Kale Smoothie with Yogurt and Almond Milk

Kale Smoothie with Yogurt and Almond Milk

Smoothies are one of my favorite - and quickest - ways of eating healthy. They only require a few ingredients, anything available in your fridge, and throwing them in a blender. Even better if you're using a portable blender so you can take your mug on the go! 

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Kale Smoothie with Yogurt and Almond Milk

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup kale
• 1/4 cup yogurt
• 1 cup almond milk

Directions:

1. Add kale, yogurt, and almond milk in a blender and blend away until smooth.

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Enjoy!

Banana, Goji Berry, Peanut Butter, White Mulberries Oatmeal

Banana, Goji Berry, Peanut Butter, White Mulberries Oatmeal

Servings: 1 bowl of oatmeal

Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 small banana (sliced)
• 1 teaspoon goji berries (cooked)
• 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon white mulberries
• 4 tablespoons rolled oats
• 1 cup almond milk

Directions:

1. Place rolled oats with water (that sits just above the oats) in a microwavable bowl and microwave on high for 1-2 minutes.
2. Add almond milk.
3. Cut up a banana in half inch slices and place around the edges of the bowl.
4. Add goji berries and and a dollop of peanut butter in the middle.
5. Sprinkle a handful of white mulberries over the peanut butter.

Enjoy!

Fun Fact:

This is my first time trying dried white mulberries before! I've never even heard of these prior. They resemble tiny white honey combs, but actually taste like chewy gummy bears. They're full of antioxidants and protein and ultimately makes a great snack and easy to throw into your morning oatmeal!

Spinach & Chive Linguine Pasta

Topped with Parmesan Cheese. Looked a little simple, so added...

Tomatoes!
Okay, so it still looks pretty simple. But I think the tomatoes add an extra little something something! If anything, it adds color to the otherwise all-green ensemble. The reason why it's mainly pasta (and carbs) is because I'm carbo-loading for a race tomorrow!
Ingredients:

• Spinach & chive linguine pasta 
• Parmesan cheese
• Pinch of salt
• Tomatoes
  
  

Directions:

1. Boil water in a pot and add a pinch of salt in the water.
2. Pour in the pasta when the water is steaming.
3. Continue to stir every minute or so.
4. Cook until al dente, and drain the water.
5. Add parmesan cheese and tomatoes.

Done!

FYI: I've heard you can make your own spinach pasta. One day, I will attempt to do that! :)

Banana Blueberry Peanut Butter Oatmeal

Banana Blueberry Peanut Butter Oatmeal

Ingredients:

• 5 tbsp rolled oats
• blueberries
• 1 large banana
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• almond milk
• chia seeds
• honey
• cinnamon
  
  
  
  

Directions:

1. Cook oats in water in the microwave for 1:20 minutes. 
2. Pour almond milk.
3. Slice bananas and place them in a circle on top of the oatmeal.
4. Put blueberries in the inner circle.
5. Place a dollop of peanut butter in the middle.
6. Sprinkle with chia seeds, cinnamon, and honey.

Done!

Ingredients health benefits:

• oatmeal- high fiber, low fat, high protein
• blueberries- high antioxidants, high vitamin C
• banana- high fiber, potassium
• peanut butter- high protein
• almond milk- high omega-3 fatty acids, high vitamin E
• chia seeds- high fiber, omega fatty acids, calcium, antioxidants, protein
• honey- high antioxidants, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal
• cinnamon- lowers bad cholesterol and blood sugar

Veggie Egg Muffins

Veggie Egg Muffins

I've always wanted to make egg muffins! They're popular among the fitfam community and not as well known outside of it. Here, I used three eggs, green onions, and green veggie leafs and poured the mixture into a tin foil muffin tray filled with colored cupcake liners. I put them in a 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the toothpick from the center came out clean. I also made a yolkless egg muffin (pictured in the far corner), which explains why it's not as yellow as the three in the front. :)

Super easy to make and great to give to friends and family! Once they're done, wrap each of them individually in a plastic food wrap and store them in the fridge until they're ready to be eaten!

Matcha Green Tea Waffles

Matcha Green Tea Waffles

This is my second attempt making matcha green tea waffles. The first time I tried to make these, several months ago, I turned on the waffle iron way too long before I put any oil on. I also didn't put enough oil on the grids, which made it difficult to remove the waffles from the iron when it was done. I ended up using a fork to scrape up the excess waffles and ate it straight from the iron!

This time was a lot easier. The waffles were also very tender and tasty. I actually wanted to eat more (my mom ate one, and I gobbled down the rest). They're healthy too -- composed of only 2 natural ingredients -- compared to the high flour and sugar waffles that can be found in cafes. I also added strawberries, strawberry jam, and vanilla yogurt. Yogurt is definitely a healthier alternative compared to whip cream or ice cream that often accompanies waffles. I'm actually surprised how tasty this turned out. Usually with healthier alternatives, you lose a bit of the sweet and yummy factor. But the natural sugars from the strawberries and honey helped satisfy my sweet tooth. Not sure if it's noticeable in the photo, but I am pouring honey onto the waffles while simultaneously capturing this picture!

Overnight Oats with Strawberries and Grapes

Haven't made overnight oats in a while! Trying to get back into that healthy diet scene. Been eating out a little too much (oopsie!).

