Author: Janine

White Bean, Kale, and Al Fresco Chicken Sausage Soup

White Bean, Kale, and Al Fresco Chicken Sausage Soup

Cold weather got you down? In need of a quick pick me up? This white bean, kale, and Al Fresco chicken sausage soup is the perfect remedy. Soups are my favorite during the winter time. This soup came together so quickly with the help of […]

Self Love: The Daily Struggle

Self Love: The Daily Struggle

Do you struggle with self love? Do you find yourself constantly picking yourself apart? “My arm looks so big, I have such a flat butt, why do my eyes look so puffy?” These are just a few things I ask myself on a weekly basis. […]

PB and J Protein Balls

PB and J Protein Balls

As you may know, I love making protein balls! I’m continuously recipe testing to make these the best they can be. And I’m constantly trying to come up with new flavors for you guys. I always want them to be packed with superfoods & of course protein.

Protein balls are my favorite go-to snack. They are so flavorful, as well as healthy. Not to mention they are super easy to make. I want to get the recipe perfect, but right now these will do.

I think they need some work, but you guys be the judge of that. They are super dense, but in a good way I promise!

Protein Balls

protein balls

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup oats
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter (any nut butter)
  • 2/3 cup coconut flakes (optional)
  • 1/2 cup ground flax (flax seeds work too if you have them)
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips (or a chocolate drizzle)
  • 1/3 cup honey (or any sticky sweetener)
  • 1/3 cup of dried cranberries
  • 1 heaping tablespoon of chia seeds
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 scoop protein of your choice (I used vanilla flavored)

Instructions:

  1. Here’s the best part (if you have a food processor) throw all your ingredients in there and make it happen!
  2. If not I would suggest mixing together all your wet ingredients first, then adding everything else in. Also, try chopping the dried cranberries before adding them to the mixture. This will make it easier to roll them.
  3. Roll them into balls and place them in the fridge or freezer whatever you prefer
  4. They will stay good in your fridge for over a week & in the freezer for a long time!

**if you decide to use the protein and the mixture seems to dry feel free to add a little more peanut butter or honey to make it more moist.

**Don’t hesitate to add in any extra superfoods (i.e., hemp hearts, pumpkin seeds, cacao nibs)

Sweet Potato Burgers with Roasted Garlic Spread

Sweet Potato Burgers with Roasted Garlic Spread

These sweet potato burgers are absolutely unreal, but the star of this dish is definitely the roasted garlic spread. How Sweet Eats is an recipe queen! I found this recipe through instagram and I’m so excited about it. I’ve never roasted garlic before, but it […]

Baked Lemon Rosemary Chicken with Asparagus & Sweet Potatoes

Baked Lemon Rosemary Chicken with Asparagus & Sweet Potatoes

This baked Lemon Rosemary Chicken had so much more flavor than I was expecting, to be honest with you. But I think my favorite part about this dish was the fact that I made it all in one pan. Yes you read that right, ONE […]

Importance of Sleep in Your Weight Loss Journey

Importance of Sleep in Your Weight Loss Journey

Prioritizing sleep is extremely important for many reasons other than weight loss. Getting at least 7 hours of sleep should be something you do on a regular basis. Many people, who are dieting and working on improving their lifestyles, may not realize the importance of sleep. 

You could be working out, eating well, and still not seeing results. You know how you feel after a poor night’s sleep? Well, that doesn’t just affect you mentally. It can take a toll on your metabolic rate as well, which could increase fat storage.

Giving your body the rest it needs can improve your overall performance throughout the day. Sleep is key to being rewarded for all your efforts. Between working, going to the gym, and eating well, sometimes we forget that sleep fuels all of those things.

Importance of Sleep: Late Night Cravings

Lack of sleep also makes you crave foods that you know you shouldn’t be eating. When you aren’t getting the proper amount of sleep every night you may wake up in a groggy state. Grogginess sometimes feels like you went out and drank alcohol the night before. When you drink alcohol, you may not make the best decisions. Whenever I am out partying, I end up eating something I shouldn’t have (i.e., buffalo fries, pizza, or that easy mac & cheese sitting in the cabinet.) Either way, sleep deprivation can impair your complex decision making, which in turn may lead you to eat that extra piece of cake that you clearly don’t need. Not getting enough sleep also makes you feel hungry when you are actually full. Despite adequate food intake, you somehow still feel hungry, and that’s mostly because you aren’t sleeping enough (or you’re not drinking enough water, but that’s another topic).

