Double Chocolate Power Protein Bars

  Sooooo these are totally kid approved and a complete “experiment”  that turned out YUMMY! My boys ate a whole pan of these over 2 days. I was a little surprised because they aren’t completely sweet like some other treats I’ve made them. But then again, I don’t make very much anymore with processed sugar, usually it’s maple syrup, honey, or coconut sugar and added protein, and these are no different. A word about protein. It is to weight control what black is to fashion. Simply, if you’re goal is to maintain a healthy weight or release weight, you must be putting in MORE protein daily. Take your weight and half it, that should be you’re daily intake goal, and higher if you’re weight training.  A couple things to understand about why making sure you’re getting enough is this: Protein satiates your appetite. It helps to normalize and regulate blood glucose levels, and when they bounce around and dip, make you feel like a hunger monster. Especially those suffering from adrenal fatigue (commonly have associated blood glucose dips), and O blood types, require more protein and less carbs. O blood types tend to pack on pounds more easily than the other blood types and crave carbs more than most. Now, a word about carbs. You REQUIRE them. This low to no carb nonsense–IS nonsense. Low to no carb diets lead to one thing- CRASHED METABOLISM. Unfortunately, the danger of dieting is completely screwing up your body. And that’s what diets do. If you WANT to rebound in weight gain. go no to low carb. Your body requires healthy whole carbs for energy and to also put the hunger hormones at bay. Starve it of carbs, and as soon as you go back to eating them, you will pack on the pounds and more. Aim for more protein, and personally I LOVE the 40/30/30 (Protein/carb/fat) ratio when it comes to macro’s. BUT, just a word about macro’s. If you’re eating the RIGHT types of foods, moderately exercising, and learn how to portion and eat WELL,  no one should be counting macro’s all day. You don’t require weighing food, counting calories, and low fat, low carb to release weight. Move more, eat RIGHT, and detox. Those are the KEYS to a lifetime of weight release and a body that will love you. OH. And a word about peanut butter and protein powder. First, if you’re suffering from inflammation issues, peanut butter isn’t your best choice. It’s highly inflammatory and another nut butter would be better for you. What is SUPER important is with peanuts you DO want to make sure your peanut butter is organic. They contain a lot of pesticides other wise. Second, I use only Zija’s XMProtein powder. Not all protein powders are alike and at some point I’ll write more on them. Mine contains only 6 pure ingredients. Most of the ones on the market contain so many synthetics, a ridiculous amount of nonabsorbable protein, and laxatives to push what isn’t absorbed through your gut. NOT healthy. Research your ingredients, be a label reader, and purchase from a trusted source.

For the INGREDIENTS I combined 😉

2 c Organic whole oats

1/2 c XMprotein powder in Dutch chocolate

1/2 c organic unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 c organic peanut butter

1/2 c ground flax (always store ground flax in the freezer)

1/2 c maple syrup or honey

1/2 c unsweetened almond milk

1/3 c dark chocolate chips (I use Ghirardelli’s)

1 tbsp Chia seed

Line 13×9 baking dish with parchment paper (makes removal and nice bar slices easy) Mix ingredients and press contents into pan, these were fairly thin pieces as I made bite sizes for my boys. If you prefer thicker use an 8×8 pan and adjust your cooking time. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until edges are slightly brown. Pull out by parchment paper and let cool. Slice into bars or mini pieces. You can freeze, refrigerate or place mini bites into a jar. Enjoy!

Mini bites for my mini people:)

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Summer Greek Goddess Salad

Does anyone else think that greek food is the best EVER? Mmmmm. SO. FRESH!

Food for thought: We live in the richest country, yet we eat the poorest and most processed foods. Remember this. Real is rich. Processed is poor. Choose real. (Same with people;)

So, let me get real and raw for a minute. This is my first official “blog post” where I’m actually writing more than a recipe. I LIVE to share my passion about health and clean food prep with others and to see them grow in understanding, that they too, can do it.  I’ll share my story in another post, but first this is on my heart today:

Here we are in August, when we can get an abundance of veggies at the farmers market. I just want you to GO this coming weekend. Go CREATE a farmers market experience, get some real food, and let me help you food prep it! Make the decision today to stop eating crap and to eat REAL FOOD. I’ll help you. It won’t be perfect. You’ll relapse from time to time. Baby step upon baby step, I’ll help you master food prep, so that it’s no longer an excuse not to eat well and together we will all be perfectly imperfect, and STRIVING to live in an abundance of health.

First, let me ask you a question, because it’s really the root to most problems: Do you believe that your body deserves and is worthy of health, weight control and energy? Let me answer that- yes it does and is. But you don’t and won’t get what you deserve, respect, love, or desire. You don’t get what you feel entitled to or what someone else has. You get what YOU are COMMITTED to and feel worthy of. Truth.

That means you have to get honest and real with yourself if you aren’t in a state of health or in a body that serves you well. It’s because of one reason- You aren’t committed to that. Or, you haven’t been in the past and it caught up with you. I live in that reality and honesty, and no longer in my own denial. As a nurse, I see REVERSIBLE chronic disease and obesity daily. It’s because of what we are eating, but more importantly, what we are NOT eating. And even MORE importantly, it’s because of what we are thinking and feeling that leads to how we treat our bodies.

