a few changes

Hi love bugs.
So in the last week or so there have been a lot of changes in the Hiatt/Stroup household. For starters, I got a job! Woo! I'm pretty excited to be working again, especially because all of this wedding stuff is expensive and I'm not much of a bargain shopper. :) 
There have also been a few changes with our diet in the last couple of weeks. I would love to tell all of you that my three month vegan challenge is still going strong, but I would be lying. What can I say? I was just getting sick of it (and I really missed eggs!). I also started tracking my daily protein intake and I just wasn't getting enough protein in my diet. Even with all of the quinoa and beans I was consuming. 
Because of this I have also started incorporating a little bit of fish back into my life. I already feel a lot better and I hate to say it but I'm much more excited about food than I was while being vegan. For those of you who love/need labels, I guess you could call me a pesco-vegetarian? I don't know! Regardless of my label, I am still focused on eating whole foods and maintaining a healthy lifestyle! 
What I do know and can promise, is you will still find vegan recipes on my blog! 
Along with vegetarian recipes and a few pesco-vegetarian recipes. 
I commend all of you who are able to stick with a vegan lifestyle and while I wasn't able/didn't want to continue in the vegan world, I completely understand why you make the choices you do!
xo

*image from pinterest 

desperate for the weekend.

^^Remembering this today.^^

Beyond exhausted and stressed out. May have had a mental/emotional breakdown last night ...

In desperate need of a good workout, a long nap, and a giant glass of champagne. 

xo

*image from pinterest

back to normal (finally)

Happy Monday!

I hope you're sitting on your couch, enjoying an extra day off like I am. :)

If you don't have the day off and you're at work, I'm very sorry. Hang in there!

Anyway, I have a few confessions to make. I know I've been dropping the ball with my blog posts lately. I wish I could tell you that it's because I've been too busy eating clean and spending hours at the gym. However, it's quite the opposite. Since coming back from New York I have had a really hard time getting back on track. I've been eating like crap and haven't been to the gym once. FAIL.

My mood has been off and I have felt gross and sluggish. I finally gave myself a swift kick in the ass yesterday and I'm officially back on track! Even after just one day of eating clean and being active, I feel SO much better. So again, I apologize for the lack of posting but I'm finally back in action!

To help my body get back to normal and help with my detox, I'm turning to juice and green smoothies.

Since I'm a total creature of habit, I have a few go-to recipes that I like to stick with. Here they are:

1. ::2 Apples, 2 Celery Sticks, 1 Carrot, 1 cup Fresh Cranberries:: This juice is LOADED with antioxidants.  It's also full of vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, it helps detoxify your liver,  the cranberries promote a healthy urinary tract and can help with skin conditions (acne, eczema, psoriasis). It also tastes really freaking good!

2. ::1 Apple, 2 Carrots, 2 Oranges, 2 cups Spinach:: It's always a good idea to throw in some spinach or kale when you're juicing. When you juice spinach it adds vitamin K, vitamin A, folate, manganese, potassium, calcium, and iron. Good stuff!

3. ::3 cups fresh spinach, 1 cup Coconut Milk, 1/2 cup Greek Yogurt (plain/nonfat)/Soy Yogurt, 1.5 Frozen Bananas, 1.5 tbsp Peanut Butter, a handful of Ice Cubes:: I don't make a whole lot of smoothies. I'm not crazy about the texture of most smoothies and I would much rather just make some juice. However, this smoothie will make you feel so great! It's also a great way to get some fiber into your diet since you can't get fiber through juicing (remember, you should be consuming 25-35g of fiber every.single.day). It's also loaded with calcium, vitamins, folate, potassium, and iron. It's a great way to start your day and it will keep you full for a quite a while!

4. ::2 Oranges, 1 Apple, 1 Pear, 1 Carrot, Ginger:: This is my favorite juice! It tastes amazing and gives me an instant boost of energy. I love drinking this for breakfast, before I study, and before an exam. It just clears up my mind and makes it so much easier to focus. It's also a great juice for when you're sick. The ginger works wonders on your sinuses and boosts your immune system. It's loaded with vitamins, helps maintain/improve vision, and is a great source of antioxidants!

I'm always trying to mix it up when I juice or make smoothies, but as of right now those are my top 4. I also love to throw in some beets, kale, pineapple, or grapefruit. The possibilities are endless! 

