Chocolate Protein Ice Pops

Looking for a late night snack that you won’t feel rumbling around in your stomach when you finally lay down? Look no further! With added protein and no dairy, this chocolate version of the ice pop makes a great, guilt free desert at the end of a long day.

Ingredients: 1 full avocado, 16 oz of chocolate coconut water, 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons agave nectar, 1 tablespoon chia seeds, 1-2 scoop(s) of protein powder

Directions: Blend all ingredients together until smooth. A blender will work better than a food processor in this situation. The avocado will provide the cream factor. If not a fan of avocados, banana can be used instead. Pour into ice pop mold.

Freeze for at least 4 hours. These are great for a late night snack attack and also if trying to work additional protein into your diet. They also provide hydration and are great for your skin. Stay cool!

Lettuce Wrapped Burrito

Happy #tacotuesday! Tacos are not the most unhealthy indulgence, but it’s the shell and certain fatty add ins like sour cream that break the meal and your diet. The good news is the dish is welcoming towards different veggies, so load ’em up!

Ingredients: 16 oz lean ground beef (makes about 5 burritos), 1-2 bell peppers (any color), 1 white onion, 2 avocados, ), 1/2 of tomato, cheddar cheese (if desired), 2-3 stalks of romaine lettuce

Directions: Slice peppers and about a 1/4 of the onion. Place meat in a large bowl and season with cumin, garlic powder, various peppers (chipotle, cayenne and black were used here), cilantro, lime juice and salt. A dash of balsamic vinegar was also thrown in. In a greased pan, sautée peppers and onions until browned. Add meat and dice with spatula. Cook for about 15 mins.

Pick de gallo: Dice about half of the tomato and half of the onion like shown above. Season with cilantro, chipotle and salt. Mix thoroughly.

For lettuce wraps, we have found that it’s best to double up the romaine leaves for support. Plus, it adds to your veggie intake. We have layered the wet ingredients first, followed by the meat and some leftover quinoa, a bit of shredded cheese and finally the diced avocado.

Try to secure an additional romaine leaf on top of the wrap to give it a burrito feel. The final product is hearty and requires two hands. It will make you forget all about Chipotle or Moe’s!

Almond Crusted Chicken Tenders

We all can agree that we miss fried food. The savory flavor, the crunchy shell it’s encased in, and the lack of silverware needed to consume it all make up the magic that is fried food. But the carbs and oil needed to make that magic happen come with a catch (kinda like a Disney movie). So getting creative is necessary when plain old grilled chicken has gotten old (which it will. After about the first week).

Ingredients: chicken tenderloins, 1 bag of almonds, clove of garlic, 2 eggs

Directions: Process the full bag of almonds and the clove of garlic. Add whatever spices desired (just pepper and salt were used here). Crack eggs in separate bowl and mix thoroughly.

Dip each chicken in the egg and then mix rigorously in the almond mix until completely covered. Place on baking sheet. Once all chicken has been coated, bake on 350 for about 20-25 minutes. Broil for 5 minutes for added crunch.

These were served with sweet potato wedges (recipe below) and salad. Thinking about pitching this to McDonald’s to replace the Happy Meal. Or maybe an Adult Happy Meal. The Amicable Meal :).

Sweet Potato Wedges: Cut the sweet potatoes into wedge shapes. Toss with olive oil, rosemary, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bake for 30 mins on 350.

Whole Wheat Lasagna

Lasagna is usually not a dish that comes to mind when thinking of healthy meal ideas. It’s normally heavy, filling, and generally speaking, you don’t want to move after a helping.

But there’s always a way to adjust a recipe to make it a bit more healthy, and lasagna is no exception. This whole wheat lasagne still has the delicious, full taste but doesn’t anchor you to the couch for the next several hours.

This recipe does take several moving parts and time, but it’s well worth the work and gives you plenty of leftovers.

Meat Sauce: 1 lb ground beef, 1 lb ground sausage, 24 ounce jar of Organic Tomato Sauce, half of a diced onion, cut up mushroom halfs,

Grease pan with olive oil. After a few minutes of heating, add onions and mushrooms. Give time to brown. In a separate bowl, mash together sausage and ground beef, adding oregano, thyme, salt, pepper, and whatever other spices desired. Add to pan and allow time to brown. Add tomato sauce. Mash meat with spatula to decrease lumps.

Noodles: Boil water in a large pot. Add whole wheat lasagna noodles. Periodically move noodles around so they are throughly cooked. Your workstation should be a bit crowded like below:

Cheese: tub of ricotta cheese from skim milk, bag of shredded mozzarella, two eggs.

Crack both eggs in large bowl and mix. Mix in ricotta and then add mozzarella. Add oregano, salt and pepper.

Layering: After noodles have strained and cooled, begin the layer process. Place some tomato sauce at the bottom of the lasagna pan. Add layer of noodles, followed by meat sauce, then cheese, and repeat once again. The final top layer should be of noodles. Add desired amount of cheese on top (we’ve kept it light here).

Cover pan with tin foil. Bake for 30 minutes 360. Once done, remove foil and broil for 10 minutes.

You’ll find that the final product is still filling, but the whole wheat pasta (along with portion control) gives it less of a heavy feeling and won’t leave you feeling like something is sitting in your stomach.

Middle Eastern Chicken and Chickpea Salad

Let’s face it: chicken can be boring af. It’s the blandest of all the proteins, but also the most benign when it comes to your waistline. That’s why we will be coming up with some chicken options that provide flavor without any guilt attached (tap the chicken option tag to see all).

Trust me, this one will get your taste buds going and make you forget you’re eating healthy.

Chicken Breast-Chopped Parsley, Juice of Half a Lemon/2 Tbsp Olive Oil, Through Rub of Cumin, Salt and Pepper to Taste. Baked with Bell Peppers and Mushrooms at 360° for 45 minutes.

Chickpea Parsley Salad-One Can of Chickpeas, Half Chopped Red Onion, Half Chopped Green Pepper, Half Chopped Tomato, One Chopped Cucumber, Bunch of Chopped Parsley, Juice of Half a Lemon, 2 Tbsp of Apple Cider Vinegar, 1 Tbsp of Stevia, Salt and Pepper to Taste

The dish doesn’t exactly fall into any one country’s culinary profile, but the lemon/olive oil marinade and use of cumin, parsley, and chickpeas slides right into the Mediterranean/Middle East area. Isn’t it funny how the food from other countries is so much healthier than America’s?