Supper-Time Sunday

Hello friends! I hope your eats were delicious and nutritious this week. We had a crazy sort of week and so I don't have a ton of new eats for you but I have a couple. So here we go! 

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10-MINUTE STOVETOP GRANOLA

Recipe courtesy of Yes, I Want Cake

I love granola but it is expensive and a lot of time it has a ton of added ingredients that I would prefer my family not consume. However, making it at home can take several hours and I would definitely prefer spending those hours on something other than granola.

When I saw this recipe for 10-minute stovetop granola I new that I had to try it! My cute hubster LOVES granola and I was pretty sure my babies would enjoy it on their Activia yogurt as well. I was happy that it called for clean ingredients. The only added sugar is in the Craisins - I will probably use Deluxe Raisins next time so that I can enjoy the granola as well without any digestive repercussions. Unless someone knows where to buy unsweetened dried cranberries at a good price?

But back to the recipe! It really came together sooo quickly and was positively delicious! I don't think I will ever be able to make granola the long way again.

I made a few changes to the recipe. I used coconut oil instead of butter and I only had ground flaxseed on hand so I used about 1/4 cup. I used pure maple syrup instead of the honey and my unsweetened coconut is in ribbons but it worked just fine.

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NAUGHTY NUTTY "NOODLES"

Recipe courtesy of Delightful Taste Buds

This is a recipe that you may have noticed has been on my meal plan for a long time. In all honesty, when it came time to make it it just didn't sound good to me so I never actually made it until today. I whipped up a batch and the kids and I sat on the floor with 3 forks and we munched away while watching Wreck it Ralph.

It turned out really good although I felt like the lemon was a bit overbearing. I love lemon, don't get me wrong, but next time I think that I will only use 1/2 a lemon to let some of the other flavors shine.

One of the best things about this recipe is its versatility. I, for once, didn't have carrots on hand so instead I grated up a fuji apple. The sweetness of the apple was a great compliment to the other flavors of the dish. I also used 1/2 green cabbage and 1/2 purple cabbage.

Some of the other changes that I made: I used reduced sodium Tamari instead of coconut aminos. You can use whatever soy sauce you have on hand. Be careful about the oil you use in the beginning. 1 tbsp of oil is too much to cook 2 eggs in a skillet. I would start with nonstick oil and then add 1 tbsp of oil when you are ready to add the onions to your pan. 

This dish tasted a lot like similar Asian noodle dishes that I have had at various restaurants and it is definitely worth a try for an easy and healthy meal!

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QUESTIONS FOR MY DEAR READERS:  Have you ever made homemade granola? What is your favorite meatless meal?

Loves...Shayla

Slow Cooker Turkey Sloppy Joes

I have been craving sloppy joes like NO ONE'S BUSINESS! (Where did that expression come from anyways?) However... that is a very unfortunate craving to have when one cannot have gluten or sugar. I have been looking around the web at a bunch of different recipes and I really wanted to try the Tempeh Sloppy Joes that are on our menu this week but when it came time that I needed to get dinner ready I realized that I was out of Tamari and had no time to run to the store. I scanned through a few other recipes but didn't have all of the ingredients for any one of them so I decided I had to just come up with something.

And oh wow! It turned out AMAZING! Cute hubster LOVED it and so did I. It was the perfect flavor - rich and savory with just a touch of spiciness to it. I made the sauce out of two recipes that I adapted together. I used Worcestershire sauce this time (since that is what I had on hand) but next time I will use the Tamari when I actually have it!

Really, this is a very simple recipe if you can have store bought ketchup and barbecue sauce. I can't because of the things they usually add to it. All the sauce ingredients are are the ingredients for a homemade bbq sauce + homemade ketchup. This way I get to control the ingredients.

SLOW COOKER TURKEY SLOPPY JOES
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Sauce adapted from this recipe and this recipe

SAUCE
6 oz can tomato paste
1/4 cup pure maple syrup (or honey, or agave)
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup water
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
--------> You can replace all of the above ingredients with 1 1/3 cup ketchup.
3/4 tsp garlic powder
3 tbsp brown sugar (I used date sugar)
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (or soy, or tamari)
3/4 tbsp dry mustard
3/4 tsp paprika (preferably smoked)
1/8 tsp cayenne
Black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and mix until completely blended. Bring mixture to a boil and then turn heat to low. Let simmer while you prepare the other ingredients

1 lb ground turkey (or chicken, or beef)
1 small yellow onion
2 large carrots, shredded
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 cup water

Brown the turkey with the onion until no longer pink. (You can use a bit of oil in your pan if you need to. 1 tbsp should be plenty or just spray with nonstick cooking spray.) Once the turkey is cooked through add it to your slow cooker.

