Spaghetti Squash Pizza Crusts

My daughter's favorite food is pizza.  Now, I know there are several healthy changes that can be made to pizza to make it so I stay on track, eat clean and make my 21 Day Fix containers work.  Well I wanted to share one I tried that is my FAVORITE! It's the bomb friends. You'll thank me later. And you can make these in advance and freeze them.

Spaghetti Squash Pizza Crust:

1-1 1/2 cups cooked spaghetti squash
1 egg
1 tbsp parm cheese (I actually omitted this)
1/4 cup mozzerella cheese (I actually put less in the crust so so I could put some on top too)
Seasonings of your choice (I used garlic powder, oregano, and salt and pepper)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Basically you mix all the ingredients together and put it on parchment paper on a cookie sheet or pizza pan:

Personally, I found that if I baked it for 25 minutes and then flipped the pizza crust and baked for another 15 minutes it was perfectly brown and crispy (which is how I like my crust--obviously dabble around in timing for what you prefer).

Then I added my toppings!!! I totally slacked on the topping shopping this week at the grocery store but next time I'll definitely add veggies and such! It was delicious. You can make a bunch of little ones and freeze them or make a big one for the whole family! This recipe made a big pie!

Chocolate Chip Brownie Cupcakes

So when I first saw this recipe I was skeptic because I hate pumpkin, but you really don't taste the pumpkin at all! They taste like peanut  butter and chocolate! Yum!

What you'll need:
-2 large eggs (beaten)
-2 cups all natural peanut butter (or almond butter)
-1/2 cup pure maple syrup
-1 1/2 cups pure pumpkin puree
-6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (or chocolate shakeology)
-2 tsp baking soda
-2 tsp pure vanilla extract
-chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spray muffin tray or line with cupcake holders.
Combine all ingredients until smooth adding the chocolate chips last.
Fill each muffin tin to about 3/4 full.
Bake in over for 25-35 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean).

They are super moist and delicious!

Clean Oatmeal Bake

So tonight I was sitting in my bedroom CRAVING ice cream like WOAH! But I had been meaning to try this AND my bananas were on their last leg of life so I had to do it! I'm so glad I did! It's YUM!

What you'll need:

3 Large bananas (the riper the better)

1 cup milk (I used almond milk)

1 egg

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups of gluten free quick or rolled oats (I used GF rolled oats)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp (ish) of cinnamon (I kind of just sprinkled some in)

(You can also add anything you want- honey, choc chips, blueberries, nuts, etc.-- I added a little honey and chocolate chips (I also snuck in flax seed and chia seeds to see if my hubby would notice and he didn't hehe))

• Preheat your oven to 350.
• Grease your 8x8 baking pan 
• Mash the bananas and add the egg, milk, and vanilla (and honey if you're adding some)
• Add your dry ingredients and mix mix mix!
• Let the oats sit in the wet ingredients for about 10-15 minutes
• Then put the mixture into the baking dish and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the top is brown and it looks cooked!

Cut and serve! It tastes DELISH hot but I also LOVE these chilled the next day so I pop them in the fridge. They usually last in there about 3 or 4 days.  They freeze awesome too!

Enjoy!

Cheesy Broccoli Chicken Quinoa Bake

This seemed to be a crowd pleaser so I thought I'd share this deliciousness!!!

Let's start with the ingredients:

4 cups of chicken stock or broth (I use the reduced sodium kind)

1/2 cup milk (I used almond milk)

1 head of broccoli chopped (or 3 cups of frozen broccoli) (I used a little more because I LOVE broccoli)

2 cups of cooked chicken breasts cubed

2 cups of uncooked quinoa

3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
• In a 13x9 pan, put the quinoa, broccoli, cheese, and chicken (mix it up a little so its incorporated and evenly distributed in pan
• Mix broth and milk together and pour evenly over casserole
• Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes

It makes a nice 8 servings.

For my fixers, one serving is (and this is just based off ingredients I haven't officially measured. Also depending on how to you portion the servings):

1 Yellow

1 Green (mine is closer to 1 because I use so much haha)

1 Red

1 Blue

Chicken Pizza Bake!

Sooooo this is definitely a new favorite in our house. It's a great alternative to pizza or if you are bored with your chicken! No pesky carby crust and a tasty quick meal that heats up great as left overs!

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Start off by cooking up some chicken.  Feel free to season it as you would a crust (or salt and pepper or maybe some oregano or Italian seasonings).  While the chicken is cooking, heat up on the stove some pizza sauce of your choosing, tomato sauce or even some pasta sauce.  

Grease a pan and put them in! Pour all the sauce on top and add mozzarella cheese and pepperoni (or whatever toppings you want).  Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes and it's done. Super easy and yummy!!

Recap 

STEP 1: YOU PUT THE CHICKEN IN THE PAN!

