Oh YES! Yes, yes YES!!!

Cinnamon Roll Granola

I love granola, I love cinnamon rolls...why not combine the flavors in one healthy little recipe?!  I just ate this over applesauce and it was freaking amazing!

Mix together in a bowl:

1 cup quinoa flakes (or regular old rolled oats)

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut

1/4 cup each sliced almonds and chopped pecans

Mix together in a separate bowl:

1/4 cup oil or melted butter

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

Pour liquid mixture over quinoa mixture and mix until evenly distributed.  Spread on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees for about 25 minutes or until golden brown.  Be sure to stir every 10 minutes.

Cool on the sheet, it will crisp as it cools.  Store in an airtight container.

PS, quinoa flakes are now cheap and higher in protein than oats.  I buy them here: https://www.vitacostrewards.com/hzlpuvn along with most of my pantry items.  Click through my link and we each get $10 off our next order!

Potatoes, polish, peppers...and onions, YES PLEASE!

This has been one of my favorite suppers since I was a kid: fried potatoes with polish sausage, peppers and onions (sugar, dairy and gluten free!).
I am now out of potatoes, at least I used them up much better this time though, only a couple bad ones left out of the 15 pound bag..  I am seriously going to stop wasting so much food!  If you were wondering, my no food shopping experiment lasted 3 days, I NEED to have fresh avocados, lemons, bananas and cilantro and I caved in:)

Seriously, is school almost over with yet?!

I have hit the wall, I now dread weekday mornings for the simple fact that I may have to pack a cold lunch.  God bless the hamburger and french fry hot lunch days!  Here is what the dear boy got today:

V8, fresh cucumbers, broccoli, snap peas and apples with peanut butter, cheese crackers and a fiber one brownie.  Is Summer almost here?!

Holy Blueberries Batman!

Going through my freezer I found two huge bags of blueberries so I guess I will be making a lot of blueberry smoothies!  I usually don't make smoothies for taste but health: frozen fruit, water, kale and protein powder.  (When I run out of fresh kale it will be frozen spinach, I am sure there is a crap load of that in my freezer too!)  They still taste pretty good but certainly not drool-worthy!  They are however extremely healthy, high in fiber and protein and low in sugar and calories.  My favorite protein powders are plain hemp or Vitacost vanilla.

I can't eat this healthy all the time so I think I will try to make a blueberry crisp tomorrow.  My grandma used to make them all the time and I haven't had it since I was a kid.  I was my favorite and I even used to request it instead of Birthday cake.

Pantry Raid Day 2

Protein is the first thing I think about when I make a meal.  Chicken, beef, pork or fish is usually about it...but this week I am forcing myself to look at all the protein sources I have. Turkey, beans, eggs, canned tuna and protein powder are just laying around here waiting to be devoured.  I am also trying to go gluten free so luckily I have a bunch of GF flours and pasta around too.  For lunch today I made (brown rice) penne pasta with tuna, red bell peppers, celery and peas, tossed with garlic olive oil, Pecorino cheese and black pepper.  Boil the pasta, chopped celery and peppers until done then toss with thawed frozen peas, oil and cheese.  By the way, pecorino is my new favorite cheese, it is basically Parmesan cheese made with sheep milk.

Pantry Raid! (and the fridge and freezer)

I am going to challenge myself (for many reasons) to only make food out of things we already have all week. I bought a half gallon of milk and we are pretty well stocked anyway so it shouldn't be hard but I LOVE going to get fresh produce every couple days...that will be the hardest part for me.

My first creation was greek turkey burgers with spicy tzatziki sauce.  I basically put everything Greek sounding with my 99% lean ground turkey: Greek seasoning, spinach, red onion, garlic, Kalamata olives, feta cheese and salt and pepper.  I formed patties in a oiled tart pan and baked at 375 for 30 minutes.  The sauce is greek yogurt, lime juice, garlic, chopped cucumber, salt and black and red pepper-blend in a food processor for a few pulses.  YUM!

Dehydrated and it feels so gooooood!

I received a dehydrator for my Birthday a couple months ago (Nesco Snackmaster) and I finally used it today.  I got some beautiful sweet red peppers on sale so I thought they would be perfect to try out.  I usually buy dried red bell peppers but this is going to be way cheaper and healthier!  And surprise surprise, SUCCESS!!!

I am going to break/chop them up and keep them in an airtight container.  I love these added to things like tuna and potato salads for a pop of sweet color.

Another breakfast of champions...

...to offset my potato chip, popcorn and bread obsession.

