Living Life Balanced Blog

Spring Rolls

4/23/2018

Just because spring rolls look fancy, doesn't mean they are hard to make! Take a chance and try these fresh, veggie filled spring rolls as soon as you can! They are fun, quick and easy to make as a family or in a group setting since all you have to do is prepare the filling (which can be as simple or extravagant as you want) and then let everyone make their own! Don't forget the dip :) I made a peanut sauce and a sweet and sour sauce (unfortunately I do not remember the recipe for them since I threw them together at the last minute) but you can buy or make your own favorite sauces to pair them with.

Servings: 8 (there will be leftover rice paper wrappers)
Prep/Total Time: 15 minutes + (depending on if you make meat or fish)

Ingredients:

1 head butter lettuce
1/2 cabbage, shredded
2 large zucchini noodles (or rice noodles)
1 handful mung bean sprouts
1 large cucumber, sliced long and thin
2 avocados, sliced long and thin
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
4 stalks green onion, chopped
16 oz canned tuna or your favorite meat or fish
16 brown rice paper wrappers (I used these large brown rice spring roll wrappers from Herban Market in Franklin, TN)
your favorite dipping sauces - teriyaki, soy, sweet and sour, etc.

Directions:

Prepare all ingredients and section out to make them easy to grab as you are filling your wrappers.
Dip one rice paper wrapper in warm water at a time for about 15 seconds and lay flat on a plate.
Add a little bit of all the filling ingredients by following the pictures below (place ingredients on bottom 1/3 of the wrapper, fold in the sides, flip the bottom up to enclose the ingredients and as tightly as possible roll from the bottom up until all ingredients are inside the roll.
Once rolled up, they are ready to eat right away! Dip them in your favorite sauce and enjoy!

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Pineapple Cucumber Smoothie

4/16/2018

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I usually choose a smoothie for my afternoon snack because they are tasty, filling and I can pack them full of nutritious fruits and vegetables to help sneak in more produce to my day. I made a tropical smoothie to counteract the fact that it is very cold outside and actually snowed a little bit during my morning run....I am ready for warmer spring weather! I usually have several different frozen and fresh fruits and vegetables on hand that I can choose from for my smoothies so I can vary my produce during the week. This is a creamy, refreshing, detoxifying (cucumber and pineapple both help support the digestive tract and are natural diuretics) smoothie that you are sure to love!

Servings: 1
Prep/Total Time: 3 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup unsweetened pea milk (or your favorite dairy/non-dairy milk)
1 Tbsp peanut butter
1 cup spinach
1 cup cucumber, diced
1/4 cup pineapple, diced
5 strawberries, diced
1 clementine, peeled
dash of cinnamon
dash of ground ginger

Directions:

Throw everything together in your blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

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Carrot Cake Coffee Cake

4/9/2018

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I don't know about you, but I LOVE carrot cake and I LOVE coffee cake. The problem is, most of the recipes for them are full of sugar, butter and flour. While they may taste delicious, I always like taking recipes and making them healthier AND taste great! I decided to make this for Easter breakfast while everyone was drinking coffee early that morning. Yes, we had dessert for breakfast...even before our brunch :) If you are looking for a treat that will help to fill you up and satisfy your taste buds, this is it!

Servings: 12 pieces
Prep/Total Time: 65 minutes

Ingredients:

Cake

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 Tbsp unsweetened vanilla pea milk
1 Tbsp vanilla
3 eggs
3 cups almond flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups grated carrots

Topping

1 cup almond flour
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 Tbsp coconut oil
pinch of salt

Glaze

1/4 cup coconut oil
2 Tbsp maple syrup
3 Tbsp unsweetened vanilla pea milk
pinch of salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F and spray a 8 inch square pan with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine the first 6 cake ingredients until well mixed. Slowly add in the remaining cake ingredients except for the carrot. Mix until no dry spots remain and then fold in the carrot. Add more milk if needed (it will be thick) and pour into the prepared pan.
In a medium bowl combine all the topping ingredients and smash together until clumpy and combined. All more milk if necessary. Crumble over top of cake.
Bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Using a hand mixer, combine the coconut oil, maple syrup, milk and salt until smooth and creamy. Add more milk to reach desired consistency.
Drizzle glaze over the cake before serving. Store covered in the fridge.

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Recovering from an Easter Binge

4/2/2018

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I hope everyone had a wonderful (hopefully long and relaxing) Easter weekend! I know a lot of that time was probably spent eating decadent foods, snacking on candy, drinking and not practicing much self-care. While you might have been busy and having fun, today (Monday) might have felt a little rough.

It is ok to indulge a little every now and again. If you ate or drank a little too much, didn't workout, skimped on sleep and did more for others than yourself....don't beat yourself up. The key is to start getting back on track today.

You might be thinking you need to punish yourself and start fasting and workout for hours each day. This binge/deprivation cycle is not a healthy way to live your life and will not help in the long run. Instead, take care of yourself with the following 5 steps.

Forgive Yourself: Let the negative thoughts about the food you ate over the weekend go. Let the guilt go. A healthy diet is not ruined by a weekend of over-indulgence...it happens to the best of us.

Drink Water: Your body is probably holding on to a lot of water at this point from all the simple carbs (candy and bread) and sodium (processed foods), which is why you feel bloated. While it might seem counter intuitive, drinking water (at least 8 8 oz glasses) will create a much needed flushing effect.

Exercise: Don't overdo it here as punishment. Go on a walk, a run, anything to get your heart rate up and make you sweat. 30-60 minutes is enough, you don't need to spend hours at the gym trying to compensate for the extra calories.

Eat Nutrient Dense Foods: Focus on eating mainly veggies, fruit, lean protein and drink a lot of water! Try to avoid the unhealthy leftovers and candy. Get rid of it if you can't resist the temptation. Also, don't skip meals, the goal is to get back to your normal eating pattern ASAP.

Sleep Well: Practice your favorite self-care ritual tonight, relax and get to bed on time. Aim for 8 hours of rejuvenating sleep.

Remember, it is ok to treat yourself from time to time, don't deprive yourself or waste time feeling guilty. Focus instead on what you can do to get back on track.

If you need any more help with starting to live a healthier lifestyle or you just want to get a jump-start on a healthier spring season in preparation for an even better summer...check out Boost, my 28-day healthy living course.

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