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I love food
I appreciate every minor detail and every subtle flavour. I love when it is beautifully presented and artistically created. I love cooking, and hosting friends for dinner parties. I love eating in general. And although I truly enjoy healthy food, and take pleasure from creating new recipes that support my goals for my body, I also enjoy foods that aren't all that great for me. I'm human and I have my food weaknesses just like anyone else. In fact, I have a some pretty major kryptonites - mint chip gelato, cheese and fresh baked bread just to name a few. Every once in awhile I will let those food weaknesses get to me in excess, such as while on a vacation or at a social gathering. And inevitably, I always regret it afterwards for the way it makes me feel. Sure, pizza tastes great at the time; but the bloat and the sluggishness that follows a pizza binge lasts a lot longer than the enjoyment of consuming it. I remember going to New York City for a long weekend with my best girlfriend, and ate and drank to my heart's content. New York style pizza, cupcakes, canollis, Fat Witch brownies (best. brownie. ever.), copious amounts of wine...but let's stop there so as not to embarrass myself further. It was quite the enjoyable trip for the company and the food, and I don't have any substantial regrets. However, what took place once the trip concluded left me contemplating my choices and the consequences of my nutritional debauchery. I took the train home on a Tuesday morning and played two football games that evening. My body was literally full of junk. I had eaten out for 4-5 days and I had not realized how it was affecting my body's ability to perform. When I stepped out on that field I felt awful. I was slow, lethargic and nowhere near my usual energetic self. I am already the least experienced female on the team, so all I really have going for me is my speed, agility and athleticism. That evening, my reactions were delayed, my movement was inefficient, and I was much less athletic than usual. Ultimately, I delivered a pretty pathetic performance. As much as I had enjoyed my vacation and the nutritional freedom I had allowed myself, it was the perfect reminder of a profoundly simple realization I'd had years ago. A realization that would serve to alter my eating habits and my perception of food exponentially: Food is FUEL. It wasn't just a sappy incantation, either; the kind of thing you see on a magnet or a bumper sticker and never truly realize. It was tangible. It was a whole-hearted embrace of the concept, a complete paradigm shift with regards to my nutritional regimen. It was then that I began to lend more credence to how food made me feel and how my eating affected my lifts, than I did to how my body looked. When I was truly able to care more about how my body performed than how it appeared, I began the journey towards the absolute best body I'd ever had. Changing my paradigm gave me the tools I needed to understand that building a beautiful body involved building a strong, powerful, resilient body.
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I could sit here and feed you a bunch of crap about how I don't care about my body composition and how I feel/look in my jeans (or worse yet...a bikini!). I would hope you would call me out, label me a fraud. Let's be honest...EVERYONE cares. Everyone in the modern world is concerned with their body composition in some fashion, to some extent, however mild-even if their outward appearance makes it seem as though they are nonplussed. Show me someone who can say, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that they would turn down a beautifully chiselled physique if there was no work involved, they could eat whatever they wanted and there was absolutely no catch. Right? So yes, I care about body fat. I care about that little pudge on my belly after an indulgent weekend. I care when the scale tips unfavourably and my jeans are a little too tight. I just care more about lifting. I am legitimately more concerned with how well I can train than how "ripped" my abs are. If my training suffers because of my eating and drinking habits, I get pretty disappointed in myself. When I eat in a way that does not support my goals, I have given food the power to produce sub par lifting and decreased performance. I have given food the ability to control me and deter me from my aspirations.
If we allow it to, food can have a great deal of power over us. Left to its’ own devices those sneaky little calories can govern our choices and determine our moods. Changing your food paradigm, however, puts the power back into your hands. When you think of food for its’ intended purpose you can begin to alter your thoughts and adopt healthier (both physical and mental) nutritional habits. Food provides energy, supports cell function and is an integral part of developing a strong, lean body. It doesn't hold you when you're lonely or make you laugh when you're in a funk, so why treat it as such? Why give it the satisfaction of stealing from your body as opposed to serving it? I once posed this question to a group of clients: What if you thought of junk food as a punishment instead of a reward? Once the laughter subsided I challenged them to give the concept some serious thought. If you really contemplated the physiological affects of junk food, could you justify it as a reward? If you took all emotion out of the equation and factored in that eating junk makes you gain body fat, robs you of sustainable energy and strength, can lead to a myriad of health complications and inevitably leaves you feeling guilty-does it really still sound like a treat?
The most encouraging advice I received while I was awaiting my knee surgery and frustrated at my many training restrictions was to focus on what I could do, as opposed to what I could not. Of course this thought process has many parallels and can be applied to just about any endeavour, nutrition not withstanding. Focus less on what you shouldn't eat, and more on what you should. Food for fuel does not mean you have to eat boring, unappetizing sustenance, either. I for one never eat something I don't properly enjoy-never. I do, however, make a conscious choice to consume food that fuels my body and serves my training goals. It's a choice between eating reactively and eating proactively, and the best part is...the choice is completely yours.
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This book was put together with love. We wanted to share our favourite recipes with you. Many of them were developed using trial and error in our own kitchens. They have been altered many times, feel free playing around with the spices and recipes yourself. The book is split into45 sections: Snacks, breakfast, mains, and desserts. We hope you the book and always remember, food it fuel,
-Jen, Molly, Nia, Neghar, Julia, Marianne, and Alli
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Section 1: Snacks
Dirty Guacamole ....................................................................................................................................... 8
Bacon Wrapped Asparagus ....................................................................................................................... 9
Taco Salad ............................................................................................................................................... 10
Peanut Butter and Jelly Protein Muffins ................................................................................................. 11
Seasonal Summer Salad .......................................................................................................................... 12
Kale Chips ............................................................................................................................................... 13
Sausage Jalepeno Bites ............................................................................................................................ 14
Greek Salad With Shrimp ........................................................................................................................ 15
Parmesian Butternut Squash .................................................................................................................... 16
Meatza ..................................................................................................................................................... 17
Section 2: Breakfast
Sweet Potato Pancakes ............................................................................................................................ 19
Egg Bake ................................................................................................................................................. 20
Pumpkin Protein Pancakes ...................................................................................................................... 21
Egg Scramble .......................................................................................................................................... 22
Protein Coffee ......................................................................................................................................... 23
Caprese Omelet ....................................................................................................................................... 24
Protein Muffins ....................................................................................................................................... 25
Egg Casserole .......................................................................................................................................... 26
Fast Frittata .............................................................................................................................................. 27
Section 3: Mains
Lemon Butter Tilapia .............................................................................................................................. 29
Eggplant Parmesian ................................................................................................................................. 30
Turkey Kabob .......................................................................................................................................... 31
Steak Chili ............................................................................................................................................... 32
Bison Chili ............................................................................................................................................... 33
Interlude – PB and J ................................................................................................................................. 34
Pumpkin Coconut Chicken ...................................................................................................................... 36
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King Prawn Satay .................................................................................................................................... 37
Chocolate Chip Meal Replacement Bars ................................................................................................. 38
Cauliflower Coucous ............................................................................................................................... 39
Peanut Chicken Drumsticks .................................................................................................................... 40
Coconut Curry Shrimp ............................................................................................................................ 41
Quinoa Loaf ............................................................................................................................................. 42
Crockpot Chili ......................................................................................................................................... 43
Lettuce Wraps .......................................................................................................................................... 44
Section 4: Desserts
Chocolate Protein Thingy ........................................................................................................................ 46
Protein Carrot Clusters ............................................................................................................................ 47
Cookie Dough Ice Cream ........................................................................................................................ 48
Brownie Balls .......................................................................................................................................... 49
Grain Free Cookies .................................................................................................................................. 50
Pumpkin Protein Pudding ........................................................................................................................ 51
Grain, Gluten, and Dairy Free Brownie .................................................................................................. 52
Chocolate Protein Ice Cream ................................................................................................................... 53
Coconut Blueberry Muffins .................................................................................................................... 54
Peanut butter Chocolate Chrispies .......................................................................................................... 55
Low Carb Peanut Butter Fudge ............................................................................................................... 56
Banana Bread .......................................................................................................................................... 57
High protein Cheesecake Bowl ............................................................................................................... 58
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My love of avocados runs deep. It is an infinite love, and one that has changed my life immeasurably for the better. I remember our neighbours' avocado tree growing up-how it would bear massive amounts of fruit and we'd come home with bags full for our culinary pleasure. The Californian in me demands that avocados are a staple in my diet, and the health benefits I have reaped from this are numerous. They are rich in monounsaturated fats, potassium, B vitamins and Vitamins E and K. They have been known to aid in reducing joint pain, inflammation, cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Eating avocados is a no-brainer. But guacamole is special. Guacamole is avocado plus love. I personally believe avocados are happiest when they become guacamole, as if they've been chosen for a truly important job. – Neghar
Ingredients: • One avocado • Fresh packed store bought salsa (just tomatoes, onions, herbs and sometimes jalapenos) • Lime wedge • Chopped cilantro (I keep a container of chopped cilantro in the fridge at all times as a time saver. I
put that s*** on everything and don't enjoy the hassle of chopping it at every single meal.) • Sea salt to taste Directions: 1. Mix and eat. Seriously. Make sure you put the pit in the bowl if you don't intend to eat it right away.
