I know I have been very absent for a very long time, but I'm doing my best and hopefully you are still with me :)  I have been fairly busy at work and in my free time I've been getting involved in a new hobby... couponing! To some of you this is probably not a shock because I instagram and tweet about my couponing ventures but it's definitely something that I'm really enjoying.  I so far have been doing a good job of resisting clipping coupons for items I don't need and I have not bought anything we don't already use.  So no hoarding for me!  

One of the things I really love about couponing is it almost makes meal planning easier!  Instead of planning our meals for the week based upon what sounds good, I go through the stores' circulars and find things that are inexpensive and plan that way!  It makes a world of difference.  It makes planning the meals less confusing and allows me to feed Matt and myself on the cheap :)

I absolutely adore chili.  Usually filled with tomatoes.  Big plump, juicy tomatoes.  But as I've mentioned in posts pasts, my significant other cannot stand them.  So as much as it pains me, I have created a recipe for tomato-less chili.  I find this chili to be really good, despite it's lack of tomatoes.  I use tomato paste to get some tomato flavor in there without having the actual tomato pieces in there.  I think this recipe is perfect for someone looking to de-tomato-ize their chili (not sure how many of you exist!)  You can also make this a more traditional chili by adding 2-3 fresh tomatoes :)

Hey guys!  I'm back after a little hiatus... crazy holidays, lots of stuff going on at work and was sick all week!  I just had to tell you about this asparagus.  My Aunt Beth made it for Christmas Dinner and it was the biggest hit at the table.  I immediately harassed her via text for the recipe and she sent it to me right away (she's a sweetheart!)... This is a pretty healthy side-dish as long as you don't use too much sugar.   As you all know from my previous post, I've been really trying to watch what I eat, without depriving myself.  This is the perfect dish for that.  I felt like I was eating the most amazing thing ever and it was not going to destroy my healthy eating.  Truth be told, I ate more of this than anything on my plate.  I accompanied it with some veal cutlets and it was lovely.  We had it with beef tenderloin on Christmas, which was a far superior pairing than my veal cutlets but for real, I'm not made of money. Anyway, make this immediately and then thank me later ;)

So, the other day I posted a photo on Instagram.  It was a picture that depicted my progress throughout my weight-loss journey.  I received a slew of comments and emails with questions such as "what are you doing?" "how did you do it?" etc.  I had one reader contact me via email and I tried to answer her questions in as much detail as possible.  I decided mid-way through that email that I would make it a post on here, so that others could read and benefit from seeing how one person has done it.  I do not profess to be an expert and I don't know how to advise people in the same way that a professional could, but I wanted to share my experience and knowledge in hopes that it would help at least one person.

Here's the picture that started it all:

This picture depicts 4 months of work and approximately 18-19 pounds lost, muscle developed and super increase in energy levels!

Sorry for the dork-fest post title, it's just from one of my favorite shows, New Girl, which, if you don't watch it already, you definitely should and it's all available on Hulu.  So Matt and I were discussing how deli turkey just doesn't cut it sometimes.  Sometimes you want the real thing.  And by real thing I mean the thing that you are normally only lucky to have once a year? Black Friday.  The perfect Turkey Sandwich with real turkey meat and not some processed sliced turkey sitting in water or some other liquid wrapped in a plastic container (and it won't expire for like a month?? Weird).  So anyway, I had some time to spare, which is incredibly rare for me.  A day off is a fantastic blessing in my life, so I use it to make turkey for "real turkey" sandwiches for Matt all week.  Yum-my.

Need a quick fall snack?  I've got just the thing.  Pepitas!  Also known as pumpkin seeds, these are super simple to make and delicious to snack on for days (keep in an air tight container).  You can season or flavor them however you'd like, I just thought I'd take them in a bold direction with Tandoori!  I followed this exact step by step from The Pioneer Woman and used sea salt, a teaspoon or so (maybe 1.5) of Tandoori Spice, and a few pinches of smoked paprika.  Click "Read More" to see my step by step photos and final product!  

Ohhh guys...I'll be honest, making these this morning was pure torture.  I had already pureed my pumpkin last night but I should have mixed the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another bowl last night.  Because here's the thing... I like to eat as soon as I can in the morning.  Sometimes it's okay and I can wait about a half hour or so but generally I like to eat at least a little something right away.  This morning I woke up famished.  As I've mentioned before, I'm training for a marathon (Disney 2013!) and yesterday was my long-run day.  I ran a whopping 12 miles.  The furthest I've ever run on my own (i.e. not in a half marathon with 1000 other people).  So, although I ate enough yesterday, my body still wanted fuel 18 hours later, and sitting there mixing ingredients to make waffles was torture.  Next time, I'll make things the night before so I can go ahead and pop em right in the waffle iron.  I've also been dying to test out my waffle iron that I got months ago on sale at Williams-Sonoma.  It's so shiny!

I don't even know where to begin.  So much going on in my life right now.  Training for a marathon being one of them.  Some family issues being another, but all in all I'm just insanely busy right now.  Last weekend, Matt and I had a pot-luck dinner at his former boss's house.  Since this is our third or fourth dinner there, and I've always brought something tasty, there have been some built-up expectations of me.  Unfortunately, with my crazy busy schedule, I seriously could not even conceive of having the energy to go to the grocery store to make something on Thursday night when I had court Friday morning (the party was Friday night).  So basically, I decided I was going to make something with what I had on hand and that could be made as quickly as possible.  I happened to have 2 cans of cannellini beans, fresh sage and garlic (I always keep plenty of garlic in my house!).  All I needed after that was olive oil and some salt and pepper and I was good to go.  Next time I would consider adding some lemon juice just for an extra tang, but it was very well received at the party and the sage gave a nice fall flavor :)  

This is LITERALLY a one-pot wonder.  My favorite kind of meal.  This is another reason why I'm obsessed with my pressure cooker!  Easy to make quick meals that taste amazing and clean up is a cinch! Lentils are one of my favorite foods.  They are so easy to make (and quick with a pressure cooker), taste delicious, are incredibly filling, and very nutritious! The beauty of lentils is you can make them a million different ways.  This is just one example below.  Feel free to mix it up with whatever veggies you have, add pancetta, prosciutto, or simply make them plain with just a little garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes with a drizzle of olive oil and shredded Parmesan cheese on top.  Oh the possibilities!  Oh and did I mention they are cheap??  A one pound bag is only about $4-5 and will make enough food for half the week for two people eating it every day! They are so good for you, I can't get enough!  High in protein and fiber, low in calories, carbs, sodium and all the other bad stuff we don't like :)  Below is just what I made tonight, but please feel free to mix it up and let me know what your favorite combos are!  I make lentils almost weekly and will be sure to post other good combos in the future.  I know that when the time comes and I have a family and need a quick nutritious meal on the fly, this will definitely be a good go-to!  Let me know what you guys think!

Hey guys!  Again please forgive my absence!  A lot has happened in the last few weeks!  I signed up for a freaking FULL marathon.  Like a crazy person.  I'm still trying to watch what I eat and come up with healthier things to eat.  This is certainly a good one and I'll be using it again.  My favorite part is that it's a one-pan wonder (except for the pot you have to use for cooking the pasta...but the rest can all be done in a single frying pan).  Read on for the Verdict to see more about how much I liked this recipe, and how my co-workers liked it as well!