buckwheat granola

While it's cold & snowy outside today, I'm feeling like making some warm goodies inside. This kind of weather always makes me want to try new recipes & bake. I think because that's always what we used to do as I was growing up. My mom is an amazing baker, so cold days were almost always baking days. 

I've been wanting to try to make my own granola for a while, so today I decided to give this one a try. I based it off a recipe from the back of the bag of Bob's Red Mill organic Buckwheat. It's super easy & to be honest...I want to eat it all! Oh so good...give it a try! All whole foods & plant based. This will be so great on top of my protein smoothie bowls!

 

 

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buckwheat granola

1c Bob's Red Mill Buckwheat Groats

2c rolled oats

1c sliced almonds

1/2c coconut flakes

1/4c sunflower seeds

1/4c pumpkin seeds

1/2c agave or honey 

1/2c maple syrup

1/4c coconut oil

1/8c almond butter

1/2tsp cinnamon

1/2tsp salt

1tsp caramel extract {vanilla or maple would be great too}

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. In a bowl, combine buckwheat, oats, nuts & seeds. In a small saucepan combine honey, syrup, coconut oil, almond butter, cinnamon & salt. Bring to a boil & keep boiling steadily for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat & add extract. Pour the syrup mixture over the dry ingredients & mix well to coat everything. Spread on a baking sheet in an even layer. Bake for a total of 30 minutes, stirring well about every 10 minutes. Cool & break into pieces. Add dried fruit if you'd like. Enjoy! {& try not to eat it all right away!}

-robyn

 

garlic chicken pita pizza

Earlier this year I made a trip to Utah to see my ladies from the online digi shop I sell at. The first night, we ate at this awesome restaurant & I had a garlic chicken pizza. Tons of garlic & it was drizzled with balsamic glaze. {drool} I tried to re-create it the other night & I think it was pretty dang good.

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This was so easy! Here's the recipe: 

Garlic Chicken Pita Pizza

1 low carb pita

Grilled or baked chicken breast

Minced garlic

Shredded romano cheese

Feta cheese crumbles

Balsamic glaze

Lay the pita on a baking sheet or baking stone. Spread the pita with the garlic. Add the shredded chicken on top. Sprinkle with a little romano & feta. Bake for about 15 minutes at 400 degrees in the oven. Drizzle with balsamic glaze. Cut like a pizza & EAT PIZZ!

gingerbread mugcake

Cake. Who doesn't love it? I've been testing out a few healthy recipes from some IG feeds recently. Some good, some bad... this one was awesome! So I thought I'd share.

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Recipe: 

1/2c ground oats {oatmeal ground to flour in a blender} 

1T coconut flour

1tsp baking powder

2 egg whites

2T unsweetened applesauce

1T greek yogurt

2.5T almond milk

1.5 packets stevia

1T vanilla extract

2tsp pumpkin pie spice

Mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Pour into a greased mug or bowl. Microwave for 1.5 to 2 minutes. 

Icing: 

1T higher protein cream cheese

2T cottage cheese

1T almond butter

1/3 scoop vanilla whey

1T sugar free maple syrup

Flip cake onto a plate, drizzle icing on top, add pecans if you'd like. EAT CAKE! 

Currently eating | chicken & spinach

I thought I'd give you a little peek into what I'm currently eating a lot of. Chicken is happening quite often. It's low fat, a great source of protein & is pretty versatile. It's fairly inexpensive & I can grill or bake several at once to be able to use later. I'm also eating a good deal of spinach. Not only for salads, but I'm also putting it into my post workout shakes as well {really you can't even taste it}. So here's the lowdown: spinach & chicken are great with cashews, pepitas, craisins, blueberries, apples, quinoa, brown rice, avacado, cherry tomatoes, feta, mix it all together for a cold salad, in a pan heated through, add a little low sodium teriyaki, or throw in a low carb tortilla. I'm loving a balsamic vinaigrette along with everything as well. Try out any combo you like. These are just a few ideas.

