Iwon Organics Chips + Cinnamon Apple Cream Cheese

Iwon Organics Cinnamon French Toast Protein Chips are are great snack on their own. They are also sturdy enough to hold up to the weight of a dip. Keeping with the cinnamon theme, I added homemade cinnamon applesauce to reduced fat cream cheese to create a cinnamon-on-cinnamon protein packed snack.

Homemade Apple Sauce:

• Dice 1 apple
• Add to a pan with 1/4 cup of water
• Simmer until liquid is absorbed and apple the texture you want it (you can cover and cook slowly or leave the top off and cook faster). Add more liquid if the apple requires that...monitor to get the consistency you wish!
• Sprinkle with cinnamon to taste

Cinnamon Applesauce Cream Cheese
Create a 1-1 ratio of cinnamon applesauce to cream cheese ... stir and combine.

SERVE
Chill (if the applesauce was FRESH) OR serve right away if the applesauce was pre-made and already chilled when added to the cream cheese

Overnight Oats Sunwarrior Style

My blank canvas today was a mason jar. This is a busy week so I decided to make a few breakfasts in advance. The overnight oats I made for my husband and myself featured Sunwarrior Vanilla Bean flavor Illumin8 . This on-the-go breakfast takes 5-10 minutes to prepare and just needs to set in the fridge overnight. The ingredients meld together while you sleep! An effortless and healthy meal IS easy to make!

Ingredients (Serving Size = 2)

• 1 single serving package Sunwarrior Illumin 8 Vanialla Bean 
• Fresh fruit
• Dried fruit
• Chia seeds - i prefer organic
• Oats
• Almond Milk
• Honey (to taste)

Instructions
Prep Time
Add the following in layers in the mason jar:

• 1/3 cup of fresh fruit to a mason jar (I used pomegranate seeds)
• 1 tbsp chia seeds 
• 1/2 package single serving package Sunwarrior Illumin 8 Vanialla Bean 
• 1/3 cup dried fruit (I added cranberries)
• 2/3 cup oats
• 1 cup almond milk

Wait Time:
Let rest overnight

• Stir
• Taste ... add a drizzle of honey to taste of needed
• Top with 1/3 cup dried fruit - I layered cranberries again
• Enjoy!

Stuffed Butternut Squash with Crunch Bites

When I roasted a butternut squash the other day I left the base intact as a shell to stuff at a later date. I love to make food ahead and find ways to make each meal different.

You may wonder what I did with the other portion of the squash.  I promise you it did NOT go to waste! I sliced the "neck" off the butternut squash base and removed the hard outer shell. I cut the neck into one-inch rounds, added to non-stick aluminum foil, sprayed with some olive oil (salt and pepper to taste) and baked at 350 for about 30 minutes.

For lunch today I diced 1 cup of vegetables (leeks, garlic, and asparagus) and sauteed them in olive oil and 1/2 cup of low sodium vegetable broth. Just before the liquid fully absorbed, I added 1 cup of cooked quinoa and 1/2 cup cooked black eyed peas. I stirred to combine and then added to my squash bowl. I made two, one for my husband and one for me.

In a small container we had 1/2 cup of Crunch Bites Honey Mustard Almonds to add to the dish after we warmed it. The addition of the Crunch Bites was amazing! It added flavor and texture that made the meal!

Ingredients:

• Prepared ahead of time: quinoa, butternut squash, black eyed peas (any bean will do)
• 1 cup of diced vegetables of your choosing
• 1/2 cup low sodium vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup Honey Mustard Crunch Bites

Amaranth Pucks

The blank canvas I worked with for this recipe was AMARANTH! I love using Bob's Red Mill grains of discovery as they provide complete protein and you can be satisfied without eating a large portion.

I have made AMARANTH FRITTERS many times following the directions on the package. After making gluten free spaghetti and meatballs I decided to make amaranth balls. I planned to use the balls as bite sized treats with dipping sauces.

I made the amaranth according to package directions ... a 1 to 2 ratio of amaranth to liquid. I used water as I made a double batch to use in many recipes ... with different flavor profiles. You can add broth of you prefer to infuse the amaranth with flavor from step one!

