Christmas in July Gadget Giveaway: Last Day to Enter !!

Hi-Ya!

One Last chance to enter !

Get all the details on how to enter to win in the original post.  

You have until 12 midnight EST to enter.  I'll be selecting (3) winners using one of those fancy smancy randomizer tools.  I'll post the winner names on August 1st 2015 on my Facebook page, Taste and Tell with Tee 

Week 1: Tee's Two Cents on Weight Loss - Prepare, Prepare, Prepare !

Hi-Ya !

Weight loss is not easy.  It can be overwhelming, difficult and sometimes discouraging.
Getting healthy and slimming down takes time, determination and mental preparation.

How many times have you tried to lose those pesky pounds only to be right back where you started from a day, a week or month later.  I know I have. There are so many fad diets and/or programs promising to help you lose 5, 10, 15 pounds in a short amount of time. I can attest that I've tried many diets and although I have had good results I found that if I didn't stick to that one particular "phase" I would slowly gain the weight back.

 

My top (3) steps to making a healthy lifestyle change  

I believe having the right mindset starts with knowing why you want to lose weight and get healthy.
For me it wasn't until I was faced with the possibility of developing a medical condition. At that point I got real serious about getting healthy and ultimately shedding the pounds. I came up with several mantras that keeps me grounded. I will be using them throughout this 5 week series as they are relevant on your entire "getting healthy" journey.

My favorite mantra is: "It's a Journey, not a Race"  

Once I got my mind right I then had to decide when I was going to get started.  When I was in the "yo-yo' phase of losing weight I would always say, "I'll start Monday or after the holidays".
No, No, No !  Procrastination will stall your success.  Start today.  You say, today ?  Yep !  If you haven't eaten dinner today, why not let that meal be the start of your journey.  Instead of those two slices of pizza have one slice and a salad.   Mantra: "One Plate at a Time" 

Setting goals are important to the success of your new journey.  Goals not only keeps you focus long-term, but it holds us accountable of our journey.  Make yourself a realistic long-term goal with mini "milestone" goals in between.  This is a reminder to "self" that we are in this thing for the long haul. 

Let's make some goals.  For example, if your goal was to lose 15 pounds in 8 weeks, set mini milestone goals to lose 2 pounds every week.  I am a visual person, so I have to write things down. It allows me to see my written goal, which makes it more momentous and achievable. 

Welp, its time to clean house ! If you are like me, you probably have some type of junk food stash somewhere in the house.  Commitment is the name of this game.  To jump start your commitment to a healthier life one thing you have to do is throw out all of those "not so good" foods. Removing these foods will avoid temptation.  If you don't see it, you can't eat it !

Another thing that helped me during the beginning of my journey was the shedding of my "bad habits" in baby steps.  Example; I have a love/hate relationship with bread.  I know there was no way I was going to be able to go "cold turkey".  What worked for me was to allow myself to eat bread, but every week eliminating a meal and eventually a day without bread.  As of today, I probably have bread 3 times a week.  The struggle is REAL.

You may also have to clean house of Negatrons !  You know who I'm talking about.  The people in your life who say, " You are going to try to lose weight AGAIN".   Another mantra of mine that I clung to that counteract that type of negativity is:  "You only fail if you give up" 


Let's get Ready  !


Until next week.....

Christmas in July Gadget Giveaway

Hi-Ya !

It may be a little early to be putting up your Christmas tree, but its never too early to open gifts.

Ya'll know I love to cook, but some recipes may take a little longer of prep time than some. I'm a happy girl if I can shorten my prep time in the kitchen and one way I've learned to manage my time is by utilizing my many kitchen gadgets.  

I wanted to thank my readers by gifting some of my favorite gadgets that I use in my kitchen.  
You only have 154 days until Christmas, but you can only enter to win until July 31, 2015 at 11:59 EST.

To enter, simply go to the home page of my blog and enter your email address to get email updates of new blog posts. Then share your favorite Taste and Tell with Tee blog post on your Facebook page. 
That's all there is to it!

Important things to remember to do for your entry to be counted: 

• Verify your email request by checking your email account and activating the email subscription
• Be sure to tag me in your Facebook post

I will select (3) winners at the end of the giveaway and announce the names on my Facebook page.

Grandiose Summer Fruit Salad with Cranberry Lime Orange Dressing

Hi-Ya !

I've been on a fruit frenzy the last couple of weeks because (1) it is hot as heck in North Cackalacky and (2) a lot of my favorite fruits are in season, so I tend to keep the fridge on full of fresh fruit.

