Apple Pie Protein Oatmeal

Breakfast on the go that tastes like apple pie without all the calories and heaviness. Eat this in between your work meetings during a busy day to keep your brain juices flowing. Make sure the dog doesn’t get to it first.

Caramelized apples:

• 3 lbs honey crisp apples peeled and chopped thin

• 2 tbsp butter 

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 2 tbsp cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp cloves 

• 1/4 tsp allspice

• 1/2 tsp nutmeg

• 1 tbsp honey 

• 2 tbsp Maple syrup

• A fuck ton of brown sugar (1/2 cup)

Oatmeal bake

• 1.5 cup Oatmeal

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 2 cups almond milk

• 1 egg

• 1/2 tsp salt 

• 1 tbsp brown sugar

• 1 tbsp Maple syrup

• 1 tsp vanilla extract 

• 2 heaping scoops of protein powder. I used Inno Supps buttery pancake flavor (it's vegan)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. On medium-high heat, melt 2 tbsp of butter. Cook down your apples until they are soft (15-20 minutes)

3. Mix all the ingredients in a big bowl

4. Top with cinnamon sugar

5. Spray with olive oil!!!! 9x9 baking sheet and bake for 42 minutes

Vegan Tofu Breakfast Eggrolls

A perfectly balanced breakfast you don’t need to be a vegan to enjoy! Delegate a weekend morning to have enough time to make all the components or prep the night before to bake in the AM. You can buy the condiments from the store, but it makes the dish taste way better with fresh ingredients. ;)

Ingredients:

• 1 packet of eggroll wrappers

• Tofu Scramble

• "Refried" Pinto Beans

• Mango Salsa

• Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Tofu Scramble:

• 1 block of firm tofu

• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast + more to taste

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp onion powder

• Salt and Pepper, to taste

"Refried" Beans

• 1 15 oz can of beans (your choice, but I prefer pinto beans)

• 3-4 Tbsp. water, divided

Taco Spices:

• 1 tsp chili powder

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1/2 tsp cumin

• 1/2 tsp dried oregano

• 1/2 tsp dried basil

• salt and pepper, to taste

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

• ½ bunch of cilantro, washed and patted dry

• 2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• 2 Tbsp. water or vegetable broth

• 1 lime, juiced

• 1-2 Tbsp. honey

• 1 clove garlic

• 1 cap full of apple cider vinegar

• Salt and pepper, to taste

Mango Salsa

• 1 fresh mango, diced small

• 1/2 red onion, diced small

• 1 red bell pepper, diced small

• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

• 1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped

• 1-2 fresh limes, juiced (I add 1.5 limes)

• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Prep the mango salsa and cilantro lime vinaigrette in advance. You can skip this step and buy them from the store.

2. Prep the “Refried” beans by washing and drying them with a colander. Saute on medium-high heat, pouring the water 1 tbsp at a time. Season the beans with taco spices. Saute until the beans can mash them with a fork

3. Pat and dry your tofu. Cut it into small squares. In a separate pan with olive oil on medium-high heat, saute the tofu and add the seasonings until it looks like a scramble (5-10 minutes)

4. Now that all your ingredients are prepared, it’s time to assemble. First, wet the edges of the egg roll wrappers with water. Turn the wrapper diagonally, and add 2 tbsp. tofu and 1 tbsp, beans to the bottom third of the wrapper

5. Wrap each egg roll by folding it in the bottom corner, then the sides into the center. Next, roll the wrapper by holding down the sides to close the wrap.

6. Air fry at 375 for 15 minutes or until brown.

7. Serve with the cilantro lime dressing and mango salsa.

Bacon, Egg, and Veggie Frittata with Spiralized Potatoes

I never made a frittata before until I took a crack at this one. It was my friend’s birthday and she hosted a breakfast-themed party. I wanted to challenge myself to cook something new, so I went ahead with a frittata. It might be a tongue twister to say, but it’s much easier to prepare. I did some research for ideas and nothing sounded like something I would enjoy. They eat a lot of meat and potatoes, which gave me the idea to add potatoes to my frittata. Bacon was an obvious choice for me. Spiralizing the potatoes made it easier to layer everything at the end. Using my fresh herb butter added more flavor than I expected. I was wowed by the results. Recipes I looked at suggested I use the bacon fat instead of butter, but my intention wasn’t to have my friends feel bloated. I cooked the bacon separately first so the dish wasn’t as heavy. I chopped a bunch of veggies on hand before I started the cooking process. If you want to, you could also add pickled vegetables for an extra zing. Now, came the cooking process.

