My New Favorite Snack: Apple Cottage Cheese

Photo by Brooklynn

I snuck in some "me" time yesterday while my Bella was napping. Maybe its all the Downton Abbey I've been watching, but I decided I needed to have some tea time with my me time. Hot tea always floods my mind with memories of my growing up days with my grandma. She still to this day always has a  kettle of tea on the stove no matter what the season.  I decided to have my afternoon snack with my tea and its my new favorite go to snack  as of late. Simple and delicious it has a great balance of protein, carbs, & fat.

My Bribery & Chocolate Cashew Cookies

My two year old soon to be three, Bella, is in the midst of potty training. Though such a topic may be taboo on a food & fitness blog it is tied in with today's recipe. You see we've been talking about the potty with Isabella for quite some time. Getting her to commit to the porcelain thrown has been a LONG haul. My mother says it is all pay back.  Apparently the apple does not fall far from the tree as I was the same way. Resolved to get this potty thing down before she is three I've resorted to bribery. My daughter gets a "treat" every time she uses the john. This can range from anything to dried dates, organic gummies, and her favorite cookies. Today's recipe post is inspired from Lifting Revolution. The original recipe is delicious, but when I baked these tasty  bites they became melted gobs. So I modified and tweaked the recipe a bit to make it  more of a cookie.

Zen Peach Smoothie

I woke up this morning STARVING. That little run yesterday must have jump started my metabolism. It is days like these that I don't want to wait for breakfast. My body needs to eat now. I have been wanting to create a smoothie with silken tofu to break away from using protein powder. I thought it would be very "zen."

Zen Peach Smoothie

1 peach peeled, pitted and sliced ( or 1 cup of frozen peach slices)

1 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1/3 cup of silken tofu

1/8 tsp of liquid stevia ( or less to taste)

1/4 tsp of vanilla extract

Ice ( use less if using frozen peaches)

Place all ingredients into Blendtec or blender and process until smooth. I topped my smoothie with a dash of nutmeg.

Let's Connect!

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Until next time stay strong and carry on!

Brooklynn

My New Running Partner

The past week has been one thing after another. First I was sick with a sinus infection. I recovered for 2 days then relapsed; bad! Then came storm Isaac. We had rain and wind for 3 days. As I write this today, Tuesday, the storm has finally passed. Did I mention I just finished working 9 days straight sick, tired, and water logged. I really try to keep this little piece of cyber world upbeat, fun, and positive. I'm not a whiner (no body likes a whiny woman at least that's what my mother always told me.) I thought with being under the weather (ha!) and having no energy to eat or create I just didn't write. And the gym?PPHHH! Forget the gym too. I did some how manage to stick to my clean eating diet (mostly.) Alas, I didn't want to blog because I knew it would not be awesome productive. I missed you. I hope you are well and dry and not in the path of Isaac;God willing.

Source

Beans, beans, the musical fruit...

Now that I've got your attention with the title of this post I will go no further with that little childhood ditty. Beans often get a bad rap for causing digestion discomfort, but they provide a hefty nutritional punch.

Dessert for Breakfast:Peach Cobbler Baked Oatmeal

I can still remember those hot summer days swimming  in my grandparent's pool with my cousins and siblings. Pap and Nana had a huge in ground pool enclosed by a fence in the back yard surrounded by their garden and orchard trees.  I remember one Sunday afternoon the whole family was over for swimming and a family barbecue. The peach tree was brimming with fruit. My Uncle Kenny got out a ladder and picked a bunch of fresh ripe peaches. My mom turned those gorgeous peaches into a lovely peach cobbler. 
Last week my husband, Rich, had picked up a huge crate of peaches last week, and I couldn't help but think back to this pleasant summer memory. One of my favorite and older recipes on this blog is my baked oatmeal.  With cobbler on the brain and a love for sweet breakfasts I created this lovely fruited breakfast treat for this week.

Nana & Pap with all their Grandkids. Miss you Nana.

