Chocolate Nut Butter Crunch Bars

Happy Friday! I am rushing around the house getting ready to take off again. I’ll be flying out of Portland early tomorrow morning and will hopefully be back with Blake by tomorrow evening. My fingers are crossed that it actually works out this time!

In preparation for my trip, I wanted to make some new snacks to take with. Because I don’t know how long I’ll be gone for, I tried to use up any perishable items that we had in the fridge and pantry. I was inspired to make a treat based of my childhood favorite, scotch-a-roo bars. I don’t even know if that’s the proper name? They are basically a peanut butter rice crispy treat with a chocolate butterscotch topping. My version omits the corn syrup, chocolate and butterscotch chips and replaces them with cocoa butter, raw cacoa powder, stevia and butterscotch extract. I should also add that this recipe makes a small serving size, so you can make up a batch and not have a huge tray sitting around on the counter.

Chocolate Nut Butter Crunch Bars

Makes 4 squares

3/4 cup gluten-free Rice Crispies cereal

2 Tablespoons nut butter (I used sunflower butter)

2 Tablespoons cocoa butter

1 Tablespoon extra virgin coconut oil

1 Tablespoon raw cacao powder

3 packets of stevia

1/4 teaspoon butterscotch extract

tiny pinch of salt

Heat the cocoa butter in a double boiler or in the microwave until melted. Stir in the nut butter until it is well combined. Then, stir in the coconut oil, cacao powder, stevia and butterscotch extract. Add the Rice Crispies and salt. Press into a small glass dish and place in the refrigerator. After about an hour remove the dish and slice into small squares.

I also made some homemade snack bars that Blake can take in the helicopter when he’s flying all day. One is cranberry goji berry, another is coconut macaroon and the last is chocolate cherry. I think that my homemade bars are better than any store bought brands, but let’s be honest – most of the time I just stock up on bars at Trader Joe’s.

My goal for today and tomorrow is to stay calm, relaxed and worry-free. Yesterday’s “Melt the Stress Away” post was a good reminder for me. I forgot to post a photo of my new favorite product: CALM. It’s a powdered magnesium that when mixed with water creates a bubbly concoction that is supposed to help you feel calm and sleepy. I like to take it about an hour before bedtime. You can serve it hot or cold and it comes in different flavors. I bought the Raspberry-Lemon and like the taste of it.

Am I the only person who didn’t realize the Trader Joe’s Black Bean and Veggie Enchiladas are actually Amy’s Brand of the same variety? I always waited for Amy’s frozen entrees to go on sale before buying them. Now, I don’t have to because Trader Joe’s sells them for $1.99. Thank you Mr. Joe! I had an enchilada with crumbled goat cheese over some romaine lettuce that somehow didn’t wilt in our fridge over the past week.

Look how cute my cupcake liners look stored in this Mason jar. I’d love to get a big glass jar to store my cupcake liners in. I’ll have to wait on that for now.

Blake and I don’t have cable, so I watched a ton of TV at his mom’s house (like all day last Saturaday!) Here are some of my thoughts on TV shows and current entertainment news:

“The Bachelor” stresses me out. Seriously! I always feel like I’m a girl on the show and he isn’t giving me enough attention. I actually had a hard time sleeping after watching a ridiculous episode.

It’s really sad that Whitney Houston passed away. I wasn’t too surprised when I heard the news, but it’s still very heartbreaking.

“Revenge” is one of the best ABC shows to come along in awhile.

“The Housewives of Beverly Hills” sometimes look pretty and sometimes look abnormal. I think all the “work” they’ve had done looks weird, but their hair, makeup and clothes look really good!

“Law & Order SVU” is still one of my favorite shows.

I was very surprised to find out that I love Coco (and Ice-T.) They are so cute together. I feel like my personality is very similar to Coco’s.

Watching television for a day straight is a nice luxury, but I think I’d rather read books and magazines with my free time. Oh, and commercials are really, really bad nowadays.

Wow! I feel so up-with-the-times now that I’ve had cable for the past week.

OK, I’m going to get a weights and cardio workout in, take Layla for a walk, load up my car and hit the road. Have a great day!!!

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Evening Chat Session

Oops! I thought I had this post set to publish last night. Obviously, it didn’t get posted. We’ll just make it a Friday evening chat session :)

Hi! I thought that I’d start something new around here. I try to check in with everyone  in the morning, but realized that it might be fun to have evening chat sessions from my couch. I filmed this video last night. Let me know what you think!

Here’s my dinner perfection from last night:

Tortilla Pizza

Trader Joe’s Brown Rice Tortilla

Trader Joe’s Pizza sauce

Daya mozzerella cheese

Sliced portabello mushroom

Sliced spinach

clove of garlic, minced

Pecricano Ramona cheese

Preheat oven to 450ºf. Bake for 10 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil.

I was in heaven! I usually try to have a lean protein and veggie for dinner most nights, but a pizza was needed last night.

I also wanted to share a photo of my favorite candle with you guys. My mom makes homemade soy wax candles with vintage glasses. I love this one that I keep next to my kitchen sink. The great thing about these candles, is that they are refillable. How green!

Good night! I’ll see you tomorrow. I *might* just be leaving on a trip in the next few days. I’ll keep you posted.

- Kilee

***Don’t forget to sign up for my Valentine’s Day Coaching Special! Email me kilee (at) kileejohnson.com for setting up your sessions***

Grain-Free Pumpkin Brownies

Well hello! Are you excited about this grain-free dessert that I promised you. I almost wish I hadn’t  made a full batch of these brownies because every time I went into the kitchen yesterday, I had to sample a bite or two. I have been baking gluten-free desserts for four years now, but haven’t experimented much with grain-free baking. After seeing all of the delicious grain-free recipes over on Detoxinista’s and iheartwellness’ blogs, I was inspired to get started.

Grain-Free Pumpkin Brownies

Makes 16 brownies

1 cup canned pumpkin

2 eggs

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 Tablespoon vanilla

10 drops liquid vanilla stevia

1 cup almond flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup semi-sweet, milk or white chocolate chips (optional)

1/2 cup toasted walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350ºf.

Place all of the wet ingredients in a blender and blend on medium speed. Once the wet ingredients are completely blended, add all of the dry ingredients besides the chocolate chips and walnuts. Blend on low speed until just combined. Add the chocolate chips and walnuts and incorporate them into the batter with a spatula.

Spray an 8″x 8″ or 9″x 9″ metal baking pan with non-stick cooking spray (make sure it does not contain flour.) Pour and spread your batter evenly into the pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the pan comes out clean. Once the brownies are baked, allow them to cool for about two hours before slicing and removing them from the pan. I found them a little hard to get out of the pan I used, but I think if you slice them with a sharp knife and then use a spatula to remove them from the pan, they should stay together better than mine did.

Do not try to bake them in a special triangle pan like I did, because they will be a royal pain to get out!

I was curious to see the nutrition stats on this new brownie recipe, so I calculated it out online:

Not too bad for a brownie, right? However, don’t get carried away “testing” these brownies, because half the tray will be gone by the time you know it!

Look at the beautiful sunrise I woke up to this morning:

It snowed a little bit here last night. I was really surprised to see snow when I took Layla potty outside last night. That little sleepyhead is snoring on the couch as I type this. She usually likes to sleep until around 9 or 10 and then get up to start her day. Haha!

I’m going to go doing my treadmill workout at the gym, run some errands in town that I forgot to do yesterday (sometimes I get flustered and sidetracked when I’m running errands only to end  back up at the house with only half of my items completed!) and work on some client nutrition plans at Starbucks.

Have a great day today!!!

Much love,

Kilee

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Protein Shake & Gluten-Free Cookie Review

Hi! How is everyone’s weekend going? Mine has been wonderful. I got a lot done around the house and blog yesterday. I added a new “Newsletter Sign-Up” over to the right in the side bar. You can also sign-up to receive my weekly newsletter *here*. It will be filled with gluten-free recipes, healthy lifestyle tips and ways to feel your best. Be sure to sign up and I’ll keep you up to date with my weekly tips and recipes.

Today is a treat type of day. It’s Sunday, the day that I’m most likely to bake some gluten-free cookies or make an elaborate dinner. However, today’s recipe and cookie review require almost no time in the kitchen. That’s right! You don’t have to bake your own gluten-free chocolate chip cookies. You can just pop into your local Trader Joe’s for a batch of their New Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies or you can blend up your own chocolate chip protein shake at home in your blender.

Chocolate Chip Protein Shake

Serves 1 girl (or guy) who’s craving a chocolate chip cookie, but needs to drink a protein shake

1 scoop vanilla protein powder (whey or brown rice)

1 heaping tablespoon oats (rolled or quick-cook)

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon butter extract

1/2 – 1 frozen banana cut into chunks

3-4 ice cubes

3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

pinch of sea salt

pinch of baking soda (optional, but it creates more of a cookie dough flavor)

1 tablespoon milk, semi or dark chocolate chips

Place all of the ingredients besides that chocolate chips in the blender and blend on high for one minute. Once the shake is well blended, add the chocolate chips and blend for about 15-20 seconds on medium speed. Enjoy your shake!

Product Review: Trader Joe’s Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have to start out this review by sharing that the cashier at Trader Joe’s informed me that these cookies are better than the regular flour chocolate chip cookies they sell. This made me happy to hear. I was also happy to read on the nutrition label that there are no weird ingredients: semi-sweet chocolate chips, rice flour, butter, brown sugar, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, baking soda, salt, xantham gum & water. Those are the exact ingredients that I use in my chocolate chip cookie recipe! Now I can have the convenience of a gluten-free chocolate chip cookie without having to go in the kitchen and bake up a batch myself.

Because these have regular sugar and chocolate chips, I consider these more of a special treat than an everyday type of snack. The calorie content is pretty low: 70 calories per cookie. Seeing that I eat at least a cookie’s worth of batter plus a few baked cookies when I bake them, the 70 calories for one cookie is a bargain compared to the amount of calories consumed when baking cookies.

The cookies taste amazing! They are crispy and have the perfect amount of sweetness, saltiness and crunch. I usually prefer soft and cake-like cookies, but these are right up there with the Nestle Tollhouse gluten-free version I bake at home. The only downside to these cookies is that they are addicting (is that a downside?) and you might be inclined to go back for seconds or thirds. One thing that I like about the packaging is that there are two plastic trays with seven cookies each sealed in plastic wrap. This means that if you open one bag, the other bag of cookies stays sealed and fresh.

I highly recommend these gluten-free cookies from Trader Joes to anyone – gluten-free or not.

Has anyone tried these cookies? What do you think?

Don’t forget that I’m hosting a giveaway contest once my Facebook & Twitter accounts hit 100 followers each. If you follow me on either social media sites, leave a comment *here* and you’ll be entered to win a batch of gluten-free cookies, NuNaturals Stevia & Artisana Nut Butter, plus an assortment of my favorite gluten-free protein bars.

Have fun today whether you’re watching the Super Bowl or just hanging out!

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Gluten-Free Superfood No-Bake Cookies + Giveaway Announcement

Welcome to Superbowl Weekend! Since I am not one bit interested in the Superbowl, I will be doing what a lot girls like to do when football games are on TV – reading magazines! I have never been a big sports fan and eating a bunch of chips and dip does not set well with my stomach anyway. So, I’ll be laying low, indulging in some girlie magazines and maybe cooking something in the kitchen. Speaking of cooking, I finally went to the grocery store today and stocked up on some much needed fresh produce. I feel like the only vegetables I ate over the past two weeks were either iceberg lettuce or steamed vegetables with dinner. I’m envisioning lots of green smoothies and salads in my future :)

I was excited to get back in the kitchen and whip up a healthy treat to share with you. Has anyone tried those Brookside dark chocolate pomegranate candies that they sell at Costco? I think I’ve seen them at Trader Joe’s too? Anyways, I wanted to combine them with some gluten-free Rice Crispies that I picked up at the store today. Here is your super-easy, quick gluten-free treat recipe:

Gluten-Free Superfood No-Bake Cookies

Makes 8 cookies

1 cup gluten-free Rice Crispies cereal

2 Tablespoons chopped dried cherries

2 Tablespoons sliced almonds

2 Tablespoons brown rice syrup

1 Tablespoon honey (or brown rice syrup. I just like the flavor and the health benefits of honey)

1/4 cup almond butter (or your favorite nut butter)

2 Tablespoons organic brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

8 Brookside dark chocolate pomegranate or acai candies or Trader Joe’s Superfruit candies

Pinch of sea salt

In a medium size bowl, mix the Rice Crispies, dried cherries and sliced almonds.

I am the only one who thought Rice Crispies were already gluten-free? I guess there is malt extract in the regular variety? These new ones are made with brown rice too!

In a small saucepan or microwave-safe dish, combine the brown rice syrup, honey and almond butter. Heat over medium heat until it starts to bubble or microwave on high for roughly 30 seconds. Add the brown sugar, vanilla and salt and stir until smooth. Pour the mixture over the contents of the bowl and use a spatula or your hands to combine. Roll into 8 small balls and set on a piece of parchment paper. Push a chocolate covered candy into the center of each cookie. Allow to cool. Store in an airtight container for up to a week, but they might harden over time.

Okay, well I’m off to take Layla for her walk and get together with one of my friends here in Redmond. Have a great day and let me know if you try the new cookie recipe. It’s super easy and takes maybe 5-10 minutes!

