I feel like this recipe is perfect for the transition into fall. Not that we’re in that transition yet since it’s still like 90 something degrees outside but in my mind I’m already thinking about that time of year so I guess that’s why I came up with this hearty recipe. It’s perfect for the warmer weather too since it’s packed of veggies and the coconut milk gives a creamy, delicious flavor that I just love. 

I noticed I really don’t pull out my crockpot in the summer.. I primarily use it in the fall and winter. Which makes sense because you typically make heartier recipes in the crockpot like casseroles, soups, stews, etc. I’m going to try to use it more though because it is so nice to throw everything in there in the beginning or middle of the day and then when you get home from work later that day or from whatever you’re doing, dinner is ready! Nothing beats that. Especially on those super busy days when you know you won’t have the time to put dinner together that night.

I REALLY like this recipe because it’s hearty and super satisfying yet light since it’s just a bunch of veggies. I also just love coconut curry. I had a coconut curry pho bowl for the first time earlier this year at a restaurant and instantly fell in love. I can’t believe I’ve been missing out on curry for all these years! It’s sweet and creamy and requires pretty minimal ingredients. You can throw it over anything and it will taste good. The first time I made red coconut curry I put it over rice noodles, shrimp and veggies. SO. GOOD.

Crockpot Sweet Potato & Chickpea Coconut Curry

2017-08-06 20:07:34

Serves 6

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Prep Time

20 min

Cook Time

5 hr

Total Time

5 hr 20 min

Prep Time

20 min

Cook Time

5 hr

Total Time

5 hr 20 min

Ingredients

1. 1 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained
2. 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
3. 1 large sweet potato, chopped
4. 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
5. 2 cloves garlic, minced
6. 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
7. 1 15 oz. can coconut milk
8. 1 head of broccoli, chopped into smaller florets
9. 2 tablespoons red curry paste (I use Thai Kitchen brand)
10. 1 teaspoon ginger, minced
11. 1 teaspoon chili paste

Optional for serving

1. chopped cashews
2. chopped fresh basil

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients in crockpot and set on high to cook for 4-6 hours.
2. Serve on top of prepared white or brown rice.
3. Sprinkle with chopped cashews and chopped basil (optional)

By Amanda Rodriguez

https://www.afitkitchen.com/

The post Crockpot Sweet Potato & Chickpea Coconut Curry appeared first on .

Nathan actually said they remind him of brownies. I’ll take that as a compliment.

So totally random.. But are you one of those people who follows a strict daily regimen? As in, your day is planned out from the moment you wake up to the moment you lay your head on the pillow at night? I’m super curious how many people have a strict daily routine. A major goal of mine (Ok, I’ll admit it’s been a goal for like the past 2 years..) is to create a daily routine for myself and really thoughtfully plan out my days ahead of time to make sure I get everything done I want to get done in the day while also having time for myself and do the things I want to do. Seems impossible, I know. But I hear it can be done.. with thoughtful planning and determination. I guess I’m just not really good at either of those.. being that I can’t seem to make myself get out of bed before 7am.

I really am convinced I’ve ruined myself. My internal clock has precisely decided that around 10:30pm (most of the time more like 9:30pm…) is when I should hit the hay and I’m not even lying when I say I DO NOT set an alarm most mornings and I wake up right at 7am (give or take a few minutes). I mean is that one determined internal clock or what?! Speaking of going to bed, I’m typing this up right now and its around 10pm and I am fighting my internal clock SO hard right now to stay up and finish this post. It doesn’t help that my macbook is like 48926935 years old so it keeps freezing up on me. I really should invest in a new laptop.. but those things ain’t cheap so I’ll get around to it one of these days. Meanwhile, I’ll refrain from throwing my laptop across the room.. which is what I really would like to do right now

Anyway, getting back to my point about a daily routine. My husband, Nathan, is actually super disciplined with his morning routine, I mean like to a T. He wakes up (around 6 I think?.. I’m really not sure because I am NEVER awake before him) lets the dog out, makes himself a breakfast which is always an omelet and a bowl of cereal. Yes, the man eats all of that for breakfast. He then gets his stuff together for work (as in packs a backpack with a change of workout clothes and irons his work clothes for the day). Then he takes a 2-3 mile run.. and takes the dog with him for the first mile.. comes home, showers, gets ready for work and heads out the door. Sometimes with a lunch I made him.. most times, not. Hey, I’m not perfect!

