Clean Eating Recipes

Jan 26

Take A Sip In A Brighter Direction

Jan 26 | Clean Eating Recipes

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I’ve been really trying to step up my health game lately. After a few weeks of my stomach not feeling right, I knew something I was eating was just not doing the trick for me. I eat generally pretty clean, whole foods (I’ve always been an 80/20 kinda girl)  but a bite of the kids mac and cheese here, a few of their animal crackers there and it was all making my stomach not feel great. So I’ve been trying really hard to cut out anything overly processed, ingredients I can’t say, etc… It’s been going so much better! I have been feeling great!

Two huge, HUGE, things I’ve learned in helping set a good mindset for the day, to not just eat healthy but FEEL and BE healthy is to 1. see each day as a whole. Wake up, set intentions for that one day and work towards that. If you eat something you regret, then tomorrow is a new day! No room for guilt! Have an overall health goal, but don’t be so overwhelmed by it. Day by day! and 2. Start the day with a great, empowering, build you up for success kind of breakfast!! I can’t say enough about this. I’ve never been a breakfast girl but over the last year, I’ve totally turned into one. It keeps me from looking for snacks at like 10:30am, it sets me out on the right path for the day, it helps solidify those intentions for the day. Plus breakfast foods are soooo yummy!!

I really love to drink Evolution Fresh® juice in the morning. Almost every bottle of their green juice contains over a serving of veggies. Holla!! It’s so easy to pick some up at the grocery store or at select Starbucks stores. When ever I go through the drive thru (tall misto with coconut milk!) I always ask for them to add a green juice to the order to bring home. Evolution Fresh also cold-presses their juice using high-pressure processing to help protect nutrients and taste, no heating to pasteurize it!  Anyway, I love to pair my morning juice with some overnight oats (sooooo easy) and voila! The perfect way to start the day and take a sip in a brighter direction!!

January 26, 2016, Evolution Fresh launched its first ever National Green Juice Day (NGJD) to celebrate the love for green juice?  This year, Evolution Fresh and Postmates are joining forces and offering free delivery of free green juice to customers on January 26, 2017 starting at 1:00 pm local time and ending when supplies are depleted. You will be able to order 3 free juices per delivery, with a maximum of one 1 order per customer. If you live Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle, Washington, DC, Miami, Phoenix, Orange County, San Diego get ready to order your free juice on January 26!!! And can we just talk about how jealous I am that you live in a city that has Postmates!! For the rest of us not in those cool cities, make sure you head out and get your own Evolution Fresh green juice to celebrate National Green Juice Day.

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Follow Evolution Fresh on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Evolution Fresh® for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

p.s….
Here is the recipe for easiest, most delicious cocao + almond butter overnight oats. In the morning before eating them, I layer in between some organic whole milk greek yogurt or coconut yogurt. Top with banana, nuts and coconut shavings!

Oct 04

The Best 3pm Pick-Me-Up Smoothie Ever! (coffee, cacao and almonds, oh my!

Oct 04 | Clean Eating Recipes

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The 3pm hour is rough for me. My eyelids get sooooooooo heeeeeavy! If I could just sit for like 2 quiet minutes, I know I would be fast asleep. Since a nap isn’t in the cards, I treat myself to a little pick me up just about everyday at, you guessed it, 3pm! This smoothie is perfection! It’s coffee, chocolatey goodness and something you don’t have to feel bad about after. I love including superfood ingredients into smoothies as much as possible!! This smoothie uses Graze Cacao powder (and the nibs) which are packed full antioxidants, and contains high amounts of magnesium and iron.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup coconut water
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/2 cup cold brew coffee
2 Tbsp of Graze Cacao Powder
1 Tbsp of Graze Cacao Nibs (plus more for topping)
2-3 Medjool dates, pitted (soak them in hot water for at least 10 minutes before blending)
3 Tbsp rolled oats
1 Tbsp of almond butter
1/2-1 frozen banana (depending on how banana-y you like your smoothies)
1 tsp of vanilla
2 cups ice
Optional: you can add a scoop of your favorite protein powder if you’d like as well. I usually add a scoop of chocolate vegan protein.

Directions:

In a blender, combine all the ingredients. Blend on high speed until smooth. Enjoy!

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Thank you to Graze for kindly sponsoring this post. All opinions are 100% honest & completely my own. Graze offers the most delicious snacks and their newest superfood collection is beyond awesome! Check them out if you haven’t already.

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Aug 03

Roasted Butternut Squash and Kale Naan Pizza

Aug 03 | Clean Eating Recipes

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Do you guys want to know what one of my most favorite foods are? Pizza! I don’t mean plain cheese pizza though. I’m talking fancy pizza. You know, the kind of pizza with crazy delicious toppings that you don’t normally see on pizza. Now that’s what I’m talking about. Mmmm, my mouth is watering just thinking about this pizza. I’ve shared pizza recipes before on the blog, but today we’re making pizza with roasted butternut squash and caramelized onions. Are you ready to have your mind blown? One of my other favorite things about homemade pizza is that it’s pretty quick. This recipe took no time with our oven’s no preheat feature- Ahh I love that feature. I hate waiting for the oven to preheat! Love how it makes cooking a quick dinner, that much quicker! Let’s get started shall we?

