Recipe: Coconut-Lemon Bliss Bites

I've been meaning to, & have promised to many, that I would post about these little yummy, healthy bites... so here it is! A perfect post-exercise or travel snack. Great to have on hand to keep from getting HANGRY.

What you need: 
1C cashews (raw)
8 medjool dates (pitted)
1C shredded coconut (unsweetened)
1/2t good vanilla extract
1T honey or maple syrup (optional; again, the good stuff!)
pinch himalayan sea salt
3-4 drops lemon certified pure therapeutic grade essential oil (what is this?)
1-2T warm water
food processor


What to do:
Blend cashews & dates in a food processor until integrated.

Add half the coconut (reserve the rest for later), vanilla, sea salt, honey/maple syrup, lemon certified pure therapeutic grade essential oil , blend again. Add 1T at a time of warm water until mixture starts coming together enough to form.

Lightly wet hands & roll into bite-sized balls to your desired size. Then roll in the remaining coconut. Place on a plate or baking sheet. Once all done, put the sheet into the freezer for at least 30mins before eating.

Want to learn more about Essential Oils? Click here for the basics & some of my favorite ways to use 'em.
 

makes 15-20 pieces
40 minutes

Recipe: Grilled Panzanella Salad

I'm always looking for another excuse to use my grill when it starts getting nice outside & for a new grill-able food item that I haven't yet tried (like my Super Easy Grilled Romaine Salad from a couple summers ago).

This Panzanella Salad is the perfect combo of fresh, simple & summery. No frills, but for some reason feels kinda fancy. So here's how it goes...

What you need: 
For the grill
2 bell peppers of any color
2 medium heirloom tomatoes
1 purple onion
1 small loaf sourdough bread

For the dressing
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2C good extra virgin olive oil
S&P
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2t dijon mustard
2T champagne or apple cider vinegar

In the salad
1/2 english cucumber
10 leaves fresh basil

What to do:
Cut the grilling veggies in big pieces (best: tomatoes in half, peppers in quarters, onion in 4 or so rings & keep them together).

Cut the sourdough loaf into oversized "crouton" cubes.

Put veggies in a bowl with some EVOO & S&P. Sprinkle some EVOO on both sides of the "croutons."

Turn on the grill to a medium heat.

In a big measuring cup add the dressing ingredients & whisk, set aside.

Thinly slice the cucumber, julienne the basil leaves, & add to the salad bowl with S&P.

Grill the grilling veggies & "croutons," let them get a little charred. You'll want to take the tomatoes off well before everything else. Keeping the onions in ring formation will help from them slipping down into the grill.

Take everything off the grill & add into salad bowl. Don't worry if the tomatoes have more or less fallen apart, that's when they really taste good. Drizzle some of the dressing on top, toss, & enjoy!

Serves 2
40 minutes

Recipe: Spiralized Turkey Bolognese

Some might argue that pasta is the king of all comfort foods, and while I do love me some actual pasta, I also love swapping the less healthy stuff with veggies whenever I can.

Which is why spiralizing has become a game-changer in my kitchen. All the perks of pasta, but veggies instead? Yes, please! 

This recipe is a really simple take on Turkey Bolognese, but with spiralized zucchini rather than pasta. It's quick, simple & most importantly... filling!

What you need:
3-4 medium zucchinis
4 carrots
2 cloves garlic
1 small onion
1 16-oz jar of tomato sauce of choice (I actually used Vodka Sauce) or just canned tomatoes
1lb. ground turkey
EVOO
S&P
Oregano (optional)
A spiralizer


What to do:
Dice onion & carrots. Add EVOO, carrots, onion & S&P into a large skillet.

While this is sautéing, take out your spiralizer & set the blade on whichever setting you wish (I used the ribbon setting) & begin to spiralize the zucchinis. Give the spiralized zucchini a few rough chops so you don't end up having one huge string of "pasta."

