Friday, September 18, 2020

Flax Pumpkin Pancakes


Ummm  we are literally days away from fallso why not try a clean version of pumpkin pancakes with flax!
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Here is the recipe! I used 7 grain mix with flax & added a few extra goodies
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Ingredients
1 cup mix
1 cup pumpkin purée
1 t cinnamon (not "pumpkin spice" 😒)
2 eggs
4 oz yogurt
4 oz almond milk
2T coconut oil
Hemp hearts

Whisk dry mix and cinnamon. Blend wet ingredients together and whisk into the dry just until combined. Use an ice cream scoop, sprinkled on hemp seeds while cooking, flip! And eat.

Tuesday, September 1, 2020

Slow Cooker Chiken Enchilada Casserole

CHICKEN ENCHILADA CASSEROLE
I looooove enchiladas! And this sounds yummy! To make it less damaging with the carbs 💛💛💛 I would cut the tortillas in half. Use 5 corn tortillas vs 10, add a little more chicken and maybe some onions, mushrooms and tomatoes for extra veggies 😉

Here's the recipe as is though!

PREP TIME
10 mins
COOK TIME
9 hours
TOTAL TIME
9 hours 10 mins

Serves: Serves about 7

INGREDIENTS
1.5 lbs. boneless skinless raw chicken breasts
1 28 ounce can Red Enchilada Sauce (I use El Pato Brand)
Add these ingredients at the end
10 corn tortillas
3 cups grated cheddar cheese (divided)
1 3.8 ounce can black olives (divided)

INSTRUCTIONS
Put the chicken breasts and the enchilada sauce in your slow cooker.
Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours.
Shred the chicken with 2 forks right in the slow cooker.
Cut the tortillas into strips, add to chicken and sauce.
Stir.
Add 1 cup of cheese and half the olives into the sauce and chicken mixture.
Stir again.
Flatten the mixture slightly.
Add the rest of the cheese and the olives on top.
Cook on low for about 40 - 60 minutes longer.
Top with sour cream/ Greek yogurt (optional)

Recipe via The Magical Slowcooker 

Tuesday, August 18, 2020

A Healthy, Flourless Hummus Based Cookie!


Healthy cookies? Yup they are! And they're hummus based! The other good thing is that you can call the batter hummus and eat it all before baking lol! They’re also  totally flourless and made with chickpeas soooooo you’re basically eating beans AKA they’re basically health food like I said above haha. 

Recipe type: Snack/Dessert
Prep time:  10 mins Cook time:  12 mins Total time:  22 mins
Serves: 16 cookies

Peanut Butter Banana Chickpea Cookies 

Ingredients
1-15oz can chickpeas, vey well rinsed and drained
½ cup creamy peanut butter
1 small, very overripe banana
2 tsp vanilla extract
⅓ cup coconut sugar*
2 tbsp ground flaxseed
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp cinnamon
⅓ cup chocolate chips

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray (or line with parchment paper or Silipat) and set aside.

Make sure to rinse the chickpeas well so they don't taste beany. 

Shake off the excess water before dumping them into a large food processor. 

Add in the rest of the ingredients (except chocolate chips). 

Process for a full two minutes, or until batter is very smooth. You may need to scrape down the sides. Stir in chocolate chips.

With wet hands, spoon batter onto cookie sheet. It will be very wet and sticky (like hummus). You can use your wet hands to pat them down into smooth cookies. You should have about 16.

Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Store cooled cookies in the refrigerator.

*Recipe via Alexis at Hummusapien


Saturday, August 1, 2020

Crock Pot Steel Cut Oatmeal with Apples and Cinnamon

Beachbody-Blog-Steel-Cut-Oats-Apples-Cinnamon
Who said the slow cooker is just for dinner!? You can make a delish breakfast in it too  Put the ingredients for this oatmeal recipe in a slow cooker when you go to sleep, and it’ll be ready when you wake up in the morning!
Total Time: 7 hrs. 10 min.
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cooking Time: 7 hrs.
Yield: 10 servings, about 1 cup each
Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
1½ cups water
1½ cups unsweetened almond milk
3 cups steel-cut oats
2 medium apples, chopped
¼ tsp. sea salt (or Himalayan salt)
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
2 Tbsp. ground flax seed
Preparation:
1. Lightly coat inside of slow cooker with spray.
2. Add water, almond milk, oats, apples, salt, cinnamon, maple syrup, and flax seed; mix well. Cook for 5 to 7 hours on low (or 2 to 3 hours on high), or until edges are brown but not burned.
Tips: Times can vary. In order to make sure oatmeal doesn’t burn, test it out the first time during the day to see how long it takes the oatmeal to cook in your slow cooker. Leftover oatmeal can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or frozen in individual portions.
Beachbody Blog Calories Apples Cinnamon Steel Cut Oatmeal

