Greek Seven Layer Dip

Merry merry Christmas!!! The Smart family Christmas this year was a big success! Lots of laughs, walks, workouts, presents, amazing food and delicious drinks! I was in charge of an appie (clearly lol), my big bro made dinner, and my sister made an apple pie crumble for dessert…mmmm heaven :)

Ok recipe time! This healthy, delicious appetizer is such a perfect way to kick off a big meal! It’s quite light, filled with lots of veggies, and ridiculously easy to make. I highly recommend it!

Makes 8 servings    Total Time: 20-30 min (including time to chop the veggies)

Ingredients

1. 1 cup hummus
2. 2 tomatoes, diced
3. 1 cucumber, diced
4. 3/4 cup Greek yogurt
5. 1/2 tsp paprika
6. salt and pepper to taste
7. 1 cup canned artichoke hearts, chopped
8. 2 roasted red peppers, diced
9. 1/4 cup feta cheese
10. 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
11. 2 tbsp sliced black olives (for garnish)

Directions

1. In a 8×8 dish, spread the hummus evenly on the bottom. Layer the diced cucumber and tomatoes on top.
2. Next, evenly spread the yogurt over top. Sprinkle with paprika, salt and pepper.
3. Over the yogurt, layer the chopped artichoke hearts and the roasted red peppers. Crumble the feta cheese over top. Sprinkle on the parsley and garnish with the black olives :)
4. Serve immediately or chill for an hour then serve! I laid out pita chips and cut up veggies for dipping. Enjoy!

Original Recipe: http://www.cookincanuck.com/2014/01/healthy-mediterranean-7-layer-dip-recipe/

Katie’s Sweet Potato Chilli (Vegetarian)

Thank you thank you thank you to my good friend Katie for this suuuuper simple, but incredibly delicious sweet potato chilli recipe! I seriously have no idea how she has time to even eat, let alone cook up an amazing chilli. Katie, you’re such a gem…mwah!

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Prep Time – 15 min       Cooking Time – 20-30 min

Ingredients

1. 2 cups onions, sliced
2. 2 sweet potato, peeled and cut into cubes
3. 2/3 cup zucchini, diced
4. 1 can black beans
5. 1 can (28oz) diced tomatoes
6. 1 tsp cumin
7. 1 tsp salt
8. 2 tsp orange zest
9. 1 cup chicken broth or water

Directions

1. Combine all the ingredients in a big soup pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer until the sweet potatoes are soft.
2. Remove from heat, serve it up and enjoy!

Original Recipe: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/01/05/sweet-potato-chili/

Thai Peanut Zucchini and Black Bean Noodle Bowl

As I mentioned on Instagram, I’m doing a project for my Psychology Environmental Sustainability class where I need to change one aspect of my behaviour in order to contribute more positively to the environment. So of course i chose something food related lol. For the next four weeks I taken on the challenge of: eating no red meat, going meatless on Mondays and Wednesdays, and eating all organic food (and local whenever possible). Choosing food that is produced in a more sustainable way will significantly reduce my ecological footprint and help out the environment! So other than missing steak (and all meat 2 days a week), I’d say that’s a big win. I’m definitely up for the challenge.

So today was my first meatless Monday!! And dinner was absolutely delicious! I got the recipe from the Oh She Glows cookbook. Thank goodness I already have a bunch of vegetarian/vegan cookbooks to make this a lot easier.

Makes 1 serving      Total Time: 15 minutes 

Ingredients for Dressing

1. 1 clove garlic
2. 2 tbsp sesame oil
3. 1.5 tbsp all natural peanut butter
4. thumb size piece of fresh ginger
5. 2 tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice
6. 2 tbsp tamari

Ingredients for Salad

1. 1/2 cup cooked black bean noodles (or any long noodle you like)
2. 1/2 cup zucchini noodles
3. 1/4 cup edamame, shelled
4. 1/4 red bell pepper, sliced into matchsticks
5. 1/4 cucumber, diced
6. 1/4 cup green onions, chopped
7. 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped finely
8. Sesame seeds, for garnish

Directions

1. To make the dressing, throw all the ingredients into a blender and pulse until smooth.
2. To assemble the salad, throw the black bean and zucchini noodles into a bowl. Top with remaining vegetables. Drizzle dressing over top and garnish with sesame seeds. Easy!

Dill Butternut Squash Fries

This recipe, once again, is from the Paleo Kitchen Cookbook.  Obsessed clearly. I was pretty impressed! These fries are such a nice change from yam fries. A really good way to change up your carbs and use butternut squash. ENJOY!
Makes 4 servings      Prep Time – 15 min      Cooking Time – 40 min

Ingredients

1. 1 large butternut squash
2. 2 tbsp dill, freshly chopped
3. 1 tsp unrefined salt
4. drizzle of olive oil (or coconut oil)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut off the bottom of your squash to create a stable surface. Using either a sharp knife of a vegetable peeler, remove all the skin from the squash. Then, cut it up into fries.
3. Place all the fries in a bowl and toss with the dill, oil, and salt. Lay out in a single layer on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper.
4. Bake for approx 35-40 min or until nice and crispy. YUM!

