Lunchtime Summer Salad from my Little Urban Garden

Today's lunch is special because when it was time to eat, I got to go out and pick my first round of Bibb Lettuce from our little city garden!

I washed the greens and added:
2 strawberries,
4 cherries,
1 diced slice of red onion,
s&p,
1/4 avocado and this
AMAZING lavender-infused balsamic vinegar that a friend gifted to me as an early birthday present. I had a little side car of cottage cheese for some protein…Lunch is served! I love summer.

Chocolate (Pumpkin) Donuts

I mean...what kid wouldn't be excited to hear those words come out of mom's mouth? And Mom, you can feel good about it! My 4 year old and I love to make these and they are always a hit. The recipe is an adaptation of a Jessica Seinfeld recipe, just tweaked a bit, a la #fitmamafitwifefitlife 

Makes 12 medium donuts

1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 coconut palm sugar
1/2c milk
1 egg white
1T Vanilla
1T coconut oil

1c AP flour (you can use whole wheat flour but it would need to be WW pastry flour to keep donuts light)
1t cinnamon
1t baking soda
1/2t baking powder
1T unsweetened cocoa powder
(Powdered sugar to make them pretty after baking)

Heat oven to 350*, spray donut mold (mini muffins work too if you don't have the donut pan)

Beat together palm sugar, egg white, pumpkin, milk, oil, vanilla. Add in flour, baking soda & powder, cinnamon & cocoa.

Fill pan and bake about 16 minutes (less for mini muffins)

This is my signature move, ladies.

Cauliflower. I mean... if you have been following my Facebook page or know me in real life, you already know that cauliflower is MY JAM! So even though many of you already know about it, this blog would seem incomplete if I didn't dedicate a post to my beloved Superfood.

On this particular day, Benny had a bowl. Nat had 2 bowls. Elle had 3 bowls. Stair-step Noodle Success.

The facts: cauliflower packs tons of vitamin C, fiber & antioxidants. But the really good stuff is this fancy word Glucosinolates which you can learn more about here. Bottom line, its SUPER good for you and your family.

Now, my kids eat pretty well, but theres no denying that they love mac'n'cheese above all else. It reigns supreme and is the BEST bribery tool in our dining room drama.  So I do what I can…and try to balance the meal so this is where cauliflower has been HUGE!  Any time cauliflower is on sale, I buy 5-10 pounds, steam it, puree it, and package it up using my Squeeze Station.  I put the pouches in the freezer and pull out a couple each week to be fridge ready for macaroni emergencies.  I boil the noodles, drain, add the cheese and then become a rule-breakin' mama…I omit the milk and butter. Oh yeah, you heard me.  #risktaker  For each regular size box of mac'n'cheese, I use one-4oz squeeze of cauliflower puree and voila! Healthier "cheesy noo-noos" with a dose of hidden veggies.

Jessica Seinfeld turned me on to the hidden veggies and this has since become my signature move any day of the week. My kids are so used to it that its a non-issue and they go back and forth between restaurant mac and mine without batting an eyelash.  If you try it the first time and think a flavor difference is very noticeable, I challenge you to fix mac'n'cheese a few more times with it before you make a final decision.  It's too good of a veggie opportunity to give up too soon!

Other cauliflower yums to try:
Eggs - Using the Pureed cauliflower mentioned above, simply squeeze a little bit into your eggs before scrambling.  If you are concerned that kids will notice, put a bit of cream cheese in the eggs as well. They'll be extra light and fluffy and have a nutrient bonus! Cheese improves everything.

Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce - put it on everything!

Cauliflower Fried Rice - make it your own with whatever veggie or protein additions you love in traditional fried rice

A KitKat a day keeps the Swimsuit away = The simple snacks that you will ALWAYS find in my fridge

Truth:  There was a time in my life when my standard snack throughout the day was the snack size KitKat bars like you pass out on Halloween.  I don't know what it was but they were my JAM!  (ok, I do actually know… #sugaraddiction) But it was one day, soon after having baby #3, that I finally came to grips with the fact that the KitKats had to go. I knew that if I was going to get anywhere with my weight loss, there had to be an overhaul of my nutrition --> meaning, lose the KitKats.

