Roasted Root Vegetables and Garbanzo Beans - easy version

I promise this is WAY easier and WAY tastier than you think!

Roasted Root Vegetables and Garbanzo Beans

10 carrots, peeled and cut into about 1 inch pieces

10 medium red potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 red onion, cut to chunks

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

olive oil to preference (about 1/2 C)

Italian seasonings spice blend (about 2 tsp)

Sea salt to taste (1-2 tsp)

Super simple.  Just throw the ingredients into a large bowl and toss to coat with the oil and seasonings.  Pour onto a sprayed sheet pan and bake at 400º for an hour, turning every 20 minutes.  You can bake more or less for your favorite texture.  I turned on the convection fan when I turned it the first time, so had convection running for 40 minutes.  The serve steaming hot!  

Before

So pretty!

I kept picking at this, snitching tastes before we sat down.  Vegetarians and meat eaters at my table both finished their plates without argument.  This was my answer to the traditional pot roast dinner as I'm focusing on making more meatless meals.  I've heard of roasting garbanzo beans (otherwise known as chic peas).  Potatoes have protein, but to add more I threw the garbanzos in and it's a delicious win!  And so simple that my kids can easily make it.  

I did not add Blendfresh to this recipe since I had already had a huge smoothie earlier in the day, but it would be very easy to sprinkle on Green right as it came out of the oven, or Orange if you were doing just a pan of roasted carrots.  Blendfresh adds such good flavor (and nutrition), but this time I was more focused on making sure this passed for a new comfort food recipe than experimenting.

As a bonus, I felt like a total 1960's home-maker as I peeled potatoes and carrots.  Good old-fashioned workin' in the kitchen.  It made me realize how long it's been since I actually did that simple task.  Plan for half an hour of peeling and chopping, and just enjoy the process.  If you finish early then celebrate.

While I was at it, I ate a big, long carrot once I peeled it.  I totally felt like a kid again.  Baby carrots just cannot take the place of a ten inch crunchy snack!  Long live old school nutrition!

Just Fudge It!

Just Fudge It!

1 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk

2 C chocolate chips

1 cube butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 scoop Blendfresh Sprouted Fiber Blend

1 C broken walnuts (optional)

Microwave ingredients and pour into a 11x7 pan lined with foil that is sprayed with non-stick spray.  Refrigerate until cool, then peel the foil from the back and cut into small pieces.  This is definitely a treat to be enjoyed in small amounts and shared.  It is more filling than most fudge (because of the fiber), so there is a natural tendency to be satisfied more quickly and eat less.  Whew!

Ok, I promise that's the last treat recipe for a while, but I had to sneak it in cuz the picture I took was too perfect!  Happy New Year!

"Perfectly Chocolate" Cake

"Perfectly Chocolate" Cake

Add the following to your blender jar (use Wildside if you have a Blendtec blender);

2 C sugar

1 3/4 C flour

3/4 C cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 scoop Blendfresh Green (optional)

1/2 - 1 scoop Blendfresh Sprouted Fiber blend (optional)

Pulse a few times until the dry ingredients are well mixed.  Then add;

2 eggs

1 C milk

1/2 C coconut oil

2 tsp vanilla

Mix for about 40 seconds in blender, then add

1 C boiling water

Mix together and pour into a sprayed a 9x13 pan.  Bake at 350º for 35-40 minutes.  As an option add up to a cup of walnuts.  

For frosting I like to sprinkle a 1/2 - 1 Cup of chocolate chips on top of the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven.  After about a minute the chips will be melted enough to spread over the cake with a butter knife and cool as cake topping.

The Blendfresh Green scoop you will not notice the taste of.  It will just add nutrition to what could possibly be a dessert of very little nutritional value - just a fun treat once in a while, which this should be.  If you add 1/2 scoop of Fiber you probably won't notice it, but if you add a whole scoop of fiber you may want to add 3 Tbsp of water to keep your cake from becoming dry.  Use this rule of thumb with any cake or baked item that you want to add the extra Fiber to.

This is my adaptation of the "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake from the Hershey's Recipe Collection Cookbook, 2008.

Better-than-other Cranberry Sauce

Fresh Cranberry Sauce

1 C water

3/4 C sugar

3 C fresh cranberries

1 scoop Blendfresh Reds (optional, but tastes better!)