Let me say something boldly, as I have no other way of being when it comes to health: If you aren’t eating well, exercising and putting your health FIRST, understand this: It’s a selfish and not self LESS act and you are neglecting yourself because you don’t feel worthy of it. Think about this: When your health fails, others will have to care for you. That’s a hard truth for most to chew on.

Your body is the tool you experience everything through! So, you have get real and raw with yourself and your food when it comes to change, and you require help from someone who knows what they are talking about. I’ve seen a lot of sickness. And SO I made the study of HEALTH my passion. There’s HOPE if you are willing to face yourself in the mirror, come out of denial, and change your habits, starting with emotional and mental habits, one day at a time. Our society is SO screwed up in a victim and martyr mentality often thinking, “OH there’s no time for me, no time to eat healthy, no time to work out”. BS! MAKE, SCHEDULE, CREATE your time for you. That is such a victim answer! I call crap on that! No one can build muscle for you. No one can shove good nutrition down your throat. The REAL issue is you do not think that your WORTHY of a great body, mind, and food. IF you did, it would be your priority. It’s the inner crap thinking that gets you in trouble. Remember, the inner head game reflects your outer actions. Go buy some REAL FOOD, and prep it. I’m here to help with honesty some like. And. Some. Don’t. I’m here to give you the tools to master food prep, so that you can be well on your way to an amazing life of health- because your body is TRULY your wealth.

In the meantime layer this GORGEOUS salad in a mason jar like THIS, and enjoy throughout the week (I do not have a pic of it layered in a jar: use a quart wide mouth):

Ingredients BOTTOM to TOP:

Salad dressing (ALWAYS) goes on the bottom of the jar.

Next layer:

7 Kalamata olives

1/4 Red Onion

1/2 Green pepper

1 Tomato

1/2 Cucumber

2 tbsp feta

Torn Romaine

Greek Goddess Vinaigrette:

1/2 c olive oil

1/4 c red wine vinegar

2 garlic cloves- minced

1 tsp dried or fresh oregano

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

Shake and enjoy (My boys love this made with a pomegranate vinegar on just cukes and tomatoes- I’ll see if I can attach the website to order it here)

Egg and veggie quiche cups to GO!

 These. Are. Supremely. SIMPLE.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees

My ingredients: (You can vary as I will with different veggie combos)

12 fresh farm eggs

1 c chopped organic green pepper

1 whole red onion- chopped finely

1/2 c chopped sun dried tomatoes

1-2 tbsp (I prefer 2) coconut oil (this MAKES them- coconut oil TRANSFORMS eggs and mostly everything, and is a great fat to enhance the protein)

Optional: Add 3-5 drops of hot sauce into ingredients before baking.

Salt and pepper (I like garlic salt best)

Line muffin tins with parchment paper, Or simply use a nonstick spray or muffin liner. Fill each cup 3/4 full. This should make a full 12 quiches exactly. Bake for 10-20 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

Store in a mason jar! 😉 You can also freeze these and reheat in a toaster oven. (We don’t talk about microwaves here. Radiating your food is NOT healthy. Buy a toaster oven)

Flourless Ooey gooey double chocolate PB muffins

Recipe courtesy of cleanfoodcrush.com

Makes 12 regular muffins, 18 “smaller” muffins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients:

2 large beaten eggs room temperature

1 can of organic pumpkin

2 cups peanut butter or almond butter

1/2 c pure maple syrup

6 tbsp unsweetened cacao powder

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2-3/4 c dark Choc chips (I use Ghiaardelli’s)

Place baking cups in muffin tins or line with parchment paper. (I ❤️parchment paper:)

Stir all ingredients together well til moist. Add chocolate chips last.

Fill cups 3/4 way. A full ice cream scoop is the perfect size. 👌🏼

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes- watch them- til toothpick comes out clean. These are VERY moist if not over baked.

SO clean it’s sick 😜! NO guilt.

*If inflammation issues are a challenge for you, I’d suggest using any nut butter other than peanut. Almond and sunflower seed butter are GREAT alternatives.

Par-Tay Peach Cups

  

 Par-Tay Peach cups for my birthday! 

It’s peach season. 🍑 Especially in Georgia. Often I wish I lived there. But I don’t 😁 Ever take a pic and look at it after you’ve eaten what was in the pic and WISH u could take it again with ONE added thing? These need walnuts and I forgot 😁 

SUPER SIMPLE- dinner in 5 minutes! 

————————————————-

🎉2 chicken breast- grilled and diced

🎉3 peaches, sliced in half and grilled slightly

🎉chopped walnuts 

Mix diced chicken breast with 2-3 tbsp yogurt “mayo,” walnuts, and place on top of grilled peaches. 

Yogurt “mayo” that’s not mayo:

🎉20 oz Greek yogurt

🎉3 tbsp white vinegar OR 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar and 1 tbsp white vinegar

🎉10 drops of liquid stevia (to your desires taste of sweetness)

🎉2 tbsp Dijon or German mustard (I used German)

🎉1/4 tsp salt

Enjoy ur peaches and protein! 
  

