Trader Joe's Haul

So, today I went to Trader Joe's and bought some groceries for the week.  I didn't buy much but I intend to use everything up :)

Just in case you couldn't tell I bought:
                                                            Original Almond Breeze
                                                            Vanilla Almond Breeze (sad bc it's not sugar free)
                                                            18 Count Egg Lands Best  
                                                            3 Packages of Sea Salted Seaweed Chips  
                                                            Frozen Asparagus
                                                            Baby Spinach
                                                            Frozen Edamame with a touch of sea salt
                                                            2 Packages of Wild Arugula
                                                            7 Macintosh Apples
                                                            2 Bartlett Pears
                                                            3 Kiwi's
                                                            5 Bananas
This should last me the week :) at least I hope it does.
Let me know in the comment box below if you would like more hauls?!

Happy Sunday everybody! 

I just finished my workout for the day! I didn't do as much as I wanted to do but I'm coming down with a cold and I didn't want to push myself too much. But before i tell you about the workout I want to tell you what I had for breakfast! Every morning before I get out of bed I drink 15 oz of water that I leave on my bed side table the night before (I like to be prepared). After that I got ready for my day (get dressed, make the bed, do my hair, etc...) then I made my breakfast, a protein shake. It was AWESOME!!!! I will be posting the recipe in the next few days so keep your eyes open. After my breakfast I completed 22 minutes of the Youtube 1000 calorie workout and burned 183 calories and then I went on to do 17 minutes of a Zumba video I found on Youtube, i burned 134 calories doing that.  So although I didn't do much I still managed to burn 317 calories and fit in a small workout :) I just want to say that I recently bought a Polar heart rate monitor and that is the reason i know the amount of calories that I'm burning. It really is important to know the exact amount of calories that you are burning because I've noticed when I use calorie calculators they really aren't doing the trick for me. Sometimes they're way too high or way too low. So, start stashing away some money every week so that you can invest in a heart rate monitor. I'll try to check in later today with my grocery haul for the week. 

                                    Have a great Sunday everybody!!!

                                                            ❤ Jasmine

Brussels Sprouts Are Gross! WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi all!

         The other day I was trying to figure out a different veggie to try because I was starting to get sick of broccoli, baby spinach, and green beans. So, I saw a recipe on Tone It Up for Brussels Sprouts! I bought some and I LOVE the way they came out! I usually just steam them and that's it but Tone It Up suggests roasting them! It is honestly the easiest thing ever and very yummy! Here's how you do it!

I Weighed them just to see how many calories this would be

Cut off the little ends 

My cute little helper

Chop in half 

drizzle with EVOO and some salt and pepper

Lay them out so they're not touching

I made steak to eat with the sprouts

Don't they look delicious?!

Steak, Brussels sprouts and quinoa sautéed with baby spinach

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
2. Place trimmed Brussels sprouts, olive oil, sea salt, and pepper in a bowl.  Pour onto a baking sheet, and place on center oven rack.
3. Roast in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, shaking pan every 5 to 7 minutes for even browning. Reduce heat when necessary to prevent burning. Brussels sprouts should be darkest brown, almost black, when done. Adjust seasoning with kosher salt, if necessary. Serve immediately.

Homemade Tabbouleh

Hi guys! So yesterday on the way home from school I had the strangest craving for some tabbouleh but i didn't want to buy the pre made stuff. So, I stopped at my local Whole Foods (my favorite place btw) and picked up some flat leaf parsley, spearmint, a lemon, bulgur wheat, and 2 plum tomatoes. I then headed home and began my tabbouleh making.

Start by soaking your parsley in cold water

Pour off the excess water and then spin off the rest!

See! Clean and dry Parsley, oh and spearmint!

Dice up your plum tomatoes.

Chop up parsley leaves

I chopped up a little onion.

In a mixing bowl, combine the tomatoes, onions, parsley, and mint.

 Toss the salad well to incorporate the ingredients

Mix it up!

Put the bulgur in a large bowl and pour in the hot water. Cover with a dish or plastic wrap and let 
stand for about 10 to 15 minutes to rehydrate. Drain in a strainer, pressing with the back of a wooden 
spoon to squeeze out as much water as possible.

Add your bulgur wheat

Juice that lemon!

Extra virgin olive oil

Last but not least, Salt! 

 Toss the salad well to incorporate the ingredients; season with salt. Add the bulgur; moisten with the lemon juice and olive oil. Fold everything together to incorporate the ingredients. 

End result! Yummy Tabbouleh!

Enjoy with some tortilla chips :)

Ingredients

1/3c bulgur wheat (fine-medium grind)

2 cups boiling water

2 ripe plum  tomatoes chopped.

1 bunch green onions, white and green part, finely chopped (about 1 cup)

2 large bunches fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves finely chopped (about 2 cups)

1 bunch fresh mint leaves, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)

Kosher salt 

1 lemon, juiced

5 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

The flavor will improve if the tabbouleh sits for a few hours. Serve at room temperature.

Hi guys!
       My name is Jasmine. I'm 24 years old and am getting married in August 2015. I've been trying to lose weight for the past 10 years of my life. I've never been able to really stick to anything for long. So, for christmas my fiancé bought me something that I've wanted for a long time it's called Tone It Up. It's a plan that focuses on being healthy rather then being skinny. I started the plan on January 6, 2014. So far I've been trying to do it without the support of many people so I figured I would start a blog and hold myself accountable and maybe after getting to know my blog you guys will also help me and yourselves! Just so you know there is going to be a lot of yummy recipes on here :)
                 
                         Bon Appétit!
                           
                                       Jasmine