Apple Pie Oatmeal

Apple pie oatmeal is such a quick, easy, filling, and delicious breakfast that it's hard not to love! It's especially good in the fall when you see all kinds of sweet apple treats everywhere!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup of uncooked oats

3/4 cup of green apple chopped (or whatever kind of apple you like)

2/3 cup of water

pure maple syrup

chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Add the water to the oatmeal and microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds. 

2. Add apples and sprinkle with handful of nuts

3. Drizzle with pure maple syrup

Zucchini Chips

Today I'm going to share about zucchini chips, yes you read that right..zucchini. I'm going to be honest, a lot of people love kale chips but I HATE kale. I just can't stand it. I found the zucchini chip recipe in my Fixate cookbook, and I decided to try that since I hate the idea of Kale chips so much. I was pleasantly surprised! 

Ingredients:
- 2 large zucchini very thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 225 degrees F
2. Place zucchini slices in one layer between the paper towels to help draw out the liquid
3. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper
4. Put the zucchini slices onto the parchment paper
5. Brush zucchini with oil and sprinkle with sea salt
6. Bake for 2 hours, or until brown and crispy

I would love to hear what you think about these! 

Shakeology Mug Cake

Pinterest for the win again!! My sweet tooth is very happy with this yummy find! Do you ever find yourself looking in the pantry for anything sweet? Like you'd be happy with anything..cookies, doughnuts, cupcakes, and maybe even a few marshmallows! I'm guilty! This is a quick little treat to satisfy that sweet tooth before you're head first into your pantry!

Ingredients:

- 1/4 tsp. baking powder

- 1 scoop of Chocolate Shakeology

- 1 tsp. of Stevia or Truvia

- 1 egg

- 3 tbs. of water or milk

Mix together and microwave for 90 seconds! Delicious dessert for one is now ready! Yum! You can also add peanut butter or cocoa if you'd like. If you add peanut butter, just add a dollop in the center and push it down a bit. Enjoy! 

Healthy Chicken & Fries

Chicken and fries...a meal loved by many. Unfortunately, the typical chicken and fries meal is loaded with grease and high in calories. I found a recipe on Pinterest that I am liking. Instead of frying the chicken in a bunch of grease, you will bake them instead. It's such a healthier alternative!

Ingredients:

- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs

- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder

- 1/4 tsp. thyme

- 1/4 tsp. parsley

- 1/4 tsp. paprika

- 1/4 tsp. salt

- 1/8 tsp. pepper

- 1 and 1/2 lb. chicken tenders

- 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

2. In a bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, thyme, parsley, paprika, salt, and pepper and stir until mixed well. Set aside. 

3. Pour 1/4 cup olive oil into a separate bowl

4. Dip the chicken in the olive oil and then into the dry ingredients making sure both sides are coated. Place on baking sheet.

5. Bake for 25 minutes, flipping once. Sprinkle with fresh parsley if you want and serve warm. Chicken internal temperature should be 165 degrees F.

For the homemade fries I cut up sweet potatoes length wise into steak fry strips. Then, put in a large Ziploc bag. Add Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Season Salt. Shake with bag closed then lay then out onto a baking sheet and cook until they're crisp or for about 25 minutes. 

*I don't measure my olive oil or seasoning here. I just make sure I have enough in there to evenly coat all the fry strips without totally drenching them in olive oil. 

I hope your family enjoys this tasty meal!

Quinoa Protein Bars

I don't know about you, but I am always wanting to snack on something. Even if I just finish eating, you can count on me to be hunting a snack not long afterwards. Unfortunately this happens all the time. This yummy snack is easy to make, and it makes a lot too! That means I can make a batch and have several handy for when I'm wanting that sweet snack. Much better alternative than grabbing one of those chocolate-creme filled cupcakes from the pantry.

Ingredients:

- 2 cups of cooked quinoa

- 1/2 cup of natural peanut butter

- 3 tbsp. of honey (I like to use local honey)

- 1/4 tsp. sea salt

- 3/4 cup rolled oats

- 1 banana, mashed

- 1 egg

- 1/2 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut

- 1/2 cup unsweetened chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Mix the first 4 ingredients together very well: quinoa, peanut butter, honey, and sea salt

2. Add everything else to the mixture and mix well

3. Spread out on parchment paper lined pan

4.Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes

Warning: you're going to want to make these all the time now! :) 

Blender Blueberry Muffins

A home cooked breakfast is probably one of my favorite meals. There's just something about a fresh cup of coffee, the calm morning, and the smells of breakfast cooking that I just can't get enough of! One breakfast food I really enjoy is blueberry muffins. Thanks to Beachbody I found a healthy alternative to the typical blueberry muffin mix packs I use to buy! AND they aren't time consuming to make, so it's a win-win if you ask me! This recipe makes 12 muffins.

Ingredients:

- Nonstick cooking spray

- 1 cup of reduced fat plain Greek yogurt (2%)

- 3 tbsp. raw honey (I love using my local honey)

- 2 large ripe bananas, cut into chunks

- 2 large eggs

- 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

- 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

- 1 and 1/2 tsp. baking powder

- 1/2 tsp. baking soda

- 1/2 tsp. sea salt

- 2 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries

- 2/3 cup of chopped walnuts, almonds, or sunflower seeds (I prefer almonds)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. Line your muffin pan with muffin liners or coat with your cooking spray. I like to use the liners just to make my clean-up a little simplier

3. Put yogurt, honey, bananas, eggs, vanilla extract, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in blender. Blend until smooth. You may have to scrape the sides one or two times just to make sure everything gets blended together well.