First, I had no idea how to season a pan. I suggest seasoning it in advance before preparing any dish. Truthfully, I don’t have a lot of experience with a cast iron skillet. At least Google was able to help me and it was easy to do so. Be warned that the house might smell, so make sure to turn on your humidifier if you have one and any fans to help air the house. Once it was all done, I allowed it to cool down before I started cooking.

Next, I added my herb butter with vegetables to sauté everything. While that was going, I cooked my bacon and got my eggs ready. I chopped fresh herbs to garnish. That way, I could layer it all up when it was done cooking. I added the eggs and bacon, but didn’t let it cook all the way. Most of the cooking will be done in the oven. I wanted the dish to be fresh, so I stopped there and brought the partially cooked dish to my friend’s house. I served it immediately and everyone loved it. It brings me joy to be able to share food with my friends. Find the recipe below to bring to any party or win your family over with my everything in the egg frittata:

Ingredients:

• 12 oz sliced bacon, chopped

• 10 large eggs

• 2 small Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and spiralized

• 3-4 cloves fresh garlic, minced

• 2 shallots (or ½ white onion), diced

• 4 oz mushrooms (I used baby bellas), chopped

• 1 medium red pepper or 7 sweet peppers, chopped

• ½ cup cooked spinach

• ½ heaping cup cheddar cheese or cheese of choice (I used Mexican blend from Kraft)

• 2 Tbsp. Everything Bagel Seasoning

• 2-4 Tbsp. butter or oil (see recipe for homemade herb butter)

• Chopped chives for topping

• Salt and Pepper, to taste

Kitchen Equipment:

• Peeler

• Veggie spiralizer (like a Veggetti)

• 10” seasoned cast iron skillet

• Parchment paper

• Baking sheet

• Knife

• Cutting board

• Whisk

• Large mixing bowl

** Notes before cooking **

* Make sure the skillet is seasoned prior to cooking

* Wilt spinach in advance or cook in a separate pan prior to adding it to the skillet

* You can also cook the bacon in your seasoned cast iron skillet and use some of the bacon fat to cook the vegetables instead of butter/oil. This would be instead of step 1 in the directions.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 Degrees F. On a cooking tray lined with parchment paper, line up all your bacon on the tray. Cook for 15-20 minutes until the bacon is fully cooked.

2. Prepare all of your vegetables while the bacon is cooking. Set the oven temperature to 425 Degrees F.

3. In your skillet, on medium heat, add 2 Tbsp. of butter while the pan heats up. Add your shallots and potatoes to your skillet. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic. Cook for ~7-10 minutes until fully cooked. Next, add peppers and mushrooms. Cook for another 5 minutes. Add your spinach, chopped bacon, everything bagel seasoning, and stir to combine everything. If your vegetables start to stick to the pan, feel free to add more butter or oil 1 Tbsp. at a time.

4. Meanwhile, whisk your eggs, cheese, chives, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.

5. Once the potatoes and veggies are done cooking, spread them out evenly over the bottom of the pan. Pour the egg mixture and swirl the pan until the eggs are set at the bottom (~5 minutes). Top with more cheese and chives. Transfer the skillet into the oven. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the eggs are completely set. You will see the sides start to brown and a toothpick will come out clean. Remove from the oven and cut into 4-8 slices. Serve immediately.

I recently started a YouTube cooking channel, RAD Kitchen where I create live demos of my favorite dishes to share. Click the link below to like and subscribe to my channel.

