Uncle Bob

Tuesday was a sad day.

Our family got a reminder of how short life is.

Craig’s Godfather passed away Tuesday night.

Not only was he his Godfather, he was a close friend of the family. He was Uncle Bob. That is what Craig & his brother, Mike always called him, because he was more of an Uncle than just a family friend.

I know sometimes a Godfather or Godmother is only in the child’s life for the beginning, when they are young. Sometimes they stay in touch here & there.

This was not the case for Uncle Bob. He stayed involved in Craig & Mike’s lives. He was there for them. He would call Craig about once a month just to say hi & see how we were doing. Craig ALWAYS made sure to take the phone call, even if it was right before we were going to bed. Uncle Bob just meant the world to him.

I ‘just’ met Uncle Bob about 3 years ago, and I have to say he was one of the MOST genuine people that I have ever met! He ALWAYS went out of his way to make people feel special, or to do kind things for people.

You know this picture of our engagement?

You see that guy on the left hand side? Well, that’s Uncle Bob video taping our entire engagement. He actually SNUCK onto Ravens Field to capture our moment for us. He ended up getting in trouble with security right after this picture was taken, but he didn’t care. He just told them ‘Sir, I’ll be off soon. That’s my Godson, he just got engaged & I don’t want to miss it.’ Best story ever. To this day we all still laugh about it. 🙂

Uncle Bob was one of a kind. He will FOREVER be apart of our lives.

This is just a reminder to call someone & tell them how much you love them. You NEVER know HOW SHORT life can be, and you don’t want to miss any opportunity to express your love to them.

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Phone Photos

Good Morning!

Happy Wednesday to you. Half way through the week, only the end half to go!

Today I thought I would share some random pictures in my phone that I found when I was looking through them the other day. They always make me laugh, because there is typically a funny story behind it.

Oh, but I have to show you the inside of my Thin Mint cake.

And it was a HUGE hit!!!!! Everyone told me how much they enjoyed it! I would HIGHLY recommend the recipe! I was told it was nice & minty- made you feel like you just brushed your teeth! Eat cake & have fresh breath. Win win. (although, if I ever make it again, I will not add the 1/2 banana. I know it was used to add moisture to the cake, but it really didn’t need it…and I could taste it. I think I only tasted it because I knew it was in there. I asked my co worker & she said she had no idea there was banana in it.)

That would be our living room floor. This is what I walked into the other night when I got home from work. Do you see all of those papers on the table?? Those are Craig’s previous March Madness brackets from prior years. & the newspaper on the floor…that’s USA Todays- from this year & prior years. They always have a special Monday edition for March Madness after Selection Sunday. You probably thought I was kidding about his March Madness craziness. 😉

To add to his craziness, I made him this cake on Selection Sunday night. Please do not laugh at my HORRIBLY drawn basketball. I don’t even know what that is!!! Haha 🙂

Yep, I have to admit, I totally fall for the marketing ploys. They made chicken nuggets in the shape of dinosaurs?! I’m all over them. How cute are they?? And they say that they are only for kids. Ha. Who are they kidding! Oh, and they are actually really good! We had them the other night for dinner, and they are all white meat. (like it says) I was impressed. I’ll definitely buy them again 🙂

Liz, I found them. Yep, the limited edition BIRTHDAY CAKE OREOS. Did I buy them? No. Why? Because I would of immediately eaten the whole bag…and we are trying to go a bit easy on the sweets lately. But I have heard they are pretty fabulous.

Those would be my fingers in RARE form. I always always always have them painted. ALWAYS. I just think my fingers look weird without any nail polish on them. Actually I think I just have weird hands, almost like man hands. Ew. Even though my fingers are small (my ring size is only a 4 & 1/2), I still don’t like my hands. I guess we all have something we don’t care for on our bodies…one of mine is my fingers. 😉

And because I showed you that, I thought I would show you ONE of my collections of nail polish:

This is just the downstairs collection, there is another one upstairs. Eek! I love nail polish. I also have a habit of buying a new color almost every week. And all of the new spring colors came out- I’m loving all of the pastels & brights!!

Well, have a good day! Good news: NEW ABC shows tonight!! WHOOHOO! Can’t wait for The Middle & Modern Family 😀

Four Layer Thin Mint Cake

Good Morning!!

