Apple & Oat Cobler

 

It might only be August but fall, my favorite time of year, is just around the corner and I can't wait for apple and pumpkin everything! Apple dumplings and cobbler are one of absolute favorite fall desserts; however, we all know that aren't exactly our favorite when it come to our waist line. This recipe is low in added sugar and packed with some great nutrition  from the oats, apples, and walnuts! 

I created this recipe because Adam, my boyfriend, was craving an apple dumpling from Cracker Barrel. He is pretty careful about what he eats and is always interested in what I have to say about nutrition. His health is just as important to me as my own health; therefore, I decided to make healthy version with minimal added sugar and oats to satisfy his craving. You're probably thinking what makes this one healthier than the Cracker Barrel version? For starters it has minimal added sugar and is sweetened with pure cane sugar, apples, and apple sauce. The oat flour is packed with fiber, protein, manganese, iron, and B vitamins. The high fiber content is not only friendly for digestion but oats are ranked low on the glycemic index scale meaning it has minimal affect your blood glucose levels. So what does that mean? When you eat meals that contains processed carbohydrates like white flour and white rice, all the fiber and nutrients are removed and your body digests them rapidly and easily. This results in an increase in glucose and your body dumping insulin to lower your glucose. Fiber's main function is to slow down digestion because insoluble fiber is not digested. This is why when paired with sugar, glucose is slowly released into the blood stream eliminating that insulin dump. So who cares about a rise in glucose? Well this is where heart disease and diabetes come into play and there is a clear association between processed foods and these diseases for that reason. When you have a rapid increase in insulin this means fat storage! So when ingesting meals high in carbohydrates its best to make sure they are high in fiber. This is where the term "good carbs" come from. Good carbs are just carbohydrates that are naturally accompanied by fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

So lets just say Adam appreciated the fact that this was much healthier than the 3, 229 calories, 155 g of fat, and 263 grams of sugar found in the apple dumpling from Cracker Barrel. He liked the cobbler so much that he had me make an additional pan for him to take home to his roommate JJ! Together they demolished the pan which was still fewer calories than the Cracker Barrel version! 

Adam's happy roommate "JJ"

To keep the recipe healthy, we topped it off with some frozen greek yogurt which has more protein and less fat than regular ice cream:) So with the ice cream you are still looking at less than 1/6 the calories compared to the Cracker Barrel version.

  

Ingredients

7-8 medium apples ( I used Fuji apples because they are naturally sweeter apples)

2 T honey

1 1/2 C water

2 C oat flour

1 C rolled oats plus some for topping

1 T baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

5 tsp cinnamon

3/4 cup applesauce

1/4 cup raw cane sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup of almond milk

2 1/2 tsp butter or coconut oil

1/4 cup walnuts (optional)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Peel and dice apples. You can leave the skin on if you prefer for more fiber and nutrients!
• Place apples in a sauce pan with honey, 3 tsp cinnamon, and water and allow to cook on medium heat for about 30-40 minutes until apples are tender and saucy.
• When apples are cooked, remove from heat and mash them up a bit more with a whisk.
• While apples cool, combine the oat flour, 1 C oats, remaining cinnamon, baking powder, sugar, eggs, oil or butter, vanilla, milk, apple sauce, and salt in blender until incorporated. 
• In a shallow baking dish, I used a 9x13 inch pan pour in apple mixture. Pour batter over top and spread out evenly. Top with approximately 1/4 cup of oats and 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts. 
• Bake in oven for 35-40 minutes until center is set
• Makes 8 servings. Serve warm with frozen yogurt! Yum :)

Sun Dried Tomato and Basil Hummus

Ingredients

15 oz can of chick peas drained and reserved liquid

1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes

2 T oil from sun dried tomato jar

3 T fresh lemon juice

2 T Tahini

1 garlic clove

1/2 tsp salt

6-8 leaves of fresh basil

Instructions

To get a nice smooth hummus and you have time remove the skin from the peas. Place the chick peas, tomatoes, oil, tahini, garlic, and salt in the food processor and pulse until smooth. Add in the chick pea liquid until desired consistency. Add in basil and pulse until combined. Top with additional sun dried tomato and basil to serve. Enjoy!

Corn and Beet Salad

This past Saturday started off with coffee at a local cafe. I love to go there and get an iced coffee with a shot of espresso :) There is honestly nothing better than sitting outside at a cafe with coffee and a good book! After reading my book, " Foods That Heal and Foods That Harm" I felt motivated to go to the local farmers market that is on Saturday mornings. I'm sure the coffee aided my desire to get creative!

Cold Brew with espresso and soy

While shopping at the market there was a guy there handing out samples of foods. One sample was  sweet corn and beet salad which was really great! Lucky me.. I just got beets from the one stand. Because the recipe was so tasty, I decided to mimic it and make it 21 day fix approved :) I was able to get all of my ingredients from the farmers market which amplified my excitement about this! I would always go to the market and find all of these cool vegetables I wanted to cook with but never knew what to make. For the recipe I used fresh sweet corn, beets with beet greens, candy onions, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Yup! Thats it:) Simple, delish, and full of vitamins and minerals. You could eat this as a side or even dip whole grain chips in it for a healthy snack! 

Ingredients

4 Medium beets and beet greens

2 cups of corn

1 T olive oil

1/2 large candy onion 

1/4 cup onion stems

2 T Balsamic vinegar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Throrughly wash beets. Remove the beets from the greens. Save the leaf part and chop into medium size pieces.   

