Açaí Bowls

While road tripping home from Utah, we stopped for the night in Albuquerque and had our first Açaí bowls for breakfast and I have been obsessed ever since! Luckily they are super easy to make at home! They have become my favorite way to start the day. They are so yummy and so fun and easy to make. I love making each one look like an amazing work of art! They are super versatile, you can add tons of things, or make them really simple, whatever you want to do!

First, you will need Açaí. I buy the frozen paste from Trader Joes. I use half a packet for each bowl. I haven't seen frozen Açaí anywhere else. But most grocery stores sell Açaí juice which will work just as well as the paste.

You can make them in so many different ways, but for a base, this is what I start with;

1/2 packet Açaí (or about 1/3 cup of juice)
1/3 cup Frozen Berries
1 Banana (I use frozen)
1/3 cup Milk or Milk alternative (I use almond milk)

If you are using Açaí juice, I highly recommend using all frozen berries and bananas and possibly adding ice to get the right consistency, you want it really thick.
Sometimes I also add yogurt, protein powder, kale and spinach, whatever you want!

For toppings I always use;

fruit
granola
shaved coconut
chia seeds
honey

Again, whatever you can dream up! I just use whatever fruit I have on hand. I feel like Açaí is a little tart so I love using a little honey drizzle for a sweetener, but my hubby finds just the Açaí to be sweet enough. I'm currently obsessed with this granola from Trader Joes. So yummy!

And obviously you don't have to decorate the top all carefully, but I love doing it!

Have any fun things you add to yours? I want to hear about it!

Enjoy!

Texas Pete Salad

One of our favorite summer dishes is Texas Pete Salad. Dave actually came up with this recipe, a twist on a pizza his mom makes (one of my all time favorite pizzas!) I thought I had posted the recipe for the pizza as well, but I am not seeing it, I will share that as well soon! It's so good!

This salad is super easy and super versatile. You can add tons of veggies, whatever you like really.

We like;
Lettuce (obviously)
Tomatoes
Peppers
Red onions
Mushrooms
Green onion
Avocado
Bacon
Corn
Black beans

For the chicken, I just sautee chopped chicken over medium high heat, and once it's almost fully cooked, coat it all in Texas Pete Buffalo sauce. Make sure to buy the buffalo wing sauce, not the hot sauce, so it's not too hot! I like to let my chicken cool before topping it on the salad, so this is when I start prepping all my veggies. Once I have everything chopped up the chicken is cool enough, add everything together for your salad, and top it with a little more Texas Pete Buffalo and we also toss it with a homemade creamy cilantro dressing.

For the dressing;
1 packet of Ranch
1 cup of milk
1 cup of sour cream or mayo
1 bunch cilantro
1 jalapeno (optional)

Add everything to a blender and chill until ready to serve! So easy! I love having a bottle of this dressing in the fridge. It only lasts about a week, but I will put it on anything and everything!

That's it! It's one of my favorite meals that is ready in under 30 minutes and is so flavorful!

Enjoy!

Mahi Mahi "Rice" Bowl

Every time I go to Costco I consider buying their big bag of frozen Mahi Mahi. It's a bit pricey, so I always decide against it, but this time I actually grabbed it. Dave had sent me this Paleo Mexican Burrito Bowl recipe that he requested I make. The original recipe called for beef, but I figured I could easily sub in whatever other protein I would like. Obviously, you don't have to use Mahi. Beef, as the original recipe calls for would be great, or chicken too! The base of this recipe is riced cauliflower, something we have wanted to try for a while! To me, it wasn't anything similar to rice, but it was still pretty yummy! I simplified the recipe a bit. I've learned how to make shortcuts in recipes making them a lot quicker and easier, but just as yummy! Hopefully you enjoy! 

Here's what you will need;

For "rice";

Cauliflower (I used 1/2 of a head)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 an onion, diced

1/2 a jalapeno, diced (optional)

2 tablespoons olive oil

For protein; 

Protein of your choice (Mahi, tilapia, shrimp, beef, chicken)

1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground paprika
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tablespoon olive oil

Toppings of your choice;

Avocado

Pico 

Cabbage 

Cilantro

Lime

Cilantro Lime Dressing (optional)

1 packet dry ranch dressing

1 cup milk

1 cup greek yogurt (or mayo)

1 bunch cilantro 

1/2 jalapeno

1 juiced lime

For the cauliflower rice, first you will need to chop and wash your cauliflower. To make "rice" I threw it in my food processor and hit the chop button a few times until it was the texture I wanted. You can also use a blender, just using the pulse button so it doesn't get blended too finely. heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat, adding onions and garlic. Sautee until browned. Add cauliflower "rice" and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cook till slightly browned, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine all seasonings and add to protein. If using fish or chicken like I was, I just patted it into both sides of the fish. Heat a pan with olive oil over medium-high heat, and add protein. Cooking times will vary depending on what you are cooking. For the Mahi, I seared both sides, once seared I lowered the heat to medium, and continued to cook another 5 minutes.  

