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.

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!

A Day on the Whole30

The Whole30 has been wonderful for me, it has rid my body of its sugar addiction, helped me feel my best, and really helped me understand and establish a better relationship with food.

The first time I did a Whole30 round I had not yet found the 21 Day Fix program and the biggest comfort I found while on the Whole30 was over indulging in the approved foods like avocados and nut butters. (can you blame me though?) Due to my over eating of those items I really didn't see any weight loss which was quite discouraging considering I had gone a whole month without any breads, sugars, or cheese! This time I'm sticking with the portion containers of the 21 Day Fix and it has helped tremendously! This is my second go around with combining both programs and I'm loving what it's done for me.

Now for the point of this - what does a full day of food look like, hopefully this will inspire you all to try one of these or just give you hope that it really isn't all that hard to stay Whole30 compliant!

Morning Snack: Shakeology and a Peach (1 Red & 1 Purple)

I know that Shakeology is NOT Whole30 approved - no protein shakes or bars are - but it has become a staple in my diet and for its other health benefits I've decided to keep it as a part of my diet. If you're doing the Whole30 for the first time I would encourage you to stick to the program fully and then make adjustments if you do it again. This could easily be swapped for two hard boiled eggs giving you the same conversion. I eat this on my way to work right after my morning workout.

Breakfast: Adele's Chicken Apple Sausage with Egg Whites and Spinach (1 Red & 1/2 Green)

I whipped this up in the morning by scrambling 2 egg whites (1/3 Red) with spinach and then pan grilling the sausage - quick, easy and super flavorful!

Lunch: Taco Salad and Sweet Potato Toast with Sunflower Seed Butter (1 Green, 1 Red, 1/2 Blue, 1/2 Yellow, 2 Tsp)

Taco Salads are my favorite! They are super easy to prep then you just throw it all together when ready to eat. For the "toast" I sliced a sweet potato approximately 1/4" thick and baked on parchment paper for about 20 mins per side at 375. I make a large batch at the beginning of the week then just reheat in the toaster when I was the feeling of some toast in my life! Also delicious with mashed avocado for a breakfast addition!

Afternoon Snack: Honey Crisp Apple (1 Purple)

Dinner: Baked Chicken Breast with Avocado and Sauteed Veggies (1 Red, 1 Green, 1/2 Blue)

Another super easy meal that was so delicious! I bake and shred the chicken at the beginning of the week then just saute the veggies I have available and throw it together!

I hope this helps you see that Whole30 meals don't need to be complicated - they can be quick, easy and rather basic, but still be delicious. You don't realize how good food can taste when it's stripped down to what it is actually intended to taste like.

What are your go-to Whole30 meals? I would love to try them!

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.

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!