Simple and Peanut-Free Cupcakes

On Sundays, my family likes to get together for "family dinner".  Yesterday, my sister hosted and made a ham, mashed potatoes, salad, beans, glazed carrots... oh and rolls, of course.  A feast, really. It was great!

I offered to make cupcakes.  My nephew, Jonathan, has a peanut allergy so we have to be pretty careful with baked goods.  At girls night a couple weeks ago, Rebecca brought mini cupcakes from Crumbs bakery.  They all had special little toppings and frosting flavors.  They were so good and served as my inspiration for yesterday's cupcakes.

To make my life easy, I decided to go with a boxed mix and then make the frosting from scratch.  My sister recommended a peanut-free brand that was available in the organic section (I also like this mix b/c it has very minimal ingredients). Graham crackers and chocolate chips that were processed in facilities without peanuts were sitting right next to the box on the shelf so I picked up those, too!

While the cupcakes were baking, I organized the toppings onto little plates.

I setup my kitchen table as the frosting/dipping table.

So I made two frostings.  Recipe via Giada here. I didn't make two batches separately like she does in the video. I just frosted the vanilla ones first and then added in the jam and more powered sugar to make the strawberry frosting.

Frost, dip, pack & serve.

Safe to say the kids enjoyed :)

Have a great week... make it awesome. xo.

Avocado, Egg, Feta

I just got back from boxing a little while ago.  The class was particularly intense today (which was awesome) so I wanted to make a lunch that had a good amount of protein.  Lately, I've been making salads for lunch at work with avocado, egg, & feta.  It is such a delectable little combo.  Usually I only use one egg, but after today's class, I knew I needed a little bit more protein.  Eggs got a bad wrap for a while, but really, they are so good for you.  

Here are the ingredients & benefits:

New England Farmhouse Grown Tomatoes: Lycopene, antioxidants, vitamin C (I don't like buying tomatoes anywhere but USA).  This time of year, local greenhouses are the way to go.
Avocado: Omega-3's, Fiber. (the healthy fats in avocados help absorb the nutrients in the salad) 
USDA Organic Eggs: Choline & Protein.  Choline reduces inflammation and is great for brain health. You've got to buy ORGANIC when it comes to eggs. Just the label "cage free" doesn't protect you.  
Carrots: Beta-carotene, vitamins A&C
Feta: Tastes yummy, calcium, has less calories and fat per serving than most cheeses. (So there you go.)
Organic Baby Spinach: Such a power food, you name it, it's in it. Fiber, Vitamin C, A, K, & the B's. 

Honestly, just eating these pretty little tomatoes & avo with some olive oil would have made me happy.

Sometimes, I get the boil perfect.  Happy little eggs.

Finished product.  I dressed it with lemon juice and a yogurt feta dressing that doesn't have any preservatives or nonsense oils in it.  I found it at foodies.  I should have taken the photo before I dressed it, it was really quite pretty before.

Have a fabulous weekend. xo.

Sportello

Rachael, Rebecca and I get together almost bi-weekly to catch up over apps & drinks.  We realized, as of late, that we've been hitting our usual favorite restaurants over and over again.  In the new year, we committed to trying places that none of us have been to yet.  

Tonight, we went to Sportello in South Boston near Seaport. 

I talk about "health in friendships" a lot. Having healthy relationships should really be the foundation to your healthy lifestyle.  My friends and family mean the world to me.  Fitting in quality time with the people that mean the most to you... is healthy.

Let me tell you about the food... here's how we started: 1 red, 2 Proseccos. Bread.

Rachael and I have VERY similar palettes and even usually share a couple of different appetizers rather than getting our own meal.  Here, we both got separate portions of butternut squash angnolotti. Becca got the tagliatelle bolognese.  (She always gets that (or a steak) and we always take a bite). Both were amazing.

Dear Boston, what's the deal with your black puffy jacket? (I'm guilty)

I end most nights with peppermint tea.  My mom always told me that peppermint aids in digestion.  She was/is correct.  I absolutely love it.

Have a fabulous friday. xo.

Revved up Oatmeal

This morning, I ran out of my usual breakfast staple of an Ezekiel english muffin with raw almond or peanut butter. I had to go with oatmeal. Oatmeal is so boring... not like when we were kids and strawberries and cream was the jam. But I digress...  I decided to jazz it up with some key healthy ingredients.  These additions not only made it even more healthy than it already is, but, also added some crunch and FLAVA.

Here's what I added and what makes these ingredients SO HEALTHY.

