Healthy Tips Featuring Nakd Bars

I'm usually a pretty active, fit person. The problem is I don't really like going to the gym. I prefer being doing outside activities, which isn't really possible in the winter. In an effort to get healthier, I decided to make a couple easy lifestyle adjustments. When Natural Balance Foods offered to send me a sample of their Nakd Healthy cereal bars, I thought this would be the perfect time to get my healthy lifestyle back on track. It’s amazing what a difference a few little changes can make. Here are some tips I'm working to adopt into my daily life:

1. Drink more water! I cannot emphasize this one enough. I recently downloaded the app Plant Nanny and was amazed with how little water I was drinking, compared to what my body needs. Having a reminder (and a cute plant to take care of) has been so helpful. I can already feel the change in my body and especially my skin, which is usually so dry this time of year.

2. Basic exercise. Getting to the gym is a hard thing for me to do, especially when the weather is cold. Just because you don’t want to run on a treadmill, doesn’t mean you can’t do some basic exercises in your own home. I recently started participating in this 30-day plank challenge. It’s only been a few days and already I feel stronger. Other exercises that are great for doing at home are jumping rope, headstands, tuck jumps and squats.

3. Stretching is a great way to increase strength and flexibility, without needing to log hours at the gym. Butterflies, touching your toes, or any of these full-body stretches are great for doing first thing in the morning or while watching TV. It can really make a difference!

4. Healthy snacks.  I'm the type of person that gets hangry. If I'm hungry, I will eat anything and everything in sight. It means that even if I'm making a conscious effort to eat healthy, the second the hanger sets in it's all out the window. During my lifestyle shift, I've been making sure to grab a healthy snack on my way out the door. A piece of fruit, or recently these Nakd bars. They're the perfect thing to throw in my purse or gym bag (for those few times I can get my butt on a treadmill). They're small, but are perfect for curbing your appetite for your next healthy meal. My favorite flavor? Strawberry crunch! Be sure to check out their website to see all of their delicious flavors.

*this is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

Montreal Photo Diary Pt 1

Sorry for the absence, I find myself going through long periods of being unmotivated this winter. I think, like most people, I've been having a hard time adjusting to this constantly changing weather. Anyway, here are some photos from a trip I took to Montreal, Canada! Talk about a whirlwind trip. Driving up after work, getting there in the wee hours of the morning, and sleeping for less than five hours before hitting the town. My roommate Chloe and I decided to give ourselves a lil ladycation in lieu of Christmas gifts this year. 

I hadn't been to Montreal since I was 17 and I forgot all the beauty and wonder it has to offer. The friendliest people. Snow lines streets. Stumbling across an art installation of see-saws that light up and play music when you sit on them. And the poutine, oh the poutine. It's safe to say that pountine (for those of you who have no experienced the beauty and wonder — french fries topped with cheese curds and gravy) was the driving force of many of our explorations. That and the beer. Montreal is home to tons of local breweries with the nicest bartenders servin them up!

We stayed in the cutest airbnb, small but the perfect size for us. The winding spiral staircase that led to an alley behind the house was so whimsical and cute. Chloe and I long ago realized that we are the perfect travel companions since we met studying abroad. Our go-to plan is to have a mental list of a few things we really want to do, but other than that it's all up in the air! We'll chat up bartenders and locals and ask them where we should go. It's often the best way to find those hole in the wall bars, the best food and lots of local color. I think if you're only in town for a weekend, it's the best way to experience a place. Stay tuned for part two!

Grand Marnier Olive Oil Cake

 This weekend we're celebrating my dad's 60th birthday! He's not big on sweets, but I mean how could I not bake the guy a cake? I weirdly dreamed about olive oil cake the other night and woke up remembering I needed to make one (I think it was because I had just had olive oil gelato the night before). I woke up thanking my dream self for reminding me to bake a cake, and thought that this olive oil cake would be the perfect one. Since it's oh so moist, has alcohol and is not too sweet, it seems like the perfect adult birthday cake. With no icing, it's the perfect no frills cake for a man that just wants a quiet 60th birthday celebration with his family. Find the full recipe of food52 here!

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/3 cups extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 tablespoons grated orange zest
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/4cup Grand Marnier

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 9-inch cake round with parchment paper and crisco (or butter/spray)

2. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a bowl - flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder. Whisk together.

3. Whisk together wet ingredients - eggs, olive oil, milk, orange juice, orange zest and Grand Marnier. 

4. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing until well incorporated.

5. Pour into prepared pan and cook for one hour, or until the outside is golden and toothpick comes out clean. Let it cool for 30 minutes before taking it out of the cake pan. Run a knife around the edges and invert.

6. Serve after it has cooled for 2 hours - with fresh fruit, whipped cream, just a little garnish or nothing!

Pineapple Guacamole

Pineapple Guacamole recipe from Gimme Some Oven. This recipe combines the perfect mix of sweet, salty and my favorite thing - avocado. Though we're nearing the end of pineapple season, I strongly recommend making this recipe before it's too late!

