Granola. Perfected.

Granola. When I hear that word I think of coloradoens, hippies, dreadlocks, and myself. Birkinstock wear-ers and extremests who only shower in the river. BUT "granola" expands beyond the description of grungy vegans, it's a fabulous shhnack as well. Boxed granola is either overly processed and tastes like a bottle of vanilla pop or straight up delish but costs an arm, a leg, and another arm. But, no fear, whollygirl is here! I constructed (after 543799 failed attempts, literally) a fail free, granola recipe. It's tasty, versatile, and healthy! What more could you ask for? Nothing. Well hurrr ya go folks, granola :)
Granola for Dummies
oven @ 250
4 c rolled oats
1-2 c chopped nuts ( i like pecans)
1/2 c wheat germ
1/2 coconut (optional)
1/4 c honey
1/4 c maple syrup
1/4 c oil (i use coconut oil)
pinch ye salt
1 c dried fruit (i loveee blueberries!)
1. Melt coconut oil and whisk together wet ingredients and salt in a  small bowl. In a larger bowl toss together dry ingredients, NO BLUEBERRIES.
2. Pour the wet into the dry and stir.
3. Spread on two smaller baking sheets lined with parchment and bake for a little over an hour. stirring every 15 min.
4. When golden, remove from oven and toss in dried fruit. Let cool and store ;)

<3 ya! --whollygirl

AAAbsolutley Summertastic

Light fare is definitely most popular in these steamy summer months. Fresh veggies fill the farmers market and it always seems like people are sipping on lemonades and green teas. So why not have the best of both worlds!?!!? Well, you can. Avocado, artichokes, and asparagus soak up the sun in a vinaigrette MADE with MADE Half&Half (half green tea and half lemonade). The earthy-ness of the green tea brings out the freshness in the veggies and lemonade adds a pungent kick! Learn to love every veggie with this triple A salad :)

Triple A Salad
Bunch of Asparagus, steamed and cut into 2 inch pieces
3 artichoke hearts, chopped
1/2 avocado, cubed
2 T roasted pecans, chopped

Vinaigrette:
1/4 C MADE Half&Half
2 T olive oil
1 T salad vinegar
1 t crushed red pepper
1 t salt
1 1/2 t black pepper
1 t crushed garlic

1. Whisk all the vinaigrette ingredients together in a measuring cup.
2. Place the asparagus, artichokes, avocado, and pecans in a medium bowl.
3. Pour a little vinaigrette in the bowl and toss to coat as wanted.
ENJOYYYYYYY <3

Oh, sweetness.

The art of blogging (or my lack of blogging) is a way for people to express themselves and a way for readers to get "into" others lives without being nosy. I truly do love writing and telling stories through food. Today I'm getting a little sweet on you by sharing a recipe I wrote with the help of a fantastic company I happen to intern for. MADE Drinks is an organic, vegan, gluten-free, and bottled BPA-free, drinks company. They (like real people) make green teas and lemonades that are 100% to die for. I swear I'm not just saying that because I'm a little partial, but because it's the truth. So enough of my proud-parent bragging, on to the recipe. With summer in full heat and you always searching for a new recipe to take to a cookout, I thought of a simple favorite MADE (haha, get it?) better. With a lightened up crust and lets face it, a delectable middle these lemon bars will knock your socks off. Now, moderation is key because it's damn tough to make a healthy lemon bar. Sometimes you do have to splurge... sometimes.

LemonMADE Bars
Crust:
1/2 c ww flour
1/2 c orgainc ap flour
1/4 c coconut oil, melted
1/3 c cane sugar

Filling:
4 eggs
1/2 c cane sugar
3 T flour
1 T lemon zest
2/3 c MADE Lemonade (use any variety you like)
1/3 c lemon juice

Oven @ 350
1. Combine crust ingredients by hand or in a food processor. Press into a non-stick or greased 8x8 pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
2. In the jolly 'ole mean time, whisk togeth the eggs, sug, and flour. Then mix in the remaining ingredients.
3. Pour over the hot crust and bake for 20 more minutes. DO NOT OVER-BAKE!!! The bars will continue to set while cooling. Dust with powdered sug if you wish :)