For the cilantro lime dressing, just throw all the ingredients in the blender and chill until ready to serve! We usually have a jar of this stuff in the fridge. It's similar to the dressing you would get at Cafe Rio, and is so yummy over anything!

Serve protein over "rice" base and top as you would like (see suggested toppings above).

And that's it! Pretty simple! This recipe is so versatile, you could add so many things, totally change the flavors, and it would still be really yummy! I think next time I will add some chipotle seasoning and add black beans and maybe grilled corn! You will have to let me know of any yummy adjustments you make!

Adapted from Whitty Paleo

Enjoy!

{Vegan} Spicy Thai Curry Stew

I combined a few different recipes to end up with this. It was super easy to throw together, and can be made in a crockpot, or just on the stove. I It's a great way to pack in lots of veggies, and enjoy lots of flavor! It's vegan too! This recipe did have quite the kick to it, which my husband loved. But you could leave out the serrano peppers, and it would still be very yummy.

What you will need;

1 large onion, sliced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
3-4 large potatoes, cut into large pieces
3-4 carrots, peeled and cut
1 can diced tomatoes
2 serrano peppers, seeded and diced*
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons red curry paste, or curry powder
32 oz low sodium vegetable broth
1 can coconut milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Limes and chopped cilantro to garnish (optional)

If making on stove top;

Sautee onions and garlic in a bit of water (to prevent sticking) over medium-high heat, 3-5 minutes. Add potatoes, carrots, ginger, chili powder, and curry (paste or powder). Stir together, coating the veggies with the curry as much as possible. Add tomatoes, serrano peppers, broth and coconut milk. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes, or until potatoes are soft. Serve garnished with lime juice and chopped cilantro.

If making in crock pot;

Add onions, garlic, potatoes, carrots, ginger, chili powder, and curry (paste or powder) with 1-2 tablespoons of water. Stir together, coating the veggies with the curry as much as possible. Add tomatoes, serrano peppers, broth and coconut milk. Cook on low for 7-8 hours, or high for 4, or until potatoes are soft. Serve garnished with lime juice and chopped cilantro.

*For me, the serrano peppers were very hot! Maybe that's because they had been sitting in my fridge all week, I'm not sure. I would advise to only use one, or skip them entirely if you don't like the heat.

Adapted from Forks Over Knives and PlantBasedCooking.com 

Vegan Black Bean Tacos

We watched Forks Over Knives a few weeks ago and have begun exploring a vegan diet. After a few weeks of trying to implement it here and there, I feel that I could fairly easily go vegetarian, but vegan would be hard. I love eggs and cheese! I can work around meat, but I want cheese on just about everything! But, my cheese obsession aside, it's been fun to explore different ways of eating, and I do find myself feeling a lot better. 

I have started to collect some really yummy and really easy recipes that I am excited to share with you. Since this is the first one we made, I decided this would be the first one we would share! Despite the fact that it sounds pretty boring and bland, it's incredibly flavorful! I was really surprised by this dish and find myself craving it a lot! 

Here's what you will need;

1 large head Romaine Lettuce
1 onion, sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced
1 jalapeno pepper, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced (a garlic press is a must have!)
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chipotle pepper seasoning*
1 1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 can black beans rinsed
2 cups cooked brown rice
Salt and pepper to taste
Avocado
Pico De Gallo
Lime*
Cilantro*

First, cook your rice, and your beans if you are not using canned. I'm lazy, so I used canned beans, I just make sure to rinse them thoroughly.
Sautee your onion, peppers, garlic and seasonings over medium-high heat. If you find them sticking to the pan, just add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water.  Add black beans and 1 cup of water. Cook for 10 minutes, adding more water if it seems too dry, but careful not to add too much!
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve in lettuce with rice, topped with avocado, pico, lime, and cilantro.

