Easy Green Juice

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This week, I needed some vitamins and a little detox. I've been having some weird muscle inflammation around my jaw, so I am hoping some good old fashioned nutrients will solve the problem.

Fingers crossed.

Juicing has become one of my favorite rituals when I can tell my body is in need of some nutrients. It's definitely a process - rinse and wash the vegetables, put them through the juicer, can the juice, and wash the juicer (ugh. my least favorite part of anything ever). 

If you don't have a juicer, don't fret. You can make this in a high powered blender. Blend all of the ingredients together, using a tamper to push things down. Add a bit of water if you need to, but it will slightly dilute the flavor. Once you're done, either drink it as a smoothie (if you're doing it this way, be sure to remove the apple cores) or filter through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer.

Easy Green Juice
Servings: 2
Ingredients:

• 1 cucumber
• 2 green apples
• 2 handfulls kale
• juice from 1 lemon
• 1 head romaine
• 1 tbsp ginger

Directions:

1. Rinse and juice all ingredients. If you are using a blender, blend well and then strain pulp.

PB&J Protein Smoothie

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It was your go-to snack as a kid. Whether you're the fancy pants who got mom to remove the crust and cut your sandwich into diamonds or the regular joe who ate whatever you got, crust and all, there is something nostalgic and comforting about a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Your parents didn't just drown you in PB&Js because it was easy. They did it, at least in part, BECAUSE YOU LOVED PB&J. 

Now's the time to bring back that lovin' feelin' for your PB&J - but this time, instead of sandwiching it between carbohydrates, combine it with some protein and drink up!

PB&J Protein Smoothie
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or any berry of choice - just as you had your favorite jelly back in the day, others work here, too!
• 1 tbsp peanut butter (feel free to substitute other nut butters if you have a peanut allergy)
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder or 3 tbsp Great Lakes Gelatin
• 1 cup water or coconut water

Directions:

1. BLEND
2. SERVE

^Yeah. It's that easy.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• What's your favorite smoothie recipe?
• What's your secret ingredient?
• Do you like to add protein to your smoothies or just use them to get your vegetables?

Savory Spaghetti Squash Fritters with Poached Eggs

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Confession: I just discovered spaghetti squash.

I know some of you superwomen out there have been using it forever as a pasta substitute. You were right, and it is heavenly, but I have to tell you that there is something even better to be had in the leftovers...

I was on my way back from a long run at the gym when I started thinking about lunch. We had gorged on spaghetti squash, marinara and ground turkey the night before, so I knew I had some leftovers. It seemed like a decent plan.

...but really, who wants to eat regular old leftovers?

I was still in the car when I realized I could make something even better with my bowl of spaghetti squash. Throw that spaghetti squash in a pan with some paleo flour, egg white, and nutritional yeast - oh, and don't forget the garlic - and you get something that is restaurant-worthy. You know, like a good restaurant.

These fritters? Each one is a savory, cheesy, goody with a crispy exterior and a warm, textured, cheesy inside. Soak it in the warm yolk of a soft-poached egg and it cannot be beat.

Savory Spaghetti Squash Fritters with Poached Eggs
Servings: 2
Total time using fresh spaghetti squash: <90 minutes
Total time using leftover (cooked) spaghetti squash: <15 minutes
Ingredients for Savory Spaghetti Squash Cakes:

• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp egg whites (1 egg white)
• 2 tbsp almond flour
• 1 tbsp coconut flour
• 1 tbsp parmesan or nutritional yeast (use nutritional yeast to make this recipe dairy free)
• 1.5 cups spaghetti squash, cooked and stringy
• 2 tbsp coconut oil (or your cooking oil of choice)

Ingredients for Poached Eggs:

• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar (optional)
• Water

Directions to cook and prep spaghetti squash (skip this step if you are using leftovers or already prepared stringy spaghetti squash):

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Poke spaghetti squash 4 times with a fork or knife to allow for air to escape.
3. Place on an aluminum or parchment lined pan and bake for 60-70 minutes, until the outside can be much more easily pierced with a fork.
4. Remove from oven and let cool enough that it can be handled. 
5. Cut in half length-wise, then scoop out the seeds and discard.
6. Use a fork to remove the flesh and use for the recipe. Flesh should come out nice and stringy, like angel-hair pasta!

