I suck at throwing parties, but I make awesome food.

Since we've lived in our new house for 2 months now, I decided that last week we should have a housewarming party. I don't know what's happened since sophomore year of college, but i became really bad at throwing parties. It was pretty much a failure, but my food was awesome. Also, I dipped in to the sangria while I was cooking, so I forgot to take pictures of the food (double fail), which sucks because it all looked so pretty displayed on my platters, complete with garnishes and fresh flowers. Anyway, I did manage to get a few pictures after I remembered, and I can share the recipes with you.

I wanted to make a bunch of tapas to go with my sangria (which I made 4 gallons of). I also wanted to make a lot of different things, but buy as few ingredients as possible, so I used the same ingredients in a lot of my dishes. I mixed up the flavors by using different combinations of spices and flavors. I also wanted everything to cook at the same temperature so i didn't have to adjust the oven or have a million pots and pans on the stove, so everything that went in the oven is baked at 350 degrees. I ended up making a fruit and veggie platter, bacon wrapped asparagus, spinach stuff mushrooms, tuna stuffed peppers, bruschetta, and lettuce wraps. So here they are!! (starting with the most important)

Sangria
3 giant bottles of red wine
2 cans crushed pineapple, in juice
2 apples, diced
1 bunch grapes, cut in half
1 liter club soda

Open the wine and pour it into a giant pitcher. If you don't have a corkscrew, have your Mexican roommate open the bottles with a knife, although be warned, this will leave red wine splattered on the ceiling.

Seriously, it was everywhere.

Add the rest of the ingredients and let it sit for as long as possible. And then drink it :) yummm

While drinking, start making the food.

Tuna Stuffed Peppers
1 bag mini sweet peppers, about 30
3 cans of tuna
1 package neufchatel cheese (or reduced fat cream cheese)
2 green onions, chopped
the juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp red pepper flakes
fresh black pepper
salt to taste

Cut the tops of the peppers off and remove the seeds. Mix the remaining ingredients and fill the peppers to the top with the filling. Bake on a cookie sheet until warmed through, about 10 minutes. Super simple and taste similar to the stuffed peppers at Firefly.

Stuffed Mushrooms
2 cartons of small mushrooms, I used cremini, but I've used plain white button mushrooms before
1 package neufchatel cheese (or reduced fat cream cheese)
10 oz frozen spinach
2 green onions, chopped
2 tbsp nonfat Greek yogurt
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
lots of black pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Remove the stems from the mushrooms and clean them with a damp cloth. Mix all the remaining ingredients except the Parmesan. Fill the mushrooms with the spinach mixture and arrange them on a cookie sheet. Top them with Parmesan and throw them in the oven for about 15 minutes. They look like this.

How cute are they??

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

1 package bacon

1 bunch asparagus

Fresh black pepper

1/4 cup balsamic glaze (you can buy this or make it by simmering 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar and 2 tbsp sugar until it reduces by half and gets thick and delicious)

Trim the ends of the asparagus about an inch from the bottom. Take 2 or 3 spears of asparagus ( depending on how many you have) and wrap a piece of bacon around them like a corkscrew. Place them on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with the pepper. Bake them for about 30 minutes or until the bacon is cooked through. When they're done, arrange them on a platter and drizzle the glaze over them.

Bruschetta

I tried to make this as good as my mom does, but alas, she is the bruschetta master. Here's my best attempt.

1 baguette, sliced on an angle

1 tbsp + 2 tbsp olive oil

4 roma tomatoes, diced

1/4 cup fresh basil, julienned

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

fresh black pepper

salt to taste

1/4 cup balsamic glaze

Arrange the baguette on a cookie sheet. Drizzle the first tbsp of olive oil on the bread. Toast it in the oven for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the tomatoes, the remaining oil, basil, and salt and pepper. Flip over the bread and put a little of the tomato mixture on each slice. Then top them with the cheese and put them back in the oven for 10 minutes until the cheese is melted. Take them out and drizzle with the balsamic. 