Ingredients:

3-4 cups butternut squash, cubed
2-3 cloves of garlic, skin removed, halved
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Pinch of sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Pinch of cinnamon and chili powder
1 tablespoon of maple syrup or honey
1.5 Sweet onions, sliced thin
1-2 Tablespoon of butter
1/2 cup of shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 cup of gorgonzola
1 cup kale leaves, finely chopped
1/2 cup pine nuts
3 pieces of Naan bread

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Add cubed butternut squash and garlic to a baking sheet and drizzle with 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt, pepper and a pinch of cinnamon and chili powder. Toss to coat.
3. Bake for 20-25 mins or until soft
4. While the veggies roast, caramelize the onions. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with butter. Add the onions and cook about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened. When done turn off burner and set aside.
5. When veggies are done roasting, transfer to a blender or food processor and add remaining tablespoon of olive oil and maple syrup. Blend until smooth. Adding a touch of water to adjust if consistency is too thick. You want the texture to be spreadable but not too liquidy so that it won’t hold it’s shape.
6. With naan bread, spread the butternut squash sauce down as a base for the pizza.
7. Top with caramelized onions, kale, parmesan cheese, gorgonzola and pine nuts.
8. Turn oven up to 425 and bake pizzas on rack for about 10-15 mins, or until edges of naan are getting crispy and cheese is melted.
10. Slice, serve and eat up all the deliciousness!!

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This post was sponsored by Frigidaire Professional. All opinions and pictures are my own.

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Jun 12

Sweet Potato Pasta with Hemp Seed and Kale Pesto

Jun 12 | Clean Eating Recipes

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Hey Guys!

Anyone LOOOOVE pasta out there? I am a huge pasta fan. It’s for sure my comfort food. Until this year, I was really hesitant about the whole spirializer trend. I mean, a zucchini is no pasta dish, even if it’s in the shape of spaghetti. But then I ended up getting one and oh man! It’s a game changer. My favorite thing to turn into noodles is by far a sweet potato. It’s the perfect kind of al dente noodle. We have this recipe below at least once a week. It’s so easy and quick! Don’t be intimidated by making the pesto either- so quick & easy. You don’t have to worry about needing a food processor; a blender works great.

Sweet Potato Pasta with Hemp Seed and Kale Pesto
Serves: 2-4 | Prep Time: 20 mins | Cook Time: 10-15 mins

Ingredients:

1/2 cup hemp seeds
2 cloves of garlic
2-3 cups of chopped kale
3 tablespoons of lemon juice (about 1.5 lemons)
1/4 cup of olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup of non-dairy milk (I used plain, unsweetened almond milk)
2 large sweet potatoes
1 package of cherry tomatoes, halved
Optional: grated Parmesan cheese and chopped basil for garnish
Optional: Add some chicken for the meat eaters in your life

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Instructions:

1. Make the Pesto: In a blender, add the peeled garlic and hemp seeds and pulse together. Add kale and pulse again.
2. Add lemon juice, olive oil and generous amount of salt and pepper and pulse again.
3. Scrape sides and blend into a smooth paste
4. Transfer to a small pot and heat on cooktop over low heat. Add non-dairy milk a little at a time and whisk together until it’s your desired consistency. I like to thin out and make a creamier sauce.
5. Sweet Potato Noodles: With a spirializer, make noodles with your sweet potatoes. You could use a julienne peeler – it’s tedious, but it can be done.
6. Add noodles to a large skillet or wok. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and toss with tongs to coat. Continue to toss with the tongs every minute to prevent the potatoes from burning or becoming stuck on the bottom of the skillet. Do this for 5-10 minutes. The cooking time will depend on your preferred texture of the noodles. If you love a little crunch, cook for 5 minutes. If you like a softer noodle, cook for around 10.
7. When the noodles are at the desired texture add the pesto sauce and tomatoes. Toss to coat.
8. Serve in bowls and top with chopped basil, freshly grated parmesan and sprinkle with a few hemp seeds.
9. Enjoy!

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Cooking Tip: In a rush for dinner? Add a tiny bit of water to the pan when cooking the noodles. The high heat of the PowerPlus Burner on the Frigidaire Professional Cooktop will help steam the noodles and cook them in a jiffy.

This post was sponsored by Frigidaire Professional and Lowe’s. All opinions and pictures are my own.

