Mini grocery stop- TIP: purchase produce in smaller portions!

Lately I’ve been noticing that I don’t seem to be eating all of the fruit and veggies that I purchase before they go bad.

So, to switch things up (and save a bit of money since I’m on a college girl budget) last week I didn’t buy as much produce as I usually would.

My plan totally worked, I actually ran out of fruit and veggies early- and not even a single strawberry went to waste!

The downside however, is I had to make another mini-trip to the store today to stock up on what I ran out of.

I secretly love grocery shopping so I didn’t mind 🙂

Try this out guys! Save money by buying produce in smaller portions.

Raspberry Waffle Protein Mini-Breakfast

In a mad dash out the door this morning on the way to my hair appointment, I threw together this delicious waffle raspberry combo! I was so thankful that I made extra protein waffles last week and froze them!

Having some extra pre-prepared meals on hand definitely comes in handy with a busy schedule. If it wasn’t for my excess of protein waffles, I would have only had a fruit smoothie for breakfast.

My metabolism is too high to survive off of a fruit smoothie for more then a couple hours, so this protein waffle was really a life saver!

A Spicy Flatbread Frenzy! Sauteed Sun-Dried Tomato, Red Peppers, Cayenne and Oregano masterpiece.

Lately I’ve gotten myself into a fabulous flatbread frenzy! After tasting my first flatbread a few weeks ago, I just can’t seem to get enough of them. I LOVE letting my healthy creative mind wonder. Coming up with flatbread toppings is almost as fun as eating the flatbread… almost.

I decided to experiment with spices this week. Oregano, black pepper, Cayenne Pepper and garlic powder seemed like a delicious place to start.

Those spices balanced out with grilled Sun-dried tomatoes, Red peppers, Zucchini slices, garlic coves and Mozzarella cheese ended up being the absolute perfect masterpiece.

Make sure your front door is locked. I guarantee you that your neighbors will smell your delicious flatbread from miles away and come running!

3 Ingredient High-Protein Hazelnut Crepes!

 

One of the reasons I LOVE these crepes, is because they’re PACKED with protein and only have 3 ingredients. I love knowing exactly what I’m putting into my body, so making my own breakfast is always a joy. No artificial sweeteners or preservatives in here, that’s for sure 🙂

 

Classy Cornbread

I’m calling this beauty “classy cornbread” because of the adorable pink flowers I tossed in. My boyfriend Bryan picked them for me, I just couldn’t resist 🙂

Plus, I’m really into food-ography lately so it was perfect!

Seriously, so delicious! Bryan and I made cornbread for my best friend and I’s “Southern Style Hangout” yesterday. It was a big hit, and an awesome snack.

How To Make a Green Smoothie! Vegetarians, this is especially for you :)

I really need to start making more green smoothies!

I’ve got the morning fruit smoothie routine down to a science, but I’m having a hard time getting some green veggies in there. Definitely going to use this on this morning’s smoothie. Being a life-long vegetarian, I need all the green veggies I can get.

Not to mention, I just got some AWESOME green tea lemonade from a health food store by my house that I can’t WAIT to try. It’ll be a perfect addition to a green smoothie.

I’ll post the recipe that I come up with later today 🙂

Watermelon Cucumber Pineapple protein shakes

One of my favorite parts of summer is sweet sweet sweet watermelon!
I love putting it in smoothies, shakes and salads.
I used my new protein powder that I purchased yesterday, and made more of a shake than a smoothie.

Simple Ingredients:

• Freshly cut sweet watermelon
• Sliced cucumber
• Pineapple
• Guava juice
• Watermelon juice
• Ice
• 3 scoops protein powder

Blend, add a cute garnish and enjoy!

College Girl on a Budget: Summer Style :)

Todays Purchases:

• Crumbled Gorgonzola Cheese (click to see my latest salad creation this was used in!)
• Organic Green Tea Lemonade
• Raw Pecan Halves
• A mango
• A Pear
• Mochi (all natural chocolate ice cream)
• Organic puppy chews for my Yorkie Locket!
• A beautiful batch of yellow daisies
• Aria: protein powder for women (click to see my new review)
• Organic baby spinach
• Can of diced and fire roasted tomatoes

Grand Total = $43.02

Being a college girl on summer vacation, I purchased some items that I wouldn’t usually go for. Since I’m out of college for the summer, I have extra time on my hands. What better way to spend it then in the kitchen discovering new meals I can eat when I go back to college in the fall!

There are going to be some kick-butt salads, smoothies and soups that come out of this trip. Come back and see what my creative mind comes up with this weekend 🙂

Aria: Protein powder specifically designed for women! Review :)

 

LADIES: Protein powder is NOT just for body builders!

In my most recent shopping adventure to Trader Joes (one of my favorite health food stores), I decided to venture off from my regular protein powder and try out something new! I stumbled upon Aria in the vitamin section, and after hearing roaring reviews from the lady behind the counter passing out free samples (whom was also vegetarian), I decided to give it a try in my morning smoothies.

Usually Aria protein costs $16.99, but today it was ON SALE for $9.99. S-A-L-E happens to be my favorite 4 letter combination, so of course I was instantly $9.99 dollars more excited to buy it!

Taste

Honestly, in my experience with health blogging, I’ve found that protein drinks are really personal. No two people seem to agree on the same product. That being said, I really liked it! I’m not a professional athlete or even someone who works out at the gym everyday for 5 hours hours at a time, so I didn’t want all the added sugars that seem to come in other protein powders.

I simply added a scoop of Aria to my morning fruit smoothie as usual, and I was impressed because I could barely taste it in there. Not too sweet, not too chalky, just perfect for me. A bit of strawberries, some ice and a peach later, it was great.

Vegetarians

If you’re a vegetarian like me, you should absolutely be getting in some extra protein in your diets. I definitely recommend using protein powder in your day some how.

Instructions

The instructions on the can say you’re supposed to add a scoop it to milk or H2O, but protein flavored water sounded like a TERRIBLE idea. I think I’ll stick to my delicious fruit smoothies 🙂

Protein Ratio, Grams per scoop

It was a great way to kick start my morning, knowing that I had 14 grams of extra protein to pump up my metabolism. I really did feel a slight bit more energetic, kind of like when I buy a new pair of stilettos. Could be the thrill of trying something new, or maybe the 50/50 ratio of soy protein and whey gave me an energetic boost.

Either way, I loved it.

What protein powders do you guys use?

5 Minute Vegetarian Panini! A Fitspirational Classic

In a hurry? Need some thing quick but still want to stay healthy?

This 5 minute vegetarian panini is GREAT because you can pre-prepare 3 different kinds at the beginning of the week, and after a few minutes on a panini maker; they’re ready to eat!

If you pre-prepare all the ingredients you want on your panini, and keep them individually ready-to-eat in your fridge- it makes for a quick and healthy meal on the go.

I made this panini last night in less then 5 minutes and it took me 2 minutes to heat it up today on my pink panini maker. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think sandwiches get any faster then that.

 

Fast, easy, and delicious; a perfect combination for anyone with a busy schedule!