part-time athlete

recipe: creamy curry sauce

step 1: make healthy alfredo

step 2: dump in some curry powder

step 3: mix, pour on top of everything

i needed something to put on the lentils and cauliflower i made the other night for dinner, since i found it to be lacking in the “oomph” department.  i had some of the alfredo sauce in my fridge and though, “hey, what the heck, this could work!”  so i added in some curry powder, mixed it all up, and poured it all over my dinner.  and it was SO GOOD, not to mention very easy and totally healthy!

recipe: chocolate avocado pudding (aka “chovocado pudding” or “chocomole”)

this recipe is seriously so rich and delicious.  the avocado does not contribute to the flavor but does provide a wonderfully creamy base.  you may be skeptical but seriously, try it out!

ingredients (serves 2):

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1/4 cup agave
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1.5 tsp vanilla
• potential add-ins: 1/2 a banana, almond milk, greek yogurt

preparation: mix ingredients and blend!

(Source: forgivingmartha.com)

protip: save your empty peanut butter jars to use as containers for overnight oats!

whenever i finish a jar of peanut butter, i always keep it for this purpose.  they’re great for a number of reasons:

• you can scrape peanut butter from the sides of the jar while you eat
• a 16oz jar is a perfect single serving size for your oats with room to add mix-ins
• when you’re on the go, you can bring the jar with you and dispose of it when you’re done

sure, i’ve gotten some weird looks when people see me eating straight from a peanut butter jar, but it’s totally worth it!

my favorite types of oatmeal for this are chocolate peanut butter banana and peanut butter apple cinnamon.  i make both with 1/2c oats, 1c almond milk, and 1.5tbs chia seeds.  for the banana version, i add 2 tbs cocoa powder and blend a banana into the almond milk.  for the apple cinnamon version, i blend an apple into the almond milk and add a tsp of cinnamon.  add sweetener as desired.  let them sit in your fridge overnight and you’ll have delicious oatmeal waiting for you in the morning!

recipe: gluten free banana bread

i got the recipe here and it’s SO DELICIOUS and pretty clean.  i added chocolate chips too and i’m sure walnuts or pecans would be delicious but i didn’t have any.

ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup Applesauce
• 1 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
• 3 Ripe Bananas
• 2 Eggs
• 1 1/2 Cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour
• 1/2 Cup Ground Flax Seeds
• 2 Tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 Tsp Salt
• 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
• 2 Tsp Xanthan Gum

imperfectatbest:

Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Stuffed Bananas! (tutorial)

oh my god.

oh my god.

oh my god.

recipe: kale, feta, and sun dried tomato stuffed chicken

i made a modified version of this recipe for lunch the other day and oh my goodness, there was party in my mouth.

Ingredients:

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 large handfuls of kale, washed and chopped
• 4 sun dried tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup feta cheese
• handful of raw or roasted pine nuts
• 1 large chicken breast, cut in half lengthwise to create two large flat pieces
• 2 tbs lemon juice
• 3 tbs olive oil, plus extra for sautéing
• pepper & salt

Preparation:

1. preheat the oven to 400F.
2. sauté garlic and kale in olive oil for about 5 minutes
3. mix chopped sun dried tomatoes, feta cheese, and pine nuts - mix in garlic and kale mixture when done
4. prepare chicken by placing it between 2 sheets of saran and pounding it out.. a plate and a fist works if you don’t have a meat mallet.  it should be about 1/4 of an inch thick or a little less.
5. top flattened chicken with the sun dried tomatoes, feta, pine nuts, kale, and garlic.  roll and secure with toothpicks or butcher’s string.
6. stir together olive oil, lemon juice, and some salt and pepper.  spoon this onto the chicken rolls.
7. place in over and bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through.

recipe: healthy chocolate fudge pie

just look at that pie.  look at it.  now guess what?  it’s incredibly easy to make, super delicious, and fairly healthy!  i just made it for my birthday and i’m definitely NOT telling my friends what’s in it!

ingredients:

• 12-oz package silken or firm tofu
• 1 tsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 T nondairy milk
• scant 1/8 tsp salt
• 8 to 10 oz chocolate chips (a little over 1 and 1/3c or more)
• 2-3 T agave or other sweetener (optional)

directions:  melt the chocolate (either on the stove or in the microwave), then throw everything into a food processor and blend until super-smooth. pour into a pie crust if desired (or you can just eat it as mousse).  refrigerate until chilled - this will get firmer and firmer the longer it sits. (it’s firmer if you use firm tofu and more like mousse pie if you use silken.)

nutrition facts (for 1/8 of the recipe):

• 143 calories
• 6 grams fat
• 2.5 grams protein
• 0mg cholesterol

girlgrowingsmall:

prettybalanced:

Egg Topped Quinoa and Edamame Salad with Avocado

I need to make this…..

made this for breakfast today.  it was as delicious as it looks!

(click through for recipe!)

recipe: chocolate peanut butter banana protein overnight oats with chia seeds

now is that a mouthful to say or what?  these were so delicious today, definitely the best overnight oats i’ve made - i just had to share!  here’s the breakdown:

• 1 cup of almond milk
• 1 ripe banana
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1-2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 scoop protein powder of choice
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter

directions: blend almond milk and banana.  add oats, chia seeds, cocoa powder, and protein powder.  refrigerate overnight.  serve with peanut butter.

note: i personally do not like to mix my peanut butter into my oats because i feel like a lot of the peanut butter goodness gets lost in the mix and the flavor doesn’t come through as strongly.  today i just put a big scoop right in my oats but didn’t mix them so i could take spoonfuls with the peanut butter.. it was divine.

recipe: creamy avocado pasta

taken from oh she glows

ingredients (for 2 servings):

