Healthy Broccoli Slaw and Sweet Potato Fritters

While in Tennessee, I learned about steak nuggets. Steak nuggets are just like chicken nuggets – only with steak. Sounds like direct path to a heart attack to me. But hey, to each their own.

I also learned about fritters. I’ve heard of them before, but I rarely see them on restaurant menus. So of course, I decided to make my own – a simple, healthier version.

A fritter is defined as a piece of fruit, vegetable, or meat that is coated in batter and deep-fried. While these fritters aren’t coated or deep-friend, they do contain vegetables! Basically, it’s a healthy swap – deep fried batter-coated fritters for pan-cooked fritters loaded with vegetables!

Healthy Broccoli Slaw and Sweet Potato Fritters

(makes 5 – 1/3 C. sized fritters)

• 2 C. broccoli slaw
• 2 whole eggs
• 1/2 baked sweet potato (minus the skin)
• 1/2 C. garbanzo bean flour
• 2 T. nutritional yeast
• 1/2 t. freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 t. freshly ground sea salt

Directions

1. Fold together the broccoli slaw and sweet potato.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, flour, and spices. Pour the egg mixture into the bowl with the broccoli slaw and sweet potato. The mixture will be chunky but make sure that the veggies are completely covered.
3. Spritz a warm frying pan with olive oil (or use a little butter) and form the mixture into patties using a measuring cup. Each fritter should be about 1/3 C.
4. Once the patties have browned (about 4 minutes) – flip them. Allow the other side to brown and enjoy while warm! I topped mine with plain Greek yogurt and avocado!

These are so simple to make and they’re quite versatile too.

Want them spicy? Add cayenne or crushed red pepper! A little sriracha would be tasty as well!

Looking for something on the sweet side? Omit the broccoli slaw, garbanzo bean flour, pepper, and nutritional yeast and add matchstick carrots, coconut flour, sweetener (like stevia) and cinnamon for a carrot cake type treat. Top with vanilla Greek yogurt for more flavor!

I will definitely be playing around with these. Carrot cake fritters here I come!

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Hilton Head Island 2012

Well hey there friends! It’s been a while since I’ve posted. Heck, it’s been a while since I even opened my laptop. 10 days to be exact.

These last 10 days have been all about unplugging and being in the present. After some thought, I ended up leaving my laptop on my desk while we road tripped to South Carolina. Best decision ever. I still instagrammed, but beyond that I was technology-free.

Each summer, we try to make a trip to Hilton Head Island, SC. It’s our happy place. We weren’t able to make it in 2011, so this year was extra special.

The second we hit the road, I was in vacation mode. And I totally embraced the 20% of my 80/20 lifestyle – meaning that my diet consisted more of fries and cheese than veggies and fruits. And I was totally okay with that.

Everything was amazing, but I am definitely ready to get back to clean eating and home cooked meals.

While I didn’t formally work out on vacation, I certainly got in a lot of activity. In fact, we spent the entire trip being super active. Swimming, bike rides, jet skis, and more!

All-in-all, we had a fantastic time. One week just flies by when you’re having a blast.

So how about I throw a bunch of photos at you? It’s the best way to sum up a whirlwind trip. Plus, it will give me (and my family) a fun way to look back and reminisce.

Our happy place – HHI 2012

Road trips call for cheese fries at Fuddruckers, no?

Our first view of the Smoky Mountains!

Day 1: pool time.

After the pool, we all showered up and headed out for dinner at Mellow Mushroom. Of course, we had to have a family photo op first. We have to take advantage of these opportunities.

{The Girls}

{The Guys}

The restaurant!

We went on a lot of bike rides, but I really loved riding to get groceries! Oh, how I wish I could do this at home! Fill up the bike trailer and ride. Peace signs are necessary.

Day 2: BEACH.

This is the day where I learned what it feels like to get stung by a jellyfish. It felt like someone sliced me across the thighs with a machete. Luckily, the stinging was short-lived.

I did, however, make a complete fool of myself by running out of the water screaming and flailing my arms. The fiasco lasted a bit longer since we were swimming out past the sandbar. Fabulous.

How did we get rid of the sting? We vigorously rubbed dry sand across the stings, rinsed, and then repeated. I still had huge swollen marks, but the sting was pretty much obliterated.

