Ginger Marie

Don't you just love January 1st? I know I do! It's like the biggest Monday ever no matter what day of the week it comes on! I just love the thought of a fresh start and the chance to say "I'm going to make this year great"! But nothing says New Years like a conquer-all resolution list!

My new years resolutions are goals that I want to hit that will make my already blessed life even better! I think that it is important to look at resolutions as goals and not chores. In the past I've made resolutions like "I'm going to work out three times a week" and "I'm going to lose 50 pounds", but those feel more like chores and things that I'm forcing myself to do. Why shouldn't resolutions be fun? That's why this year, I made my resolutions goals that I not only have to work for, but that I will enjoy! 

1. I've been wanting to move my blog over to Wordpress for a while, but I never made time to do it. But this year, I'm giving myself the whole year to get this done so there are no valid excuses for me not to be self-hosted by 2016! 

2. Sometime in 2015, I want to go on a really good vacation. I've always loved traveling but lately I feel as though I've only been going to the same places over and over. This year, I want to see new things and find new adventures!

3. I used to be really good about trying new classes and ways to work out. However, after finding ones that I liked I stopped branching out. This year, that ends. I'm going to start back trying new workouts no matter how hard they may seem! At one point, I might even go to a Cross-fit class (which I'm kind of terrified of). Stay tuned!

4. If you've been following my blog for a while you know that I have participated in 5k's in the past. The problem is that I've never made it to the finish line without walking. This year, I'm going to make it! Not only that, but I'm going to at least participate in a 10k as well! I'm really excited about this one because there are so many fun, new races out there. If you know of any or have suggestions PLEASE leave them in the comments!

5. Lastly, I want to eat out less this year. There are two reasons that I want to minimize this: I spend way too much money on food and it's harder to make healthy choices when you eat out all of the time! This one is by far the toughest goal I made for the year. I am such a foodie and I love trying new restaurants. But this year I am going to try to minimize it for the sake of my bank and my gut (two very valid reasons). Meal prepping is going to be important for me to succeed at this goal. In a lot of cases, I eat out  because I'm hungry and I know its going to take me forever to cook. So I'm making an effort to dedicate at least one day to meal prepping. Even if it's just boiling rice and cutting vegetables! 

With that being said, I have a new recipe that I am obsessing over! It's my Turkey Lover's Frittata and its delicious, nutritious, and meal prep friendly! I love frittatas because you can customize them to your mood! Plus, what better way to start the new year than with a classic, healthy egg dish!

Ingredients

8 eggs 4 slices of turkey bacon, diced 1/2 pack of Oscar Meyer Carving Board turkey, diced 1 potato, diced 1 green pepper, diced 1 small onion, diced 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth 1 1/2 cups water 1/4 cup parmesan Salt and Pepper to taste Optional: sliced tomatoes and portabellas for topping

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Put vegetable broth, water, and potatoes in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cover. Cook until theres only a small layer of liquid left in the pot and potatoes are done.

Add green peppers and onions, and cook on medium heat until vegetables are tender.

In a separate pan, brown turkey bacon and turkey.

Coat your baking dish with non-stick spray.

Mix turkey mixture and vegetable mixture , adding in the parmesan. Add salt and pepper to taste, (you can also add garlic powder or crushed red peppers).

Pour everything into the baking dish and cook for 15-20 until the eggs start to rise and the edges are brown. (If you'd like to top your dish with those tomatoes and mushrooms, do it before you put this bad boy in the oven!)

Serve with a side of asparagus and top with salsa if you'd like.

Enjoy! Bon apetit!

I hope that you enjoy this recipe! Feel free to substitute some of the veggies and meats for your personal favorites! Let me know how it comes out by commenting below or by tagging me in your Instagram and Twitter posts at @_minimewannabe_ . Also, I really want to hear your new years resolutions for 2015! Leave those in the comments below or tag me on social media sites as well! I hope you all have a blessed and productive new year! Cheers to 2015!

