Fruit Infused Coconut Water

There are 2 brands of natural & fresh coconut juice that I really like.

"O.N.E." & "Zico"

I've tried VitaCoCo twice. The first time I didn't like it, it seemed to have a mild salty taste to it. I thought maybe I just got a bad batch of coconut juice. Since all fresh coconut juices are not created equal I decided to give it one more chance when I saw that brand again at the store.

Nope. It still had a mild salty taste to it. It made me wonder if they were mass producing these because it tasted the same and I have never tasted fresh coconut juice that salty before??

Anyways

I grew up drinking fresh coconut water and I loved everything about it. Everything about coconut.

Coconut cake

Coconut fruit

Coconut scent

Coconut water

Coconut, coconut, coconut

Did I mention coconut? I think you get the point here.

I also love fruit.

So when I thought of these infused coconut water, I had to share it with yall!

Infusing water/coconut water/ anything liquid is super easy.

Fruit Infused Coconut Water

(recipe given by counter clockwise)

Lime Coconut Water

• 1/2 - 1 cup ice cubes
• 1 8oz fresh coconut water (my two favorite so far are O.N.E. & Zico)
• a few slices of Lime (depends upon your personal taste)

Mandarin Orange Blueberry Coconut Water

• 1/2 - 1 cup ice cubes
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1 8oz fresh coconut water (my two favorite so far are O.N.E. & Zico)
• a few slices of Mandarin Oranges (depends upon your personal taste)

Raspberry Lemonade Coconut Water

• 1/2 - 1 cup ice cubes
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup raspberries
• 1 8oz fresh coconut water (my two favorite so far are O.N.E. & Zico)
• a few slices of Lemon (depends upon your personal taste)

Strawberry Coconut Water

• 1/2 - 1 cup ice cubes
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup strawberries
• 1 8oz fresh coconut water (my two favorite so far are O.N.E. & Zico)

Directions

Mix everything together in a drinking glass

Health Benefits of Coconut Water

• Packed with potassium (as much as a banana)
• Supports rapid hydration (great to drink after your workout)
• Has a lower acidity than all the other sports drinks
• Has 5 electrolytes (magnesium, sodium, calcium, potassium, phosphorus)
• All natural!!

Enjoy, my little hungry hearts!

Cranberry Pear Sauce

I can already taste cranberry sauce in my mouth! This is one of those side dishes that can secretly be your dessert. This recipe isn't too sweet or bitter, it's just perfect!

And the best part?

There's pear in it! I always like making a recipe and added something in it to give it something extra special. I think the pear gives it something nice to look forward to eating!

This cranberry pear sauce is sweetened with honey and I love honey. I like it more than sugar and use it whenever I can to replace sugar.

Cranberry Pear Sauce

Ingredients: 

• 12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries
• 2 ripe pears, peeled and cored, cubed small
• 1/2 cup agave (or honey to taste)
• 1 cup water

Directions:

Bring all ingredients to a boil on high heat in a saucepan.

When boiling, reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the cranberries burst and the sauce thickens. 

Remove from heat and let it cool before refrigerating.

Serve chilled or room temperature. Makes 3 1/4 cups.

Makes 3 1/4 cups

I seriously can't wait for Thanksgiving so that I can make this again!! :)

Enjoy, my hungry little hearts!

Love, Angel xo

Garlic Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes

Fall is here (although it feels like summer here in Texas) and I am so excited. There is something very nostalgic about the holidays and there's no better way to spend it than with family...and eating!

So how the heck are you supposed to eat healthy around the holidays? Everywhere you turn there's Grandma Reindeer Sweater trying to feed you.

Well, you can still eat healthy and enjoy the foods you normally would eat around the holidays. Over the course of the holidays, I will have recipes that are healthier for you to eat!

I'm sure you realized by reading the title is says "cauliflower"...um what? How in the world is that vegetable supposed to match up to my carb filled potato?!

You're right, it probably wont.

But it probably will if you're not picky.

