We’ve all heard it a million times, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But preparing a nutritious and delicious meal before the sun comes up can be an absolute pain. This overnight “pr-oatmeal” recipe is something you can throw together minutes before hitting the pillow and it will be ready to eat when you wake up.
Ingredients
1/3 cup dry oats
1/8 cup chia seeds
1/8 cup pecan pieces (or other nut of choice)
1 scoop of protein powder – I use Optimum Nutrition Cookies and Cream
1/2 and apple chopped into very small pieces
1 cup almond coconut milk (or milk of choice)
cinnamon
Directions
In a container, combine all ingredients and stir well. Place in the fridge overnight. Enjoy cold or heat in the microwave if desired in the morning.
This is a breakfast that will keep you going right through to lunch. And the best part, it tastes like dessert. Now that is a breakfast I can stand behind!
Instead of posting a typical picture food diary for this What I Ate Wednesday – I’m going to share a new recipe.
Banana bread is one of my guilty pleasures – before gluten became an issue for my body i would make this loaf religious for Neil and myself. While he still loves it, I have been testing out healthier and gluten free options to replace my old sugar heavy bread. If you’re a lover of bakery style banana bread – this recipe may need some added sweetness, but otherwise, it is delicious.
Coconut, Chia Seed Banana BreadIngredients
3 ripe mashed bananas, the more ripe – the better
4 eggs
1/4 cup greek (or goat) yogurt
1 dropper of liquid stevia (or 2 if you like sweet banana bread)
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup softened coconut oil
1/4 cup chia seeds
1 tsp cinnamon
Optional: Add pecan pieces or walnuts for texture. Use about 1/4 cup of add ins.
Directions
Preheat the oven to 340 F. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl until uniform. Using extra coconut oil, grease a loaf pan. Pour/scoop the mixture into the pan and bake for 55 minutes. Remove the banana bread from the oven and allow to cool for about 20 minutes before serving.
By the time you read this I will be driving the highways of Ontario with my man to visit friends and family in my favourite Canadian city – Toronto! Just because I’m on vacation, doesn’t mean I’m leaving you high and dry – I’m just shifting things a little, instead of sharing what I ate Wednesday, I’m showing Tuesday’s eats! No big deal right? Didn’t think so, but if it does bother you, scroll down, I have an awesome peanut butter chocolate chip cookie dough energy bite recipe to share to make up for it! You’re welcome ;).
Breakfast – This is my favourite meal ever. Yes, ever. Egg white omelette with spinach and goat cheese, topped with homemade guacamole [avocado, lime juice, salt and pepper], with a side of sweet potato pieces. In the background you can see Neil’s french toast and cherries! Oh and don’t forget the Second Cup French Vanilla flavoured coffee!
Snack – A juicy Ontario peach.
Lunch – Not the best looking meal, but it sure tasted great! Salmon, broccoli and sweet potato [yes I am on a yam bender today].
Snack – Typical veggies in a Zip-lock baggy.
Dinner – A salad beast! Lettuce, fresh blueberries, grilled chicken, goat cheese and candied walnuts [walnuts tossed in maple syrup and heated on the stove], topped with Cranberry – Pear White Balsamic from The Unrefined Olive in Ottawa. If you love olive oils and balsamic vinegars, this spot is a must visit!
Dessert – PEANUT BUTTER, CHOCOLATE CHIP, COOKIE DOUGH balls! Yes I have been on a “bite” creating bender – this recipe is the easiest one yet.
Here is what you need:
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/3 cup almond meal
1/3 cup peanut butter
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp softened coconut oil
splash of vanilla
1/4 cup chocolate chips
Directions:
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, except for the chocolate chips. Once the mixture is uniform, fold in the chocolate chips. Roll into approximately 10 balls and place on wax or parchment paper. Place in the freezer for at least half an hour to harden.
You can serve these delicious bites straight from the freezer. Otherwise – store them in the fridge, they will not keep if they are left out. Keep that in mind if you are bringing them to work for lunch…. or maybe just don’t bring them – I learned the hard way.
Since my last energy ball recipe was such a hit, I decided to try my luck a creating out a new flavour. A friend of my raves about these delicious treats that she buys at a health food store in Ottawa – so I took it upon myself to create my own version.Ingredients
2 cups raw cashews
1 1/3 cup shredded coconut
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
1/2 dropper of liquid stevia (or more maple syrup)
1 tsp vanilla
Directions
Mix all ingredients together using a food processor until a crumbly dough is formed. Roll into approximately 14 balls. Refrigerate for about half an hour before serving.
The store bought version uses raw almonds but I prefer the taste of cashews. I am a firm believer in using ingredients that I already have in my pantry. You could definitely try substituting to almonds [or even another type of nut] and get similar results.
Stores these delicious treats in the fridge – although I doubt they will last long in any household!
Sometimes I miss being able to eat fajitas, you know those build-your-own beasts from Lone Star that you can wrap [overfill] in delicious and fresh flour tortillas. Boy does that bring back memories! Today’s recipe has the same Mexican vibe – just without the gluten… and the meat… and the lactose. Hmmm, I didn’t really sell that the right way, but I promise these health-ified enchiladas are equally tasty and you won’t feel like taking a nap after eating them.
1 teaspoon coconut oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups chopped sweet potato cubes
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
For the enchilada sauce:
1 1/2 cups diced canned tomatoes
1/2 cup water
1 clove garlic
1/4 yellow onion
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
For the wraps:
1-2 medium zucchini
Optional( for topping):
goat cheddar
green onion
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350F. Peel and chop your sweet potato so you have 1 1/2 cups of cubes. Bake them as desired – I use the microwave.
To prepare the filling, melt the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat and saute the chopped onion and garlic for about 5 minutes, until tender and translucent. Add in the drained black beans, cumin and salt, and saute for another 2 minutes until well mixed. Transfer the cooked sweet potatoes to the pan and use the back of a spoon or fork to mash all of the filling ingredients together. Leave it as chunky or make it as smooth as you would like. To prepare the zucchini tortillas, all you need is a good vegetable peeler or a mandoline. (I used a vegetable peeler). Carefully slice the zucchini into thin, long slices. You’ll need about 5 slices to create each enchilada wrap, so 20-25 uniform slices should be enough to fill an 8″x8″ glass dish. I used about 20 which was one extremely large zucchini. Once you’ve created enough zucchini slices, arrange 5 of them on a cutting board, slightly overlapping each slice over the other.
Scoop a generous portion of the enchilada filling along the zucchini slices (as pictured above) then gently roll up the zucchini over the filling to create each enchilada. Repeat the process 3-4 more times, until you have enough rolls to fill your baking dish.To prepare the enchilada sauce, simply combine all of the ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until completely smooth. Adjust the flavor to taste, if necessary.
Pour a bit of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of your glass baking dish, to prevent sticking. Arrange the enchilada rolls on top of the sauce, then pour the rest of the sauce over the top of the enchiladas.Place in the preheated oven to bake for 30 minutes at 350F.
Once finished, remove the dish from the oven and top with goat cheddar and green onions. The contents will be hot enough to melt the cheese if you let it sit for a few minutes.
Chocolate chip cookies have always been a comfort food for me, but just reading the ingredients on a package of President’s Choice decadent variety makes my stomach hurt. Lucky for me [and you] I have found an equally delicious recipe without the guilt!
Healthier Chocolate Chip Cookies (dairy and gluten free) Recipe from:Living Healthy With Chocolate Ingredients
1 cup almonds
1 cup pecans
1 large egg, room temperature
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons raw honey
¼ cup unsweetened carob chips (or chocolate chips)
pinch of salt
Instructions
Process the almonds and pecans in a food processor until creamy and smooth like peanut butter. Add the egg, vanilla, honey and salt to the almond/pecan mixture and process until well combined.
Transfer the batter into a mixing bowl and gently fold in the chocolate chips. The batter will be quite sticky. Using a spoon, place 12 balls of dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 350°F for about 15 minutes or until the edges start to turn brown [I probably left mine in a minute or two too long]. Allow about 19 minutes for the cookies to cool and enjoy!
xo Lauren
I never thought the day would come that I would be making homemade sushi, it always seemed like such a complicated and time consuming process, but rice-less sushi, that is another story. You can whip up a few rolls in under 10 minutes and add a few extra veggies to your meal without even realizing.
Last week I share my [second] cauliflower crust pizza recipe with you, today on the menu: cauliflower “rice” sushi for one, or you can double, or triple the recipe if you feel like sharing.
Rice Free Smoked Salmon and Avocado Sushi
Ingredients
– half a medium head of cauliflower
– 3 pieces of roasted nori
-3 slices of smoked salmon [you should use sushi grade salmon instead]
– half an avocado
– 1/3 cucumber
– rice wine vinegar
– tamari sauce for dipping [or soy sauce if you can eat gluten]
Directions
1. In a food process, pulse the cauliflower until you achieve a rice like texture.
2. Microwave the cauliflower rice for 4 or 5 minutes depending on your microwave.
3. Allow the rice to cool completely before squeezing the moisture out using a cheese cloth or a light dish towel. I usually do these steps the day before I make my sushi.
4. Add a few splashes of rice vinegar to your cauliflower rice and mix well. Taste as you go.
5. Lay the three pieces of nori on a flat dry surface and fill with remaining ingredients. Make you slice the avocado and cucumber thinly. I find it best to start with the “rice” then layer the veggies and fish.
6. Roll the nori up and wet your fingers just a bit to seal the end to the roll. Slice with a sharp knife and serve chilled.
It ain’t all you can eat, but it sure is delicious [and extra healthy].
Sometime last year I shared a recipe for cauliflower crust pizza with you. This healthy pizza alternative had taken the Internet world by storm, however, it always seemed to need tweaks or improvements. It was impossible to eat the pizza using your hands and the texture was just too vegetable like. Recently, I’ve noticed that the buzz is back, new recipes are starting to pop up all over the web. I decided it was time to give this healthy pizza dough another try. This time, things were different! It was much less time consuming and challenging to make and the pizza was actually tough enough to be held and eaten, instead of using a fork and knife! Disregard my previous recipe, this one will blow it out of the water and take half the time!
Ingredients
1/2 small head of cauliflower, leaves and stems removed
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup of hard goat cheddar
1 egg
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Pulse the cauliflower in a food processor until you achieve a rice like texture.
3. Combine the raw riced cauliflower with the rest of the ingredients. Mix well and don’t be Adria’s to use your hands.
4. On a parchment paper lined baking sheet, form a pizza crust approximately 1/4 inch thick.
5. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes.
4. Increase the oven temperature to 400 F and cook for another 10 minutes.
5. Cover the pizza with toppings of your choice and bake for 5 more minutes to melt the cheese. I topped my pizza with pure tomatoes as sauce, sauteed zucchini, broccoli and mushrooms and some goat cheddar. It was delicious.
This recipe serves one hearty meal. You can double it to make a larger pizza to share.
By now you probably know me well enough to understand two things – one, I like to turn unhealthy desserts into healthy ones, and two, I love adding veggies to dessert recipes. The zucchini bread satisfies both criteria and will trick even the most unhealthy eater into thinking they are indulging – if you decide to share.
Grain and Dairy Free Healthy Zucchini BreadIngredients
1 medium zucchini, shredded
6 eggs
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1/3 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice (or make your own using ginger, cloves and nutmeg)
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup coconut flour
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Using a food processor with the grater blade or a cheese grater, shred the zucchini – do not remove the skin. In a large bowl combine all wet ingredients (zucchini, eggs, coconut oil, honey and vanilla extract) until well mix. Next add the dry ingredients and stir until well combined. Pour the batter into a well greased loaf pan [I use coconut oil to grease]. Bake for 40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool and enjoy!
I seem to have a lot of success when using pureed pumpkin in my baking. Not only do the recipes taste delicious and savory, but they are always soft and have the perfect texture. Today’s health-ified pumpkin loaf proves me right once again. As usual this is an extremely easy recipe to follow with very few ingredients.
1¼ cup almond flour
1¼ teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
heaping ½ teaspoon of cloves and cinnamon
heaping ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup pumpkin
2 droppers full of liquid Stevia (if you want this to be a sweet treat use 3)
⅓ cup melted coconut oil + a bit extra for greasing the loaf pan
3 eggs
⅓ cup water
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well [I used a fork to mix].
3. Grease a loaf pan with coconut oil to ensure that you’ll be able to remove the pumpkin bread once it has finished baking.
4. Pour mixture into loaf pan and spread around so it is spread out evenly in the loaf pan and place in the oven for about 1 hour and 10 minutes.
5. Allow to cool – or not – serve and enjoy!
I like to eat mine warm topped with coconut butter, it is so delicious [and healthy enough to have for breakfast]!
Ingredients
A 5'3 Perspective 