A Goal for 2012 and a Giveaway!
PIN IT!Oh my GAWDD, you guys. I’m running on E this week. I’m SO overwhelmed with everything going on right now. I’m pretty much working 3 full time jobs and to say I’m exhausted is a complete understatement. But, I solider on because that’s what you do. Plus, this stress is ALMOST OVER and I’ll go from juggling 1 trillion things to just 1 billion. Thankfully. One of the reasons I’m so friggin stressed is also my lack of organization. So, thus begins my goal setting for 2012, beginning with…
ORGANIZATION!
Although I’ve managed to function fairly well for 26 years on my “there’s a method to my madness” organization style, I can’t say it’s been easy. I’m constantly misplacing things, forgetting to do stuff and overlooking key details all the time and it’s frustrating. Plus, organization will help me stay on top of deadlines, which is essential in a job where deadlines are all that matter. Currently, my life looks like this:
[image via]
and I NEED it to look more like this:
[Image via]
And I think these action items (don’t judge me) will help me stay on top of my LIFE in 2012:
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A blog editorial calendar which lists post topics, post dates and when photos are due
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A calendar with all due dates for freelancing as well as days I have scheduled for baking, cooking, decorating, photography, styling, editing and writing
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A CLEAN, organized home office (thank goodness for a spare room!)
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A new computer
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A work-out schedule with times and dates
Here’s hoping I can get my life together because this way of life is INCREDIBLY exhausting. Now, onto why y’all are REALLY here….GIVEAWAY!!
This is my “I LOVE GIVEAWAYS” face.
I told y’all I was going to host a giveaway when I got to 1,000 followers and you know what, I GOT THERE. I’m not a number person, I don’t care if 1 or 10 million people follow me, it’s all about the connection and the conversation. And I would be lying to you all if I said I didn’t feel a fabulous connection with every single one of you! (Minus the weird spambots, of course, because I hate them). So thank you, for following, for engaging and just being there to offer me words of encouragement when I’m down and rejoice with me when I’m happy. I couldn’t ask for a better group to call my friends and community.
SO, to thank you all, I have this giveaway. This isnt’ just any ordinary giveaway either, it involves one of my icons whose life has inspired one of my favorite movies ever. Can you guess?
Julia Child! Not only does she inspire me, every single day, in the kitchen, but her life and the story line of the movie, Julie and Julia, is my life. I don’t have a book deal or crazy blog success, but I’ve gone from being a corporate drone to now FOLLOWING MY DREAM of being a food writer. I feel really interconnected to Julia, for one, and to Julie Powell for chasing their dreams, no matter how scary they were, and never giving up. So, to celebrate, I’m giving away THREE amazing goodies inspired by Mrs. Child.
Mastering the Art of French Cooking, 2 Volume Set
Chinotto Apron from Anthropologie
OR for my male/non-apron wearing fans…
A 7 piece cookware set
AND…..
$15 Whole Foods Gift Card!
You can’t cook like Julia without her book, obviously. And I know, who reads books anymore, but her book is SO special, you need the hard copy. Plus, Julia was never without a fancy apron in her kitchen (and pearls, but I’m on a budget peeps) so clearly you need the same style. And, how can you be expected to prepare beef bourguignon without essential groceries?
So how can you win this loot?
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MANDATORY: Leave a comment telling me what your #1 goal is for 2012.
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Follow me on the Twitter ( @realnutritioncg )& leave a comment saying you did.
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Like me on the Facebook ( The Realistic Nutritionist ) & leave a comment saying you did.
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Follow me on Pinterest ( clairev13 ) & leave a comment saying you did.
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Tweet this: “@realnutritioncg is giving away some awesome stuff! Enter today for your chance to win! http://bit.ly/t2L3na” & leave a comment saying you did.
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Give this giveaway a shout out on your blog or Facebook and TAG me! (or tell me you did)
GIVEAWAY ENDS FRIDAY DECEMBER 30TH AT MIDNIGHT! GOOD LUCK!
