Vegetarian Lentil Loaf

If you are looking for ways to incorporate a plant-based diet into your life this easy vegetarian loaf will be a hit at your dinner table. I'm always looking for vegetarian recipes that can appease my meat-loving sons, this recipe is so flavorful and delicious that even your meat and potato loving guests will ask for seconds. This makes a healthy vegetarian main-entree, gluten-free and loaded with fiber.
You will need a food processor for this recipe. 

Ingredients: 
1/2 cup dry brown (green) lentils
1 1/3 cup water

1 Tablespoon of Vegetable Better Than Bouillon

2 Tablespoon avocado oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 Tablespoons garlic, minced
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped

4 large eggs

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 cup traditional oats
3 Tablespoons tahini
3 Tablespoons tomato paste
2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed
2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

SWEETENED GLAZE:
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
2 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
pinch of sea salt

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Prepare the lentils by rinsing them underwater in a colander and then adding the lentils to a pot with water and the Better than Boullion. Bring the water to a boil, then simmer while covered until all the liquid is absorbed and lentils are tender (about 15-20 minutes).

Pulse the celery, carrots, onions, and garlic in the food processor. Then transfer to a pot with the oil and sautee until onions are browned and carrots are tender. 

Place the remaining ingredients (minus the glaze) in the food processor, add the celery, carrot and onion mixture to the food processor and pulse until combined. 

Spray a 9"x5" loaf pan with oil and fill it with everything from the food processor. 

Combine the ingredients of the sweetened glaze and spread over the top of the loaf. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. 

Remove the foil and turn off the oven but keep the loaf in the oven as it cools for 10 minutes. Allow the loaf to sit outside of the oven for 15 minutes before slicing.

Serve with a side salad and seasonal vegetables.

Enjoy!

Almond Butter Banana Muffins from Clean Eating Magazine

My newest favorite magazine is Clean Eating. I love that they embrace easy, budget-friendly, vegetarian and gluten-free recipes. Also featured in the magazine are the eating fads of right now including Paleo and Whole30. As a health coach, it is important for me to stay current on the latest diet trends and to be able to report back to my clients actual recipes that I have tried.

When I saw this recipe for Almond Butter Banana Muffins by Pamela Salzman, I immediately pulled out the ingredients and got to work. I have dedicated the first 45 days of 2018 to be SUGAR-FREE! My addiction to sugar got really out of hand over the holidays and I felt within my soul the need to do a detox. 

I can clearly see that my sugar addiction is all in the mind. My mind makes excuses for needing something sweet, I put parameters and rules around having a dessert much like I did with alcohol when I was drinking. With 5 years of sobriety under my belt, I can see the mental thoughts for what they are, addiction. It's quite the tug of war going on in my head. Why do I need that sweet treat? What void is it filling? Am I avoiding something, numbing my emotions or am I just bored? I am just over the one week mark into the 45-day challenge and feeling a bit scattered mentally, the sure signs of an actual addiction. My mind continues to try and justify the need for dessert.

For some people when they are cutting refined sugar from their diets it's helpful to find recipes of things that they would normally like to eat so that they don't feel like they are being deprived. When our mind moves into deprivation mode our chances of success drop drastically. These Almond Butter Banana Muffins are going to do the trick! 

I didn't have hemp seeds in my cabinet so I substituted with sunflower seeds and sprinkled the top of each muffin with additional cinnamon. They are delicious! Easy to make, gluten-free and only sweetened with maple syrup. Go ahead and try them, you'll be amazed how delicious this grain-free muffin tastes.     

Here is a link to the recipe, which is also featured below:
https://www.cleaneatingmag.com/recipes/almond-butter-and-banana-muffins-recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup creamy unsalted almond butter (raw or roasted)

• 1 cup ripe mashed bananas (2 to 3 bananas)

• 2 large eggs

• ¼ cup pure maple syrup

• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

• 1 tsp each baking soda and ground cinnamon

• ¼ tsp sea salt

• Pinch ground nutmeg

Optional toppings:

• hemp seeds
  banana chunks
  sliced almonds

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with 10 paper liners.2. To a food processor, add all ingredients except hempseeds and blend until smooth and well combined. Remove blade and stir in ¼ cup hempseeds with a spoon.3. Pour batter evenly into prepared muffin liners, filling each cup to just below the top, and sprinkle with optional toppings of your choice. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until just set and a toothpick, comes out clean with dry crumbs. Transfer to a rack to cool completely. Keep refrigerated up to 5 days.