You know that muscle you’ve been working so hard to get? Well, without proper sleep that probably won’t happen. Why? Lack of sleep can decrease protein synthesis. Protein synthesis is your body’s ability to make muscle. Bottom line, sleep deprivation causes muscle loss, and increases fat storage.

Prioritizing sleep should be one of the main goals as soon as you start a weight loss journey. But, honestly you should prioritize it, regardless of your goals. Sleep deprivation can lead to obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart failure, and more.

Of course, there really isn’t a hard number that applies to every person, but studies have shown that getting seven to nine hours of sleep a night is best for our bodies. There are many factors that go into leading a healthy lifestyle, and it’s much more than exercise and healthy eating. Be sure to continue learning what your body needs to live a long and healthy life.

Mouth Watering Chocolate Stuffed Blondies

Mouth Watering Chocolate Stuffed Blondies

I think these Chocolate Stuffed Blondies might just be the best sweet I’ve ever made. They are melt in your mouth good. The best part, they are made with all real ingredients. Thomas and I paired them with ice cream one night and it was […]

Coconut Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

Coconut Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

These coconut flour chocolate chip cookies didn’t stand a chance in our apartment. I think we ate them within 3 days, and we were holding back. So that’s telling you something, right? Instagram is a wonderful thing friends, because it helps me find amazing recipes […]

Ground Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Ground Turkey Lettuce Wraps

These Ground Turkey Lettuce wraps might be my new “go-to” dinner. They were so easy to make and packed with flavor. Cooking healthy can get boring sometimes so you need to find new recipes that get you excited about what you’re eating.

These lettuce wraps got me super excited! Thomas and I scarfed them down, but I still have some left over for lunch the next day. I highly recommend making a double batch of this stuff because it’s absolutely amazing. By the way, if you’re paleo these bad boys are Whole 30 Approved. Get to cooking!

Also, don’t be intimidated by the long list of ingredients they are all super easy and you might have most of them in your house already.

Ground Turkey Lettuce Wraps

ground turkey lettuce wraps

Ingredients:

For the Meat

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 yellow onion, diced
  • 1 cup of baby bella mushrooms, minced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 pound of ground turkey (or meat of your choice) You could also probably try it with just veggies.
  • 1/2 cup of shredded carrots
  • Salt & pepper
  • 1/4 cup of coconut aminos (soy sauce if you don’t have them, but it won’t be paleo)
  • 2 teaspoon of sesame seed oil
  • 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon almond butter
  • 2 teaspoons of freshly grated ginger
  • 1 tablespoon of sriracha (or whatever hot sauce you might have in the house)
  • 3 green onions, thinly sliced.
  • 1 head Bibb lettuce

For the Sauce:

  • 1/4 cup of coconut aminos
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
  • dash of hot sauce
  • 1 tablespoon green onions

Instructions:

  1. In a large skillet set over medium heat pour in your olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add onion and cook for about 3 minutes, then add your mushrooms and cook for another 3 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for another minute or so.
  2. Add in your ground turkey or pork and cook until browned, crumble with a wooden spoon. Toss in your shredded carrots until softened.
  3. While that cooks, in a small bowl combine together 1/4  cup of the aminos, 2 teaspoons of sesame oil, 1 teaspoon of rice wine vinegar, almond butter, ginger, and hot sauce. Whisk it all together until smooth and pour it over your meat mixture. Sir in 2 tablespoons of your green onion.
  4. Make the sauce and whisk it all together until it’s smooth.
  5. Pour a little bit of sauce over your lettuce wrap for extra mouth-watering flavor.

**Like I said, these lettuce wraps might be really nice for vegans as well if they want to try it with tofu or just extra veggies.

***Feel free to pour it over some quinoa or rice if you’d like, but the lettuce wraps worked out really well.

Let me know if you make these Ground Turkey Lettuce Wraps and please share your thoughts!

Happy Eating 🙂

Chickpea Blondies: Nut Butter Chocolate Chip

Chickpea Blondies: Nut Butter Chocolate Chip

I feel like people probably think I’m crazy with all these weird dessert combos I make. But I promise these chickpea blondies are too die for. You technically don’t even have to cook these if you’re in the mood for raw cookie dough. Grab some […]