Chocolate Cherry Smoothie

 

 

I am loving smoothies lately.  I used be a juicer, and I still am.  But recently my needs have changed and I crave thicker denser beverages.  Not to say this won’t change again soon, but for now I am addicted to chocolate smoothies.  Who wouldn’t be?  It’s chocolate for crying out loud!  And I love that I have the liberty of adding whatever the heck I want.  I always make sure to add veggies and protein so I can justify replacing a meal or snack with something chocolatey.  It’s a win win!!!

 

What you will need:

• 6 frozen cherries
• 2 frozen bananas
• Handful spinach or kale
• 1 C water/coconut water/milk
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla
• 1 Tbsp. coconut sugar
• 2 Tbsp. cacao powder
• 1 scoop protein powder (optional)
• 4-5 ice cubes (optional)

Add everything to high speed blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

This summer is our first summer having a garden.  I am definitely not the one who maintains it, I tend to inadvertently kill all living things that aren’t people (i.e. plants and bugs).  Anyway, our zucchinis are insanely huge.  If I didn’t know better, I would think they are fed steroids.  But I can assure you that’s not the case, they are totally organic!!!

So what to do with a bunch of overgrown greens?  Make healthy desserts…duh!  I am addicted to zucchini bread, zucchini pasta, zucchini muffins, zucchini tots, zucchini fritters (tonight’s experiment)…..pretty much zucchini everything!  I follow a recipe for zucchini bread that I love, and will post soon.  However, this go ’round I tried something different.  I thought muffins would be easier to transport and maybe, just maybe, I will stop at one muffin as opposed to eating half-a-loaf!  I must say, these muffins are pretty darn good, and pretty darn simple.

What you will need:

• 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (remove excess water)*
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup nut butter (I mixed sunflower seed, almond, and peanut butters)
• 1/3 cup sweetener such as [raw] honey, maple, agave, coconut sugar (I used honey)
• 1/4 cup cacao powder
• 2 tbsp coconut flour
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup walnuts (or any other nut, or omit)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• dash of salt

Preheat oven 375 degrees. In a large bowl mix ingredients, adding the chocolate chips and walnuts last.  Line muffin pan with cupcake liners (or spray pan, but I don’t enjoy fighting to get my muffins out!)  Fill 2/3 of each liner with mixture.  I overfilled mine and got 11 muffins.  Bake for 18-25 minutes using toothpick to test when they are ready.  It really depends on your oven, I tend to under bake because I like mine moist 🙂  Cool for a few minutes and either enjoy plain, or top with homemade chocolate sauce.

I don’t usually do this, but this time I removed the excess water from the zucchini by wrapping in a clean towel and ringing it out well.*

 

Summer Fresh Green Juice

By now you probably have heard how great juicing can be for your body.  Well I have been juicing for over two years now and I feel amazing when I am consistent.  Not so amazing when I fall out of my routine.  Sometimes it’s hard to stick to something for an extended period of time.  Routines are easy to follow once you get into a mindset.  However, the minute you stray from your routine, it’s that much harder to find your way back.  I did indeed stray from my traditional morning juices and when I decided to get back to it, I learned that my tastes have drastically changed.  So I had to make some adjustments to my previous recipe.  At the moment I am hooked on this blend and it’s just in time for summer.

 

What you will need:

• 2-4 leaves of organic Kale (the amount depends on the type and size you buy)
• 4-5 mint leaves (optional)
• 1 inch ginger root, peeled if non organic
• 1/2 lime, rind removed
• 1 small lemon (or 1/2 large), rind removed
• 1 large cucumber, peeled if non organic
• 1 organic apple, any kind
• 1 pear, any kind

 

Add veggies (in order listed above) to juicer.  Pour into fancy jar and drink up.  Cheers!