Kale Soup Crockpot Style

So who loves using their crockpot during this time of the year. I know I do. I love throwing everything into one pot and going on with my day and coming home to some yummy goodness and the house smelling awesome, like I have been cooking all day long...haha that's a good one. I especially love my crockpot because this busy mom is limited on time. So here is one of my favorites for when I'm using the crockpot. So let me make this disclaimer now I am not the greatest cook but I can hold my own if i have to. So this recipe is what I use in my Kale Soup recipe. You are more then welcome to switch it up and add more veggies or switch out the chourico for chicken or whatever floats your boat. So have fun and get creative. Did I tell you how much i love just throwing everything into one pot, turning it on  and then go about my other business. 

So with that being said who's up for a 6 Day Crockpot Challenge Group?? It starts Monday October 5th. The focus is clean eating but YUMMY food! Getting healthy is all about adding healthy habits into your day. We will also be posting daily inspirational quotes for us to open our day with. Plus tips and tricks to help make our lives easier and little less hectic.

So whose in? I know I'm ready to kick it up a notch this fall season and get a jump on the holiday season that will be quickly approaching. If you would like to join just click on the link to the right that says Free 6 Day Crockpot Challenge. That's pretty much it and I can get you added to the group.(It's a private facebook group)

Today in life I'm all about keeping my life as simple and easy as can be. Why make more work if i don't have to for certain things. So I just love to share what works for me and maybe it will help someone else down the road. So here is my version of Kale Soup Crockpot Style.

Kale Soup Crockpot Style Recipe

~ 1 package of turkey chourico

~ 3-cups of raw kale 

~ 1 small onion cut in small slices

~ 1 cup of frozen or canned corn

~ 1 cup of dried macaroni ( I use whole grain macaroni)

~ 2 tbsp of spice mix. I make this in a container to have ready for other uses as well.

~ 1 -32 oz box of low sodium chicken broth

~ 3 cups of water

Set crockpot on high. Add box of chicken broth and water. For the water I add about 3 cups you kind of have to eyeball it and see how high it fills up in the crockpot. Usually fills it a little over half. Which is good. Next cut up the chourico into slices and slice the slices in half. Add to crockpot. Next break off Kale into smaller pieces and add to crockpot. Add corn and onions. Then add spice mix. Stir everything well and cover. If you are going to be cooking it all day then put crockpot on low. Otherwise leave it on high for a few hours til chourico is cooked. Once everything is cooked i then add the macaroni in to cook. If you put the macaroni in to early it tends to fall apart. You can also use about 4-5 small red bliss potatoes instead of macaroni. I just prefer macaroni. If using potatos you will put them in at the beginning with all the other ingredients. You can also add more vegatables to you liking. I like to keep it simple. That's pretty much it. 

Now for the spice mix here is the recipe for that: 

Spice Mix

8 tablespoons paprika
3 tablespoons cayenne
5 tablespoons black pepper, freshly ground
6 tablespoons garlic powder
3 tablespoons onion powder
6 tablespoons salt
2 1⁄2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 1⁄2 tablespoons dried thyme

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Blend well.

Can be stored in an airtight container in your spice cabinet for up to 3 months.

So by keeping things simple it gives you more time to spend with your family or friends. So remember to enjoy the quality time you get to spend with them. It's all about enjoying life with the ones you love!! 

Keeping it SIMPLE ~ Banana Oat Pancakes

If you are anything like me, then you have kids and are always consistently on the go with them and their activities. Now that school is back in session, I'm back to a schedule and can plan much better. Over the last few years i have learned that i just want to live a life a simple as possible. I honestly have gotten rid of things that just don't serve my my purpose. Less is more is really the perfect saying for how I chose to live my life now. Now don't get me wrong I have my splurges but they are not what defines me as a person and who I am today. They are simply more just treats here and there for myself. So with the theme of KEEPING IT SIMPLE, I am not the best cook out there. I do like to cook when I have time and it's definitely got to be something that interests me. I recently ran across a recipe that was super simple and yummy which is right up my alley. The one thing I like about this recipe is that I am able to make a batch and freeze them. Which for me convenient for when I'm on the go. All you need to do is pop them in the toaster and that's it. They still taste the same as the day I made them.

