Pumpkin muffins

Grain, dairy and refined sugar-free, these light, protein-packed pumpkin muffins are satisfying, yet kind to your waistline.

Ingredients (8 muffins)

• 1 c. almond flour
• 1 c. canned pumpkin
• 1/4 c. almond butter 
• 1/4 c. honey
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and blend well. Scoop ~ 1/4 c. batter into a paper-lined muffin tin. Bake @ 350F for approximately 28 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.

Power Muffins

Warning: these are healthy and yummy! Follow these instructions: Chop 2 cups of dates and place them in your blender. Add 2 cups of hot water. Blend into a liquidish mixture. Add 1 cup of oats and 2 tsp baking soda. Pulse in blender. Add 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1.5 tsp salt, 2 tsp vanilla, 1/4 cup buttermilk, 2 TBSP coconut oil, 2 eggs. Blend together. In separate bowl combine 1 cup flax meal, 1 cup almond meal, 1 cup oat bran, 2 TBSP pamelas baking mix flour. Mix wet and dry ingredients together. Add 1 cup chocolate chips (and walnuts if do desired). Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.(check the muffins after 15 mins)

Sun Dried Tomato Basil Hummus

• We didn't refrigerate it for an hour like the recipe suggests and it was great fresh out of the blender.
• From allrecipes.com
• 
  
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons tahini paste
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 (15.5 ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
• 1/4 cup finely shredded fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika (optional)

Directions

1. Place garlic, salt, tahini, and lemon juice into a food processor; process until smooth. Pour in the garbanzo beans and 1/2 cup olive oil; process until smooth again, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Once smooth, add the sun-dried tomatoes, and pulse until they have been chopped to very small pieces and are incorporated into the hummus. Finally, add the basil, and pulse a few times until mixed in.
2. Spread the hummus into a shallow serving dish, and make a few decorative grooves on top. Refrigerate at least 1 hour, then drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with paprika before serving.

Perfect Hard boiled eggs

1. In a large pot, place 12-18 eggs

2. Add water until eggs are nearly covered.

3. Place on stove and turn heat to high.

4. Once the water comes to a rolling boil, set the timer for 10 minutes. If needed, you can reduce heat slightly, but not much.

5. After 10 minutes of rapid boiling, immediately place your pot in the sink under cold water. Let the water fill the pot and start overflowing. It should replace the boiling water completely.

6. THE SECRET TRICK TO PERFECT HARD BOILED EGGS: Get a ton of ice and place it right on top of the eggs and cold water. Let it sit until all the ice has melted and even longer. mine usually stays in the sink a few hours until I get around to putting the eggs in the fridge. No rush, my friend.

7. Put eggs in the refrigerator

healthy Reese's cup

• 2 scoops of vanilla or chocolate whey protein (both are delicious however chocolate makes them tastes like a Reese’s cup)
• 2 large tablespoons of natural peanut butter
• 1 tsp of honey

Take a fork and beat it all together, roll them in balls and put in a container lined with wax paper. Refrigerate.

Tomato avacado salad

I don't know why I don't eat this kind of stuff more often. Easy. Tomatoes, avacado and a little bit of sea salt.

POWER-PACKED GRANOLA CEREAL

POWER-PACKED Granola cereal

• 1/3 c rolled oats (regular oats would work too)
• 1 t sunflower seeds
• 1 t shelled pumpkin seeds
• Dried fruit of your choice
• 1 T chopped raw walnuts

Combine all ingredients and top with milk. I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk and it was so good!

B-A-N-A-N-A-S

I haven't tried this yet, but I saw it on yahoo recipes and i'm really excited to try them!

Banana Salsa
Make a quick salsa with 2 diced peeled bananas, 2 tablespoons minced red onion, 1 tablespoon mincedcilantro, 1 teaspoon minced serrano or jalepeno pepper, juice of 1 lime, and brown sugar and salt to taste. Use it to top fish or tacos... ect...

