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.

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.

Lemon and Garlic Shrimp "Pasta"

Recently I realized that entirely too many of my calories were coming from carbs, so I've been trying to cut back! I love pasta dishes and I've been eating a lot of spaghetti squash recently, but I wanted to try something new! I had some zucchini in the fridge so I figured I'd give zucchini pasta a try. I always keep a bag of shrimp in the freezer for quick dinners, so I ended up with Lemon and Garlic Shrimp Pasta!

What you need...

• 1/2lb peeled and deveined shrimp, thawed if frozen
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 medium zucchini, sliced into thin strips for zucchini pasta

How to make it...

If your shrimp are frozen, put them in a bowl of cold water to thaw. While they are thawing you can make your zucchini pasta. By the time you get the pasta made and the sauce ingredients into the skillet, the shrimp should be thawed.

To make the zucchini pasta, use a vegetable peeler and make long thin strips of zucchini. Continue around the zucchini until you get to the seeds. If you have a spiral vegetable slicer, you can use that instead!

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and combine all ingredients except zucchini pasta. Sauté until the shrimp turns pink. If you want the "pasta" al dente, just add the zucchini into the pan, toss and serve. If you want the pasta a little softer, remove the shrimp from the pan and set them on a plate covered with foil to keep warm. Add the zucchini pasta and toss for a few mins until softened.



I've made this dish three times since I first created it, its definitely a keeper! K, byeeeee.

Southwest Breakfast Casserole

My mom's breakfast casserole is one of the many things I've been missing a lot during the WLC (this is another post I wrote a few months ago and forgot to publish). I gave this southwest breakfast casserole a try and it was tasty enough, but not being able to have hashbrowns or cheese makes it really hard for me to love any breakfast dish. I'm probably not doing a very good job of convincing you to try it, but I have to be honest about my love for cheese.

What you need...

• 1tablespoon coconut oil
• half a yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 small jalapeno, seeds removed and minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 sweet potato, peeled and grated
• 1 pound grass fed ground beef or sausage
• 1 tablespoons taco seasoning
• 1/2 cup salsa verde (I used Trader Joe’s Salsa Verde)
• 12 eggs
• Sea Salt to taste

How to make it....

Preheat oven to 350. In a large saute pan, saute the onions and minced jalapeno in the coconut oil over medium heat until the onions are translucent.



Add the ground beef and cook until it starts to brown and add the grated sweet potato and garlic. Cook until the beef is completely browned and the sweet potato is soft.




Add the chili powder, cumin, and salsa, stir and cook until heated through.  Add sea salt if desired.  Transfer the meat mixture to a baking dish and spread evenly over the bottom of the dish.



In a large mixing bowl, beat together the 12 eggs add pour over the meat mixture in the baking dish.  Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.



Uncover and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the eggs are set in the middle when you jiggle the pan.



I tried the casserole topped with the salsa verde, hot sauce, and Maggie's Fresh Pico - all three options we equally tasty. What would you top it with? K, byeeee.

Coconut Chicken

I have been eating so much coconut since I started the WLC (I wrote this back in March and forgot to post it....woopsie), it was only a matter of time before I ate it with chicken. I'm used to coconut being sweet, so at first I wasn't sure how I felt about the finished product. It wasn't sweet and it was almost kind of bland? I ended up adding some sea salt to trick my brain into thinking it was a slaty-sweet dish. Haha I don't think it worked, but I enjoyed it either way.

What you need...

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup almond or coconut flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbs coconut oil

How to make it...

Mix the flour, shredded coconut and sea salt together in a bowl. Beat an egg in a separate bowl. Dip the chicken breast in the egg and roll in dry mixture. Heat a pan over medium heat and add coconut oil when hot. Pan fry chicken until fully cooked.

 If the crust starts to brown and your chicken isn't fully cooked yet (this will depend on the size of the chicken breast - it happened to me), take it out of the pan and place it in the oven on a baking sheet at 350F for 5-10 minutes covered with foil. K, byeeeee.

Peanut Butter Banana "Ice Cream"

I love dessert. I haven't always loved it, but recently I have developed the biggest sweet tooth and it is a problem (duh, most desserts aren't exactly healthy). Recently, my version of dessert has been a Lara Bar (coconut cream pie and key lime pie are my current favorites) or fresh cut pineapple. The other day I was craving ice cream, but I can't have any dairy during the WLC. My solution? Two ingredient peanut butter banana ice cream.

What you need....

• 3 large very ripe bananas
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter (I used fresh ground peanuts from whole foods)

How to make it...