Tuesday, July 21, 2020

How to Make Fresh Spinach Last in Your Fridge for up to 3 Weeks!

Have you been wondering who in the world would buy such huge bags of spinach when they just go bad in your fridge in a few days? Wonder no more! I buy 2 of the large Costco bags and they last me 2 to 3 weeks. This is how!

Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Eggplant Pizza Bites


These eggplant pizza bites are a great way to get the kids some extra veggies in the form of something we all know and love – PIZZA!
What You Need:
Ingredients for the sauce:
2-3 tsp EVOO
1/2 lb extra lean ground turkey
3 large finely choppe garlic cloves,
16 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning blend
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
Directions:
1. Cut the eggplant in slices about 3/4 inch thick.
2. Lay the eggplant slices on paper towels and salt generously to draw out the water. This removes excess water. This is crucial to the recipe.
3. While the eggplant sits, make the sauce.  Start by cooking a generous amount of garlic in olive oil.
4. Then add fresh diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and oregano.
5.  Let sauce simmer, adding a tablespoon or two of water whenever it seems dry.
6. While sauce is simmering, brown 1/2 lb of extra lean ground turkey.
7. Once browned, drain any excess liquid and add half of the turkey to the sauce.
8.  After 30 minutes, blot eggplant dry with paper towels & wipe off excess salt.
9.  Brush the eggplant with oil, sprinkle with dried herbs, and roast at 375F/190C for about 25 minutes.
10.  Then divide the sauce mixture among the eggplant pieces, top with the cheese then top with ground turkey.
11. Put pizzas under the broiler just until the cheese is melted and serve warm. These are easy to store, reheat and even freeze so what isn't finished doesn't go to waste!

Friday, June 12, 2020

Gatorade vs Water: Why Water is the Only Way to Go!


Summer is approaching & so is the misconception that kids NEED Gatorade after playing sports to replenish electrolytes. No, they don't, just like they don't need the 34 grams of sugar that a 20 I'd bottle of it has! Water 💧 is ALL you and your kids need even while playing sports in the heat! 

If children require water and a few minerals after a game, why not give them a bottle of water and a piece of fruit?

A 20-ounce bottle of Gatorade has 75 mg of potassium, while a small clementine has 131 mg and a banana has 422 mg. A banana also has Vitamins B and C, 16 percent of the daily requirement of manganese, which is great for bones, and 8 percent of magnesium, which prevents cramping. There is even a gram or two of protein in a banana. A clementine has calcium, magnesium, Vitamin C and folate.

Besides the small amount of potassium, what else does the sports drink offer? Thirty-four grams of sugar. If a child with an empty stomach is given 34 grams of processed sugar, the sugar will flow into the bloodstream quickly. A banana and a clementine both have fiber, which slows any natural sugars from entering the bloodstream. There is no fiber in the average sports drink. 


This rush of glucose will raise a child’s insulin levels, and this elevated insulin triggers his body to store fat and to hold on to existing fat stores (for a good resource on this process, check out Mark Hyman’s book “The Blood Sugar Solution”). When the sugars hit the liver, they can be deposited there. So even when a kid isn’t “fat” on the outside, there is unnecessary fat storage happening on the inside, which, along with confused insulin responses, predisposes a child to all kinds of disease.

Water and an orange and banana will give you the potassium, vitamin B, vitamin C, folate and magnesium to help prevent cramping.  

Obviously one sports drink isn’t going to doom a child forever. But setting the expectation that a child athlete “needs” a sports drink to replenish after a game or practice creates a long-term habit that can become dangerous when you think ahead to the number of practices and games he is going to play throughout his school years.

