St. Patrick's Day Artichoke Dip

Need something a little lighter to bring to your St. Patrick’s Day party?! This vegan spinach artichoke dip has all the creamy taste of this classic without the heaviness of cream cheese, sour cream, and mayo. Green, healthy, and delicious; that’s a winner in my book!

Ingredients
* Hot water
* 1 (15-oz.) can artichoke hearts, packed in water, drained
* 3 packed cups raw spinach
* 1 medium ripe avocado
* 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
* ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
* 1 clove garlic
* ½ tsp. sea salt (or Himalayan salt)
* ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
* ½ tsp. onion powder

Instructions
1) Bring medium saucepan of water to a boil over high heat.
2) Add artichoke hearts and spinach; cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and drain well.
3) Place artichoke mixture in the food processor.
4) Add avocado, lemon juice, yeast, garlic, salt, pepper, and onion powder; process until smooth.

ENJOY and take in all the compliments about this appetizer!

Sweet Potato Hash Bake

Yum. Yum, yum. yum. These not only taste delicious, but they smell delicious and through these over a bed of rocket and you’ll have a perfectly balanced pre / post workout meal for whatever fitness program you’re doing.

INGREDIENTS:
-2 sweet potatoes
-2 tsp olive oil
-1/2 tsp paprika
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp black pepper
-1/4 tsp chili powder (you can add more, but the kids and I don’t do spice so this is our comfort level)
**I like to double the above so I have extra potatoes for dinner. I also mix in white russet potatoes because that’s what my kids prefer and I did too as a child till I learned how much better these taste and are for you. I’m not going to fight them on this one, they eat pretty well.

Pour over silicon baking sheet and cook for 15 minutes at 200 degrees celsius or 375 farenheit. Remove from oven and crack 8 eggs over the baking sheet and cook an additional 5 minutes so they are over easy. If you want your eggs cooked more thoroughly then crack over potatoes at 10 minute mark. Enjoy and serve immediately so eggs don't continue to cook. I like to serve this over spinach leaves or a bed of rocket / arugula.

Ultimate Portion Fix containers = 3/4 cup potatoes = 1 yellow and 1/2 tsp

Avocado Smash

In Australia we call it Avocado Smash and it’s just about as good as gold! So delicious and filling. I chose this, with wholemeal sourdough and add 2 poached eggs on top. The macros are perfect for a balanced breakfast and if they have rocket on the menu, add that for flavor and spice!

Ultimate Portion Fix = 1R (with opt 2 eggs), 1Y, 1G (with opt rocket), 2B (chose ¼ avocado for just 1B and stir with lime juice and it will cover more area!). I never get more than 1B so I get creative!

Miso glazed Eggplant

This picture doesn’t do it justice to how delicious it is. It is so flavorful, super filling and such a great serving of vegetables. My entire family loves it which I never dreamed my 6 yr old son would TOUCH. AN. EGGPLANT. There are so many recipes on Pinterest, but a lot have unnecessary sugar. The miso is so strong, I’d let it speak for itself. So often people take a vegetable and douse it in sauces and it’s no longer healthy. What’s the point in that? Fried okra? Why not grill it? I digress…

Cut eggplant in 1/2 lengthwise and soak in a bowl of water, any temperature fro 5 minutes. Meanwhile make the sauce.

SAUCE:
1 TBSP miso glaze
2 tsp cooking sake
1 tsp olive oil (1/2 for sauce and 1/2 for frying pan)
Cook over medium to light heat and stir together until well blended.

Drain bowl with eggplant and slice eggplant meat in criss-crosses (make sure not to cut too deep so skin is cut). Microwave for 4-5 minutes (1000 watts vs 750 watts) and remove carefully. Divide sauce evenly amongst eggplant halves and cook face down on frying pan on medium. Only needs 1-2 minutes on stove. Remove from heat and enjoy with your favorite protein. I ate both halves which was enough vegetables and carbs (~26 carbs per eggplant) so this with Tuna was my dinner portion. I was VERY satisfied.

Let me know if you try it and any modifications you make!

Blueberry Greek Yogurt Protein bites

It sounds way healthier calling these “protein bites” (which they are), but they could double as dessert and no one would know they were good for them. Tell me if I’m wrong, but these look like blueberries covered in white chocolate. AMIRIGHT??? LOL My inspiration came from a Weight Watchers recipe, but in true WW fashion, it had unnecessary sugar. I’m a WW dropout, so I can say “been there, done that”. Wasn’t a lifestyle I could keep up with and model in front of my kids as “health"y”. Far from it actually. WW recipes might be low calorie, but they’re a shit storm of low fat, reduced fat, light, ingredients which basically means, CHEMICAL SHIT STORM. No thanks. Foodies here that wants to take control of what goes in my body!