Well, I hate to say it, but I don’t have much of a post today. But I have a GOOD excuse. Last night was spent making THIS cake:

THIN MINT CAKE. Yes, you read that correctly. Thin mints…in a cake. Heaven on earth? Perhaps.

I followed this recipe exactly (even added the 1/2 of a banana, as it called for), the only thing I change was that I used vegetable oil, instead of EVOO.

Then I used a basic recipe (in my Betty Crocker cookbook) for chocolate frosting.
-3 cups powdered sugar
-1/3 cup butter, softened
-1/3 cup baking cocoa powder
-1 tsp. vanilla
-3-4 tbsp. milk (will just depend on consistency- add more if needed, but start small)
Mix them all together.

And for the green frosting, which is mint frosting, I used this recipe. I just changed a few things to make it ‘minty.’
-4 cups powdered sugar
-1/2 cup shortening
-3 tbsp. milk
-1 tsp. vanilla
-1 tbsp. peppermint extract
Combine all ingredients in mixer on lowest setting for 30 seconds. Switch to medium high and mix for 2-5 minutes.

To make it green, I just added food coloring, probably about half of one of those little containers. (the ones that you buy in a 4 pack, you just squeeze drops out)

I just love that green color!

Both frostings were Craig approved. Especially the mint. I had to keep him away.

Once the cakes cooled (I used 2 8×8 pans), I sliced them in half using a bread knife & then layered the frosting.

Now it’s time for the star of the show. Well, one of them 😉

OH YES. MINT OREOS. These things are like little wafers. You CAN’T eat just one. Or two. Or even three. Just try to, I dare you. It’s near impossible. They taste like Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies. You see the whole reason that I even bought these was because I could NOT for the life of me find Girl Scouts selling cookies this weekend. Can you believe it???? The ONE time I want to buy cookies, and they are no where to be found. I searched all of the Publix near me. No luck. I gave up & bought these. & I’m not sad about that choice 😉

On top of the mint frosting, I added crumbled Mint Oreos.

Imagine that. A layer of cake, chocolate frosting, more cake, mint icing & then crumbled mint Oreos. Sorry if you are now drooling on your keyboard.

I just continued the layers one more time & then frosted the sides of the cake.

I just BARELY had enough frosting to do the sides..that’s why it kind of tapers off towards the end. But don’t worry, I fixed it.

I just cut the cookies in half & placed them around the edges. Easy fix!

I then topped off the cake with even more Oreo crumbles. I mean, why not?! 😉

(please don’t’ make fun of my bright red cake carrier. I had no other option. So instead you get the ugly red background 🙂 )

It’s too bad that I can’t show you this inside of the cake. I just KNOW it looks pretty cool, if I do say so myself. Four layers of pure deliciousness.

Why can’t I show you the inside? Well that’s because it’s actually for my boss. (he’s a HUGE Thin Mint fan) Today is his birthday! (seems like I always have birthdays going around, huh?! 😉 )  So I can’t really just take a bit out of it. I don’t think he would appreciate that. Although he would probably just laugh. It’s something that I would totally do….just because I always love doing pranks around the office. Yep, I’m a joy to work with 😉

I’ll report back with the reviews of the cake, as well as a picture from the inside. I have a feeling that they are REALLY going to like it.

Mindless Monday

Good Morning!

I know it’s Monday, and you may be struggling to wake up this morning. (thank goodness for Starbucks excuses 😉 ) Since it is Monday, I’m going to kind of take the ‘easy way out,’ and do this survey that Janethahad on her blog recently.

A is for age: 25, I’ve officially reached ‘mid 20s’
<—From my birthday last year, when I turned 25. Craig took me to St. Augustine and we stayed at a Bed & Breakfast. So much fun!

B is for breakfast today: cinnamon raisin granola bar & a bunch of red grapes
<—I’m obsessed with them right now.

C is for currently craving: Pizza

D is for dinner tonight: Pizza 😉 (with cauliflower crust a la’ Janetha– I just made it. Craig liked it, but didn’t love it. I was just happy he was willing to eat something other than ‘regular’ pizza. The main problem was MY fault. I forgot one of the MAIN ingredients. Pizza sauce. My brain is all of the place lately. Can’t believe I forgot it!! I really liked it though, even without the sauce.)

