Chickpea Tuna Salad!
August 12th, 2013
I was craving fresh herbs (I know weird, right), so I whipped up this here salad that combines basil & parsley! (BTW, follow me on IG at @xoyourbody for clean recipe ideas & healthy food inspiration!) I pretty much made this recipe up and eyeballed the amounts as I went, so feel free to play around with it. The below yields...mmm let's say about 4-5 servings...depending on how hungry you are or whether you use this for main course or a side. :-)
Ingredients
3-4 large FRESH basil leaves, chiffon-ed (cut into ribbons)
3 bunches of FRESH parsley (stems removed & finely chopped)
1 celery stock (chopped)
1 garlic clove (finely chopped)
Juice of 1 lemon
1 can of organic garbanzo/chickpea beans (drained & rinsed)
1 can of tuna packed in water (drained)
Salt & pepper to taste
Olive oil (see Steps for amount)
Balsamic vinegar (see Steps for amount)
1-2 TBSP Dijon mustard
Steps
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix. For dressing, add 1 part vinegar for every 2 parts oil according to desired taste. (I eyeballed mine, it was right around 4 parts oil and 2 parts vinegar.)
Helpful tips
Go easy on the dressing. You can always taste test it to see if it needs more.
This salad is great as a side for dinner or as a stand-alone lunch on top a bed of organic baby spinach! I did exactly that for lunch today...delicious & kept me full for the afternoon. Enjoy. :-)
X.O. Jackie
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Chickpea Tuna Salad!
August 12th, 2013
I was craving fresh herbs (I know weird, right), so I whipped up this here salad that combines basil & parsley! (BTW, follow me on IG at @xoyourbody for clean recipe ideas & healthy food inspiration!) I pretty much made this recipe up and eyeballed the amounts as I went, so feel free to play around with it. The below yields...mmm let's say about 4-5 servings...depending on how hungry you are or whether you use this for main course or a side. :-)
Ingredients
3-4 large FRESH basil leaves, chiffon-ed (cut into ribbons)
3 bunches of FRESH parsley (stems removed & finely chopped)
1 celery stock (chopped)
1 garlic clove (finely chopped)
Juice of 1 lemon
1 can of organic garbanzo/chickpea beans (drained & rinsed)
1 can of tuna packed in water (drained)
Salt & pepper to taste
Olive oil (see Steps for amount)
Balsamic vinegar (see Steps for amount)
1-2 TBSP Dijon mustard
Steps
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix. For dressing, add 1 part vinegar for every 2 parts oil according to desired taste. (I eyeballed mine, it was right around 4 parts oil and 2 parts vinegar.)
Helpful tips
Go easy on the dressing. You can always taste test it to see if it needs more.
This salad is great as a side for dinner or as a stand-alone lunch on top a bed of organic baby spinach! I did exactly that for lunch today...delicious & kept me full for the afternoon. Enjoy. :-)
X.O. Jackie
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Pineapple Mango Smoothie
July 18th, 2013
Ingredients
Handful of organic baby spinach
2-3 spears of organic pineapple, cut into chunks
1 organic mango, skinned and sliced
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or fill to the 'max' line if you have Nutribullet)
1 scoop vanilla protein (I used PerfectFit Protein by Tone It Up)
Steps
Combine all ingredients, in order listed above, into your blender and blend until smooth!
Helpful tips
You can add more almond milk or even a little water if you want a thinner consistency!
Enjoy your tropical & extremely delicious breakfast smoothie! Remember to follow me on Instagram @xoyourbody for more healthy food inspiration!
X.O. Jackie
Handful of organic baby spinach
2-3 spears of organic pineapple, cut into chunks
1 organic mango, skinned and sliced
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or fill to the 'max' line if you have Nutribullet)
1 scoop vanilla protein (I used PerfectFit Protein by Tone It Up)
Steps
Combine all ingredients, in order listed above, into your blender and blend until smooth!
Helpful tips
You can add more almond milk or even a little water if you want a thinner consistency!
