breakfast

Growing up there was nothing I loved more than Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes. I didn’t care what day it was or what meal it was, it was always a favorite treat of mine. Now that I’m (only a little) older, I don’t quite indulge in them as much as I used to and they tend to be a bit more of a production than I’m willing to undertake during the week but I love them just the same. This morning after an exhausting week, I decided to veganize and healthify my old favorite so that I can enjoy some banana chocolate chip vegan pancakes in bed with my tea! They came out absolutely delish and are super simple to make, I hope you enjoy and tag me in your pictures on instagram if you whip these babies up this weekend!

bananachopancakes

 

Banana Chocolate Chip Vegan Pancakes

2 cups of Traders Joe’s whole grain baking mix (you can use any brand though – just read the ingredients!)

1 cup of unsweetened almond milk

3 tsps of coconut oil ( and some extra for the pan!)

1 tsp of vanilla extract

2 or 3 shakes of cinnamon

1 banana sliced

1/3 cup of Pascha Organic Vegan Allergen Free Chocolate Chips (or your fav brand of vegan chips!)

2 flax-eggs ( 2 tsps of flaxseed w 6 tsps of water whisked)

 

Whisk it all together in a bowl and heat a medium size frying pan on the stove with coconut oil in it for cooking.  I decided to add a dollup of my cashew yogurt on top and garnish with more chocolate chips and bananas! Enjoy your banana chocolate vegan pancakes in bed with tea like me, or share with friends and loved ones if you’re feeling generous. 🙂

 

A lot of my clients are total cereal addicts when they come to me, and if not cereal, then granola. So naturally, I knew there needed to be a delicious alternative to some of the over processed, over sugared things out on the grocery store shelves. This recipe I whipped up for the Gluten Allergen Free Show and was so delicious and easy to make that I just had to share it with you. It takes no time to make and is a great Sunday project to make a nice big batch for the rest of the week. The granola in that you’ll get from this recipe is enough to feed you for probably two weeks, so share with friends, give out granola baggies to people you love or just cut the portions down if you don’t want to make as big of a batch! Enjoy!

 

GLUTEN FREE ALLERGEN FREE CHOCOLATE CHERRY VANILLA GRANOLA

4 cups of Gluten Free  Organic Rolled Oats

1 cup organic buckwheat groats

1 cup organic raw sunflower seeds

1/4 cup flaxseed meal

1/4 cup chia seeds

1/4 cup hemp hearts

3 tbsp of pure vanilla extract

4 tsp of pumpkin spice

1/2 cup organic brown rice syrup

1 1/4 cups unsweetened dried tart cherries

1 1/2 cups of Pascha 55% organic vegan allergen free chocolate

1/4 cup chia seed oil (I used to grease the pan)

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and lightly grease a baking sheet. Combine all dry ingredients (minus the cherries + chocolate) and then add your vanilla extract and gently fold in the brown rice syrup 1/8 of a cup at a time so that the granola evenly clumps. Place the plain granola on your baking sheet as evenly spread out as possible and bake for 5-10 minutes or until just slightly browned. Remove the sheet from the oven and let it cool for 20-30 minutes before adding the cherries and chocolate. Take your time with this because you don’t want melty chocolate granola. 😉

 

Check out this tropical beauty I made for the #ShareTheSilk contest with Shape Magazine! Key lime pie is one of my favorite indulgences so why not have it for breakfast in a nutrient rich smoothie?! This smoothie is so simple and delicious, it should be sinful. Enjoy my little slice of heaven and read below for all the details on how you can participate in the #ShareTheSilk contest with Shape Magazine!

Key Lime Pie Smoothie

1 avocado 1 green apple chopped 2 limes (with out the skin) 2 limes just for juice (just squeeze ’em!) 1 tsp of vanilla extract 1 tbsp of cashew butter 1 cup of Silk Vanilla Soy milk ( any nut milk can be used) 2 tbsps of flaxseed meal ( for the “crust” rim) In a blender or vitamin combine all of the above minus the flax seed meal. Take one of your used limes from juicing and rub it around the top of your mason jar or glass and then roll the rim in the flaxseed meal for the faux graham cracker crust. Add a fun straw and enjoy!

ENTER THE #SHARETHESILK CONTEST ON SHAPE.COM:

* post your photo of your favorite smoothie recipe or healthy food with Silk and tag @shape_magazine @lovemysilk and #sharethesilk on instagram * tag me @gosweetandskinny for a chance for me to #regram you or feature on the blog as well!

You can win my book Juicespiration, Candice Kumai’s book Clean Green Drinks on a new Kindle Fire as well as 6 months of nutritional coaching! More details here.