Peel bananas and slice into 1/2 inch pieces.

Arrange banana slices in a single layer on a large plate or baking sheet. Freeze for 1-2 hours. Once frozen, place the banana slices in a food processor or powerful blender. Puree banana slices until the mixture is creamy and smooth. Add the peanut butter and puree to combine.

Serve immediately for soft-serve ice cream consistency. If you prefer harder ice cream, place in the freezer for a few hours and then serve. K, byeeee.

Avocado Bacon Sammies

Not having bread in my life was a struggle during the WLC - I love sandwiches!!!!! But I realized you don't need bread to enjoy a sandwich! Recently I've been eating a lot of zucchini sammies...you could probably figure out how to make them just by looking at the picture, but I'll give you brief instructions anyway.

What you  need...

• 1 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil 


• 1 zucchini, sliced


• 1/2 and avocado


• 2 slices of bacon

How to make them....

Heat a pan over medium-high heat and add oil. Sautée your zucchini until tender. Placed a bite of bacon and a mini slice of avocado in between. Use a toothpick to hold them together. Annnndd then eat those little guys!

{Photo courtesy of @kick_ass_girl_va}

I've also made these sammies with cucumbers or sauteed mushrooms instead of zucchini - both are really good as well. K, byeeee.

Bacon Avocado Burger

This isn't really a recipe, but more of a quick and easy dinner idea that I thought I'd share. This one is actually brought to you by Sara...

Last night I had no idea what to eat because my mom made tuna noodle casserole...FACK, can't have that. I had a ton of avocados (a result of my frist Costco adventure this past weekend), so I knew I wanted to use one of those. I ended up mashing up an avocado and added lime juice, cilantro, and cayenne pepper. Then I cooked a hamburger patty really quickly on the stove and topped it with whole blob of avocado mixture. I also cut up tomatoes and added them on top. It was DELICIOUS. Definitely an easy yummy dinner.

...Sara emailed me this dinner idea and I thought it sounded so good I made it that same day. OF COURSE I added bacon.



Next time you need a quick and easy dinner, you should give this a try! K, byeeee!

Bacon Avocado Deviled Eggs

I have been craving deviled eggs for a while, but I'm way too lazy to make paleo mayo (even if it is easy - I don't like mayo enough to put in the effort). I saw a pin the other day for avocado deviled eggs and realized I could just as easily make them without mayo! So I did, and they were great! (Of course I added bacon.)

What you need...

• 8 hard-boiled eggs (why 8? that's all I had and it ended up working great)


• 1 avocado


• juice of half a lemon


• 1/4 tsp dried mustard


• 3 strips bacon, cooked crispy and diced


• salt and pepper, to taste


• 1 tablespoon hot sauce (optional)


• paprika (optional)

How to make them...

Peel off egg shells and cut eggs in half. Carefully scoop out yolks. In a bowl (or food processor if you like - I just did it by hand and it wasn't difficult), combine yolks, avocado, lemon juice, mustard, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Once everything is blended, mix in the bacon. Transfer to a ziplock bag and cut one of the corners. Squeeze mixture into the egg halvs. Top deviled eggs with paprika, more bacon, or any spice of your choice! Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.



K, byeeee.

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

I was walking around the grocery store yesterday trying to decide what I was going to have for dinner. I ended up grabbing portobello mushrooms thinking I could try and make a WLC-compliant version of stuffed mushrooms. I had no idea what I was doing when I started, but holy crap, the result was magical. I was cooking for one, so this recipe only serves one. Double, triple, or even quadruple the recipe as needed!

What you need...

• 1 portobello mushrooms


• premium pork or turkey sausage roll (I cut off a 1 inch piece, equivalent to approximately two sausage patties.)


• a big handful of spinach


• 1 egg


• 2 tsp flour (I used coconut flour)


• 2 tablespoons tomato sauce


• 1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

How to make it...

Preheat the oven for 400 degrees. Clean the mushroom with a damp cloth, remove the stem, and  spoon out the gills. Spray both sides of the mushroom with olive oil (I suggest you invest in one of these). Place on a baking sheet gill side down and bake for 10 mins. Remove from oven, flip the mushroom so gill side is up, and set aside.



While the mushroom is baking, brown the sausage in large skillet over medium heat. Once the sausage is cooked all the way through (no more pink), drain the grease and remove from heat. While the skillet is still hot, throw in a handful of spinach and toss it around - it will wilt quickly. Pour the sausage/spinach into a bowl and mix in the red pepper flakes, egg, and flour.