Wrap beets in foil and roast in oven for about an hour or until tender.

Remove beets from the oven and allow to cool. Peel skins off of the beet; they should pull right off.

Heat oil in a skillet

Cut slices of the candy onion and sauté in oil until slightly brown

Add in fresh cut corn straight from cob ( no need to pre cook). Cook corn until golden brown.

Cube beets and add to mixture once corn is nice and golden. Toss in chopped beet greens and onion stems and sauté for another 3-5 minutes. 

Remove from heat and toss in balsamic vinegar. Serve hot or cold.

Nutrition: 3/4 cup serving

21 Day fix: 1 yellow, 1/2 green, 3/4 tsp

Calories: 117

Fat: 4.5g 

Carbs: 18g

Protein: 3g

Sugar: 8.5g

Fiber: 2g

Vitamin C: 18%

Vitamin A: 15 %

Sweet Potato Vegan & Gluten Free Pizza

Recently I have been developing a pain in my upper right abdomen after each meal. Not certain if its from whey protein, dairy, or if its my gallbladder. SOOoo.. This is an excuse for me to do another food challenge by going vegan for an entire week...so far I am loving it! Doing this for a week is really introducing me to some different items like tempeh and tofu; two things I didn't eat often. I love exploring new tastes and trying new foods. The vegan diet isn't something I would do for a long duration because I truly believe our bodies shouldn't consume high amounts of soy due to the high content of phytoestrogens and their effects on the endocrine system; however, a week of a plant based diet can be a good thing for the belly.

While browsing the internet for vegan recipes I ran across this gem pizza crust recipe which is fantastic. The crust is made from oats, sweet potatoes, and almond meal making it %100 gluten free! Boo yeah! Sweet potatoes paired with oat flour are high in vitamins, minerals, and fiber making them a great for regulating insulin levels. This is so much better for you than bleached all-purpose flour that is in a typical pizza crust! The crust had a sweet taste to it with a light garlic flavor. Sounds like a weird combination but I loved it! I went out on a whim with my own toppings and used vegan pizza sauce, cherry tomatoes, spinach, basil from my herb garden, red onion, mushrooms, vegan cheese, and sautéed garlic in oil :) The garlic and the fresh basil from my herb garden is what made this pizza along with the crust! If you're not feeling the margherita style toppings, I think a BBQ style chicken pizza would be fantastic as well. If you're vegan you could use tempeh instead of the chicken done in a sweet BBQ sauce! Im drooling over this idea! Or even the traditional toppings would work!

INGREDIENTS

2 C sweet potato puree ( two large baked sweet potatoes)

1 1/4 cup of Oat flour + 2 T for rolling

1/4 cup Almond meal

1 T Chia seeds ( or an egg if you're not vegan)

3 T water

1 T olive oil

1 T apple cider vinegar

1 bulb of garlic

tsp basil

tsp oregano

Olive oil for roasting of garlic

1/2 tsp sea or himalayan salt

Toppings of choice 

I started off by preheating my oven to 400 degrees. The recipe will make one large 8 cut pizza or two medium personal pan pizzas. Luckily when I made this I already had two roasted sweet potatoes which worked in my favor because I was hangry and did not want to have to wait to bake some! Start off by poking your sweet potatoes with a fork and wrapping in foil. Then place in the oven and let bake for at least an hour. I like to let mine roast until they are quite mushy. Next, prepare your garlic by cutting off the top to expose the cloves. Drizzle the top with olive oil and wrap in foil. Bake until the cloves are tender. If you don't like garlic you can omit the garlic from the recipe. Once the potatoes and garlic are done remove them from the oven and allow to cool. If you are using a pizza stone, now would be a good time to allow it to heat in the oven.

Now for the preparation of the crust, I used my Ninja. This allowed me to incorporate the skin of the sweet potatoes in the crust for more nutrition. If you don't  have a high speed food processor you can use a regular bowl and mix with your hands. Just scoop the sweet potato out of the skin.

First you will want to combine the chia seed and the water to create a chia egg. This will bind your crust. If you aren't vegan you could substitute a regular egg here.

For the crust: combine the sweet potato, 1 1/2 cups of oat flour, and almond meal. Add in 3 cloves of the roasted garlic, apple cider vinegar, oil,  salt, oregano, and basil. Blend until all incorporated. The dough will be quite sticky so this is why its important to have some extra oat flour for dusting and to cover your hands. Also, Make sure you have a good non stick pizza pan or pizza stone. Next scoop the dough onto a well greased pizza pan. The dough will be sticky! I sprayed my pan with coconut oil. If you are using a pizza stone, allow it to heat and get warm in the oven and shape your curst on parchment paper. Now because the dough is sticky dust it with the remains 2 T of oat flour so you can work with it. You can also dust your hands in it as well! Believe it or not it actually looks like a crust!

Once your crust is formed like in the picture below place it in the oven to bake for about 30-40 minutes. Until the edges are slightly brown.

Next is the fun part! Pick your toppings! I decided to do mushrooms, basil, spinach, vegan cheese, red onion, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and roasted garlic! I think a BBQ sauce with chicken, onion, and pineapple would go fantastic on this beauty! If you would like to do the same toppings, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet and throw in some sliced garlic until slightly brown. Don't over cook the garlic or it will get really bitter and nasty! Just cook it until golden. Drizzle over your pizza toppings :)  

SO at this point I took a couple minutes to send a few snapchats to my friends. Everyone snapped back with jealousy which they should have been! Next, bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until cheese is slightly brown and bubbly! When done, allow to rest and cool for 10 minutes. This will be difficult because your kitchen is going to smell like sweet garlic! While waiting I took a few selfies with the pizza and snap chatted it to everyone. The responses I got were " that looks like real pizza", " Coming over for a pizza date". Once cooled cut into 8 slices. One serving is 2 slices. Enjoy this nutrient packed  beast of pizza!