Directions:

1. Combine garlic, egg white, flours, parmesan/nutritional yeast, and spaghetti squash in a bowl and mix well. Divide in two and roll into balls.
2. Heat coconut oil over high heat in a covered skillet until melted. 
3. Place both cake balls in the oil and use a thin spatula to flatten them to be about half an inch thick. Cover and cook for 3 minutes.
4. (Optional directions for adding poached eggs: While cakes are cooking, fill a sauce pan with 2 inches of water and boil. Add rice vinegar, lower to a light simmer, and use a small cup or ramekin to slowly slip each egg into the water. Wait for 3 minutes for soft poached eggs, then use a spoon to remove)
5. Reduce heat, remove the cover, and flip both cakes using the thin spatula. Re-cover and return to high heat for an additional 2-3 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and top with poached eggs.

Prosciutto Cotto Brussels Sprouts

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Heads up: You can make this recipe solely using CostCo ingredients. Yeah, you're welcome.

When I found a large quantity of prosciutto for sale at CostCo, I purchased it without hesitation. It took me a bit of brainstorming to figure out how to use it, though. Oddly enough, as it turns out, I don't love raw prosciutto as much as I love, say, salami and ALL OTHER MEATS. 

Alas, there are no wrong answers in brainstorming (according to 30 rock), so I quickly figured out how to deal with this prosciutto dilemma: cook it.

In Italian, this is called serving it as Prosciutto Cotto. The resulting amazingness is thin and crispy, almost like kettle cooked chips, but with a major burst of smoky ham flavor kind of like - wait for it - BACON! Now, you know I don't just compare things to bacon lightly, because bacon is my jam (speaking of - have you ever made BACON JAM?).

Combine that deliciousness with toasted brussels sprouts and you will be amazed. You're not even stuck with that nasty brussels sprouts smell because all you're getting a whiff of is delicious, decadent prosciutto cotto.

Prosciutto Cotto Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups brussels sprouts, rinsed and ends cut off
• 2-4 slices prosciutto (you know, depends on how much you LOVE IT)
• 1 tbsp olive oil 
• Cooking spray
• Optional: 1/4 cup walnuts

Directions:

1. Cut or rip prosciutto into small pieces, approximately 1-2 inches long and a half inch wide (this doesn't need to be exact - they just need to be bite size!)
2. Spray a pan and cook on medium-high heat until prosciutto pieces are crispy. Remove prosciutto from heat and set aside.
3. In the same pan, combine olive oil and brussels sprouts (and walnuts if you are using them) and cook for 8-12 minutes, until brussels sprouts are becoming soft and browned on the edges. 
4. Add prosciutto and cook for another 1 minute, then serve.

Coconut Paleo Protein Pancakes

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I was still sleeping at 8am when my husband walked into the room and said, "I'm going to the store for milk. Do you want anything?"

And I did. I sure as hell did. I must have been nose deep in some culinary dreams, because I sprang out of bed with visions of paleo pancakes swimming through my head. I had almost everything, you see, but a few things would make it perfect.

You know, the good things. Like dark chocolate and maple syrup.

And so off I went, makeup-less and crazy haired, glasses smooshed to my face, because I was AWAKE now that pancakes were in the mix.

They did not disappoint.

Coconut Paleo Protein Pancakes
Ingredients:
1/4 cup Coconut Flour
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp Coconut Milk
2 eggs
2 egg whites
1 tbsp flax seed
1/2 scoop protein powder (appx 1.5 tbsp)

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix until well combined.
2. Grease a cooking pan with coconut oil.
3. Pour in a bit at a time and cook uncovered over medium-high heat. *If you are adding blueberries or fruit, add it now, after you've poured the batter* 
4. Once you see bubbles appear, carefully flip with a small spatula. The top will be a bit liquidy still as you flip, so do it decisively! It's alright if a bit of it spills- just use the spatula to move your pancake around and pick it up!
5. If you are adding chocolate or something else that is melty, add it on top now!
6. After another two minutes, check the bottom of the pancake. When it reaches your desired darkness, serve.
7. TOP THAT SCHTUFF WITH MAPLE SYRUP, OBVIOUSLY.

Paleo Chicken Avocado Salad

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This recipe is so easy, it feels silly for me to even post it. But, it's been one of my go-to options for a healthy but quite satisfying lunch, and it's an easy swap for the traditional chicken salad.

The combination of protein from the chicken and healthy fat from the avocado makes for a very delicious and filling fix. Dare I say it, this may be even easier to make than the real thing. 

Paleo Chicken Avocado Salad

Servings: 1

Ingredients:

• 1/4 Avocado, mashed
• 1/4 cup shredded chicken breast
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• Optional: Diced celery and onions

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients and mix well with a fork. Then, eat on top of your favorite salad or piece of toast! I used gluten-free toast for m

Brie and Roasted Tomato Grilled Cheese

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Due to a late harvest in my garden beds, I have a major abundance of tomatoes at the moment. Countless people have told me to start canning them, but I am being stubborn. I'm determined to eat them all without dealing with the canning process. We'll see how that lasts.