You probably could care less about how my husband spends his mornings. But he swears by his routine. I mean I’m pretty impressed by it too, actually super impressed. I didn’t even mention that he gets a second workout in over his lunch break.. where he proceeds to life weights. I’m happy if I can get up early enough to fit in a 1.5 mile run before I have to log on.. and most days I count that as my workout and feel good about it. Meanwhile in the back of my mind knowing my husband on the other hand is crushing it. Sorry, hubs.. you’ll probably always be in better shape than I am.

I sometimes wonder how much I could actually get done in the mornings if I just got up an hour earlier. You don’t know how many times I’ve set my alarm for 6am only to hit snooze like a billion times. I’m sorry but I just am not a morning person and I think I’ve finally come to terms with it. I do wish I would stop beating myself up over it though. Like so what, I like my sleep! Why is that so bad? But I guess it’s because I compare myself to to these other women out there who get up at 5am everyday all bright eyed and cheery and that just ain’t me. 

Maybe I’ll keep trying.. I’m sure when the day comes when I have kids I’ll have to do it regardless but I think for now I’ll keep getting the extra shut-eye and try hard not to make myself feel so bad about it.

So I’m pretty sure this whole post was just an internal conversation with myself. I literally just blabbered about a personal problem and then somehow made myself feel better about it.. all through typing out this blog post and essentially talking to myself. Am I like my own shrink now? So what if I’m on to something? Honestly though, I use this blog to talk about whatever the heck is on my mind so I really hope it is at least somewhat interesting for a few of you out there. If you hate reading my poorly thought out blabber then just feel free to skip over to the recipes from now on. I honestly wouldn’t blame you!  

Now off to bed before my computer crashes again or I fall asleep on the keyboard. Goodnight!

Paleo Double Chocolate Banana Muffins

2017-08-03 20:41:53

Yields 12

A decadent take on banana bread muffins!

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Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

25 min

Total Time

35 min

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

25 min

Total Time

35 min

Ingredients

1. 3 very ripe (brown) bananas, mashed
2. 3 eggs, whisked
3. 1/4 cup maple syrup
4. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5. 1/2 cup almond butter
6. 1/4 cup coconut flour
7. 1/4 cup cocoa powder
8. 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
9. 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
10. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
11. 1/8 teaspoon (or pinch) of salt
12. 1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate (or dark chocolate chips)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Combine with bananas with the eggs, maple syrup, vanilla and almond butter.
3. In a second bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
4. Mix they dry ingredients in with the wet ingredients. Fold in the chocolate chunks.
5. Pour evenly into greased muffin pan and bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

By Amanda Rodriguez

https://www.afitkitchen.com/

The post Paleo Double Chocolate Banana Muffins appeared first on .

Can I get real with you really quick? You see, it’s kind of hard being a ‘blogger’. That is if you don’t really like talking about yourself. I started out this blog primarily as a way to share recipes and that is all I wanted to do. I really did not intent to write up blog posts and go on and on with my internal monologues but people kept telling me that if I wanted my blog to do anything for me one day that it’s super important to add writing to my recipes and establish my ‘voice’. Problem is, I’m still trying to figure out that ‘voice’. I was never much of a writer growing up.. I mean I always did pretty well on my papers I had to write in school but I didn’t feel like it was anything that came natural to me. And another part of me just feels a little weird writing about my thoughts and hoping people care, I mean really.. 

I think that break was so necessary now. I was able to really think about what I wanted to do and how I wanted to spend my time. I found myself getting overwhelmed with all of my commitments and really needed to get real with myself and figure out what I really wanted to do. 8 hours of my day is spent doing my actual job and I have somewhat limited time left to commit to other things but I really needed to figure out what I wanted those others things to be and stick to them. I decided on social commitments (time with friends), marriage commitments (quality time with the hubs), fitness commitments (workout out at least 30 min a day), blog commitments (well, duh) and lastly, volunteering/church commitments. That’s a lot to commit myself to.. I know. But somehow I manage to squeeze it all in. My blog was suffering recently because I hadn’t sat down and prioritized my time like I’m doing now. I sound like such wierdo, I know. But I’m realizing how important it is to do this kind of thing when you find yourself overwhelmed or at a stand-still with how to spend your time!