 

__________________________________________________________________________________

~ INSTRUCTIONS ~

1.  Prepare baked sweet potatoes and roasted garlic. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pierce sweet potatoes with a fork and wrap in foil. For the roasted garlic chop the top off of the bulb to expose the cloves. Drizzle with some olive oil and wrap in foil. Bake the potatoes ( ~ an hour) until very soft and the garlic ( ~40 minutes)  until tender. Remove and allow to cool.  If using a pizza stone allow it to preheat. 
2. Place the chia seeds in water for about 10 minutes to create a gelatin " chia egg" . If dairy is in your diet you can use an egg instead
3. Combine the sweet potato, 1 1/2 cups of oat flour, and almond meal in a food processor. You can use a mixing bowl just don't use the skin of the potato.
4. Once the flour and potato are combined, add in the garlic, oil, chia egg, salt, oregano, and basil and blend until all incorporated.
5. Spray down a good non stick pizza pan with olive oil or coconut oil spray. Scoop dough onto pan. This will be sticky so dust the dough and your hands with the remaining 2 T of oat flour. 
6. Shape the dough into a crust and bake in oven for 30-40 minutes until the edges are golden and the crust is set. 
7. Top with desired toppings 
8. Place back in oven until cheese is golden. About 10-15 more minutes. 
9. Remove and allow to cool. Once cool cut into 8 slices. YUMM!! 
10. Take pictures and share with the world! Enjoy:) 

Serves: 4
Serving size: 2 slices
Prep time: 1 hour to roast potatoes and garlic + 15 minutes to prepare crust
Cook time: 50 minutes to an hour
Nutrition ( crust only): 390 calories, 11g  fat, 58g  carbs, 13g  protein, 8g fiber
Vitamins: 372% vitamin A, 22 % iron, 10% calcium,  10 % vitamin C

Fixate

On July 14th Autumn Calabrese will be releasing her new cookbook Fixate. Her cookbook will have 101 recipes that are 21 day fix approved! How amazing is that? Many of my challengers struggle figuring out container numbers for recipes so this is a BIG BIG BIG aid for success with the 21 day fix programs! Autumns recipes will provide a variety for those with diet restrictions like gluten free, vegan, paleo, and  kid-friendly. There will also be a variety of recipes such as breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, cocktails, Shakeolgy, and sweet treats like strawberry banana ice cream! YUM!! Check out the video below. 

                                             

For my next challenge group the winner will be receiving a free copy of this cookbook! Interested in joining and winning this cookbook? Click Here to sign up to be a member of my next challenge group! 

Greek Yogurt Broccoli Salad 

Ingredients

1 package of turkey bacon

8 cups of chopped broccoli florets

1 chopped medium red onion

1/2 cup of fresh shredded cheddar cheese ( skim if you can find it)

1/4 cup of raisins

4 tablespoons of raw sugar ( or more to liking) 

1 cup of 2% or fat free greek yogurt ( I use Fage, I think its the best!)

1 tablespoon of cider vinegar

* add in walnuts for an extra crunch!

Preparation

Cook turkey bacon as shown on package and chop

Combine broccoli, onion, cheddar cheese, and raisins in bowl

For dressing: Add sugar to cider vinegar and dissolve. Mix cider mixture into the greek yogurt.

Add yogurt dressing to broccoli mixture and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving :)

NUTRITION- based on using fat free yogurt

Serves 8 

Calories: 140

Fat: 2.9

Carbs: 20.1 

Protein: 10.8

Every morning I usually eat oatmeal or eggs for breakfast. Breakfast is my favorite meal of they day so I always like to make something interesting and delish! I wanted something that was tasty but had complex carbs to keep me full and energized for my workout but had a decent amount of protein in it. Whey protein doesn't exactly agree with my stomach so adding it to my oatmeal isn't always an option. While meandering around my kitchen I came across a bag of garbanzo bean flour and oat flour. I have used regular oats to make waffles and pancakes before so I decided to experiment! The pancakes were so good I ate them 4 days in a row! Honestly, they are basically just as good for you as eating a bowl of oatmeal too!  Although these pancakes taste guilty, they are 100 percent healthy and have no sugar added! The oats are whole grain and when paired with the garbanzo bean flour they make a fiber rich breakfast that is gluten free! Your family will love them and they will make a great weekend breakfast. Try serving them with a side of turkey bacon or sausage! 

INGREDIENTS:  Makes one large pancake or two medium pancakes

1/4 cup of oat flour 

1/8 cup of garbanzo bean flour ( use additional oat flour if you don't have garbanzo bean flour)

1/4 cup of egg whites

1/4 cup of fat free plain greek yogurt or cottage cheese

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp of cinnamon 

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 packet of stevia ( optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl or blender ( I always use my ninja when possible)

2. Spray a pan with coconut oil spray and allow to get warm on medium heat

3. Pour batter and cook like a normal pancake. Flip when the underside is slightly brown

4. Top with some fruit and a tsp of honey, pure maple syrup, agave.

5. I throw a dollop of greek yogurt on top to make me feel fancy ;)

* If you batter is too thick add a bit more egg whites and if its too thin let it sit for a couple seconds to thicken up .

