Pumpkin Pie Bites

I'm always looking for ways to clean up my favorit treats and here is a great one! Pumpkin pie bites are delicious and easy to make, and this recipe keeps it clean though your could sub for more traditional ingredients.

Recipe:

1 Can Pumpkin

2 Ripe Bananas

1/2 C Coconut Sugar

1 Egg

1/4 C Coconut Flour

1/4 Seed or Nut Butter

2 Tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

1/4 Tsp Salt

Mix all ingredients together in a food processor or by hand and pour into lined muffin tin. Bake at 350 for 20-30 mins until set.

Depending on how ripe your bananas are will depend on how much banana flavor you get versus pumpkin flavor, less ripe will be a less potent flavor.

These were an easy and delicious treat for Halloween, read more about my Halloween menu here.

Halloween Happiness: Dinner Menu

I love holiday's; all of them really. I think it came from my grandma always having the house fully decorated for whatever holiday was coming next, and that carried onto me - my house is always decorated with festive nik-knacks or mantel decor. It's also a great excuse to make festive foods and try things you otherwise might not. This Halloween we carved pumpkins and watched movies while handing out candy to trick-or-treating kiddos, so I created a Halloween menu to go along with this night that was of course; all things pumpkin.


Pumpkin Pasta

This is the splurge for the night as it is most definitely not clean, but it's also much better than going out to a restaurant and ordering a similar dish.

Pumpkin Raviolis, Butternut Squash Raviolis, and Pumpkin Pasta Sauce come together to make a delicious, cozy, Fall, meal that was just what we needed.

Chicken Stuffed Peppers

Since I kept the pasta portions low I got our meat and veggies in with stuffed peppers. I began with carving the faces in each that was easier than I anticipated it being. Next whipped up the stuffing the "lazy girl way" by browning 1 lb ground chicken and chopped zucchini, draining the fat and then adding 1 jar of Fall Harvest Salsa (or pumpkin salsa), mix and let simmer then transfer to your cleaned peppers and bake at 350 for 30 mins. Delicious, healthy, and so festive.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

My whole family loves snacking before meals so I roasted seeds from the pumpkins we carved while the carving was happening and they were the perfect healthy snack for the movie night after!

Clean seeds well, like really well, then transfer to pot of boiling water and boil for 10 mins. Drain and pat seeds dry then transfer to mixing bowl and toss with olive (or avocado oil) and seasonings of your choice (I just used sea salt here). Next transfer to baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper and bake for 30 mins at 10 min intervals, stirring between, and keeping an eye that none blacken. Such a delicious healthy treat to snack on!

This meal came together perfectly and with all the time consuming parts prepped the night before, it allowed me to make a beautiful meal while still enjoying the night and company. Happy Halloween everyone!

Homemade Pumpkin Soup

Confession time: I've never made soup from scratch. I've also never baked a pumpkin, I've been using the canned stuff my whole life. Both of those things changed today when I decided its about time I deepen my appreciation for pumpkin (if that's even possible) and give "from scratch" a try. I took some ideas from multiple recipes online and concocted a combination that suited my tastes and I must say it turned out surprisingly well.

This recipe was made up as I went along and can be altered based on what you have in your house or diet preferences. It's the perfect meal for a cozy Fall day (or when you're wishing it felt like Fall already). In fact this was my Halloween lunch and it was perfect!

Begin by baking your sugar pumpkin. Prep the pumpkin by washing, cutting off stem (this will make it easier to cut in half) and slice in half, then remove all seeds and scrape the walls clean. Bake cut side down at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove the pumkin halves and set aside to cool until manageable to handle.

While the pumpkin is cooling, steam or roast (or microwave like I did) about a cup of mushrooms - any variety you prefer is fine. Also set aside to cool down. Next peel the skin off the pumpkin and load into a food processor along with the mushrooms. Puree until combined, scraping sides down as you go. Add chicken broth in 1/4 C increments until mixture is smooth.

Transfer pumpkin mixture to a sauce pan and bring to a simmer then reduce heat. Season with salt, granulated garlic (you could also use roasted garlic if you prefer, in that case add during the food processor stage) and pumpkin pie spice. Next stir in milk of choosing and allow to simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning to your preference.

There you have it, such a quick and easy soup with wholesome ingredients that you can control!

