Healthy Gingerbread banana muffins

I love working with Buckwheat. It is SO nutritious. Most get confused when they hear the name and think it has Gluten, so they steer clear. Let me enlighten you!! Buckwheat belongs to a group of foods commonly called pseudocereals. Pseudocereals are seeds that are consumed as cereal grains but don't grow on grasses. Other common pseudocereals include quinoa and amaranth. 

Despite its name, buckwheat is not related to wheat and is thus gluten-free. Buckwheat is one of the healthiest, nuttiest, most versatile Pseudocereals . It has more protein than rice, wheat, millet or corn and is high in the essential amino acids lysine and arginine, in which major cereal crops are deficient. Its unique amino acid profile gives buckwheat the power to boost the protein value of beans and cereal grains eaten the same day.

Raw buckwheat flour (ground groats) is more absorbent than wheat flour and is used in recipes for pancakes, blini, and pasta such as Japanese soba noodles.  Buckwheat flour contains four times as much fiber as whole wheat flour, and is also a very good source of manganese and magnesium. I like to make sweet breads with it. Tis' the season so here is some healthy gingerbread. You can make loaves out of it too if you prefer. I like muffins for easy serving. I topped with Vegan Sugar-Free Whipped Cream and a dash of cinnamon.

Healthy gingerbread banana muffins 

3/4 cup coconut oil
1 cup Maple syrup or honey or  coconut sugar or date paste
2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla
3 cups of mashed bananas around 4 large banana's
1/2 cup of molasses 
1 cup buckwheat flour

1/2 cup coconut flour

1 cup almond flour
2 1/2 teaspoons ginger
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda


Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Prepare your muffin pan.
Beat the coconut oil, vanilla and sweetener of choice until fully incorporated.
Beat in the eggs until combined.
Mix in the banana and molasses until completely combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
Mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until completely mixed in.

Let sit for 15 minutes and then stir again to let the coconut flour absorb. 

Fill your muffin pan filling each hole to the top.

Bake for 20--30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Remove and cool for 10-15 minutes, then remove from the pans onto a wire rack and cool completely.

I topped with Vegan Sugar-Free Whipped Cream.

Pad thai chicken buddha bowl

Truth - Before I got Cancer I rarely ate vegetables. Any Person who gets Cancer and takes the battle seriously knows how many veggies they need daily. Our blood needs to stay alkaline and that takes plant power! Turns out I liked veggies all along, I just don't like canned veggies or over-cooked veggies which was all I had really been exposed to. 

After Cancer and all the education in nutrition... I am a veggie lover. In fact, my veggies take up over 75% of my plate now, and I am always FULL after a meal, because veggies KEEP you full, and you can really have an unlimited amount of them. So people who are dieting, are doing it WRONG. EAT MORE, just eat more plants and cut out PROCESSED food. For the love of GOD, please stop taking out your carbs. YOU NEED CARBS. Carbs are NOT the devil... processed carbs are. People who tell me they gave up carbs just get an eye roll because they are showing me how little they know about what the body uses to burn fuel and what the BRAIN uses to function. Healthy carbs can be found in things like chickpeas, beans, legumes, whole grains like quinoa, jasmine, brown, or basmati rice. You NEED those in your daily diet or you will have problems down the line.

So back to my hate turned to love for veggies. One of my staples is Buddha Bowls. They really changed everything for me. When I go out to eat I look  for places that serve them because they are PACKED with nutrients and I can never finish the whole thing even though it is very low in calories. The thing I love about Buddha bowls is that you can put whatever you want in them. You just need a bunch of your favorite raw veggies and roasted veggies. You really can't go wrong! 

For these bowls I used 1/2 cup each of: 

Cooked Jasmine Rice

Raw Shredded Red Cabbage

Raw Shredded Kale

Bean Sprouts

Raw Shredded Carrots

Roasted Cauliflower

Roasted Broccoli

Raw Sliced Red Onion ( I only used 1/4 cup of this)

You can sub out anything you want here for something you like better. Possibilities are endless:

Jicama

Cucumber

Spinach

Beets

Romaine

Brown Rice

Quinoa

etc....  you get the idea. No processed anything, and the grain needs to be a whole grain. Otherwise you would have seen rice noodles in this pad thai, but the goal here is no processed food ....period.

