Blueberry Gluten Free Pancakes

At last! It's time to share a new recipe with you.

I whipped up a batch of these a couple of weekends ago. Unfortunately, I ate them before I could even snap a picture but you could just Google image "blueberry pancakes" and they'll be about the same :)

3/4 Cup Brown Rice Flour
1/4 Cup Coconut/Almond Milk
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup of Frozen Blueberries
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1 Tbsp Maple Syrup (Plus a little extra for topping)

Mix all ingredients in a big bowl. Spray a pan with a little stick-free spray and set the pan on medium heat. Once heated, pour about 1/4 cup of the mixture onto the pan and flip when ends are bubbling and brown. Serve with maple syrup and more fruit.

Anyone else already dreaming about the weekend?

Green Smoothies

This weekend while the hubs was hunting, I got to spend some much needed time with my little sister. After a quick breakfast of blueberry g-f pancakes (recipe coming soon!), we decided to check out the Downtown Artist and Farmers Market.

Perfect Weather, Perfect Weekend

The weather was amazing, I think summer is really close. After trying a few samples and checking out some cool crafts, we decided to finally try something from the Grooovie Smoothie food truck. My sis and I have seen this truck at so many events and have been so curious but a little scared to try it.

Grooovy

We each picked out a smoothie and then had to pick out a base (coconut water, spring water, almond milk, etc.) and an add-in (chia seeds, flax seeds, etc.). We ordered a watermelon and apple-lemonade. The watermelon drink was made up of watermelon, romaine, rainbow chards (which we kept pronouncing as churds...turds hehe) and some more tasty all-natural ingredients; the apple lemonade had apples, lemons, cilantro, sprouts and more. Both drinks were incredible!! We felt so hydrated and energetic all day. I typically try to add spinach or broccoli to my smoothies but this opened my eyes to the greater variety of veggies and herbs that would taste just as great.

Apple Lemonade

The smoothies inspired us to hit up the grocery store on Sunday in search of similar ingredients for our own smoothies. We left the store with watermelons, cucumbers, coconut water and so much more. Here's what I whipped up and enjoyed this morning:

1 Cup Spinach
1 Cup Watermelon
1/4 Cup Cucumber
1/2 Cup Sprouts
8 Ice Cubes
1 Tbsp Chia Seeds

It looks like I drank salsa verde, but it was SO good.

Good Til The Last Drop

I hope your week is starting out great! I have a recipe to share with you later this week as well as an updated list of workouts (tri training is still going on!).

Chia Colada

I hope everyone got through April Fool’s with as few pranks pulled on them as possible! Thankfully, I didn’t get pranked once…whew! As a kid, I had this plastic ice cube with a fly in it, every year I’d sneak it in someone’s glass at the dinner table and they’d always act surprised. I thought it was such a good prank!

Monday’s workout was a long swim – I am not certain about my distance but I do know that I swam for almost 30 minutes. Yesterday’s workout was a 9 mile bike ride followed immediately by a 1 mile run. I’m looking forward to a rest day today and getting back to the workouts tomorrow. I am really enjoying this tri training!!

With the warmer weather and my crazy hunger in the mornings, all I’ve been wanting are smoothies for breakfast. Here’s this morning’s Chia Colada recipe:

·         1 Tbsp Chia Seeds

·         1 Tbsp Dried, Shredded Coconut

·         1 Cup Frozen Fruit

·         1 Cup Coconut Milk

 Blend, sip and pretend you are on a tropical island.

For tonight’s dinner, I threw some ingredients in a crockpot and am hoping it turns out well enough to share here.

Every so often I decide I want to use self-tanner lotion. I apply it as best I can and the next day I have those horrible streaks and I promise that I’ll never use it again. I put the bottle in a different cabinet and weeks later when I find it, I decide to give it another (unsuccessful) try. Currently, I’m rocking some amazing tan streaks on my feet and arm. Will I ever learn? Probably not.

What beauty trend do you keep trying despite awful results? Any recommendations for my inability to self-tan?

Happy Wednesday!!