Add carrots and celery to the same pan you cooked your turkey in. Add in water and cook until carrots are partially soft. Add veggies to the slow cooker, pour sauce on top, and mix all ingredients together thoroughly.

Cook on low for at least 1 1/2 hours. Add more water at the end if you need to to thin it out.

Serve on buns or do what I do and make a deconstructed sloppy joe salad! Yummy!

Supper-Time Sunday!

I gotta say... of all of the posts that I do these ones are probably my favorite. I really love sharing all of the delicious eats that we have been able to enjoy lately with my lovely family and friends - and all of you that I don't know but would love to! We had another great week of eats this week!

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FRUIT SWEETENING PASTE (PURE FRUIT SWEETENER)

Photo + Recipe Courtesy of Primally Inspired

I have to talk about this one first because it is the one that I am most excited about. When you are sugar intolerant it is easy to feel that your options are very limited - because they are. When I saw this all natural fruit sweetening paste on Primally Inspired I knew that I wanted to try it out!

Our local Winco Foods has a large section of bulk bins and I was able to get all of the ingredients for this paste from there. The recipe says that you can use any amounts of any combination of dried fruits so, really, the sky is the limit. I got the recommended fruits and made sure none of them were listed with added sugar. (Another great benefit to Winco Foods bulk section - they list the ingredients and nutritional information on all of their bins). I got 0.47 lbs Deluxe Raisins for $0.36, 0.36 lbs Dried Apricots for $1.23, 0.57 lbs Dried Adriatic Figs for $1.18, and 2.94 lbs Dried Whole Pitted Dates for $1.46. Total weight = 4.34 lbs for $4.23. Pretty awesome, right? 

What is even more awesome is that it tastes DELICIOUS! My husband had some spread on a piece of toast and I had some spread on my Tone It Up Protein Pancake at breakfast IMMEDIATELY after I finished making it.

And if that weren't awesome enough... We ended up with about 40 ounces of the finished product ~ 40 ounces for $4.23. If you buy honey at Sam's Club it costs $12.80 for 80 ounces. And pure maple syrup (grade A) at Costco is over $13 for 33.8 ounces. This is a delicious and very cost effective alternative!

You can see that we have already dug into the smaller jar

I am so happy to have this all natural product to sweeten my eats with and to finally have something that resembles jam again! 

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SUPER THICK SHAMROCK SMOOTHIE

Photo + Recipe Courtesy of Lauren at Oatmeal After Spinning

There have been a lot of St. Patrick's Day eats going around right now. Since today is St. Patrick's day it seems to make sense, right? Well it is no fun to be left out of favorite traditions when you are trying to eat healthy so there have been a lot of copycat shamrock shakes going around as well. I even blogged about one last week that we enjoyed.

However, this one takes the cake for me. I loved this recipe and made it twice this week. One time I hoarded it for myself as my lunch and hid away from the kids so I wouldn't have to share. The second time I was feeling more generous so I made the same amount but distributed the goods throughout my little family so everyone could enjoy it. Cute hubster is not a fan of peppermint but even he enjoyed it!

I made a couple of changes to this recipe. The first time that I made it I didn't have a frozen banana or peppermint extract.... so instead I used 1 whole small banana and pure mint extract. I used 1/2 tsp mint extract (*DISCLAIMER! Only use this much if you like STRONG mint flavor!) and I used frozen kale instead of the spinach. It got incredibly thick and I ate it in a bowl just like mint ice cream - DIVINE!

When I made it for the family I actually had peppermint extract. I kept my other changes the same but used 1/2 tsp peppermint extract. It was pretty good still but I liked the strength of the mint extract and will probably continue to use it for my own hoarding smoothie purposes.

Overall this is, by far, my favorite copycat Shamrock Smoothie!

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CROCKPOT JAMBALAYA

Photo + Recipe Courtesy of With Just a Bit of Magic

This is a recipe that my wonderful sister-in-law posted about and I knew that I wanted to try it. I love Jambalaya but usually can't eat the ones that you get at restaurants around here because they are made with noodles. (No gluten for me!)

I had a bit of a hectic day and didn't get the ingredients for this one in the crockpot until there were only about 4 hours left to dinner time. I placed the ingredients in my "depths of Mordor" crockpot and set it to high hoping that it would be ready in time. 

Well, it was and it wasn't. The brown rice is extremely finicky about when it will cook right and it was still a little crunchy by the time it was time to eat dinner. We didn't mind it and we ate the jambalaya anyway. Cute hubster took the leftovers to work and didn't mention any bad crunchiness so I assume it was fine.

What we particularly enjoyed about this recipe was the delicious flavor. I used all natural Sweet Apple Chicken sausage and the contrast of the sweetness with the hot sauce we added to our bowls was divine. 

I didn't want to buy fresh thyme so I used 2 tsp dried thyme instead of the 2 tbsp fresh that it calls for. I also didn't want to spend the money for the shrimp so we just left it out completely. If you have a food processor the chopping of the veggies for this dish is a cinch, otherwise it would be a bit time consuming. 

*Side Note: I have found the PERFECT method for cooking even the most finnicky and stubborn of brown rice:

COOK THE PERFECT BROWN RICE

Photo + recipe courtesy of Pinch My Salt

Seriously. This technique has NEVER failed us. We love it!

Overall, this jambalaya recipe was very good and if I am in the mood for jambalaya again I will probably pull this recipe out of the archives; however, there are so many other recipes out there that I want to try that unless I am specifically craving jambalaya I will probably not revisit this recipe.

PIN IT! (Jambalaya)

PIN IT! (Brown Rice)

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CARROT CAKE OATMEAL

Recipe courtesy of Life After Bagels

I love my morning oatmeal greatly and I am always interested in finding new ways to switch things up. I used to love carrot cake greatly when I was still eating sugar and gluten and so this recipe particularly caught my eye. Especially since this is a great way to add some veggies to the most important meal of the day!

And it was delicious! Very hearty, flavorful and filling. However.... I did change several things about the recipe.

I didn't want to bother cooking steel cut oats so I just used my normal 1/2 cup of gluten free old fashioned oats. To that I added all of the gratings of 1 medium carrot, 1 small banana (sliced), 1 tbsp ground flaxseed (optional), and a large sprinkling of pumpkin pie spice. I cooked it on high in the microwave for 3 minutes and then added 2 tbsp of unsalted almonds to the finished product. Like I said, it was delicious and it was quite sweet enough for me with the carrot and the banana to not need the additional maple syrup.

I am sure the original recipe is just as delicious - this is just what worked for me!

*Note: If you would like to see a picture of this recipe, the recipe itself, or pin this recipe please click on the "Life After Bagels" link under the title above. This link will take you directly to this particular recipe on Life After Bagels site.

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QUESTIONS FOR MY DEAR READERS: What was the best thing you ate this week? Are you doing anything special with your food for St. Patrick's Day?

Loves...Shayla

Supper-Time Sunday!

I have a wide assortment of different recipes for you this week - all delicious! Definitely a great week of delicious eats.

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MOM'S STOVETOP PORK RIBS

Recipe + Photo Courtesy of Allrecipes.com

Oh man oh man! These were sooooo good! I was extremely skeptical about the cooking technique but these ribs turned out super tender and flavorful. I only had 7 country style pork ribs (meaning that they were boneless) and I used tamari instead of soy sauce to keep it gluten free. 

A lot of the reviews talked about the saltiness of the dish. Truth be told, the more of the sauce that ends up on your actual rib the more salty it will taste. Next time I make this (because there WILL be a next time) I will probably cut back on the tamari. Probably try 1/4 - 1/3 cup instead of 1/2. 

Also, the cooking time is way off. I think my water took at least an hour to boil down and I was conservative about it. Plan ahead and give it the time to boil down - you won't regret it. 

Even with 10 cloves of garlic it didn't taste overly garlicky to us. The whole family loved them. Try this one out! You won't be disappointed!

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OVEN ROASTED SWEET POTATO WEDGES

Recipe + Photo Courtesy of Food.com

I served these on the side with the pork ribs and they were delicious. I would've liked them to be a bit more crispy than they turned out but I think that could be achieved by letting them sit on broil for a few minutes at the end of the cooking time.

Sweet potatoes can be incredibly frustrating to cut. I didn't want to fight with them this time so I peeled my potatoes, pricked them a few times and microwaved them for 3 minutes. It was only a short time and the potatoes were not cooked through but they softened so that they were MUCH easier to cut!

The only thing that I changed about the recipe was that I used date sugar instead of the brown sugar. My boy {N} GOBBLED these down! My girl [A] is still very skeptical of sweet potatoes but at least she tried these. 

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COPYCAT SHAMROCK SHAKE - HEALTHY, PALEO VERSION

Recipe + Photo Courtesy of Primally Inspired

We had these shakes for breakfast this very morning and they were delicious and filling. Very thick and creamy. Cute hubster said they tasted fresh and green. 