Now you have no excuse to go one day without guacamole.
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Do I really need to describe this? It’s delicious. - Julia Ingredients (my go-to but play around a bit): • Bacon • Asparagus Directions: 1. Wrap bacon around asparagus in a spiral fashion 2. Cook on griddle for 5-7 minutes each side (or until browned to your liking)
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I ate this every day for lunch for two weeks and never got bored-especially because you can play with the ingredients with whatever is in the fridge. It's certainly a great one for kids too. I gave the recipe to a friend whose ten year old son absolutely loved it. As always, have fun and be creative!
Healthy Taco Salad starts with a pound of ground beef. Of course I recommend using grass fed beef as it more flavourful and healthful than grain fed beef. The omega 3 benefit alone is worth the few extra dollars you might spend, although the beef I get at the farm is the same price as regular priced ground beef at the super market. Because this is made in the crockpot, the meat can be lean and still be tender, so you could certainly use extra lean ground turkey or even chicken if you are opposed to red meat. – Neghar
Ingredients (my go-to but play around a bit): • Grass fed beef • Brocolli slaw • Sharp cheddar or pepper jack cheese • ½ avocado • Fresh salsa Directions: 1. Brown the ground beef on the stove, and add to a crockpot with 1 can organic tomato sauce and 1/2
the TJ's seasoning packet, stir. 2. Set on low for 6 hours for best results, or high for 3 hours if you are short on time (or impatient like
me). If the meat is higher fat you'll want to cook for even less time, because the less tender the meat, the longer and slower it needs to cook.
3. Put the slaw and a bunch of yummy stuff in a bowl and eat. I'm not even kidding. 4. (optional) You could add black beans, chopped veggies-anything you like to really make the recipe
your own. It is so simple and easy to create that I'm sure you will come back to it when you need a quick and easy dinner.
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This is a Jen original and these are so good! Perfect for you to eat while working towards your physique goals, and since they don't have junkie sugar or flour they are perfect for your kiddos, too! – Jen Ingredients: • ¼ cup almond flour • 3 scoops vanilla protein powder • 1/8 cup Stevia or Spenda • ¼ teaspoon salt • ¼ teaspoon baking powder • ½ unsweetened applesauce • ½ cup skim ricotta cheese • 3 egg whites • ½ teaspoon vanilla • Peanut butter • Jelly **If you don't have almond flour, you can substitute oat flour. Just keep in mind it'll raise the carbs a bit, lessen the peanut butter flavour, and they won't be quite as moist. ** Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°. 2. Mix the almond flour, peanut flour, oat flour, protein powder, atevia, salt, and baking powder all
together in a bowl. 3. Add in applesauce, ricotta cheese, egg whites, and vanilla. 4. Spray muffin tins with non-stick spray and fill ¾ to the top with muffin batter. 5. Scoop ½ tablespoon of peanut butter and half tablespoon of jelly onto the muffins. 6. Cover the mixture with more muffin batter until tray is 2/3 of the way full. 7. Bake at 350° for 10-11 minutes. Take them out when they start to look golden and be careful as the
insides are very hot so let them cool before cutting them.
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This came about as I was standing about the kitchen just trying to think of what to make for dinner. You know when you just have some random ingredients lying around and you’re not sure what to make with them. Or if you should even try, just in case they don’t complement each other. Well I threw together this very healthy salad, and it is now my dish of the month, as I’ve made it nearly every day since! The dish is full of essential nutrients. Vitamins, fibre, healthy fats, carbs, and a little protein too. It’s also very filling. You can eat it on its own as a snack or with some chicken, salmon or other protein as part of a main meal. - Marianne Ingredients: • 100g (or so) of Chickpeas • 30g half-fat cheese (the real kind) (grated) • 8 slices of Cucumber (quartered) • 2 small Carrots (grated) • 6 Cherry Vine Tomatoes (quartered) • 2 sticks of Celery (sliced) • 2 Spring Onions (chopped) • 1 medium Sweet potato (chopped up into smallish chunks) • 4 Walnut halves (chopped) • 8 Pecan halves (chopped) • 1 small handful of Sunflower seeds • A pinch of Salt
Directions:
1. Peel and chop the sweet potato and then place in a pot of water and boil until cooked. 2. While the potato is cooking, prepare all the green vegetables and add to a large bowl. 3. Add the tomatoes and a pinch of salt. 4. Now add the chickpeas and mix. 5. Add the grated cheese and the grated carrot and mix. 6. Sprinkle the nuts and seeds, mix and then add the sweet potato at the end.
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I have seen this one for the past couple of years but didn’t finally try it until this weekend; I’m glad I did. They really are quite good, and you can make them several different ways. – Nia Ingredients: • 1 bunch of kale • 1 tablespoon of olive oil • Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350° 2. Clean the kale and tear it to pieces. 3. Toss in a bowl with salt, pepper, and olive oil. 4. Place kale on cooking sheet making sure no pieces overlap 5. Bake for about 15 minutes until kale is crispy. **Feel free to add whatever spices you like. One of my favourites is cinnamon.
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My friend Courtney makes the best jalapeno poppers EVER. Period. The end. She is a great cook hostess who consistently puts out a ridiculous spread. I was in the kitchen thinking up the snacks for my kid's sixth birthday party for the following weekend (Aaaaah!) and I thought, "hey! I should ask Court to bring those jalapeno thingies!". But, my friends know how particular I am about my food sources, so she always says I don't want to know what's in the [insert delicious food] she made. I had this package of jalapenos that seemed to be constantly refilling itself because no matter how many I used they never ran out. I had a container of ricotta that I have NO idea why I bought. And of course I had sausage. I always have sausage. BOOM. Easy jalapeno bites. Enjoy! – Neghar Ingredients:
• 6 jalapenos • Sausage of some persuasion • 3/4 c grated cheese (I used 1/2 parm and 1/2 Kerrygold Dubliner) • 1 tbsp ricotta (any soft cheese will do) • 2 tbsp coconut milk • Sea salt and fresh ground pepper (pinches, of course!)
Directions:
1. Halve your peppers and scoop out the seeds and pith with a spoon. 2. Brown the sausage. 3. While sausage is browning, mix the cheeses, coconut milk and spices, then add sausage. 4. Scoop a spoonful into each pepper half. 5. Place peppers on a greased baking tray (I used a loaf pan and they fit perfectly!). 6. Roast in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes. 7. Don't put your finger in your eye like I did...
