Normally on Fridays, I do a Fit Foodie Friday post, but this Friday is special! Not only will I include a couple recipes (scroll to the bottom-ish, just past Tommy and I), but it is also my “spotlight day” in the “Grow Your Blog Hop” that Runaway Bridal Planner organized! Thank you to her for the awesome experience, by the way!
So I suppose I should start with a little introduction!
Fortunately, I just happen to have the perfect thing:
At the beginning of this year, I decided to take my dream of helping as many people as possible with a tv show about fitness, nutrition, sustainability, beauty, and personal development into my own hands by making my own YouTube channel (shameless self-promotion, I know! haha). It’s still limping along with better love on my facebook page, but I believe that consistency is key, and if one of the two views on the YouTube videos makes someone laugh or makes their day easier, then it was worth my time!
For fun, I like reading, personal development, fitness, nutrition and cooking, hanging out with my friends and cat, and playing dress up (as either a makeup artist or model), and helping people achieve their goals to lead healthy and fulfilling lives as a Beachbody coach, and for “work”, I live by the adage that “if you love your job, you never work a day in your life” or whatever that cliche statement is. Basically, I live the dream by changing lives and playing dress up for a living!
I just moved to California from Milwaukee with my amazing boyfriend (Tommy) and adorable cat (Refugio), so this will be my first Winter in a non-cold place, as well as first Thanksgiving away from my family! I ALSO just was named President of the Palo Alto chapter of Femfessionals, which I am really excited about! I also have an event coming up at PrAna in Palo Alto, if you’re local to the area and want to say “hi!”
I think that mainly covers the Cliff’s Notes summary of who I am and what I like to do! If you want random answers to questions, check this out, or go to my About Me for a slightly more formal version of a biography!
Now, on to what the regulars on my blog are looking for: Fit Foodie Friday!
I follow the “Primal Blueprint” loosely for fitness and nutrition, so most of the recipes I post follow the Primal/Paleo/JERF food guidelines! This week, I have two recipes!
Wild Boar Overstuffed Peppers, and Primal Pumpkin Pie!
Ever since my second date with Tommy, where I ordered chicken fettuccine Alfredo and didn’t take a to-go box when he was in his 6th year of PT school (poor grad student), and still have yet to live it down (almost six years later), I have tried to earn the crown of “never wasting food,” (they have a crown for that?) to make up for it!
He may tease me about wasting pasta, but you’ll be hard pressed to find a happier, more in love couple!
So, when he and I were the only people who DROVE home from the week in the beach house, we inherited a lot of groceries, and I felt obligated to use them!
And no - there wasn’t leftover wild boar. But we are picky about our meat (we prefer ethically/sustainably pasture raised/grass fed when we can), and this was what I found in the “grass fed” section at the grocery store closest to our house:
So I got creative and went to the game section, and bought a pound of wild boar!
You’ll also need an onion, two zucchini, several ripe tomatoes (I think there were about five small tomatoes left), two green peppers, some spinach (a couple handfulls of whatever is going bad first in a big salad box) some garlic, salt, thyme (not Old Tyme Pasture Raised Grass-fed beef, just the seasoning “thyme”).
Chop the onion and start sauteeing it in olive oil. Do the same with the zucchini, after the onion is starting to become transparent. Add the wild boar and keep stirring until it has browned. In the meantime, add the tomatoes and smash them in - they are kinda doubling as tomato sauce! While this is all simmering, wash and cut your peppers in half lengthwise, and place in a glass cooking dish. When the boar is brown, pour mixture into the peppers (the cups shall overfloweth) and then cook the whole thing about 20 minutes on 425 (or in a NuWave on high) and then your delicious dinner is served!
Who wants some dessert?
I felt like making something nice for Tommy, who has been a real sweetheart lately, and has been working and studying a lot (he is a Doctor of Physical Therapy in a residency program right now). He really loves pumpkin anything, and I am not a fan, so most Autumns, I don’t make anything pumpkin-y. I looked up this recipe for a Primal Pumpkin Pie and decided to modify it (because I felt like it should have pumpkin in it, amiright?)!
