Clean eating recipes

Clean Eating Christmas Cut out Cookies (kid approved)

Clean Christmas Cut out Cookies!! (thank goodness)

How many of us love the holiday tradition of the cutout cookies with children adding sprinkles, chocolate chips, and icing? But butter cookies in my house are just a NO GO! I mean, I will, with all my will power, suck down those puppies in a little over a day or two. My kids love them too, but this year I already found a way that is kid approved with no refined sugars, no gluten, and no dairy! You can even make them vegan if you do not want to use eggs. Oh yea!

Recipe:

1 cup oat flour (or any other gluten free blend)

1 tsp. baking powder

3 Tbsp. olive oil or coconut oil (melted)

1/4 cup raw/organic honey

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. cinnamon (optional)

2 eggs (you can make flax eggs instead with 2 Tbsp. ground flax and 4 Tbsp warm water, let it sit for 10 minutes to get gelled)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl

3. If the dough is so wet it sticks to your fingers, knead in some extra flour, 1 Tbsp at a time until you have soft dough that doesn't stick. If it's too dry add extra oil

4. Roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness and cut with cookie cutters

5. Transfer to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper

6. Brush tops of cookies with egg wash (optional) This is just taking an egg or egg white and beating it

7. Bake for about 8-12 minutes or until the cookies have a nice golden glow

 

 

Vegan Eggplant Burgers with Garlic Avocado Aioli

Recently I have had a need for burgers in my life and I still do not crave meat since detoxing a few weeks ago. I did a detox where I removed toxins and slowly transitioned into a plant based and vegan lifestyle and I have never felt better!

Here is the recipe I created last night when I was staring at an eggplant in my fridge, wondering what to do:

For the Burgers:

1 large or 2 small eggplants, peeled and cubed
2 tbsp Olive oil divided
1 finely chopped shallot or half of a small red onion
1/2 c. -1 whole cup any brand vegan cheese, shredded or sliced and chopped up small
2 cloves chopped garlic
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tbsp parsley
3/4 c.-1 whole c. gluten free bread crumbs.

 (for the plain version of bread crumbs, I make them Italian style by adding onion powder, garlic powder, parsley, basil, oregano, and marjoram) 

In a large skillet heat 1 tbsp of oil and begin cooking the cubed eggplant. You will want to do this between 10-15 minutes because you need them soft enough to smash. 

Transfer the eggplant to a separate bowl where you will mash them up until there are no more larger chunks. Once mashed, add the onion, garlic, began cheese, peppers, and spices. Mix it all together. 

Slowly begin to mix in the bread crumbs 1/4 cup at a time. you may need a 1/2 c. or you may need to add the whole cup depending on the water left in your eggplant. 

Let the eggplant mixture sit in the fridge for about 20-30 minutes until it begins to look "firmer." Once this happens take it out and "pack" your patties in any size you want forming them with you hands and packing tightly. 

Heat the other tbsp. of oil in the same skillet (cleaned) and begin to cook the burgers. It will take about 5-7 minutes on one side and then flip. You want each side golden brown and a slight crunch to the outside so they will be warm inside and not fall apart

For the Avocado Aioli Sauce: 

 1 large avocado, halved and pitted
2 large garlic cloves
1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup soy-free Veganaise, or vegan mayo of your choice
Salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth. 

#BOOM!!! This one rocks your taste buds!

 

 

Easy Breakfast: "Eggs in a Basket"

How many of you have an egg and a tomato in your kitchen at the same time? Most of us!! I found a great way to use the 2 together for a quick and healthy breakfast seasoned to your taste buds!

What you will need:

1 large slicer tomato or several roma tomatoes
2 eggs (cage free is best :)
spices you love
onions or chives optional

Step one:
cut tomato in half and scoop out the guts. (save those for a topping or salad later)
 If the tomato is "rolly" slice a small sliver off the bottom to keep it stable
 Place this tomato on parchment paper on a baking sheet

Step 2:
crack 2 eggs into the "baskets" you just made!

Step 3:
Season to your liking! Onion powder, garlic powder, I added chopped onions, YUM!

Step 4: 
Bake at 350 for 5-8 minutes depending on how hard or soft you like an egg. I added a piece of crusty bread and had some farm fresh slice ham.

This was an amazingly delicious and easy dish that can cook while you get in a few squats and lunges in the kitchen! You can do so much with this easy breakfast for flavor, the possibilities are endless!

Clean eating BBQ sauce

Ok so for YEARS I have loved BBQ sauce! I love sweet, smokey, spicy, YOU NAME IT, I would eat it. Ever since I began to eat clean a little over a year ago I have not been able to bring myself to buy it even once! I mean if someone made it at a party, TRUST ME, I would sneak it in as a "cheat bite" here and there. I love chicken bbq, pork bbq, and pretty much BBQ on anything! 

BUT...have you ever read the label on a bottle of sauce? Wow, I was amazed when I started reading what is in there! To name a few: high fructose corn syrup, modified food starch, xantham gum, caramel color, soybean oil, natural and artificial flavors, yellow #6, red #40, titanium dioxide, blue #1 and the list goes on!

Sooo I finally broke down and created a sauce. It was a mixture and hodge podge of ingredients to begin with and I added and tasted as I went BUUUT...I am giving you the recipe to the best of my memory and you can add and substitute as you feel your taste buds allow! I HOPE YOU ENJOY!!

