Skinny Banana-Mocha Smoothie

February 24, 2014 By in Home, Recipes Tags: , , , , , , 1 Comment

Skinny Banana-MOcha Smoothie

After waking up a little on the more-than-usual tired side from this past weekend, I needed a healthy way to kick start and rev up my morning.  I am normally a tea drinker, but this morning I needed something stronger, so I grabbed some of my husbands left over morning brewed coffee and put it to the test!  This may be my new favorite chocolate craving cure….a girl needs her chocolate!

Skinny Banana-Mocha Smoothie

Ingredients:
1 large banana cut into chunks
1/2 cup cooked cold coffee (leftover from your morning brew is fine!)
1/2 cup any type of milk (soy milk, rice milk, almond milk…I used almond milk)
1 Tbsp cacao powder (raw chocolate powder packed with antioxidants, magnesium, and iron)
1 Tbsp almond butter
Don’t forget a handful of ice to make it nice and cold!

Directions:
1. Blend it all up! Place the ice, banana, coffee, milk, cacao powder, and almond butter in a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Drink ME

Recipe adapted from Redbook Magazine 

Skinny Banana-MOcha Smoothie

Scrambled Egg Muffins with Spinach, Bell Peppers, and Goat Cheese

February 22, 2014 By in Home, Recipes Tags: , , , , , 3 Comments

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All I can say is YUM to this fluffiness of eggs, veggies, and cheese! Have one for breakfast or take one to go for a snack. These scrumptious scrambled egg muffins are a perfect way to enjoy a speck of breakfast any time throughout the day.

Ingredients:

* Make sure to have a muffin pan! My muffin pan holds 12 muffins.
* 12 eggs (I used half egg whites and half regular)
* 1 small red bell pepper chopped into tiny pieces
* 1 cup chopped fresh spinach
* 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
* 1/2 tsp. sea salt
* 1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions…
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees f

1. Break the eggs into a medium bowl and whisk away

2. Add the chopped spinach and bell pepper into the bowl with the eggs and mix well

3. Toss in the goat cheese and continue to mix

4. Add the salt and pepper and give a final stir

5. Coat your muffin pan with non stick spray and pour the mixture in!!

6. Finally, pop that muffin pan into the oven for 20-25 minutes. Use a fork to make sure they are finished and there is no runny gooey stuff in the middle.

 

Scrambled Egg Muffins with Spinach, Bell Peppers, and Goat Cheese!

Inspirational Quote of the Day: The Little Things

February 19, 2014 By in Fabulous Quotes, Home, Words of Wisdom Tags: , , 2 Comments

Inspirational Quote of The Day:Soooooo the snow keeps comin and that snowed in feeling won’t budge, ehh? I decided to acknowledge this feeling today but also prepare myself to enjoy all the little pleasures that life has just because I CAN!

I woke up and had the BEST grapefruit juice ever.

I took a few moments in my morning rush to truly appreciate my gorgeous cute pup.

I made small talk after saying hello and smiling to a random person about my dogs winter jacket and how funny it was!

I oogled over how amazing Pinterest is and that it allows me to have my own online recipe book to easily pull from.

I can choose how I look at today. It can be a snowed-in boring gloomy day where my husband comes home late from work and nothing is really happening. Or it can be a meaningful wondrous day of discoveries and inspirations! I decided to say to myself “yep it’s snowing again, well watcha gonna do about it?” Acknowledge and then let go, as I let myself genuinely appreciate the simple things and let them excite me! I am not thinking about yesterday or tomorrow, I am simply living today, and thrilled about all those simple things like socks, and nail polish, grapefruit juice and Pinterest, and all these simple things rock!

30 Minute Run Mix: run like a rock star

February 18, 2014 By in Health & Fitness, Home, Music to My Ears Tags: , , , , 1 Comment

30 minute Run Mix: I'll Run For Chocolate Sometimes I just want to head out and let the music tell me how long I’ve been running for, so, I made my 30 minute playlist to make sure that I was in fact, running for 30 minutes.  It’s always great when you are running as though you’re a rock star and no one else seems to know but you.  Also, the Boston Marathon is coming up in almost two months and people  keep asking for some more song suggestions to listen to while they train. Well trust me, these songs will put that pep right back into your step!

Okay so I lied, this playlist is actually 32 minutes to be exact, but, the last two minutes can be used as a cool down if so desired.

