A biscuit for your thoughts :)

Hey everyone!! I hope you are all enjoying this wonderful weather!! The warmer it gets, the more it reminds me I have got to get my body in shape for summer clothing.  I know I wrote about that in my previous blog, but man it's weighing heavy on my mind.  I also made a promise to myself that I will have abs by my 30th birthday in September. It is 100% possible :) 

With that said, who wants biscuits? Ha ha!

I woke up this morning with the craving for biscuits and gravy. Man, I wanted it bad too. I decided to try my hand in making a cleaner biscuit for my breakfast this morning.  I usually just have eggs and fruit, but today I needed something more.  I decided to settle for just making the biscuits and skipping even trying to make a cleaner gravy, although it can be done ;) I opted to use a yummy, all natural, premium strawberry jelly I picked up last week. 


Ingredients:

• 1 cup + 2 tbsp. of oat flour
• 1/2 tbsp. of aluminum free baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. of salt
• 1/2 tbsp. of agave
• 1/2 cup of milk of choice
• 3 tbsp. of oil of choice(I use a good olive oil on these

Method:


Preheat oven at 425 degrees.
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until a dough forms.  With oat flour, it might not form into a ball like normal flour.  If it's still a little too sticky, add a touch more of flour.  Let it sit for 5 minutes.  Then turn over on an oat floured board (use about 2-3 tbsp. of additional oat flour). Knead the dough 5-6 times until coated with the oat flour.  Pinch off balls of dough and put into an oiled pan. I flattened my biscuits down some before baking.  Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown on top.

You could easily add some mozzarella or garlic powder to this recipe to make a cleaner version of a cheddar biscuit. It would be heavenly I am sure!  I would also suggest even doing some nice herbs in this biscuit to pair with some eggs for breakfast. Yummy!!

I hope you all enjoy this recipe! I sure did! As you see, I enjoyed my biscuits with a small amount of yummy jelly. Yum yum!

Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting - Enjoy!

Hello everyone! I hope everyone is getting to a great start the first official week of Spring! :)
Spring can mean something different for everyone, but the first thing I think of is starting fresh. Starting something new and exciting that will benefit your life, right?  Why not start eating better? After all, Spring only tells us that Summer is coming, aka swimsuit season, shorts and tank tops... you get the picture!
Today's recipe is one that will allow you to still feel like you are indulging in something delicious and it'll seem too good to be healthy.
Ready for the first taste?

How did I manage to make something like chocolate frosting so healthy and yummy? Pumpkin puree. Funny right? Don't knock it till you try it!

Vanilla Cupcakes(8-10 cupcakes):

• 2 cups of oat flour
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup of agave or honey
• 1 tsp. of baking soda
• 2 tsp. of vanilla
• 2 tbsp. of virgin coconut oil
• 1/2 cup of milk

**If you prefer chocolate cupcakes, just add 1/4 cup of cocoa powder to this mixture and a touch more milk.


Line your muffin pan with 8-10 cupcake tins.  Fill each up 3/4 of the way full.
Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until golden on top. 
Let cool and make your frosting!


Chocolate Frosting:

• 1 cup of pumpkin puree-- NOT pumpkin pie filling!
• 1/4 + 2 tbsp. of cocoa powder
• 3 tbsp. of agave, honey, or maple syrup(real maple)
• 1 tbsp. of virgin coconut oil
• 1 tbsp. of vanilla
• 1/3 cup of almond butter (or nut butter of choice)

Throw all frosting ingredients in your food processor and process until smooth.
Then simply scoop some onto your cupcake and smear. Try to refrain from eating it all with just a spoon. Although, it does make a nice mousse also! :)

This stuff is so good it's crazy!  Now, this frosting is also vegan and dairy free for those of you who are looking for a yummy vegan treat to indulge in.  It's super yummy :)

As you may notice, there are some little chocolate dustings on the plate. I happened to have some dark chocolate chips in the pantry that I grated over each cupcake to make them pretty.  I'm not a good piper, so I usually distract the look of my frosting skills with a garnish or something. :) 
These cupcakes are so moist, and so delicious.  You definitely do not feel like you're eating oatmeal ground into flour, or a can of pumpkin puree.  These babies are loaded with protein, fiber, vitamin A, and much more.  These are great!

As always, thank you all for supporting my blog by reading my posts! This is so much fun for me:)  Enjoy this recipe and I'd love to hear your feedback!

Happy Spring Break!

Chicken and Quinoa Casserole = Happy Bellies!