I think in my last blog post I told you how I was getting a ‘little sister’ through the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization down here in Charleston. Well, I’m happy to say I was matched with 10 year old Khaliha back in April and we’ve been hanging out every week since. She is super sweet, polite and somewhat shy. I remember when the BBBS Match Specialist called me to let me know they had found a potential match for a little sister for me. They told me she was in elementary school, loved to ride her bike and get her nails done and was severely shy. They also told me that she had been matched twice before the other bigs just stopped seeing her shortly after meeting her and she didn’t know why. That broke my heart. Here is a little girl that is seeking an older role model in her life and this is how she’s treated? I was determined to bond with her and make it work, and that’s what we did!

The first picture is at her graduation from elementary school a few weeks ago and the second one was when we went to the North Charleston Waterfront Park and she met Cash for the first time (she initially wasn’t a fan of dogs but I think she quickly learned to love Cash) – 

She can be shy at times but other times she will happily go on and on about how she went to the beach recently or what kind of meals her mom cooks for dinner. I can actually relate to her personality pretty well since I was a pretty shy only child.. and it also makes me feel that much better to know that she does feel comfortable talking to me and asking me questions. I’ll be sure to keep you posted on our recent activities and how things are going!

On a whole different note.. I watched a pretty scary documentary the other day. I’m sure you’ve heard of it by now. It’s called ‘What the Health’ and the name is somewhat misleading. Having no idea what the documentary was about I took my best guess by the name of it and assumed that they were going to talk about living a healthy life.. i.e. eating generally healthy, working out, etc… you know, the normal kind of stuff you hear about when it comes to your health. Wellll this one talked about your health too but in a very extreme way. It’s basically about this one guy who allegedly found out (through extensive research I guess?) that meat and animal products causes cancer and diabetes. All of these health specialists, nutritionists and doctors back up this idea by going on and on about the negative effects of these animal products.

I will say my short and sweet thoughts on this documentary and then I’ll shut up. While I do believe that eating a plant based diet is better than a carnivorous diet and that everyone should try to eat less meat and more veggies.. I think it’s a steep statement to say that there is a direct correlation between meat and cancer. I 100% agree that red meat isn’t good for your heart and can cause problems but I don’t think we should go on to say that grilled chicken and yogurt equals cancer.

I also think that processed foods play a HUGE role in human diseases more so than meat.. and they didn’t really get into processed foods which surprised me. I do  agree that most of our bodies are intolerant to dairy because technically we weren’t meant to consume cow’s milk BUT I don’t think that means you can never eat a piece of cheese ever again. I think you just have to take it all in consideration and maybe commit to trying to replace more meals with plant based recipes and try to eat more whole foods versus processed crap. But what do I know.

Ok I think that’s enough rambling for one night. So much rambling that I forgot to even mention my recipe!!!  I found this frozen falafel at Trader Joe’s the other day and thought I’d give it a try! I’ll admit it’s not as good as the local mediterranean restaurant down the street (Ali Baba’s.. SO GOOD) but then again it’s not fried and it’s still pretty tasty. You can obviously make your own falafel if you’d rather.. I definitely want to give that a try soon but in an effort to keep it a pretty simple, easy recipe I went with the pre-made stuff. I made a simple lemon tahini dressing to go with the bowls (found the tahini at Trader Joe’s for super cheap).

ENJOY!

Greek Falafel Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing

2017-07-26 19:55:05

A delicious classic Greek dish that's super easy to make!

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Prep Time

20 min

Cook Time

15 min

Total Time

35 min

Prep Time

20 min

Cook Time

15 min

Total Time

35 min

For the salad

1. 1 package Trader Joe's (or other brand OR homemade) frozen falafel (about 10 pieces)
2. 1 bag spring mix lettuce
3. 1 cucumber, diced
4. 1 tomato, diced
5. 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
6. 1 cup quinoa, prepared
7. pita chips
8. feta cheese

For the Lemon Tahini Dressing

1. 1/4 cup sesame tahini
2. Juice from 1 1/2 lemons
3. 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4. 2 tablespoons water
5. 1 garlic clove, minced
6. salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Follow instructions on the bag to cook falafel.
2. While the falafel is cooking, prepare the dressing. Mix together all of the ingredients and set in fridge to chill.
3. Fill bowls with spring mix and top with the falafel, cucumber, tomato, red onion, quinoa, pita chips and feta cheese.
4. Drizzle with tahini dressing and serve.

By Amanda Rodriguez

https://www.afitkitchen.com/

The post Greek Falafel Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing appeared first on .