* If you don't or can't find oat flour I suggest popping 1/2 cup of oats in a blender or food processor and blending it up fine. It wont get as powdery as the stuff you buy but it should work!

Topping suggestions

• Peanut butter/ Almond butter and banana
• Walnuts
• Chocolate chips--for the kiddos or maybe you ;)
• Fruit- I used peaches which were amazing paired with the cinnamon

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION: Calories: 245,  Fat: 3.5 g, Protein: 20 g, Carbs: 31.4

21 DAY FIX: 1 YELLOW, 1 RED, 1/2 PURPLE ( if you top with fruit) 

What are calories and where do they come from?

So it is quite often I hear people saying that they just count calories or they only eat 1200 calories a day. Which don't get me wrong is great; however, many people today do not understand what a calorie is and where it comes from. So here is breif summary of where calories come from and what they are. Each food item we eat most likely contains calories. Yes there are a few exceptions like seasonings, hot sauce, water etc that are labeled calorie free. So where do these calories come from and why do some foods have more than others? Our food is comprised of what we call macronutrients, ya know the things that people are constantly omitting from their diets like carbs and fats. Our food contains three categories of macronutrients: carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. So what does this have to do with calories? Well for each gram of these macronutrients they contain a number of calories. This is why foods that are high in fat like peanut butter, olive oil, and avocado have such high calories for such a small amount. Does that mean we don't eat them? No just eat them in moderation! I don't know about anyone else but I love peanut butter and could demolish an entire jar for breakfast! Here is are the three macronutrient categories and their caloric value. 

Carbohydrate: 4 Calories/ gram

Protein: 4 Calories/ gram

Fat: 9 Calories/ gram

So for example: If you eat a bagel and you look at the back of the label it will say how many grams of carbs, fats, and protein are in it. So just a rough guess, lets say there are 42 grams of carbs, 1 gram of protein and 2 grams of fat in one bagel. The total calories would be as follows:

Carbohydrate: 42 x 4= 168 Calories from carbs

Protein: 1x4=4 Calories from protein

Fat= 2x9= 18 Calories from fat

Total calories= 168+4+18= 190 Calories

SO.... it is obvious that a bagel is a carb dense food. So what is a Calorie? The term Calorie that is used on food labels is actually a kilocalorie which is equivalent to 1,000 calories. So when you are eating a 100 Calorie/ kilocalories apple you're actually eating 100,000 little baby calories. You're still probably thinking so what the hell is a calorie and why do we need them? A calorie is a measurement of energy. We need to eat calories so our body can burn them to make energy aka Adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Our body takes these macronutrients and breaks them down into little baby nutrients that our cells can use for energy. This process is called our metabolism:) 

So what happens when we consume too many calories? Well we know that our body burns off calories to make energy, so what happens if we sit on the couch all day and eat potato chips? We store those chips in our booty, belly, and everywhere else that we have fat cells. If you're not moving then your body doesn't need energy and its not using those little baby nutrients to create energy. You then begin to store them in you  FAT CELLS. Our body stores carbohydrates in the liver and muscles as glycogen, but those stores are limited. Once our glycogen storage is full we store them as fat! This is why you don't want to eat high carbohydrate foods before bed. Our body stores carbs as glycogen so that way when it needs energy it can easily be broken down and used as energy. This is why runners eat a high carb snack before doing a long run. Then then eat a high carb snack after to replenish those storages.

Interesting fact! Did you know that you cannot lose fat cells? You can only shrink them!

Next lets talk about satiation and satiety. Any one ever hear people saying that protein keeps you fuller longer? Well thats completely true! Ever notice that when you eat a burger at McDonalds and french fries you fill up quickly but your hungry two hours later? Thats because fat produces satiation ( the feeling of being full) and protein produces satiety ( keeping you feeling full longer). In terms of carbs, they keep you full longer than fats but not as long as protein.  So this is why it is important to eat a meal high in protein with healthy fats. The fat will help make you feel full and the protein with keep you feeling fuller longer! This is why you need to pay attention to your macronutrients and eat a balanced meal. So let me give you a scenario to think about:

Your on the go and you stop at a convienience store to grab something to eat. While browsing you find a 100 calorie bag of popcorn, a 100 calorie pastry crisp by special K, and 2 hard boiled eggs in a bag for 136 calories. What would be the healthier more nutrient dense snack?

2 hard boiled eggs

Popcorn

     

Special K Pastry Crisp

Most people would say the one with the least amount of calories, right? WORNG!! This is why macronutrients are so important! First off the ingredient list for the pastry crisp is just absurd and I would be embarrassed to even have them listed on my blog! I am a true supporter of clean eating. In this case the eggs are the smarter choice because they have a decent amount of healthy fats and 11 grams of protein. Where the other options are high in carbs ( the pastry crips have ultra processed carbs), are low in protein, and don't have any healthy fats! So who would have guessed that the higher calorie option is the healthier choice.

This is why 21 day fix program is awesome! The program figures out your caloric needs based on your weight. Based off of your caloric needs, it then breaks that down into how many grams of each macronutrient you should have through portion control containers! So instead of consuming 1200 calories of ALL carbs you're getting 1200 calories of balanced carbs, fats, and proteins! Plus, all of these sources are pure and unprocessed!! Click the learn more button in the 21 day fix link below to test it out!

