Chocolate Monkey Power Bars

Soooo I know I haven’t been cooking anything lately!! Now that I have some time, I made these AMAZING energy bars.  They taste EXACTLY like Lara Bars :) Deliciousness mixed with heaven!! <3 Great for a pre workout snack or even a sweet craving. Let me know what you think!

Makes 16 bars         Prep Time – 10 min       Baking Time – 20 min

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried pitted prunes (or dates)
• 1 ripe banana
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 cup coconut flour
• 2 tbsp arrowroot powder
• 3 tbsp chia seeds
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. In a food processor, add in prunes, banana, coconut oil and honey.  Pulse until combined.
3. Next throw in the remaining ingredients (except the dark chocolate). Pulse until well combined.
4. Spread out batter evenly in a 9×9 pan covered in parchment paper.  I used a spatula and wooden spoon to make sure the batter was even :)
5. Pop in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove and let cool.
6. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave or over a double boiler. Pour over the bars and spread out evenly.  Let cool completely (more than 30 min) before cutting into bars.  ENJOY!

Original Recipe: http://www.beyondthepeel.net/2012/03/chocolate-banana-power-bars.html

Power Goddess Bowl

Heaven on Hornby Island :) Having the absolute best time relaxing at my cabin this weekend. After the craziness of exams and spring semester is over, this is a much needed break. I only have a week before I go back for summer semester (yuck) so I’m making the most of it. Dad and I left early yesterday morning and got up here just in time for a nice long walk with the dog around Helliwell.

This morning I headed out for a run :) My legs just felt heavy the whole time! What the hell! I couldn’t get into a groove and was just slow lol oh well i guess you can’t win them all!! I had a route all planned out and thought it would be around 16km but no dice lol. So in an attempt to add in some extra kilometres, I took a different trail which ended up on a rocky beach. I tried so hard but the beach just wasn’t made for running :( ugh! So my total run was 14km with a half km walk back to the cabin along the beach at the end. Dammit!! I wanted so badly to run over 15km. I guess I’ll have to try again tomorrow ;) Today was just not my day. At least the scenery was gorgeous :)

I made this yummy power bowl from the Oh She Glows cookbook a couple weeks ago, but never had a chance to write up the recipe since I was CRAZY busy studying for exams. So finally here it is :) This was a great, easy dinner that made lots of leftovers to have for lunches the rest of the week. Another absolute gem from Oh She Glows <3 I changed up the recipe a bit from the book to fit what I already had in the house, but it still tasted aMaZiNg :)

Makes 3 servings         Prep Time – 10 minutes      Cooking Time – 30 minutes 

Ingredients for Lemon-Tahini Dressing

1. 1/4 cup tahini
2. 2 garlic cloves
3. 1/2 cup lemon juice
4. 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
5. 3 tbsp sesame oil
6. pinch of salt and pepper

Ingredients for Lentil Bowl

1. 1 cup dried lentils
2. 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
3. 1 tsp coconut oil
4. 1/2 small onion
5. 3 garlic cloves
6. 2 ribs celery
7. 1 bell pepper (i used orange)
8. 2 cups kale or spinach, chopped
9. 2 tbsp sunflower seeds

Directions

1. Cook lentils according to package directions.  Set aside.
2. Next, chop up all your veggies and get them ready for cooking.
3. In a large pan over medium heat, melt the coconut oil.  Add in the onion, garlic and celery. Sauté for a few minutes until soft.  Next add in your bell pepper. Let cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes.
4. While the veggies are cooking, you can make the dressing! In a food processor or blender, add in all your dressing ingredients.  Give it a good blend until combined.
5. When the bell peppers are soft, add in your chopped spinach or kale. Stir it around until wilted.
6. Then, you can add in your lentils, quinoa, and dressing.  Reduce the heat to low and stir around until combined and heated through.
7. Serve it up and top with sunflower seeds :) YUM!

