Living off the Land #3

Happppy Thursdayyyy Friendsss! So, last week I re-ignited the "Living off the Land" series with two posts containing ingredients that were already in my kitchen. I have one more installment to share from last week's ingredients that I must share! The first meal I made last week was the buffalo chicken rice bowls and then I made the buffalo chicken quesadillas. Both meals used black beans, buffalo chicken, and a little bit of mozzarella. On Saturday, I used up the rest of the beans and mozzarella in this simple quinoa bowl that packed a whole lot of flavor!

NEED:
- 1 cup of quinoa
- 1/2 cup of black beans
- 3 carrots, shredded
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 tbs mozarella cheese
- 1/4 avocado (or more if you have it on hand)
For the dressing: Use the below ingredients, mix very well and set aside (I use a tiny immersion blender). Also, update amounts as you see fit to taste. This dressing will be creamy from the tahini.)
- 1 tbs tahini
- 2-3 tbs evoo
- 1/2 tbs mustard
- 1.5 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp honey or maple syrup
- 1 tsp of liquid aminos (or soy sauce)
- crushed red pepper, garlic powder, and dry oregano to taste

Add beans, celery and carrots to a bowl.

Cook and toss in the quinoa.

This is what the dressing looks like, pre-blended.

Mix.

Mix well with the dressing.

Plate and serve as is or with a dreamy fried egg so that all that yellowy goodness drips onto the rest of the plate.

Enjoy!
This meal is PACKED with protein, vitamins, and healthy fats. The liquid aminos and the tahini really make the dressing come out incredibly flavorful. The crunch from the celery adds a nice touch while the optional fried egg just ties everything together.

I hope you enjoyed reading through these three meals! More to come from "Living off the Land" in the near future!

Have a FAB Thursday!

MyStryde Review featuring New Balance Fresh Foam 1080s

Hi friends! How's the week going? Is it just me or is it actually dragging for once? Oyyyeee. I guess I should embrace it since most weeks seem to zip-zip-zip on by. Right? Right!

Anyway, last Wednesday New Balance hooked a bunch of us Boston bloggers and media folks up with the opportunity to try the new Fresh Foam 1080s at the brand spankin' new MyStryde in the North End. I was a tad bit nervous at first because the thought of hitting the treadmill for a full 45 minutes seemed a little intimidating. I'm more of an outdoor runner than a treadmill runner but, I must say that the 45 minutes went by pretty fast and with all the hills, sprints, and slow-downs.. it made it a lot more fun (ah, and challenging). 

MyStryde is situated at the end of Hanover Street in the North End... closer to the waterfront. Great location with an adorable studio. The front check-in area is warm and inviting with some apparel for sale off to the side.

Sorry for the poor picture quality but, this is the setup of the room. Not pictured on the right is another set of 4-5 treadmills. The one with the lights around it in the middle is the instructor's treadmill.

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And these, well these are the foamiest, loveliest little pair of Fresh Foams I've ever put on my feet. Between the full, solid layer of foam and the Woodway treadmills, it felt like I was running on puffy little clouds. If you've been following fff for a while, you know that I love the Fresh Foam family of sneakers so I knew I'd really like these, as well. The team from NB explained that these are engineered by studying runners' biomechanics, force patterns and wear tendencies. It has a substantial midsole with an inherently stable footprint, and a careful attention to the areas of flex. It is designed to accommodate various instep heights and foot volumes to wrap the foot securely. In simple terms... "so comfortable and stable".

Also, see those pants? Those are the most comfortable pair of running pants/yoga pants/workout pants that I have EVER put on my body. Not kidding, I could sleep in them. They are part of the new Trinamic Collection and are designed to support dynamic movements. It's super-duper soft and there are breathable holes in the "hottest" areas. A few members of the New Balance product development/engineering team provided all the info on our gear and when they asked if we had any questions, I raised my hand like a dork to make the statement that the pants are the most comfortable of my career. The Trinamic Collection will launch this Spring so keep your eye out for this collection! (The shirt was just as comfy as the pants, I am just extremely picky about pants so they stood out to me)

That's Becca! She's been dreaming up MyStryde for four years now and she made her passion project happen. The class was awesome and never got boring. We had little cards that helped explain how we should treat the different levels in the class (3=jogging/outdoor run pace, 4=little more strenuous/harder to have a convo, etc). She moved us through different songs that took us up hills, through sprints, and in between. Before we knew it, the 45 minutes were up and we were dripping in sweat.

Another perk to this class? Getting see my girls Athena and Monique! It was so fun to have these girls by my side during the duration of the class... we had a lot to catch up on and it is always motivating to do these types of classes together!

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And finally, a sweaty group pic to close out the night! 

I hope you all have an awesome rest of your week! xo

Living off the Land #2

Hi friends! I have another random and quick post and recipe for you today! This time last year, I posted a "Living off the Land" meal and it was my intention to keep those posts going throughout the year but, I must have forgot about that -- whoops! Anyway, the other day I shared that yummy buffalo chicken rice bowl. I had a ton of leftover chicken and practically a full can of black beans so last night when I came home from a long day at work... I whipped up these freaking delish buffalo chicken quesadillas. I had all ingredients in my house so I was able to make a healthier meal without spending any extra money. Here's how it all went down!

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NEED:
- Cooked and shredded chicken breast tossed in buffalo sauce (I like Cindy's brand)
- Black Beans
- Whole Wheat Tortillas
- Shredded cheese (I used organic mozzarella)
- Avocado

Step 1: I tossed a bit more buffalo sauce in the leftover chicken and heated up the pan. Toss the tortilla on a hot pan and start piling on the ingredients. My ingredients were cold but, they warmed right up.

Again, this recipe is versatile. Don't have beans? Tomatoes, peppers, and onions would be a great addition to this quesadilla. Remember, I was working with what I had in my kitchen so it ended up being a VERY protein-packed meal.

Step 2: Add all ingredients to one side, fold the tortilla in half and toast each side until the cheese gets melty and the edges are golden brown.

Step 3: Slice and serve! I topped it with sliced avocado because, well, avocado YUM! This meal is extremely protein packed and fills that "comfort food" void without all the extra junk.

I have one more thing to share with you today...

The smoothie recipe I posted the other day has been very popular and I've been getting a lot of questions about ingredients, etc. I made it again this morning and added a tablespoon of cacao powder to it for extra iron, magnesium, and fiber! Cacao powder is cocoa in it's raw form and offers a TON of nutritional value. Plus, it's so delicious... I'm addicted to this smoothie! Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Have an extremely awesome weekend! I hope you laugh a lot, spend time outdoors, eat good food, relax, and get in a little movement! xo