I didn't use the honey in the recipe and instead used 1 banana and a little over 1 Tbsp stevia. Since I was sharing it with cute hubster I knew he would want it to be more sweet than I usually make things. I also didn't have peppermint extract - just mint extract. It still worked but I think that it would be even better with peppermint extract. Yes, they are different. 

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LIGHT 100% WHOLE WHEAT ROLLS

Recipe Revisit from here

Obviously, I can't eat these anymore because I have to eat gluten free; however, my extended family loves them so much that I am still asked to make them from time to time. 

My mom and I discovered something amazing about these this past Sunday... you can completely skip the first 2 risings! All you have to do is to make up the dough, form the rolls and let them rise for 40 minutes before you put them in the oven. They turned out perfectly and I think that some of the rolls were even bigger than when I let them rise for the extra 1 1/2 hours! 

So without those risings these take just over an hour to make from start to finish - awesome!

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QUESTION FOR MY DEAR READERS: I still haven't gotten any recipe recommendations! Surely you have tried something lately that you loved? Share the love with me!

Loves...Shayla

WIAW: Monday Eats

I have another WIAW for you this week! These are my eats from Monday this week. Mondays are a bit unusual in our house because I have school in the evening so I usually have to throw something together that I can eat on the go. Again, I apologize for the Smartphone photos. Easy and convenient doesn't necessarily equate to beauty in photography...

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BREAKFAST 7:20 AM

Cocoa Protein Apple Oatmeal

I know that it doesn't look very appetizing and, truth be told, a lot of people probably wouldn't like it. It isn't very sweet and is VERY thick. But I love it and it was my breakfast so that is all that matters! I mix 1/2 cup gluten free old-fashioned oats with 1 scoop of my vanilla plant protein powder and 1 tbsp ground flaxseed. I add 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder and 1/2 apple (chopped). I thin it out with water and cook in the microwave. Usually I add almonds as well but I completely forgot today so oh well!

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SNACK 1 10:35 AM

Banana Yogurt

I know that the perspective on this one isn't really great. The bowl my oatmeal is in is from our "normal sized" bowl set. This one is actually a little bowl that you can buy for kids. They come in fun colors, all neon. 

Anyways! I decided to go with something a little bit different today. I am horrible about my calcium intake and so I wanted to make sure my snack included some calcium. I sliced a small, frozen banana and put it in my mini chopper with about 1/2 cup plain, nonfat Greek yogurt. I added a splash of pure vanilla extract and a few sprinkles of Saigon cinnamon and chopped away until it was smooth. I topped it with some chopped, unsweetened coconut. 

This picture is actually the one I made right after I made mine for my girl [A] because she determined she had to have some. I didn't have a second frozen banana so I just used one off the counter for her. I definitely liked the frozen banana version better but this one was good as well.

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LUNCH 1:55 PM & DINNER 5:00 PM

Deconstructed Sweet Apple Burger & Baked Sweet Potato Fries

This turned out to be quite the creation! I started with a large sweet potato and peeled it. I cut it in half and put a big slit in each half. Then I wrapped each half in a sopping wet paper towel and microwaved it for 3 minutes. After it was finished I cut it (very easily) into fry sizes, tossed with a little EVOO, chili powder, minced onion and freshly ground black pepper and stuck it in the oven at 375. I think I let them cook for about 30 minutes.

While those were roasting up I used my handy Kitchen Aid attachment to grind a pound of chicken. I also put 1/2 red delicious apple and a large handful of spinach right through the grinder. I mixed that all up and added 1 tbsp ground flaxseed, 1 tbsp nutritional yeast, 1 egg, 1 tsp minced garlic, 1/8 tsp allspice, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp tarragon, and 1 large shredded carrot. I made up six patties and cooked them on a griddle with nonstick spray until they were done. I placed one patty on a bed of organic spinach leaves, spread some classic hummus on it, topped with a few banana peppers and some yellow onion and enjoyed!

I wanted to make a lot so that I would have enough for lunch and dinner when I am running out the door to get to class. For dinner I had exactly the same thing as pictured above. I didn't eat half of that for lunch and half for dinner. Sometimes I will do that if I make something big enough but this was only 1 burger atop the spinach and 1/2 sweet potato worth of fries. It was very filling but 1/2 of it would have left me hungry. Plus making extras meant that I was able to make chicken sandwiches for my kids for lunch as well. I also had 3 bites of a red delicious apple my girl [A] had been munching on. I'll be honest... I'm not a big fan of red delicious apples! They aren't crunchy enough!

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I don't eat after 7:00 pm because of my resolution for Lent and so this was it for the day! 

QUESTION FOR MY DEAR READERS: Have you had any delicious eats lately? I could definitely use some new breakfast and lunch ideas! Spread the love to me!

