Bits & Bites #8

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Hello and happy, happy Wednesday to you!
Hmm... it has been a long while since I wrote a "Bits & Bites" update. Perhaps because in the summer I stick to the two main food groups: leftovers made into tacos and zoodles. I kid, I kid... sometimes I still switch it up ;). Here's a glimpse into my little food world.

Dinner: Lettuce from my garden with roasted potatoes and some sort of protein.

Dinner: (This was so good, I need to remember to make this)... Chopped kale salad with homemade dressing and two fried egg tacos on organic corn tortillas.

Dinner: Ground organic turkey tacos with all the health fixins! (notice no cheese or sour cream)

Lunch: On one of the 90+ degree days, I was so hot that the only thing I craved was a smoothie (I usually NEVER drink my meals) so I got one at my fav, b.good.

Weekend breakfast: half of a Stone & Kettle whole wheat english muffin with a fried egg and slices strawberries/peaches. (YUM)

Breakfast: If you follow me on Insta, you already know I'm currently obsessed with acai bowls.

Lunch: Leftover ground organic taco chicken over a bed of garden lettuce and a side of skinny pop.

Random dinner: Lettuce from my garden, grilled buffalo chicken, and leftover protein-plus pasta salad.

Day off lunch: LOBSTA ROLL.

Dinner: Grilled burgundy steak tips and pesto pasta. The pesto was made from the basil in my garden and the steak tips are from K & 8th in Southie. This was a tasty Friday night din even though it doesn't look like anything special.

Lunch: Lately, I've been loving the caesar salad from b.good!

Dinner: Celebratory tacos with with organic ground pork!

It's kind of fun/interesting to go back and look at old "bits & bites" posts. I am definitely rather habitual when it comes to eating... I have been since I was little. Phases can last a couple weeks, months, or years. Ex: I ate a version of the same lunch for 2-3 years straight. Now, I mix up lunch daily. That being said, I currently have an affinity for acia bowls, tacos, and fried eggs. Can anyone else relate to this? I swear it's a seasonal thing. 

Anyway, as always I hope these posts give you a glimpse into my 80/20 world. 80 percent of my food choices are very healthy, 20% of the time, it's not so perfect. This is simply what works for me to keep me on track!

Questions for you!
What are you go-to foods/meals?
Do you follow an 80/20 diet/lifestyle?

Have a great week!
xo

 

Thirst Juice Co. Review (so, so good)

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So if you've been following my Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter accounts... you may have noticed that I had QUITE the experience last week at Thirst Juice Co. in downtown. I recently met the co-owner, Heather Stevenson, at a few of the NBGNO events and she invited me in for a tour. Little did Heather know that I had been feeling stressed and a bit run down before I arrived at Thirst on Thursday. I must say, I left there feeling revitalized and excited about what I had just learned.

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Rob met me there after work on Thursday. He walked... I drove from work and to my delight... there was valet right next door... score!

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The first thing I noticed was the boxes of fresh fruits and veggies on the side counter. Pretty cool, huh?

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To get things started, we both tried a couple of juices. We went with the Buddhabeet and the Field of Greens. Both were delightful, but, we each liked the Field of Greens a little better... the jalapeño kick is a great touch!

As we were standing by the counter, we asked Heather about 1 million questions. Rob was much more inquisitive than I thought he'd ever be... it was hilarious and a lot of fun. Heather told us how she and her husband are both lawyers and were living in NYC. They decided that they really wanted to open up a restaurant so they looked into a few options and landed on the decision to open a juice bar.  Heather explained that they had basically lived off of smoothies and juices while training for an ultra marathon and it really helped with recovery, energy, etc. (Yes, they are lawyers and ultra-marathoners... smart AND fit folks!) Heather has since dived head first into learning more about juices, smoothies, acai, wheatgrass, and vegan/vegetarian diets. She has been taking courses with a renowned expert in the field and let me tell you... she is extremely well-versed. It's nice to learn that the person behind the business truly understands the product and its benefits.

