Snack time help

Do you ever fall into a rut with your eating? End up eating the same thing day after day after day after day… this doesn't actually bother me 😂, but for some, it's torture! There’s nothing wrong with eating the same snack if you're like me, but if you’re craving something different, here are some ideas for you to prep on the weekend for a busy week ahead.

✨ Apple nachos -->
Apples, almonds, cashews, cranberries, and shredded coconut - takes the classic "apple + PB" combo to the next level with tart cranberries contrasting sweet apple slices and the shredded coconut is a game changer! Just measure out your portions in a ziploc bag! I also do apple slices, pumpkin seeds, drizzle PB and use 1 TBSP dark chocolate chips b/c I'm allergic to coconut ;)

✨ Cucumber, jicama, pineapple, watermelon, mango, lime juice, and chili powder —>
Whoa. This is snack time, elevated. To make 5 days worth, combine:
2 C chopped cucumber,
1 C chopped jicama,
1 C chopped pineapple,
1 C chopped watermelon,
1 C chopped mango,
juice from 2 limes, and
chili powder to taste.
You can eat that alone, or serve it with 2 Tbsp. unsweetened shredded coconut and ¾ cup cottage cheese.

✨ Edamame, cherry tomatoes, and parmesan cheese —>
This snack combination is seriously delicious! Just measure out and pack the ingredients in a plastic bag or container and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to eat!

I want to hear from you:
Do you get creative with your meal plan? My challenge to you is to find a recipe you wouldn’t normally make and add it to your meal plan for next week! Share the recipe below!

I love Egg Muffins

Whether you’re constantly running out the door with all the things going or juggling a million things at home… having things prepared to grab and go is essential! That’s why I love Egg Muffins - these portion-controlled, savory little cups are 1/2 muffin, 1/2 frittata, and completely delicious! Plus, you can modify them and make so many varieties; you’ll never get bored and sure to please the whole family!

So, let’s start with the basics —>

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray

• Sea salt + ground black pepper, to taste

• 12 large eggs

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. Lightly coat a 12-cup muffin tin with spray and set aside.

3. Place eggs in a large bowl with salt and pepper, to taste, and whisk to blend. 

4. Evenly pour egg mixture into muffin tin.

5. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cups comes out clean.

Now, once you’ve mastered this, you can get creative! Find some super fun combos here!

Chicken Noodle Soup

October hits and I am totally into fall vibes - anyone else?! For me, soup is one of the best meals for when the weather cools down and the leaves start to turn yellow, red and orange.

Whether you’re dealing with some back-to-school sickness (which we know is a whole other ball game this year!) or just craving some comfort food… chicken noodle soup hits the spot! And it always makes me feel like a kid and think of childhood memories - anyone else?

One of the best things about this recipe is that it doesn’t take all day. 15 minutes to prep and it’s ready in under an hour… I’m here for that! If you want to simplify things even more, use a rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken breast. Make sure to pick a good quality chicken broth - or use homemade; it makes such a difference in the flavor. Here’s a recipe for homemade broth; it’s not as hard as it sounds. Let me know how you like it!

Ingredients

• 3 oz. dry whole wheat bow-tie, penne, or rotini pasta

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 2 medium carrots, sliced

• 2 medium celery stalks, sliced

• 6 cups low-sodium organic chicken broth

• 1½ lbs cooked, shredded chicken breast (~ 4½ cups)

• ¾ tsp sea salt

• ¼ tsp ground white pepper  

Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside. 

2. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.

3. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring frequently, for 4-5 minutes or until onion is translucent.

4. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and gently boil for 5 minutes.

5. Add chicken, salt, and pepper and gently boil for 10 minutes.

6. Evenly divide pasta between 6 serving bowls. Top evenly with soup and serve immediately.

Tip: If you are making soup for meal prep, store the pasta and broth separately. Combine when you are ready to eat.

Yields 6 servings
Ultimate Portion Fix Containers: ½ Green, 1 Red, 1 Yellow
2B Mindset Plate It: Add extra veggies or a side salad for a great lunch!