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I put together this easy Greek salad on a sad day when the fridge was barren :(. Spinach? Check. Feta Cheese? Check. Pepperoncini? Check. It's salad time. I will typically eat this salad along side a giant grass-fed steak or otherwise delicious protein source, but what makes this an easy lunch for busy folks is it's all-in-oneness in just 5 ingredients. Seasoning and heating the shrimp would definitely add flavour but that step can be omitted if time is a factor. You can certainly just do the salad without the shrimp and add whatever protein source you prefer. – Neghar
Ingredients: • Organic baby spinach (a ton) • Feta cheese (handful) • Pepperoncini • Trader Joe's fat free balsamic vinaigrette (or your dressing of choice...few tablespoons) • Cooked frozen shrimp (4-6 ounces) Directions: 1. Defrost shrimp (for quick results, soak shrimp in a bowl with cold water). Remove any of the yucky
stuff. Pat dry. 2. Chop spinach (even though it's "baby", I like it chopped because it's easier to get forkfuls!). 3. Slice pepperoncini into rings if using whole peppers. 4. Combine all of the above, crumble feta into the mix and drizzle with a touch of dressing. 5. Top with fresh cracked black pepper if desired.
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Every once in a while I host a game night at my place (yes, that's what old people do for fun). Being fall I prepared an array of fall themed dishes in an attempt to live up to my title as the "ghetto Martha Stewart". Two things became very apparent to me after that evening: 1) Women are exceedingly superior to men when it comes to playing Taboo. 2) Butternut squash with parmesan cheese is a minor miracle. – Neghar
Ingredients:
• 2 medium butternut squash (or, if you are willing to spend a little more $ and save a lot of time, 2 4-ounch packages peeled and cubed)
• ¼ cup milk (I used whole for creaminess, but coconut milk is acceptable) • Tablespoon olive oil • Sea Salt • Fresh cracked black pepper • Dry or fresh thyme
Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 400°. 2. Whole squash: Cut squash in half, scoop out seeds. Rub both sides of squash with olive oil and
sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on baking sheet and bake until pierced easily with a fork. Cubed Squash: Toss squash in a bowl with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place evenly on baking sheet and bake until pierced easily with a fork.
3. Puree roasted squash in a food processor with 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, a pinch of salt and a few pinches of dried thyme or a sprig of fresh thyme.
4. While processor is going, slowly add in the milk. 5. Transfer mixture to a medium gratin dish, and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake at 400 for 15
minutes. Then switch the broiler on for 5 minutes to let the dish crisp on top. It will be VERY hot-make sure you let it cool before serving.
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WARNING – Vegetarians, look away! Vegans, get away from the computer and run! Run I tell you, don’t walk! Okay, now that the vegetarians and vegans have been properly warned, allow me to introduce you to Meatza (or would I say, a Meatza?). Either way, I have never heard of this meat-arific thing until a couple of days ago; it sounded awesome so I knew I had to make it right away. I guess you could say it’s a pizza, but instead of crust, you use . . . meat. Oh yeah, baby. – Nia
Ingredients:
• 2 pounds grass fed ground beef • 2 free range eggs • 1-2 Tbl fresh thyme • 2 tsp dried oregano • ½ - 1 tsp dried onion pwder • 2 tsp salt • 2 garlic cloves, minced Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 450°. 2. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix with your hands. Your hands are your best
kitchen tool, after all. 3. Spread the meat-tastic mixture in an 11”x17” pan (or close to that size). Please make sure the pan has
a one inch side all the way around! If it doesn’t have a lip, you’ll have a huge mess in your oven. That’s the above picture.
4. Bake for about 12-20 minutes (mine took 20), until it’s cooked through. 5. Take it out, drain any excess grease, and then add your toppings of choice. 6. I used good ole pizza sauce, fresh mozzarella (not the shredded kind in a bag), mushrooms, olives,
and diced green peppers and onions. 7. Put the meaty beast back in the oven and broil on high for about 5-9 minutes until golden, bubbly,
brown and delicious. 8. Cut it up and serve.
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I love pancakes. I love sweet potatoes. I emailed Carter, with fingers crossed, that the following recipe fell within the parameters of a compliant post training meal… he said yes! Note that this recipe was found originally on Bodybuilding.com – Alli
Ingredients:
• 150 grams sweet potato, mashed • 1 scoop whey protein powder • 3 egg white • ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional) • ½ tsp baking soda • ½ tsp nutmeg • 1tbsp cinnamon Directions:
1. In a large bowl mix all ingredients until smooth 2. Cook batches in pre-sprayed skillet on medium high temperature until bubbles form on the surface,
turn over and cook until dark, golden brown.
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This is so unbelievably simple to make (even the cooking challenged can tackle this one) and can be made in advance to eat all week. Although it takes a bit of prep time, it really does pay off if you make a large portion, and it can certainly feed your entire family.
Here's the thing about the egg bake-it's an empty canvas. You can really add whatever is in your fridge, as long as you have eggs! My favorite combination is sausage, egg and cheese with guacamole on the side, or even a big salad of mixed greens. – Neghar
Ingredients:
• Cage free, organic eggs (6-8 for an 8x8 dish, 10-15 for a 9x12 dish, you can use 1/2 eggs and 1/2 cage free egg whites in the carton)
• Breakfast sausage (local is best, just remember to always choose nitrate/nitrite free breakfast meats) • Cheese (as much as you want, any type you want), shredded at home (not the pre-shredded kind) • Milk (optional) • Veggies (optional) Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350. 2. Brown the sausage and cook whatever other meats or veggies you are going to include. 3. Grease a baking dish (glass or ceramic) on all sides. I use coconut oil or an olive oil spray. 4. Cover the bottom of the dish with as much or as little shredded cheese as you want (somewhere
around 1-4 cups, I say more is better!). If you don't do cheese, you can certainly still make the bake as I have done it sans-cheese in the past. However, I will say the cheese makes it massively more enjoyable.
5. Top the cheese with the sausage (or bacon, cooked veggies, etc). and spread evenly across the dish. 6. Beat the eggs well, adding a splash of milk if you wish to increase fluffiness. I like to add some dried
rosemary and thyme, as well as a dash of sea salt. 7. Pour the eggs evenly over the bake, ensuring that the meats/veggies are thoroughly covered. I will
often use my fingers to press lightly to cover. You just want the egg to be the top layer, not the sausage.
8. Bake for 30-35 minutes. When I do a smaller bake (8x8) I bake for 30 minutes, and I add about 5 minutes for a larger bake (9x12). Obviously the more eggs you use, the longer the bake time. You'll want to let the bake cool for about 15 minutes before digging into it.
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I absolutely love Fall themed recipes. Probably because Autumn is the only season on the East coast that I can properly tolerate, and this is the one time of year that it's appropriate to add pumpkin to every imaginable concoction. Just the other day I was lamenting to a friend how much I am going to miss the leaves changing in Baltimore when/if I move back to California. So I spent a lot of time perfecting this recipe because I wanted to get everything just right before I shared it. I have the tendency of completely winging it, but this time I'm giving you more exact measurements. Bam. I bet you didn't know you'd be so damn lucky when you woke up this morning, eh? - Neghar
Ingredients:
• 1/2 cup organic canned pumpkin • 2 egg whites (1/2 cup) • 1/4 cup water • 1 cup almond flour or oat flour (ground oats) • 1 big scoop vanilla protein powder (the one I used had 23grams protein per scoop) • 1 teaspoon baking powder • 1 teaspoon cinnamon • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • 1/2 teaspoon salt • dash of nutmeg (this has a really strong flavor, be careful!)
REAL maple syrup or honey and Kerrygold butter to top (optional) Directions:
1. Put everything in a bowl except water and blend at medium to high speed. 2. Add water to desired consistency. 3. Heat a pan or skillet to medium hot. 4. Scoop 3-4 inches of batter onto the pan. Use a spatula to check when they’re ready to turn as they
won’t bubble like regular pancakes.
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From time-to-time I get on certain food kicks that last for months. When I wrote this I was all about breakfast. Sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, homemade French toast, and other breakfast-type foods are my current favorites.
