Shout Out for Guest Posts!

This Friday morning FH and I are off to Winnipeg for a little family vacation.  I’m spending a week there with him and his little boy, then I’ll return home while he remains to get some quality male bonding for another two weeks.  Poor boys haven’t been together since Christmas, which is their longest time apart ever!!

During our visit I don’t want to be taking too much time to spend on the blog, so I’m hoping a few of you will jump in here on short notice and help me out!  Since there has been so much guest posting in the blogosphere lately, I thought I’d get in on the action.  :)

What I’d love is for as many of you as possible to send in your favorite “healthy” baked good recipe…

Do you have a glorious muffin you just love? 

Or did you convert your Grandma’s famous chocolate chip cookie recipe to be lighter for your waistline? 

Or maybe you figured out some fantastic peanut butter blondies you would like to share?

Please email me at embracingbalance@gmail.com with your recipe, a photo if you’ve got it, your name, blog address, and any little tidbit of info that might be interesting to my readers.  (If you wish to remain anonymous or don’t have a blog that’s fine too!)

Like I said, I leave on Friday so if you could have these to me by no later than 5pm (Atlantic Time) on Thursday, July 2nd I would be forever grateful. 

I need at least 10 to keep me going, but the more the merrier!

Operation Beautiful!

I’ve been dying all week to get out there a be a part of Caitlin’s fantastic new project, Operation Beautiful!  Working at home and taking Booty Camp instead of going to the gym was keeping me from being in any good public places to take part.

Until today!

After my workout at the gym, I dug out my trusty sticky notes and when the coast was clear I posted my first Operation Beautiful note on the mirror in the change room.

After I took that photo I felt this amazing glow inside of me.  I know it sounds cheesy but I just know that someone saw that note and smiled, and that alone makes it all worthwhile.  If they left it there for the next person and they smiled too, then all the better!!

The plan is to leave notes each time I’m in there and can get away with it.  There are at least six mirrors that I can move around to…plus a zillion lockers to hide notes in.  :)  Game on!

Avocados aren’t scary!

The last time I made guacamole a lot of comments and questions about how to cut an avocado came up.  I promised a tutorial but then didn’t buy avocados for a while.  Oooooops, sorry.  So here it is now!

How to prepare an avocado:

Slice your avocado in half by running a sharp knife all the way around it lengthwise:

Twist the two halves apart:

Whack the pit with your sharp knife, then lightly twist to pop it out:

Use the tip of your knife to cut either slices or cubes into the flesh while it’s still in the skin:

Run a big spoon under the edges all the way around the flesh to separate it from the skin:

That’s it.  Easy peasy. 

I turned mine into my (self proclaimed) world famous guacamole.  ;)  Extra lime!

Which I then used as a topper for these delicious Turkey & Black Bean burgers. 

Served on ciabatta bread with tomato slices… mixed green salad on the side.

Check out the height on this bad boy!  I ended up eating it open-faced and ditched the top half of the “bun”.  The guac with the burgers was a flavor explosion made in heaven.  Seriously people…try these.  I’m so excited for leftovers tomorrow!!!

Tonight we are off to see Star Trek at the theatre.  I’m looking forward to either a kids pack or some frozen yogurt.  *runs off to check online nutritionals for TCBY*  :)