And this doesnt even address the issues and horrific effects food coloring have on the body and especially a child's growing nervous system.  


Portions of this article were taken from the Washington Post article on the same topic. 

Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Is There Really Such a Thing as Negative Calorie Foods?

Wouldn’t it be nice to eat certain foods and lose weight? That’s the thought behind so-called “negative-calorie foods” or foods you can eat that are so low in calories they technically shouldn’t count. They supposedly take up more energy to chew and digest than they contain, so they don’t contribute to your calorie surplus (a.k.a. weight gain). The question is: Do they work?

Negative-Calorie Foods and Their Connection to Weight Loss
"Negative-calorie foods" according to some are fruits, vegetables and other low-calorie snack items—foods that we subconsciously label as “healthy” (check out the chart below for more examples). The idea that negative-calorie foods help with weight loss comes from simple reasoning:

1. You burn more calories eating these foods than they actually contain.
The idea is that negative-calorie foods are low in calories but high in fiber and water, with some items containing up to 90% water by weight. As you know, water adds volume but zero calories. Fiber, though a carbohydrate, is difficult to digest so you don’t extract as many calories from high-fiber foods compared to low-fiber foods. Fibrous foods force you to chew more often, which theoretically burns calories (though not many!).

Examples of what some call Negative-Calorie Foods
FRUITSVEGETABLESOTHER
  • Blueberries
  • Citrus fruits, including oranges and grapefruit
  • Melon, including watermelon and cantaloupe
  • Apples
  • Peaches
  • Grapes
  • Apricots
  • Tangerines
  • Cherries
  • Prunes
  • Celery
  • Lettuce
  • Onions
  • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower
  • Spinach
  • Cucumbers
  • Beets
  • Carrots
  • Green beans
  • Spinach
  • Turnips
  • Air-popped Popcorn
  • Rice Cakes
  • Edamame
  • Bulgar
  • Wheat Bran
  • Shirataki Noodles
  • Egg whites
2. You feel fuller from these foods so you eat less unhealthy foods.
The volume from the water and fiber doesn’t contribute much to calories but impacts satiety. By filling up on negative-calorie foods, you feel fuller and are less apt to choose energy-dense foods full of empty calories (think: potato chips).
While these are two enticing reasons, the reality is you can’t just count on negative-calories foods to help you lose weight because:

3. You don’t use as many calories to process and digest food as you might think.
According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, our bodies only burn about 5–15% of calories from this phenomenon. For someone who needs 2,000 calories per day, only 100–300 calories would be used to process and digest foods. You could consume way more calories than that while watching a movie and eating a bowl of grapes!

4. Low-calorie foods may not be as satisfying as a smaller amount of energy-dense foods.
You can still overeat low-calorie foods and contribute more calories than you think to your daily intake.

Rethink Negative-Calorie Foods
A glance at the negative-calorie foods chart above might have you thinking: “Wait a minute, these foods look pretty healthy!” You’re correct. You should choose fruits and vegetables often as part of a balanced, healthy diet; in addition, the fiber in these foods make them beneficial for weight loss. The caveat, though, is your relationship with these foods. If you view negative-calorie foods as a way to put your mind on autopilot so you can eat without being mindful of calories and portion sizes, think again.

Regardless of the dietary makeup of the food you’re eating, there is no research to support that more calories are used to metabolize a food than the number of calories the food contains. When it comes to weight loss, choosing a variety of foods, burning energy through exercise, and learning about your habits through tracking is the most sustainable plan.

Via My Fitness Pal

Saturday, May 9, 2020

Can Drinking Water Really Help You Lose Weight?



💦💦 WATER 💦💦

We ALL need it! But how much AND does it really help you lose weight, lean out, etc? Well here ya go! I watched an excellent video the other day with tons of tips and studies explaining how and why it DOES! Here's a bit of it! I'll be hosting a ⚡️⚡️ FREE⚡️⚡️ Water group in a few weeks to help motivate you to CHUG 💧! If you'd like more info, send me a message through this site, in Facebook, Instagram or via email at ellieperico@aol.com! Now....for the details!

Can drinking water help you lose weight/cut fat?

Here are some studies that have been done that prove YES!

