Clean treats are the best sweet treats!

We all love sweets, even if you say you're not a sweet lover YOU'RE A LIAR ;) I for one would choose to eat sweets over a real meal......yeah its that bad, haha. I'm human, I crave something sweet all of the time (okay more like every day). Its hard sometimes when you're trying to eat clean but you want that cookie or brownie......and I'm not saying not to because everything in moderation is okay, but if you could make clean desserts, wouldn't that be so much better?!

Raw Brownie Truffles

• 2 tbs. cacao powder
• 4 dates, pitted 
• 1 tbs. unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 tbs. natural almond butter
• Raw Stevia (optional)

Directions:

1. Blend everything in a food processor
2. Roll into balls

Black Bean Brownies

• 1 can low sodium black beans, drained
• 1/4 cup cacao powder
• 2 tbs. agave 
• 1/4 cup oats
• 2 bananas (you can definitely taste the bananas so if you're not a fan substitute for apple sauce)
• 1 tbs. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. organic chocolate extract
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1 full droplet of liquid chocolate Stevia
• 1/2 bar of 100% cacao bakers chocolate, chopped

Directions:

1. Place everything in a food processor except the chopped bakers chocolate 
2. Blend until batter is smooth
3. Fold in chopped chocolate 
4. Pour batter into a 9x9 baking dish (I made thinner ones caus I couldn't find my pan)
5. Bake at 350 for 12-15 min

What you will need

Blend everything togeher

Fresh out of the oven

Boom, Brownies!

Yes, pizza can be clean :)

I've done a ton of experimenting with different ways to make pizza.....I don't just mean toppings, I'm talking crust and all! Sure you can buy a pre-made dough but why do that when you can make a delicious CLEAN one?! A lot of the pizza crusts that I've made have fallen apart or haven't been very appetizing. But tonight I finally made one that was delicious, crunchy and held together with all the toppings on top!!! I hope you enjoy this as much as I did :) Who says you cant enjoy pizza while eating clean?!?!

 BBQ Chicken-Veggie Pizza

 First you want to start by getting some of this. Its gluten & fat free, low in calories, sodium and sugar. Its delicious, comes in 2 flavors and is organic!

Once your crust is done (recipe down below) you'll spread the BBQ sauce on top

Then add your chopped zucchini 

A layer on tomato

Mmmmmm Mushrooms

Top it off with shredded chicken, goat cheese and jalapenos.

Place under the broiler for around 5 min or until the cheese get bubbly & veggies are cooked

BOOM ahhhhhmazing pizza!!!!

Proof it holds together ;)

Gluten Free Pizza Crust

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1 tbs. coconut flour
• Mrs. Dash extra spicy seasoning 
• Mrs. Dash chicken seasoning
• 1 egg
• 2 tbs. water

Directions:

1. Place dry ingredients in a food processor, blend until oats become a flour
2. Add the egg and water (the dough will be tough and easy to work with)
3. Spread the dough out on parchment paper on a baking pan
4. Place another piece of parchment paper on top of the crust
5. Bake at 350 for 5 min
6. Turn oven up to 450, flip the crust and bake for another 5-7 min
7. Take out and remove one layer of parchment paper
8. Top with toppings

Meal Prepping 101

I always hear people say how they don't have "time" to eat healthy. I get it people are busy and its hard to prepare fresh healthy meals everyday.......but if you're prepared it wouldn't be so hard to eat clean! I to am  very busy...... I'm a full time student in culinary school, going through a certification program to be a personal trainer, work part time, go to the gym 6 days a week and still find the time to eat clean!!!! I like to eat fresh meals everyday so I only pack my meals that I know I'm going to be gone for (which is a lot of them unfortunately).

Sundays are my days to pretty much get everything I need done for the week, this includes cooking a lot of my food. Now like I said I like fresh meals so on Sunday I figure out what I want to be eating throughout the week and then cook the items that take the longest to prepare (like a lot of my proteins or carbs). I wash and cut up my veggies, put snacks together and for the mornings I know I don't have time to make breakfast, I make overnight oats. If I know I'll be gone all day I'll pack my meals for that day that way I just grab them and go & can have NO EXCUSE not to eat clean! This also helps with cravings because instead of browsing through the pantry or fridge to find something to eat I know I already have stuff cooked and ready for me.

I make different things each week so I don't get bored of my food. I like to BBQ, roast, bake, cook stove top, slow cook, pretty much anyway of cooking. Marinades and spice rubs are great to get different flavors. I also like to buy ground turkey because I can do so much with it (burgers, tacos, meatballs, breakfast burritos). This week I decided to make shredded enchilada chicken, spaghetti with 97/3 ground beef & mushrooms, 97/3 ground beef burger patties, egg white turkey muffins (snacks) and some maple cinnamon apple oatmeal bread for my pre-workout meal throughout the week!

Shredded Enchilada Chicken

• 4 chicken breast
• 1/2 can low sodium medium red enchilada sauce
• 1/2 small jar low sodium salsa

Directions:

1. Add everything in a slow cooker and let cook
2. Shred once done

Spaghetti With Ground Beef And Mushrooms

• 2 tbs. olive oil
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 celery, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 large roma tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tbs. Italian seasoning
• 1 tbs. chili flakes
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• a couple dashes of tapatio 
• 12 oz 97/3 lean ground beef
• 8-10 cremini mushrooms, sliced

Directions:

1. Sweat carrots and celery with oil (you can add onions too, I just cant have onion)
2. Add garlic and tomatoes, cook for about 5 min or until tomatoes get mushy
3. Use a immersion blender to mix everything up
4. Add seasonings, cover and let simmer
5. In a separate pan cook beef, once done add to sauce
6. Place mushrooms in pan and sweat, add to pot once cooked
7. Let simmer on low for 20-30 min 

Makes 6 muffins

Egg White Turkey Muffins

• 4oz ground extra lean trukey
• Liquid egg whites
• 4 pieces turkey bacon, chopped
• Mrs. Dash seasoning (any kind)

Directions:

1. Cook turkey and turkey bacon in a pan with seasoning 
2. Place in a sprayed muffin pan 
3. Top with egg whites
4. Bake at 350 until they look puffy and are tough to the touch

The recipe makes 6 pieces

Maple-Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal Bread

• 1 1/2 cups of oatmeal
• 1 1/2 cups liquid egg whites
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. maple extract
• 2 full droplets of liquid Stevia
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 apple, diced small

Directions:

1. Combine everything and bake at 350 until a tooth pick comes out clean

And then I made a burrito with that shredded chicken for dinner :)

Mmmmmmmmm!