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1/31/2017 0 Comments Gratitude = Healthy Living Gratitude is riches. Complaint is poverty.
-Doris Day Hey friends! I recently finished reading the amazing book by Janice Kaplan, The Graititude Diaries. Holy cow! Game changer! Each night, I literally took a pen and underlined words, phrases and sentences that made the most meaning to my life. When reading a book like this, I think it's essential to be able to apply what you have learned to your own life. And I am absolutely taking action to make this book applicable to my life, because gratitude = healthy living. This a book about how making small positive changes (looking on the bright side) can TRANSFORM your life. She discusses how to apply gratitude to everyday occurrences, such as marriage, eating habits, your job, kids, money, and so much more. There is also aligning research that supports how giving gratitude has a positive effect on your well-being and overall health. How amazing is that! This book has now become a lifetime resource and/or guide for me and my family. It is a simple and small reminder of just how grateful I am to be alive. Below are a list of my Top 30 Favorite Gratitude Quotes from The Gratitude Diaries (in no particular order). Pick a quote every month and write it on a chalkboard, a white board or even on your bathroom mirror as a simple reminder to practice gratitude every day. I want to be reminded everyday of how I can make my life amazing, not only for me, but for my family and friends. TOP 30 FAVORITE GRATITUDE QUOTES 1. Gratitude may have the highest connection to mental health and happiness of any of the personality traits studied. 2. Researchers have found that people who write down three things they're grateful for every night improve their well-being and lower their risk for depression. 3. Grateful people reframe whatever happens to them...don't focus on what they're lacking, but make sure they see the good in what they have. 4. Avoid the wrinkles in life by focusing on the joys (on growing older). 5. Sometimes you need to stop your experiences completely and look at them a new, not keep on repeating them like machines. Let the fresh air into your mind. 6. There is no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather. 7. When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive-to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love. 8. Taking several short trips in a year is likely to give you more peak experiences-and grateful memories-than one long but unremarkable vacation. 9. The more joy we have, the more nearly perfect we are. 10. If you trade expectations for appreciation, the world instantly changes. 11. Being grateful for your current job doesn't make you less ambitious, it makes you happier and probably more productive. You can be grateful for your career-and still soar in the future. 12. You can't be optimally healthy if you're not happy. 13. Thinking about the past or future are really the only two ways people can be upset by the world. 14. I have two arms, two legs, I'm breathing. Life is good. 15. A natural environment...allows us to relax and reflect without feeling overwhelmed. 16. Nature lowers stress and improves our ability to focus. 17. It's the little things that make us grateful. 18. Eat only food that makes you grateful. 19. It's such a waste of mental energy to be furious that something isn't the way you want it to be. Fighting life is what causes problems. When you can accept life on life's terms, you pave the way for a measure of peace that you miss otherwise. 20. We often look so long and regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the ones which open for us. 21. Gratitude isn't just a nice feeling. Gratitude at its best is an action. It's about something you do rather than just something you feel. 22. Gratitude is a muscle that we all need to flex. 23. Appreciating the world around you made you more eager to be part of making it better. 24. You think gratitude is something you express when everything is going well. But really it's what you feel when everything is going against you. 25. My mission every day is to stay buoyant and joyous. 26. Be grateful for the simple gifts of life and love and cooking bacon. 27. Living gratefully...had given me the simple ability to experience joy for almost any reason. 28. Our bright-side banter saved us from frustration (when in traffic). 29. Instead of being the mastery of misery, we can become experts at gratitude. 30. Grateful to have enough (on money). I hope these quotes help bring gratitude to your life as well :). Enjoy! Always craving good vibes, Jillian