1. (Everything is) Debatable by Hellogoodbye 3:56
2. Blue Jeans (RAC Mix)  by Lana Del Rey, RAC 3.38
3. If You Didn’t See Me [Then You Weren’t On The Dancefloor] by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr 4:07
4. Silhouettes by Avicii 3.32
5. All Eyes On You by St. Lucia 4:28
6. 1901 by Phoenix 3:13
7. Help I’m Alive by Metric 4:46
8. Dancing On My Own by Robyn 4:46

Wanna actually hear the music for free on your own playlist? Download Spotify for free and search for the songs, then you can create your own playlist to have and hold forever. Or, you can also find me on Spotify (under Dani Sieber) and follow this playlist:)

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Healthy Vegetarian Refried Beans

February 15, 2014 By in Home, Recipes Tags: , , , , , , 2 Comments

Healthy Vegetarian Refried Beans Since I live off of a mostly vegetarian diet, beans are super important to me to get that protein that my body craves! I absolutely love beans and I love refried beans, but sometimes after you eat refried beans, you feel a little fried yourself. So, I wanted to adapt some refried bean recipes I have seen, and meet my needs by creating a healthy protein packed dish. I eat this as a complete dinner with corn tortillas, even sometimes adding cheese, or, I grab some low-salt nacho chips and snack on it like a dip!

Ingredients
(Please note that I do not use onions in my cooking. If you would like to use onions feel free, just omit the garlic!)
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves
1/2 TBSP cumin powder
1 jalapeño chile, seeds scooped out and finely chopped
3 cans pinto beans, cooked, strained, and rinsed well
1 cup vegetable stock
1/2 tsp sea salt

Click below for directions and more pictures!  Continue reading →

Snow Day Living Room Workout

February 13, 2014 By in Health & Fitness, Home Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

The temperature outside is in the mid 20s and oh so snowy! Of course I did not want to leave the house, but I did want to get in some cardio and tone up the bod! How to conduct a Snow Day Living Room Workout one might ask? Well, I pretended my stairs were the stair master machine at the gym, did some Plie Jacks, and put on a Tone it Up workout video!

My best friend introduced me to, Tone it Up, and I became obsessed right away! It was started by two inspirational gals named Katrina and Karena, who promote living a healthy and fit lifestyle. They have fitness plans, workout videos, nutrition plans, recipes and much more! They even have their own show right now on Bravo right now! I love how they incorporate multiple movements and muscle groups into one exercise, helping you tone up your body in no time! Learn more about them here.

Materials Needed:
* Stairs (if you don’t have stairs, use a jump rope, or be ready for some jumping jacks!)
* 5 and 8 pound weights (You could probably just use 5 or 8 pounds if you don’t have both)
* Computer or iPhone for video or print out the Print out the PDF file at the bottom of the page.

My routine….

1. Run up and down the stairs 10 times (counting going all the way down and all the way up as one set. I have 16 steps counting the top step). If you don’t have stairs, no need to worry, grab a jump rope or just yourself for some jumping jacks!!! Try to jump rope or do jumping jacks for 3-5 min.

2. Do 30 Plie Jumping Jacks:
*Have your feet in a wide stance
*Lower your body and make sure your knees are directly over your ankles
*Jump up like you are doing a jumping jack and come down into the starting positionPlie-Jacks

3. Grab some  5 and 8 pound weights.

4. Put on, Love Your Arms and Abs Tone it Up workout video from YouTube and tone that bod!

Printable Tone it Up directions: Love+Your+Body+Week+2+Abs+Arms+Printable

Inspirational Quote of the Day

February 12, 2014 By in Fabulous Quotes, Home, Words of Wisdom Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

You Are Exactly Where You Need to BeMy husband and I just watched the movie, About Time, with Rachel McAdams and not gonna lie, we were bawling our eyes out. Not from sadness, but from being so inspired by the joys and happiness that one can create in life. Each moment can be looked at as the best moment in the world! And if you believe that you have arrived, then you are able to stop rushing to get to wherever you think you are supposed to be, and you can finally enjoy the ride.

Here is how I want to live as if I am exactly where I should be…..

1. Be proud of myself every day for just living and being ME.

2. Smile at people as I walk by, just because I can!

3. Be thankful for it all….even the first sip of my warm morning tea.

4. Instead of comparing myself to others, list in my mind all my unique qualities, skills, and interests!

5. Think about how precious each moment is.

Comment below on how you are going to live your life as though you are exactly where you need to be, and help me add to my list. 