     Recipe:

• 1 Sugar Pumpkin
• 1 C Mushrooms
• 1.5-2 C Chicken or Vegetable Broth
• 1/4 C Milk (Skim, Coconut, Almond, or any other)
• Pumpkin Pie Spice
• Granulated Garlic
• Salt

1. Bake Pumpkin at 375 for 30 mins. allow to cool then peel skin.
2. Steam mushrooms and combine both mushrooms and pumpkin flesh in food processor and pulse until blended.
3. Slowly blend in Chicken/Veggie broth until smooth, scraping down sides as needed
4. Transfer mixture to sauce pan and bring to simmer. Add milk and seasoning and continue to simmer for 5-10 mins. Remove from heat and serve.

This can be garnished with croutons, garlic bread, or kale chips like I did here. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice Cookie Brownie

This is not a typical recipe for me, I try to stick to a clean diet and definitely avoid refined sugars in general but Halloween called for something special and this most certainly delivered.

There are three layers: Cookie, Candy, Brownie. Use mixes for all and change it up to suit your preferences.

Cookie Layer: Nestle Toll House Pumpkin Spice Cookie

Candy: mixture of Reece's, Twix, Snickers, and Pumpkin Spice M&Ms

Brownie Layer: Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie

Start by preheating the oven to 350 and spray the bottom of a 9x9 baking pan with non-stick spray

Mix up your brownie layer according to box directions and set aside. Layer the cookie layer on the bottom of the pan evenly.

Next chop candy and layer evenly over cookie dough.

Now top with the brownie mixture and finally add a generous layer of M&M's on top.

Bake at 350 for 30 mins, then cover with foil and bake an additional 10 mins or until center has set.

These were amazing! Perfect treat to take to an office party or potluck because they are so easy to whip up and taste like you spent hours.

Zucchini Noodle Pasta

I love pasta, so while on the Whole 30 I've been looking for pasta alternatives and finally got on the band wagon and tried zucchini noodles - and they are delicious!

I've always relied on spaghetti squash as my pasta alternative so this is a great change of pace and actually a thicker noodle depending on what spiralizer you use.

Start by washing the zucchini and spiralizing it, I'm using a Veggiti - it's hand held, easy to use and was only about $10 on Amazon - but any spiralizer would work.

Spread out the noodles on a baking sheet lined with papertowles and bake at 250 F for about 40 mins.

This doesn't really cook the noodles just helps them dry out so they are less soggy when you do cook them but in a time crunch this step can be skipped or shortened.

Then transfer noodels to saute pan and cook on medium with a splash of olive oil and seasoning until tender

Pair this with ground turkey and marinara sauce like I did here and you have a great italian meal without the pasta guilt!

This pairing counts as 1 green, and 1 Red if doing the 21 Day Fix.

Pumpkin Chai Shakeology

Fall is here! Even if it's still horribly hot here in California, October is almost here and therefore I am in full pumpkin mode!

Today's Shakeology recipe is inspired by a Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea Latte - and I must say I love this addition to my Shakeology rotation!

Ingredients:

1 Scoop Vanilla Shakeology
1/2 Cup Pure Pumpkin Pure
8 oz Brewed Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea - Cooled
1/4 C Cashew Milk
Pumpkin Spice
Ice

Add all ingredients to blender cup and blend until smooth! Super easy and quick and tastes delicious!!

For the rest of the pumpkin I spooned into an ice cube tray and froze to use in future smoothies! Great way to keep pumpkin fresh when you only use a little! And it will make the next smoothies thicker!

Hope you enjoyed this recipe, if you have any variations I'd love to hear about them, leave a comment below!

Want to know more about Shakeology? Check out my website or send me a message and I'd be happy to chat with you about this amazing drink that has changed my life!

21 Day Fix: Taco Salad

I don't know about you but I love mexican food so finding healthy alternatives that fit within this program is a must for me, and this Taco Salad recipe is one of my favorites!

This recipe is awesome because it takes very little cook time - it's great for left overs, and super quick to throw together!

