Summer Savings!

There a few ways that I know that summer is here.

1. Styling my hair becomes pointless.

2. Discounted 32 oz. fountain drinks at QuikTrip.

3. Overwhelming cravings for Passion Tea Lemonade from Starbucks.

The only problem with these glorious drinks from Starbucks is that I can only have one once a week. They are pretty expensive and I have a problem forking over $3.00 for a drink. To enjoy these suckers everyday, I'd have to forfeit my savings account and get a second job.

But I found a solution. No second job for me!

This is literally the simplest thing ever. I'm about to save your bank account.



















That, my friends, is all you need. The price of the tea was almost the same as one drink at Starbucks. The whole box makes 48 servings.

48 x $3.00 = $144.00.

Or one box for roughly $3.50.

We just saved $140.50.

Let that sink in.

First, boil 1 quart of water.

While that is boiling, make 1 quart of lemonade and put it in the refrigerator.

























When the water reaches a boil, turn the heat off and add a tea bag. Steep for 5 minutes.

Remove the tea bag. You can either add sugar or not. If you want it sweetened, then obviously add some sugar. I prefer to omit the sugar. Then everyone can sweeten it to their tastes or leave it plain. 

Add the tea to the lemonade. 

Put it in the refrigerator and let it completely cool before serving. 

It's so refreshing and I don't feel guilty drinking it. 

This is definitely going to be a summer staple around here.

Enjoy!

Kaci

Skinny Minny

Hey there!

I've got a great recipe to share with you tonight! But first, my workout for the day.

Today was my cardio day. I did a 20 minute HIIT treadmill workout and 6 minutes on the step mill with a 4 minute walk around to cool down.

Time	Speed
0:00-3:00	4
3:00-5:00	6.5
5:00-5:30	8.5
5:30-6:30	6.5
6:30-7:15	8.5
7:15-8:15	6.5
8:15-9:15	8.5
9:15-10:15	6.5
10:15-11:45	8.5
11:45-12:45	6.5
12:45-13:45	8.5
13:45-14:45	6.5
14:45-15:30	8.5
15:30-16:30	6.5
16:30-17:00	8.5
17:00-20:00	4

This interval is from Sweet Tooth Sweet Life.

It was so much more difficult than it looked. I had to pause a few times and catch my breath, but I definitely got my sweat on. 

I prefer doing intervals like this because it makes the time go by much faster.

After the workout, I came home and got started on dinner.

Skinny Alfredo!

Yes, the word "skinny" and "alfredo" can be used in the same sentence!

Alfredo was my absolute favorite dish when I was younger. I would order it all the time and I never branched out of my alfredo-is-the-only-italian-dish box.

My uncle always called it "heart attack on a plate." I never understood why until I read the nutritional information of a serving of alfredo.

So, between that realization and my sensitivity to gluten, alfredo hasn't been in my life for quite sometime. But that has all changed.

Don't grab the butter or the heavy cream, because you won't need it and you won't miss it!

First throw some thawed boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the skillet with some olive oil. Season the chicken breasts with some salt and pepper.




















Once the chicken is brown on each side, but not done in the middle, remove and cut into pieces. Throw them back in the skillet and turn it to medium-low heat and let them finish cooking. 

While your chicken is cooking, boil the pasta. Below is the gluten-free pasta I used. 

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute. 

Next, add flour.



















Then add chicken broth, milk and Greek yogurt. Turn the heat to low and let the sauce thicken.



















Once the 2-3 minutes have passed, turn the burner off and stir in grated parmesan cheese.

























Add the chicken pieces to the sauce and combine.

Pour the sauce over the cooked pasta and stir.

Then add steamed broccoli and stir again.

Skinny Alfredo
Recipe from Iowa Girl Eats
*serves 8

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 4 cups steamed broccoli
• 16 oz pasta
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tsp minced garlic
• 4 tbsp Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese
• salt & pepper 

1. Cook 4 chicken breasts in olive oil. Cut into pieces and place back into skillet and cook on medium-low heat.

2. Cook pasta in salted water.

3. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly until golden brown. Roughly 1 minute.

4. Sprinkle in flour and whisk. Cook for 1 minute.

5. Whisk in chicken broth, then milk. Add Greek yogurt and salt and pepper. Turn heat to low and simmer 2-3 minutes until sauce thickens.

