GLUTEN FREE MINI COCOA CAKES

These NO BAKE, quick little treats are DELICOUS and have been curbing my sweet tooth when I need a lil treat at night. These were inspired by Christie Swadling, but my ingredients differ a little. She makes some YUMMY carrot cake bites like this that are worth looking up and trying.

I really hate measuring.. so I don't.. but I'll give you approx. measurements, and you can play around with them to taste!

For these you will need:

BASE:

• Cocoa Powder (2-3 heaped tbsp)
• Almonds (1/2 cup)
• Almond Flour (1/4 cup)
• Coconut Flour (heaped 1/4 cup)
• Dates (3/4 cup)
• Coconut Oil (1-2 tbsp)
• Pink Salt (a few cranks)

FROSTING:

• Cashews (3/4 cup)
• Cocoa Powder (1-2 heaped tbsp)
• Maple Syrup (a dash)
• Coconut Oil (2 tbsp)

1) Blend all ingredients for the base together

2) Divide into a cupcake pan (makes 12)

3) Store in fridge or freezer to harden while you make the frosting

4) Blend all ingredients for frosting until smooth

5) Cover mini cakes with frosting

6) Store in fridge (the coconut oil will keep them hardened)

7) ENJOY!

STRAWBERRY MINT LEMONADE

YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM. Mix with sparkling water or vodka or both for a nice and fresh summer drink.

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 lemons
• 1 1/2 cups strawberries
• mint leaves
• 1/2 cup honey

1) add mint leaves and honey to 1/2 cup of boiling water

2) once combined, reduce heat to a simmer for 15 minutes

3) remove from heat and let sit for 30 minutes

4) add strawberries, juice from lemons, and mint syrup into a blender and blend

5) add 4 cups of cold water and let sit in the fridge for 2 hours

6) YUM ENJOY IT'S SO GOOD

BEET HUMMUS

For the most delicious hummus you’ve ever made, you’ll need:

• Beets (4)

• Chickpeas (1 can)

• Lemon (juice from 1)

• Garlic Salt/Powder (as much as desired)

• Tahini (1/4 cup)

• EVOO (1/4 cup)

• Water (a little as needed for texture)

• Sesame Seeds

1) Toss beets in EVOO and roast at 450 until you can put a fork through it

2) In food processor combine: roasted beets, chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic powder, tahini, EVOO, and water

3) Adjust ingredients to your desired flavor/texture. More tahini and/or EVOO will make it creamier, more water will make it less chunky.. Add more garlic salt or powder as needed.

4) Put sesame seeds in a pot on the stove. Roast them until lightly browned.

5) Put hummus in a bowl, top with the seeds, and ENJOY!

SPRING ROLLS

This dinner seems intimidating. I know. I thought so too. But's it's super easy and well worth it!

You can pretty much put anything in them, but I loaded them with veggies for a refreshing, crisp roll. I added tofu for protein and a homemade peanut butter sauce, and it took them over the top with deliciousness.

Ingredients:

• Spring Rolls Skin (lol that's what the packaging says.. it's round rice paper)
• Cellophane Noodles
• Shredded Carrots
• Sliced Red Pepper
• Sliced Red Cabbage
• Sliced Cukes
• Bean Sprouts
• Scallions cut into 3rds
• Cilantro
• Mint and/or Basil (depending on what you like! - i like a little bit of both)
• Tofu
• Sesame Seeds
• Peanut Butter
• Sesame Oil (game changer and necessary - well, not necessary. you can use regular EVOO, but I'm telling you this makes all the difference in the world)
• Coconut Aminos (soy sauce sub)

This process becomes so easy on any given night if you prep ahead of time. Slice up all of the veggies and store them in a container in the fridge for whatever day you're ready to make these!

Process:

1) Once you have all of your veggies chopped, cook the tofu. Cut the tofu into strips and toss with sesame oil, aminos, and corn starch. Sautee them in a dash of EVOO.

2) Cook the cellophane noodles. Once the water is boiling, drop them in and it only takes a couple of minutes until they're done. Drain and rinse them in cold water until they're no longer warm.

3) ASSEMBLE. Grab a plate and fill it with a small layer of water. Put one of the rice paper rolls into the water for 3-4 seconds (when you remove it, it will still be stiff). Place it on a cutting board and fill it with all of the ingredients (add a dash of aminos to the inside). By this time, the roll will be pliable enough to fold the edges in and roll up. Stick it on a plate in the fridge and move onto the next one.

