Newest Summer Recipes

Now that I am back home, and free of school work I can finally enjoy cooking for myself again. Plus my mom and sister! I kinda want to try to incorporate more healthy and easy recipes into my blog because I feel like it could be super helpful for peeps like myself who are always in a rush or have 0 (I mean 0) patience to create a meal that has 10 plus ingredients, and requires 45 minutes of preparation, plus 1 hour for cooking . . . yikes sounds super scarrrrryyy!

So here are my newest, simplest, and healthiest recipes to get you prepared for all the summer treats while maintaining balance. Hopefully, if you find these recipes helpful it will become easier day by day to maintain a healthy diet, without it feeling like a complete chore. Sounds doable, right? RIGHT!

Breakfast Recipe #1: Birch Benders Cinnamon Protein Pancakes with banana coins & chopped nuts

Ingredients:

Birch Benders Protein Pancake mix

Water

Cinnamon

1 medium banana

Chopped nuts (walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sliced almonds, etc.)

Additions: flax seeds, bee pollen, chocolate chips, and 100 % pur maple syrup

If you want to change it up you can even mash the bananas before hand and incorporate into the pancake mix itself!

>> This is hands down one of my favorite quick, health, and "indulgent" breakfast options, especially on the weekend!

Snack or Dessert Recipe # 2: Dark Chocolate Cookie Pie made with Dates

Ingredients:

1 box of dates (pitted or not pitted) and soaked

1/2 cup almond milk

1 spoonful almond butter (melted)

1 spoonful Peanut Butter (melted with almond butter)

3 T coconut flour (add more depending on how sticky the mixture is or is not)

1/2 bar of 75 % dark cocoa chocolate bar (melted for 1 minute)

Additions: hemp seeds, sliced almonds, chopped walnuts, pecans, etc.

Directions:

In a high speed blender add all the soaked dates (about 2 cups) and 1/2 cup almond milk and pulse. This step is kind of annoying because depending on how soft the dates are, or how well your blender works it could be difficult to get the texture to be pretty smooth. Just hang in there, I promise it's worth it! Once the dates are blended enough with the almond milk take this mixture and place into a mixing bowl. Get out your handy rubber spatula and add the other ingredients (coconut flour, melted nut butters, and dark chocolate melted). Just keep folding the ingredients together and add anything else you please! These bars are pretty sticky but they go in the freezer for a little while so it's all gucci.

Once the ingredients are folded together in the bowl place into a circular container or baking dish (note: this recipe does not have any raw eggs so there is actually no need to bake this cookie pie). Once the mixture is spread evenly in the circular dish top with more yummy ingredients and extra melted peanut butter! Place in the freezer for about an hour or eat right then and there . . . I don't really care lol

This recipe is super sweet so don't feel like you need to add sugar, the large amount of dates will work to make this a great mid-day "sweet treat" or a late night dessert . . .enjoy :)

Lunch Recipe #3: Cauliflower Crust Pizza with mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, and roasted broccoli

​Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower, grated (1 1/2 cups used for this recipe)

2 eggs (whisked together)

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast

1/4 cup oat flour *

1/8 cup coconut flour *

pinch of sea salt

Full Recipe here: (mine varied a little bit)

http://thehealthyfoodie.com/cauliflower-crust-pizza-with-ground-beef-and-green-olives/

Toppings: Part-skim mozzarella cheese shreds, sliced mushrooms, and roasted broccoli (saved half for another dish, but just roasted a bunch at one time then topped my pizza with it), drizzled with sundries tomato oil! SO YUM!

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 * F and mix all ingredients in a bowl for caulicrust. Lay evenly on parchment paper. I flattened it out with my hands to make into a flat bread, but you could always divide this recipe into two separate circular pies.

Next, without toppings place the crust into the oven for about 10-12 minutes (if it's not completely brown and crunchy after 12 minutes you will always be putting in for a little longer with the toppings).

Take out of the oven, and top with cheese, mushrooms, and roasted broccoli florets. Finish cooking until crust is brown and crunchy, or cheese has melted to your liking. Drizzle the sundries tomato oil on top and enjoy.

Dinner Recipe #4: Fresh Couscous spinach salad with celery, dried cranberries, and lemon cajun dressing

Ingredients:

1 package of eagles couscous (any supermarket brand)

1/4 cup Olive Oil

Sea salt

Pepper

Cajun seasoning

Juice of 1 Lemon

Diced celery (I bought this diced because I am lazy and never actually eat celery)

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1 cup baby spinach (for extra greens)

This recipe is SUPER refreshing, and surprisingly very light even though couscous is considered a pasta. I got this recipe from my cooking lab I took last semester, and it is definitely a must have. Cooking the couscous is the longest part and that only takes about 10 minutes tops!

I through in some baked tofu for added protein, but you can definitely mix it up by adding grilled chicken!