Love always (even though I go "awol" often),
Whollygirl :):)

Day 14

Hello. I feel like I should re introduce myself as the worst blogger, ever. It's not like I have been swamped to my neck, I just haven't been in the mood. Lord, I sound hormonal and I am so not pregnant. Anyway, this whole Back to the Start Challenge is tough. It's not like I was eating Micky D's everyday and I'm on a detox but I did do everything in moderation. I ate healthy daily and if I went to ice cream with friends I got a small cup. A few days ago (I should have blogged about it then but I was too upset) I went to a baseball game with my friends. I did not plan accordingly and was starving. Everyone was snacking on famous ball park dogs and I was snacking on peanuts, don't get me wrong they were good peanuts but smelling dogs, pretzels, and frozen lemonade sucked. Afterwards we hit a local custard joint and I sat there while everyone indulged in their $1 sundae. I feel like the toughest thing is not grabbing a granola bar or organic frozen waffle. Convience is a big issue, I am having to plan plan plan.

Long story short, even though it has already been a long story, I am so proud of myself. Even though resisting temptation was a bummer I stayed in control. And that felt amazing. I will be a better blogger, promise. Peace.

day four and five

Yesterday was day 4 of my Back to the Start challenge. And seriously, it was a challenge. I was visiting family at the lake and my family loves their food. Don't get me wrong, they are fantastic, but not everything was "whollygirl" approved. Shoot! That sounds so way snooty, so lets just say there weren't the healthiest of choices. I did my best, scarfing my face with salad and corn on the cob for dinner. Everything was a-okay until about 10:30. Everyone was socializing around 3 bags of Oreo's. Now, I just had my first Oreo on May 3rd. It was lovely, I only ate one because I knew if I continued I would eat the whole bag. So last night my family was trying to convince me that Oreo's were organic and that I should loosen up a bit because I was at the lake. Well I did not give into this Oreo madness, or the snickers showdown around midnight either. I thought that would be the toughest part until this morning. I ate my raw breakfast of pecans and a banana that I brought with me. Then lunch came about. Burgers and hot dogs. Let's just say I ate some more nuts, a tomato, then decided it was time to come home.

I see these past few days as probably the toughest I will encounter. Not because I don't trust myself around processed foods, but because that was the only thing available. It was so, so tough to say no to food that I normally don't eat anyway but in that situation I wouldn't have had a problem with eating an Oreo or a burger. But I whipped up some quinoa hash as soon as I got home and was a happy camper!

So much about me rambling on about my life, is anyone doing the Back to the Start Challenge? :) Thanks for listening! Also, (I promise I will stop after this) I am adding a rule.

Rule 5: Drink at least 2 full Nalgenes of water a day.
That is all. <3 whollygirl

raw update

So, I made a huge deal about me going raw for 30 days. I did the research, wrote recipes, and decided to commit. After two days of being 100% raw I got really sick. I wasn't getting enough nutrients and was not able to workout and continue this lifestyle. From the research I have done I think that eating raw is amazing for your body but it just isn't practical. The prep is intense and time consuming. If I had someone helping me do this I think it would be a totally different story.

I am so upset that I am not able to do this 100% like I wanted! BUTTTTT I am still going to continue a challenge :) I am tweaking it. One raw meal a day and NO processed foods! This includes my beloved nutri-grain bars. I try to focus on whole foods in general but I am going to be a straight up stickler about it for the next 26 days. This challenge is called "Back to the Start". The reason for this is because our grandparents, and family before that didn't have fast food, tv dinners, and twinkies. They ate real food.

Here are my rules:
1. One meal a day must be raw. This can be as simple as a juice with a handful of nuts for breakfast or the same thing plus a salad for lunch.
2. No fast food, no tv dinners, or anything that says "just add water". Pretty much, if my great grandmother wouldn't know what it was, I'm not eating it.
3. If I go out to eat I will eat completely vegetarian. The reason for this is because I can't be sure of where the meat comes from.
4. Eat whole, fresh foods! Bake, cook, and grill as long as everything is a real food.
5. Mix up my workouts. Workout 6 days a week. If you think about it, back in the olden days they did hard man well labor. Which is equivalent to working out about 6 days a week.