Zucchini Lasagna

Who doesn't love recipes that exclude a yellow container? Carbs are my biggest downfall and I could seriously live off of them! Instead of using regular noodles why not use zucchini? Swapping out a green for a yellow is a win win for me. I will say that I couldn't eating this stuff! It may have been a bit too good haha. This is perfect too with all of the farmers markets that will be starting soon. There may be some questioning about how " clean"  this recipe is because of the tomato sauce and sriracha but if you have a clean, homemade sauce you would like to use go for it! Also, instead of sriracha you can always use regular hot sauce or you can omit it if you don like spicy.

INGREDIENTS 

• 2 medium sized zucchini
• 1 pound of 98% ground chicken
• 4 sweet Italian turkey sausage links 
• 1 green pepper chopped
• 1 red or white onion chopped( I used red)
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
•  large jar of organic pasta sauce without added sugar ( I used roasted garlic)
• 15 ounces skim ricotta cheese 
• 2 cups of part skim mozzarella ( I but the fresh and shred it because its free of anti-caking agents)
• 1/4 cup fresh parmesan cheese ( do not use kraft ultra processed part! I will jump through the screen and attack you!)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 egg white
• 1/8-1/4 cup sriracha to taste
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoons of onion powder
• 2 teaspoons parsley 
• Himalayan salt and pepper to taste ( do not ruin this recipe with iodized salt! I will again... jump through and attack)
• 2 teaspoons of coconut oil or olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

Prep: Approx 40 minutes

Cook: 1 hour

Servings: 8 servings

21 day fix: 1 red, 1 green, 1 blue, 1/2 purple ( sauce), 1/4 teaspoon

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Add coconut oil to skillet and sauté peppers, onions, and garlic for about 2-3 minutes
3. While they cook, peel the casing off of the chicken sausage.
4. Add chicken and chicken sausage to the peppers and onions and brown.
5. While they meat is browning, begin to slice your zucchini with a mandoline ( be careful not to amputate a finger! I almost did). Keep the slices thicker ~ 1/4 of an inch thick
6. Once your meat is brown, add the pasta sauce to the skillet along with 1 teaspoon of garlic, oregano, fresh basil, salt, pepper, parsley, onion powder and sriracha. 
7. Allow to cook on medium/low for 15 minutes 
8. While your meat sauce cooks; add ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, egg white, and a teaspoon of garlic powder together in a mixing bowl. 
9. When the meat sauce is ready, place about 1/2 meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan . Place a layer of the zucchini noodles on top followed by 1/2 of ricotta cheese mixture. Next, spread 1/2 cup of mozzarella on top of ricotta followed by a second layer of meat sauce. Place the last layer of zucchini noodles on top of meat sauce. Finish with the final layer of ricotta cheese and top with the remaining 1.5 cups of mozzarella cheese. ( I like to save most of the cheese for the top because I like it to be all brown and bubbly) 
10. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. 
11. After 30 minutes, remove foil and return to over for an additional 30 minutes. 
12. Once the cheese is nice and brown an bubbly remove and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
13. Serve warm and enjoy! 
14. Prepare to resist going back for seconds!

So I don't know about anyone else but I absolutly love pancakes for breakfast but we all know they are not the healthiest with all the butter and syrup! I also have a minor obsession with sweet potatoes so I thought why not combine the two. Then I left myself thinking okay.... well I still need something to top it off with that isn't back full of processed sugar. So I came up with the sautéed berries and they agave greek yogurt:) The pancakes are very, very good and the toppings just make them even more fantastic. The best part is you wont feel guilty about eating them because they have no sugar added and they are 21 day fix approved!! These bad boys are full of vitamins and minerals to get you energized for the day!

Health benefits

High in protien (~15 grams)

The daily recommended amount of vitamin A

high in fiber

high in vitamin C, B-12, B-6

probiotics ( yogurt)

Ingredients

For the Pancakes

1/2 cup mashed sweet potato
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon coconut flour

2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 T of cinnamon

coconut oil spray for pan

For the Toppings

1/8 cup of plain greek yogurt ( I recommend Fage 0%)

1 teaspoon of maple agave syrup

1 cup of fresh berries ( I used blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries)

Baking instructions

Makes 3 small pancakes

Serving size: 3 small pancakes

21 day fix: 1 1/8 red, 1 purple, 1 yellow

NOTE: I always meal prep sweet potatoes for the week by baking them in the oven at 350 for an 1-1.5 hours. Basically until they are mush!! Also if your mix is a little thick you can add a tablespoon of unsweetened almond milk :)

1. Combine all of the ingredients except for coconut oil in a blender ( you can mix in a bowl if preferred)
2. Heat pan on stove on medium heat and spray with coconut oil
3. Pour batter in skillet to make 3 small pancakes 
4. Cook each pancake for 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden brown
5. While pancakes cook, place berries in separate skillet and cook on medium heat until they are warm. I smash my up in the skillet.
6. For the yogurt topping combine the yogurt and the agave in a small bowl. If you don't have maple agave you could add honey to the yogurt instead. If you really wanted to get fancy you can add some maple extract! 
7. Place the pancakes on a plate and top with berries and yogurt! ENJOY:) 

I love roasted cauliflower and curry so I decided to combine the two! This recipe is on the spicy side; however, if you're not at fan of spicy you can hold off on using the chipotle powder. This recipe uses turmeric which is known to be one of the worlds most healthiest foods due to it anti-inflammitory properties. The cauliflower will also give you a boost of vitamin C!

