Halloween Pictures!

Zombie Barbie Cake Order: Got this cake order for a Halloween part. It is pumpkin spice cake (& barbies dress), filled w/ vanilla mousse, topped w/ cream cheese frosting and topped with fondant. The headstones are chocolate made with a mold. The "blood" is dyed piping gel. I entered it into a Wilton Halloween cake contest- there will be a million entries so I know I wont win, but fingers crossed.

Today's Tip: CHAYOTE for health
Chayote is a squash that looks like a hand grenade. “It’s good for you because it is an excellent source of vitamin C,” Dorlandt says. The food can also treat kidney stones. Read more on Shape. 


Halloween 2011: Here is us at a Halloween party we went to. Queen of Hearts & High Roller...

Today's Recipe: Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

1/2 c. old fashioned oats
1/2 c. skim milk
1 ripe banana, sliced
1 pinch cinnamon
1/4 c. puréed canned pumpkin
1 pinch ground cloves
1 pinch ground nutmeg

Put first four ingredients in a small pot on the stove on medium high heat. Stir continuously for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture becomes thick and starts bubbling. Reduce heat to medium low; add pumpkin and a pinch each of ground cloves and ground nutmeg. 


Today's LOLz:

Arizona Sports Cake Order & Lite Krab Cesar Salad Recipe

House Party: I won another House Party!! WOOT. This time for Sabra. My Sabra House Party party URL is: http://houseparty.com/party/551217. Very Excited. My sister and her family will be in town while I have my Sabra Taste Discovery House Partyso even more excited about that. Pics to come of course! Sabra has yummy hummus, greek yogurt vegi dips and more! Cant wait to get my party pack! WOOT.

Cake Order: Got this order from DH's coworker (our friend) for her hubby's bday. He is a Cardinals & a Diamondbacks fan....Strawberry cake with vanilla mousse filling and carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. Then she realized it was also her puppies bday so she asked for a simple cupcake for doggy. I couldnt resist - so I made these for her puppy.


Today's Tip: Mangosteen for Health

The mangosteen might look like a brain, but its edible peel contains one of the most powerful antioxidants found in nature. “Xanthones, a mega phytonutrient, has been linked to remarkable cardiovascular benefits, cancer prevention, and healing skin infections,” Phillips says. “Plus, it is a natural antibiotic.” It’s a super food! Read more on Shape.

Today's Recipe:Lite Krab Cesar Salad
I have been addicted to this quick, easy, and lite lunch for about a month now. LOL. I was doing chicken cesar salads but this is easier, cheaper, and has less fat. If you are a fan of Krab (fake crab) this is for you!
Ingredients:
~3 cups romaine lettuce
~4-5 oz Krab
~Newman's Own Light Fantastic Cheese Fantastico salad dressing
~Shredded Parmesan cheese
*top romaine with krab, and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese (not that crappy grated powder), then drizzle with dressing. This dressing only has 1.5 grams of fat & 25 calories per 2 TBSP serving!

Today's LOLz:

Basic Stir Fry Sauce Recipe

The Other Day: Check out this super cool cactus. I think its a prickly pear. I really liked it so I took a pic. Very colorful! And they sell the pears in the stores. I actually bought some when I first moved here and I recall them being very hard to eat- big seeds throughout....

Today's Tip: Diet Food Figs
This fiber- and potassium-rich fruit makes the perfect summer snack. At around 170 calories for 8 oz, you can eat them alone, in salads, in cereals, or wrapped in prosciutto (just don’t grab a Fig Newton—you’ll get more nutrition and less fat from the actual fruit). Read more on Self

Today's Recipe: Basic Stir Fry Sauce
(altered from this Family Wok recipe)

Ingredients:
1 1/ 2 tsp. coconut oil 
1/ 2 tsp. minced garlic 
1/ 2 tsp. minced ginger 
1/ 2 cup low sodiumchicken broth 
1 Tbs. low sodium soy sauce 
1/2 Tbs. brown sugar 
1/2 Tbs. Truvia
2 tsp.Sriracha hot sauce
1/ 4 tsp. pepper 
1 1/ 2 tsp. lemon  juice 
1 1/ 2 tsp.cornstarch 
1 Tbs. white wine

