GREEN Cookie Dough Smoothie

Holy crap this green smoothie was SO GOOD..life changing, really. I make smoothies every morning for my fiance and I, and this morning I decided to take a walk on the wild side and try something new. Well, if you couldn't tell, the result was ahhhmazing. This recipe was adapted from Green Thickies and yields one serving.

What you need...

• 1 cup almond milk
• 3 dates, pitted
• 1 banana
• 1 cup spinach or kale
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp almond butter
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 

How to make it...

1. Pour the almond milk into a blender, add the dates, and blend until smooth.
2. Add the bananas to the blender and blend until smooth.
3. Add all the other ingredients except for the spinach and, yepp you guessed it, blend until smooth.
4. Add spinach and blend until smooth.
5. ENJOY!

The recipe was so sweet and filling, it was the perfect Friday morning treat. I can see myself making this for dessert in the future. Give it a try, YOU WON'T BE SORRY. K, byeeee.

Buffalo Chicken Tater Tot Casserole

I saw this recipe for Buffalo Chicken Tater Tot Casserole and knew I haddddd to make it. HOLY CRAP it was sooooooooo good. I made it last night for the super bowl and it was a HUGE hit. I put it out right at kickoff and it was gone four minutes into the first quarter! 

So what I'm saying is that if you have an inner fat kid and like buffalo chicken, you haveeee to try this! 

What you need...

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Olive oil, salt and pepper, to taste
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup Frank's RedHot sauce
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup blue cheese
• 1 bag tater tots
• 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

How to make it...

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Rub down the chicken breasts with a little olive oil, salt and pepper
3. Bake for about 30-40 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked
4. Leave the oven on and finely chop or shred the chicken
5. In a large skillet melt butter over medium heat
6. Whisk in Frank's RedHot and minced garlic
7. Whisk for about 1 minute and then remove from the heat
8. Pour 1/3 cup of the sauce into a measuring cup and set aside
9. Add chicken to the remaining sauce in the pan and mix together to evenly coat
10. Add sauced chicken to the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish
11. Sprinkle the mixture with blue cheese
12. Top the chicken with tater tots - lay them out evenly in a little rows until the chicken and blue cheese are fully covered.
13. Top with shredded cheese
14. Bake for about 45 minutes  
15. Drizzle the remaining 1/3 cup sauce over the finished dish and serve

Not only was it AHHHmazing, it was really easy to make. You really can't go wrong with this dish. Give it a try! K, byeeee.

Fake Oatmeal

I like having oatmeal for breakfast because it is very filling. Instant oatmeal packets taste delicious, but they're actually disgusting when it comes down to the ingredients. Back in the day when I did the WLC, I was looking for grain free alternatives and came across this recipe for fake oatmeal. The good part about this recipe is that you can make a batch at the beginning of the week and you have an easy breakfast every morning!

What you need to make a batch...

• ½ cup + 2 Tbsp chia seeds
• ½ cup + 2 Tbsp cup golden flax meal
• ½ cup + 2 Tbsp cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1 Tbsp + ¾ tsp ground cinnamon

How to make it...

Combine the chia seed, golden flax meal, unsweetened coconut, cinnamon and store in an airtight container. It is super complicated, right?

What you need to make one serving of fake oatmeal...

• ½ cup hot water
• 2 Tbsp unsweetened coconut or almond milk
• Sweetener to taste (Stevia, honey, or agave nectar)

How to make it...

1. Scoop out ½ cup of fake oatmeal in a serving bowl
2. Pour ½ cup of hot water over the fake oatmeal
3. Add 2 Tbsp of milk and stir to combine

The fake oatmeal is very bland on its own, so I really like to add some sort of sweetener  and top it with fresh fruit to make it more enjoyable. Sometimes I'll smash up half of a banana and stir that in - it adds flavor and sweetness. Give it a try! K, byeeee.

#100byVDay

I am participating in the Love Your Body Series [by Tone It Up] where we have been challenged to complete 100 miles (or 150 miles if you're a superstar) by Valentine's day. I have been struggling to decide what would be the best way to track my mileage when I came across an awesome idea - print outs! These were made by a lovely #TIUsister, Kandis. I loved her idea so much I just had to write a quick post to share with everyone! For your printable mileage tracker, right-click on either link below and choose ‘save as’.

150byVday

100byVday

It's not too late to join the #LoveYouBody challenge, so head over to toneitup.com and see what it's all about! Thanks again to Kandis for sharing these printouts! K, byeeee.

Chicken Salad

Lately I have been trying to eat as clean as possible. For some people that includes dairy, for others it doesn't. I have found that for my own personal sanity I cannot give up dairy completely. That doesn't mean I allow myself to snack on cheese with a side of yogurt and then wash it all down with a big ol' glass of milk. I do, however, like to incorporate greek yogurt into dishes as a substitute for mayo. This chicken salad only uses a little bit of greek yogurt and it is my current favorite lunch dish!

This recipe makes one serving - double, triple, quadruple, etc. as needed!

What you need...

• 4 oz chicken, cooked and shredded
• 1 tbsp greek yogurt
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp celery, chopped
• 2 tbsp onions, diced
• 2 tbsp carrots, shredded
• 1 tbsp almonds, chopped
• Sea salt & pepper to taste

How to make it...

Mix ingredients together in a bowl and chill in the refrigerator. Serve over a bed of fresh spinach or in a lettuce wrap.



Just writing this post makes me excited for my lunch today! K, byeee!

Pizza Stuffed Zucchini Boats

In case you haven't read my blog before, you should know pizza is my jam.  I love pizza (in all forms, really ALL forms). So you shouldn't be surprised I'm sharing yet another pizza alternative.

What you need...

• 4 large zucchini
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp basil
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

How to make it...

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.
3. Cut zucchini in half horizontally and carefully scoop out the center of the zucchini using a spoon.
4. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium high heat.
5. Add ground turkey, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Cook until browned and drain excess fat.
6. Add marinara to the saucepan and stir until evenly coated.
7. Add marinara mixture to each zucchini and evenly top with mozzarella.
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the zucchini is tender and the cheese has melted.

This dish was super filling and guilt free. Give it a try! K, byeeee.

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Bell Peppers

My fiancé suggested this delicious concoction, and let me just say, HOLY CRAP IT WAS SO GOOD. You should probably make this immediately if not before.

What you need...

• 1/2 lb roast beef, thinly sliced
• 9 slices provolone cheese*
• 3 medium green bell peppers
• 1 medium sweet white onion, diced
• 8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tbsp butter**
• 2 tbps olive oil**
• 2 tbsp garlic, minced
• Pepper, to taste

*For a lighter dish, use six slices of cheese
**For a lighter dish, use 1 tbsp

How to make it...

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Slice the peppers in half lengthwise and remove the ribs and seeds.
3. Line the inside of each pepper with a half-slice of provolone cheese.
4. Sauté onions and mushrooms over medium heat with butter, olive oil, minced garlic, and pepper. Cook until onions and mushroom are caramelized (this took me about 20 minutes).
5. Cut or tear the roast beef into thin strips (I used kitchen scissors) and add it to the onion/mushroom mixture.  Allow this to cook for about 5 minutes.
6. Evenly fill each pepper with the meat mixture.
7. Top each pepper with another half-slice of provolone cheese. Use the remaining three slices to cover the peppers are you see fit...or just snack on the extra while the peppers cook ;)
8. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown.

Annnnnnd enjoy! K, bye!!