      Ingredients

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 2 teaspoons of curry powder
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of chipotle powder 
• 2 teaspoons of red curry paste
• Himalayan salt
• 1/4 cup light coconut milk

     

     Instructions

    Total time: 1 hour

    Prep time: 5 minutes

    Serving size: 1 cup

    Servings: 2/3- my head of cauliflower was rather small

    21 day fix: 1 green , 1/2 blue

 

1. Break cauliflower into florets
2. place on baking sheet and spray with coconut oil
3. place in oven to roast at 400 degrees
4. Let roast in oven until the cauliflower is brown on the outside ( about 30-40 minutes)
5. Once the cauliflower is brown, place in a skillet with the remaining ingredients. Cook until it begins to simmer about 8 minutes. 

*NOTE- When I make this I estimate out my seasonings. Feel free to add more or less of the seasonings. The chipotle powder is very spicy and a little goes a long way. If you don't like spicy you can alway omit the chipotle powder. 

Baked Carrot Cake Oatmeal

Oh I wish everyone reading this could be in my apartment experiencing how absolutely amazing this smells. My two roommates and the ones boyfriend were drooling while looking at it! This recipe is 21 day fix approved and clean with no sugar added and lightly sweetened by bananas, apple sauce, and the carrots.  I came up with the idea of this when I was baking carrot cake cupcakes for easter. At the time I was doing 21 day fix extreme so I was not able to sample one; plus they weren't gluten free. This breakfast is super healthy and packed with tons of vitamins and minerals. This turned out so good I feel like I'm cheating when I am eating it!

INGREDIENTS

4 yellow containers of old fashioned oats ( if you don have a food processor use oat flour)
1/2-3/4 cup of unsweetened almond milk
1 teaspoon of baking powder
2 green containers of finely shredded carrots
1 very ripe bananas*
2 purple containers of fresh pineapple
1 egg
4 teaspoons of unrefined coconut oil
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
4 orange containers of walnuts or pecans
1 blue container of shredded unsweetened coconut
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 teaspoon coconut extract
coconut oil spray


Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Bake time: 30-35 minutes
21 day fix:1 purple, 1 yellow,  1/2 green, 1 orange, 1/2 blue, 1 teaspoon

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Place the oats in food process and process until fine like flour
• add in baking powder, carrots, egg, bananas, milk, coconut oil, pineapple, cinnamon, and vanilla, coconut extract. Blend until combined. 
• Spray a 9x9 baking pan with coconut oil
• Pour batter in pan
• top with chopped nuts and coconut 
• Bake for 35-45 minutes until center is set and the edges are brown
• Remove from oven and allow to cool. Serve warm. Enjoy!

Baked Oatmeal with Strawberries and Bananas

I made this last night for my family to have for breakfast this morning and OMG it was so YUMMY!! This recipe is 21 day fix approved and has ZERO added sugar. I chose to use bananas, strawberries, and walnuts but you can get creative and use peaches, blueberries, raspberries or whatever you want! MAKE IT YOU OWN!! I came up with this recipe because I wanted to come up with a flavorful oatmeal that didn't have any added sugar but was easy to make ahead of time for meal prep. If you're making this for meal prep,  and want more that 4 servings, just double it and use a 9 x 13 inch pan. This recipe is extremely clean and tasty! If you aren't following the 21 day fix eating plan and you would like to sweeten it  up you can add some raw sugar, honey or stevia. This recipe is packed, packed, packed, full of vitamins and minerals to start off your day. Check out my list below!

Health Benefits

• Omega-3 fats
• copper
• manganese
• molybdenum
• biotin
• potassium
• calcium
• magnesium
• Iron
• Thiamin
• riboflavin
• Niacin
• Fiber
• Folic acid
• Vitamin B-6
• Zinc
• Selenium
• Vitamin C

Ingredients

• 4 yellow* containers of whole rolled organic oats
• 1 cup of almond milk, coconut milk or a blend
• 1 banana well ripened
• 2 purple* containers of chopped strawberries (rinsed well)
• 1 egg 
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 orange* containers of nuts ( I used walnuts because they are one of the healthiest nuts! ) 
• 4 teaspoons* of coconut oil

Serves: 4

Prep time : 10 minutes

Bake time: 30 minutes

21 Day Fix: 1 yellow, 1 purple, 1 teaspoon, 1 orange

*NOTE: If you aren't using the 21 day fix containers here are the equivalents: 1 yellow = 1/2 cup, 1 purple = 1 1/4 cup, 1 teaspoon = 1 teaspoon, 1 orange = 1 tablespoons

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Place 2 of the yellow containers of oats in the food processor and process it until it becomes powdery like flour. I Used a little chopper I had to chop the oats but I blended everything together in my Ninja ( best thing I ever purchased).  Here you are basically just making an oat flour. 

Next Place the Oat flour along with the remaining oats in a mixing bowl or blender if you have one. Add the baking powder and mix. Next add in 3/4 of your banana, baking powder, egg, coconut oil, vanilla, milk and blend until mixed.

 Once combined, fold in 1 purple container of strawberries. Spray your 8x8 inch pan with coconut oil spray and pour in mixture. Top with slices of banana, strawberries, and nuts. I left a serving without nuts for my dad.

Bake in oven for 30-40 minutes. Remove once the oatmeal pulls away from edge, is slightly brown on edges and set in the middle. Serve warm.  I like to eat mine with some almond milk on it! Eat, Enjoy, and feel the Energy!