Loves...Shayla

Spicy Vegan Peanut Butter Tofu Rice Bowls

I have made this recipe several times and every single time it gets rave reviews. Cute hubster loves it and my boy {N} always eats his entire bowl. My girl [A] is skeptical of sweet potatoes and so she kind of picks through her bowl - mostly eating all of the tofu pieces she can find. Am I a mean mom for insisting she keep trying sweet potatoes each time we have them? I don't force them down her but I always insist that she try everything once!

This recipe is based off of the sauce and technique of Kalyn over at Kalyn's Kitchen. You can view her recipe here. The picture right below here belongs to her as well. I have to use alternative pictures wherever possible because I don't have my own camera - I only have my Android smartphone. Sorry for my sloppy pictures but at least you can get the idea!

SPICY VEGAN PEANUT BUTTER TOFU RICE BOWLS
Original idea by Kalyn at Kalyn's Kitchen
Arranged by Shayla Bentley
Makes a VERY large amount (at least 8 servings)
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14-16 oz. extra firm tofu (you can also used cooked, shredded chicken if you don't like tofu)
1 T sesame oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2-3 T diagonally sliced green onions (for garnish, optional... I never remember)

2 cups uncooked brown rice (for the perfect technique on cooking brown rice that has NEVER failed us check out this site here)

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and shredded

2 cups green or red cabbage, sliced

1 - 2 cups eggplant or mushrooms

Sauce Ingredients:
6 T reduced sodium soy sauce (or Tamari if you need to keep it gluten free)
6 T rice vinegar (not seasoned rice vinegar, can substitute white vinegar)
4 T smooth natural peanut butter (or 6 T crunchy)
2 T pure maple syrup (or agave)
4 T vegetable stock or water (I always use water)
Sriracha to taste (only if you like things spicy!)

Make sure to get your brown rice started first if you aren't using leftover rice. The rice takes at least 40 minutes to cook! 

Once rice is cooking and about 10 minutes into cooking time heat sesame oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Prep your tofu by removing from package and squeezing as much moisture as you can out between a thick layer of paper towels. Chop tofu into small pieces. 

Add garlic to skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tofu to skillet, sprinkle with ground ginger, and cook until nicely browned. Turn skillet to low.

Mix all sauce ingredients together and add to skillet. Your peanut butter will most likely start out a little chunky still but as it heats everything will blend together nicely. 

Turn your oven on to high broil. When the rice has about 8 minutes left spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray and place sweet potatoes, cabbage, and eggplant (or mushrooms) on the sheet. Toss together and heat in the oven for 5-7 minutes. You do NOT want it to burn and you do not want the veggies to get totally soft. A little bit of crunchiness does WONDERS for this dish.

Once the rice is finished toss it in the skillet with the sauce and tofu. Fold together well trying not to destroy your tofu until the rice has a nice even layer of the sauce. Serve by putting a few scoops of veggies in the bottom of a bowl and add the rice/tofu mixture on top. *Note: if you let the hot rice mix sit atop the veggies for a few minutes they will soften even more. You can also add green onions and add the Sriracha to individual portions for those that like things spicy. 

Enjoy!

This is my I-am-about-to-shovel-this-deliciousness-in-my-mouth picture. Notice how the Sriracha bottle is sitting by my bowl? Yeah... I like spicy!

QUESTION FOR MY DEAR READERS: Do you like tofu? Have you ever tried it? 

Loves...Shayla

Supper-Time Sunday!

This week contributed some very tasty eats to our pallets and I am excited to share these gems with you!

MAPLE LEMON SKIRT STEAK

Recipe + Photo Courtesy of Prevention.com

We don't eat a whole lot of beef around here so it is always kind of a special treat when we do. Plus, petite sirloin was on sale this week so that is just an amazing excuse to pull out one of my beef pins to try out. I have never heard of skirt steak so if any of you have... enlighten me!

I also don't know why they call it petite sirloin - these babies were huge! I sliced mine in half BOTH ways and they cooked up quickly. Besides the baked potatoes that I served on the side of this the whole meal came together in a half hour. I also served it with roasted red and green peppers and yellow onion. Very delicious.

We particularly liked the sauce which I didn't change anything about. It is a bit on the sweeter side of things with a tiny bit of a kick from the dijon mustard. Cute hubster loved it.

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SWEET POTATO-PEANUT BISQUE

Recipe + Picture Courtesy of Eating Well

Not kidding, this is one of my new favorite soups. Now, granted, I am not much of a soup person. Maybe that is more comforting to you because I am really picky about the soups that I like. But we loved this. I will admit that I balked at the recipe list... when you look at it it just doesn't seem possible that it would all come together but it does and it just... works!

