agave, banana, blueberry, chia, cinnamon, cleaneating, easy, health, healthy, mason jar, nutrition, oatmeal, oats, preparation, quick, recipes, stevia, strawberry, Tone It Up

5 Overnight Oats Recipes To Try This Week

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Yesterday I posted a picture on my Instagram (follow here) of some Sunday prepartions I did for my busy work week. I am trying to get into the habit of preparing meals, setting out clothes, and planning activites each Sunday to make life much easier during the week. One of the things I always do is prepare breakfasts for the week. Last week I made the health muffins and this week I prepped Overnight Oats.

If you are a Tone It Up girl then you will be very familiar with this recipe. It is so easy to make and personalize with the ingredients you like. The base is 1/4-1/2 cup of quick oats and unsweetend almond milk (you can use any milk you like). To prepare you just add your ingredients to a mason jar or small container and then cover everything with your milk,sti, and leave it in the fridge while you sleep. I would add a generous amount of milk because the oats will soak it up overnight. Hence, Overnight Oats. Some people like to eat them cold straight out of the jar but I like to heat mine up in the morning. It’s all up to you.

Here are 5 of my favorite Overnight Oats recipes:

Double Almond
1/4 cup of  oats
1 scoop protein powder
Dash of cinnamon
1 pkt of stevia
1 Tbsp of almond butter
Almond milk to cover oats

Chocolate Covered Coconut
1/4 cup of oats
1 scoop PB2 chocolate OR any chocolate nut butter
1 pkt stevia
Coconut flakes
Coconut milk to cover oats

Blueberry Muffin
1/4 cup oats
1 Tbsp protien powder
Dash of cinnamon
2 tsbp of agave nectar
Handful of blueberries
Almond milk to cover

Chia Strawberry
1/4 cup of oats
3 strawberries, sliced
1 tsp of chia seeds
1 pkt of stevia
Almond milk to cover

Banana Nut 
1/4 cup of oats
1 pkt of stevia
1/2 banana, sliced
1 handful of walnuts
Almond milk to cover

These are just 5 of my favorite recipes but the possibilites are endless! Let me know your favorite quick morning recipes.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!


Places to connect:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheImperfectpearl
Instagram: https://instagram.com/courtney.val/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/courtneywval
Blog: http://www.imperfectpearl.blogspot.com
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/courtneywval/
Email: courtneywval@gmail.com


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antioxidant, coconut, easy, food chopper, nuts, peanut butter, recipes, simple, snack, workplace

Today’s Snack Attack

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Having a mid-day snack attack? Try this:
1 Tbsp peanut or nut butter of your choice
Sprinkle of unsweetened coconut flakes
The peanut butter and coconut contain good fats that stimulate brain activity to keep you alert and energized. If you are concerned about sugar or salt intake choose a nut butter that is unsalted and raw. 
You can also easily make your own nut butter. Here’s how:
What you need:
Food chopper or processor
Desired type of nut
Tsp of honey
~Chop nuts until they become a mealy texture
~Add in honey
~Keep blending until you have a smooth consistency. Add in more honey if needed. 
I have also made nut butter with just water instead of honey but I find the honey adds a nice sweetness.  
What snack do you eat to get you through a mid-day slump? Let me know in the comments!
Other places to find me:
Twitter:@imperfectperla
Email: cwlinguistics@gmail.com
Instagram: cbwright
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4th of July, and blue, BBQ, easy, food, independence day, parties, Pinterest, quick, recipes, red, sharing, snacks, Tone It Up, treats, white

Favorite 4th of July Recipes

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Happy almost 4th!

Today I wanted to share with you some of my favorite recipes to make for Independence Day. (Yay!)

Last year I made two desserts: protein cookies with Greek yogurt icing and these:

I bet you can guess which dessert was more popular. Hehe. These are just white cake cupcakes with some red, white, and blue decorations. I think my protein cookies were not sweet enough so maybe I’ll work on that for this year’s treats.

