Healthy Shroomwich! So much yum!

Scrumptious and nutritious grilled veggie sandwich for under 400 calories.

Here's how.

 

 

Slice a portabella mushroom cap after removing any stem .

Add a tiny bit of oil to a pan and warm up the
 mushroom slices.
(the delicate skin of the mushroom will stick to the
 pan with out a bit of oil or a non stick pan, in this case I used both.)
cook on medium high heat. and while that's happening......

Taking one slice of sourdough bread

 

 

I used this one.

and sliced it in half.

Mushroom slices look like this when flipped.

 

Which was good enough for me so I dumped those onto my cutting sheet to free up some space in the pan for my bread.

 

GET SOME CHEESE!

In my case Trader Joe's soy cheese blend.

But you can use your favorite cheese or cheese alternative.

Put some on top of one of the slice's of the slice of bread.

 Put that in the pan with about this much butter

(maybe around a half a tsp)

on low heat.

I used this kind of butter.

but again choose your favorite.

While that is happening begin prepping the other slice... of the...slice of bread.

I started with this tomato pesto this time.

I've also used this basil pesto and both are really awesome I definitely suggest trying them both.

 

 

 

 

 

I scooped out some using a 1/2 a tbsp.

Buuuut that just wasn't going to be enough for my taste soooo.

I did it again using one tbsp. of tomato pesto.

next add some clover sprouts.

 

 



 

Place those mushroom slices on top of that.

Now replace this cheesy bread

with this bread.

And plop that cheesy bread on top.

YAAAAAAAS! YUM YO!

Estimated at around 343 calories.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zugetti!

 

 My husband and I have been battling the bulge for a while now.

We really started putting on weight several years ago and it escalated with in the past few years after moving from small town living to city life. Keeping up and learning the big world can pack on the stress and the pounds. There is really more to it than that but how long do you really want to be reading this?

Anyway we started our lifestyle change last year and did pretty good. We didn't really lose any weight but we learned a lot and incorporated a lot of new foods into our diets.

This year though I decided, for me at least, that it was time to step it up. I am ready to start fitting comfortably in my clothes again and really feeling more energetic and all of the great things about being fit. So one of the things I did was I downloaded an app to my phone for calorie counting. I really did not want to reach this point. I had hoped that once I finally started eating differently that I would feel and see changes with out the calorie game. And I did! just not nearly to the degree that I feel ready for now. So once I started counting calories I really saw what my problems were. I was eating WAY to much! I found that most of what I considered a severing size was actually two or more. I discovered that one package of ramen noodles is almost as many calories as one arbys melt.

I could really go on and on about this journey so far and I might begin a whole blog segment dedicated to this lifestyle make over but for now lets get down to it. Basically I have days where I just need something scrumptious that is super low calorie and also nutritious (at least more so than fast food, meals from boxes or lots of starchy pastas) so I can "pig out" guilt free. I was really hooked on spaghetti at the time and I found that I really didn't have room in my RDI (recommended calorie Intake) for that much pasta.

So I started making these Zucchini noodles I kept seeing on pintrest.  I failed the first few times that I tried it. I was nervous about it not being like real spaghetti when I got done. So I let it cook longer than I was suppose to and it shriveled up into mushy slimy grose yuk instead of noodles. So I eventually came around to following the directions as I should and taking what I got. I finally got zucchini noodles!! No they are not as soft as regular noodles. Yes it will be different. But not bad. A win! For me and my husband at least it is a really great solution to a lot of our healthy eating problems and we both look forward to having zugetti nights! Any way I have posted pictures of my zugetti to instagram and facebook and I thought that I would share how I made my version of zugetti! It's all in the video below. I hope you try it and I hope you enjoy it as much as we have.

    

 

 

Here is the link to the video on youtube if the video above will not play on your device from this page.
The Stubborn Bubble's Zugetti video on Youtube

 

 

Sweet Coconut cream, A dairy free whipped cream alternative!

I was told by my doctor a few years ago that it would be wise for me to avoid dairy. I was having some sinus issues and he explained that dairy was prone to causing allergies. I reluctantly took his advice and have to admit that since doing so I can see a connection. I don't have to completely eliminate dairy altogether but I have to pay close attention to how much I have and how I am feeling. I love dairy though. Cheese, cream, chocolate etcetera it's all good to me!

So I had to seek alternatives. One of the first dairy free recipes that I tried was this dairy free whip cream. So after checking out multiple blogs that showed how to do this with caned coconut milk. Involving placing the can in the fridge over night so that the cream will gather at the top and then using only the bit of cream from the top and discarding or finding another use for nearly an entire can of coconut milk. I found that the Trader Joes extra thick and rich coconut cream works just fine at room temp and with very little to no waste. Check out the video linked below to see the way that I do  dairy free whip cream!     

 

 Using just these three ingredients!

 

Add the coconut cream to your bowl with around a teaspoon or so of vanilla (or any flavor extract you choose). I start by adding 2-3 tbs of powdered sugar and begin mixing. From there I add the powdered sugar by tasting as I go, according to my preference that day. Then I place the mixture covered in the fridge for 15 minutes to an hour depending mostly on my patience. It will thicken upon cooling.  

 Make dairy free fruit cocktail, desert topping, or a dairy free sweetener for your coffee!

 

*Quick 4 minute video*

Some of the rings I am wearing in the video are available for purchase at my Etsy shop

The Stubborn Bubble  https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheStubbornBubble?ref=hdr_shop_menu

And there is a diy blog right here on how I did the Skull tables in the photos.

http://thestubbornbubble.blogspot.com/2014/10/diy-skull-tables.html

YUM

Are you down with the sickness?

(prior to posting this I had a few of my therapist friends read it and give their approval to post.)
So my new doctor told me that our flu season lasts through April here in new mexico and is just starting now. Remember you guys, massage can help you to bounce back from illness more quickly as it promotes better flow of the lymphatic system, Relaxation, and a healing mind state. However if you receive a massage while still sick or as soon as you begin to feel sick your symptoms will likely be magnified and I personally don't recommend it. Be sure to wait until any fever has past, drink loads of water (water not just Gatorade) CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR and also be considerate of your therapist. Massage therapy is a physically demanding job and therapists are often paid based on how many massages they do. So when you come in sick and transfer your illness to your professional practitioner you cost that practitioner a lot as it is often considered unethical for a therapist to work while sick not to mention that bed rest rather than physical exertion is recommended for sick people in general. Also if you go in sick and then book for the same time next week don't be to upset if your therapist is out sick and unable to make that appointment. The same applies to any therapeutic and\or beauty service provider. The easy way to understand what I'm saying is to think of your service provider as a person living in this world with you who goes home and buys groceries ect.... and then put yourself in their shoes would you want someone to risk it on your health, your family, your income and your time? *** This is just a random info post. There is no one particular circumstance that lead to this post. Just sharing info that I feel should be shared. The more you know and all that*** That being said this info applies to the expectation of massage (relaxation massage, Swedish massage, full body massage ect..) There are different modalities and you may be able to receive touch therapy and\or trigger point therapy as well as many other modalities while sick yet again you risk spreading to your therapist. Be fair and communicate MANY therapists are willing and able to provide therapeutic services to sick people as long as they know to avoid things they should avoid to protect themselves and their client. Also some therapists are able to work with oils that help prevent the spread of bacteria such as tea tree oil for example. Again the more you know jussayin_ Tiff