Month: July 2015

This picture does not do these zucchini justice!  I was not able to plant a garden this spring but a friend dropped off some of her harvest for me to enjoy.  I was so excited and had to find a way to use them all!

So what can you make with 4 GIANT zucchini???  Well here is what I did with them:

Zucchini Brownies

• 1/2 cup all natural nut butter
• 1/4 cup raw honey
• 1/2 cup unsweetened natural applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup gluten free oats
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (vegan if desired- my favorite are Enjoy Life), divided

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray 8×8 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray- I use coconut oil spray.
2. Place oats in blender or food processor and process until finely ground. Set aside.
3. Blend together nut butter, applesauce, honey and vanilla until smooth. Add in zucchini, cocoa powder, ground oats, baking soda, and salt; mix until well combined. Gently fold in 1/4 cup of chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared baking pan and sprinkle remaining chocolate chips over the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until tooth pick inserted into middle comes out almost clean.
4. Cool brownies completely on wire rack then cut into 12 squares.

For anyone following the 21 Day Fix, I count one brownie as a yellow treat swap.  See page 10 for more info on how to handle treats while following the 21 Day Fix.

These are 21 carbs each.

Zucchini Mini-Muffins

• 1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds (chopped in the blender)
• 3/4 cup of gluten free oatmeal (chopped in the blender)
• 1 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour (I used gluten free baking mix)
• 1/4 cup flax seed
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 carrot (chopped in the blender)
• 1 cup shredded zucchini
• 1 cup pineapple chunks
• 1/3 cup raw honey
• 1/4 cup apple sauce
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 2 eggs

1. Preheat oven at 400 and grease mini muffin pan, again I use coconut oil spray.
2. Grind pumpkin seeds, set aside.
3. Grind oats.
4. Combine pumpkin seeds, oats and remaining dry ingredients, set aside.
5. Grind carrots, then add remaining wet ingredients and blend.
6. Add dry ingredients and blend well.
7. Place in greased mini muffin pan and bake for 15 minutes.
8. This recipes makes 36 mini muffins.  These freeze great and can also be thrown in lunches frozen and are ready to enjoy by lunch time.

For anyone following the 21 Day Fix, I count 3 mini muffins as a yellow treat swap.  See page 10 for more info on how to handle treats while following the 21 Day Fix.

These are 10 carbs each.

I also shredded 2 off the zucchini and froze them in 2 cup increments for later use.  Make sure when you are shredding the zucchini you drain the liquid before using or freezing.  I use a nut bag to squeeze out the excess liquid.  You can add the shredded zucchini to sauces or defrost and use in the recipes above.

Lastly, I will use the last zucchini to make zoodles later this week with Autumn’s Italian Meatballs from her new FIXATE Cook Book!  You can purchase your copy here.

And there you have it, that is how I used up 4 GIANT zucchini.  What are some of your favorite zucchini recipes?

For many of us summer means vacation!  Eating while traveling can be trickier than when you are at home, but I was out to prove that it can be done on my trip to Nashville for Beachbody Summit 2015!

So for this trip I did drive and that did allow me to pack a lot of food and transport it with me.  Air travel does make it a little harder, but I will be flying to Orlando in August so I will put this to the test again then!

I packed foods that did need to be refrigerated but could be eaten cold or warm.  I knew I was going to be out and about for most of the day so needed to have food that would fit in a small cooler or in my backpack.

Here are a few of the things I brought:

• Steel cut oats- my favorite recipe- Peanut Butter/Banana Oats
• banans, apples, blueberries, cherries and carrot sticks
• hard boiled eggs
• Salads in a Jar
• Quinoa/black bean/ground turkey/bell pepper bowls
• Cauliflower Fried Rice (this is great cold or warmed up)
• Almond Butter pouches (you can get Justin’s brand at Target and Whole Foods)
• Shakeology
• shelf stable Almond and Coconut milk (this only needs to be refrigerated after opening)
• mixed nuts and cashews
• Kind Bars

I stored most of my stuff in mason jars, I have a slight addiction to mason jars!  I brought everything in a cooler and put it all in the mini fridge as soon as we checked in.

I did eat out 3 times while gone and I made wise choices when I went out.  I fully realize that making your own food is the best way to go because you know what it is in and how it is made.  However, I do enjoy eating out from time to time.  It usually involves good company and I try to order something that I wouldn’t make at home.  I have tried a ton of new veggies and food combinations that I would normally not try at home when eating out.  I always keep in mind that even when ordering a healthy dish that restaurants cook with more fats and oils that I do at home.  I just plan my day around that and stay pretty low fat otherwise on those days.