My guilty pleasure:Waffle Stick Dippers & Kitchen Retail Therapy

So I got this email. For this waffle stick dipper pan.

Zip Zing Wow Chicken Salad

I hate mayo. Some how I managed to fall in love with chicken salad during pharamacy school having lunch with my good friend,Angie, at a local lunch cafe,Higher Ground. We ate there a few times a week and this place made the best chicken salad made with cream cheese and sour cream. I would eat it in a wrap with mozzerella cheese warmed just till the cheese melted and topped with tomato. Mind you this was before my gluten free clean eating days. I finally came up with a clean and tangy chicken salad that I love and I hope you will too. By the way I've missed you. I haven't blogged the last two days due to working two late nights and a row. I just have this void when I don't blog. Maybe because I just love it so much. Sharing my recipes and thoughts.  Speaking of thoughts, I would love to know what yours are. Leave me a comment on this post, tweet me @LeanGourmet, or connect with me on my  facebook   page. Talk to you soon!

Brown Rice Flour Pizza Crust

I have always loved to make my own pizza crust. I think I finally convinced my husband to date me years ago by inviting him over on numerous occasions for homemade pizza. I baked and cooked my way into his heart for four months! Now that I follow a gluten free diet  my first attempts with homemade crust was disappointing. I started with some store bought mixes and tried several recipes. I always ended up with sticky slimy crust. Blech! Now this crust is NOT your Chicago deep dish style. It is a crisp, thin, and slightly chewy. The recipe does not require you let the dough rise. If you have time to spare you could let it rise for an hour. Also I love making crust in batches and divide it up  and freeze. To freeze place the dough in zip-lock freezer bag and press the dough down so it forms a flat square inside the bag. Take the crust out of the freezer the night before you plan to use it and defrost the dough in the fridge.

Immunity Smoothie

picture by Brooklynn

 As a health care provider I pride myself on my strong immune system. I get sick maybe 2-3 times a year. Last weekend was my weekend to work at the pharmacy and every other person at my consultation window had the same question. It went something like this, "I've had this congestion, runny nose, and my head feels like its gonna explode for 4 days. What can I take?!" At this point I graciously put some distance  between myself and the ill individual and ask a few more questions to make an appropriate recommendation. I hate being sick. I hate missing workouts. As fate would have it I ended up in my primary care doctor's office yesterday with the same symptoms as all my patients from last weekend. With a prescription for a Z-PAK in one hand and a cranky toddler in the other I headed to my local pharmacy. It is times like these when I am the patient that really impacts how I give my patient care. As much as I loathe being ill it is a nice reality check and enables me to be empathic in  my own job. Now when I'm sick I tend to lose my appetite partly because I'm not rocking my workouts and I have no desire to be in the kitchen. I came up with this nutrient and vitamin packed smoothie to help boost my immunity and fill me up.

Quinoa Burgers

One of my favorite meat-less Monday dinners is quinoa burgers. They are simple to make and very filling. I usually have some quinoa on hand already cooked. It is usually an item I make on my bulk cooking day of the week. This is a one day a week, usually Sunday, that I batch cook several meals and food items to get us through the week. It limits how much this busy mama has to cook throughout the work week. Some things I like to make are soups, baked oatmeal, quinoa, rice, a 13x9 pan of chicken, hard boiled eggs, and home made gluten free bread and or muffins.

Don't be party pooper! How to dine as a guest with food allergies at parties and functions.

Source: designsponge.com via S on Pinterest

I have known I am gluten sensitive for over a year now. There have been many bumps along the way in adapting my lifestyle and that of my family's to being gluten free. One hurdle or challenge, if you will, is being a guest at a party and dealing with my gluten issue. This can be tricky waters to navigate especially if you just found out about your allergy, but don't let the fear of the "what ifs" derail your social life and holidays.  Below I have listed my top 5 strategies in dealing with a food allergies at social functions and holidays.

