Peanut Butter and Chocolate Unite!

Ok...so chocolate and peanut butter. Who else thinks that this is THE best combo ever?

Currently, I'm 35 weeks pregnant and have to admit, my eating isn't as clean as it was prior to pregnancy, and sadly, my workouts have had to take a back seat due to inflammation in my hips and ribs and barely being able to walk across the room, let alone complete an intense workout.

I find that I'm continuously looking for something sweet in my kitchen cupboards, and I have even reduced myself to sneaking some of my 3 year old's Easter chocolates from time to time.

In hindsight, my eating and workout habits were more regimented than anyone I know. I had taken great pride in what I was accomplishing, for myself, for my family.

All of a sudden, that's seemed to have slipped. I still prep some meals, but not like I used to, and snacks have turned from homemade protein snacks and complex carbs into an oat fudge bar and coffee from a delicious coffee house. Those oat fudge bars by the way, I've discovered are over 400 cal each!

Which brings me to the current week. Vowing to get back to the lifestyle that led before, I thought about high protein, healthy snacks that I want to feed my family as well as myself. But also ones that would feel like I didn't need to search through the cupboards for leftover Easter treats.

Enter, black bean brownies. I've made them before and really enjoyed them. But it was never a staple in my house. Quick, healthy, and made with natural, clean ingredients, but still fudgy, indulgent and delicious! And what better than brownies? Adding peanut butter to the mix! Check these out, you won't be sorry!

Ingredients

• 14 oz can black beans, drained & rinsed
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup applesauce, unsweetened
• 10 - 12 Medjool dates, pitted
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup cacao powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter, unsalted
• 2 tbsp chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life)
• Cooking spray (I use Coconut oil)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 8 x 8 square baking dish with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Add all ingredients, except chocolate chips and peanut butter, to a powerful blender or food processor and process until smooth. Pour batter into prepared baking dish and level with spatula.
3. In a bowl, microwave peanut butter until melted and smooth. Drop spoonfuls on top of batter and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Using butter knife make deep swirls, "sinking" some peanut butter into the batter. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let brownies cool for 5 minutes in the baking dish. Holding onto the parchment paper flaps carefully transfer brownies to a cooling rack and let cool for 30 minutes before slicing. Cut into 16 squares and enjoy warm or cold
Storage Instructions: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 7 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
 
Enjoy!

Freezer Meal Swap!!!!

Ok...So lately, slow cooker freezer meals have kinda become my "thing." I LOVE prepping foods for the week to make life simpler and convenient, but I don't want to skip on nutrition. I have already added many meals to my repertoire of freezer meals, but I'm looking to expand my list. We all like variety, it is of course, "the spice of life" :P

I want to add CLEAN meals to my weekly meal prep, that are flavourful, that are slow cooker friendly, and are FREEZEABLE prior to cooking.

Please share with me in the comments below what YOUR favorite slow cooker meals are. We'll all be able to take away some great new recipes!

.....AND GO!!!

Clean Eating Sesame Chicken and Noodles

I have been asked to post by a few people the "recipe" for a meal that I posted on Facebook. I got this from a fellow coach of mine and did my own variation based on what I had available in my kitchen at the time. In Shanti's recipe, she uses Bragg's liquid aminos, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, zucchini and whole wheat pasta.

I didn't have, nor could I even find liquid aminos, so I just used low sodium soy sauce.

There's really no recipe to this one. I just basically threw whatever into a pan and that was it! The outcome, was great! I love the taste of sesame oil!

Ingredients:

Brown rice noodles
Boneless, skinless chicken breast
Sesame oil
Olive oil
Red pepper flakes
Red pepper (or whatever veggies you like)
Soy sauce
Dehydrated onion



Here's what I did:

I browned some cubed chicken breast with olive oil and dehydrated onion and sautéed red peppers with it. In a separate pot, boil brown rice noodles.

