Posts tagged clean eating
Italian Turkey Crockpot Meatballs

I know this site is usually dedicated for more vegetarian friendly foods, however I do make these for the two non-vegetarians in my household - my hubby and 18 month old daughter. They both LOVE these and I make them quite frequently. So while I hesitated posting to keep this site very vegan/vegetarian/flexitarian friendly, I do like to add foods that I DO actually make for others and this is one of them.

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Leftover Series: Collard Quinoa Seitan Wraps (V, GF)

Every week, on Thursday’s I started doing this LIVE Facebook video where I would take all of my leftovers from my fridge and re-create or create something new with it all together. It’s become a fun project and my Facebook friends seem to really be a fan of it. So, in honor of that I think I’ll make this a regular weekly thing as long as I’m at home….shoot who knows where I’ll be and may want to reinvent something!

So this week I had a lot of leftovers because we were crazed this week and only had a couple meals at home. Here’s a list of my leftovers (some of which were not used)

  • Collard Greens

  • Onion

  • Garlic Cloves

  • Spinach

  • Purple Cabbage

  • Carrots

  • Mushrooms

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Super Easy Vegan Crockpot Chili

A delicious and VERY simple preparation for one of the most amazing vegan chili’s I’ve done so far! Beyond easy and really is a way to use up all of your remaining veggies for the week in a very large way! All you do is rinse, chop and dump! That simple! You do need a few basics in your kitchen but I’ll take you through how to prepare for that and what staple pieces I keep in my kitchen at all times.

I’ve included my Facebook LIVE video here as well to take you through in greater detail and included the full recipe in this post! I hope you enjoy! Please follow me on Facebook or Instagram for more LIVE recipes to come!

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Fudgy GF Chocolate Chip Cookies

It’s all about the fudginess of the cookies. I mean who doesn’t like a half cooked cookie with the doughy center? Come on! The absolute dream cookie! Am I right?!? The trick is the consistency in the beginning. This is where you really want to pay attention to the amount of almond milk. You may want to add more if needed. The batter should be fudgy and sticky. Not runny. Not dry. Fuggy. That’s exactly how your cookies will turn out so pay attention here!

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Simple Creamy Broccoli "Cheese" Soup (V, GF)

This particular dish I set out to do a Broccoli “Cheese” Pasta for my baby and family and I had zero time that day as I was teaching all day. I threw everything into the crock pot and let it cook until I go back. Originally I had planned it to cook for about 2-3 hours but it ended up for cooking for more like 4. So what I came home to was virtually a soup at that point. Good news it was SUUUPPPEEER creamy and really tasted like soup!

A few nutrition facts about what I used. I used a chickpea pasta which is here and it is packed and it looks and tastes like pasta if you’ve never tried it! Gluten Free, Vegan, simple ingredients and protein packed (25 G for 4 oz cooked pasta)! 4 Servings in a box and that is pretty much what the total recipe below makes up.

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Creamy Butternut Squash Soup (V, GF)

When I set out to make this I had no idea what I was making - as usual! However, the creamy consistency and the flavor is just bursting out of the bowl! I can’t even take it!

All I’ve been craving is soups lately! It’s crazy how fall makes you immediately transition to more earthy and warm foods! Based on Ayurvedic lifestyle I am a Pitta and for fall I should be having seasonal harvested foods like apples and pears for cooling energy.

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Easy Maple Walnut Granola with Blueberry Sauce

This is not only simple and you can do it in the crock pot or in the oven. I always prefer the crock pot because its low maintenance for me. However, feel free to use the oven and place on a baking sheet.

I love this combo because I’m always looking for a bit more flavor in my yogurt and I love jam but with the sugar content I’m hesitant to use it so I made this little blueberry syrup as an alternative and all l can say is….. GAME CHANGER! I really added so much to the dish without all the sugar!

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Gut Healthy Rainbow Chickpea Salad

As I dive more and more into gut health and we establish its importance to your overall health I’ll take time to write out my own recipes and creations that I’ve come up with in order to combat an ever-changing gut microbes. I know that seems extreme and sounds like a long crazy word but as I dive into this you’ll begin to see the importance and what foods can not only heal the gut but along with it heal any ailments you may be dealing with currently.

I have many favorites and I continue to develop more and more recipes that help maintain and develop a healthy gut for me and my family along with all of you! This recipe has so much flavor and is so easy to prepare. 100% vegan. 100% Gluten Free. 100% whole food.

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Paleo Pumpkin Cheesecake (V,GF)

When I set out for this little experiment I really had no idea what the result would be - like most things I make. However, this one in particular I was hoping and praying as I went along my baking way! A few things about this recipes. Yes, its pumpkin, of course its almost OCTOBER! Second, it contains no gluten, has low glycemic index and can also be vegan. However, this particular recipe I did use eggs so therefore NOT vegan. An easy swap and you can make it vegan by using flax eggs.

One thing about my site is every single recipe is healthy! All of them I use natural sugars if I’m baking and I always use a grain substitute like chickpea flour, tapioca starch, almond flour, coconut flour and etc.

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Apple Cinnamon Granola with Comparisons to Store Bought!

I absolutely love making my own granola! I did a presentation last week on healthy snacks on-the-go and I wasn’t surprised at all to see the amount of sugar found in these little healthy gems! This one is actually one of the many reasons why I started making my own because I always got a sugar high and before I knew it polished off an entire bag! This defeats the purpose of granola in the first place!

First, let’s discuss the granola that’s out there. It comes in many forms and you can really buy so many varieties its ridiculous. This is a highly saturated market from gluten free, to paleo, to grain free, to nut free, to really anything you want. Marketing is all about labels and you absolutely have to look at the ingredients and nut trust labels.

