clean eating burger-like dinner

Turns out there about a bajillion different versions of veggie burgers out there. From fresh to frozen, its a hard world to navigate! But when a trusted #cleaneating twitter "friend" of mine tweeted this little gem, I had to go for it! 


Sweet Potato Quinoa Burgers

Recipe courtesy of The Joy of Clean Eating blog 

Find her on Twitter at @joycleaneat 

I have to tell you, mine didn't exactly stay in that burger form...but they were amazingly delicious! They have tex-mex flare to them.

Begin by cooking one cup of quinoa and 2 sweet potatoes. 

{Whole Foods calls those white potatoes up there Sweet Potatoes...I have my doubts} 

I opted for roasted Sweet Potatoes {touch of evoo and Mrs Dash} due to my insane obsession for roasting any and every vegetable possible. However...my patties were more like hashbrowns than patties because of this poor awesome decision.

{I had to practically wrestle Josh out of the kitchen- he couldn't stop eating these when they came out of the oven!}

Next, mix together all of the ingredients:

1 steam bag of whole kernal corn

1/2 diced red onion

1 can black beans, drained

lots of minced garlic

cooked cup of quinoa

sweet potatoes

dashes of sea salt, cumin, oregeno, black pepper, cayenne and hot sauce {siracha!}

Now do you very best to form them into patties. My batch made 12 patties!!! 2 per person makes for a satisfying serving. Then bake them at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. 

{this picture freaks me out...looks like my burgers are going into the tanning bed}

Top with more hot sauce {if you're crazy} or organic ketchup

Enjoy! 

They also make amazing leftovers

:) amc

endorphins make you happy

It's Monday. It's rainy. And...It's Monday. 


Combat that Monday moodiness with some endorphins!!!

"Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy."

And if that too-cute blonde and her little puppy don't do it for ya...

Take it from Minka Kelly. 

A good 30 minute sweat can be the ticket to a clear mind! 

And a better day! :) 

Next Monday- wake up 30 minutes earlier and have a little cardio/toning session- it helps!

Better yet, do it every day this week! Yeeehaw! 

Have a wonderful Monday! 

And when the goin gets tough- think "exercise gives you endorphins!"

{and happy people just don't shoot their ___fill in the blank____!}

 :) amc

clean cooking

What have you cooked for me lately? ooooh oooooooh ooooh yeah! 
I had a long weekend and I feel like all I have done is cook, eat and run {all to the sounds of Ms Janet Jackson! hence my first sentence}. 


What have I cooked lately? Well, if you remember I am on this clean eating kick lifestyle, so my diet is basically tons of fresh produce and lots of protein. Like....

Protein Pancakes! Practically one each day- they are awesome after a great cardio session! 

{recipe from the Tone It Up girls}

Pan Roasted Grape Tomatoes make the perfect M4! {Fourth meal/afternoon snack} Little bit of evoo and a hot pan- don't be scared, they make strange noises when they roast, and it is okay if the skin pops or chars. That's when you know its going to be yummy! 

Quick & Easy Vegan Chili 

It's been a rainy weekend and chili is always hits the spot on those nights. This is also a Tone It Up recipe- but of course, I improvised a bit 

I love the colors! 

Onion, minced garlic, black beans, roasted red pepper, diced tomatoes, spinach and chili seasoning

I let all of the ingredients get friendly over medium low heat for about 20 minutes {err until I was absolutely starving and couldn't wait another second}. The colors were still beautiful but the chili was so dang hot, that it kept steaming up my super nice camera iphone camera. #picturefail 

Yummy #cleaneating chili! Served in a coffee mug is always the way to go

{why can't I stop talking in hashtags?! I am the new version of an annoying 13 year old w/ her LOL's and BFF's....augh}

Sorry for the long post, but I just finished up a yummy yummy homemade pizza- and I have to share! 

Tons of Toppings Veggie Pizza {clean eating style!}

I made my own dough, which was a huge undertaking since I have never ever baked something successfully! {except for those cookies stuffed w oreos...ooooh man....go away bad thoughts} Above is the cast of characters, the packet at the bottom is active dry yeast.

Making the dough....saying my prayers to the Baking Gods {jk}

There she is, a little ball of Hope {and dreams}

Now for 10 minutes of constant worries and wishing. 

"Please do whatever it is you are supposed to do. Please."

The easy part- toppings! I used roasted red peppers, red onions, mushrooms, baby tomatoes and artichoke hearts

No pictures because I was much too excited.... but the dough did whatever it was supposed to do! I spread it out on the pan, baked it for 15 minutes and then...

Topped it! 

Bake for 25ish minutes on 350 degrees then enjoy! 

Who needs Pizza Hut? Papa Who? :) 

Now- this #cleaneating pizza is great!!! I will totally make it again! But I have to say...I am missing my fatty delivery pizza from time to time. 

Let me know if you try out any of these recipes or have any Clean Eating suggestions! I have to tell you- I can totally see/feel a difference since starting this. 

Try it out! 

:) amc

secrets & snapshots of clean eating

Still going strong with my Clean Eating 2012 resolution! 


It isn't as strict as you may think- this video covers the basics of the lifestyle

Healthiest Ways to Grocery Shop

5 SECRETS TO HEALTHY GROCERY SHOPPING

{via fitsugar}

See! Not so difficult! And..No Dad, it isn't that organic mumbo jumbo. :) 

So, what have I been eating lately?