Once the chicken is browned, I added basically splashes of sesame oil and soy sauce, enough to coat everything evenly ( I used more sesame than soy) and a pinch of red pepper flakes.

Add your pasta and mix everything together!

Super easy, super quick! Enjoy!

No Meat? No Problem Spaghetti Sauce

Meatless Spaghetti Sauce
one large onion
two cloves garlic
150g  bag of dried red lentils
mushrooms, as many as you like
beef bouillon powder
 2 cans of diced tomatoes
cheese and basil (optional)

Gently saute the onions and garlic in a drop of olive oil. Add the lentils and saute gently until pale.

Add two cans of tomatoes, a teaspoon or two of bouillon. Stir well and simmer for half an hour.

If the sauce looks too thick, add water, during the cooking time.

Top over whole wheat or brown rice pasta

Clean Eating Spinach and Feta Chicken Balls

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground chicken
• 1 Tbsp chopped parsley
• 3 Tbsp finely chopped spinach
• ¾ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• ¾ tsp fennel seeds
• ¼ cup feta cheese crumbles

Instructions:

 

Bake for 1 hour on 350F

Slow Cooker Clean Eating Santa Fe Chicken

Ingredients:

Freeze:

1 1/2 lb chicken, 8 oz frozen corn, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp. onion powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1 t salt and pepper, 3 green onions chopped

Add:

1 can 14.4 oz diced tomatoes with mild green chiles, 1 15 oz. can black beans, 1 box chicken broth

Cook:

 Put all contents in slow cooker and place chicken breasts on top- season with salt. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in.

Slow Cooker Clean Eating Lentil Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients:

Freeze:

4 large carrots, chopped, 4 stalks celery, chopped, 1 onion, diced, 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed, 1.5 cups chopped green beans, 2 cups green lentils, 1 tsp minced fresh rosemary, 1 bay leaf, 1 tsp dried oregano, dash of garlic powder, 1 tsp sea salt (or to taste), 1/2 tsp pepper


Add:

1 15-oz can diced tomatoes, 1 Box chicken broth

Cook:

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker.  Turn heat on low and cook for 10 hours, adding a little more broth at the end if soup seems too thick.

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Chili

Ingredients:

Freeze:

1 onion chopped, 10 oz. frozen corn kernels, 1 taco seasoning packet, 1 T cumin, 1 T chili powder, 3-4 chicken breasts

Add:

1 can black beans, 1 can kidney beans, 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce, 2 cans diced tomatoes with chilies


Cook:

Put all contents in slow cooker and place chicken breasts on top. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in.

Slow Cooker Clean Eating Honey Sesame Chicken

Ingredients:

Freeze:

3-4 chicken breasts;  In a small separate bag: combine 1/2 cup honey, 2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce, 1/2 onion, diced, 2 1/2 Tbsp organic ketchup, 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, sprinkle of garlic powder, 

Cook:

Put chicken into crock pot.  Pour contents of small bag over chicken.  Cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high 1 1/2 – 2 1/2 hours, or just until chicken is cooked through.

Add:

green beans in last 30 minutes.
Remove chicken from crock pot, leave sauce. Whisk 2 T cornstarch into liquid in the crock pot.
Replace lid and cook sauce on high for ten more minutes or until slightly thickened.
Shred chicken or cut into bite size pieces, then return to pot and toss with sauce. Serve chicken over rice, garnish with  1 T sesame seeds

Clean Eating Meal Plan

I have no idea how disorganized in this busy life I would be without meal planning and prepping. It gives me comfort knowing that there's not a huge amount of time and energy that has to go into supper when I get home from work.

Here's my plan for this week! If you would like any of the recipes that may not be on the blog, feel free to leave me a message!

Happy planning!

Homemade Almond Butter

Sooo, my favorite almond butter was recalled! I know right? I've been thinking about making my own almond butter for some time now, but to be honest, was kind of intimidated!

