Pico de Gallo

On my journey to clean up my eating, I have found that some foods have ingredients that just shouldn't be there.  One of the items that I love, but have found such unnecessary ingredients is salsa. Being from Southern California, salsa is a staple in a lot of my meals and it can be a nice addition to clean eating, as long as it doesn't contain anything other than veggies (and a small amount of lime juice and seasonings).  You really have to pay attention to the labels when you are buying store bought salsa and a ton of them contain sugar!  Since I am trying to stay away from added sugar, I have journeyed into making my own salsa.  I am usually one for smoother salsa, but I dabbled in making my own pico de gallo and it was surprisingly very satisfying.  This recipe can be double, tripled, etc, to fit your needs.  Enjoy!

Pico de Gallo

Ingredients

4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1/4 yellow onion, chopped
1/2 large jalapeño, diced (with or without seeds according to your heat preference)
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
Juice from 1/2 lime
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp cumin
Sea salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.  Toss well to make sure all ingredients are incorporated.  Store in an air tight container, in the fridge, to allow flavors to meld.

Dark Chocolate Covered Frozen Banana Bites

I am now on week 4 of my 5 week clean eating challenge (post coming soon).  I can tell you, I feel so much better eating clean and hydrating.  I have always struggled with my sweet tooth but have been pretty good resisting the temptations of sweets by not having them in my house.  I needed to come up with something clean to satisfy that sweet tooth so I could remain accountable for my good eating habits.  I have always loved the chocolate covered, frozen bananas on a stick from the fair and have created chocolate covered banana bites with peanut butter in the middle, but I needed to keep it a bit more clean so I decided to omit the peanut butter (although almond butter would be a clean substitute) and use 85% dark chocolate.  Enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Covered Frozen Banana Bites

Ingredients

2 large bananas
1 3.5oz bar of dark chocolate (75% cocoa or higher)
1/4 cup granola (try my recipe for Steel Cut Granola here)

Peel and slice bananas into roughly 36 pieces.  In a microwave safe bowl, break up dark chocolate bar.  In 30 second increments, microwave the dark chocolate, stirring between each 30 seconds.  You can also melt the dark chocolate on the stove, using a double broiler.  When the dark chocolate is fully melted, dip each banana slice in the dark chocolate, coating it as much as desired.  Place chocolate coated bananas on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.  Sprinkle with granola (can also use other toppings such as crushed nuts) and place in freezer for at least 2 hours.

Greek Yogurt Parfaits

Yesterday was meal prep day!  I love prepping my meals for the week. It definitely makes it easier to keep on track and saves a lot of time during the week. One of my favorite breakfasts to prep is a simple Greek yogurt parfait. It's delicious, easy and a quick grab and go breakfast for those on the run. It is so versatile and can be changed up so it doesn't get boring. Enjoy!

Greek Yogurt Parfait 

Ingredients 

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (I use Fage)

1/2 Tbsp pure honey

1/4 cup chopped fruit of choice 

1 tsp chia seeds 

2 Tbsp granola (try my homemade steel cut granola here)

In a medium mason jar, layer Greek yogurt, honey, fruit and chia seeds. Add lid and refrigerate. When ready to eat, top with granola. 

Coconut Chickpea Curry

I've been on a curry kick lately!  I used to dislike the taste of curry, until I became a vegetarian.  I feel like the curry spice gives dishes a whole new dimension and you can take it from boring to delicious in a matter of seconds.  I decided to use chickpeas instead of my usual, black beans and it turned out great!  We make this dish quite often in my house and it is super easy to add in a meat protein if you desire.  Enjoy!

Coconut Chickpea Curry

Ingredients

2 Tbsp coconut oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 15oz can diced tomatoes
1 14oz can light coconut milk
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooked brown rice for serving
Optional chopped cilantro for topping

Heat coconut oil in a large pan, over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add chickpeas, tomatoes, coconut milk, curry powder, cumin, coriander and salt and pepper to taste.  Turn heat up to medium/high and simmer, stirring frequently, about 10-15 minutes.  Serve over brown rice, topped with optional cilantro.

Curry Carrot Soup

It's rainy and cold here in Virginia today.  Not the weather I am used to, being from Southern California!  I love making soup on rainy, cold days and today is the perfect day for that!  This recipe is ridiculously easy, delicious and equally good for you!  I often double, or even triple this recipe because it doesn't last long in my house, and makes perfect leftovers for those who prep their meals!  Enjoy!