I keep forgetting that we leave for Iceland in 2 weeks!! I’m talking about how happy I am it’s starting to warm up but then I’m leaving to go to a pretty chilly place. But I am SO excited. I have been wanting to take an ‘adventure’ trip so bad for some time now and we are finally doing it! Of course tropical getaways are always nice but every now and then it’s good to just take an adventure trip. One where you completely submerse yourself in your surroundings and the culture. 

We got a small taste of an ‘adventure’ trip when we went to Jamaica last year. We took a cab over to another part of Jamaica which meant a long drive but also meant we got to see a good bit of the scenery. It was unlike anything I’m used to seeing and I loved it. I loved to see how other people lived and what other places looked like. If Iceland is half as beautiful in person as it is in pictures I’ll still be blown away. 

Healthy Strawberry Crisp

2017-03-30 19:35:58

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Prep Time

15 min

Prep Time

15 min

Ingredients

1. 4 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
2. 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3. 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
4. 2 tablespoons tapioca starch or cornstarch
5. 1/2 cup almond flour
6. 1/2 cup rolled oats
7. 1/2 cup granola
8. 1/2 teaspoon salt
9. 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
10. 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup or honey
11. 1 tablespoon raw turbinado sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine the strawberries, lemon juice, vanilla and starch in a bowl.
3. Pour into an 8x8 baking dish and set aside.
4. Combine the almond flour, rolled oats, granola, salt, coconut oil and maple syrup or honey in a bowl.
5. Pour topping mixture on top of the strawberries in the baking dish and spread evenly over top.
6. Sprinkle with raw sugar.
7. Bake for about 30 minutes or until top begins to golden and strawberries are bubbly.

By Amanda Rodriguez

https://www.afitkitchen.com/

The post Healthy Strawberry Crisp appeared first on .

Back in the day I tried out the whole vegan thing for little while. Now that is hard. You don’t realize how many things you eat that have animal products in them until you cut them out. The no meat thing actually wasn’t the hardest part.. it was the dairy.  I think I would do better if I tried the vegan thing again at this point in my life. When I first did it I was in college and trying to eat like that in college is hard. But now I don’t really eat dairy very much except for greek yogurt and cheese every now and then but I think I could give that up. The hardest thing for me to give up would be charcuterie. That is like my favorite indulgence. Nothing beats a delicious meat and cheese board with a glass of wine.. I just love thinking about it. I don’t know that I could give that up. So I’ll just stick to whipping up some vegetarian dishes every now and then and sharing them with you guys

Spicy Southwestern Black Bean Burgers

2017-03-25 07:57:24

Yields 4

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Prep Time

20 min

Cook Time

15 min

Total Time

35 min

Prep Time

20 min

Cook Time

15 min

Total Time

35 min

Black Bean Burgers

1. 2 cans low-sodium black beans
2. 1/2 red pepper, finely chopped
3. 1/2 green pepper, finely chopped
4. 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
5. 1/2 small jalapeno, finely chopped
6. Juice from 1 lime
7. 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
8. 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
9. 1 teaspoon chili powder
10. salt and pepper, to taste
11. 1 egg, whisked
12. 1 tablespoon olive oil

Guacamole

1. 1 ripe avocado
2. 1 roma tomato, diced
3. 1 tablespoon red onion, finely chopped
4. juice from 1 lime
5. 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
6. 1 tablespoon cilantro, finely chopped
7. salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Pour one of the cans of black beans in a food processor or blender. Blend until a thick paste forms.
2. Combine the black bean paste, other can of black beans, red pepper, green pepper, onion, jalapeno, lime juice, panko bread crumbs, cayenne pepper, chili powder, salt and pepper.
3. Add in whisked egg and mix with your hands.
4. Form 4 patties with your hands and place on a plate.
5. Refrigerate black bean patties for at least 30 minutes.
6. Prepare the guacamole by mashing the avocado in a bowl and adding the remainder of the ingredients. Place in the fridge.
7. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Place burgers in skillet and cook on each side for about 8 minutes. Be careful when flipping them because they can easily fall apart. I would wait for the first side to form a crisp outside before flipping so they stay together.
8. Serve with guacamole as a sandwich or over a bed of mixed greens.

By Amanda Rodriguez

https://www.afitkitchen.com/

The post Spicy Southwestern Black Bean Burgers appeared first on .

I’m super excited because I’m getting ready to do my first giveaway! It came in the mail the other day and I was so close to putting it away and calling it mine. I actually loved one of the items so much that I went back on and ordered it for myself. Needless to say it’s a great giveaway.

