Green Machine Pancakes

Pancakes, one of the classic American breakfast options. Unfortunately, I have never been their biggest fan. Mostly because I don't like eating sweet foods for breakfast. But, when I got married, I discovered that my husband loves pancakes.

So I end up making them quite a bit around here for him. I don't usually eat them myself, again, because I don't like sweet foods for breakfast. But when I found a clean recipe of panckes , I had to try them!

I have made several variations of these healthy pancakes for Zach and he definitely approves! The recipe is simple to vary based on your tastes, so I will include the base recipe as well as the green machine version.

Base Recipe - Clean Eating Pancakes (makes about 4-5 pancakes) 
Ingredients
1/3 cup rolled or steel cut oats, uncooked
2 eggs
1 banana

Directions
1. Place all ingredients in a food processor, blend until smooth.
2. Use a 1/4 cup to measure out pancake batter.
3. Cook over medium to medium high heat as regular pancakes

GREEN MACHINE PANCAKES
Ingredients
1/3 cup rolled or steel cut oats, uncooked
3 eggs
1 banana
1 loose scoop of Greenberry Shakeology

Directions
1. Place all ingredients in a food processor, blend until smooth.
2. Use a 1/4 cup to measure out pancake batter.
3. Cook over medium to medium high heat as regular pancakes

And there you have it! Clean eating pancakes that you don't have to feel guilty about eating. They will fill you up and leave you satisfied and nourished! You can also vary the vase recipe to include any fruits or other things you want to put in, or even top them with!  Have fun with the recipe!

What is your favorite pancake combo? 

21 Day Fix Extreme Meal Plan

By now you have probably seen me talk about the new program, the 21 Day Fix Extreme. I have been previewing the workouts and love them, they are challenging me and pushing me to my core mentally and physically, which I love. I have also been getting into the meal plan for the 21 Day Fix as well!

Like it's predecessor, the 21 Day Fix Extreme uses portion control containers to help you maximize your nutrition and get the best results possible. Plus it is an incredibly sustainable and healthy way to eat all around, because you are nourishing your body with what it needs- key nutrients and food groups!

I began my exclusive 21 Day Fix Extreme Test Group this week, and we are all working on preparing our meal plans for these 21 days. I can't even convey just how excited I am to go through this program with this group of incredible ladies. I can't wait to see our results at the end of this 21 days together!

For those of you that are new to the 21 Day Fix and the 21 Day Fix Extreme, or you just want ideas, I wanted to share my own meal plan for these 21 days with you! Your meal plan does not have to look like mine, this is just what I enjoy eating and what works for our family with budget and time!

Take a look and feel free to pull any recipes or ideas you like from it! I have included the container count below each meal for my "fellow fixers" reference as to what the whole day looks like in containers!

And as always, if you have any questions, want ideas, want to know what the 21 Day Fix and Fix Extreme is all about, please do not hesitate to ask! I plan on also leading a second exclusive 21 Day Fix test group in the middle of March, so keep your eyes peeled for more information on that, or contact me to find out the details!

Happy meal planning!

Portioning 21 Day Fix Recipes

For those of you who know about the 21 Day Fix and the 21 Day Fix Extreme programs, you probably know that sometimes meal prep can get tricky if you are making anything that is "mixed." Today I wanted to share some of my tips on how to navigate those tricky waters found in meal preparations and counting your containers!

(My tasty spaghetti squash burrito bowl is a "mixed" recipe with a lot of different containers present!)

Say for example, you want to make soup, or even healthy versions of lasagna, or jambalaya. Trying to portion them out, and make the recipe can be difficult, and you want to make sure that you are still counting your containers correctly so you can stay on track. Let me tell you, it's pretty simple and easy, and you can enjoy an even wider variety of recipes when you learn how to do it!

Let's take a healthy version of jambalaya for example!

To start, you want to first determine how many servings you are going to make for the entire recipe. For this jambalaya, let's say it's four servings.

To review: Step 1, determine how many servings you will have. 

For each recipe that you are looking at, you want to notice the key ingredients and what container they coordinate to in the 21 Day Fix. In our jambalaya (I haven't actually made this, it's just what is in my head, mind you) we will have brown rice (yellow container), onions, red bell peppers and green bell peppers, and tomatoes (green container), turkey sausage (red container), tomato sauce (purple) and your seasonings (no container, free food).

Step 2, figure out from the ingredients what containers are included. 