4) While they sit in the fridge make the sauce. Blend: peanut butter, sesame oil, aminos, white wine vinegar, water, and sriracha. You guys know me by now enough for me to not have to say it, but I'm going to say it. I don't measure. Yes, it results in inconsistent results but I never learn and I'm likely never going to do it. SO.. play around with these ingredients until the sauce is to your liking! I listed the ingredients in order of largest quantitiy used to lowest if that helps at all... :)

5) Drizzle the sauce over the rolls, add some sesame seeds to the top, and LOVE THEM.

Sticking them in the fridge will help make sure they don't stick to each other as the rice paper dries. Don't stack them! The first time I made them I essentially ate deconstructed rolls because I stacked them and didn't have them in the fridge. They ripped apart when I tried to separate them. They were still delicious though!

ENJOY :)

I also make these into a salad for lunches sometimes!! Just throw all of the ingredients into a bowl over lettuce (or I used zucchini spirals) and top with the peanut sauce! YUMM.

CHICKEN PINEAPPLE POKE BOWL

Lately we've been pulling all meal inspiration from Hello Fresh! Because we have a subscription, we have access to the app and all of the recipes! I've been pulling them and altering (for my low fodmap diet, for lower cal when needed, etc.). We made this Chicken Pineapple Poke Bowl a couple of weeks ago and I HIGHLY recommend it - especially if you like coconut.

INGREDIENTS:

• Grated Ginger
• Pineapple Chunks
• Scallions
• Cashews (I did not use these on mine, because I'm intolerant)
• Chicken
• Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
• Shredded Carrots
• Chili Pepper
• Lime
• Brown Rice
• Coconut Aminos
• Sriracha
• Sour Cream (I use Green Valley which is low fodmap!)

1) Sautee ginger and scallions in some EVOO. Add rice to this pot and cook.

2) Toast coconut in a pan with no oil. Remove and use this pan to cook the chicken with salt and pepper. Once cooked through, add pineapple and sautee until slightly charred.

3) Combine a couple chunks of pineapple, juice from 1/2 of the lime, ginger, diced chili, and some coconut aminos (you can mash, but throwing it in the blender really quickly works best to make a sauce)

4) Pour half of the sauce you just made over the rice and shredded carrots.

5) Top the bowl with chicken and pineapple, coconut shreds, scallions, lime juice, and then add the rest of the sauce.

6) Combine sour cream, sriracha, and water and drizzle over the top.

ENJOY

GRANOLA

This is my most FAVORITE thing to make on my website. You’ll be hard pressed to find a granola at the store that doesn’t have a lot of unnecessary added sugars. While granola isn’t always the healthiest option, making it yourself can be a much healthier alternative (and cheaper!) than buying it at the store. When you make it yourself you control both the quantity and the quality of the ingredients going in! Below are 3 recipes that I’ve tried and LOVE!

BASE: 4 cups old fashioned rolled oats, ¼ cup honey, ⅓ cup coconut oil

FLAVORS:

• Pumpkin Spice (cinnamon, pumpkin seasoning, allspice, pumpkin seeds, unsweetened shredded coconut, pink salt)
• Vanilla Cinnamon (cinnamon, vanilla extract, almond, pumpkin seeds, unsweetened shredded coconut, pink salt)
• Chocolate Pecan (cocoa powder, vanilla extract, almonds, unsweetened shredded coconut, pecans, pink salt, semi sweet choco chips (after it cools))

*TIP: If you want your granola to be clumpy, mix in 2-3 egg whites with your extras before baking!

I found that I have to make it in smaller batches because I have almost zero portion control because it’s THAT good. Halving or quartering the recipe works just as well!

GREEN SMOOTHIE BOWL

I will take down a smoothie in 45 seconds flat if I’m drinking it through a straw. For this reason, I’m a smoothie BOWL kinda person. I like making them thick enough to eat with a spoon. THIS smoothie bowl right here is perfect for getting your greens in and has a magic ingredient that is relatively high in protein, aids in improvement of gut health, helps to boost your metabolism among many other wonderful benefits… SPIRULINA. I buy spirulina powder from my local health foods store (Fresh Thyme) in the bulk spices section. It can be found on Amazon as well!