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Spinach Artichoke Quinoa Salad

Looking to add some bulk to your salads? I find salads to be very unsatisfying and frankly I don’t opt for them often for that reason! I like to add some whole grains and fats to my salads and this is a great way to do that to keep things interesting, and filling!

With salads I don’t usually feel sustained energy and you may feel that way too if you are constantly running all day long! I always feel like I have energy longer and can maintain when I’m having a hearty lunch. By hearty I mean adding in some fats and whole grains.

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Paleo Blueberry Pumpkin Seed Muffins

This recipe was inspired by my favorite coffee shop that serves the most amazing blueberry muffin.  I go there a few days a week to work and they have the absolute best cappuccino ever - strong and smooth - and I always get their paleo muffin.  Its a perfect blend of light and fluffy, tasty, blueberry filled, a bit of crunch and very filling!   I would eat one of these and be satisfied for at least 3-4 hours which if you know me, is quite a feat!  So after paying $4 for my favorite muffin several times and carefully studyihg each bite, I decided to give it a try and make it myself!

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Grilled Eggplant & Marinated Tofu

This was really something I was dreaming up in my head and to be honest I didn't think it would live up to its expectations.  I mean, I like eggplant but it needs to be cooked really well with some major seasoning and/or marinade.  It lacks flavor and is really just a giant fibrous vegetable.  Thinking of vegetables, I really like to keep the variety in my palette.  Since this is purple it really keeps it mixed up and allows for me to have a full range of benefits.

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Meals Under 20 Min: Pesto Shrimp & Zucchini Pasta

If there's anything that can be created in less than 20 minutes, I'm in!  How about you?  I mean, most days I barely have time to get myself together let alone cook an extravagant meal with 10,000 ingredients.  Don't get me wrong I love cooking!  And I don't mind taking the time, SOME DAYS.  However, generally speaking I'm rushing just like most of you!  

Because we want to eat clean, and usually in the evening I'm trying to cook meals that are primarily veggies with protein.  I love shrimp because its easy to make and it goes with so many things!  I get the frozen wild shrimp often at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's - but it can be purchased anywhere.  The key is to look for the wild stuff.  By letting it set out for a few hours or keeping it in the fridge the night before is a great way to de-thaw it without having to think about it.  

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Gut Healthy Dal with Grain Free "Naan" bread

Ok, you guys I may have made one of the most amazing lentil recipes yet for me and my fam!  We're on day 3 now and its a huge hit and SO filling!  Usually my husband needs meat in addition to anything vegan I make but this time he's loving it as much as I do!  I also paired it with some delicious grain free, naan bread!  Ok, so my husband calls them pancakes but they are much more dense and I cut them into quarters and served them with the dal and my, oh my they are fantastic!  I consider them a mix taste-wise between corn bread, a pancake, and bread.  My husband just says they are pancakes but you be the judge!  Either way, they add to the texture, and keep this recipe grain free, dairy free, gluten free, and all the other buzz words.  AND they are natural meaning made with REAL FOOD!  

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Split Pea Soup (V) (GF)

This is one of my favorite recipes and I LOVE making this in the fall to warm my belly.  I may have started the process early because I was craving it in August but we had a cool week here in Denver and really put me in the mood for warm soul food. 

This recipe is very simple and I love to use my crock pot for this recipe.  It makes life easy for me the more I can use my crockpot. I've tried every type of "healthy" vegan split pea soup - normally it comes it with ham - and this one is soooooo incredibly creamy and smooth AND contains NO dairy!  How amazing is that?

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How To: Meal Prepping Basics

Let's start with the basics of planning your shopping trip to planning out your meals for the week.  First, decide if you are the type of person that gets bored with food easily, or you can roll with it as long as its planned out.  I'm DEFINITELY the type that gets bored and I really don't life leftovers for more than a day MAX two post cooking.  I just prefer my ingredients fresh.

Second, pick your go-to proteins.  This can be a range or stick with one particular protein like chicken.  If you are vegetarian is it tempeh, beans, legumes, soy, etc.  Or maybe you want a variety.  That's fine too, just choose your proteins as a base.

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Savory Plant Based Bowl Ideas

owls as you probably know by now, if you follow me on social media, are a favorite and huge staple in my diet.  I think I just love them because I really got into the macrobiotic diet a few years ago and really liked the structure and bowls were a huge thing.  I find it really easy to get creative a piece meals together in a very nutrient dense way!

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Cinnamon Nutty Granola ( GF, V,)

This recipe is super simple and you can really make it what you want with whatever ingredients you have on hand at the moment.  If you keep the base which is the oats and the honey as the binder you can pretty much throw in anything else you want and it turns out great.  I do love a touch of sea salt and cinnamon as well to keep the sweet/savory flavor.  However if you want to go all out savory you can add any spice you have in your cabinet.  If you want it sweeter sometimes I really love to add mini chocolate chips to change it up if I'm craving chocolate. 

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Glowing Green Smoothie

I truly believe in the power of greens to not only make you glow from the outside but nourish our bodies in a way that nothing else can.  Greens truly have the power to heal and by incorporating small amounts of greens to your daily life it starts to add up over time to where you not only start to feel the benefits but SEE the benefits through glowing, radiant skin!

I've made several variations of smoothies over the years and done so many different types of juices that's I keep going back to this variation that makes me feel like no other.  In fact, I had one green smoothie a day throughout my entire pregnancy and its the only thing that made me feel good on those days that I just felt nauseated and wanted to lie around all day.  There's nothing like the power of greens to kick you in your tail and supercharge your energy for the day!

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