Today I got the call from the CYDC (Charleston Youth & Development Center) notifying me that I’ve been matched with a girl to be my little sister. I am super excited to meet her and also a bit nervous. I’m not really sure why I’m nervous. If I’m being really honest I’m slightly worried I won’t be fun to hang out with. I know thats sad to admit.. I mean I think I’m pretty fun to hang out with but what if I come off as old and boring?! I was told she is 11 years old  and her hobbies include riding her bike, getting her nails done, going to the movies and skiing. My first thought was, wow it’s pretty awesome that an 11 year old’s favorite hobby is to go skiing. I am going on 25 and it still scares the crap out of me every time. So while I don’t think we’ll be skiing together, I have no doubt that nail salons, bike rides and movies are in our future. I’m super excited to get to know her and to hopefully be that person she can look up to and talk to about anything. 

It was a few years ago when I realized I was experiencing somewhat of a “quarter life crisis”. I had recently graduated college and was fresh in the corporate world. I really enjoyed my job, everything was going great and I really had nothing to complain about. I mean, I was one of those college students who just wanted to finish as quickly as possible and get a career going because being broke and stressed over school work just wasn’t my thing. I mean I honestly did not understand (and still don’t) when people say they could stay in college forever. Maybe everyone’s just a whole lot smarter than I am and college is just easy to them but it did not feel that way for me. I worked a part time job while going to school (which isn’t a big deal.. lot’s of people do) but I worked weekends since school was during the week so I found that while all my friends were going out on the weekends I was serving tables. I also found that the money I was making serving tables did not stay in my pocket long so I was always tight on cash. 

This “quarter life crisis” I’m referring to was what came up when I tried to google my symptoms. I really wish I could remember what I actually searched for when I was trying to figure out what was going on. It was this feeling of “…now what?” I had spent the last 16 years in school, climbing up the education latter to get to where I finally was. Now I was at that point and didn’t know what to do. There was no ‘next’ like there was in school where you’re working to graduate from one grade to the other and advance. Now it was just “okay, now you come sit at your desk and work from 9-5 Monday through Friday” which I am not complaining about because having a great job right out of college is what I prayed for. It’s just a weird feeling to feel like you’re there and that’s it. So anyway, when I found this article on Google titled “recent college graduates experience quarter life crisis” it hit the nail right on the head.

This particular article really resonated with me because I actually put it to use and it’s actually worked. The article talked about how many hard-working recent collage graduates are feeling the same way I am. I’m not alone! It went on to explain how it’s totally normal to feel this way and that it will likely pass soon. The best part- there are actually things you can do to feel better! The biggest things it suggested to do was to get involved/give back and start a side hobby and get really interested in it. That made so much sense to me! If we feel like everyday we just wake up, go to our job, come home, eat and sleep, well, that’s pretty dang boring. Unless you have a really cool job or something, then it may not be boring. But for those of us in the corporate world, you can find yourself feeling this way pretty easily. So it makes perfect sense that someone feeling this way should volunteer and get a hobby. Actually I started thinking everyone should do those things.

So I said all of that to say that’s what lead me to starting this food blog and now becoming a big sister. I can say that starting this food blog was a decision I’m really glad I made. It’s so great to find a hobby you are really interested in. And although I’m not technically a big sister yet, I know it will be such an awesome experience and I’ll be so happy I decided to go for it. 

Banana Blueberry Walnut Muffins

2017-03-21 20:10:24

Yields 12

Banana muffins with blueberries and toasted walnuts

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Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

25 min

Total Time

35 min

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

25 min

Total Time

35 min

Ingredients

1. 3 brown bananas, mashed (the riper the better!)
2. 3 eggs
3. 1 tablespoon honey
4. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5. 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
6. 1/3 cup almond butter
7. 1/3 cup coconut flour
8. 1 teaspoon baking powder
9. 1 teaspoon baking soda
10. 1 teaspoon cinnamon
11. 1/2 teaspoon salt
12. 1 cup toasted walnuts
13. 1 cup blueberries

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine wet ingredients in a large bowl (mashed bananas, eggs, honey, vanilla, coconut oil, almond butter).
3. In a separate bowl combine all of the dry ingredients (coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, walnuts).
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well. Gently fold in the blueberries.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Notes

1. To toast walnuts lay them out on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

By Amanda Rodriguez

https://www.afitkitchen.com/

The post Banana Blueberry Walnut Muffins appeared first on .