The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap: Light Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
There are few things I can say with absolute certainty. In a world where things are so unsure and so uncertain, it’s hard to say anything with complete, 100% conviction. Well, there is one thing that is the God’s honest truth. It’s something that will never change, regardless of time, distance or life. And that is that the food blogging community is the best in the entire world. I’ve watched them rally together for a grieving widow, raise thousands of dollars for a cancer patient and just endlessly support one another, even if they’ve never spoken two words to each other. Food is something that brings so many people together, but it’s the food bloggers that take just a love for food and spread that to their community and their fellow bloggers. I’m constantly astounded by everyone’s generosity and incredible support. This was further represented by The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap.
The amazing Lindsay and Julie coordinated this effort and I can’t thank them enough! It’s not as dire as giving money to someone struggling, but, in a way, it’s almost just as important. Even though shipping three boxes of cookies isn’t cheap, we all rallied anyway and did it, regardless of chance or circumstance. It’s the little things in life that can change you and make a grand impact. I received 3 incredible batches of cookies (all of which my husband ate ALL OF THEM, allowing me to only take one photo) and each cookie was incredible. Cooked to perfection and made with some amazing ingredients. In a life as uncertain as this, there’s nothing more comforting than a homemade cookie. So thank you Chrysanthemum, Ginny and Jennifer for the amazing goods!
The lovely gingerbread I got!
PHEW. That was heavy. Can we talk my cookies now before I weep happy tears into the keyboard?
Choosing a cookie to make was hard. I wanted something delicious, yet healthy, festive and could easily be transported across the country. I also wanted something that I’ve never made before, naturally. As i perused my fridge for inspiration, I was immediately drawn to a bag of fresh cranberries. What’s more festive than cranberries? These beautiful tart little fruits are the symbol of the holiday season (in my life, at least) and are full of fiber and vitamin-c, which is a key cold and flu fighter! I should have had more of them since I’m currently battling a 101 degree fever. But alas, that’s for another day.
After I grabbed the cranberries, my mind starting churning with ideas. White chocolate and cranberry with oats? Or dark chocolate cranberry bars with decadent frosting. All sounded great but wasn’t hitting the money. Then, I stumbled upon a bag of chocolate chips (which surprisingly was not eaten by my husband) and a can of cocoa powder. Then, like a lightbulb, I had my cookie.
Light chocolate chip and cranberry cookies! Guys, they turned out SOOOOOOO GOOD. The cranberries added the perfect amount of tartness to the sweet, richness of the chocolate and, unintentionally, the cookies came out marbled! I think it’s because I only added a smidgen of chocolate powder and didn’t stir it with the utmost precision (my arms hurt). Each cookie came out a little marbled, making them that much better looking.
I’ll be honest. It took RESTRAINT not to eat all three dozen of them. But then again, we did eat about 3 dozen other cookies so thankfully I’m all cookied out. At least for this week. Next week when I’m home with my amazing mother who makes 12 dozen? I won’t exercise such restraint. That’s what New Years resolutions are for, right?
LIGHT CHOCOLATE CRANBERRY COOKIES
Yields: 3 dozen cookies
Prep time: About 15 minutes
Cook time: 8-12 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup softened butter
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 cup fresh cranberries, chopped
- 1/3 cup of chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
- Cooking spray
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars until creamy, about four minutes. Gradually beat in almond extract. In another bowl, sift the flour, salt, cocoa powder and baking soda; gradually add to butter mixture and mix well. Stir in cranberries and chocolate chips.
- Form teaspoon size balls and place them on the cookie sheet. Bake until fully cooked, about eight to 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack before eating.
White Beans and Spinach: Secret Recipe Club
I’m so thrilled to be a part of the Secret Recipe Club! I’ve been eyeing this club for a WHILE and I’m really excited to join such a talented group of food bloggers! Plus, what a novel idea too. When I saw that I had to re-create a meal from the EXTREMELY talented Lynne of Cafe Lynnylu I was a bit nervous! Just look at her site, her recipes and photography are incredible! It was equally as hard trying to pick which delicious recipe to re-create, but when I saw her easy, simple and incredibly delicious looking white beans and spinach, I knew I had to make it.