*** Giveaway Alert ***

As you may know, I have Facebook and Twitter accounts set up for the blog. Once each account hits 100 followers, I will draw a number and send a gluten-free gift pack to the winner. It will include a batch of gluten-free cookies, NuNaturals Stevia, Artisiana nut butter and an assortment of my favorite gluten-free protein bars. I’ll even throw Layla in there too! Haha – that would never happen!!! All you have to do is *like* my Facebook and/or Twitter accounts and leave a comment below stating that you did so. Feel free to leave two comments if you follow both accounts. I’ll announce the winner here on the blog, Twitter and Facebook once the drawing takes place. Any questions, just ask!

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Blueberry Crisp Protein Smoothie

Hi from Reno, Nevada! I’m typing this post as we lay in bed with news about the presidential candidates on the television. I am not political at all, but am making an effort to learn about the current candidates and their views. I’ve been taking a few photos with my iPhone since I flew in here and will post some of the fun ones once I’m home in a few days. For now, I’ll leave you with a delicious post-workout smoothie that I made a few days ago.

Blueberry Crisp Protein Smoothie

Serves 1 post-workout woman (or man)

1/2 cup frozen blueberries (try to find organic ones if possible)

1/2 frozen banana, broken into pieces

2 ice cubes

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed

1 Tablespoon oats (rolled or quick cook)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon maple extract

pinch of stevia

1 cup non-dairy milk (I used a unsweetened vanilla almond milk)

Place all of the ingredients in the blender and blend for about a minute. Enjoy!

I’ve been having fun making all different types of dessert smoothies lately. I might not be baking much, but I’m sure enjoying my “dessert flavored” protein smoothies.

Have a great day,

Kilee

Cleanse-Friendly Cookies

Hi! How is week 3 of the cleanse going for you? I hope that you are feeling energized and healthy. Today I wanted to share a new cleanse-friendly cookie recipe with you. I know that there are times when you just need a cookie or two. I came up with this recipe to satisfy your (and my) sweet tooth while still cutting out refined sugar, gluten and dairy products. The banana and maple syrup sweeten the cookies while the protein powder helps to keep your blood sugar levels from spiking. The only questionable ingredient in this recipe is the chocolate chips. Feel free to chop up an unsweetened chocolate baking bar or try out some of the “healthy” chocolate chips on the market by:

Enjoy Life Foods mini chocolate chips – dairy, gluten, nut & soy free

Dagoba Chocodrops – Fair trade organic chocolate

Chocolate Dream chocolate chips – dairy & gluten free

Some purists might argue that there is no room for a little chocolate on a cleanse. I disagree. This is a month long program and there is a tiny bit of room for a chocolate chip or too. Just keep your hand out of the bag while you’re adding the chocolate chips into the batter.

Cleanse-Friendly Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies

Makes 12-16 cookies

1/2 cup gluten-free flour (I used Pamela’s brand)

1/2 cup vanilla brown rice protein powder (I used Sun Warrior brand)

1/2 cup gluten-free oats

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed

1/2 cup mashed banana

1/4 cup creamy almond butter

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 375ºF. In a large mixing bowl stir the ground flaxseed, mashed banana, almond butter, maple syrup and vanilla together until completely mixed. In a medium mixing bowl stir the flour, protein powder, oats, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt until well combined. Gently add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and add the chocolate chips. Stir until just combined.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a parchment paper lined baking sheets. Push down with a spatula to lightly flatten each cookie. Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool for 2 minutes on the pan and then transfer to a wire baking rack.

Enjoy with glass of unsweetened almond or coconut milk. I will make these cookies even when I’m not on a cleanse!

Take care,

Kilee

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Orange Mango Green Smoothie

Hi! I just wanted to quickly share my new favorite post-workout green smoothie recipe with you.

Orange Mango Green Smoothie

Serves 1

1/2 scoop Sun Warrior Warrior Protein Powder

1/4 cup orange juice

1 large handful of spinach

1/2 a lemon or lime, peeled or unpeeled

1/2 green apple, diced

1/2 cup frozen mango chunks (I buy these at Trader Joe’s)

2-4 ice cubes

1/4 cup (give or take) filtered water

Place all of your ingredients in the blender in the order shown and blend on high for about a minute.

Week 2 Recipe Ideas

Welcome to week 2′s recipe ideas. There are no “set” recipes for this cleanse, but rather guidelines and suggestions.

Breakfast: Green Smoothie – feel free to use this recipe as a template or try one of Victoria Boutenko’s green smoothies posted here.

Morning Snack: Try making your own fruit and nut bars or purchase non-peanut/non-chocolate Larabars.

Lunch: Large Salad.  Include lots of fresh veggies and beans, rice or quinoa. Some recipe ideas include:

Cheesy Kale Salad

Carrot Poppyseed Salad

Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad – leave out the feta

Coconut Rice and Black Bean Salad

Esalen Kale Salad

Spinach Salad with Apples, Currants & Walnuts

Sweet Potato, Celery and Apple Salad

Brown Rice Salad

Lightened Up Protein Power Goddess Bowl

Detox Salad

Afternoon Snack: 1-2 cups fresh vegetables and ¼ cup hummus or store-bought

My super-simple hummus recipe:

1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Filtered water

In a blender or food processor combine garbanzo beans, garlic, cumin, salt and olive oil. Blend on low speed, gradually adding filtered water, until desired consistency is achieved.

Dinner: Vegan Soup or pick up a fresh vegetarian soup at the store. I like to make a large batch of soup in the crock pot on Sunday and then maybe another soup on Thursday. Here are some soup recipe ideas:

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Detox Soup

Kale & Roasted Vegetable Soup

Quick & Easy Detox Soup

Roasted Tomato Soup

Slow Cooker Soup Recipes – ignore any animal proteins. I think there’s only a few.

Spiced Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup

Spicy Vegetarian Chili

Un-Chicken Soup

Vegan Lentil & Cabbage Soup

Post-Dinner: Cup of herbal tea

If you have any recipe suggestions or questions, feel free to leave them below. Happy cooking!

Week 1 Mid-Week Check-In

Good morning! How is everyone doing with the January Cleanse/Weight-Loss program so far? Have you been drinking your water with lemon first thing in the morning? Did you ditch HFCS, refined sugar, trans fat, gluten and dairy? How is it going so far? Honestly, I don’t miss the first four, but giving up my beloved soft-serve frozen yogurt may just push me over the edge. My sister took me to go get some on Monday and that 16 ounce bowl of original tart with fresh strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, mochi and hot fudge sauce made my day! Thank you Karlee – you know the real way to my heart!

Back to our cleanse. I designed this month-long cleanse to be gentle and to hopefully not get in the way of your day-to-day life. This first week is a chance for you to slowly transition to a cleaner, less-processed way of eating. You may eat your regular fare with the gradual exclusion of the foods listed throughout the week. Here are some linked recipes that would work well for meals for the rest of Week 1:

Scrambled Eggs with Watercress

Quinoa Salad with Toasted Almonds

Steamed Salmon with Herbs and Lemon

I also wanted to link to some more information on the benefits of adopting a whole foods diet:

The Whole-Foods Diet article on medicinenet.com

Benefits of Eating the Worlds Healthiest Foods article on whfoods.com

Plant Based Diet Benefits article on suffolktimes.com

I hope that your week is going smoothly and you’re taking the time to go to bed earlier than normal, and preforming each day’s recommended journal or meditation exercise. I’ll be back on Friday with Week 2′s outline.

Have a great day,

Kilee

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Smoothie

Happy New Year’s Eve! What are your plans for tonight? I can’t believe it, but we are actually going out down town Portland tonight. I’m more of a stay-at-home and make a bunch of good food on New Year’s Eve type of girl. However, Blake doesn’t get to see his friends from high school very much and a bunch of them are getting together in Portland tonight. It will be fun to go out and we’re going to go watch a girl from our high school’s band preform down town. I already picked out my sequin minidress to wear. I call it my “New Year’s” dress because it’s the only night of the year that I’d actually wear it.

I wanted to share my new favorite breakfast smoothie recipe with you. I swear it tastes exactly like a oatmeal raisin cookie is a smoothie form!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Smoothie

Serves 1

1 scoop vanilla protein powder of choice

1 frozen banana

few dashes of cinnamon

2 Tablespoons oats (quick cook or whole, it doesn’t matter)

1 Tablespoon raisins

1/2 – 1 Tablespoon nut butter (I used Artisiana Cashew Butter)

4 drops vanilla stevia (I used NuNaturals brand)

1-2 ice cubes

6-8 ounces unsweetened vanilla almond milk

drop or two of butter extract (optional)

Place all of the ingredients in a high powered blender and blend for about a minute.

I really liked Mastin’s post today on thedailylove.com. As much as I think it’s important to plan ahead and envision an amazing year full of goals and achievements, I think it’s equally important to reflect back on how much you’ve grown and learned this past year. Please take a moment to read his post and think about how far you’ve come this year.

I recognize that this year I have become little more understanding and forgiving of myself and others. I began to accept my weaknesses. I have shifted from a more fearful mindset into a more loving way of looking at my life. I have learned to have faith and trust that everything WILL work out the way that it’s supposed to, even if it seems scary. I am grateful for my health, my relationships with others and my opportunity to connect with others in person and through this blog.

This blog has been a space for me to preform some personal growth and hopefully offer inspiration and support to others trying to lead a healthy lifestyle. There is no ONE perfect way to live a healthy, balanced life, but rather a journey of learning what works and doesn’t work for each one of us. I’m thankful that I have had the opportunity to write out my thoughts, goals and passions here on this blog. I’m thankful to each reader who has taken the time to read what I write or to try out one of my recipes.

I believe that 2012 will be a year of huge personal and societal growth. Let’s reflect back on 2011 and think about how to make 2012 an even better, more exciting year filled with love.

Have fun tonight and please remember to be safe. Do not get behind the wheel if you have been drinking or get in a vehicle with a driver who has been drinking. Let’s celebrate responsibly.

If you are joining me in the January Cleanse/Weight Loss program, don’t forget to check out tomorrow’s guidelines here.

Cheers to a New Year,

Kilee

Workout Lesson Learned

Happy Friday! Anyone have any fun plans for the last full weekend before Christmas? I know what I will not be doing – shopping. I really dislike the crowds. I’m finishing up my Christmas shopping in my workout clothes in front of the computer. I try to make most of my Christmas gifts each year, but my crafty gifts don’t fit all the people on my list (like my Dad.)

Today I wanted to share a little bit about a recent experience I had regarding my workout routine. Because I’m still on my YouTube video kick, I sat down before this mornings workout to share a recent lesson I learned:

And, since I am continuing the theme of listing to my body and doing what it wants, I listened to my craving for funfetti cake (no, I’m not going to have the actual cake because of the gluten) and made myself a Funfetti Protein Shake to enjoy after my workout.

Funfetti Protein Shake

Serves 1 sweaty girl

1 frozen banana cut into 4-5 peices

2-3 ice cubes

3/4 – 1 cup non dairy milk (I used a mix of unsweetened almond & coconut milk)

1 scoop protein powder of chioce (I used vanilla whey)

tiny bit of almond extract

tiny bit of butter extract

pinch of salt

4-5 drops of stevia

1 teaspoon rainbow sprinkles

Place all of the ingredients in the blender except the sprinkles. Blend until well combined. Once it’s completely blended, add the sprinkles for fun and pour into a big glass. Enjoy!

I hope that this video resonated with you if you are in a position where you’re not enjoying your workouts. My challenge for you is to switch up your routine and start doing workouts that are fun for you!

Have a great day and please share if you’ve had a similar experience in the comments below.

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Peppermint Bark

Hi! After seeing Katie’s recipe for peppermint bark this morning, I ran to my kitchen to make my own. I made a few changes to her recipe and came up with this:

Peppermint Bark

Adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie

1/2 cup coconut butter (I used Artisiana brand)

1/4 cup cacao butter chips (I used Mountain Rose Herbs)

2 Tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil (I used Artisiana brand)

2 Tablespoons agave

1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

Toppings: I used crushed mint M&M’s and sprinkles

Line a baking dish with tin foil (any size will do.) In a double broiler or microwave safe bowl, gently heat the coconut butter, cacao butter and coconut oil until melted. Stir in the agave and peppermint extract. Spread the mixture in your baking dish with a spatula. Sprinkle with toppings of your choice. Place in the freezer and allow to harden for approximately two hours. Break into smaller pieces and store in the refrigerator or freezer.

These are perfect to share with family and friends. They don’t even have to know that they’re healthy! They taste good enough to be consitered “normal” holiday treats.

I’m off to work on some projects. Have a great day,

Kilee

Green Smoothie Recipe

Hi! How is your weekend going so far? Mine has been wonderful. I had a friend over for dinner last night and we had lots of fun catching up. This morning has been nice and relaxing so far. Layla’s asleep on the couch and I have been playing Celine Dion’s Christmas album and sitting by the tree.

Today I wanted to share with you my guidelines for making a green smoothie. There are endless variations of how to make a green smoothie. I started making these green drinks a few years back after seeing them on blogs. I was reintroduced to them by Robyn Openshaw (the Green Smoothie Girl) at one of her workshops and when I read Kimberly Snyder’s book, The Beauty Detox Solution. Each of these women have a plethera of green smoothie information and recipes.