Ingredients:
1 cup PLAIN greek yogurt
1 TBSP honey (although I think you can omit this if using Shakeology - it’s sweet enough for me)
1 scoop vegan vanilla Shakeology (any protein powder will do, but be careful because many taste chalky so you’ll want more sugar to mask the taste…or just get Shakeology and thank me later) ***
1 c washed blueberries

Directions:
Stir all ingredients together and then add blueberries. Divide into TBSP servings and freeze. Take out when ready to eat. YUMMMM! Share your comments below; can’t wait to hear how you like these!

I don’t count calories since doing Beachbody, but for those that do, I’ve calculated them for you.
Weight Watchers = 2 points
Portion Fix Containers = .5R, .5Y, .5tsp
2B Mindset “Plate-It” = good FFC to accompany with 2 eggs for your protein for brekky
calorie counters = 94 calories, 1.5g fat, 12.2g carbs, 7.7g fiber (based on 5 servings)

Kid-friendly Sweet Potato Maple Bread

If you’ve been following me on Facebook, my blog, or we hang out, you KNOW I LOVE PUMPKIN and you know that it is hard as hell to find in Australia. And if I”m able to find it, it’s a small fortune (think $14.95 / can compared to $1.99 in USA). So, I’ve been on a mission to find something my kids love just as much that I can bake with for breads, muffins and cookies. This bread was an amazing find and my kids review was “FANTASTIC!!!” If you chose Gluten free flour then this will be GF, and it’s vegetarian and dairy free as well. let me know if you made it and modified it. I love hearing new ideas! I doubled this and froze a loaf because we blow through this in 2 breakfasts (for 4) or 1 breakfast (for 4) and snacks for 2 hungry boys after school.

Ingredients

• 1 cup almond flour, 3/4 cup (less 2 TBSP) whole wheat flour

• 1/2 cup maple syrup

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 tsp ground nutmeg

• 1/2 tsp ground sea salt

• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

• 1/4 tsp ground cloves

• 2 eggs

• 1 1/2 cup boiled sweet potatoes, mashed

• 1/4 cup avocado oil + 1/4 c olive oil (could sub 1/2 cup coconut oil, but I’m allergic and the combo of these saves money and 1/2 cup olive oil would be too strong a taste)

Instructions

1) Mix all dry ingredients in Kitchenaid mixer, or the like. Add eggs, maple syrup, and oils.
2) Fold in sweet potatoes. Do not use mixer.
3) Use spray olive oil on 9x5 loaf pan and make sure to spread to walls of pan as well. You don’t want this delicious bread to break when you turn it upside down because part sticks to the sides.
4) Pour batter in greased pan adn top with raisins or chocolate chips if you wish.
5) Bake at 175 celsius for 30 minutes. Depending on the width of your it could be deeper bread and need more time. Check around 30 minutes with a toothpick.

Before - going in the oven - I can tell you this smells sooooooo good!

After - oh man, I coudln’t want to dive in and my whole house smells like fall. I don’t care that it’s summer, it’s amazing :)

Favorite KID & ALLERGY FRIENDLY Protein Balls!

Cashew Balls - GF, SF, DF, egg free, wheat free, grain free

Last week my husband, went to an evening school event led by Michael Carr-Gregg. It was called “Raising Resilient Boys” and having 2 boys of our own, our ears perked up. Little did we know it would start with a marriage talk, then lead into parenting and finishing up with how important nutrition and sleep are for everyone, not just kids! But that was for sure emphasized. Do you know that Americans eat 40% more sugar now than we did in 1980? The average CHILD eats 38 tsp of sugar A DAY!!! That is mind boggling and disgusting. And I might be part of that without even realizing it because sugar lurks every where. Turns our Michael has also written 14 books and one was “Smart Snacks” so I picked it up. I will say, he loves his coconut oil, milk, flakes and being allergic to them, I’ve modified everything in the book, but here are my 4 favorites that we tried and were successful. I tried 3 of his smoothies and my kids said “mom, we just like Shakeology” and that’s that. Considering one of this recipes cost me $12 to make (holy heck Batman!), my $4.15 Shakeology will win every time and it tasted way better!

I might have spent a whole day playing in the kitchen, but I have these 3 perfected balls that my kids are begging for more of. It says the serving is 18, but I don’t think the mastermind behind the original recipe factored in how much my 5 and 9 year old eat, or how much they’d enjoy these because I had to finally put the plate away to have some at least for one more day. I changed a few things because as written, I don’t like cacao on the outside of protein balls and I’m allergic to coconut, so some substitutions were necessary. Didn’t affect us one bit ;) These can all be made GF, SF, dairy free, and the banana ones are nut free.

Note, ALL of these balls would be great with 1-2 scoops of Vegan Cafe Latte, Vegan Chocolate or Vegan Vanilla in them. Don’t use Whey if you need these to be dairy free, otherwise, it’s fine too.

