Monkey Mocha!

One of my favorite things to do is try to make healthy-ish versions of my favorite foods from my favorite restaurants. I recreated my fave BBQ salmon from Capers (the restaurant that I spent a lot of time at in high school with my best friends and where I got engaged last year!) and it was so good! Lately, I've been missing my second hometown-Nashville-and wanted to recreate something from there.

Like most college students, I sold a small portion of my soul to local coffee shops in order to caffeine-power my way through studying and paper-writing. One of my go-to's was Frothy Monkey in 12 South. It was close to my house on Belmont Boulevard and just has the best vibe and really awesome food too. I used to see Keith Urban there a lot.

My favorite coffee there is the "Monkey Mocha" that is basically a mocha with banana syrup. It is so, so good and just thinking about it takes me back to that tragic semester I took Intro to Poetry, HIV/AIDS in a Global Context, History of the Holocaust, and Infant Psychology all at the same time (#heavy).  I don't have banana syrup and don't really do a lot of mocha anymore, but I did have a bunch of cafe latte protein powder laying around.....so, I got creative!

"Monkey Mocha" Shake (Inspired by Frothy Monkey)
-----Serves 1

1 scoop of protein powder (so, I use Shakeology Cafe Latte, but you could easily sub with your fave brand's chocolate flavor for more of mocha taste!)
8oz black coffee, cold (make a cup, stick it in the fridge before your workout..or nap...whatever)
1/2 banana, frozen or fresh
1 cup of crushed ice

Combine all ingredients in blender.  Blend. Enjoy.
Add as much ice as you want to make it thicker and more like a milkshake :) I also use frozen banana because I like to eat this with a spoon

Let me know if you try it! Better yet, let me know if you go to Nash and have the real thing!!!!

Can It Be Taco Tuesday Every Day?

I have always loved allllll the Latin foods and I think moving to Texas has only made the love stronger. My family feels the same way...except, my dad has boycotted "Taco Tuesdays" because my mom went on a TT spree last year and it was too much for good ol' Miguelito.

However, in our house, we are always down for fajitas/tacos/enchiladas/tamales/margaritas (especially margaritas). Despite all da cheese, a lot of these staples can easily be made healthy and still full of flavor. One of our favorite recipes is for chicken tinga tacos! I got this recipe from "Fixate" (a cooking show by my favorite trainer, Autumn Calabrese, and her brother, Bobby, who is a chef!). These tacos are easy to make and the flavor is out-of-control good. Let me know what you think if you make them!!


Chicken Tinga Tacos (From "Fixate")
Serves: 4 (3/4 cup meat mixture per serving)

Ingredients:

1 cup low-sodium organic chicken broth
1 tsp. unflavored gelatin
1 Tbsp. olive oil
¾ cup chopped onion (approx. 1 medium)
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup all-natural tomato puree
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. dried oregano leaves
2 bay leaves (I left these out because I'm lazy and we don't have any)
2 canned chipotle chili peppers in
adobo sauce, finely chopped  (THESE ARE MY FAVORITE!!!! I use more than they call for because I like spicy food!)
1 Tbsp. adobo sauce (sauce from the
canned chipotle chili peppers in
adobo sauce)
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. finely grated lime peel (lime zest)
3 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (Save yourself the trouble and use rotisserie!)
¼ tsp. sea salt (or Himalayan salt)
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas

Steps:

1. Sprinkle broth with gelatin in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in medium nonstick skillet over medium high heat until fragrant.
3. Add onion; cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until onion is translucent.
4. Add garlic; cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.
5. Add broth mixture, tomato puree, chili powder, oregano, bay leaves, chipotle chili peppers, adobo sauce, lime juice, lime peel, chicken, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; gently boil, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until sauce is reduced by half.
6. Remove bay leaves. Divide ¾ cup chicken mixture between two tortillas for each serving.

Notes: Instead of tortillas, I just put my serving on top of salad mix and it was phenom. Also, this makes a great leftover lunch the next day!

Oh, Hello Again!

It's like I forget I have a blog and then once a year, remember to do something with it! Well, I did some yoga tonight while my fiance watched the Rockets game in the same room (it was as #zen as possible...he is a vocal sports fan) and thought about why I started this thing in the first place a few years ago. It comes down to three reasons:

1. I like to write. Writing is how I have always worked through all my emotions; my songbook that I started in the tenth grade has made it through 8 moves with me! I am the nerd that would prefer to write a paper than take a test any day.

2. I am, and will probably always be, on an ongoing journey towards better health. The name of this blog (and my Instagram!) Skinnyish Shan is sort of tongue-in-cheek though. I don't want to be skinny (not that there is anything wrong with that; it just a'int how this body was made to be!) I want to be healthy and functioning at my optimal level. It's hard work, but I know how it is worth it.

3. I've had a lot of people reach out to me whenever I've been public about my experience with weight/eating/exercising. I am by no means an expert, and I'll never pretend to be. I, however, have lost 50lbs (twice) on my own with clean eating and exercising and am an (almost) doctorally-prepared nurse. I can read through the research, know which statistics and data are real and which are not, and help people make educated decisions because that's what I've trained to do.

I never want to be be preachy, I never want to be pushy, I never want to be a bully. My hope is that by being vulnerable and open about my experiences, I can help someone who is in the same boat. I don't believe in quick fixes and I don't believe in unhealthy and unsustainable programs that promise you'll lose 30lbs in two weeks. I believe in nutrition and exercise science. I believe that working hard and treating your body well is the best gift you can give yourself.

I'm starting another round of "80 Day Obsession" on June 4th. I'll post some more about it this week and I'm so excited to share this part of my experience with anyone who is interested.