- ground flax meal: You've probably heard of flax seeds/meal. What you may not know is that you don't really see the health benefits of flax unless it is ground up.  This little tbs added a big dose of omega-3's, antioxidants, & fiber.
- sunflower seeds: These little seeds provide significant amounts of vitamin E, magnesium and selenium. Vitamin E is an antioxidant, has anti-inflammatory properties, & has been known to lower cholesterol.
- blueberries: I love blueberries. Frozen berries are pretty much just as healthy as fresh.  They are frozen immediately rather than sitting on a truck for a week.  Anyway, as you probably already know, blueberries are extremely high in antioxidants.
- wheat germ: Just a couple tbs has a decent amount of protein, iron, folic acid, potassium, and vitamin E.  Not sure why we don't see more about wheat germ. My 90+ year old great grandfather ate it throughout most of his life.  He's 90-something!
- cinnamon: This flavor enhancer has one of the highest antioxidant levels out of any food! It also helps control blood sugar. Bring it on.

Learn more about antioxidants here and here. Sorry that oatmeal looks so ugly. 

Have a great night. xo

Favorite beauty fake-outs

First and foremost, a healthy diet, 4+ days/week workouts, and lots of water is the number one beauty "secret".  There are, however, some topical products I swear by when it comes to looking and feeling beautiful... even in the dead of winter.

I love living in Boston, it is a fantastic city.  The months of January - March can, however, be a little tough both mentally and physically.  The right attitude and some key beauty products can make these months a bit more bearable. Plus, the city is really quite beautiful after it snows :)

Here are my favorites:

Clarisonic Mia. I've turned a lot of people onto this little life changing device. It works by 'swooshing' the bad stuff out of your pores, rather than scrubbing them. It works wonders! I started using it about a year ago and have never had smoother skin.

Origins VitaZing SPF 15 Energy-Boosting Moisturizer.  I use this daily. I love it even more in the winter because the antioxidant-rich mangosteen extract provides for a natural tanned tint. I don't like to wear a lot of makeup so many times after I put this on in the morning, the only addition I make to the skin on my face is a little blush.

Speaking of tan, don't go fake tanning. It is terrible for your skin and you'll kick yourself later in life when you start to look like an old lady at 35. Plus, you know it causes cancer... don't do it.  St. Tropez makes (in my opinion) by far the the BEST faux tan lotions.  The one on the left is for a dark tan (I don't use this too often), but, it works like a charm.  Don't be scared when you first put it on, as your skin will turn green and then fades.  The end result, is fantastic. You will not be orange and you will smell delicious.  Their products provide a natural glow, not the oompa-loompa look. The one on the right, I use almost daily.  It's a gradual tanning lotion and won't leave your hands a crazy color.  It works amazingly well. Plus, they are formulated with natural ingredients.

Last but not least, NARS orgasm blush. Rosey cheeks are the 2nd best accessory in the winter (aside from a bright white smile).  The NARS orgasm blush is just the right color that doesn't look too crazy pink or too light.

Have a wonderful week... stay warm. xo

Girls Night

Well, I've been teasing on social media all week that I'd be back to blogging... so here is my first post since August.  Why did I stop for so long? Quickly, I started a new job, bought my first home, and felt as though if I was going to continue blogging... I needed to update the style.  Moving forward, you will find simplified posts that tie back to the description.... achieving a healthier lifestyle. Not all posts will revolve around exercise and recipes... the focus will be on my lifestyle. I hope you enjoy.

Moving on, last night I had all of my girls over to catch up, drink wine, and of course, eat. We had a lot of catching up to do which, of course, resulted in a lot of laughs.  I prepared a few of my entertaining staples. You'll see where I incorporated healthy options.

First, cheese.  You can't have a girls night without cheese.  Kim gave me this fabulous slate cheese chalkboard as a housewarming gift and I couldn't wait to use it.  When serving cheese, it's always nice to label what exactly is being served.  I always include a brie, hard cheese, and a semi-soft.  Last night, double-cream brie, Jarlsberg swiss, and manchego were served with a side of fig jam and whole wheat french baguette from a local bakery (fig jam will change your life).  The manchego and the brie are pretty much gone.

Next, homeade baked potato chips.  No need to fry when the oven will do the trick (and so much healthier).  Simply either use your mandolin or thinly slice a variety of potatoes (I used sweet and baby gourmet red potatoes).  Soak in water to remove the starches (thanks, Krista for that tip!), pat dry, douse in o/o, salt, pepper, and thyme (any herbs will do). Bake on parchment/baking sheet for 10-15 minutes.  These were a hit and are also all gone.

Last but not least, my specialty, antipasto.  If you know me, you know I am professional antipasto maker. I enjoy every second of putting this together, I put a lot of love into my antipasto.  You can use any Italian meats/cheese and marinated vegetables.  I always build around prosciutto, hard salami, and hot capicola. The beauty of this is that you don't have to cook it, you can prepare it while you chat, and there's something for everyone. Just serve it with a slide of Italian or French bread and everybody is happy, very happy. 

Other healthy options served: Tabouli, baked mushrooms, yogurt spinach/artichoke dip.

Have a fabulous weekend. xo.