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Pumpkin pie proyo

Most mornings my breakfasts consist of Greek yogurt, protein powder, fruit & muesli. Oh & coffee...can't forget about that ;) It's filling & a great way to start my day. Yesterday I was looking to mix things up a little & tried this interesting concoction.
Pumpkin Pie Proyo
1/8-1/4c Lowfat cottage cheese
3/4c nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1/2 scoop vanilla whey
2T pumpkin
1/2-1tsp pumpkin pie spice
Mix this all together, then add whatever you'd like. I added a tsp chia & about a 1/4c Bob's Red Mill Muesli. Yum!

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lemon blueberry baked oatmeal

So, I've recently found some freaking awesome feeds to follow on Instagram that give all kinds of fitness, clean eating & inspirational information. One of my favorite food Instagram pages to grab ideas from is @missk_j6. I've tried 2 of her baked oatmeal recipes & they're both soooo good! Truthfully, I'd eat them for breakfast or dessert... maybe another meal in between. I bake them in a big mug & I haven't been able to finish one yet. I think next time, I'll split it into 2 & share. This one's my favorite right now.

lemon blueberry baked oatmeal

lemon blueberry baked oatmeal

Lemon Blueberry Baked Oatmeal

based on a recipe by @missk_j6 {IG} slightly modified

1/2 c rolled oats

1 egg white

1/8 c unsweetened apple sauce

1/8 c cottage cheese

2 tsp raw honey

2 T sugar free maple syrup

1 T lemon juice

1/4 tsp bkg powder

1/4 c blueberries

1 tsp coconut flour

1 T almond butter

Mix all ingredients except the almond butter & coconut flour together. Grease mug or small oven dish with coconut oil. Add oat mixture & sprinkle top with coconut flour. Bake at 325 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Enjoy warm with almond butter.  

 

bbq chicken flatbread pizza

If you love pizza as much as I do {meaning you crave it several times per week} you have to get creative. I try to fit the "real thing" in once a week or week and a half. For instance, tonight, we had my absolute fave pizza {bbq pork} from my cousin's local pizza place. So good. As long as you're keeping yourself on track, you can for sure enjoy indulging every now & then. I came up with this extremely yummy bbq chicken flatbread pizza the other day. Damn fine, if I do say so myself.

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Here's how it goes...

1 Flatout Spicy Italian Flatbread

1-2 T Ragu No Sugar Added Spaghetti Sauce

1/2 Chopped Chicken Breast

Thin sliced Red Bell Pepper

Diced Onion

1-2 tsp Sweet Baby Ray's Sweet & Spicy BBQ sauce + water

1/8-1/4 c Sargento 2% Mexican Blend Shredded Cheese

Lay out the flatbread on a baking stone or baking sheet. Spread with sauce, add a little over half the cheese, top with chicken, peppers, onions & drizzle the bbq sauce {mixed with a little water to thin it down}. Add the rest of the cheese. Bake at 425 degrees. Eat.it.up.

i love you greek yogurt

I love love love my plain Greek yogurt. It fills me up & I can mix in just about anything I want. It's creamy & versatile. Plus yogurt has tons of great benefits that you can read about here.

Some of my favorite things: protein powder | muesli | oatmeal | chia seeds | frozen berries | bananas | peanut butter

greek yogurt | vanilla protein pwdr | raspberries | blueberries | gluten free muesli | chia seeds

greek yogurt | vanilla protein pwdr | raspberries | blueberries | gluten free muesli | chia seeds

greek yogurt | natural peanut butter | raw honey | gluten free muesli

greek yogurt | natural peanut butter | raw honey | gluten free muesli

greek yogurt | vanilla protein powder | sliced strawberries | gluten free muesli | chia seeds

greek yogurt | vanilla protein powder | sliced strawberries | gluten free muesli | chia seeds

what do you put in your yogurt?