I don't know about you, but when it starts cooling down outside I start craving warm comfort food! There's just something about munching on old favorites that brings me joy. Well, last week I had a hankerin' for some Spaghetti and Meatballs so I made just that. For the first time, I made my own meatballs and marinara sauce and I be darned if they weren't the best meatballs I ever had! Originally I was going to use this recipe, but there were a few things that I didn't like about it, so I modified it to make it a bit healthier! I ate them with whole wheat pasta, of course, and even had leftovers (that didn't last long). Here is the recipe so that you can try it yourself!

Turkey Meatballs with Marinara Sauce

1 lb ground turkey

1/2 lb ground turkey breakfast sausage (the kind in the jimmy dean-type rolls)

2 onions, chopped

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2/3 cup breadcrumbs (whole wheat if you can find them)

1 egg, beaten

2 tsp Italian seasoning

1 cup milk

2 tbsp oil

1/4 tsp  Himalayan pink salt

3 cans tomato sauce

2 large tomatoes, diced

2 (extra) tbsp Italian seasoning

Sauté the onions, parsley, and garlic in olive oil until the onions are soft (and a little brown). In a bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, egg, milk, Italian seasoning, salt, and 1/4 cup of the onion mixture. Stir in the ground turkey, and sausage. Mix this well so that all of the seasoning is evenly distributed through the meat. Form 2-inch balls with the mixture. Get two pans and heat a little olive oil in each of them. Then, put the meatballs in the pans and cook on each side for about one minute until they are all brown on the outside (they still won't be cooked thoroughly, so don't eat them just yet). In a pot, add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and the rest of the onion mixture. Add in all of the meatballs, then bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for about 30 minutes. When the meatballs are done, the sauce is done. However, the longer that this simmers, the more flavor that it will have!

I like to sprinkle a little parmesan cheese on top and dig in! They really are the best meatballs I ever had, and they're healthier than most recipes. If you try out this recipe, be sure to post it on Instagram or Twitter and tag #minimewannabe so that I can see how yours turned out! And as always,

Have I ever told y'all that I work at Olive Garden? Well I do! Of course working there for as long as I have (almost 3 years), I have picked out some favorites over the years. One of those favorites is Zuppa Toscana, and since Fall is upon us, I figured I would share my healthier, homemade version of this yummy soup. The best thing about this soup is how easy it is to make and how similar it tastes to the real thing! So here goes nothing:

Healthier, Homemade Zuppa Toscana

2 boxes low sodium chicken broth

2 potatoes, cleaned and sliced 

1 package Italian sausage

1/2 yellow onion, chopped into tiny pieces

3 cups kale, chopped into bite-size pieces

3 pieces of REAL turkey bacon (not that Jennie-o meat), chopped

2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp crushed red peppers (optional)

In a large pot, bring chicken broth to a boil then add the potatoes, black pepper, and crushed red peppers. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for about 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are tender. In the meantime, cook the Italian sausage thoroughly. Make sure to chop it up into bite-size pieces with your spatula while cooking. When the sausage is finished, add it and the turkey bacon (uncooked) to the broth.  Sauté the onions and add them to the pot as well. Simmer this mixture on low for as long as you can wait (preferable between 30-45 minutes). Add the kale about 10 minutes before serving, and voila! You have yourself some yummy, homemade, healthier Zuppa Toscana! 

Try out this recipe and let me know what you think! Post your pictures to Instagram and tag them #minimewannabe so that I can check them out! I'll be posting a few more Fall recipes this week, so keep your eyes peeled! As always:

Recently, I was given the opportunity to try out and review Manitoba Harvest Hemp Hearts! Before agreeing to do the review, I looked up what the benefits of hemp hearts were. I found out that these little seeds have 10 grams of protein and 10 grams of Omega 3 & 6! Not to mention, they are also high in fiber. 

Of course, we all know that protein is important for us because it helps make us stronger and helps our bodies to work better, but the other benefits of these little hemp hearts surprised me.

According to WebMD, omega 3's have been known to help lower your blood fat levels, reduce symptoms of ADHD, and even protect against Alzheimers. While omega 6's benefit your skin and hair growth, they also can help reduce cholesterol levels and risk of heart disease.

