Lipgloss Break: recipes

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Clean Eating Oatmeal Cookie Pancake recipe

I love cooking breakfast on Sunday mornings. I usually try to get creative and try new clean eating breakfast recipes. Last week I came across Rachel Ray's Oatmeal Cookie Pancake recipe and my mouth started watering. I immediately scanned the ingredient list and figured out how to clean it up. My adapted recipe below...

Ingredients:
2 cups of oatmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup plain greek yogurt
3/4 cup of water
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 really ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup of raisins
2.5 teaspoons of agave nectar
Sugar free or light Maple Syrup for topping

1 - Combine all ingredients (except for syrup) in a large bowl.

2 - Mix as good as you can with a wooden spoon and then pour into blender. I used my NutriBullet to blend the batter. I had to do it in about 3 different batches, which is why it's important to mix it up as good as you can before adding to the blender.

3 - Heat skillet and spray with extra virgin olive oil. Heat pancakes until bubbles form on top, then flip. Since there are walnuts and raisins in these, they aren't going to look smooth like normal pancakes, but more like a oatmeal cookie.

This recipe made about 10, very filling pancakes. Definitely enough to feed 4 people. Since it's just me and my husband, I froze the leftovers and pop them in the toaster for a quick breakfast when I'm in a hurry. They are so good toasted!

Do you like to cook breakfast on the weekends? If so, what's your favorite dish? Please share below! And if you're interested in more recipes, check out my other clean eating recipes.

Clean Eating Crockpot Lasagna

Lately I've been trying to cook a 2-night meal on Sunday nights, so we can eat the leftovers on Monday. More often than not, they end up being crockpot meals.

I have done a ton of research on clean crockpot meals, and incorporating several recipes, I put together my own Clean Eating Crockpot Lasagna recipe. Trust me when I say, it's phenomenal. It takes about 20 minutes to prep and 4 hours to cook in the slow cooker. It serves about 6 people, but since my husband usually eats 2 helpings, it only lasts us two dinners :)

Ingredients:
1/2 package of whole grain or whole wheat uncooked lasagna noodles (I used Ronzoni Whole Grain)
1 package of lean turkey
1 jar of all natural tomato sauce
2.5 cups of part skim shredded mozzarella cheese
15 oz container of part skim ricotta (you can substitute cottage cheese for this, but since I'm pregnant and can't find pasteurized cottage cheese, I went back to using ricotta)
1 package of mushrooms
3 cups of spinach
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
1 tablespoon of red pepper flakes

1. Brown the turkey, mixing in garlic and red pepper flakes
2. While meat is browning, mix the ricotta with 2 cups of the mozzarella cheese
3. Once meat is brown, add 3/4 of the jar of tomato sauce to the pan and stir, making a meat sauce
4. Line the base of your crockpot with lasagna noodles (you may need to break a few apart to fit)
5. Add a layer of the meat sauce on top of the noodles
6. Add a layer of the cheese mixture on top of the meat sauce
7. Add a layer of mushrooms on top of the cheese mixture
8. Add a layer of spinach on top of the mushrooms
9. Repeat steps 5-8 one more time
10. Add one more layer of the meat sauce & cheese if you have any left over, along with the rest of the pasta sauce
11. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese on top and cook in crockpot for 4 hours on low.

You really can't mess this up. If your proportions and layers are off, it's okay! Trust me, no two lasagnas will be the same. As I'm typing this, I'm finishing my 2nd bowl of this lasagna and my hubby is on his 3rd :) Once it cools in the crockpot I'll be putting the leftovers into tupperware for a fast, healthy dinner tomorrow night.

Enjoy!

Clean Eating with KIND Granola

As much as I love making homemade clean eating granola and snacks for travel, I'm not superwoman. I only have so many hours in the weekend that allow me to cook and bake from scratch, and I usually prioritize cooking our main meals over desserts and snacks.

When I don't have time to create healthy snacks on my own, I turn to KIND Healthy Snacks. I have been a huge fan of KIND bars for a long time now. I always have one packed in my laptop bag and suitcase for hunger emergencies. My favorite is the Peanut Butter & Dark Chocolate + Protein bar. These all natural bars are a life saver! One can hold me over between meals and I don't have to feel guilty over it tasting so good.

KIND also makes granola. Recently I was lucky enough to receive some samples of their granola clusters. My favorite flavor was the Peanut Butter Whole Grain Clusters. Absolutely delicious! If you like peanut butter, you'll love this granola.