Enjoy your tropical & extremely delicious breakfast smoothie! Remember to follow me on Instagram @xoyourbody for more healthy food inspiration!
X.O. Jackie
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Coconut-covered, Peanut Butter-Chocolate Protein Balls
July 2nd, 2013
WOW. Just, wow. I've been meaning to make these things since images of them have been popping up all over Instagram. (BTW, follow me on IG at @xoyourbody for more clean recipe ideas & healthy food inspiration!) There are so many different versions of the recipe out there, so I decided to make my own concoction with ingredients I had on hand.
This recipe only yields about 8-10 balls, but I wanted to start with a small batch in case they 1) came out crappy 2) so I wouldn't be temped to eat them all day. And let me tell you, they came out AMAZING and I DID eat like 6 in one day. (Woops!!! It was before and after a workout, so that's OK right?) My fiance called them "healthy munchkins" and thought they were pretty darn good, too. Onto the recipe:
Ingredients (yields 8-10 balls)
5-6 pitted dates
1 scoop vanilla protein (I used PerfectFit Protein)
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup organic powdered chocolate peanut butter (brand: Just Great Stuff)
1 tbsp organic raw honey
1 tbsp of natural peanut butter
2 splashes of unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
Pinch of salt
Steps
Grind pitted dates in food processor (there can be some chunks). Add remainder of ingredients (except for the shredded coconut) and process all together until it actually starts to form a large ball inside your processor.
With wet hands, take clumps out and roll into several small balls. Roll balls in shredded coconut. Store in fridge for 15 minutes before eating.
Helpful tips
If you don't have organic powdered chocolate peanut butter, you can just use unsweetened cocoa powder! The binding ingredients in this recipe are the dates and splashes of almond milk, so if you're playing around with the recipe, you may not want to skip those. The dates and the honey will sweeten the ball, so there's no need to add additional sweetener!
Like I said, you can play around with ingredients (maybe throw in some ground chia or flax seeds for an extra protein kick). Have fun with your balls! ;-)
X.O. Jackie
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Tropical Ginger Fish, Avocado-Cucumber-Dill Dressed Salad & Coconut Quinoa
June 25th, 2013
Last night was a "hmm, what can I make for dinner" kind of night. After getting home from teaching my H.I.I.T. class, I was hungry yet not feeling very motivated to cook with my fiance not being home to eat with me. But then, to my surprise, my lovely friend & workout buddy, Victoria, popped up and stayed for dinner! So, we started cheffing. :-)
I had watched a few cooking shows earlier featuring light & fresh summer meals, and I had some fresh, wild-caught haddock and ginger (anti-inflammatory super food!) in the fridge that I wanted to use, so I decided to just wing it and make my own meal based on what I saw. And so was born tropical ginger haddock, spinach salad topped with avocado-cucumber-dill dressing, and coconut quinoa. Voila! It came out excellent (don't you love when that happens?) and was a great dinner to eat on a hot, summer night. :-)
Let's break it down.
Avocado-cucumber-dill dressing
1/2 avocado (chopped)
1/2 cucumber (peeled, seeded and chopped)
1 Tbs. fresh dill (minced, or finely chopped)
1 Tbs. juice of lemon
1 tsp. pure maple syrup
Pinch of salt and pepper
Place all ingredients in a mini food processor. Add 1/4 cup water, and blend until very smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate to chill immediately. Once ready to serve, top on your favorite combo of veggies! I used spinach, carrots and walnuts (and also chopped up the other half of the avocado) to keep things light.
Helpful tips
Taste test the dressing! I ended up adding in another round of fresh dill, lemon and syrup because I wanted to make it a bit more flavorful! (The avocado and cucumber were a bit overpowering to me.)
Tropical ginger topping for fresh haddock fillet
1 cup vegan mayo (I didn't have this, so used light miracle whip)
1 Tbs. turmeric
1 Tbs. seasoned herbal salt (I added this in place of ground cumin and coriander, which are also good spices to add to this.)
