Healthy Hash Browns

Hi Everyone!
My schedule has been CRAZY lately but after getting a lot of requests, I had to post this super easy recipe for Healthy Hash Browns! It takes about an hour when everything is said and done but the result is a crispy, delicious version of a typically unhealthy breakfast option. I ended up eating almost the whole plate for dinner, so I guess it was brinner?? :)
The beauty is this recipe is how low in carbohydrates yet you get a nice serving of veggies and fiber! Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 butternut squash
1 medium sweet potato
1 whole egg
2 tbsp almond meal
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp olive oil

1) Preheat oven to 400F.
2) Slice spaghetti squash in half and place cut sides down on a baking sheet. Bake for 35 minutes or until edges are browned.
3) Allow spaghetti squash to cool.
4) While squash is cooking, peel the sweet potato. Grate potato or slice potato into 6-8 sections and chop in a food processor.
5) Crack the egg into a large bowl and whip until fluffy. Set aside.
6) When squash is cooled, pull spaghetti strands with a fork. In a downward motion from the stem of the squash, scrape to pull strands.
7) When squash is "pulled", mix 1/2 into the egg bowl with sweet potato crumbles. Mix thoroughly.
8) Add almond meal and spices.
9) In a skillet, add olive oil and set to medium heat.
10) Using a spoon, drop the mixture onto the pan and smooth down. Cook until browned and flip.
11) Repeat with the rest of the mixture.

Tips:
a) Feel free to double the recipe to use the entire spaghetti squash. If not, you can saute the remaining squash with vegetables, meat, or whatever you like.
b) If you have it, you can substitute olive oil with coconut oil.
c) Try cooking the spaghetti squash the night before if you have time.
d) If you mixture seems wet, add almond meal little by little to thicken it up.

Enjoy!

Black Bean Red Pepper Salsa

This is so good! I wanted to toss something on top of my tilapia for lunch and I whipped this up in under 5 minutes!
It tastes great hot but chilled is just as good! Would pair nicely with raw veggies as a dip, whole grain pita or pretzels! Mmmm!

Ingredients
3/4 cup black beans, rinsed
1/2 red pepper
1/4 large onion
3/4 cup corn, cooked or fresh
3-4 stems cilantro
Fresh Lemon
2tsp olive oil
Sea salt
Pepper
Chili powder
DriedOregano
Dried Basil
Dried Parsley

1) Coat the base of the frying pan in olive oil. Heat on medium.
2) Chop the onion and red pepper into small chunks. Add to frying pan.
3) Allow pepper and onion to cook for 4-5 minutes or until the chunks begin to soften slightly.
4) Add corn and black beans.Cook for 4-5 more minutes stirring frequently.
5) While the beans and corn cook, chop cilantro into small pieces and add.
6) Add dry seasonings to taste. I added 2-3 "shakes" of each seasoning and ground the salt grinder twice.
7)Stir in all seasonings and remove from heat.
8) Squeeze lemon juice on top and mix in.

Enjoy!

Tips
1) Cook frozen corn in advance and drain before using in this recipe. Fresh corn would work perfectly.
2) If you dislike cilantro, you can omit it. The flavor will vary slightly but still will be delicious!

No-Bake Energy Bites

I have been seeing lots of energy bites on Pinterest and decided to give them a try. I felt guilty about making cookies, so I made these as a way to gets sweet fix without interfering with my lifestyle.

These can be made many different ways, so find what you like and run with it!

Ingredients
1 cup dry oats (I used a mutli-oat mix that can be purchased at Trader Joes.
3/4 creamy peanut butter or nut butter
1/3 cup raw honey
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1/2 cup sliced almonds, crushed
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon

1)In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Using a spatula, continuously fold ingredients until completely mixed. The mixture will not be completely stick together.
2) Scoop out tablespoon sized mounds and roll into a ball. You may need to use your hands and pack the balls tightly so they won't fall apart.
3) Store in an airtight container, makes about 20-25 bites.

Heavenly Chocolate Bites

Last night I prepared a little dinner for my closest friends! A dinner party at my house is a big deal to me no matter what the occasion. I decided to make a lovely chicken cacciatore, Italian bread, salad and dessert. I decided to turn to Pinterest to get inspired and it worked!

This little bites of chocolate heaven are delicious and part of a clean eating diet. The only ingredient that wasn't clean in the actual bites I made was the chocolate because I didn't have any raw cocoa nibs. So here goes! Enjoy!