CASHEW BALLS
INGREDIENTS:
-2 cups cashews
-2 cups dates (~20)
-OPTION: if you add 1 tsp ground ginger and 1/2 tsp turmeric you will get a Gingerbread flavor

DIRECTIONS:
1) Put cashews into food processor and grind. 2) add dates a few at a time. I added 10 and 10 and then you can add more depending on your desired texture. If it’s not binding well, you will need more dates. 3) Use a TBSP to measure out dough and roll into balls and put in fridge for 30 minutes before enjoying.

Banana Balls - Wheat Free, Nut Free, SF, DF, egg free

BANANA BALLS
INGREDIENTS:
-1 large mashed banana, ripe
-1 cup quick oats (do not use old fashioned)
-1 tsp ground cinnamon
-1 tsp vanilla
-¼ cup cacao powder
-1 TBSP sesame seeds, opt. See note below.

DIRECTIONS:
1) Mix everything together in Kitchenaid, or similar, mixer. 2) Using a TBSP, take a heaping scoop and roll into 18 balls. 3) If you chose to roll balls in sesame seeds, do this and then refrigerate for 30 min before enjoying. Freezable. We rolled in cacao afterwards instead of mixing it in and found we prefer it the other way, it was too dry and tart on the outside. They still disappeared in less than 24 hours, but this was a preference thing. You can chose to roll them in cacao too if you like the texture, taste, look of it.

Cacao Balls - DF, SF, GF, egg free, grain free, wheat free

CACAO BALLS
INGREDIENTS:
-2 cups walnuts (or other nuts but then requires more dates)
-1/2 cacao powder
-1 tsp ground cinnamon
-1 TBSP chia seeds
-2 1/2 cup pitted dates (~23), but add more if you use cashew, macadamias, almonds, etc.
-pinch of ground sea salt, opt If nuts are salted, omit this as it will be too much sodium

DIRECTIONS:
1) put all ingredients, except dates, in food processor. Puree to the consistency you prefer. I let mine run longer because I wanted nuts very tiny or my youngest won’t eat them, or will pick them apart. In my car. And I’ll lose my mind. Getting the picture?! So about 2 minutes on high was good for us. 2) Then add dates. I started with 23 and added a few more because I used Cashews and Macadamia nuts. If you can grab a handful and mash it together, then you have added enough. 3) Using a heaping TBSP, roll the dough into balls and put in fridge 30 minutes before enjoying. These freeze well up to a month, but trust me, they won’t last that long.

CHAI-SPICED SUNFLOWER SEEDS BALLS
INGREDIENTS:
-2 cups sunflower seeds
-1 tsp ground cinnamon
-1/2 tsp ground ginger
-¼ tsp nutmeg
-¼ tsp ground cloves
-1 cup medjool dates, pitted (~10)
-2-3 TBSP avocado oil (you could substitute melted coconut oil here, but I’m allergic and wanted a mild flavor oil. If you don’t need this to be nut free you could use macadamia oil as well, which is far cheaper than avocado oil and has same mild taste.
-pinch of ground sea salt, opt

DIRECTIONS:
1) Combine sunflower seeds, sea salt and spices in food processor on high. One blended add dates. If you can add them while running, that’s ideal, but I have to pause mine to remove the lid. Add oil you chose above until mixture binds together. You may not need it all, and although these oils are healthy, clean fats, we don’t need access so do this for taste and texture. 2) Use a TBSP and roll balls and put in fridge 30 minutes before enjoying them. These freeze well. Makes 20-25 balls.

NOTE —-> You can swap 2 tsp of chai spice blend in place of all ground spices above if you prefer.

Best part about all this, Michael says it’s therapeutic for children to actually roll the balls so if they’re stressed, anxious or bickering with their siblings… “hey boys, come in the kitchen and make some snacks you love. NOW” :) I love these recipes even more when someone else is making them!

let me know which your favorites are. With containers remember; ¼ cup oats = 1 yellow, ground spices = freebies, 1 prune = 1 purple, 1 tsp olive oil = 1 tsp. Depending on the number of balls you roll, you can calculate your containers accordingly. With 2B Mindset I’d count this as a FFC and accessory for each.

Sweet Potato Muffins - MAJOR HIT!

First let me say, this recipe can be made many different ways. I rencently made this for our babysitter’s birthday because she requested a healthy, nut-free, dessert-like baked good and since most things I make are clean, but have nut butter of some sort, I modified this. I’ll show you how below…

Ingredients the way I prefer it most:

• 1 cup pealed orange sweet potatoes / yams (cook and allow to cool first. they should mash fairly easily so you can squish in measuring cup if you like, no need to dice or get all fancy here - cram it in ;)

• 1 cup non-dairy milk. I prefer unsweetened almond milk (you’ll get enough sweetness from the potatoes, but if you need this to be nut free, you can use coconut milk, soy or rice milk)

• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (PURE, not Aunt Jemima’s here!)