While I love breakfast foods, I don’t eat them in the morning at the allotted breakfast time (mainly because I don’t eat breakfast at all). So, I’ve been eating these meals at night for dinner. The following recipe is a meal I typically make once per week, and I call it an egg scramble. It is officially a weekly staple in my home. Not only is it nutrient dense and delicious, but it only takes a few minutes to make. That’s a win-win-win as far as I’m concerned. - Nia
Ingredients:
• Green or red pepper – diced • Small onion – diced • Sweet potato – cooked and diced • 15 ounce can of fire roasted tomatoes drained • 1 pound sausage • 5-8 eggs • Coconut oil
Directions:
1. Cook the sweet potato, let it cool and cut it into 1 inch pieces. 2. Add coconut oil to pan and sauté pepper and onions until tender. 3. Cook sausage in separate pan while veggies are sautéing. 4. Add cooked sausage, diced sweet potato, and can of tomatoes into the veggie pan once they are
finished sautéing. 5. Scramble the eggs. 6. Put eggs on top of the yummy mixture and serve with a spoon.
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As we all know, lean protein should be the foundation of every meal. Many of us also drink protein shakes as part of our daily nutrition rituals. If you‘re not, you should at least be drinking a protein shake within a 30-40 minute window after each strength workout. One of my favourite ways to start my day is to incorporate a serving of protein powder into my morning coffee. Now, I can’t attest that ALL protein powders dissolve well in the coffee, but Cytosport EvoPro is my favourite! - Alli
Ingredients:
• 12-16 oz. of strong coffee! • 1 scoop of American Whey Creamy Vanilla protein powder • ¼ cup of soy milk • 1 packet of splenda Directions:
1. Mix it all together. I suggest adding the splenda and protein powder to the cup first then add the
coffee and top with soy milk. It mixes better this way.
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Sometimes I don't have anything in my fridge. That's a strange thing for a foodie to say, yes? But, alas, being a single mother with a demanding career sometimes means the fridge is barren. The interesting thing is that during these grocery lacking instances I have often pieced together some surprisingly fabulous culinary creations. This is how the caprese omelet was born. Tomato, mozzarella and basil-who doesn't love it? It's fresh, fragrant and flavorful. But I had never thought about pairing it with eggs. Lately I have been adding some cheese back into my diet as I venture away from food deprivation and create a more psychologically healthy food paradigm. Avoiding grains has not been all that difficult as I can easily live without pasta and sandwiches. But cheese...man, that was rough. I LOVE cheese. So you may begin to see more of my recipes include dairy, and if that doesn't work for you by all means substitute or take it out! I made this omelet timidly as I was unsure if I could actually enjoy it, but ultimately I devoured it. - Neghar
Ingredients:
• Tomatoes • Mozzarella • Basil • Sea salt and pepper • eggs Directions:
1. Chop up the veggies. 2. Grate the mozzarella. 3. Scramble the eggs and add in the other ingredients. 4. Top with basil, sea salt, and pepper.
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I'm not what you would call a confident baker. In fact, the only two things I bake well are insanely unhealthy chocolate chip cookies and Isaac’s yearly birthday cakes (and even those are questionable). I am my family's head chef and a chef just wings it. Baking is far too precise for a free spirit such as myself. All the science and the specificity, it just frustrates me. In fact, I am no good with numbers. Seriously. If you were one of my clients you would know that I am unable to count past 3. I once deadlifted 10 pounds heavier than I intended because I didn't count the plates correctly. I'm always talking all this nonsense about being fearless, right? Who really cares if I bake a batch of muffins that taste like rocks, or my protein bars are soggy and limp? It's not like the universe will implode. And in all honesty, the first batch of muffins did turn out horribly. They were so dry, it hurt to eat them. But, I learned from my mistakes and I didn't give up! So, let's celebrate my first *successful* attempt at fake baking (I call it fake baking because let's be honest-can protein muffins really trump a big fat buttery chocolate chip cookie?). In true hippie chef fashion, I pretty much made up a lot of this as I went along, so I imagine my technique is going to evolve with practice. - Neghar
Ingredients:
• 15 ounces canned organic pumpkin
• 2 eggs or 1/2 cup egg whites (I use whole eggs)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 tbs coconut butter
• 1 tablespoon coconut butter (optional)
• 1 cup almond butter
• 2 scoops vanilla protein powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• Drizzle of agaze nector
• Handful chopped walnuts
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°. 2. Mix all ingredients together. 3. Scoop mixture into muffin tray and cook for 8-10mins
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I love this recipe because it’s a great way to sneak in a lot of veggies, and you can use whatever you have on hand, or any combination of your favourite veggies and meat. The following recipe highlights my favourite veggie combination. – Nia
Ingredients: • One package of sausage (preferably purchased locally) • One onion, chopped • One red bell pepper, chopped • One zucchini, chopped • One sweet potato, cubed • 10 eggs (purchased locally, or at least organic free range) • One teaspoon dried basil • One teaspoon dried parsley • Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
1. Crumble up the sausage and cook in a large skillet. 2. Preheat oven to 350° 3. Cook the copped onion, red bell pepper, zucchini, and sweet potato in the sausage grease. 4. Whisk the eggs. 5. Add the basil, parsley, salt, and pepper. 6. Pour the veggies on top of the cooked sausage and pour the eggs on top. 7. Put the mixture in the oven for about 40 minutes. 8. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
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There are few things I enjoy eating more than an egg dish, any time of day. An egg is like an empty canvas, offering creativity and countless options. Although cooking eggs correctly is somewhat of an art form and there is a reasonable amount of technique involved, the cooking process is usually quick and painless. The following egg dish is offered as a faster alternative to one of my absolute favorite egg variations: frittata. Cooking the fast frittata is very similar to making an omelet, except the eggs go in after the fillings and the mixture is not flipped. This version is nowhere near as fluffy and decadent as a real frittata as it takes just a few minutes to cook, so please keep in mind that the dish will come out relatively flat. The reason this dish cooks so quickly is it's thinness compared to a real frittata. If you've got some extra time (or really, just the ability to multitask) cook up some bacon or sausage to eat alongside the eggs. – Neghar
Ingredients: • 2-4 Organic Cage Free Eggs, beaten • Chopped veggies of choice (this time around was two mini sweet peppers, one yellow, one red, some
red onion and baby spinach. I prefer the mini peppers as I can just use them as needed.) • Shredded cheese (I had sharp cheddar and parmesan in the fridge. Cheese is of course not necessary
to complete the dish, but I think it make everything better.) • Salsa (the only store-bought kind I'll use is the fresh-packed version which is just chopped tomatoes,
onions, jalapenos and herbs.)
Directions:
• Spray a pan with olive oil spray or rub with coconut oil, turn to medium heat. • Saute veggies, tossing in the peppers first as they take longer to cook. • Once the veggies are mostly to the desires doneness, drop in a ton of spinach and let it wilt. • At this point I usually move the veggies over and add more oil to the pan so the eggs won't stick. • Add the eggs, and cover the entire surface of the pan. • One the bottom has cooked some, break up the mixture in a few places, and let the uncooked egg take
up the empty spots. • Once the eggs are mostly cooked, sprinkle cheese all over the top. • After the bottom is crisp, transfer to plate and top with salsa and spices if desired. • Eat bacon too if you really want your day to be awesome :).
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In a desperate attempt to not only make a dinner miracle out of next to nothing, but make a hungry 5 year old smile, I came up with this easy peasy (lemon squeezy!) recipe for Tilapia. I'm sure you could use any fish you have on hand, but please, for the love of all that is fatty and delicious, do not substitute regular butter for the superior grass fed version! It's just not the same. – Neghar
Ingredients:
• Tilapia filets • Gradd fed butter (1tbsp per fillet) • Lemon • Garlic powder • Sea salt
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 365 2. Line a baking dish 3. with aluminum with enough around the sides to wrap around the fish 4. Pat fish to remove excess moisture, season with garlic and salt 5. Place fish in baking dish and top with tbsp butter thinly sliced 6. Bake for approximately 15 minutes 7. Top with lemon slices, wrap foil around to create a pouch 8. Bake for an additional 5 minutes 9. Serve immediately for best results
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I could eat zucchini and eggplant every day of my life. I love eggplant parmesean but wanted to give it a makeover and make it gluten-free. Remember, this is perfect for your kiddos, too! - Jen
Ingredients: • 12 thick slices of eggplant (about 1/2 inch thick) • 2 egg whites • 1/2 cup almond flour • 3/4 cup natural, organic marinara sauce • 44 grams of mozzarella cheese (optional, of course) • Olive oil
Directions:
1. Heat frying pan with 4 tablespoons of olive. 2. Dip eggplant into the egg whites and then “bread them” with the almond flour. 3. Fry for 2-3mins per side until golden brown. 4. Spread 1/4 cup of the marinara onto the bottom of a 13 x 9 baking dish. 5. Place a layer of the fried eggplant slices (6 of them) into the baking dish. 6. Use another 1/4 cup of marinara and scoop a little bit onto the top of each eggplant slice, and then add
another eggplant slice to it. (You should now have 6 stacks of 2 eggplant slices.) 7. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of marinara to the tops of them, and sprinkle them with the cheese. 8. Bake uncovered in the oven at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes until the cheese is melted and the
eggplant is hot.