The "balls" I was attempting to make turned out to resemble hockey pucks. As a sports fan, I am fine with that! How fun it would be to make amaranth hockey pucks for a hockey themes party ... Stanley Cup Party Ideas!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked amaranth
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup gluten free all purpose flour
• Oil to sautee the pucks
• Non-stick aluminum foil for baking the pucks

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350
• NOTE: The amaranth can be precooked.
• Whisk the 2 eggs
• Add in the amaranth and stir well. Break up any lumps. 
• Add the flour and stir well. 
• Add some oil to a pan and heat to medium high
• Shape the amaranth mixture into balls or pucks and add to the warm pan
• Cook 3-5 minutes on both sides
• Transfer to non-stick aluminum foil and bake for 3 minutes to finish the cooking process. 

The amaranth will turn out to have a slightly crispy outer shell and a soft texture inside.

Serving suggestions:
Serve with dipping sauces
Add to the plate with stir fry vegetables and gluten free rice noodles
Add to noodles made with zucchini and pasta sauce

OHi Superfood Bar

I was introduced to OHi Superfood Bar at the Gluten Free and Allergen Friendly Expo in Del Mar in February. The Almond Crunch bar was chewy and satisfying. It fueled me for hours. I had a busy day filled with teaching three yoga and fitness classes as well as getting in my own workout. It kept me going as a snack between regular meals. It was easy to digest so I felt satisfied, not uncomfortable during all of the activity I had scheduled. I cannot wait to try the other flavors.

Check out OHi Superfoods ... I think you will like them too!

Gutsy + Chia = Satisfying Snack Dip

I was lucky enough to find some great organic strawberries at the store and decided I needed to buy them. I had some as a snack, I added some to yogurt, and I used some in a dip. My canvas was a strawberry, I found out how well the fruit can multi-task!

To create the dip, I added one pouch of Energy Fruits Gutzy Apple, Strawberry, Kiwi, and Kale to a glass pyrex container. I added 1 TBSP of organic chia seeds and 2 diced strawberries to the Gutzy. I stirred and let rest in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day I cut 6-8 large strawberries into slices and baked them in an over preheated to 350. The strawberries do not lose their shape, but they do dry out a bit.

To serve, add the sliced strawberries to the plate as well as the dip. Use the strawberries to "scoop" up the dip. You can also use toasted gluten free bread or rice cakes as well.

NOTE: You can increase the chia seeds to create a dip of a thicker consistency. I would add 2 TBSP next time for fruit dipping. If I was just using bread or rice cakes, 1 works well.

Shrimp and Spinach Pizza

The blank canvas I used today was a gluten free pizza crust by Udi's (on sale right now on the gluten free mall - link on side of blog).  I had a small portions of assorted vegetables that I thought would make a perfect pizza or pasta. The crunch of the pizza crust enticed me to make a pizza!

For this pizza I used:

• 1 cup of diced sweet onion, garlic, and leek
• 2 cups of rinsed and diced fresh spinach
• 6 frozen pre-cooked medium shrimp 
• olive oil
• gluten free pizza crust
• 1 cup of cheese
• crushed red pepper

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 and remove frozen pizza crust from the freezer
• Prior to assembling my pizza, I sauteed the sweet onion, garlic, and leek in a pan with 2 tbsp olive oil
• After 5 minutes add the frozen shrimp and continue to sautee till defrosted
• Remove the shrimp from the pan and remove tails. I diced the shrimp but they can be left intact. Cook's Choice!
• Add the spinach to the pan with the shrimp
• Cook until spinach begins to melt

Assemble the Pizza:

• Place the crust on a pizza tray and brush (or spray) a small amount of olive oil on the crust
• Sprinkle crushed red pepper flakes if you wish some heat ... more if you want more heat
• Spoon the shrimp and vegetable mixture on the crust and try to spread evenly
• Add 1 cup of cheese (evenly)
• Bake for 10 - 12 minutes  until the cheese melts and the edges of the crust appear to tan/brown 
• Remove from heat and let rest 5 minutes before cutting and serving