Freshly grated ginger (I eyeballed it to be about 1-2 inches of the root)
1/4 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
Pinch of salt and pepper
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Place haddock fillets on baking dish and top generously with mixture! Bake for 20 minutes on the top rack at 400 degrees, or adjust depending on size of fish you use.
Coconut quinoa
1 cup quinoa
3 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. coconut oil
1/2 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
Pinch of salt and pepper
Cook one serving of quinoa according to box directions. Add in olive oil whilst cooking. Once quinoa is ready, mix in coconut oil and shredded coconut, then cover with lid and let sit for 5 minutes.
Helpful tips
You CAN toast up the coconut on light heat before adding in/cooking the quinoa (and this may actually help the flavors blend into the quinoa better), but coconut burns SUPER EASILY, and so I chose to add it in the end.
Let me know how yours comes out! Feel free to adjust recipes to your liking, as I really just made this up as I went along. :-)
X.O. Jackie
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Funfetti Cupcakes with Vanilla-Almond Butter Cream Frosting
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Coconut-covered, Peanut Butter-Chocolate Protein Balls
July 2nd, 2013
WOW. Just, wow. I've been meaning to make these things since images of them have been popping up all over Instagram. (BTW, follow me on IG at @xoyourbody for more clean recipe ideas & healthy food inspiration!) There are so many different versions of the recipe out there, so I decided to make my own concoction with ingredients I had on hand.
This recipe only yields about 8-10 balls, but I wanted to start with a small batch in case they 1) came out crappy 2) so I wouldn't be temped to eat them all day. And let me tell you, they came out AMAZING and I DID eat like 6 in one day. (Woops!!! It was before and after a workout, so that's OK right?) My fiance called them "healthy munchkins" and thought they were pretty darn good, too. Onto the recipe:
Ingredients (yields 8-10 balls)
5-6 pitted dates
1 scoop vanilla protein (I used PerfectFit Protein)
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup organic powdered chocolate peanut butter (brand: Just Great Stuff)
1 tbsp organic raw honey
1 tbsp of natural peanut butter
2 splashes of unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
Pinch of salt
Steps
Grind pitted dates in food processor (there can be some chunks). Add remainder of ingredients (except for the shredded coconut) and process all together until it actually starts to form a large ball inside your processor.
With wet hands, take clumps out and roll into several small balls. Roll balls in shredded coconut. Store in fridge for 15 minutes before eating.
Helpful tips
If you don't have organic powdered chocolate peanut butter, you can just use unsweetened cocoa powder! The binding ingredients in this recipe are the dates and splashes of almond milk, so if you're playing around with the recipe, you may not want to skip those. The dates and the honey will sweeten the ball, so there's no need to add additional sweetener!
Like I said, you can play around with ingredients (maybe throw in some ground chia or flax seeds for an extra protein kick). Have fun with your balls! ;-)
X.O. Jackie
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Tropical Ginger Fish, Avocado-Cucumber-Dill Dressed Salad & Coconut Quinoa
July 2nd, 2013
WOW. Just, wow. I've been meaning to make these things since images of them have been popping up all over Instagram. (BTW, follow me on IG at @xoyourbody for more clean recipe ideas & healthy food inspiration!) There are so many different versions of the recipe out there, so I decided to make my own concoction with ingredients I had on hand.
This recipe only yields about 8-10 balls, but I wanted to start with a small batch in case they 1) came out crappy 2) so I wouldn't be temped to eat them all day. And let me tell you, they came out AMAZING and I DID eat like 6 in one day. (Woops!!! It was before and after a workout, so that's OK right?) My fiance called them "healthy munchkins" and thought they were pretty darn good, too. Onto the recipe:
Ingredients (yields 8-10 balls)
5-6 pitted dates
1 scoop vanilla protein (I used PerfectFit Protein)
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup organic powdered chocolate peanut butter (brand: Just Great Stuff)
1 tbsp organic raw honey
1 tbsp of natural peanut butter
2 splashes of unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
Pinch of salt
Steps
Grind pitted dates in food processor (there can be some chunks). Add remainder of ingredients (except for the shredded coconut) and process all together until it actually starts to form a large ball inside your processor.