Directions:
Heat the sesame oil in a small saucepan. Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry 15-30 second over medium heat to bring out the flavor. Add the chicken broth, soy sauce, sugar, hot sauce, pepper, and lemon juice. Bring just to a boil, stirring. Dissolve the cornstarch in the wine and whisk into the sauce. Heat until sauce thickens and reaches a full boil. Simmer for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Today's LOLz:

Coconut Drink Mini Cakes and Asian Grilled Pork Chop Marinade Recipe

Coconut Drink Mini Cakes: Made these for fun with my new Wilton Mini Wonder pan. Coconut Drink mini cakes. Cake & buttercream were coconut macaroon. Buttercream flowers and plastic straws & such. Then I decided to make this cupcake stand. The ribbon is just tied on there so I can use different ribbon to match my cupcakes. It cost less than $2 to make! I did a brown one (here) and a silver one. Ill have to get a few more pieces and make some different colors. Quick & easy!  ( Custom cakes by Lindsey Lu. Phoenix custom cakes. Specialty Cakes Phoenix. Arizona custom specialty cakes. Specialty cupcakes phoenix. Custom cupcakes  Phoenix wedding cakes. )

Today's Tip: Diet Food: Peaches
“Packed with important nutrients including vitamins A and C, potassium, and iron, one medium peach (only 38 calories) provides nearly 2 grams of fiber,” says Lauren O’Connor, a registered dietitian in Los Angeles, California. “A peach provides gentle laxative and diuretic properties; and thanks to it's beta carotene, it also helps your skin stay fresh and bright.” (They also make the perfect frozen treat! Read more on Self

Today's Recipe: Asian Grilled Pork Chop Marinade (from Food.com)

• 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 4 (5 ounce) boneless pork chops, about 1 inch thick

Directions:

1. 1 In a large re-sealable plastic bag place, oils, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger and garlic; mix well.
2. 2 Add pork chops.
3. 3 Marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes- 2 hours.
4. 4 Remove from marinade and discard marinade. Grill over medium coals 6 to 7 minutes per side or until pork is cooked through.
5. 
   
6. Weekly Poll Results: Do You Eat Before You Exercise?

7. Yes a light-full meal	(16%)
   Not a bite	(27%)
   A small snack	(33%)
   Depends	(22%)

Today's LOLz:

Asian Grilled Chicken Marinade Recipe

Last Weekend: Did horrible with my eating last weekend- ugh. Havent weighed this week. Will wait till next week so I have some time to undo the damage LOL.

Recipes: Im hoping to have more recipes coming on the blog. I have been trying a lot of new recipes, especially for vegis since Ive been getting the Bountiful Baskets. Getting new vegis and lots of them is allowing me to experiment with new recipes. So when I come across a good one- I plan to post them here.

Today's Recipe: Asian Grilled Chicken Marinade 
From All Recipes

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root
• 1 tablespoon chopped green onion or shallot
• 1 tablespoon raw sesame seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Directions

1. Whisk together soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, green onion, sesame seeds, and pepper until the honey has dissolved.
2. I like to cut the chicken up and use it in stir fry's with lots of vegis over brown rice. YUM!

Today's Tip: Diet Food Mango

Mangoes are a great way to satisfy a sweet tooth and to help to ward off other cravings,” says Rania Batayneh, MPH, a nutritionist and owner of Essential Nutrition for You. Mangoes are high in fiber, magnesium, antioxidants, and iron (making them a great snack for women who may have iron deficiency or anemia), says Batayneh. “And because mangoes aid in digestion, you want to focus on eating the fruit versus just drinking the juice. Read more on Self. 

