Ninja Turtle Muffins

Ingredients

Dry ingredients:

• 2 cup – flour, whole wheat or gluten free flour
• 1 ¹/₂ teaspoon – cinnamon
• 2 teaspoon – baking powder
• ¹/₂ teaspoon – baking soda
• ¹/₄ teaspoon – himilayan sea salt

Wet ingredients:

• ³/₄ cup – almond milk
• ¹/₂ cup – honey
• 1 large – banana
• 6 ounce – spinach
• ¹/₂ cup – olive oil
• 1 cup apple sauce
• 1 teaspoon – vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F, and line a muffin pan with paper liners (or use silicone muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray).
2. Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
3. Blend the wet ingredients in a blender or food processor until completely pureed.
4. Pour the puree into the dry ingredient bowl, and fold together gently until just combined. (Do not over-mix.)
5. Spoon the batter into the muffin pan, and bake for 18-22 minutes, or until the muffins are firm to the touch on top, but not quite browning.
6. Cool most or all of the way before serving.

Recipe adapted from Super Healthy Kids.

Savory Waffle

Ingredients

2 eggs

1 cup frozen or fresh spinach

2 Tablespoons of fresh grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup gluten free flour blend

½ teaspoon oregano

¼ teaspoon of Himalayan sea salt

*I added a couple pinches of paprika and some ground pepper to mine but if serving to the family I would omit that!

Instructions

1.     Pre-heat waffle iron.

2.     Scramble eggs together in separate bowl.

3.     If using frozen spinach warm spightly in microwave about 40 secs.

4.     In another bowl add all other ingredients.

5.     Add eggs and spinach to dry ingredients mixing constantly until all combined.

6.     Grease waffle iron with a little olive oil.

7.     Cook til perfection!

This recipe has been broken down to a single serving for those following the 21 day fix program. Containers would include one green, one yellow, ½ blue, and one red. Enjoy!

Healthier Chocolate Chip cookies

I am amidst my 21 day challenge and since I just started after a long month of Christmas cookie eating I am still craving chocolate and sweet. Alex decided to put on her new apron (birthday present) and I decided to look up a new recipe. We made 21 day fix friendly chocolate chip (healthier) cookies inspired by Chelsea's Messy Apron.

 

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup oat flour regular (oats blended in a blender)
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats  
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• Pinch of Himalayan sea salt
• 1 ½  teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar lightly packed
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Take regular old fashioned oats or quick oats and blend them until they resemble a flour or powder in a blender or food processor.
2. If you don't have quick oats, pulse old fashioned oats a few times in a blender or food processor until they resemble quick oats.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the oat flour (measured after blending NOT before), old-fashioned oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
4. In another bowl, stir together the vanilla extract, large egg, and brown sugar. Melt the coconut oil and let it cool slightly before adding to the bowl (Make sure to measure the coconut oil in it's liquid state). Stir until well combined.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in the dark chocolate chips.
6. Cover the dough tightly and chill the dough for 30 minutes to an hour or until the dough has hardened enough to scoop out cookie balls. (If you chill longer than a day, let the dough sit out for 15 or so minutes so you are able to scoop it into balls). If you don't chill your dough these cookies will be flatter than a pancake! The coconut oil needs a little bit of time in the fridge to firm up again.
7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
8. Using a cookie scoop (and pack these in the scoop very tightly or they may crumble), scoop out balls of the dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Press a few more chocolate chips in the tops if desired.
9. Depending on the size, bake for 7-9 minutes or until very lightly browned around the edges. They may look a little underdone in the center, but they are the very best slightly under-baked and they will harden after cooling.
10. Remove from the oven and allow to stay on the baking sheet for another 2 minutes before removing to a wire cooling rack.

 

My cookie scoop is about 1 inch in diameter. These firmly packed little balls turned into cookies about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. To make them fit into the 21 day fix program I allowed myself 3 of these little cookies for 1 yellow container and also a teaspoon of oil.

So long BUTTER.

I grew up in a family where butter was used in and on EVERYTHING! Literally. My dad uses a scoop of butter to spread on his toast. Butter is all I have ever known to scramble eggs in and when it comes to baking- holy BUTTER! I love butter, don't get me wrong, making this transition was not easy. Those of you reading this may already have made these changes but those of you still hanging onto that delicious, spreadable butter maybe this will help!

Here are some helpful alternatives to using butter:

1) Olive oil

uses: on bread or toast, roasting vegetables,  making eggs in the morning

2) Avocado oil

uses: scrambling or frying eggs, cooking meat

3) Coconut oil

uses: baking, frying pancakes or french toast, I don't personally cook with it unless it is something I don't mind the slight lingering coconut flavor to for example: I will use it when making fried rice or fried cauliflower rice or coconut crusted fish or shrimp *

4) Himalayan Sea Salt

uses: add a pinch to just about everything you are looking for that salty/savory flavor you would normally get from butter 

5) Salt free seasoning

uses: normally I would add butter for "more flavor" then I met this beautiful bottle of heaven and add it to just about everything!

*Be careful what you cook in coconut oil- I remember Dane, my husband, being a sweetheart and making me breakfast... he scrambled the eggs in COCONUT OIL and I just about vomited. I don't waste food and, well, those went straight into the trash. Sorry Dane. 

***If you truly can't live without some melted butter on toast, at least do yourself a favor and buy naturally cultured butter please. ***

Gluten Free Biscuit

Alex made a turkey with her hand today and I made some holiday biscuits. I adapted this recipe from my favorite food blog The Minimalist Baker. They are gluten free. So good. And with a little warmed goat cheese as a spread, mmm!

Ingredients

• 1 cup (240 ml) unsweetened PLAIN almond milk
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
• 2 cups (272 g) Flax and Ancient grain All Purpose Flour
• 1 Tbsp (7 g) baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp Himalayan sea salt
• 4 Tbsp (56 g) non-dairy, unsalted butter (I use Earth Balance or Nutriva Shortening)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (232 C), and add lemon juice to almond milk to make "vegan buttermilk." Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.
3. Add cold butter and use fingers or a pastry cutter to combine the two until only small pieces remain and it looks like sand. Work quickly so the butter doesn’t get too warm.
4. Make a well in the dry ingredients and, using a wooden spoon, stir gently while pouring in the almond milk mixture 1/4 cup at a time. You may not need all of it. Stir until just slightly combined – it will be sticky.
5. Turn onto a lightly floured surface, dust the top with a bit of flour and then very gently turn the dough over on itself 5-6 times – hardly kneading.
6. Form into a 1-inch thick disc, handling as little as possible.
7. Use a 1-inch thick dough cutter or a similar-shape object with sharp edges (such as a cocktail shaker) and push straight down through the dough, then slightly twist. Repeat and place biscuits on a baking sheet in two rows, making sure they just touch – this will help them rise uniformly. Gently reform the dough and cut out one or two more biscuits – you should have 7-8.
8. Next brush the tops with a bit more of melted non-dairy butter and gently press a small divot in the center using two fingers. I added my favorite seasoning blend to the top (https://www.savoryspiceshop.com/spice-blends/european-dry-rub-seasoning.html) This will also help them rise evenly, so the middle won’t form a dome.
9. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until fluffy and slightly golden brown. Serve immediately. Let remaining biscuits cool completely before storing them in an airtight container or bag.

"Healthy" Brownies

If you are having a sweet craving, but don't want to give into it, these healthy brownies will do the trick. They are moist, sweet but not too sweet, and chocolatey! I try to make them as guilt free as possible!

Ingredients

1/3 cup Coconut Flour (or experiment with other Gluten Free Flour Substitute)

1/3 cup Cocoa Powder

1/3 cup Pure Pumpkin Puree

1/4 cup Coconut Oil

2 tsp Pure Vanilla

4 eggs

1/2 cup Pure Maple Syrup

¼ cup of dark chocolate morsels

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Combine coconut flour and cocoa powder
3. Whisk in the pumpkin, coconut oil, eggs, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Blend well.
4. Pour batter into a 9 x 9 greased pan.
5. Sprinkle a handful of dark chocolate morsels on top before putting in the oven. Bake for 28-35 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.
6. Let cool completely before removing from pan

Zucchini Pasta

I recently went to a cooking class with my Aunt Kim and one of my favorite items we learned about was zucchini spaghetti. What is zucchini spaghetti you might ask? Well it is an awesome and healthy alternative to pasta. Pretty much is exactly as it sounds.

You will need a handy dandy GEFU to string your zucchini. I would use about 3-4 medium sized zucchinis. Heat skillet on stove to med/high heat, add a little oil (pick your favorite olive, coconut, grape seed), once oil is hot then add the zucchini pasta. Toss it constantly for about 2 minutes until zucchini is tender (it will still have a little crunch). I added a little pesto to mine but I am excited to try other sauce variations as well. Et voila!

the BEST cornbread you will EVER make

Since fall is just around the corner I thought I would share an amazing cornbread recipe that my Baba (grandma) gave my mom and my mom gave me. It is quick and simple to put together and your mouth (and family) will be so happy you tried it!

I highly recommend doubling this anytime you make it:

1/2 cup cottage cheese

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup corn meal

1/4 stick of butter

1/4 cup sour cream

Cream cottage cheese, sugar, and eggs together. Add and mix together rest of ingredients.

Bake 375° for 30 minutes. That simple.

 You can see the cottage cheese kernels^ they make it extra moist and delicious! I served mine with BBQ chicken and mashed cauliflower. Delicious!

Alex approved! She made sure to get it in her hair, all over her face, on the floor, and is somehow sitting in a pile of it just to show how much she loves it.

Green Papaya Salad

Sorry, this was just way too simple and delicious not to share:

At the farmers market, over the weekend, there were pre- julienned green papaya and carrots. Only $2 so I couldn't resist and figured I would try something new. Yum! What a good decision that was. Not to mention, I was able to utilize my veggie garden, well the herb part.

So once I washed the green papaya and carrots. I cut up tomato, thinly sliced some fresh ginger, chopped basil, and some green onion. After putting this mixture into a bowl I made the dressing.

For my dressing I used:
(give or take)
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp fish oil
juice from 1 small lemon
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp honey
1/4 tsp chili flakes
1 minced garlic clove

Whisk this together, poor over the salad and let sit in the fridge for at least an hour. That simple!

I love my meat.  And well, we only had chicken in the freezer. So, I chose to do a teriyaki chicken on top. This would have been great with shrimp or fried tofu. Maybe next time. Also next time I would like to add some boiled green beans and maybe even toast some peanuts for on top!

Carrot Muffins

 If you are like me and are looking for something quick and easy for breakfast because you are still half asleep then this is perfect! Not only is it perfect because you can just peel off the paper cup and put it in your mouth but they are healthy. My normal quick and easy breakfast is a bowl of cereal. These muffins are a lot more hearty. They are filling and tasty, and really easy to put together. So make a batch yourself and thank me later!

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup rolled oats + a couple extra tablespoons for topping
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 cup milk
• ¾ cup applesauce
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups carrot, grated

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease or place cupcake wrappers in a standard-size, 12-cup muffin pan.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, 1 cup oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, applesauce, brown sugar, vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla extract.
4. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and whisk just until all ingredients are incorporated. Stir in the carrots.
5. Divide the mixture between the muffin cups. Cups should be filled just about to the top.
6. Bake for 20 minutes or until muffin tops spring back when poked and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
7. Allow to cool for 5 – 10 minutes before removing from the muffin tin. Serve plain with butter and honey, if desired.
8. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 – 3 days, or freeze.

Losing the Baby Weight- Food

 For Breakfast:

Plain Greek Yogart
Handful of Blueberries and strawberries
A little granola
and some honey










For Lunch:

Mixed greens and kale
Carrot shreds
some boiled beets
avocado
and a simple balsamic, dijon mustard dressing








For Snack:

Some homemade bruschetta (tomatoe, basil, garilc, olive oil, balsamic vin, and a little pepper) on little bread crisps.

OR

Mixed berry, spinach, pineapple, banana, yogart, carrot juice smoothie



For Dinner:

Shrimp stir fry on quinoa
(Shrimp, bell peppers, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, a little teriyaki sauce)

Losing the Baby Weight: Food

For Breakfast:

1/3 cup of steel cut oats
handful of chopped almonds
handful of blueberries
handful of blackberries
with some cinnamon on top

If it tastes too dry, or I dont have berries, I add a little 100% pure maple syrup

For Lunch:

Egg, bean, rice tacos
Add a little salsa and some avocado.

Fiber and protein, good for me and good for the baby!











For Snacks:

Fruit, satisfies my sweet craving after a meal.

Papaya or Banana with some peanut butter.
(I read eating a papaya a day will help reduce your chances of getting cervical cancer.)






 For Dinner:

I know this doesn't look appetizing. Bad lighting too. But it was actually really good and I finally found a way to prepare Kale that Dane likes!

Chicken with mushrooms and capers with a white wine sauce, quinoa, and steamed Kale with minced garlic and a dash of balsamic vinegar.