Ingredients:

1 lb Ground Beef or Turkey
1 Packet Taco Seasoning (Read labels! Make sure there isn't added sugar!)
1/2 C Beef Broth (water can be used in place of this if doing Whole 30/Paleo)
Shredded Lettuce
Salsa
Guacamole

The only real part of cooking here is the meat. Brown the meat in a large sauce pan, once done, add beef broth and seasoning and simmer for an additional 1-2 minutes.

Then measure out your ingredients: I used 1 Green Container for the lettuce  (you could add other veggies if desired); 1 Red Container for the beef (and set the rest aside for later in the week); 1 Blue Container for the Guacamole (or you could use for cheese); and 1/4 Purple Container for Salsa.

Mix all ingredients together and your Taco Salad is ready to go!

This is super easy to customize for the whole family which makes it a go to for me when I'm having a large group together you can set up an assembly line and everyone can build their own!

Feel free to share your tips or twists on my recipe above, I'd love to hear them!

Chicken Fried "Rice"

I am currently following the Whole 30 eating plan, along with the 21 Day Fix container guidelines. These two programs work together well because all Whole 30 foods are approved on the 21 Day Fix, it just helps with my portion control - which I struggled my first round of the Whole 30 about six months ago!

Today's recipe is super simple - and delicious! I love Chinese food, so I knew I needed a way to incorporate it into my plan! and I must say it turned out great!

Ingredients:

1 3/4 Green Container of Riced Cauliflower (make your own or buy frozen from Trader Joe's!) 

1/4  Green Container of Chopped Carrots 

2 Eggs Scrambled 

1 Red Container️ of Chicken 

1-2 Tbsp Coconut Aminos (or Liquid Aminos or Soy Sauce) 

1 Tsp Avocado Oil

Start by cooking the chicken ahead of time and chop into bite size pieces (this makes great use of leftover chicken from a previous meal!) 

Next chop carrots and begin cooking in large pan, add "rice" and 1 teaspoon avocado oil, saute until almost done. Now add chicken and egg to the pan and mix well then add coconut aminos to taste! Voila - dinner is served!

The container measurements above were for 2 servings, each serving counts as 1 Red (protein) and 1 Green (vegetables). If you wanted you could sub the Cauliflower rice for brown rice also!

I hope you try this recipe and please let me know your thoughts or how you altered it to fit your family!

Whole 30 - Mashed Cauliflower with Mushroom Chicken

Through my Whole 30 journey I have eaten a lot (and I mean a lot) of salads. And that's fine, I don't mind it but when I find something equally as healthy that tastes like a cheat meal - look out!

This is one of those recipes and I must say, it will likely be a weekly occurrence in my house now!

Mashed Cauliflower with Sauteed Chicken and Mushrooms

Ingredients:

1 Head of Cauliflower
1/4 C Cashew Milk (or other preferred milk/cream)
1 Chicken Breast
3/4 C Diced Mushrooms (Fresh/Frozen/Canned)
2 Tsps Olive Oil (or Avocado Oil)
Garlic Seasoning
Salt (if desired)

Start with cooking the cauliflower. I did this the night before and kept it in the fridge, or you can do this whole process at once. Trim off leaves and steam and steam or boil the whole head, or large chunks, until for tender. I steamed mine and it took about 15 mins.

Add the cooked cauliflower to a food processor along with the cashew milk, granulated garlic, herbs, and salt. Blend until smooth paste. You will need to push sides down a few times and taste once blended to get the ratio of spices to your liking.

If you didn't use hot cauliflower transfer the mixture to a small sauce pan and heat on stove while chicken cooks.

For the chicken, I filleted the breast to be thinner and cook faster, I froze the thinner of the two halves and only used one but you can adjust this recipe to fit your family, or even to have leftovers after. Next, slice into chunks and season to your liking. I added this to a small skillet with only a touch of water in the pan and grilled on both sides while covered until nearly done. Then add the mushrooms - mine were pre cooked so only needed to be reheated, if you're using fresh add them when you filp the chicken the first time. Add the olive oil now and garlic seasoning to taste. Cover and let simmer for another 1-2 minutes so everything soaks up the flavors and juices.

Plate the mushroom chicken mixture over  a green portion of the mashed cauliflower and dinner is served. This is a quick and easy meal that I can assure you the whole family will love - and won't even know its Whole 30 approved!

