Recipes

Rainbow Chicken Veggie Bowl

August 13, 2017

If a name like rainbow chicken veggie bowl doesn’t catch your attention, I don’t know what will. Maybe the ridiculous beautiful and colorful photo of the best dish I have eaten in months?

If am being honest, I have been in a bit of a dinner funk lately. I find myself challenged and stretched to do it all sometimes. Between keeping the house clean, dealing with a stage 100 clingy baby, playing with wooden blocks nonstop, creating content for my site, copywriting for others’ sites, and creating meal plans for clients, I feel like time is running short.

Yet I have a desire to have a hot dinner on the table for my husband every night when he comes home from work. (Make no mistake- he does not demand this of me. It truly is a desire of mine)….

Zucchini Corn Casserole

August 10, 2017

Do y’all ever crave dishes that make you feel like it’s Thanksgiving? No? Just me? I’m not even ashamed to say that I start craving Thanksgiving in July. I especially start craving casseroles like this ridiculously amazing and entirely delicious healthy zucchini corn casserole.

Okay, that’s not even true.

What really happens is that I start craving turkey, dressing, mac and cheese, and the most unhealthy green bean casserole you could imagine.

But if I gave in to all those cravings every time I had them (which is often), I would weigh seven hundred pounds and all of my gym efforts would be meaningless.

So instead I have to come up with delicious flavorful dishes that remind me of Thanksgiving without all the guilt. Except I never feel guilty on Thanksgiving, but that’s beside the point.

Everyone knows Thanksgiving is a time for casseroles, too, so coming up with healthy Thanksgiving dishes means I get to come up with so many casseroles… like this drool worthy zucchini corn casserole….

California Avocado Chicken

August 7, 2017

This California avocado chicken has me drooling, y’all.

And that’s a big deal. In case you don’t know the backstory, I pretty much avoided chicken like the plague for basically my entire pregnancy, and I haven’t really learned how to deal with it since. Honestly, I think I can count on one hand the number of times I have truly enjoyed chicken since having my baby. I can’t really explain it. It’s just… chicken.

But this. This California avocado chicken is the real deal. It is perfectly juicy and tender, and so full of flavor. It is exactly how a chicken breast should be.

And that’s without the California avocado goodness on top.

Can I just share another little backstory? I actually never even tasted an avocado until I was nineteen years old and lived in Colorado. I remember some college friends literally being appalled when I told them I had never had guacamole. It just wasn’t something we ate growing up.

So they took me to Chipotle and ordered some chips and guacamole and changed my life….

Honey Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

August 4, 2017

Can I get a big ole FRI-YAYYYY?

Seriously, you know how some weeks just seem to drag on and on and on? That was this week. I woke up wondering if I was dreaming because it’s finally Friday.

But you know what? I’m gonna make it.

Because cookies. So many cookies.

Sometimes you just need a Friday a morning dance party and a perfect plate of cookies to lift your spirits and put you in a good mood.

And these aren’t just any cookies. These are the oatmeal raisin cookies my best friend has been requesting for months. These are the cookies I have made and remade SEVEN times trying to get the perfect balance of healthy, chewy, gluten free, and delicious. These are the cookies that made the cut after seven batches went straight to the trash. (I know you think I’m crazy but #fitnessgoals)….

Cinnamon Sugar Cookies

July 24, 2017

Y’all wanna know how I make it through a Monday?

Cookies. So many cookies.

Okay, not every Monday. But this Monday I swear they are calling my name and won’t leave me alone. I have tried everything. I have gone all the way to the laundry room in the basement and put a pillow over my head, but I can still hear them calling from the stovetop. It’s torture. And there’s no way to ever get out.

It’s like Hotel California.

Am I the only person that feels like that? Like you can’t escape the calling of the delicious desserts on your counter? There has to be a support group for that. If you’re a part of one, could you let me know? Anonymously, of course.

But seriously, cookies. These cookies are part two of my “You Asked For It” series and I am in love….

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

July 18, 2017

So… the last few weeks have just been draining for us. Between family stuff, post-pregnancy medical issues, and a baby that violently throws up 15-20 times a day, we’ve just been super exhausted.

I’ve tried to gain strength in a variety of ways, and none of them have really worked, so I finally realized I just needed to eat my sorrows away with chocolate chip cookies.

But then I realized I would be even more miserable because I would gain a million pounds, so……

Easy Banana Bread

July 14, 2017

Okay, I have to admit that I am not really a banana lover.

Actually, I hated bananas before I got pregnant. One of the first clues I had as to the fact that I was pregnant was that I said to my husband, “babe, I need a banana.” We both just stared at each other for a second and we knew.

But, even though I am not a banana lover, I do think they serve a purpose in the right place at the right time. Like, in banana bread. Because banana bread without bananas is just… bread.

And we all know I am not bread crazy either.

So, if I am going to eat banana bread, I need it to meet a few requirements. I need it to be moist but not mushy- that grosses me out. I also need it to be sweet but not too sweet- because that grosses me out as well. I feel like bananas that are too sweet on just on the cusp of fermentation and that’s nasty. I also need it to be a bit dense, because banana bread wasn’t meant to be super airy….

Easy Homemade Salsa

July 10, 2017

Chips and salsa have their own tier on the food pyramid, amiright? I’m not even gonna ask if y’all like chips and salsa because I’m pretty sure all humans do.

What I really want to know is whether there are other chips and salsa lovers out there like me?

Anybody else eat the chips as a vehicle for the salsa? I’m pretty confident the salsa is what it’s all about.

My husband and I are both salsa lovers, although he admittedly loves the chips as well. The problem is, we both like very different salsas. I like mine to have tons of textures and ingredients and enough spice to make my eyes water. He’s… you know… a pico de gallo kind of guy. (Is that really even salsa?) So even though we both love salsa, it’s really hard for us to find a salsa we both love.

Why is life so hard?…

Strawberry Coconut Cream Cake

July 4, 2017

You have heard me say it a million times and here I am saying it again… I LOVE CAKE.

In my opinion, it is the dessert of all desserts. Send me to a dessert table with cookies, pies, truffles, pastries, muffins and cake, and I’ll come back with all cake on my plate. It’s just a part of me… mostly on my back side.

Over the last couple of years, I have been in the process of finding a balance with cake. I want to eat clean 95% of the time (because the other 5% of the time is reserved for living on the edge), but at the same time, I want to really enjoy the things that I love. I was talking to a friend recently about how disappointing it is when a super healthy friend asks you if you want a piece of cake and you discover she’s referring to a piece of chocolate looking bread. No icing, no moisture, and no guilt… and absolutely no fun.

If I am going to eat a piece of cake, I really want it to taste like… CAKE….

5 Ingredient Energy Bites

June 23, 2017

I am going to just keep this one short and simple… Just like the energy bites.

I have needed to come up with a quick and easy energy bite for a long time. Over the last week, in the crazy routine of life, I found myself not only searching for a quick energy source on my way to a workout, but also looking for something nutritious and filling that I can pop in my mouth when I just don’t have time for lunch.

This 5 ingredient energy bite absolutely meets both of those needs. It is a super easy pre-workout fuel source, but it is also pretty filling and entirely delicious. I can eat two of these for lunch with a piece of fruit or a few strawberries and be totally satisfied….