Next, convert your recipe to fit the containers, or figure out how many containers the recipe calls for. Let's say for this recipe, you are making it on your own, so you will create your own container count. Say we want one yellow container per serving. That means you will need four yellow containers of rice for the whole recipe. Green, because there are a lot of veggies, you could do two green containers per serving, which mean you need eight green containers of veggies total. Continue that with your other ingredients as well.

If you already have a recipe, you can follow that recipe and measure out the portions with your containers and take note of how many there are, and divide it by the total servings you have!

Step 3, Fit your recipe to the containers.

Your last step is to cook, enjoy and mark down your containers! It may seem a bit confusing at first to figure out the containers for "mixed" recipes. Sometimes it seems simpler to just eat a red container of baked chicken, a yellow of mashed sweet potatoes, and a green of broccoli. But then other times, you really crave a good recipe.

And the great thing about the 21 Day Fix and the 21 Day Fix Extreme is you can absolutely do that, and get creative with your cooking and recipes! They can be as simple or as elaborate as you want them. Give yourself time, you will get the hang out it.

Just take these steps and transfer them to any other recipe you want! Just make sure the ingredients you are using are included on your list of foods you can eat. Things like soup are fantastic, you measure out your proteins, veggies, and the like and eat up! Chili is another great recipe you can do with the 21 Day Fix and divide up in portions as well.

If you have any questions about how to divide up certain recipes, or clean them up, please do not hesitate to reach out and ask me! I would love to help you navigate those recipes and come up with a simple and helpful solution for you.

What's your favorite "mixed" 21 Day Fix recipe? Share below!

Here's one of my favorite...ground turkey enchiladas...21 Day Fix approved!

Spaghetti Squash Burrito Bowl

Typically, when I make spaghetti squash, I tend to stick to italian style recipes. Spaghetti squash with pasta sauce, spaghetti squash lasagna boats, and the like. Well, I came across an interesting looking recipe on Pinterest for a burrito bowl in spaghetti squash, so I thought that I would recreate my own burrito bowl.

I must say, they turned out super delicious! And these could absolutely be done with various ingredients, based on your own personal tastes.

Ingredients
(makes 4 servings)
2 spaghetti squash
1 can of white beans
1 can of tomato sauce
2 tsp cooking oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 lb ground turkey
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 packet low sodium taco seasoning

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cut spaghetti squash in half, and clean out the seeds. Place cut side down onto a baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the inside is tender. Remove and let cool.
3. While spaghetti squash is baking, heat 2 tsp cooking oil in a large skillet, and sautee onion.
4. Add in minced garlic, sautee for one minute, or until fragrant, and then add in the chopped bell peppers. Cook until tender.
5. Add in the ground turkey, and brown.
6. Mix in taco seasoning until full incorporated, cook for 5 minutes.
7. Add in the can of drained white beans, and can of tomato sauce, let simmer for 10 minutes.
8. Divide the filling between the four spaghetti squash boats, cover each with 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese and sprinkle with the chopped cilantro.
9. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until cheese is browning and bubbly.
10. Enjoy!

There you have it, super delicious spaghetti squash burrito bowls! If you wanted to, you could substitute out the white beans for black beans, and even mix in fresh salsa or fresh chopped tomatoes if you wanted to!

Who is ready to try some spaghetti squash burrito bowls?

Zoodle Pad Thai

Zucchini and Thailand collide in this delicious dish! I have been absolutely loving my Vegetti lately (it's what makes these "zoodles"- aka zucchini noodles), and decided to make a dish with an Asian flair from one of my favorite Asian countries- Thailand.

I created a veggie pad thai dish not long ago and loved it, and decided that I would substitute the whole wheat noodles for the delicious zucchini noodles to add in an extra servings of vegetables! It's actually even easier to make with the zucchini noodles because they don't have to cook longer.

So, here we go! 

Zoodle Pad Thai (Optional with chicken)
6 servings
Ingredients
-6 medium zucchini
-2 tsp cooking oil
-1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
-1/2 an onion, finely chopped
-3 cloves of garlic, minced
-1 red bell pepper, chopped
-1 green bell pepper, chopped
-1/3 cup peanut butter
-2 Tbsp soy sauce (plus more to taste)
-3 Tbsp coconut milk (more to taste if needed)
-Pinch of crushed red pepper
-1 Tbsp Sesame seeds (plus a few extras for garnish)
-2 chicken breasts, cut into smaller pieces (if using chicken)

