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Gluten Free Meals Foodie App

March 20, 2014 by Lindsay Ingalls 2 Comments

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored opportunity with Foodie.com. All opinions are my own.

Over the past month we have really cut back on the amount of gluten we have been eating. At first it was really just by coincidence but now we are really making an effort to cut back, not out, but back on the amount of gluten we eat. A few weeks ago we had five days of meals without gluten and I was feeling good. My digestion improved, I was more energetic and well I really didn’t miss the gluten!

Anyways since then we have been making an effort to eat less gluten because it makes us feel better so I was thrilled when this months gluten free recipe collection was released on the Foodie app (unfortunately for iphone and ipad only). While many of the recipes are omnivore and vegetarian there are a few vegan recipes and so far they have been really good.

I am also loving the set up of this collection as it gives you ideas for every day of the week! If you are full time gluten free or maybe you’re just looking for some inspiration this is the perfect app for your entire week.

This morning I made up a batch of the Smoked Paprika Home Fries. It’s not often that I make big breakfast during the week but I was in the mood and these sounded so good. I’m generally not the best at making home fries, they tend to be under cooked or don’t get crispy on the outside but this recipe changed all that. I think my biggest problem has always been that I have been using the wrong potatoes and after making this I won’t ever go back, russets are the perfect potatoes for home fries.

You can get the recipe for these delicious vegan and gluten-free home fries by downloading the Foodie app to your ipad or iphone.

Seriously these were so good and I plan on making them often! I also am looking forward to trying the Pineapple-Mango Green-A-Colada Smoothie <– seriously sounds so good and is also included in these new Foodie App Gluten-Free Collection.

12 Vegan Sweet & Savory Pies #EasyAsPie

February 27, 2014 by Lindsay Ingalls 3 Comments

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Foodie.com All opinions are my own.

I love pies. Pizza pie, sweet pies, savory pies, tarts, hand pies…I think you get the picture. As I put this collection together I had to stop myself from going out to buy all of the ingredients to make each one. Since making all of them at once would be irresponsible I guess I’ll have to make each of these over the next few months. I have to say I am especially looking forward to the raw banana cream pie – how insane does that look?

You can check out my entire collection here:

What’s your favorite type of pie?

Erin Hamlin and USA Luge Slider Search

February 24, 2014 by Lindsay Ingalls Leave a Comment

This post was created in partnership with Citi®. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I honestly didn’t think I would get so into watching the Olympics. I think the last time I watched the Winter Olympics was back in 2002 and that was probably mostly because I still lived with my parents and it was always on TV. So this year I surprised myself when I turned the TV on most nights to watch the Olympics (side note NBC is one of the four channels we get via rabbit ears) instead of a show on Netflix.

One sport I really got wrapped up in was the luge. I mean seriously how insane is the luge? Oh and don’t get me started on skeleton. I found myself stuck to the TV watching Erin Hamlin and her fellow lugers speed down the track. I honestly am semi petrified of sledding after an icy crash when I was 10 or 11 so I can’t even imagine going 80+ mph down an ice track on a thin board; maybe that’s why I got so into it?

Well as you all probably know by now Erin Hamlin won the bronze medal in the Luge Women’s Single competition and became the first American female luger to win a medal at any Winter Olympics and the first American to win an Olympic medal in singles luge of either gender. Pretty amazing right?

Erin Hamlin actually started her luge journey by reluctantly attending a USA Luge Slider Search event back in 1999. Although at first the luge didn’t come naturally to Erin with hard work and dedication she mastered the sport. Now she is a U.S. Olympian and is taking the time to give back and inspire kids around the country. Erin is teaming up with USA Luge Slider Search to introduce kids around the country to luge and find candidates who have what it takes to become the best in the country.

So wants to become an Olympic luger? Or maybe you know a kid who would be interested in learning to luge or another Olympic sport? You can help support their dream by heading on over to the Citi® Every Step of the Way® site and clicking on the Award $5 of Citi’s Donation (it’s FREE to do this!) to USA Slider Search or any other program that interests you pick the one that speaks to you! Don’t forget to come back and let me know which one you picked! To learn more about how you can help check out this short Citi® Every Step of the Way® Welcome Video

#rethinkyourday with Polar Loop

February 21, 2014 by Lindsay Ingalls Leave a Comment

The following post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Polar. As always all opinions are my own!