Ingredients:

• 3 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
• 1 jalapeno, stem and seeds removed, minced*
• 1 1/2 cups diced fresh pineapple, plus extra for topping
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• Optional: 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

*I substituted sriracha for spice (to taste)

Half, de-pit and scoop out the avocados. (I actually have this handy little device my brother gave me as a joke. I really don't like kitchen products that only have one use, I find that they just add clutter to my apartment. This one I happen to really like though, it's great for getting that last bit of avocado out of the shell). Mash them with a fork. Make sure they're nice and ripe otherwise you'll end up bending a fork like my boyfriend and I did!

Add the onion, pineapple, jalapeno (or sriracha) and salt. Optional to add garlic, cilantro, or whatever you want. 

Serve with chips and enjoy!

Weekend Snapshots

This weekend I was up in Syracuse visiting my boyfriend. We went apple picking at Beak & Skiff, which I highly recommend if you're in upstate NY. Not only can you eat all the apples you want while picking, they have a tavern where you can sample the apple wine and hard cider they make there. I went home with a couple bottles, I can't resist a dry hard cider! While out in the orchard, I got on my boyfriend's shoulders so we could reach the highest branches. On Sunday morning we made these bacon, egg and cheese cups and some apple pies using this recipe.

The Salvation Army in Syracuse is one of my favorite places to thrift. Jimmy, his two roommates and I all walked out of there with our arms filled with great things. I got a bunch of sweet clothes, including the denim skirt I'm wearing in these pictures. It has this cool little suede/snake skin detailing on the bottom that I love. The boys bought the cool hand-carved barrel that we filled with hot cider and whiskey and served in the little cups it came with. Overall it was a perfect fall weekend. 

Chocolate Chip Brown Butter Nutella-Stuffed Cookies with Sea Salt

Recipe for these cookies is from Ambitious Kitchen, with a few minor changes.

Ok, so let's talk about these cookies. They have all the right buzzwords. Chocolate chip? Check. Brown butter? Check. Nutella? Check check check. Sea salt? Too late I've eaten 1,000 of them and am now in a food coma. 

Full disclosure, these cookies require more work than I previously thought, but are SO WORTH IT. Just like you probably shouldn't eat more than one, but you do and again...worth it! So what are you waiting for? Let's get started!

Ingredients

2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon of salt

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter

1 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon plain greek yogurt

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips*

3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

1 jar of Nutella, chilled in refrigerator

Coarse sea salt for sprinkling

*the original recipe calls for 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips and 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips. To cut a little bit of the sweetness and cost I eliminated the milk chocolate chips and upped the semi-sweet and the dark.

First thing's first - put that nutella in the fridge to chill. I forgot this step and ended up having to wait to make these. 

Next get your dry ingredients together - in a large bowl sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.

Place the butter in a sauce pan on medium heat, whisking constantly. (This is the part that I was kind of nervous about. I wasn't sure if I would know when 'brown butter' happened and I would just end up burning it.) If you keep your eye on it, you'll know when it turns brown and smells like caramel. It's a very clear transformation that takes place. Take it off the heat and immediately transfer to your mixing bowl. Wait for it to cool, about 10-15 minutes for me. Do yourself a favor, if you transfer the butter into a metal mixing bowl, maybe don't touch the bottom to see if it's hot? The answer is, it is still scalding hot and now you no longer have fingerprints. 

Once the butter cools, add the sugars and mix until combined. It will look like a bit like wet sand. Scrape down the sides and add the egg yolk, vanilla, and greek yogurt. Mixture will come out looking smooth and silky.

The next step is to slowly at the dry ingredients. With your mixer on low, add the flour, baking soda and salt a little at a time. You may want to switch to your dough hook for the step, I didn't because I'm lazy. When all the dry ingredients are incorporated, you'll be left with a thick dough. Fold in the chocolate chips (i used my hands for this - my favorite cooking tools). Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for two hours. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Take the dough out and nutella of the refrigerator. Spoiler: this is the tricky part. It took me a while to get the hang of it. Roll about 1.5 tablespoons of dough into a ball. Flatten it down in your hands. Add a teaspoon of the chilled nutella to the center and fold the dough over. You want to make sure none of the nutella is peaking out. You can grab more dough to fill up any gaps. Then roll the dough back into a ball and place it on your baking sheet. 

Gently tamp down the dough with your fingers. I made my cookies a little bigger, so I fit 9 to a sheet pan. Place in the oven for 9-11 minutes (or 15-18 if you made gigantic ones like me), until the cookies turn golden.

Take the cookies out and sprinkle them with a touch of sea salt. Move them to a cooling rack to completely cool down.

Lastly, eat and enjoy!