Trail Mix Cookies

 Last February I attended my first blogging conference and roomed with  my girl Chelsey over at Housewife to Hostess. We had some free time and so naturally, we headed over to stock up for the weekend at the local Trader Joes. As we were walking down the bread aisle, she turned to me and handed me a bag of cookies and said "You have got to try these!" I'm all for trying new things but unless it has an obscene amount of chocolate in it, I'm usually not interested. I could tell right away, that she was totally serious and a fan of these Trail Mix Cookies. After we got back to our hotel, I dove in, wondering how good can they really be, I mean....no chocolate??

Well, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised on how tasty they were. It was like trail mix...in a cookie (imagine that). However, after looking at the nutritional info I realized why they were so good.

Brown rice syrup (another name for straight up sugar)

So I recreated them, a bit healthier but just as delicious. And I have just saved myself a 45 minute drive each way to get my fix.

Trail Mix Cookies

1 cup honey

2 eggs

¾ coconut oil, softened

½ tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking powder

2 ½ whole wheat flour

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup peanuts, chopped

1 cup dried cranberries (I use the 50 % less sugar)

·      Preheat oven to 375 degrees

·      Cream together with electric mixer oil and honey in bowl. Add salt, vanilla and eggs

·      In separate bowl combine baking powder, flour and oats

·      Add dry ingredients into wet, slowly.

·      Stir in sunflower seeds, cranberries and peanuts

·      Scoop into balls and place on cookie sheet (I use a silpat mat)

·      Bake for 9 minutes

·      Cool on wire rack and enjoy

Cool as a Cucumber Tzatziki

You know the drill....

Open the fridge door, scan its contents, shut the door in frustration that there isn't anything that looks tempting and also readily available. 

If you are like me, this can become an all too frequent occurrence. A great remedy to this is to already have things prepared that a. you like, b. stay fresh and c. taste good. A super easy way to get in your recommended vegetable servings for the day is to already have them cut up and ready to eat. Another important aspect of maintaining a healthy weight is to have an ample amount of lean proteins in your diet. Since I don't eat meat, I rely one meal a day on a dairy source of protein. Low fat cottage cheese and greek yogurt are usually my go to choices. But these tend to be bland and tasteless. I love making dips that pack a punch of flavor and better yet can be prepared and kept in the fridge for days. Here is one of my favorite spring and summertime dips to keep you well stocked with protein and veggies.

P.S. the white sticks are jicama...try it out if you haven't yet!

Cool as a Cucumber Tzatziki

1 large cucumber grated and placed in fridge overnight to drain

3 cups fat free Greek yogurt

2 TBSB fresh dill, minced

1 tsp salt

2 TBSP white distilled vinegar

4 TBSP olive oil

4 large cloves garlic, minced

·      Combine yogurt, salt, vinegar, garlic, salt and olive oil in a medium bowl. Refrigerate overnight

·      Right before serving, add in drained cucumber and fresh dill

·      Serve with vegetables or whole-wheat pita. Also makes a great spread for sandwiches.

Strawberry Cheesecake? Yes, Please!

If you have been following my blog for awhile, you know that I love to eat dessert. Like it is literally my favorite favorite meal of the day! Unfortunately this can be a bit of a derailment when trying to lose fat or even maintain weight loss. That is why I try to "health-ify"some of my top picks when it comes to treats. I love to eat at Cheesecake Factory, always getting the same thing, Kale and Quinoa Salad. Have you tried it? If that is a no, then promise you will order it on your next visit, seriously it's so yummy. But I always have such a temptation to order a piece of cheesecake (I mean who doesn't). Sometimes I do, and that's ok but is it so wrong to want to eat cheesecake every day? Maybe. 

Well, lucky for both of us, I have solved that problem. I would like to introduce you to these lil' beauties....Oh So Light Strawberry Cheesecake Bites. Yes, my friends this bowl of goodies will satisfy those sweet tooth cravings while keeping you swimsuit ready! 

Oh, and did I mention if you choose these over CF Strawberry Cheesecake, you might be saving yourself 638 calories. Aaaand 27 grams of fat. 

You're welcome. Now go make these!

Oh So Light Strawberry Cheesecake Bites

1 cup low-fat cottage cheese

1 cup part skim ricotta cheese

2 egg whites

1/3 cup truvia baking blend

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp salt

1 TBSP arrowroot powder

40 strawberries

graham cracker crumbs (garnish)

·      Preheat oven to 350

·      Coat a 9 inch round pan with nonstick spray, set aside

·      Blend together the cheese in food processor until smooth

·      Add in egg whites, truvia, lemon juice, vanilla extract, salt and arrowroot powder. Blend until smooth

·      Pour filling into pie dish, cook in oven for 50 mins.

·      Remove cake from oven, allow to cool.