Sausage and Egg Mexican Breakfast Wraps

Wow thank god exams and school are DONE!!! Well at least for a few weeks…. Things got so busy at the beginning of December I think I ate baked chicken breast and steamed veggies for every meal :S sooooo boring!! And I didn’t get to create any new recipes to share. So I had a lot of fun making these wraps for Cale one morning.  I thought he needed a change from his usual breakfast hash that he requests every morning.  These little breakfast delights are super tasty! And really filling.  Great for lunch as well.  Enjoy :)

Makes 2 wraps (one large serving or two smaller ones)    Prep Time – 10 min    Cooking Time – 10 min

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1 chicken sausage
• 1/2 red pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup onion, diced
• 1/4 cup green onion, chopped
• 1/8 cup cilantro, chopped finely
• handful of spinach or kale, chopped very fine (optional for added nutrition)
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp cajun spice
• 2 whole grain tortillas
• 1/2 an avocado
• salsa

Directions

1. In pan over medium heat, start cooking up the sausage.  I like to remove the meat from the casing and cook it up that way.
2. While the sausage is cooking, crack the eggs into a bowl and give them a good whisk.  Add in the red pepper, onion, green onion, cilantro, and spinach, cumin and cajun spice. Mix up until well combined.
3. Once the sausage is almost done cooking, add the egg mixture into the pan.  Keep stirring until everything is all cooked up.
4. To assemble the wraps, place half the egg and sausage mixture into the middle of each wrap.  Top with some avocado and salsa.  ENJOY :)

Pumpkin Dark Chocolate Muffins

YUM. Don’t really think i need to say anything else. I’m really into pumpkin right now…guess that’s what happens in the fall! So I think there will be quite a few pumpkin recipes coming up :)

Thank you sooo much PaleOMG for another great recipe.

Makes 9 muffins         Prep Time: 10 min          Baking Time: 30 min

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 3 eggs, whisked
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/3 cup oats (optional – if leaving out just add more coconut flour)
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/8 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin, honey, coconut oil, eggs and vanilla.
3. In another bowl, mix together remaining ingredients except the chocolate chips.
4. Then slowly add the two bowls together and mix until just combined.  Add in the chocolate chips and give it a few more mixes.
5. Scoop the batter evenly into a muffin tin lined with muffin cups.
6. Bake for about 30 min. Let cool before sampling so you don’t burn your mouth like i did…

Celery Parmesan Salad

I’ve kind of been obsessed with celery lately.  Other then carrots, it’s my new favourite snack food.  So of course I would LOVE a salad made of celery. My mum made this a few weeks ago and I was in love.  Amazing side dish to go along with some baked chicken :) YUM!

Makes 4 – 6 servings       Prep Time: 1 hr 30 min 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp minced onion
• 1 tsp celery seed
• salt and pepper to taste
• 5 cups celery, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
• 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Directions

• To make the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, lemon zest, 1/4 cup lemon juice, onion, celery seed, salt and pepper.
• In a large mixing bowl, toss the sliced celery with 1 tbsp lemon juice and pinch of salt.
• Next, toss the celery with enough dressing to moisten well.  Cover and refrigerate for about an hour to marinate.
•  When ready to serve, place the mixture into a serving bowl.  Top with the parmesan, pumpkin seeds, and parsley.  Serve and enjoy!!

Original Recipe: foodnetwork.com

Blueberry Dark Chocolate Cookies

Thank you soooo much PaleOMG for another amazing recipe! I switched it up a bit because I didn’t have all the right ingredients, but they turned out AMAZING! These little gems are so different than the cookies I usually make. Plus they’re purple! How much better could it get?

Makes 24 cookies      Prep Time: 20 min     Baking Time: 15-20 min

Ingredients:

• 2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1 cup almonds (or nut of choice)
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 3 tbsp honey or maple syrup
• 1 egg, whisked
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Place the two cups of blueberries in a pot over medium heat.  Cook for 8-10 minutes stirring frequently.
• While the blueberries are cooking, place the almonds in your food processor and puree until all ground up – this takes a few minutes. While your food processor is still running, add the coconut oil to make almond butter.
• Once the blueberries are done cooking, add them to the food processor and puree until well combined.
• In a large bowl, add the remaining ingredients and give it a good stir.  Pour the blueberry mixture into the bowl and mix well. Note – Wait until the blueberries have cooled down before combining with the rest of the ingredients.  Otherwise the chocolate chips will melt and not be very chippy :(
• Spoon batter in 1-2 tbsp chunks onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for approximately 15 – 20 minutes.
• Let cool and ENJOY!

NOTE: if you like things a little bit less sweet, only use 2 tbsp of honey instead of 3  :)

Overnight Blueberry Almond Butter Parfait

Studying sucks. After such a relaxing, fun summer, I forgot how depressing it can be sitting at a desk reading and taking notes all day. I’m studying for my ACE personal trainer certification exam, which is OMG next week! Ahhhh! So much to do in not a lot of time! I guess my fun summer is pretty much over since school is starting next week as well! Haha back to reality.