For this DELICIOUS, NUTRITIOUS green smoothie bowl blend:

• 1/2 Frozen Banana
• Handful of Greens (I like spinach)
• 1 tbsp Nut Butter (I like almond)
• Water
• 1 tsp Spirulina
• Dash of Cinnamon
• Dash of Vanilla

TOP WITH:

• Unsweetened Coconut Chips
• Ground Flax Seed
• Rolled Oats
• Chia Seeds

DIJON CITRUS DRESSING

This SUPER simple, little-to-no calorie dressing is the only dressing you’ll need from here on out. Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but it’s pretty dang good. This recipe was derived from a HelloFresh meal I tried, but I’ve adjusted the ingredients to be 1) minimal, and 2) almost calorie free (which is not an excuse to go ham on it- I’d suggest dipping your fork in it with each bite rather than pouring it over your salad).

Combine:

• 3 TBSP Dijon Mustard
• Juice from 1/2 a Lemon
• Juice from 1/2 an Orange
• Garlic Powder, Pink Salt, and Crushed Pepper to taste

That’s IT! I’ve been using it on ALL of my salads lately. You can add more or less mustard to get your desired consistency!

PROTEIN BALLS

These protein balls are the BEST post workout and/or sweet treat! I made 3 different kinds: peanut butter (my favorite), lemon poppy seed (second favorite), and chocolate chip (third favorite, but I added an adjustment below that would probably bump them up to number 1! Now you all know I hate measuring, but I put some estimates below. I encourage you to play around until you find the right consistency and taste for you!

PEANUT BUTTER:

• Oats - 1 cup
• PB - 1/2 cup
• Vanilla - 1/2 tsp
• Vanilla Protein - 2 scoops
• Water - dashes until the consistency is good enough to roll them into balls
• Chia Seeds - 1 tbsp
• Dash of Pink Salt

LEMON POPPY SEED:

• Oats - 1 cup
• Vanilla - 1/2 tsp
• Lemon Juice - 1/2 lemon
• Poppy Seeds - 1 tbsp
• Vanilla Protein - 2 scoops
• Water - dashes until the consistency is good enough to roll them into balls

CHOCOLATE CHIP:

• Oats - 1 cup
• Vanilla - 1/2 tsp
• Vanilla Protein - 2 scoops
• Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips - 1 tbsp
• Almond Milk - dashes until the consistency is good enough to roll them into balls
• Almond Butter - 1/2 cup (I did not put these in this batch, but I would highly recommend it)

TURMERIC LATTE

This is about to become your new FAVORITE FALL DRINK! It's full of anti inflammatory ingredients, delicious fall spices, and HEALTH. It's quick, it's easy, and it's not full of sugar. Combine all of the ingredients below, blend, and heat over the stove. That's it! Bonus if you have a milk frother and can get a little foam in there.

• Nut Milk (I like Cashew!)
• Turmeric
• Cinnamon
• Black Pepper (necessary for increasing the absorption in your body of curcumin in the turmeric)
• Nutmeg
• Dash of Vanilla
• Sweetener (I used a heaped teaspoon of Coconut Sugar and it was delicious!)

SMOOTHIE BOWL

CURRENT OBSESSION!!! I love smoothies, but I don’t like to drink my food, I like to EAT my food. Smoothie bowls are the PERFECT FIX! Before I talk about my favorite combination, there is one thing you do need to be mindful of when you’re making your smoothie bowl: they can easily become very carbohydrate and sugar heavy. If I haven’t had an excess of fruit or carbs throughout the day, I’ll use frozen banana as my base. If I have had enough carbs for the day, I’ll use frozen avocados or zucchini which work just as well to make it creamy and delicious! Once you have a base, build it how you want to. One of my go to smoothie bowl recipes (when I’m craving something chocolaty) includes:

• Cashew or Almond Milk
• Ice
• Frozen Banana and/or Zucchini
• Maca Powder (½ tsp)
• Ashwagandha (¼ tsp)
• Protein Powder (½ scoop)
• Nut Butter (1 tbsp)
• Cocoa Powder (2 tbsp)
• A few cranks of Himalayan Pink Salt (important!)

Then top it with homemade granola, buckwheat kernels, oats, unsweetened coconut shavings, mini chocolate chips, nuts, seeds, and/or fruit!

SALADS

I make mason jar salads for work just about every week. Does it get boring? NO, because there are so many different directions you can go with a salad. My salads contain SO many ingredients so it never tastes the same and it never tastes bland.

