Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day! 

Every day is mother's day.  I mean, what would we do without mom's?  Literally, no one would exist!  My mom is pretty amazing and I just wanted to say, I love you!  Bri and I are planning on having brunch with my mommy today and then dinner with his mommy later.  It is going to be a really nice day!  

Here is a round-up of some of my mommy's favorite recipes that I have made in the past:

Oreo Coffee Ice Cream Cake

Skinny Mocha Cupcakes

Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa

Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken

Chocolate Chip Banana Cupcakes with Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting

Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread

I hope that all the mother's out there have a really great day!

Enjoy :)

Green Smoothie

I figured I should kick off 2015 with a healthy recipe after all this celebrating over our engagement, the holidays, Cancun, and New Years. This smoothie is great because it has so many healthy ingredients and it can also be a meal supplement when you are looking for a healthy detox sort of smoothie.  I was inspired by the recipe over at Sally's Baking Addiction and made a few changes based on my preferences.  So, grab your blender, get some fresh ingredients, and get ready for a delicious way to be a little more healthy!

Green Smoothie

Ingredients:
1/2 cup pineapple coconut water
1 cup fresh pineapple, chopped
1 cup fresh mango, chopped
2 cups baby spinach, packed
1/2 avocado, cubed

Directions:
1. Throw everything into a blender and blend until smooth.

Enjoy :)

Marathon Training and a Detox Mango Avocado Smoothie

Here is what you think about when you sign up for a marathon:
1. I'm young, I'll probably be fine.
2. This looks really cool.
3. It's a bucket list thing.

Here is what you think about during training:
1. Geez this is a lot of running.
2. I'm so hungry all the time.
3. My knee hurts.
4. Am I sure I can do this?

And here is where I am at now:
1. I'm totally ready.
2. I'm totally excited.

Last weekend, I ran the Magellan Ready to Run 20 miler.  I was so nervous leading up to the event, but when I finished I was truly amazed.  I ran the whole time at my 10 minute mile pace.  Therefore, I ran 20 miles in 3 hours and 20 minutes.  It was amazing.  I have never felt such relief and excitement at accomplishing anything like this before. I have been training with CARA (Chicago Area Running Association) and it has totally paid off.  If someone told me 5 years ago that I would be running a marathon, I would have thought they were completely insane.  And yet, here I am.  Last year, I went and watched some of the Chicago Marathon and decided that I should do it.  Now, I am two 2 weeks away!!!  I feel totally ready and completely amazed at what I can do.

post-run!

Today, was the first "taper" run.  After 20, you taper (run less and less) until the race.  Today, I ran 12 miles and it was the first time in 6 weeks that I ran less than a half marathon during the weekend.  How insane is that???

Throughout training, I have tried to focus on my health as well as my running and teaching.  However, all this running really does just make me want to eat everything in sight!  To try and avoid eating a ton of junk, I have discovered various healthy recipes.  Today, I am sharing one.  This is one of a few smoothie recipes that I have tried over the course of my marathon training and it really is delicious as well as nutritious.  I highly recommend it as a great way to get your veggies and feel amazing.  If you are running a ton, you will need more than this, so maybe have some peanut butter with toast in addition to the yummy smoothie.

Detox Mango Avocado Smoothie

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped fresh mango
1/2 cup sliced avocado
1 cup orange juice (I used Tropicana 50)
2 tbsp lime juice

Directions:
1. Put everything in blender and blend until smooth.  This makes 2 large smoothies.

Enjoy :)

Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa

How did it become August?!?!?

I finally was able to submit all of my teacher certification stuff for Illinois, I received my new teacher training schedule, and I'm moving tomorrow!

It's also the last day of camp and I can't believe it.  Time has just been flying by and camp has been so much fun.  I absolutely love my campers and counselors and I have a great time at camp.  I will miss it all so much.

Today I have a great dinner idea for you!  My mom and I went to Whole Foods and bought some Mahi Mahi Fish Taco Filling from the fish counter.  Then, we made our own Mango Salsa and sliced up some avocado to top it all off.  It was a really yummy dinner and the mango salsa was a great idea to add to the tacos to spice them up a little!

Mango Salsa

Ingredients:
1 mango, cut into cubes
1 jalapeño, diced
1/2 cucumber, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
3 tbsp fresh cilantro

Directions:
1. Mix everything together and toss with the cilantro.

This would be a great little side dish to have as a fresh salad and I would also add it to regular salsa to make it more exciting.  If you want more spice, add the seeds of the jalapeño and if you want less spice, leave them out or put less jalapeño in.

Foodie Friends Friday: Cindo de Mayo Theme!

