Fancy Banana Pancakes

1 banana 

3 strawberries 

2 eggs 

1 tablespoon vanilla 

1 tablespoon honey 

1 tablespoon fat free Greek yogurt 

1/4 cup oats 

Blend together ingredients until smooth. 

If you would like not to use the strawberries, feel free to substitute your favorite fruit. I do not recommend apples, only because they are so hard. Berries work best, but pineapple and peach works just as well. 

Cook like regular pancakes - but without the guilt! 1 banana gives you enough energy for a high-intensity 60 minute work out. I garnished mine with some honey, strawberries, and Greek yogurt! 

Feel free to use whatever flavor Greek yogurt you would like. I used plain, because I like the main flavors to be the banana and strawberries. 

Enjoy!

Banana Blueberry Oat Pudding 

1 cup Bob's Red Mill Steel Cut Oats 
2 cups water 
1 cup almond milk 
1 banana 
1/2 cup blueberries 
2 teaspoon honey 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 Place your oats in a pot with the almond milk and the water. Bring to a boil, then reduce immediately to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes before adding half of the banana (smashed with a fork), and the blueberries (also smashed with a fork). Add the honey and vanilla extract and lightly simmer for another 10 minutes. Refrigerate until cool, I recommend overnight. Take the remainder of your banana and slice. Place in a plastic bag and freeze. Scoop a spoonful of your pudding onto a plate and garnish with the frozen banana. Eat as much of this dessert you desire, as it is full of healthy vitamins and minerals, and is guilt free. 

Enjoy!

Watermelon Smoothie

2 cups watermelon, cubed and frozen 

1/4 cup watermelon juice 

Blend until smooth. This is an incredibly refreshing drink, with vitamins and minerals:

 Watermelon also contains thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6, folate, pantothenic acid, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, choline, lycopene and betaine. According to the National Watermelon Promotion Board, watermelon contains more lycopene than any other fruit or vegetable.

Watermelon is also 92% water 

Guide to Nuts

Morning Tea

Tea is very good for you to drink in the mornings because it helps to rev up your metabolism (thank you caffeine). 

Mine is a fun mixture that I make myself! 

1 part green tea leaves

1 part jasmine buds 

1 part dried goji berries 

The green tea is mostly for the caffeine and to boost yourmetabolism, but the jasmine might surprise you. Jasmine tea has been know to have the following health benefits: stress relief, high in antioxidants, reduces cholesterol, release of fat from your cells, fights bad bacterias, reduced your chances of getting the flu or a cold, regulates insulin production (fights diabetes), and regulates blood circulation.  

Goji berries have been used in Asian medicine for over 5,000 years. It is a vegetarian total protein, packed with amino acids and rich in vitamin A. They have over 20 trace minerals and vitamins. They have been wildly accepted in Asia as a premium superfood that not only enhances health, but increases your daily energy. 

On occasion I add a tablespoon of honey or a squeeze of some lemon. When I ice it on hot days I typically add both. 

Enjoy! 

Tomato Duxelle

1 plum tomato

3 small mushrooms (cremini or white) 

2 tablespoons breadcrumbs 

1 tablespoon olive oil 

Cut tomato in half and scoop out the center. Place in oven at 400 degrees. They should be baking for 30 minutes while you prepare the stuffing, and they will cook the last 15 minutes together (45 minute total) 

Mince the mushrooms, after removing the stems. Sauté in olive oil until golden brown. Add the breadcrumbs and stuff your tomatoes. 

Garnish with lemon if desired. 

Enjoy!

Peppers and Onions

2 small onions, sliced 

5 peppers, small

1 tablespoon olive oil 

Salt and pepper 

Place your peppers directly over your open flame. Make sure all sides are perfectly blackened before placing in a bowl covered in plastic wrap. 

Carmelize your onions, placing them in a pan with the olive oil. Keep your flame low. Low and slow is the correct way to carmelize onions - it should take around 30 minutes to properly brown your onions. 

Remove the skin from your peppers and cut into strips. Add to your onions and toss together until your flavors marry together. 

Enjoy! 

Health Smoothie

My sister was getting sick today so I made her this immune system boost! 