Luckily, not only are there many benefits from eating hemp hearts, but they're also easy to add into my diet! In the picture above, I sprinkled some on a cup of yogurt as a late-night snack! I sprinkled some on a salad and even blended them into a beet smoothie that I made recently. 

The thing that I like about these seeds is that they have a very light flavor, so I can add them to almost anything and reap the benefits without sacrificing the taste of my yummy recipes!

Luckily, Manitoba Harvest gave me a coupon code to share with you all so that you can try out the hemp hearts for yourself! HHSweatPink14 is the code and you can use it at www.manitobaharvest.com for 20% off!

After trying out the hemp hearts on your favorite recipes, share your picture on Instagram and tag me (@minimewannabe) and Manitoba Harvest (@manitobaharvest)! Who knows, you might be featured on one of our pages! Also, be sure to use #hemphearts in your post so that others can find your recipe as well! 

I can't wait to see what y'all create! I know they are going to be some mouth-watering recipes on Instagram very soon. Well, that's all for now! Comment below if you have any questions or recipes that you'd like to share! And as always:

I've always loved clam chowder, but I haven't always loved the calories that come along with it. So I decided to create this yummy recipe that is a little more guilt-free! 

Guilt-Free Seafood and Potato Soup

3 tilapia filets

1/2 pkg 41-60 shrimp

2 cans clams

1 large white onion, diced

2 tbsp flour

2 cups diced potatoes

4 cups milk

2 tbsp butter

Salt to flavor

Pepper to flavor

Lemon-Pepper Seasoning to flavor

Cut the fish into pieces, put it in a pot and cover it with water; bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the clams (including the juice of one can) and shrimp; simmer for 10 minutes.

Drain; keeping 2 cups of the liquid for later.

Saute onions in olive oil until tender. 

Add flour until blended.

Slowly add in the liquid from earlier.

Bring to a boil and stir for 2 minutes. 

Reduce heat

Add potatoes; cover and cook for 15 minutes.

Add the seafood, milk, butter, lemon-pepper, salt and pepper.

Cook for another 2-3 minutes (until it's hot)

Voila! You have some yummy soup! You can even freeze it for the Winter months! 

What are you favorite Fall recipes? Leave them in the comments below! And as always,

Last Saturday was one of the busiest, and most relaxing days that I've had in a while. I went on a little adventure and came home with new friendships and goodies!

I finally made it to Piyo at The W in downtown Dallas!

It was my first time doing Piyo and, while it made me realize how out of shape I was, I loved it! Brittani from Grit by Brit is the energetic instructor that whipped us all into shape that morning! In her Piyo class, we did classic yoga moves but to the rhythm of songs that we know and love! Luckily it was a cool and windy morning in Dallas, but that didn't stop me from sweating bullets. What made the class even better was that I finally got to meet one of my Tone It Up sisters, Shamirah! 

After Piyo class, I went to a new-to-me restaurant, True Food Kitchen, to meet more of the Tone It Up Dallas ladies for brunch. Their menu changes seasonally to keep "true to the food" that is natural and organic to the area. 

For instance, the drink I ordered was the Watermelon Lemonade, which will not be on the menu for much longer.

I was starving after my workouts so I ordered some Hummus and Pita Chips to hold me over until our entrees were ready. It was really good, but I had to pick around the olives. They just aren't my thang!

For my entree, I ordered the Grilled Albacore Tuna Sliders with kale salad and roasted squash. 

Besides the food, I was happy to meet some of the girls that I've been internet friends with for so long! Everyone was so friendly and full of life! I can't wait until the next time we all get together!

A couple of the girls told me about a Farmer's Market that they were going to after the Meetup and offered to show me the way. I followed them over and was surprised by all of the yummy, local products that Dallas had to offer! I bought brownies from The Brownie Cottage, honey from Texas Honeybee Guild, and pasta from Pappardelle's. Of course I bought some veggies too, but the local businesses were my favorite!

I will soon be returning to all of the places I discovered last weekend! I just love that I was able to spend my day off making healthy choice from dawn to dusk! 