• 1 tsp vanilla extract (not imitation)

• 2 TBSP hemp / chai seeds (these can be pricey and some kids don’t like the texture so it’s not do-or-die, I omitted them and they turned out just as well)

• 2 cups less 2 TBSP wholewheat flour (if you need this to be nut-free), or 1 cup almond flour AND 1 cup whole wheat flour (this is my preference and what I used in the recipe)

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 2 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

• 1/4 tsp baking soda

• 1/4 tsp ground sea salt

• 1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips (then you have prettier muffins and isn’t that half the purpose? with my kids eating it, yes!) or use non-dairy chocolate chips if you need this to be dairy free.

Preheat oven to 170 celsius and fill muffin tins with 12 liners. If you want more, fill a little less and you can get 18 easily.

Combine cooled sweet potato, hemp seeds (opt) and all wet ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Takes less than 2 minutes. In a large bowl, add remaining dry ingredients and stir thoroughly until well combined. Add wet mixture to dry and stir until completely mixed and then add chocolate chips (you could add sultanas instead, but lets live on the wild side and use dark chocolate chips here - there are health benefits you’re gaining too!).

Scoop mixture into muffin pan and bake for 15-18 minutes (if you made 18, cook on lesser side). Check doneness around 12 minutes. Remove and let cool a few minutes in the pan and then transfer to a cutting board to cool completely. Serve 1 muffin (if 12 servings) or 2 muffins (if smaller) with 2 eggs for a complete breakfast! ENJOY and share your thoughts below! These freeze well too!

Egg White Pizza tutorial

I make these 2 at a time so I can eat one fresh and have one to look forward to the next day. When you love something this much and it’s dense nutrition, you don’t mind leftovers. And that’s how I survive motherhood right now. #dontjudge

Step 1 (this is 6 egg whites, flipped once, 1 TBSP pizza sauce

Step 2 - that’s 1 slice of ham in slivers

I found a rendition of this on Iliana Mulestein’s Instagram page and have played with this till I borderline perfected it (to me at least) and I have this at least 3 days a week for lunch or dinner. My kids have watched me eat it and inquired if they could “try it” (afraid to commit to a whole serving LOL) and now they love it too. See if it’s a crowd pleaser in your house!

The key is to use a small enough pan (6-8” at most) so it’s thick enough to hold a “slice” to eat. If the pan is too big it’ll fall apart, but if that happens, call an audible and make a delicious scramble instead. It’s not going to be a wasted meal!

I do 1 of 2 recipes… 1) 8 egg whites for vegetarian pizza, or 2) 6 egg whites with 1-2 slices of ham or prosciutto. 1 TBSP clean pizza sauce is plenty. Then chose whatever veggies you want to add. I like to put these on once I flip the pizza so they get warm, but not wilted or cooked too much. Did you know when you cook vegetables that you lose a lot of nutrients? And it’s not necessary. My go-to are arugula (aka Rocket in Australia), red peppers (healthiest choice of pepper and has the most calcium) and sometimes if I’m low on veggies for the day I’ll add mushrooms too (but I’ll cook those because raw is #yuck). Bust out those containers because cheese is hard to eye ball! Use 1 blue container of your preferred cheese 🧀 as long as you haven’t already enjoyed cheese or avocado 🥑 that day, as the very last step.
.
This was my dinner while family had frozen bacon & cheese pizza from grocery store. I love pizza y’all but honestly, this was damn good, I was very full and I didn’t feel like I missed out at all. You should enjoy what you eat, but you also want to remember it’s food and food provides fuel for your body. A recent video with Shaun T really impacted me when he said “talk to your food and ask it, what are you going to do for me?” When you think of it like that, the brownie or white flour pizza, doesn’t look so appealing, amiright?

Step 3 (from tutorial above) serve & slice into 4 pieces.

"Mum, you're the best cook ever!"

I never brag so keep reading … these were the words from my 9 yr old’s mouth as he bit into these muffins all nice and warm! And because of the banana, they’re perfectly sweet with just 2 TBSP of honey! Seriously, no added sugar otherwise.

Here’s my recipe ——>
-1/2 c quick oat (I prefer Quick Oats vs Old Fashioned Oats because they don’t get as dry)
-1/2 c almond flour
-2 TBSP honey (try to always buy local - it helps with allergies)
-1/3 c CLEAN peanut / almond butter (really any nut butter will do, but know that some nut butters are more overpowering than others so consider that, esp when serving these to kids) - do not buy nut butters with added sugar or oil… why do that to yourself? Remember, we have goals we are working towards!
-1 egg
-2 large bananas, RIPE
-1 tsp vanilla
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-3 tsp cocoa
-1 c spinach (ok, hear me out on this…you’re going to have the cocoa above to mask any coloration so they won’t “see” it and you rarely ever taste spinach which is why it’s AH-MAZING to add to everything. Your kids are never the wiser and you’re just killing it softly in your kitchen! #MotherhoodIsNotForSissies
**I chose to add 6 dark chocolate chips to each muffin before they went in the oven bc…why not??!?