1 banana, sliced and frozen

1/3 cup blackberries, frozen 

1/4 cup raspberries, frozen 

4 large strawberries 

1/4 cup fat free Greek yogurt 

1 tablespoon raw honey 

1 grapefruit, juiced 

Blend until smooth. Berries are full of antioxidants and nutrients to boost your immunity. Honey is soothing to sore throats! Greek yogurt is full of probiotics to help your digestion, which is helpful for pushing bugs out of your system. Grapefruit juice is helpful as well - citric acid is good for helping you to get over flu like symptoms. 

Pineapple Parfait

Grilled pineapple parfait! 

Peel pineapple and quarter. Grill for no longer than 15 minutes in total. Slice into bite sized pieces. Cool before refrigerating. 

Mix together 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon of honey, and 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar. Reduce on the stove until only half remains. Place in the fridge to cool - you just want it to become more viscous. 

Take fat free, plain Greek yogurt (1/2 cup) and mix in 2 tablespoons vanilla extract and 1 1/2 tablespoons honey. 

Place yogurt on the plate with a drizzle of honey if desired. Top with pineapple and balsamic vinegar reduction. 

Enjoy! 

Grilled Pineapple with Crabcake

Crabcake: 

1/4 cup lump crab meat

1 tablespoon bread crumbs 

1 teaspoon minced onions (toasted) 

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 

1/2 egg 

1 tablespoon flour 

Toss together all ingredients - carefully, so as not to detach the lump meat. I baked mine in the oven at 350 for about 15 minutes, but if you would prefer you can pan fry it in some oil. 

Grilled pineapple:

Grill pineapple on both sides for no longer than 15 minutes (total). Allow to cool then cut into bite size pieces. Refrigerate until cool. Drizzle some balsamic vinegar atop - trust me, it's amazing. I sometimes use a balsamic reduction, which is delicious as well. Garnish with chives if desired. Served with yogurt and balsamic reduction it makes an amazing (and guilt free!) dessert. 

Banana Raspberry Smoothie

2 bananas, chopped and frozen 

8 raspberries 

1 cup water 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Blend until smooth and creamy! Frozen bananas are perfect to use because then you do not need to add any ice. This smoothie is full of body (thank you starch from the bananas) and creamy, you could trick people into believing it is an ice cream smoothie. 

Enjoy on a hot day! 

Waffle with Banana and Honey

Waffles: delicious, filling, and hearty. This waffle is healthier for you than most. Maple syrup isn't bad for you, but it is honestly harder to find than you'd think. Next time you buy syrup look at the label. If high fructose corn syrup is the first, second, or third ingredient then think before buying it. Those commercials in which high frustose corn syrup is made to look as good for you as any other sweetener is not remotely accurate. "Sugar is sugar, your body can't tell the difference," - I'd like to call bull on that. Just like not all fats are created equal (avocado vs pork fat), neither are all sugars. Honey and pure maple syrup are the best sweeteners for your body. 

Waffle:

1 cup flour (whole wheat/grain is best)

3 tablespoons almond flour

1 tablespoon flaxseeds (I used flaxseed flour) 

1 tablespoon vanilla 

1/2 cup fat free milk 

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon baking powder 

1/4 teaspoon baking soda 

1 tablespoon whole oats 

1 tablespoon coconut oil

Banana compote:

1 banana, sliced 

3 tablespoons honey (I used raw honey) 

Toss together your dry ingredients in a bowl, and your wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Mix together and allow to sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes. If you think your waffles are not liquid-y enough add another 1/4 cup milk. 

Slice your bananas and place them into a pot with honey. Using high heat allow the mixture to bubble and boil for a few minutes, infusing the banana flavor into the honey. Turn heat off. 

Place waffle batter into the iron and cook to the desired texture. Lay the banana and honey mixture on top and enjoy! 

Grilled Corn

Corn, peeled 

1 tablespoon olive oil 

Dash of salt 

Dash of pepper 

Dash of rosemary 

Dash paprika 

Dash of garlic powder 

Grill the corn on the cob until golden in color. Mix together the spices and olive oil. Rub the spice mixture on the corn. 

Enjoy! 

Banana smoothie

Okay, you hear banana smoothie and you think "ice cream" or some kind of dairy. Surprise - my banana smoothies consist of 3 ingredients. Banana, water, and vanilla extract. 

