My favorite recipes

This last month has been all about delicious, nourishing food.  Here's a few of my newest favorite, and did I mention easy, recipes.  Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Soup

One roasted whole sweet potato
1/2 cup marinara sauce
1/4 cup water

Mash the sweet potato and mix with marinara sauce and water.  Heat in the microwave until hot.  Super easy, and super delicious! 

Greek Yogurt Cucumber Salad

1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
1/4 finely sliced red onion
1/2 cup non-fat greek yogurt
1 tablespoon sour cream
1/2 t dried dill
pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients in a bowl.  Serve cold.
Note: I never was a fan of greek yogurt because of it's tartness.  But, it's really healthy and an excellent source of protein.  The sour cream cuts down the tartness and gives it a creamier, rich flavor.  Feel free to omit it if you prefer.

Quinoa Salad

1 cup quinoa, white or red
2 cups water

2 T dijon mustard
1/4 cup orange juice or lime juice
1 t cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Bring quinoa to a boil.  Allow to cook approximately 15 minutes, or until water is mostly boiled off.  Turn off heat and allow to continue steaming.  Meanwhile, mix remaining ingredients.  Once the quinoa is cooled, add dressing. 

This is a great starter salad.  Add whatever veggies you want and enjoy!

Fast forward 30 days.

I find myself wondering, Is August really gone?  Wow, that was fast.  The good news is, September is off to a great start!  And, I'm excited for this new month and all the fitness possibilities it has.

The end of August brought the end of my 30 day ab challenge.  Woohoo!  I made it!  It was tough- some days tougher than others.  But before I knew it, the challenge was over and the results were fabulous! 

At first I didn't notice much of a difference.  It was towards day 20 that I started to realize that my waist had thinned and my stomach was leaner.  About then I started noticing too that I felt a lot stronger.  In fact, I was a lot stronger.  My stomach started feeling firmer, it even surprised me.  Completing the exercises got easier too.  Not that the exercises were easier because they were still super challenging.  It's just that I got stronger making it easier because my core was able to support me better.

The truth is, I loved the 30 day challenge so much that I'm doing it again.  Today, I started all over at Day 1.  It's going to be another challenge all over again but the truth is, 30 days from now I am going to be loving the results even more!

P.S.  I wish I would have taken measurements of my waist because I know they have changed.  I did take before and after pictures, which I plan to load soon.  Anyone else thinking about doing the challenge this month?