This may seem like how I should eat everyday, and honestly I try to. Except for the one raw meal a day part. But I am also a teenager and occasionally eat fast food, and live by the saying "everything in moderation." But for the next 26 days (I have been following this since I was unable to be 100% raw) follow me daily and do the Back to the Start challenge with me! I will post workouts, recipes, and my emotional response to all of this. Wish me luck, because honestly, avoiding Pineapple Whip is going to be my toughest obstacle. Peace out. Chat to you tomorrow :)

Poor Man's Meat

I am going RAW for 30 days. I am very stoked but also freakin' terrified. So, I am savoring my last few days of cooked food, and yes, my last meal will be a burger. All in moderation, and YOLO... right? Well, tonight I made a four bean soup for dinner. I added brown rice so that my meal would be a complete protein and a one pot dish in itself. I know what your thinking "that whollygirl is crazy! soup in the summer!?!". Chill. This soup is lovely. It is light and is fantastic cold. It's so easy to take along with you to the lake or even camping. You won't miss the meat here, and you save some ching-a-ling.
El Quatro Bean Soup
-if you can, soak and cook dried beans. canned will work fine though :)
RINSE AND DRAIN ALL CANNED ITEMS
-2 cans green beans
-1 can white kidney beans
-1 can red kidney beans
-1 can chickpeas
-2 large tomatoes, diced
-1 jalapeño, diced
-1 onion, chopped
-1 T cumin, corriander, and oregano
-squirt of dijion mustard
-2 T worstershire sauce
-1 c brown rice, minute rice will work
-salt and pepper
-water

1. Heat a saucepan to medium heat, and spray with cooking spray if needed. Add in onion, jalapeño, seasonings, worstershire, and dijion. Stir.
2. Add in tomatoes and 2 cups of water. Let that come to a bubble.
3. Add in the rest of the ingredients and 3-4 more cups of water. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until rice is cooked.
4. Eat up :)

I'm Vegan..ish

This one's for the veggies out there! I am a fan of greek yogurt and raw milk but there is none of that found here. I abandoned all animal products to make my version of zucchini bread. Now, it's really carrot bread because I had no zucchini. Plus, carrots are high in Beta-carotene! (That's how I got my red hair, tehehe.) SO, I baked up a classic with a little spin. No oil, no dairy, but a whole lotta love. Cliche? Yeah but who cares?
Better-Carrotene Bread (get it?)
3 T flax meal mixed with 1/2 C plus 1 T water (this replaces the eggs)
1 C applesauce, no sugar added (replaces oil)
2 C grated, organic with the peel, carrots (about 6)
3/4 C stevia or sugar in the raw
1 C ww flour
1C organic, unbleach all purpose flour
1C oats
1 T cinnamon
1 t Baking Soda
1 t salt
1 t vanilla
1/3 c chopped pecans
1/2 c dried cranberries
1. Oven @ 350
2. In a large bowl whisk togeth flours, oats, cinn, soda, and salt.
3. In a med bowl mix togeth the rest of the ingredients besides the cranberries and pecans. Once combined add the wet ingredients to the dry then fold in cranberries and pecans.
4. Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with parchment. Spread the batter into the pan, it will be thick.
5. Bake for 20-25 min or until set. Enjoy!

:)