6. Turn off heat and stir in cheese. Then add the chicken. Pour over pasta and stir. Add in broccoli.

7. Serve!

***

Nutritional Information Per Serving:

Calories: 322

Fat: 14.5

Carbohydrates: 18

Fiber: 2.25

Protein: 29.75

Weight Watchers Points Plus: 8

***

This was so yummy!

It was rich but not over the top like most alfredo dishes. It was nice and light.

No heart attack on a plate here!

Enjoy,

Kaci

Mean, Green & Lean

Welcome to my first "new" post. Click here to learn more.

There are a lot of words to describe the recipe I'm going to share with you.

Quick. Healthy. Nutritious. Delicious. Customizable. Gluten-free.

I literally could go on and on and on and...well, you get it.

Before we get to the recipe, I'll show you what I did for my workout today.

Today was an upper body day. I'm not a big fan of working my upper body because I'm so weak, but on the other side of the coin, I want to get stronger so I push through.

In addition to the upper body, I did core and 15 minutes of cardio.

For my arms I did this Oxygen workout.

• Dumbbell Chest Press (10 reps)
• Dumbbell Bent Over Row (10 reps)
• Dumbbell Shoulder Press (10 reps)
• Dumbbell Alternate Bicep Curl (12 reps)
• Dumbbell Tricep Extension (12 reps)

* No rest between exercises
* Rest 2 minutes between sets
* Repeat 3 times.

It was difficult, but not as intense as I thought it would be. I lifted the highest weights I could with proper form, it just wasn't very challenging. It is still a solid workout and because it only took 20 minutes, I'll file it away for when I need a quick workout.

For my abs/core, I did:

• Stability Ball Crunch w/ 25lb. Weight Plate (12 reps)
• Torso Rotation w/ Dumbbell (12 reps/each side)
• Seated Crunch w/ Medicine Ball Between Knees (12 reps)
• Decline Bench Crunch/Twist At Top w/ Medicine Ball (12 reps)
• Plank Walks on Bosu Ball (12 reps)

This was a solid ab routine and took me about 10 minutes.

For the last 15 minutes, I hit the step mill. It is literally the most killer cardio machine ever. I am slowly building up my endurance on the thing and I'm hoping to get to 30 minutes straight.

Overall, it was a quick 45 minute workout but it was effective!

After my workout, I came home and whipped up a Green Monster.

Unfortunately, I don't have exact measurements. I just eyeball it. Sorry not sorry.

Start off with some almond milk. You can use any kind of milk here, but almond milk doesn't hurt my stomach like normal milk does.

Then I throw in 1/2 a banana

Next goes a scoop of 100% Whey Protein (vanilla)

Then I put a little under a tablespoon of peanut butter in

Toss in some ice and mix it all up

Now comes the fun part!

Spinach.

Stuff in as much of the green stuff as you can.  I know you're scared. I know you probably think I'm insane.

Trust me, I understand.

I was just like you. I've been seeing variations of this smoothie for the past 6 months and I turned up my nose every time. One day I was feeling kind of crazy and decided to give it a spin.

All I can say is, do it.

You don't taste the spinach at all. You taste peanut butter and banana goodness. I promise!

Not only is this a great source of protein, but it has a huge serving of veggies! I like to drink this immediately after a weightlifting session. It's so refreshing.

Plus, it's in a mason jar. Everything tastes better when it comes out of mason jar. It's a scientific fact.
 

Enjoy!

Kaci

Life So Far + New Directions

Hello!

I know, it's been a long time since I've posted something. My apologies. Life has been pretty hectic between multiple graduations, graduation parties, birthdays, etc.

On top of that I've started to work almost full-time and we've had to start planning the move to another state. So, it's been kind of crazy.

Oh. And I'm also getting a puppy.

Since I couldn't blog a lot, I have been taking some pictures.

 






This is my little puppy, Packer. He will be ready to come home with me in a short week and a half. These pictures do not accurately depict how small he really is. I'm beyond excited to bring him home and make him a part of the family!





 


Graduation day was a lot of fun. My mom took the day off of work and we went and got Starbucks (shaken green iced tea is where it's at), a pedicure, had lunch and went shopping for a dress. I loved being able to spend the day with her.