But I didn’t remove the skins on the sweet potatoes (because we are rugged) and added a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, about a tablespoon of honey, a can of organic pumpkin, and drizzled some melted Mighty Nut Pumpkin Peanut Butter on top (because we happened to have it and it seemed like a good idea)! Tommy said it isn’t as sweet as most desserts (his co-workers probably wouldn’t appreciate it), but since he is used to paleo/primal/no sugar added desserts that he liked it. He gave it a 7.4 out of 9.2! (I gave him the parameters and he went with it)!
If you’d like to see more of the Fit Foodie Friday posts, click here!
I hope you liked the little intro to who I am, as well as what we have been eating this week!
What’s your favorite Fall/Winter dessert? What else would you like to see me Primal-ify? Any questions for me, since for many of you, this is your introduction to me?
xoxo,
Mandie
P.S. Did you like what you read? Make sure to check out other blogs on the page, and to subscribe by entering your email below, so you never miss a post!
Also, connect with me on social media!
Mandie’s Fitness, Nutrition, Personal Development, Sustainability & Beauty Facebook Page!
Mandie on Instagram!
Mandie Tweets!
Mandie’s Pinterest!
Mandie’s Tumblr!
Mandie’s YouTube!
Mandie’s Google +
53 Comments
Oh my goodness - these recipes look AMAZING!!! I am so jealous of you living in the beautiful California weather! We just moved from warm to colder this past year and I’m bracing myself for all of this snow they keep telling me about!! Love your blog and so thrilled to connect through the hop! 🙂
Layers, girl, layers! I am so glad the recipes look good to you! You will have to let me know if you try them! What brought you from warm to cold?!
Great to meet you on the Hop!! I love the pic of you “suspended in air” above the bed….I would be unconscious on the bed (if it were me) because I’d jump too high and biff my head on the ceiling. I’m tall and klutzy…those kind of awkward things seem to prey on me. I look forward to following you on your adventures in California (I’m a Midwestern gal, and a tad bit envious) 😉
Ha! It is a miracle that worked out so well! My friend was taking a photography class, and made a book of people in their bedrooms, and that was the one she did for me! It’s one of my favorite pictures of myself! Where in the Midwest are you? I am from Milwaukee, so I know what it’s like for sure!
Oh… my favorite fall or winter dessert. I would have to say pecan pie 🙂 I only have it on Thanksgiving and it is always such a treat! Nice to meet you through the hop.
Oooh, that reminds me of chocolate and pecan pie I had in Savannah! Now I want to go back - which is pretty much always the case! thanks for visiting!
I bet my husband would love that wild boar recipe! Fun to connect with you through the blog hop have a great weekend!
It was delicious! Are you not a big meat eater?
That’s a cute trailer - I’m kind of a youtube junky (like, I have so many people I actually follow daily) so I’m totally going to check out your channel!
Thank you! I hope you like what you find! 😉 Thanks for visiting!
I’m laughing because my husband thinks it is horrible to waste food. I just think it’s something ingrained in our generation. So he feels obligated to finish everything, which is NOT a good thing. If you eat it, it’s just going to waste in a different way…in my humble point view. I love pumpkin anything too. Pumpkin pie without the crust is a favorite, which I supposed is technically a casserole. It was very nice to meet you through the hop!
I agree on wasting it in a different way for sure! And it’s funny that you mentioned it being a casserole and not a pie, because my boyfriend asked if we could call it pie without it having a crust. I never looked up the definition of pie to know the strict guidelines - haha!
How did you come up with the name for your cat? Both recipes look yummy!
My ex boyfriend heard it on a voicemail or something, and shortly after, I was adopting a cat and thought it would be cute! It somehow suits him, haha! =)
Nice to meet you! I also participated in the Blog Hop, and it’s been a lot of fun! How fun that you post on Youtube - I’m way too scared to do that! Your wild boar recipe looks so good, I didn’t even know you could buy wild boar to eat! Have a nice weekend!
Yeah! I have loved the blog hop, too! What are you afraid of?
I didn’t either, until I saw that I wasn’t going to find grassfed beef and started doing extra exploring! Glad I did! Thanks, you too! =)
I hope you enjoy your first winter in California! I live in Minnesota so I am very envious of not having freezing winters! Congrats on being named the president of the chapter of Femfessionals. That is supper awesome!
Thank you! One of my good friends from childhood lives in the St. Paul area, and I couldn’t believe it when she posted a pic of hot chocolate and mentioned snow the other day! It seems too early for that still!
