Spicy Medicine- Our Fave Home Remedy

tis the season…

As in… the back-to-school-germs season. Without fail, it knocks out kids, coworkers, grocery store clerks, maybe even someone in your family. Here’s the thing- I believe the best defense is a good offense. Our house rule is to wash your hands right when you get home; we eat our veggies, try to get to bed early, blah, blah, blah… BUT if I had to pick one secret weapon that keeps us the healthiest or helps us kick a cold fastest, hands down it would be apple cider vinegar. I add it to my morning smoothies, make salad dressing with it, I put a teaspoon in my cinnamon tea with a slice of lemon, and when the sickness hits, and the scratchy throat and stuffy sinuses arise, I whip up a jar of what my son now calls ‘The Spicy Medicine.’

Spicy Medicine

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp unfiltered apple cider vinegar (with the ‘mother’ I use Bragg’s)

• 2 tbsp local honey

• 1/4 tsp ground ginger

• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

• 3 oz filtered water

Directions

1. In a glass jar, combine honey and apple cider vinegar. Stir until they start to meld together.

2. Add spices, stir again.

3. Add water, and stir one more time.

How we take it

We take 1 tbsp 2-3 times a day when we’re not feeling well. I give my son 1 tsp of honey to ‘chase’ the Spicy Medicine after his doses- and he generally has 1-2 a day when he’s got a cold. When we’re healthy, I like to add 1 tbsp of the mixture to hot water with a slice of lemon.

This recipe will help cut through the crud when you’re feeling congested, and apple cider vinegar has tons of gut health benefits!

But be warned- we don’t call it Spicy Medicine for nothing! It burns so good on the way down. Make sure to wash your hands if you spill, and avoid getting it in your eyes!

I’m no doctor, but mom to mom, friend to friend, and from my kitchen to yours, this is the first remedy I recommend to all of my loved ones when cold season strikes! Give it a go, and let me know what you think!

xo, Terra

Sweet and Spicy Turkey Meatballs

Spicy meatballs served with sautéed spinach, broccoli, sesame carrots, and a fried egg

My family LOVES meatballs. I love that they’re an easy addiction to meal prep Sunday, and we all love how yummy and satisfying they are.  

I found myself in a meatball rut in the winter, and my friend Jasmine shared a recipe for Asian meatballs that sounded like a great way to mix things up. 

On the go- served with sweet potatoes, brown rice, broccoli, and carrots

One of my goals with this site is always to share healthier versions of comfort food. I love to sneak in extra veggies, and stick to ingredients that don’t weigh you down.  

I used that original recipe as a spring board to experiment with new flavor profiles, and after a few attempts I found this combo, and knew it was the winner.  

SPICY MEATBALLS

• 2lbs ground turkey

• 1/2 sweet onion, diced

• 3/4C oat flour

• 1/2C grated zucchini

• 2 eggs

• 2 cloves garlic, diced

• 2tsp chili powder

• 1tsp ground ginger

• 1tsp smoked paprika

• Pinch Himalayan pink sea salt

• Pinch black pepper

1. Add all ingredients to a bowl, and mix thoroughly by hand.

2. Form into 1-1/2in balls, and bake at 350 for 20 minutes on a foil lined baking sheet (makes 24 meatballs)

SRIRACHA HONEY GLAZE

• 3 Tbsp Sriracha

• 3 Tbsp Tamari

• 3 Tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar

• 3 Tbsp Honey

• 1 tsp Ginger Paste (available @ Trader Joe’s) or 1tsp minced ginger

• 1 minced clove of garlic or 1/2tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp fish sauce

• 1 tsp chili powder

• 1/2tsp cinnamon

1. Add all ingredients to a small sauce pan, and simmer for 5-7 minutes.

These meatballs reheat beautifully.

Once the meatballs are cooked, transfer to a storage container (like this lovely glass Pyrex) and drizzle the glaze on top. Give the dish a little wiggle to coat them completely!

Serve with AN-Y-THING. veggies, zoodles, brown rice, bibimbap or my favorite, add them to the @toneitupnutrition Butternut Squash Lentil Soup

ENJOY!!!! 😋

Peanut Butter Strawberry Mini Muffins

This recipe is dedicated to Melody, who lovingly demanded that I post it. Love you girl!! ;)

As soon as I got my hands on the new Tone It Up Peanut Butter protein, I was immediately transported to all of my favorite PB combos. But the first that came to mind was a good old fashioned PB&J.

These mini muffins are a PB&J without the J spilling out of the bread and onto your shirt... wait... is it just me that has that problem?? Silver lining is that the bad boys are packed with protein, are free of refined sugar, and are gluten free!

Hope you enjoy! 