While keeping it simple I also want to keep it healthy. Over the last few years I have substituted quite a few things to a healthier version of it. I did the process slowly and now it's just a matter of habit. So for me these pancakes were a no brainer. I like to prep as many meals as I can for the week, like on Sunday. That way I have everything ready for the week to go and it keeps me on track.

BANANA OAT PANCAKES

Serves 8(2pancakes each) Prep Time 15min Cooking Time 16min
Container equivalents per serving: 1 yellow   ½ purple

• 1 cup          Unsweetened almond milk
• 2                Large eggs
• 1                Large ripe banana
• 1tsp           pure vanilla extract
• 1tsp           baking powder, gluten free
• 1/2tsp       ground cinnamon
• 1 dash       sea salt or Himalayan salt
• 2 cups       old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2tsp      extra-virgin organic coconut oil
• 3 cups       fresh mixed berries

1- Place almond milk, eggs, banana, extract, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and oats in blender, cover. Blend until smooth.

2- Heat oil in nonstick skillet over medium heat.

3- Pour 1/4cup batter onto skillet, cook 2-3mins or until bubbles form around the edges of the pancake. Flip with spatula, cook for another 2-3mins.

4- Continue with remaining batter

5- Serve with fresh berries

TIPS:
Left over pancakes can be heated in toaster.
Nutritional Information (per serving): Calories 137

Total fat: 3g   Saturated Fat: 1g   Cholesterol: 47mg   Sodium: 139g   Carbohydrates: 22g  Fiber: 4g  Sugars: 5g  Protein: 5g

Would love to hear about any tips or tricks that you might do that have simplified your life. Please comment or post below. Also if you are looking for more yummy, healthy, simple recipes then post your email below or email me at purebalanceforlife@gmail.com Thanks for checking out my blog and DREAM BIG!!!

ENJOY WHAT THE JOURNEY HAS TO OFFER!

Can you still inspire others even when you yourself have not personally reached your goals that you have set up? ABSOLUTELY!!!  Life is a journey, it's not so much about point B or the final destination. It's more about the roads that you take on the journey and the experiences that happen while traveling to it.  I've learned this a bit more since starting my health and wellness journey back in 2005. It's been quite the ride over these last 10 years.  I truly believe that the experiences I have gone through, the good, the bad and the ugly were all part of the whole plan and were meant to happen to help me learn and grow into the person I am today. I can't tell you how many tears were shed but along with tears also came even more smiles in the process as well.

Over this past summer I committed myself to doing the Body Beast program all the way through. I started in June with this particular adventure. Also knowing that the summer season was approaching and that the party season and summer living was about to start up. First off let me start out by telling you how empowering it was to do Body Beast and incorporating weight lifting into my life. It gave me such a feeling of "YES I CAN DO THIS!!" As the weeks progressed i could feel my upper body strength becoming stronger. What a great feeling. I followed the meal plan as closely as possible using the 21 Day Fix portion control plan. Which for me is easy to follow. So now this is where I won't lie to you, did I have few cocktails while doing the program. YES!! I'm human and enjoy indulging on a sweet tasting martini. But for the most part I stayed on track Monday-Friday. Usually having a cheat meal or drink on the weekend if I  knew I was heading somewhere. Honestly I'm at a point in my life where I want to be able to enjoy life. Everything in moderation is what they say and I'm a firm believer in that. If I enjoy eating something that isn't the best for me why take it of the table and out of my life. I now will have a small piece of it, enjoy it and move along.

I finished up Body Beast at the end of August. I wasn't anywhere near what my ideal goal was but you know what, that's ok. I stuck to the program and completed it. I dropped 10lbs and 12" from it. For me that was awesome. I have for the last year kind of been at a plateau and it seemed liked no matter what I was doing I just couldn't drop anything. Will say clothes that we snug on me at the beginning of the summer now fit better and more comfortable on my. YAY!!  As I was saying I want to live my life in moderation. I also don't want to be a slave to working out 2 hrs a day to maintain results that are just impossible to maintain on an ordinary basis. I want to be able to have a dessert and enjoy and not feel guilty later on for it. So with the meal plan that I now follow I am able to do just that. It's a plan that works if your willing to do the work to follow it. It's not always easy but it definitely is worth it in the long run. Posted below are my before and after pics from this summer.