Yesterday, I decided that today was the day! I headed out to the bulk food store to buy a million and one almonds! Homemade is so much cheaper than the store bought brands by the way.

This was it! I was prepared to spend an eternity in the kitchen slaving over this almond butter! Just call me Martha Stewart!

I added my almonds to my mini food processor, but didn't get too far with it. The mini version just didn't do much, I'd probably still be trying to make it!

Instead, I just transferred them into the magic bullet. I had to use a spatula every now and then to push the mixture away from the blade, but VOILA!! Almond butter!!! Just. Like. That. It took me about a half an hour or so and that was it!! And the best part? It was absolutely delicious! I added a smidge of raw cocoa powder to it as well. I love that I know how this was handled, that it used organic almonds and that it only has 2 ingredients in it! I will certainly continue to make homemade almond butter a staple in my house! Love it!

Not much to the recipe:

I used 2 cups of organic, roasted almonds
1/2 tsp of raw cocoa powder

Blend in a food processor of high speed blender until smooth and creamy! Enjoy!

Clean Eating Chicken Stroganoff!...Finally!!!

I LOVE chicken stroganoff!! It used to be one of our staples before clean eating. I have been searching for a recipe that would be easy to "clean" up but wouldn't be lacking in taste. It's been hard to find something that has been compliant with my lifestyle that I liked the taste of....until, NOW!!!

The holy grail of clean eating chicken stroganoff!!!! In my opinion anyway. And the best part....no sour cream, no milk, no condensed soups (yuck!), just simple, clean ingredients. But how does it get it's creamy goodness in the sauce? Cashews!!! Yep, that's right, soaked and then pureed raw cashews!

I was a little scared that it may have a slight nutty flavour, but not at all. To be honest, it kinda tasted like roast chicken chips hahaha. Sounds ridiculous I know, but what an unbelievable flavour! It will definitely be a staple in our house.

Clean Eating Chicken Stroganoff

*Fresh Mushrooms
*Onion, chopped
*Chicken breast, chopped
*garlic powder, dash
*cooking spray
*3 cups chicken broth
*1 cup raw cashews
*1/2 cup water
*dash of ground thyme
*1 tsp dried rosemary
*1 tsp dried oregano

1.Place cashews and half a cup of water in a blender or food processor and leave to soak.
2. Spray large pot with cooking spray, cook chicken, sauté the mushrooms, onion and garlic powder
3.Reduce heat to medium low and add chicken broth. Cover and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.
4.Blend cashews until smooth and creamy.
5.Add the cashew cream and herbs to the pot, stirring well to combine. Allow to simmer for another 20 minutes. If the stew looks too thick, add a little water

I put on a bed of brown rice noodles and paired it with steamed broccoli. Hope that you enjoy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie

What was on your table this morning??? Do you eat the same breakfast everyday or do you like to mix things up? I tend to do the exact same breakfast every morning during the week, but then on the weekends, have a full on egg, fruit and toast breakfast.

With my Husband working away for 3 weeks at a time, and with me working full time and trying to get my little one out the door to day care, mornings can be a little hectic! While I would love to be able to sit with my girl at the table every morning for breakfast, sometimes it just isn't happening. She sits close by as I get things ready to head out.

Do I start my day with no breakfast? Definitely not! To be honest, I eat the equivalent of 5 salads and then some, in a shake form that is!
                   Is it good for me? of course!
                   Is it delicious? Absolutely!
                   Is it filling? Definitely!