Lettuce Wraps

1 head red leaf lettuce

1 1/2 pounds chicken breast

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced

1 tbsp oil

fresh black pepper

Grill the chicken until cooked through. I used a grill pan on my stove top. Chop the chicken into small pieces. While the chicken is grilling, heat the oil in a pan and saute the onion, garlic, and ginger. Add the chopped chicken, celery, pepper, and soy sauce and heat to combine. Separate the lettuce leaves and arrange them on a plate. Put the chicken in a bowl and let people fill their lettuce cups.

Better and better for you than PF Changs :)

Fruit Dip

This is my famous peanut butter fruit dip. I almost don't want to share it, but I'm feeling generous.

2 cups nonfat Greek yogurt

1 cup chunky peanut butter

3 tbsp sugar

sprinkle of cinnamon

Mix it all together and serve with sliced apples, strawberries, grapes and bananas. It's also reallllllly yummy when you spread it on graham crackers and top with melted dark chocolate while watching Law and Order at 4 in the morning. Not that I've done that... today. Judge me.

Veggie Dip

2 cups nonfat Greek yogurt

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp fresh basil, finely chopped

2 green onions, finely chopped

lots of fresh black pepper

salt to taste

Mix it all together and serve it with your favorite fresh veggies. I had carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, and sliced cucumbers.

Well that was my recipe overload to make up for the past week or so of silence. I hope you guys enjoy more than everyone enjoyed my party. Haha :)

Homemade Spa Day... Ahhh

Today I treated myself a much needed spa day. It felt so amazing. 8+ hours in 5 inch heels 5 days a week for the past year have made me want to chop off my feet just so I won't have to feel their pain anymore. Who cares if I can't walk if I don't have to feel like this right??

A trip to a spa is the most glorious experience ever created. I would go every single day if I could. Alas, I am not a billionaire, and I have to settle for once every few months. So I decided to create my own spa experience at home. I wanted to use things I already had at home and that were natural and not full of chemicals.

I started out with a peppermint foot soak. I bought a little foot spa a couple months ago that's pretty awesome. It was only $30 and definitely worth it considering how much I stand in heels. I added 1 cup of epsom salts and 2 peppermint tea bags to some hot water and put on my Jason Mraz/ John Mayer play list and sat back and relaxed. Epsom salts are really awesome for soaking away tired achiness and pains. My feet felt instantly better. I used 2 extra peppermint tea bags and ran them under some cold water and put those over my eyes too. 

I also made a face mask to brighten up my tired face. I blended 3 large strawberries with 2 tbsp of baking soda, and let that sit on my skin for about 15 minutes. It smells so yummy!! The antioxidants and vitamin C from the strawberries help brighten up your skin, the seeds and the baking soda exfoliate away dead skin cells, and the baking soda helps clear up any problem areas. My skin felt so soft and smooth after. It makes a really big batch so I used the rest as a scrub in the shower. 

While soaking and masking, I also did the easiest hair treatment ever. I just put about 2 tbsp of coconut oil in my hair and wrapped it in a hot towel. I sleep with that in my hair about once a week and it makes it so soft and shiny. You just wash it out in the morning and style as usual. I basically think coconut oil is the cure for everything. I keep a jar in my shower and use it to take off my make-up, instead of shaving cream, and on my hair and skin. In fact, after soaking my sore little toes, I pumiced them up and slathered on some coconut oil and slipped on some socks. 

During my little mini spa day, I sipped on a delicious chai latte that I made. A grande chai latte from Starbucks has 240 calories with soy milk or 210 with nonfat milk. My version only has 20 and it's soooo good. And it's a lot cheaper than the $4 you'd spend at Starbucks. 

Just boil 1 cup of water and add a chai tea bag. Simmer for about 3 minutes and add 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk. Simmer for another 2 minutes and sweeten with 2 packets of stevia. Yummm...

Sadly, spa day had to end so I can get ready for work, so I rinsed off all the various food items in my hair and skin and finished with a mist of my homemade ginger body oil. I bought a similar version a few months ago, and I loved how it smelled, but it was really expensive and I like mine better. All I did was heat about 3/4 cup grapeseed oil over medium heat and added about 2 inches of fresh ginger, sliced into smaller pieces for 30 minutes. I strained it and added it to a little spray bottle and I just spray it on my skin when I get out of the shower. I don't have to use lotion at all and it smells really good. 