·      Scoop cheesecake out and place in piping bag or Ziploc

·      Core strawberries and pipe about 2 tsp of filling into each berry.

·      Garnish with graham cracker crumbs

·      Serve chilled

(1 serving is roughly 4 berries)

My Favorite Treat....Revealed

For those who know me well know that my love for popcorn runs deep. Not that overly salted orange and yellow movie theater popcorn, but the good stuff. Homemade is where its at when it comes to popcorn. Here are some fun popcorn health facts:

• whole grain
• low calorie
• high fiber
• trace amounts of B vitamins, thiamin, niacin, and folate

Who knew all of that was contained in those tiny little kernels? Bottom line is popcorn is dry and needs to have flavor to make it taste good. Here comes the good news: you don't have to add extra fat and calories to enjoy this inherently healthy treat! Below is a yummy recipe that packs tons of flavor and a proper amount of good fat.

P.S. I always have a bag handy when I go to the movies:) This is also perfect to share for a night in!

Herbed Popcorn

10 cups air popped popcorn (this is usually one batch)

Fresh Rosemary

¼ cup Olive oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

½ tsp garlic salt

Cracked black pepper

·      In a small saucepan, combing olive oil, garlic, and one spring of rosemary. Allow to heat up and simmer lightly. Once it starts to simmer a little more rapidly remove from heat

·      Add garlic salt and pepper. Pour over popcorn.

·      Once cooled add the cheese and serve immediately.

·      Will keep in airtight container for 2 days

·      Great topper for soups and salads in place of croutons

Gimme Lemon....Everything

There is something genuis behind the lemon, ya know? It's beautiful, bright yellow color makes me instantly happy, invoking fantasies of sipping' lemonade in the sunshine. I'm going to totally pretend like it didn't snow a few days ago and summer is right around the corner. Good news is these Lemon Chia Protein Bites are the perfect way to get ready for that bikini, or tankini, or swim dress. I love to make a big batch at the beginning of the week and have them on hand whenever I get the urge to snack, which might be every 20 mins. Anyone else feel my pain???

Lemon Chia Protein Bites

½ cup quick oats

1 TBSP chia seeds

3 cups vanilla flavored protein powder

1 TBSP Truvia

1 tsp lemon zest

4 TBSP lemon juice

6 TBSP water

·      Combine oats, chia seeds, protein powder, Truvia and lemon zest in bowl.

·      Add in lemon juice and water

·      Form into balls (note: all protein powders have different dryness levels, so you might need to adjust water measurement)

·      Roll in unsweetened coconut shreds and place in freezer for 30 minutes.

·      Remove from freezer and store in airtight container in fridge. Will last for 5 days

Black Bean Burger with Cilantro Greek Yogurt

When you hear the word veggie burger, what comes to mind? Probably a gummy, disgusting looking soy patty. Textured soy protein is used often in "veggie burgers' because it is 1-cheap and 2-has some protein and 3-the burgers stick together . Now, there are technically little to no vegetables in your typical veggie burger. True but sad. Many folks shy away from making their own patties because they can be slightly intimidating to make. But after years and years of trial and error, I am so excited to share the best....most flavorful black bean burger recipe with you! So many people love this recipe...even meat eaters! I also like to make the batter, shape into patties and freeze. Then when I am needing lunch in a hurry, I can pop one out, place it on the stove and have a delicious veggie burger with lots of vegetables! Also the Cilantro Greek Yogurt is awesome to have on hand as a topping to salad, soups and even veggies.

Black Bean Burgers

2 pieces toasted whole wheat bread

2 TBSP olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 TBSP seeded and deveined jalapeno pepper, minced

1 tsp ground cumin

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

1 ¼ c cooked brown rice

1 tsp fresh lime juice

½ tsp salt

½ tsp ground black pepper

¼ c chopped cilantro

·      In food processor, pulse bread to form crumbs. Set aside

·      Heat 1 TBSP olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, jalapeno and cumin. Sauté for 2 minutes

·      Pour mixture in food processor and add: black beans, brown rice, lime juice, salt and pepper. Pulse until beans are chopped, but do not puree. Scrape mixture into bowl and add half of the breadcrumbs and all of the cilantro. Stir until combined.

·      Form patties ( I like to make a big ball about the size of a small baseball and flatten out). Place patties on parchment lined sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes until firm.

·      Heat 1 TBSP olive oil in pan and fry patties on 4-5 minutes each side.

·      Top burger with cilantro greek yogurt, avocado, tomato and wrap in a lettuce cup

Cilantro Greek Yogurt

½ c plain Greek Yogurt

2 tsp fresh lime juice

2 TBSP finely chopped cilantro

½ tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp ground black pepper

·      Combine yogurt, lime juice, cumin, cilantro and pepper. Stir well and allow to sit in fridge for 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend.