January 21, 2016

Recovery Smoothie

January 21, 2016/ sherri d'alessandro

Hi friends! I'm coming at you today with a really quick smoothie recipe. I started making this earlier in the week and it's too good not to share. Plus, when your workouts are extra tough - this mash-up of ingredients is excellent for recovery. Protein and dark cherries have been proven to aid in muscle recovery. This time of year when everyone is still sticking to their new workout resolutions (right ;)?), this smoothie is the perfect complement to that!

NEED:
- Whey protein powder (preferably organic/grass fed)
- 1/2-3/4 cup of frozen dark cherries and 1/4 cup of blueberries (antioxidants and anthocyanins)
- 1 scoop of almond butter (biotin, vitamin E, manganese, etc)
- Dash of cinnamon (more antioxidants!)
- Almond milk (try to find a brand without carrageenan - both Whole Foods and Silk offer almond milk without it.)

Blend and serve! Today, I topped it with some paleonola for a little extra crunch.

Enjoy and keep up the good work with those resolutions! xo

January 19, 2016

Weekend Sunshine: Sunday River Edition

January 19, 2016/ sherri d'alessandro

Hi Friends! I hope you all had a fabulous weekend! Mine was filled with friends, a zillion laughs, crisp Maine air, booze, delicious food, a Patriots win, outdoor activities, and as always... a little movement! These types of trips are always my favorite. There is nothing better than time away from the hustle & bustle filled with relaxation in a state that has recently become one of my favorite places. I seem to always leave Maine with a warm heart. Here's a little recap of the weekend... sentence per picture!

Waking up to this beautiful view every day.

Checking out the fireworks at the top of Sunday River.

Big smiles post Pats win.

Snowshoeing with Rob in Bethel.

The most gorgeous snow capped trees.

A necessary snowy selfie.

Getting in a little movement.

Hanover BFFLs at The Foggy Goggle.

The significant others that I feel so lucky to call true friends. <3

A small snippet of what the food looked like this weekend -- aka YUM.

Have a prosperous short week! xo

January 11, 2016

Taco chicken/Quinoa Mini Meatloafs

January 11, 2016/ sherri d'alessandro

Hi friends! I'm back today with a quick recipe. I've been dabbling in the "meal prep" club lately because it makes it much easier to pack lunches and keep me away from the Whole Foods hot/cold bar. It's healthier and more cost effective, so win-win! On Sunday night, I posted a quick snap of my mini taco meatloafs and received a few texts offline asking for the recipe so I'm bringing it to you today! Be warned, the photos aren't pretty because I wasn't sure that I'd post it. I'm glad I took a few though because they honestly came out SO GOOD and are super-duper healthy.

These mini meatloafs were inspired by two meals I've been making often lately. SarahFit recently posted about buffalo chicken meatloafs that I've now made twice. They are so good and a great lunch option. The other meal I've made consistently is the "Protein Stuffed Peppers". That recipe calls for mixing ground chicken and quinoa together. I like this idea because it bulks up the recipe a bit to make more mini loafs. It also adds more protein, fiber, Iron, and Magnesium with the quinoa.

So, let's get to it, shall we?

Taco Quinoa/Chicken Mini Meatloafs
Makes 12 mini meatloafs (6 servings)

Need:
- 1Lb of organic ground chicken or turkey
- 1/2 cup of dry quinoa
- Half pint of cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 red onion
- Packet of taco seasoning
- 1 egg + 1 egg white
- 2 tablespoons of bread crumbs

Chop up the red onion and organic cherry tomatoes then set aside.

Cook up both the ground chicken/onion and the quinoa, separately. Then, add the tomatoes, taco seasoning, and cooked quinoa to the meat mixture. Mix, set aside, and let cool (I put it in the fridge for a little bit).