Ingredients:
6 Ounces Semolina (found near the pasta in the grocery store)
2 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP minced garlic
3 ounces small manzanilla olives
1 C. tomato - diced
4 ounces feta cheese - crumbled
1 C chopped basil
1/2 C cucumber
Salt and Pepper
Italian dressing (optional)

Directions:
Cook Semolina according to directions
Saute garlic in olive oil, once browned add olives.
Mix all ingredients and toss in a bowl.
Add salt and pepper to taste as well as a small amount of Italian dressing if desired

I haven't been coming up with too many recipes lately. I'm at home visiting my family and i've had SEVERAL projects to work on as well as playing around - not to mention the half marathon training! I recently purchased a cook book called 'Practically Raw' I really like the book. I've only tried one or two things in it, but they've totally rocked! Anyways, this cookbook brought me to the thought of raw food diets. How awesome are they? No cooking involved? I'm all about that! Anyways, today i've brought you a recipe for a healthy version of "tapioca" (and it's a raw food!) My husband and I love tapioca pudding (he especially loves the way my dad makes it, which has to include at least a half cube of butter i'm sure. :) ), but we don't love the calories and mumbo jumbo it contains. Therefore I have come up with this new recipe:

1 cup Cashews

2 cups Almond Milk

1 Cup Water

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 scoop of vanilla protein powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of salt

1/4 cup chia seeds

Combine all ingredients except chia seeds into a blender. Blend until smooth. In a bowl combine mixture and chia seeds. Place mixture into individual bowls. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours. Serve and enjoy!

Makes 5-6 servings.

*Chia seeds can be found in several places - health food stores, GNC nutrition stores, and even in several grocery stores.

As some may already know I am training for my first 1/2 marathon. I'm rather excited and the training is going well! Can't wait to kick 13 miles in the butt! Since the husband and I were traveling around New England I was able to get in some AWESOME runs. I wanted to document them. So I decided i'd share them here on the blog, cause the locations just ROCKED! And who knew that my husband would be an awesome running partner? He's always been too fast for me so I always hated running with him, but now I can keep up and I love it! In fact, I think every once in a while he goes faster than he normally would because I CAN keep up, but he will never admit to this. So here are the pictures. We missed one photo at the Valley Forge Historic Park - that was an awesome run with some awesome hills. It was beautiful even though we got rained on. 

After the Cape Cod 5 Mile run.

After a 4 miler at Eagle Lake near Acadia National Park in Maine

After a 6 mile run on Lake Champlagne in Burlington Vermont (I LOVED Burlington - Clean eating persons haven right there!)

Once again, I do apologize on not posting new recipes recently! I've been traveling around the country yet again. From South Carolina to all of New England and then on to Utah. A little exhausted. While my husband and I were traveling through New England we visited several factories along the way. Including Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream, Cabot Cheese Creamery, Vermont Maple Syrup Farm, and Cape Cod Potato chips. I like trying things that are made locally so I went to town! Got some maple syrup, greek yogurt, cheese, and had a little bit of ice cream (YUM!) I also came across some maple yogurt - made from whole milk - so full of fat, but of course delicious. Anyways, back to my newest invention. We grabbed some smoked provolone cheese along the way (not from the Cabot Creamery) and this stuff looked GOOD! It had the marks on the back where it had been laying on the grill in the smoker. Yummy. I had brought along my usual snacks and foods - crackers, apples, cranberries, nuts, honey etc... We were camping on this trip so I got to get creative with my little grill and this was the result.

                                             Not the best picture in America, but you'll live.

So here is how I did it:

1-2 apples -diced
1/4 Cup dried cranberries (raisins would be good too!)
4-8 crackers (use whatever kind you have - whole wheat of course being a good choice)
Nuts (I used pumpkin seeds in this batch - but I made another with walnuts - both delicious)
Provolone cheese
1 TBSP Honey
1/2 tsp Olive oil
Dash of maple syrup

Dice apples and cook over medium heat in honey, olive oil, and maple syrup. (cook covered - about 6-12 minutes until apples are tender)

Add in nuts and cranberries - cook until they are warmed.

Place a thin slice of cheese on the cracker and spoon a portion of the apple mixture on top.

Scrumptious. All done while camping. Who knew.

Oh momma! I'm stoked about his one. It's D-licious! But this is how it all came about.....I've been traveling across the country, hence no recent posts. We (my husband and I) finally arrived home this week. Yesterday we went out to be tourists in our own city and it was just WONDERFUL! We happened by one of those U-pick strawberry places. I've been wanting to stop at one and pick my own berries for a while, and well, we're only home for about a week so we decided to get it accomplished. We picked a couple of pails full. I pawned some off on my trainer, but my fridge is still bursting at the seams and we are leaving next week so I had to find something to do with them all. Hence Strawberry bread.

Strawberry bread

For 1 (8x4) loaf pan you will need:

2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 cup Honey
2 eggs
1 cup crushed fresh strawberries (or frozen and thawed)

Directions:

Mix together flour, salt, baking powder and soda.
In a medium bowl, combine oil and honey.
Combine flour mixture, berries, honey/oil mixture, and eggs-mix until just blended.

Line an 8x4 pan with a piece of waxed paper, then grease the paper.

Pour batter into pan and smooth the top with a spoon.

Bake at 325 deg F for about 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes our clean.

Let bread stand in pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Turn the loaf out onto the rack and peel off the paper, turning bread right side up to let it cool completely.

I have really been impressed with the things I have made and come up with lately, i'm totally in love with myself right now. :) I don't think i've ever eaten such tasty things and this was at the top of the list for tastiness.

Ingredients:
1 Pork Tenderloin (I used a peppercorn flavored one)
1/2 bag spinach
Reduced fat feta cheese

Directions:

1. Cut tenderloin down the middle to make a pocket
2. Boil water in a pan - add 1/2 bag of spinach
3. Boil spinach for 1-2 minutes so it is slightly wilted
4. Drain spinach
5. Place spinach inside of Tenderloin pocket
6. Top with Feta Cheese
7. Cook at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes

If you couldn't tell by now, I am an Ice Cream kind of girl! I especially love ice cream in the form of a Milkshake. For those of you from my native homeland, I'm sure you would all agree that Mack's Drive-In has some delicious milkshakes! Am I right? My favorite was always banana raspberry. However, I am also a cookie dough milkshake fan, D-licious! So I bring to you a recipe for exactly such a milkshake. Also, I am not a vegan expert, but I do believe all the ingredients qualify for being a vegan milkshake.

Ingredients:

Makes 4 Servings

Ice Cream
4 Frozen Bananas (to freeze bananas peel and slice. Place slices into zip lock bag and freeze)
2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

Cookie Dough
1/3 cup walnuts
1/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup pitted dates (or 6-8 dates)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 Tablespoon natural peanut butter

Directions:
Cookie Dough (make first)
Combine all cookie dough ingredients in food processor.
Combine until cookie dough mixture forms
Roll dough into balls and set aside (makes about 12 balls)

Ice Cream
Combine ingredients in food processor - hold on tight to your food processor to begin with, it is gonna rock and roll all over the place!
Process until a creamy mixture forms

Spoon mixture into 4 bowls and top each with 3-4 cookie dough balls.

*This recipe has been modified, but the original recipe for this came from damyhealth.com - this website ROCKS!