It took me 20 minutes to prep for my buddha bowls for the next 3 days for 4 people. Grate the veggies and store them in the fridge at the beginning of the week and it makes for super fast meals you can throw together. Just add your protein of choice. Tonight I chose free range organic Chicken with Thai flavors. Pad Thai Buddha bowl it is... In addition to the veggies I listed above...here is how I did it:

1 1/2 tablespoons red chile paste
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch chunks
Sea salt to taste

FOR THE SPICY PEANUT SAUCE
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce ( I recommend Braggs amino acid or coconut aminos)
1 TBSP pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons red chile paste

2 TBSP water

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl, whisk together chile paste, maple syrup and lime juice; set aside. This is your marinade.

Slice your chicken breast into bite size pieces or cubes. ( I prefer thai cut- diagonal on the bias)
In a large baking dish add chicken breast and the marinade and place in the oven for 12 minutes (larger pieces of chicken will require more time). 

While chicken is in the oven, make the spicy peanut sauce, whisk together peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, maple syrup, chile paste and 2-3 tablespoons water in a small bowl; set aside. 

Divide into bowls your raw and cooked veggies and grain. I do 1/2 cup of each ingredient. Top cooked chicken and then add the spicy peanut sauce on top and serve! 

Healthier Chocolate Chip Cookies

Shark week. 

Need I say more ladies?

It is the week that all your hard work can go out the window because the evil Bitch wants chocolate and she wants it NOW!

NO!

Not this time.
This is what we do. 

We pause for a second and realize we CAN have it, we just gotta make it! 

We are like everyone else. We have cravings. We just know how to make them healthy. This is how I help people lose weight while EATING everything they love. You just need the knowledge! Knowledge is power and I help people online with their nutrition. If you need help, be sure to send me an message.

Back to these amazing cookies.

I would take these over any other cookie any day of the week. Especially fresh from the oven. If you use Enjoy life chocolate chips then this recipe is free from most allergens. I use God given sweetener. The syrup from a tree, or the honey from a bee, and very very little of it. I find a 50/50 blend of the two makes for perfection. These are also gluten free, grain free, soy free, and PACKED with protein. 

These boast:

150 calories per cookie

5 grams protein per cookie

3 grams fiber per cookie

So they actually add nutrition. The ingredients are wholesome REAL food. You can cut back on the calories if you want to lower the chocolate chip count, but I say INDULGE! Having one of these is like having a scoop of peanut butter healthwise... so GO FOR IT!

Healthier Chocolate Chip Cookies

makes 16 cookies

2 cups Almond flour 

1/4 cup coconut flour 

1/3 cup PURE RAW honey or PURE maple syrup or 50/50

1/2 tablespoon baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

2 teaspoons vanilla 

1 egg

3/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven for 375

Mix all ingredients, except chocolate chips, together until fully blended like dough.

Stir in chocolate chips. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking. 

Scoop the cookies into 16 mounds. I used the pampered chef cookie scoop to make them all the same size. 

Bake for 13 minutes. Serve warm, or cold, or however you like. 

Hidden Veggie Jerk Chicken & Rice

I have grown to love veggies, but it is still a struggle for my family. So I hide them as much as possible. It is so easy to do now days. This recipe DOES have Cauliflower, but when you mix it 50/50 with the Basmati Rice, spices and onion, you can't taste it. It makes you feel like you are getting MORE rice too, which is a trick this carb lover uses regularly.  So here is how I made this scrumptious Hidden Veggie Jerk Chicken and rice.

Let's start with the Jerk Seasoning followed with the marinade, because you will need those first and they come from someone I love dearly! Her name is TAS and I met her through this online coaching gig. We are running a Summer Shape Up online bootcamp together. I got permission from her to share her Jerk Seasoning and Marinade. They are the heart of this dish so THANK YOU TAS!!!

Also we are starting another round next Monday and are now enrolling. Come see what having me as your coach can do for you reaching your goals. Here is what a challenge group is like:

So EMAIL me and get in on this group!!!

Now on to the delicious recipe!

