healthy – KJ Taggett

Frozen Berry Bars

January 16, 2015January 25, 2015 kjtaggett

::FROZEN BERRY BARS::

*without granola*

These are to DIE for!! So good that it feels like you are having a cheat!! Give them a try and find out how good they are!! 🙂

Total Time: 4 hrs. 10 min.
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cooking Time: None
Yield: 16 servings, 1 bar each

Ingredients:
2 cups nonfat plain yogurt
2 cups mixed berries (like strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, etc.)
2 Tbsp. Beachbody Whey Protein Powder Vanilla Flavor, or equivalent
½ cup high fiber cereal (like Grape Nuts) (optional)

Preparation:
1. Combine yogurt, berries, Protein Powder, and cereal (if desired) in a large bowl; mix well.
2. Place yogurt mixture into an 8 x 8-inch pan; freeze for 4 hours, or until firm.
3. Cut into 2-inch bars and serve.

*with granola*

Let me know how you like them!!!

Healthy Italian Seasoning Dry Mix!

December 14, 2014 kjtaggett

Italian dry mix can be used in almost anything!! It makes any food taste delicious and add that special something to make it flavorful instead of bland.

You can use Italian dry mix in spaghetti, roast, lasagna, casseroles, other crock-pot or slow cooker recipes, make the actual dressing, and more!

This is what you will need:

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 tablespoons oregano, ground or 2 tablespoons oregano leaves
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon granulated sugar (Substitute Truvia or Sweetleaf instead to make it healthy)
2 tablespoons salt or salt substitute (Substitute Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt to make it healthy)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground basil or 1 teaspoon basil leaves
1/4 teaspoon ground thyme or 1/4 teaspoon thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried celery leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried celery flakes
**To make zesty**
2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
1-2 tablespoons crushed red pepper (depends on how spicy you want so more or less to your preference)

Directions:

Mix all dry ingredients together and then store in an air tight container!

Enjoy!

❤ KJ

Gallbladder Surgery!

December 14, 2014 kjtaggett

Hey Everyone!!

Last week, 12/6/14 I had surgery to remove my gallbladder! Talk about ouch! That was not my idea of a good time. Slowly but surely this week I have been getting better and recovering faster then I thought I would!

Sometimes we don’t realize those little things we do make a difference. I can tell you that they DEFINITELY DO!

We make all these efforts, do the compound effect of doing little things and overtime they will add up. Sometimes we don’t see immediate results and it can discourage us. I was so scared when I had my surgery and I know it was due to my unhealthy days. BUT…this past year I have been making strides to become healthier and stronger. I quit smoking and have been working out. I have also been watching what I eat by eating more clean and watching my portions. (21 Day Fix is a great program for that)

The recovery time would have been a lot longer if 1. I smoked 2. I wasn’t working out or working on getting healthy through exercise and 3. Eating better. I thank a lot of that to my challenge support groups to help keep me accountable.

You can do it! It takes time and effort but you can do it! Believe me, you want to make strides to be a better and healthier you, especially to avoid this crazy/painful almost $40,000 surgery!

Have a great weekend!

❤ KJ

Healthy Deviled Eggs

November 6, 2014November 6, 2014 kjtaggett

Who loves deviled eggs?? I know I do!! They are SO yummy but so loaded with fat, thank you mayo!! Here is a healthy alternative aka healthy deviled eggs:

For a protein-packed snack, try hummus with your eggs.

Total Time: 5 min.
Prep Time: 5 min.
Cooking Time: None
Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:
5 hard-boiled eggs, cut in half lengthwise, yolks discarded*
4 Tbsp. prepared hummus
5 kalamata olives, chopped
Smoked paprika (to taste; optional)
*in other words – 5 egg whites

Preparation:
1. Fill each egg white half with about 1 tsp. hummus.
2. Sprinkle evenly with olives and paprika. Serve immediately.

**Another healthy alternative is using the yolks, adding mustard (as much as you like, pink Himalayan sea salt or regular sea salt, and pepper. Still add the olives if you like them and then prepare the same)**