Zest of 1 orange

In a medium sauce pan bring water and sugar to boil.  Add fresh cranberries and reheat back to boiling.  As they heat, the cranberries will begin to pop open, releasing natural pectin which will thicken the sauce.  It's a fun, festive sound!  Continue to cook about 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir gently as it cools.  Sauce will continue to thicken.  Add the zest of an orange for color and flavor, then add a scoop of Blendfresh Reds and stir to combine.  Serve in a nice bowl.  

I like to make this right as the dinner is being placed on the table so the sauce is fresh and warm, but it can be made ahead and refrigerated for convenience.  It goes nicely with a salty meat like turkey or pork, and makes a delicious sandwich spread too.

This is a fun twist on the traditional Ocean Spray recipe I've been making for years.  It has slightly less sugar, the added citrus texture, plus a whole new set of flavors from adding the 12 fresh dried fruits and vegetables found in Blendfresh.  

This is the first year I have added Blendfresh to the recipe and several people at our family dinner asked what I had done differently this year because the cranberries were so good.  Thank you very much Blendfresh :)

Click here to learn more about Blendfresh or click here to get your own Blendfresh.

Alfredo Sauce with a "healthier" spin

Disclaimer: This recipe is delicious, and yet please understand the goal.  This is not what I would call a "healthy" recipe.  This recipe is for moments we are intensely craving pasta with alfredo sauce, and this is a very tasty way to make it better for you, but I would not recommend this recipe often as being "good for you".  It's just better than the traditional recipe because of the added fiber and whole grain.  That said, let's make some yummy pasta alfredo!

Alfredo Cream Sauce

1 cube butter

3/4 C heavy cream

1/3 C parmesan cheese

1 scoop Blendfresh spouted fiber blend

Cook: 1/2 box Barilla whole grain spaghetti

Cook pasta.  In a separate pot gently melt butter, then add heavy cream and stir until very warm and blended (do not boil or cream may separate).  At the last moment quickly add parmesan and Blendfresh fiber and whisk to blend.  Pour immediately over cooked pasta and mix together.  The parmesan will melt and the fiber will begin to thicken immediately, so you want them on the pasta as that happens so it's easier to work with.  You can still add it after it thickens, but it will become very thick, not like a traditional sauce.

Serve with steamed broccoli.  To make a complete meal serve with a protein.  In this picture I show turkey seasoned with Blendfresh Orange.  As an alternate, try kidney beans added to pasta for a vegetarian meal.

Which Blendtec model is right for me?

You're thinking "They're all so beautiful, how do I choose?" right?  Well everything looks good when it's going to make your life easier and better!  Let's walk through the differences and see which features will fit your lifestyle best.

Total Blender
You may be most familiar with the Total Blender as seen in Costco demonstrations and home shows (pictured in the middle).  This model has been around for a while (about 8 years) and is fairly well known.  It comes with the Wildside Jar (patented blender jar that flows the food toward the blade so you don't need to shove it down) and has a handful of push button programs, and a blend counter on the front that's fun to watch. Like all Blendtec blenders, the jar doesn't dis-assemble and to wash it you only need to run warm water and soap in it for a moment and then rinse, though it is dishwasher safe.  It comes with a 7 year warranty and is usually priced $300-$329 in warehouse club stores like Costco, and up to $500 at other retail stores or specialty online sites.

Blendtec Express
The Blendtec Express blender (with the fruit in it on the left) is a step up.  You can find it online or in specialty kitchen stores for $600 - $750.  I most recently saw it at Bed, Bath and Beyond for $649.  Since Blendtec has a huge staff of engineers (over 40!) they are constantly innovating and since the Total Blender has come out, they've learned a lot.  Here's what you get with the new and improved Blendtec Express;