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1/29/2017 0 Comments SIMPLE WEEKLY MEAL PLAN 2 As you know, Sundays are for food shopping, meal planning, as well as lounging with my two pups. If you haven't planned out your meals for this week, then I have a weekly plan that may help you get started! Write your own list or quickly print out my GROCERY LIST, which makes everything so much easier! Check out my grocery list to see if it can help you with your healthy meal planning this week. My weekly meal plan is full of clean and simple delicious foods. I even included a new recipe from the amazing Lexi, from Lexi's Clean Kitchen. Her cookbook is a great resource for trying out new clean and simple meals!  LUNCHES FOR THE WEEK: Chicken Chorizo Taco Bowls + chopped kale + 1/2 sweet potato
MONDAY: Maple Glazed Salmon (Lexi's Clean Kitchen Recipe) + Broccoli TUESDAY: Pizza WEDNESDAY: Orange Ginger Chicken Stir Fry (using chicken breasts instead of ground chicken) THURSDAY: Brinner
FRIDAY: Out with friends! Always craving good food, Jillian  Crunchy, creamy and healthy. These are the three words I would use to describe this pizza. Crunchy bacon, creamy goat cheese, and healthy brussel sprouts make this pizza a winner for a simple nutritious meal. The savory and sweet flavor combination of these ingredients will not disappoint your taste buds. This is definitely a pizza keeper recipe! This pizza can be assembled in less than 30 minutes with a few simple short-cuts. By baking your bacon in the oven, helps save you time and not to mention a kitchen grease mess. Also, baking your sweet potato ahead of time will help this pizza making process go even quicker. You will be amazed how simple this recipe is, and how delicious your final product will taste.  B.B.G PIZZA - BACON BRUSSEL SPROUT GOAT CHEESE PIZZA
serves 4
Drizzle of balsamic vinegar & honey 1. Place bacon on a baking sheet, and cook in the oven at 400 for about 20 minutes, or until crispy. 2. While bacon is cooking, slice brussel sprouts thinly into strips and put aside. 3. Using a large spoon, spread sauce on top of your pizza crust. If adding sweet potato, chop into quarters and smash using a fork on top of pizza sauce so it's spread evenly. 4. Next, top your pizza with brussel sprouts slices and goat cheese. Break cooked bacon into 1-inch pieces and place on pizza as well. Season with salt and pepper before baking. 5. Bake pizza in the oven at 400 for about 15 minutes, or until pizza crust is crispy. 6. Before serving, drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar and honey for a truly extravagant pizza event :) Enjoy this crunchy, creamy healthy pizza! Always craving good food, Jillian 1/16/2017 0 Comments ROTISSERIE CHICKEN SALAD Whether you're in a hurry or just don't feel like cooking, this is one of the quickest meals you can make. Rotisserie chickens are moist, tender and contain very flavorful meat. Unfortunately, most rotisserie chickens sold in stores are packed with far higher sodium than a at home-roasted one. But, you're not eating these everyday. BALANCE in nutrition is key, and a rotisserie chicken once a month, is a far better choice than stopping at a fast food joint. Make good choices, and choose whole foods as much as possible. This week my family will be consuming this delicious protein-packed rotisserie chicken salad for lunch. Ours will be served on a bowl of greens paired with some avocado slices and a half of a sweet potato, yummy! Get creative and serve yours on some toasted naan, bread, or even make it into a tasty wrap! I can't wait for you to try this simple and delicious Rotisserie Chicken Salad!  ROTISSERIE CHICKEN SALAD
1. Place pieces of chicken into a large mixing bowl. 2. Add in all ingredients and season with fresh ground pepper and salt. 3. Taste test your salad until it is seasoned to your liking. Enjoy this quick filling meal! Always craving good food, Jillian 1/15/2017 0 Comments A SIMPLE WEEKLY MEAL PLAN Sundays are for meal planning and lounging around my house with my two dogs :). Good thing I already have printed GROCERY LISTS that make everything so much easier! All I do is choose my lunch and dinner meals for the week, then check off what ingredients I would need to make them. It saves my family time and money! My clean + simple grocery list is organized by food groups and pantry items making it easier for you to shop. The grocery list is completely customizable too, which means it can work for anyone! Check out my grocery list to see if it can help you with your healthy meal planning! My weekly meal plan is listed below if you need a head start in choosing some simple and clean meals for this upcoming week. Happy meal planning! LUNCHES FOR THE WEEK: Rotisserie chicken salad served on top of greens
MONDAY: Grain-free Waffles + spinach salad TUESDAY: Pizza WEDNESDAY: Ground Chicken Peanut Thai Noodles THURSDAY: Brinner
FRIDAY: Toasted Sandwiches
Always craving good food, Jillian 1/14/2017 2 Comments BISON BUTTERNUT SQUASH CHILI  This is one of my favorite chili recipes because it has a ton of beautifully bright butternut squash, with the comforting taste of bison meat! It is the best kind of food to cook on a cold and chilly day. This chili can be customized to your liking, by adding your favorite chili toppings before devouring. Feel free to add or take away ingredients to fit your dietary needs and taste buds. Enjoy this warm and healthy bowl of chili!
