Strawberry Fondue Smoothie

I got this inspiration for this smoothie at a local coffee shop. They were advertising a strawberry fondue latte and I thought wow that would make a really tasty smoothie. So, later that day I went to work in the kitchen to create this Strawberry Fondue Smoothie!



If you love strawberry fondue then this smoothie is for you. It combines the chocolate and strawberry flavours beautifully while really letting each flavour shine on its own as well.



Not only does this smoothie taste great and feel like your are eating a treat but it's healthy! All that is in it is fruit, waters and some natural sweeteners like coconut sugar and dates, making this a great "treat" for when you are feeling like you need to stop a sweet tooth. I hope you try out this creation and let me know what you think.

Ingredients:

Chocolate Fondue Layer:

1 frozen banana

1 tbsp. cocoa

1/4 cup ice

approx. 1/2 cup water

1-2 tbsp. coconut sugar

Strawberry Layer:

1/4 cup fresh strawberries + 1/2 cup frozen strawberries

1/4 cup coconut water + 1/4 cup water

1/4 cup ice

2 medjool dates

1. Blend all chocolate fondue ingredients together. Pour into 3/4 of a mason jar.

2. Blend all strawberry ingredients together, pour into the remaining space of the mason jar. Enjoy!

Berry Wheatgrass Smoothie

Over the weekend my mom and I headed to the farmers market to pick up some goodies. One of the most exciting items we purchased was a big bag of fresh wheat grass! Ever since I got my bag of wheat grass I have been incorporating this ingredient in all my smoothies.

This smoothie in particular is my favourite combination using wheat grass yet so I thought I would share it with you guys.

Not only is this smoothie delicious but wheatgrass is such a super food with so many health properties it is unreal. If you want to know all the nutritions wheatgrass contains google it and you will be amazed. Anyways, I hope you all have a chance to find yourself some wheatgrass and try out this smoothie, I promise you won't be disappointed

 What you'll need:

2 medjool dates

1/2 cup blueberries

1/2 strawberries

1 tbsp. vanilla yogurt

approx. a handful of wheat grass

water ( I started with about 1/2 cup and just kept adding it until the consistency was ideal)

1/3 cup crushed ice

Blueberry Date Smoothie

I'v been going smoothie crazy lately, having 2-3 smoothies per day... and loving it! But I have to say this smoothie is my favourite combination to date. This Blueberry Date Smoothie has the perfect amount of sweetness yet you can still taste the freshness of the fruit.



 

Along with my smoothie obsession i'v recently been loving dates as well! Thats why they are a main part of this creation and give this smoothie a bunch of healthy sugars to keep you energized throughout your day.



I can not express enough the beauty of this smoothie, I hope you give it a try and let me know what you think!



Even Alice likes Blueberry Date Smoothies!

Ingredients:

5-6 dates

1 cup blueberries, I used frozen

1/2 a banana

1-2 tbsp. vanilla yogurt

approx. 3/4 cups water

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Lunch Time: Zucchini Noodles with Cottage Cheese

I want to starting sharing more of my everyday life. Things that I actually eat basically everyday and not just my beautiful or more complex recipes. So I thought I would start by sharing with you my go-to lunch recently which is simply just zucchini noodles with cottage cheese. I eat this probably 3-4 times a week and it still hasn't gotten old. It is quick for me to make and packs both a nutrient and taste punch that keeps me coming back.

All that you need for this little creation is one zucchini, a julienne peeler, cottage cheese, salt and pepper. I julienne my zucchini with the peeler to create "noodles", fry them in a pan ( no oil or anything needed) for about 5 minutes until they are slightly soft. I then combine these "noodles" with some cottage cheese, salt and pepper and my lunch is ready to go. I also like to pair anything I have for lunch with a big bottle of water ( my bottle fits about 3 cups of water) to ensure I am staying properly hydrated.

I hope everyone is eating healthy, staying hydrated and enjoying the summer months ahead. What are some of your favourite go-to lunches?