Curry Carrot Soup

Ingredients

1 Tbsp coconut oil
2 cups onion, chopped
3 cups carrots, peeled and sliced
4 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp curry powder
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, over medium heat, heat coconut oil.  Add onion and sauté 5 minutes or until onions are tender.  Add carrots and curry powder.  Sauté for 5 minutes.  Add broth and salt and pepper to taste and bring soup to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.  Using an emulsion blender or regular blender (may have to do this in batches), blend soup until smooth.  Return soup to pot and heat for an additional 2-3 minutes.

Clean Steel Cut Granola

I have a hashtag that I use in everything I post on Instagram: #operationabs.  I have never had abs, but that is one of my goals this year, by summer.  I know that abs are made in the kitchen and I knew my diet needed a bit of an adjustment.  I didn't eat bad by any means, but I needed to reduce my cheat meals and cut down on added sugar and sodium.  I love granola, but I know a lot of the pre made brands have a ton of what I am looking to stay away from.  I have been eating steel cut oats for a while now and wanted to try to make my own granola with them.  I didn't want to add just any dried fruit, because along with that, comes more added sugar, so I added dates :)  It is that nice crunch to add to yogurt or even as a cereal. Enjoy!

Steel Cut Granola

Ingredients 

3 cups steel cut oats
1/2 cup sliced raw almonds
1/2 cup dates, chopped
2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
2 Tbsp pure honey
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350*.  In a large bowl, combine oats, almonds, dates, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, honey, almond extract, vanilla extract and cinnamon.  Mix well to make sure all ingredients are incorporated well.  Spread out evenly on a parchment paper line cookie sheet.  Bake for 30 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes to make sure ingredients toast evenly.  Remove from oven and let cool completely.  Store in airtight container.

Overnight Steel Cut Oats

Today marks day one of my 5 week challenge.  Operation Abs is in full effect.  I spent a majority of yesterday morning prepping food for the week.  I know when food is prepped and ready, there is less room for slip ups.  Luckily, my food intake doesn't have to change too much and I have been able to use a lot of my recipes from my blog.  I made a huge batch of my Vegetarian "fried" Brown Rice, boiled some eggs, put together bags of veggies and hummus, baked some chicken for my hubby, steamed some veggies, and put together some awesome, grab and go breakfasts in mason jars.  Today I am sharing my Overnight Steel Cut Oats recipe!  I knew I wanted to use steel cut oats because they are less processed than other old fashion oats but there weren't many recipes around for overnight steel cut oats, so in pure Lacey fashion, I made up my own!  Enjoy!

Overnight Steel Cut Oats

Ingredients

1/4 cup steel cut oats, uncooked
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 Tbsp pure honey
1/4 cup fruit of choice, sliced (I used bananas)
Sprinkle of cinnamon

In a medium sized mason jar, combine all ingredients.  Seal and let sit in the refrigerator overnight.

Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Happy 2015!!  Monday kicks off a 5 week challenge for myself and some close friends!  Real food (with an occasional cheat) for 5 weeks, tons of water and a lot of moving and sweating.  So excited for it!  My fitness was very consistent in 2014, but it is time to kick it up a notch.  My goals for this year are to get in the best shape of my life!  I can easily say that I am in the best shape of my life right now, but I want to exceed those goals and do things I never thought were possible!

I developed this recipe for Christmas dinner.  My husband was cooking a big, juicy prime rib and I knew I needed some tasty vegetarian sides to have a fulfilling dinner myself, and for several Marines that joined us for dinner.  I love sweet potatoes and they are one of the main staples in my diet!  I didn't want to make the typical sweet potato casserole, so I opted for a delicious and healthy option (not to mention, super easy).  Enjoy!

Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

3 large sweet potatoes, skinned and chopped
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 pure maple syrup
Salt and pepper to taste (I use sea salt)

Preheat the oven to 400*.  In a large bowl, combine chopped sweet potatoes, melted coconut oil, maple syrup and salt and pepper to taste.  Toss to evenly coat all sweet potatoes.  Add to a greased baking dish and cover with foil.  Bake for 45 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are tender, tossing half way through.