SWEET POTATO AND QUINOA CHICKEN SOUP

This sweet potato and quinoa chicken soup is so nutrient dense it is insane! Check out my list below shows all of the vitamins and minerals that it contains. The recipe is super easy if made in a crock pot and it stores well.

      Health benefits

• Vitamins A, C, B-6, E. B-2
• Potassium
• Magnesium
• Iron
• Manganese 
• Folate
• Zinc
• Copper
• Phosphorus
• Choline
• Fiber
• Protein ( all essential amino acids)
• Calcium

      Ingredients

• 1 1/2 yellow containers of minced uncooked quinoa
• 1 can of black beans
• 6 yellow containers of raw cubed sweet potatoes ( 2 medium)
• 3 green containers of fresh spinach
• 1/2 green container of diced onion
• 1/2 green container of diced bell pepper
• 1/2 green container of diced green onion
• 1 1/2 lbs of diced chicken breast ( 6 red containers)
• 1 can of low sodium diced canned fire roasted tomatoes 
• 5 cups of low sodium chicken broth
• 2-3 T of chili powder to taste 
• 2 Tsp Himalayan salt
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 1 T ground black pepper
• 1 T onion powder
• 1/2 T cumin
• Hot pepper sauce to taste ( I probably used 1/4 cup) 
• Cheddar cheese (optional)

Note: Anyone that doesn't use 21 day fix containers here are the equivalents: Green= 1 1/4 Cup, Red =3/4 cup, Yellow: 1/2 cup

       Preparation 

Cook: 3-5 hours in crock pot on high

Servings: 7 servings 

Serving size: 1.5 cups

21 Day Fix: 1 Red, 1 Green, 2 Yellow, 1/2 blue (optional)

1. Spay the bottom of you crockpot with coconut oil spray
2. Add to crockpot chicken, beans, quinoa* (make sure you rinse), sweet potatoes, spinach, onion,  peppers, tomatoes, seasonings *, pepper sauce, and chicken broth. 
3. Allow to cook on high until potatoes are tender ( approx. 4 hours) 
4. Serve warm and top with raw green onions and 1/2 blue container of cheddar cheese (optional)

*Note: I really just estimated what I used in seasonings so feel free to add more or less to your liking. Also, I used a seasoned pack of quinoa that I had so if you have some seasoned quinoa you can use that just make sure in the ingredients in only contains quinoa and spices with sea salt. If you don't have seasoned quinoa you can use regular just MAKE SURE YOU RINSE IT in a small strainer first or your soup will have a bitter taste. 

After                             Before

Last Sunday, April 12th, marked my last day of 21 Day Fix Extreme and I will admit it was definitely a bit of a challenge considering I did the countdown to competition plan but boy was it worth it! I wasn't sure if my results were going to be all that noticeable but I was surprised once I put the photos side by side. Overall I absolutely loved the program. I think I got awesome results in 21 days but I sure did have to work for it. Throughout those 21 days, I found myself eating a lot of eggs, cottage cheese, chicken, vegetables, oatmeal, sweet potatoes and of course my Shakeology.  I began starting off doing the countdown to competition plan the first 2 weeks and eating 8 times a day. Eating 8 times burned me out so the last week I switched to doing just the 21 day fix extreme plan, which still yielded incredible results! The nutrition for this plan is very clean and cuts out all processed added sugar which made my energy levels stay consistent and feeling fantastic. Luckily I didn't experience the energy crash and the headache that most experience the first couple of days. These are the best results I have ever got in such a short period.  

                                   

                                                         After                             Before

                                                        After                               Before

Click the add below to order your 21 day fix and get started!

I absolutely love, love, LOVE this pizza! Although it is made with BBQ sauce which is known for being high in sugar, I did find organic BBQ sauce made with agave. This pizza is a bit more time consuming than your typical pizza; however, you will not regret it! It is so tasty and healthy. A couple tips as mentioned below: Make sure you have a thicker non stick pizza pan and make sure you get as much water out of the cauliflower as possible! If you have any questions please comment below :)

Ingredients

1 Large head of cauliflower or 2 small heads

Yellow container of cornmeal ( or any flour if you're sensitive to corn )

1 egg

5 blue containers of fresh shredded mozzarella cheese

4 red containers of chicken breast ( hormone and antibiotic free)

1 purple containers of fresh pineapple

1/2 green container of diced red onions

Organic BBQ sauce made with agave

2 tsp Oregano

1 tsp Garlic powder

1 tsp Onion powder 

Instructions

Serving: 2 Slices

21 day fix: 1 green, 1/2 purple, 1 red, 1 blue, 1/4 of yellow

Total time: 1 hour - 1 hour 15 minutes

Crust

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

In a large pot steam cauliflower

Once, cauliflower is tender place in food processor and blend until smooth

Allow to cool

Place cauliflower on tea towel and squeeze out as much water as possible. This is the hardest part about this crust! You need to get all of the moisture out to get a good crust. 

Once all of the water is out, place the cauliflower back into the food processor and add cornmeal, 4 blue containers of cheese, spices, egg and blend until combined

Place "dough" on pizza pan and spread out to form a crust

Once your crust is formed, place crust in the oven and cook until golden brown 

* NOTE: this crust seems to work best if used on a thicker pizza tray. The one I have is from Walmart and it was between $5-$8. Don't use a really thin one or it tends to stick. Also, if using a pizza stone form crust on parchment paper and transfer to stone to bake. 

