Baked Egg in Avocado Boat

Avocado is a great addition to any diet because of its countless health benefits; it's low in sugar, high in fiber, and is a good fat which helps lower cholesterol. Another benefit of avocados is that they have a lot of protein, making it a great food to have after a workout. You can add it to salads, wraps, or even make guacamole to dip with veggies. This morning, I decided to pair my avocado with a quail's egg. Eggs are also high in protein, which makes this a filling breakfast or a great post-workout meal.

                       

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Cut one avocado in half and remove the pit. Crack one egg into the hole- I used a quail's egg but any egg will work. Place in the oven on a baking sheet for about 15-18 minutes, depending on how well done you like your egg. Remove carefully and season with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Now just serve and enjoy!

  

                       

Makes One Serving

Recipe:

1 Avocado Half, Pitted

1 Egg

Season to taste with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper

*Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes

Quinoa Sushi Bites

I'm a sushi fanatic, but I'm not necessarily a fan of the white sticky rice that sushi restaurants use. Unless you're getting vegetable sushi or a plain, raw fish sushi made with brown rice, it most likely isn't good for you. Spicy rolls use spicy mayo, which adds on tons of calories. Crunchy rolls also add on a lot of unnecessary calories. Not to mention, sushi can be very expensive, so I ventured out to make my own healthier version. My homemade sushi doesn't even require seaweed! I've replaced the rice with whole grain quinoa for protein, and replaced the seaweed with cucumber. This is very easy, quick, and filling!

         

Start by cooking your quinoa. Bring 1/2 cup of water to a boil in a sauce pan and stir in 1/4 cup of dry quinoa. Bring down to a simmer and cover for about 12 minutes. Meanwhile, start preparing your sushi ingredients. Slice a cucumber lengthwise into 12 very thin slices. Cut up your fresh carrot, celery, and avocado into small sticks that are the same width as your cucumber slices (You can use any mix of veggies or fish for your sushi). Once the quinoa is cooked, mix in some soy sauce, sriracha sauce, and salt. Place a thin layer of your quinoa on each strip of cucumber. Next, place your veggies at one end of each piece of "sushi" and roll. You may need a toothpick to hold them together.

         

You can serve your sushi bites as a meal for 2 or as a great horderve for a party. It takes about 20 minutes total and tastes great! Not to mention all of the health benefits you're getting from the quinoa. Serve with some less sodium soy sauce and enjoy!

             

Makes 2 Servings

Recipe:

1/2 Cup Water

1/4 Cup Quinoa

1 Cucumber, thinly sliced

1 Carrot, cut into small sticks

1 Celery Stalk, cut into small sticks

1/4 Advocado, cut into small sticks

1/2 Tbsp Less Sodium Soy Sauce

1-2 Dashes of Sriracha Sauce

1 Tsp Salt

Season to Taste

*Cook quinoa and season with soy sauce, sriracha sauce, and salt.

Chickpea-Beetroot Burger

Why have a plain ol' burger when you can make your own that's filled with fiber and nutrients? This Chickpea-Beetroot burger has all of that and more! Chickpeas are high in fiber, aid in weight loss, stabilize blood sugar, and have a high iron content. Beets help lower blood pressure, contain anti-cancer properties, are rich in fiber, and help detoxify your body.

                

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Take your can of drained chickpeas and blend until smooth, adding in your sliced beets throughout the process. Once mixed together, blend in your choice of spaghetti squash or cooked quinoa. Add in your chopped tomato, chopped onion, and minced garlic. Blend together and season with lemon juice, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Form into 12 uniform patties and place on a Pam Sprayed piece of aluminum foil. Cook in the oven for 1 hour, flipping the burgers after 40 minutes. Serve on a bed of lettuce or a multi-grain bun.

                 

Makes 12 Servings

Recipe:

1 15.5 Oz Can of Chickpeas, Drained

1 14.5 Oz Can of Sliced Beets, Drained (Or 3 Medium Beets, Roasted and Sliced)

1/2 Cup of Cooked Spaghetti Squash or Quinoa

1 Whole Tomato, Chopped (Or 1/2 Cup of Canned Diced Tomatoes)

1/2 Red Onion, Chopped

1 Clove of Garlic, Minced

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

1/4 Tsp Paprika

1/4 Tsp Cayenne Pepper

Salt and Pepper to Taste

*Roast in the oven at 450 degrees for 1 hour, flipping after 40 minutes

Fresh Tomato Bloody Mary

Bloody Mary's are definitely a staple brunch cocktail, but are the perfect treat for any time of the day. Although I love a good Bloody Mary, I can't afford to go out all of the time- college budget problems. I also prefer the taste of fresh tomatoes instead of tomato juice, so I took matters into my own hands. This recipe works with or without alcohol- it tastes great either way!