With that being said it doesn't matter part of the journey you are. If you are moving forward and working on you, that inspires others whether you believe it or not. People might not say anything to you but they are watching what you say or do. Even people that you think have it all put together have there own inner struggles.  So don't worry about what others are thinking, just do it for you. If you are doing it with an open heart and for the right intentions then life as you know it will become that much more meaningful to you.  I will continue on my journey and take what comes and goes as a blessing and be grateful for all that I get to experience. And if while I'm on my journey I just inspire one person then I know it was all worth it!!

If you are on your journey I would love to connect up with you and hear about it. Please share. If you don't know where to start then let's chat I would love to help you start your journey. You won't believe the amazing adventure it will be. Email me at purebalanceforlife@gmail.com.

LIFE'S AN ADVENTURE, GO OUT AND THERE AND LIVE IT TO THE FULLEST!!

Sometimes you just need that one GAME CHANGER!!

In today's world there is so much bad stuff going on. I personally do not watch very much news because of it. It's so depressing. And who needs that.  I chose to look for the good and focus on that and spreading it around. One thing is you have to start with you 1st. If you are not happy with who you are then how can you even begin to see the beauty in other things or people when you don't see it in yourself. I can attest to that because that is how I felt like growing up and into my 20's and beginning of my 30's. It wasn't really until I started my health and fitness journey that I started to love myself even more. I started working on me and on the person I wanted to be. It started off slow. When I was growing up I was never very confident in the things I did. I was one to shy away from meeting new people and definitely didn't want to be the center of attention, that's for sure! As I got older, got married, had kids I was getting better on being more vocal and opening up more.

So now as I started my health and fitness journey around 2005 things start to slowly change. As I started taking care of me, I started to become more confident. I was definitely feeling better as far as my fitness was going. I think my key to my success was the new people that I was now meeting through the fitness program that I was following. When you hang out with like minded people you are more apt to be more successful. Slowly but surely changes were happening. As I continued on I learned that personal development was another key player in adding to my overall happiness. I will tell you the book that did it for me was The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. It was my stepping stone that has gotten me to where I am today in my life. Since reading that book I have gone on to reading so many other self help or personal development books over the years and I continue to make it part of my daily activity to read 15-30 mins a day with personal development, being a book or audio or video. It'as a definite must in my life!!

About 7 years ago my life took a change in the opposite direction. It was something that I would never have imagined. I got divorced. I truly thought I was in it for life and that would be it. But life has a way of changing in the blink of an eye. It certainly did for me. Was I sad, YES, just not something people want to experience, but it happened. Do I have any regrets?? Absolutely NOT!!  I'm a firm believer that I personally had to go through what I did to get me to where I am today. I've learned so much about myself and one of the biggest take away's for me is not to judge others. That everyone one is living their own unique story. Even though we might be experiencing somewhat of the same situation no one will ever truly know what feelings or emotions the other person is actually feeling. My divorce made me more compassionate and  less judge mental. Because really who am I to judge someone else. That is not my job to do.

I will say some days have not been easy but I have gotten through it with by the grace of God! He showed me what I needed to see. I now live my life through him and know that he guides me along each and everyday. I've gotten rid of the negative and drama from my life. I have no time for it and it does nothing to help feed my soul. Of course every now and then stuff pops up but now I do not feed into it. . I'm all set with that, serves me no purpose to. Let me tell you what a great feeling it is to live like that now. I've learned to stop and smell the roses and take in what is out there surrounding me.  So many signs are being shown to you, it's whether or not you chose to pay attention or just cruise through life with blinders on. I chose to pay attention now and boy I'm glad I am!

So if you are looking to live life to the fullest then start with you and work from there. Surround yourself with people that are like minded and looking to feel the same way and live their life like you want to live. You have the power to do it!! If I can, you most certainly can too!! Be who you are meant to be, you will be happy you did. Dig deep and make it happen.

If you would like a list of books that might help be a stepping stone for you or just want to add to your collection. Leave a message and I would be happy to share some of my favorites. :)