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Two things about this:
1. I think people assume because I am middle eastern that I have lamb for dinner every night. Truth be told, I am not a huge fan. *gasp!*
2. In the States, everyone thinks of kabob as something on a stick, which is actually "shish kabob". In the Mid-East, kabob is basically a fancy way of saying meat. (yum!)
Now, I'm about to get legit Persian on you. In Iran, anything that resembles a "meatball" is actually called "kufteh kabob" or "kabob koobideh". This is a kabob of my own creation, or a meatball. Whatever. – Neghar (p.s. the sauce is the best part J)
Ingredients: • 1 package extra lean ground turkey (about 1 pound) • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro • 1/4 cup chopped onion • 1 egg • big pinch each of sea salt, cumin, pepper • coconut flour (optional) • 1/2 cup organic tomato sauce (more if you want more sauce!) • 10 or so sprigs of cilantro • 1 jalapeno pepper, top removed and seeded if you wish (I didn't seed it) • 4 cloves garlic • 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted • pinch of sea salt
Directions:
1. Combine everything but the coconut flour in a medium bowl. Don't be a wuss, just do it with your
hands. 2. Roll the meat into medium-large sized balls, coat lightly with coconut flour if desired. 3. Line a 9x13 dish with aluminum foil (makes clean up 1000 times easier) and place meatballs in the
dish. 4. Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes or until cooked through. 5. [now the sauce] Cilantro, jalapeno and garlic in a food processor. Pulse until finely minced. (I'm too
lazy to mince myself. You could do that too, but oh my the processor makes it easy!) 6. Heat tomato sauce on medium-high heat, mixing in the cilantro mixture and coconut oil. 7. Once sauce comes to a light boil, reduce heat to low and let simmer until slightly thickened. Add salt
to taste.
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Chili is one of the most absolutely easy things to cook. The crockpot essentially does it for you, and if you're like me, you can manage to eat chili for days without getting sick of it. I've known several men in my time who couldn't cook to save their lives, but could drum up a mean chili. This recipe is pretty basic, but exceptionally magical. – Neghar
Ingredients: • 1-2 pounds steak (for stewing, typically round) cubed. Preferably grass-fed. • 1 can each light and dark kidney beans (can be omitted, but reduce liquid) • 1 can organic tomato sauce • 1 can organic diced tomatoes • A few fresh jalapenos, sliced or diced, and seeded if you prefer less spicy • Handful minced garlic • Spices, to taste: cumin, sea salt, fresh cracked pepper, paprika, chili powder, crushed red pepper
Directions:
1. Brown the meat first. This will help bring out the flavor while it's slow cooking. 2. Combine all ingredients in your crockpot, draining and rinsing the beans first. 3. Set crock pot low for about 8 hours. 4. Just before it's done, go through the pot with a wooden spoon or spatula to break up the steak. If it's
cooked long enough, it should be tender enough to do this pretty easily.
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I am not one of those people who “eats to live”. If something doesn’t taste good, then I don’t want to eat it. Yes, I understand that food is fuel for our bodies and that we should eat foods that provide the highest quality nutrition possible. We should be eating foods that make us healthier, prevent disease, increase our energy levels, and help us recover from workouts.
But I also believe that food should taste good. Very few people can live off of the same old boring, bland, tasteless foods for any extended period of time. “You can’t eat delicious food and be healthy” is a terrible myth. And not only can you eat delicious foods that improve your waist line and overall health, but you can cook some amazing meals in a matter of minutes. With that said, today I am going to share with you an amazing bison chili recipe. I got the original recipe from Brian St. Pierre. I’ve made it several times and have tweaked it until I finally got it just right for my personal taste and preferences. - Nia
Ingredients: • 2 pounds ground bison (you can also use grass-fed beef) • 1 large onion, diced • 1 large green pepper, diced • Four 15 ounce cans of fire roasted tomatoes • One 15 ounce can of tomato sauce • Three 15 ounce cans of beans, drained and rinsed (I use dark and light red kidney beans,
but use any combination you like) • One 15 ounce can of corn, drained • 2 – 3 tablespoons of chili powder • Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. In a large pot, cook the bison with the onion and green pepper over medium heat. I also add salt to the meat and veggies. 2. Once the meat and veggies are cooked, add the remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. Again, add salt and pepper to taste. 3. Ladle some into a bowl, eat and enjoy.
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This recipe came up during a move. Everything was packed up and we needed something quick an easy for dinner.
Enter the revamped peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Yep, I said “revamped”. Sounds sexy, doesn’t it? (Come on. You know you love peanut butter too). Now I don’t make the traditional PB & J – white bread, peanut butter made with additional oils and sugar, and sugar-laden jelly.
I “revamp” my PB & J and make it as nutritious and delicious as possible.
Here are the ingredients I used: • Ezekiel Bread – you can find this at health food stores but I also am able to buy it in the
freezer section of my local Kroger. This is the only bread I eat.
• Smucker’s Natural Creamy Peanut Butter – my favorite brand of natural peanut butter is sold by Whole Foods. However, since the closest one is two hours away, I buy Smucker’s since it’s available at every grocery store.
• All Natural, Sugar Free Jelly – the jelly I use has zero added sugar. The only ingredients are fruit and fruit juice.
This revamped version of the old fashioned PB & J is much more satisfying and nutritious than the traditional version made with white bread and sugar laden peanut butter and jelly.
And it tastes absolutely amazing; if it didn’t, I wouldn’t eat it.
Some great variations for revamping your PB & J: Switch out the jelly for fruit – all natural, sugar free jelly/fruit preserves can be a little expensive and difficult to find. So many times I’ll just add fruit instead of jelly/preserves. My favorites are fresh blueberries or sliced strawberries. A sliced banana also works very well. Use different nut butters – I love fresh ground almond butter in place of peanut butter for a texture and taste change. I have also used cashew butter which is equally as good. If you’re allergic to peanuts, this is obviously a must for you.
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Use a wrap instead of bread – in addition to Ezekiel Bread, I will also use Ezekiel wraps. You can use these to make a PB & J “burrito” or “taco”. I have only been able to find the wraps at health food stores (like Whole Foods), but they provide a nice variation if you can find them.
So there you go – some new, delicious, nutritious variations on the classic PB & J. Now back to the rest of our delicious recipes.
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I'd bought some chicken thighs that I wanted to cook up in the crockpot but I wasn't sure what kind of flavour I was looking for. I knew I wanted to try something new, because I often get caught up making the same dishes repetitively. Then it came to me. What would happen if I threw some pumpkin in there? Oh yeah, and maybe some coconut too? This crockpot endeavour was a brave experiment that could just as well have ended in disaster. Luckily, it turned out deliciously well-otherwise it would be strange for me to share the recipe, no? I paired the chicken with some roasted cauliflower and it was just heaven. Sometimes my experiments turn out terrible, but this is one idea I am really glad I saw to fruition. - Neghar
Ingredients: • 1/4 cup organic canned pumpkin • 1/4 cup organic canned coconut milk • 2-3 pounds chicken thighs, fat trimmed (preferably free-range, organic) • sliced onions (I used red) • teaspoon coconut oil • curry powder (about 1 tablespoon) • cumin (about 1 table spoon) • small handful minced garlic or 1 teaspoon garlic salt/powder • sea salt and fresh cracked pepper • crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Directions:
1. Trim the fat from the chicken, because let's be honest-chicken fat is just disgusting. 2. Melt the coconut oil in a pan over medium heat while you salt and pepper both sides of the chicken. 3. Lightly brown chicken on all sides and add to the crockpot. 4. Add pumpkin and coconut milk to the crockpot, stir, add spices and stir again. I like my food with
some kick, so I added quite a few shakes of red pepper flakes. 5. If chicken is not completely covered in liquid, add just enough water to cover then top with sliced
onions. 6. Cook on low about 5 hours or until chicken is fully cooked (but not over cooked!).
