Guac's extra

Mexican food is quite possibly the best food out there. But since I can't go to my favorite hole-in-the-wall on the daily, homemade stuff has to fly. I always love a good quesadilla with grilled chicken or steak but it's really got to be ramped up a little to hit the spot. Fresh guac, salsa, sliced lime - you can't beat it! This is my outstanding guac and salsa recipe.

Guacamole
- 2 ripe avocados
- 1 lime
- 3 cloves of garlic
- salt & pepper
- sriracha / tobasco

Cut the avocados in half, scoop out the avocado with a spoon, throw it in a bowl. Chop the garlic, add it to the bowl. Squeeze in the lime, add the hot sauce, sprinkle the salt and pepper. Mash it all up and BAM! you have an amazing guac. Delish with chips, delish with quesadillas.

Helpful tip: put the avocado pit into the guac and it won't turn brown!

Fresh Salsa
- 1 can corn
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 jalapeno pepper
- 1/2 shallot or 1/2 red onion
- 2 limes
- salt & pepper

Drain the corn, chop the tomatoes, chop the jalapeno (the seeds pack the heat - scrape them out for a milder salsa), chop the shallot and put it all into a bowl. Squeeze in the two limes, add about a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and some freshly ground pepper. Mix it all up and serve it fresh!

Helpful tip: this salsa only lasts about a day in the fridge....it's best eaten right away)

Healthy Snacks (part one)

For as long as I can remember, my go-to snack has been cereal. Sometimes I'd eat three or four bowls (jeez) because it was so un-satisfying. I'd be left feeling heavy, weighed down, and bloated. Gross. So, I had to come up with some healthy alternatives that would satisfy and also taste delicious. Here are a few of my favorites!

Smoothie

My go-to snack after school is a fruit and vegetable smoothie. I whip it up before I work out for a much needed energy boost. It keeps me going and doesn't weigh me down. These are the ingredients I use:

- 2 cups frozen pineapple

- 1 cup frozen blueberries

- 1 kale leaf (or handful of spinach)

- 2 small carrots

- 1 ripe banana

- 1 Tbsp flax seed

- 1 cup liquid (apple juice / almond milk / soy milk / OJ / dairy milk / etc.)

Blend everything together until smooth. You may need to adjust the amount of liquid.

this makes about two servings

Apples with almond butter

This snack takes about two minutes to whip up and it's absolutely delicious! Apples are full of fiber and they boost your blood sugar. Almond butter has healthy fats and protein. My favorite brand is Justin's which you can find at Safeway. There are other brands of course and you can even grind your own! (A Vitamix is a great tool to have when making your own nut butters!) 

Together, these two foods make a great snack!

Cheese, crackers, and apples

My favorite cheese in the whole world is Cracker Barrel. I love pairing it with Triscuit crackers and an apple. The cheese has protein, the crackers have carbs (I love carbs so much that I've been nicknamed the "Carb Queen") and the apple has fiber. Delicious!

So before you reach for a bag of chips or a bowl of cereal, try making one of these quick and healthy snacks! :)

About Me (kind of)

When my friend first read my blog, one of her suggestions was for me to write a little about myself. She told me that people like to know about the person behind the blog. Here goes!

I'm sitting on my couch listening to "Love Me Like You Do" by Ellie Goulding trying to think of a way to start this. Well, as mentioned in an earlier post, I'm 17 and I have a passion for health and fitness. My love for fitness first began about a year ago. One of my friends had been bringing me to her gym as a guest and we would use the treadmills together and do some light weight lifting. I told my mom how great the gym was and she decided to buy us a membership. Best decision ever. I love having access to such a great facility. My normal workout routine includes running to the gym, taking a cardio class called HIIT, and then taking a weight lifting class. Personally, I don't really like using the elipticals or treadmills any more because I end up getting bored after about 45 seconds. I like taking the classes because they keep things interesting. On the weekends when I don't take classes, I like to go on a run. And the thing that keeps me motivated is music. My current playlist includes a lot of One Direction (hey, they're pretty awesome) and T-Swift. In my opinion, music can make or break a workout. If I'm listening to music that motivates me, I'll have a much better workout.

My other love is food. I love fresh food, colorful food, food that is delicious and healthy. I'd like to get one thing straight though - fruit is not dessert. Sometimes you just need a freshly baked cookie. When you eat well, you have more energy, you feel better, your health improves, the list goes on. I've found myself craving the good stuff rather than processed foods. And I never set foot in the frozen aisles at the grocery store.

I think I'll go and have a banana now.

A quick and healthy breakfast

For the past couple of weeks, I've been having the same delicious breakfast every day before school: a yogurt parfait. It may sound boring, but I've spiced it up. Here's what I use:

Chobani Greek yogurt
Granola (I use homemade granola, the recipe I used is linked at the bottom)
Cacao nibs (they sound exotic, but you can get them at Safeway)
Goji berries (a little more difficult to find, but Whole Foods sells them)
Blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries (a whole bunch)

The yogurt is my source of protein. It fills me up and keeps me satisfied until lunchtime. Cacao nibs are a great source of magnesium and are considered a superfood. Goji berries - my absolute favorite - are an excellent source of antioxidants, as are the fresh berries. This is the finished product!

you can barely see what's underneath all those berries

My second breakfast item was avocado toast with a poached egg. My favorite bread at the moment is Sprouted Whole Wheat. It's vegan and it's a good source of fiber. The brand is Alvarado St. Bakery - you can find it at Safeway. After I toast the bread, I smear avocado all over it. Avocado is a great source of healthy fats which are good for your brain. I never skimp on the avo. Next, I poach an egg and put it on top of the toast! Sprinkle with sea salt and fresh ground pepper and you're good to go. It doesn't take long and it's super easy! And the flavor is ridiculously good.

I managed to cook the egg perfectly this time

This is the finished product of this morning's breakfast. And it only took 10 minutes!

Grapefruit has 100% of your daily value of vitamin C!

As promised, the granola recipe: 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/granola-bars-recipe.html

side note: the recipe is for granola bars but instead of pressing the granola mixture into the dish before baking, I just spread it in a larger dish instead.

Hello!

Hi there! Before I start sharing fitness tips and delicious food ideas, I wanted to tell you the inspiration behind Goji Berry Good Life. It's actually pretty funny. This morning I offered my mom a piece of toast with avocado and a poached egg. She laughed and told me that I was the only 17 year old who would ask such a question. (But of course she said yes to my offer because I make the most amazing avocado toast w/ a poached egg). Then she told me, "You should start a blog! You love health and fitness and you could totally inspire people." So that's why I'm here. Because of my brilliant mother and my passion for a healthy lifestyle. So, I hope that you are inspired when you read Goji Berry Good Life! By the way, this is what a goji berry is:

photo from: http://criscoelho.com/goji-berry-a-super-fonte-da-juventude/