I just got back from Wanderlust (in Tahoe, CA) and I’m missing it dearly as I edit my video diaries of it for you guys. Can’t wait to share all the gems I learned this past weekend with you – be sure to subscribe to GoSweetandSkinnyTV so you don’t miss a thing! The first video will drop tomorrow afternoon and I’m going to let you in on my biggest BREAKTHROUGH of Wanderlust! SO exciting!!

One thing that I am happy about now that I’m home is getting to make myself delicious smoothies again. There’s nothing quite like homemade food after a few days of living off festival food, albeit pretty damn healthy festival food at that but nonetheless, there is something comforting about my own blender. 🙂

Here’s the recipe for this EPIC green goodness smoothie bowl I whipped up for breakfast this morning. Enjoy!

Green GOODNESS Smoothie Bowl

1 cup of coconut- almond milk

5 leaves of Romaine Lettuce

1/2 of an avocado

1 cucumber (minus seeds and skin)

1 green apple

1 large tbsp of nut butter

Topped with: chia seeds, hemp hearts and unsweetened coconut flakes

green smoothie bowl

Need a great, superfood packed, gluten free, sugar free breakfast option!? Look no further. This Chia Buckwheat cereal is not only crazy easy to make ( we’re talking like five minutes and then let it sit while you shower) but it’ll leave you feeling full and give you some good clean energy to start your day right! Chia seeds are packed with good for you omega 3s and buckwheat groats are a surprisingly delicious gluten free options for your breakfast. Oh, it’s also VEGAN! Or as I like to call it, accidentally vegan because it’s not missing any animal products. Feel free to make it your own by choosing soy milk, almond milk or coconut milk as well as topping it with your favorite seasonal fruit. I am obsessed with using berries because they are full of antioxidants, low in sugar and straight up delicious. This chia buckwheat cereal is a great healthy option for those of you who like a hearty breakfast but are watching your weight. Its also a great vegan breakfast option for those of you (like myself) with all sorts of food allergies, it’s hard to find great tasting gluten free, sugar free and dairy free breakfast option so I’m excited to share it with you guys!

Check out my Mango Chia Seed Pudding with Toasted Coconut recipe up on Shape Magazine’s website, I’ll be making healthy recipes on Shape.com all summer long so check back every Monday for another delicious, healthy, summer recipe!

Mango Chia Seed Pudding with Toasted Coconut

1 cup of Silk Vanilla Soy milk
1 ripe mango
1/3 cup of chia seeds
¼ cup of unsweetened coconut flakes

In a mason jar, combine 1 cup of soy milk with 1/3 cup of chia seeds. Mix and let sit in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours. Mix periodically if needed to evenly distribute the chia seeds. Puree mango in a blender, leave a couple slices to the side for garnishing and mix in to chia seed pudding before serving. Place coconut flakes on a baking sheet and broil for just a couple minutes till toasted. Scoop out serving of pudding and garnish with toasted coconut and a slice or two of mango.

Who says all green smoothies have to be green!?! This healthy, vegan, Berry Booster smoothie has plenty of undercover greens inside and it’s so delicious, you’ll feel like your eating dessert. Perfect for anyone who wakes up with a bit of a sweet tooth. The berries are full of antioxidants while providing just enough sweetness, almond butter  and avocado gives us healthy fats and protein to feel satiated and it even has KALE! Surprise! Of course, I stuck my greens in there, who do you think you’re messing with?

HEALTHY BERRY BOOSTER SMOOTHIE

1 cup almond coconut milk

1/2 avocado

1 large handful of kale

1 tsp of almond butter

1/4 cup raspberries

1/4 cup blueberries

2 tsp chia seeds

Blend + enjoy! Peace, Love and (not-so) Green Smoothies! xo!

                       It’s a scorching 90 + degrees out here in Los Angeles and I’ve been chugging green juice and smoothies all week to keep me refreshed and satisfied.  Summer time in general always makes me a smoothie addict. What better way to not turn on the oven and get all your nutrients in one refreshing glass?! This (vegan) kale creamsicle smoothie has certainly become a go-to this week after picking up some of the ripest, most delicious navel oranges at the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market! This kale creamsicle (vegan) smoothie is just as delicious as your old school orange creamsicle with the added bonus of some super foods to give you some good, clean energy to help you power through your day!

KALE CREAMSICLE SMOOTHIE

1 cup of coconut milk

1 small organic banana

1 large handful of organic kale

1 large organic navel orange (peeled)

2 tsp of chia seeds

1 tsp of organic raw almond butter

1/4 cup organic frozen mango 

Blend it up and enjoy!