STEP 2: YOU PUT THAT SAUCE ON THAT CHICKEN!

STEP 3: YOU DRESS UP THAT CHICKEN!

STEP 4: YOU BAKE THAT CHICKEN! 

Blender Week: Day 2: Blender Muffins

Blender Muffins

Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas

2 cups of oats (I used old fashion)

2 tsp honey

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Dash of cinnamon

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

-Mixings of your choice (I used chocolate chips and blueberries)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees! Place everything but the oats (or you could add oats if you'd like to blend them a bit too) into a blender.  Blend until smooth.  

Then I added oats and my mixings!  Place in greased cupcake tin (even if you use liners I'd suggest greasing them). Place in the oven for 15 minutes. 

Blender Week: Day 1: Shakes and Smoothies

Blender Week: Shakes and Smoothies

There are millions of different combinations of shakes and smoothies. The best part is that it is sometimes the best way to get in your fruits and veggies if you aren't a huge fruit and veggie person.  You can prepackage your smoothie ingredients to make it super easy to toss in the blender and blend.  Today I'm sharing with you some of my favorites as well as some new ones I'm looking to try!  For those of you drinking Shakeology (what is Shakeology? See Shakeology), I'll give my suggested pairing for each recipe!

Summer Slushies/Smoothies: You can add ice and water (or if using/freezing your fruit just water) or juice to blend these beauties into a tasty summer treat.

Mango Berry
1/2 cup raspberries
1 cup strawberries
1 cup mango
*Add greenberry, strawberry or vanilla Shakeology!

Very berry
1 cup raspberries
1 cup blueberries
1 cup strawberries
*Add greenberry, strawberry or vanilla Shakeology!

Summer Fruit
2 kiwis
1/2 cup peaches
1 1/2 cups strawberries
*Add greenberry, strawberry or vanilla Shakeology!

Mango Sunrise
1/2 cup pineapple
1 banana
1/2 cup mango
1 cup strawberries
*Add greenberry, strawberry or vanilla Shakeology!

Kiwi Watermelon
1 kiwi
1 1/2 cups watermelon
1 1/2 cups grapes
*Add greenberry, strawberry or vanilla Shakeology!

Looking for something sweet? Try these tasty treats! I suggest adding spinach (1-2 cups) or kale to these smoothies to get your greens in!

Peanut Butter Chunky Monkey
1-2 tsp of peanut butter
1-2 tsp of cocoa powder (or chocolate Shakeology)
1 Banana (frozen to eliminate need for ice)
1 cup water or unsweetened almond milk
If banana is not frozen 1 cup ice
*Pair with Chocolate or Vegan Chocolate Shakeology (or Vanilla and use cocoa powder)

Peanut Butter Cup
1 cup ice
1/2 cup of unsweetened almond milk
2 tsp cocoa powder (or scoop of chocolate Shakeology)
2 tsp peanut butter
*Pair with Chocolate or Vegan Chocolate Shakeology (or Vanilla and use cocoa powder)

Chocolate Covered Strawberry
1/2 cup of unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp cocoa powder (or scoop of chocolate Shakeology)
1 cup frozen strawberries (or fresh strawberries and 1 cup ice
*Pair with Chocolate, Strawberry or Vegan Chocolate Shakeology

Smore
Thin Mint
1 cup ice
1/2 cup of unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp cocoa powder (or scoop of chocolate Shakeology)
1 tsp of pure mint extract
*Pair with Chocolate or Vegan Chocolate Shakeology

Peppermint Mocha
1 cup ice
1 cup chilled coffee
1/2 cup of unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp cocoa powder (or scoop of chocolate Shakeology)
1 tsp of pure mint extract
*Pair with Chocolate or Vegan Chocolate Shakeology

Snickerdoodle
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of Peanut Butter
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp honey
*Pair with Vanilla Shakeology

Caramel Macchiato
1 cup chilled coffee
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 tsp caramel extract
1/2 frozen banana (or if banana is unfrozen 1/2 banana and 1 cup(ish) of ice)
*Pair with Vanilla or Cafe latte Shakeology

Strawberry Lemonade:
I saw this blender recipe for strawberry lemonade and had to try it)
Add 1 1/4 lb washed and halved strawberries, 2 lemons, 1/2 cup honey, 1 cup ice and 6 cups of water to the blender.  Leaving the peel on the lemon will make it very lemony and a bit more sour; you can peel them if you'd like.  YUM!

General Smoothie Tips:
To add more liquid: Use water, unsweetened almond milk, fresh juices, coffee
To make it creamier: Add plain greek yogurt, frozen bananas, fresh avocado, natural peanut butter or nut butter
To make it sweeter: Add raw honey or pure maple syrup
Healthy flavors: Add ginger, cinnamon, cocoa powder, pure vanilla extract
Need an energy boost: Add chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seed/powder, ground oats or ground nuts