Top the mushroom with all of the sausage mixture. Place in the oven and bake for 10 mins.


Once the mushroom is done baking, turn the oven to broil and leave it in for 5 mins or until browned (just keep an eye on it...no one wants to burn this yumminess).



Top with tomato sauce and DESTROY THAT SHROOM.



Oh my lord it was so good. Try it, you won't be sorry. K, byeeeee.

Quick Cucumber Snack

This is another one of those instances where I'm cheating by calling this a recipe, but whooooo cares?!

What you  need...

• 1 cucumber, sliced


• 1 tbsp lemon juice


• 1 tbsp olive oil


• a sprinkle of chile powder


• salt and pepper to taste

How to make it...

To be 100% honest, I made up those measurements. I'm just trying to make this look like a legit recipe......it's not.

Just cut up the cucumber and sprinkle all of the ingredients on top until you're satisfied with the taste. Sometimes I skip the lemon juice and use red wine vinegar instead. Sometimes I just use vinegar! Regardless of how you make it, this is a great snack! I like to make it ahead of time so the juices [whatever they might be] have time to soak into the cucumber, yum!



How do you like your cucumber? I'd love to know! K, byeeee.

Coconut Cream Pie

Larabars are the shit. Every single flavor is more delicious than the next. Why has it taken so long for someone to figure out that squishing these natural ingredients together would create such tasty treats?! More importantly, why wasn't that person me? I could be making bank selling Mallobars at $1.80 a piece! Which brings me to my next point, they're not cheap! However, because there are so few ingredients, I figured they couldn't be that hard to make! Annnddd I was right! I started with my current favorite flavor, Coconut Cream Pie, and after some trial and error I found the perfect balance of the ingredients! This recipe makes four larabars mallobars.

What you need...

• 1/2 cup raw almonds


• 1/2 cup unsweetened organic coconut flakes


• 8 large dates, pitted


• 1 teaspoon extra virgin coconut oil

How to make them....

Put all of the ingredients in a food processer and blend well. It should looks something like this:



Dump the mixture onto a sheet of plastic wrap, form a rectangle, and place it in the fridge for about 10 mins and allow it to harden. Remove it from the fridge and cut it into four bars (I used a pizza cutter). Wrap them individually with plastic wrap to avoid eating them all in one sitting :)



I should also mention that the real coconut cream pie larabars contain cashews. I didn't have any cashews and these taste awesome, so I'm going to say they're not necessary!

So which would you prefer, store bought larabars @ $1.80 or homemade mallobars @ $0.60/bar?! Seems like a no-brainer to me! K, byeeeeee.

 

Brussels Sprouts

I hardly ever ate bacon before the WLC started. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE BACON, avoiding it just seemed like a necessary evil in order to fit into my jeans. However, since the WLC started, my basic food groups are fruits, veggies, and bacon. We all know bacon makes everything better. It’s true. Yes, even chocolate. I’m crazy like that.

Anyway this post isn't actually about bacon, its about brussels sprouts - haha! I had never cooked brussels sprouts before. My immediate reaction to them is yuck, they smell bad. But during the WLC I've been branching out a lot and trying new things, so why not try making brussels sprouts?! After some careful research on the interweb, I found that roasting or sautéing them is the way to go. Adding bacon, well that was just a given.

What you need...

• 1 pound brussels sprouts - trimmed and halved


• salt and pepper to taste


• 6 slices bacon (0r an entire package, whatever works)


• 3 cloves of garlic - minced or sliced thinly, your choice

How to make it...

1. Peel off any bad leaves from the brussels sprouts and cut them in half lengthwise.


2. Heat a pan over medium heat, add bacon (I cut my bacon up in to small pieces), and cook  for 1 minute.


3. Add the brussels sprouts and fry until they start to brown around the edges.


4. Add garlic slices and fry 1 minute until softened.


5. Drain brussels sprouts to remove excess oil and serve immediately.

Pretty easy right? Personally, I still think brussels sporuts smell like feet. My apartment smelled for a solid two days after I made these, BUT they're quite tasty...so I guess it's worth it? I'll let you all decide for yourseleves. K, byeeeee.

Spaghetti [Squash] & Meat Sauce

Before I started the WLC pasta was a staple in my diet. About two weeks into the challenge I was dying for some spaghetti! I had never had spaghetti squash before, so there was no better time for me to give it a try. It was so easy to make, and I didn't even miss having real pasta in the dish. The sauce I threw together was amazing, and super easy to make.

What you need...