Tas Scott-Gass “Jerk” EVERYTHING for dinner tonight!! 🔥🔥🔥 But I have to say, I REALLY loved it on my head of cauliflower! Instead of putting it straight on the grill, I put in on a pie plate wrapped in foil and let it bake on the upper rack while I grilled chicken and sweet potato below! Definitely one of my favorite flavor combinations!

💥 JERK SEASONING 💥

4 t. Allspice
4 t. Salt
2 t. Ginger
2 t. Nutmeg
1 t. Cloves
2 t. Thyme
2 t. Pepper

💥 For MARINADE add:

4 scallions
8 cloves of garlic
2 T. EVOO
2 T. Honey
Juice of 1 lime
1 habanero (scotch bonnet) - or 1/2 or 1/4 depending on your heat level! (Sometimes I use 2 🔥) 

❤️This is good for 2-3 lbs meat or veggies. I like to double up the spice blend just to have on hand for eggs or lunch veggies. It’s honestly good on everything! 🔥🔥🔥

These are the types of tips you get, along with MOTIVATION, ENCOURAGEMENT, and LOVE in my online bootcamps so join us!!! To join simply SEND ME AN EMAIL to momwhatsfordinner@yahoo.commomwhatsfordinner@yahoo.com and tell me your goals (I want to gain, I want to lose, I want to get stronger etc....) as we will connect and get you started.  DON'T WAIT!!!!! Hesitation is the killer of all dreams. CONTACT ME now.  

SO now that you have your seasoning and marinade. Lets get down to business. 
Preheat your oven to 375.
In a mixing bowl, combine:

2 cups riced cauliflower
1/2 chopped onion
2 cups cooked basmati, jasmine or brown rice
1 tsp jerk seasoning

Add to a large prepared baking dish.


Next you need:

1 1/2 lbs Chicken breasts (or your favorite cut of chicken or protein) I cut mine to tenders. 
Jerk seasoning to taste
avocado or olive oil

Lightly sprinkle the jerk seasoning onto cut prepared chicken (or your favorite protein) on both sides. 
Heat a fry pan on high and lightly coat with your favorite HEALTHY cooking oil (Olive, Avocado, Coconut). Flash fry... quick sear each piece of meat on both sides for about 30 seconds, then top on top of prepared baking dish filled with rice and cauliflower. 

Top each piece of seared protein with the marinade you prepared. Then put in the oven for 20 minutes. 









ENJOY!

This and MANY more recipes in our online bootcamp!!! EMAIL ME now to get in!

Healthy Clean individual Pita Pizza

Yes I WILL plank for pizza. And since I always get emails asking where I got the shirt, it is from Wicked Custom Apparel. SO many people think I just eat fruits and veggies and that is SO far from the truth. I am a recovering processed food addict. Cancer turned all that around for me and now I help others eat healthy food that they LIKE! Enter pizza. While yes, even just having some regular pizza from time to time is not a horrific thing... I would rather hack it and be able to eat it whenever the heck I want. So ... that is what I did. 

Things to be careful for when making homemade pizza:

1. Make your own sauce or DILIGENTLY read the ingredients of any sauce you use. If it says sugar, its a no. Tomatoes are sweet enough, you do not need to add sugar for great pizza sauce. Please see the recipe at the end of this post for fantastic healthy pizza sauce that counts as a half a veggie serving IF YOU READ the ingredients of the tomato paste and tomato sauce you use. I make my own, cuz I grow my own, but there are plenty of healthy no sugar added canned tomato sauce and canned tomato paste out there. 

2. Use a good healthy crust. I have found pita to be the healthiest option if not wanting to make from scratch. 

I use Toufayan Organic Sprouted Wheat Tortillas. 

Sprouted grains have many health benefits. It's the result of catching the sprouts during the germinating process. This germinating process breaks down some of the starch, which makes the percentage of nutrients higher. ... Those nutrients include folate, iron, vitamin C, zinc, magnesium, and protein.

