Health Wheels and a New Exercise Regimen

Hello Kittens!  And Happy, Healthy June!

I apologize for my recent radio silence.  While I've had bouts of being MIA in the past, this time I don't have work to blame.  No, in this instance, my time I can honestly blame working out.

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While my eating habits have been quite good for a while now, my activity level has been as close to zero as you can get.  In the past it's been easy to attribute being so sedentary on my long hours at work, but since transitioning to a new department earlier this year, that is no longer the case.  But old habits die hard and I think I was reveling in the free time a normal work schedule suddenly afforded me.  Truthfully, having the time to be lazy felt AWESOME!

But all good things must come to an end.  So when the Wellness Committee at work used its quarterly Wellness Week to kick off a 12-week Biggest Loser Challenge, I was more than ready!  For me, starting to work out again needed a push like this one.

Unfortunately, in addition to establishing an exercise routine, I've also found myself tasked with finding balance when it comes to the attention The Vintage Project requires.

Throughout the years, there have been many interesting exercises, such as vibrating belt slimming machines...

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And the 'health wheel'.  (Nothing says fitness like being able to work out in whatever dress strikes your fancy!)

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It's pretty obvious from the photos of what appear to be INCREDIBLY strenuous workouts, that vintage forms of exercise aren't really the way to go.  While I believe wearing a pair of heels is very lady-like, I just don't see how working out in them (or a strand of pearls) can be that effective - call me crazy.  Sadly that belief does away with most tie-ins...

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Sure, some exercises have merit, why would you ruin a good pair of heels doing them?

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The moral of this story is - I'm finally starting to find some balance after establishing my new-found exercise regimen.  Also, don't work out in heels.  So really, it's a multi-moral story!

Until next time, Kittens!  Do a few push-ups, drink eight glasses of water, and check back soon!
XOXO!!

Eating Clean - Blueberry Banana Spinach Pancakes

Happy Sunday (Brunch Day), Kittens!

For a while now, I've been collecting some really fabulous Brunch recipes.  While there are many wonderful things about living alone, one of the drawbacks is pancakes.  Pretty much any recipe will leave you with 10 or 15 pancakes (and I'm certainly not about to cut the recipe in half and go to a bunch of trouble for 5 pancakes), so I've been trying to host more Brunches at  home so that I can try some of the recipes that I've found and have help eating the yield.

A few weeks ago, I planned a morning of yoga and Brunch for my friend Bridget and myself.  And it was fabulous!  After a lot of stretching and sweating and cursing and somewhat inappropriate groaning (we were working places we didn't even know we had), our relaxed, euphoric selves popped a bottle of bubbly and started making the green pancakes that I've been eyeing for a while.

Fascinated by the idea of a green pancake?  You should be!  I start most days with green smoothies, so I know that the mild flavor of spinach can easily be masked by other ingredients.  I almost thought about this pancake recipe as a green smoothie in fluffy, solid form and was intrigued!  These little babies were so good and I wanted to share the recipe that I found at FitSugar with you.  I deviated from the original recipe slightly (the next time I make them, I'll probably even add more blueberries) and decided to pass on the banana cream sauce from the original recipe as I'm more of a maple syrup kinda girl myself, but if you decide to try these tasty little beauties, do whatever feels right to you.

INGREDIENTS:
-1 cup organic raw baby spinach, tightly packed
-1/2 cup organic blueberries
-1 large (very ripe) banana
-1 cup vanilla almond milk
-1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (I might have used a bit more if I'm being honest)
-1 egg
-1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
-2 teaspoons baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

(I've been eating as clean as possible and incorporate a lot of organic foods for a while now.  While you can make the choice to go that route or not for yourself, the only non-organic ingredients I used in the pancakes were the banana, baking powder, and salt.)

1.  Put the spinach, banana, blueberries, almond milk, and syrup in a blender and puree.

2.  Pour the mixture into a medium bowl and stir in the egg.
3.  In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients and add to the wet mixture a little bit at a time.  (Or you can be a rebel and simply mix in the dry ingredients without combining them beforehand!)

4.  Place a skillet over medium heat and spray lightly with cooking spray.
5.  Drop 1/4 cup full of batter per pancake onto the skillet and cook as you would a normal pancake (until it starts to bubble and then flip).

 6.  Makes approximately 12 pancakes.

We had a fabulous Brunch with coffee, beautiful mimosas, cheesy scrambled eggs, our fantastic green pancakes, and some fruit!

The pancakes taste a lot like banana bread, so if that sounds appealing, perhaps these super healthy little green babies are for you!  I'm pretty sure that you won't have as fabulous a pancake helper as I did, but you know, Bridget can't come to EVERYONE'S Brunch.  So, you're going to have to find your own helpful friends.