BEST classic hummus EVER

  
This is hands down the creamiest best tasting hummus I’ve made. But before I go on, I didn’t want to use this pic, but LOOK 👀 at that pepper in the front !?!? 

Do you see what I see? Ha! frickin CUTE little face! 

Ok- so I added to my Vitamix (or you can use a food processor) 

1 can of chickpeas 

1/4 c water

1/4 c olive oil

1/4 c organic tahini

3 tbsp lemon juice (fresh!)

3/4 tsp seal salt (pink Himalayan is best)

1/2 tsp cumin

1 whole garlic clove 

Process until smooth. Store in a mason jar. I ALWAYS double this recipe as its a staple for our food prep week, every week! Super easy to have as quick meals with pre sliced veggies, wraps and salads. 

Clean chicken zoodle soup: Gluten free

 Wow. We had this for dinner tonight and it was SCRUMPTIOUS! All veggies are chopped using a chop wizard, and the zucchini is spiralized.

Ingredients : 8-10 c chicken broth.  2 c carrots, 1 1/2 c onion. 2 c celery. 3 garlic cloves. 2 zucchini (spiralized). 3 c chopped chicken breast or thigh. 4 Roma tomatoes, chopped.  Fresh parsley. Salt. Garlic salt. Pepper.

I added to my Vitamix:

2 c chicken broth

2 carrots

2 celery sticks

1/2 c onion

1 tomato

3 garlic cloves

Purée together on high until warm. (Makes an “orange” broth. It will be frothy. It’s okay- it will disappear.

Combine puréed mixture into a soup pot and add 8 cups of chicken broth, 1 1/2 c carrots, 1 1/2 c celery, and 1 c chopped onion, remaining tomatoes with 3 cups chopped or shredded chicken (Use baked or grilled breast, thighs, whatever your preference is. For this I used a chicken I had baked, then boiled the rest for soup base.) Bring to boil and simmer on low until veggies are soft.

 I like my soups chunky and my veggies not overcooked!

Add a tsp of Himalayan sea salt, several grinds of a garlic salt mill and pepper to taste. I like to add some fresh parsley and the spiralized zucchini last so that it cooks only to just soft. And serve. Leftovers: store in a mason jar for freshness throughout the week.

How to wash fruits and veggies – the proper way of course ! 😜

Food prep is KEY! Here’s what we are up to today! PREPPING! The one simple key to beginning food prep begins with this: As SOON as you get home from the grocery store, before your items even hit your refrigerator, take a couple metal cookie sheets out and begin dicing up fruits and veggies and place them in none other than a mason jar. Why jars? I’ll post on that also but please view my video on getting started here “Food Prep 101: Getting started”  Mason jars are essential to SAVING MONEY ON YOUR GROCERY BILL. Why? They preserve the food so much longer!  It’s insane, you won’t ever stop once you start. Just trust me, go buy some various sizes and start using them. Oh, and hey moms and dads,  grammas and gramps, aunts and uncles, I’ve been using them for YEARS with small children. I can count one hand how many times we’ve broken a jar. And hey, that’s life! Be a daredevil and just USE THE JARS! 😉    Whoops, I almost forgot to tell you how to properly wash the veggies: Just soak for about 15-20 minutes in cool water with 1/8-1/2 c of white vinegar to clean. Rinse, slice and dice, and place in JARS!    xo! Dori

 

Strawberry lemonade – made from the Master cleanse tonic

  
For those hot days!! 🍓🍋Here in NC that’s like, every day. We made this last night and it’s totally kid approved. Moms, juice has ZERO nutrients, we don’t buy it. But, whole food STRAWBERRY LEMONADE? YES please! This recipe was actually adapted from the master lemon cleanse tonic. ZERO processed sugar, massively cleansing to the liver and kidneys, it’s health benefits are insane! AND. It’s down right delicious. The only color you need is real fruit color! (Just say no to artificial colors, they are toxic crap.) And drink 8 oz of this a day and kidney stones be gone 🙂 Yes, really. 

Go. Make. This. Today. Ur welcome. ———————————————😎

Family size: 

Half gallon of filtered water

3/4 c maple syrup

1 cup real juiced lemons

2 cups of strawberries (stems on) 

Tossed it all in my #Vitamix and done. (Add ice and less water and make this a kid slushy. Or adult slushy 😁 (These is a great mixture to put into freezer pops too😎!)

  

Grilled Apples with Nut Butter and more nuts

  
I JUST- can’t NOT post these TONIGHT. 

I made them for dessert tonight and they are 🙌🏽 …incredible. Super clean treat full of protein and goodness, takes less than 5 MINUTES to make! Pull out your Forman grill or fire up the outside one for just a few. ——————————————–🍎 

I thickly sliced 2 apples 

Grill them to just slightly soft (or however you like them)

Place them on a plate and drizzle Almond butter (or other nut butter), real maple syrup and sprinkle with chopped almonds and walnuts. 

To make them more decadent add unsweetened coconut, dark chocolate chips, and hemp hearts. I already want more. 😬