1 cup water 

1 banana 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 

The key is how you put this smoothie together. I typically chop up and freeze my bananas when they get ripe too fast. Once they are frozen they're their own little ice cubes ! Purée the water with your frozen banana (add the vanilla) and you'll have a very thick, creamy, delicious smoothie that is 110% guilt free. 

Enjoy!

Corn Cucumber Salad

Grilled corn is delicious and sweet!

4 ears of corn

1 1/2 English cucumbers

1/2 red onion, small dice

1/2 bunch cilantro

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Drizzle of olive oil 

Grill the corn without the husks on, so you can get char marks. Take a sharp knife and cut off the corn kernels. I recommend English cucumbers because they are seedless. Small dice your cucumber and add that. Toss with onions, cilantro, salt, honey, and the vinegars. Drizzle olive oil to taste. 

This salad is incredibly refreshing at BBQs or another outdoor event. It is sweet, crisp, and acidic. Feel free to add more ingredients! Feta cheese, avocado, or tomatoes are a welcome addition!

Caramelized Cocoa Nibs

Do you ever get that sudden, massive, overpowering craving for chocolate, and if you don't get any in the next three minutes you may cause serious bodily harm to those around you? Chocolate is delicious...andddd full of fat, calories, and excessive amounts of sugar. Here is a snack that is actually healthy for you, made with cocoa nibs!

3 grams cocoa nibs, raw

2 grams granulated sugar

1/2 tablespoon butter

Take your cocoa and sugar and put it in a pot. High heat is fastest, but you can use medium heat if you'd prefer. Constantly stir the cocoa. In 5-8 minutes you should begin to see the sugar melting. Continue to stir until all the sugar is melted (8-10 minutes). Gently add the butter and stir until fully incooperated. Spread out on some parchment paper until cool. Crush either in your hands or in a bag.

I use these many ways. I always sprinkle some in my oatmeal in the morning. I snack on them before bed. I put them in my cereals. They're really delicious in salads, or even on your frozen yogurt! 

Enjoy!

Sautéed Duck

Duck is a delicious protein. It is higher in fat than chicken, but worth every bite. This duck I served with a strawberry cactus pear compote and an arugula salad with some strawberries and yellow bell peppers and the duck is garnished with mushrooms. 

The cactus pear compote was the most complicated and time consuming, so  I'll explain it first. 

2 cactus pears

1 pear

6 large strawberries 

1 tablespoon honey 

Cactus pears are tricky to clean because of their excessive amounts of seeds. The easiest way is to peel the outsides off (be careful of the prickles!) and blend them. Their seeds are incredibly hard - they bite like tiny rocks. Those seeds won't get blended, and you can just strain the puréed juice. Put on the stove with the pears after skinning and dicing it. Let simmer for 15 minutes before adding the strawberries, roughly chopped. Simmer for another 10 minutes before adding your honey. I used fresh honey comb, but you can use whatever honey you'd like. Fresh honey comb is full of pollen and other nutrients that are good for you! 

The mushrooms are simply sautéed in a small amount of vegetable oil. 

The duck is hard seared on both sides, and sliced after allowing for a 3-4 minute resting period. 

Enjoy !!

Spinach, Feta, Garlic

Take your garlic and sauté in a dash of oil until lightly browned. Add spinach and sauté until wilted. Add feta cheese to taste (I added enough to have some in each bite). 

I normally have some browned onions in here as well, but all of mine were bad. 

Enjoy !

Veggie Lunch

Fiddleheads are an amazing food. They're the blossoming young fern plant. They are only in season for a few weeks each year. If you are lucky enough to see them in the store buy them up - and fast! They taste like buttery greenbeans mixed with asparagus. As soon as they are out of season they're actually terribly poisonous, so never buy them if they aren't all currled up like this. 

Asparagus 

Fiddlehead ferns 

Shitakii mushrooms 

Hummus 

Today is a nice day, so after my run I dedcided it was time for a nice sautéed veggie plate. I individually sautéed the asparagus, fiddleheads, and mushrooms. I used less than a tablespoon of olive oil to sauté and I made sure to salt and pepper each ingredient. After I took them out of the pot I set them on paper towels to help absorb the excess olive oil they soaked up. The hummus on the bottom helped contrast the harsh green flavors of the asparagus and fiddleheads. Remember to remove your stems from the shitakii before sautéing them. 

