Late to the Party {Cauliflower Rice}

Mar25

I recently did a little experiment in macros, otherwise known as the 21 Day Fix Extreme. Eating a cycle of low carb or no carb days left me with the need to get creative at dinner time (because of course I reserved my single serving of carbs for my beloved OATMEAL!) I personally find one of the best ways to keep yourself on a healthy and clean eating plan is to always incorporate variety and keep yourself interested. Eating chicken and broccoli every night (no shade on that, it’s a great way to meet your goals) could lead to boredom which could eventually lead to unhealthy choices. Variety is the spice of life!

Cauliflower is a peculiar vegetable. I have always enjoyed it, but I’ve always heard to ‘eat the rainbow’ and I’ve never seen white on the rainbow. Does this mean cauliflower doesn’t have many nutrients? Nope! It is a cruciferous vegetable that is an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, and vitamin B6. Also a great source of my good friend, fiber, which makes this one of the best carb replacements! Fiber often comes from whole grain foods, so when limiting those in your diet, it is important to make sure you get enough fiber. Believe it or not, cauliflower has been linked to many cancer prevention diets, which have benefits for everyone, including support for the body’s detox system, antioxidant system and inflammatory/anti-inflammatory system. Not to mention it is delicious, especially prepared as I’m going to show you!

So, I’m a bit late to the party, but let’s talk about cauliflower rice! Transforming cauliflower into “rice” is so super simple and the result is delicious. Here is my method:

You’ll need-

1 head of fresh cauliflower, trimmed into florets

Food processor {or} food mill {or} blender {or} mad chopping skills

Seasonings of your choice (see notes after method for suggestions!)

STEP ONE:

Trim one head of fresh cauliflower into florets. They don’t have to be super small, but small enough so that your food processor can handle them.

STEP TWO:

Process florets in food processor. As mentioned above, you can also use a food mill or blender, or if you’re desperate to try this and don’t have any of the mentioned appliances, I suppose you could go crazy and chop it up by hand, but you’re probably going to need to eat some actual carbs to have enough energy to do that. So, food processor is HIGHLY recommended. I have the Ninja system and it processes a whole head in about three pulses. I usually process one head of cauliflower in two batches. Pulse until the florets are small, rice like bits.

STEP THREE:

There are a few methods to cook the “rice”:

Roast in oven: Heat oven to 425. Place cauliflower in baking dish greased with coconut oil and season as you’d like. Roast for about 20 minutes or until the cauliflower is browned and tender, stirring half way. I prefer this method because it lends to a toasty flavor and you don’t have to babysit it at all. Go take a post workout shower and return to the lovely scent of roasting cauliflower. Or maybe your dog farted, it might be hard to tell which.
Saute: Heat a large skillet or sauté pan over medium high heat. Grease with coconut oil and add cauliflower. Season as you’d like. Stir for 15-20 minutes or until the cauliflower is browned and tender.

STEP FOUR:

Chow! Pair with your favorite PROTEIN and VEGETABLE and have yourself an awesome meal!

Seasoning suggestions:

A few of my favorites thus far:

Indian: Cumin and/or curry powder
Mexican: Fresh cilantro and lime juice
Italian: Fresh parsley and garlic
Jazz this up with ANY fresh herb, and salt & pepper and you won’t be sad. Get creative!

Do you have any sneaky ways to prepare meals that keep you interested? Please share, I’d love to try them! Thanks for stopping by, cheers!

Tastes Like Grilling Season! {Add Flavor without Fat with Rubs}

Mar18

This lucky lady right here got a most awesome package from my friends last week. Jars and jars of homemade spice rubs. They are so beautiful, and not to mention delicious!

Look at these flavors! One to go with any type of dish you are creating. If you can’t tell, I was instantly in love and spent the better half of my morning unscrewing and inhaling (ok, be real, just smelling) these creations!

My friends make these rubs with local ingredients (they even grow some of the peppers themselves!) and have really mastered the mix, if you ask me. The household favorite at my home is the Schweet Hot, which really takes it’s time in developing from a nice warm sweet into a kick at the end. It kicks up everything from steak, to fish to vegetables! Yes, spice up your veggies, you will be happy!