Salmon + Grilling = Best summer niiiiiiights!

✨Honey Mustard Salmon with Roasted Veggies✨

This is a salmon lovin’ recipe 😂 Anyone else obsessed with Salmon? I’m fine if it’s just me, leaves me with more food to eat and leftovers for tomorrow! ha!

Ingredients Parchment paper Olive oil Cooking spray
* 2 lbs mini bell peppers, assorted colors
* 1 lb medium asparagus spears, ends trimmed (approximately 30 spears)
* 1 tsp seasoning blend of your choice
* 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
* 2 (6 oz each) raw salmon fillets
* 1 tsp garlic powder
* 2 tsp Dijon mustard
* 2 tsp raw honey

Instructions
1) Preheat the oven to 400° F. Place parchment paper on one large baking sheet and one small baking sheet. Lightly coat with spray. Set aside.
2) Spread bell peppers and asparagus spears evenly on the large baking sheet. Season with seasoning blend and drizzle asparagus with lemon juice.
3) Lightly coat veggies with spray. Bake veggies for 10 minutes. While veggies are baking, top the small baking sheet with salmon and sprinkle with garlic powder.
4) Spread mustard evenly over salmon and drizzle with honey. Place salmon in the oven.
5) Bake veggies for an additional 10 to 20 minutes, or until tender-crisp.
6) Bake salmon for 15 to 20 minutes, or until salmon flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve salmon with veggies.

Portion Fix Containers: 2 Green, 1½ Red
2B Mindset Plate It: A great dinner option

What is your favorite veggie to roast for a tasty summer evening dinner?

7 ingredients to Yumminess!

This is one of the easiest, tastiest muffins and it’s so dense, you will be full! I love this as a side to breakfast with Ultimate Portion Fix or 2B Mindset!! it’s also a great snack during the day!

Ingredients:
2 ripe bananas, the riper, the sweeter
2 extra-large eggs (large will do, but I like the extra protein)
2 c old-fashioned oats
1 c plain greek yogurt (look at protein and sugar on the side, you want high protein, low sugar)
½ c maple syrup or honey (if you use vanilla yogurt, or extra ripe bananas then cut this to ⅓ c)
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ c chai seeds (you do not need to soak these, just dump them in)
** top with nuts, seeds, oats, chocolate chips, or nothing, they’re pretty as is. I chose chocolate chips as my topping, but once I made these, the batter was plenty sweet so I never added them. If you know me, you’re probably questioning my mental health or thinking someone took over my blog. It’s true, I passed on chocolate. Don’t expect me to do it again :)
** I wish I added Vanilla Whey Shakeology, I will in the next batch. It’ll help sweeten it if you’re cutting the sugar (which I always encourage)

Directions:
1) In no particular order, dump everything in the blender! Don’t you love that, easy as can be! Get your kids involved, this is that simple.

The order doesn’t matter, i did bananas, eggs, oats, yogurt, seeds

How beautiful if this? I hate waiting for chai seeds to soak. Glad that’s not involved!

2) Blend 2 minutes or until it looks very well mixed. If you have some on the edges that didn’t get mixed in, you can stir it and blend again, or grab a spoon and eat it. I opted for the second options. YUM!

3) Pour in 12 lined muffin cups, or straight into silicone muffin holders. Anyone ever used these? Thoughts? I’m nervous to try, I don’t have a lot of faith in the sides not to go limp and spill batter.

I could have easily eaten this whole thing and never cooked them. No one would know expect you and I!

But, I poured 12 muffins and opted to pass on chocolate chips since it was plenty sweet. This is why it’s important to taste your batter :)

If your blender looks like this, you know it was DAMN DELICIOUS!!!

My kitchen smells good and before I had a chance to portion out breakfast for tomorrow and freeze the rest, my kids ate 4. Gone in 5 minutes flat. Glad this was simple since I’ll likely be making more in 2 days!

4) Cook at 175 celsius for 20 minutes. Stay near by so you can keep an eye on them and enjoy all the smells!
**Bananas can be replaced with sweet potatoes or pumpkin. Both would be delicious year-around, but especially in the fall.