Onto my green smoothies. The basis of green smoothies is that you take a bunch of leafy greens, vegetables, a little fruit, some ice and water and blend it all together. You can mix and match difference vegetables and fruits depending on your taste buds and what you have on hand. There is no “one” recipe. Each day’s smoothie will and should be a little different. Yesterday I used spinach, cucumber, cilantro, lime and apple and today I used spinach, kale, cilantro, grapefruit, lime and banana. It’s important to vary and rotate the types of greens, vegetable and fruits that you use so your body has a chance to absorb different nutrients each day. If you continue to eat the exact same type of food day in and day out, your body is more likely to develop a sensitivity to it over time. Remember to use a wide variety of vegetables and fruits and to try out new combinations daily.

It is advised to drink at least one green smoothie a day. I go through periods of time where I have a large green smoothie each day, and they I’ll go a few weeks without having one. This past week I started to crave my green smoothies again, so they are back into my daily routine. One big thing that I notice when I drink them regularly, is that my skin looks more vibrant and has less acne. I also feel like I have more energy and my digestion feels better. Wait, why did I stop drinking these? Anyway, please play around with different recipes and find a green smoothie that rocks your world. You can start off with more fruit and taper down on the fruit as your taste buds adapt to the bitter greens.

This is just a guideline. I never use a “set” recipe and will often test the smoothie and then add more of whatever ingredient it may need.

Green Smoothie Recipe

Serves 1

2 handfuls spinach – or leafy green of choice

1-2 kale leaves

1/2 lime (peeled or with peel) – or lemon

1/4 cup cilantro – or fresh herb of choice

1/2 a peeled grapefruit – of 1/2 cup fruit of choice

1/4 frozen banana – this helps with the creaminess and sweetness

handful of ice

4-6 oz filtered water

few drops of stevia – if you need it sweeter

sprinkle of cinnamon (helps to slow the absorption of sugar)

Place all of your ingredients besides the ice in a blender. Blend until the vegetables and fruit are “juice-like.” Add the ice and any additional ingredients and blend.

While drinking the smoothie, try to let each sip sit in your mouth and “chew” it a bit.

“Chewing actually starts the digestive process using enzymes in the mouth.  Chewing also triggers the stomach to recognize that food is coming and to start preparing the acids and enzymes it needs for digestion. Breaking the veggies down also allows for the release of many of the phytonutrients and antioxidants they contain without the digestive system having to work so hard.  With these nutrients more easily available, the body can start its rebuilding and repair projects quicker and easier.” — from “Green Smoothies: Pros & Cons.

What are your favorite green smoothie combinations? I love green apple, lime, cucumber and basil. I’m going to go take Layla for her walk and have a relaxing afternoon.

Have a great day!

Kilee

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Funfetti Protein Mug Cake

Things just got a little more exciting around here! I’m not sure about you, but gluten-free, low-sugar, high-protein microwaved mug cakes get me pretty excited. Lately, I have been lifting heavier weights and trying to build lean muscles. This means upping my protein intake and decreasing my sugary, gluten-free baked goods. Well, I was getting bored. I can only go so many days without “treating” myself, so I made up a new recipe to share with you. Of course, I really had your best interest in mind while creating this little gem. I wasn’t dying to make something healthy that tasted like a funfetti cupcake or anything like that. Haha! You know me too well ;)

If you only want to eat a 100-calorie treat, just make the cake and forgo the frosting. If you need a serious sweet-tooth kicking dessert, I highly recommend the frosting. Just be careful, if you frost the cake before it cools, you are going to have melted frosting. Without further ado, here’s the recipe that made my night:

Funfetti Protein Mug Cake

Based off of this recipe on Run. Eat. Repeat.

Serves 1

1 scoop vanilla Sun Warrior brown rice protein powder

2 Tablespoons egg whites

2 Tablespoons pumpkin

1 Tablespoon unsweetened almond milk

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 packet stevia

dash of salt, baking powder, baking soda

1 teaspoon sprinkles

Spray the inside of a mug with non-stick cooking spray. Mix all of your ingredients in the mug with a fork until well combined. Microwave on high for 1:30-2:00 minutes or until fully cooked. Run a knife around the edge of the mug and invert onto a plate or paper towel. Allow to cool. Frost with protein frosting, if desired.

Frosting:

1 Tablespoon coconut oil

1 teaspoon cashew butter (optional)

2-3 teaspoons vanilla Sun Warrior brown rice protein powder

dash of salt

In a separate bowl, combine the frosting ingredients until they resemble frosting. Once the cake has cooled, top with the frosting. This makes the perfect high-protein, low-sugar treat!

Let me know if you try it. I am trying to resist the urge to make one right this very second. Have a great day!

Much love,

Kilee

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Under 100-calorie Chocolate Bites

Happy Friday! I’m really excited because my parents are coming to visit. They are bringing us a Christmas tree. My grandpa always helps our local Kiwanas sell Christmas trees each year and they are going to pick one of them up on their way over this afternoon. I’ve been cleaning up and getting our Christmas decorations ready. We don’t have very many, but I know once the tree gets here it will look very Christmas-y and beautiful!

I made myself an iced americano yesterday at 2 pm. Not a smart move. That caffeine kept me up until 1:30 last night! Even though I missed out on 2+ hours of sleep, I did get to watch three episodes of Season Six Grey’s Anatomy. Layla is still recovering from our late night:

So, I haven’t started any holiday baking and don’t have any sweets around the house after I ate half a dozen gluten-free chocolate chip cookies last week – whoops! So, I whipped up a batch of homemade chocolate bites to keep in the freezer. Do you store your chocolate in the freezer? My friend used to do this in college and the idea has stuck with me ever since. I think that freezing it lets you savor it longer, since it’s harder to eat. Because I am the type of girl who doesn’t think twice about eating a whole bar of chocolate (a few months ago, I was going to have one square of a Trader Joe’s salted carmel bar of chocolate. Two minutes later the wrapper was in the trash!) I like to make individually wrapped chocolates to reduce the portion size.

The ingredients are all-natural and healthy. You can add chopped nuts or dried fruit if your heart desires. I like to stick to pure chocolate with a sprinkle of sea salt. If you don’t have the mini cupcake liners, you can always pour the chocolate into a freezable container and break it into smaller pieces.

Under 100-calorie Chocolate Bites

Makes 20 bites

Adapted from Chocolate Nakayummies from Whole Living Magazine

1/4 cup extra-virgin coconut oil

1/4 cup cacao butter drops (I get mine from Mountain Rose Herbs)

1/4 cup raw honey

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup raw cacao powder (from Mountain Rose Herbs)

1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Line a mini-muffin pan with 20 liners. In a double boiler or in a microwave safe glass bowl, gently heat the coconut oil and cacao butter until it has melted. Add the honey and stir until combined. Remove from heat and add the vanilla and cacao powder. Stir with a whisk until the cacao powder has dissolved and the honey is thoroughly combined. Pour the mixture into the cupcake liners. Sprinkle each chocolate with a tiny bit of coarse sea salt. Place the pan in the freezer for about an hour, until the chocolates are hard. Store them in a freezer-safe container in the freezer.

These make the perfect “I need chocolate or I am going to die” treats. Let me know if you try them out. I have another recipe idea for a chocolate treat with coconut butter. I’ll have to wait until this stash gets low and I’ll post the recipe when I make it.

Have a great weekend! I’ll post pics of the tree once it’s all decorated. Decorating Christmas trees and sugar cookies tends to bring out a “Not-nice-Martha-Stewart-like” side of me. My parents already said that they’d stay out of my way while I’m decorating, so I think I’ll be able to maintain my kind demeanor. Haha!

Apple Pie Protein Smoothie

Hi! Happy “Thanksgiving Eve!” What are your plans for the big day tomorrow? We are going to drive back to Portland and celebrate with Blake’s family. Today I baked a gluten-free, pumpkin apple pie streusel cake to bring. It was a mixture of three different recipes and I had to try a bite of it to make sure that it tasted good enough to bring to share with everyone. It passed the test :)

Lately I haven’t been able to get apple pie filling out of my mind. After discovering my love for this tasty, cinnamon and sugar treat at our local frozen yogurt shop, I have been craving it like mad. I limit myself to one frozen yogurt outing a week, so I got creative and whipped up this smoothie-in-a-bowl after my workout the other morning. It doesn’t look as pretty as a homemade pie or even pie filling with frozen yogurt on top, but it hits the spot!

Apple Pie Protein Smoothie

1  Honey Crisp apple, chopped (I also tried Granny Smith, but it didn’t taste as good)

1/2 frozen banana, broken into pieces

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

1/2 – 3/4 cup non-dairy milk (I used a mixture of almond milk & coconut milk)

1/2 Tablespoon ground flaxseed

1/2 Tablespoon cashew butter

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

handful of ice

1/4 cup cereal of choice (Enjoy Life’s Perky’s Crunchy Flax is my fave)

Place all of the ingredients besides the cereal in the blender and blend on high for 30-60 seconds. Pour into a bowl and sprinkle cereal on top. Dig in with a spoon and enjoy!

I’m off to watch a new show that we discovered on iTunes: Discovery Channel’s “Curiosity.” We’re starting with the first episode, “Did God Create the Universe?” I felt like my IQ was going to drop to an insanely low number if I watched another Jersey Shore episode!

I was going to do a post on “how to make Thanksgiving healthier,” but thought about it and remembered that it’s only one out of the nearly 1,095 meals that you eat each year. When you put Thanksgiving dinner into that perspective, it’s really not a big deal. I’d rather focus my energy on creating healthy recipes for the remaining 1,094 meals of my year. Enjoy yourself, appreciate your company and go for a walk. Don’t stress about what you eat, because goes against what this holiday is really about.

Have a great night and a wonderful Thanksgiving!

*** Don’t forget – Friday is the last day to order the 2011 Healthy Holidays Diet Plan. This guide has EVERYTHING you need to survive the holidays without gaining a pound, or hopefully even lose a few! Email me at wholenutritionpdx (at) gmail.com for details. The guides are being sent out on Saturday.***

Chocolate Coconut Cherry Protein Smoothie

Hi! Hope you are having a relaxing Sunday so far. I have been a home body all weekend. I love staying inside with the fire on and playing Pandora while I cook. Yesterday I took advantage of my new phone’s video recorder and made a little video for you.

Here’s the smoothie recipe that I used:

Chocolate Coconut Cherry Protein Smoothie

Serves 1 post-workout athlete

1 scoop of your favorite protein powder

1 Tbls raw cacao powder

1/2 cup frozen cherries

1/2 of a frozen banana

1 cup vanilla coconut milk

A handful of ice

Stevia (or your favorite sweetener) to taste

Blend until well combined. You may need to add more coconut milk or ice depending on what smoothie consistency you like.

Today I’m going to make a pumpkin chocolate chip protein pancake for breakfast, clean up the house, put the finishing touches on the “2011 Healthy Holidays Diet Plan” and hopefully go get some frozen yogurt with Blake and Layla. We try to save her a bite if one of us gets vanilla flavored yogurt. We’ll see if I can refrain myself from eating every last drop of Blake’s and my fro-yo tonight! Last week, the shop that we went to had warm apple-pie filling to use as a topping. I was in heaven!

What are your favorite frozen yogurt toppings? I love fresh strawberries, blueberries, coconut and hot fudge sauce. Have a relaxing Sunday!

***Don’t forget to email me if you want to sign up for the “2011 Healthy Holidays Diet Plan.” It includes EVERYTHING you need to maintain or even lose weight between Thanksgiving and New Years. Shopping lists, portion sizes, recipes and more! Email wholenutritionpdx (at) gmail.com for instructions on how to purchase the diet plan***

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Tasty Tuesday: Single Serving Pumpkin Pudding

Hi! How are you doing this morning? I’m happy and healthy up here in Fairbanks. I managed to run around the lake without falling on the ice yesterday. Layla ran with me the whole way. She loves going on runs, but only if I stop a million times for her to sniff random leaves.

I ventured out to Freddies last night because the roads were safe enough for me to drive on and I had a craving for something sweet. I purposefully did not buy any candy corn or sweets when I stocked up on groceries last time. My justification for indulging last night’s craving was that you needed a new low-calorie dessert recipe here on the blog. I stuck with the pumpkin theme that pops up everywhere this time of the year. Here is your single-serving (so you don’t over-indulge) pumpkin pudding.

Single Serving Pumpkin Pudding

serves 1 sweet tooth

1/4 cup vanilla goat yogurt (or whatever type of yogurt you prefer)

1/4 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 Tablespoon instant vanilla pudding mix (you can use the FF/SF, but it won’t taste as good)

1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

2 Tablespoons Truwhip + more for garnish

Mix the yogurt, pumpkin and instant pudding together with a fork in a small dish or mug. Stir in the pumpkin pie spice. Gently fold in the Truwhip and add a drop on top for garnish. Sprinkle a dash of cinnamon and you have a 130 calorie treat for the night!

I couldn’t help but share this pic of Layla in her jammies. It’s too cold to leave her in the car for long, so I put these on before we left for the store.

Have a great day!

Kilee

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“Tasty” Tuesday

Good morning! How is your week going so far? Mine has been nice and relaxing. Layla and I went for our walk, I worked on my lap top most of the day, did my workout and cooked dinner. My time spent up here in Alaska has been the perfect opportunity to work on my personal growth and focus on how I can create my best life. Helping others learn to feel good about themselves and inspiring them to live their best life are two aspects of my consulting business that I make me proud of the work that I do.

