Delicious, Skinny Sweet Potato Recipe

Looking for a yummy, skinny sweet potato recipe??  This 21 day fix one is delicious and will get you past a sugar craving!

Ingredients:
4 medium sweet potatoes, diced & boiled or steamed in the microwave
3/4 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp. agave nectar
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Cube potatoes and boil them until tender or cook until tender in the microwave (remove skins in microwave.)
2. While still warm, place potatoes into medium sized mixing bowl.  Add yogurt and smash with a potato masher, or your desired method.
3. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper.
4. Drizzle potatoes with agave and then sprinkle with cinnamon and drizzle with agave.
5. Garnish with more yogurt if desired.
6. Serve & Enjoy!

Fish Friday - Cioppino

Happy Friday!  Here is our last Fish Friday for those of you observing Lent.  This is an awesome seafood soup.   You could substitute in any fish you prefer over those listed.  Cheers!

Ingredients:

2 tsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced (chop fronds and put aside for garnish)
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. ground white pepper
3 bay leaves
1 cup dry white wine
1 can (28 oz) whole peeled tomatoes, crushed, no salt added
8 cups seafood stock or broth
1 lb. raw clams in shells
1 lb. raw blue mussels in shells
1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled & deveined
1 lb. raw tilapia filets, cut into 1"chunks
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium high heat.
2. Add onion & fennel bulb, cook, stirring occasionally for 5-6 minutes until onion is translucent.
3. Add garlic, cook, stirring frequently for 1 minute.
4. Add peppers, bay leaves & wine. Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat & gently boil, stirring occasionally for 10-11 minutes until liquid is almost completely gone.
5. Add tomatoes, bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Reduce heat & gently boil, stirring occasionally for 10-12 minutes, or until about 2/3 of the liquid is left.
6. Add broth & bring to a boil. Reduce heat & gently boil, stirring occasionally 25-30 minutes.
7. Add clams & mussels, cook covered for 5-10 minutes, until clams & mussels begin to open.
8. Add shrimp & tilapia, cook covered 2-3 minutes until clams & mussels are open, shrimp is opaque and tilapia flakes easily when tested with a fork.  Discard any unopened clams or mussels.  Discard bay leaves & remove from heat.
9.  Evenly divide between 6 bowls, top with basil & fennel fronds (if desired.)

Saturday Secrets - Quinoa Flakes

Happy Saturday!  My Saturday secret today is quinoa flakes!  I found these a while back and they are such an amazing addition to my clean eating plan.  Anything that calls for breadcrumbs, I sub these flakes in.  They are also great as a topping for muffins or a pie.

Quinoa flakes remind me a lot of rolled oats.  They are also gluten free.  Quinoa is such an amazing grain because it contains all 9 essential amino acids, so it is considered a "complete protein."  This is rarely found in anything other than meat.  Try them out and let me know what you think!  Happy, healthy Saturday everyone.

My Review - Level Thrive DFT Patches

Cheers ladies!

This week I wanted to share my review of Level Thrive DFT Patches.  In case you are not familiar with the patches, they contain garcinia cambogia (among other things.) Garcinia Cambogia is a tool I have used in my "master toolkit" for several years.  Carcinia Cambogia (you will also see referred to as HCA) is known to suppress appetite (naturally, not like in a diet pill).  Basically, it increases the level of satisfaction you feel from a meal.  It is also known to slow down your fat production.  How does it do that?  It blocks a portion of the enzyme "citrate lyase" which helps turn sugars and starches into fats.  So, when you block a potion of that enzyme, carbs get converted into energy rather than body fat. Great deal, right? I mean seriously who would not want that?

In plain English, it helps you feel full.  I have taken the supplements for years and I feel a real difference  I recommend the patches because they are so convenient.  They last 24 hours and no pills to swallow! For someone like me that takes several supplements, that is a blessing! Trust me!

