Clean Eating High Protein Waffles

Looking for a healthy alternative to the favorite breakfast food? Look no further! I have a recipe that is clean and higher in protein that normal waffles, thanks to greek yogurt. So, bust out your waffle iron and mix up these simple ingredients for a delicious breakfast!!


CLEAN EATING HIGH PROTEIN WAFFLES:

You will need:
 1/2 cup of greek yogurt
4 eggs
3/4 c. of whole wheat flour
1/4 t. salt
1/4 c  coconut or olive oil
1/2 c  milk ( I used almond milk)
1/2 t vanilla
1 T cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together. I do not have a mixer so I  just used a whisk. Cook according to your waffle iron directions. You could use this mix for pancakes as well. Top with some butter and syrup or honey and enjoy!!!

Batter in the iron!

Ready to eat!

Recipe: Kale Chips

Kale chips are the perfect snack food: delicious, healthy and easy! All you need are two ingredients: kale and olive oil. Simply arrange the kale on a baking sheet, drizzle olive oil over top and broil at 350 for 8-10 min. Chips are done when toasted and crisp. You can also add any seasonings you want. What are you waiting for? Go make some kale chips! This can be done in the toaster oven too.

Only two ingredients. 

Delicious kale chips!

Meatless Mondays

I have decided to jump on the Meatless Monday bandwagon. It's a great way to incorporate more veggies into my diet. It goes right along with clean eating and avoiding processed foods. I am always striving to eat more of a healthier, plant-based diet. After seeing the documentary Forks Over Knives, I was definitely inspired to eat less meat. Although the meat I do eat is all natural and grass fed. It did make me stop and think about how much meat I consume. There are many health and environmental benefits to this movement and I am excited to be a part of it!

Move over, meat. 

My Crock Pot Makes Me A Good Cook

I have said it before, and I will say it again: My crock pot makes me a good cook! I have never been a natural in the kitchen. I have to follow a recipe. I'm not usually comfortable just making it up as I go along. Thank goodness for the slow cooker. My favorite meals are usually made in it: lasagna, sausage and peppers and a new favorite, buffalo chicken pasta. I made if for the first time last night, and it was delicious. It is also a clean eating recipe. You won't find any perservatives here! You can add lots of veggies as well. Here's the recipe:
You Will Need:
1 lb natural chicken
1 small container regular Frank's hot sauce (Don't use the buffalo flavors-lot's of icky things in them)
1 can cream of chicken (I use Pacific Natural Foods brand, all organic ingredients.)
1 can crushed (or diced) tomatoes ( I like Eden Organcis, BPA free!)
Diced onions and peppers-however much you like
1/2 cup of grated cheese
12 oz of pasta ( I used whole wheat rotini)
To Prepare:
Put chicken in crock pot. Season with salt and pepper if you like. Stir in hot sauce and cream of chicken soup. Add  tomatoes, peppers and onions. Put on either high for 2-3 hours or low for 3-4 hours. Stir in cheese after it's done cooking. Turn off crock pot. Cook pasta, drain and then add to mixture. Stir well and serve! Add ranch if you like. Absolutely delicious!

If You Don't, Who Will?

It's midnight! So why am I blogging now? (Actually, it's 12:28 a.m.) I suppose it's the night owl in me. (Even though I do need to get up early tomorrow). Anyway, I was playing around with the design on my blog, and it got me thinking about why I started blogging in the first place. I was transitioning over to cleaner, healthier foods and wanted an outlet for it. And I realized I haven't posted much more about the subject, besides recipes. I really have made some major changes in my eating habits. Here are the big ones:

• I have been eating more fruits and veggies in general. 
• I have been eating organic and local whenever possible. 
• Eating only grass-fed beef.
• Eating only free-range eggs.
• I never buy bread anymore and hardly eat it. I really don't miss it either. 
• I never buy lunch meat, hot dogs or any kind of processed meats. 
• I stay away from overly processed foods in general.
• Steer clear of anything artificial. Preservatives, additives, colors and all those yucky things. 
• I snack on almonds, dried fruit and veggie chips.

Of course, it took some time and money to get here. It's not always cheap. But it is worth the price of my health. Overall, I really do feel better. And I also believe everything in moderation. I still eat pizza. I even buy frozen ones. I do try to get a healthier brand. I still love popcorn and licorice. I just eat a lot less of it. And I really don't try to eat that good when I go out to eat, mainly because I don't eat out a lot.


Are you looking to make a change? Baby steps! Start by replacing your breakfast with oatmeal or eggs. Eat a salad or yogurt at lunch. And add more veggies to your dinner plate. Cook more. Eat less processed foods. Drink lots of water too. We all owe it to ourselves to nourish our bodies! If you don't, who will?

Sweet Potato + Quinoa Burgers

I did a quick internet search for this recipe, and found, oh, so many recipes. I finally just had to pick one out of the bunch. The one I picked claimed to have the secret recipe to "non-mushy" burgers. Who wants mushy burgers?? Not I!  Whoa. Close call. Here is my take on the recipe:

What You Will Need:
cooked sweet potatoes
cooked quinoa, cooled.
1 TB ketchup
1 TB curry powder
oats (not the instant kind)

Okay, so I played with the amounts. I only had one sweet potato in my house. So I only used one. I only cooked 1 cup of quinoa, but only used about 1/2 cup of it. I just played with the quinoa/swt pot mixture until I thought it was even. Then add onions, and seasonings/ketchup Blend them in a food processor or mash together well. Then I slowly add the oats in until the mix wasn't so sticky. I didn't measure it out.  Make into patties. Here's another secret to non-mushy burgers:put patties in the freezer for 20 min or so before you bake them. This helps with the stickiness factor. I then baked the patties in my toaster oven. You could cook on skillet as well. (I only had 3.5 patties)

 This was a super easy recipe and turned out delicious!!!

Foodie Friday: Clean Eating Chicken Wings

This recipe is clean because I used all natural chicken, baked (not fried) and there are no icky preservatives! I found the on The Gracious Pantry's blog. Click the link for the recipe. I pretty much followed the recipe exactly. Except I left out the onion powder and molasses, only because I didn't have any. I did use Frank's Hot Sauce, but not the buffalo sauce since it has preservatives in it. I used 1/2 cup of honey, because it was pretty spicy. I also used my own spices, a combo of paprika, basil and pepper. They turned out freaking amazing!! I will def be making this again. Simple and delicious!

Clean Eating Chicken Alfredo

This is one of my favorite recipes to make. It's delicious and creamy withouth the fat. Also, quick and simple to make. There is no heavy cream or butter, so it really stays light.  The trick is using a "cream of" soup. I prefer cream of celery since it is lighter. You could use chicken or mushroom too. Be careful of all the extra additives in these soups. I used Pacific Natural Foods Brand that I found at Whole Foods.

Ingredients:
8 oz of whole wheat pasta (I use thin spaghetti)
1 lb of chicken tenders or breasts, cut into cubes
1 cup of broccoli
1/c of sliced onions
1 can cream of soup
1/2 cup of milk (I use almond milk)
1/2 cup of parmesan cheese (or whatever kind you like really)
1/4 tsp ground pepper or prefered spices

1.Prepare pasta according to directions. Add broccoli in during the last 4 min of cooking. Drain.
2. Cook chicken in skillet over med-high heat. Cook unti well browned, stir often. Add onions.
3. Add soup, milk, cheese, black pepper and pasta mixture to the skillet and stir well. Cook until mixture is hot and bubbling.
4. Enjoy! Add as many extra veggies as you want. Top with additional cheese if needed.