LAND DAYS: BALSAMIC PORK TENDERLOIN

Since i have a large amount of time on my hands when i'm at home on land and not working, i've been having a lot of fun trying new recipes for supper. This particular recipe for balsamic pork tenderloin was a hit for me and Damon so i recently made it again when i had his family over for supper. It's cooked in a slow cooker, which makes it juicy and causes it to literally fall apart like pulled pork when you take it out to serve. 

Along with being easy and delicious it's actually fairly good for you. The only thing that stands out is the soy sauce, which is extremely high in sodium. I use the 30% less sodium option (still a whopping 840 mg per TBSP) but you can also make your own soy sauce substitute like what is found [here]. I haven't made this homemade version yet but it is definitely something i'm going to try the next time i make this for supper.

Jess.
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LAND DAYS: APPLE AND CARROT JUICE

As i mentioned before in my introduction post, i recently started juicing. Although it may not be for everyone, for reasons i will explain, juicing is definitely something i enjoy and will continue to do into the future. For those of you who don't know what exactly juicing does - it eliminates a large percentage of the fibre found in the pulp of vegetables. Since i have intestinal problems involving breaking down fibre, juicing allows me to receive the nutrients from vegetables without having to go through the overwhelming digestive process. 

LAND DAYS: HOMEMADE HOT COCOA

There's nothing better than curling up on a snow day to watch Christmas movies with a cup of hot cocoa! Today consists of just that for me and Damon. This homemade hot cocoa recipe is pretty popular and is made out of healthy ingredients! Less sugar and therefore less guilt. 

Hope you all are staying safe and cozy today :)

Jess.
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LAND DAYS: 'HEALTHIER' CHOCOLATE MACAROONS

I'm on a coconut binge! 

Since making my [Healthy Coconut Freezer Squares] the other day, i decided to make a batch of 'healthier' chocolate macaroons. This was my first time baking them on my own even though i've loved them since i was a kid. Dipping the macaroons in melted dark chocolate made them even more delicious when they came out of the freezer!

Jess.
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LAND DAYS: HEALTHY COCONUT FREEZER SQUARES

A lot of you were interested in and checked out my post on the [Healthy Peanut Butter Freezer Fudge] i made so i thought i would try out another healthier, no bake dessert recipe! The recipe is for coconut squares and was referred to me by my friend Taylor from the blogger [Chocolate Covered Katie]. These squares are unreal. They're so chewy and tasty along with being quick to put together, a huge success for me. I think i like them even better than the peanut butter fudge!

Jess.

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LAND DAYS: VITACOST ORDER REVIEW

I am a fan of eating well but everyone knows how expensive it can be, especially for one person. A friend of mine told me about the benefits of buying healthy food online from [Vitacost] and i recently placed my first order. I kept it fairly small including four different food products just so i could see what they're shipping and handling fees were like as well as the quality of the products once i received them. Let's just say, i approve! 

I thought it would be a good idea to review the pros and cons (if any) of the food products i picked out in this blog post. If you're interested in buying any of these products or others from [Vitacost] use the link at the end of this post to receive 10$ off of your first order.

Jess.
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LAND DAYS: 'FRENCH TOAST' EGG SCRAMBLE

This morning i woke up craving something a little different for breakfast. I decided to make an egg scramble with a french toast theme. It was exactly what i was looking for - delicious, quick, easy and guilt free! Hope you enjoy this alternative recipe!

Jess.

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LAND DAYS: HEALTHY PEANUT BUTTER FREEZER FUDGE

Although i am a fairly confident cook, the thought of baking terrifies me. To me, baking has always been like putting together a magic potion. Cooking is a step-by-step procedure i can follow whereas baking is more of an art form that i cannot comprehend. The fact that i am not the biggest 'sweet' person also doesn't make me want to go running to my kitchen to whip up a cake or a batch of cookies. That being said i am trying to find easy, healthier sweet recipes to have for when i get a craving for a tootsie roll.

LAND DAYS: TACO SEASONING

I love me some mexican food! 

One thing i find myself making the most often are tacos. For the tacos i made tonight, i decided to make my own seasoning since the pre-packaged taco mix has extremely high sodium contents and, in some cases, also contains MSG (monosodium glutamate). It was delicious and i honestly think it tasted a lot better and is obviously more authentic than the packaged stuff! 

Jess.
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Here are the ingredients for the 'Hot and Spicy' Old El Paso pre-packaged seasoning:

I used a recipe that i found off the internet from [allrecipes.com] and the only things i changed were replacing table salt with sea salt and red pepper flakes (i didn't have any) with Mrs. Dash.

HOMEMADE TACO SEASONING

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 TBSP chili powder
• 1/4 TSP garlic powder
• 1/4 TSP onion powder
• 1/4 TSP Mrs Dash
• 1/4 TSP dried oregano
• 1/2 TSP paprika
• 1 1/2 TSP ground cumin
• 1/2 TSP sea salt
• 1 TSP black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

• Mix all spices together and sprinkle over cooked meat while still in pan with 1 cup of water (per pound of meat). Simmer until most, if not all, water has evaporated.

LAND DAYS: 'POMBERRY' BREAKFAST SMOOTHIE

I've never really been the bacon and egg breakfast kind of girl. While Damon loves having a big breakfast, i find i'm always drawn to smaller but energizing meals. Smoothies are one of my favourite things to make in the morning. 

I recently bought a new bag of Nature's Touch 'Pomberry' mix with no added sugar as an alternative to other popular frozen fruits such as pineapple and mango. This mix includes blueberries, blackberries, cherries and pomegranate aril. Berries are their own powerhouse offering substantial amounts of Vitamin C, fibre and antioxidants as well as low natural sugar contents. They have also been proven to slow down cognitive decline as you age.

Try to include these babies in your diet at least once a day! Here is what i included in my 'Pomberry' smoothie, what do you guys like including in yours?

Jess.
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LAND DAYS: HOMEMADE CHICKEN 'NOODLE' SOUP

After a short hiatus due to a busy weekend, i'm ready to play catch up! Last week i made homemade chicken 'noodle' soup using a version of [Detoxinista's] recipe. I tweaked my soup by adding a few more vegetables, no salt (added when served) and cooking in my VitaClay Slow Cooker instead of on stove top. It turned out delicious and i love having an easy, healthy meal on hand for when i don't have the time to cook.

Here is my tweaked Detoxinista chicken 'noodle' soup recipe!

Jess.
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