I’m going all in — Oil Cleansing

Hello friends! It’s been a while, but I’m back to document a new journey I am taking on.

I have always struggled with my skin. I wouldn’t say I had severe acne or terrible scarring from breakouts, but I would describe my skin as acne prone. Throughout my adolescence and teenage years, I would have the occasional breakout and turned to Proactiv to keep my mild acne under control. I absolutely LOVED my Proactiv. So much so, I used it religiously for about 10 years.

It wasn’t until about a year and a half ago that I started noticing my skin getting reallyyyy oily. More so than it normally is. I was really scared to come off Proactiv (like petrified) but after doing some research, I learned that because Proactiv is SO harsh and over drying, the skin actually over produces oil to make up for being extremely dried out. This was a HUGE wake up call for me. My skin was clearly so off balance and dependent on this skin care system I had been using for years.

Knowing I had to try and fix this mess, I played around with a bunch of different products—Mario Badescu, Dermalogica, Philosophy, just to name a few. My skin absolutely freaked out. I was breaking out worse than I ever did when I was in my teens. I expected an adjustment period changing products like this, but man, the breakouts were unbearable. Even my esthetician, who had been waxing my eyebrows for 12 years, asked me what was going on with my skin. I finally bit the bullet and went to a dermatologist. She prescribed me a gel medication, Aczone and recommended Cetaphil Oil Control cleanser and moisturizer. Instantly, my skin calmed down, and has been pretty much under control ever since.

After about a year of this regimen, I have been doing more and more research about natural skin care. There are SO many toxic chemicals in the products we apply to our face daily. Chemicals that are so detrimental to our health, some even leading to cancer. With my skin feeling like it’s finally more balanced, I’m ready to start moving away from chemicals and drying cleansers to a natural routine of oils. Yes, you read that right—I am going to start cleansing my face with oil.

The Oil Cleansing Method is not new to the skin care scene. In fact, it is a widely used method that has helped cure acne and leave skin balanced, clear and beautiful. It actually makes so much sense and is backed by chemistry. Like dissolves like, therefore oil dissolves oil.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous for this change—I finally have my skin under control and now I’m going to try something SO different, but I truly believe that this process will ultimately be worth it in the long run. I have ordered my products and plan to start when they arrive this week. I’ll go over the exact oils I’m using and the method of cleansing in my next post. I’m excited to share this journey with you all!

If you have experience with the Oil Cleansing Method, I’d love to hear from you! What has your experience been with it? Did you love it?

#FitFootballFood Week 7

Happy Sunday!

#FitFootballFood is coming at ya a little bit later this week. Consider this a special Sunday edition 😉

Today, we have one of our Sunday football staples. It is super easy to make and most of the prep work can be done ahead of time. Nachos are the ideal football snack- in my opinion. They are the perfect combination of all things delicious, and can be customized to your liking.

This week, we are bringing you a salsa chicken variety that utilizes the coveted crock pot! I hope you find this recipe as delicious as we do!

• 1 chicken breast
• 1 cup salsa
• your favorite tortilla chips
• shredded cheddar cheese
• your favorite nacho topings– we used:
  • shredded lettuce
  • diced tomatoes
  • salsa
  • guac

Place chicken breast with salsa in the crock pot and set to high for 3 hours. After it’s done cooking, you should be able to shred it easily. Set the oven to 400 degrees. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spread out the tortilla chips. Sprinkle the chips with however much cheddar you wish and bake for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Top the chips with the shredded salsa chicken and the rest of your desired toppings. Enjoy!

#FitFootballFood Week 6

Week 6 already! I’ve got to say, this has to be one of our healthiest football seasons yet. Being more mindful of what we are eating has made a huge difference—especially going through the workout program we started a couple of months ago! What they say is true: It’s 80% nutrition and 20% exercise.

Today’s recipe is a fun one! We are taking tater tots to the next level. Who knew sweet potato tots could be so simple to make? These are baked, not fried, and use parmesan cheese to bind everything. It’s a quick and simple process that results in a delicious snack for Sunday football!

• 2 sweet potatoes
• ½ cup parmesan cheese
• 1 cup sweet potato chips
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake the sweet potatoes either in the microwave or oven until soft in the center. Scoop out the insides and mash. Mix in the parmesan cheese and add salt and pepper to your liking.

In a food processor, blend the sweet potato chips until they form a breadcrumb consistency.

Form the sweet potato mixture into tater tot shapes—like little logs. Roll the tots in the sweet potato chips and place on a baking sheet.

