If you have been following me for awhile, you know that there are two dinners that I could eat on repeat - salsa verde chicken and NACHOS! Honestly, this recipe is not new, but it's sort of like any other Mexican restaurant food...it's all the same stuff, just presented in different ways, HA!

As a reminder, here's how to make Salsa Verde Chicken:
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 jar of salsa verde 
salt and cumin

Put chicken in the slow cooker and season well with salt and cumin. Pour salsa verde on top and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. When it's finished, shred with a fork and serve.

This chicken is great in everything! Tacos, tostadas, bowls, salads... But for some reason, I have never tried it in NACHOS!

Here's a healthy and delicious (and guilt-free) way to make crispy air fried corn tortilla chips:
Cut corn tortillas into triangles, spray with avocado oil spray and season with sea salt. Air fry at 400 degrees for 5 minutes (maybe a little shorter/longer depending on your air fryer - keep an eye on them!).

Then just layer it all up! Start with the chips, then add the chicken, and then top with whatever you have on hand - beans, salsa, pico de gallo, guacamole, jalapenos, etc. Make it your own! 

I hope you enjoy these as much as I did. They will be a regular in my rotation for sure! XO

I would be surprised if someone told me they've never tried a Nutty Bar!  That chocolately, peanut-buttery deliciousness was always a welcome surprise in my lunchbox!

Who says we can't enjoy Nutty Bars when we live a healthy lifestyle? Not me...I've found a way to recreate them and I even included some extra protein so they're especially guilt-free!

Healthier Nutty Bars
6 thin rice cakes
1/3 cup natural peanut butter
1 scoop protein powder (I recommend the FASTer Way protein!)
1 cup sugar free chocolate chips (I recommend Lily's dark baking chips)
2 tsp coconut oil

First, mix the peanut butter and protein powder in a small bowl.  When combined, spread a layer on each rice cake.  Stack the rice cake in 2 stacks of 3 and, with a serrated knife, cut in half to make 4 bars.  Melt chocolate chips and coconut oil in the microwave.  and dip each bar until fully coated.  Place on waxed or parchment paper and freeze for 10-15 minutes, until chocolate is set.  ENJOY!  XO

Nutrition info per bar:
301 calories
29g carbs
22g fat
13g protein

I swear these are better than the fish tacos we get at the beach club every summer!⁣
⁣
Air fry, bake or grill fish that has been seasoned with taco seasoning. I recommend either tilapia, cod or grouper, seasoned with Trader Joe's taco seasoning!  There are no funky ingredients - just a perfect mix of spices.  It does have quite the kick, so use sparingly!

When fish is cooked, make tacos, using your favorite tortillas.  Trader Joe’s corn tortillas are a fave of ours - only a few ingredients! I added some guacamole + shredded cabbage + pico de gallo and they were ⁣PERFECT!

Protein balls are such a great and healthy snack, and so versatile!  I've been having a lot of fun coming up with different variations.  Stay tuned for more!

I know some people don't love fruit in their desserts - i.e., raisins in their cookies, but trust me on this one.  The very small amount of raisins in these protein balls adds just the right amount of sweetness to offset the salty peanut butter.  So if you are one of those people (ahem - my husband!) I encourage you to be open to it!  It just may change your life :)

Here's how to make them!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Protein Balls
1.5 cups gluten free rolled oats
1 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup honey
2 scoops vanilla protein powder (I used Orgain)
​2 Tbls. raisins
1 tsp. cinnamon

I blended my oats in the Ninja for a few pulses to make an oat-y/whole oats mix, but totally up to you!  Then throw them into a mixing bowl and add the rest of the ingredients.  Using a hand mixer, mix the ingredients until combined.  

Roll into balls.  I used a cookie scoop that is about a tablespoon (#70).  My recipe made 28!  Store in a container or freezer bag in the fridge or freezer and pull one or two out when you're ready to eat.  ENJOY!  XO

Per ball:
87 calories
Protein 3.7g
Carbs 7.9g
Fiber 1.1g
Fat 5g

The traditional "Elvis" combines peanut butter, bananas and bacon...  But anytime I'm mixing PB and bananas in any way, shape or form, I "Can't Help Falling in Love" with what I'm eating.  Elvis sure had a good thing going.

These overnight oats get me "All Shook Up" on my higher carb days.  If you and your family find yourselves with "Suspicious Minds" about overnight oats in general, these may change your mind.  They made a great lunch, snack, or sweet treat!

Okay seriously though.  These Elvis Oats are awesome!  Here's how I make them:

1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats
1/2 cup your favorite non-dairy milk

Mix together with a pinch of salt and a few drops of liquid stevia.  Refrigerate for at least a few hours, up to a few days!  When ready to eat, top with

1 sliced banana
2 Tbls. natural crunchy peanut butter
about 30 Lily's sugar free dark chocolate baking chips

Enjoy!  XO

This is a fun, festive and healthy side dish to take to your summer BBQs! 

Use all of your favorite fruits - I added red and blue berries for the 4th of July!  Next, slice a pineapple into circles and use a star cookie cutter to cut star shapes.  Apples work too!  You could do hearts too for a different occasion, or just for fun!  

