clean eating: oatmeal raison cookies with a side of dark chocolate.

just the other day, brad and i were having a much needed lazy day and i wanted a sweet treat.

isn't that how it always happens?

knowing we had oats, i created something on my own and it turned out rather...great.

when does that ever happen?  

so if you are looking for something clean and healthy but to satisfy that sweet tooth, without further ado i bring you...

combine (all these measurements are loose measurements):
1 c. oats
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. honey
1/3-1/2 c. organic whole grain pastry flour
raisins (however many you want)
walnuts (because that's what i had in the freezer)
mix all ingredients (the mixture should be dry and sticky)
add a little HOT water to make the texture more like cookie dough

cook at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

once you remove them while hot, add a piece of dark chocolate to the center of the cookie.

*we keep the 100 calorie dark chocolate bars from trader joes and i just broke one bar into twelve pieces to add to each of the cookie.  which worked out perfectly.  (not overpowering but just enough)

**one more thing:  after i made these cookies, i found this recipe one thegraciouspantry.com.  by go to guide for clean eating recipes, it's similiar and i am sure just as good...if not better.

clean eating: egg white and spinach breakfast sandwich

i am so excited about this breakfast sandwich that i have already instagrammed and tweeted about it!
it is that good. so good i have eaten it six out of six days this week for breakfast.
it's pretty too, everyone likes to eat pretty food.

toast your ezekiel cinnamon raisin english muffins while you are cooking the guts of the sandwich.
while the bread is toasting, saute your spinach for a few minutes until it is good and wilted.
then add your egg whites to the spinach.
scramble together until cooked.
add lots of hot sauce.

get your bread out of the toaster, add egg scramble with spinach and enjoy.

it is sooo good, if you make this think of me...and let me know.

chances are, i'll be eating one too.

clean eating recipe: stuffed acorn squash

last new years i had THE BEST acorn squash filled with a sweet soup, it was so delicious that it intimidated me to cook with acorn squash, even though it was so so good! 

this week, i have been doing a 15 day cleanse eating only fruits and vegetables and saw this recipe and had to try it.

and let me just tell you, clean eating is not for sissies!  it is MUCH easier to make box food, clean up too.  sometimes i think it taste just as good too --- kidding.  we have a tiny kitchen and it seems like making one clean meal creates the biggest mess ever, thankfully i have a husband who will clean the kitchen.  and i can make. a mess.

acorn squash with stuffed portabella mushrooms and onions

makes two.

preheat the oven to 450.

total prep time 45 minutes.

cut the top off of your acorn squash and clean guts/seed out. discard.

brush with olive oil.

roast in preheated oven cut sides down for 30 minutes.

while the squash is roasting:

combine two garlic cloves, half of a small onion, and saute for five minutes or so.

combine cut up portabella mushroom

saute for ten more minutes, or until you think it's ready.

take squash out of the oven, flip.

split onion, mushroom mixture and fill each acorn squash

put back in the oven for ten more minutes

take out.

looks at the disaster your kitchen is...

shake your head,

wipe your brow,

put on a pretty plate,

take a picture and put on instagram,

EAT.

{add salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste}

clean recovery muffins (and eating clean...)

we have been eating clean in our house going on a month now.  we didn't eat "bad" before, but definitely not clean.  we made a commitment to try it until christmas and after that see how our bodies felt, if it was worth it, and the like.

also, just because we are human and well...human.  we decided to do a cheat meal once per week.  everyone does it different, but we decided what would work best for us,  one cheat meal per week.  and i am not playin'---that cheat meal DOES include appetizer, entree and dessert.  whether we want it or not.  whether we want it or not?...whatever.

to start we waited two weeks, just to get the new lifestyle and to let our bodies adjust to not as much coffee as you want, and no sugar, and no processed food and the headache that follows.  oy.  we had decided to go to the cheesecake factory, it's our favorite.  then we had a hiccup, i thought i was getting off earlier than i actually did---so we ended up not going until nine pm.

so we cheated and we cheated late.  

i think i said one hundred times "i have no guilt, we have done perfectly."  obviously, there was guilt, i hate eating late.  yeah, i got over it real quick.  brad ordered the avocado eggrolls for a appetizer as we were sitting down, i mean, our mouths were salivating...anything we wanted!  then i ordered a pasta dish with tons of veggies and for DESSERT---some god awful oreo, big, chocolate cheesecake that was heavenly.  i kid you not.  the funny thing is, usually when we go to the cheesecake factory, we never ever order dessert because we are full---and we were this night too, but let-me-tell-you-some'un we ordered that cheesecake and we ate it all.  and as we were eating it all, this is how the conversation went:
jessica:  oh, gosh, i feel sick.
brad:  yeah, me too.
jessica:  i think i could lay down right here.
brad:  i feel bloated.
jessica:  i can't wait to eat egg whites in the morning.
brad:  yeah, me either.
then after i licked that cheesecake plate, we rolled out of our booth and crawled to the car.

seriously though.  it was gross how bad we felt, how yuck our bodies felt.  and even though this will not detour us from having a cheat meal once a week or so, it makes you realize how much better your body is working daily when you are giving it the nutrients it really does need.  and not all the crap that is easy.

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because brad works out a ton, he needs a little more than just the normal food that most of us require.  he needs pre-workout and post-workout fuel.  (and keeping it clean) i began looking for something that was easy to prepare for him and something he liked for recovery.  

i found these banana cinnamon muffins that are moist, and delicious.  i have made four batches of them and try and not run out.  he LOVES them and they work great for an easy snack or before or after a workout.  i often add peanut butter to the top if he is having a hard workout---

here's the recipe:

cinnamon banana muffins

1/2 c. stevia

1/3 c. greek yogurt (plain)

2 eggs

2 cups mashed bananas

1/3 c. natural applesauce

1 c. whole wheat flour

3/4 c. oatmeal

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. baking powder

1 t. cinnamon 

3/4 c. protein powder

3/4 c. walnuts (crushed)

mix all the ingredients, stir and cook at 350 for 17 minutes.

+i found this recipe at thegraciouspantry.com

so easy and they are so delicious.  matter of fact, i'm going to make a batch now.

just call me, martha.  martha stewart.

or better yet, tosca.  tosca reno.

"clean" eggplant lasagna.

keepin' it real over here.  no make up and a bump on my face, holla.  there i am.  

brad and i have made a commitment (duh!) to each other that we will eat clean til christmas.  today is day 15.  no processed food, clean, natural, organic.  which means, this girl is wearing aprons.  i have to prepare breakfast and dinner daily.  fresh:

which usually looks like this.
all the ingredients for an egg white omelet with vegetables in the AM.

last night for dinner, in a departure from our usual meat and veggies,  i made "clean" eggplant lasagna.

it was so yummy (or maybe we were so hungry) that we scarfed it down before i got an after picture.  all cheesy and yummy.

here it is pre-oven.  you should try it, it's YUMMY.

.eggplant lasagna.

two medium size eggplant

low fat ricotta cheese

fat free cottage cheese

low fat shredded cheese

marinara sauce (i made my own to keep it clean)

-crushed tomatoes

-oregano

-basil-

-salt

-pepper

-onion

-garlic

-turkey burger

create the layers like you would "lasagna."

cook at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

don't be jealous of the best gingerman christmas spatula ever.  ho ho ho

let me know if you try this, it would be good with more veggies too!