Making butter

I already know what you're thinking. "Butter is NOT healthy, Priscilla. What's wrong with you??". Sure, butter isn't necessarily a diet food. But as with everything in life, moderation is key. If you don't want to give up butter but want to make it a little healthier, then this is what you gotta do.
First, this is better because you are making it yourself. You can choose what type of cream to buy. You can find organic milk that comes from grass-fed cows that are also local. That by itself makes this a million times better than butter you buy in the store.
Second, you can also control the amount of salt that goes in. Plus, this is fresh!
Third, you can still have butter but just make sure you measure it out in a measuring spoon so you know exactly how much you are eating, and add it to your warm toast while the butter is at room temperature. That way it's easier to spread it in a thinner layer.

Bakin' up a storm!

Lately, I've been obsessed with Joy Wilson, or Joy The Baker. I found her on a website that listed all the best food blogs and it was love at first sight. I got her book last weekend and have been dying to try stuff out, so today I finally made a couple of her recipes. I want to eventually do a Julie and Julia thing, making every single one of her recipes, but with a twist, turning them a little bit healthier. Here are the two things I made today.

Back to Basics 4 - Basil Pesto

Back to Basics 3 - Classic Hummus

I used to HAATTEEE hummus when I was younger. My dad loves it, and I just did not see what all the fuss was about. But as I started eating healthy, getting older and developing a more complex palette, I started to become pretty obsessed with it. I'm also very into making my own..everything! Started with cookies, moving to almond butter, bread, pizza, etc. So I had to make my own hummus, but I thought it was the hardest thing on Earth to do. That is, until I googled it. SUPER easy, you only need a few ingredients and a food processor. Or a blender.

Margherita Breakfast Sandwich

This recipe came about because I woke up one morning and was just not in the mood to make anything elaborate but I was craving just that. I wanted a nice little breakfast sandwich but I didn't want to leave the house, I just didn't want to do a whole lot of work. This is easy and quick, as all breakfasts should be.

Back to Basics 2 - Tools of a Healthy Kitchen

For those who don't know how to get started with the whole healthy eating, here are some tools I use almost every single day.

Oat, Coconut & Pumpkin Seed Cookies

*Recipe adapted from Whole Foods website*

This cookie is filled with healthy goodies but still manages to taste REALLY good. If you can't find pumpkin seeds, you can substitute with almonds, dried fruit or even chia seeds.

Back to Basics 1 - Getting Started

This is the first installment of the series "Back to Basics". The series is all about giving you recipes that everyone should know how to make. It's also here to help you with the basics of eating healthy.

I know how un-fun learning about eating healthy can be. It's all "drink water, exercise, eat your fruits and veggies, bla!" (which, by the way, you should do). Well, I'm here to cut out all the extra fluff and give you the basics.

Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies

I like to keep my cookie jar constantly full, so when my boyfriend and I ate all of the cookies in it yesterday, I started scrambling trying to think of what to make next. I saw this recipe for coconut cookies, but I had to leave my butter out to come to room temperature and that would just not work for tonight, I needed a cookie NOOWWW. Sooooo I went to the cookie I always go to when I just want soft, chewie, chocolate-packed, simple goodness. I love that this isn't just an excuse to eat sugar, it actually has healthy stuff in it like whole wheat flour, olive oil, almond milk. You can even put in dark chocolate chips for antioxidants. Bonus: it's also dairy and egg free! Which means it's vegan, wohooo!!! Although if you're being strict you should make sure your chocolate chips are also vegan.

Anyway, let's get started!

Tea Smoothie

Today, I was inspired to work out again. I haven't done Zumba in ages so I thought I'd get my dusty DVD out from behind the TV stand and sweat a little. This smoothie is a quick and easy way to refuel and add a ton of nutrition to your body. Smoothies are a great go-to when you're hungry and just need something fast.

Bacon Breakfast Burrito

I know how tough it is to wake up in the morning for work, school, kids, what have you. I also know how tough it is to have the desire to make breakfast or even eat in the morning! Having said all that, breakfast is still the most important meal of the day. It sets you up for success! If you have a healthy, substantial breakfast, you are more likely to eat well the rest of the day. It also kickstarts your metabolism, and if you start off with protein and veggies, you won't be starving all morning hunting for chocolate all over the place (I never ever do that. Nope.).

I had an amazing dinner at my aunt's last night, but I ate a bit more than I would've liked. So this morning I had to get back to my low-cal routine. This is a REALLY easy recipe for a breakfast burrito, and you can do everything in your microwave in less than 5 minutes! Another plus, it has more than half of your recommended protein intake, and it's under 300 calories.

It's another Hungry Girl recipe, ya'll!!

Iced Pumpkin Muffins

Fall is my favorite season ever! It's the Goldilocks of seasons, not too hot and not too cold, plus we get all those beautiful golden leaves everywhere. It's also the start of the holidays and with that comes holiday food. Pumpkin, apple, cinnamon, oh my!

I decided to make these Hungry Girl muffins because I had a can of pure pumpkin lying around and too much time on my hands. You can probably start finding canned pure pumpkin now, I bought mine last year at Walmart and they're still good. Don't confuse them with pumpkin pie filling though! They're actual pumpkin, mashed up and without anything else added to them. I also saw these adorable muffin liners at Target for $1 so they needed to be used RIGHT AWAY. Here's the recipe:

Easy Leftover Lunch

An easy recipe for my first post using leftover pork and brown rice from last night's dinner. I just added a simple salad of baby spinach, fresh mozzarella and tomatoes, seasoned with kosher salt, dried oregano and a little bit of olive oil. I'll be honest, I did not track the calories on this one because today's been a little hectic.

Introductions

As I sit here studying for my upcoming Radiology exam, my mind wanders to different colorful ingredients and unique smells that could be coming out of my tiny kitchen.

Excuse all the sub par Instagram pictures, one day I'll have a nice camera again. Also, that is my boyfriend, Eric, hanging out and being a model. I'm very new to this whole cooking thing but it has stolen my heart like the Grinch stole Christmas.