Everyone will love your creative spin on the traditional fruit salad!  Enjoy!  XO

Need a new idea for a casual family dinner?  Try a Burrito Bowl Bar!

We have an affinity for Mexican food in our house, and while we love tacos and burritos, sometimes it's also fun to throw it all together in a big bowl to enjoy.  Also, everyone can choose their favorite ingredients to create their own burrito bowl masterpieces!

We recently hosted some family for dinner, and served up burrito bowls.  They were a big hit!  I picked up most of our ingredients at Trader Joe's, but you can definitely set up a great spread with everything from your local grocery store.

First, you'll need some good, wide bowls.  Our everyday bowls are a bit more tall than wide, so I picked these up at Target for $2 each.  If you are serving a larger crowd, paper bowls are certainly acceptable!  Try some like these, pictured below.

Next, consider the base for your bowl.  You can go with rice, quinoa, shredded lettuce, whatever you like!  We went with two options - brown rice and jasmine rice.  These are easy, you just pop in the microwave and get perfect rice every time!  And no chemicals or additives!

Now consider your protein.  We did both chicken and steak (pre-marinated from Trader Joe's to make it extra easy!), but you can also do crumbled tofu or plant-based meat if you have vegetarians or vegans in attendance.  

The sky's the limit for toppings!  Trader Joe's has plenty of prepared salsas and guacamole...

You could also roast some peppers and onions for fajita veggies!  I added a corn salad, similar to Chipotle's recipe.  This roasted corn from Trader Joe's adds a delicious grilled flavor!  Add a couple of chopped jalapenos, a chopped roasted poblano pepper, red onion, cilantro, and toss in some fresh lemon and lime juice.  Salt to your taste.

You can serve the black beans as is, just rinse and serve!  Or, I like to drain (but not rinse) and put them in a pot to warm them up.  Add some salt, cumin and chili powder and give them a good mash!  

Set up your burrito bowl bar with all of the fixings and let your guests use their creativity to create their favorite (healthy!) meal.

Are you Team Pumpkin or Team Apple?  Gotta admit...I'm both!  But today I'm sharing a favorite pumpkin recipe that's perfect for the fall season. ENJOY!

Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup canned pumpkin
1-2 tsp maple syrup (or a few drops of liquid stevia)
Pumpkin pie spice, to taste

Add ingredients to a mason jar, or other container with a lid, and refrigerate for at least three hours, or overnight.  When ready to eat, stir and add:

1 banana, chopped
Collagen peptides (for protein!)
​
Be sure to let me know if you give it a try!  XO

We are in the middle of a sugar elimination challenge in the FASTer Way VIP group, and surprisingly, it hasn't been as difficult as I thought it might be!  I think the hardest/most disappointing part is realizing how many of my regular foods contain sugar.  Bacon has sugar??  So do many of our favorite spice mixes! 

We are not about deprivation on the FASTer Way program.  In fact, we celebrate our leg day workouts with donuts!!  So this elimination is not about completely removing sugar for the rest of our lives, but rather to bring awareness to the foods that we regularly consume that contain sugar.  

My beloved granola contains coconut sugar, so that means I have to find a new go-to lunch, for at least the next few weeks.  I love to have a smoothie or smoothie bowl  for lunch because I think they're delicious and refreshing and full of so many nutrients!   I whipped this one up today and it was so good I had to share!  

PB Banana Date Smoothie
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 banana (frozen is ideal!)
2 Tbls natural peanut butter
1-2 Medjool dates
1-2 servings of collagen (or your favorite protein powder)
cinnamon, to taste

Add ingredients to blender and mix well.  It takes a little longer to get the date chopped small enough to fit through your straw!  If your banana is not frozen, add some ice to thicken it up. 

ENJOY!  XO

Who doesn't love nachos?  We eat these quite a bit when we need a nacho fix.  This version is dairy free and gluten free, and it DOES. NOT. DISAPPOINT! 

Layers of seasoned baked (or air-fried) sweet potato chips and shredded salsa chicken make up the base, and you can top with your favorite nacho toppings!  And trust me, you won't even miss the cheese on these!  (Thank you, avo.)  

Sweet potatoes are a great source of fiber, vitamins and minerals.  The orange color (beta carotene) helps support the immune system and may improve eye health and prevent vision loss.  Sweet potatoes also have anti-cancer properties!

Here's how we make the nachos:

For the chicken, add the following to your crockpot and cook on high for at least a few hours:

3 chicken breasts
jar of salsa verde
cumin
salt

For the sweet potato "chips," thinly slice sweet potatoes, and either layer on a sheet pan or toss in your air fryer.  Season with more salt and cumin.  Roast in the oven at 425 until done, or in the air fryer until somewhat crispy.  (They never really get as crispy as the real deal, but you won't even care!)

When ready to assemble, layer sweet potato chips on a plate and top with salsa verde chicken.  Then add your favorite toppings!  We like:

black beans
chopped tomatoes
avocado
green onions
Trader Joe's Hot & Sweet Jalapenos (do yourself a favor and pick these up next time you're at TJ)

You can easily make these vegan by omitting the chicken and adding more black beans.
​
I hope you ENJOY!  XO