This flavor is protein packed, with a blend of peanuts and whole grains. One serving contains 16kg of whole grains!

I put a half a cup full in a baggie for my travels and made yogurt parfaits one night with my hubby. Here's my Clean Eating Yogurt Parfait recipe:

Start with 6 oz. of Greek yogurt (I used Fage), and add toppings! My mix of toppings include:
- KIND Granola (Peanut Butter Whole Grain, but all flavors taste delicious)
- Fresh blueberries
- Fresh strawberries
- Unsweetened coconut
- Extra dark chocolate chips
- Sprinkles

This is also a fun snack to make with kids. When I have my niece and nephew over I put all of the toppings in different bowls and let them add the toppings to their individual yogurt bowls. It's a 'build your own yogurt parfait' bar!

You can buy KIND granola from the KIND website, Soap.com and Walmart.

Clean Eating Peanut Butter Cups Recipe

Happy New Year all! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! I sure did, as you can probably tell from my lack of posting, we've been very busy throughout the holiday! Lots of visiting with family and friends, and I loved every minute of it.

I thought it would be fun to share one of my favorite clean eating desert recipes to kick off the new year. Clean Eating Peanut Butter Cups. They got rave reviews from the parties I brought them too this year. They are super yummy. Clean eating doesn't mean bland eating, it can be fun too! Below is a modified version of the recipe from HeandSheEatClean.com (love this blog...I get a lot of clean recipes from it!).

Ingredients:
3/4 cup all natural peanut butter (make sure the only ingredient is peanuts!)
1 heaping tablespoon of natural honey
20 oz of chocolate, 60% cacao, I used 2 bags of Giradelli chips
Mini cupcake paper cups

1 - Mix the peanut butter and honey together and set aside
2 - Melt chocolate chips in the mircowave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each 30 seconds.
3 - Once chocolate is completely melted, pour enough into each little cup to cover the bottom
4 - Layer on a dab of the peanut butter mixture in each cup
5 - Cover the peanut butter mixture with another layer of chocolate
6 - Freeze cups for an hour and the voila! Clean eating peanut butter cups!

This recipe makes about 50 small cups. I purchased a decorative holiday tray from my local grocery story and arranged them on this for the parties I went to. The tray was a nice leave behind as a hostess gift.

What did you bring to holiday parties this year? Or if you hosted, what did the menu include? Please share!

Clean Eating Apple Pecan Protein Bar Recipe

Last weekend we went to the apple orchard with my husband's family. It was a beautiful day and the orchard was packed! I asked my husband to buy the smallest bag for apples. So what does he get? A full bushel!

Now I have a bushel of apples that I need to use in a week or two. The first place I turn for recipes? Pinterest! I found a Clean Eating Apple Cinnamon Raisin Pecan Protein bar recipe on Far Cleaner Life and made a few changes to create my own bars. Ingredients are as follows:

3 scoops of whey protein (I used 2 scoops of chocolate and 1 scoop of vanilla)
1.5 cups rolled oats
1 medium apple, cored and chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup of pecans, chopped
1/2 can of 100% pure pumpkin (make sure no preservatives have been added)
1/2 cup of natural unsweetened applesauce
3 egg whites
4 Tbsp of ground flax
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Combine all ingredients into a medium size bowl and mix well
3. Grease 8x8 baking dish (I used coconut oil) and pour mixture into dish and spread evenly
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes
5. Let cool, cut and serve! You can wrap bars in plastic wrap and store in refrigerator for later.

These turned out delicious. 1/2 can of pumpkin is just enough pumpkin flavor (any more than that can be a bit over bearing). I love these types of bars for traveling or a quick breakfast with coffee in the morning.

What's your favorite apple recipe? Please share below in the comments...I have a whole bushel left to go through!

Clean Eating Apple Crisp Recipe

As much as I love Summer, as soon as October hits, I'm all in for Fall. Bring out the tights, bold nail colors, and cider mills. Last year we went to the orchards in Long Island and it was SO MUCH FUN. We brought back two huge bags of apples and I made a large bowl of apple sauce. But after one serving of it, as good as it was, I was kind of over it. So when my neighbor dropped off a bag of apples from a Michigan orchard, I hit the interwebs and researched some clean eating recipes.

Apple Crisp it is! I found several clean recipes but many still called for butter and brown sugar. I found this recipe on The Slender Grapefruit that looked good, and did my own variation.