I love mashed potatoes. I don't care if they're super smooth or has chunky bits. I love mashed potatoes...and that does my waist line NO good.

I promise this recipe is just as good and way healthier!! And because I want to have a more mashed potato texture, I used one potato!

Garlic Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 1 head of garlic
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 medium-sized russet potato (about 12 oz.)
• 5 cups cauliflower florets (about 1 head) 
• 3 tbsp. fat-free half & half
• 2 tbsp. light whipped butter or light buttery spread (like Brummel & Brown)
• 1/2 tsp. salt, or more to taste
• Optional: black pepper, chopped chives 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Remove papery outer layer from garlic, leaving skins around the cloves intact. Slice off the top of the garlic head, 1/4 - 1/2 inch, exposing the tops of the cloves. Place garlic on a piece of foil, drizzle with oil, and use your fingers to coat. Wrap foil tightly around garlic, enclosing it completely. Place in a baking pan.

Bake garlic in the oven for about 40 minutes, until soft enough to mash. Set aside to slightly cool.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil on the stove. While waiting for the water to boil, peel and cube the potato. Add potato and cauliflower to boiling water. Return to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium. Cook until potato and cauliflower are very tender, 15 - 20 minutes.

Drain water and transfer potato and cauliflower to a large bowl; set aside. Once foil-wrapped garlic is cool enough to handle, unwrap garlic and remove cloves; discard skin. Add the soft cloves to the large bowl.

To the bowl, add half & half, butter, and salt. Mash it all together with a potato masher, until completely blended. If you like, season to taste with pepper and additional salt. If needed, bring to desired temperature in the microwave or oven. Top with chopped chives, if you like, and enjoy!

MAKES 5 SERVINGS

Enjoy, my little hungry hearts!

Love, Angel xo

Tropical Papaya Smoothie

As the summer months slowly come to an end, this is what I imagine in my head. However, since I'm from Texas, beaches such as this photo don't exist...so I'm trying really hard to pretend that that sunset is right outside my window. Hey, a girl can dream right?

I can only assume you're here right now because you either have the August workout calendar and are checking out the smoothie recipe or you really are interested in the things I write...I'll take either answer!

If you've been following the calendar (first 4 days!), congratulations! I hope you have a fun time while going through each day.

Let me know how you're doing and feeling about it. Also let me know if there's anything specific you might want to see so that I can put it onto the September Calendar!!

Tropical Papaya Smoothie

• 8 oz. Coconut Water 
• 1/2 cup Frozen Pineapple, cubed
• 1/2 cup Frozen Mango, cubed
• 1/2 cup Fresh Papaya, cubed
• 1 Fresh Banana
• 1 tbsp. ground flaxseed (optional, but so healthy!)

Directions:

1. Add in the Coconut Water
2. Add in all of your fruits, if using ground flaxseed, add this in at the same time
3. Blend and drink!

Enjoy, my little hungry hearts!

Love, Angel xo

Chicken Spring Rolls

I have to admit to you that the day I started working out, I never once counted calories. And I still don't.

I don't expect you to not to but then again, I don't expect you to either. To me, when you start counting calories, you start limiting yourself. I'm sorry but I'd like to have my freedom. After all, I already AM eating healthy and working out, why should I also have to write down what I shove in my mouth? 

It's all about moderation and proportion!!

Yes. I look at calories per serving because just looking at the nutrition label will either make or break it for you. I'll post up a blog about what you need to look for and look OUT for when eating. Also, try to do your own grocery shopping. IF you can't, ask the person who buys it if they mind you coming along and making healthier decisions for everyone.

So, I believe that if I lost 31 pounds and never once counted calories, you can too. Sometimes I'll provide the calories per servings with my recipes, sometimes I wont. Because sometimes I'll go the extra million mile to figure all the nutritional information for you and sometimes I won't. 

Trust me, these are the foods I eat!!

Who knows, maybe one day I'll start counting calories. Until then, I'm gonna continue to do what I do, eat healthy & work out! If you really want to know how many calories are in my recipes, let me know and I will be so kind and write it all down for you. :)