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Prawns are one of my favorite sea-foods because they are high in protein and low in fat, making them a great low calorie meat. Plus their texture is meaty, so you can really get your teeth into them. When I praise them for being low fat, this is not because fat is bad, but because I like to add other fats to the recipe. If the meat was fatty, I could do this, simply because of calories.
I mostly have basmati rice with this stir-fry just because I love it. But you can also have, quinoa, wholegrain rice or even just broccoli (which I do sometimes later in the day). - Marianne
Ingredients: • 1 medium onion (cut into thick chunks) • 4 mushrooms (sliced) • 250g raw King Prawns • 1 hand full of raisins • 1 tbsp desiccated coconut • 1 tbsp coconut oil • 1 dsp peanut butter • 1 dsp soy sauce • 50g basmati rice (2 servings)
Directions:
1. Prepare the vegetables and start cooking the rice. 2. Place coconut oil in a wok and melt. 3. Add the onion and mushroom and fry for 3 minutes. 4. Now add the Prawns and cook for 3 minutes (until pink). 5. Sprinkle over the raisins and desiccated coconut and stir for 1 min. 6. Now add the peanut butter and soy sauce and mix well. 7. Drain the rice and serve half with a small portion of the stirfry.
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The biggest problem with bars is that they are typically calorically dense unless they are teeny tiny! So it's probably best to use these as a meal replacement, not as a snack (unless you are one of the big boys!) My friend Lisa Hopey passed along this recipe and graciously said I could share with you. These are delicious and remind me of cookie dough! – Jen
Ingredients: • 3 cups oats • 1/2 cup natural nut butter (I used almond butter. You could use peanut, chunky peanut, cashew, etc) • 3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder • 3 Tablespoons cacao nibs • 4 scoops chocolate protein powder • 1/8 cup Stevia • Coconut oil • 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
Directions:
1. Mix the above ingredients until you form a batter. Be patient, it may take a while. 2. Rub a 9 x 9 baking dish with coconut oil. 3. Lay dough across baking dish and press down. 4. Refrigerate overnight. (makes 9 bars.)
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This is by NO means a quick a recipe as it requires putting the cauliflower through a food processor which can get quite messy and time consuming. But it is incredibly simple and it makes a large quantity-giving you and your family something healthy to enjoy all week. You can put your own twist on this, adding any ingredients you may have on hand, or omitting anything you may not want to use (except the cauliflower, of course!). This is my signature recipe, but it's one of those dishes (like dirty rice) that can have just about anything thrown in. - Neghar
Ingredients: • 1 head of cauliflower • 1/2 organic zucchini • 1/2 organic yellow squash • 3-5 links no nitrate, gluten free chicken sausage, any flavor • curry powder • cumin • garlic salt • saffron (optional)
Directions:
1. Process the cauliflower to the consistency of couscous. Make sure not to fill the processor too high. 2. Grate about 1/2 each a zucchini and a yellow squash over the bowl of cauliflower and mix together. 3. Dice the chicken sausage and brown in (preferably) a cast iron skillet. It will be fully cooked, but you
want it to brown for flavor as well as season the skillet. 4. Add the vegetable mixture and stir, then season with curry powder, cumin and garlic salt. If you're
lucky enough to have saffron (my Dad brought me a jar from Iran years ago and it's still going strong!) add a pinch or too for extra flavor and that beautiful yellow color. You won't want to cook it for long, making sure the veggies don't get soggy.
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This recipe merged two of my obsessions at the time. The first was Trader Joe's Spicy Asian Peanut Vinaigrette. The combination of flavor and ease fits my busy, food-lovin' lifestyle. The second came from when a client gifted me a jar of Ono Hawaiian Seasoning and let's just say I'm in love. I've been to Hawaii a few times (and hopefully again this year for a family vacation!) and am consistently mesmerized by the culinary magic of the islands. - Neghar
Ingredients: • Organic, free-range chicken drumsticks • Trader Joe's Spicy Asian Peanut Vinaigrette (or other peanut dressing) • Ono Hawaiian Seasoning • 1 Gallon storage (ziploc) bag • Aluminum foil • Baking dish
Directions:
1. Remove the skin from the drumsticks, then rinse and pat dry. 2. Place them in the bag with just a drizzle (or a big splash if you don't mind the extra carbs) of the
dressing and a sprinkle of the seasoning. Shake it up to coat. 3. Line a baking dish with foil (this makes clean up much easier) and place the chicken evenly across
the dish, sprinkling a little more seasoning on top of you wish. 4. Place in a 375 degree oven and bake for about 45 minutes (depending on how many you've got in
there as well as your oven efficiency).
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I have made this recipe with both shrimp and chicken. If I use chicken, I actually cook it to almost done, then shred it and simmer it in the sauce. I have also substituted sugar snap peas for broccoli-it's all fantastic. This is just a template, use whatever you have on hand to make it work. The only mandatory ingredient is coconut butter! - Neghar
Ingredients: • Raw organic coconut butter • Light coconut milk or organic chicken broth • Steamed broccoli florets (I prefer small pieces)
Shredded carrots • Red or vidalia onion • Baby bella mushrooms • Garlic salt or fresh garlic and sea salt • Curry powder • Crushed red pepper or minced fresh jalapeno • Shrimp (cooked or uncooked) or chicken-or really any protein source for that matter
Directions:
1. Depending on your protein choice, you may need to cook separately and set aside. I suggest cooking
to almost done, and then simmering in the sauce. 2. Caramelize the onions: Slice very thinly and add to a lightly greased pan set on high. After stirring for
one minute, reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes while you prepare the rest of the food. 3. In a separate pan, brown the mushrooms. Don't crowd them or they won't brown! Instead they will get
soggy. 4. Set aside mushrooms, onions, meat and add a Tablespoon of coconut butter to a sauce pan on
medium-high heat. 5. Add a 1/4 cup coconut milk (or a 1/2 cup broth), as well as garlic salt, pinch of curry and red peppers.
Stir, and bring to a low boil, the reduce heat to low-medium. Add the rest of the ingredients, and stir to coat. If you want your sauce thinner, add more liquid. If you want it thicker, keep the heat higher to thicken.
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This one came about during a period where I was trying a whack of new recipes. I found this on the Whole Foods website originally and altered it a bit.
My goal was center my nutrition around whole, natural, unprocessed, plant based foods. This would ensure that I got lots of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, and other good-for-you-stuff. - Nia Ingredients: • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil • 8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced • Salt and black pepper, to taste • 1 (15 ounce) can no-salt-added garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained • 3/4 cup rolled oats • 2 cups cooked quinoa • 1 cup frozen peas (I used a little more) • 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley • 10 sundried tomatoes, drained and chopped • 1 cup (about 1 onion) chopped red onion
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350° 2. Lightly grease an 8 inch loaf pan . 3. In a skillet heat oil and sautee mushrooms with salt and pepper until golden brown 4. Put beans, oats, and 1/2 cup water into a food processor and pulse until almost smooth. 5. In a large bowl, combine mushrooms, bean mixture, quinoa, peas, parsley, tomatoes, onion, salt and
pepper. 6. Transfer mixture to prepared loaf pan, gently pressing down and mounding it in the middle. 7. Bake until firm and golden brown, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. 8. Set aside and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
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I used to always use lean ground beef in my chili because I just love beef. I can't help it. Today I went out to an early dinner with two of my group clients and I had a buffalo burger (no bun) with bacon, avocado and blue cheese. It was heaven. But, I started to realize that in a dish such as chili, the meat really is a sponge, as opposed to the main attraction. I found that I could make it healthier by using extra lean ground turkey breast and not compromise on flavor. And so, my go-to turkey chili recipe was born. There's probably only a few weeks left of quality crockpot cooking until the grills take over so enjoy it, and let me know how it comes out! - Neghar
Ingredients: • 1 package (about 20 ounces) extra lean ground turkey breast (I use the Trader Joe's brand) • 1 can organic dark or light kidney beans • 1 can organic cannellini (white) beans • 1 can organic, no salt added tomato sauce • 1 can organic diced tomatoes in sauce • 3 large jalapenos, unseeded (or seeded if you can't take the heat!) • a few cloves fresh garlic • Cumin, fresh ground sea salt an pepper, paprika, and crushed red pepper-all to taste
Directions:
1. Spray a large pan with cooking spray (I used Trader Joe's Olive Oil Spray), and heat to medium. Once
the pan is warm, brown the turkey, seasoning lightly with the salt, cumin and paprika. 2. Rinse the beans in a colander or strainer, and add the beans and tomato sauces into the crockpot,
along with diced jalapenos and minced fresh garlic. I like mine really spicy so I don't seed the peppers and I'll either use a few huge ones, or a bunch of small ones.