One of my favorite ways to eat tomatoes is roasted, with a tiny bit of sea salt. It brings out the sweetness of the tomatoes, which the salt compliments quite well. When I finally found some delicious Gluten Free bread that I like, I started experimenting with putting the delicious roasted tomatoes on a sandwich.

Brie and Roasted Tomato Grilled Cheese

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tomato (I used a yellow tomato from my garden, but feel free to use one of your favorite variety! Heirloom tomatoes are my favorite)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 sprinkling sea salt
• 2 slices bread (I used Gluten Free Bread, Super Seeded, by Essential Baking Co)
• 4 thin slices brie cheese
• Garneshes to taste (I added sriracha and guacamole because duh)

Directions:

1. Roast the tomatoes. Preheat oven to 350. Slice tomato slices 1/4 inch thick and place on a sprayed cookie sheet (I used a layer of aluminum foil and then sprayed it with coconut oil cooking spray). Brush or drizzle slices with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. After 10 minutes (or when the tomatoes have become gooey), take out of the oven.
2. Place two pieces of bread on a pan over medium-high heat on the stove. Place two thin pieces of brie cheese on each piece.
3. Add the roasted tomatoes to one piece.
4. Cover and wait 2-4 minutes, until the brie cheese begins to melt. Then, put the two pieces of the sandwich together and press down to glue them together. 
5. Heat for another 2-4 minutes, until the bottom piece is well-toasted, and then repeat on the other side. 
6. Serve with sriracha and guac, if you've got it!

GIVEAWAY - Breathslim Breath Training, Oxygen Training for Weight-Loss

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You work your muscles. You work your mind. Why not work your lungs, too?

**Heads up: if you want one of these, I'm giving one away as well as providing a 20% off code! Just keep reading until you see more red text!**

I was contacted a while back by Breathslim, a company that created a breathing training product. Their web site touts a respiratory trainer made of plastic that uses the power of air and water to make big changes to your life. According to Breathslim, the training improves your "health, your well-being and your lifestyle."

 

I am all about stretching my mind and training my body, so I figured I had nothing to lose. Overall, here's what I thought:

I felt calm after using it. I was advised to do this close to bed time, as it can relax you quite a bit and get you in a calm state. It truly lived up to its name - no pre-bed jitters, no extra energy, nothing! Just calm and peace.

I had wonderful, deep, restful sleep. SERIOUSLY. It was like I took Tylenol PM or something. I slept SO well and felt very rested in the morning.

Additionally, this is supposed to be able to ease anxiety, help with weight loss***, and improve your energy the following day. 

GET YOUR OWN!

The product costs $49 and has a 30 day guarantee (i.e. if you don't love it like I do, you can get your money back). But, if you want to try it now, readers of my web site can get 20% OFF of the product. 

Visit Breathslim via this link to purchase your own Breathslim for 20% off using this code: 

"CLIVE-20"

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY!

Giveaway for one full kit of Breathslim will end on Monday, October 20th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

The Breathslim was extremely easy to use. Depending on the level you are working at - beginner, intermediate, or advanced - you fill the plastic cup with water to the appropriate line and then breathe through the tube for 15-20 minutes. I have only used beginner so far, which is actually the highest level of water.

The exercise comes when you breathe in an out, battling the water bubbles to get your air past them. I did this sitting up while watching TV before bed, and it got me into a very relaxed, almost meditative state.

Final thoughts? I absolutely loved doing this and will probably continue, if I can get myself to keep it as part of my routine. 

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• Are you going to try it out?
• What do you do to prepare for sleep?

Zero Carb, Flavorless Protein Powder (+Recipe for Chocolate Berry Protein Smoothie)

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(Left: Great Lakes Gelatin; Right: Chocolate Berry Protein Smoothie)

Two months ago, I invested in some Gelatin Protein Powder. I read this post from Food Renegade about a healthy protein powder that had no added sugar, chemicals, etc, and was pretty much immediately sold. But, I had to try it out before telling you guys to buy it.

Well, go buy it. This stuff is a miracle.

     

^Link for the single / Link for the 2 pack^

Why should YOU invest in some Great Lakes Gelatin?