From now on, Tuesday’s posts will feature all sorts of info related to healthy foods, recipes and nutrition. Since I’ve been having a serious baking withdrawal l want to share my super-healthy, gluten-free, no-sugar-added cookies that I made a few weeks back.

Quinoa Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

1/2 cup Ancient Harvest quinoa flakes

1 scoop Sun Warrior vanilla brown rice protein powder

1 Tablespoon ground flax seed

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 packets of stevia (I use Trader Joe’s brand)

pinch of sea salt

1/4 cup cage-free egg whites

1 Tablespoon almond butter (I used raw, unsalted creamy)

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 square of Baker’s chocolate ( I used the semi-sweet, but use whatever kind you prefer)

2 Tablespoons dried cranberries

Preheat your oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk the egg whites, almond butter and vanilla. Set aside. In a medium bowl, stir the quinoa flakes, protein powder, ground flax seed, cinnamon, stevia and sea salt until well combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until the liquid is absorbed. The dough will be slightly crumbly. Chop the chocolate square and dried cranberries. Add them to the cookie dough. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 6 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet before eating.

* I calculated the calorie count for these cookies and it came to roughly 50 cal/cookie!*

I’m warning you though; if you are craving a Nestle Tollhouse cookie, these are not going to satisfy your craving. However, if you are following a reduced calorie diet and need a sweet, healthy treat, these should fill the void.

My mom’s friend shared an innovative recipe blog with me that has me drooling at my computer screen. Check out http://gojee.com. They have a cool feature where you type an ingredient that you have on hand and they’ll show you multiple recipes that call for that ingredient. I haven’t tried any of their recipes yet, but they all look amazing!

Let me know if you try out these low-calorie cookies or visit the gojee.com website. Have a great day!

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Cilantro Lime Chicken Wrap

Hi! I’m sharing a recipe that I frequently make for lunch or a filling afternoon snack. It’s naturally gluten-free and tastes refreshing thanks to the lime juice.

Cilantro Lime Chicken Wrap

2 whole collard green leaves with the tough part of the stems removed

3 1/2 ounces grilled chicken breast (I like to season mine with Caribbean Mrs. Dash seasoning)

1/4 cup shredded carrots

6 grape tomatoes, sliced in half

1/4 avocado, sliced

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

2 fresh lime wedges

pinch of sea salt, optional

Divide all of your wrap fillings between the two collard green leaves. Squeeze the limes over the fillings. Sprinkle with sea salt if desired. Wrap up like a burrito and dig in!

This is a quick and simple recipe once you have prepped all of your ingredients. You can even double the recipe when prepping your ingredients and leave them in the refrigerator for a super-quick lunch the following day.

What are some of your favorite lunchtime wrap combinations? I love turkey breast with chevre & cranberry sauce as well as hummus with shredded carrots and Sriracha sauce.

Have a great day!

Baked Gluten-Free Falafel Wrap

Hi! I hope that you are having a lovely day so far :) I was able to sneak in a long walk with Layla this morning and one of my favorite workout DVDs, Tone It Up’s Tone & Sculpt. I blended up a cherry lime whey protein smoothie afterwards. It was super refreshing!

I wanted to share one of my favorite lunch recipes with you today. I like to bake a batch of the falafels on Sunday and use them throughout the week.

Baked Gluten-Free Falafel Wrap

Baked Falafels

Gluten-Free Pasta Primavera

Hi! I’m excited to share a new recipe with you. My dear friend, McKenzie (who also eats gluten-free) came over for dinner, wine and girl talk the other night. I wanted to treat her to a decadent gluten-free meal. I had been dying to try some of the gluten-free Pappardelles pasta that my co-worker had given me for my birthday. This dish is perfect when you’re craving pasta and want a delicious, but not overly-rich creamy pasta. I used lots of fresh vegetables, but feel free to substitute them for vegetables that you have on hand or even toss in some grilled chicken slices or sauteed shrimp. We started out with some honey mustard spinach salad that McKenzie had brought over.

Gluten-Free Pasta Primavera

Serves 4

1 lb. Pappardelle’s Della Terra Trumpet Trio Pasta (or another gluten-free pasta)

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3-4 cups fresh vegetables cut into 1″ pieces (I used onion, bella mushrooms, broccoli, grape tomatoes & asparagus)

4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 tablespoon organic salted butter

5 oz. log of herbed chèvre

1 cup shredded Pecorino Romano

Sea salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 425°F. In a large bowl, toss your vegetables with the olive oil, seasoning and garlic. Line a baking pan with foil and spread your vegetables in the pan. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring the vegetables once. Once the vegetables are done, set them aside.

While your vegetables are cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add your pasta. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box. Drain your pasta. Melt the butter in the pasta pot. Add the chèvre and Pecorino Romano. Stir the sauce until the cheeses have melted. Add the pasta and vegetables to the pot. Stir until combined. Add sea salt and pepper to taste. Serve with additional Pecorino Romano. Enjoy with a glass of wine (if you are 21 or older) and the company of good friends and family.

I’m off to bed for the night. Let me know if you try out this pasta dish. I promise that it won’t disappoint!

“Left-Over Quinoa Salad” Burgers

Hi! How is everyone doing? It’s almost our holiday weekend! I wanted to share my new recipe that I made the other night when I was trying to use up the last of my quinoa salad. I love being resourceful in the kitchen and using whatever is in the fridge instead of heading to the grocery store. I took out some ground organic beef and lamb that I had in the freezer from this dinner and pureed the quinoa salad before mixing them together.

“Left-Over Quinoa Salad” Burgers

Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free

Loosely based off the Garden Beef Burgers in the Better Homes and Garden Cook Book

Makes 4-6 burgers

1 cup quinoa salad (I used this one, but any quinoa/bean/veggie one should work)

1/2 lb. organic ground beef

1/2 lb. ground lamb

1 organic egg or 3 Tablespoons egg whites

1 Tablespoon catsup + more for cooking

1 teaspoon worchestire sauce

1 teaspoon dried onion

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat your broiler. Position your oven rack so that the burgers will be about 3-4″ from the broiler. Puree the quiona salad in a food processor, blender or magic bullet. Add the egg, catsup, worchestire sauce, dried onion, garlic salt and pepper. Pulse until well combined. In a medium size bowl, mash the ground beef and lamb with a spoon or your hands until fully mixed. Add the quinoa salad mixture to the meat. Mix until well combined.

Spray a roasting rack with cooking spray. (I don’t have a roasting rack, but I placed a cookie rack on top of a baking pan.) Divide your hamburger mixture into 4-6 sections. Using your hands, shape each section into a 1/2″ thick patty. Place on the roasting pan. Broil for 8 minutes. Flip the burgers. Brush with a little catsup. Back an additional 4-6 minutes. Serve on lettuce or with gluten-free buns. I enjoyed mine with a large serving of green beans and extra catsup.

I must be on a burger kick lately because tonight, when I went out to dinner with my cousin and my friend (and his girlfriend) I ordered another burger, sans-bun.

We ate at Noble Rot, which is a rooftop restaurant and wine bar that has their own rooftop garden. It was a spectacular dinner with good food and good friends. There was even a firework show while we were eating our dessert – flowerless chocolate tarte!

Now that I spent the past week celebrating my birthday and eating a little more indulgently than usual, I need to get my rear in gear because I leave for Maui in 1 week! My sister and I are staying with one of my friends that I met when Blake and I lived there. I’m excited because she’s pregnant with a little baby girl and I get to go to one of her ultrasound appointments while I’m there!

My game-plan for the week:

Sticking with my “O-blood type” style of eating

Working out with my favorite “Tone It Up” workouts

A few more HIT cardio sessions

Substituting chocolate and sweets with tea (this one is the hardest for me)

It will all be worth it when I’m in the sun, a week from now. Do you have any fitness goals right now? Mine is to continue my same level of exercise and healthy eating that I have enjoyed this Summer throughout the Fall and Winter. I don’t know about you, but when January hits, my workout motivation drops pretty low. Add my gluten-free sweet tooth to the mix and I have a lot of work to do come Spring Break time – haha!

Summer Squash Quinoa Salad

Hi! Did you miss me? Sorry about the week-long absence. I have been busy having fun in the beautiful sunshine that Oregon’s been having lately. I even took a long 4-day weekend off from work to celebrate my birthday weekend! Here’s a re-cap:

Layla and I all dressed up to go out for dinner:

My dinner & dessert from Manzana Grill in Lake Oswego:

A beautiful and thoughtful gift basket from my friend, McKenzie:

My sister and I driving to hang out with some family friends at their house in Black Butte:

The forest fire that was happening while we ate dinner in Black Butte:

My lamb burger (minus the bun) with green salad. I snuck some of my sister’s fries without remembering that they were beer battered. Luckily I didn’t get sick from the possible gluten!

Now onto more important things, like what I whipped up for dinner this evening. I had three crookneck squashes grown by the doctor’s wife to use up. I decided that a quinoa salad that incorporated squash would make a delightful new dish. I poked around my fridge and threw in some random ingredients and called it a meal. While cooking my dinner tonight, I concluded that I am an intuitive cook. After reading my friend, Kris’ post about listening to your “gut” or intuition, I thought about the importance of trusting your own intuition. I hardly ever follow a recipe or even execute a meal the way that I intend to. Instead, I go with the flow and listen to my intuition while I am preparing my meals. I’m glad that I do, because tonight’s meal turned out delicious!

Summer Squash Quinoa Salad

Serves 4

2-3 crookneck squash, sliced into 1/4″ slices

2 teaspoons dried herb mixture (I used Mountain Rose Thai Herb blend but you could use Italian or Greek too)

1 cup broccoli, roasted or steamed

1 cup uncooked quinoa

4 cups chicken ore vegetable broth

5 oz. chevre cheese, crumbled

2 Tablespoons Wickle’s Wicked Pepper Rings and Chilies (or any sweet sliced pepper rings)

1 lemon, juiced

2 Tablespoons olive oil + more for grilling the squash

1-2 Tablespoons Bragg’s Aminos or sea salt to taste

Toss the squash in a little olive oil and the dried spices. Heat a skillet to medium heat. In single-layer batches, grill the squash for roughly 1-2 minutes per side. Place the cooked squash on a cutting board until all of the squash is prepared. Slice into 1″ pieces. Transfer squash to a large bowl.

Soak the quinoa in warm water for approximately 10 minutes. Bring the broth to a boil in a large pot. Drain the quinoa and add to the boiling broth. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover for 12-15 minutes, until the quinoa is fully cooked. Drain any remaining liquids and allow the quinoa to cool. Once cool, add the quinoa and broccoli to the squash in the bowl.

Chop the sweet peppers and chillies. Add them to the bowl along with the crumbled chevre. Pour the lemon juice, olive oil and Bragg’s aminos over the mixture and lightly toss. Add sea salt and pepper to taste. This salad will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to five days. Serve cold and enjoy!

I’m going to go watch Most Eligible Dallas on Bravo. Anyone else loving that new reality show? Have a great night!

Gluten-Free Vegan Cheesey Kale Salad

Hi everyone! I’m happy to report that after a day home from work and spent in bed with Layla, I’m back to feeling good. Sometimes I think that exercise can pull you out of feeling sick. (Not always. Listen to your body. My body said “no exercise” the past two days, so I didn’t, but today was another story.) This morning Layla and I went on our morning walk and then after work I took her on a 25-minute run and then I did a 20-minute yoga podcast off of iTunes. She did not participate in the yoga session because she’d rather fling her bones around and run up and down the stairs.

I finished my yoga with a chakra-meditation and I have to say that I am feeling quite energized. I’ve read a bit about balancing one’s chakras, but have never fully practiced it until now. Don’t worry; I’m not going to get too “woo-woo” as Blake would say. I’m just working on my meditation and spiritulaity practices.

Onto my recipe of the day. I created this salad because I love kale salads and wanted to make one with a cheesey flavor. Nutritional yeast is great for vegans or people like me who mostly avoid dairy products. Make sure that you actually massage the kale or it won’t taste as good!

Gluten-Free Vegan Cheesey Kale Salad

Serves 2-4

1 bunch kale (I don’t know the exact variety I used, but it was green and firm)

1/2 cup shredded carrot

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half

Dressing:

1/4 cup Veganaise (or organic mayo if you choose)

3 Tablespoons nutritional yeast

Juice of 1/2 a lime

1 Tablespoon filtered water

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (I always use Braggs brand)

1/4 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Chipolte blend

1/4 teaspoon coarse red sea salt

1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika

Wash and dry the kale leaves. Remove the tough stems from the kale. Slice the kale leaves into 1/4″ slices. Place them in a salad bowl.

To make the salad dressing: place all of your ingredients in your Magic Bullet, blender or food processor. Blend until well combined. Pour the salad dressing over the kale. Now, it’s time to roll up your sleves and get a little messy. Begin to massage the kale until it starts to lose some of it’s firmness (about a minute or two.) Add the shredded carrots and sliced tomatoes and toss. Refridgerate until ready to serve. This salad makes about two meal-sized salads or four side salads.

I have copied many of New Season’s Market’s salad recipes. Let’s see if I can get them to copy this one of mine ;)  And, I will end this post by showing that even healthy chefs like myself, will sometimes randomly throw items together and call it dinner. Tonight I enjoyed my cheesey kale salad with a brown rice tortilla filled with sliced turkey, Trader Joe’s masala lentil dip and whole seed mustard. Random, but tasty. Tip: I always heat my brown rice tortillas in a skillet before eating them because it gives them a softer texture than straight out of the bag.