 Lot's of salmon! 

And lots of sauteed and roasted greens!

I seriously underestimated the wiltering power of the baby spinach...

Good none the less! I first sauteed some minced garlic with evoo then added in the baby spinach- this process is super quick!

 Sweet & Spicy Citrus Salmon {say that 9 times fast}

Baked salmon topped with Mrs Dash chipotle seasoning, evoo, juice of 1/2 a lemon and juice of 1/2 an orange

Bake and devour! 

And for a satisfying salty snack.... Sweet Potato Fries!

Homemade with love

This process is much more intense than I had anticipated! 

I followed this recipe from Natural Noshing.

But the results sure are tasty!

 I packed the leftovers for my M4 today- hoping they stand up well as a second-day meal!

Note: the majority of my meals aren't this orange....that was strange. It is my favorite color!

Cheers to clean eating! 

:) amc

mobs & macaroons

Quick happy things:

Market is just about over!

    And check out what the events team pulled off...

{click the pic to play or follow this link}

2. I had my first macaroon this market & I am obsessing! 

While they do not qualify as Clean Eating... I still really want to try and make them! 

{Macaroon How-To}

And......... now I can focus on planning our wedding!!!

It's dress time :)

Will share some market pics with you soon- I saw some FANTASTIC new products!

:) amc

happy distractions & motivations

It's beginning to look a lot like Market! So it is time for a happy and distracting blog post:

This week the above applies to me in the form of running & customer service at Market

We can always do a bit better! :)

It has recently occurred to me that I finally get to stock up on some amazing monogrammed accessories and home decor!!! YAYYY!!! Everything is sweeter with a letter on it! 

Still on my lean & clean lifestyle "diet"! I imagine it will very difficult to eat this way during market with all of the hustle and bustle- so {time permitting} I hope to make and pack some good snacks!

{The Gracious Pantry & Clean Eating Chelsey have tons of great clean eating recipes} 

If this Kate Spade beauty doesn't scream AMANDA MACY, then I don't know what does! Brown + Camel, thick stripes, shoulder tote...I mean seriously... Who would like to gift this to me? :) 

I've also decided that I need a cute gym bag. How cute is this one! My friend, Sallie, has one and I am uber jealous

Andddd here are two more things that I am uber jealous of. 

"Amanda: Run! Run! Run! Weights! Weights! Weighs!"

+ I LOOOOVE their bathing suits! Motivation makes me happy! :) 

{Victoria's Secret...duh}

Can it please be Spring so that it is acceptable to dress like this again? So very cute. Love you J. Crew. Love ya lots. 

Cheers to Market & a super rando blog post

:) amc

prepping for healthy

Sticking to a New Years resolution- or in my case: a new healthy lifestyle- calls for plenty of new habit prep time. So during my winter break, I have been practicing healthy protein-packed recipes!

As you know, cooking is one of my favorite things to do, ever! And while I have stockpiled the pantry and fridge with some pre-made healthy foods {hummus, cut up raw veggies and fruits, greek yogurt, etc}, this girl still has just GOT to cook!!!

Lately, each morning {err 10 a.m.} has started with hot & fresh

-Protein Pancakes-

The healthy batter 

Yummy chunks of fresh bananas, oats and blueberries

Sizzle!

 The result! These are so good, and so very filling!

{Check out the recipe at ToneItUp.com}

My first fruit AND vegetable smoothie!

-Bounce Back Smoothie-

Load up the blender with kale, cucumber, bananas and strawberries

Top it off with some organic apple juice and a TIU secret ingredient ;)

Blend and enjoy! It actually tasted way good and I am excited to have another tomorrow!

{full recipe on ToneItUp.com}

Tonight's healthy dinner!

-Teriyaki Glazed Salmon with Roasted Asparagus-

I got to really cook!

I made a sweet & savory {& slightly spicy} healthy glaze for my salmon.

Ingredients: diced onion, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, light soy sauce, organic honey and a splash of organic orange juice

Reduce the ingredients down into a glaze and top the raw salmon

 Bake the salmon and asparagus in a  350 degree oven. Asparagus for 30 minutes & salmon for 15 minutes.

Oh yes! Enjoy this super tasty and healthy meal!

Wish me luck on keeping up this healthy habit during the work week!

:) amc

winter break

Happy New Year!

Is everyone loving this time off as much as I am? Gosh, it's just wonderful!

Well, just wanted to check in and show you some things I've been eyeing today:

Too cute southern garland, would love to make this and hang on my mantle

It's officially Winter and "they" say that it is finally going to get super cold. 

Gotta get ready to bundle up!

I am obsessed with everything about this. The colors, the shape, the font, the size and most importantly the words. Mother Teresa just could do no wrong- she is a daily inspiration and breath of fresh air. 

How lovely are these colors together?! Those soft Tiffany blue walls with the mustard chairs look fabulous against that rusty chocolate rug. This is a great space. 

Aren't these baskets fantastic?! I have been accumulating a larger than normal amount of magazines {bridal inspiration!} and they sure could use a cute home.

{etsy}

Really?! It's going to get cold? Gah.... how unfortunate. 

Back to bowl games, bridal research, ball workouts and sitting by the fire with Mason

I love you Winter break!

:) amc