Broiled Bananas

Slice 1 peeled banana in half lengthwise. Put banana pieces, cut sides up, on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle the banana pieces with 1 teaspoon brown sugar, and broil on high until the sugar bubbles and the bananas brown (about 2–3 minutes). After broiling, sprinkle with cinnamon—or drizzle with 1 teaspoon rumfor an extra-special treat.

egg salad

NOT YOUR AVERAGE EGG SALAD

• 2-4 cups mixed greens
• 1/2 c cooked quinoa
• 2 eggs
• sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• salt & pepper

1. Set a skillet over medium-high heat and lightly coat with nonstick spray.
2. Carefully crack both eggs into the skillet. Let cook for about a minute.
3. Add about a tablespoon of water to the pan and cover. [The water and the lid will help the eggs cook by gently steaming them.]
4. Let cook a few minutes more until the tops are white. For very runny yolks (i.e. over easy), cook for 1-2 minutes; for slightly cooked/slightly runny yolks (i.e. over medium), cook for 2-3 minutes; for gross yolks (i.e. over hard), cook 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and remove lid.
5. Place greens and quinoa on a plate, slide the eggs on top, sprinkle shredded cheese on top and season to taste.
6. Split egg yolk open and devour.

eating more veggies

Devin has a hard time eating veggies (surprise)! So lately i've been pureeing my veggies and adding them into things. Like spinach, carrots, cauliflower, squash ect... and adding it into any and every recipe! pancakes, cottage cheese, eggs, shakes...

It's a great way to get kids AND Devin to eat veggies, because he doesn't even know it's in there. mwahahahaha

Another fun idea I saw:

Keep your fridge and pantry stocked with healthy snacks instead of empty calorie snacks. One great idea comes Lynsey. She only gives her kiddos healthy options and then lets them choose. She does this by filling each hole of a muffin tin with only healthy choices such as - carrots, string cheese, yogurt, grapes, turkey slices, broccoli, edamame, orange slices, sliced banana, etc.... Look how happy these two look!

*Is it creepy that I just put a picture of kids we don't even know on our

blog? Oh well, now you get the idea!

Candy Chex

5 cups each: corn chex, rice chex, honey chex

1-2 Cups roasted almonds

2 Cup shaved coconuts (if you like coconut-yuck)

Combine and bring the following to a boil in large sauce pan:

1 stick butter, 1 Cup corn syrup, 1 Cup sugar

Boil for 1 minute. Remove f rom heat and add 1 Tsp. Vanilla

Pour over the cereal and almond mix.

Push it onto a large sprayed or waxed paper cookie sheet sit it can be broken up easily when cooled.

Fighting sweet cravings

take fresh blueberries and blackberries, drizzling a little bit of honey on top...adding some raw pecans or almonds or walnuts (whatever you have/want) and shaving a tiny bit of dark chocolate on top. HEAVEN.

Green monster

The Green Monster


Ingredients:
2 Cups Raw Baby Spinach
1 Tbsp Ground Flax Seed
1 Cup Almond Milk (I prefer Unsweetened Vanilla)
1 Banana
Ice

Directions:
Combine all ingredients into blender in the following order: flax seeds, spinach, banana, milk, and ice. Blend well. Drink up!

Sweet treat-strawberries

You'll need:

Strawberries - washed and dried.

Greek Yogurt - I prefer Fage 0%

Brown Sugar

3 Bowls

In one bowl place washed and dried strawberries. In another bowl spoon in greek yogurt. In the third bowl spoon in some brown sugar. Here's where it gets tricky. Step 1: select strawberry. Step 2: dip into yogurt. Step 3: roll lightly in brown sugar. Step 4: take a bite. Step 5: Smile. :)

Zucchini and avocado soup

Prep Time: 18 minutes
Cook Time: 7 minutes
Other: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup soup and 1/4 cup salsa)

Ingredients

• 3 cups chopped zucchini (about 2 medium)
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions, divided
• 1 (14-ounce) can vegetable broth (such as Swanson)
• 1 1/4 cups diced seeded peeled cucumber (about 1 large)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 3/4 cup diced peeled avocado (1 medium)
• 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Preparation

Combine zucchini, 1/4 cup green onions, and broth in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 to 7 minutes or until zucchini is tender. Remove from heat; cool 30 minutes.