With wet hands, take clumps out and roll into several small balls. Roll balls in shredded coconut. Store in fridge for 15 minutes before eating.
Helpful tips
If you don't have organic powdered chocolate peanut butter, you can just use unsweetened cocoa powder! The binding ingredients in this recipe are the dates and splashes of almond milk, so if you're playing around with the recipe, you may not want to skip those. The dates and the honey will sweeten the ball, so there's no need to add additional sweetener!
Like I said, you can play around with ingredients (maybe throw in some ground chia or flax seeds for an extra protein kick). Have fun with your balls! ;-)
X.O. Jackie
________________________________________________________
This recipe only yields about 8-10 balls, but I wanted to start with a small batch in case they 1) came out crappy 2) so I wouldn't be temped to eat them all day. And let me tell you, they came out AMAZING and I DID eat like 6 in one day. (Woops!!! It was before and after a workout, so that's OK right?) My fiance called them "healthy munchkins" and thought they were pretty darn good, too. Onto the recipe:
Ingredients (yields 8-10 balls)
5-6 pitted dates
1 scoop vanilla protein (I used PerfectFit Protein)
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup organic powdered chocolate peanut butter (brand: Just Great Stuff)
1 tbsp organic raw honey1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup organic powdered chocolate peanut butter (brand: Just Great Stuff)
1 tbsp of natural peanut butter
2 splashes of unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
Pinch of salt
Steps
Steps
Grind pitted dates in food processor (there can be some chunks). Add remainder of ingredients (except for the shredded coconut) and process all together until it actually starts to form a large ball inside your processor.
With wet hands, take clumps out and roll into several small balls. Roll balls in shredded coconut. Store in fridge for 15 minutes before eating.
Helpful tips
If you don't have organic powdered chocolate peanut butter, you can just use unsweetened cocoa powder! The binding ingredients in this recipe are the dates and splashes of almond milk, so if you're playing around with the recipe, you may not want to skip those. The dates and the honey will sweeten the ball, so there's no need to add additional sweetener!
Like I said, you can play around with ingredients (maybe throw in some ground chia or flax seeds for an extra protein kick). Have fun with your balls! ;-)
X.O. Jackie
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Tropical Ginger Fish, Avocado-Cucumber-Dill Dressed Salad & Coconut Quinoa
June 25th, 2013
Last night was a "hmm, what can I make for dinner" kind of night. After getting home from teaching my H.I.I.T. class, I was hungry yet not feeling very motivated to cook with my fiance not being home to eat with me. But then, to my surprise, my lovely friend & workout buddy, Victoria, popped up and stayed for dinner! So, we started cheffing. :-)
I had watched a few cooking shows earlier featuring light & fresh summer meals, and I had some fresh, wild-caught haddock and ginger (anti-inflammatory super food!) in the fridge that I wanted to use, so I decided to just wing it and make my own meal based on what I saw. And so was born tropical ginger haddock, spinach salad topped with avocado-cucumber-dill dressing, and coconut quinoa. Voila! It came out excellent (don't you love when that happens?) and was a great dinner to eat on a hot, summer night. :-)
Let's break it down.
Avocado-cucumber-dill dressing
1/2 avocado (chopped)
1/2 cucumber (peeled, seeded and chopped)
1 Tbs. fresh dill (minced, or finely chopped)
1 Tbs. juice of lemon
1 tsp. pure maple syrup
Pinch of salt and pepper
Place all ingredients in a mini food processor. Add 1/4 cup water, and blend until very smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate to chill immediately. Once ready to serve, top on your favorite combo of veggies! I used spinach, carrots and walnuts (and also chopped up the other half of the avocado) to keep things light.
