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!

 

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~ 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!