Egg Breakfast Sandwich

I’m taking comfort food to the next level with my Egg Breakfast Sandwich. When I actually decide to take time to eat breakfast, that isn’t dry cereal, McDonald’s Egg McMuffin would always be my first choice. I ate that for decades until I got bored of it. I craved something with more of a pop of flavor. I got sick from fast food and slowly started skipping breakfast as a result of the 2 pm crashes. Low and behold, I learned how to cook my own.

I’ve been perfecting this recipe for years. It started with a simple recreation of the Egg McMuffin on an everything bagel. However, it was still missing something. I wanted my sandwich to stand out from a traditional breakfast sandwich. A few months ago, I started pickling vegetables such as cucumbers, onions, peppers, and jalapenos. I’ve even gone as far as pickling eggs, but I’ll save that for another time. My Totally RAD Pickles will blow your taste buds away. This sandwich is more than comfort food. It’s a balanced meal for those health nuts out there like myself. The pickled vegetables make this breakfast go from great to “OMG this is amazing!” I even went the extra mile to butter the sandwich with fresh herb butter. It’s super easy to prepare and it takes the flavor over the top. You’ll never find anything like this in a restaurant. Find my one of a kind recipe below:

Ingredients:

• 2 Slices bread of choice

• 4 slices of deli ham (or 1 serving of breakfast meat of choice)

• 1 Slice of cheese

• A few handfuls of fresh spinach

• 2 Tbsp. Pickled vegetables such as onions and peppers (or use fresh ones)

• 1 Egg

• 1 Tsp Everything Bagel Seasoning

• 2 Tbsp. Butter, divided

Directions:

1. In a flat pan, on medium-low heat, toast your bread for 2 minutes on each side. Set it aside.

2. In a separate skillet, also on medium-low heat, add your breakfast meat. Flip after 1 minute and set aside.

3. Add a small amount of butter to your skillet. On medium heat, add your spinach. Stir until it starts to wilt (1-2 minutes).

4. Add the rest of your vegetables to your skillet. Cook for approx. 1 minute and set aside.

5. Add enough butter to your skillet to coat the pan. Crack your egg. Cook until the egg white is cooked and the yolk is runny. Flip and cook for another 30 seconds for an over-easy egg. Remove from the heat and set aside.

6. Add more butter to your flat pan. Time to assemble your sandwich! Add your bread and toast on both sides for approx. 1 minute each. Next, add your veggies, egg, and cheese in that order. Last, top your sandwich with your other piece of bread. Flip and let the cheese melt for about a minute.

7. Remove from the heat, cut in half the triangle way, and serve immediately.

I recently started a YouTube cooking channel, RAD Kitchen where I made a live demo of how I created this delicious breakfast sandwich. Click the link below to view my video.

Everything in the Egg Casserole

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day after all. According to a poll on ABC, the most popular breakfast is cold cereal. I get it. It’s easy to prepare. All you have to do is pour it into a bowl with some milk and presto! I ate cold cereal or pop tarts for breakfast for the first 18 years of my life. However, after a while, I got bored with cold cereal. I started skipping breakfast or having coffee during some free time I had during school. Breakfast started to become too much of a chore. Once the workload became too much, it became difficult to make time to eat. The lack of nutrition started catching up to me. I would have sugar crashes and fall asleep during class. It was hard to pay attention and my grades suffered.

Other options existed, like Chinese food, cold pizza, or cold canned Chef Boyardee. They became my typical college diet, along with booze for breakfast. Eventually, my gut gave out and I couldn’t eat like that anymore. I started developing a leaky gut, where my body wouldn’t digest certain foods anymore. It would be quite a shit storm the next day after eating like crap. CRAP being chemicals, refined sugars, artificial sweeteners/flavors, and preservatives.   

As I got older, I realized how important it was for my gut and my health to eat more vegetables and less refined carbs. I got my ass to the kitchen and started finding ways to eat better. There was no way I was going to be able to get into the “real world” with a 9-5 job and eat the way I was. I didn’t have much time, so I used whatever free time I had looking for new recipes that I could have for multiple meals. A casserole is easy enough because you can cook it in one dish and have little mess afterward. It also makes for great freezer meals, where you can have it for a day you don’t feel like cooking.