Overnight oats are great because I believe the best way to eat healthy on a regular basis is to prepare your meals in advance. This saves time and money, since grocery shopping for fruits and vegetables are often inexpensive compared to eating out at restaurants. It's important to eat a healthy and filling meal the moment you wake up, and let's face it, many of us don't have the time or energy to prepare an elaborate meal. For me, overnight oats are life-changing. You simply prepare the oats, milk, and fruits in a jar or bowl (a mason jar provides the most visually appealing option) the night before and stick it in the fridge overnight. It's that simple.

Here are the items I used...

Ingredients:

• rolled oats
• almond milk
• red, green, and purple grapes
• vanilla yogurt
• strawberries
• chia seeds
  
  

I love how you can be as creative as you want with overnight oats. You can add anything you like; there are no limits! I will continue to add more photos of different variations in the near future!

Oatmeal with Blueberries

Ingredients:

• 5 tablespoons rolled oats
• almond milk
• blueberries
• almonds
• pistachios
• cashews
• chia seeds
• cinnamon
• honey

Made a quick breakfast this morning. So yummy!

Chocolate Oatmeal

Chocolate Oatmeal

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 tablespoon of cocoa mix
• 4 pistachios (unshelled)
• 3 cashews
• 4 pecans (halves)
• 1 whole banana (sliced)
• 1 strawberry (medium size, sliced in half)
• grounded Saigon cinnamon
• honey

You can microwave the oats in water and then mix it with cocoa (you can also boil the oats in a pot, but this would take longer and you would end up with more dishes to wash). If the oatmeal is too hot and you're in a rush (or you're super hungry), add soy milk! The cold temperature of the milk right from the fridge lowers the temperature and you're able to eat it right away without the possibility of burning your tongue.

I love oatmeal and it's usually my staple breakfast whenever I have time to eat at home (otherwise, if I'm running late, I would just grab a granola bar). You've probably heard this saying time and time again, but breakfast is the most important meal of the day. There's a reason why it's called breakfast, because you break the fast. So make sure to eat something when you wake up!

A Quick & Healthy Meal

Ingredients:

• 2 Eggs
• Bell Peppers (Yellow, Orange, Red)
• 1 Slice of Whole Wheat Toast (sliced into 3 pieces)
• Ketchup
• Peanut Butter
• Strawberry Spread
• Kale
• Chards
• Spinach
• Carrots
• Green Smoothie
• Seasonings
  
  A pretty simple, fast, easy, and healthy meal! The greens and peppers for the nutrients/antioxidants, eggs and peanut butter for the protein, and toast for the carbs!
  
  Very easy and fast! The only thing you really need to cook up are the eggs and bell peppers (optional, but I prefer tender peppers). The greens you can simple wash and toss it into a salad bowl, although I gently sautéed it because I don't like raw vegetables that are too tough.

National Pancake Day + Mardi Gras

Happy National Pancake Day + Mardi Gras!

Late post. I know!

National Pancake Day and Mardi Gras was actually on Tuesday, March 4, 2014. I don't really celebrate either of these occasions, but I decided to use it as a reason to make pancakes (although who really needs an excuse to make pancakes?).

I used rolled oats, eggs, banana, cinnamon, whey protein, chia seeds, and almond milk. The texture came out really doughy, so next time I will definitely work on making it more moist. I will post a recipe once I figure out the best combination and measurements for these ingredients (i am a bit picky so this may take some time haha). So stay tuned!

Mocha Pancakes

Mocha Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 Banana
• 2 Eggs
• Chia Seeds
• Saigon Cinnamon
• Rolled Oats
• Whey Protein Powder
• Mocha Cappuccino Powder Mix

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients above in a blender and blend until thick.
2. Pour batter in an oiled skillet to form pancakes.
3. Flip over when bottom is lightly browned.

Tips:

• Add toppings of your choice onto your stack of mocha-flavored pancakes!

Green Pancakes & Smoothie

Green Pancakes & Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1 Large Banana
• 2 Large Eggs
• Rolled Oats
• Ripped Pieces from Choy Sum Leaves
• Whey Protein Powder
• Chia Seeds
• Almond Milk

Directions:

1. Place all the ingredients listed above in a blender and mix well.
2. Drop batter to form a rounded shape on an oiled skillet.
3. Flip pancake over when bottom is lightly browned.
4. Repeat 2.) and 3.) until the batter is all gone.
5. For the smoothie, put all the ingredients above, except the eggs/oats/most of the banana, in a blender and whip until smooth.

Tips:

• Add more oats and milk to make more pancakes.
• The pancake mixture should be thick. If not, add more oats.

Fruit Oat Jars

Fruit Oat Jars

Ingredients:

• Rolled Oats
• Almond Milk
• Purple Grapes
• Bananas
• Baby Carrots
• Asian Pears
• Apples
• Grape Tomatoes
• Nuts
• Clementine
• Toppings: Cinnamon, Chia Seeds, Honey
  
  

Directions:

1. Grab a quart-size mason jar and fill the bottom with rolled oats and almond milk.
2. Fill the rest of the container with the ingredients listed above.

Tips:

• Oats and milk should be placed at the bottom of the jar. Otherwise, it won't look as clean!
• These jars are quite large (quart-size) for one meal. It's better to use pint-size mason jars if you just want to grab-and-go.
• You can make as much as you'd like beforehand, but the oats and milk combo gets soggy pretty fast.