Broccoli for Breakfast

Happy Tuesday!

Last night's work out was a 1000m swim. I was having one of those days where I was doubting my ability to do well in my upcoming tri and was thinking about pulling out of the race. Thankfully, I completed this workout and it completely knocked out all of my negativity. I'll be competing and that is that!

This morning I woke up so hungry and knew that a shake would be the fastest path to eating. Here is today's shake:

* 1 Cup Frozen Berries (still using and loving the antioxidant blend)
* 1 Cup of Broccoli (maybe a little strange but I love it in my a.m. shake!!)
* 1 Tbsp Almond Butter
* 1 Cup of Almond/Coconut Milk

Blend and enjoy :)

I'm looking forward to another tri workout this afternoon followed by a little grilling tonight.

Hope your week is shaping up nicely!

Oat & Dairy Free B.Fast

Now that I know I have dairy and oat intolerances, I’m amazed at how many products, particularly breakfast related, have those items in their ingredient list. After being sick of hard boiled eggs and the same cereals, I’ve been forced to get creative. Here are a few of my recent favorites:

v  Toast with almond butter and raspberry preserves

v  Scrambled eggs with broccoli, salsa and any other veggies that are about to expire

v  Brown rice flour pancakes – I need to work on this recipe a bit more before I post it

v  Shakes – I had written these off because I didn’t want to buy the expensive lactose free protein powder but I’ve been making them without and they’re my favorite quick breakfast. I love that they’re filling and give me energy to make it through the day. Thanks to Maddie for the suggestion!!

Here’s today’s shake recipe:

1 Cup Spinach*
1 Cup Frozen Fruit (I love the Antioxidant blends that include berries and cherries)
1 Tbsp Almond Butter
1-1   ½ Cups of Almond/Coconut Milk  (my favvvvv)

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend away! Serve in an awesome glass.

*I bought a bundle of spinach, blended it with a little water and froze in an ice cube tray. I like having spinach on hand for these shakes and other recipes as well as not having to let leftover spinach go to waste. I do not recommend doing as I did and pouring it in the same ice cube tray as your frozen cilantro…the two look awfully similar but cilantro breakfasts shakes are not nearly as delicious.

Happy Thursday!!!

So Fresca & So Clean Clean

Though Agua Fresca directly translates to “fresh water” it’s much more than just water! It is a delicious Mexican treat traditionally made with fresh fruit, water, ice and sugar. Options include: watermelon (my favorite!), jicama (a sweet root vegetable that’s also great on salads), pineapple, cantaloupe and of course, lemon. I have had a hankering for this sweet summertime drink but wanted to ease up on the calories from all of the added sugar.

Agua Fresca de Sandia

Ingredients:

2 Cups of Watermelon  
1 Cup of Water
4-5 Sprigs of Fresh Mint
1 Tbsp Honey – Optional, Use if you prefer a sweeter drink or if your fruit is a little under ripe

Directions:

In a blender, combine fruit, water, mint and honey (if using).

Mix It Up!

 

I used the “liquefy” button on my machine to help reduce too much pulp. If you’re not into pulp at all, cover a bowl with cheesecloth and pour the liquid over it, discard the pulp and save your bowl of juice. Pour over a glass of ice and enjoy! This is so refreshing and a great way to sneak in a few servings of fruit!  

Anybody Thirsty??

 

Feeling a little sassy? Add a splash of vodka to this beverage!

Random piece of knowledge? If you haven’t already guessed “sandia” translates to “watermelon”. The mountain range in east Albuquerque are called the Sandia Mountains because on clear days, as the sun sets the mountains look pink – like a watermelon! 

Crock Pot Enchiladas

I love to bake and I love to cook. Now that I have more time in my schedule I have redeveloped my passion for cooking and creating my own recipes.  Growing up in a Mexican-American family I have been exposed to some amazing traditional Mexican dishes, but they aren’t always the healthiest. I’d like to start recreating some of my favorite recipes and posting here for your enjoyment. How about we start with an easy and so delicious recipe for enchiladas?