When I first received the Polar Loop I was excited but a little skeptical about whether or not I would actually find it useful. Since I started wearing the Polar Loop a few weeks ago I have really become more aware of how much I move (or don’t move) during the day. As a stay-at-home-mom it is easy to get in the habit of sitting around and since it is winter in the Pacific Northwest it is pretty easy to find yourself not leaving the house some days simply because you don’t want to get decked out in rain gear.

After the first day of wearing the Polar Loop I was a little embarrassed at just how much I sat down that day. My only redeeming note is that I didn’t sit for long periods of time all at once (this is one of the cool features of the Polar Loop tracking). Nevertheless I still sat more than I know I should and since then have been making an effort to get off my butt and move more. While some days we still don’t leave the house, like during our recent snowstorm, I am still finding ways to move at home and at the gym.

So after three weeks of wearing the Polar Loop I find myself still not moving as much as I’d like. According to my stats I am active about 25% of the day and honestly that just isn’t good enough for me. I would like to bump this up to 40-60% of the day.

What an ideal day looks like – 53% activity

This is an average day- 27% activity

Ways I plan to increase my activity over the next month:

Take a post dinner walk with my family.
Walk up and down the stairs (our main living area is on the second floor) once per hour.
Commit to three gym days and two at home workouts per week.
Get out once per day (weather permitting) with Edith and go for a walk to the park, to the market, to the community center, ect.
Have more dance parties with Edith.

The best part by increasing my activity level I will also be increasing our outdoor time! I will also be relieving stress, increasing my energy and preparing my body for labor and birth. So all I can say is wearing the Polar Loop has been eye opening and has helped me to make the changes that I have known I needed to make for months now.

Final Thoughts:

Pros:

It tracks five different levels of activity <– love this.
It’s waterproof and you can even wear it swimming.
Provides tips to help you reach your daily activity and it updates throughout the day. Basically it tells you how long you would need to run, walk or just be up on your feet moving around.
Syncs with phone and will even send inactivity alerts to your phone if you’ve been sitting too long.
Low battery alerts.
Compatible with Polar H6 and H7 heart rate sensor.
Customizable size.

Cons:

It’s a bit bulky for me but not too bulky for me not to wear it.
While the size is customizable you have to cut it and well that just made me a bit nervous that I was going to cut it too small so it took me a few tries before I got it (almost) perfect.

Do you track your activity? How has it changed your days/life/workout?

Meatless Meals for Brown Bag Lunches

February 19, 2014 by Lindsay Ingalls Leave a Comment

These days I don’t do a lot of brown bag lunches for my self since I am a stay at home mom. However, I do make brown bag lunches for my husband who works outside the home. While PB&J is probably the easiest option it’s also pretty boring so I am always looking for quick, easy and tasty ideas to send to send with Neil for lunch.

Idea #1:

Chik’n Fried Rice, Salad and Fruit. While this is enough for me I also would probably pack a few extra snacks for Neil as well.

This chik’n fried rice is simply rice, edamame, carrots and MorningStar Farms Griller’s Chik’n Veggie Patty that has been stir fried with a little soy sauce. Quick and easy! You could also simply cook up the chik’n veggie patty and add it to some leftover takeout veggie fried rice.

Idea #2:

BBQ Chik’n Patty with vegan mac and cheese, roasted sweet potatoes and salad.

This is a quick and easy meal that can be made from dinner leftovers. Just cook the patty up in the morning and toss with your favorite BBQ sauce and place in a microwave safe dish with the vegan mac and cheese and sweet potatoes. Heat up at lunch and enjoy with a nice green salad. Easy, healthy and tasty.

As you can see meatless brown bag lunches can be more exciting that PB&J and they take little to no time to make. Help yourself my using leftovers, prepping your lunches in advanced and if you have kids get them involved as well! You can also make your brown bagged lunch more fun by serving it up in those “fancy” lunch containers they have out now.

Find your fresh take on eating well. Browse hundreds of meat-free recipes at MorningStarFarms.com.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Kellogg’s MorningStar via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Kellogg’s MorningStar.

