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On my quest to find more healthy meal options, I came across Chia Seed Pudding. The fantastic thing about this ‘pudding’, is that I now have so many tasty options! I have made a Mocha Pudding, Peanut Butter Pudding, Chocolate Pudding… I usually eat this for breakfast but I have also chomped down as a late night snack. You might be feeling iffy based on the name, but it tastes like dessert. Below is the recipe for the Mocha Chia Seed Pudding, but if you want to make a simple Chocolate version, remove the coffee and add an extra half cup of Almond Milk. Want to try the Peanut Butter version? Remove the coffee, add an extra half cup of Almond Milk, and instead of Cocoa Powder, add Powdered Peanut Butter. Try a Chocolate Peanut Butter Flavour! Peanut Butter and Jelly! Experiment!  Ingredients
1 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk ½ Cup Coffee 1 Tbsp Maple Syrup 1 Tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract (optional) 1 Scoop Chocolate Protein Powder (optional) 1/3 Cup Chia Seeds Preparation I usually double this recipe and mix it in a Tupperware bowl so I can grab a few scoops throughout the next few days. Add all ingredients to a bowl except the Chia Seeds and whisk until all powder is mixed in well. Add Chia Seeds and mix well. Place bowl in fridge and mix every hour until it has pudding-like consistency (usually 3-5 hours, I leave in fridge overnight). If you forget to go back to mix, not to worry, you may get some clumps after a few hours but it doesn’t taste any different. Get creative with your toppings! Add Fresh fruits, nuts, coconut flakes, etc.
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 Since I have had to remove certain foods from my diet over the last few years, the list of foods I can eat has gotten a lot shorter, forcing me to branch out. I grew up a very picky eater. I didn’t eat fish, ate very few veggies, was not the biggest fan of eggs, and the foods I did eat had to be cooked a certain way. My parents never had junk foods around the house and we didn’t eat pasta or bread very often. These days, you won’t find any flour or processed products in the kitchen. At some point, I was going to need to start eating those vegetables if I were going to live a healthy lifestyle… and not starve. I NEVER ate Brussels Sprouts until I learned how great they are for you (seriously, Google it!), so I started cooking them up with bacon to add them to my diet (why not?!). Asparagus is another story. I have tried to make them different ways and still don’t find them very tasty. I tend to eat them just because I know I need to. When I threw them together in the recipe below, I found every bite to be really good! This will definitely be making the rounds at least once a week. And it is super healthy! Keep in mind that I don’t measure anything when I cook so everything below will be estimates of what I use.  Ingredients Olive Oil 1-2 Cups Quartered Brussels Sprouts 10 Sm-Med sized Asparagus (cut into 1-2” pieces) 1 Tbsp Crushed Almonds 1 Tsp Thyme (Fresh if you have, Dried works as well) 2-4 Finely Chopped Kale Leaves Juice of 1 Lemon 1 Tbsp Fresh Chopped Parsley Goat Cheese 2 Eggs Salt and Pepper  Preparation As soon as you start cooking, everything will be ready in only a few minutes, so be sure to have everything cut and ready before you begin cooking. I gently peel my asparagus and remove the tough ends. To crush my almonds, I grab a few handfuls and pulse them in the food processor until I get some nice chunks (I like to have the crunch, feel free to pulse until they are finer if you prefer). I pour the remaining almonds into a Ziploc bag to use for other meals. Find a pan large enough to cook all ingredients above at once. Place over heat and drizzle with Olive Oil. Fill a small pot with 2-3” of water and add approx. half a cup of vinegar and bring to a boil. Add Asparagus and Brussels Sprouts to pan and cook for about 3 minutes or until they start to brown (I cook them on a higher heat so they brown without getting too soft). Add Thyme and Crushed Almonds into pan and stir in with prior ingredients. Add Kale to pan and stir in with prior ingredients. Remove pan from heat and add Parsley, Lemon Juice, season with salt, and mix together.  The water in the pot should be boiling now, turn it down slightly so you still have a low boil, crack your eggs and open them as close to the water as you can (not close enough to burn yourself, just don’t drop the eggs an arm’s length away). If you don’t usually poach eggs, set a timer for 3 minutes, when the timer goes off, use a slotted spoon to remove the eggs and place on paper towel to collect the excess water. Spoon your veggie mix onto a plate and place your eggs on top. Feel free to salt and pepper to taste and add goat cheese to your liking. I add some extra crushed almonds atop my eggs as well.  Enjoy! Comment below with your results.
