Healthy Resolutions with Nutrition and Exercise Tips

Remember those New Year Resolutions you made way back in January 2014? How are they working out for you? You don't remember them? Pull out the list right now and check off the ones you have accomplished and circle the ones you are still working on. If you still have some left unmarked look at them and think about why you added them and why you aren't working on them. IF they are really important to you, get working on them today. Don't wait until January 2015 to start them. 

A few months ago I shared some of my "resolutions" for 2014. Here they are again:

1- Continue going to the gym 4 times a week. Keep up with walk to run app.
2- Drink 1/2 - 1 gallon of water a day.
3- Turn family favorite recipes into healthier recipes.
4- Focus on no bad sugar with exceptions in moderation.
5- Blog more about healthier lifestyle options.

I have to say that I have and continue to do all of these resolutions. Over the years I have learned that if I write something down and look at it on a regular basis I am more likely to do it. Can I check off any as completed? Absolutely not! Why not? I can't check them off because I'm not going for any absolutes. I can circle all of them as they are all being done. I'm on a healthier lifestyle journey that is my path to get me through this life. I've made these changes over the past 2 years and I'm not stopping now! Follow my journey here on my blog and share yours with me in the comments.

Here is a quick run down of what I'm doing and ask me whatever questions you might have.

1-Gym/Exercise- 

• I exercise 4 times a week, normally. During that time I take 2-4 classes at my gym including HITT and Cycle Class. The other 2 times would be a variety of other things like Crossfit, walking, running, strength training, ab workout,etc. 
• As part of my resolution I wanted to keep up with my walk to run app. Right now I'm in a 40 Day 40 Mile Run challenge that started Memorial Day and runs through 4th of July. This challenge is to run 1 mile a day for 40 days. I'm on day 7! You can follow my current journey on Instagram where I share photos and follow the hashtag #RWRunStreak on Instagram and Twitter to see others doing this as well. 
• I found that by joining a challenge of something that I don't normally do is the best way to learn how to do it better and to train my body and mind to do it. I've never ran more than 1 day in a row so to be on Day 7 is a huge accomplishment for me. Here are a few photos but do follow me on Instagram (I'll follow you back) so you can join in and follow! 

Day 1 of 1 Mile a Day Streak for 40 Days

Day 6 of a 1 Mile a Day Streak for 40 Days

#2 Drink Water - I easily drink 1/2 to 1 gallon a water a day. HOW do I do it? I just drink water and ice water. Those are my choices and my body is always asking for water. Once you get drinking it that is what you will want to drink.

#3 Healthier Family recipes and #5 Blog Healthier Recipes - Not only have I turned family recipes healthier but cook healthier almost ALL THE TIME. Funny and true story right here..... My youngest is now going to the gym with me. She started around Valentine's Day and didn't want candy for Valentine's Day but a gym membership with me. She goes to the gym about as much as I do. Anyhow she has always been the person who wants bread, potatoes, pasta, and meat. Guess what? She now is a huge fruit and veggie eater. The funny part is that she just spent a few days at her grandparents house and was helping with dinner. She came home and told me what they ate and that for both meals she asked if she could make a salad for the meal. YES! I'm so happy that she now craves salad. Keep checking in for more healthy recipes including recipes using the 21 Day Fix healthy eating plan. You can also follow my group, 21 Day Fix to get more ideas and to get more information on this healthier lifestyle eating plan. 

As promised, here are some of our healthier recipes. Enjoy! 

• Baked Carrot French Fries
• Spicy Whole Roasted Cauliflower
• Cucumber Cilantro Salad (VEGAN) 
• Homemade Cajun Seasoning
• Healthier Menu Plan
• No Bake Granola Bars
• 8 Salsa Recipes

ZONE Perfect Nutritional tips

Healthier Condiments

Healthier Drinks

#4 - Stay away from bad sugar - 

• I have to say that I'm good at this if I avoid all bad sugar. You know what I'm talking about....sugar in processed foods, cupcakes, cookies, brownies, sugared drinks, etc. 
• If I want any of these I will have a small portion but it has to be at a party where I'm with people. No more sneaking sweets for me. 
• One product that has helped with this are the ZONE Perfect Bars. I love them because they are protein energy bars. I can use them for an afternoon snack that will last me a few hours until dinner time without giving me empty calories or a spike in blood sugar. Some of my favorites include Greek Yogurt Chocolate (taste like Oreos), Chocolate Coconut Crunch, Chocolate Mint (taste like a Girl Scout Cookie), Cinnamon Roll (yes taste like a cinnamon roll) and all of the Dark Chocolate bars.

