Dijon Brussel Sprout Salad

Happy New Year!!! So many resolutions this year – including posting more of my lovely, edible creations. So here we go…starting off 2015 with a recipe that includes one of my favourite vegetables. We all know that nothing can ever take the place of broccoli. It holds a special place in my heart <3 but brussel sprouts are definitely top 3. Ok now I’m rambling…I’m sure you actually didn’t care what my favourite vegetables are…ANYWAY…Let me know how you like this salad!! :)

Prep Time – 20 min       Cooking Time – 40 min

Ingredients

1. 1 tbsp olive oil
2. 1 lb brussel sprouts
3. 1/2 cup unsweetened dried cranberries
4. 1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
5. 2 tbsp olive oil
6. 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
7. 1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
8. salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash the brussel sprouts, cut off the ends and cut them in half. Throw them in a bowl.
2. Toss the sprouts with olive oil and some salt and pepper. Throw them on a pan and pop in the oven. Roast for about 30-40 minutes, flipping half way through. They should be nice and crispy.
3. While the sprouts are doing their thing in the oven, you can make the dressing. Mix together 2 tbsp olive oil, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard and some salt and pepper. Set aside.
4. When the brussel sprouts are done, let them cool for 10 minutes then assemble the salad. In a bowl, toss together the sprouts, cranberries and pumpkin seeds. Drizzle on some dressing and your done!

Chicken Turmeric Soup

Woooooo done my exams! Fall semester is FINISHED and I’m keeping my little fingers crossed that I don’t have to go back in January. Yep….that means I might be done my degree! No big deal. Just need to get my marks back, make sure my GPA is high enough and then apply for graduation :) BOOM!! Going from dropping out of high school to finishing my undergrad in psychology is such a huge accomplishment for me. I cannot wait to just be done with school and move on to the next chapter of my life :)

Post exam excitement :) 

Fitness Update: Love love loving my new program with Erin Dimond Fitness. The workouts are fantastic and I’m actually slapping some muscle on my little body! The meal plan is also working out great :) I’m eating so much more protein, being totally consistent (minus the mini celebration I had last night for finishing exams…the champagne and poutine definitely did not fit my macros lol), and seeing results! I’m able to eat so many more foods that I wouldn’t have allowed myself to enjoy in the past. IIFYM – “if it fits your macros” is just the best way to eat. Nothing off limits :) Ya tracking everything I eat, weighing out my foods, and eating all my meals out of a tupperwear can be kind of annoying sometimes, but I’m feeling a thousand times better. Completely worth it in the long run. Just one of the little sacrifices I have to make in order to reach my fitness goals. Hopefully a fitness competition is in my future sometimes soon:)

Ok so back to the important stuff….this soup. Ohhhhh my gooooooodness. My mum and I have really gotten on the soup train lately. Making a big batch of yummy soup on Sunday night is a great way to ensure you’ve got something healthy to eat when you’re short on time during the week. If you know me at all, then you know one of my favourite health quotes is “fail to plan, plan to fail.” Making healthy eating as easy as possible is so so important. Homemade soup = simple healthy living :) Enjoy!!

Makes 6-8 servings      Total Time – 1 hour

 Ingredients

1. 4 cups cooked chicken breast, chopped
2. 2 tbsp coconut oil
3. 1 bulb garlic, minced
4. 1 onion, chopped
5. 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
6. 1-2 tbsp turmeric
7. 1 medium leek, sliced
8. 3 cups kale, de-stemmed and chopped
9. 1-2 cups celery, chopped
10. 1-2 cups carrots, chopped
11. 1/2 cup miso paste
12. 5 cups water
13. 5 cups chicken broth
14. 1 lemon, juiced
15. 3 tbsp tarragon, chopped
16. 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
17. 1 tbsp onion powder
18. salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Start by dissolving the miso paste in 2 cups of hot water. This will take a few minutes so best to do it first.
2. Heat the coconut oil in a large soup pot. Add garlic and onions and cook until the onions soften. Next add in the celery, mushrooms, leeks, and carrots. Saute for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the turmeric, salt and pepper on top and give it a good stir.
3. Add the dissolved miso paste, chicken broth and remaining water. Bring it to a boil, reduce to simmer, cover and let it do its thing for about 20 minutes.
4. Next, add in the chicken, lemon juice, tarragon, parsley, kale, and onion powder. Let the soup simmer for another 10-15 minutes until the kale is wilted and soft.
5. Serve it up and enjoy!