BISON BUTTERNUT SQUASH CHILI Ingredients:
OPTIONAL TOPPINGS
1. In a large soup pot, heat 1 tbsp of oil on medium heat. Add in garlic, onions, peppers, carrots, and butternut squash. Saute until squash gets slightly soft and tender. 2. While the veggies are sauteing, heat another tablespoon of oil in a medium-size skillet on medium heat. Add bison and cook until browned, stirring often to break the meat into tiny chunks. 3. Once meat is cooked, add it into the large pot. Also, add water, beans, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and seasonings. Stir altogether and let cook on low for about 30 more minutes. 4. Serve this delicious chili with your favorite toppings! Always craving good food, Jillian 1/14/2017 0 Comments HEALTHY PANTRY MAKEOVER The food you eat can either be the safest and most powerful form of medicine, or the slowest form of poison.
-Ann Wigmore When Nick and I first started our journey to a healthier lifestyle two years ago, we did something outrageous. We took a look at our pantry and fridge and decided to give it a healthy makeover. This meant that we trashed or donated anything that resembled processed foods. Bottled dressings, sauces, box pasta dishes, microwave dinners, pancake mix, packaged cookies, and chips. The list goes on and on of what random, processed and expired things we found in our kitchen. Why did we both willingly decide to do this makeover? We both educated ourselves (reading nutrition books and watching documentaries, like Food Matters) about the positive effects of putting good food into our bodies. Good food going into your bodies, means the better your body felt and performed, it all made sense. Needless to say, we have been living and eating this way since the day of our pantry makeover. The results of this makeover were shown in our high levels of happiness, energy, and above all, health! 6 Simple Steps to Give your Pantry a Healthy Makeover 1. Ingredients tell a story about your food. If your ingredient list reads of more than 5 ingredients or you can’t pronounce something that is in your food- toss it! 2. If any of your ingredients read “artificial flavors”- toss it! 3. If any of the ingredients listed contain artificial sweeteners from aspartame (like in Equal) to sucralose (like in Splenda) - toss it! 4. Refined sugars like table sugar- toss it! 5. If any of your foods have food dye in it, such as Red No. 40 or Yellow No. 5 or 6. -toss it! 6. "Low-fat” often means the fat is replaced with sugar - toss it! Stick to buying "whole" foods. If there is one tip or piece of advice that I could give you to help guide your future grocery shopping adventures, it would be... Buy as WHOLE as possible and choose foods with less than 5 ingredients or ingredients you can actually read and understand. Healthy isn't complicated, make your life clean and simple :) Always craving good food, Jillian  It's Meal Prepping Sunday again! I hope you had an enjoyable Saturday and are beginning to prepare for a wonderful week of GOOD FOOD.
For those of you that need ideas, I am sharing with you what I will be having for lunch and dinner this week. I plan out most of my meals every Sunday, so I save time and money on grocery shopping. Saturday night is a date night out for my husband and I (I absolutely love date nights out :)), so no meals will be made. Lunch this week: Chicken and Chorizo Taco Bowls + 1/2 sweet potato + spinach Monday: Squash Kale Salad by Lexi's Clean Kitchen- (I'm using butternut squash and dried cranberries) Tuesday: Brinner -2 eggs cooked however you like -Sauteed carrots or other vegetables in ghee with lemon juice, S & P -Fried organic chopped sweet/white potatoes or toast Wednesday: Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Chicken Tenders with roasted cauliflower (seasoned with salt and pepper) Thursday: Pizza (with tomato sauce, chicken sausage + chopped kale) Friday: Grass-fed Beef Burgers (1 lb beef mixed with 1/4 grated onion) I hope this weekly plan was helpful to see just how clean and simple it can be to make good food for the week! Please leave comments below to let me know if this plan was helpful for you. What are your simple tips for preparing for a week of good food? Always craving good food, Jillian  Waffles make any weekend morning AMAZING. I mean, waking up and just the sight of the waffle iron steaming gets my whole body in a state of pure joy! These waffles are grain-free or Paleo friendly, and are super simple to make for you and your family. They are delicious served with fresh fruit and a heavy pour of pure maple syrup. Pair your waffles with a sunny egg and your favorite vegetable sauteed with some salt and pepper for a complete balanced breakfast. The day is yours to seize after eating these babies!  GRAIN-FREE WAFFLES
makes 3 waffles Ingredients:
1. Heat the waffle iron and brush it well with the melted coconut oil, ghee or butter. 2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients. In a separate smaller bowl, mix together the wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and whisk all together to combine. 3. Pour about 1 cup of the batter into your waffle iron to cook your fluffy waffles. Repeat until all of the batter is gone. 4. Serve the waffles with pure maple syrup, some sliced fresh fruit and whatever breakfast sides that make your heart and body healthy! Always craving good food, Jillian |