Are any of these tips helpful? I'd love to know. I would also love to know what you are doing or what you want to do to get healthier. Ask me any questions below.

Good luck with everything and stay tuned for more nutritional and healthier lifestyle choices.

Check in daily and I'll share many new recipes this month. I'll also post them on my Make Time for Healthier Lifestyle Group (you can share there), SusieQTpies Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Google + and Pinterest. So follow me on those social media channels so keep up and not miss some heart warming recipes. 

Join in our Weekend Social Linkup

Welcome back to our weekly social hop! You can share all of your social media links and find new friends. This is our 2nd week! Are you read for round two of the Weekend Social Linkup? Our goal is to double what we got last week! It will be open for the whole weekend, closes Sunday night, so more people can join! Please remember to follow the host & co-host up at the top on all social media sites! Starting next weekend, we will pick a random person who links up for the "Feature Blogger" for everyone to follow as well. So that will be awesome! Thanks again for making this possible :) Have a great weekend!

MMING?? FOLLOW AT LEAST 5 OTHER BLOGS?? FOLLOW THE HOST & CO-HOST!?? FAMILY FRIENDLY BLOGS ONLY?? ONE LINK PER PERSON PER SECTION

  Since I changed it to the whole weekend, not just Saturday, I had to change the button, so here you go, switch them out :)
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Red Salsa and White Bean Dip and 4th of July Recipes

Here is another salsa recipe which would be perfect for your 4th of July celebrations! This platter of goodness is red, white and blue! As you know we love salsa over at our house and will most likely eat this before Fourth of July, during and even after! Click here to find even more salsa recipes. 

Red Salsa and White Bean Dip Recipes

Red Salsa:

Ingredients

1 packet of Nueva Cocina Chipotle Taco Seasoning

1 can of diced tomatoes (10 oz.)

4 plum tomatoes

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 whole lime

½ cup chopped red onion

2 Tablespoons of chopped cilantro – optional

Salt to taste

Directions

Dice the plum tomatoes.  Add chopped onion, olive oil, seasoning mix and the can of tomatoes.  Mix together.  Add cilantro and salt.

White Bean Dip

Ingredients

Nueva Cocina White Bean Soup Mix

1 packet of Taco Fresco Seasoning

7-8 ounces of grated Queso Blanco cheese (may be substituted for another white cheese of your liking)

1 ½ cup of sour cream

5 tablespoons of olive oil (2 tablespoon for soup preparation and 3 tablespoons for the dip0

Directions

Follow the recipe on the soup, but only use two cups of water instead of three indicated on the package.  Once cooled, smash the beans for a smooth consistency.  Add the sour cream, 3 tablespoons of the olive, and the seasoning mix.  Mix together.  Add half of the cheese to the mixture and mix thoroughly.  Top with remaining cheese.

Arrange the dips on a party platter with blue corn chips. Perfect party snack and festive for the 4th of July. Thanks to Nueva Cocina at www.nuevacocina.com for sharing this recipe.

More Recipes for 4th of July

Tortilla Pinwheels
Texas Queso Dip
Jalapeño Popper Dip
Spicy Ranch Dip
Quick and Easy BLT Pizza
Antipasto Platter
Buffalo Chicken Dip
4th of July Picnic Food
Top 100 4th of July Recipes & Crafts
4th of July Menu ideas
Kristi's Sangria
4th of July Food Safety Tips

This Mama Rocks with Sprint HTC One #SprintMom #Sponsored #MC

I love listening to music when I exercise. Now this mama really rocks it out with the new Sprint HTC One (M8) Harman/Kardon Edition smartphone. I am a Sprint Ambassador and get to test various Sprint devices. I have to say that the kick off phone for this Ambassadorship has me in love with Sprint.  I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Sprint. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and to thank me for participating.

So do you want to know what I love about this new phone? 

Sprint HTC One

LOVE this large phone and this photo next to the deck of cards! 

Here it goes:

• Beautiful 5-inch full HD screen which makes the photos crisp and clear. My current screen is way too small and I can't get over how much I love this large screen.
• Easy to hold, lightweight all-metal sleek design.
• Access to Spotify's catalogue of more that 20 million songs which gave me more music than I could ever use at the gym.
• Snazzy camera which has 6 different functions- Selfie (yay), Zoe camera,  regular camera, video, Pan 360 setting and dual camera. There is also a 3-2-1 countdown feature which my teen thought was annoying but then she starting posing for her selfies. The photos are crisp and rich in color. Look at some of my unedited sushi and coffee pictures. Want a bite? I love how great they turned out which will help me blog, too! The camera has easy to edit features which I love! 

