Raindrops on roses! Whiskers on kittens!

What a title!

Every year around Christmas holidays, the song My Favorite Things from the Sound of Music comes into mind. I don't know who to blame? The commercials such as this one and this one or my mama who would sing this song in her best opera voice possible. (Love you, ma!)

When I was putting together a few of my favorite things (of food, of course) to feature on the blog, I wanted to cover two aspects. The first thing when I decide on purchasing or eating one food over another, I ask myself two questions, "How much do I like the taste?" and "how does it make me feel?" You see, nutritious and wholesome foods always make me feel great. But in all cases, some taste great and others don't. Take brussel sprouts for example, despite their nutritional stats I won't buy them because I don't prefer the taste. But, but, but chocolate on the other hand, like any type of chocolate cake that will send me straight into a sugar coma I will eat because I truly enjoy the taste. However, nothing makes my heart( and body, and jeans, and eyes... etc) happy when there is an equally delicious food as it is nutritious.

I realize most of you are on the go, or you and your grumbly stomachs don't particularly enjoy standing over a pot of oatmeal on the stove when you are running fifteen minutes late for work/class. That is completely understandable. If I had a dollar for every time I was running late, well I would be buying all of us good-for-you foods!

I have pictured a few of my favorite breakfasts and snack items that are healthy, tasteful, and convenient. Your kind of thing, right?

1. Chipotle Pepper Hummus: Hummus is a creamy, sometimes thick spread that comes in all kinds of flavors. You can even make it at home. If you are successful please tell me the trick because I fail every.single.time. Hummus punches in a lot of crucial nutrients, such as vitamins, protein, and healthy fats! When I am in a snacking mood I grab a handful of baby carrots alongside a spoonful of hummus. Hummus is also great in a sandwich, wrap, atop a salad, or served with pita chips.  

2. Laughing Cow Light Cheese: I am a cheese lover and that is an understatement. I use the Laughing Cow wedges to spread on top of English muffins for breakfast, alongside an apple for a snack, or just by itself. Again, there are all different flavors and for just 35 calories a wedge it is a treat that won't make you look like a cow, despite the name. <-- That was cheesy! 

3. Clif Mojo Bars: I love The Clif Bar company. Clif Bars were specifically made for high endurance activity like mountain climbers, bikers, and runners. They are low sugar and high protein, providing you with a significant amount of energy. These bars are perfect for a pre-workout or post-workout snack. The Mojo bars featured in the pictures are a perfect combination of sweet+salty. Now let's go pretend we climb mountains just so we can eat a peanut butter pretzel mojo!

4. Larabar: Larabars are exactly what the website explains, "pure and simple, just as nature intended." Every bar has less than 9 ingredients! I love eating these as an afternoon pick-me-up or sometimes chopped up and topped on greek yogurt. It's nice to know you are putting nothing but fruits, spice, and nuts into your body. I try to stay away from unknown ingredients as much as possible, and these are just the opposite.

5: Nut butter sample packets: Let me explain, before I read blogs or even thought about changing my eating habits I already had a thing for peanut butter. It wasn't until the past year that almond butter and sunflower seed butter was introduced to my healthy diet. I eat nut butter every.single.day. If it's not on top of my oatmeal or yogurt bowls or mixed into smoothies, it is eaten with sliced apple or carrots for a snack. And, since I'm being as truthful as possible, I sometimes eat by the spoon. Nut butter is a healthy fat that is VERY important in keeping a person satiated and maintaining weight and well-being. These sample packets are a perfect convenience food; grab an apple and a packet for a small breakfast or snack.

Those are just a few of my healthy snacks. I only snack when I am hungry or when I feel the need to fuel my body (which is too much). Also, I try to practice portion-control in order to save room for my next meal!

Have a great Friday!

Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist or registered dietitian. All of my thoughts and opinions are based off of my knowledge and research.

Winter Vegetable Soup

Ok, okay... I will admit. I am not the master mind behind this delicious soup. See, I have a boyfriend who  loves to cook.  No silly, he doesn't add water, milk, and eggs to heated macaroni from the box and call it a day. He will throw ingredients together, following no recipe, and a hearty vegetable chili or this said warm soup will be the result.

