Clean Your Coffee Maker!! {Spring Cleaning}

Good morning! I hope all of you had a fabulous weekend. I have one question for you today. How often do you clean your coffee maker? Yea, thought so... I'm embarrassed to say that mine does not get cleaned often enough.

If you don't clean your coffee maker regularly, it could be full of germs. Bacteria tends to grow pretty well in dark damp places, so imagine what the inside of that machine is like! In light of Spring and Spring cleaning, today I'm sharing tips to help you keep your coffee maker clean.

1) First, wipe down the entire coffee maker with a damp cloth.

2) Next, fill the coffee maker with equal parts of water and white distilled vinegar and place a clean filter in the filter basket. Turn the coffee maker "on" so that it brews. Allow the coffee maker to brew half of the solution, then turn it off and let it sit for one hour. Once the hour passes, allow the remaining solution to brew. After the coffee maker has finished brewing, brew a few cycles of plain water. Do this at once every few weeks or at least once each month.

3) Finally, wash the removable parts with hot soapy water, or run them through the dishwasher. Do this at least once a week.

So tell me, how often do you clean your coffee maker?

Oven Roasted Balsamic Carrots

Side dishes are always tricky for me. I get tired of making the same salad, rice, or steamed veggies. Dinner can get quite boring sometimes! These Oven Roasted Balsamic Carrots are not boring and they're the perfect side for a weekday dinner or even your upcoming Easter meal. This side dish takes very little effort and I'm sure your entire family will love them. Try them out tonight!

Oven Roasted Balsamic Carrots

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 lb. carrots, peeled and cut into even sticks (about 3-4" long) OR baby carrots

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375*. In a shallow roasting pan, toss the carrots with the olive oil and salt. Roast the carrots until tender, about 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drizzle the balsamic vinegar over the carrots and stir to coat. Continue to roast the carrots until most of the vinegar evaporates, about 2 minutes. 

Recipe from Food.com

What are your weekend plans?

Peanut Butter Banana Oat Bars

Hello, hello! I'm really excited to share my new favorite snack recipe with you today. I'm always looking for a portable, delicious, and healthy snack to eat between fitness classes or for those moments when I can feel my blood sugar drop. These Peanut Butter Banana Oat Bars are the perfect solution to any snack dilemma!

I had been buying lots of store bought granola bars, protein bars, and fiber bars, but most of them have an enormously long list of ingredients and some just taste like candy. Candy is great (don't get me wrong), but sometimes I just want a healthy satisfying snack that doesn't involve chocolate or caramel.

I searched the web for what seems like hours trying to find the perfect bar recipe, but never had all of the ingredients on hand to create my own. With several very different recipes in mind, I created my own snack bar recipe and couldn't be happier with the results!

Peanut Butter Banana Oat Bars

Makes 8 generous bars

Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas
1/4 cup skim milk (or your favorite milk)
1/4 cup chopped pitted dates
1/4 to 1/3 cup peanut butter (I used 1/4 cup)
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350* and spray a 9" x 9" pan with cooking spray. In a small mixing bowl, mash the bananas until there are no large chunks left. Add the milk, vanilla, and peanut butter and whisk until well combined. Add the dates, oats, and cinnamon and stir until well combined. Press the mixture into the pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.

*If your family is used to really sweet snack bars, you might want to add 1/4-1/3 cup of your favorite sweetener (like agave, honey, or brown sugar).

Enjoy!

Manic Monday Workout

I hope you all had an awesome weekend! The weather was absolutely gorgeous on Saturday --it totally felt like spring-- but by Sunday morning, the temperature dropped and the wind returned with a vengeance. Fingers crossed for a road free of ocean overwash!

Anyway, it's Monday. My mind is already racing with a revolving to-do list! Is it the weekend yet??? Take some time for yourself today and let out some steam. Your body will thank you, I promise.

*As always, consult your doctor before starting a new exercise program and always listen to your body.

Here's to a great week!