CHOCOLATE Whole Wheat Pancakes

One of my favorite things to do is to tweak recipes and make my own recipes, until I make one that is just perfect and delicious! 

One of my recent "masterpieces" just so happens to be HEALTHY, CHOCOLATE Whole wheat protein pancakes!

Even my kids ate them so quickly and begged for more, and that's saying something because my kids are PICKY eaters! Picky to the MAX!

So without Further adue, here is the recipe for my incredible edible Healthy Chocolate Whole Wheat Pancakes!

Healthy Chocolate Whole Wheat Pancakes

1 Cup NonFat Cottage Cheese

6 large eggs

1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour

1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil (melted)

1 pinch of salt

1 teaspoon pure Vanilla Extract

1 teaspoon pure Almond Extract

1/4 cup Almond Milk (Vanilla, unsweetened)

1/4 cup unsweetened Apple Sauce

1 scoop Chocolate protein powder

**Topped with Coconut Milk (clean), Pure Maple Syrup, and Strawberries**

Seriously Guys, These pancakes are drool worthy in every way! And the best part is, they are GOOD for you, GOOD for your kids... and taste like CHOCOLATE!

Let's Paint the Town

I am SO excited to be starting this super fun project!!! I can't WAIT to show you what I'm up to ;)

I promise I will post before and after pictures, and a few steps along the way! 

EEEK!!!

I'm addicted to Bruschetta

So we all have that one food that when we even hear the NAME of it, we start salivating. You know you do it!!! For me that food is BRUSCHETTA!!! (I'm curious... what is yours? leave a comment, I would seriously love to know!) I don't know what it is about bruschetta that just gets me so! But it does! Maybe it's the freshness of the ingredients, or the crunch! It could be the BLAST of flavor that explodes in my mouth with each and every deliciously delicious bite!!! Yes, it's so delicious I had to use delicious TWICE! Mmmmmmmmm... But I digress. 

Without further ado, I will bless you with the amazing recipe that I've concocted. After trying every recipe Pinterest could find for me, I have created the one that makes me that happiest (That tastes as close to the Bruschetta from my favorite restaurant as possible).

So the recipe will differ slightly depending on how much you want to make but here is what I generally do!

Super Addictive Bruschetta

1 tomato - diced

half an onion - diced

1/4 cup chopped FRESH basil (fresh is really key here)

2 Tbs garlic (I use the pre diced garlic you can buy in the jars by the vegetables, makes life a lot easier!)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil. 

Mix all of these ingredients together VERY well

Let sit for a few minutes (in the refrigerator preferably)

In the mean time you can either bake your bread or toast it in a toaster oven or toaster. I usually do Dave's Killer Bread (it's pretty amazing, good for you, and SO delicious). Other's like to use french bread or baguettes. I like to keep it Clean Eating, so I use Dave's Killer bread! You can get it at Costco, SAMs Club, Winco, or Amazon.

Toast it up, and then just dollop a scoop of the Bruschetta right on top!

I then like to splash a little drizzle of Balsamic Vinegar over each piece and top it with some fresh cilantro! It's seriously to die for you guys! 

I also use bruschetta on top of grilled chicken, tilapia, and sometimes I just eat it with some popcorn chips!!!

I'm not kidding when I say that Bruschetta just GETS me! 

xoxo

Please feel free to leave a comment or a question, I am always happy to help!

Clean Pancakes - 100% Whole Wheat Clean Pancakes

100% Whole Wheat Clean Pancakes

When I first decided to go "clean", I sat for a minute thinking about ALL the foods I wouldn't be able to eat anymore. And I mourned the loss of my good friend, pancakes. After starting my nutrition courses, and doing research, and spending more time understanding and cooking real foods, I have finally mastered the perfect pancakes recipe for our family!!

100% Whole Wheat Pancakes

*I grind my own wheat, to guarantee it's 100%

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour

1/2 cup ground flax seeds

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 Cup plain non-fat Greek Yogurt

3/4 cup Almond milk

1 egg

2 Tbs pure Vanilla extract

Directions:

Sift together the dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix together the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. When they are both mixed well, blend them together! Scoop 1/4 cup batter onto griddle and spread evenly for it to cook all over.