E is for favorite type of exercise:weight lifting or running. (hard to choose between the two)

F is for an irrational fear: Draw Bridges. I’m terrified. I think that the bridge is going to open while I’m driving across. Total nut job..right here 😉

G is for gross food:Olives (green or black), mayonnaise, cottage cheese, steak (yes, really. I can’t stand it)

H is for hometown:Jacksonville, Florida

I is for something important: It’s March Madness time. I have lost my husband for a month. He is SO into this tournament. It was like Christmas morning yesterday when they selected the teams. The BEST part was that his school, NC State got in!!! Last team in. He was SO mad because he didn’t think they got it, but then to his SHOCK they were the last team called 😀 And, just to give you an idea of his ‘extremeness’ about March madness- he has saved his bracket from the past 15 years…along with the USA Today that comes out every Monday after selection Sunday. & I think I’m the nut job 😉

J is for current favorite jam: Like jelly ‘jam’, well, then that’s grape. Always. As for music ‘jam,’ “Stronger” by Kelly Clarkson. OR the new remix of ‘Birthday Cake’ by Chris Brown & Rihanna. I know, he beat her, but hey, she’s the one making music with him..kind of strange if you ask me. But the song is really catchy.

K is for kids: Yes, we definitely want them!

L is for current location:Orlando, Florida (but not near the Mouse, he’s far from us & we like it that way 😉 )

M is for the most recent way you spent money: at Target…aka the Wallet Sucker

N is for something you need: To get my hair done. I think I have an appointment today actually.

O is for occupation:Financial Advisor/ Estate Planning

P is for pet peeve:People who chew with their mouth open, or who slurp their drink or soup. Eww.

Q is for a quote:

R is for random fact about you: Oh I have a bunch. Just check out these.

S is for favorite healthy snack: Frozen grapes, Goldfish crackers (those are healthy, right??? 🙂 ) Notice this is my THIRD time talking about grape or grapes. I just can’t get enough grapes right now. They are just so good!

T is for favorite treat:Frozen yogurt. No doubt.

U is for something that makes you unique: I can’t live without q-tips. I have them everywhere- the bathroom (normal), my purse, my car. it’s bad. Kind of OCD, for sure.

V is for favorite vegetable: Broccoli, yellow squash or mushrooms…together it’s even better 🙂

W is for today’s workout:Sundays are rest days! Woohoo! Just did a few ab exercises.

X is for X-rays you’ve had:Just on my teeth (you know the ones they always do when you go to the dentist) & on my back- when I went to the Chiropractor.

Y is for yesterday’s highlight: Completely cleaning out our guest room! We have a TON of work that we are about to start doing in there!! I CANNOT wait.

Z is for your time zone: EST. Eastern Standard Time.

Well, there you have it. 26 things about me. I’m feeling a bit narcissistic today. Haha! 🙂

Hope you all have a good Monday! I’m looking forward to seeing the Bachelor tonight. Should be interesting. Although I hear he picks CRAZY.

Eek.

Oh, and before I go…I just have to say a Happy Belated Birthday to my sister in law (The BEST sister in law a girl could ask for!!!) Stephanie! Her birthday was on Friday, but my absent mindedness got the best of me, and I totally forgot 😦 So this is to make up for Friday 🙂 Happy Birthday Steph!!

Single Serve Funfetti Cake

Please let me be the first one to wish you a HAPPY FRIDAY!!! We made it through yet another week! 🙂 I don’t know about you, but this week was VERY busy, so it will be very nice to just sit back & relax this weekend.

Since it is Friday, I thought I would share something FUN with you. I don’t know about you, but I love Funfetti everything. The minute I hear the word ‘funfetti,’ I’m ALL ears. Even though I really enjoy Funfetti cake, I always find it hard to justify baking a WHOLE cake for just Craig & I. OF COURSE we could easily demolish it, but I don’t think we would feel so good about ourselves looking at a pan full of crumbs.

So the other day when Craig mentioned he wished he could just have a piece, I decided to come up with a single serving recipe for Funfetti cake. It is SUPER easy..& in about 25 minutes you will have your cake!

Single Serve Funfetti Cake

Ingredients:
-1/2 cup funfetti cake mix
-1 egg white
-1 tbsp. vegetable oil
-1 tbsp. water

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients together & pour into a small oven safe bake dish. (I used a ramekin)
3. Bake for about 20- 25 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle come out clean.