Helpful tips
Taste test the dressing! I ended up adding in another round of fresh dill, lemon and syrup because I wanted to make it a bit more flavorful! (The avocado and cucumber were a bit overpowering to me.)
Tropical ginger topping for fresh haddock fillet
1 cup vegan mayo (I didn't have this, so used light miracle whip)
1 Tbs. turmeric
1 Tbs. seasoned herbal salt (I added this in place of ground cumin and coriander, which are also good spices to add to this.)
Freshly grated ginger (I eyeballed it to be about 1-2 inches of the root)
1/4 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
Pinch of salt and pepper
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Place haddock fillets on baking dish and top generously with mixture! Bake for 20 minutes on the top rack at 400 degrees, or adjust depending on size of fish you use.
Coconut quinoa
1 cup quinoa
3 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. coconut oil
1/2 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
Pinch of salt and pepper
Pinch of salt and pepper
Cook one serving of quinoa according to box directions. Add in olive oil whilst cooking. Once quinoa is ready, mix in coconut oil and shredded coconut, then cover with lid and let sit for 5 minutes.
Helpful tips
You CAN toast up the coconut on light heat before adding in/cooking the quinoa (and this may actually help the flavors blend into the quinoa better), but coconut burns SUPER EASILY, and so I chose to add it in the end.
Let me know how yours comes out! Feel free to adjust recipes to your liking, as I really just made this up as I went along. :-)
X.O. Jackie
____________________________________________________________X.O. Jackie
Funfetti Cupcakes with Vanilla-Almond Butter Cream Frosting
June 21st, 2013
When my best friend told me she was having a cookout for her
birthday the other week, I knew off the bat I wanted to make something
tasty for her, but healthy (so no guilt over eating 1 or 2...or 3!) at the same time, and also vegetarian (one
of my other best friend’s is vegetarian, so I needed to exclude eggs/dairy). Her favorite cupcake is funfetti, so I stumbled upon a vegan funfetti cupcake recipe in a
baking blog called Cupcakes and Showtunes.
These cupcakes came out SUPER DELICIOUS. I would say the cake part is a
little dense, not too sweet, and definitely has a good vanilla flavor. The “butter cream” frosting is what was
mouthwatering! It was rich, creamy
and sweet, so combined with the cupcake, it was perfect.
Oh! And there’s vanilla
protein added to the mix! Nutrients & yummy-ness? Sold. :-) Anyhow, let’s get to that recipe:
Cupcake ingredients (Makes
12)
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp vegan vanilla protein powder (I used Perfect Fit Protein)
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 cup almond milk
½ cup rainbow sprinkle dots, divided
Batter steps
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pan with baking cups.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, protein, baking soda and salt. Then add the extracts, vinegar, oil and almond milk. Mix the batter until smooth.
- Fold in 1/3 cup of sprinkles. DO NOT OVER MIX. Your sprinkles will lose their color and the batter will turn a purple-brown color! (Some of your sprinkles will lose color regardless, but that’s OK.)
- Pour batter into 12 cupcake cups (about ¾ full). Top with remaining sprinkles. (Remember, these are FUNFETTI cupcakes, so you want a fair amount mixed throughout and a pretty presentation on top.)
- Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center (a fork works if you are out of toothpicks) comes out clean. Remove cups from baking pan and allow to cool on a cooling rack. You should let cool at least 20 minutes before frosting, otherwise it will melt right off!
Vanilla-almond butter cream frosting ingredients
1 cup vegan butter, cooled (I used SmartBalance margarine
because I didn’t have vegan butter!)
3 cups powdered sugar (yes, this seems like a lot, but you
need it to make the frosting somewhat stiff)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
Pinch salt
Almond milk as necessary
- Whip butter using mixer until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in powdered sugar, salt and extracts.
- Add almond milk until desired thickness is reached (if you want a richer cream, stick with 2 tablespoons or so.)
- Continue to beat for 5-10 minutes until fluffy.
- Pipe OR set in fridge for 20 minutes if you want/need your frosting to harden up a bit.