Hi! Stopping by from the blog hop! My great Aunt would always say the same thing about loving your job. Isn’t it so great to do something that you love?
Hello! A lot of the time, it seems that cliche statements become cliche because so many people say them, and so many people say them because they are true! Absolutely!
Great to meet you through the blog hop - I’m also a Milwaukee girl 🙂
I’ve never tried wild boar - does the taste compare to ground beef? I’ll admit I’m not one for meats that taste gamey - I won’t even eat turkey! - but I’ll try most things at least once.
My favorite fall/winter dessert is an oatmeal butterscotch cookie - something about them just screams cooler temps to me!
Oh awesome! What are the chances of two Milwaukee girls in one blog hop?
I would compare wild boar more to ground pork than beef. I didn’t think it was as gamey as lamb or elk is. Wow, I can’t imagine life without turkey - haha. I love it!
Ooh, that sounds good to me! I have never had one!
It has been so great to follow your story through this blog hop! I am sure it is a nice welcomed changed living in Cali this time of year! I have never tried wild boar but your recipe sounds yummy! I am going to try your paleo(ish) pumpkin pie as well…yum!
Aww, thank you! Likewise! Yes, I miss friends and family, but at the same time, wonder what took me so long to move! You will have to let me know if you try them! =)
Hello fellow blog hopper!!! Nice to meet you! thanks for stopping by yesterday-I really appreciate it!
Your video is sooooooo cute!!!! i have a youtube channel but have not figured out how I am going to really use it yet-lol!
I mean you and your boyfriend look like real life Ken and Barbie (I hope that doesn’t offend you…you all are gorgeous)
Congrats on your new appointment-that is pretty awesome!
The recipes look yummy-I need to do better at being more creative in my cooking.
Thanks for sharing!
Happy Friday!
THank you so much for all the kind words! The video is fun, but sort of useless - haha! Funny thing is, I used not having it as an excuse for a long time to not make videos at all - isn’t that silly?
Thank you! No offense taken! I have gotten Barbie a lot, but I don’t think he has gotten Ken before!
Thank you again! =) XOXO
Sounds like such a fun life! And while I’ve had wild boar in a restaurant, I’ve never purchased it. Hoping my husband gets a deer this year as that is our primary source of meat. Glad to meet you through the hop.
It is for sure! it was my first time I have cooked wild boar! The other time, it was in a restaurant too!
That’s awesome about your husband! We had friends in Wisconsin who gave us venison, but Tommy has never hunted! I hope he gets one for you too!
HI Mandie! So nice to learn more about you through the blog hop! That little cartoon video cracked me up! How cute and hilarious at the same time. Where did you make that?
I love that picture of you and your boyfriend. So sweet that you included him in your intro post here - he seems like quite a big part of your life! I’ve never done the holidays in a warm(ish) environment, so I’m curious to see how that goes for you! It would be so weird to spend Christmas in a place that didn’t have snow! (I’m from New England and live in upstate NY now so I’m always around snow this time of year.)
So great to connect with you here and I hope we can stay in touch!
Likewise! I actually found someone on elance.com (now upwork.com) and had one person make my song, and another person make the cartoon! I initially wanted it at the beginning of all teh videos, but thought people would get sick of it!
Yes, he is a huge part of my life for sure, and there are wedding bells coming soon!
We are going home to Milwaukee/Chicago for Christmas and new year’s eve/day, so we will still have our holidays in the snow, but Thaknsgiving will be here!
Great to meet you, too! Thanks for visiting! 😉
I want some dessert!! That looks amazing!
Haha, I didn’t even try it, but my boyfriend loved it!
You seem like such a fun person. Living the dream and playing dress up, so much fun! I am a firm believer in find a job you love so you never have to work another day again. That is awesome that you figured out how to make that happen.
I also love that you have a fun youtube channel, that is awesome, you are seriously so creative, jack of all trades I guess is what they call it:)
The pumpkin pie looks amazing! I just realized, I have never had wild boar:)
Thanks for joining the hop, it has been fun to learn more about you!!!
Thanks so much! Yes, I sometimes even feel guilty that I am having more than my fair share of fun! haha. =)
Thank you! I sometimes wonder if I am not experiencing as much success because I am doing too many things, but I don’t think I could scale back or just pick one without getting bored!