I’ve been perfecting this recipe for years with many variations, such as my Quinoa Egg Cups. Adding salsa to the casserole gives it a more fresh taste to mask the flavor of the vegetables. Especially, if you’re someone who doesn’t like vegetables, this is a hack to help be able to eat the vegetables without wanting to spit it right out. As someone who struggled to eat vegetables for the first 21 years of my life, this recipe is something that helped me enjoy vegetables. With a bit of breakfast meat, I find this quite a well-balanced meal that I’m excited to share with you all. As a bonus, topping the casserole with mango guacamole takes this basic casserole to the next level. It is completely optional but highly recommended.  

Ingredients:

• 8 eggs, lightly beaten

• ½ white onion, diced

• 1 bell pepper, diced **

• 1 jalapeno pepper, diced **

• ½ bag of spinach, wilted

• ½ container (4 oz) Portobello mushrooms, chopped

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

• 16 oz breakfast meat of choice (I used chicken apple sausage)

• ¼ cup fresh salsa

• Salt and Pepper to taste

• 1 Tbsp. Everything Bagel Seasoning

• 2 Tbsp. Butter, divided

• Cooking spray

Toppings:

• 2 green onions, sliced

• 1 handful cilantro

• Mango guacamole

• Flavor God Nacho Cheese Seasoning (optional)

For the Mango Guacamole:

• 3 medium-sized avocadoes, mashed

• 1/2 red onion, diced small

• 1 mango, diced small

• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped (** You can leave the seeds in if you like your guacamole spicy) **

• 1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped

• Fresh limes, juiced (I add ¾ of a lime)

• Salt and pepper, to taste

** Notes:

You can pickle your own peppers to amplify the taste. See my pickle recipe if you wish to add these to your casserole. I HIGHLY recommend it if you are a pickle lover like myself.

I also seasoned the casserole with Flavor God Chipotle Seasoning instead of plain salt, but this is completely optional.

Directions:

1)      Preheat your oven to 400 Degrees F

2)      Chop all your veggies, set aside

3)      In a separate bowl, mix your eggs and salsa with salt and pepper. Set aside

4)      Cook your breakfast meat according to the directions on the back of the package. I cooked mine in a skillet with some oil and flipped them once they were brown. Let it rest for a few minutes.

5)      In a medium-sized skillet, on medium heat, add some butter. I like to use fresh herb butter because it adds another layer of flavor. ** Recipe coming soon **

6)      Add your onions. Sautee until they start to brown.

7)      Add your peppers and mushrooms as well as some salt and pepper. You can also add Flavor God Chipotle Seasoning or Adobo if you have that on hand. This is completely optional. Stir for another 5 minutes until everything starts to caramelize.

8)      Remove from the skillet and add to your sprayed casserole dish.

9)      Add a pinch more butter and add your spinach and garlic. Stir until the spinach is completely wilted. Put this in the casserole dish and give it a good stir to mix the veggies.

10)   Cut your breakfast meat and put it on top of the veggies as the second layer of the casserole.

11)   Last, add the eggs to your casserole. Top with green onion, cilantro, and some Flavor God Nacho Cheese Seasoning.

12)   Put your casserole in the oven and cook for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

13)   While the casserole is cooking, assemble all the ingredients for your mango guacamole into one bowl (except the avocado). Add avocado as you eat to avoid it going brown too fast. That way, it will last longer. Mix until you get the desired taste.

14)   When the casserole is done, top with guacamole and serve immediately. This makes for great leftovers and is easy to freeze for convenient meals later. Just reheat in the air fryer for the best results. Enjoy!

I would love to teach you how to cook this recipe from the comfort of your own home. Contact me for more details.

Resources:

1) ABC News Poll Vault

2) The Habyt

3) Redefining All Diets

PBC Oatmeal Energy Bites

Need a quick snack that won’t leave you craving more? Think of a granola bar where the first ingredient isn’t sugar. That’s more like a dessert than a snack. It’s almost unheard of now to find a granola bar that fills you up and that has clean ingredients.

