=SPICY PINTO BEANS AND SPINACH=

The first three weeks of our clean eating adventure, my husband decided he was not going to eat meat.  He wanted to detox.  I searched for ways for him to get protein and this was what I came up with - beans!  I don't have a picture, but quite frankly, the beans didn't look very good at all!  I skipped the picture because it didn't do this dish justice.  Know that this tastes fantastic, but beans aren't very photogenic:)
16 oz dry pinto beans, rinsed
3 TBS olive oil
1 TBS minced garlic
1 TBS minced basil
2 TBS dried thyme
1 large onion, rough chopped
6 roma tomatoes, rough chopped
2 jalapenos, seeds and ribs removed and diced
8 cups chicken broth
5 oz fresh spinach
Sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper

Put all ingredients except spinach in crock pot.  About an hour before it's ready, add the spinach.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours. 

By all means, if you want more spice, add more jalapenos - or just keep the seeds!  And next time I make these, I think I'll add flax seed....

=BANANA BREAD=

Super Bowl Sunday is a holiday in our house.  In the past, we've designated it as "Junk Food Sunday".  Literally, we would buy loads of junk food and when it was time for the game, we'd dive in!  While I'm still not convinced that's a terrible thing to do, I think it's only acceptable if you're eating healthy at least 300 days out of the year.  We were most definitely not! 

This year, we decided we would cheat a little - as we do every Sunday.  Sunday morning breakfast and evening meals are clean, but after church we grab something we're craving.  Most Sundays it's a veggie pizza from a local take and bake place (there's less grease that way and we can limit the cheese).

Our church also has a fellowship meal for lunch on Super Bowl Sunday, so we knew there would be yummy desserts there.  Thankfully it's a "Soup-er Bowl" fellowship, so we stuck with vegetable soup or chili.  I wanted to make something we could eat in place of dessert to help us feel like we weren't missing out too much, though, so I opted for banana bread.

I searched the internet high and low for a clean version and was pleased to find several that were clean.  I actually only chose this one because I had all of the ingredients on hand.  I apologize.  I don't remember where I found this so I can't give proper credit, but just know that this is not an original recipe.  Here it is:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 slightly beaten egg whites (I used one whole egg instead)
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (3 medium or 2 large)
1/2 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup olive oil + more for oiling pan
pinch of sea salt

Coat an 8x4x2 inch loaf pan with olive oil and set aside. Mash bananas and set aside. In a medium bowl combine whole wheat pastry flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and sea salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl combine egg whites, banana, agave nectar, and oil. Once mixed well, add flour mixture all at one time to banana mixture. Stir until moistened. The batter should be lumpy. Spoon mixture into pan.

Bake at 350' F for 45-50 minutes. Test doneness by inserting a wooden toothpick into the center of the bread. The toothpick should come out clean.

Cool in pan on a wire rack for approximately 10 minutes. Remove bread from pan and cool completely on the wire rack.

Eat up!



=CLEAN SPAGHETTI SAUCE=

My favorite comfort food is spaghetti - or any italian dish, really.  After a month of eating clean, I'm dreaming of spaghetti!  I decided to try my hand at sauce from scratch. 

There are many things I've made from scratch, but spaghetti sauce wasn't one of them.  I have always used a canned sauce or at least the seasoning packets with tomato sauce.  My kids are very picky about their spaghetti sauce - well, about anything actually:)  I knew I wanted to add plenty of good stuff, but there could be no chunks.  I blended everything in my blender, so now there's no evidence:)

Here's the recipe:

2 TBS Olive Oil
2 TBS Garlic, chopped (or paste)
2 TBS Basil (fresh, chopped or paste)
2 TBS Dried Oregano
3 Bell Peppers (I used 1 red, 1 yellow, 1 green), blended smooth
1 Medium Onion, blended smooth
1/2 Cup Sweet Potatoes, blended smooth
3 - 6 oz cans Tomato Paste
4 Cups Chicken Broth

Put all ingredients in a large skillet or saucepan and cook on medium high until sauce comes to a boil, stirring frequently.  After sauce begins to boil, lower temperature to medium low.  Simmer for 30-45 minutes.  Serve over whole wheat pasta.  Add chicken or ground beef, if wanted.

 

This doesn't look too appetizing, but it did the trick:)

It smells better than it looks - trust me on this one:)

=EASY, CLEAN SCRAMBLED EGGS=

It's no secret, I love shortcuts.  If there's an easy way to do something, I'll spend my time trying to figure it out.  The only thing I love more than a shortcut is saving money!  Imagine how giddy I was a few weeks ago when, browsing through the aisles of Walmart, I found a single waffle maker on the shelf - clearanced to $2.84!  I wasn't even shopping for a waffle maker, but I jumped on that deal!

