Epic Breakfast Skillet

 Have ten minutes to cook? I can make your morning... 

This skillet is EPIC. It has everything needed to keep you full and satisfied all morning. Full of veggies, complex carbs, and protein - you'll be ready to power through your entire day. 

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• veggies: mushrooms, zucchini, onions, scallions, spinach, peppers, kale, tomatoes - anything!
• already roasted sweet potato or butternut squash - sliced, optional
• protein - steak slices, smoked salmon, beef, etc. (my leftover chipotle burger patties and teriyaki pork sliders work great!), optional
• coconut oil, butter, or ghee for sautéing
• 2 tbs water
• salt and pepper
• hot sauce, optional
• avocado, optional
• fresh herbs, optional

Directions:

1. Wash and slice your veggies
2. In a large sauté pan melt coconut oil, butter, or ghee
3. Add veggies, salt, pepper, sweet potato/squash, and protein if using, to the sauté pan (ones that need to cook longer add first and begin cooking, then add the others) 

• Note: I used a leftover sweet potato/squash and protein that I had in the fridge - I added it to the pan so that it would warm up while the other vegetables were cooking 
4. When veggies are almost done cooking push them to the side, add 2 tbs water to the pan and crack both eggs over the veggies
5. Immediately cover the pan with a lid and cook for about 4 minutes ****whites should no longer be translucent
6. Remove the veggies and eggs from pan, be careful not to break the yolks!
7. Top with hot sauce, fresh herbs, avocado, etc. 
8. Eat your delicious breakfast. 

Always make breakfast EPIC.

Chipotle Burger Patties

These burger patties are super easy to make.

There are only four ingredients so you can have them 

completely done in less than ten minutes!

One thing I love to do is make a few extra burger patties for lunches during the week. They make a great weekly meal prep recipe!

Some of my favorite ways to use the recipe: 

serve the burger over veggies, 

on top of a potato and sautéed greens, 

in a breakfast veggie and egg scramble,

and of course on top of a salad!

The patties pair really well with: 

avocado, guacamole, sautéed pepper and onions, sour cream, salsa, etc!

Ingredients: 

(serves four)

1 lb Beef (grass-fed is preferable)
Chipotle Flakes
Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1. Form four 1/4 lb patties with your hands 
2. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and chipotle flakes on both sides
3. Grill to desired temperature
4. Chow down ;)

Note: you can even add *sautéed* onions/mushrooms/peppers to the ground beef if you would like them inside the burger patty itself.

Soaked Super Cereal - Drinkable Yogurt or Overnight "Oats"

If you don't know, kefir is a probiotic drink very similar to yogurt! 

Because of the live and active cultures, it is great for supporting a healthy gut. You can get kefir in a bunch of flavors, but I prefer plain because it is free of any added sweeteners. Plus, it's easy to add your own flavors!

 This recipe is great because it's like a porridge and smoothie combined.

It's drinkable, yet still chewable like a yogurt. 

This recipe can switch up the traditional porridge, replace overnight oats, or be eaten as a snack!

Paleo "Breaded" Chicken Parm

Ugh. Plain chicken breast..... again? 

NOT TONIGHT.

Do you need an easy and simple recipe to dress up your chicken, yet you still want to make a healthy meal? This is for you. 

Note: This "Paleo Breading" can be adapted to use for any recipe.

• Serve plain "breaded" chicken tenders with your favorite dipping sauce 
• Try homemade honey mustard (raw honey + dijon mustard)
• Paleo ketchup (preferable- homemade without the other icky ingredients)
• Make the tenders buffalo style by tossing in hot sauce once they are baked and slightly cooled 
• Use it anywhere you would traditionally use breaded chicken cutlets

Ingredients:

• 3 Chicken Breasts
• 2 Eggs
• Paleo "Breading"
• 3/4 c almond meal
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• salt and pepper, to taste
• grated romano or parmesan (optional)
• Your favorite tomato or marinara sauce
• Mozzarella and/or Parmigiana for topping (optional)

Directions for Chicken Parmigiana:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Use a mallet and pound your chicken breast until thin (slice into tenders if desired or leave whole)
3. Crack eggs in a bowl and whisk to combine 
4. In a separate bowl prepare the 'Paleo Breading' by combining the listed paleo breading ingredients
5. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet 
6. Take each piece of chicken and dip it into the egg mixture (shaking off excess), then breading mixture (shaking off excess), then place on baking sheet (leaving room between the pieces)
7. Repeat step 6 until all chicken is evenly coated with the "breading" and placed on baking sheet
8. Bake 20-30 minutes depending (time will vary depending on the thickness of your chicken) and serve with sauce 

**** If using cheese topping, during the last five minutes of the baking time change the oven to broil and cover the chicken pieces with a dollop of sauce and then cheese - broil until deliciously melty on top

Classic Snacks

The Balanced Bee"Go-To's"

For when you need a little pick-me-up between meals, a snack post-workout, or a late night fix to hold you until morning, these are classic pairings you can reach for:

 Fruit/Veggie + Almond Butter

• Banana 
• Carrots 
• Apple
• Celery

Fruit/Veggie + Coconut Butter

• Banana 
• Sweet Potato * especially good post workout

My Stages of Dieting

1. Regular Dieting 

Winter/Spring of college freshman year 2013

2. Eat Clean 

Summer and Fall 2013

3. IIFYM 

Winter, Spring, and Summer 2014

4. Strict Paleo 

Summer and fall of 2014  

5. All Real Foods and Quit Sugar 

Fall 2014 through December 2014

6. ME (Mindfulness)

December 2014 through now

For me, dieting came in stages. Some of these lasted months, while some lasted less. It was all on my path to figuring out what worked and what didn't work for my body.

Remember: change is possible and the path to a healthy lifestyle is not always consistent. 

Grain-Free Butternut Squash Lasagna

Do you LOVE pasta?

Do you WANT to love veggies?

Then you have to make this. 

Butternut Squash Lasagna:

Ingredients:

(Prep time: 20 minutes)
(Cook time: 45 minutes)
(Time for the lasagna to rest: 20 minutes)