Here's what I used:

7 small green apples
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup natural honey
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
3/4 cups oats
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup granola (I used Nature's Path Organic Coconut Chia Granola from Costco)
2 tbs of ground flax
1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Wash and chop up apples into cubes, toss with vanilla extract, and set aside
3. Mix honey, cinnamon and nutmeg, set aside
4. Mix oats, almonds, granola, ground flax and Greek yogurt in separate bowl
5. Spread apples in a 9x13 banking dish.
6. Coat with honey mixture, and then top with oat mixture. Cover apples evenly.
7. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until apples are soft

I served this over a little bit of Greek yogurt, instead of the usual ice cream that comes with crisp. Just keeping it clean! This got rave reviews from my husband and brother in law.

What are your favorite 'apple' recipes? I'd love to hear about them in the comments below! Please share!

Peanut Butter & Banana Pancakes Recipe

After testing out several different clean eating, protein, oatmeal pancake recipe variations, I finally came up with one myself! I made these twice this weekend and my husband said, and I quote, 'these are the best pancakes you have ever made!' And I agree! Here's the recipe:

Ingredients
2/3 cup of dry oatmeal
7 egg whites
1 medium sized ripe banana
2 tbsp of all natural peanut butter
1 tbsp of Raw Cacao Nibs (optional)
1 tbsp Coconut oil for pan
Blueberries to top (optional)

1. Combine the oatmeal and egg whites in a mixing bowl and stir
2. Add in banana and mash/mix it in to the bowl
3. Add peanut butter and optional cacao nibs
4. Pour batter into blender and blend until smooth
5. Heat nonstick pan over medium heat and put a small portion of coconut oil to grease pan
6. Add a portion of the batter (depending on how big you like your pancakes) to pan for approximately 3-5 minutes, then flip to cook other side (this will vary based on how hot your pan is and size of pancake

My husband and I topped these with sugar free syrup (for him) and low-sugar syrup (for me). I added blueberries to the top of mine for some extra sweetness.

This recipe should make approximately 4-6 ‘silver dollar size’ pancakes. These are pretty dense – 2 pancakes filled me up!

Clean Eating Blueberry-Raspberry Jam

I've been on a huge fruit kick lately. I realized how cheap Costco is for buying fruit and I've been stocking up. I get 3x the amount of strawberries and blueberries at Costco for the same price of what I pay for a small amount at my local grocery store. Costco is the way to go! What we don't eat in a weekend I freeze for smoothies or parfaits for a later time.

I normally just buy strawberries and blueberries but this past Costco visit the raspberries were calling my name. They looked so perfect!

I've been wanting to make my own jam for awhile now. I don't buy it from the store because it contains so much sugar, and the sugar free jam, to me, tastes awful. I found recipes from two of my favorite food blogs, Oh She Glows & PaleOMG and used them both to make Blueberry-Raspberry Clean Eating Jam. Here's what I used:

2 cups of fresh raspberries
1 cup of frozen blueberries
1/2 cup of all natural honey
2 tbsp chia seeds
2 tbsp lemon juice (or a juice from one lemon)

1. Add blueberries to a small sauce pan over medium heat. As they defrost they will start 'popping' open, and juices will start to come out.
2. Add raspberries, honey, and lemon juice
3. Continue to stir and mixture should start to get thicker
4. Add in chia seeds
5. Stir until all fruit is broken apart. I kept mine over medium heat for about 25 minutes, and then 10 minutes over low
6. I let it cool and then put it in my one of my grandmother's mason jars :)

I used this jam on my toasted Ezekiel cinnamon raisin English muffins for breakfast on Saturday morning and it was delicious!

Clean Eating Sloppy Joes

It was hard to find a clean eating sloppy joe slow cooker recipe...so I just made one up! They turned out delicious. So delicious, that my husband and brother in law ate them all before I could take a picture. Here's what I used:

Ingredients:
1.5-2lbs of ground turkey, beef or venison (I used venison)
1 cup of all natural ketchup (make sure it doesn't contain a bunch of added preservative junk)
1/4 cup of hot sauce (if you don't like spice you can leave this out)
1 chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 tbsp of sweet pickle relish
1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce
8 whole wheat or multi grain buns (I like to toast my buns :)

1. Brown the meat in a large skillet. Once it's no longer pink, drain, and add to the slow cooker.
2. Add all other ingredients and stir well.
3. Cook for 8 hours on low (may very based on your slow cooker). This is a 'cook while at work' approved recipe!
4. Serve 1/2 cup of mixture on a toasted bun and enjoy!