Koss FitBuds and FitClips

February 14, 2014 by Lindsay Ingalls Leave a Comment

Disclaimer: The Koss products feature is sponsored by FitFluential LLC. I personally use these items and all opinions are my own.

Over the holidays I shared my Holiday Gift Guide for active women which featured Koss FitBuds and FitClips. Since joining the gym this January I have been wearing the FitClips all the time and well Neil has been really loving the FitBuds (what can I say he has womanly ears). The FitClips are wonderful because they don’t fall out while I am on the elliptical or treadmill or stairmaster.

While both Koss FitBuds and FitClips retail for $29.99 right now you can find them at Walgreens for only $19.99 (for a limited time only!) You can search online to see if you local Walgreens has them in stock here.

Meatless Monday: Pesto Chik’n Sandwiches

February 3, 2014 by Lindsay Ingalls 1 Comment

As most of you know Meatless Monday is everyday at our house but even so I’m always looking to add some new dishes to our weekly menu. I’m always on the look for easy meatless ingredients to create quick and easy recipes like the one I am going to share below.

While most of the time we are beans, greens and grains kind of eaters over here we sometimes have one of those days where we really want great veggie patty. I’m not one to make a lot of my own so I usually have a stash in the freezer for lazy days. Yesterday was one of those days where we just wanted sandwiches so I whipped up some Pesto Chik’n Sandwiches using MorningStar Farms® Grillers® Chik’n Veggie Patties. These Chik’n patties only have 80 calories per serving, are a great source of protein and they are cholesterol free!

The best part? Almost all the ingredients in to make my Pesto Chik’n Sandwich can come right from you pantry making this the perfect Meatless Monday dinner because really who wants to spend their Monday nights in the kitchen?

What you’ll need for 2 servings:

4 slices of really good bread or two ciabatta rolls
2 roma tomatoes (plus salt, pepper, thyme and olive oil)
2 tablespoons of your favorite pesto (or see my recipe below)
2 tablespoons of (vegan) mayo
2 MorningStar Farms® Grillers® Chik’n Veggie Patties

Add on’s you might enjoy:

sundried tomatoes
artichoke hearts
(vegan) cheese
baby spinach

Assembly:

First I love to broil my roma tomatoes to really get the best flavor out of them. Simply turn the broiler on high and then I cut my tomatoes in half place them on a sheet pan drizzle with olive oil and dust with a sprinkle of salt, pepper and dried or fresh thyme. Place the tomatoes under the broiler for 3-5 minutes until lightly browned on top. Warning: be careful when you open your oven as these babies let off a lot of steam so make sure to keep your face away.
I also love to toast my bread up so I just stick it under the broiler as well for 3 or so minutes. Keep your eye on this one or you’ll end up with burnt toast!
For the Chik’n patties I simple cook them based on the skillet directions on the package.
Now the best part the Pesto Mayo. Pour both in a bowl, mix together and then slather on both sides of your bread. The place cut the chik’n patty in half and place on one side and the tomatoes on the other, put your sandwich together and serve!

Arugula Pesto

Ingredients:

1 cup raw walnuts
2 garlic cloves
3/4 cup nutritional yeast
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
2.5 cups loosely packed baby arugula
1/2 teaspoon salt + 1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Place the walnuts, garlic and nutritional yeast in the base of a food processor fitted with the S blade. Process until a small crumble.
Add the lemon juice, arugula, salt and pepper to the food processor and process on low.
With the food processor on slowly pour in the olive oil through the feed tube. Process until smooth.

Tip: This makes a lot of pesto so place your leftover pesto in a food storage container and top with just a thin layer of olive oil to keep it from browning. Store in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

For those nights when I am not in the mood to create my own new recipe I love being able to have access to tons of other meatless recipes that make my life easier. Here are a few other Meatless Monday recipes you might enjoy:
• Good Morning Breakfast casserole
• Barley Vegetable soup
• Moroccan Veggie Soup
• Buffalo Chik Wrap
• Mushroom Spinach and Artichoke lasagna
• Spicy Mango Stir Fry

Find your fresh take on eating well. Browse hundreds of meat-free recipes at MorningStarFarms.com.

What’s your favorite Meatless Monday recipe? Do any of the recipes above sound good to you?

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