Dec 15

Clean Eats | Lentil Soup

Dec 15 | Clean Eating Recipes

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It’s soup season!! Yippee. Well, I don’t like the cold but I do love soup. I am always on the look out for a good soup recipe. After Orion was born, the lovely ladies from our church blessed us with a crazy awesome meal train. We had meals for weeks. Such a HUGE, HUGE blessing! One of those meals was this lentil soup. I loved it so much I asked for the recipe. I have since made it twice and oh man! it’s good. I thought I would share it here with you guys too. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil (or coconut oil), plus extra for drizzling
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 1/4 cup of lentils (we love these Organic Truroots Sprouted Lentil Trio
11 cups organic veggie broth
4 to 6 fresh thyme sprigs
2/3 cup organic 100% whole wheat pasta (spirals work best I think)
1 cup shredded organic Parmesan (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.
2. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper and saute until all the vegetables are tender.
3. Add the whole can of tomatoes (including juices). Simmer, stirring occasionally for about 8 minutes.
4. Add the lentils, broth and thyme sprigs. Stir. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer over low heat until the lentils are just about tender, about 30 minutes.
5. Stir in the pasta. Simmer until the pasta is tender but still a bit firm (around 8 minutes). Season with salt and pepper.
6. Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with the Parmesan if you wish and drizzle with olive oil. Enjoy!!

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Recipe adapted from the Food Network

Aug 17

Packing Kids Lunches for School and On The Go

Aug 17 | Clean Eating Recipes

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We’ve had a busy summer. Most days during the summer we are out the door by 10am and not home till late in the afternoon. It would have cost us a fortune if we were always grabbing lunch out at restaurants all summer long. I have gotten into a pretty good habit of quickly packing up healthy lunches for everyone to eat on the go this summer. I’m calling it good practice for the time we have to send Rowan to school with lunch each and every day. Thankful it is not this year yet! Here are our favorite items that help us make lunches on the go possible!!

1. Smart Planet Collapsible Lunch Boxes: We love these things! We have 4 of them. One for each of us!! Kev uses it every day for his lunch to work and I pack them full for our daily adventures around town. I love that they are easy to wipe out, throw in the dishwasher and collapsible for easy storage. The top even comes with a little spoon/fork combo tucked right in. They even make big ones for a large salad!

2. Itzy Ritzy Reusable Snack Bags: I AM OBSESSED WITH THESE!! I’ve been trying to kick the ziplock baggie thing forever. It always feels so wasteful!! I love these reusable bags though. They come in 2 sizes for snacks, have a waterproof lining and are machine washable. I use them for everything… grapes, carrots, cheddar bunnies, etc… They come with us everywhere. On a side note I also love their wet bags! I use them for wet bathing suits after the pool, to carry a change of clothes for Finley as we potty train on the go (and when accidents happen- peed clothes). I’ve used it as a camera case at the beach and to protect my iPad on a plane. You name it!

3. Wee Appetite Reusable Pouches: So not to go on a rant but… you know what really grinds my gears? Kids yogurt. It’s such a marketing scam. It’s really just yogurt with waaaaaay more sugar in it and probably a lot of other ingredients you do not want your kids eating. Plus don’t get me started on the price of the organic tubes. Yes, I’m not perfect and cave to my kids whining every once in a while but these amazing little reusable pouches are wondrous! In a bowl I mix some plain greek yogurt with some thawed berries and a touch of honey and voila! homemade kids yogurt that you’ve controlled the amount of sugar in. The girls don’t complain either, they love it! I fill these pouches with the mixture and we have yogurt on the go! These are also so great for homemade baby food. We will be using them for up coming baby for sure!

4. ZoLi Water Bottles: I have such a pet peeve for water bottles that leak or that are too fat to fit in cup holders (why?!?!?!?). These ZoLi water bottles do neither! That’s why they’re among my favorites. Simple, clean design with a slim bottle frame. The girls and I have matching ones. Pip size for Mama, Squeak size for them.

Do you have any tips or tried and true products you love for kids lunches on the go?
I’d love to hear!!

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Dec 15

Clean Eats | Dark Chocolate, Peanut Butter & Coconut Bites

Dec 15 | Clean Eating Recipes

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I think the most common kind of question we get since we decided to eat a less processed, more whole food diet is about having sweets. I think when people hear whole/clean food they think we’re only eating twigs and berries. And yes, we do eat a lot of produce but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for sweets. We’re just more selective over what sweets we eat. After eating better quality, made from scratch goodies, eating say a “insert favorite candy bar here” seriously tastes like plastic. The store bought candy has no flavor in comparison. These chocolate bites are the most amazing thing ever. I crave them like no ones business. They’re so delicious and rich that one or two totally satisfies a craving. Super simple to make and the ingredients can’t be beat.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup good quality dark chocolate chips (we like to use this kind)
1/2 cup organic peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
1/3 cup grade B maple syrup
3 tbsp. of cocoa powder (we like this kind)
1 tsp. vanilla
A pinch of sea salt if your peanut butter is not salted
1 1/4 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut (plus more for rolling in at the end)

Directions:
1. In medium pot, over medium low, melt chocolate, pb, syrup, cocoa, vanilla and sea salt. As it melts together and heats up it will become think and hard to stir. Remove from heat and stir in the coconut.
2. The mixture will be thick. Let it cool down. Then, using your hands form small balls. You can roll each ball in shredded coconut to give them a finished, festive look. They are good with or without this final step. Up to you.
3. Refrigerate for at least 20 mins before serving.

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Recipe adapted from here.

Hi, I'm Jen!

Welcome to my personal lifestyle blog. It features topics such as motherhood, family life, fashion, cooking, and all sorts of adventures. I hope you enjoy what you find!

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