Ingredients
2/3 cup cooked steel oats, hot
1.5 cup sliced almonds
2tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
6 tbsp raw honey
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cup chocolate chips

1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2) Combine hot oats, almonds, vanilla, cinnamon, sea salt, honey and flour in a stand mixer bowl.
3) When all ingredients are thoroughly mixed, slowly add chocolate chips on medium speed.
4) The heat from the oats will cause some of the chocolate to melt. Mix for about 15-20 seconds until mixture is dark brown and mixed well.
5) Form small mounds about 1tbsp each onto a cookie sheet lined with a baking mat, parchment paper or greased.
6) Bake for 20 minutes. The cookies will not look much different than prior to baking.
7) Allow cookies to cool completely before serving.

Tips:
1) If you don't have a stand mixer, prepare all ingredients in advance and combine quickly to ensure chocolate melts. Stir by hand for about a minute to ensure the batter is mixed properly.
2) Chocolate chips and regular honey will also work for this recipe.

Have a delicious day!

Brown Rice, Zucchini & Kale Bites

Kale is the way to my heart! <3 

Hey everyone!
I put a picture of this on my Instagram and Facebook (follow me!!!) and I got so many requests for the recipe, so here goes!!!

The recipes has several steps but overall is pretty simple. It happened to come together for me rather quickly because I already had brown rice made.

Ingredients
1.5 cups cooked brown rice
5 bushy stalks of kale
1 cup shredded zucchini
2 eggs
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup low-fat shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
olive oil
parmesan cheese

A) In a large pot, steam kale with about 1 inch of water. Kale will be done when leaves are bright green and slightly soft.
B) Allow kale to cool on paper towels. On a cutting board, remove leaves from stem.
C) Chop leaves into fine pieces and place in a bowl.
D) In a separate bowl whisk eggs together with spices, flours and cheese.
E) Slowly add brown rice, kale and zucchini. Keep mixing gently to incorporate all ingredients.
*Be careful not to beat the mixture too much. If your kale is still very hot it could cook your eggs!
**If your mixture still looks very wet, add a tbsp of whole grain flour to thicken it up.
F) Heat about 1 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan on medium until oil begins to bubble slightly.
G) Using a spoon or spatula, scoop a golf ball sized amount of the mixture and lay it into the pan. Using the backside of your spoon or spatula, press it down to make a patty.
H) Allow to cook for 3-4 minutes before flipping. The cooked side should be a golden brown color. Repeat for other side and remove from heat.
I) Optional- Sprinkle a small amount of parmeasan cheese on top & enjoy!!!

Tips:
- Depending on your pan you can cook several patties at one time. I cooked three at a time in my 9 inch pan.
- This is a great leftover meal. If you don't have precooked brown rice, make sure your rice is fully cooled before mixing with eggs. Both hot rice and kale will definitely give you scrambled eggs before you cook!
- Quinoa, white rice and barley would also work in this recipe!
- I initially tried this with egg beaters but there was not enough binding by the eggs. You can try 1/4 egg beaters with 1 whole egg.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Protein Smoothie

Chocolate PB Banana Smoothie

After a hard workout, it is sometimes hard to make a meal/snack that will replenish your body with the nutrients it needs. It's easy to grab a bag or box of whatever is on hand and begin to chow down. Sadly, this habit will basically eradicate any work you have just done and probably at compensatory calories to your daily intake. In other words- eating garbage after your workout doesn't help no matter how hard you exercised! 

I have begun to incorporate more protein smoothies into my daily regimen because they are tasty and often will kick a sweet tooth at the same time. 

Tonight I went a little bananas in my classes at the gym and felt that some protein would be necessary to fuel my muscles and body after my workout! This shake has 28 grams of protein, healthy fats and a nice little oomph of carbs!

Ingredients

1 scoop chocolate protein of your choice (I use Whole Foods Chocolate Whey)

1 frozen banana, sliced

2 tbsp organic peanut butter of your choice

16 oz of almond milk 

1) Pour almond milk into blender and add protein powder. Blend.

2) Add 1 tbsp of peanut butter and 1/2 frozen banana. Blend.

3) Repeat step 2 with remaining PB and banana. 

Enjoy! 

Tips:
a) dairy/soy/rice milk can be used but will alter protein content

b) If using organic peanut butter, keeping it refrigerated not only assists in reducing bacterial growth but also makes it much easier to mix or scoop out! 

c) I use a junky blender so if you have a high-end blender or something fancy, just toss it all in! 

Peanut Butter Banana Whippers

Whip it Good!