Powerful 1650-watt, 3.2 peak horsepower motor

Illuminated, smart touch interface

Four preprogrammed cycles: Smoothies, Ice Cream, Whole Juice, Hot Soup

8-speed capacitive touch slider for precision speed control

Illuminated counter that displays remaining time on blends

Unique blunt safety blade

Completely flat interface for easy cleaning

Fits under most cabinetry

Compatible with all Blendtec jars

8 year warranty

Blendtec Express Pro
And saving the best for last, the Blendtec Express Pro model.  This is the Cadillac of all blenders.  Blendtec makes the most advanced blenders in the world, and this is their top of the line model.  It was built to withstand commercial settings like Starbucks and Planet Smoothie shops, so if you like the best of everything, this is the model for you.  It retails for $1500 and is worth every penny!  The strongest blender so it will blend everything from your iPad to your garden rake (see Will It Blend), and yet the sound enclosure and motor quieting baffles will let you blend without waking up the sleeping household or your neighbor!  Here's the breakdown;

Commercial-grade 1800-watt, 3.8 peak horsepower motor

Sound enclosure and sound dampening innovations enables it to blend at a sound level comparable to normal conversation

42 customizable preprogrammed cycles, including your name and programming on the screen!

Illuminated, capacitive touch interface with automatic shutoff

10-speed capacitive touch slider for precision speed control

Multi-speed Pulse

Unique blunt safety blade

Completely flat interface for easy cleaning

Compatible with all Blendtec jars

10 year warranty

Click here to shop (without joining the Blendfresh Club)

or...

Save big on your blender!
As a side note, Blendtec has recently spun off a sister company called Blendfresh that makes very convenient raw, whole foods with only the water removed, ready to add to blending.  They have a very compelling way to buy down the price of your blender by subscribing to the whole foods monthly.  You would expect only the best from a company with a reputation like Blendtec, and Blendfresh lives up to it!

Learn more about Blendfresh and if you'd like to take advantage of the buy-down program, just click here.  You pay a one time fee of $10 to be a lifetime member of the Blendfresh Club, which gives you discounts on Blendtec and Blendfresh items.  For example, the Blendtec Express model (usually $649) can be purchased for just $199 or the Express Pro model (usually $1500) can be purchased for only $599 when you subscribe to two bottles of Blendfresh each month for a year, a committment of just $69 a month.  This will save you big on your grocery bill and dramatically increase the nutrition you get from your healthy recipes.  There are lots of ways to use Blendfresh besides smoothies, so click here to see more ideas.  You have to put something in your smoothie, so it might as well be pesticide free, non-GMO and never spoil!

Click here to Join the Club and Shop now!

*As a side note, Blendfresh offers an affiliate consultant program which allows you to recieve commissions on Blendtec and Blendfresh sales.  You can choose the "Consultant" button instead of "Join the Club" if you'd like to start spreading the word and paying health forward.  Training is provided, and there are possible tax advantages (consult your tax advisor).   If you have questions about this please email jenn@coachjenngibbs.com

My favorite ways to use Blendfresh!

I have loved plants for nutrition for many years.  The idea just sits right with me.  The One who made our amazing bodies also made the perfect fuel for them, and in pretty colors as a bonus!  Each color does something different in the body.

When I found Blendfresh, it was a sigh of relief.  Clean, pesticide free, non-GMO, raw, whole, good foods, preserved gently by removing the water so they can be picked when they are ripe, and they won't spoil before I can use them.  Plus I love to save money!

I want to help as many people enjoy great health as possible, so once you have your own Blendfresh, how do you actually USE it in real life?  Here are some suggestions for my favorite ways.  I'm sure I'll discover more as I go!

Reds
Beautiful!  Add a ruby color to any dish and a variety of tastes come into play.
Sprinkle on Eggs
Sprinkle on Oatmeal
Salsa
Pizza Sauce
Enchilada Sauce
Soups
Add to chili
Smoothies
Raspberry salad dressing
Syrups
Yogurt for a fruit dip
Use as a food coloring
Smoothie
In coconut water as a workout recovery drink
Add to red jello
Add to cranberry sauce
Flavor chutneys or sauces
Add to chunky dips

Purples
Add to any smoothie that may have a brownish color from adding greens
Oatmeal
Let kids lick fingers and use like Fun Dip
Berry salad dressings
Use like sugar over cold cereal
Make a flavored water
Roll with peanut butter, oats, honey, Protein and a little water for an energy bar
Add to smoothie
Add to cottage cheese
Stir into yogurt