I love using these rubs to add flavor without fat to my cooking. “But the sugar!” you may ask? (Or maybe you are too busy drooling, which I totally get.) Yes, there is a tad of added sugar but 1) you just need a bit of these rubs to pack a punch and 2) let’s not get into a lifestyle where a bit of added sugar is enough to send you over the edge. Keep it real, ya’ll.

Here is my most delicious salmon dinner that I created using the Citrus Rub. (Yes, I’m a grown woman and I have sweet potato tots with my dinner. It was Saturday. Judge silently.) It was DIVINE.

Rubs and spices in general are a great way to add a ton of flavor to your healthy meals. If you are focused on eating healthy, variety can be challenging. Lots of folks tell me they fall off the wagon because they are bored of eating the same meals, or don’t know how to be creative with the few recipes they have mastered. Try adding a different flavor profile to your proteins! Even eating chicken two nights in a row with a different seasoning (perhaps Cajun one night and Citrus the next?) will keep you interested and on track.

If you’re convinced you need to try some of these tasty rubs, you’re in luck! They are available for purchase & can be shipped to you for this BBQ season! Impress your friends and excite your mouth. Check out the order form here:

2015 Schmokin Info and Prices

Thanks for stopping by! Have a flavorful day!

Don’t Cheat – Treat! My Favorite Chia Pudding Dessert Recipes

Mar12

There are so many super foods being hyped these days. Chia seeds are often on that list, and deservedly so. I am not one to quickly hop on a bandwagon for ingredients we MUST be using, but if I’m honest, chia seeds are so tasty, we are just lucky they are also super good for you. Chia seeds offer a ton of nutrients, just have a look:

A 1 ounce (28 grams) serving of chia seeds contains:

Fiber: 11 grams
Protein: 4 grams
Fat: 9 grams (5 of which are Omega-3s, yay!)
Calcium: 18% of the RDA.
They also contain a decent amount of Zinc, Vitamin B3 (Niacin), Potassium, Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) and Vitamin B2

If you haven’t tried them yet, they also offer an interesting texture to whatever you mix them with. When soaked in liquid, they create a gel texture that is smooth and creamy (think tapioca pudding). Magic & tasty!

I have a major sweet tooth and I like to chow some protein right before bed so my body has some food while I’m sleeping. These chia pudding recipes are perfect for my late night snack, but would also be a great breakfast or anytime snack! I like to sneak some protein powder into my recipe, which pumps the protein up even higher (chia seed, Greek yogurt AND protein powder….look out muscles!) Here is my recipe for high protein chia pudding, which is more of a method than a specific recipe. Try out your favorite flavors and add ins to come up with your favorite recipe!

High Protein Chia Seed Pudding

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

½ cup plain nonfat Greek Yogurt
½ cup milk (dairy, almond, coconut…whichever you prefer)
1 scoop protein powder (I love the taste of Lean Body for her, but use your favorite!)
2 tablespoons chia seeds

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate overnight. Enjoy!

I tested this recipe with a few flavors that I thought were awesome, try adding:

With chocolate protein, add coconut extract (just a drop!) and toasted unsweetened coconut for a tropical treat.
With vanilla protein, add fresh blueberries (or any fruit!) This one tastes just like tapioca pudding!
With chocolate protein, add PB2 (or a spoon of regular peanut butter will work). Chocolate + Peanut butter = heaven.

I can’t wait until summer to get my hands on some fresh peaches and strawberries! Let me know if you try these and come up with a great version. Enjoy!

Snack and Crafts to Celebrate St Patrick’s Day!

Mar10

St. Patrick’s day is just around the corner! I have a special place for Ireland in my heart since I visited last year & I can’t wait to craft up some of these projects and munch on the snacks! My celebration might include a beer or two, but I’ll leave that part up to you! Here are some of my favorite St Patty’s day themed recipes and crafts.

Skinny Shamrock Shake

Wait until you see the sneaky green ingredient in this healthy shake from Skinnytaste!

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies from Kleinworth Co have ALL the chocolate and they might be lucky too, just saying.

Grasshopper Pie

Grasshopper Pie, will you marry me? You look so handsome with your festive sprinkles.

Shamrock Bouquet

This truly evergreen bouquet from Sweet & Lovely Crafts is super cute and definitely affordable. It’s on my to-do list for sure!

Shamrock Butterfly Art

This craft from The Pike Farm would be super cute using your child’s fingerprints as the leaves too!