Graduation was a lot of fun. Because of the program I'm in and the school I go to, there are about 6 or 7 of us that have went through the program together. We have all gotten pretty close over the past few years. Even though a few of them didn't walk, it was fun seeing everyone one last time.


Now on to food related things:

This is a baked pasta from Andolini's on Cherry Street. It's gluten-free and tasted so delicious. 

Andolini's has a ton of gluten-free options and a great atmosphere. My friend and I went there for lunch. She had the lunch combo of salad, pizza and pasta. Her food looked incredible. My baked pasta was just as good.

Our waiter was funny and so well-versed on the menu and everything about Andolini's. I can't wait to go back again.

Definitely try this place out if you live in the Tulsa area!

Life changing news: The base of your blender fits on a mason jar.

I'm going to let that sink in for a few moments.

BTW, the picture above is my favorite Green Monster smoothie. I'll be posting this recipe soon.

So now you are caught up on my life. That didn't take long (har har). I'm almost done with this post, but I want to discuss one more thing.

-------------------------------------------------

I've been writing this post over and over in my head for the past 2 weeks, so here it goes.

I absolutely love cooking and that will (hopefully!) never change. However, my priorities are different.

When I started this blog, I had a few months left of college. I made the decision to put my health on the back burner and focus on finishing school with my sanity intact. Therefore, I didn't focus on making healthy decisions or getting to the gym. Those decisions transcended into my cooking. I made whatever I wanted to and it didn't matter if it called for ridiculous amounts of butter, sugar, etc. And I ate it. It was a vicious cycle. All the while, I knew that school would be ending soon and then I wouldn't have an excuse to ignore my health.

After my last final, I started eating right and exercising again and I'm already feeling tons better. But I was left with a dilemma.

Where does that leave my blog?

I didn't want this to be another weight loss blog. Lord knows that's the last thing the Internet needs. Losing weight is not really a goal of mine.

I still want to cook and share recipes.

I want to open and honest about the difficulties and triumphs of getting healthy. Truly and completely healthy.

In getting truly and completely healthy, I will let the scale fall where it may. I'm focusing on how I feel and how my clothes fit.

Where is all this coming from?

Well, I am making a big move in two months. I'm going to be starting my career and starting a whole new life. I want to get into a routine of healthy habits now so that it will be easier to continue when I move. 

But this blog just won't be about food and looking good, because there is so much more to life than rocking a bikini.

When I say that I want to get healthy, I mean it in every area of my life. Not just physically, but spiritually, financially, etc.

I want to live a life that my children can be proud of and model after.

I don't want to party away my 20's and look back and have nothing to show for it.

I don't want to just see my (future) job as a way to make ends meet. I want to love my career.

I don't want to watch life pass by.

With all that being said, this blog is changing a bit.

There will still be recipes! Gluten-free, delicious and healthy.

There will be tips on how to save money, how to cook things, etc.

I will even talk about spiritual growth and my walk with God.

I will also be posting my workouts.

But rest assured, I will be very honest. I'm not going to sugar-coat things. Getting healthy in every area of life will not be easy. It will be painful at times, but I'm convinced that it will be worth it.

I hope you follow along!

Kaci

Friday Randomness + Cinco De Mayo

Happy Friday!

Warning: This post is filled with random information.

1. "The EveryGirl's Guide to Life" by Maria Menounos




This book is fantastic. I highly recommend it, especially if you're a single female starting out on your own. She has excellent tips for maximizing space and organizing.

Maria talks about the hard decision to move to L.A. to pursue her dreams, how she saved (and made!) money, how she lost 40 pounds, etc.

There are some fantastic recipes in there as well.

A lot of the time she does her own hair and makeup for red carpet events. She talks about her skin routine, too.

It's an easy read with a lot of pictures so you can see what she is talking about.

I can't fully express how helpful this book is. This is definitely one to have on the bookshelf.

2. Back To The Gym

This workout, courtesy of Dashing Dish, is a killer.

It only took about 30 minutes but it is completely responsible for my inability to move today.

Now that school is over, I can get back into a routine and really focus on the gym and making better food choices. Hooray!

3. Cinco De Mayo!

If you still don't know what to cook for your weekend festivities, may I recommend the burrito bowl?

This a healthy dish and it is 100% delicious. Serve with some tortilla chips and you've got a great meal!

4. That's All, Folks!

Have a great weekend and be safe!

Enjoy!

Kaci