For example, take a Clif bar. which is marketed as “wholesome ingredients that are better for the planet.” on Walmart’s website. If you take a look at the nutritional information tab, the first ingredient is “Organic Brown Rice Syrup”. A few ingredients down the line is “Organic Cane Syrup”. For your macronutrients, there are 6 grams of fat, 43 grams of carbohydrates, and 10 grams of protein. Even worse, there are 21 grams of sugar, which is equivalent to 5.25 teaspoons of sugar (4 grams = 1 teaspoon). That’s 2x more sugar than protein. According to the FDA, the daily recommended dose of sugar is 50 mg, which equates to 12.5 teaspoons of sugar for a 2000 calorie diet. Here’s an article that describes more on the legislation regarding added sugars.

Take another granola bar that is marketed at children. Quaker Oats states on their Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars “Every chewylicious bite is made with real, mouth-watering chocolate chips the kids will love. Plus each bar contains 9 grams of whole grains and no artificial preservatives, artificial flavors, or added colors, making it a great choice for snacking anytime!”. The macronutrients are 3.5 grams of fat, 17 grams of carbohydrates with 7 grams of added sugars. While the numbers don’t seem too alarming, sugar is listed in the ingredients multiple times with a scant amount of vitamins. Would you want your children to eat this when you can easily make your own at home for cheap?

One or two of these is all you need. There are only 11 ingredients in my homemade Oatmeal PBC energy bites, which makes these nutritionally superior to anything you can find on the market. The nut butter adds the extra protein will slow down the digestion. With hemp seeds, chia seeds, and flax seeds, these granola bars pack a punch with enough fiber to leave you full for hours.

Even the pickiest of eaters will clear their plates. Be prepared for messy hands. If you have kids, let them do the rolling because they will enjoy it. Anywhere I brought my energy bites have been a raging success, which is why I am sharing the recipe for anyone to prepare these on their own.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup old fashioned oats

• 1 cup cocoa powder

• ¾ cup nut butter of choice (I used peanut butter)

• ¼ cup maple syrup

• 3 Tbsp. honey

• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar (or add more honey)

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk or any other lactose-free milk, divided

• 1 Tbsp. hemp seeds

• 1 tsp chia seeds

• 1 tsp flax seeds

Directions:

1)      Combine all ingredients into a large bowl (except the almond milk)

2)      Mix in almond milk 1 tablespoon at a time until everything is incorporated and no dry ingredients remain.

3)      Let the mixture sit for at least an hour covered in the fridge.

4)      Tightly roll into balls with a 1-inch diameter using your hands. I was able to get about 3 dozen per batch.

Sources:

1) Walmart

2) Quaker Oats

3) FDA

Southwest Quinoa Egg Cups

For the past 6 months, I have been working as a prep cook at a country club. Learning new knife skills in a fast-paced environment keeps me on my toes. It helps me improve my cooking speed and technique to be more of a professional chef. Honestly, since starting to cook for someone else, I lost a lot of my inspiration to cook for myself. I go out to eat more and it is greatly affecting my gut health. I am now taking responsibility for my health because the food you eat really does affect your mood. In order to ease my mind from negative thought patterns, eating at home keeps my cravings for carbs or sugar at bay. I notice that when I eat sugar, I feel bloated and my mind begins racing with beliefs of “not good enough”. The less I eat sugar, the more energy I have to work towards my life goals. While at work, I was asked to make pico de gallo. I prepared some quinoa a few days prior and had some leftovers. I wasn’t sure how I was going to use it but didn’t want to throw it away. I never went grocery shopping and had some eggs in the fridge. A lightning bolt idea came through me, which this recipe became a reality. I love that I can eat something quick that’s easy to take with you anywhere. As a bonus, this meal provides leftovers, is easy to freeze, and keeps you full for hours. For someone 5’2, ~120 lbs, and is very active, 2 of these egg cups hits the sweet spot. Enjoy my delicious recipe below:

Ingredients:

For the Egg Cups

** Makes 1 dozen Egg Cups

• 1 ½ cups of cooked quinoa

• 5 eggs, lightly beaten

• ½ cup almond milk, unsweetened

• 1 cup homemade Pico de Gallo ** see recipe below or buy from the store

• 2 tbsp southwest seasoning

• Salt and pepper, to taste

For the homemade Pico de Gallo

• 4 vine ripened tomatoes, diced small

• ¼ red onion, diced small

• ½ lime, juice

• ½ jalapeno, seeded and diced small

• ½ bunch cilantro, chopped

• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1.       Cook the quinoa ahead of time to make the preparation time shorter. Start by boiling 1 cup of dry quinoa on medium heat with 2 cups of water. Make sure to rinse the quinoa before boiling to remove the natural coating saponin, leaving the bitter, soapy taste behind.