Orange
Use in scrambled eggs or a baked frittata
Use in enchilda sauce
Use in any orange soup like pumpkin, sweet potato, taco soup, etc
Sprinkle on cheese quesadillas for extra nutrition and taste
Use in meatballs
Add to macaroni and cheese
Add to scalloped potato dishes
Use in warm water first like tea
Use a s a pre-workout mild energy drink
Use as a season salt on meat or veggies
Add to sweet breads like pumpkin
Serve over baked chicken

Greens
Anywhere you can sneak them in!
Stir into scrambled eggs or frittata (baked eggs)
A scoop to any smoothie
Make a flavored Mayo
Keep in a salt shaker and sprinkle on foods to season
Sprinkle on quesadilla
Add to box brownie mix or chocolate cake
Add to green soups like spinach or broccoli
Add to lasagne
Sprinkle a little into the middle of a peanut butter jelly sandwich!
Drink with water if I know I haven't eaten well during the day (not delicious, but doable)
Add to green jello

Protein
In smoothies!
Make a high protein almond milk
Make a high protein hot chocolate
Protein pancakes
Substitute for part of the flour in sweet recipes
Make energy balls by adding peanut butter, a little water, Purples and oats
Experiment!

Fiber
Stir into a tall glass of water and drink quickly before bed
Add to a thick smoothie and pour into cups to make pudding
Substitute for powdered sugar when making fudge (if the chocolate in the recipe is sweetened)
Thicken soups and gravies
Alfredo Sauce
Add to cake recipes or boxed cornbread mix
Add to a smoothie with protein and a veggie color as a meal replacement (very filling)
Use half a scoop in water with kids and call it a "Fiber Racing Drink".  Let them race to see who finishes theirs first!

Probiotic
Add 1/2 tsp. to a smoothie once per day.

Caring for your Blendfresh
It's best to refrigerate these items.  All are raw and nutrients will be best preserved in low temperatures.  It is recommended to use the bottle within 90 days of opening.  There are no fillers or preservatives, so once oxygen enters the container, fragile nutrients can begin to deteriorate.  If unopened, it is suggested to use within 3 years for optimal nutrition, but they are shelf stable for 20 years.  Consider adding them to your home emergency storage.

Mashed Cauliflower is a great sub for Mashed Potatoes

I made cauliflower like this once and asked my family how they liked the new mashed potato recipe. They all agreed it was delicious and had seconds.  I didn't tell them it was really cauliflower until the dishes were done!

Mashed Cauliflower

Mashed cauliflower is a delicious, low-starch alternative to mashed potatoes. This cruciferous vegetable is an excellent source of vitamin C, containing almost as much as oranges.

Ingredients

1   lg head

cauliflower, chopped into florets and steamed

2   tbsp

low-fat milk

1⁄4   cup

low-fat sour cream

2   oz

reduced fat cheddar cheese

1⁄2   tsp

kosher salt

1⁄4   tsp

ground black pepper

If you have a pre-programmed Blendtec blender, just add the ingredients to the blender jar in the order listed and secure the lid. Press "Sauces" or blend on Medium Low (Speed 3 or 4) for 30 seconds and serve.

Some people feel that adding butter instead of sour cream gives it a more traditional mashed potato taste, and if you're not using dairy products, try substituting coconut milk or yogurt instead of milk and sour cream.

Chef Kristi leaves out the cheese and adds "nutmeg with a touch of roasted garlic and 1 tsp of balsamic glaze, which I make by reducing the balsamic vinegar by 3/4 of its starting volume, it adds the hmmm factor really nice" so there are a few variations and gourmet idea.

As originally posted here are the nutrition facts for the recipe:

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

• Servings 5.0
 
• Sodium 340 mg
• Serving Size 3/4 cup
 
• Carbohydrates 9 g
• Calories 90
 
• Fiber 4 g
• Fat 4 g
 
• Sugar 5 g
• Saturated Fat 2 g
 
• Protein 7 g
• Cholesterol 10 mg

This recipe is from the www.blendtec.com recipe section.  Make it with confidence!

*As a side note, if you store leftovers in the fridge, the high water/low starch content starts to show and the water begins to separate off.  Plan to make a cauliflower soup with it the next day!