I made a few small tweaks to the recipe to make it more for my taste. I added a delicious fried egg and some freshly crumbled Gorgonzola cheese. Believe me when I tell you this, this is one of my new favorite healthy dinner meals. The mix of the soft baked potatoes, runny yolk of the fried egg, tangy cheese and caramelized spinach is TO DIE FOR.
What I love most about this dish is that’s simple and full of all natural flavors. There’s no weird sauces, spices or creams, just real food with a dash of salt and pepper. During a season where all I seem to do is eat, eat, eat, it’s refreshing to have such a fresh, real dinner to eat without any preservatives or added fats. Just pure, simple, deliciousness.
Is there anything better than a fried egg? I mean, really?
White Beans, Spinach and Egg Salad
Yields: 4 1 cup servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: About 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 large red potatoes, quartered
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 cup of frozen spinach, defrosted
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups of chick peas
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup of gorgonzola cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Directions:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add potatoes. Cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Rinse and set aside.
- In a medium frying pan, heat oil. Add onions and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add spinach and cook until spinach is wilted, about 2-3 more minutes. Take off heat.
- In a serving bowl, place potatoes, spinach mixture and chick peas, stir carefully as not to mash the potatoes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and cheese.
- In a smaller frying pan, fry egg sunny side up (careful not to break the yolk, it’s the best part!) Fry for about 4 minutes. Remove from pan and carefully place over potato mixture.
- Garnish with extra salt and pepper and enjoy!
Eat Skinny Be Skinny: Spicy A** Stir Fry
Happy FRIDAY!!! I feel like doing a joyous Irish jig right now. Not only is it Friday, but I just have one more week before I’m home for the holidays and one more week of my full-time 9-5er! I love my contracting job and it’s taught me SO MUCH about life and my profession, but I’m just ready for this next chapter.
Normally I do my five things today but I knew I just HAD to share the recipe for the spicy a** stir fry I made last night. Seriously, when I say spicy, I mean it. My mouth is on fire (I brought leftovers for lunch.)
Looks innocent enough, right? WRONG. The culprit of the insane spiciness lies in the bottle of sauce to the right.
They weren’t lying when they said “hot and spicy.” These delicious sauces (including the super spicy one) are from the CJ Foodville’s Bibigo Korean food line! Formula PR, who I worked with on the CalNaturale wine and Sun Maid Raisin articles, was kind enough to send me a box full of these goodies to taste test and try out! Well, I couldn’t wait to try out their sauces so last night I decided to whip up a stir fry, using their hottest sauce! [I know, I’m crazy].
I paired the stir fry with their delicious sticky rice (which already came cooked, life savers) and another special ingredient! If you are anything like my husband, you’re probably wondering what the heck the green stuff is on top. His exactly response “what is the green squishy stuff?” That, my friends, is the special ingredient!
That’s right, dried seaweed! I think you are supposed to eat these like chips, but that freaks me out. I’m all for healthy eating but I’m not quite to the level where I’m comfortable eating dried plants. So I decided to chop them up and stick them in the stir fry. Even if you hate seaweed (which, it has no flavor so I don’t see how you could) the sauce definitely overpowers anything.
I’m not complaining though, I love spicy food. And this wasn’t just hot either, it had such a delicious undertone of roasted peppers. Plus, there was a hidden sweetness too. Although each bite slapped me in the face, it was totally worth the mouth beating. I’m so eager to try their other sauces, including an intriguing pineapple flavor! Visit the website and find a way to buy these sauces. You can tell they are authentic and contain no fake flavors or added perservatives.
Oh and if the delicous taste isn’t enough to have you crazy for Bibigo, spicy stuff speeds up your metabolism and causes you to eat less overall. Dishes with spicy food (like this one) can increase your metabolism by 8%. Plus, a study done by the NY Times found that a group of men who were fed hot sauce before their meals went on to eat 200 calories less the entire day than those who weren’t. Talk about eat skinny be skinny, right?
