Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe
Serves 1

Ingredients

• 2 -4 tablespoons canned pumpkin
• 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup STRONGLY brewed coffee or 2 shots espresso
• 1-3 packets of stevia

Mix all the ingredients in a saucepan over medium to high heat, whisking continuously, until the “latte” begins to steam.

This cleaned up version has….drum roll please…. ONLY 55 calories and 2 grams of sugar!

Looking for more clean eating recipes? Try this clean eating meal plan. 3 meals + 1 snack planned each day. Hundreds of extra recipes to swap with, too!

Delicious 70 calorie Protein-Packed Lemon Bars 

Clean eating lemon bars – that taste just like the naughty lemon bars you love!!!

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 2 egg whites
• 8 oz fat free cream cheese
• 1/2 cup instant nonfat dry milk
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 3/4 cup low-fat vanilla protein powder
• 3/4 cup stevia
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. whisk egg and egg whites in a small bowl
3. combine cream cheese and all the remaining ingredients in a Ninja Professional Blender .
4. When mix is smooth, add eggs and blend.
5. With nonfat cooking spray, spray a 8 x 8 Pyrex Square Baking Dish.
6. Pour batter into pan and place in preheated oven
7. Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick come out clean

Looking for more clean eating recipes? Try this clean eating meal plan. 3 meals + 1 snack planned each day. Hundreds of extra recipes to swap with, too!

Making your own popsicles is an easy and healthy option to store bought products with artificial ingredients, colors and sweeteners. Check out this awesome cookbook for making many different types of popsicles at home. All you’ll need usually is some Popsicle Molds and a freezer. You might also need a Ninja Blender, it’s the best – most powerful blender you’ll ever own! The best investment. I promise. Check out the book here for tasty & healthy Popsicle Recipes
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Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk 
• 1 scoops chocolate protein
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter (optional)

Instructions:

1. Blend all ingredients in a Ninja Blender (it’s the best!). You must blend them otherwise you will have cocoa and protein chunks. 
2. Pour mixture into Popsicle Moldsleaving about 1/2 inch room (as the mixture expands it will expand).
3. Freeze or at least eight hours.
4. Enjoy

Ingredients

• 1 medium head cauliflower, broken into small florets
• oil mister or cooking spray
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/8 c. vegetable broth (add more to desired consistency)
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• salt + pepper to taste
• lemon wedges, olive oil & parsley for garnish
• fresh veggies for dipping

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with oil or cooking spray.
2. Place cauliflower florets on baking sheet. Spray with additional oil or cooking spray.
3. Roast for 40 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking time. Remove from oven and cool.
4. Combine cauliflower, garlic, broth, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in Food Processor. Process until smooth. Add more broth one tablespoon at a time for a thinner consistency, if desired.
5. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with parsley, if desired. Serve with lemon wedges and fresh veggies.

Options

Try adding these to the hummus mix in the Food Processor for new tasty flavors. Add as much as you like, adjust it to your taste:

• Sun-Dried Tomatoes
• Fresh Basil
• Fresh Rosemary
• Fresh Oregano
• Roasted Red Bell Peppers
• Spinach
• Chili Powder
• Cayenne Pepper
• Curry Powder
• Cumin

Follow these steps to create a more environmentally friendly diet. 

Eat Less Meat

Eating more plants and less meat is possibly the single best thing you can do for the environment. Livestock accounts for 20% of greenhouse gases according to the United Nations. That is more then all the cars, SUVS, trailers, planes, ocean freighters, and any other transport activity combined.

Eat Real Food (minimally  processed foods)

The less processing a food undergoes the less energy and resources are required to manufacture, package, and ship the item.
Read more on how to eat foods that are best for the planet here in this book The Planet Friendly Diet.

Buy Local 

Or at least close to home. Clearly, the closer you source your produce from home the less travel is required. This also applies to super foods. The Acai berry is sourced from the Amazon and is rich in anthocyanins, fiber, potassium, and magnesium. Blueberries and pomegranates found in America are also rich in those nutrients. The closer we get to home the better.  Visit www.localharvest.org to find a farmers market near you.

Eat Foods that are In-Season

Eating in-season foods means eating fresher foods. They have just been harvested and have spent less time traveling and in storage.

Learn to Preserve 

Preserve fresh fruits and vegetables by canning, drying, and freezing them for future use. That way when you crave strawberries in the middle of December, you have access to local and “in season” produce. Do your own canning at home with this Canning Kit and Set of Canning Jars .