I really have to give credit to my mom for this salad though. It was her idea. As in I had it at my parents house and went out the next day and bought all of the ingredients to make it myself. I did come up with the dressing though and I added on the granola. She served it with the Panera brand Fuji Apple Dressing.. SO good. I thought I would try to come up with my own apple vinaigrette. I have to admit.. not as good as Panera but still pretty awesome and probably healthier too.

I recently started this thing where I try to stick to a routine. Well actually I’m just doing a trial week. The biggest (and hardest) part of the routine is working out in the mornings. Since I work from home technically I don’t really need to work out in the mornings because I could do it over my lunch break or after I finish working and that’s what I’ve been doing. I also didn’t really used to take a lot of time planning dinners for the week because I could just run out to the store on my lunch and grab stuff for dinner that night. I started to realize how unorganized I was starting to feel and how much I could benefit from finding a routine.

This week I decided to take out some time on Sunday to plan out what we were going to have for lunch and dinner every day of the week. Then I compiled my grocery list from that and headed to the store. And in store, I specifically mean Aldi. Have you ever been there?! It’s pretty incredible. You can get an entire cart load of food for $100. And I’m not talking poor quality or processed foods.. I’m talking fresh produce, lean natural meats, nuts, granola bars, and even organic items. Although I found it funny that nobody seemed to know that you needed a quarter to get a cart.. luckily I had a few extra to spare.

In addition to planning out meals for the week I also vowed to wake up early and workout every morning before I start my day. Now that is an accomplishment for me. This girl likes her sleep and it’s SO much harder to get up early when you know you don’t really have to. This morning the little voice in my head almost convinced me to go back to sleep by saying ‘why you are getting up so early?! you know you can just workout over you lunch break, silly’. Good thing I ignored that voice, now I hope I can do it the rest of the week. Oh and I didn’t even think about the fact that this was the first week after daylight savings so definitely didn’t help. Regardless I felt such a relief this morning after I had worked out. I was like cool, now I can spend my lunch break doing something else like I don’t know, make a delicious salad for the blog!

I hope that I enjoy a routine so much that I will continue to do it every day and not just this week.. We shall see!

Apple Blue Cheese Almond Salad with Apple Balsamic Vinaigrette

2017-03-13 19:05:24

Serves 2

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Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

5 min

Total Time

15 min

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

5 min

Total Time

15 min

Salad

1. 4-5 cups Spring Mix salad
2. 1 large Gala apple, chopped
3. 1/4 cup crumbled Blue Cheese
4. 1/4 cup dried cranberries
5. 2 tablespoons sliced roasted almonds
6. 2 tablespoons granola

Dressing

1. 1 teaspoon soybean or canola oil
2. 1 teaspoon olive oil
3. 1 ounce pure apple juice
4. 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
5. 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
6. 1/4 teaspoon salt
7. 2 teaspoons honey
8. 1 garlic clove, minced

Salad

1. Divide spring mix in two bowls and top with apples, cheese, cranberries, almonds and granola.

Dressing

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and pulse until combined. It should come out to a light, creamy consistency. Serve immediately or refrigerate to chill and then serve.

By Amanda Rodriguez

https://www.afitkitchen.com/

The post Apple Blue Cheese Almond Salad with Apple Balsamic Vinaigrette appeared first on .

This was one of those completely random recipes that just happened to turn out really good. I took a mental inventory of what we had on hand and what I thought might be good together and this is what came of it. My husband liked it so much that he told me to make it again soon.. that’s how I knew it was really good.

I’ve also recently started cooking with my cast iron skillet more frequently. I’ve been trying to master really good crispy chicken thighs and tonight I think I finally did it. The last couple times I’ve managed to burn the skin, which is really easy to do with cast iron since it gets so hot. I kept a close eye on it tonight and it came out perfect. In case you have a cast iron skillet and are wondering how to make the chicken thighs I’ll give you a quick overview, it’s actually pretty easy you just have to be sure you watch it closely. You’ll need 2 pounds bone in, skin on chicken thighs, about a tablespoon of butter (melted), a tablespoon of chopped fresh thyme, 2 cloves minced garlic and some salt and pepper. Mix all of this together and brush it on the top of the chicken thighs. Heat the skillet over medium high heat and add oil and salt to the skillet. Place chicken thighs, top side down and cook for about 10-15 min then flip them over and cook for another 10-15 minutes. Yes there will be lots of sizzling and flying oil so be careful. I’ve burned myself MANY times. Also just be sure to take the temperature of the chicken and it reaches 165 before removing it from the pan. 