Peanut Butter Strawberry Mini Protein Muffins

makes 24 mini muffins or 12 mini loaves ( i use this mini loaf pan and this Mini Muffin Pan)

ingredients

• 3/4c gluten free oat flour
• 3/4c Tone It Up Peanut Butter Protein
• 1tsp GF baking powder (or regular baking powder- totally up to you)
• 1tsp baking soda
• 1/4tsp salt
• 1 banana, mashed
• 1/2c unsweetened almond milk
• 1 egg
• 1/4c maple syrup
• 1/2 cup diced fresh strawberries

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Spray your mini muffin tin with coconut oil spray, and set aside
3. In a mixing bowl, add all dry ingredients, and whisk to combine
4. Add in the milk, banana, egg, and maple syrup. Mix until well combined
5. Gently fold strawberries into the batter
6. Using a teaspoon, spoon batter into muffin tin (each muffin will hold 1 to 1 1/2 tsp of batter)
7. Bake for 18-22 minutes (depending on your oven) Muffins are ready when an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
8. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely

From there, simply enjoy with family, friends, coworkers, whoever! 

Hope you love these as much as we do!

xo, Terra

Smoothies on Smoothies

In our house, smoothies are made on a VERY regular basis. As in at least 5 days a week. I love feeding my family smoothies for breakfast because I can pack them full of produce, lean protein, and healthy fats, and I can generally make them with whatever's on hand in our fridge, freezer, and pantry.

My son and I drink the Lean Green ACV Machine every weekday. 

The one smoothie ingredient that is non-negotiable is Tone It Up Organic Protein. Tone It Up protein is vegan, organic, non-GMO, and free of the top 8 food allergens. It's easy on my family’s stomachs, and it tastes great. We use vanilla 80% of the time, but I also keep chocolate on hand in case anyone get a late night craving. And now that cafe latte and peanut butter flavors have been released at Target, I can feel our smoothie game moving to the next level! 

The other thing that obviously critical to smoothie creation is a good blender. We have a NutriBullet, and I have to say I am super impressed with how well it blends frozen fruit and greens. In less than one minute, my smoothies are super... well, smooth.

We have a few recipes that are hits, and a few that we throw into the mix when we're feeling the need to switch things up. This is an evergreen post, so as we try and approve new flavors, I'll be sure to add them! Let me know in the comments if there are ingredients you'd like help creating recipes for!

smoothie liquids are all pre-portioned in mason jars on the top shelf. More than saving time on weekday mornings, this trick saves me from having to think about measurements at 6:30am.

One tip for making morning’s easier:

Prep all of your smoothie liquids and powders on meal prep Sunday. That way, when it’s time to blend, there’s no measuring- you just pour everything into the blender and go!

Hope you love these as much as we do!

xo, Terra

Lean Green ACV Machine

• 1/2 banana
• 1/2c coconut water
• 1/4c pineapple juice
• 1 scoop @toneitupnutrition vanilla protein
• 1tbsp ACV
• 2 giant handfuls of spinach
• Dash of ground ginger and cayenne

You down with PBB? Yeah you know me!

This is my hubb’s favorite smoothie, hands down.

• 8oz unsweetened almond milk
• 1 scoop Tone It Up vanilla protein
• 1tbsp PB2 peanut butter powder
• 1 banana
• 1/2c ice  

Strawberry Sweetheart Smoothie Bowl

This smoothie bowl is inspired by my hubby and son, who loves all things peanut butter!! The base is my hubby’s daily go-to, the PBB smoothie, and the swirl is fresh strawberry purée!

Ingredients for ✌🏽 servings:

• 8oz almond milk
• 1 scoop @toneitupnutrition vanilla or peanut butter protein
• 2Tbsp PB powder
• 1/2c ice
• 1 banana

Blend all ingredients and pour into your bowl. THEN...

Blend 1/2c strawberries and strain. Pour the purée into the top of your smoothie bowl, and swirl with a toothpick

If you like Pina Coladas 

• 4oz pineapple juice
• 4oz coconut water
• 1 scoop Tone It Up vanilla (or coconut) protein
• 1/2C frozen pineapple  
• 1/2 banana
• 1tbsp coconut manna

**you could easily add rum to this for a healthier(??) cocktail  

Cherry Blossom

• 1/4c frozen cherries
• 1/2c coconut milk
• 1/2c unsweetened almond milk
• 1 scoop @toneitupnutrition vanilla protein
• 1/4c frozen cauliflower
• 1tbsp coconut manna (coconut butter)

🌸Blend, blend, blend, and serve sprinkled with fresh coconut, and fresh blooms from the garden💕

No-Coffee Coffee Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 8oz almond milk
• 1 scoop @toneitupnutrition Cafe Latte protein
• 1/2 banana
• @foursigmatic mushroom coffee
• 5 ice cubes

Four Sigmatic is mushroom coffee. It’s lower in caffeine than traditional coffee, and has adaptogens for additional health benefits. 

Blend blend blend, and prepare to dazzle your tastebuds!

Meal Prep- You can totally do this!