Blendfresh raw, whole food powders

Want something that makes getting your fruits and veggies easier? I have just found this and am IN LOVE! Raw, whole food powders, pesticide free, non-GMO, soy free, gluten free, dairy free, vegan. Just the good stuff you actually want in your body. I have been sneaking scoops of this into our smoothies the last two weeks and no one in my family seems to mind they are eating so many veggies! This is the new foods line put out by Blendtec and one of the reasons

 I'm so excited to work with them.

What happened was that Blendtec, the maker of the world's most advanced blenders, would make a great product and then their completely satisfied customer would be gone for 8-10 years enjoying their blender.  Millions of people worldwide know this brand for quality, and they all go and buy various qualities of produce to use for their smoothies.

Blendtec saw an opportunity to better serve their customers by spinning off a sister company that would focus on high quality foods that could be used with their amazing blenders.  As soon as I knew this line was affiliated with a 200 million dollar company and a 38 year reputation, I wanted to know more.  There is no way a stable company like this would put out a substandard product.  

The more I learned, the more excited I got.  Yes, several companies sell greens powders, I've been buying them for years.  But how many are actually raw?  Dried with light instead of heat to keep the enzymes unharmed and active?  And are greens all we really need?  What about the orange, red and purple colored vegetables - we are supposed to "eat a rainbow" of color right?

I was even more impressed when I read the label.  "Bell pepper, rhubarb, strawberries, cranberries..."  twelve ingredients.  Only fruits and vegetables.  No fillers so that they will make more money selling a larger container of product.  No binders so it looks artificially pretty.  No preservatives so they can keep an abnormally long shelf life.  This is just a bottle of food with the water carefully removed.  Wow.

Because it is a fresh, raw food they suggest keeping it in your fridge and using within 90 days of opening.  I love looking in my fridge the last couple of weeks, wonder what I should make, and then having a beautiful bottle remind me and inspire me to make a nutritious smoothie.  Sounds corny, I know, but that's what's been happening.  And with zero arguments from kids or hubby!

I'll post more detailed articles soon on the other great products in the line, but here's a teaser; a probiotic complete with blackstrap molasses as a pre-biotic, so your friendly germs are still alive when you open your bottle.  A fiber blend of sprouted nuts and seeds that meets FDA requirements for soluble and insoluble fiber so that they can say it "lowers cholesterol" right on the label.  And last but not least a delicious (which is rare) vegan protein powder, with not one but 8 different protein sources for a complete amino acid profile.  Lighter on the digestive system than traditional whey and made of whole foods - you can actually read and understand the label!  I could go on and on, and I will, soon.  Just know that if you need a solution for more nutrition quickly and simply (and I forgot to even mention that it even costs you less than fresh produce!) just find out more about this!  I've made a YouTube video link so click here to see me explain it in more detail.  It even goes along with a Blendtec blender discount program if you need one of those.  

So think on it, and have a great day.  I'm going to go mix up a glass of Purples!

Pumpkin Muffins - the first ever Recipe Card!

I don't know about you, but I started out with a file box of recipe cards, just like my mom did.  Then I graduated to a binder (or several!) to collect my favorites.  Then finding a recipe turned into typing a search into my favorite recipe website and if it looked really promising, printing off a recipe.  

Well I have been getting nostalgic lately for the old fashioned stuff like quilts and hand made furniture.  No wonder vintage is back with a vengeance!  We all want to be connected to our traditions.  So, to pay homage to the recipe card box, I'm going to post my "recipe cards" as I share my favorites.  Maybe they will make it into your recipe card file too.  

I have a new Blendtec blender (which I LOVE) and I've never made muffins in a blender before now, but this took just seconds and I was the hero.  I am all for quick and easy when it comes to dinner prep!  Warm soup and fresh muffins - how can you beat that for a rainy night?  I adapted this recipe to my own style (more healthy, but still very tasty).  It also has a lot of fiber, which goes nicely to keep you satisfied with a light meal like soup.

As a side note, I love the Orange Fruits and Veggies Blend by Blendfresh.  If you aren't familiar with it yet, it's a powder made of 12 fruits and veggies dried at low temperatures to protect their nutritional value and enzymes, and then powdered so they won't spoil.  It makes it easy to add extra plant nutrition to your foods.  For example, the bottle of Orange has carrot, sweet potato, pumpkin, butternut squash, banana, mango, pineapple, acerola, apricot, peach, yellow bell pepper, lemon and orange in raw, whole food powder form.  But the beautiful thing is that while you and your family will enjoy all the benefits of added vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and fiber, no one will even taste it!  Awesome ;)

If you'd like to learn more about or purchase any of the whole food blends from Blendfresh, just click www.blendwithjenn.com to learn or shop.