DIY Clover Straws

Super cute DIY from Like the Cheese, for sipping whatever may be in your mug this St Patty’s Day!

St Pat’s Magic Vases

This method from Yesterday on Tuesday could be used for any occasion; holiday, wedding, birthday, etc!

Wine Cork Shamrock Stamps

I’m not saying everyone has an abundance of wine corks hanging out, but if you *ahem* happen to have some extras, this idea from Crafty Morning is a great way to put them to use!

Have fun crafting and snacking! Have a lucky St Patrick’s Day! Cheers!

Eating for your Goals – Tips & Tools for Success with 21 Day Fix / Insanity Max:30 Meal Plans

Mar9

This post is JUST for you if you fall into any of the following categories:

You just purchased a Beachbody program, (specifically 21 Day Fix, 21 Day Fix Extreme or Insanity Max:30 because they have relatively similar nutrition plans, but this guide will be helpful for other programs as well) and are staring at the nice shiny new nutrition guide thinking “I want to workout, not read this nutrition novel.”
You are just purchased a Beachbody program, ripped open the DVDs and tossed the nutrition guide to the side. (FYI go get it, you need it. I mean it.)
You want to eat clean and maximize your workout results but don’t have any good recipes, don’t know how to plan, and are afraid of starving to death by eating only salads

Most importantly, take the nutrition aspect of this seriously. If you are starting to workout to lose weight, you will inevitably drop some pounds just from working out. But teaming workouts with nutrition will give you much more energy, make the workouts more effective, and give you all the results you are looking for. If you are working out to lean out, build muscle, anything above and beyond dropping pounds, then nutrition is imperative. It is everything.

I am one of the weirdos that actually LIKES meal prep, so let’s get on this together. I’ll share what works for me, what makes eating healthy easier, and how to make sure you stay on track to reaching your goals.

Do Some Research

Have you ever had a physical ailment, hopped online to see if you could figure it out yourself, and suddenly you are convinced you have a fatal jungle disease? Well, that can happen with nutrition research too. You can find an article that swears carbs are the devil, one that says eating bacon is the key to success, and yet another that contains strict calorie counting guidelines. The long and short of it is that we are all individuals, and we can and SHOULD all take the time to define a nutrition plan that helps us meet our fitness goals and keeps us happy in our lifestyle. There is no one plan that will yield the best results for everyone.

However, if you are following one of the Beachbody programs, they have taken some of the guess work out of it for you. Some exercise regimes require more calories and specific nutrients than others. For instance, you wouldn’t follow the meal plan for 21 Day Fix while completing the Body Beast program. As you train differently, your nutrition must also change. The nutrition guide that comes with each program is a great starting point to build your meal plan.

21 Day Fix is based on a calorie deficit plan, where you will eat fewer calories than your body needs during the day, therefore burning your stored fat as energy. Insanity Max:30 isn’t necessarily based on a deficit, but is also based on portion control. The meal plans for both of these programs will teach you so much about the way you eat, what you should eat, when you should eat, and how to feel satiated without snacking on junk throughout the day.
Plan Your Meals (& Snacks) for the Week

Based on your calorie/nutrient needs from the meal plan, set up a schedule that will keep you full and satisfied throughout the day. Even though sometimes you will be eating in a deficit, there is no need to be starving. I generally eat like this every day:

8am: Breakfast (carb or protein)
11am: Snack (fruit or protein)
2 pm: Lunch (vegetable and protein)
4pm: Snack (protein)
7pm: Dinner (vegetable and protein)
Before bed: Snack (always protein!)

I am a foodie, so eating the same thing every day for every meal and every snack is not ideal for me. If I get bored, I’ll go rogue. I do eat a lot of the same breakfast and snacks, but my lunch and dinner items rotate to keep variety. This requires a bit more thought when planning, but if you’re like me and want to still be excited about your meals while eating healthy, it is necessary. If you couldn’t care less if you eat the same thing every day, then find a menu you love and just keep on keeping on!

You might notice, I snack a lot. It works for me because it keeps me from getting hungry which is when you can sometimes make a bad choice. I try to eat protein at each meal/snack because it keeps me full for longer and protein is yummy. The key is to find timing that works for YOUR schedule and try to stick to it as much as you can. Do your best to bring a snack when you know you will need it, so you don’t find yourself stuck with no healthy options or getting really truly hungry. When you adopt the mindset of eating to fuel your body and support your physical wellbeing, nutrition becomes second nature.

