Motivated Mavens Kick Off

Wow! July is almost over. I turned 29 this month (...jeeze... almost 30!) and kick started an online fitness/inspiration group. You may have seen from my last post on the 21 Day Fix and the weight loss, toning and increased energy I got from the program -- I couldn't stop telling everyone about it!

I felt this "pull" to help others and started a private online community. A place to post breakfast, lunch and dinner photos along with nightly sweaty-after-workout-selfies, the true proof of a good workout! My little team of 3 is now a team of 13!!! We rock it daily with check-ins, motivation from one another and recipe sharing. 

Motivated Mavens is now UP and RUNNING, it's an open sharing community where I'll pop in daily with clean eating recipes, goals, team motivation, fitness ideas and more. 

Stop by and say hello.

xo, The Bohemian Blonde

Pizza on the grill

Let me just say that by making this pizza on the grill, I don't think I can ever go back to making it in the oven! This was delicious and as close to restaurant quality as it can get! I'm thrilled to share this recipe with you. 

What you'll need:

- A nice pizza stone, here's the one I purchased off Amazon (trust me, it's worth every penny!)
- 2 bags of garlic/oregano dough (I bought the pre-made ones from Trader Joes)
- Meat toppings of choice (we went with prosciutto and salami that were both nitrate free)
- 2 Cups mozzarella cheese 
- Pizza sauce (3 containers from Trader Joes, you can find it right next to the pizza dough)
- 2 cups of sliced mushrooms
- 1 cup of sliced pineapple (I'm the only one in the house that enjoys pineapple on pizza... oh well, more for me!)

Add flour to a clean surface and roll out the dough after combining them into one large ball. Roll out and add flour as needed so it's not sticky. In the mean time, preheat the grill WITH the stone on it, up 470-500 degrees, as hot as you can get it. Once the grill is ready, add the dough. Be careful while putting the dough on the hot stone, it takes two people to move it onto the stone. From here, add all your ingredients with sauce first, meat, cheese and so on. Cook for 15 minutes, we kept a watchful eye as this as it was our first time making it. Once everything had bubbled up on top and turned a golden brown....it's ready!

Remove the pizza onto a large plate and let cool before serving. 

We added a vinaigrette based arugula salad to the top of our pizza. DELICIOUS! 

Enjoy!

xo, The Bohemian Blonde

hot hot hot popcorn

Want to know the trick to getting a LITTLE buffalo wing sauce on each piece... without it being mushy?

Spread the buffalo sauce all over the inside of the bowl, pour the freshly popped corn in and stir with a large spoon. Makes for the perfect popcorn every time. ‪clean eating‬, baby! 


Enjoy!

xo, The Bohemian Blonde

A Night with The Smashing Pumpkins

I'm officially Pantages de-flowered. 

What a BEAUTIFUL VENUE! I thought the State Theater was stunning (which it is) but comparing the two, Pantages has a smaller / more intimate feel.  The acoustics of the venue are superb. 

Excuse the lack-luster photos. I hope to someday had a permanent 'media' badge at these events to take better photos. For now, the Samsung will have to do!

The show was broken up in what felt like three sections, Billy kicked everything off with solo performances and slowly incorporated more band members. Midway through the excitement built with guitar solos that resembled that of Pink Floyd (insert thumbs up motion here!). Third section started with a more electronic feel, Billy played the piano and the crowd at numerous points were brought to their feet.  The energy of the venue was contagious. You could feel the excitement between songs as we all wondered what was about to come next. 

The Smashing Pumpkins don't have many acoustic shows like this, so when they do, at a City near you, be sure to catch it! 

Worth every penny. 

xo, The Bohemian Blonde 

bison burgers

Too good not to share! Two words; bison burgers! Mmmmm, drool.

Better yet, we made them low-carb on the grill. Delicious and so easy. If you're looking for a hearty dinner that's loaded with protein, healthy fats and 'getting bikini ready' by ditching the bun --  try this!

BENEFITS OF BISON OVER GROUND BEEF
- Excellent source of iron, vitamin B, zinc and niacin
- They are much learner animals than cattle
- Bison are not treated with antibiotics as cattle which make for a much healthier animal (score!)
- Most if not all bison are grass-fed which means meat is less fat and higher in omega 3's  (score, again!)

BISON BURGER RECIPE
- 1 pound of bison meat (look for discounts, Whole Foods offers meat discounts if you keep an eye out!)
- dash of salt and pepper
- lettuce cups/strips to wrap around the burger
- avocado
- mozzarella cheese (or any kind of your choice)
- pickles (and lots of them!)
- avocado

OUR FAVORITE TOPPING
Cut up onions and mushrooms simmered in ghee... (we pop all of this in tin foil and throw  it on the grill, scrumptious!)

For the meat into patties and add them to the grill (as shown below) and enjoy with your unique toppings!

xo, The Bohemian Blonde

Father John Misty + Alabama Shakes

Ahhhhhh....yes. It's here, live outdoor concert season. My absolute favorite time of year!! This particular concert was spend enjoying the tunes of Father John Misty and Alabama Shakes. 