Let me know if you try the salad out. I promise that it’s a keeper. Have a great day today!

Take care,

Kilee

Gluten-Free Vegan Mocha Ice Cream

Hey hey! How are you doing? I’m feeling just a little under the weather tonight, so I’m going to lay low the rest of the evening. Before heading to bed to read, I decided that I needed a sweet treat that was cold and did not involve driving to the nearest fro-yo shop. (We have 3 within a 1-mile radius.) My mind wandered back to last summer, when I made banana soft-serve just about every night. My banana soft serve is loosely based off of Averie’s. She always comes up with such good flavor combos!

Gluten-Free Vegan Mocha Ice Cream

Serves 1-2

1 cup cut-up frozen bananas

1/3 cup vanilla coconut milk (The kind sold in the refrigerated section nowadays. You might need more or less depending on the consistency that you desire)

2 Tablespoons raw cacao powder

1/2 of a Starbucks Via Decaf Italian Roast packet

Stevia to taste or your favorite sweetener

Put all of your ingredients into a high-powered blender. Slowly turn it to high speed for roughly 30 seconds. You may need to stop the blender and use a spoon to stir the bananas or use your tamper while blending. After the “ice cream” has fully blended, transfer it into a serving dish or two and place in the freezer for 5-10 minutes until it is the consistency that you prefer. You can pretend that you are at your favorite fro-yo shop and top it with fun toppings. I topped mine with some sweetened raw cacao nibs. Delish!

So, I’m going to call it a night. My friend lent me Mona Lisa Schultz’s, “The New Feminine Brain” and I can’t wait to start reading it.

Readers: Have you tried banana soft-serve before? What’s your favorite flavor?

Celebrations All Around

Hey! How is your week going so far? Mine has been a little sleepy after Laura’s Bachelorette weekend in Black Butte. I had so much fun hanging out with the girls and soaking up the sun. The weekend ended up being full of physical activities (which I loved!) Friday morning, my friend Rachael and I went for what was supposed to be an hour-long run. Neither one of us has spent much time in Black Butte and we ended up getting lost and walked around for two hours after our run. Luckily our friends found us and drove us home.

Saturday morning, my friend Marci (who’s a personal trainer) led me in a hard-core full body weight workout. It kicked my butt and I had so much fun working out with her. She is in amazing shape and gave me some great tips. Later that night, I got my second workout of the day in the form of a scavenger hunt. This was one of the highlights of the weekend. We were split into four teams and the clues for the scavenger hunt were answers to questions about Laura and her fiancé. We sprinted around the pool area while breaking a sweat.

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After only getting four hours of sleep Saturday night, we all needed a little R&R on Sunday. Luckily the sun was out all three days and we got to lay out by the pool each day that we were there. It was such a fun weekend!

The celebrations didn’t end this weekend – my friend and co-worker, Kristyl’s birthday was Monday. Earlier this year she found a cake recipe that she wanted me to bake for our office birthday lunch. Everyone at work loved it! (I didn’t try it because it was not gluten-free.) The recipe can be found here at the Health Magazine website.

While baking the cake, my kitchen went from this:

to this:

My tips for keeping a clean kitchen while doing a lot of cooking and baking are to:

• Clean up as you cook.
• Try to reuse the same bowl or utensil by rinsing it off instead of taking out a new one.
• Immediately put used dishes and utensils into soapy water in the sink.
• Wash dishes while your food is baking in the oven or cooking on the stove.
• Wait to wipe down the counters until everything is washed and put away.
• Lastly, sweep the floors once everything else is cleaned up and you are done in the kitchen.

I’m off to get ready for work and go for a 5-mile run tonight with my friend, Tonya. Have a great day!!!

Healthy No-Bake Cookies

Happy “almost the weekend” day! I had a jam-packed day yesterday. Layla and I were up and on our run by 6:30 am. Then I worked all day, used a groupon to for a mani-pedi, stopped at Target for my last minute weekend trip necessities, made some dinner, packed my bags and made up a new recipe.

Sometimes I get asked how I come up with new recipes. There are three ways that I usually develop new recipes:

a. I obsessively search google images for the type of recipe that I want to make. I then choose the three recipes that look the best and morph them into my own new recipe.

b. A lot of the time I get inspired by a fellow blogger’s recipe, or one out of Bon Appetite or the Oregonian FoodDay section. Because I have a really hard time following a recipe, I usually make changes to it as I prepare the dish.

c. I get an urge to bake something sweet, look in the pantry at what I have on hand, mix something up and cross my fingers that it turns out.

They all sound so sophisticated and scientific, right? Not so much. Sometimes the recipes turn out, sometimes they go in the garbage. I have fun in the kitchen and that’s all that really counts. Which leads me to today’s kitchen experiment, No-Bake Cookies.

I needed to make some “easy to pack” cookies that did not involve the oven because it’s hot (85 degrees) in Portland today. For today’s new recipe I used all three methods mentioned above. First I googled “healthy no bake cookies” and came across Angela’s recipe. From there, I opened up my cupboard to see what I had to work with. This girl does not like driving to the store for baking ingredients, so I try to keep a well-stocked pantry. I’m pleased with how they turned out, but they aren’t perfect. Give me two more attempts and they will be. Third times a charm when it comes to my recipes.

Healthy No-Bake Cookies

Adapted from Oh She Glows

Makes 2 dozen cookies

1 cup gluten-free rolled oats

1 cup Enjoy Life Perkey’s Flax Crunch Cereal

1 cup trail mix

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Your choice: 2 Tablespoons chia seeds, 2 Tablespoons buckwheat, 2 Tablespoons raw sunflower seeds, 2 Tablespoons goji berries, etc.

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup almond butter

1 large banana, mashed

1 teaspoon vanilla

Pinch of espresso powder

Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Mix all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

In a medium saucepan, over low heat, melt the chocolate chips with almond butter, stirring occasionally.

Once the chocolate has melted, add the mashed banana, vanilla and espresso powder.

Pour the chocolate mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Drop by tablespoons onto the cookie sheet.

Place the cookies in the freezer for an hour or two. Enjoy them straight from the freezer or let them thaw for 20 minutes first.

Let me know if you try them. I want to play around with this recipe a little more.

I’ll be MIA this weekend. I’m headed to Black Butte to celebrate my friend’s bachelorette weekend. I’m super excited to go and spend time with my girl friends. I hope that you have a great weekend and don’t forget to enter my Purebar Giveaway!!!

Summer Quinoa Salad

Hi! How is your week going so far? I have been happy knowing that at the end of this week, we get to celebrate the 4th of July with a 3-day weekend. Layla will be staying at a doggie hotel for two whole nights while I get a little break back at the coast.

(source: Portland Ground: Pictures of Portland Oregon)

I started getting back into running recently and have been having a blast running with my friend, Tonya. We started tonight’s trail run at Sellwood park. It got a little dangerous when we took a closed-off hazardous trail that included a dirt cliff and us hopping a fence and crossing some train tracks. We survived – haha!

I wanted to share a new salad recipe with you today. I will forever credit Jennie Brouse for introducing me to her quinoa salads. There were a a few quinoa salads that I had tried in the past, but nothing like hers. Today’s recipe is an adaptation of her classic quinoa salad.

Summer Quinoa Salad

I cup uncooked quinoa

2 cups water

1 cooked beet, chopped

1 cup raw zucchini, chopped

1 cup crumbled goat cheese

1 cup celery, chopped

1 cup cooked corn kernals

1 cup fresh asparagus, cut into 1/2″ peices

1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

3 green onions, sliced

1/2 cup fresh basil, sliced

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1. Soak the quinoa is hot water for 10 minutes. Drain in fine mesh sieve. Add the quinoa to two cups of boiling water in a medium size sauce pan. Cover and cook at a medium simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest with the cover for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and let cool to room temperature.

2. Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Toss with the vinegar and olive oil. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for up to 5 days.

I love to pack this as a quick lunch or snack on a smaller portion of it. You can also substitute any of the ingredients with other types of vegetables. For example, I don’t really care for beets, but I try to make myself eat them because they are so healthy. If I’m really not feeling like beets, I would just use more zuchini in place of the beets. Or, if you prefer feta to goat cheese, go for it. The mixing and matching of ingredients is a fun way to make their salad your own!

My salads all packed up for the week.

I then pre-pack my salads for the week and I am ready to easily grab one from the fridge and take with to work each day. See how time-efficient you can be by doing your grocery shopping and meal prep on the weekends? I’m off to go play with Layla. She has been begging to play and chew on her bones.

Carrot Poppy Seed Salad

Hi! How is everything going today? We are just breezing through the week already. I had such a good time after work today. I met up with an old friend (who happens to be dating my cousin) and went for trail run over in SW Portland. If any of you are runners out there, you know how good an early summer run around 6pm feels. There were lots of hills and the scenery was straight out of the movie Twilight. For all you Twilight fans out there, Blake’s sister got married at The View Point Inn last summer. This was where Bella & Edward’s prom was filmed. Her wedding was absolutely beautiful!

Anyway, back to the kitchen! This past Sunday I prepped all of my salads and snacks for the week. It was so much fun to take all my fresh produce and create enough salads to last me through the work week. I even packaged them in individual container so that they would easy to grab on my way out the door in the morning.

Here’s the first one based off of a salad from the New Season’s deli case.

Carrot Poppy Seed Salad

2 cups shredded carrots (you can buy the bags of pre-shredded one or shred the carrots yourself)

1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

1/2 Tablespoon poppy seeds

Dressing:

3 Tablespoons fresh lime juice (or substitute lemon juice)

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon Penzey’s Sate seasoning (or 1/4 teaspoon brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt with a pinch of garlic powder)

1/2 teaspoon Mountain Rose Herb’s West Indes Rub (or 1/4 teaspoon powdered garlic, teaspoon black pepper, with a pinch of powdered ginger)

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

In a small bowl or magic bullet, combine the lime juice, olive oil, spices and salt. Place the carrots, garbanzo beans and cilantro in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss. Sprinkle with the poppy seeds. You can store this is the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

I’m off to read the newest issue of “Whole Living” magazine. Does anyone else get that one? Have a great day!

Raw French Macarons

Hi! How did eveyone’s weekend go? Mine has been wonderful. I got to see most of my family Saturday afternoon for my cousin’s college graduation party. Congrats Alee!!! The party was hosted at Bluehour in the pearl district. Appetizers and drinks were served. I wasn’t very hungry, but my cousin said that the food was good.

I made Alee some raw french macarons as a present. I had some Living Intentions Raw Superflour blend to use up and I’ve had french macarons on my mind ever since my friend, Laura’s bridal shower. (More on that to come later this week.)

The "Real McCoy" French Macarons

So, I played around in the kitchen Friday afternoon. Here’s what I came up with:

Raw French Macarons

Makes about 18 macarons

2 1/2 cups unsweetened, dried coconut  (or) 1 cup jarred coconut butter

1 cup unsweetened, dried coconut

1 1/4 cups Living Intentions Sprouted Super Flour

1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon coconut extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Filling:

1/2 cup extra virgin coconut oil

3 Tablespoons agave nectar

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of sea salt

To make the cookies:

In a high powered blender, blend the 2 1/2 cups shredded coconut on low to medium speed until the consistency is that of coconut butter. Or, place your cup of jarred coconut butter in the blender. Add all of the remaining ingredients besides the filling to the blender. Blend on low to medium speed until all of the ingredients are well combined.

Roll the dough with a rolling pin until it is 3/8″ thick. Use a circular cookie cutter the size of a quarter to cut out the cookies. I used the cap to a vitamin jar and it worked perfectly. Transfer the cookies to your mesh-lined dehydrator tray. Dehydrate for about 18 hours; until the edges of the cookies are crisp.

To make the filling:

Using an electric blender and a chilled bowl, blend all of the filling ingredients at medium to high speed. Once the filling is fluffy, put it in a pastry bag or zip-lock bag. Chill in the refrigerator overnight.

To assemble the macarons:

Remove the filling from the refrigerator about two hours before you want to use it and allow it to come to room temperature. If you are somewhere very warm, you might want check the filling every half hour to make sure that it isn’t melting. If using a zip-lock bag, cut the tip off a bottom corner of the bag. Pipe about a teaspoon worth of filling onto a cookie. Top it with another cookie and gently press them together. Once you have filled the macarons, place them back in the refrigerator to set. Serve at room temperature. These should last for about a week in the fridge, but I honestly doubt that someone could just let them sit in there that long ;)

I tried one of these and it was delish! My sister and her friend both agreed, so I thought that I’d share them with you. I recommend using a Vita-mix blender and an Excalibur dehydrator for this recipe.

Gluten-Free Pizza Guide

Hi! Are you all feeling inspired after my inspiration board post? Today I wanted to share some of my favorite ways to satisfy a pizza craving while still avoiding gluten. As you might already know, pizza crust is made with wheat flour, which contains gluten. Sometimes I miss eating regular pizza, but like every other type of glutinous food craving that I get, I find a way to fulfill it.

Frozen Pizza

(source)

Luckily, we have many gluten-free pizza options. If I need a frozen pizza, Amy’s gluten-free pizzas have a rice flour crust and come in both dairy cheese and dairy-free cheese varieties. I especially like the spinach & tomato one.

I’m kind of ashamed to say that it’s the only brand of frozen pizza that I have tried, but most gluten-free pizzas are expensive and if I already know that I like Amy’s, why should I risk it?