4. Fold in blueberries and nuts

5. Evenly pour your mix into your muffin cups

6. Bake 20-25 minutes. My oven has a mind of its own, so I start testing them around 18 minutes just so I don't burn them. If your tester comes out clean, they're done

Once they cool you're good to go! 

Now this recipe will make about 12 muffins, and I'm going to assume you will have some left over. You can freeze any leftovers which also makes this recipe something great to make ahead of time to have as an easy on the go treat. You can put them in the microwave for about 30 seconds to have ready to eat right then, or pack them in your lunch box and they'll be thawed out by the time you eat them. If you follow the 21 day fix portion control containers, one muffin counts as 1/2 purple, 1 yellow, and 1/2 blue.

Clean Slowcooker Chili

I love slow cooker meals! There so simple it's honestly impossible NOT to love them, in my opinion! During the school year when life gets very busy, slow cooker meals become my go-to. They're great for those night when nobody feels like cooking and you're tempted to order pizza.

Ingredients:

- 1 lb. ground turkey

- 1/2 cup diced tomatoes (if you buy this canned try to get organic)

- 8 oz. whole kernal corn, canned

- 1/2 onion, diced

- 2 cloves of garlic

- 8 oz. can of black beans

- 8 oz. can of pinto, chili, or kidney beans (your preference)

- 1 tbsp. tomato paste

- 1 package of Lawry's chili seasoning

- Low-fat shredded cheddar cheese (optional...I skip on the cheese but only because of my dairy allergy)

Directions:

1. Brown turkey. Drain and discard any fat.

2. Put all the ingredients except for the cheese into your slow cooker.

3. Cook for 4 hours on low or 2 hours on high.

4. If adding cheese, top with cheese when serving

Enjoy!

Apple Crisp Yogurt Treat

I love a nice warm apple crisp! Especially with a BIG scoop of ice cream! Oh man! Apple crisps are a staple at fall gatherings, but do you even realize how much sugar is in those things?!? No wonder they taste so good! It's shocking honestly! This little creation is a simple way to have your apple crisp without all that added sugar.

Ingredients:

- 1 honey crisp apple (my favorite) cut into bite-size chunks 

- 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips

- 1 cup of plain greek yogurt

- 1 tsp of peanut butter

- sprinkle of cinnamon

Directions:

Mix & Enjoy! I'm telling y'all, if it's complicated I won't make it! Simple and yummy is my go-to method!

Clean Eating Cookie Dough Yogurt

I have a serious sweet tooth. I use to think I was more of a salty kind of girl, but nope! I want all sweet things! I guess that's what this pregnancy is doing to me. I read somewhere that if you're having a girl you crave sweet. At this point I would have to agree with that. 

Since I have been craving so many sweet lately, I have been on the hunt for healthier options. This clean eating cookie dough yogurt recipe is wonderful! It definitely satisfies my sweet tooth!

Ingredients:

- 3/4 cup of plain Greek yogurt

- 1 tbsp nut butter

- 1/4 tsp vanilla

- a pinch of sea salt

- 1 tbsp of mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Here's the easy part! Just mix it all together and top with the chocolate chips! A sweet and simple treat makes this pregnant girl happy! :) 

Clean Eating Chicken

Oh man, one of my go-to things to eat is chicken! It's also one of my favorite things to cook because it's so east and literally can go with almost anything! Besides chicken, I am also all about a simple recipe. If a recipe is complicated, you can count me out. Here's a simple recipe that I have found that is great! This is a clean version of chicken parmesan. I have a dairy-allergy, so I like to buy dairy free parmesean cheese to use with mine!

Ingredients:

- 2 pounds of boneless and skinless chicken breasts

- 1/4 cup of bread crumbs (gluten free or just regular panko crumbs)

- 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese (the fresher the better and grated!)

- 2 egg whites

- 1/4 tsp sea salt

- 1/8 tsp black pepper

- 1/8 tsp lemon pepper

- 1/8 tsp oregano

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. Break open eggs into a separate dish and scramble well

3. In a mixing bowl, combine bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, sea salt, black pepper, lemon pepper, and oregano

4. Dip each side of chicken breast into the egg and then into the bread crumb mixture

5. Place in a large baking dish

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have! 

Summer Cookouts: Turkey Burgers

It's officially summertime, and you know what that means! Cookouts, picnics, family gatherings, pool time, vacation, and more! Yes all of that is fun and wonder, but that also tends to be when we fall off the wagon with our nutrition.

Whenever my family gets together we usually have a cookout. We have the usual summer meal: hamburgers and hotdogs. Traditional hamburgers are chocked full of saturated fat, calories and cholesterol but they taste soo good! That’s because fat creates flavor and the more flavor the more rib stickin it gets.  But there is a way to preserve flavor and keep it clean!! 

So, now you may be wondering how in the world do I make a hamburger fit into my clean eating routine??

Here's how:

You need to start with lean ground turkey, fresh is best!
Chop 1 onion and fold into your turkey meat
I like to add onion salt (not required)
Garlic
Chopped parsley
Salt & pepper
I also like to add hamburger seasoning to give it a little more flavor
Form into patties and you're ready to grill!
We cook them until the juices run clear

Each burger s eaten on a whole grain bun with any veggie topping you want such as: lettuce, red onion, pickles, and tomatoes. I prefer mustard on mine and my husband prefers all natural ketchup. 

Now you're ready to handle this summer without a problem!