In case you can't see my old fashioned recipe card graphic above, here is the text version of it.

Pumpkin Muffins

In your blender jar combine and blend 20 seconds:

1 C canned pumpkin          2 C buttermilk
3 eggs                                1 t vanilla
1/2 t salt                             1/2 t baking soda
1 tsp baking powder           1 t cinnamon
1 T coconut (or other) oil    1 C oats
1 T (optional) Blendfresh Orange Fruits & Veggies Blend

Next add:
1 C flour and pulse 4-6 times.

Pour into 12 muffin tins and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.
Enjoy!

Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe

Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup

This takes literally less than ten minutes from start to table, so you are hearing a chorus of "What's for dinner?" this could save the day!  Pair it with a hearty slice of whole grain bread and you have a nice light evening meal that satisfies.

4 Cups broccoli florets, steamed and divided

1 Cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarian)

1 Cup water

Salt and pepper to taste

1/3 Cup grated cheddar cheese

Add 3 1/2 cups steamed broccoli and the rest of the ingredients to the blender jar.  Blend on the Hot Soup setting if you have a Blendtec blender (the heat from the blades will heat the soup), or 90-180 seconds in a regular blender.  Add the remaining 1/2 cup of steamed broccoli and pulse about 3 times, until they are bite sized chunks.   You are done!  You may need to heat the soup in the microwave or on the stove if using lower end blender.  Pour and top with shredded cheese to make it pretty.

Is it good?  Yeah, they like it...

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A Compromise on Instant Oatmeal?

Some days the kids just want a "fun" cereal for breakfast.  Translation: "Please can I have extra sugar and less fiber from a brightly colored package before you send me off to sit still at school for half a day".  Uh, maybe not.

But we want them to have a little fun sometimes and feel like they have choices, and most importantly to not grow up feeling so deprived that they binge on cold cereal the second they go off to college.  So being the stealthy, healthy mom that I am, I've engineered a compromise.  Here's how it goes.  On special days they can pick a flavored instant oatmeal packet.  In the beginning they would watch me pour it into their bowl, then I'd walk over, add the water, and as they happily ran off to get ready for the day I'd grab a handful of regular oats and add them to the bowl.  (The regular oats aren't even called instant, but cook up in just the same amount of time in the microwave and actually give the kids something to chew on versus drinking down the instant stuff).  They've figured out what I'm up to and these days they don't even mind.  They're used to the taste of less sugar now.

So they get to pick the fun flavor they want from a brightly colored assortment, and I get to give them an added dose of fiber so they will stay full until lunch and keep their tummy from hurting from too much processed food.  Plus the goodness in the oats will dilute down the sugar from the instant packet since the body has something more hearty to digest, creating a more positive glycemic effect on blood sugar.  By doing this I'm also teaching them to adapt recipes to be more healthy at the same time.

Oats even have some protein, did you know that?  Lots of vegan protein powders use it as a main protein source.  Just think, you get all these benefits and you slash your grocery bill too by adding the less expensive regular oats to the more expensive flavor packs.  Everybody wins!

Let me know how you like it!  If you're on Instagram post a pic of your bowl and tag me with @coachjenngibbs .  Thanks!

The Magic of Flavor - Capers and Lowfat Tilapia Piccata Recipe

If you're like most of us trying to be health conscious, you've probably tried the "eat clean" baked chicken breast and steamed broccoli phase.  For many body builders, this is a staple go-to meal and is accepted as is.  But let's face it - they have a much bigger motivation than the average person.  They have a deadline to bare just about everything in a tiny swimsuit on a stage.  Been there, done that, it can be very intimidating.  And yes, it is a great source of strength for food choices!

But what if you just want to eat healthy and not be bored?  Don't get me wrong.  I DO encourage people to begin planning their meals and snacks with a lean protein and vegetable and then see what else you decide to add.  It's an easy strategy.  So yes, chicken and broccoli (adapt if you are vegetarian).  But it doesn't have to be flavorless.