So now I have to wake up from my paradise mini spa vacay and go to work. Definitely more relaxed and refreshed. :)

Busy Bee Breakfast Bites

This has been the world's craziest week. I switched venues at work which is awesome, but the transition caused me to work a ton of extra hours. Not to mention, my new coworkers are badass, and they encourage a little bad behavior (I think I was hungover for 3 days straight). Oh and it's finals week.

I like having a busy life. I get really bored and confused when I have too much free time, but there are a few things that get sacrificed because I just don't have the time. One of those things is breakfast. I never ever ever skip breakfast because I would probably starve to death and pass out after like an hour of being awake, but I've been grabbing food while I'm out a lot lately, which is getting really expensive. 

I am just not a morning person. I'll hit the snooze button 8 times before I actually get up, and then I'm running around like a crazy person trying to get ready in time (never happens). So the last thing I want to do when I do peel myself out of bed is make a healthy breakfast. Now, thanks to the magic of Pinterest, I've found a solution!! I saw these little baked oatmeal cups that you can freeze and just heat up in the morning. I wasn't a huge fan of the recipe she used so modified it and came up with my own. And I thought, while I'm at it, I can make a couple other things to freeze. Now I have lots of pre-made breakfasts that I can grab and run out the door. And are you ready for this?? I have 4 different quick breakfast ideas for you today!! I like them because you can basically add whatever you like to them, and it's one less thing to think about in the morning.

Oatmeal Cups

5 cups old-fashioned oats

3 cups almond milk

2 cups apple sauce

2 eggs

3 tsp baking soda

And whatever topping you like!!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners and spray them with cooking spray (I didn't do this on my first trial run and the batter stuck to the liners). Mix all the ingredients up in a big bowl. Add your desired toppings to the oatmeal, and dispense 1/4 cup of the oats to each little muffin tin. I split my batter into 4 batches and added 4 different kinds of toppings to each. I added chocolate chips and walnuts to one, dried fruit and almonds to another, apples and cinnamon to a third, and mashed bananas and walnuts to the last one. Bake them for about 20 minutes. This recipe made about 28 oatmeal cups with about 200 calories each. 

While I was waiting for those to bake, I whipped up breakfast number 2. I literally threw every vegetable I had on hand in these (which was a lot because I just went grocery shopping), but you can use whatever you like or have. 

Mini Frittatas

12 eggs

2 tbsp milk 

1 cup shredded cheese

4 cups chopped vegetables (I used tomatoes, spinach, broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms and peppers)

1/4 cup fresh herbs (I used basil and dill)

1 tbsp oil

salt and pepper

Keep your oven at 350 and line some more muffin tins. Spray these with cooking spray too. Crack all your eggs into a big bowl and add the milk. Whisk them up until they are light and fluffy. Add the fresh herbs and salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the veggies and cook for about 5 minutes. This allows some of the water to be released so when you add them to the eggs, they don't get runny. Let them cool for about 5 minutes and add them to the eggs. Add 1/4 cup batter to each tin and bake them for about 20 minutes or until they're firm. This batch made 24 little frittatas. Everything just looks cuter in a cupcake liner. 

If you haven't had enough yet, I made these too!!

Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes

1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour

4 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1 egg

1 1/2 cups milk 

3 tbsp oil

2 sliced bananas (You could also use blueberries or chocolate chips or strawberries or anything you want. I just like banana pancakes because of the Jack Johnson song.)

Most recipes would probably tell you to mix the dry ingredients and then the wet and add them, but I don't think it really matters here. Just mix it all up and pour a little batter onto a hot griddle and cook them for about a minute and a half on each side. You should flip them when the bottom is golden brown and there are little bubbles on the top. When you're all done, spread them with crunchy peanut butter. Yumm :)

This last idea isn't really a recipe and it's really lazy that I even do this, but like I said, mornings are rough. When I go grocery shopping, I like to take everything home and have it ready to use whenever I want to cook. I'll precut veggies, individually season and package chicken breasts, or my new great idea, make little smoothie kits out of frozen fruit. I portion out enough fruit to fit in my blender cup and put it in a bag in the freezer. Then on a lazy Sunday morning (this takes more than 30 seconds, so it's pretty much the only day I would attempt this) I can just throw the fruit in the blender with a little almond milk and have breakfast ready! I like having all my food pre-packaged when I get home for two reasons. First, it helps me with portion control so I'm not just mindlessly eating. And second, it helps me make sure nothing goes to waste. Throwing away food it like throwing away money and that's just no fun. 