Top with fresh fruit!

For the "syrup" I literally just pureed strawberries with a tablespoon of natural honey! It's SO delicious and fresh!

Chicken Curry and Couscous

Mmmmm... I seriously LOVE curry! 

I have also recently fallen in LOVE with couscous. I never really cared for it before. But recently it's just been calling to me! 

I added it to our Chicken Curry this week and it was amazing! I thought I would share this recipe, it is one of my fav

orites for sure!

Chicken Curry and Couscous

                             

Ingredients:
2 cups water
2½ cups canned light coconut milk, divided use
1 tsp. salt, divided use
2 cups dry whole-grain couscous
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. curry powder
2 lbs. raw chicken breast, boneless, skinless, cut into ½-inch strips or bite-sized pieces
1 Tbsp. coconut oil
3 medium carrots, cut into matchstick-sized pieces
½ cup raisins
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation:
1. Heat water, ½ cup coconut milk, and ¼ tsp. salt in medium saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to boil. Gradually stir in couscous. Remove from heat. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Remove cover and fluff with a fork.
2. Combine remaining ¾ tsp. salt, flour, and curry powder in a resealable plastic bag. Add chicken, seal the bag, and toss gently to coat.
3. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken; cook for 5 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink.
4. Add remaining 2 cups coconut milk, carrots, and raisins. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and gently boil, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 10 minutes, or until chicken is tender.
5. Place ½ cup of couscous in each of 8 serving bowls and top with ¾ cup curried chicken. Garnish each serving with 1 Tbsp. cilantro.

Bruschetta Tilapia and Lemon Garlic Green Beans

Bruschetta Tilapia and Lemon Garlic Green Beans

One of our family favorite meals is Bruschetta Tilapia, served with Lemon Garlic Green Beans and a side of fresh strawberries.

During the summer I love to eat FRESH. Not only is it good for your body to eat what is in season, but it is also so kind to your taste buds! I don't think there is a sweeter treat in all the world than a perfectly fresh, in season, ripe strawberry! **Serious Mouth watering going on here!**

Even my picky 3 year old daughter loves this dinner. She tells me "Mom, Tilapia is my favorite chicken ever!" I have yet to correct her and tell her that it's fish, because I'm afraid of what might happen. So for now, in our house Tilapia is Chicken!

I've never been one who LOVES to follow a recipe. That's one of the things I find so great about cooking/eating clean. The foods are what they are, and it's really hard to go wrong. So this dish is something I just whipped up one day, but it was a quick family favorite, so I wrote down everything I did after dinner was over. 

Grilled Bruschetta Tilapia:

4 Pieces of Tilapia - Thawed

Blackened Cajun Seasoning

1 Tomato

1/2 White onion

Fresh Basil 

Garlic

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

** Grill the Tilapia seasoned with a small sprinkling of the blackened Cajun Seasoning.

** Dice the tomato and half of a white onion. Stir together in a bowl. Add in 1-2 Tablespoons of garlic, and 1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil. Chop some fresh basil and mix in.

After the Tilapia is finished grilling, top with the fresh bruschetta! And eat your heart out!

Lemon Garlic Green Beans:

2-3 Large handfuls of fresh green beans

2 table spoons of garlic

1/4 cup lemon juice

Mrs. Dash Seasoning

**Feta cheese for topping

There are two ways you can cook these beans. Stovetop or in the oven!

Stovetop:

Throw the washed beans (I always cut the tips off of the fresh beans) in the frying pan.
Mix in the lemon juice and garlic, and 1-2 teaspoons of Mrs. Dash Seasoning. Cook until you get that almost burnt look.
Once you've obtained your desired level of "burnage" serve warm, topped with feta cheese.

Oven:

In a bowl, mix the washed beans with the lemon juice and garlic and Mrs. Dash seasoning until evenly coated, spread on a baking sheet.
Cook at 450* for 20-30 minutes, or until perfectly "browned" (We like our beans almost burnt).
Serve warm, and top with feta cheese.

I hope you enjoy this deliciously fresh dinner as much as we do. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below!