If you know of any neat places in DFW and would like to suggest them, leave them in the comments below! And, as always...

Happy September y'all! I just love the first of the month. Its like you get a redo. Its a new beginning! They're like mini new years that give you the bump you need to start over! This month I decided I am going to set some serious, yet reachable, goals!

I've been slacking with my health choices since about May. I was super busy with Summer School and used that as an excuse. Then I was super busy with moving and used that as an excuse. THEN, it was me being super busy with work and what have you. Well I'm tired of making excuses for myself. Now, I'm going to make IMPROVEMENTS for myself! 

Because I was so lazy for so long, I've really gotten out of shape. I've gained about 10-15 pounds this Summer and I can feel every ounce of it. I've been eating recklessly and trying out new restaurants in the area almost every day. While I still want to try out the restaurants that Ft Worth has to offer, its time I start making some healthier choices. So starting tomorrow, there are three things that I'm going to do to hold myself accountable.

1. I am going to write down EVERYTHING that I put into my mouth. Be it food, water, wine, or gum. Just being aware of what I eat will help me stay accountable and realize how much good/bad stuff is going into my body.d

2. I am going to make a calendar for my room and fill in a physical activity to do every day. Be it a class at the gym, a walk around the block, or a swim in the pool, I am going to do SOME sort of physical activity every day of September. There will be no real rest days. Sure, I'll have some less intense workouts, but I will workout in one way or another.

3. I am going to post everything that I did for the week on my blog. I'm going to shoot for Sunday nights. I find that it really helps me to make my healthy/unhealthy choices public knowledge. If I don't let anyone know that I'm trying to make a change, I am more likely to "relapse." But if I post it on here, I feel like someone will hold me responsible in one way or another. 

What I'm hoping to gain from this is just a little more self-control. I've really let myself do whatever my impulses told me to do all summer long. It's time to change that! I would love for some other people to do this with me! You don't have to be ashamed if you slip up from time to time. A month is a long time and I mean, it is hard to change bad behaviors cold turkey. But if we keep each other accountable I know we can do it! If you are interested in doing this "challenge" with me, just comment below with your email and I will write you back asap so that we can check in with each other via the internet! No matter where you are in the world, or what your fitness goals are. Let's just hold each other accountable and encourage each other to make some good decisions! 

As always, 

Hey y’all! As you may have read in my last post, I moved to Texas last week! (eeeek!!) So far, I’ve fallen in love with the DFW area for the simple fact that new opportunities and areas just waiting to be explored surround me. Other than finding a job (that I’m happy with), my big search right now is for a gym that has everything I want and need.

  Yesterday, Helen and I went to 24 Hour Fitness for a Zumba class. It was super fun and the instructor was incredible. We were both super sweaty and tired by the end!

    The only downfall to this experience was that the class was so full that I had to watch others’ toes while I danced. I like to have a little space while I’m doing the salsa! Cha cha cha!! That being said, it WAS 6:00 at night, which is one of the busiest gym hours of the day. Also, I believe in second chances so I went on and signed up for a 3-day pass to see what the gym is like in the daytime. I’ll also be checking to see what other gyms are in the area.

  By the time we finally made it home, I was starving. I whipped up my new healthy creation that I think you guys will love! It is super quick and easy to make! I used the new Jalapeno Cocktail Sauce that I purchased in the Stockyards this past weekend, but you can use any cocktail sauce!

    Tangy Shrimp and Carrot Quinoa

  ½ bag 40/60 shrimp

1-cup quinoa, cooked

2 tbsp. Jalapeno Cocktail Sauce

1 large carrot, shaved

    Shrimp Marinade

1 tbsp. honey

1 tbsp. sesame oil

½ tsp. cayenne pepper

½ cup white wine

  Mix the marinade together with a fork or a whisk. Marinate the shrimp in a Ziploc for 30 minutes in the fridge. Pour all contents of the bag into a skillet and cook the shrimp on medium high until they’re completely white. Put the shaved carrots over ½ cup of the quinoa. Put some of the shrimp, without the sauce, over it and then add the cocktail sauce. That’s all! Quick and simple!