• Most amazing sound which is using Clari-Fi™ technology to analyzes audio files in real time and restores what was lost in compression. What does this mean? The sound seems live with LiveStage™ on the headphones. This sound totally shut out any nose at home and the gym.
• Easy use of apps.
• Easy to use as a hotspot.

Harmon-Kardon Onyx Studio speaker

To top off this awesome phone I also got to review the wireless Harmon-Kardon Onyx Studio speaker which is the best bluetooth speaker I have ever used. This one speaker actually has 4 powered speakers in one unit. I have already told all the teens and husband that this is my speaker and only I can use it. I rocked all of my music and the best sound when watching Netflix. Last but not least the speaker is so easy to use and within 1 minute of taking it out of the box I was rocking out the speaker.

Here area a few edited photos that I did while hubby and I were on a trip. I used some of the fun camera features to edit and then loaded quickly on Facebook. 

Want more information? Check out HTC One (M8) Harman/Kardon Edition site and find out more. I am really loving this new toy and can't wait for Sprint to send me new devices and products to test! Stay tune. 

Easy Way to Cut a Mango and 9 Favorite Mango Recipes

My family loves mangos. I love mango juice and fun, tropical mango drinks. I do not have a lot of mango recipes because we just eat them straight up or tossed into smoothies. Do you have any favorite mango recipes? Here is an easy way to cut a mango and some recipes of mine and other foodie friends. These recipes are all on my to make list this summer. Share how you like your mango as well as any recipes in the comments.

Before I tell you how I cut my mango I want you to know that I started blogging my recipes so that I could have them written down with photos for my daughters. Back when I started blogging I didn't even know that others would come to my blog and enjoy them, too! So thank you for being here and I hope that you have found some tasty new recipes to try.

I was inspired to do this post because my 15 year old had no clue how to cut a mango. I also know that my older daughter is getting married and she does look at my blog for recipes. So this is to help them and hopefully help you!

Easy Way To Cut a Mango

1- Lay the mango down on the cutting board and cut a large section off the side. I usually cut about 1/4 of an inch from the bottom or top end. As I slice into it I let me knife flow around the seed. You can't cut the seed.

2- Do the same with the other side.

3. Put the flesh part right side up and cut 1 inch strips across mango and turn and do it again. I then take my knife and cut close to the skin to remove the pieces. This is how I get the chunks.

4. I then stand up the mango and cut off the side flesh around the seed. Do this for both sides and then remove the flesh and cut into chunks.

5. If there is flesh left on the seed, eat it off! The kids like this part, too.

More Mango Recipes

Mom Mango Tango Margarita
Individual Tres Leches Cakes
Easy Mango Salsa
Black Beans with Mango and Cilantro by $5 Dinners
Mango Lion Fruit Pizza by Bluebonnets and Brownies
Mango Lemonade by The Marvelous Misadventures of a Foodie
Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Mango and Black Bean Salsa by $5 Dinners
Fresh Mango Avocado Cole Slaw by Favorite Family Recipes
Mango Upside Down Cake by From Brazil to You

8 Salsa Recipes including Easy Mango Salsa

My family loves salsa! We can eat it all year long and every which way possible! We love a variety from hot to mild and sweet to extra spicy! How do you like your salsa? Here are some of our favorite summer recipes for salsa as well as one from Gooseberry Patch. I love their cookbooks and recipes. Share your ideas and recipes in the comments below.

Easy Mango Salsa

Ingredients

1 Mango, cubed
1 Avocado, cubed
1 Tbsp Red Onion, chopped
1 Tomato, chopped
1/2 cup Cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeño, chopped (remove seeds to cut down on heat)
3 cloves garlic, minced

1 lime, all the juice and zest
1/4 cup Tequila (optional)
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions

1. Prep all ingredients and toss into bowl except last 3. Set aside.
2. Whisk together last 3 ingredients and add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Pour over veggies and serve with chips or use to top chicken or fish.

Salsa for a Year by Gooseberry Patch

Ingredients

15 lbs. roma tomatoes, cored, peeled and chopped
2-1/4 lbs. jalapeños, chopped
3 lbs. onions, chopped
2 c. cider vinegar
3 T. plus 1 t. canning salt
25 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1/2 c. sweet paprika
15 1-pint canning jars and lids, sterilized

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a 5-gallon stockpot. Stir well. Heat to a boil, stirring often; reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Spoon salsa into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe rims; secure lids and rings. Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Set jars on a towel to cool for 24 hours; check for seals. Makes 15 jars. 