Clean Eating Blueberry-Banana Protein Crepes

For the past few years I've called myself a 'clean eater,' but lately, I've been super serious about it. Making my own snacks, prepping meals for the week, down to making my own granola. The all natural, organic kind at the grocery store still contain processed junk!

The past few weekends I've been making Clean Eating Blueberry-Banana Protein Crepes for our post workout meal and they have been phenomenal. I started with a recipe I found in Oxygen Magazine, but made a few moderations....

Ingredients
4 egg whites
1 scoop of vanilla protein
1 tsp of cocoa powder (optional...can also use cinnamon)
3 tablespoons of almond butter
1/2 cup blueberries
1 banana

Whisk together the egg whites and vanilla protein. Less lumps the better. I used my new Cuisinart hand blender and it worked it into a really smooth batter. If yours a little thick, add a tablespoon or two of water to it.

Spray a non-stick pan with olive oil spray and pour a 1/3 of the batter into the pan over med-low heat. Once the sides start to cook (probably after 1-2 minutes) add 1 tablespoon almond butter to half of the crepe, along with some blueberries and banana slices. Fold over (like in the picture of above) and let cook a few more minutes. Repeat for the other 2 crepes.

Serving size is one crepe. This recipe makes about 3. Enjoy!

Chocolate Mint Pretzels

I spent a few hours today making 'puppy chow' for my cousin. It's a tradition that I make it every year, and it's priceless to see his face when I give him his own stash. As I was refreshing my memory on how to make it, I came across a Chocolate Mint Pretzel recipe that I have to share from Savory Sweet Life.

I made these pretzels with both white and milk chocolate. I can't wait to go to Target or the dollar store tomorrow to get fun bags or tins to put these in. Using Savory Sweet Life's recipe, these are extremely easy to make. They make a great hostess gift or last minute Christmas gift. Put in a tin and top with a bow!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!

Dark Chocolate Espresso Granola Bars Recipe

Now that I'm back in Michigan I realized how much I missed my big kitchen. I love prepping clean meals and snacks on the weekends, to eat throughout the week. I get a lot of my recipes from the lovely Tosca Reno Eat Clean Diet cookbook and site and Oxygen Magazine. The latest snack recipe I tried was for Dark Chocolate Espresso Granola bars, from Oxygen. I know, they sound sinful, but they are clean and so delicious!

1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup whole-grain flour
2 scoops vanilla protein powder
1 tbsp raw honey
2 oz dark chocolate-covered espresso beans (70% or higher coca content).
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 tsp sea salt (I left this out)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla or almond extract

1 - Preheat oven to 325F
2 - Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon to combine.
3 - Spread mixture evenly in a 9x9 inch baking dish. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden around the edges. Let cool and slice into 8 bars. Serve or refrigerate for later.

These are perfect to grab on your way out the door for an early morning workout or a mid morning pick me up snack. Enjoy!

Mandarin Tilapia Spinach Salad Recipe

Tonight I tried a new recipe from Oxygen magazine, Mandarin Tilapia Spinach Salad. I think Mike told me about 5 different times how good it was. Here's the recipe with the modifications I used.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup sliced almonds (I used pecans I had left over from a salad I made last week)
1 mandarine orange, halved, unpeeled (local market didn't have mandarins, so I used 3 tangerines)
1 tbsp white vinegar
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
6 oz tilapia
Red pepper flakes
2 cups of baby spinach
2 cups mixed greens
Sea salt and ground pepper to taste (I didn't use salt, I normally don't ever add it to my recipes)

1. Heat oil in a skillet and brown almonds over medium heat, about 5 minutes.
2. Squeeze juice from the orange halves into a small bowl.
3. Add orange juice and in vinegar to skillet. Stir in chopped celery and parsley. Mix all ingredients together and remove from pan; leave the heat on.

A good way to test if Tilapia is done is to rub the top with a fork. If it flakes, than it's done!

4. Brush tilapia fillets with olive oil and sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Brown on both sides, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.
5. Combine spinach and mixed greens in a large mixing bowl. Add the cooked fish and pour almond mixture overtop. Garnish with extra orange slices, and season to taste.

Voila! Finished product. I was wishing we had big salad bowls in our apartment for this meal. I was surprised at how much the tangerine juice covered the salad. No extra dressing needed. This was a quick recipe. Took me less than 30 minutes to make. It will definitely become a staple for when I need to whip up a quick, clean meal!