Here's my recipe for my "healthiest meal of the day", the one meal that is a complete no-brainer:

Ingredients

• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1 frozen banana
• 2 Tbsp. raw cacao
• 2 Tbsp. natural peanut butter (or other nut butter of your choice)
• 1 tsp. raw honey
• 1 cup coconut milk (almond milk, or other nut milk of your choice)
• 1/2 cup water
• 2-3 ice cubes
• tiny pinch of sea salt
• 1 scoop of Chocolate Shakeology

Put all ingredients into a blender, blend and enjoy immediately.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Balls

So what's better than chocolate? Chocolate and PEANUT BUTTER!!! Two of my favorite things! When I'm looking for a sweet treat in the afternoon, I reach for two of these babies and some fruit, and it satisfies the sweet tooth.
My daughter likes them, and even my Husband thought that they were good! Super easy to make, no baking, no fuss! All that it takes is about 5 minutes!Ingredients:

1/3 cup (or a slight bit more) natural peanut butter
1/4 cup raw honey
3 tablespoons ground flax seed
3 tablespoons of Enjoy Life dark chocolate chips
1 scoop chocolate Shakeology (or protein powder of choice)
A handful of oats (optional)

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Roll into 10 balls (about one heaping tablespoon per serving).
2. Refrigerate to firm up balls, overnight for best results. Enjoy!

Clean Eating Road Trip Cooler Ideas

So, with Summer comes travelling and road trips, trips to the beach and to the park. We all know what that means...summer BBQ's, evenings of restaurant dining, and going off track of the meal plan. I try to stay diligent to my health and fitness goals, but I will admit, I do go off track from time to time. I'd say that I eat clean about 85% of the time.

So, my plan consists of packing up a cooler and taking what I can with us to stay on track. Plus, I prefer not to feed my toddler takeout night after night.

So, what would I pack in my cooler for the on the road times when many of us are more inclined to stop at a gas station on the highway??

1. Fresh berries (strawberries, blackberries, raspberries)

2. Shakeology peanut butter balls

3. Low fat mozza cheese strings

4. Apples

5. Bananas

6. Raw almonds

7. Canned/packaged tuna

8. Homemade granola

9. Hummus

10. Bell peppers

11. Grapes

12. Almond milk

13. LOT'S of water

14.  Lentils (probably a lentil lime salad)

15. Some pre-made salads with spinach, feta, grape tomatoes, cucumber, peppers ( would pair it with the packaged tuna or have pre-grilled chicken ahead of time)

16. Natural peanut butter or almond butter for apple dipping

17. Shakeology

18. Overnight oats with fresh berries

19. Homemade Pumpkin Chocolate Granola Bars

20. greek yogurt

Would I pack ALL of this for one road trip? Probably not depending how long we're in the car. But it's just an idea of what I would take. Make sure to pair a lean protein source with a complex carb and be sure to eat every 2-3 hours to keep your metabolism revved! Happy Summer!!!

Chocolate Pumpkin Granola Bars

Umm, ok....these are absolutely delicious! Easy to satisfy your sweet tooth WITHOUT the guilt! Great paired with fruit!


Ingredients:

• 3 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/2 cup 85% dark chocolate
• 2/3 cup sliced almonds
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease an 8 by 8 baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
• Chop your dark chocolate into small pieces.
• In a large bowl, combine oats, spices and salt together.  Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk pumpkin, applesauce, honey, and vanilla extract until smooth.  Pour over the oats and stir well, until all of the oats are moist.  Stir in the dark chocolate and almonds.
• Evenly press oat mixture into prepared pan.  Bake for 25-35 minutes or until golden brown.  The pumpkin keeps the bars moist, so make sure they are golden and set-you don't want them to be under baked.  Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
• Using a sharp knife, cut into bars.  Remove from pan and let cool completely.
• Makes 10-12 granola bars. 

Overnight Oats

If you know me, you know that I LOVE oatmeal! This is THE BEST oatmeal recipe to date that I've found. And it's 100% clean! Enjoy!


Ingredients: 1/4 cup uncooked old fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup almond milk
1/4 cup low fat greek yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoons dried chia seeds
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce or enough to fill the jar.

In a 1/2 pint jar or 1 cup jar put in the oats, milk, greek yogurt, chia seeds, cinnamon and honey.  Put the lid on and shake that up!  Open up the jar and add in the applesauce to the top, cover and shake.  Refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days.