Perfect little after dinner treat. The best part is that one box of cake mix will make several of these little cakes. 🙂

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Now for the usual, Fitness Friday workout! Today’s workout is what I call ‘Total Body SLAM.’ Because when you get done with this workout you will feel like your body got SLAMMED into 😉 That sore feeling that you get the next day after a hard workout.

You can adjust this workout however you would like- for instance instead of running or walking for 10 minutes, you could run or walk for 5 minutes- make it work for whatever time frame you need! You also can adjust it if you do not have a stability ball or bosu ball, just do the exercise without them. Easily customizable!

If you do it how it is below, it will take you about an hour and 20 minutes. It’s one of those workouts that I like to have for the weekend.

Run or walk 10 min. on treadmill

Leg Workout:

1. 50 lunges holding dumbbells- 30 walking & 20 on Bosu

2. 50 crunches on Bosu ball

3. 20 butt lifts on Stability ball

Run or walk 10 min. on treadmill

Leg Workout:

1. 20 side lunges with Dumbbells

2. 20 reverse lunges with Dumbbells

3. 20 squats with barbell on back (2 sets of 10)

4. 20 calf lifts (on machine or freestanding) (2 sets of 10)

Run or walk 10 min. on treadmill

Ab Workout:

1. 20 Incline situps on bench with Medicine ball

2. 40 seated ab crunches on bench

3. 20 Saxon side bend holding weight (each side)

4. 5 reverse situps on incline bench (lift legs in the air)

Run or walk 10 minutes on treadmill

Arm Workout:

1. 20 Dumbbell Hammer curls with

2. 20 bench dips

3. 20 lateral dumbbell raises

4. 20 Dumbbell bicep curls

5. 20 reverse situps on incline bench

Run or walk 10 minutes on treadmill

Ab Workout:

1. 20 prone jack knifes on Stability ball

2. 20 reverse crunches

3. 15 ball passes using stability ball

4. 20 toe touch crunches

Sorry that workout looks INCREDIBLY long. Longer than normal, I just couldn’t figure out how to not have spaces in between each exercise. I tried for a while to fix it, but it just wasn’t working…I gave up.

Hope you have a great weekend! Don’t forget to switch your clocks FORWARD one hour on Saturday night.

My Weird Quirks

Ready for another post about ‘why I’m odd?!’ 😉

I always think these are fun to write because I love learning little quirks about other people, and these are just some of mine. That’s part of why I like blogging & reading other blogs. Those things that make us unique are what makes laugh fun! (at least in my opinion 🙂 )

1.One of my favorite things to do is to see high high I can get my savings at the grocery store. It’s like a weekly challenge for me. See this receipt below:

I was SO proud of myself!! $52.89 in savings!!!! I feel like I outsmarted Publix! Haha! I’m a HUGE coupon clipper, (not like those crazy people in that coupon show- they are just a bit too much for me!) and I make sure that I always check the local ads before I go grocery shopping. My favorite thing about Publix is that they have Buy One Get Ones each week..and what makes the BOGOs even better is when I have a coupon for something that is BOGO. Can’t beat that deal!

2.Another thing lately is that I cannot stop eating these:

That above is my MOUNTAIN of clementine’s. It’s hard to tell, but that is a stack of 4 of them! These clementine’s are the BEST. They are perfect right now. Nice & flavorful! I also think the name is adorable- Cuties🙂

3. Ever felt like you were addicted to a food?? Well, I am ADDICTED to Goldfish. No, seriously, I am. It’s bad. Craig knows it & he just accepts it. Thank goodness! 😉 The other day when I went to Publix they happened to be buy one, get one. Well, guess how many bags I bought?? SIX. Yep, 6. Do you believe me now when I say addicted 😉

And that is one of their new flavors ^^ chocolate chip. You HAVE to try them…and then you will be addicted too 😉 You can actually taste the chocolate chips in them. YUM!

4.The other day I was looking through my camera & noticed these random pictures of shoes. Apparently I enjoy taking pictures of the tops of my shoes. Random, right?!

Don’t these shoes kind of look like the wicked witch of the west shoes??