The KitKat Khronicles: 4 weeks post pardum after kid #3 in 3 years. Enjoying life but not feeling confident in my own skin.

I disposed of the remaining KitKats in the most reasonable way one can imagine: #eatthemALL, and then made a vow to not buy them anymore. Now here's the thing with such a "vow":  You have to REALLY want the results more than you want the KitKat... And I was certain at that point that I REALLY wanted the results.  At that point, I felt a complete disconnect from my own body.  When I looked in the mirror, I wasn't seeing who I felt I could be. It didn't feel like my body matched the spirit and energy that I had inside and I was willing to do the work to feel better about myself again.

60 pounds gone and Kicked the KitKat Habit. Boom! 

I'll tell you more about the structure of my weight loss nutrition and fitness regimen in future posts, but today I want to focus on what I used to replace my beloved KitKat snacks.  I realized that for me, my overhaul needed to be dramatic - as in - clean out the house and start fresh. I am fortunate to have an amaze-balls hubby who supported my decision to get rid of chips, pretzels, cookies and any other treats that were common-place around here.  I realized I needed to have quick, ever-present snacks in the house that would support my goals and satisfy.  Before I knew it, they were my staples - and many of them remain my daily go-tos over 18 months later.

Apples: My morning snack, I probably have an apple every single day. Somethin' 'bout that crunch. #Satisfies
Also, Grapes: Something that you can grab a handful of and get that "hand-to-mouth" eating satisfaction…(PRO TIP: Summer is coming…Freeze the grapes! Snack-a-licious.)

Between the kids & me, a 5-pound (!) bag of carrots and a giant tub of hummus usually gets us through a week…#thanksCostco

Carrots & Hummus: My afternoon Snack, savory goodness that might be on the shortlist for "if you have to pick just one snack for the rest of your life"

Dark Chocolate Chips: These were actually added to the snack list AFTER I was making good progress with my goals and felt that I could allow some treats on the reg. I still use a measuring cup to eat them out of so I don't go at them mindlessly.  Also, I keep mine in the freezer. I don't know why…

Hard Boiled Eggs: 2 whole eggs is generally considered a portion, and thats a hearty snack. Plus the protein will be effective in keeping you feeling fuller longer. I prefer them to be peeled and ready to grab. (#sundayprep)

I love both of these, but would not recommend eating them together. Unless thats your thing... #notjudging...

Cottage cheese: add berries in the morning, add veggies if I want savory, but eating it plain happens more often than not.

Pickles: Can't Stop. Won't Stop.

Gold medal: Cookie dough, Silver: Cookies & Cream, Bronze: Mint Cookie

Quest Bars: Now, these are not a daily snack for me, but its the thing I keep in my purse, next to my apple, so when I'm running around and need something to get me through, I've got an option ready to go. Chocolate chip cookie dough, anyone?!

I may or may not have an Amazon auto shipment of this stuff…by the case. #hubbysfavoritetoo

Popcorn: At the end of the day, sometimes you just want to munch. This is another snack that I added in only once I was seeing results and could practice will-power. Seriously!  Air-popping your own fresh corn in a bit of coconut oil on the stove top is super yummy, but when you can't wait, SkinnyPop is the BEST.

Take your weight, divide the number in half…thats how many OUNCES of water you should be drinking every day.  How are you doing??

Water! Ok, so maybe not a snack, but seriously: do you know that the same part of your brain is responsible for interpreting hunger and thirst signals…but many of us have trouble recognizing the difference. Try drinking a big glass of water before reaching for a snack, then wait 15 minutes and see how you're feeling. Water is seriously amazing stuff.

There's no denying there was a definite sugar addiction happening during my KitKat days and thats not an easy thing to break.  For me, it was a limb that I stepped out on at the time to try Shakeology, a protein shake, and that made a tremendous impact for me.  The chocolate shake totally helped me to wean off of the KitKats without suffering from night sweats*.

One of my favorite shake recipes has caramel and coconut extract plus the chocolate shake…think: Girl scout cookies!

*Dramatization

What's your favorite healthy snack? Comment below, I'd love to know what's keeping you on track with your goals too!