For the asparagus I sauteed it in a little butter and olive oil then pourer in a few Tbs of water and juice from half a small lemon (uncovered).  I let the liquid reduce down as the steam finished cooking the asparagus.  I also make my chicken breasts this way now (except I cover the pan after adding the liquid since chicken takes longer to cook).  You get a great lemon brown butter sauce from this method.  Add the creamy egg yolk and fresh parmesan cheese and it really makes it a decadent breakfast.

Oh and by the way, asparagus is on sale finally, I love this time of year:)

Happy March 1st!!!

Why can't I be this disciplined at night?

I always do well in the morning when it comes to healthy eating...

... but as soon as dinner is over, all I can think about is Doritoes, potato chips and mint Oreos!  Grrrr!

I got a big old bag of greens about to go bad...

...so what do I do?  Put it in pretty much everything!  This morning I got the brilliant (if I do say so myself) idea to put a couple big handfuls of baby kale into my sloppy joes.  They cook down so far that I doubt I will notice they are there and I just LOVE bulking up meaty dishes with veggies.  I also added a crapload of red bell peppers, onions and garlic...oh how I wish I had some mushrooms.  Nothing like turning 1/2 pound of 96% ground beef into 2 pounds of sloppy joe mix!  The sauce I healthed up too, ketchup (natural), Dijon mustard, a little stevia based sweetener, molasses, salt and pepper. 

I'm packing it up into my trusty soup thermos and bringing a couple low-carb tortillas for a very hearty lunch today.

My morning protein, fiber AND caffeine!

Green Tea Latte

3/4 cup milk (I use unsweetened coconut)
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon matcha tea powder
1 scoop vanilla protein powder ( I use Jillian Michaels Designer Whey)

Heat it all up on the stove over medium heat while whisking often then enjoy!  You may sub out tazo green tea concentrate for the water and powder.

Ambition also equals better cold lunches

Noodle salad, carrots & cucs, half an apple, sun chips and a V8.  My next goal is to QUIT USING PLASTIC BAGGIES!

 

Chobani "go"gurt, LOVE IT!!!

Reagan's new old style lunch box.

Whoa ambition, where did YOU come from?!

I have had a cold for the last week or so, not a bad cold, just annoying.  I woke up yesterday feeling semi-normal and that sparked a fire in me.  I cleaned my house and cooked all day yesterday and today (so far). 

Here's what I have made so far:
Beef stew
Egg salad
Chocolate chip cookies
Hummus
Baked spicy garlic tortilla chips
...and I have a pork roast (carnitas style) in the slow cooker!

All of it has been low-sugar and low-carb.  The cookies I made have almond flour, truvia and natural sugar free chocolate chips and the beef stew has cauliflower and broccoli instead of tons of potatoes.  Oh and the tortilla chips are made with low carb lavish flatbread.

Everything has been a hit except the chips, which are for me anyway.  We will be eating good for the next couple days!

How have you BEAN?

My most recent project is a perfect example of being cheap AND healthy.  I am no longer buying canned beans.  EVER (that's the goal anyway).

Canned beans are full of salt and most cans leach BPA into the food.  And now for the GOOD news, dried beans are WAY cheaper than canned, sodium free and chemical free, less gas inducing if you soak them AND they last longer on your pantry shelf.  Why in the world would I ever buy a canned bean again?!  Sure soaking and cooking takes a bit of time buy just make a big batch and freeze some of them in ziplock bags.  No more excuses.

 

Here are the ones I have

 

Kidney beans: Used pretty much only for chili.

Pinto beans: Mash them for refried beans.

Lentils: Add these to sloppy joe meat, soup, chili, spaghetti sauce and even brownies to boost protein and fiber. 

Chickpeas (Garbanzo beans): Hummus baby!  Oh and roast the cooked beans for a crunchy treat. 

White beans: Baked beans and pureed to add creaminess to dips. 

Black beans: Add a little garlic, cumin and hot sauce for a great Mexican side dish.

Mixed soup beans: Do I need to explain this?

 

 

 

 

 

The Bad Apple (and what to do with it)

Juice or blend it!
I absolutely hate wasting food, especially fresh produce.  Instead of throwing it away I juice or blend it into a energy boosting drink!  In this one I put a shriveled grapefruit, past it's prime apple, an old lime, a carrot, piece of celery, and a handful each of kale, spinach and parsley.  I swear it gives me as much energy as a cup of coffee!

Blending in a fairly high powered blender is ideal since you get all of the pulps fiber but sometimes I just feel like juicing.  I have a Oster blender and a Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Juice extractor and they work great and have held up well for how inexpensive they are.