So I hope my little tips help you in the mornings!! Each recipe makes about 200 calorie portions, so you can mix and match 2 items for a yummy on the go breakfast. Everything freezes really well so for the first 3 things, all you have to do is warm them up. I'm going to sleep now so I can wake up and eat!! :)

P.S. One day I'm going to use my actual camera and have good pictures instead of these crappy cell phone pictures.

Better.

"I've got peace in my heart, I've got peace in my soul, wherever I'm going, I'm already home."

I've never been one to just be okay at something I've done. I don't necessarily want to be the best, but I want to be the best that I can be. Sounds cheesy, but whatever. I've always pushed myself to do well in school (okay not so much right now, I have the worst case of senioritis ever), I always pushed myself to do better than I did the day before, even if that meant I just sucked a little less (high school swim team anyone??), and I've always taken pride in my work and tried to go above and beyond.

When I first made a twitter account (follow me @demanda_please ), one of the sites that I was suggested to follow was @Good. It's also my favorite website, and I can literally spend hours reading all their articles (http://www.good.is/). Every month they have a 30 Days of Good challenge where they post a mini challenge every day and each month has a theme. I try to follow them as best I can, but sometimes it's just too late by the time I see it and I've already eaten half a pizza for breakfast.

The main point of this is that it makes me take time out of my day to think about how I can make myself better. I still try to do some of the past little challenges, in addition to the new ones, and I make my own. I try to think of one aspect of my life that I want to improve on and I think of a little way I can make that happen for every day of the week. Sometimes I don't make it the whole week, but the point is to try. I just want to improve my life a little bit everyday.

I think a lot of people put too much pressure on themselves to be the best. You cannot be the best at everything, all the time. It's impossible, and it's silly to think you can. But you can be the best version of yourself, so that's what I want to do. I've been so much happier since making these little changes, and my attitude and outlook has changed dramatically. Now I keep a little book of my goals and challenges and good quotes that I see or hear (mostly from Harry Potter or Jason Mraz haha) or just random ideas that pop into my head, a kind of journal I guess. Being happy is a huge part of being healthy. I truly believe that having a good attitude is the way to get through anything. So no recipe for you today, just some inspiration to be better. Have a good night everyone!! :)

Smart Swaps

I don't know if you guys have realized yet, but I love food. Like really love it. Like think about it all the time. Most people think that eating healthy has to be boring and bland. So not true. You can still eat all your favorite things, just healthier versions. Even with my sweet tooth that cannot be satisfied, I really crave healthy food all the time like broccoli and sweet potatoes and asparagus (call me crazy but I love em). Even when you eat out, simple little healthy changes can make a huuuge difference (if you don't believe me, look up Eat This Not That). I think it's important to realized that small steps really do add up towards a healthier life and teensy tiny little changes make a big difference. So try a few of these swaps and take some baby steps to a healthy and tasty life.

Instead of:
White pasta,
Try:
Whole wheat pasta with shredded veggies. I've already briefly mentioned that your body needs carbs to function, but it needs the right kind of carbs. White breads, pasta and rice are quickly broken down in your body and cause a rush of energy to your body. Your body produces insulin and takes care of this extra energy. This causes energy highs and then crashes later. Whole grains like whole wheat, brown rice, oatmeal, and other grains, are more complex so they're broken down slowly and your body gets a steady stream of energy so you don't feel those highs and lows. Whole grains also contain more nutrients and fiber than their refined counterparts so they keep you feeling fuller longer. So next time you are craving some spaghetti, boil up half a portion of whole grain pasta and shred some zucchini or spaghetti squash to use in place of the other half. It will slash calories and add fiber, vitamins, and flavor!