• 1 spaghetti squash, cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed


• 1lb grass-fed ground beef OR turkey OR italian sausage


• 1 (14oz) can tomato sauce


• 1 tablespoon dried parsley


• 1 tablespoon dried basil


• 1 tablespoon dried thyme


• salt and pepper, to taste

How to make it...

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise, use a spoon to remove the seeds and excess threads. Place spaghetti squash cut side down on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.



While the squash cooks you can make the sauce! Add the meat of your choice (I didn't have any ground beef or turkey so I used spicy Italian sausage and I loved it!!) to a medium skillet and cook until browned. Drain the meat to get rid of the grease, and add parsley, basil, and thyme and a bit of salt and pepper.



Then add your can of tomato sauce and mix well!



After 30 mins, remove your spaghetti squash from oven and use a fork to dethread the squash.



Top it with the meat sauce and enjoy!



I was surprised how much 'spaghetti' the squash made, I ate left overs for days. It's super easy to make, it tastes awesome, and you get to enjoy it for several meals...what could be better?!! Nothing. K, byeeee.

Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus

I won't lie, so far the WLC has been prettyyyyy easy - I work from home, so I always have my entire kitchen at my fingertips; I haven't gone out at all, which means I haven't had to face any temptation to drink; and let's be serious, it hasn't even been a full week - but tomorrow this will all change! I am heading to Florida for four and half days with my best friend Meredith.



Meredith and I will be running the Disney Princess Half Marathon on Sunday. After the race...and probably after a shower and a nap...we plan on celebrating. I have already planned for Sunday to be one of my cheat days during the challenge (the other? St. Patrick's Day, of course :)), but every other day I'm there is going to be so...challenging (ha, guess that's the point though, right?!). I will be faced with every temptation in the book!! So, here's to hoping I have enough willpower to make it through!!

Before I leave I wanted to share my recipe for prosciutto-wrapped asparagus. It is so simple I probably shouldn't call it a recipe...but I'm going to! It is great for breakfast, as an appetizer, or side dish. It fits in perfectly with paleo eating...and they're freaking delicious, so you should try them regardless!

What you need....

• 12 slices prosciutto (only ingredients should be pork and salt)


• 1 bunch of fresh asparagus


• olive or coconut oil for frying

How to make them....

Wash and dry the asparagus spears and cut off the tough end. Cut the prosciutto in threes, lengthwise. Start at the bottom of the spear and wrap the prosciutto around the asparagus until you get to the top – it does not have to be completely covered. Heat some oil in a pan and fry the asparagus on medium-high for about 3 minutes per side. Serve immediately.



Like I said, SUPER EASY and amazingly delicious. K, byeeee.

Sautéed Greens with Pine Nuts & Rasins

As I mentioned before, my friend Sara and I are participating in the WLC together. She is actually the person who introduced me to the idea and, three days prior to the challenge, I made the hasty decision to join her...silly me. ANYWAY, I'll turn it over to Sara now.....

It was day two of Whole Life Challenge and I needed to find a paleo-friendly side dish to go with london broil. My kale was about to go bad, so I knew I wanted to use it, but I also wanted something more exciting than just sauteing it with garlic. After spotting some leftover pine nuts in my fridge, I turned to google to for inspiration and came up with this recipe - sautéed kale and spinach with pine nuts and rasins. It is easy to make and the raisins are amazing in this dish!

Ingredients:

2 tbps olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
bunch of kale
1 cup spinach
3 tbps pine nuts
1/4 cup raisins

Directions:

Step 1: Heat a large saute pan to medium-high heat and add the pine nuts. Toast them until they are fragrant and begin to brown, but make sure to pay attention as pine nuts burn easily. Stir the nuts frequently. Once they are toasted, remove from pan and set aside.

Step 2: Add the olive oil to the pan and swirl it around. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds; the pan should already be hot, so it won't take long for the garlic to begin to brown. Add the spinach and kale and saute until the greens begin to wilt. Once they do, add the pine nuts back in, along with the raisins. Stir for about another minute or so and then remove from heat.

For those of you that haven't jumped on the kale train - you are missing out! Kale is one of the healthiest vegetables you can eat and it comes with a ton of benefits. Just to name a few, kale aids in detoxification and weight loss, strengthens your immune system, gives you healthier hair, skin and nails and is an anti-inflammatory. Plus, it is a winter green so now is the time to get it!

.....I actually have not jumped on the kale train with Sara, but seeing how this dish looks super easy AND delicious, count me in. I will be buying kale the next time I'm at the store...and you should, too! K, byeeee.