Eeek! Didn’t notice that until I saw this picture. I think I’ll put those shoes in the BACK of the closet for now 😉

I also saw this picture of my hot pink shoes:

I absolutely love these shoes. I wish I could wear them everyday…but I might get some funny looks!

5. I have a pet betta fish at work. His name is Webb. (For Lardarius Webb, my favorite Raven 🙂 ) It’s fun having a fish on my desk. Sometimes I just sit there and move my finger back & forth in front of him & then he gets all puffed up- like in the two pictures below. He’s a feisty little guy!

But his tail is really pretty! Side note: It is so hard to take a picture of a fish!!!

6. Speaking of pets, look at what my co-worker found the other day when he was out walking:

Isn’t it adorable??? He just saw it sitting on the side walk & decided to pick it up because it is SO small. He actually almost stepped on it, so he thought someone else might.

Here is his size compared to my finger:

He’s about the size of a quarter. We set up a little temporary house for him until he could take him home & get a real tank. (have I told you how much I love my job?? We always have the most random things happen 🙂 )

7. I have always worn my hair straight for YEARS. (like this picture below)

But recently I picked up a curling iron. I thought I would just try it out. (I’ve never been good with curling my hair)  It might be hard to see in the picture, but I just curl it a little bit…just to give it some volume & I’m really liking it!

I never thought I would like my hair any other way…but I guess it pays to branch out a bit sometimes.

Was this post random enough for you?! 😉 Hope you enjoyed getting to know me a bit better…& some of my strange quirks. Enjoy your Thursday!!- remember it’s almost Friday!

What’s your favorite Goldfish flavor?
Favorite fruit?
Do you have any pets?

Workout Links

Guys, it’s one of those days.

I am dead. Just pooped. I’m not upset or sad. Just tired. I’m SURE you know what I mean! 🙂

Thank goodness it’s Wednesday & some of my very favorite shows are on tonight. (The Middle, Modern Family & Revenge!!!)

Honestly if I were to write a post it wouldn’t be about much…and I hate writing posts like that.

So instead I will share with you some links to some workouts I think you might enjoy!

The Best New Exercises for Women

2 in 1 Toners

Here are a bunch on my Pinterest site

At Home Workout (no gym required!)

Abs!!

Court’s Feel the Burn Circuit Workout (<—what I did yesterday morning. 3 times through + 30 min. run. AWESOME!)

I’m always looking for new links- so if you have some, please feel free to link away!

Sorry for the short, somewhat crappy post. I will have a ‘normal’ post for you tomorrow 🙂

Oh & a HUGE CONGRATS to Janae on her announcement!! SO happy for you!!!!

Most Miserable States

First things first, it’s my Mom’s Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!

She’s been by my side since day one, and I could never ask for anyone more. She is the definition of true sacrifice. She did everything she could to raise the best daughters, and I have to say a fine job she did!

No matter what, she always put her daughters above herself…and she still does to this day.

I  am always SO PROUD to introduce her as my Mom. She knows me inside and out. She knows how to comfort me, and how to tell me the truth when I need to hear it.

She still makes my favorite foods whenever I come home. And she always keeps an extra jar of peanut butter there for me.
She has my heart, and always will. She means MORE than she will ever know to me.

HUGE Happy Birthday to you Mom! Can’t wait to see you soon- we ave some good surprises ready for you!! 😀

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I happened to read this article yesterday about the country’s most miserable states. Sounds kind of depressing, right?! Sorry about that!

The thing that I found interesting is how MUCH obesity & income effect a person’s ‘well-being.’ I mean they seem kind of obvious, but I guess I never really thought about it until I saw this survey. If you read the whole article, you will see that the things that stand out the most are poor health & poverty.

This year America did not get happier overall, they actually got more miserable. Goodness! We really need to CHEER up!! I’m sure we all can think of a few things we are thankful for this morning, right?! 🙂

Anyways, here are the top 10 most miserable states. (all information below is found here)

1. West Virginia

Obesity: 32.5 percent (2nd highest)
*Random Fact: Life expectancy is the LOWEST in the country at 75.3 years.

2. Kentucky

Obesity: 31.3 percent (5th highest)
*Random Fact: Kentucky residents are among the highest rates of smoking, obesity and heart disease, as well as the highest rate of cancer in the country.

3. Mississippi

Obesity: 34.0 percent (the highest)
*Random Fact: Mississippi is a very poor state. Its median household income is $36,851, which is the lowest in the country. It also has the highest poverty rate in the country at 21.8 percent.