Let me know if you try it! YOu are not the only person who has never had wild boar! It’s yummy! The first time I had it, I think, was in Milwaukee in Ravioli! We like to be adventurous with our foods! 😉 Thanks again for organizing the hop!
Those recipes sound so good! It’s nice to meet you through the Blog Hop. I hope you’re enjoying your first Fall in CA. I’m there now but just for vacation. The weather is beautiful!
Thanks! Let me know if you try them and what you think!
Awaesome! Where in Ca are you visiting? Thanks for visitng my blog! =)
It’s nice to meet you Mandie! I’ve also started a YouTube channel this year, so your comment about the one or two views made me laugh. I’m still trying to figure out how to grow that platform. I subscribed to your channel, so you should have at least one more view on your new videos. 🙂
I’m planning on trying your Wild Boar Overstuffed Peppers. I’ve never had wild boar, but we purchase a hertage breed of ethically raised pork through a local CSA. I would imagine the flavor would be similar. The heritage breed is so much more flavorful than commercially raised breeds.
I will subscribe back! I’m glad that you can related to the minimal views! Any tips for me that help?
I am going to have to look into the heritage breed! I LOVE CSAs! <3 Thanks for visiting!
Amazing you are living your dream life! So you are fully self-employed?
Where in California are you located now!? I live in SoCal. I hope you are happy with your recent move and enjoy the sun out during the day. It’s still quite dark and cold at night and in the mornings still though.
I was… I took a part time job in Palo Alto to meet people, but it isn’t working out like I expected, so I am not 100% sure how much longer I will be doing it! A lot of what I do is independent contractor type work. =)
Where in SoCal are you? I/we go down a fair amount! Super happy with the move - wondering why I didn’t do it sooner! Yeah, I have noticed that about night and morning! =)
Hey, it’s great to get to know more about you.
I imagine moving from Milwaukee to California was quite the change in pace and scenery!
Your day job sounds like a blast, and whether it’s cliche or not, I think it’s awesome you love your work so much and it doesn’t feel like work.
I can honestly say I’ve never tried wild boar (I’m not even sure if I can buy it in Alabama), but I do like the sound of that primal(ish) pumpkin pie!
Wild Boar is delicious! Definitely a big change of pace and scenery, but much-needed! I miss my friends and family at home, but often wonder what took me so long to move here! haha. Yes, I love it! Let me know if you try any of the recipes! =)
So glad to have met through the blog hop! It sounds like you are really living your dreams! That is awesome! Cute TV show too!
I moved to TX from Chicago a few years back and I loved my first winter away from all the cold and snow! Your recipes sound and look yummy 🙂
Love me some good food that comes from good places and nourishes the body!
See you around 🙂
Thanks so much! I feel like I Am most days! Any tips for meeting new epeople in a new city? I feel like it is harder as an adult than it was in college! =)
My kids were JUST asking for a pumpkin pie today. I’m going to have to try this since we eat Primal. It’s so nice to meet you!
Perfect! Let me know what you think!
I really enjoyed getting to know you through this post! Loved the story about you and your man - so cute! I too am taking that leap to do something that I love and that helps other people, and sometimes it`s really hard! So kudos to you for sticking to your guns and I wish you all the best! 🙂
Haha, thanks! We have tons of ridiculous stories such as that! Let me know if there is anything I can do to help you help others, too! =)
What a fun post about you! And I’m totally making the primal(ish) pumpkin pie this week! Thanks for sharing and great to meet you in the blog hop!
Likewise! So glad that you are going to make it - can’t wait to hear what you think of it!
Great to “meet” you through the blog hop! That pumpkin pie really looks and sounds delicious! And enjoy your first California winter! When we moved here (San Diego) from the east coast, that first winter was THE BEST!! But now I’ve lost all my east coast cred and anything below 70 makes me freeze! My parents are so disappointed in me 🙂
Haha! It did not take me a long time at all to adapt to being accustomed to warm! When someone mentions it being cold, and I agree, and they say “What are you talking about, you’re from Wisconsin!” I just say “Yeah, and there’s a reason I moved here - to be warm!” haha! I have kept my North Face for 50 degree weather in SF! haha
[…] day for a Blog Hop! For those of you who are blog hoppers, thanks for making this special stop! Here’s my “about me” entry (which, as an added bonus, has a couple recipes!) from when I did the hop last year… The […]