While zucchini mixture cools, combine remaining 1/4 cup green onions, cucumber, cilantro, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl; toss well. Cover and chill.

Place remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, zucchini mixture, avocado, buttermilk, and cumin in a blender, and process until mixture is smooth. Cover and chill at least 2 hours. Pour soup into bowls, and top with cucumber salsa. Serve chilled.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

123 (54% from fat)

Fat:

7.3g (sat 1.5g)

Protein:

5.1g

Carbohydrate:

13.0g

Fiber:

5.1g

Cholesterol:

2mg

Iron:

0.6mg

Sodium:

768mg

Calcium:

76mg

Fresh corn salad

I'm dreaming of summer... Can't wait to try this. It just doesn't seem right to use canned or frozen corn.

5 ears corn, shucked
1/2 cup diced red onion
3 Tbsp cider vinegar
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
Handful of chopped fresh basil

Put a large pot of water on to boil. Boil corn cobs for 3 minutes. Remove cobs from pot and set on a towel to cool. Once cooled, cut kernels off the cob and put into a medium bowl. Add red onion, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix well to combine. Sprinkle on fresh basil.

Yields 4 servings.

Edamame Hummus

1 lb frozen shelled edamame, about 3 cups
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup tahini paste
1 lemon, zested and juiced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
4 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
A small handful of chopped fresh parsley

In a medium pot of water set on high, boil the edamame. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain into a colander and run under cold water until no longer hot and drain.

Pour edamame in the bowl of a food processor (or blender). Add the water, tahini, lemon juice and zest, garlic, salt, cumin, and olive oil. Process until smooth. If it appears thick, add a little more water while the machine is on.

Transfer hummus to a shallow dish. Drizzle on a small amount of olive oil and sprinkle with fresh parsley. Serve with vegetables

Avacado and cilantro deviled eggs

6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
1 avocado
1/2 tsp lime juice
1 Tbsp finely minced red onion
1 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro
A few dashes of Tabasco sauce
A few grinds of pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt

Cut eggs in half lengthwise. Carefully scoop out the yolks and put into a medium bowl. Put egg halves on to a platter and put into the fridge.

With a fork, crumble up the egg yolks. Cut avocado in half and remove the pit. Scoop out the avocado flesh and add it to the egg yolks. With a spoon, mix well, until the yolks and avocado are creamy. Add lime juice and mix well. Add red onion, cilantro, Tabasco, pepper and salt. Mix well to combine.

Remove egg halves from the fridge. Using a small cookie scoop, scoop avocado yolk mixture into the egg halves. Garnish with a single cilantro leaf. Serve immediately, or before the avocado browns.

Power Granola

Power Granola
by www.trainermomma.com
source: Cooking Light

2 cups regular oats
1/3 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup chopped slivered almonds
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cooking spray
1/3 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 300°.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl.

Combine orange juice, honey, and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat just until sugar dissolves, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in oil and vanilla.

Pour honey mixture over oat mixture, stirring to coat. Spread mixture in a thin layer onto cookie sheet coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 300° for 10 minutes; stir well. Bake an additional 15 minutes or until golden brown. Spoon granola into a bowl; stir in dried cranberries. Cool completely.

Makes 4 3/4 cups. Each serving is 1/4 cup at 93 calories.

1/4 cup black bean refried beans, fat free
1/4 cup plain yogurt, fat free or plain greek yogurt, fat free
1/4 cup favorite salsa

Just mix it all together and eat it with some fresh veggies.

Makes one serving at 90 calories for the whole darn thing. Add a few more calories for the veggies.