Healthy

Hello! Greetings and such 🙂 Before I get into this recipe, I wanted to share with you all some exciting news. I’ll be on the Dr. Oz show January, 19th (today)! They’re doing a little segment on food bloggers, weight management, and all that jazz..and I was honored to be a part of it. I had a blast, despite being nervous to the highest of hells lol. I’ve never done TV before, so it was pretty jarring for me. I didn’t have much time to process it either. I received an email the day of my 34th birthday (Nov. 12, 2014) asking if I wanted to be on the show, and I thought it was a joke. Turns out it wasn’t. They had me on my way to New York just a few days later and the preparation for it all was nuts! It went by so fast, I’m just now able to process what happened. Dr. Oz and his amazing staff were extremely kind and accommodating, I’d definitely do this all over again if asked. If you’d like to read a little more about my weight-loss journey, please click here!

These are the brussel sprouts for those who hate brussel sprouts, or think they hate brussel sprouts. My dad absolutely hates brussel sprouts, and he destroyed these. My mom shook her head and raved, “I eat brussels all the time, but those are the best I’ve ever had. Makes no sense. They’re even good cold”. Well, neither party is lying here. These are just damn good brussel sprouts. Bacon and brussels go together like eggs and avocado. They’re just a match made in mouth heaven. Throw in a few dried cranberries to soak up some of that white wine and we’ve got ourselves a party. The brussels cook up tender and caramelized, full of delicious flavor, sure to please any skeptic. They aren’t the least bit bitter, and sure to be a great addition to your holiday table.

Kale is another one of those “super amazing superfoods” that helped me shed the pounds this year. You can really customize this quick and easy recipe to your personal needs. Here is one of my favorite ways to cook this bitter green down to deliciousness. I’m cheating by using pre-washed kale in a bag, purchased from Wegmans. It’s absolutely delicious. Although I’m not a fan of stems, and there are a few in here…it’s still a great dish. You can pick them out if you want — I usually do because I’m petty. Adding just a touch of honey at the end really mutes the bitterness associated with this vitamin-packed dark leafy green. You can use this recipe for any “tough” green vegetable, it works great with swiss or rainbow chard.

Since January 1, 2014, I’ve been focusing on my health and losing weight. I’ve lived off an 80% clean diet with plenty of exercise, and had to part delicious ways with my beloved heavy cream pastas, super cheesy yeast breads, and sugar-laden bowls of dairy. I mean, we still hook up from time to time — but those days of eating them frequently WHILE sitting on my ass in front of a computer for 40 hours a week are long gone. I had to really focus on this. The hard work is continuing to pay off, as I’m down 40lbs and a crazy number of inches and still going strong. Don’t get things twisted, I am still about the comfort foods — I’ve just learned how to keep it cute.