Toppings

While your crust is baking, chop chicken ( I placed mine in my Ninja and pulsed it a couple times)

Place your chicken in the skillet with about 1/4 a cup of BBQ sauce and cook on medium heat until chicken is cooked through.

Remove crust from the oven and cover crust with BBQ sauce ( don't add too much because it will get soggy quick)

Top with remaining cheese, onions, chicken, and pineapple ( I only put pineapple on half)

Place back into the oven and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes. 

Remove when cheese is melted and bubbly.

Allow pizza to cool, cut into 8 slices and enjoy!

What is it?

Clean eating is the new rave right now; however, it has been around forever! What is "clean eating"? It involves eating foods that are healthy, whole and unprocessed.  A diet that is "clean" involves eating a lot of fruits, vegetables, and meat. Clean eating focuses more on ingredients than calories.... So how do you know if its clean? Well if it doesn't have dirt on it my friends then you shouldn't eat it! For example, a sweet potato would be considered clean because it comes from the earth and it involves no processing. If you were to look up the ingredients for a sweet potato it would simply read sweet potato. However, if you were to look up the ingredients for you favorite boxed mac and cheese you would read over 20 ingredients!! Now, does this mean that you cannot eat mac and cheese ever again? Of course not because that would be absurd!! Instead you would make your own mac and cheese with unprocessed whole grain pasta, cheese, and milk. This will eliminate all of the additives that are in boxed mac and cheese such as sodium phosphate, food dyes, and other synthetically made products. When choosing food at the grocery store, I have and under 5 rule. If there are more than 5 ingredients I don't consider it clean. 

 Another example is oatmeal. The instant oatmeal packages, such as quaker,  have ingredient lists that are often over 20 ingredients! Why??!! This is so they can sit on the shelf forever and not spoil.  So how do you make oatmeal clean? Easy! Just buy whole grain old fashioned rolled oats or steel cut and cook them stove top!  Then top it off with some clean toppings such as fruit, honey or raw sugar, and organic milk.  

Why should you eat clean?


Clean eating can help you loose weight and feel energized. Items that are clean are naturally low in sugar, salt, preservatives, and all the other stuff makes you feel like a slug! When items are pure, your body can break them down easily and use them for energy but when you add synthetically made ingredients your body doesn't know what to do with them and it throws it off balance.

Salt and sugar

Im sure by not you're thinking that salt and sugar are good for you right? Well you're absolutely right! Our body cannot survive without salt or sugar. The problem here is that we don't need the 100 plus grams of refined sugar that most people consume in a day. It is recommended that the average woman should only have 25 grams of added sugar sugar a day ( roughly 6 teaspoons). Just one container of yogurt can have up to 22 grams of sugar! So does this mean you should buy sugar free yogurt? Absolutely not! These items often contain ingredients like aspartame and sucralose which are synthetically made. So those are a big NO NO!! So if you can, consume yogurt that is made with pure raw sugar! As for salt, it is often added to boxed foods as a preservative. If an item does have salt,  look for items that contain hymilayian salt or sea salt. These items are pure, non processed and high in minerals compared to typical iodized table salt.  Learn to read labels and you will be amazed at what is in food!

 The Do's and Dont's of Clean Eating

Here is a list of some clean versus non clean foods

     *Try to chose organic where possible

Clean

• Any fresh produce such as fruits and vegetables
• Honey and Raw Sugar
• Raw Meats ( I like to chose ones that are raised without antibiotics)
• Eggs ( preferably farm fresh) 
• Yogurt sweetened with raw sugar
• Whole grain bread and pasta  (look at the labels for preservatives)
• Quinoa
• Brown rice
• whole rolled or steel cut oats
• Almond milk
• Nuts
• Unrefined coconut oil
• Water and coffee

      Unclean

• Artificial sweeteners
• Foods with aded nitrates, food dyes, and chemicals ( If you can't pronounce an ingredient then you shouldn't eat it)
• Processed cheese ( velveta)
• Sugary drinks like juice and soda
• Boxed meals

Here are some examples of why you should pay attention to what is in the ingredients of the foods that you eat! A common mistake is to associate types of food as being healthy or "clean". For example, oatmeal is clean and healthy; however, oatmeal in the single serve packets are loaded with synthetic ingredients. The image below shows a comparison of healthy steel cut oats in comparison with quaker maple and brown sugar oatmeal--sorry to bust your bubble but these just aren't as healthy as you think!

Okay so lets talk about this picture.  The quaker oats have a ton of added ingredients; whereas, the steel cut oats only have 1 ingredient! Winner, winner!!! The quaker oats have less fiber, more sugar, and an artificial sweetener (sucralose). Most people, when reading labels they look at calories. If you were to look at calories and calories only, the quaker oatmeal would win because it has 120 calories per pouch in comparison to 150 calories per 1/2 cup of cooked steel cut. This is where you take into consideration which one is more nutrient dense and better for your body. In Terms of taste, the steel cut oats aren't sweetened but you can always add a teaspoon of raw sugar or honey and then top them off with some fresh fruit and nuts! Yum! Now I'm excited for breakfast tomorrow morning :) Adding fruit to your oatmeal will provide you with extra vitamins and minerals that are pure and natural....Not the kind that are added to the quaker oats and have been formulated in a lab and then added into your food! Get your vitamins and minerals the natural way by eating fruits and vegetables!!! Just remember to read your labels :)