Bake for about 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.

These were delicious with a sriracha ketchup! Enjoy!

#FitFootballFood Week 5

It’s Thursday and that means it’s time for some more #FitFootballFood! I’ve got to be honest, I’m loving this series. It’s getting me back in the groove of blogging consistently (which I’ve missed) and getting our recipes out there. We’ve toyed with the idea of doing an ebook– it’s still not out of the question. But for now, posting to the blog is what works best.

Anyways! Today’s recipe is another pumpkin treat! I’ve been looking for a healthy snack I can make ahead of time and bring to work with me for the afternoon hours, when my energy levels tend to drop and I’m looking for something filling. I bought some pumpkin puree last weekend with the intentions of making pumpkin pancakes (another recipe to follow 😉 ) and ended up with these bars. I wanted a snack that wasn’t a cookie, and wasn’t overly sweet, but would fill me up and give me energy to last the remaining 2-3 hours of my work day. Turns out this is an awesome snack that can absolutely be enjoyed during any sporting event- as well as work. They are so easy to make with such few ingredients- I bet you have them all in your pantry right now.

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 2 tbsp ground flax
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• dash of salt
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup natural peanut butter or almond butter
• 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the oats, flax and spices in a medium mixing bowl. Combine the pumpkin, nut butter, honey, and vanilla extract in another bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well. Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper and spread the mixture evenly onto it.

Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool and cut into 10 squares.

The next time I make these, I am going to add some mix-ins! I think it would be great with walnuts or chocolate chips 🙂 Enjoy!

#FitFootballFood Week 4

Whenever we hear “football”, the first thing (food-wise) that comes to mind for us is buffalo. Buffalo wings, buffalo chicken dip, buffalo chicken pizza… the list goes on. Most of those items were definitely staples for us in the past, although not the healthiest options. We have made it our mission this season to create healthier buffalo alternatives, and I think we have a great one today.

Nothing can replace the experience of a buffalo chicken wing. Yes- wings are an experience. However, the crunch of the crispy skin and the flavor of the buffalo can be easily replicated by replacing the chicken with cauliflower. You read that correctly—we are replacing a delicious chicken wing with a seemingly boring vegetable.

Don’t fear! This snack was actually a MAJOR hit. So much so, Chris has made them every Sunday since football started. If I can get my protein loving man to eat this, anyone can 😉 The best part is, it’s SO easy to make! I’m sure you’ll love this one.

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup buffalo sauce

Preheat the oven to 420 degrees. Cut the cauliflower into florets and coat in the olive oil. Bake for about 20 minutes. Coat the cauliflower in the buffalo sauce and enjoy!

#FitFootballFood Week 3

What is better than pumpkin cookies during football season?? For this week’s installment of #FitFootballFood, I’m switching things up and bringing you a delicious fall treat!

These cookies lasted less than 24 hours in our house—not even ashamed about that. The best part is, they are actually healthy! I mean, not 100% clean, BUT pretty darn close. This recipe involves a couple of my favorite things—pumpkin, peanut butter, and dark chocolate. Can you beat that combination? I hope you enjoy these as much as we did over the weekend!

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

• ¼ cup natural peanut butter (I used Peanut Butter & Co.’s Pumpkin Spice)
• 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
• ¼ cup egg whites or 1 whole egg
• 2 tbsp packed light brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 cup rolled oats
• ¼ cup whole wheat flour
• ¼ tsp salt
• dark chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium sized mixing bowl, mix together the pumpkin, peanut butter, vanilla, egg whites and spices. In a separate bowl, mix together the oats, flour and baking powder. Fold in the dry ingredients into the wet until well mixed. Add the chocolate chips or any other mix-ins. Use a tablespoon to divide out the batter onto an un-greased baking sheet (makes about 12). Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

#FitFootballFood Week 2

It’s Thursday and that means it’s time for football! We served up some great food for week 2 of the NFL season last week, and today’s recipe is sure to be a winner for this week’s games.

Chris and I have done a lot of brainstorming when it comes to our healthier football Sundays. There has been a lot of trial and error. Some good, some not so great. But it’s been a lot of fun experimenting with different concepts.

This past week, we tried a healthier chicken nugget. It is the perfect snacky food that provides a great protein punch. The fact these nuggets are baked and not fried makes them so much lighter, yet still filling. These will definitely be making another appearance in the future!