How to make Spring Rolls

I love spring rolls and I make them every week, if not twice! They are a super fast lunch and then I can use the leftover protein, typically sashimi, for dinner as a poki bowl, hand rolls, or make sushi with it. I love simple recipes that taste delicious and this fits the bill, plus it’s super healthy! Watch and learn and use whatever vegetables you have on hand + your favorite protein. These rice papers can be purchased at any asian market or some large grocery stores carry them too.

What did you put in yours?

Iced Coffee anyone?

✨Iced Coffee✨

On hot summer mornings, sometimes you just want a refreshing iced coffee, amiright? That is hard to find without it being sugar laden Starbucks treat, but try this one on for size. I’ve shared other latte recipes for cooler mornings + hot summer afternoons here!

Ingredients
* ½ - 1 cup of ice
* ½ cup coffee, cold
* ½ cup unsweetened almond milk
* 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions
1) In a tall glass, add ice, coffee, milk, and vanilla extract.
2) Stir with a long spoon, adjust to taste, and enjoy immediately!
** Note: —> Never throw away “old” coffee that you forgot to drink! Refrigerate for up to 2 days and when you’re ready, combine the ingredients and make a healthy iced coffee!

Portion Fix Containers: 1 tsp
2B Mindset: Enjoy in moderation. Be sure to track.

What is your favorite coffeehouse beverage? Have you tried recreating it at home for a healthier spin?

Watermelon Pizza!

This has got to be the most perfect summer dessert - a Watermelon Pizza! Hello; yes please!!!

Greek yogurt is the sauce, which adds protein and creates a tart + creamy contrast to the fruit. Top it with whatever fruit you have on hand - think blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, kiwi… get creative!

Let me know if you try this recipe!

Ingredients
* 1½ inch thick-sliced fresh watermelon, cut into 4 wedges (quarters)
* 4 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
* 4 medium strawberries, sliced
* 2 Tbsp. fresh blueberries
* ¼ cup fresh blackberries
* 1 kiwifruit, cut into 4 slices
* 4 fresh mint leaves

Instructions:
1) Spread each watermelon wedge with 1 Tbsp. yogurt. Top evenly with strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and a kiwi slice.
2) Garnish with mint leaves; serve immediately.

Healthy tacos that taste delicious!!

✨Smoky Spiced Roasted Cauliflower + Tofu Lettuce Wrapped Tacos✨

I know it’s early but I’m already thinking about tacos #TacoTuesday And these lettuce wrapped tacos? They’re taking Taco Tuesday to a whole other level 🙌

Ingredients
Parchment paper
* 2 tbsp garlic powder
* 2 tbsp onion powder
* 2 tbsp coconut sugar
* 1 tsp ground black pepper
* 3 cups cauliflower florets (if frozen, thawed)
* 2 tsp. Olive oil
* 1 (14 oz) extra-firm organic tofu, drained, patted dry, cut into 16 cubes
* 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley (for garnish, optional)
* 2 romaine lettuce leaves

Instructions
1) Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
2) Combine garlic powder, onion powder, sugar, paprika, salt, and pepper in a small mixing bowl; whisk to blend. Set aside.
3) Combine cauliflower and oil in a large mixing bowl; toss gently to blend. Add spice mixture and tofu; toss gently to blend. Spread cauliflower mixture evenly on prepared pan.
4) Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, rotating pan after 10 minutes, until tender- crisp. Divide cauliflower mixture evenly between two lettuce leaves. Evenly sprinkle with parsley (if desired). Eat like a taco.

Portion Fix Containers: 2 Green, 1 Red, 1 tsp.
2B Mindset Plate It: A great dinner option!

What’s your favorite healthy Taco Tuesday recipe? Share below!

Meal Prep Tips!!

Meal prepping is all about creating a method to the madness that is life and making things a little bit simpler for yourself. If your days are busy or you’re always on the go, having go-to snacks that you can take to work, the beach, on a road trip… well, it’s pretty much crucial!