Easy To-go Breakfast

We are in the process of adopting an older child from foster care in the neighboring state of VA. We drive 2 hours each way to see our newest son on a weekly basis, sometimes twice a week. Since January we have been making the very hard choice of choosing healthy food to-go rather than drive-thru convenience. It's so easy to run through a McDonald's and grab a coffee and egg sandwich. But I pay for it later with added weight on the scale and a roller coaster of emotions as my body tries to regulate the convenience food. Resisting the temptation to over indulge is hard. But prepping the meals doesn't take that much time as I focus on food that is super easy to put together and throw in a cooler for the car. I know our waistlines and attitudes will be better for it.

Here is my easy to-go breakfast that I put in a tupperware and eat in the car. All ingredients are organic. And I prep the berries after I purchase them by cleaning and cutting them and letting them live in a mason jar in our fridge so that they are always easy to grab when the desire for a sweet treat hits me. 
  

• 1/2 cup cottage cheese

• 1/2 cup fresh strawberries & blueberries

• 2 Tbs strawberry preserves

• 1/4 cup walnuts  

• shaved organic coconut flakes.

Gluten Free Eggplant Pizza

I'm really trying to eat everything in our fridge before it goes bad. It sometimes means that I am less than thrilled to make dinner. Living in the bottom vegetable drawer of our fridge was an eggplant. Don't get me wrong I like eggplant, it is okay. It's not my favorite but it came in our veggie box delivery and it has to be eaten. I scoured Pinterest for recipes that didn't involve a lot of prep work and would possibly get my kids to eat this eggplant as well.

I found this recipe from Clean Food Crush and decided to tweaked it for my family. We only had cheddar cheese in the fridge so that was what I used and it tasted delicious. Also I added more cheese than she did because I wanted my kids to eat it. And let me be honest with you...in order for vegetables to cross my children's lips without them gagging as if I am trying to kill them with poison...it must be covered with cheese. I am happy to report that both of my kids ate a slice without complaint. HUGE WIN FOR ME!!!!

Here is what you'll need:

• 1 eggplant, sliced to the size of a fingernail's width.
• Cheese of your choosing, shredded
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Dried basil
• 1 can of diced tomatoes or pre-made marinara sauce
• Garlic salt or diced garlic, whatever you have in the cupboards

To make the sauce:
I put a can of diced tomatoes in the Ninja blender with a ½ tablespoon of diced garlic (the refrigerated jar kind) and a splash of dried basil. A few quick spurts and it was ready.

Preheat oven to 430.
Place eggplant slices on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with oil. Top each eggplant slice with the sauce and cheese. Simply eyeball it and keep in mind it's supposed to look like pizza, so you don't want the eggplant swimming in sauce. Bake for 25 minutes and serve immediately.
For the adults I added dried basil to the top of each slice as well, but not for the kids. I think you can guess what their reaction would have been. :)

Apple Filling Crescent Rolls

The next time that you make crescent rolls try adding a little bit of goodness to it. Slice apples into small bite sized pieces and place in a skillet over medium heat with a little bit of oil and water until the apples are soft. Leave them as is or stir in a small amount of brown sugar.
Unroll each crescent roll and place a small amount of apples in the corner of the roll and then roll up as you would normally do.
Cook as directed on the crescent roll package.
I'm sorry I didn't get an after picture. They were gone so fast that I didn't have time to grab my camera. Be warned: there will not be leftovers!
ENJOY!

Carrot and Beet Side Dish

This is a wonderful side dish that is perfect for all types of diets! It's vegetarian, gluten free, vegan and RAW.
Simply shave a few carrots and beets together in a bowl and drizzle with oil and vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Simple and the perfect side dish to bring to your next diner party.