Creamy Green Apple Smoothie

Creamy Green Apple Smoothie

 

Ingredients

• 2 cup fresh spinach
• 1 green apple, peeled and cored, roughly chopped
• ½ avocado
• ½ cup coconut milk
• 1½ cups water
• juice of ½ lemon
• handful of ice

Instructions

1. Pour liquid into your Blendtec or other blender.
2. Then add the apple, avocado, spinach, and lemon juice.
3. Then add ice.
4. Mix well until completely smooth.
5. Drink up buttercup.

Artichoke Lemon Pesto Chicken "Pasta"

Artichoke Lemon Pesto Chicken Pasta

Prep time:  35 mins

Cook time:  20 mins

Total time:  55 mins

Serves: 4-5

 

Ingredients

• 1lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed (or chicken thighs if you prefer)
• 1 large spaghetti squash, cut in half lengthwise (get a BIG one)
• 12-15 artichoke hearts, cut in half (I used jarred artichokes that were in olive oil for more flavor)
• ⅓ cup walnuts
• 4-5 tablespoons olive oil
• 4-5 tablespoons vegetable broth
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ cup fresh parsley
• ½ cup fresh basil
• juice of 1 lemon
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 3-5 cups of spinach (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 405 degrees (not 450, stop questioning me)
2. Cut the squash in half lengthwise, place cut side down on a baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes or until squash gives when you poke the outside of it.
3. Use a spoon to remove the excess seeds then a fork to thread the strings from the squash. To make spaghetti, duh.
4. But while the squash is baking, make the pesto and chicken.
5. Place a large pan over medium-high heat, add a splash of fat and 1 minced garlic clove. As soon as the garlic becomes fragrant, add the halved artichokes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and let cook until slightly browned and tender on all sides.
6. Once artichokes are browned, add them to a food processor along with the walnuts, olive oil, vegetable broth, and second garlic clove. Puree until smooth.
7. Then add the parsley, basil, lemon, and salt and pepper. Puree once more until smooth. Taste and add more lemon and salt and pepper to your preference.
8. Once pesto is done pureeing, add the chicken to the same pan that you sautéed the artichokes in.
9. Cook chicken over medium-high heat until browned on all sides. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper.
10. Once chicken is cooked through, add in about ¼ of a cup of the pesto to the chicken along with the spinach, in the pan and mix well to coat. Cover and let cook for 2-4 minutes or until spinach is wilted.
11. Then add the threads of spaghetti squash to the pan (or a large mixing bowl if you need more room). Mix spaghetti squash, pesto, and chicken all together.
12. Serve with some fresh basil on top.
13. Love pesto in a new way!

*Could use whole grain pasta if you want instead of spaghetti squash!

Banana Granola Pancakes

Hearty Banana Granola Pancakes

Prep time:  5 mins

Cook time:  10 mins

Total time:  15 mins

Serves: 2

 

Ingredients

• 2 bananas
• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• ¼ cup Granola
• syrup, to top (as much or as little as you want)

Instructions

1. Place banana in a food processor and puree until smooth.
2. Then crack eggs into food processor and mix together.
3. Lastly, add in the food processor the coconut flour, vanilla extract, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
4. Puree until smooth.
5. Now heat up a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Once skillet is hot, pour around 2-3 tablespoons of the mixture into skillet. I made each pancake about 3 inches, and that was perfect for flipping.
6. Wait until each pancake begins to form bubbles on the surface sprinkle with granola, then flip. If you use your spatula to press under the sides of the pancake, all the way around, it will be easier to flip.
7. Make all pancakes with the batter.
8. Top with syrup. Yummo.

Cajun Chicken with Tomato and Avocado Salsa

Ingredients (Serves 2)

300 grams Chicken Breast
50 grams Baby Cos Lettuce Mix (any lettuce)
1 X Large Tomato
1 Medium Avocado
1/2 Small Red Onion
1/2 X Fresh Lime
2 x tea spoons Cajun Seasoning

Cooking Instructions

Cut chicken breasts into thin strips and season with cajun seasoning.

Spray a non stick pan with olive oil and heat pan on medium-high. Place chicken strips onto pan and cook each side until outside is light brown.

Whilst chicken is cooking cut tomato and avocado into small cubes and place into bowl. Cut onion into small pieces and add into tomato and avocado mix then squeeze lime juice into mix.

Place baby cos leaves onto plate and once chicken is cooked place strips onto the bed of cos lettuce (any lettuce will do)

Pour salsa over chicken.

Workout 3

Using your body weight is an easy, convenient way to exercise when you don't have access to a gym. You can do it anywhere! Below is a workout I came up with that uses only your body. All you need is a wall!