Yields 12 and takes 5 min to do all of this! Put all the ingredients in your blender in whatever order. Don’t you love how precise I am?!?!? haha If it' ain’t easy, AND DELICIOUS, I’m not making it. Enough said.

Put in pre-heated oven for 10 min at 375F or 10 min 175C. Next tip is crucial to your sanity. When they come out, set some aside for yourself. Or if you’re like me and omitted this step, I made 12 and when I turned around, i had 5 left so I divided them in half…literally and got 2 brekky’s out of them.

I’d love to see you serve 2.5 muffins with 2 eggs, or 8 egg whites, or 1 egg and 3 slices of lean turkey / ham rolled up, or 3/4 plain greek yogurt. That’s a pretty balanced brekky and you’ll be full till morning tea.

Enjoy and let me know how you go!

Power Muffins - prep ahead ;)

I’ve written about these before, but they’ve been so popular amongst my challengers, that I was to share about them again. And there are so many ways to modify these Superfood / Power muffins, that I don’t want you to limit yourself to the recipe I shared HERE. Try adding 1 packet / scoop Vegan Vanilla Shakeology, or chopped apples / pears . When I made these this time I used liners to save on dishes and it made 14 instead of 12, so I’ll change the serving to 4.5 muffins for 3 days with an extra .5 muffin on a hungry day or later for snack.

These are great for any day, but I esp love them for 80-Day Obsession, LIIFT4 and Transform 20 where I find containers more helpful to follow. As written it’s 1R, 1G, 1Y and whether or not you use liners, the oil spray would be negligible so don’t count a tsp. If you add 1 fruit add .5P to each serving, or if you add Shakeology, add .5 R (rounding). I love warming them and adding 1 tsp peanut butter across the top. YUMMMM ;)

Let me know what you think! Here’s the batch I made today while on the phone…talk about multi-tasking! And it prevented me from tossing veggies we wouldn’t be able to eat before they were over due! #winning

NOTE - If you’re following 2B Mindset nutrition this would be a great breakfast with your FFCs and protein being equal and veggies for extra credit. Remember to drink 16 oz water first. :) #2bunnies

This North Carolinian #nailedit - 1st slaw attempt!

4 skinless organic chicken thighs. sliced in 1/2 long way so thin and long (won’t fall out of bread as easily)

I know I’m NO FOOD BLOGGER and these pictures are messy, but my sense of pride is 🤗🤗🤗. I made my first slaw and it was good!!! If you’re from North Carolina, making good slaw is A. BIG. DEAL. 💁🏼‍♀️💁🏼‍♀️ And something you must get right. You now are very aware that I like to eat clean. I feel better and my body responds better so I didn’t want a super creamy, mayonnaise based slaw because I’d feel bad afterwards and what’s the fun in that??

This is also 100% 2B Mindset approved and I used the “plate it” methodology. That means you don’t measure and that means FREEDOM! I didn’t measure the slaw or the chicken or worry about any points, calories, containers, etc. Winning for sure!!!

Prep time: 5 minutes if you buy the slaw per-made ;)

INGREDIENTS:
- 1 TBSP honey
- 1 TBSP plain mustard (I tried the first batch with grainy mustard as recipe said and didn’t find it rich in flavor). you could opt for honey mustard and forgo adding a full TBSP of honey above (I found it to be too much anyways
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 tsp celery seed, optional (I didn’t have any and it was fine without)

DIRECTIONS:
1) add all wet ingredients and stir well, then stir into slaw a little at a time. I didn’t need all the marinade so I saved some of it for my salad at lunch the next day (with the leftover chicken). Total win in my book to cook once and eat 2-3 meals from it!
2) Cook chicken breasts, chicken thighs, pulled pork, or whatever you fancy and add BBQ sauce.

For my husband I served these on burger rolls, but for the kid I used Orowheat “Thins” so they could finish it all. To make mine 2B Mindset approved I served the chicken over slaw and it was delightful!! I don’t eat carbs with my dinner because I’m winding down my day and not looks for carbs for more energy. That will be first thing tomorrow morning.

marinade - didn’t need this much for the amt of slaw I used

pre-made slaw with dressing on top. Serves 4.

Meatloaf Florentine

STRAIGHT FROM THE OVEN - YUMMM!

