s been a couple years now where I’ve experimented with soups that he would like and so far this one is a winner. I’ve learned that if I puree the veggies and add some cream to it, he’ll eat it up! This soup is full of green veggies and so comforting during these cold winter months. I love making a big batch and then having leftovers for lunch during the week.

I love that there’s broccoli and spinach in this soup. Sometimes I get bored of roasted or sauteeing vegetables for dinner and I think soups are great ways to pack in the nutrients and not get bored of eating the same things over and over.

Hopefully I can come up with more soups that both Rinaldo & I will enjoy. It sure it tough but I love a challenge!

Do you like soup?

What’s your favorite soup?

Do you prefer working out in the mornings?

Lisa

Last week, Lisa explained the importance of meal planning & I thought it’d be a great idea to share my meal plan for this week.

Usually Saturdays are a great day to meal plan and do your grocery shopping, that way you can start off the week prepared on Sunday. Don’t fret if Saturdays don’t work for you, pick any day that works with your schedule.

Dinner

Sunday - Leftovers

Monday - Slow cooker whole chicken  with roasted root vegetables.

Tuesday – Eggs scrambled with spinach and goat cheese and sweet potato hash browns (I’m hoping to take photos of the hash browns to share with you guys, they came out amazing!)

Wednesday – Slow roasted lamb with roasted potatoes and side salad. I used this method with lamb chops and seasoned them with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin rosemary and oregano. They came out SO tasty and tender!

Thursday - Dinner by the In-Laws

Friday - Slow cooker curry with beef brisket and side salad

Saturday - Out to dinner

Lunch

Like Lisa, I also make extra for dinner to have for lunch the next day. I usually will also prep some staples to have on hand that I can grab on the go.

Hard boiled eggs

Baked sweet potatoes (always good to have on hand to make these )

Washed and cut lettuce (I spin mine dry and store in large zip-lock bags with paper towel to absorb extra moisture)

Sauteed greens – Always beneficial to have on hand. You can never have too many greens!

Lunch meat – (Nitrate free)

Breakfast

For breakfast I have been enjoying the following.

Green juice (cucumbers, celery, lemon & ginger) and a buckwheat muffin topped with sunflower seed butter and jam

Herbal tea (I try to remember to mix in some coconut oil), and full fat Greek yogurt also topped with sunflower seed butter and jam or honey

Chocolate-Avocado Pudding – 1 avocado, 1 ripe banana & 1 Tbsp of cocoa powder

Dessert

I highly recommend making a batch of these to have on hand! I’ve been enjoying them all week and love how just one satisfies my craving and I don’t over do it on the sugar.

I hope I’ve inspired/reminded you to plan your meals this week!

How are you staying healthy & happy this weekend? I’m off to workout and after I shower I’ll be heading over to visit Roberto! I miss him so much after just seeing him a few days ago<3