*optional

Adapted from the Forks Over Knives Cookbook 

Hopefully you enjoy this recipe as much as we do! It is so quick and easy to whip together, and despite how simple it is incredibly flavorful! It keeps really well too and makes for a great quick lunch!

Enjoy!

Pesto Zoodles

We have become rather obsessed in our house with zoodles = zucchini noodles! I considered buying a spiralizer for a long time, and finally decided to buy one off Amazon. Since I wasn't sure I would like it, I just bought a small, cheap one. But we love it so much! I certainly recommend on getting a bigger one that is a bit more heavy duty (like spiraling sweet potatoes! Next on my, to try list!).

For my first time trying out zoodles, I was really pleased at how easy and yummy they are. I have made many different dishes now using the spiralizer that I can't wait to share. I have always been pasta obsessed, but after trying pasta this way, I can honestly tell you that I would be okay never have normal noodles ever again! That really is shocking for me to say! But it's true! 

I can't say that this dish is exactly healthy, but certainly healthier than if it was just made with noodles! 

What you will need;

Zucchini (about 2 per person)
1 pint Cherry Tomatoes, roasted (or store bought sun dried tomatoes) 
Pesto (I am on the hunt for a good homemade version. Store bought will do for now!)
Chicken Breast (1 per person)
Olive Oil (about 2 tbs)
1 cup Heavy Cream
1 teaspoon Rosemary (optional)
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese (optional)


First you will need to spiralize your zucchini. The one I bought provided pretty clear directions and was quick and easy to use.

Now if you are pinched for time, or just feel lazy (I'm not judging!) you can substitute sundried tomatoes. But roasting your own tomatoes is really pretty easy, and so yummy! Just chop your cherry tomatoes in half, coat lightly in olive oil, and roast in the oven for about 15 minutes, at 400 degrees, tossing them about half way through.

Next, begin cooking your chicken breast. I like to follow TheKitchn.com's easy directions for moist and tender BSCB. 

Once your chicken is fully cooked, add the heavy cream, pesto, and rosemary to the same pan. Simmer on low for about 5 minutes while the sauce thickens up. Lastly, add the Parmesan and zoodles to the same pan with the chicken and sauce, tossing your zoodles in the sauce. Simmer on low, about another 3-5 minutes. 

Serve topped with roasted tomatoes, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. Yum! 

So easy! And a big hit with everyone who I have served it to! 

Enjoy! 


adapted from Closet Cooking

Watermelon Sorbet

We had about half a watermelon left that I knew we needed to use up. It wasn't the sweetest watermelon so I figured I might try to use it in a recipe some how. I decided to throw together this quick and easy recipe, that is so refreshing and perfect for the blisteringly hot and muggy weather we have been having.

All you need;

4-5 cups seedless watermelon
Juice of 1 lime
Dash of salt
1/4 cup of sugar

Throw all above ingredients into blender, and blend until pureed. 

If you don't have an ice cream maker, get one! Honestly, I think it's a must have kitchen appliance. We have a rather old Cuisinart ice cream maker. Still works great! I just throw it in and it was ready in about 25 minutes. 

If you don't have an ice cream maker just throw it in the freezer until it's a more slushy consistency. Or blend ice in with all the ingredients. 

This recipe is very flexible. If you have a sweet tooth you can totally add more sugar (one recipe I came across called for 1 cup of sugar!) But I prefer the raw watermelon flavor, and the lime added a nice tartness to it. 

So easy! I certainly need to make more treats like this for summer! 

Enjoy!

Quick & Healthy Greek Chicken - 30 Minute Meal

This has become one of our favorite recipes as of late. Inspired by delicious gyros, this meal is easy to throw together, ready in 30 minutes or less, yummy and healthy, making it the perfect light summer meal. 

What you need;
(measurements for 2 people)

4-5 Chicken breasts
1 tablespoon Greek or Italian Seasoning (they have fairly similar ingredients)
1 tablespoon olive oil (enough to coat pan) 
Approx. 1/4 cup Tzatziki 
Approx. 2 tablespoons Feta Cheese (I like less, Bear likes more!)
1 Tomato
1/2 Cucumber

I love these Perdue brand chicken breasts that are all fairly thin and can be cooked without needing to be deforested. Bonus! I do really love to make this recipe with lamb as well. We are lamb obsessed! But obviously I don't always have that on hand, and it's quite a bit more expensive. 

Heat pan over medium high heat with olive oil, Once the pan is hot I add the frozen breasts and top them with the seasoning I have on hand. I allow each side to cook about 8 minutes and then turn the heat down to low, and cover, cooking for another 5 minutes until chicken is fully cooked.

While the chicken is cooking I prep my toppings. 

You can certainly make your homemade tzatziki which is really quite easy. Here is a link to a great healthy recipe. While it's not quite as healthy I do have a bottle of the stuff in the fridge. Makes the meal much easier when I am making it last minute and am feeling lazy or am crunched for time! Bear loves to use it as a dipping sauce when snacking on veggies. He can eat that stuff by the spoonful!

I then slice up my veggies.

Our chicken should be ready by this time. I like to give it a minute to rest, as I don't like it to heat up my toppings too much, but that's just my preference. 

Spread a little of the sauce, top with veggies, and finally, cheese.

Can be served with fresh pita bread or a greek salad (click here for a crazy quick and healthy greek salad recipe that pairs perfectly with this!) 

And there you have it! 

Enjoy!

Gluten Free Coconut Macarons

Dave and I have been reading Wheat Belly. I'm not 100% sold on the diet, I love bread too much! We are such foodies, it makes it so hard! But we are trying to cut most wheat out and just eat as clean as possible. If you have tried it before let me know! 

We picked up the Wheat Belly cookbook which provided lots of great info. It advised getting coconut flour and almond meal. I finally managed to find some organic coconut flour from Trader Joe's (and for crazy cheap) and found a few recipes on the back of the bag. One was for some coconut macaroons, something I had been craving! 

These were really easy to make and a huge hit at our house. They were devoured! They are a bit more on the cakey side then the macaroons I used to make, and I might tweak and repost the recipe. But for my family, the cakey texture was great as my family (besides Dave and I) don't like shredded coconut at all, so they really loved these! Really easy to whip together! They do have a lot of sugar and butter, so I might try to find a healthier substitute, but here it is for now!

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup coconut flour
2 cups shredded sweetened coconut* 
(optional) 3 oz (6 squares) dark chocolate** 
(optional) 1 teaspoon coconut oil

- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Mix together butter, sugar, vanilla and eggs. Stir in salt, flour and coconut until combined.
- Using a small cookie scoop, scoop out macarons onto a greased pan. 
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
- (optional) Microwave dark chocolate and coconut oil in 25 second increments until melted, stirring after each time. Drizzle over macaroons. 

You can certainly enjoy these without the chocolate, but the chocolate is a must for me! Especially when it's dark chocolate! I add the coconut oil to thin out the chocolate to make it easy to drizzle. You could also use butter or shortening if you don't have coconut oil on hand.  
Makes about 2 dozen
Adapted from Trader Joe's

*Shredded coconut is a great item for gluten free diets, but cross contamination can be possible in manufacturing, Just be sure to check the label if you are particularly sensitive.
**Some chocolate is not gluten free, again, just check the label. The dark chocolate I bought was organic, gluten free from Trader Joe's 

Enjoy!

Easy Oven Baked Fajitas

Today I share with you a lazy day favorite; easy oven baked fajitas! This is the perfect meal to make when I need something quick, it's usually done in about an hour! It's easy, can feed a lot of people, and is always a hit! 

When I first started making this I made my own Fajita seasoning, but I have yet to find a recipe for the seasoning that I find to be really flavorful. If you have a good one let me know! But until I find a good recipe for the seasoning, I just use a Fajita seasoning packet. Not exactly healthy, but so easy! And really flavorful!

All you need;
8 large chicken breasts
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 onion
1 fajita seasoning packet (I always buy the low sodium)
Tortillas
Toppings of your choice

Chop the chicken, peppers and onions and toss in the seasonings. Bake in a 9x13 pan at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes. 

Serve and each person can top as they wish! I like to top them with salsa, cheese, guacamole, and sour cream. 

And that's it! So easy! 

Enjoy!

Healthy Banana Bread

With a bustle of bananas well past ripe, just waiting to be turned into banana bread I decided I should try to make a healthier version instead of my sugar loaded favorite. After a quick Google search I found this "healthy" recipe. Looking over the ingredients list, I am not really sure of how truly healthy it is, but it is certainly better than my usual recipe (which of course I can't find right now. But that is probably better for my waistline).

Here's what you need;

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup applesauce

1 egg

2 very ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl until it is well mixed and moderately smooth.