5 rounds:

1 minute wall sit
1 minute plank
30 second handstand hold against wall

Modify if needed. You can cut the times in half. So, do 30 seconds of wall sit & plank then 15 seconds in handstand.

Banana Walnut Oatmeal

I just made up this recipe this morning since I was in a hurry and it turned out really good! Simple & quick :)


What you need:
1 banana
1/2 cup steel cut oats (any oatmeal will work)
1/8 cup walnuts

Directions:
1. Mash banana in bowl
2. Add 1/2 cup oats to mashed banana and stir
3. Add water and microwave on high for 1 minute
4. Add walnuts & enjoy!

Chicken Basil Meatloaf

Props to  http://paleomg.com for this amazing recipe. I use this website ALL THE TIME to find new ideas in the kitchen. They are usually simple and have ingredients that you already have around the house. So tasty :)

Chicken Basil Meatloaf

Prep time:  5 mins

Cook time:  30 mins

Total time:  35 mins

Serves: 6-8

 

Ingredients

• 2lbs ground chicken
• 2 eggs, whisked
• 1 cup almond flour/meal
• 1 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients for meatloaf in a bowl.
3. Place ingredients into two loaf pans.
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until there is no pink remaining in the loaf.
5. Eat!
6. OMG, that was easy.

Gluten-free Banana Walnut Muffins

I LOVE these muffins. They are so easy to make and are perfect for breakfast on the go. I usually add walnuts to them, but it is not necessary. Enjoy :)

What You'll Need

• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup raw honey
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 mashed banana, medium

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a larger bowl, whisk together the eggs, honey, coconut oil, and vanilla.
4. Slowly add the flour mixture to the egg mixture. Add a little at a time and whisk after each addition.
5. Try to whisk out the big lumps, but don't drive yourself crazy. There will probably be some small ones left.
6. Fold in the mashed banana.
7. Add batter to a lined muffin tin.
8. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of one comes out clean.

Workout 2

4 rounds:
1/2 mile run 
50 pushups

If you are not ready to run 2 miles, just modify it. Walk, power walk, combo of running/walking... do whatever you have to do to keep moving! Push yourself. Modify your pushups as well if you need to... use your knees, put your hands on an elevated surface, whatever you have to do to get them done!

Workout 1

10 rounds of:

10 push-ups
10 sit-ups
10 air squats

Spinach Salad With Strawberries and Pecans

Love this recipe. It is so easy and delicious. Perfect for a quick, easy lunch/dinner!

Spinach Salad With Strawberries and Pecans

Ingredients:

8 ounces fresh torn spinach or baby spinach
1 1/2 to 2 cups cleaned and sliced strawberries
1/2 cup pecan halves or pieces, lightly toasted
2 to 3 ounces goat cheese or blue cheese, crumbled, optional
.
Dressing
1/4 cup Canola oil or other salad oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/8 teaspoon each onion and garlic powder
dash dry mustard
Preparation:

Toss spinach with sliced strawberries, pecans, and cheese, if using.
Combine dressing ingredients in a jar; shake until well blended. When ready to serve, drizzle dressing over the salad and toss lightly.
Serves 4 to 6.

Banana, almond butter, grain-free pancakes

• 1 ripe bananas
• 1 egg, 2 egg whites
• 1 heaping tablespoon of almond butter
• coconut oil (or butter)

Instructions:

Mash the bananas, add the egg and mix wel

Stir in the almond butter, adding more than a tablespoon if you want a more pancake-like texture.

Warm coconut oil in a pan and pour batter into small cakes.

Top with fresh fruit or raw honey! Delicious 

Vitamins and Suppliments

I recently found out about this AWESOME website that has vitamins, supplements  proteins, pre-workouts & much much more at discounted prices. I will never be going back to GNC again! Here is the link to the website.... http://www.allstarhealth.com/

It is so important to take vitamins daily. Also, if  you are working out regularly, you should be taking protein after your workouts for recovery.

Right now I take:

1. Womens Multivitamin
2. CLA (1500 mg) 4x a day. I take two after my morning workout and the other two with dinner. CLA helps build lean muscle mass and get rid of fat. Do not take before workout, always after.
3. Fish Oil (1360 mg) 2 capsules a day. Fish oil helps protect heart, brain & skin health.
4. Biotin (10,00 mcg) 1x a day. I am currently trying to grow my hair out lol so I have been taking this. It also helps with nail growth too
5. Dymatize Nutrition Whey & Casein Blend Elite Gourmet Protein Powder. I take 1 scoop (21 g protein, 120 cals) once a day after my workout. I usually just mix it with water or almond milk, but sometimes I do blend the chocolate flavor with peanut butter and a banana. I have tried chocolate and cookies and cream flavor of this brand and they are both delicious! Around 20 g of protein is good for any female, but you don't want to go over that. Also watch the calories on the protein you are taking.