Spicy A** Stir Fry
Yields: 6 1/2 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: About 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 large chicken breasts, cubed
- 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 large carrots, chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced and copped
- 1 cup of baby corn
- 1 cup of broccoli florets, chopped
- 3 cups of sticky white rice (or brown if you prefer)
- 1/2 cup of spicy stir fry sauce (Bibigo if you have it!)
- Dried seaweed for garnish
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Directions:
- In a wok, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add carrots, broccoli, baby corn and bell pepper and cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to warm.
- In another pan, heat other tablespoon of oil. Place chicken in pan and cook for about 10-15 minutes, or until fully cooked. Add to vegetables.
- Pour sauce over vegetable, chicken mixture and season with salt and pepper. Add additional salt and sauce for taste. Garnish with seaweed and serve over rice!
Nutritional information per 1/2 cup: 250 calories, 10 grams of fat, 22 grams of protein, 20 grams of carbohydrates and 5 grams of fiber.
Eat Skinny Be Skinny: Low Fat Hot Chocolate Cake Mugs
Howdy friends! I’m in a very Christmas-y mood today. Which, given my mood yesterday, is a VAST improvement. I think it could be because I watched Christmas Vacation last night or because I was jamming to Michael Buble’s AHHHMAZING Christmas album as I did the dishes this morning. However, I think the culprit of my jubilant Christmas spirit might be because I made this.
So what is this, you ask? This peppermint sprinkled mug with the pretty blue bow?
Why, it’s a low fat hot chocolate cake mug with fat free cream cheese icing, of course. Now why would I bake my cake in a mug? Well, for starters, it’s freakin’ cute.
And, because it’s hot chocolate cake, what else would you serve it in? You can gift wrap these up and give them away for holiday gifts or grab a fork and dig right in. (Clearly the route I took.) Each forkful is moist and chocolate-y and has a seasonal crunch because of the sprinkled peppermint.
Plus, the cake is made with no oil or butter and the delicious frosting is whipped with low-fat cream cheese. A diet friendly and adorable dessert! You can also serve these in jars if you have no mugs. They make fabulous party favors, party desserts or Christmas presents!
Just a word of warning, it’s um, SUPER EASY to eat an entire mug in a sitting. I didn’t, of course, but I um, heard, from other people that it can be done. But can you blame them? It’s portable cake! I’ll argue you are supposed to eat the whole thing in one sitting. I mean, you don’t just sip half of a glass of hot chocolate, right? I didn’t eat a whole though, just, arguing the other side.
Cake recipe is adapted from Taste of Home. Frosting is my low fat cream cheese recipe!
Hot chocolate cake mugs (and jars)
Yields: 12 slices of cake (equivalent to 4 mugs (or jars)
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 36-40 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar (separated)
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate powder (unsweetened)
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 egg whites
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1/4 cup regular temperature water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Cooking spray
- 6 peppermint candies, crushed
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 3 medium size glass mugs (or jars) with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Sift flour, one cup of sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder, corn starch and salt together into a medium bowl. In another bowl, whisk eggs, vanilla, 1/4 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar. Stir into dry ingredients and mix until fully combined.
- Add boiling water list, stirring until all mixed in. (Batter will be thin).
- Pour batter into mugs and jars about 2/3-3/4 full. (I did 2/3 and it came out perfect). Careful not to fill all the way or the batter will overflow in the oven.
- Place jars in the oven and bake for about 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick that is inserted comes out dry. Let cakes cool completely before frosting.
- Once cooled, frost with low fat cream cheese frosting. Sprinkle with peppermint candy and enjoy!
Claire
Tags:chocolate cake, chocolate cake mugs, diy Christmas presents, Eat Skinny Be Skinny, edible christmas gifts, edible holiday gifts, holiday dessert recipes, low fat chocolate cake, low fat cream cheese icing, peppermint recipes, spotlight feature