Here are some other great recipes-

From my favorite fitness girls at Tone It Up:

3 Ingredient Cookies: These are so quick and easy to make. You could add some red or blue food coloring to make them a bit more festive too!
http://toneitup.com/2013/09/we-love-food-friday-your-3-ingredient-cookie/

Cucumber Rafts: I am making these this year for a BBQ. They are light, delicious, and 100% guilt-free.
http://toneitup.com/2014/06/ahoy-summery-boat-snacks/

Honey Grilled Peaches: If you are looking for something sweet and juicy this 4th of July these simple treats are perfect. If you don’t have a grill you can just use your oven or frying pan.
http://toneitup.com/2013/07/honey-grilled-peaches/

Sweet Potato Fries: Ditch the Lay’s potato chips and try these!
http://toneitup.com/2013/04/toneitup-homemade-sweet-potato-fries/

Quinoa and Veggie Burgers: I will be honest. These are a bit tricky to make at first but once you get them to stick together they are delicious.
http://toneitup.com/2013/08/veggie-quinoa-protein-patties/

From the always-addicting Pinterest:

Red, White, and Blue Rice Crispies: These treats bring back the best childhood memories.
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/405605510160726006/

American Flag Fruit Platter: Another simple classic. You could also put the fruit on skewers for easy sharing.
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/265149496784361156/

Patriotic Popcorn: Yes. Oh, yes.
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/241998179949865114/

Star Spangled Tart: If you are feeling creative this recipe might be for you. Personally I think it would be easier to add the fruit design on top of a pre-made pie/cake. I would go with an angel food cake for a lighter option but that’s just me.
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/404338872768579846/


As you can tell I chose recipes that are mostly quick and easy to make. From personal experience Independence Day is a holiday where people like simple foods they can munch on. Since most BBQs and meals for this holiday are not sit-down style people might not appreciate your elaborate foods as much as with another holiday. So my advice is to keep it fresh, simple, and tasty. 

I would love to hear which recipes you are trying this holiday. You can leave me a comment below or tweet me @imperfectperla. Also you can follow me on my personal Instagram @cbwright to see which treats I end up making for tomorrow and this weekend. 

Have a great 4th of July!

Courtney


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berries, beverages, champagne, cocktails, drinks, friday, fruit, healthy, indulge, ipanema, kombucha, low-sugar, mocktails, moderation, recipes, sparkling, tequila, vodka, weekend, wine

TGIF: Healthy Weekend Cocktail Recipes

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Happy Friday!

I don’t know about you but I am ready to enjoy the weekend and along with it a light cocktail or two. Usually I limit my alcohol intake because it tends to give me a headache but when I do indulge these are my go-to drinks. I’ve also included some “mocktail” options below in case you’re not of legal drinking age.

Prosecco/sparkling wine:
Bubbly is the perfect drink when you want something light. It only has 60-80 calories per glass and 1-2g of sugar. If sparkling wines are too dry for you, try adding the juice from a couple fresh, ripe berries. I like blackberries or blueberries personally.

Grapefruit Wine Spritzer
1 oz of pinto grigio
2-4oz of Polar brand ruby red grapefruit sparkling water. You could use any brand just as long as it doesn’t contain artificial flavors or sweeteners. I have sampled many sparkling waters and I find the Polar brand to have the most flavor.
**Another good idea is to make a carafe of this and add in ripe ruby red grapefruit slices. Let it sit in the fridge for a few hours and it will taste extra delicious.

Kombucha Wine Cocktail
1/2 bottle of GTS Trilogy kombucha or 8oz home-brewed kombucha.
2 oz of blush or white wine of choice

Raw Margarita aka “Skinny” Margarita
1.5 oz tequila
Juice from 1 lime
1 tsp of agave nectar
seltzer water and ice
Salt for the rim (optional)
If you’re going to have a margarita this really is the best way to go. It’s light, refreshing, and very low on the glycemic index. My husband makes the best raw margaritas.

Classic Mimosa
3 oz sparkling wine, champagne, or prosecco
Fresh juice from 1-2 oranges. Try to stay away from pre-packaged juices as they usually contain extra sugar.

X-rated Martini
1 oz X-rated vodka (a vodka infused with blood orange, mango, and passion fruit flavors)
2 oz champagne
A little fresh raspberry juice
Raspberry to garnish.
This is one of my all-time favorite cocktails. They serve it at a lounge I used to frequent in college called Room 38.  Man, I miss that place.

Mocktails
By the way, I am not endorsing underage drinking. Your time will come so don’t rush it. 🙂

Mock Ipanema
8oz Ginger ale
A few mint leaves
Crushed ice
~Add a silly straw or fun umbrella!

Mock Champagne cocktail
Sparkling white grape juice
2 fresh raspberries

As always drink responsibly and listen to your body. Everything in moderation.

I hope you enjoyed this post and have a great weekend!

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