Cuz this is laaaaaadiesss (dessert) night....

It was a Sunday night and "The Bachelorette" was on.... so the ladies be comin' over! These are some calorie conscious treats I prepared:

Wine (pretty low sugar/volume)

Melon (a low fructose fruit)

Sugar-Free Raspberry Ripple: http://www.sarahwilson.com.au/2012/04/my-sugar-free-raspberry-ripe-2/#more-4272

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies from Happy Herbivore Lindsay Nixon: http://happyherbivore.com/ (my friend Sara (blog shout out, girl!) and I cannot keep any of her desserts in the house!)

Strawberry Granita: AMAZING and EASY, recipe below:

Strawberry Granita

I took this from the "I Quit Sugar" Cookbook... very easy! Just take 2 cups of strawberries and puree them in the food processor until they are...a puree! Pop in the freezer and every hour or so, mix in the ice crystals, creating a sorbet. Do that a few times, then take out 10-15 mins before serving. So pretty and healthy!

Broccoli with Soy/Lime Sauce

I cannot claim ANY credit for coming up with this ridiculously easy and delicious recipe, buuuuuuut it's my blog so I will (sorry, dad!). Steamed broccoli dipped in a ratio of 1 to 1 freshly squeezed lime juice to soy sauce. Delicious!

Pumpkin Conundrum

One of the greatest struggles in a SAHM's life is what to do with leftover pumpkin. After making my Omega 3 Pumpkin Muffins, I had about 3/4 cup left over. What to do? What to DOOOOOO? Smoothie time!!! So, this is what I put in my fabulous pumpkin smoothie:


1/4 cup pumpkin
1 banana (better frozen, or you can add ice)
about 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
protein powder
chia seeds (duh!)
flaxseed meal
cacao nibs
half a packet of stevia sweetener
dash cinnamon


Delish (and nutrish)!

Easy Summer Greek Pasta Salad

Looking for a fun and easy pasta salad to bring to a party? Look no further! I was tired of making the same old pasta salad with peppers, onions, and Ken's Italian dressing (which has HFCS!), so I made my own low-sugar salad with a little bit of protein!

Salad:
Whole wheat penne/rigatoni/bow tie pasta
Kidney/black beans
Fresh peppers
Red onion
Sliced pepperoncini peppers
Celery
Snow/snap peas
Feta
Optional: pitted olives/sundried tomatoes/carrots/chickpeas/spinach

Dressing:
Red wine vinegar
Light olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

Cha Cha Cha Chia!

Alllllll the rage nowadays is about Chia, and not the tacky Chia pets of the fabulous 1990s (or is that the other way around?). So what's so amazing about chia seeds?

They are derived from a Central American mint-family plant, the bad boy lookin like this here:

Chia seeds are incredibly high in Omega 3s, as well as fairly high in protein (for their size). They are often consumed in drinks, and can themselves be soaked to absorb liquid (a popular way to consume chia seeds in Mexico is to soak them in fruit juice for chia fresca). They are also commonly used in porridge, and are being used more widely in baked products.

I have found chia seeds to be a great addition to a number of foods throughout my day:

Baked goodies (chia seeds have no taste, so they are an easy addition to any baked good)

Smoothies

Yogurt topping (instead of sugar-laden granola)

I have yet to try making "chia pudding," made by mixing chia with a liquid (I assume something like almond milk would be great), mixing the two like a maniac for a minute, then setting aside for a bit before consuming. Chia seeds get all gelatinous upon contact with liquid, so I don't know about this concoction. Maybe on a crazy Saturday night some day.

I bought the Nutiva chia seeds at the local natural foods store, but plan on getting more at Trader Joe's, as I am guessing cost is better there (and until I hit it big in blog ad revenues, I will continue to seek chia seed sales.)

So get your chia on!

Smooth it out now!

Hip hop hooray for smoothies! (Dig my Naughty By Nature reference?) I have recently become slightly obsessed with smoothies. After reading Gwyneth Paltrow's (I know, I know, every person I have spoken to since 2006 hates her guts) goop blog/website on "A Better Breakfast," I have not been able to NOT have a yummy smoothie daily (http://goop.com/journal/make/175/a-better-breakfast). Check out this "before" situation:

So what goes into a healthy smoothie that is both healthy and satisfying? This is what I typically throw in:
Hemp protein powder (no sugar added, which is present in a lot of whey protein powders)
Chia seeds
Flaxseed meal
Coconut oil
Avocado
Frozen banana
Strawberries
Yogurt
Shredded coconut
Unsweetened almond milk
Cacao nibs


This makes for an incredible smoothie (although not incredibly sweet, so one could add stevia to it):

Yum!

Omega 3 Muffins

These muffins are vegan, super healthy, and full of omega 3s! They are not sugary, but they make a great snack on the go, or with a nut butter!

Ingredients:
1 cup pureed pumpkin
1/2 cup silken tofu
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
3/4 cup applesauce
2 tsp vanilla extract
(optional: for a sweet muffin, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup honey or agave)
1 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup almond flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbs chia seeds
2 Tbs flaxseeds/flaxseed meal
(optional: 2 Tbs coconut flour)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Whiz together the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Add the two together and mix well, stirring walnuts in last.
2. Grease muffin tins. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Yield: 12 muffins.

The Perfect Snack

Some would argue that kale is the healthiest food EVER. I would not argue against that. Right now, you can easily find it at farmer's markets for cheap. However, consuming it becomes a little bit of an issue. Here are some excellent ways to get kale in your body:




1. Add it to soup! I usually get a bunch during the summer at said farmer's markets, de-rib it, chop it, freeze it, and use it during the winter in my soups.




2. Juice it! If you have a juicer, adding it to fruit juices makes for a great way to get the vitamins K, A, and C in your system.




3. Soak it! Kale can be quite hard, so soaking it really takes the edge off and softens it nicely. Just de-rib it, chop it, and soak in freshly squeezed lemon juice or vinegar (red wine/apple cider/rice) for 24 to 48 hours, then use it in salad. I add red onions, almonds, and some shaved parmesan to mine.


4. Fry it up with some shallots or garlic in olive oil!


5. Kale chips! Okay, this is definitely a food that divides... either you hate them or you love them! I love them! I recently heard on NPR that our bodies love crunchy snacks in particular. So this makes for a nice guilt-free snack!

Ingredients 
1 head kale, washed and thoroughly dried, ribs removed
Olive oil
Sea salt 

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Cut kale into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Lay on a baking sheet and spray/drizzle with the olive oil and salt. Bake for about 10-12 minutes until crisp. Enjoy!