4. Delaware (I always thought Delaware was such a cute little state. Call me strange, it’s ok 😉 )

Obesity: 28.0 percent (20th highest)
*Random Fact: Delaware also has the worst score in the country for Gallup’s work environment ranking, which measures elements such as job satisfaction, the ability to use one’s strengths at work and the way supervisors treat their employees.

5. Ohio

Obesity: 29.2 percent (16th highest)
*Random Fact: The state ranks quite poorly when it comes to health metrics, as it has among the highest rates of cancer, diabetes and smoking in the country.

6. Alabama

Obesity: 32.2% (3rd highest)
*Random Fact: Just under a third of Alabama’s population is considered overweight.

7. Arkansas

Obesity: 30.1% (12th highest)
*Random Fact:  Arkansas has the fourth highest rate of smokers at 22.9% of adults, and it has the has the sixth-highest rate of cancer.

8. Missouri

Obesity: 30.5% (10th highest)
*Random Fact: Missouri’s well-being score went from 17th worst in the country to eighth worst. Conditions in the state declined in every category Gallup measured.

9. Florida (<—Eek! That’s me.)

Obesity: 26.6% (23rd lowest)
*Random Fact: Many Floridians do not have any work, as the state has the sixth-highest unemployment rate — currently 9.9%. The state also has one of the highest rates of violent crime in the U.S. (lovely, no?! :/)

10. Tennessee

Obesity: 30.8% (9th highest)
*Random Fact: Physical health and healthy behavior, two categories measured by the index, are among the poorest.

Just goes to show how much health can really have on your well being. I know it DEFINITELY affects me. Whenever I have an ‘off’ day, I can usually link it to my diet. Of course not always, but it really does have a huge impact on my overall attitude. You know the whole ‘scale story,’ and how much that number affected me. I know how to stay on track, and not to stress over one thing. Now it’s all about eating healthy, eating enough, and eating lots of fruits and vegetables!

What’s your opinion of how health affects your overall attitude & well being?

Baked Blueberry Cake Donuts

I remember when I was younger & my parents would take me to church each Sunday morning there was one particular thing that I always looked forward to. Now this might sound kind of bad, since it has to do with food rather than actually attending church. But hey, I was a kid, and kids are like men- they are won over by FOOD. 😀

The church that we attended had a little bakery/ breakfast place that they would set up every Sunday morning. They had donuts, bagels and muffins delivered and then they would set up this little ‘shop.’ This place was HOPPING! It seemed like every person that attended church on Sunday would be sure they had room for something from this ‘shop.’

My parents used to let me get one thing each Sunday. I always had one favorite ‘go-to’ item that I would get EACH time. Dunkin’ Donuts Blueberry Cake Donut.

Those donuts were like heaven on earth. (no pun intended 😉 ) I swear part of my motivation to get up was so that I could have one of those donuts. Like I said, it sounds horrible, but I was a kid…you have to cut me a break! 🙂

For some reason the other morning ALL I could think about was those donuts. So instead of kindly asking my lovely husband to run out & get Dunkin’, I decided to just make them myself. And the best part is that I could ‘health-ify’ them a bit..so that I wouldn’t feel guilty if I ate one. Or five.

Not only did I ‘health-ify’ them, but I also used REAL fruit. Not just little blueberry flavored specs. One of the stars of the show:

I can’t stop baking with this stuff. I think I have an addiction.

Baked Blueberry Donuts
(adapted from this recipe)

Makes 12 donuts.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
6 oz container Chobani blueberry Greek yogurt
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup almond milk
1/4 cup blueberries, chopped

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp. almond milk
1/4 cup blueberries, smashed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325º. Lightly grease two 6 count donut pans with cooking spray or vegetable oil. (or just make the donuts in two batches, like I did)

In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together egg, yogurt, apple sauce, and almond milk. Add to dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Stir in chopped blueberries.


(the batter will be kind of thick- that is how you want it.)

Divide batter evenly into 12 donut cups, filling each about half full. (Use a pastry bag or plastic bag with corner cut out to make filling the cups easier.) (Again, I did it in two batches- 6 donuts at a time)

Bake for 12 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, or when you touch the donut it springs back up. Remove from oven and cool for a few minutes in the pans. Set on wire rack to cool.