While I think I mastered the cast iron chicken I have not yet mastered the cast iron steak.. I think steaks are just something I need to leave to Nathan. I had no idea that cooking a steak on cast iron would cause so much smoke. I think if someone was walking by our house when I was cooking those steaks they definitely would think there was a fire. What’s even more concerning is that while our whole downstairs was full of smoke our smoke alarm did not even go off. We were totally prepared for it to.. Nathan had a pan ready to wave in front of it and everything. And not a beep. We should probably look into that. Anyway, nothing beats a really good grilled steak. I was convinced I could replicate it on the skillet but I don’t see that happening so I’ll just leave the steaks to the grillmaster from now on. We’re both happier that way.

Kale with Toasted Almonds and Italian Cheese

2017-03-02 19:42:37

Serves 2

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Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

10 min

Total Time

15 min

Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

10 min

Total Time

15 min

Ingredients

1. 2 tablespoons olive oil
2. 3 cloves garlic, minced
3. 1/4 cup sliced almonds
4. 7 cups kale, chopped and stems removed
5. 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
6. salt and pepper, to taste
7. 1/3 cup shredded Italian blend cheese

Instructions

1. In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add garlic. Cook a few minutes.
2. Add in the almonds and stir them around to cook a few more minutes.
3. Add the kale and combine. Add in the apple cider vinegar. Cook for about 5 minutes or until kale starts to wilt.
4. Add salt and pepper and sprinkle with cheese. Serve immediately.

By Amanda Rodriguez

https://www.afitkitchen.com/

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I am really into these one-pot skillet meals lately. With this one I literally just threw everything in a pan and hoped for the best. I’m really not even sure how I thought to use cabbage. I must have seen a dish or something that had cabbage in it and thought to myself “oh yea, cabbage!” It’s funny how we forget about certain foods because we don’t eat them often and then we’re like oh yea, I should eat that. Kind of like my recently discovered obsession with pomegranates.

I don’t think I’ve mentioned this yet since I started blogging but I’ve recently been working towards becoming a Big Sister through the local Big Brothers Big Sisters program here in Charleston. Last night I completed the last training certification needed to be matched with a child. The training was called ‘Darkness to Light’ and focused on child sexual abuse in our society. There were really astounding statistics such as 1 in 10 children will experience sexual abuse in some form and that most of those children are under the age of 11. The training’s purpose is to bring awareness to the issue and to educate us bigs on what to do if they suspect any of this is going on with their little.

I know I took this post in a completely different direction but since this will become a part of my life in the near future I wanted to share my experiences with you. I have mixed feelings of nervousness and anxiousness about becoming a big sister. I know that this little girl that I will be mentoring will be living a completely different life that I did. I know that she will be dealing with things that I cannot relate to. And that’s where I find myself getting nervous- I’m afraid that because I can’t relate that I will not be able to connect with her. But then I realize that I don’t need to relate with her. I need to be there to give her positive support and lend a listening ear whenever possible because that’s something that she is lacking in her life. Someone that is there to encourage, listen and support. And that’s what I am so excited about.

Anyway, I wanted to bring this up because it will become a part of my life here in the near future and I think it would be good to talk about it every week. If anything it will encourage some of you to either become a big or just find a way in which you can help people, or just one person in my case! That’s all I want to do. I will be happy if I can make a positive change in just one persons life that really needs it.

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I have to blame the warmer temperatures for the inspiration behind these muffins. I was craving something light and tangy and these definitely hit the spot. The greek yogurt gives these a light and somewhat fluffy consistency that I really like. They are not your average muffin in that they’re not very dense but I really enjoy that. I was actually extremely pleased with them, like kinda pretty darn proud of myself.. and so was the hubby. I may or may not have consumed three of the muffins within a few hours of making them. Whoops.

I think it would be safe to say that muffins are one of my favorite foods and definitely something I enjoy baking. I guess because it seems like there’s endless combinations you could come up with. This one just got added to my favorites along with dark chocolate banana bread muffins (I’ll be sure to post this recipe soon too). Now if only I had enough self control to keep myself from eating multiple muffins in one sitting when I do bake them. It’s a serious problem. But hey, at least they are healthy!

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