INGREDIENTS:
- 1 1/4 pounds ground turkey (you can play with this, in the picture I used 2/3 lbs ground lamb and 2/3 lbs 97% fat free ground pork, but you could also use ground chicken, ground beef, or my favorite is to combine a fattier meat with a lean meat so it will stick together, but be more healthy)
- 1 cup of your favorite clean spaghetti sauce (you could also opt for tomato paste or pizza sauce, which is my personal favorite and a little richer, less liquidy)
- 1/2 cup of quick oats
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 eggs, beaten (for lower fat – 1 egg & 2 egg whites)
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 TBSP Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 TBSP Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed, crushed (this is optional and I didn’t use it because only my husband is a fan)
- 1 cup low fat shredded cheese, mozzarella (or what you have on hand. In the pic, I used colby, but I’ve made this with cheddar too and equally as delicious)
- 2 cups spinach (I used 3 cups for the next batch and put it in a food processor with the 3/4 of the cheese and pureed it just slightly so it would shrink and it was delicious! I’m a firm believer, the more veggies you can sneak in, the better!

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a meatloaf pan with olive oil or line with foil, but I prefer the pans that have the fat drip below so they’re a little leaner, but equally as flavorful!

1) In mixing bowl, combine turkey with 1/4 cup of sauce, quick oats, onion, garlic, eggs, Worcestershire Sauce, seasonings, parm cheese and optional fennel. Mix well.
2) Press half the meat mixture above in the pan.
3) With the back of a spoon, press a 1 inch deep indentations down the center, leaving a inch border on all sides.
4) In a separate bowl, toss the spinach and 3/4 cup of the cheese of choice. Spoon the spinach mixture down the indentation.
5) Spread the remaining meat mixture over the top, sealing edges along the side of pan. Put remaining sauce over the meat mixture and put in oven for 35 minutes.
6) Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until meat is cooked through and sauce is bubbling. (Check this)
7) Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. If you try and serve right away, it may fall apart, since it needs time to set.

Preparation time: 10 minutes 
Cooking time: 50 minutes
Yields 6 with kids eating, or adults

DINNER 1 NIGHT - ONE DISH WONDER!

LEFTOVERS - 2ND NIGHT - VEGGIES MOST!

How do determine if food is clean or processed

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NOT CLEAN!

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My favorite starches to buy.  Flatazza is great for so many things and vacuum sealed so they last a long time. 

If you want to sweeten coffee use Stevia or this creamer, drink it black or with cream, regular milk, almond milk, or half and half.

I love talking about this topic because it's an easy concept, but hard to grasp because manufactures want to trick us!!  Just kidding, sort of.  To attract MOST shoppers, the key words to use are "low fat," "light," "reduced fat," "low sugar," "low sodium," "natural," and "sugar free." It used to work for me y'all! COMPLETELY!  And that's why I had awful sleep and the afternoon slump from 2-4pm.  The only thing that would got me through was grazing on whatever was ready for quick consumption.  This is where processed food creaps in before we notice it and our plans are derailed AGAIN.  This is a never ending cycle unless we take charge and change it.  Watch this video to understand the most common items I buy (yogurt, milk, peanut butter, etc) and how to know if it's clean or processed. 

Look how tricky this is..."The Good Nut" and "never oily"  When I looked at the back of the jar it read... SUGAR, CANOLA OIL, PEANUTS, SALT.  Sugar and added oils are what you want to RUN from!  I prefer to buy Peanut Butter, Almond Butter and Sunflower Butter (best for school allergies) at Costco because they are clean and a super deal.  I will let you down easy...Nutella and Trader Joe's Cookie Butter ARE NOT CLEAN. Google how Nutella is made... you won't want it again, but here's an overview :) 

So, I bet you're thinking, "I'm not a stay at home mom Stephanie, how do I have food ready and available when these hunger fits come on?"  My answer is...MEAL PREP!  When I first started this journey, I rolled my eyes too, go ahead, but now I'm a firm believer that 1-2 hours of focused time in the kitchen on Sunday makes me week much easier and I don't get in a jam anymore and grab chips, goldfish or pretzels.  I can grab sliced cucumbers / carrots / peppers, boiled egg, fresh fruit, string cheese, pumpkin muffins, oatmeals balls, etc or I have cooked pork chops, chicken breasts or leftovers in the fridge so I can make a quick salad.  Boiled eggs are easy to use in anything.  Everything I listed keeps me on track with my goals and what I worked for all week and not cause me to throw in the towel and start the sleepless, low energy, cycle again.

Banana pancakes

Pancakes = 1R, 1P, 1Tsp
Sweet pot !Y, Rocket 1G (you can combine all these ingredients into pancakes as well and you don't notice the carbs or veggie, but use spinach not rocket...it's too strong in flavor).

I know I have a few versions of pancakes on my blog...banana pancakes, sweet potato pancakes, green pancakes, etc but y'all...I LOVE PANCAKES.  Like, LOVE!  My favorite are lemon pancakes my hubby makes, but they are not clean and it will cause all kinds of drool on my computer, so for now, I'm not blogging about them.  Mother's Day is coming up, it might be on my list.  Seriously though, I'm so obsessed with sweet potatoes, not sure I can leave them out of my breakfast every again as long as I live.  haha

Ok, super easy.  Grab a Ninja / Magic Bullet blender, doesn't need to be fancy and throw all these ingredients together. 