GA is the best, simply get up as far as you can to the stage (without pissing anyone off).
Challenge accepted. 



See the gal in the middle? I totally get it, been-there too. Feel the music!



Minnie making an appearance at the show before her dip in Lake Calhoun





The first of many more to come with this handsome fella! 

Who are you looking forward to seeing this summer?

xo, The Bohemian Blonde

Book Store Energy

Meandering through Barns and Noble on my lunch break with a half-calf in my hand, here I stood. I've always been intrigued by this section of book stores. It's like a magnet drawing me into it's very core. Just being in the presence of the words of hundreds of authors that have unlocked the mini-mysteries of life, transcends my energy field. I feel a zing of electricity in the air just standing here. It's like little secret whispers of the divine speaking through each book. Which one to pick...

Wednesday Rock Concert

Regretting every minute of not having my nice camera with me but who am I kidding, I was a rock concert...who brings a nice camera to a rock concert. And what am I doing taking photos instead of watching the show, anyways ---  I can't help it.

Cage.

The.

Elephant.

I scored these free tickets and wasn't sure what to expect. I wasn't a loyal listener of any of their music so slightly unsure of what the show would be like.

Needless to say, FANTASTIC SHOW!

We go there in time to catch the second opening act of Nothing More. I swear I saw Jim Morrison every time I looked at the stage....see what I mean?

On to Cage...

Wearing the highest heels I had as to not miss a thing....5'2 is rough at GA concerts

One of the many in-crowd moments

I found this especially interesting, a tie between new and old? 

Going to a rock concert on a Wednesday is not advised, Thursday was tough.... but this one was WELL worth it!

xo, The Bohemian Blonde

Apple Pie for One

Next, combine all of the ingredients and pile into the apple

If you were following me on instagram the other night you would've seen this beauty pop up around 8pm. I was CRAVING apple pie. I searched all over online for the best recipes and eventually threw my own little concoction together. Simple, sweet and savory! Enjoy.

INGREDIENTS
- 1 green organic apple
- 2 tablespoons of quick oats
- 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons of ground flax
- 2 tablespoons agave
- drizzle of honey (to top the apple off)

Turn oven to 375.

Core open the top of the apple and spoon a bit of the inside out, like this:

Drizzle a little honey on top... then sit back, relax and dive on on!

Lastly, top off the apple and pop in the oven for 20-30 minutes. I liked it to be a little more mushy versus crunchy. You decide what you like best! (Keep it in longer for mushy texture or less for crunchy)

Fit + Healthy Quesadillas

Guess what? I finally got it...my beautiful Cannon Rebel T5! After months of researching and price comparing, we found a great deal at Best Buy today!

Snapped a bunch of pictures from tonight's dinner +  recipe below!







Dinner for two.... and roses! :)













Hungry yet? 

So here's my twist on saving calories on these delicious quesadillas and not sacrificing on great taste!

GRILLED QUESADILLAS FOR TWO
- 1 package of ancient grain tortillas -- These are divine! They're a great substitute to white flour tortillas, you wont even notice the difference. PLUS they're lower in calories and high in healthy grains to keep you fuller longer!
- 1 package of 4 chicken breasts (opt for cage-free...which means you're eating a healthy animal)
- 1/4 cup of cheese (you're going to have plenty of toppings so don't worry about the lack of cheese)
- 1 chopped onion 
- 1 chopped red pepper
- 1 chopped green pepper
- 2 avocados 
- Drew's Home-made Spicy Chicken Seasoning (details below)
- Fresh salsa (we purchased ours in the vegetable cooler section of target) 
- Plain Greek yogurt (not pictured but a GREAT substitute to sour cream!) 

DREWS HOMEMADE SPICY CHICKEN SEASONING 
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 tablespoons of chili powder 
- 1 tsp of cumin 
Mix together in a bowl and use based on preference. 

Create a tin foil container for your chopped up onion, green pepper and red pepper. Drizzel with olive oil or ghee. Add the entire tin foil bag to the grill and let the veggies begin to cook. Next, grill up your chicken breasts and continue to drizzle lime juice while cooking, this will create juicy chicken (this a Drew's family secret to amazing chicken)! Sprinkle on Drew's Seasoning to desired preference (if you'd like to do less salt you can use 1 teaspoon instead of 1 tablespoon). Once chicken is done, set aside and cut into bite size strips. Meanwhile, turn the grill to low and coat the outside of tortillas with a little olive oil (this will prevent it from sticking to the grill). Once the tin foil bag with the veggies is done cooking, load in all ingredients. Cover with the top tortilla and let the bottom one become brown before turning. When you're ready to turn, grab a plate and carefully flip the quesadilla over so the other side becomes brown. All the contents should stay inside once the cheese has had a chance to melt. Once golden brown -- you're ready to remove from the grill and cut up and serve with your favorite toppings! 

ENJOY!

Do you have a recipe you'd like me to try? Send me a message or comment below!

xo, The Bohemian Blonde