I thought that this soup was extra tasty fresh but it is still quite good as leftovers. And it is filling too. One bowl was plenty for me to feel satisfied 

The only changes that I made to the recipe were that I used olive oil instead of canola, we used the tomato-vegetable juice blend, and we didn't garnish with cilantro. Cute hubster doesn't like cilantro so I leave it out when it is optional. 

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CAULIFLOWER CRUST PIZZA

Recipe + Photo courtesy of Beth at Eat.Drink.Smile.

UPDATE!!!

This week I made this crust again for our pizza eats on Monday. 

I used ~3 cups riced, cooked cauliflower (1 large cauliflower worth), 1 1/2 cups part skim mozzarella, 3 whole eggs, 1 tbsp minced garlic, 3 tbsp nutritional yeast, and 3 tbsp ground flaxseed. I oiled my pan and spread the whole thing on a cookie sheet and baked for about 17 minutes. I then proceeded to top the pizza and cook for 5 minutes more. 

It was FABULOUS! Best time we have had it yet with the best texture. And this way you can do a whole pizza and have the family separate it out into individual sections instead of having to do little pizzas individually. 

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QUESTION FOR MY DEAR READERS: Have you made anything delicious this week that you can share with me? I LOVE getting new ideas! I am particularly looking for a single serve pizza crust that you can cook in a frying pan and is gluten free... too much to ask? 

Loves...Shayla

What I Ate Wednesday

You see these around the web all the time and I wanted to join in the fun! The eats that I chose to share were from Sunday, February 17th. Weekend days can be scary and don't usually reflect the normal eating patterns you follow but Sundays aren't really like that for me. Now if we were talking Date Night Fridays... :0)

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BREAKFAST 9:55 AM

Tone it Up Protein Pancake topped with homemade almond butter and 1/2 banana (sliced), "lemonade"

I put "lemonade" in quotations because all it really is is 1/2 lemon squeezed into 24 ounces of water with a little bit of stevia to help take the super sour edge off. And I am just not sure if there is a way to make protein pancakes look really pretty; however, they taste so delicious that it doesn't even matter. This has been my go-to breakfast for the last couple of days ever since I got a new protein powder:

I am loving this stuff and since it is not sweetened with any artificial or refined sugars it is great for me! The scoop that it came with was HUGE so I replaced it with a smaller scoop that I had from a previous protein powder. This recipe is courtesy of SarahFit. The only things that I do differently are that I just use the whole egg instead of only the egg whites and I add water if I need to to thin it out. 

I don't like wasting the egg yolk but also... here is a bit from Livestrong about Egg Yolks:

"An egg yolk provides almost 2 mg of highly absorbable lutein and zeaxanthin, two carotenoids beneficial for eye health. The Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University suggests consuming 6 mg of dietary lutein and zeaxanthin daily. An egg yolk provides 27 percent of the adequate intake, or AI, of choline for adult women and 21 percent of the AI of choline for adult men. An egg yolk also offers 17 percent of the RDA of selenium and 9 percent of the RDA of phosphorus."

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/544071-calcium-and-egg-yolk/#ixzz2LCIf1ULM

Anyways... onto the eats!

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SNACK 12:35 PM

1 can low-sodium V8 Vegetable Juice, 1 rice cake with lowfat cottage cheese

This is one of my favorite snack combos. I get the low sodium Quaker rice cakes and I love the Darigold 2% fat cottage cheese that you can buy in a big tub at Costco. The V8 juice is refreshing and a wonderful way to get 2 servings of veggies during a snack.

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LUNCH 2:20 PM

1 small bowl leftover Picante Chicken and Black Bean Soup topped with lime juice and green onions, 1 small braeburn apple (sliced) with ~1 tbsp all natural peanut butter, 1 organic carrot

I almost always start lunch and dinner with a carrot. I have a big bag sitting in a very accessible place in my fridge and I munch away at it while I am prepping food. It helps me to not mindlessly munch on other less healthy things and helps to take the edge off of my hunger. I also really like the Braeburn apples because they are a bit sour instead of super sweet like the Red Delicious or Jonagold apples. 

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DINNER 5:45 PM

Kyle's Favorite Beef Stew

My lovely mother made us this wonderful stew for dinner. The recipe is from Allrecipes.com. It was DIVINE! The broth had an almost sweet taste to it and it was hearty and delicious with the beef tender. YUM!

