4 Tips to Build a Better Breakfast

It’s no secret that breakfast is my favorite meal of the day! I could literally eat it all day long.

What most people don’t realize is that many popular breakfast foods are loaded with sugar, processed foods and unnecessary ingredients.

Instead of relying on your breakfast to come from a box or the freezer (cringe!) build it yourself.

I promise that building your breakfast is more satisfying, more filling and tastes way better!

4 Tips to Build a Better Breakfast

• Eat real food… no processed foods, no fast food, real whole foods and ingredients

• Protein… clean lean protein to fuel your morning

• Fiber… will keep you full and energized for the day ahead

• Real sugar only… no added sugars, stick to fruit or a drizzle of honey at most

My current favorite breakfast is a yogurt bowl with coconut yogurt, fruit, hemp hearts, flaxseeds, chia seeds, and a drizzle of local honey!

3 of My Favorite Holiday Recipes

Sharing 3 of my favorite holiday recipes with you today!

Cinnamon Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Lemon Brussels Sprouts with. Bacon and Sage

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

Enjoy!! Happy Holidays! xxx

How to Make my Avocado Egg Sandwich

This has been my Husband’s go-to breakfast of late! It’s so yummy and such a great blend of healthy fat, fiber & protein I had to share the recipe with all of you!

We prefer to eat this sandwich open face, and it actually tricks the mind into thinking we’re eating more than we really are! The fiber and healthy fats from the avocado, along with the protein from the eggs will keep you fueled for a busy day ahead!

Avocado Egg Sandwich

Ingredients:

2 Slices of Ezekiel Bread (or bread of your choice)

1 Ripe Avocado

3 Eggs

1/2 Lemon

Manitoba Hemp Hearts

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Toast your bread, wash and prep avocado.

Using a spoon take the ripe insides out of the avocado shell (removing the seed) and place half on each piece of toast. Mash avocado on toast with a fork, then squeeze a bit of lemon on the avocado for brightness!

On medium-low heat cook 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites, until cook through. Stir often so eggs become fluffy and well scrambled.

Add scrambled eggs to avocado, half on each slice of toast.

Sprinkle hep hearts of top of your eggs, and add salt & pepper to taste if desired.

Enjoy!

20-minute Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

As the temperatures begin to cool, and flu season quickly approaches I wanted to share my easy chicken noodle soup recipe!

Ingredients:

2 quarts - Low sodium chicken broth

1 bunch of organic celery

1/2 bag of organic baby carrots

1/2 bag of quinoa & brown rice pasta (or any noodle of your choice)

1 lb. organic ground chicken

Turmeric, salt, papper, and garlic to taste

Directions:

In a frying pan cook ground chicken on low heat until it reaches an internal temp of 165°.

In a large pot add both quarts of low sodium chicken broth and bring to a boil.

Wash, trim, and chop celery and carrots - then add to broth.

Once broth is boiling add in pasta, cook for approx 8 minutes (follow cook times for your specific pasta).

Once chicken is fully cooked, add to pot and stir.

Add spices to taste, and cook on low for approx 10 minutes.

Enjoy!!

Two Healthy Halloween Treats

Halloween treats tend to be loaded with sugar and dozens of unnecessary ingredients, so this year I’m sharing two of my favorite (healthy) halloween treats!

Bonus… your little ones will love making these with you!

TANGERINE PUMPKINS

INGREDIENTS:

• 5 organic tangerines

• 2 sticks of organic celery (with leaves)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Peel the tangerine, and remove all of the white inner membrane of the peel that you can.

2. Wash an dry the celery, then cut into 2 inch narrow pieces.

3. Place celery inside the peeled tangerines.

4. Use the celery tops as decor, arrange them on the tangerine to look like pumpkin leaves.

BANANA GHOSTS

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 bananas

• 3/4 cup vanilla yogurt

• 12 mini chocolate kisses

• 6 wood popsicle sticks

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place wax paper over a baking pan. 

2. Peel bananas and cut them in half lengthwise.

3. Insert a popsicle stick into the cut end of each banana, pushing it halfway up.

4. Place the vanilla yogurt in a bowl. 

5. Hold the pops by the wooden stick, and roll each banana in the yogurt to fully coat the outside. 

6. Allow excess to drip back into the bowl.

7. Add 2 mini chocolate kisses to the top of your ghost (push pointy end of kisses into banana) - this will make the eyes of the ghost.

8. Lay all bananas on baking pan, and place in the freezer for 3 hours to allow them to fully firm up.

9. Remove the pops from the freezer, and use a butter knife to remove from the wax paper if needed. 

10. Serve right away!

Dessert for breakfast, sign me up!

Ever since my son was born I’ve been sharing my oatmeal bowls on social media and you all have been loving them {turns out oatmeal is incredible for keeping your breastmilk supply up}!

I get countless messages about the type of oats I use {One Degree Organics is my favorite} and what I put in my oats to create a balanced breakfast bowl.

I have always been a big breakfast fan, and honestly I could eat breakfast any meal of the day!

Regardless of what I have for breakfast I always make sure it has a solid balance of healthy fats, protein and fiber to keep me fueled up for the day ahead {new mom life is non-stop}. I drink my greens as part of my morning routine, so I don’t worry about having any veggies with my breakfast.

• Side note… did you know that fiber helps to offset the total carbohydrates in a dish? Say there are 40 grams of carbs and 20 grams of fiber per serving, you will end up with only 20 net carbs! Pretty neat, huh!