While shopping in my neighborhood grocer I stumbled upon a fruit I have never had the pleasure of knowing... The Lemondrop Melon.  I immediately placed my new friend in the grocery basket and headed straight to the check out line. I couldn't get in the house quick enough to to cut into this melon.....Wow, it was all what the descriptive sales paper said it was.

After enjoying this firm, yet juicy piece of melon an idea popped in my head....How about I add this along with some of my other FAV fruits.

This feature recipe is an Amped Up version of your ol' skool fruit cocktail.

5 Week Series: Tee's Two Cents on Weight Loss

Hi-Ya !

In this 5 week series (coming soon) I will be doling out my two cents' worth of tips, strategies, and my real life experiences on how I started and now maintaining my "Healthier Me" journey.

What works for me may or may not work for you, but whether your are a beginner or needing a jump start in your regimen my hopes is that this series may be the spark to ignite your fire in getting healthy.  

Note:  I am not a dietitian, physician, nutritionist or fitness guru, just a foodie on a mission to eating healthy and staying as active as possible.  Always consult your doctor before making any drastic dietary changes or starting an exercise program.

Thirst Quencher of the week: Matcha Cherry Bomb Green Smoothie

 Hi-Ya !

Did you know that today is National Ice Cream Day ?
Yep, In 1984 President Ronald Reagan proclaimed July as National Ice Cream month AND the third Sunday of the month to be National Ice Cream Day.

The temperatures in Charlotte will rise close to 100 degrees today and throughout the week, so how fitting that today is a holiday that you could  get some free ice cream from your neighborhood establishments and shops.

You know I like to give alternatives, right ?

So.....If the heat is keeping you hostage or you just prefer not to indulge in a bowl of ice cream then you can make your own healthy yummy frozen treat in the comfort of your air-conditioned home.

Matcha Cherry Bomb Green Smoothie

Ingredients

• 1 tsp of Organic Matcha Green tea powder
• 1 medium banana, frozen
• 1/2 cup of cherries, frozen
• 1/4 cup fresh or frozen pineapple
• 1 cup of Silk unsweetened Almond/Coconut milk
• 1 handful of organic baby spinach
• 1 tbsp of organic ground flax seeds
• 1 tbsp of Real cream of coconut
• 1/2 pack of Stevia
• 1 tbsp of real shredded coconut flakes

**If you don't use frozen fruit then add ice in addition to the other ingredients.

Instructions
I blended the ingredients in two separate whirls in my Nutri-Bullet blender as I was attempting to go for a two-tone color block smoothie, but it didn't work out as plan, so I gotta a swirly type mixture going on. .... Try, try, try again :)

1. Blend Cherry mix in blender: 1/2 of Almond/Coconut milk, 1/2 banana, coconut cream and cherries.  Pour in glass
2. Blend Matcha mix in blender:  Remaining almond/coconut milk, remaining banana, spinach, pineapple, flax seeds, shredded coconut flakes, matcha powder, and stevia. 
3. Pour matcha mix on top of the cherry mix and garnish with pinch of coconut flakes and a place a cherry on top.
4. Enjoy and remember to stay hydrated !!

Zada Jane's Corner Cafe (Charlotte, NC)

Hi-Ya !

Breakfast was on my agenda today, so I decided to visit (for the first time) the much talked about Zada Jane's Corner Cafe.  They serve lunch and dinner, but are well-known for serving breakfast ALL day.

The cafe had an artsy, funky, and whimsical ambiance.  The patio was crowded w/ people, kids and doggies !

What's breakfast if you are not sharing it in the company of friends and family.  

My friend, Veronica and I arrived to a crowded parking lot, which meant that the cafe must be on jam.  Timing was on our side because as soon as we walked in the door there was a table available, which was awesome because I was HANGRY and I had heard that if you are brave enough to go on a Saturday or Sunday morning the wait could be a lengthy one, so we are on a roll thus far....

First thing first....coffee !!  I was torn between a hot cup of java or something on ice.

Our waitress, Jennifer was awesome and very helpful.  She suggested the Iced Chai Latte w/ vanilla, which was delicious and simply "special" (Veronica's word throughout our meal).

Time for some food....

Decisions, decisions, decisions.  After perusing the menu for close to 20 minutes or more we both ordered The Zada Jane 28205 Basic Breakfast, which consist Two happy eggs (any style), one protein, one carb plus toast or a TLC biscuit. 

The sunny side eggs was cooked perfectly, the apple wood smoked bacon was crisped just right.  I had the stone ground grits w/ the cheesiest cheddar I've had in a long time.  Veronica's carb of choice was herbed roasted spuds, of course I nabbed one from her plate, which by the way were super-excellent.  She had a side of the herbed gravy, which she says was very good.