Guiltless Mac N 'Cheese

I posted on my facebook page asking my readers what they want to see more of on the blog. One gal responded with wanting more recipes that are quick,easy, and sneaks in veggies so the unsuspecting kiddos will eat it. I have had this recipe in my kitchen for two years now and we all love it. I usually use roasted butternut squash, but to save time you can use jarred baby food in its place. If you want to add more protein you could toss in cubed cooked chicken. It is also yummy to add sauteed spinach and mushrooms.

Cashew Milk

Source: bluntcard.com via Mandy on Pinterest

Early in my grandpa's, or "Pap-Pap" as I call him, career he was a milk man. He worked for Marburger Dairy Farm in western Pennsylvania. My mom has told me stories on how she would go with him Saturday mornings in the milk truck for deliveries. She had to be on the road with her dad by 3:00 am for those deliveries so people could enjoy fresh cold milk with the Saturday morning paper. My mom would sleep in the truck until sunrise and some times they would stop for a doughnut for breakfast. I love stories like that. Eventually my grandpa was promoted to a manager position and then later would move on to work at Armco Steel Mill in Butler,PA. Earlier this year I learned how to make cashew milk from the Spunky Coconut. It is so EASY and yummy.  I use cashew millk for everything I would use cows milk for and I love the taste. The cashew milk will last in the fridge covered for about 5 days if you haven't fininshed it yet:) I store it in my Weck 1 liter juice jars I love how it reminds me of my Pap-Pap.

Summer Butternut Squash Soup

I first had butternut squash soup at this swanky little salad place in West Palm Beach called Field of Greens. You place your order and they make your salad right in front of you. It is fast food gone healthy. I've been dying to learn how to make butternut squash soup and today I have a delicious light and savory soup for you to try that is dairy free and gluten free. The most time consuming part is roasting the squash.

"I'm not perfect & neither is my diet." My truth about Finding Balance.

Source: rabbitfoodformybunnyteeth.com via Phoebe on Pinterest

After being dubbed "Bodyrocker babe of the day" last week by BodyRock.tv. I had a huge influx of visitors to my blog. Welcome to you all! I also started tweeting more with some of my new found readers. One gal asked me "@LeanGourmet do you "cheat" once in a while or have you completely lost the desire for non-clean foods?"

Cherry Tomato Compote

I love finding good deals on food especially organic produce on sale. This week my Publix Grocer had both conventional and organic cherry tomatoes on sale for $2 a pint. It was a toss up, but I bought organic.  I was sadly disappointed that my tomatoes I brought home were a bit crunchy and not quit ripe. I turned them into this little delicious compote that is great on omelets, salads,pasta, in stuffed chicken with spinach and goat cheese, and really delicious topped on toast or crisp bread spread with hummus.

My Top 5 Clean Snacks

I'm a girl on the go. My husband is also busy  and our two year old,as Isaac Newton puts it best, is "an object in motion will tend to stay in motion." It can be hard to stay on top of nourishing ourselves on a regular basis. Between work, trips, activities, taking the dog to the vet...you get the picture. I need easy to grab and go munchies to get me from here to there. I've compiled a list of my top 5 go to snacks.

FEEL FULL NOT FAT

Source: tumblr.com via Brooklynn on Pinterest

When you embark on a diet overhaul and start changing how and when you eat especially if you are eating less, but still eating enough calories to fuel your body. You may experience hunger. That is one of my biggest obstacles to overcome. When I started eating every 3-4 hours of 5-6 small meals a day I had and sometimes still have times where its been two hours since my last meal and I am famished. Here is a quick list of 10 ways to increase fullness and appetite awareness.

"So Easy My Husband Made It" Dinner

Last night I had to work late so Mr. Lean Gourmet was on dinner duty for himself and the kiddo. When I came home he told me about this great meal he created. I was so eager to try it we made it together again for tonight's dinner. It is delicious and easy! You will need to have  roasted  spaghetti squash on hand to make this recipe. Here is a post on how to do so from earlier this summer on the Lean Gourmet Kitchen.