Instead of:

Artificial sweeteners,

Try:

Maple syrup, honey, real raw sugar, brown rice syrup, agave nectar. Read a few posts back to learn about the dangers of artificial sweeteners (they make you fat and can cause major health problems!). In recipes, sugar isn't just added for sweetness. It's necessary for texture and to hold ingredients together. You can't accomplish that with yucky fake chemicals. When baking, you can try the recipe with 1/4 less of the sugar that the recipe calls for or use an even more natural substitute like brown rice syrup. Not only do the alternatives I listed come closer to nature, they contain more nutrients than plain old table sugar. They also add complexity and flavor to your dishes. 

Instead of:

Store-bought juice

Try:

Water flavored with real fruit, unsweetened tea, homemade juice, sparkling water with just a little juice. Fruit really is nature's candy and is filled with vitamins and fiber. The problem with premade juice is that, even when it's 100% juice, you may be getting cheap filler juice that's loaded with sugar, and you lose the fiber of whole fruit when you just drink the sugary juice. Most juice contains white grape juice or apple juice concentrate to add a lot of sweetness for a little money. These two juices contain much more sugar than most fruit juice. It's a manufacturer's way of making a product that tastes good without spending the money on healthier ingredients. If you have a juicer at home, you can make your own juice with veggies and fruit so you can control the ingredients and make a more nutritious juice. Try watermelon and lime or carrot, apple and ginger. Plain old water can be boring sometimes, but it's necessary to keep your body hydrated and happy. Try making it a little fancier with some sliced cucumbers and fresh mint leaves or some citrus slices. Unsweetened tea is tasty and can actually boost your metabolism and has zero calories. If you do buy juice from the store, mix it with some sparkling water to cut down on the sugar and calories.

Instead of:

Canola oil,

Try:

Olive oil, safflower oil, coconut oil, peanut oil. Have you ever seen a canola growing? Probably not. Because it's a made up word, not a plant. Canola oil is made from a plant in the mustard family that is highly processed to make it not poisonous for us to eat. It was originally an oil used for fuel, but because it is so inexpensive to produce, it has become highly prevalent in our food and even disguised as a health food. More natural oils, that are not manufactured with hexane and then bleached, are much safer for us to consume. Olive oil is best when unheated. It has a lower smoke point so it breaks down when heated. Try it in salad dressings or drizzled over bruschetta or into pestos and hummus. Coconut oil adds stability to vegan desserts and a tropical flavor and can withstand high cooking temperatures. Safflower and peanut oil can also stand up to very hot cooking and are good for sauteeing or baking. Also, look forward to a future post on homemade beauty products that use these oils.

Instead of:

Iceberg or Romaine Lettuce,

Try:

Spinach, kale, or arugula. Iceberg and romaine are the usual standbys for most people's salads but besides adding volume, they don't really add much else. While they are low in calories, they are also pretty low in vitamins. Iceberg especially is mostly water. You can add tons of vitamins and nutrients, not to mention flavor, by switching it up to another kind of green. 1 cup of spinach, for example, has just 7 calories, but your entire recommended daily intake of Vitamin K, plus Vitamin A and folate. Kale is even better. 1 cup has 5 times your daily intake of Vitamin K, plus 2 times your daily intake of Vitamin A. Raw kale can be a little bitter though, so I suggest mixing a few different kinds of greens together. Or you can lightly steam it, or spray it with a little olive oil and bake it into kale chips! Or you can try my yummy warm kale salad with sesame dressing:

Warm Kale Salad
4 cups kale, stems removed, cut into strips
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup shredded purple cabbage
2 oranges, segmented

For the dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp agave nectar
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1/4 tsp black pepper

For the dressing, Mix everything except the oils. While whisking, slowly pour in the oil. This will help hold the ingredients together and keep them emulsified (the mustard helps with that too). Toss the salad ingredients in the dressing and warm it up in a large pan over medium-low heat for about 4 minutes. The kale will get bright and pretty and a little bit softer. Just be sure not to overcook it and make it into a stringy mush. Not yummy. This is yummy! :)