Miraculously Stuffed Eggplant

I’ve been living life on the fly a lot recently. For the past decade (or longer) I’ve planned every moment down to the second. Planning certainly has a lot of perks, but it makes our brain think in binary, rigid ways sometimes. In an effort to break out of this more, I’ve been actively trying to seek out spontaneity and go with the flow. I found eggplants on sale the other day, so I bought a few and just decided I would let an idea come–and if not, just chop and freeze them! I think living life without a guide, without a plan, without a recipe can be a great asset when you find yourself getting bogged down in and stressed by the arbitrary details.

Ingredients:

-1 eggplant

-1 bag prepared @miraclenoodle rice

-1 bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped

-2 tsp olive oil

-1 cup cherry tomatoes

-1 tsp minced garlic

Directions:

1. Combine tomatoes, parsley, olive oil, & garlic in a skillet and let simmer on medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

.

2. Cut eggplant in half length wise and roast at 350 for 10 minutes.

.

3. Scrape out inside of eggplant and mix the pieces of eggplant “insides” into your skillet of veggies. .

4. Add prepared @miraclenoodle rice to veggie mix and continue stirring.

.

5. Stuff both halves of the eggplant with veggie/rice mixture.

.

6. Return stuffed eggplants to oven and roast for 7-10 minutes at 375.

.

7. Enjoy! Feel free to freeze or use the leftover veggie rice in another dish or as a side dish.

This month use code HANNAHFEB18 for a discount when you order from miracle noodle 🍜

Strengths, Self Love, and a Giveaway

I am majoring in Psychology and Human Health and have become completely enamored with the field of Positive Psychology. Positive Psychology is not about mental illness, but instead focuses on positive mental health and improving wellbeing. I have been lucky enough to take classes on the topic and learn about simple lifestyle choices that lead to happier, and often healthier, lives. The quote on my Yogi Tea the other day was a reminder of a key focus of Positive Psych: focus on your strengths. Our strengths are a mixture of natural talent and hard work (I would argue mostly hard work and perseverance!), but utilizing them and letting our strengths shine is a wonderful way to maximize our abilities and feel successful. It is easy to focus on where we are lacking or areas where we struggle, but if we focus on our strengths and how to use them to achieve our goals we can maintain a positive mindset.

In no way do I believe that we should not strive to improve and challenge ourselves–that is a huge piece of happiness and growth! Striving for improvement is crucial to success, but it is important to maintain appreciation for your strengths throughout the process. What are your strengths? How have you used them today?

On a less serious note, the NuNaturals giveaway has been extended to December 31! Enter here for your chance to win:

NuNaturals Stevia Giveaway!
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Holiday Travels: Tips and Tricks

Traveling for the holidays is hard. It’s mass chaos everywhere; people are distracted, highways are packed, and airports are bustling! There are a few things I always do before traveling to minimize stress and anxiety, whether traveling by car or plane.

      1. I tend to randomly think of things I need to do before I leave or items I need to pack, often in the middle of the night or during class or work. I highly recommend taking 1 minute and writing it down on a piece of paper or make a note on your phone. Then right before you head out the door for your trip, go through the list and make sure you did it all!
      2. SNACKS! Nothing is worse than being stuck in the airport and hungry. Overpriced snacks or unhealthy snacks are both awful options (in my opinion…I am a cheap college student here 🙂 so I always make sure to pack some fruit, veggies, and of course a few questbars.

A photo posted by Hannah (@craving_happy) on

 

3. Stay hydrated! It is tempting to drink less so you don’t have to stop on a drive or get up during a flight, but staying hydrated keeps you feeling good the whole day! Planes dehydrate your skin (why your lips and face feel dry post-flight) and drinking plenty of water can keep your skin and body feeling good.

 

A photo posted by Hannah (@craving_happy) on

4. Treat travel time as “me-time.” Bring along a book you’ve been dying to read, a new CD, or a podcast you enjoy. Jam out, learn, or even sleep!

5. Pack everything the night before…except toiletries! Pack them as you use them in the morning–that way you remember everything you use on a daily basis.