Lunch: Cucumber and Turkey Sandwich

Hey! I just wanted to show a quick picture of my lunch today. I prepared myself two open faced sandwiches on gluten free bread and topped with some mustard, arugula, turkey meat, grilled garden zucchini, tomato, fresh garden cucumber and finally some feta cheese. I love sandwiches, especially when they include vegetables right from my garden!

Berry Crumble Bars

For Sunday night dessert I chose to make use of all the beautiful berries that were in my fridge. I also used some of my strawberries from my strawberry patch as a handful of them were ripe and ready to be eaten! This dessert is gluten, dairy, refined sugar free and very versatile as you can use basically any fruit as the filling . So I hope you try it out and enjoy it!

What You'll Need: 

Base: 

3 cups oats ( half blended into oat flour, half regular)

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup apple sauce

3-4 tbsp. maple syrup

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup almond milk 

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup shredded coconut

Filling: 

2 cups mixed berries

1 ripe banana 

1-2 tbsp. maple syrup

1. Combine all base ingredients together in a bowl, mix well. Place parchment paper into baking pan, press base into baking pan. Save some of the base mixture to crumble on top. 

2.  Mash berries, banana, maple syrup together in a bowl. Place on top of base. 

3. Use the remaining base mixture, crumble on top ( I added a tbsp. peanut butter to this remaining base, but that is optional). 

4. Place in the oven at 375 F for 30 mins. Eat cooled with dream whip or warm with some vanilla ice cream, enjoy!

 

Berry Banana Smoothie

Hey everyone! This is just a quick little post to show you the smoothie I made for myself today. It is a really basic smoothie, I combined, 1/2 a banana, handful of blueberries, a handful of strawberries, 2 tbsp. non-fat vanilla yogurt, a splash of unsweetened almond milk and 1/2 tbsp. of chia seed, blended it up and topped it with some shredded coconut! 

Mini Gluten Free Pizza

So for dinner last night my family came over and what did we have for dinner? Pizza! I love pizza, so since I am the only gluten free member of my family I made myself a little individual pizza in an 8 inch baking pan. I love using this pan because the portion size for one person is perfection!

Pizza can still be made into a healthy meal. I make sure to add a lean protein ( in this case grilled chicken breast)  and plenty of veggies ( spinach, tomato, peppers, onion) that way I know my toppings are providing me with nutritons. I also roll out the crust so it is extremely thin, that way the amount of dough I am eating is minimal and I use only a sprinkle of cheese . You can basically eat almost anything and still be eating healthy, just make sure to modify it to be clean and lean!

Mini Summer Road Trip Eats

Over the past weekend my family and I went on a mini road trip to Duluth Minnesota, so I decided to somewhat document my travels and the foods I ate along the way. 

To begin our trip we stopped at a gas station and picked up some snacks to nibble on for the drive, I chose my favourite candy, black licorise and a little pack of almonds. When on road trips I try to limit the junk food I eat and eat nuts and fruit instead, although I do allow myself to eat more junk food then normal since I am on vacation. Just a warning licorise does contain wheat so if you are celiac I would stay away from it, for me if I limit the amount I eat it does not hurt my stomach but just be careful. 

Once we arrived we decided it was time to go grab some lunch so as a group we decided on a restaurant we had never been to The Duluth Grill. This restaurant was featured on the television show Diners, Drive- Ins, Dives with Guy Fieri. The menu is great at providing many options for people with gluten allergies as well as vegetarians & vegans. The menu also has a wide range of food, from breakfast options and burgers, to fresh salads and smoothies. As for my mini review, the menu is great but I wouldn't kill to go back. The food was okay, nothing fabulous, and the environment was not my style, it was diner style. Overall I would say try it out but it was not for me. 

That was my meal, I believe it was called the big veggie salad, it was good but definitely something I could of made myself. 

For dinner we went to one of my favourite restaurants of all time, The Olive Garden. It always provides tasty, good quality Italian food for a good price. I order the gluten free penne pomodoro every single time. 