  Let me know if you try the recipe and how you liked it! Also, if you live in the DFW area and have any gym suggestions I would LOVE to hear them! As always….

Hey y’all!! I have some SUPER exciting news to share with you! It took me 7 years (5 in school and 2 years off) but I can officially say that I AM A GRADUATE!!!! Yayyyy!

    That’s right! I am now an alumnus of The University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a Bachelors of Science in Psychology!

  As if that isn’t enough reason to celebrate, I also have some other big news…. I MOVED TO TEXAS (all by myself)!!  Eeek! Literally the day after I graduated, I packed my car and moved to DFW! Now that drive from North Carolina to Texas sucked was not the most fun thing I’ve ever done in my life. It took 18 hours for goodness sake! Luckily for me, I had my mom to ride with me

    Well, I’ve been in DFW for about 4 days now and I love it so far! There is so much to do here and even more places to eat! Being the foodie that I am, its will be tough not eating out ALL OF THE TIME because of that! I love trying new restaurants! But, while my mom was in town I ate out every day (because SHE wanted to, of course).

  The first place we went to was a Mexican restaurant, Los Molcajetes. It had really high reviews on Yelp, which proved to be accurate. I started off with a yummy margarita, the Raspberry Swirl!

    For my meal, I had Camarones A La Mexicana, which was DELICIOUS!

    My mom also ordered some tamales for us to taste. This I wasn’t as excited about because the tortilla was extremely thick. It did have good flavor though!

    After that meal, I was full for what seemed like hours. Late that night for dinner, I just made a quick salad with romaine, feta cheese, tomatoes, and pepperoncinis. I used some light Olive Garden Italian dressing. It was just what I needed!

    I also popped the champagne that my friend gave me as a graduation/moving present. Mama and I enjoyed it!

    Some of the other yummy eats that I had while Mama was here were:

  Smoked Salmon on English Muffin

    A big burger from In-N-Out (drool)

    And the Filet Mignon Salad, and the best chocolate cake ever from Brickhouse Tavern

      Of course, the time came for me to send Mama back to North Carolina. I am SO happy that she took that long drive with me and I was sad to see her go, but I know there are two men back at home waiting on her (my brother and my dad). So, I took her to the airport and said my goodbyes.  Thankfully she had a safe flight!

  By the way, I think it is obnoxious that the DFW airport charges you to drop people off! Grr. I was so upset that I took pictures (of course).

    When I got home, I made a DELICIOUS smoked salmon breakfast sandwich

    Then a couple of hours later, I went to church with my friend Caitlyn. We ended up hanging out all day! She showed me around Ft Worth and took me to some awesome spots!

  The first place we went was Rodeo Goat, a burger bar. Oh My Goodness, this place has the most deliciously unique burgers that I’ve ever had in my LIFE!

    I ordered the Salted Sow and Caitlyn ordered the Sugar Burger! We also ordered some appetizers (because the burgers don’t come with sides). Caitlyn munched on some Cheese Fries No Surprise while I demolished the Chips & Queso.

  Needless to say, we did NOT finish our meals.

  After that, we went back to her place and played cards while sippin on some yummy, cheap champagne. Adding raspberries gave this champagne life!

  I got photobombed by Trigger!

  Hours later, we found ourselves at Texas de Brazil, a Brazillian restaurant in Downtown Ft Worth.

    It was SO good! I ate way too much red meat and finished with a slice of key lime pie. It was perfect!

    After dinner, Caitlyn, her boyfriend, Ronnie, and I walked around downtown. They showed me lots of fascinating places and their favorite hangouts.

    It was the perfect ending to a fun-filled day.

  I really like this area and all that it has to offer. The traffic is horrible, but the people are friendly and there is so much to do here. Of course, I will be trying out new places and activities here. If you’d like to keep up with the things that I don’t post on here just check out my Instagram (@_minimewannabe_) or search #gingermovestodallas ! If you have any favorite spots in DFW let me know in the comments below!

  As Always,