After carrots & onion are soft, add ground turkey. Add a bit more S&P & oregano, if using. Keep cooking.

Once cooked through, add jar of tomato sauce & bring to a low simmer.

On another burner, put a separate large sauté pan or wok on medium-high to high & add just a little bit of EVOO. 

Once hot, throw in all the zucchini for a quick sauté until warm then remove from heat (just a few minutes),

Once sauce & zucchini are both warm, serve & enjoy!

TIP: You only want to barely heat the spiralized zucchini. If you cook it on low heat &/or for too long it will just get mushy. Also don't add salt to the zucchini until serving because salt will aid in the breaking down process & making it mushy, too.

25min
Serves 4

Recipe: Veggie Rainbow Wraps (with Almond Butter Sauce)

There's nothing I love more than when really tasty, healthy food actually LOOKS appealing to eat too.

And this recipe is just that. It's bright, colorful & fun.

Honestly, these veggie wraps are SO easy to make. A perfect healthy lunch or snack. 

So on with the recipe...

What you need (for the wraps):
6 spring rolls skins
2 carrots, 1 small zucchini, 1 small beet (or any combination thereof)
Handful of sprouts
1 avocado
1 mango
Handful cilantro
Juice of lemon or lime

What you need (for the sauce):
3T almond butter
3T lime juice
2T sesame oil
1 clove garlic
2t tamari
2t fresh grated ginger
Water, as needed
 

What to do:
First for the sauce, add all ingredients into a Vitamix (or blender/food processor) & blend on high. If mixture is too thick, add water a little bit at a time. Pour into a bowl or jar, set aside.

Peel carrots & beet. Julienne (aka fine slice into strips) the carrots, zucchini & beets, set aside.

Peel & cut avocado & mango into slices, set aside.

Grab a handful each of cilantro & sprouts, set them aside in piles.

To prep the wraps, follow the directions on the wrap packaging. Basically the process is this: Fill a big bowl with warm water. Take out a tea towel & lay out on counter. Take out a plate. Put 1 wrap into the bowl until it starts getting pliable (but not for so long that it gets mushy. You might find the first one is a throw away & that's okay!), then carefully & briefly dab both sides on the towel, then place on a plate.

Take a little bit from each of your piles and place in the center of the wrap (not too much or you'll regret it!), squeeze a little bit of the lemon or lime onto the contents & wrap like a burrito. That's it!

Eat right away or refrigerate for later - they are fine refrigerated for a couple days.

25min
Serves 2

Recipe: Carrot Ginger Coconut Soup

Whew! I don't know about you, but did summer just come and go in a day?

Now that fall is here, the days are getting shorter and we're beginning to slow it down. It's just the right time to nail down some tried-and-true recipes to get us through the cold months.

Soup season is here, and I've got the perfect winter staple for you: Carrot Ginger Coconut Soup.

It's quick, just a few ingredients, and pretty hard to mess up, honestly.

So let's get cookin'...

What you need:

1 TB Coconut Oil
1 small bag of Carrots
1 small Onion
2 cloves Garlic
nub of Ginger
1-32 oz. carton of low sodium Chicken Stock or Vegetable Stock (if you want a thinner soup, use more. if you want a thicker soup, use less)
1-16 oz. can of Coconut Milk
S&P
Vitamix (or some other blender or immersion blender)

What to do:

Heat coconut oil in a stock pot/dutch oven.

Dice garlic and onion, add to pot. Peel ginger and grate into the pot, then peel and chop carrots and add to the pot. Add S&P.

Saute these ingredients for a few minutes, then add carton of chicken stock. Bring pot to a boil, then reduce to simmer until you can pierce carrots with a fork.

Remove pot from heat & ladle into a blender or use immersion blender.

Return soup into pot from blender & add can of coconut milk. Stir and serve.

25min
Serves 6

Want more soup recipes? Try my Real Simple Lemon Chicken Soup, Cannellini Bean & Spinach Soup, or my go-to Veggie Coconut Soup!