Directions
1. Use a vegetti or other spiralizer cutter, cut all of your zucchini on the "thick" setting, set aside.
2. Heat your cooking oil in a large skillet, and also bring a medium pot of water to a boil (one that you can fit a steamer basket into)
3. Sautee your onion until translucent, add in garlic and sautee for a minute, until fragrant.
4. Add in all of your other chopped veggies.
5. Sprinkle and mix in your sesame seeds and let the whole mixture cook over medium to medium high heat for 5 minutes, until veggies begin to get tender.
6. Add in your chicken, cook until done, mixing with veggies.
7. Mix together your peanut butter, soy sauce, and coconut milk, to make your peanut sauce. Add in a pinch of red pepper, and pour over chicken and veggie mixture.
8. Cook for 5 minutes over medium high heat.
9. While the veggies and chicken are cooking, steam the zucchini very briefly. I prefer my zucchini noodles with more crunch. The longer you steam them, the smaller they get, so you can vary it according to your taste.
10. Remove and toss with the chicken and veggie mixture.
11. Top with a few red pepper flakes and sesame seeds, and enjoy! 

So, who is ready to try using zucchini noodles??

Crock-Pot Southwest Chicken

When I saw a recipe for "southwest chicken" my mouth started watering. What sweetened the deal even more was that it was only a few ingredients, minimal preparation, and maximum deliciousness! Honestly, this recipe could not get any simpler, and you can adjust it to your own tastes.

This chicken is delicious, simple, full of nutrients, protein, and you can put it in or on whatever suites your fancy. We used this southwest chicken in some romaine heart lettuce cups, and I (of course) drizzled it with some hot sauce, and BAM. Dinner is made.

Here's how to make your own crock-pot southwest chicken! Note that this meal can also be made, put into two gallon zip bloc bags and frozen for later use.

Ingredients

1 16oz jar of salsa of your choice

1 can of corn, drained

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed

3 to 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 package of cream cheese (could substitute for Greek yogurt as well) ** optional **

Lettuce wraps, brown rice, corn tortillas, or whatever you want to put your chicken in or on

Cheese, hot sauce, Greek yogurt, whatever toppings you want to use

Directions

Put salsa, corn, beans and chicken in the crock-pot on low. Cook for 6 to 7 hours. During the last 30 minutes, if you are adding cream cheese or Greek yogurt, mix in now. Serve over your lettuce wraps, tortillas or brown rice, and top with your favorite toppings! 

If you are looking to add in more veggies, chop up some onion and a bell pepper and add it to the mix! If you want to add some extra heat, try chopping up and mixing in a fresh jalepeno. The possibilities are endless. 

Who is ready to try this super simple crock-pot recipe?? 

Crock-Pot Teriyaki Chicken

When our oven caught on fire right before Christmas and was out of commission for about a week, I dug around for some spectacular crock-pot recipes that I could cook, save some time, and get around not having an oven.

I found quite a few recipes that are fantastic and are definitely going in my go to meal planning because they are quick, easy, and most importantly, healthy! Isn't it nice to have minimal prep, set your crock-pot, then come home to a hot meal ready for you? I know I love it!

This teriyaki chicken recipe was one of the ones that I found, and love!

Be sure to try this recipe out for yourself, you could serve it over hot brown rice, or even some zucchini noodles!

Ingredients
Medium to large bag of carrots
1 onion cut into large chunks
4 garlic cloves
2 cups of fresh cut pineapple (or two cans undrained)
*1 1/4 cup of teriyaki sauce (about one regular sized bottle)
4 chicken breasts

Directions
Combine all ingredients in your crock-pot, cook on low for 6 to 7 hours, then serve over hot brown rice or zucchini noodles!

*If you are freezing your crock-pot meal before use, split between two bags, and only use 1 cup of teriyaki sauce, then add the additional 1/4 cup when you are cooking it.

And it's as simple as that! Honestly, it doesn't get much easier. Prep time is minimal, and you come home to a hot, healthy meal! Who is going to give this a try?

Leftover Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Thanksgiving has come and gone another year! It was a blessed day for us, filled with delicious food, amazing company, and laughter and joy. Even with so many hard things going on in our country and the world, there is much to be thankful for!

One superficial thing that I am thankful for is...leftovers! You heard right, Thanksgiving leftovers are some of my favorite. I don't know why, but there's something just so delicious about it. I almost like turkey more as leftovers more than on Thanksgiving day.

The key is to get creative with it! This year I decided to experiment and make a new recipe especially for turkey leftovers, and I'm pretty sure these turkey lettuce wraps hit the nail on the head for me.

They are super simple, and you can do SO MUCH with them! You can mix them with what you want, top them like a taco and enjoy!

Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients 
- 1 head of butter lettuce (or romaine leaves, or any sturdy lettuce leaf of your choice)
- 2 cups of chopped leftover turkey
- 2 tsp cooking oil or butter
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 cucumber, diced
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper powder (more if you can handle the heat)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
-Optional: plain greek yogurt, cheese, small diced onions

Directions
1. Wash and dry the lettuce leaves. Keep the leaves in tact and set aside.
2. In a medium skillet, heat your preferred cooking oil or butter over medium high. Once hot, add your diced onion, and sautee until translucent.
3. Add garlic and cook for one minute, or until fragrant.
4. Add your diced bell pepper and cucumber, cook until tender.
5. Add the chopped turkey, and mix until incorporated.
6. Season with paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper.
7. Cook for 5 minutes on medium heat.
8. You can individually divide the turkey on the lettuce cups, or serve it in a bowl and let people fix their own like a taco!
9. You can top the tacos with plain greek yogurt, cheese, onions, tomatoes, hot sauce...whatever you want!
10. ENJOY!

Eating leftovers do not have to be boring. I love Mexican food, so this inspired dish was cleaned up a bit and uses those yummy turkey leftovers! Try this one out and use up all that delicious meat!

What's your favorite taco topping? Share below!

Sweet Potato Casserole

One traditional Thanksgiving dish (so I have been told by my husband) is sweet potato casserole. Now, I did not grow up eating sweet potato casserole at Thanksgiving, but I had heard of it. Since my husband loves this dish I decided to make my own version and clean it up a bit!

Now, as I did not grow up in the south, I am no expert on Sweet Potato Casserole. But, I did know that it usually came laden with some butter, coated with some crushed corn flakes, topped with marshmallows and mixed with lots of brown sugar and cinnamon. And while I know all that tastes delicious, I wanted to create my own topping for those yummy sweet potatoes!

Check out this twist on a traditional Thanksgiving recipe!

Cleaned Up Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients

-4 to 5 medium/large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes

-1 banana

-3/4 cup of shredded, unsweetened coconut (divided)

-2 Tbsp maple syrup

-2 Tbsp brown sugar

-1/4 cup of water

-1/2 cup crushed pecans, plus a handful (about 1/4 cup)

-1/4 cup crushed almonds or walnuts (or you can use more pecans)

-1 apple, cored and cubed into small pieces

-3 tsp cinnamon (divided)

-1/2 tsp allspice

-1/4 tsp cloves

-1/4 tsp nutmeg

Directions

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

-Bring a large pot of water to a full rolling boil, add your sweet potatoes. Cook until tender.

-Once sweet potatoes are tender, drain (reserving just a little bit of the cooking liquid, about 1/4 to 1/3 cup) and mash with the reserved liquid and banana. 

-Add 1/4 cup of shredded unsweetened coconut to the sweet potatoes, 2 tsp of cinnamon, and a handful of pecans. Mix until all incorporated.

-In a medium skillet sprayed with cooking spray, heat your 2 Tbsp of maple syrup and brown sugar with 1/4 cup of water. When it is all incorporated, add in your apples.

-Add remaining 1 tsp cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg. 

-Continue to stir to prevent burning. When the apples begin to turn tender, add your nuts and 1/4 cup of coconut. 

-Cook for about 5 minutes, until it begins to thicken and everything is incorporated. 

- In a greased 9x12 baking dish, layer the mashed sweet potatoes on the bottom and spread across.

- Spread the nut and apple mixture over the top of the sweet potatoes, then sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup of coconut.

-Bake for 20 minutes, or until heated through. 

-Enjoy!! 

Who else loves some good sweet potato casserole? What is your favorite topping to put on sweet potatoes? Share below! 

21 Day Fix Meal Planning

As I come to the beginning of my last week of the 21 Day Fix before Thanksgiving, I want to share some of my tips with you all! First of all, if you aren’t sure what the 21 Day Fix is, or you want to know my thoughts about it, check out my honest review in this blog!

Now, one of the biggest factors of the 21 Day Fix is the nutrition. As with all health and fitness, nutrition is really 80% and exercise is 20%. What we put into our bodies is incredibly important! And that is not something I realized right away, and am still learning now.

The 21 Day Fix has simplified nutrition for me in so many ways! I don’t have to count calories (which I hate doing), I know exactly how big my portions are supposed to be, and I know exactly how much I’m supposed to have of each food group! It takes all of the guess work out.

