Category Archives: Recipes

Blueberry Chia Pudding

1 Reply

I have a confession to make: I don’t really *gasp* LOVE chia pudding. I know it’s super trendy and healthy and all that good stuff, but I just have a hard time getting on board. When Peanut Butter and Co. put out the call for an #eatclean recipe using their new Mighty Nut powdered PB, I figured it was the perfect opportunity to give chia pudding another shot.

Blueberry Chia Seed Pudding Sweet Potato Bites

Given that we are in the dead of winter and spring/and summer produce is still a few months away, I decided that blueberries would be the best bet for this pudding (banana would also be good too!). I think the best part about this blueberry chia pudding is that the ingredients are simple: blueberries, chia seeds, Mighty Nut, almond milk & any toppings of your choice.

I decided to go with the original Mighty Nut flavor for this recipe, and was pleasantly surprised at how nice it blended with the chia and the blueberries. Plus, with 6g of protein in each serving, it makes for a delicious afternoon or evening snack.

Go MIghty Nut PB

Thanks Mighty Nut for helping me give chia pudding another shot.

Blueberry Chia Pudding (makes 1 serving)

Ingredients:

3 tbsp chia seeds

2 tbsp Mighty Nut powdered PB

1/2 cup almond milk

1 cup blueberries

Shredded coconut (optional)

Directions:

Mix all your ingredients in a mason jar or bowl and stir well. Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight. Add toppings, and enjoy!

Thanks to Peanut Butter and Co. for sending me some Mighty Nut for this #EatClean recipe! Check out the all of their Mighty Nut flavors at mightynut.com.

Lexus LaceUp 5K Race Recap

2 Replies

A couple of months ago I was selected as a Lexus LaceUp Race Ambassador and had decided that the Lexus LaceUp 10K in Irvine would finally be the race where I broke my 2-year old 10K PR. Well, between the massive heat that we’ve had for the past 2 months as well as getting a bad allergic reaction and a stomach bug within a month of each other, my 10K training didn’t go as planned and at the last minute I dropped down to the 5K race since I wasn’t feeling fully confident in my training. Spoiler alert: the race turned out to be awesome.

lexus-laceup-running-5k-irvineI have a love-hate with 5K races. They are great because they are short, but they are also SO HARD because you are basically sprinting for 3.1 miles. My current race 5K PR was 22:45, so I decided to go into this race running somewhere between 23-24 minutes.

When I woke up on race morning, I was NOT in the mood to run. I was coming off a busy week of work, had managed to spill something on my ambassador shirt before leaving and was quite frankly, pretty tired. But I was excited to run with the Englishman and my friend and see all the other LaceUp Ambassadors so I put on my game face.

Fortunately when we arrived in Irvine the weather was much cooler than it has been in weeks and the positive energy from all the other runners was infectious. I decided to just go in, have fun and have a great race.

The horn blared and we were off. The first 1/2 mile felt tough per usual, but then I started to get into a groove and slowly started passing people. I had no idea where I was place wise throughout the entire race, but I just kept my head down and kept running.

lexus-laceup-running-5k-irvineAfter the halfway mark my legs started feeling pretty good and my competitive fire kicked in so I decided to try and hit as close to my PR as possible. Next thing I knew I was running through the chute and the announcer said “Allie Fisher, 2nd overall woman!.” Um what?

I ran over to my friend who was acting as our race photographer and he confirmed that was indeed what the announcer had said. Moments later I was astonished to find out that my chip time was faster than the woman in front of me, making me the 1st overall woman in the 5K division. This immediately called for a jumping into the air picture.

lexus-laceup-running-5k-irvineTo be honest, I was completely shocked. I’ve run a ton of races and never in a million years ever thought I’d be on a podium, especially in first place. As someone who has only been running for about 6 or so years, I consider myself to be fairly decent at this point but am always in awe at other runners who make it look effortless.