Pour into well greased bread pan. I greased my pan using coconut oil!

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes

And that's it! Really quick, easy and yummy! 

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from PB Fingers

Wildflower's Fresh Veggie Omelette - Under 300 Calories

I've become slightly obsessed with omelettes as of late. I eat them for breakfast, lunch, dinner. They are so quick and easy to whip up, flavorful and healthy! Here is one of my favorite omelette's as of late.

What you will need; 

1 large mushroom washed and chopped
Handful of fresh spinach
2 tablespoons pico de gallo
3 tablespoons cheese of your choice
3 egg whites 
1 teaspoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Chop mushroom and place with spinach in a small pan. Drizzle with olive oil.

Saute on medium heat till spinach is wilted

Turn off the heat and remove veggies from pan and set aside. 

Next, add the egg whites to the pan and cook on low heat. I buy the egg whites in the carton which is pretty cheap and lasts a while so I don't have to waste any yolks. Follow the directions on the carton to know how much to use. I use about 3 tablespoons. 

The pan should still have enough oil left over from sauteing the veggies, but add more if it doesn't look oiled to prevent any sticking.

Most people recommend flipping the egg to ensure both sides are fully cooked. I hate dealing with flipping it, so I put a lid on it and this cooks both sides nicely. Easy!  

After about 1 and 1/2 minutes add the cheese, salt and pepper, and cover again, cooking for another 1 and 1/2 to 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Add veggies,

Fold and serve!

Enjoy!

Chicken Taco Pizza

Today I share with you a favorite in our household, Chicken Taco Pizza! 

This can be made baked or grilled, but grilled is our favorite. 

This is a light and simple pizza, but surprisingly flavorful!

The toppings;
Taco Chicken (recipe below)
Black beans, rinsed and drained
Corn, rinsed and drained
Mozzarella
Chopped Avocado
Cilantro Ranch (recipe below)


First the dough is oh so important. In 2012 I hunted for the perfect thin crust recipe and I think this one is it! And the beauty of it is it needs only very minimal raise time! This recipe can be a little tricky to get the proper airiness to it - but once you get the hang of it this will be your favorite quick thin crust recipe!

Here's all you need;

For the crust;
1/2 cup warm water - about room temp
1 teaspoon yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/3 cup flour 
1 tablespoon olive oil 

Combine yeast and warm water - whisk with a fork until yeast is dissolved. 
Next add 1 cup flour and salt. Mix with fork until combined. Knead in remaining flour until you have a nice ball of dough that you can touch without it sticking to your hands. Be careful not to over-knead, it should feel fairly light and airy. Coat dough with olive oil, cover with a dry towel and allow to rise 20-30 minutes. 

Taco Chicken
1 cup (about 2 breasts) Shredded Chicken
1/3 cup ranch dressing
2 tablespoons Taco seasoning

Mix above ingredients together in a bowl. This is how much chicken I make for 2-3 pizzas.  

That's it. 
Easy, right? We make this all the time for other meals, it is so easy and yummy! And don't tell me you are buying canned chicken. Stop! You know the easy trick for shredded chicken, right? Just boil the chicken, throw it in your Kitchen Aid mixer with the paddle attachment and "mix" until desired shredded-ness! It's almost too simple! 

Cilantro Ranch
3 tablespoons ranch dressing mix (pictured below)
1 cup mayo
1 cup milk
1 bunch fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno (optional)

Toss everything into a blender and blend till combined and cilantro and jalapeno is well chopped. I make this recipe all the time so I bought this big thing of dressing mix from Walmart rather than the little packets. I keep left overs in the fridge for about 7-10 days.

To make the pizza;

Baked
When you are ready to make your pizza, if you are baking, I like to roll it out super, super thin on a pizza stone. Top with everything but the avocado and cilantro ranch, bake at 500 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Once baked, top with avocado and drizzle with cilantro ranch.

Grilled 
If you are grilling it I just use my hands to spread it out, as rolling it tends to make it too thin and it will fall through the grill rack. Dave usually starts grilling the dough once the grill reaches 350 degrees, and it takes about 7-10 minutes per side. Obviously the longer he cooks, the hotter the grill gets and the less time is needed. We use a charcoal grill - so you may need to adjust the time depending on your grill. 
Once one side is done, add your toppings, everything but the avocado and cilantro ranch and leave it until the cheese is melted. Grilling it can be tricky! But once you get the hang of it, you will never want to go back! 

Enjoy!