1. Drinking half a liter or 17 oz of water increased metabolism from 24-30% for 1.5 hrs!

2. Drinking water before a meal decreases appetite = you eat less!

3. Half a liter before meals lead to 44% more weightloss than people who didn't drink before meals!

4. All metabolic processes that take place in your body work more efficiently with adequate water intake. Think of it in car terms, as the oil for your engine.

How much water should I drink per day? 

The general rule is half your body weight in ounces. So, if you're 150 lbs you need AT LEAST 75oz. More if you're exercising and/or sweating for any other reason, hence losing extra water. 

What if I'm bloated? Do I drink less? 

If you're bloated, that's an indication that you're bloated. DRINK water. It seems ironic but that's your body's signal to give it H20! It retains any water you have anticipating it may not get any for some time. Similar to when you don't eat.

People think if you don't eat you'll lose weight. Not necessarily. Your body's metabolism will slow down and it will create fat stores. 

Should I drink tap, filtered or bottled water?

Ideally, the best option is getting a good quality filter and drinking filtered water from a BPA free bottle. Stainless steel is a great option. It's been estimated that 205 million Americans are drinking contaminated water, including tap AND bottled water filled with pollutants, fluoride, heavy metals and even prescription drugs! 

Bottled water is no better either! I've been drinking bottled water for years and after reading this, I'll be finishing all of the water bottles I have at home and permanently switching to only BPA free bottles like my kids use
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They did a study that women who had higher BPA levels in their body weighed 40 lbs more than women who didn't. The BPAs are coming from bottled water, plastic containers for food, etc.

Water in general will help with weightloss not only to make you eat less but to make the body function better as a whole. Your digestive system will work better, you'll have more energy, skin will improve and you'll have less headaches. 

So remember, water is a CRITICAL part of your weightloss and/or fitness routine. Drinking water alone won't shrink your belly BUT drinking water and combining that with a proper diet and fitness routine will lead to success, NO doubt! 

Remember, if you'd like to join me 💧💧 WATER ACCOUNTABILITY GROUP 💧💧 contact me! I may be adding a bonus free meal plan with recipes and snack ideas along with daily nutrition and fitness tips just like I do in my client paid groups! JUST in time for summer 🌞👙💦


Thursday, April 30, 2020

2 Ingredient Ice Cream in 2 Minutes!



Ice cream in 2 minutes with 2 ingredients!

Here ya go!
2 frozen bananas
1 regular banana, very very ripe
1 tablespoon of shakeology
~ we used chocolate but you can use any flavor depending on the flavor ice cream you want

1. Chop the frozen bananas up and put them in the blender

2. Chop the ripe banana up and put it in the blender.

3. Add the Shakeology and blend!

4. Scoop out and serve. Eat plain or top with anything you'd like. I didn't have almonds, which I usually top them with, so I used the smashed up pieces of plain and chocolate frosted mini wheats from the cereal bag! #momhack

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

How to Preserve Spinach in Your Fridge for Weeks!

Not sure about you guys but I'm not a big fan of grocery shopping! So I do whatever it takes to avoid doing it more than 2x a month! And I have 2 kids and a busy life so that isn't easy! But tips like this make it possible! 

Spinach wilts easily and gets soggy within a few days in the fridge! Do this and you can keep it in there for 2-3 weeks!! 

Make sure you use thick paper towels &a you do this either right when you get back from the store or the next day at the latest!

Watch the video by clicking HERE 👇🏼



Monday, March 16, 2020

Cheeseburger Sliders


Sliders! Who doesn't love sliders right?  Well these turned out super yummy according to the kids and they were SO easy to make!  Enjoy and let me know how you like them!

Ingredients
---King's Hawaiian Dinner Rolls
---2 lbs ground beef or ground turkey (preferably extra lean)
---1 red onion
---sliced cheddar cheese
---butter
---No salt seasoning (I use the Kirkland brand or Mrs Dash)
---Smoked paprika