INGREDIENTS:

Disclaimer #1 (and there are a few) I used what I had on hand so some things were not organic!!

• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce – no sugar added, lowest salt
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste – no sugar added lowest salt
• 1 tablespoon Braggs liquid aminos or lowest sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 tablespoons smokey paprika
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 3 tablespoons unsulfered molasses
• 2 tablespoons raw honey
• 5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl and mix well using a whisk.
2. Use as you would any other bbq sauce!

Here is the finished product! 
Disclaimer #2 (yes that is white bread, I eat that sometimes b/c I buy the least evil kind of "crusty" bread when I feel like it! LOL)

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"You life does not get better by chance, It get's better by CHANGE."
Hello friends!

One of the great things I have to talk about today is the recipes that I get when I purchase a workout program from the company called Beachbody. Currently I am about to start block 3 of the P90X3 fitness program which I absolutely love! But within the program comes an extensive meal guide telling you exactly what foods and how much of each you will want to eat for your different meals and snacks throughout the each day. It really helps to get on a schedule and for packing ahead for work. It has been really helpful for weekends and dining out. I know by Saturday evening exactly what I need to eat with regard to protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats making ordering from a menu simple!

Another thing that I think you should know is that it is not hard to see a recipe and adjust it to what you have on hand and likewise to the taste interests of you and your family.

Here is one of those recipes and I will list the modifications I made to mine.

Here are the modifications to my batch:

used my home made organic vegetable stock
no saffron
no eggplant
used an orange pepper
no green or red pepper
no eggplant
added smokey paprika
no peas
used edamame

On of my favorite things is sweet potatoes! As a child growing up, this was not the case! My family traditionally had a smashed cracker crumb crust with a pound of butter, another pound of brown sugar, and a bag of marshmallows melted on top. If you were lucky, you could eat the whole dish without ever even tasting a real sweet potato. It was just pure sugary goodness!

 Now, I think differently because I know the effects that those things have on the human cells. I love sweet potatoes now, but not the kind covered in brown sugar and marshmallows, but real yams!

This recipe is something my sister came up with one evening while we were getting together. It can really be paired with any dish, including fish, chicken, or red meat.

• Bake 4 large yams at 350 until soft inside or poke each yam in several spots with a fork and wrap them in wet paper towels. You can microwave them this way until the flesh is soft.  
• Scoop the flesh out of each sweet potato and add it into a large bowl. (Save those skins in tact if possible!)
• Add butter or began butter (for dairy free) and mix thoroughly.
• Add in 1/2 tsp. cumin, 1tbsp smokey paprika, and 1tbsp McCormick salt free Southwest seasoning ( keep adding to get the perfect flavor for you)
• Mix it all together and scoop the flesh back into the skins. 
• Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and broil lightly until melted and brown and crisp on top. (for dairy free skip this step)

This recipe is sure to be enjoyed by everyone, even my kids like it! And it tastes very exotic!

Hope you enjoy this recipe and see how easy substitutions can be! Continue to check back and follow me for many more great recipes and fitness tips! You can also see me on www.facebook.com/Jeterfitness





For those of you who know me I love to learn new ways to cook and modify what's already been done to be even better and tastier while keeping it clean! The is one of my favorite recipes that I use every week. My kids love it because the chicken is so tender and tasty, they also love sweet potatoes more than regular potatoes which BOOM! Bonus for nutritional value! My husband loves the fact that it tastes better than something you can get in a restaurant and you can eat it for 5 days and never get tired of it!

I hope you enjoy it and tweek it to ways your family will love it! Don't forget to stop back often for more exciting recipes and fitness tips and tricks!

Here it is!

Chipotle Roasted Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

 4 Sweet potatoes ( 40 ounces) peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 ½ tbsp olive oil
4 small tricolored peppers
4 garlic cloves finely chopped
2 tbsp honey
2 tsp cider vinegar
1 ¼ tsp salt to taste
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp cinnamon
Tabasco brand chipotle sauce shaken in to taste
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 pounds) rinsed and patted dry
Chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400. In a medium bowl toss sweet potatoes in the olive oil and scatter on the
bottom of a roasting pan. Roast for 15 minutes.
2. Thinly slice the tricolored peppers and sauté in a small pan over medium
3. In a small bowl mix together the sautéed peppers, garlic, honey, vinegar, salt, cumin, and
cinnamon to make a paste. Rub evenly over each breast
4. Place the chicken over top of the sweet potatoes and roast until chicken is cooked through,
about 25-35 minutes. Serve garnished with cilantro is desired

Homemade (kid friendly) Ranch dip:

3 tbsp. dried parsley

1 tsp. dried dill

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp black pepper

sour cream or vegan sour cream upon serving

Directions:

mix together all the dry ingredients and store in an airtight container

when you are ready to mix for dip, stir 1 tbsp of the spice mix with 1/2 cup sour cream. You can keep the extra dried spices for the next time you need Ranch!

Sweet and spicy granola: (to be made before leaving for the camp ground)

Heat oven to 300 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine:

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup honey or agave 

1 tbsp olive or coconut oil

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon or nutmeg

2 1/2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

Spread into and even layer on the baking sheet

Bake and stir occasionally until the oats are toasted and the granola is dry (@ 25 minutes)

Fold in:

1/2 cup dried cranberries 

1/4 cup raisins

chocolate is desired 

Store in an Mason jar or other airtight container