These pita's are not gluten free, but there ARE gluten free pitas out there if you need them! you can also make them using my recipe here. Gluten Free Pita Bread Recipe

When I was in high school I used to bring every day 1 individual red baron frozen pizza that I plopped in the microwave and almost always burnt the roof of my mouth upon my first bite. That pizza was full of additives, processed foods, and chemicals. Everything we put in our bodies helps or hinders... this hindered I am sure. Hello... I am a cancer survivor after all. All those pizzas add up, and I am sure played a small part in my future illness. Not to mention, they aren't even that great. What a waste. Empty fuel for my growing body. But when you know better... you do better... then you teach others! So here is how I turned it around...

These clean pizzas taste better. I mean WAY better. 

EVERYONE in my family wanted seconds and asked for me to send it in their lunch the next day too. Great hot or cold ( I love cold pizza).  

This recipe is for EVERYONE because it can be catered to individual tastes. If you only like cheese, just add cheese! (but be sure to get your veggies in somehow! If you hate veggies, take a scoop of Greens every day. You can get those here... 

Clean GREENS 

Course I will ALWAYS recommend Shakeology daily to keep your body fueled with all proper nutrients, including 5 salads of greens. You can get that HERE. 

Now On to the pizza... Here is how its done.

Easy Clean Healthy Individual Serving Pita Pizza

serves 1

1 Pita

1/2 cup pizza sauce (recipe below)

1/3 cup Mozarella cheese

1/2 cup favorite chopped veggies

3/4 cup chopped cooked chicken (or favorite protein)

Preheat oven to 425

Place pita on a baking sheet.

Top 1 pita with all the ingredients in the order they are presented above. 

Bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes.

BoomShakaLaka.... fantastic healthy, YUMMY pizza.

oh yeah... here is the 

Easy fast clean Pizza Sauce

1 6 oz can tomato paste.

1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1-2 TBS oregano to taste
2 TBS Italian seasoning
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
½ TBS garlic salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper


Mix tomato paste and sauce together in a medium size bowl until well combined.
Add the rest of the ingredients (oregano, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, garlic salt, and pepper) and mix well! Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Healthy Clean Chicken Piccata

Officially halfway through my new nutrition program and I am feeling fantastic. I think what I love most about my job is that I do the program with my clients and in turn I get to live my happiest healthiest life because you are what you eat. Our gut is our 2nd brain. Technically known as the enteric nervous system, the second brain consists of sheaths of neurons embedded in the walls of the long tube of our gut,. The second brain contains some 100 million neurons, more than in either the spinal cord or the peripheral nervous system. The second brain informs our state of mind. A big part of our emotions are influenced by the nerves in our gut. 

Simply translated... 

Put good fuel in ... your brain responds good.

Put bad fuel in... your brain responds bad. 

Which is why I constantly say...

If you are depressed... fix your diet.

If you have anxiety... fix your diet. 

You can pretty much have the food you like, you just have to be willing to be your own advocate and cook it, or find and support others that cook it. For instance. I LOVE chicken piccata, but traditional recipes have a ton of butter  (saturated fat). It just isn't worth it anymore because that makes me tired and lethargic. I want to feel GOOD and have ENERGY! Enter this heathified chicken piccata that tastes downright delicious. I don't miss a thing. Just a few tweaks and boom!

If you are in my nutrition program this counts as 1 RED, 1/4 YELLOW (if you really want to be strict, or you can omit) and 2 tsp per serving. If you are not in my nutrition program but want to be... send me an email and I will send you over deets!

Gluten-Free Healthy Chicken Piccata

1 lb boneless chicken breasts
1 Tbs plus 2 tsp of Ghee
1 Tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
1/2 cup of tapioca flour
1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice
2 lemons, sliced
1 Tbs lemon zest
1/2 cup organic chicken broth
fresh parsley if you have some!


Mix together rice flour, garlic powder, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Lightly dredge each piece of chicken in flour mixture, shaking off excess.

Over medium heat, melt butter mix in olive oil. Brown chicken on each side for 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.

Turn heat up to high and deglaze your pan with the lemon juice and chicken broth. Reduce heat to medium and stir liquid with the browned pan drippings from chicken.

Add chicken back to pan and top with lemon zest. Simmer on low heat for about ten minutes. Sauce should thicken a bit. Top with lemon slices and simmer for 5 more minutes. Sprinkle with additional salt and pepper if desired and top with fresh parsley, if you have it.

Delicious served with brown rice and steamed veggies!