Your salads should at least contain:

• Greens + Veggies (the darker the green and the more variety the better, and you can load up as many additional veggies as you want (peppers, zucchini, celery, carrots, broccolini)
• Protein (can be beans, lean meat, tofu)
• Healthy Fats (avocado, nuts, EVOO dressing)
• Some CRUNCH (salads without texture are boring! Add roasted nuts, buckwheat kernels, chia seeds, popped quinoa on top)
• Carbs/Sweets (this is optional, but I like to have roasted sweet potato, roasted butternut squash, and/or some fruit in my salad)

This week's salad had:

• Mixed Greens
• Shredded Carrots
• Roasted Chickpeas (@ 350 degrees with evoo, pink salt, pepper, and paprika)
• Butternut Squash (@ 350 degrees with evoo, pink salt, pepper, and paprika)
• Roasted Pecans (@ 350 degrees with no seasoning or oil for 10-15 min)
• Popped Quinoa (popped in a pot on the stove with no seasoning or oil)
• Dried Cranberries (I try to use fresh with raspberries, pomegranate, or cranberries so that there is no added sugar whenever possible)
• Feta
• Hummus

PEACH BALSAMIC PIZZA

I make flatbread pizza EVERY week. Sometimes I get fancy with it, and sometimes it ends up being more like a simple margherita pizza. THIS pizza was the perfect sweet and savory summer evening dinner. It's even better if you can cook it on the grill (but not necessary). Here's what you need:

• Naan / Flatbread
• Sautéed Minced Garlic + EVOO (for the base / "sauce" substitute)
• Balsamic Glaze (1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, 3 tbsp of honey or brown sugar- mix and place in a pot on the stove. Once the mixture begins to bubble, turn to low heat and let sit until it reduces to about half the amount)
• Peaches (cut into rings)
• Turkey Bacon (make sure it has no added nitrates/nitrites)
• Chopped Basil
• Mozzarella

Coat the flatbread with the EVOO and minced garlic and then top with mozzarella cheese. Add the cooked bacon, peach rings, and drizzle the balsamic glaze over it. Throw it on the grill until the edges of the bread are crispy and the cheese is melted. Top with chopped basil and ENJOY!

SPAGHETTI SQUASH PAD THAI

I LOVE Pad Thai. I also LOVE spaghetti squash and until recently, I forgot that it was a thing (even though I used to make it allll the time). I found this recipe on Facebook, but modified it a little to make it a tad healthier and less calorie dense (because as much as I'd love to eat a half a cup of peanut butter, that's just not going to happen.

Noodles:

To cook a spaghetti squash in the microwave, puncture multiple holes in the squash and throw it in the microwave for 8-10 min (until skin is softer). Let it cool, cut it in half, remove the seeds, and run a fork over the insides to create the noodles.

Peanut Sauce:

• 1/4 Cup (or a little less) Peanut Butter (all natural- look at the ingredients and make sure it's ONLY peanuts)
• 1/4 Cup Coconut Aminos (soy sauce substitute)
• Grated Fresh Ginger
• 2 tbsp Honey
• Lime Juice
• Sriracha (to taste for spiciness- I used 2 heaped tbsp)
• Minced Garlic

Combining:

Sauteé garlic, onion, and red pepper. Combine these, the noodles, and the sauce in a bowl and stir everything until it's completely covered in the sauce. I'd suggest throwing it in a big pot on the stove as well to make sure it's all still warm. Serve in bowls topped with chopped peanuts, cilantro, and green onion!

This makes two servings, enjoy!!

HONEY LIME SWEET POTATO BLACK BEAN TACOS

This recipe was given to me by one of my clients, and it was even better than I expected it to be. I like using recipes for the ingredients, but I always use my own measurements and add what I think will go well with them.

• Corn Tortillas
• Diced Sweet Potatoes
• Sautéed Onion
• Corn
• Black Beans
• Lime Juice
• Honey
• Cilantro
• Cheese (I used Feta, but I love Cotija)
• Chopped Green Onions

Season the sweet potatoes with cumin, paprika, coriander, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper & roasted at 400 until soft. Sautée onion in a little bit of EVOO. Add in corn, black beans, juice from 1 lime, and a heaping spoonful of honey. Top the tacos with cheese of your choice, chopped cilantro, and green onions.

ENJOY!