Safe travels this holiday season!

#BetterBodyBlend Brownies

Life has been hectic, the second round of midterms has arrived! After a weekend of studying, I decided some chocolate was in order. Brain food? Yes! I have been studying the benefits of pholyphenols in cocoa powder so I am simply putting my class knowledge into practice…right?

My favorite brownie recipe has officially been replaced! Coconut flour brownies 2.0, my friends. If you haven’t heard, Better Body Foods is hosting a recipe contest to create the best flour blend for their new coconut flour-almond flour baking mix! I used a 5:1 ratio of coconut flour to almond flour to make my #BetterBodyBlend!

Batter is prepped, swirled and ready
Batter is prepped, swirled and ready to go

Brownie Batter Ingredients:

5 tbsp Better Body Foods coconut flour
1 tbsp Better Body Foods almond flour
1/4 cup Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder
2/3 cup egg whites
1 tsp baking powder
stevia to taste
3 tbsp almond milk or water
1-2 tbsp pumpkin (optional, makes brownies more fudge-like instead of cake-y)

Peanut Butter Swirl:

4 tbsp Better Body Foods PB Fit
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp maple syrup, agave nectar, or sugar free syrup

  1. Preheat oven to 350
  2. Line a 8×8 dish with parchment paper or grease it well (trust me :o)
  3. Mix the ingredients for the brownie batter until no lumps remain.
  4. Pour the batter into the dish
  5. In a smaller bowl (or the same bowl if you’re not up for dirtying more dishes) mix the PB Fit, water and syrup until the mixture is smooth and still seems slightly thick
  6. Swirl the peanut butter mixture into the batter
  7. Bake for about 12 minutes or until the top is firm to the touch
  8. Let cool (if you can…) and devour!

image1 (1)image2 (1)

image3

Jem Raw Organics and Under-Appreciated Spices

 

Words..I have no words..I officially declare cardamom the most under-appreciated spice in my spice cabinet. Jem Raw Organics was kind enough to send me a few jars of their decadent, raw nut butters. You can seriously taste the quality; they are all silky smooth! I tried the Hazelnut Raw Cacao, Cinnamon Red Maca, Cashew Cardamom, and Superberry Maqui Camu. Their products are all gluten free and vegan and suit nearly every dietary restriction, other than nut-free (obviously).

I have been eating it by the spoonful…

On flax seed rice cakes….

With fresh fruit…

You name it! I definitely forgot how delicious cardamom was. These nut butters are delicious and the flavors stand out on their own–free of additives. I am planning some recipes with these guys and can’t wait to play with them more and let their flavors shine!

What spices do you think are the most under-appreciated?

Simple Girl, Simple Ingredients and BBQ Cauliflower

I received a few Simple Girl products to review and I have been going through both bottles like crazy! This brand uses stevia instead of artificial sweeteners and donates to charitable organizations; how much more amazing can they get? As a small business, they really cater to the customer and my package came specially wrapped. They make dressings, sauce, and seasonings. I love the citrus ginger dressing on salads–it tastes fresh and has the perfect hint of lemon-y sweetness.

I have mainly been using the BBQ sauce for dipping, but it also makes a great dressing! Do not expect a sweet BBQ sauce when you order the Carolina Style sauce; it is on the spicy side–exactly how I like it 😉

BBQ sauce is literally going on everything. Roasted cabbage wedge all dolled up with some sauce!

Without further ado, here is the recipe for BBQ Cauliflower!

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees F.

Wash and cut up your head of fresh cauliflower (I used yellow cauliflower)

Spray baking sheet with coconut oil, or oil of choice

Lay cauliflower evenly on pan and toss with salt and pepper

Bake for about 20 minutes or until the florets begin to brown

After the cauliflower has cooled, place the florets in a bowl and toss with 3-4tbsp of Simple Girl Carolina Style BBQ sauce (or any BBQ sauce you have on hand)

Serve and enjoy!

If you want to buy some (and why wouldn’t you..?) here’s their site: http://www.simplegirl.com/