How to Style a Bookshelf

February 11, 2014 By in DIY, Home, Randomness Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

How to Style a Bookshelf

One of my favorite things to do in the world is to decorate, and what better place to decorate than your very own book shelf!!!!! I love coffee table books, old books, vintage books about poetry, just pretty much all books, and to be able to mix them up with some of my favorite things was just heaven! Now, I was just left with all of these books and decor pieces and nowhere to put them. Fortunately when we moved, we had this giant space indented in our living room that would be perfect for a built-in bookshelf!!!!!  So, of course I  was over the moon with excitement when we found an amazing company, Boston Built In Cabinetry, to help with my vision and build the bookshelf of my dreams!!!

As I was arranging what would go in each shelf, I came up with a list of methods I used to make the book shelf look styled, clean, organized, and fun!

My list of how to style a bookshelf……..

1. Arrange Your Books by Color: Group books in terms of the color story they make. You can even find your favorite hard back classic books at book thrift shops! They always come in fabulous shades of colors and have a unique beautiful  style to them.

2. Mix up Your Book Placement: Not all books have to go in the same direction. Mix it up! Some can be vertical while others horizontal. I also love when the larger books are at the base and each book on top becomes smaller to create an upside-down cone shape!

3. Use Fun Decorative Objects: Such as unique shape vases (like my bright yellow one on the top right corner that I got at Ikea years ago), animal objects (I love elephants and received this Jonathan Adler Elephant Bank as a wedding gift), and artwork or framed pictures. I also checked out some vintage thrift shops and flea markets for cool figures, book ends, or anything that looked interesting such as my binoculars. Don’t forget to look in your Grandmother’s basement or attic! I was lucky enough to get my vintage brass deer from her that looks freakin amazing on top of some books. Marshals,Target, and West Elm always have some awesome things as well.

4. Including the Odd: Think plants, artwork, and antlers. I love using airplants and cactuses. See below for pictures of some ideas…..How to Style a BookshelfHow To Style a Bookshelf

Want more pictures of my bookshelf?? Click below!
Continue reading →

Fabulous Gluten-Free Cornbread Muffins *Dairy-Free*

February 9, 2014 By in Baked Goods, Home, Muffins, Recipes, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , 3 Comments

IMG_2193Cornbread muffins are one of my absolute favorite kinds of muffins! I love to eat these plain or add some jelly in the middle but I also love to pair them with my Spicy Vegetarian Chili recipe which just adds a touch of delight to my tastebuds!  Enjoy this fluff yellow specks of joy!!!!

Ingredients
1 cup gluten-free yellow cornmeal
1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour mix (I use brown rice flour mix)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp of baking powder
1 t salt
1 cup almond milk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup diary-free butter substitute (I used Earth Balance spread)
1/4 cup honey

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees f.
2. Spray a muffin pan with non stick oil (I use non stick coconut oil)
3. Mix flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar together in a bowl.
4. In a separate bowl mix the wet ingredients: melted Earth Balance Butter (you may have to heat this butter in the microwave to melt it), almond milk (you may have to mix the butter and almond milk together and heat them in the microwave to make sure the butter does not clump up), then add the two eggs and honey and whisk well.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir stir stir!  Pour into the muffin pan or individual muffin liners if you do not have a muffin pan.
6. Cook for 15 minutes.

*My muffin pan makes 12 medium to large muffins.

Spicy Vegetarian Chili

February 9, 2014 By in Home, Recipes, Soups and Stews, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Spicy Vegetarian Chili Spice up your night with this veggie packed chili.  This has been my go to recipe for those cold wintery days when you just don’t know what else to cook but you are a hungry biatch! I also just made this last night for a dinner party/game night and literally had no left overs. Even all the men ate every last morsel on there dish! Pair this with my Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Corn Muffins for a scrumptious meal.

Ingredients List:

FIrst, preheat over to 350 degrees F

The Veggies:
1 1lb eggplant cut into 1 in cubes (For real, use graffiti eggplant, it takes it to another level!)
5 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3-5 garlic cloves
2 large red bell peppers, seeded, diced
1 to 2 jalapeño seeded, finely minced
3 medium carrots chopped
2 medium zucchinis diced

The Rest:
2 1/4 cups of diced tomatoes or 1 1/2 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes
I love to add a few handfuls of raisins and/or dried apricots to give it a Moroccan flair
1 Tbsp cumin
1 t fennel seeds
2 Tbsp fresh oregano chopped or 2 t dried oregano
1 to 2 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
Zest of one lemon
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 can cooked white beans
1 can cooked kidney beans
1 t sugar (you can omit this part if you use raisins or dried apricots)
Top it off with some fresh cilantro and some fresh salt and pepper to taste!

What do I do now? Click to find out…… Continue reading →