Pumpkin Hummus

Whaaaaaaaaat?? There’s no chickpeas in this hummus?? YUP! And you would honestly never know it. This is another dish I made for my family thanksgiving dinner and it was a total hit. Not only was it delicious as an appie served with crackers and raw veggies, but it was AMAZING for the next few days on top of all the yummy turkey leftovers :) Overall, this recipe was a complete success and I’ll definitely make it many more times. Enjoy :)

Ingredients

1. 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
2. 1 cup zucchini, peeled and chopped
3. 1/4 cup tahini
4. 1-2 tsp garlic powder
5. 1 tsp cumin
6. 1/2 tsp paprika
7. 1/2 tsp salt
8. 1 tsp pepper
9. 1 lemon, juiced
10. 2 tbsp olive oil

Directions

1. Throw all ingredients (except for the olive oil) in a food processor.
2. Pulse slowly adding the olive oil until well combined. DONE!

Original Recipe: http://thepaleomama.com/2013/09/bean-paleo-pumpkin-hummus-guest-post-meatified/

Summer Rainbow Coleslaw

What a weekend!!! So so so proud of Kari for KICKING ASS at the INBF Fitness Competition on Saturday.  She scooped up second place in her Figure Tall division. Woohoo congrats Kari!!!

 

 

 

Makes 6 servings     Prep Time – 20 minutes

This delicious Rainbow Coleslaw is the perfect addition to any BBQ!! It was a nice change from the usual mixed greens or caesar salad that usually goes along with a yummy Turkey Burger – check out Kari’s Turkey Mushroom Burgers for a great healthy burger recipe!!

Ingredients for Salad

1. 3 cups shredded cabbage
2. 1 cup grated carrot
3. 1/2 cup green onions, sliced
4. 1 1/2 cups sugar snap peas, chopped on diagonal
5. 1 of each red and orange pepper, sliced into thick matchsticks
6. 1 cup cilantro, chopped

Ingredients for Dressing

1. 1/3 cup olive oil
2. 1/4 cup lime juice
3. 2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
4. 1 tbsp honey
5. 1 tbsp ground cumin
6. 1/4 tsp pepper
7. pinch of unrefined salt

Directions

1. To make the dressing, whisk together all dressing ingredients and set aside.
2. Throw all your chopped up salad ingredients into a large bowl.  Pour the dressing over the veggies and give it a good mix. Serve and ENJOY!

NOTE – Make sure you dress the salad at least 20 min ahead of time so the veggies have a chance to absorb the flavour of the dressing.

Original Recipe – http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/rainbow-slaw-salad/cb5b88d0-b382-4f29-94c8-33b7890e095c

Neapolitan Protein “Ice Cream”

WTF?! This is AMAZING. Why have I never made banana ice cream before?! It is my new go-to after dinner/bedtime snack :) It’s honestly really filling too…I had trouble finishing this bowl. But don’t worry…I persevered and got through the whole thing ;)

With summer right around the corner and the weather starting to warm right up, ice cream season is upon us. Just because you live a healthy lifestyle doesn’t mean you should miss out on yummy summer treats ;) Problem solved with this amazing ‘ice cream’ dessert.

Makes 1 serving      Total Time – 5 minutes

Ingredients

1. 1/2 frozen banana
2. 4-5 large frozen strawberries
3. 1/4 cup almond milk
4. 1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder (or casein)
5. 1 drop stevia
6. Optional Toppings – cocoa nibs, dark chocolate chips, nut butter, coconut flakes, fresh berries

Directions

1. In a blender, throw in your almond milk, frozen banana (cut into smaller pieces), strawberries, protein powder, and stevia.
2. Pulse on high until combined.  You may need to add some more almond milk slowly if it really won’t blend.  You also may need to open up the blender and give it a stir after every few pulses.
3. Once it’s allllll blended up, you can pour or scoop the ice cream into a bowl.  Add your desired toppings and voila!! Dairy-free, gluten-free, sugar-free, high-protein, guiltless dessert!

PB&J Egg White Quinoa Oatmeal

It’s been GORGEOUS in Vancouver the last week!! Ahhh heaven :) Too bad I’ve been crazy busy with homework and stuck in underground lecture halls every afternoon. Having class all afternoon Monday to Thursday definitely sucks when the weather is so nice out! But it’s Friday, sunny and Monday’s a holiday…life is good :)

I went out for my usual weekly training run this morning, hoping it would be better than the last few.  They just seem to be getting worse and worse! Ugh….NOT looking forward to the half marathon now.  This morning’s run was no exception.  I just felt like crap for around 10 of my 13 km. What the hell?!? Isn’t this supposed to be getting easier? Clearly I’m doing something wrong lol. Oh well….maybe next week will be better :P

Enough about my ridiculous run and back to the recipe! I was trying to figure out a way to make my oatmeal higher protein, and BAM! Thank you Pinterest! I found a recipe for egg white oatmeal…so clearly I had to change it up so it was gluten-free and make it PB&J lol. Hope you enjoy!!