                       

Start by taking your tomatoes and cutting them up into chunks. Put them in a blender and mix until smooth. Add in your worcestershire sauce, horseradish, celery salt (or regular salt), hot sauce, and fresh lemon juice (bottled works too). You can add in some water for a smoother consistency. Alter to your specific tastes and add an ounce of vodka or gin to every 2/3 cup of your freshly made Bloody Mary mix. Garnish with a celery stalk and serve!

                          

Makes 3 Servings

Recipe:

3 Ripe Vine Tomatoes

1.5 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

2 Tsp Horseradish

1/2 Tsp Celery Salt

1/4 Tsp Hot Sauce (To Taste)

Juice from 1 Lemon Wedge (Or 1/2 Tbsp of Bottled Lemon Juice)

Garnish with Celery Stalk

*Serve 2/3 Cup of Bloody Mary Mixture with 1 Ounce of Vodka or Gin and Garnish with Celery Stalk

Fat-Free Veggie Pizza

I'm absolutely obsessed with all of the different things you can do with cauliflower these days. On a different post, I shared my Guilt-Free Cauliflower Crust recipe. I used that crust to make an amazing fat-free veggie pizza. It is actually fantastic, I promise. Mom's approval and everything!

             

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Use this time to prepare your veggies. Slice up some zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, and red onion- you can use any assortment of veggies that you like. Place them in the oven for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cut up your fat-free cheese into very thin slices (I used Skinny Cheese Fat-Free Garden Vegetable from Whole Foods). If you can't find a fat-free cheese, any low-fat cheese will work. Spread out the cheese slices evenly across your crust and toss on some fresh spinach. Put your roasted veggies on your pizza and sprinkle with some salt and basil. Pop back in the oven for another 5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. Now all you have to do is serve and enjoy!

               

Makes 6 Servings

Recipe:

Thinly Sliced Fat-Free or Low-Fat Cheese (Try Skinny Cheese Fat-Free Garden Vegetable, Sharp Chedder, or Pepper Jack)

1 Medium Tomato, Sliced

Zucchini, Sliced

Yellow Squash Sliced

1/3 Cup Chopped Red Onion

1/2 Cup Spinach

Season to taste with salt and basil

*Roast vegetables in the oven at 400 degrees for ten minutes. Cook pizza with roasted veggies, cheese, and spinach for an additional 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

Baked Grapefruit with Cinnamon

Have you ever heard someone say that you should have half a grapefruit with or for breakfast every morning? Well here are a few reasons why; they help lower cholesterol, are rich in Vitamin C, high in antioxidants, and aid in weight loss. Since grapefruit is extremely tart, I decided to put a twist on it. My secret ingredient? Cinnamon. This recipe takes about 15 minutes and is great for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or even for dessert!

                          

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Cut a pink grapefruit in half and sprinkle with cinnamon. Put both grapefruit halves on a piece of tinfoil and place in the oven for about 15 minutes, until warmed through. Sprinkle with a bit more cinnamon and serve.

                 

Makes 2 Servings

Recipe:

1 Pink Grape, Halved

1 Tsp Cinnamon

*Preheat oven to 450 degrees and bake for about 15 minutes

Simply Homemade OJ

A lot of store bought Orange Juice often contains added sugars and other completely unnecessary ingredients. By taking matters into your own hands, you can make sure that you're getting all natural orange juice. This recipe is insanely quick and makes running out to the store for OJ seem like more work. All you need is a blender and you're good to go!

            

Start by peeling off the skin of 4 large naturally grown oranges. Now, all you need to do is break apart the oranges and place them in a blender. Start to blend until all of the pieces are liquefied. Simply add water until you've reach your desired consistency and you're done! Stick in the fridge for about an hour to cool.

                          

Makes About 6 Cups

Recipe:

4 Large Natural Oranges

Water for Desired Consistency