I want to share one of my secret weapons; the caper.  You may have heard of them or had them once or twice, maybe in a Mediterranian restaurant, but likely they aren't in your fridge.  I would think they'd be more mainstream as tasty as they are.

Capers are small, pea sized buds from the caper bush.  They are pickled for flavor, but they taste nothing like a pickle!  Some call it a tart flavor, but I say think of the flavor of a salt and vinegar potato chip.  If your not a fan of the chips, just imagine what a little of that flavor would be like to liven up chicken or fish, or in a green or bean salad.  Just a little unexpected zest that makes it fun for almost no more calories.  Hooray!

If you go to fancy Italian restaurants you might have seen Chicken Piccata as a dish on the menu.  The traditional version is to dredge your chicken breast (or for fish too) in beaten egg, dip in flour, then fry in olive oil.  When it's done squeeze fresh lemon juice over the top and decorate with capers.  I've opted for the healthy version in the picture above.  Super easy - I dare you to try it.

Tilapia Piccata (lowfat version)

Frozen tilapia loin
Salt, pepper and garlic salt to taste
Lemon
Capers

Place frozen tilapia in a pan and season.  Bake in a 350 degree oven about 20-25 minuted depending on the size of the cut, until fish flakes easily with a fork at the center.  Squeeze lemon juice and sprinkle capers on top.  Enjoy with a giant salad!

If you need help finding them, just look in any grocery store (this pic is from Walmart!).  It's in the aisle with the olives and canned artichokes.  Grab some of those while you're there to keep on hand for your next pasta salad.  Enjoy and share!

The Secret to Getting the Most from your Green Smoothie

Green smoothies have become a popular way to get more fresh fruit and veggies and all their wonderful parts into our diets.  If you aren't sold, you should try one!  As if more produce wasn't reason enough in itself, when we do this we are sneaking in all the fiber, extra water and phytonutrients that come with them for very minimal effort.  My kids have grown up associating a glass like this with sweet deliciousness instead of "yuck,green!".

 TIP:  If you have a hard time with the color, try putting it in a colored cup and drink with a straw, or just add blueberries for a lovely shade of purple every time.

Unless your veggies are fried or coated in a not-so-good-fat dressing, we want LOTS of them in your diet. Making smoothies is one easy and creative way to quickly put the raw, fresh version straight into your body. 

 My recipe:  I use a full size blender filled with about 2 cups of water, a big handful or two of greens, some ice or frozen fruit to chill and then top off with fresh fruit.  The secret ingredient I like to add to make the most of the iron in my greens is coconut milk.  

I buy it in a liter box from Costco (I like the So Delicious brand).  Doesn't that just add extra fat calories you ask?  It does, but coconut fat is special - medium chain fatty acids like what is in breast milk - good for the human body; joint, skin, hair, brain, etc.  That in itself is a topic for another day. 

So yes, I want to add coconut oil to my diet as a supplement, but specifically with my greens?  Absolutely!  Part of what makes them green is the iron.  Quick story - during my pregnancies I suffered from a mild case of anemia, which means lack of iron in the blood.  In real life that means there weren't enough little molecules  roaming around my bloodstream to carry the oxygen fast enough for me.  For example, if I stood up too quickly my brain would take a quick brake (the little oxygen was going to my muscles instead), and my vision would go black, hearing would temporarily disappear, and if I was lucky I could steady myself on a chair or a wall until it returned in a few seconds, or feel my way down to the floor without fainting.  That's a fun side note, and hopefully one you have never experienced, but the point is that ABSORBING the iron from my diet was very important for my body.  It is for most women in general.   

Greens are a great source of iron - more on that is coming.  And according to a Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry research article "iron utilization and iron absorbtion was greater in diets in which the fat was supplied as coconut oil".  A stimulating read to be sure, but the point is that you'll actually use the iron from your diet better when combined with coconut oil.  So why not pack one more punch in that smoothie?  Yay for good fats!

So take a risk and try it out.  My bet is you'll enjoy the creamy texture it adds and you'll feel good about your food choice all day!

ps-
If you love medical data and studies here is the link of the article - enjoy!
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf60198a036

No-Guilt No-Bake Cookies

This recipe was developed as a way to get more amazing coconut oil into my body. I’ll do a separate post on the benefits of it, but this cookie helps me not miss traditional treats so much while I am preparing for competition. LOTS of fiber, and only good stuff in it!