The TLC biscuit is named as it should be...there was nothing but love in making that warm golden brown, just-right crispy bottom, melt in your mouth biscuit.  I couldn't decide which jam to spread, so what did I do ? Yep, I had both.  

Very Berry Jam and Apple Butter Jam

Dessert at breakfast ?  Why not.

Veronica loves Amaretto and it was an easy decision for her (and me) to have a side of the Amaretto French Toast served with orange zest butter and shaved almonds.

One word.....SPECIAL !!

Zada Jane's is a treasure-trove in the Plaza Midwood area. The service was great, atmosphere was nice, the prices were affordable and most of all the food was amazing ! I highly recommend it.
If you live in the Queen City go check it out and if you are visiting Charlotte a must try !

Ya'll thank me later :)

Check out their website

I will see you again Zada Jane !!

Egg White - Crusted Pizza

Hi-Ya !

Eggs and Pizza....Hmmm ! Who woulda thought healthy, right ?

This pizza is low-carb because the crust is made of EGG!!  I like to eat eggs, but your regular ol' plate of scramble eggs can get a little boring.  I tend to eat this egg-crusted pizza for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  I think this will be one of your "go-to" meals.  It is definitely one of mine !

About 10 years ago I jumped on the fad diet wagon and began The South Beach Diet (SBD).
South Beach Diet emphasizes on eating high-fiber, low-glycemic carbs, unsaturated fats, and lean protein. The early 2000's there were a lot of fad diets on the horizon and yes, I've tried quite a few, but SBD worked for me and although I don't follow the plan verbatim today - the things I learned are instilled within, therefore some of my healthier ME choices today are adopted from the plan.

Fast  forward.....

This recipe was inspired by Egg Crusted Breakfast Pizza at Kalyn's Kitchen, a food blogger I've been following for years.

Egg White-Crusted Pizza 

You can use Egg whites or whole eggs ( Real Talk: I change up from time to time ! )

The toppings you can use are endless ! (see list below) #TryNewThings

A key component to the success of your pizza is a 8-inch non-stick omelet pan that can go from stove-top to oven (I use a Calphalon pan)

Ingredients
Serving 1

• 6 Tbsp of liquid egg whites (equivalent to 2 egg whites) 
• 1-2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• ¼ cup of low-fat mozzarella shredded cheese
• 1 Handful of organic baby spinach, wilted
• 8-10 Hormel turkey pepperoni slices (cut in halves)
• ½ garlic clove, crushed
• 1-2 small whole fresh mushrooms, chopped
• 1 tbsp of sliced black olives, chopped
• 1 tbsp of green peppers, diced
• 1 tbsp of white onions, diced
• Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb seasoning, to taste (approx. ½ tsp)'

Other ingredints I've used 

Whole eggs

Grape tomatoes

Feta

Kale

Roasted red peppers

Ground turkey sausage

Crumbled turkey bacon

Grilled chicken

.....endless toppings !!

Instructions

1. Add EVOO and crushed garlic to a hot non-stick pan. Give spinach a quick toss until wilted. Set aside.
2. Scrambled your eggs in a small bowl and add seasonings.
3. Pour eggs in heated 8-inch non-stick oiled pan and cook on low-medium heat until egg is almost set.
4. Then add your ingredients: add ½ your cheese, then all the other toppings and then top of with rest of cheese (Be sure to have a plethora of cheese on top even if you have to use more outside what was stated in the recipe ingredients - Its Cheese Already !!!)
5. Cover the pan with a top and cook about 2-4 minutes until eggs are not quite completely set and cheese is melting.
6. Stick pan under oven broiler…when cheese is nice and gooey its ready to enjoy (about 2-3 minutes)

Grown -n- Sexy Grilled Cheese Sandwich w/ Spinach Pesto

Hi-Ya !

I don't know about you, but I have fond memories of grilled cheese sandwich day from the elementary school cafeteria. I remember the sandwiches looking toasted, but they were soggy, yet warm and wrapped in its own sealed package. You know what I'm talking about, I know you do !

Grill cheese sandwiches are known to consist of a slice of cheese between  2 slices of bread and grilled in butter.
From time to time I crave a good ol' grilled cheese sandwich, but not from my elementary school days and certainly not drenched in butter.

So fast forward ....

I figured it was time for an upgrade.
Bye-Bye elementary school grilled cheese sandwich

Say hello to the....

"Grown - n - Sexy" Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Spinach -N- Cheese Pie

Hi-Ya!