So here is a quick breakdown of my weekend:

Wednesday

We left around 2 so I ate as I normally would for breakfast and lunch.  I had Cauliflower Fried Rice and an apple in the car for dinner and a ton of water.  I also “treated” myself to a Kombucha when I was grabbing my last minute items from Target.  Yum!  I also had some pretzels and almond butter.

thursday

I had one of the oatmeal I packed and a banana when I got up.  We met our group of coaches for a late breakfast and I ordered a spinach/tomato omelette with fruit and 1 piece of dry whole wheat toast.  For lunch I had my Shakeology.  I brought a little travel blender and added ice, blueberries and almond milk.  I got to do a live PiYo work out in the afternoon with Chalene Johnson!  I had one of my salads in a jar for dinner before we headed out for the night.  We did meet for a drink later that evening and I had an apple cider and a veggie burger.  I only had 1/2 the bun and a few of the kettle chips that came with it.  The veggie burger was delish!

Friday

I had one of the oatmeals I brought and 2 hard boiled eggs.  We left for the the day pretty early so I packed and ate trough out the day the following: an apple, mixed nuts, a quinoa bowl, Kind Bar and my Shakeology- this time just mixed with water, not my favorite way to enjoy it, but it works.  For dinner we stayed in and I had another quinoa bowl and salad in a jar.  I snacked on 2 Crunchy Rice Rollers (kinda like healthy rice crispy treats). We were exhausted from our early morning butt kicking by Shaun T so we went to bed pretty early.

Saturday

We were up ridiculously early for our Super Workout- 6 am outside with 25,000 other crazy people for an hour and a half!  I had my last oatmeal before the workout and a banana and my Shakeology with almond milk after the workout.  I did have some delicious pork tacos from a local restaurant for lunch.  I had 2 on corn tortillas- pork and an amazing pineapple salsa.  YUM.  I also had an apple.  In the afternoon I had a Kind Bar.  For dinner I had another Shakeology- Vegan Chocolate blended with coconut milk, ice and cherries.  I snacked on 2 more Crunchy Rice Rollers with almond butter.  We were even more exhausted and stayed in and brainstormed while having 2 beers.

Sunday

It was time to head home.  I took advantage of the hotel breakfast and had oatmeal with a few walnuts, slivered almonds and cinnamon.  I added some almond butter and had a banana.  I had my Shakeology with coconut milk in the car for lunch and snacked on another Kind Bar, my last 2 hard boiled eggs, blueberries, some mixed nuts and a Skinny Pop through out the afternoon.  Dinner was at home and I had cauliflower fried rice and we ordered pizza- mine was spinach and tomato, no cheese.  I had 2 small slices.

So, I actually lost a pound on this trip!  I came home feeling great.  My stomach was a little wonky, but nothing like it has been after previous trips.  I did enjoy myself- I had a few beers over the 5 days and enjoyed a few meals out.  It does help to travel with thousands of other health nuts!  Overall I deem this experiment a success!

So, think you can travel and eat healthy?  Do you have any tips you do when traveling to keep track?

I don’t know about you, but I love eating salads in the summer!

I have tried kale several times and not liked it.  I never realized I was missing a very important step and what a difference it made!!!

Did you know you should massage your kale???  That is right, you must massage your kale!

To do this you need to take the leafy part of the kale off the stalk. You can usually just pull the leaves off or you can cut them off. I just threw aways the stalks- but you can google some interesting ways to use them. Next chop or tear the leafy part into bites size pieces. Now massage away. You will notice that the kale becomes darker and will shrink up a bit. This will help with the crunchy textures and bitter taste!

I have also found that a tangy dressing like the one in this recipe also helps counter act the bitter taste of the kale.

I have made this salad 5 times already since trying it!  Now I LOVE Kale!  So here is the recipe:

For the Salad you will need:

3 large bananas (about 1 1/2 cups mashed banana)
1 cup milk of choice
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup gluten free quick oats or gluten free rolled oats
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup of fresh blueberries (optional- This time of the year means tons of fresh organic blueberries!)

Enjoy!

One reason I love the 21 Day Fix is that it really is good nutrition simplified.  I have found amazing success and have seen it time and time again.  This program delivers on it’s promises!  There is no counting calories or carbs or macros.  If a food is on the list and fits in a container you can eat it!  This program also helps you get the right amounts and mix of food groups in such a simple to follow way.

Coming in about a week Autumn Calabrese, the creator of the 21 Day Fix, will be launching her new cook book!  I for one can not wait to see what is in this book!  She has promised 101 easy to follow, delicious recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even some treat and cocktail recipes!

She has even given us a sneak peak into a few of the recipe from the book here.

Sign up to be the first to know when FIXATE is available to purchase!

I can’t wait to start cooking!

I love ice cream.  My stomach does not!

I have found the perfect compromise- Shakeology Ice Cream!

The recipe (you’re welcome):

1 frozen banana
1 scoop Vegan Chocolate Shakeology
2 tsp peanut butter
a splash of almond milk

Throw in your high speed blender or food processor and blend until creamy. Enjoy!

This would count as 1 red, 2 purple and 2 tsp for anyone on the 21 Day Fix.