Have a great day guys :)

My FAV turkey chili recipe

Clean Eating 2 Bean Turkey Chili

(Makes approximately 20 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pound lean, ground turkey
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped fine
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes (not drained)
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, no sugar added, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney or cannellini beans, no sugar added, drained and rinsed
• 1 pound frozen corn (optional)
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 (12 ounce) jar of your favorite salsa

Directions:

1. In a large pot, saute’ the garlic and onion in the olive oil.
2. Stir in the meat and brown, breaking it up as you stir.
3. Stir in everything else and cook over medium-high heat until the meat is cooked through. Stir frequently to avoid any burning on the bottom of your pot. If you need extra liquid, you can always stir in a little chicken broth to get the consistency you like. But I found that the salsa was enough. Do what suits your tastes.
4. Allow to cool and serve.

Note: If you can manage it, store this overnight and enjoy the next day. The flavor is even better on the second day when the flavors have really melded. Yum!

Nutrition Facts
(data is for 1/2 cup)

Calories: 122
Total Fat: 4 gm
Saturated Fats: 1 gm
Trans Fats: 0 gm
Cholesterol: 27 mg
Sodium: 238 mg (this will vary widely based on salsa used)
Carbohydrates: 13 gm
Dietary fiber: 4 gm
Sugars: 0 gm
Protein: 10 gm
Estimated Glycemic Load: 5

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 ¼ cup almond meal

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract (or regular if you don’t give a damn)

½ cup honey (maple syrup or agave nectar works too)

½ cup coconut oil, melted

1 ½ cups cacao nibs (pure chocolate chips and vegan chocolate chips work too)

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees, Grab a cookie sheet and some parchment paper or aluminum foil. I’ve found it easier to use something like that rather than baking directly on the cookie sheet (plus I can get the next sheet in the oven quicker and I want my cookies NOW!)

2. Combine 3 and 1/4 cups of almond flour (Trader Joes almond meal is by far the best, and it’s cheaper than Red Mill or whatever) with a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of baking soda.

3. In a large bowl, combine 2 eggs, a teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1/2 cup of coconut oil and 1/2 cup of either honey, pure maple syrup, or agave nectar (I like honey).

4. Combine wet and dry ingredients then add 1 and 1/2 cups chocolate chips. The darker the chips the more paleo friendly they are, but the dairy free ones from Trader Joes taste pretty good. Haha! (The dough will look pretty wet, I placed my dough in the fridge to firm up a bit before rolling them into balls, but you can just pop them into the oven as is)

5. Spoon them onto your parchment and pop them in the oven. This recipe makes about 24 cookies, and i usually do 2 rounds of 12. Bake ‘em for about 8-10 minutes (the tops will start to get golden brown). If they go longer than that the bottoms burn because of the sugar in the honey. No good at all.

6. When I pull them out I let them cool long enough to get them off the parchment and put them in something sealed to go into the fridge. I like them better out of the fridge because there’s no flour and they tend to be a little sticky at room temp.

7. Now it gets a little crazy… Done like this, sometimes they can seem a little under cooked. Just the nature of the recipe. I’ve experimented a little with adding 2 tablespoons of coconut flour and it really changes the texture. Makes them more “cakey” if you will.

Turkey Meatloaf Muffins

Jamie Eason's Turkey Meatloaf Muffins

Minutes to Prepare: 5
Minutes to Cook: 40
Number of Servings: 12

Ingredients
Quaker Oats - Quick 1 Minute - Dry, 1 cup
egg white, fresh, 3 large
Onions, raw, 1 cup, chopped
Celery, raw, 1 cup, diced
Extra Lean Ground Turkey Breast, 2.5 lbs
Ground cumin, 0.5 tsp
Herb - Thyme, Dried Ground (1 tsp), 1 gram
Mustard Yellow, Emirel's Mellow Yellow (1tsp/5g), 2 tsp
Black pepper (spice) 2 tsp
Chipotle pepper, ground, 2 tsp
Salt, 1 tsp
Garlic powder, 2 tbsp (remove)

Directions
combine all dry ingredients and mix up

add chopped veggies and ground turkey and egg whites

mix well

Spray non stick spray on muffin tin

Fill each spot with baseball sized amount of turkey mixture

Bake at 375 degrees for 40 min

Serving Size: makes 12 muffins

Number of Servings: 12

Carrot Fries

Carrot Fries

Ingredients:

Carrots
Olive Oil
Salt + Pepper
Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
Cut carrots into match sticks

Place on baking sheet, drizzle olive oil over them. Sprinkle salt + pepper. Toss them around so it’s even.

Into the oven they go for 20 (ish) minutes, these suckers can go from done to burnt fast so a little after the 15 minute mark watch them. If they’re not done at the 20 minute mark, I’d keep watching them at three minute increments (So I’d set my timer for another 3 minutes, check again, another 3, etc)

When done.. Try to let them cool for a minute before eating them

Grain free pumpkin pancakes

1 banana
2 eggs
3 Tbs oil (melted butter or coconut oil)
1+ tsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp organic raw honey


Mash the banana well, then mix in all the other ingredients.
Fry in coconut oil until brown on the bottom, flipping once.
Really let the pancakes get brown on the bottom before attempting to flip, as they’re very fragile. Serve with raw honey on top!

Should make 1 serving (about 4 pancakes)

What to order at the coffee shop??

Like many people, I love my fancy coffee house drinks. Frappachinos, lattes, mochas... YUM! Have you ever looked at the nutrition facts on these drinks? If you haven't, you might want to take a look. Most of our favorite coffee house drinks are between 400-500 calories for a medium size serving!!! That's more than any meal should be! Luckily I have some suggestions for alternatives if you find yourself craving one of these drinks. Now a days, most coffee shops have a huge selection of sugar free syrups to choose from. Ask for one of these syrups to flavor your latte instead of the regular syrup. For those syrups that don't come in sugar free, you can ask for "1 pump" of the syrup. I do this when ordering pumpkin spice lattes & it tastes just as good with almost half the calories! ALWAYS ask for soy milk (or fat free if you must). Soy is the healthiest option when if comes to milk. Do these things and you will have a much healthier coffee drink! However, these drinks are still high is sugar and processed foods, so I would only drink them occasionally if possible. As for the delicious looking pastries at the coffee shop... I have no suggestions lol just avoid those!!!



http://www.mindywenderfitness.com/lowest-calorie-drinks-at-starbucks/

Tilapia, Green Beans, Mashed Flax-tatoes

I am going nuts! I have had to take the past 2 days off from the gym to let my body recover from the CF competition I competed in on Saturday. You will learn that skipping days at the gym is a very rare occurrence for me... Soooo to keep my mind off my sore body and lack of physical activity today, I decided to make myself a nice dinner. 

Pan-fried Tilapia 

Heat skillet with 2 table spoons of olive oil. While the pan is heating up, season tilapia to your liking (I used lemon pepper seasoning today). Then, place tilapia loins into the heated skillet. Cook on eat side for 3-4 minutes each, then remove from heat. Squeeze some lemon on top & enjoy :)

EVOO Green Beans

Rinse and cut green beans. Steam green beans to desired tenderness. Add some EVOO, salt and pepper to the green beans. Shake pan to make sure seasoning gets evenly distributed.

Mashed Flax-tatoes

Chop 1 head of cauliflower into 2-3 inch pieces. Steam the cauliflower until it is fork-tender and place in food processor (I use my ninja blender and it works the same). Add 4 tablespoons of coconut oil, 1/2 t salt, 1/2 t pepper & 1/2 garlic powder. Blend til you get mixture to desired consistency (should look like mashed potatoes) and enjoy :)

Such an easy, delicious dinner to throw together! Mashed flax-tatoes are one of my favorite side dishes. I eat them multiple times a week mostly because they are delicious, but also because they are so easy to  make! 

Well, time to go watch The Biggest Loser (great show). Good night!

Easy Turkey Wrap Lunch

1 light sundried tomato flat out
1/2 medium avocado
3 oz off the bone turkey
1 cup lettuce

Doesn't get much easier than that!

Grain Free Pumpkin Pancakes

Good morning everyone! I was craving my one of my favorite flavors today... pumpkin! I LOVE this recipe for pumpkin pancakes. It is a great alternative to regular pancakes and tastes delicious. I usually make a side of egg whites (4 egg whites, a little onion powder, sea salt & pepper) to add some protein to this dish. I am sure turkey bacon would also be a great protein source, but I do not like bacon so that doesn't work for me.... I know, I am weird. Enjoy :)

Pumpkin Pancakes

grain-free • gluten-free • dairy-free • sugar-free • nut-free • nightshade-free

PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 20 minutes
YIELD: Approximately 8 small pancakes or 2 servings.

ingredients

• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• optional: 1-2 tbsp of almond meal
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  or
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch salt

preparation

• Whisk the eggs, canned pumpkin, pure vanilla extract, and pure maple syrup together. Sift the pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and baking soda into the wet ingredients.
• Melt 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. 
• Grease the skillet and spoon the batter into the skillet to make pancakes of your desired size. When a few bubbles appear, flip the pancakes once to finish cooking.
• Serve with 1 tbsp of raw honey or top with bananas & enjoy!