recipes

Weekend Recap & Recipes

02.03.2015

Hope you lovelies had a great weekend! We had a blast watching the Patriots take the win on Sunday. 😉 I’m definitely a San Francisco fan, but my boyfriend and friends are New Englanders so had to root for Mr Brady! I found tons of great recipes from some foodie blogs, so decided to host a mini Superbowl party… with some healthier snacks of course!

What’s a football game without chips and guac?! I randomly mashed up a bunch of avocados, added diced onions, onion powder, sea salt, lemon and lime, then topped with tomatoes and cilantro. Guac is always a must and by far the easiest thing to prepare!

These healthier pizza bites were definitely a favorite and gone in about 10 seconds. I baked them with whole wheat tortillas, tomato sauce, cheese and turkey pepperonis. Recipe can be found here on the Dashing Dish blog. Only 66 calories each!

Another recipe I tried were these black bean and corn quesadillas. Sooo delicious! I think we scarfed them down before I got a photo, but the recipe can be found here.

Superbowl selfie! 😉 I also changed my instagram name to @jennapardini. This is not only a fitness account, but also my personal so be sure to find me!

This crazy bunch after the big WIN. Horrible quality photo but I think it captures us perfectly. 🙂

I wanted to start posting more workout tips and exercises for you guys! What would you like to see more of? Let me know below in the comments! xo

Acai Smoothie Bowl with ZICO

09.25.2014

Zico coconut water is my go-to for hydration needs. I love the flavor of coconut water, especially before or after working out. Zico can also be used in smoothies, baking and protein shakes, among other delicious recipes. Right now I’m really into Acai smoothies bowls. Acai berries are basically THE BEST thing for you (in my opinion, not even kidding!). You can read more about acai here, here, and here.

For my smoothie bowls, I basically throw some fruit, zico water, a frozen acai packet and sometimes greek yogurt or protein powder into a blender then top a few healthy ingredients I have laying around in my kitchen.

This particular bowl I blended the following ingredients:

Zico water
Frozen blueberry and strawberry mixture
Frozen Acai packet (bought at whole foods)
Non fat greek yogurt
Protein powder (optional-I used designer whey strawberry flavor)

Then topped with the following:

Chia seeds
Oats
coconut chips
Fresh berries

This is perfect for breakfast or really any time of day! (I’ll post some green smoothies soon!)

And here’s another morning smoothie I had the other day using ZICO:

*Thanks to Zico for sponsoring this post.

Healthier Pita Pizza | Food Lately

05.30.2014

My favorite cheat in the world…pizza. My boyfriend and I love pizza. We would eat it every night if we could. I love finding new “healthier” ways to make our favorite things. This pizza is such a great alternative, and a whole lot healthier than your normal greasy pizza. It’s also super easy and fast to make for those who don’t have the time to cook an elaborate meal like myself. Confession time: we actually ate this two days in a row this week, its that good!

Directions: We cut a whole wheat pita in half, so we could have 2 pizza’s with 1 pita (less carbs), but feel free to use one slice of pita. Rub with a small amount of extra virgin olive oil. Then load up on veggies of your choice! We used a thinly sliced tomato, artichoke hearts, black olives, feta cheese (I use fat free), and a small amount of garlic. Bake in the oven at 350 for 15 mins. Enjoy! (Sorry, I don’t have the nutritional facts.)

Here are a few other food favorites as of recent:

My delicious grilled chicken and shrimp from Maya in Sonoma. Highly recommend this place for some good Mayan cuisine.

Believe it or not, there’s a turkey burger in there! I love making these turkey burger lettuce wraps. Then adding low-fat cheese, tomatoes and avocado.

Our Memorial Day BBQ! Prepped by my mom, and BBQ’d by my dad. Grilled chicken, zucchini, mixture of edamame and avocado, potatoes and refreshing cantaloupe. We had a great time eating, drinking and enjoying the Sonoma sunshine. We also went for a bike ride (while I ran) through the winery’s…so much fun!

If you try out the pita pizza, let me know what you think!

What I Ate Wednesday (Veggie Edition)

02.12.2014

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, but thought I’d link up for a “What I Ate Wednesday” post…especially since it’s “love your veggies” month.

I am still counting macros and sticking to my meal plan (97% of the time). Definitely seeing some results, but eager to keep going and see much more! Here is what I ate:

Breakfast before work: Cellucor whey protein shake with almond milk
Around 10-11am: 2/3 cup oatmeal, apple
Lunch: pre-made lemon chicken from Trader Joes (LOVE these when I’m not in the mood to cook!) , green beans (always ENDLESS veggies) and 1/2 cup sweet potatoes
Snack: Fage greek yogurt, cookies and cream quest bar (have you tried?!)
Pre workout: Ezekiel bread with nut butter (my fave!!!!) & pre-workout drink “PRE”
Post Workout: Cellucor BCAA’s
Dinner: 1/2 turkey sandwich (random craving) and small piece of tilapia with broccoli
Before bed: Mix of 1 scoop casein, 1 TBS unsweetened cocoa powder, and water. Mix and freeze. (Another nightly fave, not pictured)

Let’s just say, all this training definitely builds up my appetite! I am constantly eating and building muscle. YES!

Do you use MyFitnessPal? I feel like its a lifesavor! I enter all of my meals and it calculates just about everything. My username is FitnessandtheCity if you would like to find me on there. 🙂

Since were on the subject of veggies…..I found this recipe which I’m dying to try: chickpea, quinoa and vegetable cakes. Will let you guys know how they turn out!

Also dying to make this recipe: Protein powder valentine’s truffles (WOWSERS)

Thanks for reading! xo

Fall Inspired Cuteness

10.14.2013

We are full swing into Fall around my house! Besides running 9 miles, I spent my Sunday getting in the Halloween spirit and baking these delicious pumpkin muffins. Skinnytaste.com has been my go-to for healthy recipes and I can’t get enough of their “Skinny Pumpkin Madness“. And yes, I even brought out the skeleton plates. 🙂

Click here for the recipe.

Going to a Halloween party or need a cute idea for a Halloween lunch in the office? Ok, I wish I can say I thought of this, but leave it to good ol’ Pinterest. Such cute, healthy ideas, definitely planning to make these soon. (I don’t know who made these, sorry for not having a reference.)

Are you excited for Halloween and getting in the spirit?

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