More Salsa Recipes or similar recipes

Avocado Feta Salsa
Salsa Baked Goat Cheese Its - Healthy Recipe
Tecate Fresh Salsa
Pico De Gallo and Chilled Avocado Soup
Gazpacho dip
Pico De Gallo
and check out these Healthy Summer Grilling recipes!

Don't forget to share your recipes with us, too!

Celebrate Days on Fathers Day and all the other Days of the Year #TheOther364 #mc #sponsored

Father's Day in our family has always been a big deal. I feel as though I was blessed with a wonderful husband who helped me create 3 beautiful, smart and talented young ladies. Not only do we appreciate him on Father's Day but all the other days of the year. How about in your home?  I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for CaringBridge. I received product a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

I have blogged many times about CaringBridge. It exists to connect people with their community of support in times of need. Right now for the up and coming Father’s Day, CaringBridge created #theother364 campaign and they need your help! 

CaringBridge wants you to help catching dads in action—not just on Father's Day, but #theother364 days a year too—whether making breakfast, fixing a flat tire, packing lunch, helping with homework, teaching kids how to drive, reading to the kids, getting his hair and nails done by his little girl, or otherwise being a great dad!

They want you to catch him on a 30 second and under video doing acts your family appreciates and submit that HERE by May 29th. CaringBridge will then select their favorites and edit them into a tribute to dads on Father' Day. They want you to celebrate dad on #TheOther364 days of the year and will share their final video.

So get out your video camera and smart phone cameras and catch dad doing something great and share it! 

{Healthy Summer Recipe} Grilled Mushroom Veggie Burger

I love cooking in the summer! It always means fresher and lighter meals as well as grilled recipes. I have a great indoor grill which I use all year long. I know that I don't use it enough in the winter but I hope to next year. For now I'm excited to share some of our favorite summer recipes with you. I can't wait to cook these again for the family now that it is warmer out as well as create new recipes. What are some of your favorite summer recipes? Share them in the comments below so we can visit yours, too! 

Ever cook a meal without meat? It is a great way to stretch your food budget. Want a healthier burger? This is a perfect option. The thick portobello mushroom works great as a substitute for beef or chicken. This easy-to-make low-cal recipe is sure to become a favorite!

Grilled Portobello Mushroom Veggie Burger

Ingredients

• 4 portobello mushrooms
• 4 ears of corn
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cups purple cabbage, sliced
• ½ cup of cilantro
• ½ cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon taco seasoning or ranch seasoning
• 4 soft buns

Directions

Dressing:

1. Add cilantro, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and seasoning to a bowl and whisk or shake until combined.
2. Set aside.

 Grilled Veggie Salad:

1. Chop tomatoes.
2. Thinly slice purple cabbage.
3. Give the above dressing a whisk or a shake and now add it with the tomatoes and cabbage.
4. Set aside.
5. Grill corn.

 Grill corn:

1. Shuck the corn, lightly brush on extra virgin olive oil.
2. Place on hot grill for 5-10 minutes. Rotate the corn to get the grill marks on all sides.
3. Once corn has cooled, remove corn from cob with a knife or corn remover.
4. Add to above salad.

 Grill mushrooms:

1. Lightly brush on extra virgin olive oil on mushrooms.
2. Place on George Foreman Grill or your outdoor grill  until it is done to your liking.
3. Add salad to bun, place on mushroom and add more salad.

Kitchen Notes:

This recipe is really flexible and calls for your creative culinary flair!  For example, if you don’t want the bun, skip it!   You can also add your own touch to the dressing with different spice, juices or vinegars.  Don’t be afraid to substituting different veggies for the salad. We love using avocados as an addition to this salad. Try adding green, yellow, orange or red peppers, cucumbers, jalapeños, asparagus and even green cabbage.

Whatever you do to make it your own, you’ll be sure to enjoy this delicious, easy-to-make recipe for the summer!

More Easy Summer Recipes

Best Ever Brownies - everyone loves these!
Mango Salsa
Avocado Feta Salad 
Chunky Guacamole
Blueberry Vinaigrette for easy salad dressing
Easy Chicken Tostadas 
Corn on the Cob with Lime-Chive Butter
Easy Pork Tacos
Aunt Salad
Honolulu Burgers
Spinach Strawberry Salad
Kid Approved Summer Meals
8 Salsa Recipes

Easy DIY Facial Mask

We all love easy beauty tips especially when they save us money and get us out of the house quickly! Some of the best tips involve using what you already have a home! Do you have any favorite DIY beauty tips? Share them in the comments below so that we can hear your ideas, too!