This week, Foodie Friends Friday is back!  This week is all about Cindo de Mayo! Just follow the rules and link up your festive recipes! Also, host favorites will be featured on Daily Dish!  This week I'm linking up Copycat Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowls, Taco Cupcakes, and Fish Tacos with Mango-Slaw.

Top 3:

1. Crock Pot Italian Pulled Beef Sandwich

2. Easy Vegetarian Split Pea Soup

3. Slow Cooker Strawberry Applesauce

Most Clicks:

1. Churro Cupcakes

2. Slow Cooker Pudding Cake

3. Mexican Pasole

And Host Favorites! 

Welcome to Foodie Friends Friday!

Please take a moment to read through the rules before getting started, Thank You!

*By linking up you agree that you read these rules and all photos/recipes are original and belong to you. You agree to allow Foodie Friends Friday and any of it's affiliated websites or publications (Social Girls Media, LLC) to use photos, links, and recipes for reprint and/or republishing and distribution without monetary compensation to you. If photos & recipes are used, proper link backs to you will be included.

Adding Links back to Foodie Friends Friday and our Button is our only form of advertising to bring in more people to see YOUR recipes.

Please remember to do this. It benefits you! To thank you, we will continue to feature those with links throughout the year on various outlets.

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.foodiefriendsfridaydailydish.com/" title="Foodie Friends Friday" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj628/busyvegetarianmom/FFFDDButtonNEW150Darker_zpse238f637.jpg" alt="Foodie Friends Friday" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Meet our Co-Hosts at Foodie Friends Friday:

  Now Let's meet our sponsor this week! *Giveaway Disclaimer: Facebook is in no way associated with this website or giveaway and holds no liability for this giveaway. "Liking" facebook pages is optional, not mandatory for entry. Sponsors will be responsible for shipping- if there is a delay or problem with prize, you must communicate directly with sponsor.

Fish Tacos with Mango-slaw

I'm pretty sure I've been craving fish tacos for about 3 months.

I found a really intriguing recipe for Mango-Slaw and I guess you could call it my inspiration.  After 3 months, I finally made my fish tacos with mango-slaw! I'm glad I did because it turned out really great.  Plus, it is another simple and healthy week-night meal that I can add to my repertoire.  Don't get me wrong, I still love to bake, but I get really pumped when I find a good healthy dinner/lunch recipe.  They never seem to get the same attention or love that my baked goods receive (like marriage proposals...), but I get really excited when I cook up something delicious.

Plus, Bri invited his dad and step-mom over for dinner and so I got to share my meal with them! I always get nervous and a little stressed when I share something new with people other than my immediate family, but they loved it and it made me really happy to share something I'm passionate about with them!

I never have that high of expectations for a Wednesday night, but tonight was really nice :)


Fish Tacos with Mango-Slaw (adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride and Skinny Taste)

Ingredients:
For the tacos:
8 whole wheat-corn tortillas
4 filets of tilapia
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp chili powder
1 clove garlic, minced
For the avocado cream:
1 avocado, peeled and diced
2 tbsp lime juice
2 heaping tbsp non-fat greek yogurt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp fresh cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
For the Mango-Slaw:
1 mango cut into thin strips
2 cups broccoli slaw (broccoli/carrot mix)
3 medium scallions, chopped
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp sesame oil

Directions:
1. For the tacos: in a large plastic bag, place 1/4 cup olive oil, lime juice, chili powder, and garlic.  Seal the bag and shake to combine.  Place filets in the bag, seal the bag, and toss to coat the tilapia.  Place the bag in the fridge for 30 minutes.
2. Make the Mango-Slaw: In a medium bowl, toss the broccoli-slaw with the sliced mango and chopped scallions.  In a small bowl, whisk the rice vinegar, soy sauce, and lime juice.  Slowly whisk in the sesame oil.  Pour the dressing on the broccoli-slaw mixture about 15-20 minutes before you are ready to serve dinner. This way it will have time to soak up the dressing.
3. Make the avocado cream: in a food processor, process the avocado, lime juice, and greek yogurt.  Mix in the cumin, fresh cilantro, salt, and pepper to taste.
4. Once the fish has been in the fridge for 30 minutes, heat a large fry pan with 1 tbsp olive oil.  Place the filets in the pan and sear for about 3-4 minutes on each side.  Throw out the marinade mixture.  Place cooked filets on a plate and using a fork, chop up the filets into small pieces.
5. Assemble the tacos: Take a tortilla (we toasted ours in the microwave for about 10 seconds) spread some avocado cream (about 1 tbsp) on one half, place fish (about 1- 1 1/2 tbsp) along the middle and top with some mango-slaw.  Fold the taco so that that avocado cream causes the ends to stick together.
Enjoy :)