I've used it for protein waffles for breakfast and I saw a post somewhere where someone had used their waffle maker to cook hashbrowns.  What a great idea!  I tried it and loved it!  It got me thinking about what else I could make in it.  And so I tried scrambled eggs - and IT WORKED!!!

Heed my advice when I say - DON'T OVERFILL THE WAFFLE MAKER!  It can be a MESS!  Usually 2 eggs or 1 yolk +3 egg whites will fit, but depending on the size of the egg, it could be too much.  If you think you're cutting it close, save some and make another.  Your plate will look fuller anyway:)

Here's today's breakfast:

1 egg yolk + 3 egg whites
2 TBS diced red bell pepper
Fresh Spinach
Sea Salt
Fresh ground pepper

1/4 Cup Frozen Hashbrowns
Sea Salt
Fresh ground pepper

Yummy!!! And the best part is the clean up.   Your waffle maker will wipe clean!  Enjoy!

=CHOCOLATE-PEANUT BUTTER PROTEIN BARS=

That's what I said!  Chocolate and peanut butter - like a Reese's!  Only not really.

When I first started 'eating clean', I asked a friend for her protein bar recipe.  She had made them, but I hadn't tried them.  When she sent me the recipe, I was both excited and disappointed.  Excited because I had the recipe in hand, and disappointed because the recipe called for vanilla protein powder and I had chocolate.  I had all of the other ingredients in my pantry.

I decided I would try them with chocolate protein powder, but I would have to omit a few other things.  Here's what I came up with:

In a saucepan, cook over medium heat:
1 1/4 cup natural chunky peanut butter
1/2 cup agave nectar
2 TBS coconut oil

Mix dry:
2 1/4 cups steel cut oats
2 cups chocolate protein powder (as natural as possible)
1/2 cup coconut flakes

Mix all together and spread on cookie sheet.  Cool in fridge for 2 hours.  Cut into bars - about 1/2 the size of your palm.  Store in a ziploc bag.  These can be sort of crumbly, but it's okay.  They're great with a spoon too!

I take these everywhere!  They're great for breakfast - or in a pinch.

=HOMEMADE ICE CREAM=

I homeschool my kids and we belong to a local co-op (that we love!).  Every Friday, I teach a class to girls on homemaking skills.  Last week, I had decided to let them make their very own homemade ice cream - and in a Ziploc bag nonetheless.  A few years ago I did this with the kids at summer camp and it was a hit!  Here's a link for the original version.

My first thought was that I would just cheat a little.  Then the more I thought about it, I didn't want to cheat - I'd only just gotten started!  I decided to pack along my Stevia and unsweetened almond milk and give a clean version a shot! 

I was totally impressed!  Because Stevia has a bit of an aftertaste to me, I decided not to use much.  The result was AWESOME!  It tasted good, but not sugary sweet like original ice cream.  The best part is - after shaking that bag for 10 minutes, you've gotten a pretty good workout:)  Here's the recipe:

1/2 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

1 packet of Stevia in the Raw

6 Tbs Ice Cream Salt

Ice

1 Quart-sized Freezer Bag

1 Gallon-sized Freezer Bag

Put almond milk, vanilla and Stevia in quart-sized freezer bag.  Close bag tightly.  In gallon-sized freezer bag, put ice and salt.  Put small bag inside large bag with ice and salt.  Close tightly.  Shake for 10 minutes.  About 20 calories per serving.  

1 serving

So next time your kids want a treat, there's no reason why you can't enjoy it with them!  The best part is the clean-up.  Just toss your bag!  Enjoy!



=CLEANED UP CHICKEN FAJITAS=

This was absolutely one of my husband's favorites!  He raved about these fajitas!  I must admit, I found them pretty tasty myself:) 

This picture looks like I didn't even try, but seriously - I didn't even try... I took this picture before I started the blog and we had these right after our evening workout - hence the styrofoam plate.  (Please, no comments about styrofoam.  One cause at a time.)

2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (Hormone free)

2 Tbs Olive Oil

4 Tbs Lime Juice

1 small onion, sliced

3 small peppers - any color, seeds and ribs removed, cut into ribbons

1 Tbs Cumin

1 Tbs Chili Powder

4-6 Whole Wheat Tortillas

All Natural Salsa (optional)

Greek Yogurt (optional)

Preheat oven to 350'.  Put onions and peppers in a small baking dish.  Place chicken breasts on top.  Drizzle olive oil and lime juice over chicken.  Shake cumin and chili powder on top of chicken, as evenly as possible.  Cover.  Bake for one hour.  Top of chicken will look burnt because of seasoning.  It's not!  Shred chicken with two forks and mix with peppers and onions.  Serve in whole wheat tortillas and add salsa and Greek yogurt, if desired.  And of course, by all means, if you want to add more fresh stuff like lettuce or tomato to your fajitas, go for it!  YUM!!! 

**UPDATE: New Pictures!