FITNESS COACH AND ONE HELL OF A COOK! I LOOK FORWARD TO FLASHING MY FLASHLIGHT ON ALL AREAS THAT MADE ME STUMBLE
I welcome everyone new to Belladonna’s Flashlight and for everyone else, Thank you for staying! I hope you enjoy being apart of the fam and will continue to read and join in on discussions. I love hearing from you all. Read More
There he is on the field not using his hands and not dropping down low enough. He missed another block, and he was supposed to knock the living daylights out of his opponent. If he doesn’t play hard enough, then we need to take him to a camp where the coach will knock the living daylights out of him. Maybe that will make him more robust. Read More
All she can feel is the weight of the world on her shoulders and the breath of temptation breathing heavy on her neck. She can feel the sun beating down on her skin scorching every part of her that’s exposed. When she rises, everything goes black, Read More
It’s cold outside and we all need something warm to eat. I can’t think of anything better right now than soup. But let’s make it fun and skip using a bowl for our soup. Follow me into the kitchen to see what I mean.
So, I love to make my meals fun for my family. They enjoy when I take a few extra minutes in order to spice it up a bit. I like the look on their face when they walk into the kitchen and see something so simple and think it’s so great. I get most of my ideas from different restaurants and I think of the fun ways they serve their meals and then recreate it at home.
The recreation today was broccoli cheese soup with a bread bowl.
Ingredients -Makes 6 soup bowls
20 minutes to prep and 20 minutes to cook
I love to go to the store and hope that they are out of the bread that I want so they can make it fresh. If I ask they will do it regardless. They treat me well because I’m always there.
In a small pan pour in olive oil and saute the onion. Cook for 5 minutes until it is translucent. In a large pan add flour and butter until blended. Add in milk, stock, onions, and all the other diced vegetables. I use a food processor because I prefer small pieces of vegetables in my soup. Season lightly with salt and pepper and let simmer for 20. Add cheese and serve when melted.
Cut the bread bowl in a circle and take the top off. Pull a small amount of the bread out from the inside and start filling it up with your delicious soup.
You could have chosen any blog to read but you chose mine and I’m honored.
~Belladonna~
It’s cold outside and we all need something warm to eat. I can’t think of anything better right now than soup. But let’s make it fun and skip using a bowl for our soup. Follow me into the kitchen to see what I mean.
So, I love to make my meals fun for my family. They enjoy when I take a few extra minutes in order to spice it up a bit. I like the look on their face when they walk into the kitchen and see something so simple and think it’s so great. I get most of my ideas from different restaurants and I think of the fun ways they serve their meals and then recreate it at home.
The recreation today was broccoli cheese soup with a bread bowl.
Ingredients -Makes 6 soup bowls
20 minutes to prep and 20 minutes to cook
I love to go to the store and hope that they are out of the bread that I want so they can make it fresh. If I ask they will do it regardless. They treat me well because I’m always there.
In a small pan pour in olive oil and saute the onion. Cook for 5 minutes until it is translucent. In a large pan add flour and butter until blended. Add in milk, stock, onions, and all the other diced vegetables. I use a food processor because I prefer small pieces of vegetables in my soup. Season lightly with salt and pepper and let simmer for 20. Add cheese and serve when melted.
Cut the bread bowl in a circle and take the top off. Pull a small amount of the bread out from the inside and start filling it up with your delicious soup.
You could have chosen any blog to read but you chose mine and I’m honored.
~Belladonna~
It has officially been 1 year since I started this particular blog and I have been welcomed into the blog world with open arms. I have to admit that every time I write something I second guess myself. I wonder if it’s interesting enough to get you to come back and view another post. I always try to just be myself and that alone is scary.
I remember when I first started my blog I was approached by a well known public figure and he gave me THE BEST pointer. He told me if I wanted my blog to be successive then I had to remain truthful to myself. Choose topics that hit me deep in my core and then just go. Talk the way I do every day, and make sure my personality is present at all times. When he told me this I said well what if people don’t like me or what I have to say?
He responded, “Do you have friends”? “Do they like to engage with you”? “After 17 years does your husband still like you and engage with you”? But most importantly “Do you like you and find yourself interesting”? I thought fair enough!
So here we go! My content is going to be bananas this year, filled with food, diets, crafts, workouts, real talk, and my Life. I am elated to welcome you all to my world.
I know that there are thousands and thousands of blogs that you could have joined or read but you chose mine and I’m honored!
~Belladonna~
You don’t have to fry your food for it to be crispy and delicious. Try putting an egg wash on top of your empanadas and slide into the oven. Place the oven on 375 degrees and cook for 20-25 minutes.
But let me tell you the best part about this meal, other than the fact that it is Keto friendly. (However if you are trying to lose weight then leave out the potatoes and of course use almond flour). There is always so much of the filling left and you know what that means right? Yep break out your favorite chips and start dipping.
So yesterday was Super Bowl Sunday and I wanted to make something delicious but not loaded with calories. When I’m watching the game I like to eat and serve finger foods. I’m usually a huge fan of wings but I wanted to switch it up this year and I am so glad I did.