The next day we were driving and I spotted a Whole Food grocery store, this was probably one of my favourite things about the trip. We don't have a Whole Foods in my home town so having the opportunity to go in one was exciting. Me, my sister and my boyfriend all agreed that we should try the Chunks of Energy 100% Raw Cacao Goji and they were excellent, a clean, healthy afternoon snack. I highly recommend them!

Continuing on with our day we did some more shopping then went for a nice lunch in Canal Park. We stopped at a little restaurant called Amazing Grace Cafe, which is also a new restaurant for me and I was very impressed. Me and my boyfriend chose to do the "create your own sandwich" option, you choose your bread, a base ( we both chose turkey), 4 veggies and a sauce, then they create your sandwich for you. They had a gluten free bread option which was great, I wasn't expecting them to, the quality of the turkey, and veggies was great and the sandwiches were huge! They also had an outdoor seating area which is ideal in the summer! This is a lunch restaurant that I highly recommend :)

Shortly after my sister, boyfriend and I decided to get gelato for dessert, I got the cherry cheesecake flavour!

For dinner that night we went on over to The Red Lobster for some fish. I got the Maui Maui and it was great!

The next day our little weekend  getaway came to a close, before leaving we stopped at Subway and grabbed some lunch. The best part is that the subway in Duluth offers a gluten free bread so I can enjoy a sub too! I got the turkey sub with some veggies and yellow mustard, I love subway because it is clean fast food that you do not have to feel guilty about.

Overall the trip went great. Did some good shopping, and had some good food. Even when travelling I like to do my best to continue eating clean and healthy but I do not forget to allow myself to have a few extra treats. Hope you all enjoyed your weekend!

Vegetables on the Grill in Tin Foil

During the summer this is yet another way I love to do my vegetables on the BBQ! For today I used carrots (peeled), green beans and asparagus. I placed them on the tin foil, added a few tbsp. of water, a tsp. amount of butter, salt & pepper, wrapped them up and they were ready to be placed on the BBQ. I grilled them at medium heat for approx. 15-20 mins. and they turned out great ! I am a huge fan of vegetables that are prepared simple, no unnecessary fats or ingredients, the natural taste of veggies is what I love about them!

Summer Lunch: Turkey Sandwich & a Side Salad

I like to include as much protein, fibre, vegetables and nutritions as I can in all my meal. So today this is my clean, healthy lunch , a turkey sandwich with a side salad. To make my sandwich I used two pieces of gluten free bread, mustard, alfalfa sprouts, tomato, spinach and roast turkey deli meat. To balance out my meal I included a side salad which had some ice burg lettuce, cherry tomato's, cucumbers, alfalfa sprouts, some feta cheese and balsamic vinaigrette as salad dressing. 

Spinach & Chicken Salad: Summer Lunch of the Day

I just wanted to share with you my lunch I had today :) I enjoyed a lovely spinach and chicken salad which included, spinach, grilled chicken breast, orange peppers, cherry tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, blueberries, walnuts, topped with a tiny bit of feta cheese and balsamic vinaigrette dressing! I love having salads for lunch in the summer because it is a light nutritious meal with lots of room for creativity!

Summer Lunch: Spicy Hummus, Spinach & Cherry Tomato Sandwich

Hey everyone! I thought I would share with you my easy, quick lunch creation. I made myself two open face sandwiches with a light layer of spicy hummus, baby spinach, cherry tomato's, and topped with a small amount of feta cheese. 

I consider this a perfect summer lunch because it does not take a lot of effort while still being clean and healthy! Enjoy your summer!

Raw Vegan Raspberry Cheesecake

This is the dessert I made last night for my family and it was delicious! It is fairly easy to make, the ingredients are not hard to find and it tastes so pure and clean. I love making desserts that don't make me feel guilty after eating them, and this one definitely doesn't! So i hope you try it out and enjoy it as much as me and my family did!

