Search This Blog
Showing posts with label Advice. Show all posts

Leftovers - One of my Secrets to Success!

How do you feel about leftovers?

Depending on who you talk to, people typically either hate them or love them. I'm of the kind that absolutely loves having yummy leftovers in the fridge.

Especially when you're trying to eat healthier, I find it's especially important to always have something quick and easy to eat on those busy days. Before I cut out processed foods, I would always turn to a granola bar or a microwaveable meal to get me through those times - but not anymore! So no matter how small the leftovers are, I always throw them in a glass container and refrigerate. Let me tell you, even the smallest bite of chicken or couple spoonfuls of vegetables could be the difference between you staying on track or running to the secret stash of pretzels you have at the back of the cabinet. It can be a game-changer.

I also enjoy having leftovers around because I can easily turn those leftovers into a new dish in half of the normal prepping time. That's another game-changer when you're contemplating take out because you just "don't have any time."

Plus - has anyone else realized that food tastes better the next day, anyway? Take advantage of those developed flavors! 

Today, I used some sort of leftovers for all three of my meals - which actually inspired this post!

For breakfast, I made a beautiful and delicious frittata with the leftover Roasted Vegetable Medley with Chorizo Pork Sausage from last night.



 To make the frittata, first I took out my leftovers and chopped up the chorizo into smaller, bite sized pieces:
 

 Then I scrambled six eggs with salt, pepper, and fresh italian parsley:

 
Once my cast-iron skillet was hot, I added some ghee, poured my eggs and sprinkled my chorizo and veggie leftovers:
 
 After the edges were starting to set, I placed the whole skillet into the oven and broiled the frittata for about 5 minutes on high. The end result was very yummy and colorful, as you already saw in the first picture above.

For lunch, I found half of a butternut squash in the fridge that I had wrapped in plastic wrap to use for another time. Well another time was today! I chopped that baby up, added a sweet potato and some onions and roasted according to this recipe. (I just omitted the carrots this time).
 

 To go along with my orange vegetables, I make some garlicky boneless chicken thighs on the stove top:
 
 
 Between Mark and I, we finished the chicken during lunch time but I had at least two cups left of the roasted butternut squash and sweet potatoes. As I do, I saved them in Pyrex and used them up during dinner!

Now, sometimes you have to be a little creative and allow yourself to step out of the culinary box when it comes to recreating meals with leftovers. The leftover veggies from earlier were seasoned with rosemary which is a strong flavor. But that didn't stop me from combining the veggies with my carne molida - Puerto Rican style ground beef. This ground beef has cilantro, onions, peppers, tomato sauce, oregano, olives, etc and at first thought - doesn't appear to go well with butternut squash and dried rosemary. But let me tell you - the combo was AMAZING.



 Oh and did I mention that I also roasted the seeds from the butternut squash for a nice salty and crunchy snack tomorrow?
 
 So today, utilizing the leftovers in my fridge, I created three new delicious meals in 30 minutes or less and a snack for tomorrow.  That's how leftovers save the day on a daily basis in our household!

To recap, here are my tips for using leftovers:

1.) Make sure to have leftovers - make a little extra of whatever you're making or even double the recipe.

2.) Save every morsel of leftovers - even if it doesn't seem like a lot, it will be worth it.

3.) Always have eggs handy - you can make a frittata or omelet with ANY type of leftovers

4.) Be creative - take a chance and add your leftovers to new dishes even if you're not sure the flavors will go well together. Most of the time, you'll just create a very delicious dish with complex flavors!

5.) Use glass containers to store leftovers - not only does the glass not absorb flavors like plastic does, but it also makes it easier for you to see what leftovers you have in your fridge. You're more likely to use it before it goes bad if you can quickly recognize what's in the container!


Hope this was helpful!

XOXO,
SMP
Advice, butternut squash, cilantro,
Share:

My 5 Tips for Eating Clean

Source
As you are all aware, I began to change my diet a few months ago to a clean eating diet. That means that I strive to eat real, whole foods like meat, eggs, fish, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, and good fats like coconut oil, olive oil, and avocado. This way of eating just makes so much sense to me and has really changed my life. I've never felt better. I thank God everyday that He opened up my eyes! Overly processed, created in laboratory, type of "food" is not real food at all, and will not make me healthier.

Along this journey, I've talked with a lot of people about the changes I've made and the most common reactions are:
Wow, what CAN you eat? 
&
How do you do it? 

The answer to the first one is easy. I can eat A LOT. There are a bajillion types of vegetables and fruits out there - not to mention tons of different meats to pair them up with. Have you looked at any of my food posts lately? I'm not depriving myself AT ALL.

The "how" of it all, is a very good question and I'm going to try to sum it up in 5 easy tips:


1. Stick to the outside perimeter of the grocery story for the freshest, realest foods. If it comes in a box and has an ingredient list that reads like a science experiment - it doesn't belong in my shopping cart. The middle aisles of the store are full of the evil boxes!
Source

2. Clean out your kitchen.  Take a box and throw in all of those prepackaged, overly processed foods. Find a food pantry and donate it. Or at least put it out of sight. If you see it, you crave it. Even if you're not hungry. Don't set yourself up for failure. Only keep good food around - and plenty of it!
Source
3. Be creative. Try a new recipe or buy a vegetable you've never tried before. Keep things interesting - you just might find a new family favorite. Pinterest is recipe heaven! Just keep your eyes on the healthy stuff.

