Perfect Post-Workout Snack

Typical Monday night....I spontaneously decided that I NEEDED to make homemade granola bars immediately, and thus set about creating the following deliciousness from ingredients that I had in my kitchen.  The nutrition stats are pretty great and they're perfect for a post-workout refueling snack.

The Stats:

• Calories:  150
• Fat:  6g (all good fats)
• Fiber:  2g
• Sugar:  9g (a little high, but no refined sugar was used, so I feel okay about it)
• Protein:  5g

Ingredients:

• 2 c. Unsweetened Almond Breeze Almond Milk/Coconut Milk Blend
• Cinnamon (to taste)
• 1 c. Quinoa (uncooked)
• 2 single-serving packs of Kirkland's Fruit&Nuts Mix (a mix of almonds, walnuts, dried cranberries, and dried cherries)
• 4 tsp. Golden Flax Seeds
•  1 c. Organic Agave Nectar
•  1/3 c. Maranatha Natural Almond Butter (unsweetened)
•  1/3 c. Smucker's Natural Peanut Butter (unsweetened)
• 2 c. Old Fashioned Oats

 Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees
• In a saucepan, bring Almond Breeze, Cinnamon, and Quinoa to a boil.  Then reduce heat and simmer, covered for 15 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed
• Transfer to a bowl and allow to chill
• Put the Fruit&Nuts Mix into a food processor with the Flax Seeds and pulse until coarsely chopped (be careful not to process too long, or you'll wind up with nut butter!)
•  In a separate bowl, mix the Agave, Almond Butter, and Peanut Butter until combined
• Add the chopped Fruit&Nuts mix and the Oats to the chilled quinoa and stir until blended
• Pour the Agave/Nut Butter mixture over the dry ingredients and stir to coat
• On a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, press the mixture evenly in a thin layer
• Bake for 20 minutes
• Allow to cool before cutting
• Individually wrap bars in wax paper and chill to hold shape

ENJOY!!!

Buffalo Chicken Burger

All of my favorite fitness magazines are featuring burger recipes this month.  This one from Oxygen Magazine is really delicious.  As usual, I tweaked it a bit for my own tastes, and it came out just delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. lean ground chicken
• 1/4 c. green onion, finely chopped (scallions)
• 2 tbsp. hot sauce (I use Frank's Red Hot)
•  1 tbsp. spicy brown mustard
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper

Directions:

• mix all ingredients together in a bowl
• I baked them for 30 minutes at 375 because I don't have a grill, but grilling is probably better
• Place on a multigrain roll with a bit of lite ranch, some lettuce, and cucumbers

Vegetarian Black Bean Burgers

And, I'm back!  It was a long hiatus, but I'm back with new recipes, renewed faith in what clean eating can do for my body, and best of all, a new last name!

Here's a delish recipe for Vegetarian Black Bean Burgers that I tweaked from a recipe I found in Women's Health:

Ingredients:

• 1 can low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 small yellow bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 c. chopped red onion
• 3/4 c. shredded carrots
• 1/2 c. dry quick cooking oats (you could also use quinoa or brown rice)
• 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp. garlic powder

Directions:

• Place all ingredients in a food processor ad pulse until combined.
• Form into 4 patties (or, if too thin, spoon onto grill pan and cook like a pancake)
• Spray a grill pan with nonstick spray
• Heat pan, and cook until browned on both sides

Enjoy!!