 

Crock Pot Enchiladas

Ingredients:

2 Chicken Breasts

14 Oz Red Chile (Bueno makes a great one!)

1 Can Reduce Sodium Black Beans

Corn Tortillas

1 Tbsp Oil

Light Sour Cream or Plain Greek Yogurt

Cheddar Cheese

Lettuce (Optional)

Onion (Optional)

 

Place a few spoonfuls of chile at the bottom of a crock pot. Place the chicken breasts and coat with the remaining chile and ½ cup of the can of chicken broth. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, add the black beans and continue to cook until the beans are warmed up. Just before serving, add the olive oil to a pan set at medium heat. Using prongs, add a tortilla into the warm oil and cook on each side for about 10 seconds, you just need the tortilla to be soft, not crispy. You could also eliminate this step and just put microwaved tortillas on the plate, but that softened tortilla captures more of the authentic flavor. I placed my tortillas on a napkin and blotted off any remaining oil before placing on a plate. Top with the red chile/black bean/chicken mixture, cheese, lettuce, onion and a small dollop of sour cream. Enjoy!

 

Stuffed Peppers Sunday

It is absolutely freezing here in Boston. The high today was somewhere around 15 degrees, and because of the wind chill, the "feels like" temp has hovered in the negatives all day. NOT pleasant. I avoided going outside for most of the day by deep cleaning my apartment, but eventually I had to venture out. I met my sister to get our nails done, and then I hit the grocery store. I hate shopping on Sundays because it's always crowded, but it needed to get done! The hubs and I did some meal planning for the week (I have a CRAZY busy week with events Tues, Weds, and Thurs night), and I had to get all the fixings.

On the menu tonight is stuffed peppers. The hubs (the chef of our apartment) makes amazing stuffed peppers, as I have mentioned before, so this time, I documented the process and wrote down the recipe! So without further ado, here it is!

Johnny O's Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients:
     - 6 large bell peppers (we used yellow tonight, any color will do though)
     - 10 oz ground turkey
     - 1 large can of diced tomatoes (28oz can)
     - 1 large onion - diced
     - 2 Tbsp brown sugar
     - 1 Tbsp Goya Adobo seasoning
     - 1 1/2 Tbsp cumin
     - 2 tsp paprika
     - 1 tsp chipotle powder (chili powder can be substituted)
     - 2 cups cooked rice
     - 12 Tbsp shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
1. Cook the rice. We have a rice cooker, so we make a whole batch of it, but if you make it on the stove it can take a while, so it's always good to start with the rice first! And pre-heat the over. 350 degrees!

2. Chop up the onion, and add it to a hot skillet with the ground turkey. Brown the onion and meat.

3. Drain the can of diced tomatoes, and add to the skillet.

giant can from Trader Joe's

4. Add brown sugar to the mix, and allow to simmer for approximately 10 minutes.

5. While the good stuff is simmering, cut and clean the peppers. We chose to cut the peppers in half. Not only does it make it WAY easy to clean them out, it almost makes for more stuffing area. Use a non-stick sheet, or spray the bottom of each pepper (rather than the whole sheet) for easy removal later.

a few rouge seeds in there...

6. Now that the tomatoes and meat are all nice and juicy, shut off the heat and add the cooked rice to the skillet and mix it all together.

7. Once everything is good and mixed up, add a heaping 1/2 cup of the mix to each half pepper.

8. Add a tablespoon of shredded mozzarella to each pepper, and then put them in the oven! They should be in for about 10-15 minutes, until the peppers are tender.

Once the peppers are tender, turn the oven to broil for about 3 minutes. This will brown the cheese and crisp up the tops of the peppers!

9. ENJOY!!!

These puppies are DELICIOUS. They have the tiniest kick to them and are so flavorful (although you can make them spicier by adding more chipotle/chili powder). They're healthy, filling, and super easy (pretty sure that's the trifecta of cooking). I obviously did the watching, not the cooking, but IF I ever wanted to cook, I'm sure I could make these no problemo. Maybe. I wouldn't trust my cooking though...

Off to watch the Golden Globes!