I crave cookies more than most other foods (the only thing that tops cookies, is cheese!) so I was excited and prepared to be upset by this recipe. Most paleo desserts are OK, but still leave you missing the original. These chocolate chip cookies are probably the best I’ve ever had!!! And my mum agrees (if you know her, you know that’s a big deal). Ingredients 1 Cup Almond Flour ¼ Cup Coconut Flour 1 Tsp Baking Soda ¼ Tsp Salt 6 Tbsp Coconut Oil (at room temperature, refrigerate if it is liquid) ¾ Cup Brown Sugar (Coconut Sugar can be used as well) 6 Tbsp Almond Butter 1 ½ Tsp Vanilla Extract 1 Large Egg 1 ¼ Cup Paleo Chocolate Chips (you can use semi-sweet)  Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F In a large bowl, mix together (using handheld mixer or standing mixer) the Coconut Oil and Brown sugar until combined. Add Almond Butter, Vanilla, and Egg and mix well. Add in dry ingredients and mix until all ingredients are combined. If Coconut Sugar was used, place bowl in fridge for an hour or until cookie dough is firm (this is not necessary when Brown Sugar is used). Place Parchment Paper or Silpat mat on cookie sheet so the cookies don’t stick to the bottom. I make 8-12 large cookies (so I wouldn’t be tempted to grab a few, one is good enough) with this recipe and cooked them for 15 minutes in the oven. I left them to cool completely on the cookie sheet to continue cooking throughout. If you have an older oven, you may need to keep them in the oven a few minutes longer. If you make smaller cookies or use coconut sugar, you’ll need to adjust the time they are in the oven (set a timer for 12 minutes and keep an eye on them). Let me know how they turned out in the comments! Happy Baking!! I am unfortunately allergic to a lot of foods so I have to get creative when I don't want to miss out on some favorite meals. I cannot take credit for these pancakes as I found them via Sam Heughan.. Yes, the actor. No, I don’t know him. But these are so good, you may not even miss your usual flour pancakes!  Ingredients 1 Egg 2 Egg Whites 1 Banana Coconut Oil (for frying pan) Preparation Mix all ingredients together (I use a handheld blender). Heat Coconut Oil in frying pan and move it around so it covers the bottom (you usually won’t see any residue but the oil will spread and do its job). Pour the pancake mixture in the frying pan and cover on medium heat. When the pancake has cooked all the way through, you can slide it onto a plate and flip it back into the frying pan to lightly brown the other side (or flip it if you’re cool like that). I have small 6” frying pans that I use (an 8” pan would work great as well or a muffin tin to make mini breakfast muffins). That’s it!  Some days I want to be a little more creative and add coconut or paleo chocolate chips into the mix (like the one pictured next to the ingredients). I usually add a dollop of lactose free yogurt (that I mix with some protein powder or powdered peanut butter), add some maple syrup or honey, some berries, paleo granola, and I have an incredibly filling and satisfying meal!   I had an Open House recently to show off the new Chloe + Isabel collection (you can find out more about that in the Beauty & Style section) and wanted a fresh cocktail to offer my guests. Limoncello is a staple in Amalfi (the inspiration for our new collection), so I definitely wanted to include this liqueur in the drink I made. If you like your drinks a little sweeter, feel free to sugar the rim of your glass or even roll your raspberries in a bit of sugar.  Ingredients Limoncello Prosecco Raspberries Sugar or Mint leaves for garnish (if you choose) Preparation Place rinsed Raspberries in freezer an hour before mixing your drink. If you are only making a small glass: Pour the following into glass and add 3 frozen raspberries 1 oz. Limoncello 3 oz. Prosecco If you are making a pitcher: Pour the following into a pitchers. Add frozen raspberries to individual glasses. 