Directions
---Blend seasoning and smoked paprika (and any other seasoning you prefer to use) into your ground beef or turkey
---Spray a pirex dish to prevent sticking
---Spread ground beef or turkey in there to match the size of the dinner rolls packaging.  Possibly spread it a little thicker since it'll shrink.  It should a little over 1/2 an inch thick
---Bake at 400 degrees until fully cooked.  Usually about 25 minutes
---While meat is cooking, finely chop the onion.
---Melt coconut oil in a skillet and caramelize the onion, then set aside.
---Remove beef or turkey from oven, drain the fat and set aside.
---Slice the King's Hawaiian rolls down the center all the way across.
---Clean the pirex dish the meat was cooked on or use another one & lay the bottom layer of rolls in it
---Place the cooked ground beef or turkey on top.
---Then cover with slices of cheese.
---Top with onions and place the top layer of rolls on top
---Melt a tablespoon of butter.  Lightly brush the top of the rolls
---Bake at about 350 degrees for another 5-10 minutes or so until cheese is melted and rolls are browning
---Remove from the oven, let cool and slice.  Then ENJOY!
---We made them with sweet potato fries on the side and it was PERFECT!

If you're following the 21 Day Fix, the breakdown is as follows:

Each slider = 1 red (beef or turkey), 1 blue (cheese), 1 yellow (rolls) 1 teaspoon (butter & oil),

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Low Carb Cheesy Bread



Love cheese but hate carbs?





TOTAL TIME: 
PREP: 
LEVEL: EASY
SERVES: 4

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 medium zucchini, or about 4 cups grated zucchini
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
  • 3 c. shredded mozzarella, divided
  • 1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan
  • 1/4 c. cornstarch
  • kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 tsp. Freshly Chopped Parsley
  • Marinara, for dipping

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 425º and line a baking sheet with parchment. On a box grater or in a food processor, grate zucchini. Using cheesecloth or a dish towel, wring excess moisture out of zucchini.
  2. Transfer zucchini to a large bowl with eggs, garlic, oregano, 1 cup mozzarella, Parmesan, and cornstarch and season with salt and pepper. Stir until completely combined.
  3. Transfer “dough” to prepared baking sheet and pat into a crust. Bake until golden and dried out, 25 minutes.
  4. Sprinkle with remaining 2 cups mozzarella, crushed red pepper flakes, and parsley and bake until cheese is melted, 8 to 10 minutes more.
  5. Slice and serve with marinara.
Recipe via Realhousemoms.com

Thursday, February 6, 2020

Healthified Box Muffin Recipe Using Club Soda!



Super simple, low cal, protein enriched muffins using only 5 ingredients. Boxed cake mix is pretty easy to use and make but you end up with muffins that have upwards of 35 grams of carbs, 20 grams of sugar and little to no protein. 

By not adding the milk & eggs the box calls for and instead adding Kodiak pancake mix, egg whites & club soda, you lower the carbs, sugars and fat and raise the protein and fiber, which ideally is the best thing to do whenever possible with a recipe.

So, pick out yours or your kids’ favorite box cake mix & give it a shot. Tip: look for ones without artificial colors & dyes! I made the mistake of letting my little man choose red velvet which means....a lot of the worst dye out there, Red 40, known to cause behavioral reactions in kids! Never again for sure! 

But back to the recipe! Here ya go! Macros are below, as is the Portion Fix container breakdown. Let me know if you give it a shot. 

P.S. The recipe works too by simply adding club soda and NOTHING else but the sugar, carb and protein content will remain the same, hence making each cupcake have double the sugar, carbs and calories noted below 

Ingredients 
1 box cake mix 
1 1/2 cups Kodiak Pancake mix
16 oz egg whites 
Club soda (amount vaires, see recipe below)

Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Spray 2 muffin tins of 12 muffins each with non stick spray or use muffin cups.

Blend cake mix, egg whites & 1 cup Kodiak mix in a bowl until all ingredients are combined. Slowly add club soda and last 1/2 cup of Kodiak mix until consistency is similar to cake mix. It’s typically about 2 cups but it depends how thick or runny you prefer your cake mix.

Once blended, pour into tins and cake. My oven cooks them in about 15-20 min but check them periodically with a toothpick and when it comes out clean they’re done! 

My kids like to frost them and add sprinkles, of course increasing sugar content but hey, you only live once and they eat clean most of the day. A small muffin with frosting ain’t gonna kill ‘em lol! 

Makes 24 muffins  
Macros per muffin are as follows 
100 cals
1 fat
1 gram fiber 
7 grams sugar
18 carbs 
5 protein 

Portion Fix
1 yellow