3. Add the turkey and stir, adding all the spices as liberally as you like. 4. If the chili is not mixing well, add about a 1/2 cup of water or broth. 5. Turn the crockpot on low for 8 hours and enjoy!
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I crave East Asian food....A LOT. It's salty, sweet and spicy-all the things I value in culinary creations. I used to get takeout once a week from an amazing Chinese restaurant in my neighborhood, and let's just say I am in what seems to be an eternal kung pao withdrawal... These days, with the commitment I have made to sound, intelligent nutritional behaviors, and whole unprocessed foods, I have had to come up with smarter fixes for my Asian obsession. Because as much as I LOVE P.F Chang's Mongolian Beef and Orange Peel Chicken, I love a favorable body composition and superior performance more. - Neghar
Ingredients: • Spray a large 4 ounces ground chicken breast or extra lean ground turkey breast • Romaine hearts • Sweet red chili sauce, or any other chili based sauce (the less sugar the better, and absolutely NO high
fructose corn syrup!) • Low sodium soy sauce • Sliced water chestnuts • Diced mushrooms (shitake, baby bella or white, they are all good!) • Chopped red or green cabbage (1-3 ounces) • Chopped scallions/green onions • Chopped fresh cilantro • Sliced avocado (optional)
Directions:
1. Spray a pan with non stick cooking spray or coat with a small amount of coconut or olive oil, and add
meat to brown. 2. Once meat is halfway done, add a dash of soy sauce and mushrooms and cabbage. 3. Add the scallions and water chestnuts when the mixture is a minute or so from being cooked through.
Then add a teaspoon or so of the sweet red chili sauce. 4. Take the mixture off the stove, and mix in the cilantro. 5. Transfer to a plate with 4-6 leaves of romaine hearts and sliced avocado.
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Yes it's called a thingie. It's not really a brownie, muffin or cookie. It's got a texture all it's own. This clean recipe came out of my quest to find a way to satisfy my sweets cravings without indulging my tendency to over eat. (Just because they are "gluten free" does not mean you can eat the whole batch of cookies!) I will share with you my exact recipe and include my suggested substitutions if needed. The most important thing here is to NOT overbake the thingie! When you pull it out of the oven it should jiggle just a little, appearing slightly undone. It will set, I promise. - Neghar Ingredients:
• 1 tbsp vanilla protein powder
• 1 tsp organic coconut flour
• 1 tsp organic raw cacao powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 heaping tablespoon organic plain greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons cage free liquid egg whites (from the carton)
• 1/2 packet of Truvia (a combination of stevia and erythritol which is a sugar alcohol. I am okay with
Truvia in very small doses but you can use pure stevia or even honey if you prefer.)
• Dark chocolate chips (optional)
Directions:
1. Mix it all up and use all of your available will power not to eat the batter... 2. Grease a small ceramic ramekin (a teeny baking dish, but any small oven safe dish will do) and
poured the batter in. 3. Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes. 4. Spread delicious almond butter on top while it was still warm!
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Everybody that knows me is aware of my obsession with carrot cake. I had to concoct a healthy version of it before that delightful dessert is the ultimate demise for my physique. This is possibly the best recipe I've made so far, but I'm clearly biased to Cake a la Carrot. This is a Jen original recipe. – Jen
Ingredients: • 1 cup oat flour • 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons cinnamon • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 45 grams of chopped pecans • 1 and 1/2 cups shredded carrot • 8 oz carrot baby food • 4 egg whites • 80 grams raisins • 1/8 cup Stevia • 2 scoops vanilla protein powder
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350° 2. Add cold water or unsweetened vanilla almond milk until the batter is a thick cake batter consistency. 3. Spray 9 x 9 baking pan with cooking spray, or grease with coconut oil. 4. Spread batter evenly into it. 5. Bake for approximately 12 - 14 minutes. 6. Watch it closely! Take it out when the edges are golden brown. The center will still be slightly
undone, but that is okay. Note: If you over bake these, they will be dry, so stay close and watch them.
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This treat is amazing and best of all, it’s gluten-free and it can be lactose-free (depending on which protein powder you select).
First we will make the cookie dough balls, then we will make the “ice cream”. - Jen
Ingredients: • 1 TBSP melted coconut oil • 1 TBSP honey • 1 scoop chocolate protein powder • 1/2 cup oats • 1/4 cup peanut butter (or any nut butter will work) • Optional: 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips • Tiny little splash of cold water if it needs more liquid. • 2 bananas
Directions:
1. Squish everything other than the bananas together and mold into 10 small balls. 2. You will need two bananas that have been peeled, sliced into big pieces, and frozen. 3. Take the frozen banana pieces out of the freezer, throw them into your food processor (a blender will
work, too) and turn that baby on. 4. Once the frozen banana is all smashed up, scoop it into a bowl or a cup and crumble a few cookie
dough balls on to the top.
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Yep. I’m not gonna lie. I wasn’t sure of a good title for this quick, easy, all natural, and delicious dessert recipe, so I settled on Brownie Balls, because that’s what I think they taste like.
The next time you want a quick and easy, all natural dessert recipe, I encourage you to give these a try. - Nia
Ingredients: • 1 cup raw nuts (I like to use half a cup of almonds, 1/4 cup pecans, and 1/4 cup of walnuts.
Use any combination you prefer). • 3/4 cup raisins • 1/4 cup cocoa powder (I use a heaping 1/4 cup because, well, I really like chocolate.) • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • water
Directions:
1. Put the raw nuts and raisins in a food processor. Blend on high until the nuts and raisins are
chopped and incorporated. 2. Add in the cocoa powder and vanilla extract and blend/pulse until the nuts are finely
chopped and all of the ingredients have combined. 3. You want to be able to form the mixture into balls without crumbling apart, so I usually
add in a teaspoon of water. This allows the mixture to bind together. Add very little water and only add more as needed.
4. You just want the balls to hold their shape, but not be wet. 5. Once you’ve attained the proper consistency, divide the mixture and form them into little
brownie balls. 6. I prefer to put them in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
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This recipe came about after a series of failures. What were supposed to be delicious treats turned into failed recipe after failed recipe. I really wanted to make some type of grain-free cookie but the recipes that I tried were not working. The texture was all wrong and don’t even mention the half jar of my favourite raw almond butter I wasted..
I was ready to throw in the towel but decided to give it one more try but this time I was going to freestyle. No recipe to start off with and whaddya know? These turned out so good! Michael tested them and gave them a huge thumbs up, after giving previous recipes vehement thumbs DOWN. (I only tell you that so you know he isn't afraid to give his precious wifey honest feedback.) – Jen
Ingredients: • 1 cup almond meal (or almond flour. Almond meal means ground almonds with skin. Almond flour
means ground almonds without the skin. Your choice.) • 1/4 cup coconut flour • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 1 egg • 2 mashed ripe bananas (you could probably sub 1/2 - 3/4 cup pure pumpkin to lower the carbs) • 2 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder • 3 packets of Stevia • 1 teaspoon vanilla • Peanut butter
Directions:
1. In one bowl mix whisk together the smashed banana, egg, and vanilla. 2. In another bowl, mix together the almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, salt, unsweetened cocoa
powder, and Stevia. 3. Combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together. If you choose to add chocolate
chips, now is the time! Dump them in and mix. 4. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray or lightly grease with coconut oil. 5. Drop the dough into 15 little spoonfuls onto the cookie sheet. 6. Bake at 350 degrees for 7 - 9 minutes. They should still be soft when you take them out of the oven. 7. Smear some peanut butter on top if you like.