Hey everyone! I hope everyone is having a great week so far!  I have been very busy, but very blessed with cool new opportunities lately that I am still pinching myself daily to make sure it's all true :)  Can't complain one bit about any one thing, so life is peachy. 

Today, my post will be something that will surely be a crowd pleaser in any home.  I don't post many blogs with meat in the recipe, so today should be a recipe most of you all can try and not hear many complaints, or any I hope!

Now, who doesn't love the good old fashioned chicken and rice casserole our mothers or grandmothers would make us?  They use Campbell's cream soup, cheese, butter, and some even top it with Ritz crackers--yummy right? Yes! I could eat a whole dish to myself!

Well, this is not THAT recipe! Ha ha, so quit dreaming! It's one even better :) It's a chicken and quinoa casserole that is sure to quench that nostalgic longing for the traditional recipe we all love. I promise :)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa (prepare just as you do rice-1 cup quinoa 2 cups of water, cook until done)
• 1 cup of cooked and shredded chicken (or more if you like)(I do boil my chicken with celery, onions and a bay leaf for flavor and about 1 tbsp. of salt)
• 1 cup of cooked broccoli (or sweet peas)
• 1-2 cup of homemade cream of celery soup*recipe below*
• 1/2 cup of chicken broth (I boiled 3 chicken legs, used the chicken and the homemade broth for the casserole)
• 1 tsp. of salt
• 1/2 tsp. of pepper
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella for topping

Method:

Prepare you quinoa, chicken, and cream soup as required. Once all components are done, put together in a bowl.  Add all ingredients listed above, stir until well blended.  Put in casserole 8x8 casserole dish, top with shredded cheese, bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes.  Done, easy, delicious, healthy! Everyone is happy. Good grains, meat for protein, & veggies!


*For the cream of celery soup:     

• 1/4. of sunflower oil
• 1/4 of whole grain flour
• 1/2 cup of milk or half-n-half
• 1 cup of chicken broth(used from boiling my own chicken)
• 1/2 cup of celery (cooked first until soft)
• 1/4 cup of onion (cooked first until soft)
• 1-2 tsp. of salt
• 1/2 tsp. of pepper
• 1 tsp. of garlic powder
• 1 tsp. of onion powder

You're going to start by making a rue.  In a sauce pan, heat your oil and add the flour to the oil.  Brown this for about 5 minutes. Then add your milk and chicken broth.  Stir constantly to break up the flour and so that it doesn't burn. Add your seasonings as listed.  Let simmer for 5 minutes.  Then add your cooked celery and onion.  Let simmer for about another 5-10 minutes.  This should thicken up to about the consistency of a gravy.  If it doesn't get quite that thick, don't fret. It'll still work!   Make sure it's to your taste as far as saltiness.  Soup is done.

 

Now, this cream soup is so delicious I had to stop myself from eating it straight from the pan. Seriously!  My husband was in love at first taste as well! 
Canned soups have MSG, a ton of sodium among other mystery ingredients that are NO GOOD for you! So, I encourage you to make your own. It's delicious! And it's simple!  I made double this recipe. I actually made this up in my little brain, and I'm quite proud of it :)

So yummy!!  This made 6 servings for us:)

Hungry yet?

Please enjoy this yummy, family friendly, super healthy recipe created by yours truly!  This is definitely a new staple in our house.  I use to make your traditional chicken and rice but would try to make it healthier.  This one is definitely about as clean as you can get any casserole dish...unless you omit the cheese.. but you gotta live a little right? :)  Enjoy folks!

Chips & Dip that won't stick to your hips!

Hey everyone! Today's post is really simply.  Too simple not to try!
Who doesn't enjoy sitting back and eating chips and dip? Right?!
This dip is extremely healthy as well as delicious and will leave you wondering how the heck you are eating Greek yogurt! Yes, Greek yogurt! Here is a way to incorporate the amazing super food in your diet.  Greek yogurt is full of probiotics and live cultures that your body needs.  Greek yogurt is packed with protein, it's a great source of calcium, and it's extremely versatile!

Look at that bowl of goodness right there! 

Now, the dip is super simple.  The chips are simple as well, but it is all about getting them sliced thin enough but not too thin.  If you have a food dehydrator, this would be a much easier task than baking them I will admit.  If you decided to skip making the sweet potato chips and go for a bag of chips, I recommend using an organic bag of tortilla chips or sweet potato chips.  If you read the label and compare it to a non-organic bag, you will see why I suggest this.  Usually an organic bag will cost $2.00-2.50.  You can buy a regular bag for $1. There are reasons for this people. 