Homemade Pizza

(source: glutenfreemommy.com)

Now, if you are feeling a little more gourmet and in the mood to make your own gluten-free pizza dough from scratch, Gluten-Free Mommy has a good recipe posted here.

(source: glutenhatesme.com)

Or, if you want to make a super-quick pizza, take a brown rice tortilla, spread some pizza sauce, sprinkle your favorite cheese (low-moisture mozzarella or mozzarella Daiya non-dairy cheese work well,) and load up on lots of vegetables (mushrooms, spinach, onion, olives, sweet potato slices, broccoli, etc.) Bake at 400º for 10-12 minutes or until the edges start to brown. Simple and satisfying!

(source)

Or, if you want to go completely vegetable crazy, remove the stems from whole portobello mushrooms. Coat the mushroom caps with a little olive oil and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, thyme and balsamic vinegar. Pre-heat the oven to 350º. Place the mushroom caps with the gills-side down on a lightly oiled pan and bake for 15 minutes.Remove from the oven and turn the caps over and top with pizza sauce, veggies and cheese and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Eating Out

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Sometimes you just want to go out for a slice of (or whole) pizza! If that’s the case, and you don’t know where to go, then google it. I usually just type in, “gluten-free pizza” plus whatever town I’m in. Up pops a list of pizzerias serving gluten-free pizza. If you happen to live in the Portland area, Bellagio’s has my favorite personal size gluten-free pizzas. Or, check out glutenfreeportland.org’s list of pizza spots around Portland.

More and more national pizza chains are starting to offer gluten-free crust. I know that Garlic Jim’s gluten-free pizzas are really popular.

If you are trying to watch your waistline while enjoying some pizza, here are three tips to slash some calories:

1. Avoid fattening meat toppings. Pepperoni, sausage and meatballs are loaded with extra fat and sodium.

2. Ask for half the cheese. Trust me, you will not even miss it. Then next time you order pizza, try it without any cheese and see how you like it. Well, this may be taking a little too much of the fun out of pizza, but it’s a great option for vegans and people with a dairy-intollerance.

3. Have 1 slice of pizza along with a large green salad. This way, you get to enjoy some pizza and fill up your stomach with lots of fresh vegetables. Just be sure not to drown your salad in creamy dressing. Try to add a little vinaigrette instead.

If none of there pizza options are available to you, here is another pizza-flavored meal that I love, pizza salad. I made this the other night when I went to grab a brown rice tortilla and it was moldy – eww!

Pizza Salad

2 cups mixed greens

1/2 cup chopped fresh tomato

5 Kalamata olives, sliced

1/4 cup sliced mushrooms (baby bellas work great)

2 tablespoons grated cheese (parmesan, pecorino romano, mozzarella, etc.)

1/4 cup pizza sauce

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

2 fresh basil leaves, sliced

sea salt and pepper to taste

Combine all of the ingredients in a large salad bowl. Toss and serve. This seriously satisfied my pizza craving the other night!

I hope that these gluten-free pizza tips with help you find a new way to indulge your pizza cravings. Does anyone have any amazing gluten-free pizza suggestions? I’m all ears :)

Gluten-Free Amaretto Cheesecake

Hello everyone! I hope that you are having a great day so far. Mine has been good. Layla and I went for a walk after work and I helped my sister make a casserole for her friend. Somehow I always end up in the kitchen at night. Whether I’m cooking something for myself or for others, it is the best place to unwind from my day.

A few days ago, I baked a gluten-free cheesecake for an office birthday party. The birthday girl chose this recipe from Health Magazine and I (of course) altered it just a little to suit my gluten-free needs. This cheesecake is a bit lighter than a typical cheesecake because of the reduced fat content. You don’t have to make the almond brittle, but it adds a nice, sweet crunch to the dessert.

Gluten-Free Amaretto Cheesecake with Almond Brittle

How to Make Gluten-Free Lean Cuisines

Hi! I hope your week is going good so far! I had a fun, productive and energizing weekend.  I’m ready to hit the ground running with some new projects. One of the projects that I did over the weekend was make my own pre-packaged, individual, gluten-free dinners that I can keep in the freezer.

My college roommates will probably recall that I ate a Lean-Cuisine with sauteed vegetables every night for dinner.  (Courtney, Rachael… remember all the Lean-Cuisines that I had stocked in the freezer?)  They were cheap (5 for $10 on sale,) satisfying (only when you added a cup or two of frozen vegetables) and conveinent to prepare. Oh, how I miss my Lean-Cuisine dinners. I’d complete my meal with a Tofutti Hooray! Hooray! bar and I was a happy girl. After finding out that I needed to eat gluten-free, I was slightly disheartened when I checked the ingredients of every Lean-Cuisine meal in the grocery store to discover that almost ALL of them contain gluten! Mostly in the form of wheat or soy sauce.

My Lean-Cuisine days were over. Today, I avoid Lean-Cuisine frozen dinners for two other reasons: they are chalk full of preservatives and artificial ingredients and I don’t own a microwave. I think you might be able to heat them in a toaster oven, but when I’m hungry, I need to eat within about 5 minutes max.  So, I came up with a genius solution: making my own, individual, healthy, gluten-free freezer dinners. If you are interested in making you own, please read my description below.

Homemade Gluten-Free Lean-Cuisines

Ingredients:

3-4 types of uncooked protein (chicken tenderloins, shrimp, steak, tempeh, etc.)*

Frozen veggies of your choice (broccoli, green beans, Italian or Asian themed frozen veggies, etc.)

Prepared brown rice (I like to get the frozen brown rice at Trader Joe’s because I never know if mine is going to turn out or not) or another type of gluten-free starch. Cooked quinoa, beans and brown rice pasta would all work too.

Prepared or homemade gluten-free sauces of your choice (curry, marinara, teriyaki, garlic butter, etc)

Quart sized Freezer Zip-Loc bags

I went to Trader Joes last Friday and bought all of my ingredients. Don’t freak out about how much you just spent in one shopping trip. You are saving time and money in the long run by buying ingredients in bulk and doing the prep work ahead of time. I was able to make 16 dinners out of my food. When you have all of your ingredients and an idea of what you want to make, take everything out of the fridge and place it on the counter. Slice your desired poultry, meat or meat alternative into bite sized pieces. Remember that we are mimicking the Lean-Cuisine and they contain small bites of food. Place each type of protein in a separate bowl and pour whatever type of sauce that you would like to go with it on top. Mix well and set aside.

Now, comes that fun part! Label your Zip-Lock freezer bags ahead of time with the type of dish. Also decide approximately how many calories and grams of protein you would like per bag. Our goal is to fill you up with enough healthy food per bag, so that you are not spending the rest of your evening in front of the kitchen cabinet looking for something else to eat ;)

Next, open your first bag and fill the bottom with one serving of your protein and sauce. If you are adding rice or another type of starch, add a serving on top of your protein. Next we get to my favorite part, the veggies! Try to mix and match different combinations of about 1-2 cups of frozen vegetables. This is a great opportunity to fill up on low-calorie, high-fiber veggies. Remember that the more vegetables you add, the less hungry you will be around bed time.

Push any remaining air out of the bag while your seal it up. Ta-da! You have your own homemade, gluten-free, Lean-Cuisine ready for your enjoyment. You can store them for up to 3 months in the freezer.

To prepare your meal, place the bag in your refrigerator the night before. When you ready to prepare your dinner, simply heat a medium sized sauce pan over medium-high heat. Spray the pan with a little bit of olive oil and add the contents of your bag to the sauce pan. Cook for approximately 5-10 minutes, until your protein is cooked through. Serve on a plate and enjoy!

* If you are planning on microwaving your dinner instead of cooking it on the stovetop, you may cook your protein the day before. Allow it to cool completely in the refrigerator before beginning the bagging process. Follow the rest of the instructions up until the cooking step. Place the contents of your bag into a glass, microwave safe dish and cover. Cook on high for 2-3 minutes, until your meal is fully heated. Serve on a plate and enjoy!

I truly hope that you are able to prepare these pre-made dinners for yourself.  We all have hectic schedules and by spending two hours on a weekend day, you can cut your nightly food preparation time in half. I am aware that this meal preparation will not work for a lot of families, but it might come in handy for times when everyone has a different schedule and your children need a quick and easy dinner.

Please let me know if you choose to try this meal preparation method out and how it works for you.

I shared my dinner the other night with one of my fav’s, Gwyneth. She doesn’t do Lean-Cuisines, so I treated her to a salmon fillet with steamed lemon-tahini kale and a glass of Cab. Haha!

Have a great day!!!

Gluten-Free, Vegan Lemon Cookies

All set up for the workshop

Hi! How is your weekend going so far? Mine started off wonderfully with a healthy cooking class at the health center where I work. The class was based around incorporating more fresh vegetables into our diet along with a delicious gluten-free, vegan lemon cookie recipe. We started the workshop with a green smoothie recipe. I always try to promote Robyn Openshaw’s site, greensmoothiegirl.com, because she has a very informational and inspiring website centered around green smoothies.

Demoing the "Green Smoothie"

We then made a lemon basil salad featuring lots of fresh greens and a homemade lemon basil vinaigrette. I shared my super-simple hummus recipe and then spoke a little bit about gluten-free baking. There is so much information to share about creating gluten-free baked goods, that I need to have a workshop solely on gluten-free baking! I spent some time in the kitchen last weekend experimenting with a lemon cookie that my grandma used to bake my grandpa, sister and I. After two failed attempts at changing the recipe to be gluten-free and vegan, I am proud to say that the third time’s a charm! These are the perfect bite-sized cookies for spring.

Gluten-Free, Vegan Lemon Cookies

1 ½ cups gluten free flour blend*

¾ cups evaporated cane juice (organic sugar)

1 teas baking soda

½ teas baking powder

pinch of sea salt

1 Tbls grated lemon peel

¼ cup + 1 Tbls grapeseed oil

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla

½ tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 350°f.  Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Stir in the lemon peel, grapeseed oil, lemon juice, vanilla and almond extract.  Drop by heaping teaspoons onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

The batter is more "shortbread cookie batter" like

Bake for 9 minutes. Let rest on pan for 2 minutes and then move cookies to a baking rack to cool.

Just slide the parchment paper onto a baking rack to cool

Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or for even better storage, store in a zip lock bag in the freezer and let thaw before eating.

Let me know if you were one of the workshop participants and if you’ve made any of the recipes at home. Take care and I’ll be back to recap my weekend tomorrow or Monday.

Crock Pot Sarmale Soup

Hi! I hope that your week is off to a good start. My Monday flew by at work. Then Blake and I did a weight workout at the gym and sat in the sauna. I love the feeling of taking a cold shower after a workout and sauna session. We left the gym tired and hungry. Lucky for me, dinner was waiting for us at home in the crock pot.

Crock pots are one of my favorite ways to make a meal. I usually prep the ingredients (chop veggies, measure out rice or beans, defrost meat, etc) the night before so that I can just throw everything in there in the morning. Because of my work schedule, I’m also able to come home at lunch time and start the crock pot for recipes with a shorter cooking time. Crock pots should be a part of every healthy, busy cook’s kitchen. They are inexpensive (one of mine was $40 at Costco and the other was on sale for $30 at Fred Meyers) and allow you to spend less of your precious time on preparing dinner. They help you serve healthy meals to the whole family with minimal effort. I could go on and on about how amazing they are!

Tonight’s soup was inspired by Hey, That Taste’s Good cabbage soup recipe that I saw a few month’s back. I make Sarmale (Romanian cabbage rolls) for Blake whenever I have a free Sunday afternoon because they take forever to make. The idea of making the dish into a soup is a perfect time-saver. I altered the recipe by preparing it in the crock pot and playing around with the spices.

Crock Pot Sarmale Soup

1 lb. organic, free-range ground beef

1 onion, diced

2 carrots, diced

2 stalks of celery, diced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 (15.5 oz) can diced tomatoes

8 cups chicken broth

2 cups prepared sauerkraut

1/2 head of green cabbage, core removed and sliced into thin strips

1/2 c wild rice

1 Tbls worcestershire sauce

1 Tbls smoked paprika

1 teas Italian spice mix

1 teas sea salt

1 teas ground pepper

Place all of the ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for 7-8 hours. When the soup is done cooking, taste it and add more salt if desired. I like to serve it with sour cream, sauerkraut, cilantro and sriracha sauce. To round out the meal, I add a green salad and a small loaf of bread for Blake. Store any leftover soup in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Please let me know if you try the soup. We will be having our leftover soup for dinner tomorrow night. Another reason why I love crock pot meals–the leftovers save even more time the next day! I think I’ve raved enough about crock pots for the night. Have a great night!

Take care,

Kilee

Gluten-Free, Vegan Quinoa Risotto

Hi everyone! How is your evening going?  Mine has been good: work, gym, sauna, dinner.  It’s almost 10 p.m. and I still need to post.  Sometimes I wonder how the regular bloggers do it everyday?!  I love blogging, but sometimes it’s late at night by the time I finish my day and all I’m ready to do is relax. So, tonight’s post is just a pic of what I made for dinner along with the recipe that I used.

Normally I do not follow recipes. I either adapt one that I find or just make one up on the spot centered around fresh ingredients that I have on hand. I keep a collection of recipes that I clip from magazines and The Oregonian Foodday in a binder. Tonight’s recipe was clipped from Bon Appetite magazine found here.  I used 2x the mushrooms, added 2 small zucchini to the risotto and left out the cheese. It came out good, but maybe next time I’ll substitute the wine for chicken broth and add some lemon juice at the end. And, my serving tip is to drizzle each bowl of risotto with a little olive oil and sprinkle a little bit of coarse sea salt on top. Tonight I used Polynesian Black Sea Salt on ours.

