Tag Archives: clean eating

Trail Mix Day

Family, Health, Kids, Recipes, , , , ,

In keeping with my days of the year addiction, I found out that today is TRAIL MIX DAY! Now, I don’t really know why trail mix has it’s very own day, but I sure love it enough that I’m not going to complain. Heck, I could probably devote a whole week to nothing but trail mix. 😉

Homemade-Trail-Mix-Recipe7

Since my boys are still home from school (can September 8th get here fast enough?) and not really into my whole cleaning and organizing thing that I have going on for today, we are taking a small break to create our own trail mixes. After all, trail mix is designed to give you energy for strenuous activities right? So what better than energy for cleaning our rooms and getting ready for the school year!

Traditional old boring trail mix is nuts and raisins… We aren’t really big on boring trail mix in my house. And, to be honest, my boys love raisins, but I hate them, so they’re not going anywhere near my trail mix.

Things to consider putting into trail mix are:

  • Nuts
  • Seeds
  • Dried Fruit
    • Raisins
    • Dried apples
    • Cherries
    • Cranberries
    • Goji berries
    • Blueberries
    • Strawberries
    • Apricots
    • Banana chips
    • Figs
    • Pineapple chunks
    • Mango
  • Grains
    • Shredded wheat cereal
    • Pretzels
    • Whole-grain cereals like Cheerios or Chex
    • Bran flakes
    • Whole-wheat crackers
    • Granola
    • Toasted oats
    • Puffed rice cereal
    • Air-popped popcorn
  • Sweets
    • M&Ms
    • Chips of various kinds (chocolate, peanut butter, carob, butterscotch)
    • Cacao nibs
    • Yogurt-covered raisins
    • Chocolate-covered coffee beans
    • Mini marshmallows
    • Chocolate-covered nuts
  • Savory Extras
    • Sea salt
    • Curry
    • Ground ginger
    • Cinnamon
    • Nutmeg
    • Cardamom
    • Cayenne pepper

Now for our choices…

Mom’s Trail Mix

Almonds, walnuts, peanuts, cashews, pecans, cranberries, and just a few dark chocolate chips.

It’s really yummy, healthy, and gives you lots of energy!

Micheal’s Trail Mix

Popcorn, peanuts, and M&Ms.

There’s a part of me that wonders if Micheal’s qualifies as trail mix, but he likes it, and it’s healthy, so we’re rolling with it.

Kyle’s Trail Mix

Banana chips, peanut butter chips, peanuts, almonds, dark chocolate chips.

I have to say that Kyle’s idea was actually better than mine! It was DELICIOUS!

Trail Mix Health Note:

As healthy as anything can be, it’s all only good in moderation. Therefor, it’s suggested to only consume about 1/4 cup of trail mix. Kyle and I measured ours out into bags that we can bring to school with us. I’m not sure how the popcorn will hold up, so our plan is to sit down for a movie and all munch on Micheal’s “trail mix” this afternoon.

Trail Mix - Baggies 2

 

Happy trails to you!

Alicia

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More Herbs, Less Salt Day

Health, Recipes, ,

Did you know that there’s a website called Daysoftheyear.com? It’s one of my favorite things to check out. I really enjoy learning new things, and I’m sure you do too, so every once in a while, I’ll share some of the “holidays” that they have with you. Today is “More Herbs, Less Salt” day.

More Herbs, Less Salt

In anticipation of More Herbs, Less Salt day (and Chicken month!) I made some of the most delicious chicken that I have ever cooked last night. I got the recipe from my Pillsbury Cookbook, but I made some adjustments to my liking, so I will be sharing what I did with you, instead of their recipe.

Garlic-Basil Chicken

garlic basil chicken more herbs less salt

Ingredients:
  • 3 cloves of finely chopped garlic
  • 1 tablespoon of dried basil leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon of pepper
  • 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Step By Step
  1. In shallow dish or pie pan, mix garlic, basil, pepper, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of the oil. Coat chicken with garlic-basil mixture.
  2. In 10-inch skillet, heat remaining tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add chicken; cook about 5 minutes on each side or until browned.
  3. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook 10 to 15 minutes or until juice of chicken is clear when thickest part is cut to bone (170°F).

This was honestly the most delicious and moist chicken that I have ever eaten. I expected it to be dry, having been cooked in the skillet, but it was far from it. I hope you all will give it a try.

More ideas of More Herbs, Less Salt…

What are your ideas for using more herbs and less salt? I would love to hear them! Please comment here or email me the recipe at aliciainasmalltown@gmail.com. I can’t wait to hear from you!!!

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Should I Be Eating This?

About Me, Health, Life, ,

A long time ago, I got some of the best advice that I wish I had been listening to my entire life, and today I am going to pass that advice on to you. My ex-husband’s grandfather was honestly one of the smartest men that I have ever met, and on a visit to see him and his wife, he took me grocery shopping and taught me a lesson that will stick with me for the rest of my life… Whenever you’re out grocery shopping, take a good long look at what you’re purchasing and say “Should I be eating this?”

should i be eating this ingredients listShould I Be Eating This?

His main advice to me was to look at the ingredient list.

  • Can you pronounce all the words? If you can’t, ask yourself “Should I be eating this?”
  • Can you tell me what that ingredient is? If you don’t know what it is (a plant, a meat, something that you can picture in your mind), ask yourself “Should I be eating this?”

I’ll go a bit further in his advice… Since we all have smartphones now, if you can’t tell what the ingredient is immediately upon reading it, Google it. Look it up and then ask yourself, “Should I be eating this?”

By taking a good, long, hard look at everything that goes into your cart, you will get yourself into a healthier mindset… Even if you aren’t ready to go running with me, you will be getting healthier with every shopping trip, and this is a sure fire way to help you lose a little weight and to feel a LOT better!

I hope that you all will take this to heart, and really look at that ingredient list the next time you go grocery shopping… Remember, just to ask yourself, should I be eating this?

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