That Time I MADE My Own Hummus

Over the past few years, I have grown to LOVE hummus. I put it on almost everything! I will admit, I was nervous about making my own hummus, because I wasn't sure if it would taste anything like the store bought kind. 

I followed closely to this recipe, but made a few tweaks of my own. 

Ingredients:

1 cup garbanzo beans

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil 

1/2 cup Sesame King Tahini

2 Tablespoons garlic powder

2 tablespoons basil 

I boiled the garbanzo beans, then drained the liquid, but saved it in a separate bowl to add later. 

Then, I added the remaining ingredients into the blender, along with the boiled garbanzo beans. 

I added the liquid leftover from the garbanzo beans a little at a time, until everything was well blended. 

I made it for our women's small group's potluck. 

Overall, everyone liked it, but said it was missing something to make it really stand out. A few people said it needed some spiciness to it. One of the girls absolutely LOVED it and said it was her favorite hummus ever. 

It was fun to make hummus on my own. I will definitely try it again and see if I can get some more flavors included! 

Sesame King Tahini provided me with samples to review. I was not compensated for this post, just sent product. Here's some more info about Tahini from their website: 

Tahini is a sesame paste made from hulled and roasted sesame seeds. Our High Quality Tahini paste is made out of 100% pure ground sesame seeds. The sesame seeds are sifted, cleaned, roasted and ground to perfection in our premises using new state of the art machinery. Our manufacturing process meets and exceeds all FDA standards. Currently we are the only Tahini manufacturer to pasteurize our product. Our precise Computer Controlled Pasteurization Process (CCPP) ensures a clean and great tasting Tahini paste!

Sesame King is the leading brand of 100% pure, ground tahini pastes, made from the finest sesame seeds. Each Sesame King tahini is all-natural, with a subtle, delightful aroma, rich with texture and delicious taste.

*** We mechanically hull our sesame seeds, meaning no chemicals are used during our production process. 

Our Tahini is PEANUT & TREE NUT FREE ! 

Tahini is the staple of Middle Eastern cooking, the tasty foundation of hummus, baba ghannoush, halvah, and dozens of delicious sauces and dressings.

It's also delicious on bread, right out of the jar, and perfect in your favorite recipe.

Sesame King Tahini makes great tasting hummus and other fine dishes.

Click Here for Free Recipes

Tahini is an excellent source of protein and also improves Stamina and Endurance to all muscles. Click Here for More Health Benefits

Simple Mills

Simple Mills sent us some crackers and pancake &wafffle mix in exchange for an honest review. 

We were not compensated, just sent product. All opinions are our own. 

Simple Mills' products are all made with simple ingredients. You can read all about them by clicking here. 

We invited our friends, Jamey and Laura, over for a game night and a "snacky dinner". 

We made some LightLife Italian Sausage and Jalepeno Sausage, along with some pepperoni and cheese cubes to put on top of the crackers from Simple Mills. 

It was DELICIOUS! Jared made his double deckers. haha 

We all loved the taste of the crackers! They were seasoned perfectly and were great eaten by themselves as well! We were all fans of the list of very few ingredients.

This past weekend, after we did our workout, Jared and I enjoyed some scrumptious waffles using the Simple Mills mix! 

We love anytime we can use our waffle maker! It's too much fun! 

The waffles were super simple to make. All we did was add water, eggs, and oil to the mix, blended it up, and poured into the waffle maker. They tasted really yummy! They were crisp on the outside, while still being thick in the middle! Once again, we loved the list of simple ingredients! Jared put chocolate peanut butter on his and I put strawberry "protein frosting" on mine. (Protein frosting is simply protein powder mixed with yogurt. Super easy, but super yummy too!) 

Please be sure to check out their website and check out all the other cool foods they have to offer! You can also find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

Nut Butter Nation

Nut Butter Nation sent us four flavors of their nut butter to try in exchange for an honest review. 

We were not compensated for this post, just sent product. All opinions are our own.

 

First, here's some info about Nut Butter Nation from their website:

Just because you want to indulge doesn't mean you should feel guilty. We make peanut butters in amazing flavors that taste absurdly good, but we only use the highest quality all natural ingredients. Take care of your taste buds and your body at the same time!

• All Natural
• Minimal Ingredients
• Good Source of Protein
• Good Source of Potassium 
• Non-GMO (GMO NO!)
• Super tasty!

 No compromise...ever. That has been the motto we have kept in our minds throughout the creation of our company and as we have developed each and every flavor (many which have not yet been released). It would be easier and less expensive for us to use mass produced ingredients, but quality is more important to us that easy and cheap.

The quality will get you interested. The taste will keep you coming back for more!

***************************************************

Our Thoughts:

AMAZING! These were all super tasty and unique! As usual, Jared loved the chocolate one for his oatmeal and straight from the jar, and we both loved the rest on our eggs (yes, eggs! Don't knock it til you try it) and our waffles. 

 

We also enjoyed the traditional peanut butter with bread for our staple PB Sandwich at the golf course. Always hits the spot!

Brown Sugar Cinnamon, Honey Vanilla, Rainforest Dark Chocolate, and Traditional are all of the flavors and they are ALL fabulous! The even better part, there aren't any weird ingredients! WIN WIN! 

Please check out their website and try some for yourself! You can also find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

Reese Power Fudge

REESE POWER FUDGE

Purely Inspired is providing us with protein in exchange for recipes each month. We are not compensated for these posts, just sent product.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup coconut oil

1 scoop chocolate Purely Inspired Chocolate Protein

1/3 cup milk

1 cup peanut butter 

1 tablespoon stevia 

Directions

1/3 cup coconut oil in medium heat. Stir in 1/3 cup milk and 1 scoop protein.