• High protein content. In 100 calories worth of this powder, you have yourself 24 grams of protein. 125 calories = THIRTY GRAMS OF PROTEIN. That is really hard to beat with a regular protein shake.
• Low carb content. That 30 grams of protein is accompanied by ZERO CARBS. I'd like to see any protein powder or protein bar beat that. Seriously.
• No flavor. You can throw this stuff in a smoothie with fruit, or with chocolate, or with... well, whatever the hell you want. But, you can also pour a bit of it into your coffee and stir it in and it will change absolutely nothing. So, go ahead and sneak this into your loved ones' morning cup of joe. They won't notice.
• Good for your bones, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, SKIN, HAIR, AND NAILS. Basically, it rocks. My mom used to have wrist pain and after a week of stirring this into her coffee, NO MO WRIST PAIN. That's right. I said it.

GO GET SOME HERE. Follow that link (or the links/images ads) to get the kind that will not congeal (i.e. will not turn into jello consistency and can be mixed into either hot or cold temperatures).

Now that I've hooked you on the product, here's my new favorite breakfast smoothie. It is high in protein, and has just a small amount of natural carbs due to cacao powder and fruit.

(Left: Great Lakes Gelatin; Right: Chocolate Berry Protein Smoothie)

Chocolate Berry Protein Smoothie

Chocolate Berry Gelatin Smoothie - Chemical Free
Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup frozen mixed berries
• 1 tbsp raw cacao powder
• 3 tbsp gelatin powder
• 6oz coconut water
• 5 drops liquid stevia (or 1/2 packet stevia/sugar)

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until well combined.
2. Serve and smile!

Chocolate Berry Protein Smoothie

      

^Link for the single / Link for the 2 pack^

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• What's your favorite protein powder? I used to be obsessed with Perfect Fit's Vanilla Protein Powder, and I still use it, but now I am using it slightly less because it seems gritty when compared to this Great Lakes powder.
• What's your favorite protein shake recipe? I like combining berries with either chocolate or peanut butter (using PB2).

High Protein, Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie

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On our way home from Northern Michigan, I was starting to feel that good old fall nostalgia. The trees are starting to turn, I'm having to check the weather and actually think about how to dress myself, and my instagram feed is being taken over by #PSL (Pumpkin Spice Latte - I stay away, but here's a skinny copycat I made three years ago).

We stopped at Martha's Vineyard for a little DIY charcuterie action and a can of organic pumpkin caught my eye. I threw it in the basket and immediately started taking mental inventory of what else we had at home that I could combine it with.

And then this little ditty came to life. But I wasn't sure what to call it. Easy? Gluten free? High protein?

^^^^ALL. OF. THE. ABOVE.

YOU'RE WELCOME.

High Protein, Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients for pie filling:

• 1 can organic pumpkin
• 1/2 tbsp half and half or heavy cream
• 1 tbsp coconut milk
• Egg whites from 3 eggs
• 1 whole egg
• 2 tbsp coconut flour
• Vanilla/Sweetener - Use any of these combinations: [1 tbsp liquid stevia + 1 tsp vanilla extract] [1 tbsp liquid stevia + 1 tbsp liquid vanilla stevia] [2 tbsp stevia powder + 1 tsp vanilla extract] [2 tbsp white sugar + 1 tbsp brown sugar + 1 tsp vanilla extract]
• Optional: 4 tbsp unflavored protein powder (I used Great Lakes Gelatin and highly recommend it - this ended up with 10g of protein per slice by incorporating it!)

Ingredients for pie topping:

• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• Sweetener - Use any of the following: [1/2 tbsp liquid stevia] [1/2 tbsp maple syrup] [1/2 tbsp agave nectar]
• 1/2 cup pecans, crumbled or chopped into smaller pieces 
• 1/2 cup oats
• WHIPPED CREAM! Gotta have it.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine ingredients for pie filling and mix until well combined. 
3. Spray a baking dish (I used a 10 inch round dish) and then place the mixture inside evenly. 
4. Bake for 45 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, combine pie topping ingredients (except for whipped cream) in a pan on medium heat. Sautee together until the aroma is powerfully fall!
6. Once you take the pie out of the oven, sprinkle topping over it. 
7. Top each individual piece with whipped cream and serve!

P.S. If you've been following me since the beginning, you know I've got a plethora of pumpkin recipes on this site. A few years ago, I did a "Twelve Days of Pumpkin" series and basically turned my entire kitchen (and fingers?) orange. But, it taught me how many different food items you can incorporate pumpkin into. Looking for a little (or a lot) pumpkin in your life? Check these out!

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• What's your favorite fall-themed recipe? 
• Are there any fall recipes you love but want to see "healthified?"