I get some of my inspiration for recipes by triangle folding the pages in my favorite foodie magazines, gasping at the most beautiful photographed foods in cookbooks, browsing through other foodie blogs, and binge watching cooking shows.

Hi, My name is Tee and I'm Food Addict !

A lot of my favorite foods may not be as healthy as I would like, so not to feel deprived I take a recipe and adjust RECONSTRUCT it to my personal preference.

The featured dish: Spinach & Cheese Pie

The first time I tried this pie was when a dear friend made it and actually brought me a slice when I was going through a tough time and not really eating like I should.  Remember....Life Happens!

Back to to my story.....

It was SOOOO good that I wanted to make a whole pie for myself ( I didn't eat it all in one sitting).
I asked my friend to send me the recipe and she did without hesitation, but she sent it as screen-shot and I couldn't tell the resource of the recipe, but I knew it was in a magazine. I always gotta give props where props are due, so after searching high & low I found the recipe on the internet and it was actually a Weight Watchers recipe. I figured that was a pretty healthy dish already, but there were ingredients that I just didn't prefer to use.

Let's get started !!!

The star ingredient in this recipe is the Gruyere cheese.  Its creamy, savory, and its a good melting cheese.  It can be pretty expensive, but so worth it.  If you can't find Gruyere then maybe a smokey Swiss cheese may be the next best thing.

The finest cheese around...yummy !

Express Lane Item

Tee's Spinach and Cheezy Pie

Ingredients  (Inspired by Weight Watchers)
Serves 6-8 slices

1 pouch of Uncle Ben's Ready Whole Grain Medley (Quinoa & Brown Rice w/ Garlic)
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons of EVOO
1/2 small onion, chopped
¼ green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
¼ red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 – 2 garlic cloves, minced (more or less depending on your love of garlic)
1 (10oz) box of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 eggs
2 egg whites
½ tsp of thyme
1 cup of Gruyere Cheese, shredded
½ cup low-fat ricotta cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Spray a 9-inch pie plate with EVOO  nonstick spray.
3. Cook rice per the instruction on pouch.  Place in bowl and let cool.  
4. Prepare the rice crust in the pie plate. Add the Parmesan cheese to the cool rice and toss until mixed thoroughly.  Dab your fingertips in a bowl of water and firmly press the rice mixture  in the plate and up the sided to form the crust.
5. Heat the EVOO in a nonstick skillet and add your onion, peppers, garlic and cook until aromatic (about 4-6 min). Stir in the spinach and take skillet off eye of stove to cool.
6. Beat the eggs and egg whites in bowl, and then add in the Gruyere, ricotta cheese, and thyme.  Stir in the cooled spinach mixture
7. Pour into rice crusted pie plate and bake 40-45 minutes until GD (Golden Delish)

How'd I reconstruct this pie - you ask ?

• Swapped out white rice and replaced w/ Quinoa blend
• Added red bell pepper for a little more color 
• Added an extra garlic clove than original recipe…. I Love GARLIC 
• Swapped out Cottage cheese and replaced w/ low-fat Ricotta cheese

Express Lane

• If it takes your several attempts to separate the egg whites (that was ME the first time !), then as a time saver you may use a carton of Egg Beaters Egg whites -  just simply follow the equivalent table on the carton.
• If you are not a a fan of Quinoa then you may substitute brown rice.
• Uncle Ben’s Ready 90: second microwave pouch (There are numerous blends to choose from) 

Thirst Quencher of the Week: Iced Minty Strawberry Green Tea

Hi-Ya!

Where is all my tea drinkers at ?
Now don't get me wrong I love a cup of java, but tea has a special place in my heart.

 I love the versatility of teas. 

Black, Oolong, Green, Herbal, White, Rooibos, Matcha. You can have it iced or hot, caffeinated or decaffeinated, steeped through a tea bag or loosed leaf.  Many of them offering you the greatest of health benefits and each one having its own individual appearance, aroma, and taste.

I love Teavana and the numerous types of teas they offer on top of the different blends, but from time to time I like to have my tea time and create my own special tea moments.  From curling up with page-turner novel and a hot cup of tea or sitting by the pool sipping on a iced tea.

The Thirst Quencher of the week is: Iced Minty Strawberry Green Tea

Strawberries, Strawberries and more Strawberries !  I love strawberries and mint leaves compliments this red bulb of sweetness to perfection.

I am currently obsessed with the idea of using mason jars for, oh, everything. I make mason jar crafts, store spices in them, make salad jars, overnight oatmeal and transporting everything from soup to smoothies and TEA.