Quinoa Risotto with Mushrooms and Thyme

Bon Appétit | January 2010

yield: Makes 4 main-course or 6 side-dish servings

active time: 25 minutes

total time: 25 minutes

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove, pressed
• 1 8-ounce package sliced crimini (baby bella) mushrooms
• 6 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, sliced
• 3 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, divided
• 1 cup dry white wine

Bring 2 cups salted water to boil in medium saucepan. Add quinoa, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender and water is absorbed, about 13 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until onion begins to brown, 5 minutes. Add garlic; stir 30 seconds. Add mushrooms and thyme. Saut&eacutee; until mushrooms are tender, 6 minutes. Add wine; stir until wine is reduced and liquid is syrupy, 2 minutes.

Mix quinoa into mushroom mixture; season with salt and pepper.

Have a great night!

Gluten-Free Honey Carrot Bars

Hi! I hope that you are having a beautiful Sunday so far.  I woke up early and took Layla for a walk in the sunshine.  Yes, sunshine here in Portland instead of rain!  Later on I went to a potluck brunch with some of the other graduates and students of IIN.  We had such a nice time visiting and learning about one another’s practices and experience with school.  I decided to bring a breakfast type bar that our Dr.’s wife, Jennie, makes.  I adapted her recipe to make it gluten-free and used some different spices than what it calls for.

If anyone is looking for a great place to get their spices, I highly recommend Penzey’s Spices.  They have stores throughout the US as well as an online store.  I love, love, love going there to smell and try out new spices.  I used two of their spices in my recipe, but you can substitute with the alternate ingredients if you don’t have the Penzey’s spice listed.

Gluten-Free, Vegan Honey Carrot Bars

Adapted from Jennie Brouse’s Honey Carrot Bar

1/2 cup extra virgin coconut oil

1 cup honey

2 Tbls ground flaxseed + 1/4 cup+2 Tbls warm water

1/4 cup all-natural orange juice concentrate, thawed

1 Tbls vanilla

3 cups shredded carrots

2 cups gluten-free flour blend (make sure that it has some xantham gum in it)

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp Penzey’s dried orange peel (0r 3 tsp fresh orange zest)

2 tsp Penzey’s Cake spice or (1 1/2 tsp cinnamon & 1/4 tsp each nutmeg and ginger)

1/4 tsp finely ground sea salt

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup candied ginger, diced

1/3 cup chopped walnuts (or nut of choice)

Preheat the oven to 350°f. Lightly grease a 9″x13″ cake pan with coconut oil. In a small cup, mix the flaxseed and water together. Let stand for 5 minutes. In a stand mixer, mix the coconut oil and honey together until well combined. Add in the flaxseed mixture, orange juice concentrate, vanilla and shredded carrots.  Mix on low speed until well combined.

In a separate bowl combine the gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, orange peel, cake spice and sea salt.

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. With a wooden spoon, stir until just combined. Add in the dried cranberries, candied ginger and walnuts. Stir until just combined.

Pour batter into cake pan and bake for 40 minutes (time varies based on your oven.)

Let cool completely.  Cut into squares and serve with tea or coffee.

This recipe is perfect for a Sunday breakfast or brunch. I probably wouldn’t eat it for breakfast every weekday morning, but it is a fun treat for our gluten-free, vegan eaters.  Enjoy and let me know if you make it!

Grilled Shrimp Recipe

Hi! Happy Monday everyone! I got home safely last night and am settling back into my normal routine.  Layla and I were out for our walk this morning and I was at work by 8:30 a.m.  Sometimes after a fun weekend away or vacation it can be difficult to get back into the swing of your day-to-day life.  I’ve found that if I chose to think positive thoughts about my upcoming week and how thankful I am about my recent trip, my first day back turns out pretty well.

Onto the more important stuff: shrimp! I kinda go back and forth on shrimp.   Sometimes I like it, sometimes it grosses me out.  This weekend I was in the mood for grilled ship and I wanted to share the recipe that I used.

Grilled Shrimp

1 lb. raw jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbls organic ketchup (no HFCS in organic ketchup.  Try Trader Joe’s or Annie’s brands)

1 Tbls rice wine vinegar

1 Tbls chili garlic sauce

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp honey

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp red chili powder

1/4 cup chopped, fresh cilantro

2 green onions, finely chopped

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Mix all of the ingredients in a large Zip-Lock bag.  Store it in the refrigerator for 30-40 minutes, flipping it over once or twice.

Thread 5-6 shrimp onto each metal skewer.  Place the skewers on a large plate and pour the remaining marinade over the shrimp skewers.  Grill the shrimp 2 minutes per side on a barbeque or medium-high grill.  Enjoy!  © Kilee Johnson

Have a great day and I’ll see you later.  Take care!

Some of my Favorite Smoothie Recipes

Hi!  Thank you for all of the positive blog feed-back so far.  I am at the airport waiting for my flight to head down south to Palm Springs.  As we head into spring and summer, I thought is might be fun to share with you some of my favorite smoothie recipes.  Each day at the health center where I work, I get to make smoothies for each staff member at 10a.m.  It gives me a chance to experiment with my recipes and try new flavor combinations.  Ingredients can range from protein powder, frozen fruit and rice milk to leafy greens, cucumbers and carrot juice.  The best thing about making a smoothie each day is experimenting to create new, delicious & healthy recipes.

For those of us who have followed healthy-eating blogs for awhile, I’m sure that you’ve already seen and possibly tried some of these smoothies.  For those who are new to the blogworld or these smoothies, please give them a try because they are amazing!

Kristen’s Raw Chocolate Cherry Bomb Shake

I made this one this morning and it was delectable, like usual.  It tastes like a chocolate cherry milkshake.  The only thing I like to add is some unsweetened coconut or extra virgin coconut oil.

Recipe can be found here.

Green Smoothie Girl’s Basic Green Smoothie

This is the template for the green smoothie that my co-workers and I make almost every day.  The great thing about “Green Smoothie Girl’s” smoothie is that it’s such an easy and delicious way to get in a day’s worth of veggies.  My friends from work and I recently went to one of her workshops and we loved it.  This recipe is fully customizable and you can experiment with different fruit and vegetable combinations to find one that you LOVE.  Check out her inspiring website here.

Recipe template can be found here.

Chocolate-Covered Katie’s Cake Batter Milkshake

(source)

Oh my gosh!  Words do not describe the amazing-ness that this recipe has achieved.  It was so good that the first time I made it, I went right back to my blender and made another.  I adapt her recipe by using almond milk or coconut milk instead of regular cow’s milk, adding some coconut extract because I LOVE coconut and if it’s not tasting sweet enough, I’ll add a little agave or stevia.  This is a smoothie that I reserve for dessert since it’s so rich and decadent.

Recipe can be found here.

I hope that these recipes will inspire you to dust off your blender and get experimenting with new flavor combinations.  Take care and I’ll see you from Cali!

Banana “Nut” Bread

My favorite time of the year is here! Yah for Autumn leaves being crushed beneath my running shoes, bundling up with cozy sweaters and lounging around while gluten-free banana bread bakes in the oven.

I was inspired by the peanut butter banana bread recipes that I had seen floating around the blog world these past few months: Averie’s, Jessica’s, and many more and I saw a recipe on the cover of Cooking Light at the supermarket a few weeks ago. So, I am here to share my version with you.

Banana “Nut” Bread

gluten-free, vegan

1 cup of your favorite gluten-free flour blend

1/2 cup Trader Joe’s peanut flour

1/2 cup oat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cinamon

1/4 t nutmeg

3 rotten bananas

1/2 cup agave

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup almond milk

1/4 cup flaxseed mixed with 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons water

1/3 cup extra virgin coconut oil

2 Tablespoons peanut butter

1 Tablespoon vanilla

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a bowl. Wisk the agave, brown sugar, coconut oil and peanut butter together until combined. Add the flaxseed mixture. Add the vanilla. Slowly stir in the dry ingredients. Fold in the chopped walnuts.

Pour into a loaf pan and top with sliced frozen bananas. Sprinkle some flaxseed if you wish.

Bake at 325 degrees for 60 minutes.

Check that it is done by inserting a butter knife into the center of the loaf. If batter sticks to the knife when you remove it, place it back in the oven for 5 more minutes. When it comes out clean, let it cool on a wire baking rack for about 2o minutes. Then transfer to a plate to serve. I prefer to spread extra virgin coconut oil on mine and sprinkle a bit of fine sea salt. Then I eat at least 1-2 more slices!  Enjoy!

I want to let everyone know that I would LOVE to blog more often, but am at a point in my career where I am working 50+ hours a week and cannot commit more time to my blogging. I promise that as soon as my work schedule lessens, I will be back to cooking and blogging on a more regular schedule. Until then, please know that there is a lot more that I have in store for you in these coming months.

Take care,
Kilee

Rhubarb Pumpkin Seed Salad

It’s Labor Day, which means that summer has come to an end. It’s that time of the year when kids go back to school, orange and rust colored leaves start to cover the ground and roasted vegetables take the place of fresh summer salads. I have taken a break from blogging this past summer. Not because I don’t love doing this, but because my life has been go-go-go 24/7. I started to worry about not blogging and posting all of my recipes. But the I realized that Summers are not meant to be stressful and if blogging was going to add stress to my life, I would choose not to.

So, it’s now approaching Autumn and I am re-evaluating my life/relationships/time-management and so on. Sharing my recipes and love of foods and nutrition are at the forefront of my interests right now, so this little blog will receive more of my time and attention. If you are a reader or a blogger yourself, I am sorry I was unable to be more present this past summer, but you know how life sometimes gets in the way of our “blog world.”

With that being said, please enjoy this salad that I made after one of my trips to the farmer’s market this summer. I love the tart crunch of the rhubarb with the sweet, creaminess of the goat cheese.

Rhubarb Pumpkin Seed Salad

1 bunch of kale

1 T fresh lemon juice

1 T apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup chopped fresh rhubarb

2 T shelled pumpkin seeds

1 T hemp seeds

2 T dried cranberries

1 T Ruth’s Chia Goodness Cranberry Ginger flavor optional

4 oz goat cheese, crumbled

1/2 t himalayan sea salt

This is a pretty self explanatory salad. To make the dressing, mix the lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and olive oil. Place all of the other ingredients in a salad bowl. Pour the dressing over. Add your sea salt and pepper if you wish and mix it all up.

Over the next few days (maybe more like weeks) I will be refreshing my previous posts to focus more on the food and less on my personal life. As I continue to evolve as a professional, I need my blog to reflect that. I’m not trying to keep my life hidden from you, but I think we can all agree that the recipes are the best part!

Take care and I hope that you had a very fun and memorable Labor Day Weekend!

~ Kilee

Blueberry Flaxseed Rice Pudding

Hi everyone! I hope that you are enjoying your summer so far! I cannot believe that it’s half way over already! I have been eating a ton of fruit lately and loving Oregon’s amazing selection of fresh berries! I know that the best way to digest fruit is to eat it alone, but it’s too tempting to use them in recipes. So, here you go with another fruitty recipe.

This recipe morphed many times while I was making it. First, it was going to be mango coconut Thai rice pudding. When I didn’t have mangos, I was going to substitute pineapple. Then I saw the fresh blueberries that I had in the fridge and I knew this combo would be magical. This makes a comforting desert or a delectable breakfast.

Blueberry Flaxseed Rice Pudding

1 cup brown basmati rice

2 cups water

1/2 t salt

3 cups plus 1 tablespoon vanilla coconut milk (I used SoDelicious brand)

1/4 cup agave

2 T brown sugar

1 t ground cinnamon

1 T cornstarch

2 t vanilla extract

1 t coconut extract (optional)

1 T coconut oil

1/2 cup freshly ground flaxseed

1 cup fresh blueberries

1 T hemp seeds (optional)

Combine rice, water and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until the liquid is fully absorbed, 45 to 50 minutes.

Stir in 3 cups coconut milk, agave, brown sugar and cinnamon and bring to a lively simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Stir cornstarch and the remaining 1 tablespoon coconut milk in a small bowl until smooth; add to the pudding. Continue cooking, stirring often, until the mixture is the consistency of porridge, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Remove from heat. Add the vanilla, optional coconut extract and coconut oil into the pudding. Transfer to a large bowl and add the fresh blueberries, ground flaxseed and hemp seeds. You can stir them in or leave them as a garnish on top.

I prefer to enjoy this pudding in large quantities while it is still warm, but you might want to cover it with plastic wrap and let it cool in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Feel free to play around with different fruit and nut combinations. I have a love affair with blueberry flaxseed muffins, so that is why I chose them together.

Have a great week and I’ll be back next week with anther recipe!

~ Kilee

Fresh Corn, Tomato, Avocado, Black Bean Salad

Happy Sunday everyone! I hope that you are having a fun, relaxing weekend. I have been loving the hot weather here in Portland. Yesterday I went to a local produce stand and picked up a ton of goodies for less than $20.

