open faced breakfast sandwiches

Healthier Open-Faced Breakfast Sandwiches

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Hey everybody,

If you’re anything like me, you may really enjoy a leisurely, more indulgent breakfast on the weekends. I’m a big fan of pancakes, French toast or an omelette. One thing I’m not such a fan of: the amount of fat and calories that tend to come along with these delicacies. Eggs Benedict is great, until after you’ve scooped up the last bit of hollandaise and the food coma begins to set in.

To avoid this feeling, my fiance, Sean came up with a much better solution to the indulgent, yet still healthier breakfast we crave on the weekends: the healthier open-faced breakfast sandwich. Continue reading →

high protein maple muffin

High Protein Maple Muffins

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March 25, 2015

Hey friends,

As you may have already guessed by some of the posts I’ve written in the past, I’m concerned with eating healthy and exercising in addition to the occasional brownie cookie or chocolate cake mug. Recently, I began working with a personal trainer online: I’ve put on some love weight since I began dating my fiance, and now that we’re getting married (no date set yet), its extra incentive to get into the best shape of my life.

Long story short, my trainer advised me to start eating a solid mix of carbs and protein in the morning before my workout (which I’ve been doing on an empty stomach for years), but the problem is, I’m not a fan of protein shakes. I just can’t stomach a sweet chocolate or vanilla protein shake that early in the morning, so I had to come up with another easy, fast way to get some good nutrition in before lifting, and I came up with my first high protein maple muffin, and it’s awesome. Trust me on this. Continue reading →

sausage and tortelloni pasta with meat sauce in bowls

Sausage Tortelloni with Meat Sauce

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March 18, 2015

Hey everybody,

Have you ever noticed how many things in the kitchen you take for granted until you don’t have them? This happened to me just recently. But, like most of you who’ve experienced this, I didn’t give in, I just got a little more creative in getting around the problem and getting my sausage tortelloni with meat sauce recipe made.  Curious how? Read on.

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Chicken, artichoke and curry casserole

Chicken, Artichoke and Curry Casserole

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March 11, 2015

Hey everyone!

Time to get back to normal, so to speak (or as normal as you can feel while trying to start wedding planning, it’s overwhelming, believe me). Are you ready for some new recipes after my fantastic cruise to the Caribbean? Me too.

So I’ll start you off with an old favorite of mine. It doesn’t take much time to make, it’s a one pot meal and it’s perfect to make ahead and store in the refrigerator or even freeze, plus the yellow curry adds a nice kick. It’s my chicken, artichoke and curry casserole.  Continue reading →

Cozumel, Mexico Beach

A Cruise Wouldn’t Be Complete Without Seasickness

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March 8, 2015

Hey friends,

All I can say, is that those last few days of our Carnival Cruise, I was so thankful I don’t get seasick easily. It wasn’t the smoothest ride ever, that’s for sure. Not as bad as the boat ride to Tobago by any means, but not a cakewalk either. You’ll see…

Cruise ship in Cozumel

It doesn’t look like it but the boats were rocking quite a bit.

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Ziplining with Iguanas and Snorkeling with Tiny Jellyfish

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March 4, 2015

Hi everyone!

Are you ready to get this cruise vacation started for real? If you read my last post, I didn’t even make it off the boat, yet! Haha – but never fear, not only did we make it to dry land, we soared over it, laid on it andsnorkeled around it. Don’t miss my latest excursions on our Caribbean Carnival cruise.  

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How can this not intrigue you?

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You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Me Off the Coast of Cuba

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February 28, 2015

Hi everyone!

My goodness, I had such a good time on that cruise, and so much to tell you – so, so much. But I’ll get to it all in good time. Let’s get started with the tale of my first ever Carnival Cruise (a first I can cross off my bucket list) to the Western Caribbean. Seven days of fun, sun and visits to Costa Maya, Isla Roatan, Belize and Cozumel on the beautiful Carnival Glory over Valentine’s Day and Sean’s and my third anniversary of our first date.

Are you excited yet? Look at the size of the cruise ship!

Are you excited yet? Look at the size of the cruise ship!

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Sweet Potato Beef Chili

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February 14, 2015

Hey friends! Happy Valentine’s Day to you all!

I’m super excited to tell you that today, I’m leaving on a one-week cruise in the Caribbean! What better way could you think of spending Valentine’s Day and my third year anniversary of dating Sean than that? What’s also awesome about this is that for an entire week I’ll have little to no Internet or cell phone access, so I’ll be truly, completely off the grid.

But fear not, I’ll be back before you know it and  making you totally jealous with pictures of beaches and blue water and warm weather. First though, a unique twist on an old classic: slow cooker beef chili with sweet potatoes.

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Rib Eye Steak Wraps

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February 11, 2015

Hi friends!

I don’t think there’s anything much more perfect than steak. As much as I love steak though, sometimes I just don’t feel up to tackling a big, burly strip steak or porterhouse by myself – it puts me into a food coma. However, I’ve found a much lighter way to have my steak and not fall asleep immediately afterwards too. A little less steak, the addition of a tortilla wrap, some good greens and you’ve got yourself a perfect recipe. Rib eye steak wraps, coming right up!

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Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Chickpeas

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February 8, 2015

Hey everyone, I hope you’re enjoying the weekend as much as I am!

Even though I’ve been on a health kick lately, that’s no reason to sacrifice taste. All it means is that I need to get more creative with the ingredients I’m using in the kitchen and turn to other countries for some spice inspiration. My next dish is a new twist on the classic Moroccan tagine dishes cooked in earthenware pots and full of delicious spices and curries. But don’t fear if you don’t have an actual tagine – my recipe makes good use of a crock pot instead.  Continue reading →