 

Cheaper ingredients = worse for your health. Fact.

*Another good alternative to chips would be from one of my previous blogs where I wrote on how to make your own tortilla chips by baking a whole wheat tortilla brushed with just a tad bit of oil for about 12 minutes at 350.

Ranch Dip:

• 1 cup of Greek yogurt-plain non-fat or full fat
• 1 tbsp. of onion powder
• 1 tbsp. of garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. of pepper
• 1/4 tsp. of salt
• 1 tsp. of dry dill or fresh dill

Mix together until well blended-Boom-ranch dip!

Now, for the chips:

• As many sweet potatoes as you desire really.  For my husband and me, I used 2 medium size sweet potatoes and it was plenty.
• Use a mandolin kitchen tool, or if you want you can manually slice the sweet potato about 1/8 inch thin.
• Put all sliced sweet potatoes in a bowl and toss around with 1-2 tbsp. of sunflower oil, 1 tsp. of salt and if you want a little garlic powder. 
• Make sure each potato slice is coated lightly with oil.
• On a cookie sheet, or a few cookie sheets, place each slice where it is not overlapping any other potato slice.
• Bake on 375 for 20 minutes turning over after 10 minutes or until crispy.  Watch these closely.  They will burn!

I absolutely love this snack!  I have also prepared it as a side dish to our veggie burgers or chicken strips that I prepare.  It's delish!

This dip also makes a fantastic topping to a baked potato instead of butter or cheese.  It also pairs nicely with a bowl of chili.  I sincerely hope you give this one a shot! It's super yummy and has amazing health benefits!

Last thing before I leave you to go and make this dip-I have also made these chips and paired it with a bowl of guacamole for our Mexican food nights. You may think sweet potato chips and guacamole wouldn't pair together well, but don't be fooled-it's great!

 

 

One word=Yum!

IceCream Sandwiches-Made Cleaner For You!

Hello everyone.  It's been a crazy busy week with school midterms and starting the marketing for our next Crazy Good Adventure family camp that's in May.  It's so much work and so much fun at the same time.  I have a list of upcoming blogs to post, but today I want to share my newest obsession-IceCream Sandwiches! Yes.  You read that correctly.   IceCream Sandwiches-cleaner style!
I follow a few different vegan blogs for inspiration among other food blogs to pull ideas from to create cleaner recipes from what they post from time to time. 

Anyway, as my toddler naps and my husband watches college basketball, I am giving you all your next recipe and new obsession. Trust me. It's ridiculous good.

There's not much to this recipe really.  It's super simple, affordable, and super healthy.  I have eaten these cookies by themselves and with the 'icecream" in the middle and enjoy them both immensely!

Ingredients:

Cookie:

• 1 cup of ground oats-oat flour
• 3 tbsp. of virgin coconut oil
• 3 tbsp. of agave nectar (I'm sure honey would taste great too)
• 3-4 tbsp. of cocoa powder (the more the darker the flavor)

Take all ingredients, throw them in your food processor or you can stir by hand, mix it up, and it will form a dough like consistency.  Once it does, just roll them into a ball, and flatten like a cookie.  Put on a piece of wax paper, foil, baking sheet, plate...whatever.  Then refrigerate for 15-30 minutes-cookies!

"Icecream":

3 tbsp. of virgin coconut oil
3 tbsp. of peanut butter (almond butter would work too)
2 tbsp. of agave ( or honey )
1/4 tsp. of vanilla
1 ripe banana
3 tbsp. of milk of choice

Throw all ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend.  Once done, line a muffin tin with tins, fill each cup up about 1/3 of the way. Freeze for 2 hours or until frozen.  This recipe will make 6-7 icecream cups.

Once both components of the icecream sandwich are complete, layer it up and eat!!! I also ate the icecream layer on its own and it's ridiculous.  I think you could easily pour this icecream mix into a DIY popsicle maker and make icecream pops out of them.  As a matter of fact, I am going to do that myself in a bit! Yummy! It's super healthy.  I GUARANTEE you it will fix your craving for icecream. I seriously guarantee it. :) 

While making this cookie, I also thought to myself that while it's in its dough like form, all crumbly, it would make a delicious topping to just a bowl of the "icecream".  I posted in January my recipe for banana "nicecream" and this is very similar to that.  If you would like to create a vegan recipe from this version, then swap out cows milk for almond.  It's that simple :)

I sincerely hope you try this one out! Especially with the warm weather approaching.  It will be perfect for those warm summer days where you want to bake cookies, but don't want the added heat to the house, not to mention the craving for cold icecream on a warm day.  Skip the fatty icecream and make this nicer, cleaner version! Thanks everyone for the support. I really appreciate you all taking the time to read my blog!