• 1 medium sized ripe avocado
• 1/2 lemon, juiced (and zest to garnish if you’re fancy)
• 2-3 garlic cloves, to taste
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
• 1/4 cup fresh basil (optional)
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 servings of your choice of pasta
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

preparation:

1. bring several cups of water to a boil in a medium sized pot. add in your pasta, reduce heat to medium, and cook until al dente.
2. meanwhile, make the sauce by placing the garlic cloves, lemon juice, and olive oil into a food processor. process until smooth. now add in the pitted avocado, basil, and salt. process until smooth and creamy.
3. when pasta is done cooking, drain and rinse in a strainer and place pasta into a large bowl. Pour on sauce and toss until fully combined. garnish with lemon zest and black pepper. serve immediately.

notes: i added toasted pine nuts, cooked green beans, and parmesan to mine. delicious!  i also put some chobani in the avocado sauce following the healthy foodie’s lead.

edit: i made it a second time and added some almond milk instead of chobani to thin it out and it was even better!  i added some baby spinach in also and that was another success.

recipe: apple nachos

mmm, apple nachos.  what a delicious treat!

how to make them:

• core and cut up apples of your choice
• arrange on a plate or serving platter
• load up with toppings of your choice!

here are some good ideas for toppings:

• melted peanut butter
• caramel sauce
• chocolate chips
• toasted coconut
• pecans or other nuts
• granola
• anything else you find in your cabinets

recipe: stuffed zucchini

this is recipe i adore from an issue of cooking light that came out when i was 4 years old (september 1996). this is definitely one of my favorite dishes - according to the original recipe it’s an appetizer but in my family, it’s the main course.

these zucchini are full of flavor and nutritional value!  i would consider this recipe to be more “advanced” but it is well worth the effort.

Ingredients:

• 4 medium zucchini (about 1-1/2 pounds)
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary 
• 10 spinach leaves
• 8 basil leaves
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and quartered
• 1-1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 3 large plum tomatoes, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup dry breadcrumbs
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• 1 large egg white

Preparation:

1. Cut each zucchini in half lengthwise; scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/4-inch-thick shell. Set pulp aside. Cut each zucchini shell in half crosswise.
2. Steam zucchini shells, covered, 3 minutes. Place on paper towels to drain; set aside.
3. Place zucchini pulp in a food processor; process until finely chopped. Spoon into a bowl; set aside. 
4. Place rosemary and next 5 ingredients (rosemary through carrot) in a food processor, and process until finely chopped.
5. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over low heat. Add rosemary mixture; cover and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add zucchini pulp, tomatoes, and salt; saute over medium heat 20 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in breadcrumbs. Let mixture cool. Add cheese and egg white; stir well.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
7. Divide mixture evenly among zucchini shells. Place stuffed shells on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Yield: 16 servings (serving size: 1 stuffed zucchini piece).

Nutritional Information: CALORIES 70 (30% from fat); FAT 2.3g (sat 1g, mono 0.9g, poly 0.3g); PROTEIN 3.9g; CARB 9.1g; FIBER 1.4g; CHOL 4mg; IRON 0.9mg; SODIUM 298mg; CALC 93mg

my notes:

• once you cut the zucchini lengthwise, you don’t have to cut them in half (unless you want them to be finger food) - they will be easier to stuff if they are in whole shells
• you can skip steaming the shells
• the recipe calls for regular spinach so if you’re using baby spinach, make sure to put in extra (a small handful of baby spinach is about one leaf of regular spinach)
• a saute pan works fine if you don’t have or want to use a dutch oven

mm i had this for lunch at whole foods and i’ll definitely be recreating it.

basically, all you need is kale and avocado!  plus some other mix-ins like salt, lemon juice, olive oil, and some other veggies or nuts.

here’s the whole foods recipe:

• 1 bunch kale, stemmed and finely chopped 
• 2 cups grated carrots 
• 1/2 avocado, peeled and pitted 
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion 
• 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice 
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted 
• 1/2 teaspoon reduced sodium soy sauce

here’s another version:

• 2 Cups Kale, chopped fine
• Juice of 1 Small Lemon
• 1/4 Tsp Kosher Salt
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 Avocados, peeled and pitted
• 1/4 Cup Toasted Pine Nuts

preparation is basically just cutting everything up and throwing it in a bowl.

recipe: spaghetti squash cake

yes, you read that right: a cake made with spaghetti squash.  this is actually one of my absolute favorite fall desserts, it’s seriously delicious and a great way to use your leftovers!  this recipe is from the october 1998 issue of cooking light.

spaghetti squash cake:

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup margarine or butter, softened
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons 1% low-fat milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chopped cooked spaghetti squash

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Coat an 8-inch round cake pan with cooking spray; line bottom of pan with wax paper. Coat wax paper with cooking spray; set pan aside.
3. Beat sugars, margarine, ginger, and cinnamon at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended. Stir in milk, vanilla, and egg; beat at low speed of mixer until well-blended. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Stir in sugar mixture and squash. Spoon into prepared cake pan, spreading evenly.
4. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes. Remove from pan; carefully peel off wax paper. Cool completely on a wire rack. Spoon Orange-Cream Cheese Glaze over top of cake. Sprinkle with pecans.

my notes:

• you can get enough spaghetti squash from half of a regular-sized squash.
• the cake turns out to be pretty thin, so i recommend multiplying the recipe by 1.5
• you don’t need to wax paper the bottom of the pan
• don’t skip out on the glaze… you’ll regret it.  if you don’t have a zester, just use a peeler and peel off some of the very outer layer and then chop it up.  if you don’t have an orange, just add in some orange extract or maybe even orange juice would work!
• obviously make any healthier substitutions you want (egg whites, whole wheat flour, etc)