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Next up, we tried a wheat grass shot! I had never had one before and was pretty pumped to try it. (Yes, I was excited to drink juice that's made from grass). Let me explain...

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Wheat grass is fully loaded with anti-oxidants and can have very good detoxifying and energizing effects on the body. I'm not kidding that both Rob and I started to feel a bit energized after we drank it. I think we were both a little stunned. I now seriously want one on a weekly basis haha.

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And then... drumroll please... it was time for the acai bowl. Actually, two acai bowls. We tried both the coconut bowl and the peanut butter bowl. Both were scrumptious. Rob ended up eating most of my coconut bowl... I couldn't stop him... the man is now hooked on acai. Acai berries are cultivated in South America. In these parts, we can only get frozen packs in order to consume it. These mighty berries are also loaded with anti-oxidants, fiber, and heart healthy fats... truly a superfood (and so, so tasty!)

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Last but not least, we tried the BAD MONKEY! smoothie. Oh em gee, it was delightful. Here are the ingredients: Banana, almond butter, cacao nibs, cacao powder, dates, coconut milk, ice. Just perfection. 

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All in all, our experience was truly awesome. We even found ourselves telling our friends about it over the weekend and started planning our next trip to get wheat grass shots and the coconut acai bowl! 

I want to send a BIG THANKS out to Heather for giving us this experience. It was a nice mix-up to a normal "Thursday Night". Plus, it really helped bring my energy back up and get me ready for the weekend. If you stop by soon, tell Heather I said hi! Everything is GREAT!

xo

QUESTIONS:
Have you ever had an acai bowl?
Have you ever had a wheat grass shot?
Do you love smoothies?

Chicken Sausage Zoodles

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Morning friends! Today I'm kicking off my 6-day staycation and I'm pretty excited about it. After the rain subsides, I'm heading down to Kingston to do a little shopping with my mom. I'll probably get in a workout although sometimes Wednesday is a rest day so I'll probably just do something light. Plus, my hamstring is acting up again (oye) so I should probably rest it. Old injuries are so annoying. 

Moving on, I wanted to share this quick recipe with you all because it was mighty tasty and super easy to throw together. Last night, I tried to make it home early enough to go to the 5:30 PWG class but JUST MISSED IT so I decided to prep dinner instead and then head to the 6:30. 

I'm so glad I prepped everything because it made it REALLY EASY to throw together as soon as I got home from the gym. This meal was inspired by a zoodle dish that I saw on Inspiralized's instgram account last week.

CHICKEN SAUSAGE ZOODLE BOWL
Prep: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 11 Minutes

NEED:
- 3 Chicken Sausages (I used spinach & feta)
- 1 Bell pepper (red or yellow)
- Handful of basil and parsley (I snipped this from my garden)
- Juice of 1/2 Lemon
- Couple tbs of feta
- 1 pad of grass fed butter
- EVOO (as needed - couple tbs probably)
- White wine
- Salt/Pepper to taste

STEP 1: Zoodle the noodles, chop the pepper, parsley, basil, and set aside.
STEP 2: While the sausages are on the grill (8-10 minutes). Saute the peppers, half of the parsley/basil bunch, lemon juice, butter, evoo.
STEP 3: After a few minutes of sautéing, add white wine to deglaze the pan and make a bit of a sauce.
STEP 4: When the sausages have about two minutes left on the grill - add the zoodles to the pan and mix around... adding the salt and crushed red pepper as needed. 

STEP 5: Cut the sausage into pieces and add to pan along with the rest of the parsley/basil and feta and toss. (doesn't that look great!)

STEP 6: Plate and serve! 

Yum! This meal is great for workout recovery! Tons of potassium from the zoodles, vitamin C (immune protection) from the peppers (and from the zoodles), and protein from the chicken sausage.

Hope you're all having a great week! xo