Easy as sweet potato pie!

So I have come to find over the years that I am an INSTANT GRATIFICATION kind of person. I LOVE to have immediate results and immediate change when I do something. This is exactly where my issues with my body and eating have stemmed from. When I was bigger, instead of making life long changes that would help me not only lose weight but get healthy... INSTEAD I dyed my hair, went shopping, tried a different style of makeup, all of these things were coping mechanisms to help me burry my issues with my body. 

LONG story short, I also HATE waiting for my food to cook, or bake, or WHATEVER. I want to eat when I am hungry. hahahah SO I need recipes that are quick and easy or else I will be very grumpy :D 

BOOM!!!! Sweet and Spicy Baked Yams

Though these are not quite INSTANT because you do have to wait for them to bake.... I didnt have to do much, and I like that, I like it a lot :P 

So here is how I made this magic!

Thing you will need:

- 1 sweet potato or yam 

- Cayenne pepper

- Cinnamon 

- Curry powder

- Coconut Oil

- a pan, a knife, and an oven ;) 

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, I had to do 400 degrees F because I think our oven is a little off!

2. Dice the yam into small pieces, since I am impatient I like to make smaller pieces so they will cook through faster!

3. Take 1 tsp. of Coconut Oil and rub into bottom of your pan

4. Place yams in the pan and sprinkle the 3 seasonings over the top, SHAKE IT AND BAKE IT!

5. Place the yams in the oven for approximately 30-40 minutes or until tender, use a fork to test out a larger piece. 

VOILA a DELICIOUS side dish to add to dinner. It will taste AMAZING and not take you any time <3 

ALSO fun fact of the day: If you are trying to lose weight and cut back on carbs, sweet potatoes and potatoes are (in my opinion) a GREAT way to get complex carbohydrates without all the processed CRAP that you'll find in other products. Remember when you eat clean you are eating things that don't come from a bag or box, that are fresh, and as little ingredients as possible!! I do my best to eat a Paleo Vegetarian diet because honestly just FEEL better, less bloated, and clean <3 

Try this recipe out, and please leave feedback for what you think!

xoxo,

Risotto with Acorn Squash

Risotto with Butternut Squash and Jack Cheese

I wanted to make something different than our normal day to day "go to" dinners, so I started fishing around for some great recipes using Butternut Squash or Acorn Squash. I found this GEM! <3 I surprised myself and my boyfriend, we were in HEAVEN and on top of that it is healthy! SCORE! I tweaked the original recipe that I found at myrecipes.com; I substituted quinoa for the brown rice and the original recipe calls for Pancetta (we are vegetarians so we did not include that). It is creamy, and savory with TONS of protein and deliciousness. I paired this Risotto styled dish with a large green salad. Enjoy!

What you'll need:

- 1 1/2 pounds of butternut squash OR acorn squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes (yields about 3 1/2 cups)

- 2 cups of fat free low sodium vegetable broth

- 1 1/3 cups water

- 3 tablespoons of Marsala wine (I used Chardonnay because I had it on hand)

- 1 tablespoon of minced Tarragon (optional; I could not find any so I used dried Oregano)

- 1 cup finely chopped onion 

- 1 teaspoon olive oil

- 2 garlic cloves, minced

- 3/4 cup of uncooked Quinoa

- 2/3 cup of shredded Monterey Jack Cheese (I used Pepper jack to spice things up!)

- 1/2 teaspoon of salt

- 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

What you need to do:

- Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place squash on a nonstick pan that is properly oiled, I like to use a little coconut oil. Bake at 475 degrees for 20 minutes or until tender, turning after 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. 

- Combine broth, water, wine, and tarragon (I used Oregano), in a saucepan; bring to a simmer. Keep warm over low heat.

- In a separate saucepan add onion and oil; Sauté 10 minutes or until onion is tender. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute.  Add the quinoa to the pan; sauté 1 minute. Stir in the broth mixture and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat, simmer over low heat, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Quinoa will have a soupy consistency at this point, never fear it will get thicker while baking!

- Place pan in oven; bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes. 

- Remove from oven. Stir in the squash, cheese, salt, and pepper. Cover with a clean cloth and let stand for 10 minutes, the quinoa will continue cooking. 

Yields 4 servings (serving size: 3/4 cups)

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 423 

Calories from fat: 30%

Fat: 14.2g

Saturated Fat: 5.5g

Monounsaturated Fat: 5.6g

Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.9g

Protein: 14.5g

Carbs: 57.3g

Fiber: 6.6g

Cholesterol: 28mg

Iron: 2mg

Sodium: 783mg

Calcium: 235mg

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Have I mentioned lately that I am addicted to pizza? To the point that I might need to join a PA group (Pizza Anonymous)!! I used to eat an entire pizza all to myself in one sitting in college :( those were the days!! haha just kidding

ANYWAYS I still am addicted to pizza but I have come to terms with this addiction by trying to supplement something else into my diet that meets the flavors and deliciousness that is pizza. 

Lucky for me, my roommate is an amazing chef and really creative. Daniel Razzo came up with this delicious recipe and now I eat it once a week! It is so easy, only 7 ingredients, and CHEAP!! oh and it tastes just like PIZZAAAA! 

Okay so now for the recipe:

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Eat time: 1 min hahaha ;)

Ingredients:

• 2 portobello mushrooms
• 5 freshly chopped basil leaves
• 1/2 cup of dices tomatoes (I use cherry tomatoes and halve them)
• 2 cloves of minced garlic (or more cause I love garlic!)
• 1/4 cup of fresh chopped onion
• 1/2 cup of shredded pepperjack cheese (I use goat cheese because it is easier on my stomach)
• salt and pepper to taste
• crushed red pepper for an extra KICK

 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cut the stem of the portobello mushrooms to create more room  for toppings. You can diced up the stem and place it in with the other toppings. Place the portobello mushrooms in a baking dish so that they are upside down, like a bowl.
3. Evenly distribute between the two mushrooms the diced tomatoes, minced garlic, chopped basil, and chopped onion in the "bowl" of the portobello mushroom. 
4. Place the shredded pepperjack cheese, or cheese of your choice, on the top of all the other toppings. Add as mush as you see fit, some think the cheesier the better!
5. Salt and Pepper and crushed red pepper to taste!
6. Place in the oven at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes. The cheese will melt first but let it cook longer so that the mushroom sweats a little. 

Let cool and ENJOY!! 

I made ours with roasted fennel and a fresh cucumber, avocado, grape salad :)

Nutritional Information:

Serving Size: 1 stuffed portobello

Calories: 179

Fat: 9.8g 

Carbohydrates:11.8g

Sugar: 3.1g

Fiber: 2g

Protein: 8.9g 

Good Source of Protein for non meat eaters

Baked Tempeh 

Also picture here Coconut Collard Greens and Rosemary Beets! Check it out!

Tempeh can be conveniently cooked with a number of dishes, because it easily mixes and picks up the flavor of other foods and sauces. Tempeh has been the traditional cuisine of Indonesia for more than 2000 years. and is a tremendously nutritious food rich in protein, a great meat alternative in vegetarian cuisine! Tempeh is extremely rich in protein, fiber and vitamins.

I prefer tempeh over tofu when I am making food at home! It has a thicker texture and more usability in all different dishes. This recipe comes from the Beachbody Ultimate Reset once again!! The simplest recipe is to just marinate it in Bragg's Aminos and voila, a delish Asian tempeh recipe.

 

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar (Bragg's is best!)
2 Tbsp. Bragg Liquid Aminos (great soy sauce alternative)
1 1/2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp. 100% pure organic maple syrup
1/2 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 block tempeh, cut into 1/2 inch strips

Preparation:

When baking or sautéing tempeh, the sauce is really important or else the tempeh will be flavorless. Make sure that you allow it to marinate for at least 15 minutes, but the longer the better! Mix first five ingredients well. Carefully arrange tempeh strips in single layer in glass baking dish and pour marinade over tempeh. Marinate for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 350° F and bake 30 minutes. Turn pieces of tempeh over and bake 15 more minutes. Serves 1.