Mexi-CAN

Say goodbye to boring tacos and bean burritos, well at least upgrade them. On a whim I made a tomatillo (spelling? I'm a little slow once in and while.) salsa. It is sweet and spicy, like me, hah? Anyway, this pureed mix of veggies will amp up any mexican dish! I also made a veggie n' buffalo stew to ladle over sweet potatoes along with my salsa! ENJOY. (that's an order)
Tomatillo-Apple Salsa
about 10 tomatillos, husked, washed and chopped into 1/4s
1/4 red onion, chopped
2 jalapenos, chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled
s&p, just a sprinklin'
LARGE handful of cilantro
juice of 1 lime
1/2 apple, chopped
1/4 water
1. Oven @ 500
2. In a baking dish or sheet tray, toss tomatillos, onion, jalp, garlic, and s&p togeth. Roast 20ish minutes until soft and slightly charred.
3. Remove from oven and cool 10 min. Then place ALL ingredients into a blender. (I use a vitamix bc they are obviously rad). Add more water if needed. Puree until desired consitincey, I like mine kind of chunky.
Veggie n' Buffalo Stew
3/4 lb ground bison, you can use any ground meat (this is a good choice bc you norm buy it from local farmers, so it is grass fed and no fillers)
3 cups of random, chopped veggies.. tonight I used mushrooms, bell peppers, leeks, and corn.
1 can roasted tomatoes, no salt added
1 can low sodium, organic chick broth
3 T cumin
2 T paprika
s&p to taste
2 t oregano
1 T granulated garlic
1. Brown the bison in a dutch oven or deeper pan then stir in your seasonings and tomatoes and chick borth, reduce the heat to low and add in veggies.
2. Cover and simmer for about 30 min, but you can let it hang as long as you want.
3. I serve this over sweet potatoes which I bake at 400 for about 45 min. Top w salsa and maybe some more cilantro and def some avocado!

Hope you love :)

Hummus: Good 4 the Soul

So i just wanted to start out by saying that I am in fact alive. I know, 2 months of cyber disappearance can seem like an eternity but I'm back! It's a totally gorgeous spring day and I decided to make some hummus:) It is perfect for dipping pita chips, veggies, or pretzels. It's also a fantastic spread on sammy's or burgers. Try it yourself, super simple to make and tasty to eat!
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
1 can chickpeas
2 T tahini (sesame paste, I didn't have any so I use greek yogurt!)
sprinklin of salt
juice of 1 lemon
1 T or so of flax meal
2 roasted red peppers (smaller, seeded and peeled)
1 T garlic
1. Combine all ingredients into a food processor and puree until smooth.. I know, real tough. <3 whollygirl

Ready, Set, Pizza!

Superbowl is only 6 days away! I cannot believe that it is almost February 2012. CRAZY. Anywho.. pizza is def one of the favorites for football. Everyone likes cheese and bread! Normally pizza is heavy and greasy, but not Whollygirl style! I made a thin whole wheat crust that has olive oil in it. The Mayo Clinic says that the unsat fats in oo can actually reduce your risk for heart disease! Plus, oo has your omega-3 fatty acids:) Top the crust with your fav tomato sauce, I use plain tomato sauce and sprinkle on italian seasoning and garlic. Also, a 1/2c of mozerella will do the trick! And your best veggies!
WW Pizza Crust
makes enough one large sheet pan

1 c whole wheat flour
1 c organic unbleached white flour
2 t baking powder
1 t sea salt
1/4 c olive oil
1. Mix all ingredients together in a medium sized bowl.
2. Sprinkle counter, rolling pin, and hands with whole wheat flour and roll out the dough until about 1/8inch thick. Transfer to baking sheet and poke holes all around the dough with a fork. Pre bake in a 425 degree oven for about 5 min then top with sauce, cheese, and veggies. Bake an additional 8ish minutes or until desired done-ness.
<3 whollygirl

Chicken McWholly

It's superbowl time! People get together and eat. I mean lets face it, no one would go to a football party without food. So, why not snack on foods that can fuel your body through the game? You don't want to hit that 4th inning slump! So forget processed snacks and 50 nugget boxes, save some change and calories by making your superbowl snacks at home and make them healthy! Part one of Whollygirls Superbowl Series:
Chicken Nuggets and Sweet Potato Fries w/ dipping sauce
1 lb chick breasts, cut into bite size pieces
1/2c egg whites
1/2c flax meal
1/2c nutritional yeast
1/2c oatmeal
1t of each: sea salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic
1/4c agave nectar
1/4c dijon mustard
1T dill weed
2 sweet potatoes, cut into wedges or strips
cooking spray
sea salt for sp's
oven at 400
1. In three separate dishes: Dish one, flax meal. Dish two, egg whites. Dish three, nut yeast, oatmeal, salt, pep, paprika, and garlic.
2. Dip chick pieces in order from dish one-three. Going wet, dry, wet.. starting with flax meal. Then place on a cookie sheet sprayed lightly with cooking spray.
3. Place sweet potato fries on the same baking sheet as the chick nugs, and spritz the top of the fries w cooking spray and sea salt. Then bake for 10min, flip and bake 4 more min.
DIPPING SAUCE
1. In a small bowl combine mustard, dill, and agave.
Try this for dinner, kids love them! Or serve at your next party, they are perfect for superbowl :)