Side note…I’m obsessed with hazelnut butter these days. Just sayin…its awesome :)

Makes one serving      Total Time – 10-15 minutes

Ingredients

1. 1/4 cup quinoa flakes
2. 1/4 cup almond milk
3. 1/4 cup water
4. 1 tsp cinnamon
5. 1/8 tsp stevia
6. 1/4 cup egg whites
7. 1/3 cup frozen mixed berries (thawed in microwave)
8. 1 tbsp any nut butter (I used hazelnut butter)

Directions

1. In a small saucepan over low heat, bring the quinoa flakes, almond milk and water to a boil.  Let simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn.
2. Next add the cinnamon and stevia and give it a good mix.
3. Add in the egg whites slowly, stirring constantly so they get all mixed in and cook without getting clumpy.  Stir around for another 3-5 minutes until fully cooked.
4. Serve up your oatmeal in a pretty bowl, topped with the mixed berries and nut butter.  YUM!

Bacon Wrapped Pineapple

These little amazing nibbles were soooo tasty…and I don’t even like bacon!! I basically cut off all the fat from the strips, which only left me with half the package to wrap lol. Oh well! Made me feel better about eating them :) ENJOY!

Ingredients

• Bacon
• Pineapple

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Lay out a strip of bacon with a piece of pineapple at one end.  Wrap it up and secure with a toothpick. Place in a baking dish.
• Bake for approx 20 min or until bacon is crispy :)

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!

Pink Detox Juice

AMAZING JUICE COMBO!!! This was sooooo refreshing after a sweaty spin :)

Ingredients

1. 3 beets
2. 2 large carrots
3. 2 apples
4. 1 inch piece of ginger

Directions

1. Wash all the veggies and cut into juice-able pieces. Throw everything into a juicer.
2. Yum!

Morning Glory Muffins

Happy Easter weekend!!!! Oh my goodness aren’t 4 day weekends just the best.  The weekend has been pretty great so far.  Other than the fact that I still have one exam left (ugh) so I’ve been trying to fit in studying wherever I can, I’ve had such an amazing couple days!

Yesterday started off with the BEST trail run! I was determined to run to Norvan Falls in North Van.  I had never been down that trail before, so the last couple kilometres before the waterfall was more rocky and ‘all terrain’ than I was expecting but I managed it ok.  Getting my groove in trail running slowly.  Other than a few times when I was super close to turning around and when I completely bailed into the mud, I had a big smile on my face the whole way. Pretty proud of myself for that one!! It’s the longest trail run I’ve ever done…only 15km total but I gotta start somewhere.  I’m also slowly building up my distance in training for the half marathon, so it was nice to cover that distance even though it was slower than I wanted. Great Saturday morning :)

The rest of yesterday was filled with lots of family visiting, an easter egg hunt, and cooking a huge dinner!

Ok, so back to talking about these muffins.  Holy *%$&!$.  I think these are BY FAR the best muffins I’ve ever made.  I’ve been snacking on them non-stop since I made them a few days ago. And now that I’ve finished eating the entire batch (ooops), I can’t wait to make more. Definitely a keeper.

Original recipe is from Feed the Manimals.

Makes 18 muffins          Prep Time – 20 minutes      Cooking Time – 30-35 minutes

Ingredients

1. 2 cups your choice of gluten free flour (I used a combo of quinoa flour and almond flour)
2. 1 tbsp cinnamon
3. 1 tsp allspice
4. 2 tsp baking soda
5. 1/2 tsp salt
6. 2 cups carrots, shredded
7. 2 apples, grated/shredded
8. 1 cup shredded coconut
9. 1 cup raisins
10. 1/2 cup chopped almonds (or another nut)
11. 3 eggs
12. 2 tbsp honey
13. 1/2 cup coconut oil
14. 1 tsp vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Using a food processor, shred up the carrots and apples.  Place into a large bowl.
3. Add in the flour, cinnamon, allspice, baking soda, salt and mix until combined.  Next, add in your shredded coconut and raisins and mix well. Set aside.
4. In a small bowl, melt coconut oil. Whisk in the honey, vanilla and eggs.  Pour into the dry mixture and mix very well.  The batter will be super thick and hard to stir. That’s ok…don’t worry!
5. Spoon the batter into a muffin tin lined with muffin cups. Pop in the oven and bake for around 30 – 35 minutes or until a a toothpick comes out clean.
6. Let cool and Enjoy!