I'm also doing this program on the 21 Day Fix, this follows the containers portion to be 1 Green - Mashed Cauliflower, .5 Green - Mushrooms, 1 Red - Chicken, .33 Yellow - cashew milk, 2 Tsps - olive oil - Delicious and so filling!

I hope you try this recipe out yourself and let me know how you liked it or altered it to fit your family!

Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Who doesn't love cookies?? I have a huge sweet tooth, but I'm also always on the look out for a healthy alternatives! I stumbled across many recipes for cookies with chickpeas and patched them together and came up with this one!

Ingredients:

2 Cans Chickpeas (rinsed, drained, patted dry)
1.5 C Peanut Butter
1/2 C Honey
4 Tsp Vanilla
2 Tsp Baking Powder
3/4 C Dark Chocolate Chips (or 1/2 C Mini Chocolate Chips)

Begin by pulsing 2 cans of chick peas in a food processor until it looks like this:

Then add peanut butter, honey, vanilla, and baking powder to the chickpeas and pulse until fully incorporated.

 Transfer mixture into bowl and add chocolate chips (or nuts) and mix evenly, then roll into small balls and flatten with a fork.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 mins, cookies with be soft to the touch and slightly golden on edges.

And enjoy!

Shredded Beef Tacos

I love Mexican food, all kinds really, tacos, burritos, enchiladas, nachos - I don't discriminate! So while on the 21 Day Fix program I needed to create an approved recipe to add to my meal plan.
This is the recipe I came up with for the beef, it can me used in tacos like I did here, or any other sort of Mexican dish! Feel free to modify to suit your taste, I don't do spicy so this is a mild version.

Ingredients:

2 lb Beef Chuck Roast
1 Can Beef Broth
2 Packets Taco Seasoning (or home made)
1 Tsp Olive Oil
1/4 Chopped Sweet Onion
1 Can Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies (or hot chilies to your taste)

For me the easiest thing to do is use my Crock Pot and put everything in before I leave for work and come home to a perfectly cooked meal! (who doesn't love that?)

First add the teaspoon of Olive Oil to the bottom of the crock pot, then add a handful of finely chopped onion. Then to the beef! I trimmed the large chunks of fat off and separated the large two pound roast into 4 more manageable chunks. Then rub one packet of taco seasoning on all side of each chunk to fully coat and place all the meat in the crock pot. Cover beef with the can of beef broth and let it go to work! I left mine on low for 10 hours while I was at work.

After the 10 hours remove the beef from Crock Pot and shred with a fork removing any fat chunks that remain. Drain all but approx 3/4 cup of liquid and return the shredded beef to the Crock Pot. Top with the can of diced tomatoes and green chilies along with 1/2 of to the full second taco seasoning packet. Mix thoroughly and continue cooking on low for 30 minutes, and voila!

I then measured out my toppings and assembled my tacos with corn tortillas and topped with lettuce, cheese, and guacamole with a side of fat free re-fried beans.

For the 21 Day Fix I made two tacos, and a yellow container of beans this meal equals:

2 Yellow, 1 Red, 1 Green, and 1 Blue Containers.

I used the left over shredded beef for nachos and taco bowls during the rest of the week, how did you use your left overs?

Want to know more about the 21 Day Fix? Follow the link on my home page to my Beachbody website!

Overnight Oats

My mornings are always rushed between getting ready and packing my meals for the day, so a quick breakfast I can prep the night before makes a world of difference! While searching around on Instagram I came across a page for @sammybfit, which lead me to her amazing blog with hundreds of recipes. Her recipe for overnight oats can be found here, which is what I used as a base and modified to fit my taste.

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Oats
1/4 Cup Almond Milk
1/2 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt
1 Tbs Flax Meal
1/2 Tsp Honey
3 Drops Liquid Stevia
1/2-1 Cup Fruit of Choice (I used 1/2 a Nectarine)

1 Mason Jar


Begin by mixing all ingredients  except fruit, together in a small bowl. Layer sliced fruit on bottom of mason jar.

Then add half the oatmeal mixture, a second layer of fruit, followed by the remaining oatmeal mixture, then finish with a few fruit pieces.

Cap the mason jar and put in the fridge over night. The next morning top with granola (check out my homemade granola recipe) or more honey and enjoy! This is a great summer alternative to the typical hot breakfast oatmeal.

Enjoy!

"Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days" 

Psalm 90:14