Make a core menu of breakfasts, lunches, dinners & snacks that you can pull from consistently. This can be a recipe box, an Excel sheet, a Pinterest board, a list on your phone…anything that works for you to easily utilize.

Image from Beachbody

3) Tools to Help Organize & Stay on Track

Workout & Nutrition Sheets: If you are following a Beachbody program, there are nutrient tracking sheets in the nutrition guide, as well as extras to print for free online. If you’re a paper and pen kind of person, these are super easy to use and a good visual guide of your status.
Phone Apps: While few of the programs have a Beachbody created app, there are lots of 3^rd party apps out there now that are super easy and helpful for tracking your nutrition. 21 Day Fix has a simple to use app where you mark off your containers as you go. If you manage your life on your phone, this is a no brainer.
Spreadsheets: I’m a total old school gal in this aspect, but I work with spreadsheets all day and I feel like using a sheet helps me track my containers as well as planning my types of snacks throughout the day. You don’t want to end up at dinner with all your vegetables left and no protein servings. Here is just a snip of my sheet that I was using during 21 Day Fix Extreme, so you can get the idea. I followed the Countdown to Competition Plan. I list my meals to the right, then I usually plug in my food items/ingredients in each day (or the whole week if I know what I have prepped) and then color them in green as I eat them. It is a little cryptic, but as long as you can understand your plan, that’s all that matters! (Typing this out, my method seems super anal, but it has worked for me!)

4) PREP AHEAD!

Find a method for preparing your food in advance that works with your schedule and allows you to have food ready on demand. Everyone has their own methods, but a few tips you may want to try:

Batch cook your ingredients and add to meals throughout the week. For example:
- Grill a lot of meat (chicken, steak, etc) & dice it to be ready to add to salads or grains for a meal
- Cook enough grains for the week. You can do with this rice, quinoa, faro, even oatmeal for breakfast!
- Roast a big pan of vegetables with balsamic vinegar and seasonings
- Boil eggs for the whole week & then blow your mind by peeling them like this
Prep your vegetables for snacks. It is so much easier to grab a healthy snack when it is cleaned, cut and ready to go. Snacking really is all about convenience, so of course you are going to grab a granola bar if you don’t have peppers cut up and ready to munch. You don’t have to portion all of this ahead of time, just make sure it is easily accessible.
If you are making a recipe, for instance a casserole or soup, make MORE! Double your recipes to either ensure you have leftovers or freeze half of it for later down the road. There are some really great freezer friendly recipes here.
Individually freeze prepared items. I just started doing this and it has made my prep even MORE successful. After cooking and dicing a batch of chicken, I spread the diced chicken in a single layer on a baking sheet and pop into the freezer. After it is frozen, I transfer to a freezer bag. This makes it easy to defrost and use single portions later. No frozen chicken chunk thawing all week in the fridge!

Eating healthy food mindfully can honestly become something that you enjoy rather than dread. These meal plans are not a punishment and you are not on a diet. Your performance during workouts will be better and your results will be maximized. There is an old saying that you “can’t out train a bad diet” and it is so true.

I hope some of these tips can help you be successful with meal planning. Please share below if you have any awesome ideas that I haven’t included! Happy prepping!

Hey, who put Protein in my Pancakes?

Mar8

I recently made the innocent mistake of going shopping in my local natural food/beauty store right after work, when I happened to be more ready for dinner than soap shopping. I was headed to the beauty department to snag my soap and hit the road, when I heard this protein pancake mix whisper my name. Who, me? Pancakes? Oh, ok, YES. Needless to say they came home with me.

If you’re anything like me and you follow a few fitness sites on social media, you’ve probably seen ads for protein pancake mixes promising you abs and dreams to come true. I’m mostly a whole food kinda gal, I am into finding ways to sneak more protein into my diet, and I mean…pancakes. So, rest easy, I’m not sponsored by P28 or going to tell you what kind of body you will certainly attain by eating these pancakes. I just wanted to tell you that they are tasty and a good option, especially for my vegetarian pals, to up their protein game while enjoying a breakfast treat.

