NYE Healthy Apps

It's that time of the year again! The time of the year where many begin prioritizing their resolutions and tons swear the new year will bring nothing but a healthier lifestyle.

Why not kickoff the healthy options early?

Being healthy doesn't have to be bland + boring! Try out some of the options below to start off on the right track! Here's to 2014, you were great! Excited to see what 2015 will bring!

Happy New Year!
XO Cara

Roasted Red Pepper Ricotta Crostini

Avocado Salsa

Zucchini Pizza Bites

Stuffed Mini Peppers

Cucumber Bites with Herb Cream Cheese + Cherry Tomatoes

Caprese bites

Guilt Free Holiday Treats

This time of the year, food and delectable treats are EVERYWHERE! It's almost impossible to stay on track with dieting with these temptations. If you're proactive and want to prepare yourself to end the season holiday on a healthy note, be sure to check out the following recipes! Who says you can't have delicious and healthy alternatives?!

Enjoy + I wish everyone a very happy holiday season!
XO Cara

Cannoli Dip

Frozen Sugar Free Eggnog

Gingerbread Cookie Protein Shake

Healthy Peppermint Bark

Sugar Free Hot Chocolate

Crockpot Pumpkin Spice Latte

Eggcellent Recipes

Photos and ideas courtesy of Buzzfeed.

That's A Wrap!

This week, I decided to switch up my usual lunches with a DIY #powerwrap. This wrap is packed with protein and fills me up until dinner. I try to avoid midday snacking at the office [[since I'm sitting for the majority of the day,]] so this is a good choice that keeps me full and attentive.

I'm also not too big on eating protein so making this wrap with hard boiled eggs and chicken really helps me get the protein I need rather than filling up on unhealthy carbs.

If you'd like to give this meal a try all you'll need to get from the grocery store is: FiberOne Garden Vegetable Wraps, Sabra hummus, avocado, Boars Head Buffalo Chicken, green peppers, cucumbers and hard boiled eggs. If you want to add in sprouts, that's always a good addition as well!

Enjoy!

XO Cara

All About the Brussels Sprout

I had never been interested in trying out a brussels sprout before last spring. However, once I had my first side dish of crispy, lemon garnished brussels sprouts I was hooked. Learning how to make them was also an easy and inexpensive feat! I make these bad boys about once a week since they are so easy and filling, as well as good for you. 

It's truly a win-win-win situation. 

When making a quick and easy version of these crispy sprouts you will need salt, pepper, olive oil, brussels sprouts and balsamic vinaigrette. 

• Preheat your oven to 400 degs
• Cut off the brown ends of the sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves. If you do the microwavable bags then just be sure to cut them in half after they've been heated up.
• Put them either in a large Ziploc baggie or bowl and add in the olive oil, salt and pepper. Add in a bit of balsamic as well. Avoid using too much or else they will stick to the tinfoil when baking.
• Put the sprouts on a (tinfoil-ed) sheet pan.
• Let them bake for 35-40 minutes or until they appear crisp on the outside.
• Check on them periodically incase you have to turn them over to the other side to get more crisp. (Just think of this like tanning! You're not only going to tan one side of yourself!)

My mom surprised me with a Brussels Sprouts Gratin recipe ready to go for our Thanksgiving feast. Please visit here for the full list of ingredients and directions. [[They were tasty!]]

Preparing the table for our feast. 

Thanksgiving in New Canaan.

Hope you all had an amazing time of family, friends, good food + fine wine!

XO Cara

What's Cookin' Good Lookin'?

Provided by the New York Times

Every family has their signature dish that they bring to the Thanksgiving table so it shouldn't be surprising that each state does the same. In the map above, you'll be able to find out the most searched recipes on Google for Thanksgiving meals.

I find it funny that Maryland searches sauerkraut over any other dish. I've never had sauerkraut.. always too busy with the stuffing and mashed potatoes! Take a look at your state and see if it makes sense to you!

Wishing everyone a very happy + healthy Thanksgiving!

XO Cara

"Caul" Me MAYBE

Yesterday I wanted to try out a new creation with my crockpot. I wasn't in the mood for any buffalo chicken chili (which was a close second choice) and wanted to see if I was able to turn my pizza craving into something slightly more healthy.

I had seen the idea of using cauliflower instead of dough when making pizza before and was curious if it would work. I figured this couldn't be too difficult and also not too expensive to go out to get the proper ingredients. It turns out I was right about both of those assumptions. The only thing I wasn't right about was how it would taste.

Maybe I thought it would be more pizza-flavored or maybe the cauliflower smell is a little too powerful for my liking. Whatever happened, the cauliflower pizza idea didn't taste exactly like I had expected. Having used dried Italian dressing, pasta sauce and Italian shredded cheese I thought it would help to make the dish taste more authentic.

I'm curious if anyone else out there has had luck with their cauliflower pizza creations? If so, please comment below or message me as I would really like to have a healthy alternative to pizza. The only other healthy alternative I have heard of is to use zucchinis to make pizza boats. I'm also interested in knowing if anyone out there has been lucky with that idea too. Let me know!

XO Cara

If you're a big cauliflower fan and are interested in trying it out for yourself please see the process and ingredients you'll need below!

Wash and chop your cauliflower.

Put the chopped pieces into a bowl and
out of the way of your cutting board. 

Chop the "tops" off of the previously cut cauliflower and
put aside in another bowl to avoid mixing the two.

Put the chopped "tops" into a food processor.
(If you don't have one use a blender on "Chop" or "Pulse")

Take the processed "tops" and put them in a bowl.
Add 1tsp dried Italian dressing, 2 eggs,1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese and 1/4 tbsp salt then mix.

Spray crockpot then spread the mixture on the bottom.
Be sure to make the mixture higher on the sides to make it deep-dish style. 

Add 1/2 cup pasta sauce.

Add 1/2 cup Italian shredded cheese.

Have the crockpot cook for 2-3 hours on High.
Wait for the pizza to cool for about 30 minutes before digging in.

Calling all Chocoholics

Who doesn't love chocolate? There are always those people who said that they would easily pick salts over sweets. Well, not this gal. I am proud to be a chocoholic and once I learned that dark chocolate has some health benefits, you can bet I was going to begin incorporating that into any desserts going forward.

There's honestly nothing more satisfying than making dessert out of something that's good for you! I always loved going to The Melting Pot when I was younger. Being able to dip fruits, cookies and pieces of cakes into a big bowl of melted chocolates was the epitome of a great weekend back then.

Although weekend plans have certainly adjusted as I've gotten older, I will always have a love for chocolate fondue. Last night I decided to make my own mini-version with a healthier dark chocolate melt. As a standard, I always have dark chocolate chips in my fridge. I love the crunch and since you're only "allowed" to have 6 grams of chocolate per day I can control my chocolate cravings to a few chips rather than having to tempt myself with a huge Hershey's bar.

Long story short, I had bananas that were about to go bad, some cut up strawberries and dark chocolate chips. I easily melted the chocolate chips in the microwave (1 minute, roughly) and then spooned some dollops onto the sliced fruit. Once they had enough chocolate I put them in the refrigerator to keep them fresh and to develop a strong, chocolate coat for my HumpDay dessert!

Enjoy!

XO Cara