She didn't dredge the meat in flour at all so that it would be gluten free for me. She didn't use any of the real onions (just the onion soup mix) and just added 1 tsp onion powder. She used red wine vinegar instead of the burgundy and just poured the onion soup mix on top of everything in the crock pot.

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DESSERT 6:20 PM

Chili Maple Cinnamon Popcorn

My friends who know me really well know that it wouldn't be a "What I Ate" any day without some popcorn. I LOVE popcorn. Love love love it. I air pop the popcorn and add melted coconut oil. This particular popcorn is sprinkled with pure maple syrup, cinnamon, chili powder, and sea salt. I definitely had more than just this one small bowl. 

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WATER INTAKE (Whole Day)

24 ounces "lemonade" + 84 ounces normal water = 108 ounces total

Not my best water intake but pretty good for a weekend day. It is harder to drink water away from home when I don't have my trusty orange cup with me. 

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QUESTION FOR MY DEAR READERS: Is there something that you eat regularly? A favorite meal or snack? Share your ideas with me!

Loves...Shayla

Supper-Time Sunday!

Hello all! It is time for another recipe round-up! There are lots of delicious eats around the web and here are the ones that we have tried lately!

THE CHEW'S BAKED ARTICHOKE CHICKEN

Recipe + photo courtesy of Stacey over at Stacey Snacks

From Stacey Snacks blog, "This recipe won a contest on a television show called The Chew.

Mario Batali and others judged 3 chicken recipes made by regular people, and this won first prize!"

Confession... it has been a long time coming before I thought I would ever be okay eating artichoke hearts and mushrooms - let alone this much! But, I kid you not, we loved this meal SO much that I made it twice in two weeks. Every bite is extremely flavorful and the combination of the mushrooms with the onion and artichokes is just heavenly. 

And guess what? I did this in the crockpot! I placed all of the veggies on the bottom of the crockpot, topped with the chicken, topped with the sauce and let it go to town. My crockpot believes that it is the depths of Mordor itself and I have to keep a careful eye on my dishes so that they don't get over cooked but I think that if you go by the standard of 6 hours on low that you will be alright. I did this in the crockpot both times and both times it turned out great.

I also did not use chicken with bones or skin. I used 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts and 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs. The only other changes that I made were that I used dijon mustard and chicken stock instead of the wine. We served this over Lemon Parmesan brown rice. YUMMY!

Make this one! You won't be disappointed!

Pin it!

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CROCK POT PICANTE CHICKEN AND BLACK BEAN SOUP

Recipe + Photo courtesy of Gina over at Skinnytaste.com

Was the above crock pot recipe not really to your liking? Well I have another one for you! This came together so quickly and got rave reviews from cute hubster, my girl [A] and my boy {N}. The chicken came out tender and delicious and shredded with hardly any effort whatsoever on my part. 

Unfortunately, I waited too long to make this after buying my groceries and so my avocados were no longer good. But we did use the lime juice and sliced scallions (aka green onions). I sprinkled a little bit of cheddar cheese into the family portions - not mine though. I like my food tasting more fresh!

Cute hubster added some Greek yogurt to his 2nd portion to tone down the heat a bit. It is fairly spicy but neither of my babies complained about it. If you are worried about it I would use Rotel tomatoes without the green chiles and it should be just fine. 

I didn't have ancho chile powder so I just used normal chile powder but I kept everything else the same. I know that 2 chicken breasts seems like a small amount but it really was perfect for this recipe.

Pin it!

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CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Recipe + Photo courtesy of Katie over at Chocolate-Covered Katie: the healthy dessert blog

Sometimes a girl just needs some chocolate! And chocolate mousse/ice cream is a delicious treat that I have not been able to enjoy for a long time thanks to my body rejecting refined sugars. 

Enter the always reliable Chocolate-Covered Katie! I love love love love her. I have never had trouble with any of her recipes and I have ALWAYS liked them. This dessert did not disappoint at all. And at only 4 ingredients there is NO reason to not try it out!

I didn't need to refrigerate my coconut milk overnight - it was thick enough when I opened the can. I used Stevia in the Raw + a little pure maple syrup to sweeten our desserts. I would normally be alright with just stevia but my family likes things a little bit sweeter than stevia can provide without going too bitter. 

I divvied this recipe up into 4 small cups and stuck them in the freezer while we ate dinner. When they came out they had just started freezing around the edges but the middle was decadently creamy. If you want a mousse like texture = refrigerate. Ice cream = freezer.

Pin it!

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QUESTION FOR MY DEAR READERS: What recipes have you tried from around the web lately? Share your faves with me! 

Loves...Shayla

Supper-Time Sunday!

