Categories
Food

Egg Roll Bowl

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If you’re looking for a delicious, Asian inspired, healthy, keto friendly, this is one you will be craving to make again and again. Tastes like an egg roll. Really, and you won’t even miss the wrap. Plus, it leaves you feeling full and works for lunch, dinner or for my favorite, tossed a fried egg on top and make it a breakfast scramble. It’s easy and makes enough to feed a family or for a few meals prepped for your week. This has been one of my go to meals starting this Keto diet and I’m sure you’ll be craving it again and again

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey                                      1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 onion                                                       1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 head of cabbage                                    1 garlic clove

1 carrot                                                          1 tablespoon sesame oil

Salt and pepper to taste                             Sesame seeds to sprinkle on top

In a large pan begin to fry ground turkey. Season with salt and pepper. While turkey is frying begin to chop onion, cabbage, garlic, and carrot. Give the turkey a few stirs, breaking up into small pieces.

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In a small bowl, mix together soy sauce, apple cider vinegar and garlic clove. Set aside.

Give turkey a final stir and add sesame oil and onion. Fry onion for 2-3 minutes and add entire soy sauce mixture. Immediately add cabbage and carrot. Stir and coat vegetables with sauce. Cook on medium high heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring and coating cabbage.

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Serve and sprinkle with sesame seeds! You’ll be done in under 30 minutes and have enough to pack for lunch tomorrow.

Categories
Food

Roasted Basil Tomato Soup

I don’t know about you, but this chilly winter weather has me craving a warm, yummy soup for a cozy night in. This Roasted Basil Tomato soup recipe is as easy as they come. I love to double this recipe and freeze half to pull out on a cold evening when I just don’t have the energy to cook a meal.

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 lbs of Roma or Campari tomatoes
  • 8-10 garlic cloves
  • 1 1/2 lbs Cherry tomatoes
  •   1 tablespoon garlic salt
  • 2 small yellow or white onions
  •  2 1/2 cups fresh basil
  • 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
  •  1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper

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Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. Quarter tomatoes and place on half of the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season to take with salt and pepper. Slice onions less then half and inch think and spread over the other half of the baking sheet. Drizzle with remaining olive oil. Place in oven to bake.

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Bake onions for 20–25 minutes, until they are browning. Take baking sheet out of oven, remove onions from baking sheet and place into large pot. Place tomatoes bake into over for another 10 to 15 minutes. Tomatoes should bake for 30-35 minutes. Watch over carefully, tomatoes and onions can quickly go from almost done to burnt. Once tomatoes are ready, remove from oven and place in large pot with onions. At 4 cups of broth and basil to pot. Add garlic salt, remaining salt and pepper to pot and bring to a boil. Once soup begins to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Use hand held blender to blend soup or place in traditional blender. I used my Ninja.  Only fill half the blender. Blend soup, pour into bowl and enjoy!

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Categories
Travel

Traveling Arches National Park

Utah has a beauty all its own. Every time I’ve been lucky enough to explore this gorgeous state I’m left in awe by it’s natural beauty. Arches National Park was no different. Here’s some tips and tricks I picked up along the way. Hopefully they help planning your trip a little easier.

Moab, Utah is the closest city to Arches National Park. There are multiple hotels and RV parks in town to rent and enjoy your stay. There’s also lots of restaurants and places to eat in town.

First, plan according to the season you are visiting Utah. Summer months get hot and in the winter you’ll more than likely be greeted with snow.  Believe it or not, I visited Arches on The 4th of July! Kid you not! July brings the heat and this year was no different. With many sites to see and trails to hike, I began about 6 am. I know, it sounds crazy, but at this time of year it’s the only way to beat the heat and truly enjoy the hike. There are several arches around the park to hike too. The hike to the Delicate Arch pictured was about 2 miles, give or take. A little less than 4 miles out and back. Depending on the time of day and season the trails are highly congested and the earlier you set out the better. Trust me, heading back down nearly two hours later and seeing the folks just starting the trail with a temperature of more than 90 degrees, I was happy I started early in the morning. It also helps with parking. There are lots of spaces up and around the trail head. Early in the morning it was easy to find a parking, later parking was congested and harder to find. As you drive around the park to different areas of the park some places are more popular than others and are more congested. Some trailheads are easy to drive up to and begin hiking.

Make sure you pack your water, even the early morning heat can weigh on you and you’ll need to hydrate. I took my camel pack and I had more than enough water for the day. You’ll be happy you have it when you reach the trail end and have some time to rest and enjoy the scenery. I always have at least a granola bar in my pack.

Packing a lunch in a cooler is a really good idea. There are several sites to stop, park and hike through the park. Depending on how long you spend exploring it’s nice to have a lunch break before heading up more trails and driving through the rest of the park.

The beautiful of Arches National Park will certainly not disappoint and is a must see in the Southwest!

Categories
Lifestyle

DIY Floral Bath Salts

Let’s have a spa day any day!

Although, I wish I could make to the spa once a week or even once a month, most times it’s just not possible. These easy DIY Floral Bath Salts can turn your bathroom into a spa on any given night. They are easy to put together and make great gifts for your busy girlfriends and smell heavenly to help you relax the busy day away.

Bath salt

Bath Salt Ingredients:

  1. 1 cup sea salt or epsom salt
  2. 1/2 cup a sweet almond oil
  3. 6 drops to 1/4 teaspoon of floral oil (I used grapefruit and eucalyptus oil)
  4. 1/4 cup lavender buds
  5. fresh flower petals (optional)

Salts

Packaging Products need:

  1. Glass container. I purchased these containers at Hobby Lobby along with all the other items needed for packaging.
  2. Ribbon or twine of your choice.
  3. Decal, stamp or sticker of your choice.

Start by mixing all ingredients (salt, oil, lavender buds, flower petals) in a metal or plastic bowl.  Mix together thoroughly, letting the oil blend with the salts and lavender buds. Once finished, begin spooning bath salts into individual containers, seal, and wrap with pretty bow or decal. I chose twine to match my  Home Spa theme. Makes a great addition to any spa basket, great stocking stuffer, Mother’s Day gift or gift for your girlfriend preparing for special events. Enjoy!

Categories
Blog

2018! Leaping Into Blogging

I’m so excited this day is finally here! For so long now I’ve thought about blogging. I’ve researched blogs, watched tons of podcasts, stalked my favorite bloggers. Chickened out a time or two. You name it, I’ve done it. Finally, I decided it’s time to take the plunge and turn these blogger dreams into reality and make 2018 the year of the blog!

I love adventure, seeing and doing things, but most of all, I love balance. It’s what makes my world go round. Oddly enough, balance takes work, but I mean it when I say, it’s the key ingredient in helping me turn those super stressful, I’ve had it, I still have so much to do, days into a success. I’ve been looking forward to this journey and cannot wait to take you along as this modern day go getter, somehow, makes it all happen. Most of the time!!

Welcome to the journey of The Charming Jay!