If you are currently taking the supps, give the patches a try.  I feel certain you will LOVE the patch more than the pills.  If you have never tried these, I highly recommend them.  You can check them out from my beautiful friend Taffy below.  She can give you all the info and scoop you need on the whole product line:

https://TaffyC.Le-Vel.com

Two For Tuesday - Green Tea

I started drinking green tea every morning years ago when I discovered it was a natural fat burner!  I have since truly fallen in love with it, when it is prepared properly.  If you are one of those people who do not care for green tea because it tastes bitter, then I have the solution for you!  When green tea is bitter, the tea is actually burned.  I take the water off the burner just prior to the tea kettle whistling.  This prevents the burn of the tea and the bitterness.

Today I have featured my 2 favorite brands of tea:  Teavanna and Harney & Sons Fine Tea.  If you love "Emperor's Cloud" green tea from Starbucks, this is actually a Teavanna tea.  That is my first choice although quite pricey!  My second choice of Harney & Sons is a Target brand and I enjoy it in both "blueberry" flavor as well as "coconut."

Both are excellent and I highly recommend them.  Cheers & Happy Tuesday!

What's In My Gym Bag - Perricone Supplement

This week in my gym bag I am featuring my favorite multi vitamin - Perricone Skin & Total Body Supplements.  I have used these for years.  I take them twice a day when I am feeling drained or once a day the majority of the time.  (The directions call for twice a day.)

 The biggest change I see is that  I have a noticeable difference in my energy level.  I also find my hair and skin look and feel more healthy.  I have let myself run out of these on occasion only to find I am tired and my skin greatly suffers.  They are pricey but definitely worth the money!


You can check them out here:                                  

In Honor of National Heart Disease Awareness Month - Heart Healthy Foods.

February is Heart Disease Awareness Month.  Heart Disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women.  Adding exercise to your daily routine as well as healthy eating can do wonders for reducing your risk of heart disease, not to mention reducing your waistline.

The key to reducing your risk is clean eating (eating whole, natural foods) along with eating heart healthy foods such as fish, whole grains, fruits & vegetables, an occasional glass of red wine or piece of dark chocolate (70% cocoa or more.)  Making incremental swaps in your diet could make big differences for you.  Here are a few heart healthy foods that contain Omega-3s, Carotenoids, B-complex vitamins, C&E vitamins, phytoestrogen and phytosterols (all known to protect the heart, lower blood pressure & cholesterol):

Fish high in Omega-3s:  salmon, tuna, mackerel & trout.

Healthy nuts:  almonds or walnuts.

Hummus & Veggies:  packed with vitamins & nutrients.

Spinach:  great as a substitute for lettuce.

Berries:  Such as blueberries, strawberries & raspberries are full of phytonutrients & fiber.

Red, Yellow & Orange Veggies:  Carrots, sweet potatoes, red peppers are full of vitamins & fiber.

Flax seed:  Contains omega-3 fatty acids.  Throw them in your daily shake!

These are just a few of the foods you can work into your diet to reduce your risk of heart disease.

Cheers to healthy eating!

Two For Tuesday - Heart Healthy Red Wines

In honor of Heart Disease Awareness month, my Two for Tuesday is 2 of my favorite, economical red wines.  Red wine (in moderation of course) can help improve good (HDL) cholesterol levels, which helps prevent heart disease.  It also contains melatonin, which helps with sleep; also has antioxidants that slow aging as well as reduce fine lines and wrinkles; and can also lower the risk of breast cancer in women.  Just a few of the benefits of having a glass of vino!

The first bottle is Dreaming Tree "Crush" blended red wine.  For those of you that do not know, this wine is a wine made by Dave Matthews and  expert wine-maker Sean McKenzie.  I love Dave Matthews as an artist, so in all honesty, that is what originally drew me to this blend.  The wine has notes of vanilla and many different types of berries.  It has  a very smooth finish which I love.  It is excellent with red meats or with a cheese tray.

My second favorite wine is Josh Cellars Cabernet.  It has a deeper, richer flavor in my opinion with a spicy scent.  I taste more plum and smokiness in this than in Dreaming Tree.  This is our wine of choice at our favorite sushi place so that is my normal paring of Josh.

Both are excellent and in my area both range about $15.  If you are looking for a new red to try, these are two of my favorites.  Cheers!