That being said, meal planning can be something completely new for most people! Today I’m going to share about going through the food lists and using it to help you meal plan. Later this week I will share a few of my sample meal plans that you can look off and borrow from!

Since you are eating from each food group in the 21 Day Fix, it comes with a handy list of what you can have from each food group. You have your green container that you fill with veggies, purple for fruit, red for protein, yellow for carbs, blue for healthy fats, orange for oil and dressing, and teaspoon for nut butters.

You can look at this quick guide from some ideas! Even if you aren’t doing the 21 Day Fix right now, this is a fantastic list to work off of for clean eating principles! The higher up on the list the food is, the more nutrient dense it is.

Tip #1 … Make sure you know how much of each container you are supposed to have every day! Write it down at the top of your meal plan so you don’t forget (I do this constantly).

Tip #2 … Go through each list of foods and circle your top ones that you enjoy and are willing to eat. Of course you can try new things, but make sure you are getting things you actually LIKE in there so you’re not making it more difficult on yourself.

Tip #3 … Plan your most “creative” meal of the day first. For me, that’s dinner! Breakfast and snacks are pretty basic for us, and for lunch we take the previous night’s dinner leftovers! So start with the most complex recipe, work out the containers, then plan the rest of your days meals!

Tip #4 … If you are on a tighter budget, repeat your fruits and veggies. Instead of having a different fruit and a different veggie every single day (and thus buying A LOT of produce that could possibly go bad before you use it all), buy a bigger bag of carrots and use it throughout the week. Or get a bag of frozen blueberries and use it in your Shakeology for the week!

Tip #5 … Make a LIST and stick to your LIST at the store! And also, don’t go hungry. It’s much better to go shopping with a PLAN. You will save money and time when you have a list and when you go when you’re NOT hungry. Don’t have time to eat before you go? Great time to grab your Shakeology and drink it on the way!

These are just a few tips that I’ve learned along the way doing the 21 Day Fix and learning to eat better and actually fuel my body instead of mindlessly eating like I was before. If you have any questions about meal planning or clean eating, please don’t hesitate to ask me!

And if you’re considering doing the 21 Day Fix, I would love to have you join in our December pre-holiday Support Group! It will last for 21 days and we will be doing the 21 Day Fix together so we all feel amazing for Christmas. You can fill out the contact form on the bottom right corner, or find me on Facebook or Instagram!

If you need a few 21 Day Fix approved recipes, check out the ones I've made and LOVE! 

Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

Revamped "Cookie Dough" 

Sesame Chicken

Healthy Lasagna Rolls

Zucchini Burgers

And more to come! If you want more, you can scroll through my "Recipes" tab at the top! 

Let me hear from YOU…what are some of your favorite foods from the list above? Can you find three foods that you love on there? Share them below!

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Who doesn’t love a warm, gooey cookie around the holidays? I know I do! I was searching for a way to create at least one “cleaner” cookie though that will help with the sweet tooth, but not totally undo my progress.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have found such a recipe! And I really liked it! We will definitely be making these again in our home. They are super simple, easy, fast, and delicious!

They are a little on the gooier side (which I like, personally), because you aren’t using any sort of flour or butter. But man are they tasty! Give them a chance for sure.

Here’s what you need to bake up these tasty clean treats!

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

2 ripe bananas

1 cup rolled uncooked oats

1 Tablespoon Peanut butter

½ cup chocolate chips

You can also add in a few dashes of cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg, and whatever other toppings you like! (Think more peanut butter, honey, nuts, etc)

Directions

1.     Heat oven to 350 degrees

2.     Mash up your bananas with your oatmeal so that they are all mixed together

3.     Add your peanut butter, chocolate chips, and whatever other toppings you like.

4.     Drop by heaping spoonful onto your greased cookie sheet, then press out into a cookie shape (but don’t make them too thin!)

5.     Bake at 350 for 15-17 minutes, until they begin to get a more golden brown color and are forming together.

6.     Allow cookies to cool on pan for about 2-3 minutes, until you can scoop them off with a spatula. (When I took mine out they began to squish when I used the spatula…let them cool ON the baking sheet a few minutes and it’s much easier!)

7.     Eat and enjoy the warm gooeyness!

There you have it! An easy, more healthy way to feed your sweet tooth around the holidays this year. If you have a health conscious friend, you could even whip up a batch of these as a Christmas present!

To get more great recipe ideas and to see what else I’m up to, be sure to subscribe to this blog, follow me on Instagram and friend me on Facebook!

Who’s going to try out this tasty treat??