I'm excited that I'm finally feeling better and getting back into my routine!

xo

say "cheese!"

We got our pictures today!!

I love everything about them.

xo

recap + vegan party food

 Hi yo. Happy Monday.

As expected, this weekend was a blast!

Our photo shoot was really fun and our photographer, Pamela Ruby, was so wonderful! We were super weird and awkward at first but we eventually got the hang of it - I hope! If you're looking to have some fancy photos done and you're in the Vegas area, I highly recommend her!

For the game on Sunday I decided to keep our snacks simple. I whipped up a few dips (guac, salsa, vegan ranch, and hummus - I didn't make the hummus) that I paired with some veggies, all natural tortilla chips, and pita bread. I also decided to give vegan jalapeno poppers a whirl. They were amazing. Seriously, so good you guys. You can find the recipe at the end of this post. I highly recommend making these little guys for your next party, or tonight. Whatever works for you. 

Have a fantastic day!

xo

Vegan Jalapeno Poppers

makes 10 poppers

::ingredients::

-5 large jalapeno peppers (de-seeded and halved)

-Panko Bread Crumbs

-1/4 regular soy milk 

-1+ cup of canola oil (can also use grape seed or olive oil)

FOR THE CHEESE MIXTURE:

-1/4 cup vegan cream cheese

-1/4 cup vegan pepper jack cheese shreds (you can also use vegan cheddar cheese)

FOR THE FLOUR MIXTURE:

-2 tbsp whole wheat flour

-1 tbsp nutritional yeast

-1 tsp garlic powder

-1/2 tsp chipotle powder (add more if desired)

-pinch of salt

-pinch of pepper

::instructions::

-Prep your jalapenos by halving them and carefully removing the seeds. Set aside.
-Get your "breading" station set up. You will have a bowl for each of these: cheese mixture (fold the shreds into the cream cheese), flour mixture, panko crumbs, soy milk.
-Start prepping your jalapenos. Here is the method: stuff with cheese, roll in milk, roll in flour, back in milk, roll in panko crumbs, set aside. Pressing the panko crumbs into the wet cheese layer really helps. Continue this process until all the jalapenos are stuffed and breaded.
-Pour your oil into a large pot over med-high heat. Test the oil for heat-readiness by dropping one panko crumb into the oil - if it sizzles, the oil is hot enough. If you can get by with cooking all your poppers with 1 cup of oil, great. But if you want a more saturated "fry" you may need to add more.
-Pan-fry eat jalapeno popper for about 90 seconds on each side. Flip with care.
-Transfer poppers to a paper towels to cool for a few minutes before serving.

-Best served right away!             

*recipe adapted from kblog

game day guac

Happy Friday!
This week was long and stupid, which is exactly why I'm so excited that the weekend is finally here!
Tomorrow, Joel and I will be channeling our inner models for a photo shoot. Fancy, huh? :)
I wish I could tell you that we are getting our engagement photos done, but no this is just for fun!
Sunday is of course Superbowl and since I don't give a hoot about either team, I will be paying close attention to the commercials and indulging in some clean snacks.
As I've mentioned previously, my weakness is chips and dip. My favorite chip and dip combo is all natural tortilla chips and fresh guacamole. YUM. 
I've experimented with a lot of different guacamole recipes. Most of them either had something missing or they were too salty, limey, or just wrong in every way. 
This recipe is perfect.
Add it to your Superbowl menu and enjoy. :)

Guacamole

::ingredients::

-2 ripe avocados

-1/4 onion (minced)

-1 jalapeno pepper (seeded and minced)

-1/2 lime (juiced - use more if needed)

-1 clove garlic (minced)

-1/4 tsp chili pepper

-3/4 tsp salt (coarse salt is the best!)

-Fresh pepper to taste

-1/8 cup cilantro (chopped)

-1/4 cup tomato (seeded and diced - optional)

::instructions::

-Cut avocado in half, remove pit, and scoop the flesh into a medium sized bowl

-Using a fork or potato masher, mash the avocados with the lime juice, onion, garlic, jalapeno, chili power, salt, and pepper

-Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking

-Gently stir in cilantro and tomato

-Eat!

*If you are making ahead of time and wont be eating right away, cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap against the dip and keep in the fridge.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

xo

*recipe adapted from browneyedbaker