What You'll Need: 

Crust: 

1 cup hazelnuts

1/2 raw almonds

1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds

12 dates, pitted

2 tbsp. coconut oil

pinch of sea salt

Filling: 

1 1/2 cup raw soaked cashews

2 medium lemons, juice and zest

1 tsp. vanilla

1/3 melted coconut oil

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

Top Layer: 

1/2 cup raspberries

1/2 lime, juice

raspberry jam

1. Grind nuts in food processor, until coarsely chopped. 

2. Add dates, coconut oil, sea salt and mix until it blends together.

3. Press it into a 8- inch non stick spring form, place in fridge while preparing the filling

4. Clean food processor well, warm coconut oil + maple syrup in sauce pan until they become liquid.

5. Place cashews, lemon juice + zest, vanilla, coconut oil, and maple syrup in food processor, blend until very smooth. ( Approx. 10 mins.)

6. Pour over pie crust, place in freezer until set.

7. Place raspberries and lime juice in blender, blend until smooth. Add jam 1 tbsp at a time until you reach your desired sweetness. 

8. Pour over your filling, place bake in freezer for 30 mins, remove from freezer 15 minutes before eating, enjoy!

Gluten Free Chicken Burgers

This is what I made for dinner last night, it is a really simple recipe but tastes so good. I never buy pre-made burgers, it is easy and much more healthy to make them yourself :)

What You'll Need: 

1 package ground chicken breast

1/2 onion (finely chopped)

2 cloves garlic ( finely chopped) 

1 tbsp. burger spice

1 tbsp. weber Roasted Garlic & Herb seasoning

salt & pepper 

- Combine all ingredients in a bowl & mix well. Form into 3-4 equal sized patties.

- Grill on the barbecue at medium heat for 15-20min, then serve and enjoy! 

This is how I plated mine, I served my chicken burger topped with grilled veggies ( red peppers, zucchini & onions) beside a garden salad, which contained romaine lettuce, alfalfa sprouts, cherry tomato's, topped with feta cheese and Kraft huile d' olive oil greek feta salad dressing. I also had half a sweet potato as well. I like to incorporate as many different vegetables as I can with my dinner. 

 

Summer Coslaw

What You'll Need: 

1 green pepper (thinly sliced)

3 medium carrots (shredded)

half green cabbage ( thinly sliced)

1/4 purple cabbage ( thinly sliced)

garlic, salt & pepper ( to taste)

1/4 white sugar

1/2 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup water

3/4 canola oil

1. Bring wet ingredients to a boil in a pot, add to sliced cabbage, peppers, and carrots. Let sit for about an hour to soften. 

 

Chicken Mango Skewers

What You’ll Need: 

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 ripe mangos

1/2 tsp. chilli powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. ginger

salt & pepper

skewer sticks

1. Cut your chicken breast into 3/4 inch strips

2. Dice mangos into tiny pieces, put in a blender/ food processor and blend until smooth, mix in chilli powder, garlic powder, ginger, and a pinch of salt and pepper

3. Marinade chicken in mango sauce for 30 mins to 8 hours, put some sauce to the side as it will be used later on the chicken

4. Once chicken is finished marinading put 2-3 pieces on each skewer and grill for 7-12 minutes

5. With the mango sauce remaining on the side, put in a pot, bring to a boil and drizzle on top your chicken skewers before eating

* make sure to soak your skewer sticks in water so they do not burn on the grill

Grilled Vegetables

This is my favourite way to prepare vegetables in the summer. I just chop up some peppers, onions and zucchini ( you could use whatever veggies you wanted of course) add them to a pie pan, drizzle with olive oil and allow them to grill on the bbq for 15-20 mins. 

They are clean, simple, and healthy and have a lovely summer vibe :)

Blueberry & Walnut Summer Salad

I am a huge salad fan, not only are they clean and healthy but they can have so much variety! I love creating new salad combinations that are visually appealing as well as delicious. 

In my salad today I have: 

- ice burg lettuce/ spinach/ romain lettuce

- cherry tomato's

- orange peppers

-blueberries

- alfalfa sprouts

- cucumber

- walnuts

-pumpkin seeds

& it is topped with my Gluten Free Balsamic Vinaigrette

I hope you take some inspiration from my creation :)