So my darling fiance and his family LOVE ice cream! I mean LOVE LOVE LOVE ice cream! I have definitely caught the ice cream bug from them and enjoy it once in a while. About 2 years ago, I went to a fabulous restaurant in Philadelphia owned by my best friend's friend Rocco. The restaurant is called Fuel and features a substantial menu of fresh, organic ingredients and all under 500 calories. Now, I know some of you are thinking, "Yeah, and it all probably taste like paper." Nope! The food is filling and flavorful!
Well, to get on with the story, my friend told me about these Banana Whips that Fuel sells. She described it as ice cream but without the guilt. Sounds good to me! When I tried them, I ordered the Nutella Banana Whips and oh my goodness, delicious! So here are my rendition of the Banana Whips!

Ingredients
2 bananas, sliced and frozen
2 tbsp peanut butter (I used organic, but any will do)
Ground Cinnamon

(Yes, that's it!)

1) In a food processor, puree the frozen bananas until smooth. You may need to pulse the processor a few times to pull the banana down toward the blade. Use a silicon spatula or wooden spoon to push down banana. Whip for about 30 seconds more.
2) Add peanut butter and puree until completely incorporated.
3) Using a silicon spatula, scoop banana whips out of food processor bowl and into an air-tight, freezer safe container.
4) Scoop your own portion out and sprinkle with cinnamon!

Tips
a) This simple recipe can be adapted in a million ways! Add nutella (like fuel), berries, protein powder, anything! You name it and it will probably taste amazing!

Kale Chips!

I didn't have time to take a picture of my finished product because I was Skyping with a friend and munching away. This is what they look like when done!
Photo Credit:  Kalyn's Kitchen

So I posted a photo of kale chips on my Facebook page a while back and I have gotten a lot of requests for the recipe. Kale is one of the world's superfoods and is very high in Vitamins K, C & A! It is high in fiber and pretty darn delicious, too!

I am a potato chip kind of person. I love the crunchy, salty, greasy aspect of it. But guess what? Crunchy, salty, greasy isn't great for your outsides or insides. Kale chips are a perfect way to get the craving for the crunchy, salty, greasy without all the negative side effects.

Ingredients
1 bunch kale
Olive oil in a misto (or olive oil spray)
Sea Salt Grinder
Black Peppercorn Grinder
Baking sheet pan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
1) Thoroughly wash and dry kale.
2) Using a knife, slice the leafy portion off of the center stem of all of the kale.
3) Cut the kale leaves into "chip sized" portions. I like tortilla sized kale chips, about 1 inch x 2 inch.
4) Spray olive oil on the sheet pan.
5) Spread kale out on the sheet pan. Try not to let leaves overlap. You may need to make two batch or use 2 sheet pans.
6) Lightly spray the kale with the olive oil. The idea is to provide a light coating and not soak the kale. Soaking it will cause the kale to get soggy and not achieve the crispy, chippy effect.
7) Using the sea salt and peppercorn grinders season to taste.
** Kale doesn't need much seasoning so I wouldn't advise going overboard with the salt. The natural flavor is delightful. Enjoy it!
8) Bake for 7-10 minutes. Keep an eye on your kale. If the edges begin to darken, it's done.

Tips
a) Save the stems of the kale in a freezer bag to make your own vegetable stock! Mmmm!
b) Kale smells absolutely putrid as it bakes. PUTRID! Don't let it discourage you from trying this tasty, healthy snack!

Kale me, baby!

Have a delicious day!!!! xoxox

Just Getting Started!

Hello Everyone!
If you have read my profile information you already know this, but I want to introduce myself. I am a 25 year old Diet Technician from NJ. I have a passion for food, nutrition and fitness and love learning about these fields. I enjoy trying new foods and creating fun twists on everyday staples.
Lately, I have felt like I am in a "food funk". I know it is partially because of my crazy schedule and lack of planning. I am hoping that blogging my meals and exercise habits will help me out of my "food funk"! Please feel free to comment, share or offer your own ideas! I will submit a description, photo and review of my meals each day.

Let's get this thing started!

Tonight for my snack  I enjoyed a fruit parfait wrap! I made it with a vanilla crepe, low-fat vanilla yogurt, fresh strawberries and blueberries. I sprinkled some organic granola for the crunch factor!

I really enjoyed this snack and scarfed it down! The crepe ripped a little, so I ended up eating it with a fork. Next time I think I might double up the crepe to avoid yogurt spillage.

The picture is from my cell phone, so it is a little over-exposed!

See you tomorrow!

~ TheHealthyAngel