Sweet Potato Veggie Quiche

OMG! I finished my 6-week Jim Stoppani Shortcut to Shred Program!!! Wooooooooo :) First time EVER actually finishing a full program and sticking with it! *Patting myself on the back* I may have taken a little bit longer than the 6 weeks since I added in full cardio days and my own whole body workout days/classes but whatevs! I couldn’t be more proud of myself! Pretty freaking happy with the results too. Now….if I had ACTUALLY stuck to the diet plan 100% of the time I would be looking like a serious fit babe right now ;) only partial fit babe happened lol.

Ok ok…less tooting my own horn here and more about this recipe! I got the original from the Paleo Kitchen cookbook, which (by the way) is a total keeper. So here’s my version of their Sweet Potato Quiche :) ENJOY!

Oh and plleeeeeaaase support PaleOMG and Civilized Caveman by going out and buying their new cookbook!!

Prep Time – 40 min       Cooking Time – 40 min

Ingredients

1. 2 large sweet potatoes
2. 1/3 cup onion, diced
3. 3 cloves garlic, diced
4. I large head of broccoli, chopped into small pieces
5. 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
6. 2 cups spinach, roughly chopped
7. 1 cup fresh basil, chopped
8. 3 eggs
9. 18 egg whites (or 1 small carton)
10. 1 tsp garlic powder
11. 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
12. 2 tsp black pepper
13. salt to taste
14. coconut oil for cooking

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a springform pan (9 inch) with coconut oil. Set aside.
2. Cut the sweet potato lengthwise into very thin slices.
3. In a large skillet, heat a bit of coconut oil over medium heat. Place 5-6 sweet potato slices in the pan and cook until soft, flipping half way through. Remove from pan and place on a plate lined with paper towel. Repeat until all the sweet potatoes are cooked up.
4. Line the bottom of the springform pan with the sweet potato and then line up the sides. If they’re not sticking to the sides properly, just add some more coconut oil. Place springform pan on a baking sheet.
5. Next, throw a bit more coconut oil in the skillet and add in your garlic, onions, mushrooms, and broccoli. Let the veggies cook up until soft (about 10 min).  Add in the spinach and stir around until wilted. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
6. While the veggies are cooking, whisk up the eggs, egg whites, basil and spices. Add in the veggie mixture and give it a good mix. Then, pour the egg/veggie mixture into the pan.
7. Place in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes. Let rest for about 10 minutes before serving :) YUM!

 

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

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!

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!

Cranberry Sauce

Who doesn’t love some cranberry sauce to go along with yummy roast turkey! But I never eat it because of all the sugar and crap that’s in most store-bought cranberry sauces.  So last Sunday night I decided to make my own and OMG…it was SO good! Not only could I control how sweet it turned out, but I knew how healthy it was so, of course, it tasted just that much better! Not one ounce of guilt enjoying my turkey dinner :) With only 3 ingredients, there’s no excuse to buy cranberry sauce in a jar (or can lol) from the store anymore!

Makes about 1.5 cups of sauce          Prep Time – 5 minutes        Cooking Time – 15-20 minutes

Ingredients

1. 2 cups frozen (or fresh) cranberries
2. 1 orange
3. 2-4 tbsp honey

Directions

1. In a saucepan over medium-low heat, add in your cranberries.  Let them thaw and start to turn saucy, about 5 or 10 minutes.  Make you sure keep stirring so they don’t burn or stick to the bottom.
2. While the magic is happening on the stove, zest and juice your orange.  Add the juice and zest, along with your honey, into the pot and stir occasionally.  The cranberries should start to pop and it should turn more into a sauce.  Add more honey if you want it sweeter.
3. Once the sauce has reached desired consistency, remove from the heat and let cool before serving.

Everything Salad w/ Green Coconut Curry Dressing

Ingredients for Salad

1. Lettuce
2. Broccoli, steamed
3. Golden Beets, steamed
4. Cucumber, chopped
5. Cherry tomatoes, cut in half
6. Roasted pumpkin seeds
7. Onions, chopped

Ingredients for Dressing

1. 1/4 cup cashews
2. 1/4 cup coconut flakes
3. 1/4 cup cilantro
4. 1/2 tsp salt
5. 2 tbsp lemon juice
6. 1 garlic clove
7. 1/4 inch piece ginger
8. 1/4 tsp cayenne
9. 1/3 cup water
10. 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

1. To make the dressing, combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well combined.  You might need to add more or less water/olive oil depending on the consistency you want the dressing.  Makes about 1 cup of dressing so there will be lots leftover :)
2. To assemble the salad, throw all the ingredients into a large bowl, top with dressing, and give it a good mix! Enjoy :)

Note – add a grilled chicken breast to make this a great meal!

Thank you to the Gorilla Food cookbook for this great salad dressing recipe!!