clean food for my messy life
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……
Anytime Daniel and I travel, I search every travel and food site for the best smoothie bowls.
I’m sure there’s lots of smoothie bowl places right in my back yard, but let’s be real. I do not want to pay $9 every time I want one- which is A LOT. I feel a little bit better about it when it’s in the name of “vacation.”
But what about all the times I just need a yummy bowl at home?
Obviously I have to make my own, but that’s not always the easiest.
Can we just talk for a second about how touchy smoothies and smoothie bowls are? Am I the only person that has made the exact *same* smoothie with the exact same ratios only to have it turn out completely different? That’s just plain annoying.
Smoothie bowls can be even more touchy. You want them to be smooth and creamy, but still thick enough to eat with a spoon- and you need to accomplish that without them being grainy.
I say all of that to say, it is important to always start out with smaller amounts of liquid and work your way up to the recipe amount. You can’t take away liquid, but you can always add more!
Do you want another fun tip?
Layer your bowl with toppings in the middle! You won’t end up with all your toppings gone with half of your smoothie left!
Oh, one more tip?
Get creative. As long as the base of your bowl is good, you can really add whatever toppings you want! You can also easily swap out ingredients as long as they are equal substitutes!
For this particular smoothie bowl, I wanted it to be grain free, but you can really use any granola or combination of seeds, nuts, and dried fruits. If you are looking for a good clean granola, try this one!
Enjoy!
Have y’all ever had the broccoli cheddar soup from Panera?
If so, you’ll understand the urgency behind coming up with this recipe. My bank account can’t keep up with my desire for that soup, and my body is uncertain of it’s real nutritional value. I simply could not take it anymore. I had to come up with one at home.
The thing about a broccoli cheddar soup is that, well, anything that is loaded full of cheese is not going to be the healthiest thing out there. But I did want to do my part to lighten it up. I tried to keep this soup as clean as I possibly could.
The first thing I did was obviously make sure the entire soup was gluten free… Because I didn’t want to die over a bowl of soup….
Alright, y’all. I need to apologize. I have been so wrapped up in my new eBook– which by the way, I am STOKED about- that I have totally neglected the rest of my life.
But seriously, this is a shameless plug for my new eBook, “30 Clean Breakfasts.” If you aren’t sure whether or not you want it, sign up for my mailing list to get a sample page from the eBook and try out one of the recipes.
Okay, so I may have neglected posting for a week. The good news is that during that week something crazy happened and it feels like summer outside. Do you know what that means?
EVERYTHING GRILLED….
The jalapeño is God’s gift to me.
I like them anywhere and everywhere and on any dish that allows for them without messing up the flavor. Because putting jalapeños on curry would be like putting ketchup on eggs.
But that’s a sensitive subject for some of you, so I won’t get into my opinions on that one….
We love chili around here. It’s pretty much our go-to when it comes to one pot meals that are filling and entirely delicious.
But chili, traditionally speaking, always has meat in it. So when I was thinking of putting chili on the two week meal plan for my new vegetarian friend, I found myself a bit stumped.
Luckily, I am always up for a challenge. I decided to get to work right away on a delicious vegetarian chili. (It happens to be vegan as well, just as long as you don’t top it with cheese)!…
