Caramel Popcorn

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. butter
• 2 1/2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 bag of popped popcorn

Directions

1. To make the caramel sauce, heat a saucepan over medium heat to melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla. Pour over popcorn, stirring to coat.
2. Place coated popcorn in a baking dish and bake in 250 degrees F oven stirring after 2 minutes, for 4 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely before serving.

Enjoy these crispy and crunchy bites! You'll be done before the movie starts.

Mini Wedge Salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing

I first discovered a wedge salad at a fine-dining restaurant where my boyfriend and I celebrated our two-year anniversary. I recalled the first thought that crossed my mind was that it was a lazy way out of making a "real" salad however reality sunk in as soon as I took a bite. The crunchiness of the iceberg lettuce and condiments with creamy dressing sealed the deal for me. I now could say that I appreciate the imagination and creativity of turning a salad into something unrecognizable and simply delectable to make. 

 

Serves 2

 Ingredients: 

• 1 head of iceberg lettuce
• 1 roma tomato
• 2-3 slices bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled 
• ranch dressing (recipe below) 

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup of non-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 1/3 cup buttermilk (or 1/4 cup of milk and 2 tbsp. of vinegar)
• 1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise
• 1 clove garlic (pressed) 
• 1 tbsp. of honey
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper

Instructions:

Slice the head of lettuce in half. Remove the core by cutting diagonally around it and cut each half into three wedges.  Drizzle with ranch dressing and sprinkle with bacon bits, diced tomatoes, and more dressing if desired.

To make the dressing: In a small bowl, mix all ingredients until well blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

 

Tiny Tostada Tacos

These are some of my favorite Mexican ingredients! I love refried beans and always request it in my burritos. Avocados usually comes with an additional fee when purchasing condiments for your food, but I relish in the fact that it's very rich and creamy, but in a healthy kind of way. As you can tell in my Cilantro Caprese Salad post, I can eat both raw whole or cherry tomatoes on it's own. Fresh tomatoes are naturally good for your overall health and I heard they promote beautiful skin and hair, too (health bonus points!).

 

This was the twitter photo I posted last night!  Were you able to tell what they were?

 

I heated the beans in a small pot over the stove for 5 minutes to make them warm and easy to scoop into the Tostitos.  The chopped avocados and tomatoes were next to go in and you can decide to add in other ingredients like I did. I chose to add some more color so I had American cheese and sour cream for a better salty and sour element, too. You can also substitute refried beans for ground beef if you're not a fan of beans, but I personally enjoyed these knowing that it's pack with everything nutritious!

Insanity Workout

My Reason To Stay Fit #1: To Say that I Completed the Insanity Challenge

The Insanity program is a great way to get in shape at home. I would like to consider Insanity a cardio-version of P90X. It's important to stick to their work-out schedule or else it's back to Day 1. The first time I attempted the second day routine, I didn't know what I was getting myself into. I thought I was done after the warm-up session. It's high intensity interval training that requires you to exert a lot of energy into a demanding physical workout. It's not recommended for individuals with a low level of physical fitness, pre-existing injuries or serious medical conditions according to LiveStrong's review of the program so be very careful. It's fine to go slow and take small breaks in between routines during the first couple of weeks because the goal of the program is to make you stronger overtime. I'm on my third week and happy to say that I've been consistent with the program. I know what to expect now so I'd even try to sneak in a couple moves that I skipped during water-break and catch up on the next move. I would like to update you on my progress as it is motivation for me to keep going. Perhaps, on Fit-Test day, I can compare results that I have written down from the first time I've done it.

Cilantro Caprese Salad

This is my very own version of a Caprese Salad. Typically, Caprese salads are made with basil, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil, but I didn't have those ingredients laying around the house. You can finely chop the cilantro or cut the stems and use the leafy green part for garnishing and enhanced flavoring.
Serves 3: Tomatoes, Mozzarella Cheese, Cilantro, Salt & Pepper

The sliced tomatoes should be the bottom layer and the mozzarella cheese would be placed on top of that. You can add any amount of the other ingredients depending on your preference. If you want a balance of all the flavors, just sprinkle a little of salt and pepper and drizzle the balsamic vinegar and olive oil. This was such an easy and refreshing appetizer or side dish for summertime. Buon Appetito!