Cauliflower Thai Rice. Was Oscar Worthy.

On a mission to try more clean eating and healthy recipes while on a 30 test pilot of a new lifestyle shake product. I've never done one before, so why not now while I have the time to really focus, meal prep, get myself into some good healthy life changes!

And while the Oscars could have put a serious dent in my plan, luckily I came across some really great and easy recipes that would delight my gluten and soy free friend and myself during the anticipation of the awards show! 

You can put Cauliflower Thai Rice on a lot and its about a 10-15 minute process! You can also mix in as many other veggies as you want to fill it up with flavor!

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup of coconut milk
• 1 bag of Trader Joes cauliflower rice
• 6 slices of mango
• Dash of Himalayan salt
• 1 cup of Kale
• 2 tsp of Olive Oil
• 2 small garlic cloves
• 1/2 small onion 

To start, put your coconut milk in a sauce pan and start just heading it up on low. If you are using the trader joe cauliflower rice, its already chopped for you. Otherwise, use a food processor to prep that first - so you can go ahead and put it right in the pan with the coconut milk. 

While that is simmering, start processing your other items such as the mango, kale, garlic and onions together. You can also do the mangos first to avoid mixing it with other items and then put them aside to use as a topping rather than in the rice itself. 

Once the rice looks like its absorbed a lot of the coconut milk, put in a small mixing bowl and add in your other ingredients!

You can really use this rice as a side, underneath some chicken or beaf, or how we did it with romaine leaves and mashed sweet potato spread! (its an amazing combination). Enjoy!

A Healthy Start to 2015

As a start to 2015, I've been doing a 30 day detox. Yep, you heard right - a dry January, free from any alcoholic bevvies. It's not a resolution as much as I'm trying to make a lifestyle change. If you know me well, you know I love a glass of vino with good company watching a beautiful Cali sunset any day. Anddddd while that may still be the case and a way I find myself winding down some days, I have been more & more inspired to be a healthier me, take good care of myself all around, and finding new ways to beat stress in the coming year. 

Now, before I continue, I have a confession to make. I am going to come clean that on day 15, I had somewhat of a cheat day - I like to call it an "Intermission". I know, I feel super guilty - if its any consolation, I learned that I'm way too old to have a Sunday completely knocked out by an awful headache. That's what I get for giving in! However, I am still equally proud I went through two weeks full of events - the Pats in the playoffs, The Bachelor premiere, the final episodes of Parenthood - we all know this show is therapeutic to my soul, Award Show season, dinners with friends and brunches people! I even had to ask waiters to bring me soda water and splash of OJ in a wine glass just to feel aliveeeee at happy hours! Which is now my new favorite go to non-alcoholic drink by the way...so refreshing!

I also learned that without those extra drinking calories, I wasn't even eating enough calories during the day to keep my metabolism going. Time to fill those empty calories with solid food choices and up the water intake!  So in preparation for some changes, I've been following a lot of gym videos and training programs on Instagram that have been teaching me about clean eating and great alternatives to that same boring gym routine. Couldn't be happier to see that even these trainers only incorporate 10-15 min of the stairmaster! 

Thankfully I can report that I'm also back on the dry January wagon and thinking about keeping it up through February, AFTER a weekend getaway with my sisters to Vegas at the end of the month. I'm pretty sure you don't survive Vegas unless you drink your way through it, right? But in the meantime, I've found myself making better decisions, going on daily hikes or nature walks, and trying new recipes for cooking up tasty new healthy meals thanks to these motivating insta's. Any step in the right direction is still heading in the right direction - so start small if you have to and you'll gradually make these changes an everyday part of your new life. 

@emilyskyefit
This Aussi knows how to keep it fit!  As a health & fitness expert, Emily has one of the best food and exercise programs to help you tone up and keep motivated...to look like her of course! Check out her programs on www.28dayshred.com.au

@shonda1020
Shonda had a lot of great home exercises and clean eating recipes. Not to mention she's a mother of 2 who incorporates her babes into her exercise routines! Genius for mommy's trying to find time to work out!

@skinnybunnytea
I haven't actually ordered this tea yet, I've been following them for more of their detox recipes and making my own homemade teas using green tea, kombucha, lemon, and cayanne pepper! You can find great info on the best ways to fight bloating, lose water weight, and gain more energy!

@home.exercises
This is pretty self explanatory - when you're not feeling your best to hit up the gym or in crunch for time, home.exercises has so many ways to get the most out of your fitness all within the comfort of your home. 

@squatguide
This account is great for learning how to properly do squats - all kinds of them! Let me count the ways to tone that booty!

@cleaneatz

There's a lot of ways to get the proper nutrients into your diet while still eating clean. Cleaneatz provides some of the best recipes to keep your diet delicious and nutritious while still incorporating some of your favorite foods.