While I’m sitting at my kitchen table surrounded by stacks of paper and yellow highlighters, I figured I might as well have an incredibly delicious breakfast to cheer me up. This recipe sure did the trick! It took a bit of time to put all the layers together but I was procrastinating getting back to studying…

Makes 2 servings           Prep Time: 15 minutes (plus leaving oats overnight)

Ingredients for Blueberry Overnight Oats

• 1/3 cup rolled oats
• 1 tbsp vanilla protein powder (i used hemp protein)
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup
• 1/2 tsp honey or few drops of liquid stevia (optional)
• 1/2 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Ingredients for Parfait

• 1 tbsp almond butter
• 1 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
• 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

Directions

• In a bowl or tupperware container, mix together rolled oats, protein powder, chia seeds, cinnamon, vanilla extract and 1/2 cup almond milk.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• In the morning if you’re in a hurry, you can eat the overnight oats just like that topped with the blueberries. Or…you can make the beautiful parfait! :)
• Blend up the overnight oats with the blueberries until smooth.  You may need to add a bit more almond milk to get the right consistency.
• Next, make the almond butter layer by mixing up the almond butter with the almond milk.  I just gave it a good mix with a fork in a little bowl.
• To assemble – place a spoonful of the blueberry oat mixture on the bottom. Next, add a layer of the almond butter mix and top with a few spoonfuls of greek yogurt. Finally, spoon more of the blueberry oat mixture for the last layer.  You can create a pretty design on the very top with blueberries if you like :) ENJOY!

NOTE: You can use cottage cheese instead of greek yogurt if you prefer. As well, any type of nut or seed butter can be used in place of the almond butter.

My wonderful mum and I at a wedding last weekend

Heritage Tomato Salad

Thank you to my lovely mother for this recipe! She made it for dinner last night and I was very impressed :)

GUEST POST

Serves 6       Prep Time: 15 min

Ingredients

• 6 heritage tomatoes
• 1/2 cucumber
• 1/2 sweet onion
• 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp hot sauce
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• To prepare the salad, slice the tomatoes to 1/4 inch thickness. Next, slice the cucumber and the onion into very thin slices. Layer the veggies on a serving plate.
• To make the dressing, add remaining ingredients into a shaker bottle and mix until very well combined.
• Pour the dressing over the salad about half an hour before serving.  This will allow time to marinate :) ENJOY!

Baked Carrot Chips

These were actually really delicious! I was missing yam fries on the Dr. Joshi Detox, so decided to try something different! The thinner you slice the carrots, the more they resemble chips (rather than just roasted carrots). You can also season these bad boys with anything you want! Sweet or savoury – your choice! I just tossed the carrots with a bit of salt but next time I might get crazy and try cinnamon ;)

Ingredients

• carrots
• olive oil
• unrefined salt

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Slice carrots VERY thin. Toss in a bowl with a little bit of olive oil and salt (or seasoning of choice).
• Lay carrot slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Bake for 8-15 minutes or until crispy.  Baking time will vary depending on how thin the carrots are sliced – so just watch them carefully to make sure they don’t burn :)

DETOX DAY 19 – Beet, Carrot and Spinach Smoothie

WOW.  Words honestly cannot even describe how AMAZING this juice/smoothie is.  I’m totally head over heels in love <3

The great thing about this detox is that I’ve had to try soooo many new things.  Some good…some not so much :S But I’m out of my old routine and experimented with lots of new ingredients.  Plus I feel fantastic!  Can’t ask for more than that!

This recipe makes enough juice for a few smoothies – in case you want to save the extra juice and make another smoothie tomorrow :) It takes a little bit more time to make the juice and clean the juicer etc, so that’s why I make extra juice!

Ingredients for Juice

• 3 beets
• 3 ribs of celery
• 10 carrots
• 1 lemon
• 3 stems of kale

Ingredients for Smoothie

• 1/2 banana
• 1/4 cup vanilla rice milk
• handful of spinach
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 – 2 cinnamon
• vanilla hemp protein
• 1 tsp ground flax (optional)

Directions

1. Juice all of the juice ingredients.  Make sure you wash the veggies carefully before juicing them – otherwise all the dirt thats on outside will be in your juice.
2. Pour 1/3 – 1/2 of the beautiful pink juice into a blender.  Add more juice if you’re not using rice milk. Then add remaining smoothie ingredients.  Blend it up and enjoy!!