Ingredients
Serves: 32 oz

• (4) bags of your favorite green tea, brewed and cooled 
• 4 tablespoons of organic raw honey
• 4-6 large strawberries, hulled and cut in halves
• 2-4 mint leaves, depending on your taste

Instructions

1. Brew the green tea bags per the instructions on the box.  Note: A regular tea bag yields approximate an 8 oz cup. When I 'm making a pitcher of iced green tea I tend to use Salada Green Tea for Iced Tea (family size), which (1) bag yields 32 oz of tea. 
2. Stir honey to the warm tea and then let cool.
3. Pour the cooled tea in a blender ( I used a NutriBullet) and add the strawberries and mint leaves and blend. Note: I used a Nutribullet, so I had to blend in two batches.
4. Pour blended tea through strainer into mason jar or pitcher.
5. Pour in glass over ice.
6. Enjoy and create your tea memories !!!

Red, White and Blueberry Patriotic Dessert Platter !

RED, WHITE AND BLUEBERRY PATRIOTIC DESSERT PLATTER

Hi-Ya !

What does the 4th of July means to you?  I know it commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776, but for many of us (including me)  associate that day with barbecues, picnics, parades, family reunions, carnivals and a DAY OF WORK !!!

My husband, Jeff is always on the grill during the summer months and of course I am always trying to concoct dishes to balance my splurges with some good ol' clean eating.

The 4th of July is also associated with the colors of Red, White and Blue, so why not enjoy a dessert with those same colors to get in the celebratory spirit.  I love this dessert because its Easy Peasy to make, it's light, and Fresh !

 Lets get the fireworks started !!

Ingredients
Serves: 8-10

2 lbs of fresh strawberries, cleaned and halved
2 pints of fresh blueberries
1 Angel Food Cake, cubed
Reddi-Whip Real Whip Cream for topping

Instructions

1. Once you have prepped your fruit and cubed your angel food cake its now all about the presentation of your Red, White and Blueberry Patriotic Dessert Platter.
2. Place the strawberries and angel food cake, which symbolizes the stripes of the United States Flag, on a 12 x 16 rectangular platter until the entire platter is covered from the top to the bottom leaving a spot for that bowl of stars (blueberries) in the upper left corner.
3. Take a food selfie :)

Serve your stripes and stars in dessert goblet or bowl and add a squirt or two of Reddi-Whip (only 15 calories a serving) and ENJOY !!

I hope everyone has a Fantastic and Safe 4th of July !!

Spicy Kale Crisps

Spicy Kale Crisps !!

Kale, Kale, Kale, Baby !!

I can’t get enough of Kale.  I love to sauté it, toss it in a green smoothie, have it as the main attraction in a Summer salad and have a nice big heap of it for snacking !!

I dare you to take a gamble and place your bets on these delicious Spicy Kale CRISPS !
I promise you won't be able to stop at just eating one.

Check out the quick prep and cooking time to a nice big bowl of AWESOMENESS !

Cleaned, destemmed and bit-size kale

Spicy Sauce

Kale bath !

Ready for sunbathing in oven !

Ingredients
Serving: 2 (or 1 if you don't want to share!)

• 1 bunch of kale, cleaned, destemmed and torn into bite size pieces
• 1 tbsp Trader Joe's Salted Almond Butter
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1/8 tsp cumin
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp chili powder
• 1/8 tsp cayenne 
• 1/8 tsp onion powder
• 1/8 tsp of wasabi paste
• sea salt to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

1. Clean, destem (you can use that handy-dandy Chef' n Looseleaf and Herb Stripper) then tear kale leaves into bite size pieces. Place dry bite size pieces in a bowl and set aside.  Side note: You will need to be certain that the leaves are dry, so grab a flour sack towel (lint free) or paper towel and blot the kale. 
2. In a small bowl add the EVOO, almond butter, cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, cayenae, onion powder, wasabi and sea salt.  Mix well with fork until its a saucy consistency.
3. Pour spicy sauce over the bowl of kale and toss, not with a spoon, but with your hands. Yep, another dirty prep...lol !  
4. Be sure that there is no gunk on any of the leaf pieces...share the love of that sauce and rub it in each leaf.
5. Spray cookie sheet with EVOO non-stick spray and cook the kale in batches being sure not to over crowd.  Place in oven and cook about 8-11 minutes.   BEWARE:  These delicacies cook rather quickly.
6. Remove from oven and spread out on a piece of aluminum foil and sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt.

Golden Nugget:  If by chance you don't eat the entire batch in one sitting I have a little secret to keep em' nice and crispy. All you have to do is wrap leftover Kale Crisps loosely in the foil.  If by chance they get a little limp....pop em' back in the oven for abut 2 minutes.

Happy Snacking !!