 Thanks to his supermom mother and experience in a restaurant, this boy can whip up some meals. Last night at the grocery store he told me "He was making vegetable soup." I was ok with vegetable soup until he started grabbing canned green beans, canned corn, and canned peas. I always try to stay away from canned vegetables as it contains added salt and sweeteners. After a stop in the frozen vegetables section and a return to the red box (which is 5 days late, AGAIN) we he got to cooking. 

Winter Vegetable Soup
This soup will comfort the sick, warm the cold, and satisfy the angry man who believes meals without meat aren't tasty. Easy, quick, and nutritious, this soup is a keeper and can be frozen for later.


Ingredients:

6 ounces green beans, fresh or frozen
6 ounces mini lima beans, fresh or frozen
6 ounces sweet corn, fresh or frozen
6 ounces baby carrots, fresh or frozen
4 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1- 15 oz. canned tomato sauce
2.5 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Salt + Pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
A few dashes of cumin (he claims this is the *secret* ingredient)

In large pot, add olive oil over medium-high heat and sauté onions until almost clear, then add mushrooms and garlic. Add chicken broth and tomato sauce. Sprinkle oregano and cumin. Bring to a low boil.

Add green beans, lima beans, corn and carrots. Sprinkle salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium and cover, stirring occasionally. Cook for 25-30 minutes.

Enjoy!

We had a stringy grilled cheese on the side, but the soup would be delicious alone! Actually I take that back, cook a grilled cheese too :)

Now someone come build me a fireplace and we can slurp our soup together. Hurry, it's almost gone.

On Wednesdays, Jenn from the blog Peas and Crayons host a food party called What I Ate Wednesday. WIAW is a day of eats in picture form that helps the blogger reflect on his/her day of eats. Sort of like a food journal internet-style. Her blog and WIAW gives great exposure of delicious and nutritious combinations. It's amazing what one can do to make up a yummay meal. 

What I Ate Wednesday; What Mindy Ate Tuesday (same thing ;-D)

Breakfast: 1/2 cup plain Chobani + 1/2 cup cottage cheese topped with 1/4 cup Fiber cereal + dry oats, a few drippings of honey, a handful of grapes and 1 tbsp of CRUNCHY(!!!!) sunflower seed butter

1/2 of an orange 

A few white-chocolate covered pretzels were also snuck in 

I didn't take pictures at lunch, but it was delicious!

Lunch: An egg, cheese, and jelly english muffin 

Mine sort of looks like this one
1 egg+ blackberry preserves+ melted muenster cheese

Roasted broccoli and cauliflower 

Would be even better with parmesan!! 
Roasted in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes. All it needs is a tiny bit of olive oil + salt + pepper

Supper: Heirloom Market BBQ

This bar-b-que joint is my favorite restaurant in Atlanta. It is stuck beside a convenient store which was sketch at first, but it has delicious food. The owners are two chefs who studied abroad in Korea, these two people know their food! It isn't the typical bar-b-que with tons of french fries or chips, there are a variety of sides and there are all kinds of flavors varying from korean bbq, texas bbq, pulled brisket, bbq chicken and many, many more!

Tonight I went with the Spicy Korean Sandwich. I always end up bringing half of it home to eat the next day!

Spicy + sweet

with Korean Sweet Potatoes on the side

Source

and a cucumber-radish salad (soo fresh)!

Source

There's my day of eats! I always try to sneak in a variety of protein, carbohydrates, healthy fats, fruits, and vegetables! <-- Always keeps me full, and I will refrain from snacking. 

Thanks to Jenn for hosting the food party! 

Stop by tomorrow! I have a yummy winter vegetable soup recipe coming your way. Perfect for this chilly weather.. brrrr 

Werk Wednesdays

Away from the serious and sentimentalism, and on to the sweat!


On Wednesdays, I will post a work-out that I am currently loving. This will help to keep my scattered-brain of mine straight and sane.


This workout is one I have been doing ever since I joined a gym at the young age of 16. It is a mixture of cardio, strength training, and flexibility. On a typical week, but not every week, I try to do this at least 3 times, incorporating different major muscle groups. It is the perfect combination for me! As always, make sure you properly fuel your body with wholesome, nutritious foods to gain lasting results and maximum energy.