1 cup Limoncello 3 cups Prosecco This simple dish got its name when I made it for friends coming over and one requested she take the rest of the 'Pea Salad' home with her. One of the next times I made it, it was for a weekend away with about 30 women and from what I heard, it was a favorite. I have no idea where I first heard the recipe from (I watch a lot of cooking shows and have an obnoxious amount of cook books) but like everything else I make, there isn’t a ‘set recipe’. I mix together, taste, and add more salt, olive oil, or parmesan as needed. The pictured version is how I originally made it, but with bigger groups, I forgo the burrata and prosciutto and make more of the greens. I use BelGioso Burrata and slice the ball in half (or you can skip ahead to the peas) and place one piece on a plate with 2 slices of Prociutto
Preparation
Cook canned or frozen Peas until water boils and place in ice bath (so they don’t overcook and get mushy). When they are cool, strain and put in mixing bowl. Slice Snap Peas perpendicular to the bean itself and add to bowl. Chop up your mint leaves and add to bowl. Add Parmesan, Salt & Pepper (add salt slowly and taste so you don’t overdo) Slowly add Olive Oil. You may not use all of it or you may use more. You want everything to hold together like there’s a bit of a paste but not too oily. This isn't an exact science. I try to have an even amount of Peas and Snap Peas and add the remaining ingredients until everything tastes good. Let me know what you think and how yours turns out! I had never heard of this drink before a family friend, Shelagh, mentioned it to me when I was trying to decide on a drink for a Sunday afternoon. Tequila is one of those drinks that you will never catch me with, and I honestly was a little scared to taste this after I mixed it. Turns out, it tastes really good! Please enjoy the only 'bull' I could find in my house for the photo op. He is dressed as the Cowardly Lion. Don't ask.
Houston had an incredible amount of rain last week and because of this, the arugula in my garden went a little crazy and needed to be eaten. Arugula has a light pepper flavor so I don’t like to overpower it with too many other flavours in a salad. I threw this together for dinner with what I had in my fridge, but the apples can be switched out with pears or even oranges. You don’t even need the cranberries if you can’t get your hands on them. This is a fresh and tasty salad that would be fantastic paired with a nice piece of Steak or Filet Mignon.  Ingredients 6 Cups Arugula 1 Apple (cut into slices) ½ Cup Pecans ¼ Cup Dried Cranberries (optional) ¼ to ½ Cup Green or Red Onions (chopped)
Chocolate and Raspberries are the greatest combined flavours known to man. Well, to me at least. If ever I go out to an ice cream shop to choose my own flavor ice cream and ‘mix ins’, I always go with a rich chocolate ice cream and fresh raspberries.
 Preparation
Pour the ingredients above into a cocktail shaker. Add ice, shake, and strain into a martini glass. Feel free to add a raspberry or two as a garnish or grate some chocolate flakes over top of the drink. It is not necessary to add Crème de Cocoa if you can’t get your hands on it. In that case, feel free to add another oz of Godiva Liqueur. Whenever I make this drink, I don’t use exact measurements. I pour, mix and taste to my liking and I encourage you to do the same. Let me know how you like it! My brother and a friend of his were messing around when they created one of my favorite new drinks. I have grown more attached to whiskey and scotch since my tastings in Scotland, and the sweet finish just makes it the perfect drink. This has been my go to drink lately and was the yummy drink of choice while recording the first podcast.  Ingredients Jack Daniel’s Honey Amaretto (of your choice) Maraschino Cherries Ice  Preparation Pour equal parts Jack Daniel’s and Amaretto over ice into a lowball glass Stir Add a cherry garnish |
Most of these recipes can be changed to fit your specific dietary needs. If you have any questions about ingredients, please don't hesitate to let me know.Archives
January 2017
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