Whisk together powdered sugar, almond milk & smashed blueberries to create a thin glaze.

Take each donut & dip it into the blueberry glaze.

Wanna know the best part?? They are only about 150 calories (& about 3 grams of protein) PER donut, with the glaze! You can’t beat that, right?!

These donuts are not super sweet, but I like them better that way. You can always up the amount of sugar used. (the original recipe called for a 1/2 cup, but I reduced it to 1/3 of a cup) The blueberry flavor is very abundant, especially if you use the glaze, since there are real blueberries in the glaze as well.

Now if you are wondering how good they are…I think this sentence will sum it up. Craig ate FIVE of them. Yes, 5! He actually lost count of how many he had eaten, it was pretty funny. 🙂 I had planned on making pancakes for breakfast, but I decided to make these instead. He said he was happy I did, ‘because these were better!’ If you try them, I don’t think you will be disappointed!

Not So Healthy Foods

When I was browsing around the internet the other day I noticed an article on the ‘5 so-called health foods you should avoid.’ Some of them you might be surprised about.

Here is the list of them:

1. Reduced Fat Peanut Butter

First, reduced fat peanut butter is GROSS in my opinion. The other thing about it is that the oil is the healthy part of the peanut butter. It’s healthy fat. And if you have ever looked at the nutrition facts on reduced fat vs. regular, you will see that the calories are actually the SAME! So why waste your time on the reduced fat stuff?! Go for the GOOD stuff!

2. Enhanced water

Basically these are just loaded with sugar. Sugar = calories. More calories = weight gain. There is something as too much of a good thing. You can actually get too many vitamins. Just drink water, it’s better for you…and it’s natural!

3. Energy bars

A lot of these bars have a TON of sugar. Make sure you are reading the label before buying them! These are one of those tricky foods that are ‘supposed’ to be healthy meal replacements, but they can actually pack on the pounds.

4. Multigrain Foods

Multigrain does NOT equal whole grain. Check the ingredients. If ‘enriched white flour’ is the first ingredient, then it’s NOT whole grain. For whole grain, it needs to say ‘whole grain flour.’ The use of multigrain is more of a marketing term…it makes you think that what you are buying is actually healthier than just something made with white flour. But it’s not, you mine as well just buy the product with white flour. Again, just be sure to check the label!

5. Non fried chips & crackers

Just because chips are not fried, does not mean they are healthy. They are still full of starch and some are still pretty high in calories. I have to admit, I actually LOVE baked chips & buy them frequently. I guess it’s just one of those things that I will never give up. But there are healthier options, like Wasa crackers or SunChips. I do like SunChips, but I am still trying to get into Wasa crackers…they just aren’t really my ‘thing.’

If you want to read more about this, check out the article– there are some more healthy substitutions listed in the article as well.

Do you eat any of the foods above? What are your thoughts on these foods?

Now a workout for you, since it is ‘Fitness Friday.’ Today’s workout is a Back/ Chest/ Shoulders. I LOVE working shoulders! I think strong shoulders look awesome! This workout is kind of long, but it keeps you moving so it won’t get boring!

Back/Chest/Shoulders
*Lift HEAVY. You last set should be a STRUGGLE.*

Superset One
Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns
3 sets of 10

SUPERSETTED WITH

Reverse Pec Decs
3 sets of 10

Superset Two
Close-Grip Lat Pulldowns
3 sets of 10

SUPERSETTED WITH

Flat Bench presses
3 sets of 10

Superset Three
Lawnmowers
3 sets of 10 (each side)

SUPERSETTED WITH

Reverse Flyes
3 sets of 10

Superset Four
Close -Grip Rear Delt Rows
3 sets of 10

SUPERSETTED WITH

Incline Bench Press
3 sets of 10

Superset Five
Overhead Shoulder Press
3 sets of 10

SUPERSETTED WITH

Arnold Shoulder Presses
3 sets of 10

Superset Six
Lateral Side Raises
3 sets of 10

SUPERSETTED WITH

Lateral Front Raises
3 sets of 10

Straight Set & Final Set
Shoulder Shrugs
3 sets of 10

If you try this workout, please let me know! I always love feedback.

Enjoy your Friday!! I know I’m looking forward to the weekend!