Today's LOLz: 

Happy Horse Cake & Grilled Butternut Squash Recipe

Happy Horse Cake: DH's boss invited us over to dinner & to ride their horses a few weeks ago so I brought this "Happy Horse" cake....its browned butter banana cake with butterscotch chips and the icing is a caramel icing. The cake was very good (thank you Pastry Chef for the recipe!) The icing was also good but I probably wont use that combo again. I think that icing is better suited for a yellow cake. It was very tasty but I think something more mellow would have been better with this cake... ( Custom cakes by Lindsey Lu. Phoenix custom cakes. Specialty Cakes Phoenix. Arizona custom specialty cakes. Specialty cupcakes phoenix. Custom cupcakes  Phoenix wedding cakes. )


The Other Weekend: I got butternut squash in my Bountiful Basket and had NO idea what to do with it...well Google (as always) solved the problem and I found this super delicious recipe....YUM!

Today's Recipe: BBQ Grail’s Grilled Butternut Squash (from the BBQ Grail Website)

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, thyme, & oregano (1/3 of each)
• 5 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

Directions

Slice the butternut squash in half and remove the pulp and seeds from the bulb end.  Slice the squash into 1/2 slices.  Cut the bulb end slices in half.  Combine the oil, vinegar, honey and herb in a bowl and mix well.  Place the squash in a plastic zip bag and pour in the oil mixture.  Remove as much air from the bag as possible and seal it.  Place the bag in the refrigerator for at least two hours.

Heat your grill to medium hot.  Remove the squash slices from the bag, retaining as much oil mixture as possible.  Season the squash slices with a little bit of kosher salt.   Grill the slices about 5 minutes per side.  Remove squash from the grill and drizzle with oil mixture (optional- good w/out it).  Cover with foil and let rest for 12 minutes.  Serve.

Weekly Poll Results: Toughest?

Pushups	(28%)
Pullups	(57%)
Flying Jacks	(0%)
Sprinting	(14%)

Today's Tip: Diet Food - Cilantro
Cilantro has numerous health benefits and is packed with nutrients such as fiber, iron, thiamine, zinc, folate, phosphorous, folate, vitamin K, and more,” says Ellis. Plus, it has a great aroma and flavor that screams summer! Cilantro may increase the production of digestive acids, which can help stimulate the gut to move waste out. A healthy digestive tract is key for weight loss. Read more on Self. 

Today's LOLz:

Duck Pond Cake and Honeyed PB Whole Grain Waffles Recipe

Duck Pond Cake: Made this cake for a birthday. She has ducks hence the duck pond....Its pineapple coconut cake, filling, and buttercream. Duck, rocks, grass, & flowers are fondant.  ( Custom cakes by Lindsey Lu. Phoenix custom cakes. Specialty Cakes Phoenix. Arizona custom specialty cakes. Specialty cupcakes phoenix. Custom cupcakes  Phoenix wedding cakes. )

Today's Tip: Healthy Vegi: Potatoes

One medium baked potato has only 161 calories, plus 4 g of filling fiber Added bonus: Chilled, cooked potato is packed with resistant starch, a fibrous substance that could help you lose weight. (For more information on resistant starch, visit prevention.com/resistantstarch.) "If you keep portion sizes in check--no more than one medium potato in a given meal--and eat the fiber-rich skin, potatoes make a satisfying, low-cal, nutrient-rich side  dish," says a nutritionist. They also: Fight disease & Help maintain healthy blood pressure. Read more on Prevention. 

Today's Recipe: Honeyed PB & B Whole Grain Waffles

~2 low fat whole grain frozen waffles 

~2 tsp all natural nut butter (I use almond)

~2 tsp raw honey

~1/2 sliced banana

*Toast waffles & top with nut butter, jam, and sliced banana. Enjoy!

Weekly Poll Results: "Who's Physique Do You Most Admire?"
Ahh sorry Cheer Bear- keep working at it though!

Jillian Michaels	(47%)
Exercise Cheer Bear (FFTROU's mascot)	(29%)
Cathe Freidrich	(23%)
Jari Love	(0%

Today's LOLz: