Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Cucumber Salad (i.e. PICKLES)

Cucumber Salad (i.e. PICKLES)



Someone wrote that they miss pickles. Well, that made me realize that I pretty much make pickles all the time, and they taste better than your average pickle....

INGREDIENTS
2 - 3 cucumbers (Please note, you can also use the ingredients below to make a Kale Salad...the longer it soaks, the better it tastes!!)
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
Pinch of salt and pepper
Fresh Cilantro
OPTIONAL ADD-INS: fresh dill, fresh mint, or any other fresh herbs

DIRECTIONS
1. Slice up the cucumbers as thin as possible (I used a mandolin to get them very thin)
2. Add ingredients
3. Shake up in a container and let sit overnight. Keep shaking whenever you want to let the juices soak in!

Serving - 1 cup

Sunday, January 15, 2017

Chocolate Banana Ice Cream

Chocolate Banana Ice Cream


ALERT THE MEDIA - there is such a thing as a healthy ice cream. I never believed that a frozen banana could turn into something so tasty. It has the consistency of soft serve and you cannot get enough of it. 

PLEASE NOTE: THIS RECIPE IS PLANT DAY, FAST DAY, and EVERY DAY APPROVED!!!!!

INGREDIENTS
1 Large frozen banana (be sure to take the peel off before you freeze)
optional add ins:
- Any other frozen fruit, but you want the banana as a base
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- Raw nut butter (Meal B)
- Baked apples with cinnamon (Apple pie ala mode - it's legit)
- Any other baked fruits with cinnamon (peaches are good)
- Blueberry compote (simmer blueberries with water until it reduces to a sauce...drizzle on top of ice cream)
- Raspberry compote (same way as above)

DIRECTIONS
1) Peel the banana
2) Cut the banana into pieces and freeze for at least 2 hours
3) Place the banana (and any other frozen fruit you are using) in a food processor


4) Begin processing - keep going for about 20 seconds (add nut butter or cocoa powder or both now) - keep going - keep going...eventually the mixture will become creamy and smooth. It takes a little longer than you would think it would....just keep going until you get the right consistency....it should look like soft serve ice cream.


5) Place in a bowl and enjoy!!!!


Yes, it is really that simple! Eat this and feel guilt free whenever you are in need of something sweet! I am an ice cream fan and this is legit. Every time I eat it I am amazed that I made it myself AND how good it tastes!

Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Banana Oatmeal Cookies



THESE ARE AWESOME!!!! Super easy and it doesn't get much healthier than all natural ingredients in a cookie! Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS
3 large bananas
3 cups gluten free oatmeal (I used Red Mill Gluten Free Instant Oats...see below)
If you want to change these up feel free to add any of the following:
Cinnamon
Vanilla extract
Cocoa Powder
blueberries
raspberries

For mine above, I added blueberries and vanilla extract. Here is the Oatmeal...

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place oats in blender or food processor and blend until oats become the consistency of flour




















3. In a bowl, mash the bananas and add in any of your add-in ingredients. I used blueberries and 1 tsp of vanilla extract.




















4. Add the oat flour to the mashed mixture and stir until it becomes consistency of a batter.




















5. Spray a cookie sheet with coconut oil spray.  Spoon cookies onto cookie sheet into 18 round cookies. You should flatten the cookies to make them all roughly the same thickness. 

PLEASE NOTE: These cookies do not rise or expand...there is no leaven in these to cause this. Therefore, you can place the cookies relatively close together on the cookie sheet.

6. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cookies are lightly browned on the bottom. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Cookies can be frozen and reheated or stored in an air-tight container.

Serving size - 3 cookies

Chinese Ginger Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Chinese Ginger Chicken Lettuce Wraps


Lettuce wraps have become my new favorite thing. You get the crunch from the lettuce just like eating a taco and it is, of course, super healthy! These are some simple chicken lettuce wraps. The ground ginger is the key ingredient that gives these wraps a little asian flare!  Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:
1lbs organic ground chicken
1 whole tomato chopped small
1 bell pepper chopped small
1tsp ground mustard
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp Penzey's salt-free chinese five spice
2 tbsp ground ginger




DIRECTIONS:
Brown chicken in sauté pan on medium high heat. Once browned, add remaining ingredients and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

Makes 4 servings