We also did some surfcasting and Adam caught a baby shark!

There are more than just jellyfish lurking near the sandbar. We let this little guy go right after this photo. He even got a big piece of squid.

After the beach, we hit up one of our favorite places on the island – Rita’s!

This is a gelati – custard with italian ice. It is a must-try! Our original goal was to have Rita’s every single day (hey, we’re only there for one week a year). We didn’t reach our goal, but 5 times was pretty close!

My parents also took the kids on a dolphin cruise from South Beach.

It’s a yearly tradition that they all look forward to!

And yet another family photo op before A Lowcountry Backyard Restaurant. This was our first time eating here and it was absolutely amazing. The food was fresh, delicious, and creative!

And it was right next to Delisheee Yo! SO good!

Adam is nearly as tall as me. When did this happen?

We also took a trolley ride to Harbour Town to see Greg Russell – another yearly tradition!

And last, but certainly not least – we rented wave runners!

{Before}

Excited for his first time on a wave runner. Expect for driving into and out of the sound, he drove the entire time. Scary stuff – especially for a control freak like myself.

We survived!

{After – covered in salt water}

Throughout the week, we also spent a lot of time at Coligny Plaza (food, shopping, and more), the pool, Sweet Frog, and just hanging around the villa. It was a wonderful week of stress-free fun!

We left the island Saturday morning (tear) and ended up renting a cabin in Tennessee for the night. It was a spontaneous decision that left us planning our next long weekend!

The views were amazing!

So that about sums up our trip – from Indiana to South Carolina to Tennessee and back!

I’m already counting down the days until we cross the bridge to our happy place once more.

What’s your happy place?

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Three Things Thursday – beauty, food, and more!

Hey guys! Today I’m bringing you another installment of Three Things Thursday.

It’s been a while since I have done a product/things I love post – so I have a lot of random stuff to share with you all!

Let’s start with something we all love – FOOD!

Three Foodie Products I Love

I am a huge fan of a nice and thick balsamic reduction. However, I’m not a huge fan of actually having to make it myself. It’s not that difficult, but it really stinks up the house!

1. Insert Trader Joe’s Giotto’s Balsamic Glaze:

This stuff is perfect on salad, roasted veggies, tofu, strawberries – anything, really! I can’t get enough!

2. Trader Joe’s Original Multigrain Savory Thins

These are the perfect vehicle for hummus. There’s only one problem – once you have one, you just can’t stop! It’s one of those snacks. Delicious, nonetheless.

3. Zevia Cream Soda

I’m certain that I have talked about this flavor of Zevia before but it deserves another mention. It is seriously decadent.

Like if I have a sweet tooth, this stuff does the trick. Well, sometimes. Other times only chocolate does the trick – but if this works even 50% of the time then I’m a happy camper.

Okay, so there are 3 foodie items that I’ve been enjoying lately. How about things in the beauty world?

Three Beauty Products I Love

1. Lorac Multiplex 3D Lashes

I have always been a drugstore mascara girl. I’m good with Maybelline, Rimmel, L’Oreal or whatever else looks fun and new. But for some reason, this mascara called to me. Hello, dramatic.

But really, it had the type of brush I love (curved) and it looked to be smooth (rather than clumpy). Damn you Sephora and your tempting ways.

And that brings us to number 2, which was another Sephora purchase.

2. Sephora long-lasting Liquid Liner (in glitter black)

I had a wedding to go to this past weekend and I needed a liner that would last. This liquid liner certainly did the trick. I love the fact that the glitter gives it just a hint of shine and not a full-blown disco ball glitz.

And the third product is (drum roll, please) a drugstore find! I managed to successfully avoid the hair section at Sephora.

3. Dove Nourishing Oil Care Detangler (with Argan Oil blend)

My hair is not only thin, but it also tangles easily. So I learned a long time ago that a detangler is a must-have when I get out of the shower.

Somehow through all of the years, I’ve never found one in particular that I want to stick with. But this may just be the one. We’ll see as I go through the bottle.

Three Items of Clothing

1. This shirt my Mom snagged for me at Marshalls.

Um, LOVE. How cute is that little block of tofu?

2. These New Balance shorts that I found at…yep, Marshalls!

I LOVE the hot pink waist band and the fun pattern on these shorts. Can you tell we’re a Marshalls family?