If you're looking for a new pancake to try, you may want to consider this one.  I highly recommend having these with a few mimosas after some really amazing yoga.  It's a fabulous way to spend a Sunday morning!

Namaste, Kittens!
XOXO!!

Rum Balls - The Perfect Holiday Treat!!

Hello Lovelies and Happy Almost New Year!

Let's talk about rum balls for a minute.  I would be willing to bet that most of you haven't had a rum ball in a good long time.  And that's incredibly sad.  For some strange reason, these tasty little vehicles for rum and chocolate consumption aren't as popular as they used to be and if I can be the catalyst for just one change in your lives, I'd be happy if it had something to do with rum balls.  It might be a bizarre aspiration, but I stand by it.

In my post about the holiday soirées I threw this season, I mentioned that I made rum balls.  I would be remiss if I didn't share the recipe here since they are amazing and were a HUGE hit!  And as an added bonus, they're incredibly easy to make!

This is my mom's recipe and is probably from the '70's which itself is vintage.  Perfect!  Although I try to focus on eating clean, after a few of these, you won't care in the slightest that they don't fall into that category!

Rum Balls are a holiday treat that many sources credit Germany for.  I'll buy that.  There are many variations, but as long as you've got some cocoa and rum involved and don't bake them, they count.  Without baking them, the alcohol doesn't dissipate, meaning they're way more fun than most desserts!  This recipe calls for the balls to be rolled in granulated sugar after forming which Wikipedia tells me is a Hungarian tradition.  Salivating after these multicultural boozy treats yet?  Well, then without further ado...

INGREDIENTS:

-2 1/2 cups pulverized vanilla wafers (essentially a regular sized box)
-1 cup pulverized walnuts
-1 cup confectioner's sugar
-2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
-3 tablespoons light corn syrup
-1/3 cup rum or bourbon
-Granulated sugar for rolling

1.  Pulverize your vanilla wafers and walnuts and combine in a medium sized bowl.

2.  Using a sieve, add the confectioner's sugar and the cocoa and mix well.

3.  Add the corn syrup and the rum or bourbon and mix well.  (I needed to add additional rum - TERRIBLE turn of events, I know!)  Add sparingly as you don't want the mixture too wet.

4.  Form into 1" balls.  Mine were slightly smaller - ball size comes down to personal preference...  Ummmm....sorry, there's no better way to word that!

5.  Roll in granulated sugar.

I ended up with 70 Rum Balls after sampling a few.  I'm big on Quality Control.

5.  Refrigerate in an airtight container.  While they are delicious, the balls are even better after a few days when the flavors really start to marry.

While I've only made these twice, I'd say you probably want to make them with a buddy.  They are incredibly easy to make (though I think the recipe is one you might want to play with a little bit to get it just how you like it), but the forming of the balls themselves can be somewhat time consuming - especially if you happen to have OCD and want them all uniform like I did.  Admittedly, this could be a personal problem.

I made these tonight for a New Year's Eve party a friend of mine is throwing tomorrow.  In retrospect, I should have made them over the weekend and also made a double batch...I have the sinking suspicion that these aren't going to last very long.  I hope you all have a fabulous time ringing in the new year with some fabulous people and equally fabulous treats (if that's possible)!

Until next year, my Lovelies!!
XOXO!!

All Aboard the Green Smoothie Train!!

Good Morning Lovelies!

How did you start your day?  I started my morning the same way I have for the past week and a half.  With a green smoothie.  So L.A., I know, but I think I'm finally a convert to this whole green smoothie thing.

While I haven't been as successful with eating clean consistently as I'd like, I've been back on track for the past few weeks and in adding green smoothies to my morning routine, I'm finding it easier to stay on track throughout the day.  It might be psychological, or it might be that inundating my system with something so densely packed with the good stuff only makes it only want more.  Whatever the reason, I foresee this becoming a permanent thing for me.

There have been many benefits associated with green smoothies, they're super easy to make, and if you haven't tried them before, let me assure you, they can be incredibly tasty!!

The only downside, is that you have to make sure you're always stocked up on produce, because you will use a lot.  And when I say a lot, I mean A LOT!  I went through two of these large tubs of organic spinach between the smoothies and as part of my salad mix for lunch!  While I'll be changing things up (really there is no limit to what you can put together), I've essentially perfected this first incarnation.

My mother gifted me a Magic Bullet and I've put it to VERY good use!  While one of the selling points of the Magic Bullet is that you can put things into it, blend it, and go, I tend to make things more complicated than they need to be, so it shouldn't be surprising that that's not exactly how things go for me.  I wanted to blend certain things and found that the individual cup just wasn't big enough to accommodate everything.  But I will say - the Magic Bullet truly is no muss, no fuss when it comes to clean up.  Which makes me super happy!

So, I've established a really great little system.