Buy in Bulk

Buying in bulk means less packaging. 30% of consumer waste is packaging material. Buy meat, cheese, fruits, and vegetables in bulk and preserve what can’t be used in reusable containers.

Use Reusable Bags 

Replacing cloth bags for your grocery needs, reduces the amount of paper and plastic bags found in landfills each year. In New York City, one less grocery bag per person would reduce waste by 5 million pounds. Try these Mesh Reusable Produce Bags for your produce, and these Colorful Eco Shopping Bags for your groceries.

Buy Organic 

The largest green benefit from eating organic is the elimination of fossil fuels needed to produce, manufacture, ship, and apply fertilizers and pesticides to crops.

Drink Smart 

Use a reusable water bottle and drink from a tap or filter. It is estimated that only 20% of water bottles were recycled and the rest ended in a landfill. The production of plastic bottles also requires 50 million barrels of oil annually which doesn’t include the transportation. I like these Soft Squeeze Filter Bottles by Brita or this Reusable 24-Ounce Cold Tumbler for when I am just around the house or want to go to Starbux or Jamba Juice for a smoothie – don’t be shy to bring your own cup to these places.

Plan, Plan, and Plan 

Save time, energy, and gas. Planning meals ensures less trips to the grocery store and less food waste.

Summer is officially here. Well, almost. But, if you live in my neck of the woods, summer arrived two months ago. I had to break out the tank tops and shorts earlier then planned. This workout focuses on your triceps, biceps, and shoulders as those muscles are the most revealed in a tank.

A Dumbbell Set or a Resistance Exercise Band is required and the above are recommended.
Welcome to the Gun Show

• 15 pushups 
• 12 Shoulder Press
• 15 Bicep curls
• 12 Tricep Kickbacks
• 15 Reverse fly
• 20 Hammer Curls only going halfway up
• 15 Tricep pushups
• 15 Lateral Raises

Repetitions can be adjusted based on the range of weights you have access to. If you can’t complete the allotted number, reduce it until you build more strength. Proper form is more important then repetitions. Complete the exercises in a circuit fashion. Complete all exercises rest for one minute and repeat two more times. A Gymboss HOT PINK Interval Timer might help make it more challenging.
Tank Tops here we come!

During exercise, our muscles and carbohydrate stores break down. The muscle tissue rips and prepares itself to be rebuilt. However, without the proper nutrition, your body can’t rebuild and will never reach its full potential.

What do I eat post workout?

After a workout, you want to fuel your body with carbohydrates and protein, which are essential to the rebuilding process. Fat is not necessary and it may even derail your progress as it slows digestion. If you calculate your needs, you will need .8 grams of carbs per kilogram and .4 grams of protein per kilogram. Keep in mind that it is also best to consume your post workout meal ASAP for the biggest benefits. Check out these ten quick meals to fuel your body after training.

Ten Quick Post Workout Mini Meals

1. Protein Creamcicle: Blend 1 scoop Vanilla protein powder and 1 cup orange juice.
2. Yogurt Parfait: ½ cup nonfat Greek yogurt, ½ cup fresh blueberries or strawberries, and ¼ cup low fat granola or whole grain cereal.
3. Banana Snack: 1 banana and 1 cup nonfat milk.
4. Cottage Cheese Pick up: 1 cup nonfat cottage cheese, I teaspoon honey, and ½ cup fresh or frozen berries
5. Omelet: 3 egg whites and 1 cup sautéed veggies.
6. Tuna Toast: 4 oz water packed tuna on a slice of whole wheat bread
7. Oats & Eggs: Stir ¼ cup dry oats, 2 egg whites, and 1/3 cup nonfat milk. Place in the microwave for 2 minutes stirring half way.
8. Turkey Wrap: Spread hummus on turkey slices, place carrot inside, and roll up for a crunchy protein snack.
9. Pom Shake: Blend ½ cup pomegranate juice, ½ cup ice, and 1 scoop Vanilla protein powder. Pomegranate juice helps relieve muscle soreness.
10. Did you say Chocolate: 1 cup chocolate milk.