Ingredients:
-1/2 banana
-2 eggs

Directions: blend, pour in pan sprayed with Olive Oil and cook.  Enjoy!  1 serving size and 1R & 1P.  Top with 1 tsp PB if you wish (it's still delish without it) for 1Tsp if you need / want more containers. 

I feel silly even blogging about this because it's so stinking easy.  But, after I made this I thought about sweet potatoes and spinach...they both are 2 ingredients that can do undetected in most foods (yes, spinach might change the color, but not the taste).  So, I tried it again adding in 1G of Spinach and 3 slices of previously cooked sweet potatoes (1Y) and I got the perfect post workout meal in just pancakes.  Feel free to top with PB if your containers / plan allows.  

My kids like these with just bananas and eggs, but you could throw in sliced bananas also for texture, or chocolate chips for a treat! 

These last in the fridge a few days so I usually make 2-4 days worth at a time if I have 2 over rip bananas.   Let me know what you think! 

The easiest way to make an ice cream cake!

I've never made an ice cake before, but my son really really wanted a Baskin Robbins Ice Cream cake and I didn't feel like paying $69.95 for it, so I decided to make it.  All in, the ice cream cost me $16 and the cake mix $4, candles $3, and icing ingredients (because my hubby CANNOT buy store bought ice cream - whatevs) $5.  So $28, vs $70 and my son was so proud because we "made it".  We will take that win to the bank any day :)  

For the record, I believe some things are better from a box.  This isn't clean eating so buying a cake mix causes me no guilt or uncomfortable feelings, I secretly do a jump in the grocery aisle thinking (1) it will turn out and (2) I'm glad I'm not THAT MOM that has to make homemade cakes from scratch because see #1 above.  It won't turn out, I. Just. Know. It.  I digress.  

Here's what I did and the beauty of this is you can do it days ahead, it actually turns out better so no stressing the day of the party (as long as you have a freezer handy. if not, stress away and think of Plan B). 

Step 1: Chose your favorite ice cream and partially defrost it.  Line the pan you chose to use (I'd stick with brownie plan 8x8 or 9x9, or a round pan like this, similar size).  Line with parchment paper or seran wrap so you can easily pull it out without cracking or breaking the layer.  I had 2 pans so I made both ice cream layers at the same time.  As you're spooning the ice cream into the pan and pressing it down, it will smooth out and fill in all the holes. If it still seems lumpy, maybe you have too much and need to eat some.  I kid.  Not.  When finished, put in the freezer and let re-freeze for a day

Step 2: Make your cake.  I wanted to do 2 layers ice cream and 2 layers cake, but that would have just been too much cake and we'd have it leftover for months, so I stuck with 3 layers total.  the top looks thicker because of the vanilla frosting.  Once you make your cake as instructed, let it cool completely and put it in the freezer.  I lined the pan with aluminum foil so I could take it out easily and it could go in the oven.  Parchment paper would work too, but I find it crinkles in the oven sometimes and I wanted my cake smooth. Once completely cook, put in freezer for a few hours, or up to one day.

Step 3: Remove all layers from their respective pans and stack together.  You need to use freezer-friendly icing which is really hard to find in here, so we made whipped cream frosting and it was perfect!  Ice it VERY QUICKLY, remember you're dealing with ice cream here and it's no longer in the mold and will lose shape and form fast!!  Put in freezer once you're done and let it all come together.  The icing can fill in any defects so no pressure to have each layer perfect. You could ice between the layers, but for my first cake, I didn't want to risk timing and the ice cream melt on me.  That experiment is for cake #2 :) 

Step 4: Add any toppings and store in freezer till ready to serve.  At this point, I'd put it on your fancy cake platter and be ready to serve it.  We have 3 of these and have moved them from CA, to TX, to Australia and used them NEVER!  NOT ONE SINGLE TIME. We forget and this happens and we are screwed!  Thus, remember to transfer before the party starts. You're welcome :) 

This served 8 boys and we 12 pieces still leftover!  It makes a lot!!! To store leftovers, slice it completely and put in freezer-safe tupperware and you could enjoy for weeks to come. My family will eat this in 4 nights (3 people * 4 nts = 12 pcs) GONE!  

Flourless Banana Bread Muffins

Anyone else get caught up in the great deals at Costco and buy way. too. much. freaking. stuff?  I just did that with bananas and got like 15 GREEN bananas.  I thought I could use a few in smoothies till the rest were completely ripe and get through the batch.  W-R-O-N-G.  We left our blinds up overnight (which is a no-no in our house, the morning sun just bakes our fruit basket and there's no where for it to hide) so I woke up the next day to 15 BROWN...like no yellow to be found, bananas and tons of fruit flies.  