Remove from heat and add about 1 cup of peanut butter and one tablespoon of stevia 

Place Saran Wrap in dish and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Pour fudge into pan and place in freezer to cool. 

I'm happy to report that my chocolate loving, recipe tasting, handsome hunk of a husband gave these babies a 10/10! That's a big deal in our house. He usually likes all of my recipes, but he always gives a 9 or 9.5 because he says there is always SOMETHING you can tweak to make it even better. (most of the time it's just hot sauce because he loves spicy things and I don'. For healthy dessert recipes, he says they taste really good as a healthy snack, but they're never sweet enough to call them a "dessert" haha) But this time, he said I hit the jackpot! He said they were perfectly sweet and delicious! 

 

So, for all you chocolate lovers, do yourself a favor and make these soon!  

Also, check out this awesome post with a huge list of Protein Cake Recipes to try. I can't wait to make the Peanut Butter Protein Cheesecake!!! 

Tell it on a Tuesday

I just wanted to share a little bit of what's been happening with us lately and some yummy stuff that we've eaten! 

We went to SC to visit our friends and their new baby Payton! I held her practically the whole time and didn't want to let her go. I LOVE BABIES!!! She was so sweet and giggled a lot. I loved spending time with her and her mommy and daddy! Jared met Zack through golf and they traveled together all last summer. Ali and I came to watch the same tournament, so we all became good friends and it was nice to see them again. It's always nice being able to talk to people that are in the same boat with this crazy golf life! 

While we were there, we FOUND THESE ICE-CREAM FLAVORS!!! We have been looking in the freezer section of every single grocery store and couldn't find them until that wonderful vacation day! I screamed out loud in the aisle! haha 

While they were all quite tasty, Birthday Cake Halo Top took first place by a longgggg shot! It was so  creamy and delicious! Also, halo top had the most protein, coming in at a whopping 24g per pint! Arctic Zero had 12, which is still really good for a healthier treat! 

On Easter weekend, my parents came down for a visit. We hadn't seen them since October, so it was great to catch up with them! On Saturday, we made GRILLED pizza for the first time and it tasted really yummy! We also went to church that evening because I was serving and our church had services on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday because there's thousands of people that come. Our church is HUGE! 

On Sunday, we drove about an hour and a half south to my mom's aunt's and cousin's house. She hasn't seen them in years and I was only a little girl the last time I saw them. Jared got to meet them for the first time! 

They live on a lake, so Jared was in heaven because he got to fish! :) 

Fit Snack came and we were pumped at the goodies inside!! PB Burst, Love Grown Foods, IPS Protein Chips, Cookies, and more! We loved dipping the protein chips with some hummus for a good combo of protein + healthy fats! Jared loved the chocolate cookie and was surprised at all the healthy ingredients! He thought it tasted like a regular cookie. Remember, click my link to get 50% off your first box!! You WON'T be disappointed!!! 

Just the usual day "at the office" for me... haha. Christopher and I are having a blast with this gigantic boxing gloves! 

I made a healthy protein fudge and I'm going to share the recipe later this week! Stay tuned. 

Last, but certainly not least, our friends Jamey and Laura GOT ENGAGED!!! We are so so so excited for them! They are here in Jax with us and they are doing this crazy golf life as well. It's so awesome to have each other. When the guys are at a tournament, we try and have a girls night to chat and just be there to support each other. We are so thankful that God placed them into our lives. 

That's all the news for now. Have a great week. Don't forget... It's MASTERS WEEK!!! Our ULTIMATE dream is to be there playing one day! 

How Physical Therapy Is Beneficial for Sports Related Injuries

Whether an individual plays sports professionally or they are weekend warriors who enjoy spending time with their friends, injuries happen. Sports related injuries are uniquely different than the other types of injuries that people experience. Most sports related injuries affect the same parts of the body, including the joints, the back, and large muscle groups.

One part of the body that is commonly injured while playing sports is the hip. This is because every single sport requires people to use their hips in some way or another. Basketball players use their hips to pivot on the floor. Baseball players use their hips as they are throwing the ball and swinging a bat. The hip is pivotal for golf, tennis, swimming, racquetball, and just about every other sport people play.

When sports physical therapy of New York clinics work with their patients, they have two primary goals. The first goal is to increase flexibility, and the second goal is to increase strength. When both of these goals are accomplished, hip pain is often reduced. As the muscles around the hips are strengthened, they are better able to support the hip and less stress is put on the hip itself.

The same is true with increasing flexibility. When a person is not flexible, their muscles put an abnormally large amount of stress on their joints. Flexible people are able to move better with less pain.

Before recommending a course of treatment, a physical therapist is going to evaluate their patient. They want their patient to engage in a routine that is right for their specific hip condition. Most of the physical therapy exercises that patients are encouraged to do are safe for everyone to do. However, certain conditions require that precautions be taken before engaging in some exercises.

The majority of the exercises that are performed are designed to increase range of motion. They are very simple and low impact. This is also true of the strength training exercises that are performed during physical therapy. The goal is to improve strength, as well as to increase blood flow to the injured area.

In order for physical therapy to be effective, the patient must be diligent. They cannot allow themselves to give up before the treatment has run its course. At some point during their recovery from the sports injury, a patient may need to ask friends or family to help them stretch or perform an exercise. They should never be too ashamed to ask for help, as the exercises and stretches they are performing are an important part of the recovery process.