Ingredients:

• 1 cupKashi GOLEAN Crunch Cereal(low fat granola will work too)
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup nonfat milk
• 3 teaspoons sugar free vanilla pudding mix
• 2 cups vanilla nonfat Greek yogurt (or any flavor you like)
• 1/2 cup fat free Cool Whip, thawed
• Caramel Sauce  or chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

1. For the crust, place Kashi cereal, almond flour, egg, and olive oil in a food processor and pulse until well blended. 
2. Line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners.
3. Place a tablespoon of the crust mixture into the lined muffin tin and press flat.
4. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 13 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
5. Remove crusts from oven and cool completely.
6. Whisk milk and pudding mix until there are no clumps. Place in the refrigerator until firm, about five minutes.
7. Remove pudding mix from the fridge and stir in yogurt and Cool Whip until well blended.
8. Place a heaping tablespoon of yogurt mixture on top of each crust and smooth over crust.
9. If you are using caramel drizzle the caramel on top of the yogurt mixture and then cover caramel with another tablespoon of yogurt mixture. If you are using chocolate chips, add 1/2 cup to the yogurt mixture and skip the caramel step.
10. Place tray in the freezer until hard, about two hours.
11. They will last in the freezer for months. Remove five minutes before eating to thaw out. I suggest eating on a plate with a fork.

Here you go!

Fill muffin liner with crust and bake.

Ater cooled, place one spoon full of yogurt mixture and smooth out.

Drizzle yogurt with caramel.

Top with another spoon of yogurt, Freeze and enjoy.

TA-DA!

We are all familiar with the cheesy, yummy goodness that is chicken parmesan. As one of my favorite dishes, I set out to create a lighter, diet-friendly version of this Italian classic. 17 Day Diet Cycle 3 Compliant recipe.

Ingredients:

• 3 slices whole wheat bread 
• 4 teaspoons Italian spice blend
• 1/2 teaspoon salt & pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1/2 cup flour
• 4 chicken breast
• Olive oil spray
• 3 1/2 cups marinara sauce
• 3/4 cup shredded low fat mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Directions:

Pound chicken until 1/2 inch thick.

Place flour into the first shallow baking dish.

Whisk egg whites and milk together in the second shallow dish.

Place bread into toaster and toast until golden brown. Remove from toaster and place in a food processor with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian spice blend. Pulse until crumbs are created and pour into the third shallow dish.

Line up ingredients on a counter and get ready to dip! Take the chicken, one breast at a time, and dip into flour first, egg wash second, and bread crumbs last.

Place dipped chicken breast into a large glass baking dish sprayed with olive oil. After all the chicken is in the dish, spray the top of the chicken with olive oil spray. Bake in a 400 degree oven for thirty minutes. Remove from the oven and top with cheese and return for 10 more minutes or until cheese is browned.

Remove from the oven and plate with a side salad for a full and healthy meal.

First you’re going to want to decide what you want to fill these beauties up with. Veggies are great! Any kind really: sprouts, spinach, shredded carrots, shredded cucumber, avocado, mushrooms, cilantro, bell pepper, lettuce, fresh basil, fresh mint… the list can go on and on. You can also add cooked meats: shrimp, chicken, beef or pork. Some people even add cooked vermicelli noodles. Prepare by chopping up veggies or meats with a great knife like the Gourmet Nakiri Vegetable Knife .

The rice papers can be purchased at pretty much any grocery store in the Asian foods section. I recommend the Banh Trang Spring Roll Wrapper. Available on Amazon.
They come flat in a bag (sort of how tortillas come packaged). They are hard like plastic, but will break easily if you bend them. To make them soft is super easy! All you do is get a shallow dish (pie pans work great!) and add up to an inch of warm water (warm is key!!). Place a rice paper sheet in the water and let soak for about 5 seconds, flip over and soak another 5 – or until its soft. Pull out of the water carefully, making sure not to let it fold over on itself, otherwise you will have a sticky mess and might not be able to unstick very easily. Place rice paper flat on a plate and start adding your fillings to the middle, leaving at least an inch on each side for folding over. You could add sauces if you’d like: lime juice, hoisin sauce, or hot sauce such as Sriracha. Fold over two ends and roll the other two into each other like a burrito. And there you have it! A gluten free, low-carb meal or snack. Could be vegan, vegetarian or for meat eaters. These could be considered budget food too, if you stick with veggies. Have fun, experiment and try new options. You could also dip in peanut sauce, sweet chili sauce or soy sauce if you’d like, but they are pretty tasty as is.

VEGETABLE SPRING ROLLS

SPRING ROLLS WITH SHRIMP