- Top with rainbow sprinkle dots!
Helpful tips
Although the cupcakes came out delicious, I learned you need
to FOLLOW BAKING STEPS through and don’t question measurements! As someone who doesn’t bake very much and
likes to adapt recipes to make them healthier, I didn’t quite follow my own
advice the first time. BUT THERE’S A
REASON it calls for a certain amount, esp. in baking! When I read the frosting called for 3 cups of
powdered sugar, I was like “that’s way too much sugar!!” So I ended up only using 2 cups... and as a result my frosting wasn’t as stiff
as it should’ve been—although it was SUPER yummy. This didn’t ruin things, but as a result I
had to keep the frosting in the fridge until RIGHT before the cookout so when I
frosted them they didn’t melt. So my
advice to you is USE 3 CUPS! One
ingredient you can play around with
in the frosting is the amount of almond milk you use, which will help you
achieve a desired consistency. And if
you think you added too much almond milk, then just add a bit more powdered
sugar in there to thicken things back up.
Enjoy without guilt, my friends! :-)
X.O. Jackie
_______________________________________________________Eat Breakfast Like a King
(lunch like a prince, and dinner like a peasant)!
June 12th, 2013
My mom said to me the other day: You should eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a peasant. I couldn't agree more. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It....
Kick-starts your metabolism. Fuels your body. Powers you up. Sets the stage for a day of healthy eating.
Kick-starts your metabolism. Fuels your body. Powers you up. Sets the stage for a day of healthy eating.
And so it definitely SHOULDN'T be tasteless or boring.
Here are some of my FAVORITE breakfasts that are not only tasty, but GOOD for you. Yum. Check 'em out!
Egg, Avocado & Laughing Cow Light Swiss Cheese spread (no need for butter here) on 100% Whole Wheat
Bread (This on an Ezekiel english muffin is also MAD good!)
Ezekiel english muffin with natural PB and sliced strawberries! 
Old fashioned oatmeal with sliced bananas, 1/4 cup chopped raw walnuts, and cinnamon
WEEKEND TREAT! Homemade whole wheat pancakes (no butter or oil!) with assorted toppings!
"Mom's Best" Sweetened Wheat-fuls cereal with 1/2 sliced banana, a handful of blueberries and almond milk
Chocolate PB Banana smoothie! See recipe here.
Green Smoothie & LARABAR
WEEKEND TREAT! Homemade whole wheat cinnamon
buns with dark chocolate chips
Plain, non-fat Greek yogurt with 1 serving of grape-nut cereal and handful of blueberries
Natural PB on cinnamon-raisin Ezekiel english muffin, watermelon chunks
Questions for you:
*What is your favorite breakfast?
*If you're looking for a recipe for one of the above, LET ME KNOW! :-)
X.O. Jackie
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Mini Meal Check-in!
June 6th, 2013
What's on the menu for my 5 mini meals? Example of one day last week:
M1: Fruit smoothie: Blueberries, strawberries, 1/2 banana with 3 cups almond milkM2: 1 handful cocoa-dusted almonds + 1 handful chopped dates
M3: 1 turkey burger topped with 1/4 avocado + 1/4 sweet potato (slices roasted in E.V.O.O.)
M4: 1 serving of coconut-almond tofu stir fry + 1 cup of brown rice
M5: Greek nonfat yogurt (vanilla) + handful of dark chocolate chips
...and WATER, WATER, WATER, ALL DAY!
I should've ate some more green veggies (broccoli was only green I ate that day), but I got a good range of nutrients (plus a little dessert) so I was satisfied with the day overall!
Question for you:
*What is a good snack or mini meal that YOU'VE had lately?!?
*If you're looking for additional recipes, or meal ideas, LET ME KNOW! :-)
X.O. Jackie
What is the recipe for the cinnamon rolls? They look delicious!
ReplyDeleteHey Katye! I will post this recipe this week for you. They are super delicious and addicting. I think Paul and I each had one a day after I made them- oops. :-)
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