2.       Once the water comes to a boil, cover for 15-20 minutes or until all the water has evaporated. Be careful not to overcook or the quinoa will burn at the bottom. This will make cleaning the pot a pain in the rear. :(

3.       When the water evaporated, stir the quinoa with a fork to fluff it up. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes to cool.

4.       While the quinoa is cooling, cut and mix all ingredients for pico de gallo in a separate bowl.

** If you decided to opt out of the homemade option, you can skip this step.

5.       Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, F.

6.       Combine ingredients for the egg cups in a second bowl. I have provided an image of the southwest seasoning for reference.

7.       Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray. Scoop until basically full because they don’t really rise at all.

8.       Cook for 25-30 minutes or until the edges are brown and bubbly.

9.       Carefully carve out with a knife and serve steamy hot.

For busy families wanting more on-the-go recipes like this one, contact me to set up a 60 minute meal-planning consultation.

The Best Homemade Granola Ever!

Are you someone who is always in a hurry to get out the door in the morning?

raises hand 🖐

Growing up, I was rushing for the school bus in the morning on a regular basis. My bag would be packed the night before, as I get up at the ass crack of dawn. I quickly brush my hair, brush my teeth, throw my clothes on, grab my shit downstairs, and rush out the front door.

The issue here is that I was either not eating breakfast or I would eat a bag of dry cereal. Even worse, a pop tart. By afternoon, I was crashing and was unable to pay attention in class during the last two periods of the day.

Knowing what I do now, I have the tools to combat afternoon fatigue and create snacks to give me energy while I’m on the go. When I had the idea to cook this granola, the above was in mind. I found a recipe online and tweaked it for my health modifications. It’s gluten-free, egg-free, and packed full of nutrients.

Use this to eat by itself, with almond milk in cereal, or spice it up to eat with fruit. I also enjoy topping it on muffins that I create to amp up my breakfast game.

I shared these with my friends and it is a raving hit among the crowd. This will please even the pickiest of eaters because the universal flavor of cinnamon brings it all together. I decided to share my recipe with the public in order for everyone to be able to recreate this for themselves in their own home.

Find my recipe below:

Inspired by: https://www.thehealthymaven.com/2015/04/honey-nut-steel-cut-granola.html

Ingredients:

• 3 cups steel-cut oats (gluten-free if necessary)

• 2 cups of mixed nuts and seeds (I did walnuts, pecans, almonds, flax seeds, and sunflower seeds, but you can use whatever combination you want!)

• 1 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp sea salt

• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

• 1/2 cup apple butter or sweet potato butter

• 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup (local raw honey is ideal)

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

2) In a large bowl combine steel-cut oats, nuts, cinnamon and sea salt.

3) In a separate bowl combine coconut oil, applesauce, honey and vanilla.

4) Stir wet ingredients into dry and mix until combined.

5) Spread granola over a parchment or silicone-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.

6) Remove from oven and flip and the bake for another 20 mins.

7) Remove from oven once again, flip and then bake for another 15 mins.

8) Remove from oven and flatten granola with the back of a spatula.

9) LET SIT FOR ONE HOUR. Do not try to move granola off tray.

10) After an hour, you can take the granola and break it up into clusters. Enjoy!

Note: Keep in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks (if it lasts that long!)

Protein Power Energy Bites

Do you wake up in the morning with little time to spare? 

You're super hungry, but don't want to go out to eat.

What can possibly be done in under 10 minutes with enough time to eat and make it out the door?

We've all had those mornings before.