GNO

Tonight is a girls night! One of my best friends is moving to California and so we are going out to dinner to say goodbye:( Even though this isn't something I do very often I still don't want to fully ruin all my hard work in the gym! So I will make settle changes to what I order, like asking for things stir-fried instead of deep fried. My salad dressing on the side, as well as other sauces on the side. Your paying for your meal so you mind as well get it how YOU want it! Go easy on the more fattening things like dessert and eat to fuel your body, not to ware it down. <3 whollygirl

Fresh, yo.

I love a cool snack on a hot summer day, but I also love that during the winter! I brighten up a frigid day with a cucumber salad! So easy and honestly, it's just the best.
Crunchy Cucumber Salad
Serves 2
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
1 T rice vinegar
1 t sesame seeds
sprinkling of red pepper flake
1. Mix all ingredients together, eat right then or let it chill out in the fridge.

<3 whollygirl... oh and I know I am so attractive in this picture, but who cares? This stuff is good!

tuna salad

Creamy and thick salads take up potluck tables everywhere. I love them as much as the rest of us, but I don't like the nutrition! Mayo based salads fill you up but ware you down. So, I made a creamy salad base with greek yogurt! I know, g-yo is in almost everything I make.. but deal with it, it's the best:)
Tuna Salad
8oz canned tuna, drained
2 T dijon mustard
1/4 c g-yo
s&p
paprika, to taste
1/4c celery, diced so so small!
1 T onion diced
1 t dried dill weed
1. Mixx all ingredients together then serve on lettuce or ww bread!
<3 whollygirl

GRANOLOVE

Granolove is my favorite granola! It is owned by a local family in my area and their message is hard to beat. They start out with whole ingredients and end with a granola that is truly, Granolove:) I was able to watch Christine make her granola from start to finish, and it was such an amazing expierence! She doesn't use any preservatives, and it's all simple whole ingredients. She bakes in small batches then packages herself. She donates 10% of her profiles to Shriners Hospital and that just gives me an absolute respect for her and her company. If you look at the nutritionals you will probably freak out, because it is high in fat and calories per serving. But, look at the different kinds of fat. Granolove is high in monunsaturated fats which helps burn belly fat. It really is a great snack or breakfast with raw milk or greek yogurt! Check out Granolove's website, you can order online or purchase is at the Harter House's in the Springfield, MO area and at the farmers market in Springfield. Support your health and a good cause:) http://www.granolove.com/
 <3 whollygirl

Give me some skrimps!

I know, I know.. it's been like a week since I've blogged! I need to be so much better, and there will be more videos soon:) But tonight I am making dinner for the familia and we are having shrimp! They were on sale at the grocery store, so I thought why not? Shrimp (I call them skrimps for fun) are so good for you! They are high in B12 and are low-calorie and high-protein! Check out this website for more info on shrimp: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=107
When you cook shrimp, cook them until they turn pink then they are finished! This way they won't be chewy. Season shrimp really simply, if it's just some s&p or a sprinkle of old bay, or fresh herbs keep it easy! Serve a 4oz portion with two veggies, I did kale and asparagus tonight:) Also,  try to take at least a 5min walk after your meals to reduce bloating! <3 whollygirl

Pumping Iron

I always focus on recipes and eating right, but I never talk to you guys about getting active! I mean, the name of my blog is eat MOVE thrive, right!? Well to be balanced, and to thrive you have to have the proper balance of nutrition and exercise:) It's fact that nutrition is 70% of being healthy but you have to tone up and get moving, too! Today I worked out with a friend and we worked my arms in a totally different way than I ever have before. I seem to stay in my comfort zone but in 2012 I'm stepping out! Working out with friends or in a crowded place like a gym, will get you working harder than ever before. Why? Because it's human to want to do our best infront of people we respect and lets be honest, impressing the hottie next to us is just an added plus! So involve your friends and don't be afraid to ask for help! We are all working towards the same goal, right? Be fit:)