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I honestly don’t know if the following recipe can be classified as a legitimate “pudding”, but this is my website and so I’m going to call it pudding nonetheless.
I usually enjoy this as a “dessert” after my post workout meal. So without further ado, here is apumpkin protein pudding recipe.
Note –Unfortunately I can’t tell you exactly how much of each ingredient to use because I never measure. But I will provide my best educated guess. - Nia
Ingredients: • 1 cup cottage cheese (the brand I buy contains only skim milk, cream and salt) • 1/2 canned pumpkin • Half teaspoon cinnamon (I prefer Saigon, and I use a lot) • 3/4 scoop vanilla protein powder.
Directions:
1. Put the cottage cheese, pumpkin, cinnamon and protein powder (and any of the optional ingredients)
in a bowl. 2. Mix until it is thoroughly combined. You can also blend the pudding (before adding the nuts, if you
choose to do so) with a hand mixer to give it a smoother consistency. I do this sometimes, but I’m usually too impatient.
3. Once you have it all mixed up, I think you know what to do from there.
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I originally threw this up on Facebook and it got quite a response so I figured I'd put it up here too so I can refer people back to it if need be. My friends, your wildest dreams have come true. I present to you a single serving, (grain/gluten/dairy/sugar-free) brownie. It took me all of 6 minutes to make this, including prep time, cook time, eat time, and clean up time. - Jen
Ingredients: • 2 egg whites • 2 TBSP coconut flour OR 1 TBSP coconut flour plus 1/2 scoop protein powder • 1 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder • 2 packets Stevia (more or less, it's up to you.) • 1/4 cup pure pumpkin • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients into a bowl 2. Spray a little glass dish or bowl with non-stick cooking spray or grease it with coconut oil. 3. Put mixture in it and toss it into the microwave. Nuke at 80% power for 2 - 4 minutes.
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When you're in this fitness industry, people assume that you must do everything right. You know, you
work out for 4 hours a day, you eat lettuce and chicken at every meal and you never ever cheat. Ever.
"Oh shush, Julia, you don't eat that stuff."
Ummm... You have no idea. If you know me, you know I looooooove me some ice cream (and bacon). I
have a major sweet tooth at night. And while I will (and do) indulge in my favorite (cookie dough), I do it
at the right times. I plan my treats. Boring, I know. But if I eat instinctively, I'd eat the whole dang 1/2
gallon. It's what works for me.
But sometimes, we need to have those "treats" that aren't quite so bad. Here in the Ladewski household,
we try to give our kids foods that are natural, whole and not loaded with artificial crap and chemicals.
This is a great "ice cream" recipe for kids (with no added sugar). – Julia
Ingredients: • 5-6 frozen bananas • 2-3 scoops chocolate protein • (Almond or coconut milk as needed to assist in blending)
Directions:
1. Blend in a high speed blender. It’s best if you eat it right away. You can freeze for later but it’s harder
than regular ice cream.
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As you know, I love food. And I love treats even more. I really like coconut products and I am always looking for ways to use them in recipes. These muffins are actually quite healthy. They are low carb, high fibre and they contain only healthy fat. - Marianne
Ingredients: • 3 eggs • 1/3 to 1/2 cup Coconut Flour • 1/4 cup melted Coconut Oil • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence • A pinch of salt • 1 desert-spoon honey • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda • 1/2 cup blueberries
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 170° 2. Whisk the eggs and then slowly whisk in the melted coconut oil. 3. Now mix in the salt, vanilla essence and the honey. 4. In a separate bowl, sift together the coconut flour and the baking soda. 5. Slowly mix the wet and dry ingredients together. 6. Add more flour or a little water until the consistency is just right. 7. Lastly fold in the blueberries. Divide the mixture between 6 – 10 (I got 8 this time) muffin cases and
place in oven for 20 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned.
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Ingredients: • 1/2 cup peanut butter (or any nut butter) • 1/2 cup agave necter (or honey or brown rice syrup) • 2 tsp vanilla extract • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 3 cups crisp rice cereal • 1 - 2 scoops of chocolate protein powder (I used one scoop.) • 1/4 cup water or unsweetened almond milk
Directions:
8. Spray an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish with nonstick spray. 9. In a small sauce pan on low heat, gently heat up the nut butter, agave nectar, vanilla, cocoa powder,
and salt until it all melts together. 10. Remove from heat and stir in 3 cups of crisp rice cereal. (this is also the time you'd add your optional
chocolate chips, or nuts, or whatever). 11. Let it cool slightly until it's just slightly warm and then add your chocolate protein powder.
Note You may need to add a couple spoonfuls of water to get the powder worked in. 12. Dump the concoction into your baking dish and press it down evenly. 13. Throw into your freezer for about 5 - 10 minutes until it firms up.
Slice into 9 squares.
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So… this is kind of a silly question but… How many of you like peanut butter fudge? How many of you also like to see your abs (or at least an OUTLINE of them? ;-D) Yeah… me too. This came about when I was searching for delicious low carb recipes. When I saw it I couldn’t believe my eyes! Then I made some and I couldn’t believe my MOUTH! It was ridiculous. So… without further ado, here is the amazing peanut butter fudge recipe THAT IS NOT MINE (but I did adapt it slightly). - Molly
Ingredients: • 1/2 cup unsalted butter • 1/2 cup unsalted natural peanut butter • 2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature • 1 cup granular Xylitol (they recommended Splenda or Stevia… I like Xylitol WAY better! That’s my
adaptation of the recipe) • 1 cup vanilla protein powder (I used Jay Robb, which is sweetened with Stevia)
Directions:
1. Microwave the butter and peanut butter together for a minute, stir to combine. 2. Return to microwave for another 30 seconds or until melted; whisk well. 3. Stir in the cream cheese until well blended and smooth. 4. Whisk in the sweetener. 5. Add the whey protein until everything is combined 6. Line a baking dish with foil and grease it. 7. Spread the mixture evenly over the pan and freeze for 2-3 hours, until set.
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I stole borrowed this recipe from Robb Wolf and made some changes to it to lower the sugar and fat content. - Jen Ingredients:
• 2 cups almond flour or almond meal (I used almond meal) • 1/4 cup flaxseed meal (grind it fresh for bonus points) • 1 TBSP cinnamon • 4 packets of Stevia (I don't like my stuff really sweet, so more or less.) • 1 tsp baking soda • 1 tsp baking powder • 1 cup (225g) of really ripe mashed up banana • 4 egg whites • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and grease two mini loaf pans (5.75 x 3.25 x 2.25) or a muffin tin. 2. In one bowl, mix together all wet ingredients. 3. In another bowl, mix together all dry ingredients. 4. Dump the wet stuff into the dry stuff and mix. 5. Spoon the batter into the two greased mini loaf pans or into a muffin tin that holds 12. 6. Throw it into the oven and bake for 23 - 25 minutes for muffins, or 25 - 27 minutes for mini loaves,
or until a toothpick comes out clean. 7. Remove. Cool. Slice. Top with nut butter, real butter, coconut butter, or whatever you want.
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Want something quick and simple, requires only two ingredients, is high in protein, low in sugar, and tastes like cheesecake?
If yes, then you’re gonna love me. – Nia
Ingredients:
• 1 Cup Greek Yogurt
• ~1 Scoop Protein Powder (use your favorite flavor)
Directions:
1. Put 1 Cup Greek Yogurt in a Bowl 2. Step 2 – Add a Scoop of Protein Powder 3. Step 3 – Mix It Up
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