The ingredients are relatively clean, which is half the reason I allowed the splurge in the first place. This little canister ran me about $10 and looks like it will make about 10 pancakes. All you need to do is combine the mi with water, but be warned, the “recipe” calls for 2/3 cup mix, which is really two servings. Unless you have a friend to share with, don’t trust yourself around two of these pancakes unless you plan on being ok with eating them both. They are decent sized pancakes; one was plenty for my breakfast! Eating just one pancake clocks you in at 7g of protein though, which by pancake standards is high, but not high by breakfast standards (about the same as just one egg).

I stirred up the mix & sprayed my ceramic pan with a bit of coconut oil. (Side note, I’m new to the ceramic pan craze, but if you are still without one, finish reading this post then get yourself over to Amazon and snag one. So. Great.) They cooked up nice and evenly and were surprisingly fluffy for a pancake mix!

These silly protein pancakes won me over by the time it was all said and done. The texture was light, fluffy with just enough chew. The real winner though is the taste. These buttermilk buckwheat pancakes have a toasty wheat flavor with just a hint of pancake sweetness, but most importantly they tasted homemade and clean. No crazy protein taste at all. I added blueberries to mine, but they would also be great with some simple maple syrup or honey.

Slightly gimmicky and perhaps not the best bang for your buck nutritionally, I still give these pancakes a thumbs up. They were a nice treat while still sneaking in some of my daily nutrition. If you want to try them, you can likely find them locally at your Vitamin Shoppe or on the website. Cheers!

Pro Tip – Be the best host ever with Homemade Cookies on Demand

Mar7

Nothing makes a guest feel better than a fresh snack & cold drink waiting for them upon arrival. But, if you’re anything like me, when you find out your parents are stopping by that morning for a visit, your priority is vacuuming the layer of dog fur off of everything, not whipping up a homemade snack. No worries, you can still look like you’ve got your life together and maintain a clean house at the same time, if you just prepare a bit next time you are making cookies!

I always make a double batch of cookie dough when making homemade cookies. Last week I felt like baking, so I stirred up some chocolate chip cookies for my husband & his fellow firefighters. I just doubled the recipes, baked half, and scooped the other half onto a wax paper lined baking sheet. You can place these cookies as close together as you can, no need to leave room, because you are going to pop them right in the freezer! Place the extra portioned dough in the freezer for a few hours (or until you remember it the next day) until the dough is frozen. Then, transfer to a freezer bag and store in the freezer until you are in a pinch and either a) need something to offer your guests or b) need to make an epic ice cream sandwich.

When you are ready to bake, pull one, one dozen, ALL the cookies from the freezer and place on to baking sheet as normal. I bake at the same time and temperature as the regular cookie dough, but sometimes you may need to add an extra minute or two, depending on your oven. This method will work with most any drop cookie, and works beautifully with the standard chocolate chip cookie recipe that comes on the bag.

I hope this helps you offer your guests a warm treat or saves you in a moment of intense chocolate craving. Dig in!

Clean Eating Cookie Dough Recipe

Mar5

If I were on death row there would most definitely be chocolate included in my last meal. And a lot of it. It is THE craving I can’t seem to shake. But it is okay, because I’ve got this clean eating cookie dough recipe that I’m not even kidding you guys…it is as good as a REAL dessert. This is my go to ‘cheat’ snack, and you can actually feel good about it. Protein packed, healthy fats, and even some antioxidants from the chocolate chips (that IS why we eat chocolate, right?). Grab the few goodies you need, a spoon, and get ready to breathe easy. Cooke dough to the rescue!

Ingredients (1 serving)

½ cup plain Greek Yogurt (Fage 0% is my favorite)
1 Tablespoon nut butter (I use natural peanut butter usually, but almond is delish too!)
DASH almond extract (You can use vanilla, but almond is totally key to a sweet nutty flavor)
Chocolate chips (I usually use about 10 dark chips, but I’m going to leave the amount of chips up to you, like a good friend would do…)

Just stir all of the ingredients together until the nut butter is blended throughout. Dig in & enjoy!

Note: I prefer my Greek yogurt unsweetened, but if you like a little more sweetness, add a squeeze of honey or agave, or a splash of maple syrup!

Do you have any ‘taste so good I can’t believe it’s healthy” desserts? Please share!

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