Aren’t they pretty! I was more excited about my loot than anything I saw at the Sandy Mountain Festival that I went to afterwards. I was itching to get in the kitchen to whip something up. The result:

Fresh Corn, Tomato, Avocado, Black Bean Salad

2 ears of fresh sweet corn

3 tomatoes

1 avocado

1 lime

1 can of rinsed black beans

Small handful of fresh parsley

Large handful of fresh cilantro

Salt & pepper to taste.

Husk the corn and place it in a large pot of cold water. Bring the water to a boil and immediately drain the corn. Allow it to cool in the refrigerator.

Dice the tomatoes and avocados. Chop the parsley and cilantro. When the corn has cooled off, slice it from the cob and put all the ingredients besides the lime in a medium sized bowl.

Squeeze the lime juice over the salad and gently stir until everything is mixed together. Add some salt and pepper to taste, and you have a refreshing summer salad. I would serve this as a side dish or over a bed of fresh greens.

I hope that everyone has a fun week!

Take care,

Kilee

Gluten-Free Boccone Dolce

Hi everyone! How have you all been? I hope you have been enjoying the gorgeous weather we’ve been having lately! I have a recipe to share with you that’s perfect for a gluten-free celebration. It was one of my co-worker’s birthday lunches this past week. Lately she has been telling me that she wants to try eating gluten-free for a while to see if her brain-fog, digestion, etc. issues will go away. A little light went off in my head when I put the two together: B-day lunch celebration + gluten-free girl = excuse to try out a new gluten-free dessert.

Enter the Boccone Dolce. Blake’s aunt orders this cake from Papa Hayden’s for every family birthday celebration and I have been dying to try to make it myself. The menu description reads:

Boccone Dolce
Swiss meringues drizzled with semi-sweet chocolate, layered with fresh fruit and chantilly cream.

It’s pretty much the best light, sweet, versatile dessert that you could ask for. The whole plate was practically licked clean within 15 minutes by my coworkers.

I have to admit that I was afraid to try to make the meringue with fresh egg whites and sugar, so I used some Wilton meringue powder that my mom had unopened in her cupboard.  Next time I’ll be brave enough to try the real deal. Another great thing about this dessert is that you can use whatever fresh fruit your heart desires. Blueberries and strawberries are abundant at roadside stands right now and I picked some up on my drive back from the coast. (I went home to Gearhart for an amazing 4th of July weekend with family and friends.) I also love it with bananas and want to try adding fresh pineapple some time.

Boccone Dolce

Meringue Layers (makes 3 10″ rounds)

1/4 cup Wilton Meringue Powder

1 cup cold water

1 & 2/3 cup white super fine sugar (regular granulated is fine too)

1/2 t high quality vanilla extract

1.  In a large bowl, combine the meringue powder, water, 1 cup of the sugar and vanilla. Whip at high speed for 5 minutes. Gradually add the rest of the sugar and continue to whip at high speed for 4-5 more minutes, until meringue is stiff and dry.

2.  You will need to line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.  Draw the circles (the size you want your meringue layers to be) on the under side of the parchment.

3.  Take a rubber spatula and start spreading the meringue inside the circles.

4.  Bake at 225 degrees for 2 and a half hours.  Meringue should be white in color and crispy all the way through.  If they’re stillsoft after this time, you can bake them longer.  The low temperature will prevent them from browning too quickly and the wax paper from melting if you are using it.

Sweetened Whipped Cream:

4 cups heavy whipping cream

1 Tablespoon vanilla

1/4 cup powdered sugar or superfine sugar

1.  Whip cream to soft peak

2.  Add vanilla and sugar

3.  Whip cream to stiff peak — then it’s ready to use.  The cream needs to be stiff in order for it to hold the meringue layers together.

6 oz melted semi sweet chocolate chips (I like to melt mine in the dehydrator and stir it every 5 minutes or so)

2-3 pints mixed berries (may use your favorite fresh fruit)

Let’s put together the Boccone Dolce:

1.  Put one layer of meringue on your serving plate

2.  Drizzle melted chocolate over the layer

3.  Spread 1/3 of your whipped cream on top of the layer, and top with berries.

5.  Repeat with the next layer

6.  Top with 3rd meringue layer.  Drizzle with chocolate. Top with remaining whipped cream and decorate with remaining fruit.

7.  Decorate with edible fresh flowers, fruit, mint or geranium leaves.  Enjoy!

Raw Everything in the Kitchen Cabinet Cookies

Raw Everything in the Kitchen Cabinet Cookies

1/2 cup oats

1/2 cup oat flour

1/2 cup raw almond butter

1 T + 1 t coconut oil

1 T raw honey

1 T agave

1 T ground flaxseed

1/2 t mesquite

1/2 t maca

1/4 t cinnamon

1/2 t vanilla

1 T almond milk (if needed. I needed to add it because the dough was too crumbly)

pinch of sea salt

Now, the fun part: mix-ins! You can add whatever fun raw ingredients you want. I added:

1 T shredded coconut

1 T raw cocoa nibs

1 T chia seeds

1 T dried blueberries

1 T goji berries

Mix the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Add the wet ingredients and stir until well combined. Add whatever mix-ins you prefer. Transfer the dough to a cutting board and press to about 3/8″ thickness. Use a cookie cutter to cut out desired shapes. Place on dehydrator sheets and dehydrate at 115° for about 12 hours.

I had mine with a cup of decaf this afternoon. ♥

Kilee

Raw Strawberry Tart

Hi again! Here is a saw strawberry tart that is perfect for summer time.

Raw Strawberry Crisp

Serves 1

Topping

2 T rolled oats

2 T shredded coconut

2 t ground almonds or hazelnuts

1 t flaxseed

1 1/2 t coconut oil

pinch of sea salt

Fruit Layer

A dozen fresh strawberries

1 T dried goji berries

1 t agave

First, place all of the topping ingredients in a small food processor and process until it is a crumbly texture. Dump the topping onto a plate and set aside.

Cut up 6 of the strawberries into quarters and set aside. Place the remaining strawberries in the food processor (I didn’t worry about cleaning it out after making the crust) with the goji berries and agave. Blend until a soupy consistency. Mix the quartered strawberries in by hand. Take out your cute little individual pan and pour the fruit mixture into the pan. Use your hands to arrange topping on top. Dehydrate at 115° for 4 hours. I only did mine for 2 1/2 hours because it was getting late and I was impatient. It was edible, but I’m sure it tastes better being in the dehydrator for longer. I topped it with a dollop of Coconut Bliss.

I thought it was pretty good. Let me know if you try it.

Kilee

My New Favorite Kale Chips

Hey! How is everyone’s Saturday going so far? Mine is beautiful! Two days ago I bought a bundle of kale and couldn’t decide if I wanted to make kale chips or salad. The chips won and here is the recipe that I made up on the spot using whatever I had around the kitchen.

Kale Chips

1 bunch of kale

1/2 a medium red pepper, chopped

2 T sunflower seeds

2 T nutritional yeast

2 T olive oil

2 t Braggs

1 clove of garlic

1/4 – 1/2 t red pepper flakes

Mix all of the ingredients except the kale in a food processor or Magic Bullet. (I think that I use the Magic Bullet at least 2x daily.) Set aside.

Trim the stems off of the kale and cut or tear kale into smaller “chip size” pieces. In a large bowl, combine the kale and the sauce. Feel free to sprinkle with sea salt if you like them saltier.

Spread out as a single layer on dehydrator sheets. Dehydrate at 115° for 8 – 12 hours. After about 2 or 3 hours, flip the chips so they dehydrate evenly.

Enjoy!

Grilled Polenta and Vegetable Skewers

Grilled Polenta and Vegetable Skewers

Serves 4 or 2  people as a main dish

This dish is inspired by my favorite restaurant back home in Gearhart, Oregon, “Pacific Way Bakery & Café.”  I love, love, love polenta and veggies and has always been one of my favorite items on the menu.

8 wooden skewers soaked in water for 30 minutes

1 log prepared polenta

8 cherry tomatoes

8 white mushrooms

1 zucchini sliced into ½” rounds

1 onion quartered into 1” squares

Grated Parmesan cheese

Fresh rosemary for garnish

(optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Sauce

½ cup balsamic vinegar

1 T butter

To make sauce, heat balsamic vinegar over medium-high heat stirring occasionally, until it has reduced by half.  Remove from heat, add butter, stir and set aside.

To make dish, slice polenta into ½” rounds, set aside.  Thread vegetables onto skewers.  Spray both sides of polenta and vegetable skewers with olive oil cooking spray and season with salt and pepper.  Preheat grill to medium-high heat and grill polenta and skewers for 5 minutes per side.  Plate the polenta and skewers.  Top polenta with Parmesan, drizzle sauce on plate and garnish with rosemary.

Refreshing Cucumber Soup

Hey Guys!  Sorry, this is a short post, but my camera battery just died and I have to run in 15 minutes. In the mean time, please enjoy this refreshing cucmber soup recipe.

Refreshing Cucumber Soup

Serves 2 people

This is a great Summer soup.  I especially like it as a light lunch!

1 cup cucumber chopped  plus

¼ c for garnish

1 small garlic clove

½” piece of ginger

½ cup shredded zucchini

1 T extra virgin olive oil

1 T lime juice

¼ cup cilantro

¼ cup basil

½ cup avocado slices

2 cups warm chicken broth

½ t cayenne pepper

Cilantro, olive oil, salt and pepper, for garnish

Place all ingredients in blender and blend. Pour into two bowls and garnish with chopped cucumber, cilantro, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Butterfinger Smoothie

So this is what I think Rachel Zoe would say if she tried the protein shake that I just made.

Yes, it is that good.  Here you go.  I know you will thank me later ;)

Butterfinger Protien Shake

based on one of Philip McCluskey’s from “Raw Food Real Fast”

1  frozen banana

1 scoop Sun Protien Vanilla Powder

1 T raw almond butter

1 t raw honey

1/2 T maca

1 t mesquite

1 t lacuma powder

1/2 insides of a scraped out vanilla bean or 1/2 t vanilla

1/2 c rice milk (or whatever you drink)

1/2 c filtered water (+ more if you need it)

1 T raw cocoa nibs

Blend  in blender (I used my magic bullet) and enjoy.

It tastes like a Dairy Queen Butterfinger Blizzard.  I will be rewarding myself one of these bad boys after each of my “Women’s Health Big Book of Exercises” workouts that I have planned 3x a week for the next few weeks.

Please make this and tell me what you think!

Kilee

Best Macaroons You Will Ever Taste

No, I am not making an illegitimate claim. I am serious. Desserts are a very serious matter to me.  Now, what I am about to share with you may change your world.  I mean, when I took my first bite of these un-dehydrated macaroons I was overwhelmed by how good they were. I have played around with a few raw macaroon recipes in the past before my knight in shining armor (Excalibur) came into my life.  These are the best ever!  I am sharing these two recipes with all of you readers in hopes that you will accept me into your blogging family and refer back to my blog for nummy yummy recipes in the future.

Legally Blonde Macaroons

1/2 cup flaked unsweetened coconut

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 cup almond flour (to make all of the nut flours, I just used my trusty magic bullet blender with the flat blade)

1/4 cup cashew flour

1/4 cup agave syrup

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup virgin coconut oil

1/2 T vanilla

1/4 t finely ground sea salt

Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl.  Mix in the wet ingredients with a spatula.  Spoon onto the dehydrator sheets and dehydrate at 115 degrees for 24 hours.  If you want them to have a harder shell, feel free to leave them in longer!

Hazelnut Fudge Macaroons

1 & 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/3 + 1 T cup raw cocoa

1/3 c cup hazelnut flour

1/4 cup agave syrup

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup Cocao Bliss

1 t vanilla

1/4 t finely ground sea salt

Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl.  Mix in the wet ingredients with a spatula.  Spoon onto the dehydrator sheets and dehydrate at 115 degrees for 24 hours.  If you want them to have a harder shell, feel free to leave them in longer!

These are my nut flours that I ground up with the Magic Bullet

I really, really want people to try these!  I know that you will love them. .

Have a great night!

Kilee

Roasted Eggplant Caprese

Good morning everyone!  How is your Sunday morning going?  Mine is wonderful over here.

Here is one of my favorites, the Roasted Eggplant Caprese appetizer.

Roasted Eggplant Caprese Salad

Serves 4 people

I tried this dish at “Casanova’s” on Maui one night.  I wasn’t sure if I would like the eggplant, but by the looks of my spotless plate after I ate it, I can assure you that I am definitely a fan!

Salad

2 large round eggplants

2 large tomatoes

1 log fresh mozzarella cheese

Handful of fresh basil leaves

Kalamata olives, for garnish

Dressing

4 cloves of garlic

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 T balsamic vinegar

Salt & pepper

To roast eggplant, preheat the oven to 350°.  Slice eggplant into 3/8” rounds.  Only use layers without a lot of seeds.  Toss with 1 T olive oil and garlic.  Place on oiled baking sheet and roast in oven for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven, flip eggplant over and roast another 20 minutes.  Remove eggplant and garlic from oven and allow to cool.

To make dressing, place roasted garlic, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar in blender.  Blend and add salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.

To arrange the salad, slice tomato and mozzarella into 3/8” rounds.  Stack eggplant, tomato, mozzarella, and basil as desired.  Garnish with Kalamata olives.  Drizzle dressing around the plate.

I really like to start a delicious italian meal with this appetizer.  On the raw baking front, I am considering either macaroons, chocolate chip cookies, or another type of cookie.  What should I make???

I’m going to make some veggie egg scrambles.  Have a great Sunday and I’ll be back tonight!