Source
4. Buy a new spice/seasoning every week. Experiment with new flavor profiles and different ethnic flavors. I can't tell you how many different ways I've prepared roasted cauliflower and each time it feels like a new vegetable. Or if you're tired of grilling chicken breasts using the same boring seasonings, you'd be surprised at what a new spice can do for it and for you! I have found out that I really like typical Indian flavors and Moroccan flavors. Keeps things new and exciting!



5. Be Prepared. This is really the most important of them all. Always have good food choices available no matter where you are: at home, at work, in the car, at a hotel, at the park, etc. When hunger strikes, you have something wholesome to turn to instead of a take-out menu, drive-thru or vending machine. Believe it or not, I try to always carry some "emergency protein" for times like those. All natural, minimally processed beef jerky works really well and is easy to carry in your purse. If you're going on a trip, pack a cooler with already cooked chicken tenders or turkey slices. Fruits and veggies are easy to pack as well. Baby carrots and celery are our go-to snacks, as well as bananas and oranges. But protein is the most important to curve hunger and cravings.


I also recommend taking out a couple hours a week to do lots of prep work in one shot. Make a couple of meals and package them up in single servings to easily grab with you on your way to work.


Or prep a bunch of veggies that you can easily throw into your morning omelet or your salad throughout the week.

 


Double a recipe and freeze half for those crazy busy nights where you know you'll only have 15 minutes to throw a meal on the table. It's all about being prepared. Also, one big clean up is better than multiple clean ups!


I probably could throw another 5 tips together, but I'll save that for another day. I just want to emphasize that while this does take some thinking and planning, it's not hard. And you can do it. 

Treat your body well. 
Feed it what it was designed to thrive on. 
It's the only body you'll ever have.


Linking up with:
A Humble Bumble
Boys Oh Boys - Tea on Tuesday HopGrowing HomeFlock Together
Advice, clean eating, food,
Share:

Coincidence? I think not!

Good Morning!

So it's been a couple of weeks since the last blog post, but I just had to share some AMAZING nuggets of wisdom that I'm getting from a book I randomly picked up yesterday. Mark and I were driving to PA and stopped somewhere in CT for a break. In the shopping plaza that we pulled into, there was a Borders that was going out of business. Mark suggested that we take a peek and see if we could find any good books for cheap. I rush to the back of the store because I needed to use the restroom (the real
purpose for stopping in the first place!) and on a rather empty (and
messy) shelf there was a book standing perfectly straight up that immediately caught my eye: The Richest Man Who Ever Lived, by Steven K. Scott.

I was intrigued.

It turns out this book is about King Solomon and the Book of Proverbs. The author, who had serious trouble holding a successful job for many years, was given the following challenge:

"There are 31 days in the month, and there are 31 chapters in the biblical Book of Proverbs. Every day, at the start of each day, read the chapter in Proverbs that corresponds to that particular date. Read two chapters on the last day of months that have only 30 days. Do that every day, month after month, and I guarantee that within two years you'll be smarter than all of your bosses. Do it for 5 years, and I'll bet you will become a millionaire."

What an awesome challenge! The author accepted the challenge and it worked! Whenever he followed King Solomon's advice, he became extremely successful (the man's a millionaire now!) and when he acted against the advice in Proverbs, he failed miserably.

The book presents some of the biggest pieces of advice taken directly from the Proverbs and so far it's awesome! Why Proverbs you may ask? Well in case you weren't aware, here's a short summary of who King Solomon was:
*He was appointed King of Israel by his father, David, shortly before David died
*He was only 12 years old!
*He was terrified of ruling Israel because he didn't think the had the wisdom to do so
*God appeared to Solomon and asked him for what he wanted and he asked only for wisdom (1 Kings 3:9)
*Since Solomon didn't ask for riches, wealth, honor, etc, God was pleased with him and gave Solomon more wisdom, knowledge, riches, wealth, and honor than any king before him or any king that come after him.
*In terms of wealth, some have suggested that in today's dollars, Solomon may well have been a trillionaire!
*An even bigger example is when he began to violate the laws of living that he so wisely wrote in Proverbs--when he went against his own advice his success and happiness diminished.

Is it a coincidence that when we follow the same advice that God gave King Solomon to share, we are able to reach true success and happiness in our lives? Is it a coincidence that this book caught my eye during a random potty break in CT?

I THINK NOT!

As I go through the book, I will be sharing some of the nuggets of wisdom on my blog for two reasons: 1.) This is too good to keep to myself and 2.) I think it will help me remember what I read!

I'm also going to take the same challenge that the author was given. I challenge YOU to do the same!


Advice, Faith, Proverbs
Share:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)