When I initially looked up the recipe for empanadas I saw that frying was a popular method but not something that I wanted to do. The less grease in my life the better. So I decided to bake them, which was perfect because the crust is prepared the same way you would make a pie crust. My pies always have a nice crust and are beautifully golden because of the egg wash. Without the egg wash your empanadas will have a dull appearance because of the flour. A simple wash will make them glow.
Please feel free to use chicken, tofu, shrimp, sausage, vegetarian plant-based sausage or ground beef. You can’t go wrong with any of these options. I used Ground beef and for my nonmeat lovers, I used vegetarian plant-based sausage.
If your crust is homemade then please make this before you begin your filling. You want to place the prepared crust in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Begin by sifting flour into a bowl and 2 sticks of melted butter, slowly pour in 1-1 1/2 cups of water. Place in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Begin by browning your meat add seasonings and chopped vegetables. cook on low for 5 minutes and then add potatoes, green chiles, enchilada sauce, and pureed tomatoes. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes and then low heat for 10-15 minutes. Place filling into a bowl and look cool for 15 to 30 minutes.
Ingredients For Filling
Crust
Cut the dough into 4 sections and then cut again. Form it into a ball and then roll them out, stuff, fold, rub egg wash on top and bake on 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
You could have chosen any blog to read but you chose mine and I’m honored.
~Belladonna~
Last week I embarked on a journey that is sure to change my life. I started Transform 20 and let me tell you, it might only be 20 minutes but you are down in it without any breaks. A modification is encouraged if you need a break, BUT don’t STOP!
Shaun T is the creator of this workout so you know you are going to be rolling your eyes and wanting to kick over the TV.
Or is that just me?
I Have to admit that I have a Love, Hate relationship with that man. He will push you and I swear I am cursing him out the entire time. I remember the first that I worked out to his Insanity program I thought to myself, this man has lost his mind. But I quickly became hooked. Insanity helped me get into the best shape of my life. My last baby was turning 2 and I was determined to tweak this crickety body back to what it once was. Shockingly I was able to accomplish my goal with hard work and a kick butt nutrition plan.
So then life happened and homegirl put back on some unwanted pounds but I had fun doing it. Zero regrets because I am blessed to be able to move and go back to where I was. But the sad fact is……I’m older, which means my metabolism died. Okay maybe it didn’t die. But it definitely had one foot in the grave.
I am depending on Shaun T to save me and my clients. Shaun T pushes me to be my best and then I return push my clients. Well most of them, my older clients would run me over if I tried Transform 20 with them.
Here is a sneak peak of the 1st week of the program. If you like what you see and would like to change your body with me then leave me your email/phone number.
You could have chosen any blog to read but you chose mine and I’m honored!
~Belladonna~
It is a cold and rainy day here in Georgia and all I can think about is a comforting meal. I don’t know about you but my go to feel good meal is Chili. The key to really good chili is to stay away from can beans. Just give yourself 5 extra minutes to bring water beans to a boil for 5-10 minutes and then let them soak for 1-2 hours.
I have a large family and we are all athletic and therefore have a healthy appetite. Which means I spend a lot of time in the kitchen. So I like to think of meals that we can repeat at least once in the week.
Enough chit chat…Let’s start cooking!
Ingredients
I always switch up my ingredients, not by much but small details. Such as adding beer or wine to make my sauce. I will add that particular recipe to my blog at a later date.
The first thing you want to do is cook your roast. I put my roast in the crockpot and season it with olive oil, lawrys, black pepper, oregano, cumin, chili powder and let cook for three hours.
While that’s going bring your beans to a boil and then let it sit for two hours then rinse and drain. Sauté your vegetables with olive oil and then add fresh tomatoes.
Place your heat on low and cover until all vegetables are tender. Then add beef broth to your vegetables, add your beans and your roast. Slice your roast into small chunks so it’s easy to pick up with your spoon.
There are several options that you can eat along with your chili such as corn bread, rice, or nothing at all just eat your chili.
Please watch the video below for full details on cooking this delicious chili.
You could have chosen any blog to read but you chose mine and I’m honored!
~BellaDonna~
I love the month of December so much. It is a beautiful time of year, and for me, it’s a great time to cook and bake. I hope all enjoy some of these delicious and easy to prepare meals.
During Thanksgiving, I prepared Ravioli with a light cream sauce, and we LOVED IT! But this time I wanted to try it with my favorite pasta sauce. You can find how I prepare my sauce in a previous post. In that post, you will learn how to amp up your can sauce as well as making a homemade sauce. Either way, you will be pleased with the result.
I chose to amp up my favorite can sauce with this particular recipe. I was rushing against time and trying to get dinner on the table quickly. So I grabbed up one of my new favorite items from Target and broke out the pots and pans.
I can’t express enough how much I love the Ravioli from Target. It has a fresh taste and ingredients that I can pronounce. So that’s a win. If I can read them, I can eat it!
Ingredients
Bring water to a boil and cook Ravioli for 4-5 minutes, drain noodles and set aside. In another pan add olive oil to a warm pan, spinach, garlic powder or garlic cloves, black pepper, and oregano.
Please watch the video below and leave me any questions or comments that you may have.
You could have chosen any blog to read but you chose mine and I am honored.
~BellaDonna~