Cheers~Amanda

Mexican Chicken Soup with a side of Mexican "Cornbread"

I'm sure we all love Mexican food in some shape or form right? I love chicken tortilla soup, well really any sort of Mexican soup.  Yes. Yummy! Well, the recipe I use to use contained butter and cream, and it was glorious of course, but we can't go on living a healthy lifestyle and consume butter and cream right? Right.  So, I decided to play around and make one that is similar to the traditional tortilla soup, but without all the fat and it turned out fantastic.  It's spicy, filling, and healthy.  I know we are coming into Spring and warmer weather, but that doesn't mean you have to do away with warm foods like soups and chili.  No way!  If anything, it can be more convenient for warmer weather because you can cook it all ahead of time and freeze it and avoid heating your house up during the extremely warm months.  Or you could easily crock pot this soup!   

From this photo, it looks more like a chili, I know. But Mexican spices are very similar to chili spices.  Yep.  I do not use any packaged seasonings, I make all of my own. It's so simple and actually in the long run, it's also cheaper to make your own. 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of chicken
• 2+ cups of chicken stock or broth(see below, I used my own stock, but you can buy a can too)
• 2 stalks of celery chopped
• 1 bell pepper (I use yellow bell pepper just because I prefer the sweetness)
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 can of corn drained
• 2 cups of black beans rinsed(I cooked from dry bag, but you can use one can instead)
• 1 can of Mexican style tomatoes with its juices(important to use this kind)
• 1 can of Fire Roasted tomatoes-salsa style with its juices (important to use this kind)
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tbsp. of garlic powder
• 1 tbsp. of onion powder
• 1 tbsp. of chili powder
• 1 tbsp. of ground cumin
• 1 tsp. of salt
• 1 tsp. of pepper

First:
Boil 2-3 chicken legs with bone in-to make a stock. I boil my chicken with celery and onion with some salt and pepper.
Second:
Debone the chicken legs.  You can use more chicken than this if you prefer, I just use minimal meat in my house.
Now, throw all ingredients into one big pot or crock pot and cook until all vegetables are cooked through.    The seasonings can be adjusted to taste of course. 

I added 1 cup of Mexican Quinoa to this recipe.  I did a blog on it previously, but I will post it again here.

1 cup of any kind of quinoa you want

1 tbsp. of garlic powder

1 tbsp. of onion powder

2 tsp. of chili powder

1/4 tsp. of salt

1/4 tsp. of pepper

Prepare your quinoa as you would rice.   1 cup of quinoa requires 2 cups of water to cook. 
Throw all spices in with the raw quinoa, bring to a boil, then cover and let simmer on low for about 20 minutes stirring every couple of minutes.

I also did a Mexican "cornbread" here to pair with this soup.  I also blogged about this before, but the previous recipe contained sage and was more of a basic recipe. 

Mexican "cornbread"
 

1 1/2 cup of oats ground into a flour

1 egg

1/4 cup of Greek Yogurt or you can use 1/4 cup of milk

1 tbsp. of onion powder

1 tbsp. of garlic powder

1 tsp. of baking powder

1 tsp. of baking soda

1/4 cup of sunflower oil

1 tsp. of salt

1 tsp. of pepper

1 tsp. of cumin

1 tsp. of red pepper flakes

1 tsp. of oregano

Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes or until done.  All ovens cook differently, so keep an eye on these to insure they do not burn.  I did mine in muffin form, which cooks quicker.

 

 

I promise you this is an absolutely mouthwatering meal.  It's spicy.  I will say that again.  But I would confidently put this against any tortilla soup recipe. It's amazing.  My husband and I had a convo about how delicious this recipe would be with a touch of cream in it.  I imagine it would be heavenly, but not a cleaner meal. Ha.  Maybe some day I'll prepare that as our "cheat". Ha ha. One more photo of proof for the road?  One more photo to convince you that you need this soup in your life. Ok.

 



 

 

As always, I hope you all enjoy this one as much as we did.  It's a very wholesome meal that is sure to please.  Yummy Mexican Chicken Soup. :) Cheers!