 

After running 13.1 miles yesterday, I was craving a hearty, filling and treat-worthy breakfast. After messing around with some ingredients I had in the kitchen, I whipped up this super easy to make recipe for healthy, raspberry chia seed pancakes that are not only sugar free, they are also PACKED with protein! Woo Hoo! Who says a girl can’t have everything? Enjoy this recipe and feel free to add a little maple syrup or date syrup to sweeten up if you are not “I quit sugar”-ing with me.

healthy sugar free raspberry chia seed protein pancakes

2 tbsp of non fat plain greek yogurt

1/4 cup oat bran

1 organic hormone free egg

2 tsp of flax seed

2 tsp chia seed

a dash of vanilla extract

a dash of cinnamon

6 or 7 raspberries gently broken up (by hand ) into small pieces (and then extra for on top!)

Add everything except the raspberries and mix it up in a small bowl. Heat your pan on low setting and spray with your favorite cooking spray or use a little coconut oil. Add in raspberries last and gently fold them in. Batter should make three 5-6in pancakes (perfect single serving!), feel free to double or triple it when eating with others. I topped mine with some mashed raspberries and a couple whole ones on top!

Great thing about this recipe is that it’s not only easy, quick and contains minimal ingredients but it’s sugar free and has tons of protein thanks to the egg and non fat greek yogurt. Toss in the flaxseed meal and chia seed and we’re also loading up on heart healthy omega-3s while getting a nice dose of fiber with the oat bran! It’s GOOD and good FOR YOU!

I’m not a big protein shake girl, it’s never really been my thing. So when I got a sample of body logix’s chocolate vegan protein powder, I just stuck it in my drawer. Fast forward to these past few weeks where I’ve been training for a half marathon and it has been really interesting finding just the right kind of breakfast to get me going before my run. It can’t be too heavy or I won’t feel well and it can’t be too light or I won’t run as long as I need to, so a protein smoothie seemed like it just might be right! I jazzed this one up by adding flaxseed meal and even snuck in some kale, of course.

Mocha Protein Smoothie
1 serving size of chocolate vegan protein powder ( I used bodylogix and it tasted good. It’s also soy free, dairy free, non gmo and has no artificial flavors. They DID NOT pay me to say this! haha)
1 frozen banana (but a regular one will do)
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup coffee
2 tbsp flaxseed meal
1 cup of kale ( or just two handfuls of kale)
4 ice cubes

Blend it all together and enjoy! You can also add dates to make it a little sweeter but I’m off the sugar right now so that’s why I didn’t.

For those of you who love being festive with your food as much as I do, here is a fun little smoothie you can whip up in the morning to show off some Irish pride! It’s also equally delicious, if you just need to satisfy a mint chocolate chip milkshake craving.. 😉

 

A Healthy Shamrock Shake (aka. my mint chocolate chip smoothie)

Simply blend 1 banana, 1/2 an avocado, 4 leaves of Romaine (or a handful of spinach), 1 cucumber (seeds out/skin off), 3/4 cup almond milk, a couple fresh mint leaves (if mint’s your thang – if not skip it!), a tbsp of cashew butter (any nut butter will do though!) and blend it all together! If you’re a mint chocolate chip fan – mix in some small vegan chocolate chips after it’s all blended. Enjoy your dessert for breakfast treat and skip all the green dye colored food during the day! 

We all have those mornings that are hard to wake up to. The morning after something in our life goes terribly wrong. Maybe it’s just a bad review at work, maybe it’s a break up, maybe it’s something as earth shattering as someone you love passing. Regardless of the degree, at the moment we usually don’t want to eat anything or we want to eat everything just to comfort ourselves. Both paths will leave us empty and feeling horrible. So this morning, when I was having one of those dreadful mornings you never want to wake up for, I decided to treat myself to something delicious and nourishing for my body, my brain and my heart. Chocolate covered strawberries are one of my favorite things in the world and so I decided to make myself a chocolate covered strawberry smoothie! Even though I have no appetite and it would have been super easy to skip breakfast all together, I know that right now my body needs me to take care of it. This smoothie was SUPER yummy and helped brighten my other wise gloomy day – I hope it can do the same for you- or just make your already awesome day even better! xo

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Smoothie
1 cup of chopped organic strawberries
1/4 cup vegan choc chips
1 tsp of almond butter
6oz container of plain coconut yogurt
1/2 cup of chocolate nut milk
2 pitted dates
5 ice cubes

Blend it all together and enjoy! 🙂