Okay, let’s dive into my current favorite oatmeal bowl {I actually just finished it as I’m writing this}.

Blueberry Protein Oatmeal Bowl

Ingredients:

One Degree Sprouted Quinoa Hemp Instant Oatmeal

Malk Almond Milk

Organic Blueberries (frozen is okay too!)

Organic Almond Butter

Vital Protein Collagen

Directions:

Bring 1/2 cup of almond milk to a boil on the stove, add approximately 1/3 cup of oats and stir.

Turn heat off and add 2 scoops of Vital Proteins Collagen, stir everything together.

Cover and let it sit for 2 minutes.

Add blueberries to the oat mixture and stir, let everything sit together for an additional minute.

Pour into a bowl and add a scoop of almond butter!

Enjoy!

This breakfast bowl is packed with 30 grams of protein to help fuel the day ahead!

How to make easy Japanese soup recipe

My client shared this recipe with me years ago, and it’s still one of my favorites!

I have made a few modifications to make it Lean and Green Body® approved…but let me tell you it is still packed full of flavor and nutrients! This recipe is perfect for winter months, but is light enough to enjoy in the summer as well.

This is sure to be a crowd pleaser for the whole family!

Japanese Soup Recipe

Ingredients

 64 oz. of low sodium chicken broth, plus 32 oz. water (less or more to taste)

1-2 TBSP Bragg’s liquid aminos

1-2 inches of fresh ginger (or to taste)

1 can of sliced water chestnuts

1 package of fresh of Shitaki mushrooms

1/4 cup of sliced green onions (only the green part)

2-3 handfuls of spinach or bok choy

Mini wontons (optional, avoid if making soup gluten free)

Directions:

Bring broth, liquid aminos and ginger to boil. 

Add water chestnuts and green onions and simmer for about 5-10 min.

Add shiitake mushrooms, wait approximately 2-3 minutes and add dumplings if you are using them.

Add spinach or bok choy (if using bok choy you will need to cook a little longer).

Allow everything to simmer together on low/simmer for approximately 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy!

How to Make the Perfect Brown Rice

Brown rice is a staple in our house. It’s hypoallergenic, anti-inflammatory, and when combined with beans it makes a complete protein.

It took us a while to master the perfect brown rice, so I thought I would save you all the experimenting (and bad rice) and just give you the perfect brown rice recipe!

For this recipe you will need a pressure cooker, here is one of my favorites!

Ingredients:

2 cups organic brown rice

2 3/4 cups water

1 TBSP of avocado oil

Pink Himalayan Sea salt (to taste)

Directions:

Wash rice thoroughly, and add all ingredients to pressure cooker.

Pressure cook high for 22 minutes, then allow to sit for additional 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

This recipe makes approx 6 servings.

How to Make Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients:

1 medium to large spaghetti squash

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts [ warm in a pan until golden ]

3 tablespoons Italian parmesan cheese (optional)

1 tablespoon shredded fresh basil

1/2 Meyer lemon

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Fill a large pot with water. Add a dash of salt to water.

Cut squash in half with a serrated knife and remove seed portion. Add to water. 

Boil and cook until fork tender (about an hour)

Check the squash frequently. Allow to cool enough to handle. 

Use a fork going to lengthwise, scrape entire squash until you’re left with just the skin. Discard skin. 

While still warm, add cheese and salt/pepper and toss. 

Warm in a sauté pan on the stove top. 

Cook pine nuts stove top on low heat for seven minutes. 

Add nuts, a dash more cheese & fresh basil on top of spaghetti squash.

Squeeze lemon.

Kale Chip Recipe!

Sharing one of my favorite Fall recipes! This is always a crowd favorite..and best part kids love it too!

Kale Chips

Ingredients:

1 bunch of kale

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 teaspoon of sea salt and pepper mixed

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the stems from the leaves, and tear the leaves into bit size pieces.

Wash kale and dry completely.

Drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper onto kale.

Bake 10-15 minutes, edges should be brown but not burnt.

Tip: Add shaved parmesan cheese or your favorite spices to these chips for fun new flavors!

Learn How to Make my Oatmeal Breakfast Bowl

This oatmeal bowl has quickly become one of my absolute favorite breakfast recipes!

It’s loaded with protein, fiber and antioxidants…and sure to keep you full for hours.

This is an oatmeal bowl the whole family will love!

Ingredients:

Oatmeal 

(try to use an organic glyphosate free oatmeal if you can)

Milk 

(Malk is my favorite almond milk brand)

Collagen Protein

(I love Vital Proteins Collagen)

Fruit - approx 1/2 cup

(I love blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and raspberries)

Chia Seeds - 2 TBSP

Nut Butter - 1-2 TBSP

(I’m currently on a peanut butter kick again, but use whatever you’d like!)

Directions:

Make your oatmeal - I always use milk instead of water when making my oatmeal, I just feel like it makes it creamier. I also add extra, so it’s more like a cereal instead of a paste. Once oatmeal is cooked add 2 scoops of collagen (this will add about 20 grams of protein!).

Wash and prep fruit, and then top your oatmeal with fruit on one side. 

Sprinkle chia seeds on the opposite side of the bowl. 

Add your nut butter and enjoy!

It’s such a quick & easy breakfast, but is the perfect option to keep you fueled up for the day ahead!