I fill three of the containers with two stalks of celery, a pear, a banana, and one and a half of them full of baby spinach (using as much organic as possible - except for the bananas, there's no point in getting those organic).  Instead of any type of milk, yogurt, or water, I brew a few cups of green tea and use that as my liquid.  I love green tea and who couldn't use a few more antioxidants??

 As each individual cup is finished, I dump the contents into a bowl.

After all three cups are done, I add a few drops of Stevia to bump up the sweetness and give it a good mix.

And then ladle the mixture back into the little cups.  It ends up being about two and a half containers full.

I do all of this each night so that I can have the one that's half full while I'm getting ready in the morning and take the other two to work.  I enjoy one while I'm catching up on email once I get there and give the other to a friend who doesn't have a nifty little Magic Bullet just yet.  And we're both feeling fabulous!  She's not a fan of celery or raw spinach and she loves these.  So, there's your endorsement!  I can't wait to try a different incarnation next week!!

Did you drink your veggies today, Lovelies?  I highly recommend you try it!
XOXO!!

Pumpkin Risotto for Pumpkin Carving

Good Evening Kittens!

While I did not attend any costume parties this year, I did go to a pumpkin carving on Sunday.  My friend Brianne hosted a fall-inspired pot luck where we also carved jack-o-lanterns.  Such a fun time!  I haven't carved a pumpkin in years and while you will see, I am NOT the most creative carver there is, it was still a fabulous way to spend an evening!

First, let's start with the risotto.  I had come across many recipes for pumpkin risotto on Pinterest and very quickly decided that I would make one of them as my contribution to the pot luck.  After considering the reviews and then looking at how involved some of the recipes were, I decided on one that I found on foodandwine.com and made a few adjustments.

INGREDIENTS:
-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
-3/4 pound pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes (about 1 1/2 cups)
-2 medium white onions, roughly chopped
-1 cup dry white wine
-1 1/2 teaspoons grated nutmeg
-7 cups organic vegetable broth
-5 tablespoons unsalted butter
-1 1/2 arborio rice
-3 tablespoons finely chopped flat leaf parsley
-1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
-salt and white pepper to taste, if you only have black pepper, just go with it

1.  Heat the oil in a medium pan.  Add the pumpkin or butternut squash and half the onions, stirring frequently.

2.  Cook over medium-high heat until the pumpkin is just tender.  Add the wine, nutmeg, some salt and pepper until the liquid is absorbed.  Remove from the heat and let cool.

3.  While the pumpkin is cooking, take the rest of the onions and chop finely using a food processor.  (I figured since I had to use it for a later step, and wanted a smoother risotto, that I would save myself the trouble of crying and chopping.)

4.  In a large saucepan heat the vegetable broth.

5.  In a large saucepan, melt 2 1/2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat.  Add the onions and rice.  Cook until the rice takes on a slight color.

6.  Add one cup of the heated broth, stirring continuously until the liquid is absorbed.  Reduce the heat and add three more cups of broth, one cup at a time, and continue stirring until the liquid is absorbed before adding more liquid.

7.  Place the pumpkin and onion mixture into the food processor and puree until smooth.

8.  Add the pumpkin puree to the risotto and mix well.

9.  One cup at a time, add the remaining three cups of liquid to the risotto, stirring frequently.  (As an aside, make sure you have a really big pan...I had to transfer pans half way through the process since the original recipe stated I only needed a medium saucepan.  Liars!)

10.  Stir in the parsley, the Parmesan, and the remaining butter if desired (I didn't add the additional butter, but might try it the next time I make this.).  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Perhaps next time, I will also add some rosemary!

While this dish can be kinda messy to make, it cleans up pretty good!

Also, you will want to allot plenty of time to make this dish.  I planned poorly and ended up running out the door the second this dish was done to get to the little soirée.  The other Ladies made an Israeli couscous salad with squash, broccoli, toasted almonds, and red grapes.  It was DELICIOUS!!!

Also on the menu were fennel, onion, mushroom, and goat cheese pockets.  Addicting!

Once we fueled ourselves, we set our sights on the pumpkins and the task at hand.

Step 1 - Make sure the bubbly is flowing.

Step 2 - Make sure everyone is dressed appropriately.

We all got to work on our pumpkins and it was magical.

I knew I didn't have time to get too intricate with my pumpkin as I was on a time crunch, so I went with a super simple carving.  I wanted to carve a version of the classic jack-o-lantern pail that we used for trick-or-treating as kids, but I forgot the teeth.  Sad panda.

I received a photo of how the girls' pumpkins turned out.  SO great!

And no matter how old you get, essentially everyone I know has proven that you are never too old to carve a jack-o-lantern.  Here are the three that Bridget and her husband carved over the weekend.

If you haven't yet carved your jack-o-lanterns, you've got a few hours left!  Get thee a pumpkin!

Happy Carving and Pot Lucking Kittens!
XOXO!!