Meal prepping saves my sanity, and eliminates the dreaded what’s-for-dinner-midweek-panic. After much trial and error, I’ve found that the schedule below really helps me maximize my time. Let’s have a moment of truth- is every week EXACTLY this precise? No way. But for the most part, my meal prep is some iteration of the schedule below. 

My #1 tip is this- stick with it. The first few weeks can be rocky! You’ll work out the kinks, and before you know it, you’ll be prepping like a pro. 👩‍🍳  

I learned to meal prep with the help of Tone It Up, an incredible online fitness community. If you've never checked them out, head on over to their site! I am a member of their Nutrition Plan, and because of this program, I have been re-inspired to create delicious dishes for my family week over week! After much trial and error, these are the things that work best in our house. Feel free to take what's best for you, and leave whatever you don't need! My hope is that your week goes a little smoother because of what you learn here!

a few notes before you start

1. Begin with a clean kitchen, including an empty dishwasher. You'll thank me later.

2. Matching containers make for easier storage, and a prettier presentation. Scroll down for a few of my faves!

   1. Meal Prep Containers for undressed salads, tray bakes, and overnight oats, fajita bowls... basically for anything that doesn't contain a ton of liquid

   2. Wide mouth mason jars for yogurt parfaits, dressed salads, soups, and more liquid-y Overnight Oats

   3. Smoothie bottles for smoothies on the go! I love the lids and straws that come in this set

3. Write out your menu! I can't tell you how many times I've forgotten about a component of meal prep Sunday. Be sure to write it all out before you begin!

Here's how we do Sundays...

Sunday mornings are lazy. We make breakfast in, even with guests. We drink a lot of coffee. There are usually waffles involved. I like to get in a quick workout before everyone’s up, even if it’s just a walk around the neighborhood or an ab workout in my gym. I snuggle with Clint on the couch for a bit and we drink our coffee, and each come up with a few ideas for dinner that week, and I make a grocery list. Then I power shop with the goal of being there and back in 45 minutes.

** full disclosure. We live a ¼ mile from the grocery store, and I don’t shop at Costco.**

the usual suspects

**more disclosures- During football season, I go to the grocery store at 10am as to not miss my Seahawks, so the Hubbs and I brainstorm meals over breakfast. #gohawks **

When I come home, Clint helps me put away the groceries. Then, I IMMEDIATELY meal prep. 

HOW I PRIORITIZE MEAL PREP SUNDAYS

First, I do the things that require no attention:

• Hard Boiled Eggs- in a pot, bring to a boil, turn off heat, cover, and let sit for 15 minutes. Done.

• Brown rice or quinoa- if I had a rice cooker, these would be even easier, but I don’t. so into the pot, and cook 20-45 minutes. Done and done.

• Muffins or Baked Frittatas for the week.

sautéed veggies for frittatas

Next, I do the things that require no cooking.

• Pre-portion lunch snacks for Peyton (crackers, trail mix, etc.)

• Pull apart the string cheeses for grab-and-go-ability

• 3-4 servings of overnight oats, yogurt parfaits, and chia pudding (up for grabs for anyone for breakfast)

• Chop veggies for snacks or for meals

• I pre portion anything that’s a snack

• I pre-portion salad greens

• I prep 3 gallon-sized Ziploc bags with 4-6C of mixed veggies each (carrots, brussel sprouts, broccoli, sweet potatoes, cauliflower with garlic and onions). I will roast these a few nights during the week. When it’s time to cook, I just put them on a foil lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and roast at 450 for 15-20 minutes.

chopped and seasoned veggies for quick dinner sides

Then, I prep dinners and anything that needs attention while cooking. This includes dinner for Sunday night. Examples:

• Ground turkey with taco seasoning

• Grilled chicken for salads

• Chicken Fajita mix (chicken, onions, peppers, garlic, seasoning)

• Meatballs  or Falafels

• Big batch of soup

Last, I store anything (portioned in bulk for dinners or individually for lunches) that needs to cool before going into the fridge, load any dirty dishes into the dishwasher, prep the coffee maker for the morning, wipe down the counters, and pour a glass of wine.

And that’s it! Done! It sounds like there’s a lot going on, but steps 1 and 2 happen simultaneously, and step 3 takes less than 30 minutes because any veggies are prepped and ready. All in, I spend about 2 hours on meal prep, including the grocery shop.

What this doesn’t account for is the time that I am NOT spending on meals during the week.  Breakfasts are done with muffins, oatmeal, hard-boiled eggs, and frittatas. Lunches are pre-portioned. I spend maybe 10-15 minutes max prepping dinners most nights. That means I have more time during the week to spend with family, work out, or do ANYTHING really, besides prep food. I would say I save about 30-45 minutes a day Monday-Friday with the work I put in on Sunday afternoons.

Let me know- what are your biggest Meal-Prep hurdles or Meal-Prep successes?

Xo, Terra