Overnight Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats (Slow Cooker)

Rating: A

Hearty and delicious - this recipe is definitely a keeper! Since I don't eat added sugars if I can avoid it I didn't add the brown sugar to this recipe at all. I doubled the cinnamon and substituted the butter for coconut oil 1:1. My family just added pure maple syrup to their portions when it was done. I ate mine with just the sweetness from the apples. You also have to be really careful about cooking time. Although this calls for 7 hours mine only took 3 in my INSANE crockpot. 

LINK: http://jamiecooksitup.net/2012/03/overnight-apple-cinnamon-steel-cut-oats-crock-pot/

Instant Mug 'O Mac in the Microwave

Rating: ...B-?

This is a really great idea for a toddler who loves macaroni and cheese. They get to have their favorite dish and you get to feel more confident that they aren't eating a bunch of preservatives and added colors. That being said, however, this technique didn't work for me. I bought a big box of noodles from Sam's Club and I guess the noodles are too "premium" quality for microwave. I had to cook them on the stove top after all. Which is fine. Abrielle still loved it. Maybe you'll have better luck!

LINK: http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2012/05/17/instant-mug-o-mac-cheese-in-the-microwave/

Pasta with Fresh Garden Tomato Sauce

Rating: A+

We have established that I haven't liked tomatoes for my whole life, right? Well I had no anticipation that I would like this but I was making dinner at my parent's house in exchange for my mom cutting Jake's hair. I decided to try it and WOW!!!! I absolutely loved it. Love love love love love. We topped ours with feta instead of parmesan cheese and didn't drizzle any additional olive oil on it. We had it again the next day on top of bread, and again a few days later. It is amazing. Make it. Soooo easy and wonderful!

LINK: http://www.marthastewart.com/904229/pasta-fresh-tomato-sauce

Chocolate Protein Power Balls

Rating: A+

These are excellent! I made a big batch and keep them in the freezer. I take 2 of them with me to eat after a big workout or eat 1 occasionally for a snack. The only substitution that I made was to use natural peanut butter instead of almond butter (I didn't have it). LOVE the flavor, texture, everything!

LINK: http://www.damyhealth.com/2011/04/damy-health-protein-power-balls/

Thai Turkey Burgers

Rating: A+

We have had these twice now. Once I made them with ground chicken and the second time I did turkey. Both were fabulous. The sauce is a perfect combination of sweet and spicy and they are very filling. We will make these again and again!

LINK: http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/meal-ideas/best-healthy-recipes-around-world?page=9

Baked Cinnamon Breakfast Bites

Rating on cooking technique: A-, Rating on crowd consumption: A

These were quite easy to make and seemed to be a great hit at the party I took them to. My husband tried one for me and said they were great and my aunt asked me for the recipe for them. The only change that I made was to use cake flour instead of just all-purpose flour. If you don't have it on hand you can make it by measuring out 1 cup of all-purpose flour and taking out 2 tbsp of it. You then replace those tbsp with 2 tbsp of cornstarch. It helps them to be a little bit lighter and not quite so dense. 

LINK: http://ohmysugarhigh.com/scrumptious-baked-cinnamon-breakfast-bites-recipe/

NOTE: I didn't actually taste these so I can't give you a rating on taste... I can only tell you what others told me!

Clean Eating Gingerbread Waffles

Rating: A-

I really like gingerbread... although Jake does not. I decided to try these anyways and I really liked them. It calls for 5 cups milk and I only used 3 although next time I will probably use 3 1/2 because they turned out very thick. Still delicious. I need to draw your attention to the fact that the recipe calls for NO added sugar. I like them this way and only topped mine with fresh banana slices and peach slices. That was perfect for me. My kids loved them also. I think it could use a little bit of salt added to the batter but otherwise I think it is great.

LINK: http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-ginger-bread-waffles/

Clean Eating Turkey Rice Bowls

Rating: B-

These were okay but were honestly kind of bland. We remedied this situation by adding Sriracha to our portions but it isn't one that I would make again. And if I did I would use fresh pineapple and not canned. But I don't plan on making it again. Maybe you'll like it better?

LINK: http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-curry-pineapple-turkey-rice-bowl/

The "Best" Snickerdoodle Cookie

Rating on cooking technique: A-, Rating on crowd reception: A

These were pretty easy to put together - Abrielle and I did them together. I refrigerated them for too long though and I had to leave them out for a while before they were not too hard to roll out. However, if they get too warm then they flatten a lot more while cooking. They are a bit finicky like that. But my hubby and our neighbors loved them and so I will probably make them again.

LINK: http://www.lovintheoven.com/2010/03/even-better-snickerdoodle.html