Here is an easy Homemade Facial Mask made by my sweet friend Alison and her little girl Janae! Aren't they adorable? Make up a batch of this facial mask for you and your daughter! 

DIY Facial Mask

Ingredients

1 banana 
1 avocado
4 tbsp of plain yogurt

Directions

Mix together.
Apply to face and let it set for 20-30 minutes. 
Wash with warm water.


MORE Budget Beauty Tips

Save Money on Essentials
How to Dress Like You Have a Trust Fund Even If You Don't
Sensitive Skin Projects on a Discount
A Free Month of Yoga
10 Teen Fashion Budget Tips

Saturday Social Media Blog Link Party {Share your Links}

Time for a new social media party! We want you to play along in our link party. It is easy to do, you will help you make new connections and find new blogs to follow.

We're kicking off the first ever Saturday Social hosted by myself & five other amazing bloggers! I ask that you share, share, share & follow all the host & co-hosts :) Thanks.

HOSTS: Natalie Made It & The Chronicles of Motherly Beauty CO HOSTS: Maurissa Sees Beauty, Cookie Dough & Oven Mitt, SusieQTpies Cafe & Texas Teaching Fanatic

NO SPAMMING • FOLLOW AT LEAST 5 OTHER BLOGS • FOLLOW THE HOST & CO-HOST! • FAMILY FRIENDLY BLOGS ONLY • ONE LINK PER PERSON PER SECTION

Great Value on New Simple Sensitive Skin Care Products

Everyone in my home has some sort of sensitive skin. Everyone has their own unique issues, too, which can make it difficult to know what to do for each person. We deal with super dry skin, too oily skin, eczema on face, arms, and legs, contact dermatitis and more. How about your home? Do you have sensitive skin issues, too? I'd love to know! This post is compensated by Global Influence and my own opinions are expressed here. 

Since we have a variety of skin issues I am always looking for products which are free of parabens, dyes, artificial perfumes and harsh irritants. There is a new line of products called Simple® Skin Care which fits these requirements. Simple® products are sensitive and kind to the skin as well as experts on sensitive skin care.

The New Simple® Skin Care products include Ultra-Light Gel Moisturizer, Simple® Foaming Facial cleaners and Simple® Nourishing 24-hour Day/Night Cream. 

• Simple® Ultra-Light Gel Moisturizer provides instant hydration that is light!
• Simple® Foaming Facial cleanser cleans and freshens the skin and doesn't leave anything behind but clean and fresh hydrated skin.
• Simple® Nourishing 24-hour Day/Night Cream leave the skin super soft and smooth!

At Walgreens you can find Simple® Products at a Great Value!! How so?

• Buy 2 or more Simple® products during the month of May at Walgreens and get 2,000 Balance Reward Points!
• Want even more savings? With participating Simple® products at Walgreen they are Buy 1 get 1 at 50% off using your Balance Rewards Card. 

Hurry over to Walgreens and check out these new products. I love finding new products for our sensitive skin issues. Even better than trying new products is trying new products that come with a great value! I'm all for getting more reward points and saving money with a 50% off savings. How about you? 

{Slow Cooker Recipe} Lemon Green Beans with Garlic

My family loves green beans! We can eat them raw, steamed, grilled, picked and even deep fried. I've even made green beans as a main course several times with added bacon and potatoes. What are some of your family favorite green bean vegetable recipes? Here is a tasty side dish for lemon green beans with garlic. Enjoy this healthy recipe made in the crockpot.

Lemon Green Beans with Garlic

Ingredients:

4 Cups fresh cut green beans, ends trimmed                                  
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1-2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 Garlic cloves, minced/pressed
1 Tablespoon lemon zest (grate rind of lemon)

Optional: sprinkle lightly with red pepper flakes for zest and color!

Directions:

1-Add all ingredients to slow cooker.
2-Mix.
3-Cook time: Cover on LOW 4-7 hours or HIGH 2-4 hours.
4-Stir occasionally.
5-Salt and pepper to taste.

Extras:

- If you like your beans a little crunchy, cut back on the cook time.

- Great leftovers (if there are any!) They taste great reheated too.

- This is such a tasty and easy way to add veggies to your diet.

- Get in the habit of making beans in the slow cooker every week.

- Green beans are high in fiber and nutrients and low in calories.

This is a guest recipe!

More Slow Cooker Recipes

Easy Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes
Slow Cooker Roast Beef Sliders
Crockpot Pizza Soup
Cocktail Meatballs and Wieners 
Slow Cooker Apricot Creamy Chicken