Source

You will need: a pair of dumbbells, a stability ball, a bench or chair




Warm-up: 5 minutes flexibility
*I usually do stand and sitting stretches


Cardio: 20 minutes of interval elliptical

• I alternate 2 minutes low resistance forward-pedaling (level 1 or 2), with 2 minutes high resistance and high intensity backward-pedaling (level 8-10). There should be options on the elliptical for interval courses. The same concept can be done on a treadmill. Various studies have proven short, high intensity workouts followed with low intensity recovery as described above speeds up metabolism and creates results faster.

                                   

Strength training: 30 minutes arms + abs                                          

• Using a 10-lb dumbell, complete 15 repetitions of alternating bicep curls, tricep extension and chest press
• Using a preferred weight of choice (I use 35-lb), 20 repetitions of standing oblique side bends, alternating side to side 
• Using body weight or adding resistance by placing a weighted body bar, complete 20 tricep dips on a bench, chair, or any applicable surface 
• 50 sit ups on stability ball
• REST FOR TWO MINUTES
• Repeat first three steps +  20 bicycling abs with added weight in hand
• 15 pushups 
• REST FOR ONE MINUTE
• Repeat first three steps + 20 reverse crunches on bench or floor
• 1 minute plank

Cool down: 5 minutes stretching 

*I make sure I take longer to stretch all of the fatigued muscles a bit longer during cool down. 

A workout like this never fails to get my heart pumping, causing me to break a little lot of sweat, and gives my muscles a good burn. 

No matter what, move ya booty and werk!!! 

Disclaimer: I am not a personal trainer, nutritionist or registered dietitian. All of my workouts and meals are what works for me. 

The beginning of a Healthy Me

   In February 2011 a few things happened to me that I am thankful for everyday. As I was scrolling through my Facebook news feed I came across a recently uploaded photo from the previous night. I couldn't believe what I saw in that particular picture. It was me, but a bloated, teary eyed, and unhealthy me. Sure, I was smiling.. sure, I had great and fun friends around me.. but it just wasn't "Mindy". I was embarrassed and immediately clicked "Untag", as I'm sure all of us social media freaks know about that option all too well.


It is so corny to say "a picture is worth a thousand words", but that saying means just that and so much more to me. At that moment is when I realized I needed to make some changes.


My health was never an issue for me growing up. I lived off of the typical "Southern" type meals, ate what I wanted to and had no concerns as to what I was putting into my body. I also cheered and danced my way up until college. My active lifestyle along with my killer metabolism balanced out my diet of macaroni and cheese and steak.


My senior year of high school, in particular, I was in the gym nearly 5 days a week. I loved taking fitness classes, learning new strength training workouts, and progressing each week on the treadmill. I can even remember one day when school was released and as I was getting into my car, one friend asked what I would be doing after school and another friend replied, "You know Mindy will be at the gym." And she was right.


Entering into college, I worked out here and there but basically went through the motions. I had the time of my life my freshman year, neglecting the gym and loving french fries, but I also learned so much about myself, my true relationship with others, and most importantly, my passion for health.


The spring of my first year of college changed my life. It changed my perspective on healthy eating and living. Heck, I even changed my major from Nursing to Nutrition!


I searched high and low for anything and everything I could do to look and feel better. I wanted to know how bodies processed certain things, what foods to eat, and pretty much WHERE TO START?! I was clueless. I had a want to search more, learn more, and live more. I knew, of course, going to the gym more than once a week would help a young, once active girl like me but still, I wanted more. I read everything from magazines, healthy living books and cookbooks, fitness model Facebook pages and so much more. Nothing satisfied me, as it was the same people, doing the same moves, saying the same things. Then, in the midst of my searches I came across a healthy living blog, and it finally clicked! The blogworld offers so much variety for any topic or discussion. It is inspiring, informative, controversial, and not to mention time-consuming (in the best way possible :).


In Clueless Nutrition, I will journey through stressful hours of classes, share a few recipes with a side of screw-ups in the kitchen and offer fitness tips. Hopefully I will encourage others as I once was by other bloggers. Everyone needs to be dug up and found every once in a while. ;-)


I want to finish where the first few blogs I read started. This is an outlet for inspiration, individualism, and a like-minded passion.


Welcome!