Do NOT throw away shitakii stems. They are so full of flavors, but to fibrous to eat. So what do we do with them? We use them to make mushroom broths. Simmering them in some water with onions for a few hours leaves a beautiful rich earthy flavored broth that you can use to make soups or rice or whatever you'd like!

Enjoy!

Guilt free "pancakes"

This is not your average pancake. I did not use a pancake mix, and I feel much better about eating them. Whenever you make anything from scratch you should always feel much better about eating it. Total control of ingredients is a fun key about eating healthy. 

1 banana 

2 eggs 

1 tablespoon oats 

1/2 teaspoon sunflower seeds 

1/2 scoop get lean protein powder 

You literally take your ingredients and blend them together in a blender until it appears homogenous. Lightly spray Pam on a nonstick pan and warm it up before pouring your mix onto it. Flip when golden on the bottom and cook as thought it is a real pancake. A few notes: because of the banana it will be a very moist pancake. Do not take this as being undercooked.

I like to eat mine with a drizzle of agave nectar or honey. On Sundays I like to pile on some Greek yogurt and fresh fruit. If I have vanilla extract hanging around I also like to add a dash of it into the mix. Sadly, this morning I did not have any handy. If you do not have any type of protein powder feel free to substitute in more oats or even some flour. I was using it more for the consistency than anything. 

Enjoy!! 

Grilled Octopus Stuffed Clam

I am a big lover of seafood.  Clams and octopus speak to me, and this is one of my favorite recipes that I am about to share with you.  I actually won first place in the Tapa Competition that I entered with this at the Culinary Institute of America.  

1 small octopus

1 gallon chicken stock (or water)

4 tomatoes 

1/4 stick of butter 

12 clams 

1 thick slice of toast, cubed

1 bunch scallions 

4 tablespoons Salsa Maya

dash black cyprus salt

First you need to get the octopus cooking.  It takes 3-4 hours to simmer it until tender.  If you are going to be using water to cook the octopus then I suggest you season the water with liberal amounts of salt and pepper.  Add 3 tablespoons salsa maya to the simmering liquid (for flavor).  After tender remove from the water and pull off as much of the skin as possible.  Take the liquid and place in a large pan with a lid.  Add the clams to the liquid and steam them open.  Small dice the tomatoes and set aside.  Take your butter and place in a pan until browned.  The butter should smell slightly nutty.  A good rule of thumb with browned butter is to wait until it starts foaming, and shortly after remove from the heat.  Add the tomatoes to the browned butter.  Throw the octopus on a HOT grill for a few minutes until it begins to look slightly charred.  Dice up the octopus and add to the tomato and butter mixture.  Spoon some of the mixture into the opened clams, garnishing with the cubes of toast and a dab of salsa maya.  Remember to add your chives and some black cyprus salt before you eat it!

Enjoy!

Popped Amaranth

So everyone loves popped corn! Amaranth is another grain which is easily popped.  Amaranth seeds contain lysine, an amino acid.  They may be a good source of protein for people who are sensitive to gluten.  Amaranth contain thiamine, niacin, riboflavin, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, zinc, copper, and manganese.  

Guilt- free this snack is my favorite to eat with movies. Take your raw amaranth...

And toss them in an already hot pan. Have a cover handy because they pop everywhere! They should begin popping immediately - if they didn't then your pan want hot enough. They should all stop popping after about 30 seconds.  Be careful not to leave your amaranth on the stove too long, as they burn very quickly.  

You can shake some salt or sugar on them if you'd like.  They have a delicate flavor, so you may not want to add butter.  However, if you toss a dash of cayenne and onion powder you will have a nice garnish for salad.  

Enjoy!!

Almond Butter

So everyone knows that nuts are good for you. Studies have shown people who eat 3 oz of nuts a day have significantly lowered their chances of heart disease and weigh less than those who don't. Almonds are particularly good for those people who are allergic to peanuts. They're sweeter than peanuts, which makes almond butter a more dessert/snack friendly option. 

Take whole "raw" almonds and blend them in a food processor until thick and creamy. I personally like to eat it either with a spoon or on banana or apple slices. Almonds help you to lose fat and retain muscle. They are particularly helpful at satisfying your hunger because of the fats in them.