Here are some high-protein snacks that you can prep ahead for the week!

✨ Hard-boiled eggs - here’s a ink that shows you how to make ‘em

✨ Canned fish - yeah, you probably love it or hate it. But if you’re in the former category, grab the portable, resealable pouches so there’s basically no prep involved - just grab and go! And most have seasoning and are still “clean” so it doesn’t have to be bland like we had as kids :)

✨ Nuts and seeds - make your own trail mix, making sure to pay attention to your meal plan! It’s easy to go overboard with portion control when it comes to nuts.

✨ Hummus - try making your own and snacking with carrots or other sliced veggies:

Beachbody also shares fully-created meal plans, and they’re even tailored to calorie levels if you’re following UPF - amazing right?! My husband loves these great lunch ideas so he can save money 2-3 times a week instead of eating out. I know, who is this guy???

Don’t forget about breakfast, which “breaks the fast” and energizes and fuels us for our day. Eating within 2 hours of waking up can help minimize temptations and you’re less likely to overeat later in the day. Try these 15 healthy breakfast ideas!

What snacks do you always prep to have on hand for when life gets a little crazy?

Juicing for beginners!

Juicing for beginners…

You may already know about juicing, but it’s new to me. I’ve done the 3-Day Refresh probably 20 times and never tried the 3 juicing recipes in the back of the booklet, until now :) Here are my takeaways…
1) yes juicing helps you lose weight because it’s so low in calories, but there’s no protein, it’s high in sugar (from all the fruit and without that no one would drink it) and the fiber is extracted and thrown away.
2) It’s very trendy right now, but is it a sustainable way of living? How do you socialize and travel and sustain this way of eating?
3) How do you have energy for workouts? This seems the approach to skinny and quick fix, not being strong and having a healthy heart from getting cardiovascular workouts in.

I’d love to hear your opinions because the only people I know that do it are not enjoying it, but feeling it’s merely the “only way” to lose weight and torturing themselves through the process. That. Is. Not. Living! And they are GRUMPY! Just sayin!

I’m sharing the recipes, photos and macros below so you can have a go at them and see what you think. During the refresh, this is brilliant, but for day-to-day living, please eat the fiber, carbs, protein and get your workout in. You want to be healthy from head-to-toe, including your heart.

Zing Juice

My husband loved this one and my oldest did too. They both added 2 slices ginger to theirs and said they’d do it again. I had no ginger, no the biggest fan, and it was, just ok. It is double the calories of Kalange juice, but it’s also lots more juice, but also 2.5 x the carbs. People forget fruit = carbohydrates and for less carbs I could have 2 pieces of Thins Wholemeal bread.

Macros: 65 calories, 1 g protein, 20 g carbs, 13.5 g sugar, .5 g fiber, .5 g fat

Kalange Juice

I thought this was tasty, but it’s such little juice. My husband had trouble stomaching it and I gave him extra orange since he’s not on the cleanse. I thought 1 slice of ginger was plenty. It’s lower calories than the other two because it’s very little juice. Maybe I’m supposed to add water to this? Again, I’m a newbie!

Macros: 31 calories, 1.5 g protein, 8 g carbs, 4 g sugar, 0 g fiber, 2.5 g fat

Beet The Clock Juice

This one I was most excited about … but probably my least favorite. Not sure what happened, but lackluster. Made the most juice of any of them though. So wanted to love it!

Macros: 60 calories, 1.5 g protein, 18 g carbs, 13.5 g sugar, .5 g fiber, 0 g fat

"Recipes of the Week" from Peak Physio!

I’ve recently been introduced to Peak Physio, Sports and Spine Centre, and only have amazing things to say about everyone there! Amy Goldstrom is one of their physiotherapists and she just got certified as a Function Medicinal Practitioner; yay Amy!! She created these clean, fun and delicious recipes that I’m passing along to you! If you wind up making them, tag @PeakSportsAndSpineCentre in your post and make her smile. I think I’ most excited to try the chai pudding and protein pancakes. What about you? Click on the image for the ingredients and instructions.

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!