Oat Crusted Chicken Nuggets

• 1 chicken breast, cubed into 1” pieces
• ½ cup rolled oats
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp paprika
• ¼ tsp onion powder
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 1/3 cup egg whites or 1 whole egg, beaten

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Blend the oats in a food processor until it reaches a flour-like consistency. In a small bowl, mix the oats together with the spices.

Pour the eggs into a separate bowl. Dredge each chicken piece in the egg, then directly into the oat mixture, making sure each piece is coated completely. Lightly coat a baking sheet with olive oil and place the nuggets on the sheet evenly.

Bake for 7-10 minutes, flip, and bake for another 7-10 minutes or until golden brown.

You can use whatever dipping sauce you prefer. We used a honey mustard sauce and it was delicious!  Enjoy!

#FitFootballFood Week 1

It’s getting into one of my favorite times of the year– fall! I definitely appreciate this season a lot more now that I live in Charlotte. And to be honest, it’s still summer weather here– to me, anyways. Even though the temps have been dropping (it’s no longer 95+, more like 88-90), I’m still craving that crisp, fall air. A girl just wants to wear her boots and scarves– is that so much to ask? I digress…

With fall comes football. Chris and I have made a big deal about football Sundays the past 2 1/2 years we have been dating. It’s literally an all day affair– from food shopping, to food prep, to watching games, checking our fantasy teams… it’s kind of exhausting, yet so much fun. In the past, our food selections, though delicious, have not been the healthiest. Now that we have committed to another round of Insanity Max: 30, we have gone [pretty much] all in and have decided to make our football Sundays healthier.

Last week marked week 1 of the new NFL season, and we started it with some pretty awesome eats. If you know us, you know that pizza is probably the most common food cooked in our kitchen. We were determined to make a healthier version that wouldn’t completely ruin all of the hard work we’ve been putting into our workouts. The result was pretty awesome, and the best part is, you can tailor it to however you like it.

Buffalo Chicken Sausage Flatbread

• 1 whole wheat flatbread or pita
• 1 link of Boar’s Head buffalo chicken sausage
• 1/3 cup part skim mozzarella cheese
• 2 tbsp blue cheese crumbles
• 1/4 cup tomato, diced
• 1 tbsp evoo

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the chicken sausage and bake for 5 minutes until crispy. Coat the flatbread with the olive oil and bake for 5 minutes. After the flatbread and sausage are done baking, remove. Layer about half of the mozzarella on the flatbread and bake until melted. Remove and add the chicken sausage, tomatoes remaining mozzarella and blue cheese and bake for another 5-10 minutes. Let cool before slicing!

This buffalo chicken sausage is actually really awesome! It has just enough kick with no added nitrates or preservatives. We thought it was a really great find, and we will absolutely be making this again! Enjoy and GO PATS!

Garlic Veggie Chicken Pasta

Sometimes you just want to eat a big bowl of pasta. I know I do pretty regularly. And I don’t feel bad about it ever—we try and make the unhealthier meals healthy *most* of the time.

This meal was no exception. It was the perfect combination of carbs and protein, which made it ideal for my post spin class meal.

• ¼ cup evoo
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• ½ cup broccoli florets
• ¼ cup roasted red peppers (sliced)
• ½ cup diced tomatoes
• 1 chicken breast, baked/grilled and diced
• ½ box of whole wheat spaghetti

Heat about half the evoo in a medium skillet. At the same time, bring a medium sauce pan of water to a boil. Sautee garlic, broccoli, roasted red peppers, tomatoes and chicken in the skillet for about 5 minutes. Set aside. Add spaghetti to boiling water and cook until al dente (or however you prefer). Drain spaghetti and add to skillet with veggies and chicken. Mix together and add the rest of the evoo. Enjoy!

Parmesan Roasted Broccoli

Before my Refresh last week, I started playing around with ideas of how to make veggies taste better. For some reason, I’ve been having this weird aversion toward vegetables lately.

I was able to eat asparagus every single day and not get sick of it. Well… that time has come, and I’ve been on a mission to find a way to make veggies that isn’t completely unhealthy, but tastes good.

I decided to experiment with broccoli. Upon some research for inspiration, I saw some recipes for parmesan roasted broccoli. Yes, please! So I decided to tweak the recipes a bit and make my own version.

I’ve got to say—I can get behind eating veggies again if they taste like this!

2 cups broccoli florets

2-3 teaspoons of minced garlic

2 tbsp evoo

1 tsp lemon juice

salt

pepper

¼ cup parmesan cheese

½ tsp oregano

½ tsp basil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix the broccoli with olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until browned. Add the parmesan and spices and mix into the broccoli. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!