I usually warm in the microwave and top with fresh berries, chopped apple or pomegranate arils.

THE BEST Broccoli salad that you will EVER eat! And it's clean!!!

I love love love broccoli salad and have been looking for clean eating variations that I felt would be both clean and delicious. I came across this little gem and modified it here and there to better suit me and my clean eating lifestyle.
It called for vegan mayo, which I had no intention on buying. I don't like regular mayo, why would I go and buy a vegan version, right? I subbed the vegan mayo with plain greek yogurt and was a bit apprehensive that it would taste too tart. But low and behold, it did NOT! It was absolutely amazing! My husband ate it too and agreed that it would be a great staple for a barbeque! Our 2 year old, who is a veggie fanatic, did not care for it however.

 

Here's my modified version:



Clean Eating Broccoli Salad

1 head broccoli, stems removed and florets cut into pieces
4 slices cooked turkey bacon, crumbled
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1/2 cup cranberries
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
2 tbsp white vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp honey
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:
In a small bowl combine yogurt, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. Mix well and set aside.
In a large bowl combine broccoli, bacon, onion and cranberries. Gently stir in the dressing.
Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and serve immediately.

We paired it with some roasted chicken breast.

Clean Eating Broccoli Salad

Chicken and Broccoli

Chicken and Broccoli

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast...
4 cups broccoli florets
1/2 tsp garlic powder
pinch ginger
1 tbs olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 1/2 tbsp. reduced sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1 cube organic beef bouillon

Cut chicken into thin strips and stirfry in hot olive oil in frying pan on medium-high temperature. Add garlic and ginger during cooking time. Stirfry until chicken is cooked. Mix together corn starch, soy sauce, beef bouillon, and water. Add to chicken and stirfry an additional 2-3 minutes. Add broccoli and stirfry until tender crisp.

I serve this with a side of brown rice. Enjoy!

Love me some healthy pizza! Umm, but cauliflower??

My 2 year old LOVES pizza! I went from my old lifestyle boxed pizza mix to a clean eating alternative months ago, which is delicious, but I've been looking for something the same, but different. Better, I guess, and better for you.

I'm not a HUGE pizza fan myself to be honest, but my husband and child would definitely eat it at least a few times a week if ever given the choice. But, I'm all about cleaning up old favorites, so I didn't hesitate to give this a try.

I've seen numerous recipes online for cauliflower pizza and researched until I found one that I thought would be easy and tasty. I actually tried making it a couple of months ago and burned the cauliflower while it was cooking in the microwave! Needless to say, never tasted it then.

But tonight, for supper, I DID IT! I successfully made a cauliflower crust pizza! No, it may not seem like a big deal, but to me, it was! And might I add, it was AMAZING! I am definitely NO lover of cauliflower and I could taste any whatsoever. My only complaint was that the crust wasn't near as crispy as I would like. Next time, I will be sure to press some of the excess water from the cauliflower before I mix the ingredients together.

Ingredients:

Nonstick spray
2 1/2 cups cauliflower, grated (about 1/2 a large head)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Toppings of choice
approx. 1/2 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp oregano

Directions

1 Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper (I will omit this next time and just put it on a sprayed pizza pan), and preheat oven to 425ºF.
2 Grate the cauliflower using a box grater until you have two cups of cauliflower crumbles. Place in a large bowl and microwave for five minutes, or until soft. Remove from the microwave and let cool.
3 Mix in the egg, one cup mozzarella, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper. Once combined, pat into a 10-inch round on the prepared pizza pan. Spray lightly with nonstick spray and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden.
4 Top the pizza with the sauce, 1/4 cup mozzarella, and desired toppings. Bake in the oven until melted and bubbly, another 10 minutes.

Sauce:

1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon italian herb spice
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder

a few dashes of dehydrated onion

Hope that you enjoy!