After cooling off, we made our way over to the awards podium where I was presented with a first place trophy. I’m still finding the whole thing surreal. I also managed to squeak across the finish line in 22:28, which I was pretty happy about.

lexus-laceup-running-5k-irivneIf anything, the racing spirit has been reignited and I can’t wait to sign up for my next one! Thanks to Lexus LaceUp for hosting such an awesome event. If you are looking to run any of the races in the Lexus LaceUp Running series, be sure to use code LACEUPALLIE for 15% off! (plus the medal is pretty sweet).

Banana Coconut Cookies

Leave a reply

When I decided I wanted to do my spring reset, I downloaded the 21-Day Sugar Detox
book onto my ipad so I could have a library of quick recipes at my fingertips.  If you are also participating in a spring reset, or are looking to have a sugar-free treat at Easter, I recommend these Banana Coconut Cookies.

Coconut Banana Cookies 2These cookies have minimal ingredients, loaded with healthy fats from the eggs and are delicious!  Plus, they come together in about 5 minutes, so it doesn’t get much easier than that.  I will say if you are NOT a banana fan, I don’t recommend making these cookies as the banana taste is pretty prominent, but otherwise this is a great recipe to whip up when you want a little treat.

The recipe calls for shredded coconut, but I used Trader Joe’s unsweetened coconut flakes and they still came out just fine.  Plus, they look like little bird nests!

Pro Tip: these cookies are extra delicious when you pop them in the freezer and have them as a little frozen snack.

Banana Coconut Cookies (from the 21 Day Sugar Detox book)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup banana, mashed

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

2 eggs

2 tsp melted butter or coconut

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp cinnamon

Pinch of Salt

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350F.  Grease a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.

In a small bowl mash your banana.  Add your egg, butter and vanilla and blend well.

In a larger bowl add your coconut shreds, cinnamon and salt.  Gently fold your wet ingredients into your dry ingredients and continue to mix until well blended.

Gently scoop your cookies onto your baking sheet (this should make about 8 cookies).  Pop in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned on the bottom.

Coconut Banana CookiesCool, eat and enjoy!  (or put in the freezer for later).  2015 cookbook challenge – check!

Anyone else have a delicious sugar-free recipe they want to share?

Carrot Parsnip Zucchini Bread

6 Replies

After all of the chocolate action that happened over the long weekend, I decided to go with something a little bit lighter this week for the 2015 cookbook challenge.  So I consulted my favorite True Food Kitchen cookbook and whipped up some Carrot Parsnip Zucchini Bread.

carrot parsnip zucchini breadThe name is a bit of a mouthful and I was quite skeptical of putting parsnips in bread, but you know what?  It worked and was delicious.  This bread is packed with veggies, has minimal sugar, and I even lightened it up by swapping non-fat plain Chobani Greek yogurt in place of the apple butter.

I haven’t gone wrong with a True Food Kitchen recipe yet and this one did not disappoint.  The yogurt gave the bread a nice moist (I know) texture and it became the perfect afternoon snack to enjoy with a cup of tea.

carrot parsnip zucchini bread and teaThe original recipe called for the bread to be divided into two loaf pans, but I decided to roll with just one large loaf and it worked out great – just be sure to allow a little extra baking time.

Carrot Parsnip Zucchini Bread (makes 1 large loaf or 2 smaller loaves)

Adapted from the True Food Kitchen Cookbook

Ingredients:

1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup brown sugar
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 medium parsnip, shredded
1 small zucchini, shredded
3 large eggs
¾ cup non-fat plain greek yogurt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons slivered almonds

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350F.  Line a loaf pan with cooking spray or parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl add your dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Mix until well blended.

In a smaller bowl add your carrot, parsnip, zucchini, eggs, greek yogurt, olive oil and vanilla and blend together.  Gently fold your wet ingredients into your dry ingredients and continue to mix until the dough is nice and wet.

Scoop your batter into your loaf pan and top with silvered almonds (the original recipe called for pumpkin seeds).

Bake in the oven for 50-55 minutes if you are doing one large loaf; 35-40 minutes if you are doing two smaller loaves.

carrot parsnip zucchini bread slicesRemove from the oven and let the bread cool for 10 minutes.  Slice and enjoy!

Any other True Food Kitchen fans out there?  What’s your favorite recipe?