All posts in Appetizers & Snacks

I first saw these “balls” on Jazzythings Instagram feed and since you all know how much I LOVE sweet potatoes – I had to give her little creation a try!  Aren’t they cute!? I added some protein powder to them and measured everything out for you to make it more simple.  If you’re a fan of sweet potatoes + almond butter, you gotta give these babies a try!

It’s Simple!

All you need  -

• 1 large baked sweet potato (or 2 small sweet potatoes)
• (Optional) 1/2 scoop of protein powder
• 1.5 tbsp almond butter
• 1/2 tsp unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Form into balls – (or cookies like mine).

2 servings – I ate one serving for breakfast with my omelet and the other serving as a snack because to be honest, I couldn’t stop thinking about that other serving until they were in my belly! hehehe

Nutritional Stats: 194 calories /0.7g saturated fat / 17.3g carbs /8.1g sugar / 2.5g sugar/15.5g of protein

The other part of my delicious breakfast was this colorful omelet, 1 egg/2 whites. Inside went – 1 tsp of pesto, peppers, spinach, mushroom and artichokes.

It was another beautiful day outside so I knocked out a 3 mile run and ended it with a pit stop at the park so Mila could enjoy some time on the baby swing – no photo sorry.

Refueled with a delicious salad that I quickly put together: butter lettuce, veggie pattie, sauteed mushrooms, garbanzo beans, artichokes, feta cheese and topped with Ken’s Light Northern Italian dressing…good, good, good!

Also, threw in a little online shopping today…every day is a great day for shopping! I bought all this for $56 (including tax and free shipping since my purchase was over $50) at Forever 21.

I’m really loving the In Love jammies! I think they are perfect for Valentines for yourself or as a gift!

Perfectly Imperfect – Perfect for me!

Normal is Boring – Yes , it is!

I tried something different for dinner!  I’ve never cooked with pork lions before but I couldn’t pass the sale Costco had on them last week so here’s how I cooked my 1st pork!  Basically, I just seasoned them with some Extra Spicy Mrs. Dash seasoning & sea salt and sauteed over high heat for 2 minutes on each side to brown them then lowered the heat and cooked slowly for about 5 minutes. I served on a bed of baby spinach, with sauteed mushrooms and sweet potato fries – not bad, not bad at all!

I announced the winner for the Caloric Cuvee Giveaway last night on Facebook.  The winner was: Stepanie Karsnia Gibbons.

For everyone else who is totally digging this glass and didn’t win, I have a coupon code for you!! Please use Angel15 to receive 15% off your purchase at their Etsy store.

And on that note, my friends – Cheers to the weekend!

XOXO,

Angel

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Sort of a weird name, right?  That my friends, was the hardest part of this whole recipe! So I married the 2 main ingredients together, Chick peas + Zucchinis!

These would be great as a snack or even an appetizer!

Ingredients

• 1 can of garbanzo beans
• 2 zucchinis
• 1/3 c of oat flour
• 1 egg white
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp parmesan cheese

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Rinse liquid off of the garbanzo beans.
• Puree beans and zucchini using a food processor. (Do not over puree. You’re just trying to break them up to be moldable.)
• Add mixture into a bowl with the egg white, salt and oat flour and stir everything together well.
• Roll mixture into balls.
• Dip balls into parmesan cheese and roll them, coating lightly.
• Place balls on a non-stick cookie pan.
• Cook on one side for 10 minutes then flip and cook for 10 more minutes.

30 calories per Chick-Pezinis

Spicy Yogurt Dip

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup plain non-fat greek yogurt
• 1 tsp of Mrs. Dash fiesta lime seasoning
• a few dashes of hot sauces

Directions

• Stir everything together and serve.

XOXO,

Angel

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I made these as a quick snack to grab and eat before my morning work-outs.  Their not heavy and won’t weigh you down but will give you just enough energy to get you going in the morning.

Makes 9 servings 80 calories / 9g carbs / 1.7 g of fiber/ 2 g sugar / 8.5 g protein

Ingredients 

• 3/4 cup old fashion oats
• 1/2 cup of vanilla whey protein ( I used optimum nutrition 100% whey gold)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup egg substitute
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 4 stevia packets
• 2 tablesppons ground flaxseed
• 1tablespoons cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking powder

In another bowl, add all the wet ingredients and mix together.

Combine the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix together well.

 Pour into a 8×8 non-stick pan and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Peanut Butter Icing

Ingredients 

• 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup PB2
• 1 packet of stevia
• 1 tsp vanilla
• dash of cinnamon

Store in an airtight container and leave inside the fridge, until you’re ready to eat.

****

P.S. Look who decided to wake up early and join me half way through my workout?!   

XOXO,

Angel

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Before I became a mom, I always worked out first thing in the morning.  The last year though,  I changed it up to work out during Mila’s naps.  However lately, my little one has become more of a “cat napper’.  So in order to get my workouts done (uninterrupted), I decided to go back to crack of dawn morning workouts while everyone is asleep.  I actually really enjoy them! In order to make things more easier for me in the morning, I made these ziploc bags of my protein shake ingredients so I could quickly put one together after my workout.  Every minute counts!

Here is what I added in the bag:

• Handful of spinach
• 1/2 cup of berries
• 1/4 banana
• 2 small slices of mango

Easy, right?!

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I first saw these little green babies on Pinterest and found the recipe here.

Here is my version of them – I changed up the recipe a bit!

Zucchini Pancakes 

Ingredients

• 2 cups shredded zucchini
• 2/3 cups of egg white substitute
• 1.5 tbsp coconut flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp Mrs. Dash seasoning (I used Tomato Basil Garlic)
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions

Stir all ingredients together and allow the mixture to sit for about 5 minutes.  I washed dishes and warmed my saute pan during this time!

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Are chia seeds apart of your diet? If not, they should be! Here are a few health facts about the little gems.

Last week, I posted a few things on Facebook about chia seeds and mentioned I was trying chia seed pudding for the first time. Although, it doesn’t look like the prettiest thing ever, it’s a sweet, rich and creamy pudding.

Ingredients

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I absolutely LOVE bean dip which is why I had to come up with a healthier version that tastes better than the real stuff and is full of fiber and protein!

Ingredients

• 1 can refried black beans (I use Trader Joe’s brand)
• 1 cup Non-Fat Plain Greek Yogurt
• ½ cup of spicy hummus
• ½ cup light shredded cheese
• ¼ c jarred jalapenos
• 1 avocado
• 1 tomato
• ½ Tsp. Taco Seasoning Mix

DIRECTIONS

1^st Layer – Spread the beans into the bottom of a serving tray that is about 1-1 1/2 inches deep.

2^nd Layer – Mix the taco seasoning with the Greek yogurt and spread over the top of the beans.

3^rd Layer – Spread hummus on top

4^th Layer – Add sliced avocado slices evenly over the hummus

5^th layer- Add Shredded cheese

6^th layer – Add Chopped tomato

7^th Layer – Add chopped jalapenos

8 servings – 187 calories/8g fat /20.5g carbs/6.2g fiber/2.9g sugar/11.25g protein

(The nutritional facts above do not include chips. Enjoy this bean dip with store bought baked tortilla chips or make your own.)

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