My family loves bananas and I have a lot of healthy repines pinned on Pinterest, but I wanted to mix it up a bit, so I searched 21 day fix recipes + banana bread and found this.  Now, I want to caution you on this...Beachbody does not publish these recipes so you're at the mercy of whoever writes these and hoping that they understand 21 day fix and aren't just trying to get hashtag search results.  A lot of the recipes I've clicked on aren't even key ingredients y'all.  It's a little humorous, but mostly sad. 

I modified this recipe quite a bit because I wanted more protein, a few more carbs (yeah, I said that) and less sugar.  I know, eye roll, but y'all, I got plans and sugar gets me 110% derailed.  One taste and I'm addicted all over again!

Here's what I used in mine:
2 eggs
3/4 c quick oats
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
2 bananas, the browner the better
1 TBSP honey
1/4 c creamy nut butter (any will do) 
2 TBSP ground flaxseed
1/4 c almond flour / meal

Portion out evenly to fill 8 pre-sprayed muffin tins. If you want to add nuts or chocolate chips, go for it, but my container counts are for only the ingredients above. You could throw all this in a blender and just pour, super easily, but I already had the bananas in the bowl when I thought of that :/ Bake 375 for about 10 minutes, but watch since all ovens are different. I made these in Australia using celsius so this is my best guess for American oven conversion :) 

Yields 8 muffins, 2 muffins / serving.  21-day fix container counts are 1P, 1Y, .5R, 4 tsp

2 Ingredient Ice Cream

Ice cream can be a treat, and be delicious and be on the plan.  It is possible and add to that list, it can trick your kids.  By that I mean...this ice cream which is bananas and peanut butter is a favorite in my household.  And my household consists of two boys that HATE bananas, but they will eat this in 30 seconds flat and take down a Shakeology with banana blended in it like NOBODY'S BUSINESS.  Try it.  And feel free to laugh at overheating my blender.  Since I made this video, I slice my bananas up before freezing them so this hasn't happened again. But, my Au Pair and I got a great laugh from the video :) 

Dirt & Worm Bars

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You guys...MAKE THESE!!!  This is all the things we don't encourage on 21 Day Fix, but they are all the things kids want...oreos and marshmellows and gummy worms.  What's not to love?!?!  And the best part is that these ingredients don't tempt me AT ALL so I can make these and own that I have no willpower and still not get derailed!  YES!!!  

The ingredients are in the picture below.  These literally take 5 minutes to make, from start to finish.  Dump all your Oreos in a gallon ziplock bag and SEAL!  Do not forget this step or you will hate me when you have Oreos all over your kitchen!  Hand the bag off to your kids and put them to work ;)  We use a meat pounder and play hot potato, but you can do whatever.  Then melt the butter and marshmellows in the microwave for 30 second intervals so they don't burn over blow up.  Another direction to follow because believe me, that is messy as heck to clean up! 

Combine your melted butter, marshmellows and Oreos together and pour into a greased 8x8 pan and put in the fridge.  Once they're cooled and you can easily cut, slice into 16-24 depending on portion sizes you want and put a gummy worm on top!  ENJOY!!!  

PS - these are not just for kids.  Grown ups love them and I've found dad's devour them!

Power Muffins!

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I don't know if you're like me, but if you shop at Costco, then chances are, you might be. Lots of times I have a veggie for dinner in mind and then I change my mind because there's zucchini, spinach or some veggie that 'needs to be eaten stat'. There are multiple ways to make these so feel free to use that veggie that just needs to go ;)  When I made these I did zucchini and carrots, but I've seen broccoli, spinach, carrots, zucchini, and every combination in between.  As long as you're measuring your veggies with your green container, you're staying on track. 

INGREDIENTS:
-¾ C quick oats
-1 large zucchini and 3 medium carrots (use a cheese grater or food processor to grind them up)
-6 eggs
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-1 tsp vanilla

DIRECTIONS:
Mix all together and spoon into a muffin tin.  Makes 12 and 4 are a serving so yields 3 portions.  Bake 375 degrees for 30 minutes. 

Another variation is to add Shakeology to them.  If you do this, cut the eggs by 2 for every scoop / packet of Shakeology you use. I personally wouldn't add more than one because you lose some of the nutrition in Shakeology when it's heated over 175 degrees so no need to waste it.  But the flavor of vanilla Shakeology is delicious in these.  let me know what you try!!

These are an excellent pre or post workout meal.  If using as "pre-workout meal" then just top with creamy peanut butter or coconut oil and you're good to go.  If you're eating them as a "post-workout meal" then add peanut butter and a fruit on the side.  How easy is this?  And it makes 3 servings so the next two days you can relax knowing you just wake, heat, and eat.  30-90 minutes later you are ready to exercise.  

21 Day Fix & 80 Day Obsession containers: 1R, 1G, 1Y, 1tsp (with nut butter or oil on top)