3. This purple dress.

I wore this to a wedding in December and I was so happy to be able to wear it again last weekend. It always feels like a waste to buy a dress that you can only wear once – so score for getting 2 wears out of this one!

Three Pictures from the Wedding

{me and the beautiful bride}

{oh you know, just posing in front of a random waterfall}

{Desperate times (last call) calls for desperate measures.}

So that about sums it up for today. There is, however, ONE thing that I am looking forward to.

VACATION in Hilton Head Island, SC – one of my favorite places on earth!

Do you have three things to share? Choose a category, make your own, or mix it up!

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Quench your Thirst {stay hydrated}

We all know that staying hydrated is important. And when the temperatures skyrocket into the 90’s and 100’s, staying hydrated is more important than ever.
Personally, I always make certain to carry around my reusable water bottle so that I can drink water throughout the day.

On this particular day, I was staying hydrated with Vega Electrolyte Hydrator. The Pom-Berry flavor is delicious!
I was recently emailed about this fun infographic that shows why and how your body sweats and why and how you should replenish its resources. 
Since I love to sweat it out, I found this all pretty interesting.
The infographic also takes a look at the pros and cons of various drinks you could use to hydrate yourself. It’s really no surprise that good old H20 always comes out on top!
Check it out:

Interesting – right?

I’m always sad to hear that my beloved coffee is a diuretic. That means that it elevates the rate of urination – therefore, causing dehydration rather than hydration.

I simply choose to ignore this when I’m enjoying my mongo sized iced coffees.

But even when I’m chugging these down, I have my trusty water bottle by my side.
So the coffee and water cancel each other out – right?
What’s your favorite way to stay hydrated?
I’m all about water, water, water – but I also love Vega’s electrolyte hydrator and coconut water too!

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Vega Tropical Tango Microwave Protein Muffin

A few weeks ago, I received samples of the newly branded Vega Energizing Smoothie.

Since I am already completely in love with the Vanilla Almondilla flavor, I couldn’t wait to give the other flavors a whirl!

The energizing smoothie comes in 5 flavors:

• Bodacious Berry
• Choc-a-lot
• Oh Natural
• Tropical Tango
• Vanilla Almondilla

And one serving of each smoothie contains two servings of veggies, 10 g of complete plant-based protein, 5 g of fiber, and 1 g of Omega-3.

It’s also dairy, gluten, and soy free with no sugar added! All for roughly 95 delicious calories! It’s pretty amazing actually.

While you can mix the smoothie into nearly anything, the company recommends that you simply add water, shake, and go. Talk about easy. Throw it in your gym bag with a blender bottle and you have a great post-workout snack.

While I typically blend my protein powder into fruit (and spinach) smoothies, I love that the powder is delicious enough to be enjoyed on its own. And believe me, it is – especially the Vanilla Almondilla. Can you tell that I’m a bit obsessed?

So rather than go the traditional smoothie route, I opted to make a microwavable protein muffin to try out some of the new flavors.

First up? Tropical Tango.

I recently bought a huge Costco-sized bag of frozen pineapple. Pineapple + tropical tango? Sounds like a winner to me.

Microwavable Tropical Tango Protein Muffin

• 1 scoop Vega tropical tango energizing smoothie
• 4 large frozen pineapple chunks (chopped)
• 1/3 C. egg whites
• 1 T. coconut flour
• 2 T. applesauce
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• optional: sweetener (I don’t think it needs any because the Vega is already sweetened perfectly with stevia. But that’s just my opinion.)

Directions:

1. Combine the tropical tango smoothie mix, coconut flour, and baking powder. Stir well.
2. Mix in the egg whites and applesauce. Then fold in the pineapple.
3. Spritz a medium-sized microwavable bowl with nonstick spray and pour the muffin mixture in. Flatten out the top.
4. Microwave on high for roughly 3 minutes.
5. Eat it as is or add toppings of your choice!

I added almond butter (always) and extra chopped pineapple. It would also be great with coconut butter or shredded coconut!

So how did the Tropical Tango Vega stand up to all-time favorite Vanilla Almondilla? Well, they’re both tough competitors – but I think the Vanilla still has my heart. I simply can’t get enough.

I think that the Choc-a-lot will be up next!

Have you tried Vega’s energizing smoothies?

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