In a glass measuring cup barely melt 3/4 Cup coconut oil, and add 1 tsp vanilla, stir.

In a big bowl combine and stir together;
1/2 Cup cacao powder (I like raw, you can use any chocolate powder)
1/2 Cup almond flour
1/2 Cup Coconut flour
1/2 Cup quick oats
1/2 Cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
1/2 tsp salt

Pour the wet into the dry and mix. Drop by spoonfuls or into a mini tart pan and freeze 10 minutes. These are best cold. Makes 12. Try to share them!  If you don't have almond or coconut flour, they are great to add to your pantry and start experimenting with - worth the risk of trying something new!

This recipe is vegan, gluten free and raw (if you use GF/raw ingredients), and high in fiber.

Epic Backyard Warrior

Sometimes you can't sweat the small stuff - just have to get out and enjoy life! 

This is what we did with the last days of summer...

Help! My family wants Mexican food!

Starting with this picture is like reading the last chapter of a book first; it takes all the suspense away.  But I really was proud of the solution I found ,so it's okay.

It was Sunday night.  Earlier in the day I had filled the crock pot with chicken breasts and the best intentions before we left for church.  Seasoned with just a little garlic and dried onion, I had planned to come home to enough chicken for a nice Sunday dinner and extra to help me stay on track through the week.  Perfect plan right?  I had even cleaned the kitchen so it would be so easy to make a nice Sunday dinner for the family.

The problem was I had planned nothing other than chicken breasts.  I make sure when I shop to stock up on lots of fresh veggies, so I had a number of things I could steam or make a salad from.  But I had made a salad the night before, and I've been looking at lots of steamed veggies lately, so neither one of those had much appeal.  Combine this weak spot with the family asking "what's for dinner?".  Uh oh.  This is where your metal gets tested.

Like a bunch of baby birds chirping, I keep hearing "Mom, I'm hungry..." (insert whine as you read).  I had made a good start, but now it was showtime and I didn't have a good finish planned.  With 11 days left until the Beachbody Classic physique competition, this was no time to be hungry and without a plan.  I stalled to give myself time to think.  First I would take care of the noise-makers in the room.

Enchiladas are a quick go-to (I'll give my super easy microwave recipe in an upcoming post), but we didn't have enough corn or flour tortillas to make a whole pan.  It is more dangerous for me to keep uncooked, fresh tortillas in the fridge to tempt me, so I opted for quesadillas to use them up first.  I was thinking I might make myself a corn taco, but wondering how to handle the cheese situation (corn and cheese are both off limits until after the show).

I had to get creative, and fast.  I can honestly say I would not have come up with this if I had not had a rock solid "why" or goal in mind.  I came very close to just having one quesadilla.  What's the harm?  It's only one.  It won't ruin everything, can't be more than 200 calories, right?  But for me I know this is a slippery slope, and I have made a commitment to myself to say no to those things TEMPORARILY for a greater reason.  It was hard.  I'm not saying this lightly.  I'm making food I like for everyone else and still don't know what I will be eating, but desperately trying to figure it out before my resolve wanes.  But then I realized, not only do I want to do my best and be proud of my choices - especially when they are hard - but I will be in this exact same situation again.  And so will the good people I coach.  And I had a chance under pressure to make myself think to the next level and find a solution that worked, and that I could advocate as a substitute.

So there you have it.  You can see the results in my picture above.  I did serve my family refried beans along with their meal (PLEASE give your family some fiber if you are serving white flour tortillas!).  I topped them with a few sliced orange bell peppers for color and so I wouldn't miss the cheese as much.  In the heat they softened and were really very good.  And as I had mentioned, I was not in the mood for a salad again on this day, hence the steamed broccoli.  And my own personal solution to not having a quesadilla?  I shredded some of the chicken, mixed the enchilada sauce with it and topped with avocado.  Absolutely delicious.  In the end I did not feel ripped off at all.  In fact, I came out last with my plate and there were a few envious eyes.  My husband even said "I would have eaten that instead if I had known you were making it"!  The most delicious part though, was knowing I had kept my word to myself and as a payday I not only am closer to my goal, but I have a new recipe to look forward to on Mexican night