While it might not be your typical routine, we end up running half our day with nothing in our systems but caffeine while feeling hangry.

After having enough of those days, I discovered this idea that's much better than having a granola bar from the store.

You get to have a breakfast without all of the additives that gives you the energy you need to power through your morning.

Feel energized with my delicious protein power energy bites!

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup almond flour

• 1 Packet chocolate flavored protein powder of choice (I used Orenda Shape)

• 2 Tbsp. cacao powder (plus more for rolling)

• 2 Tbsp. maple syrup

• 1/4 cup nut butter of choice (I used almond butter)

• 1/2 Tsp sea salt

• 4 tbsp coffee (or sub almond milk) 

Directions:

1) Add wet ingredients to a mixing bowl (nut butter, cacao powder, coffee) and mix together

2) Add remaining ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix until everything is mixed through. If it's still a bit dry, add some almond milk and mix until all ingredients are well incorporated together.

3) Roll into tablespoon sized bites, roll in cacao powder, and set aside in a container. **Note: You can make these as big or as small as you want.

4) Chill until ready to enjoy! Will last a week or two in a container (if they last that long)

PS: Check out my cooking demo on my Youtube channel where I make these live in front of an audience!

Almond Flour Pancakes

It was a wonderful weekend of seeing my friend in the city with lots of warm weather.  We went to the farmer’s market and I was craving some of the delicious fruit from the stands after eating a savory crepe. I’ve wanted to make pancakes for a while since my boyfriend and I have been going out to eat at the local pancake house for the past few Sundays in a row. Since I bought apples and peaches, I thought why not make the pancakes and caramelize those on top? My taste buds were longing for some of that delicious, fall feeling of warm, cinnamon, sugary glazed goodness. While I am at it, I figure this would be great to have for my trip to Bass Center. Who wouldn’t want to bring healthy food on a vacation? It was a no brainer. I had to make these. And oh boy, they were exactly everything I was hoping for. Did I tell you that they are gluten and dairy free? Now you can have your breakfast treat without the guilt! With that being said, I’m absolutely delighted to share with you my recipe for almond flour pancakes with caramelized apples and peaches!

Ingredients:

For the Pancakes:

Credits to: http://thenourishinghome.com/2012/05/fluffy-little-almond-flour-pancakes/

• 1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/4 tsp sea salt

• 3 large pastured eggs, room temperature

• 1/4 cup almond milk

• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

• 1 Tbsp. honey (or maple syrup)

• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

• 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar

• 1-2 tsp cinnamon (I love cinnamon, so I tend to add a lot)

For the Caramelized Apples and Peaches

• 2 apples and 2 peaches, cored and cubed (can use berries as well)

• 1 Tbsp. maple syrup (or honey)

• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

• 2 Tbsp. brown or turbinado sugar

• 1-2 tsp cinnamon (I love cinnamon, so I tend to add a lot)

Directions:

1. Preheat griddle over medium heat.

2. Place all of the liquid ingredients into your blender, then place all of the dry ingredients on top. Cover and blend on low to start, then increase to high and blend at least 1 full minute.

3. Please note: The batter will be very thick like a thick cake batter. If it is too thick for your liking, a simple option to correct the consistency is to simply add an additional tablespoon of almond milk to the batter one tablespoon at a time, blending thoroughly before adding another tablespoon, until the desired consistency of batter is reached. Adding extra milk may make the pancakes a bit thinner (depending upon how much extra milk is added), but it should not dramatically impact the flavor.

4. Chop all of your fruit

5. Grease a preheated griddle for the pancakes and a preheated pan for the fruit each with 1 Tbsp. butter.

6. Ladle a ¼ cup of batter onto the griddle to form a pancake

7. Cook for a few minutes, until pancakes begin to dry out at edges and the bottoms are a golden brown. It’s important to keep a careful eye on them as almond flour pancakes burn easily. (I like to take a little peek under one of the pancakes to check, before flipping.)

8. Carefully flip and cook another few minutes until done, but not over-browned.

9. Serve hot off the griddle with cultured butter, pure maple syrup and a medley of fresh berries.