My boys wake up every morning and pour themselves a cup of dry cereal. Then, they ask for a bagel, like clockwork, every day. Since I'm not one to load my kids up on only carbs in the morning, I'm always looking for ways to get some nutrients and satiating protein and fat in their bodies before sending them off to school. 

Tonight, as I made dinner, I whipped up a batch of these newly created muffins and on the first try, they worked and were a hit! The boys had one after dinner and they gave the thumbs up!

Wet Ingredients:
2 whole eggs
2 tsp. avocado oil
1 c. 2% Greek yogurt
2 heaping cups of fresh, washed & chopped kale
1 Tbsp. vanilla

Dry ingredients:
1 c. gluten-free flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 Tbsp. baking cocoa (unsweetened)
1/2 c. brown sugar (could sub 2 Tbsp. maple syrup or agave)
1/4 c. dark chocolate chips

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Add all wet ingredients (except the eggs) into a food processor (I used my Vitamix) and pulse until fully incorporated. With Vitamix, you'll need to use the tamper to help kale process into the rest of the ingredients. Add this wet mix to a medium bowl and add two beaten eggs in. Add dry ingredients directly into the bowl and mix together. Spray a muffin pan with avocado oil and spread the mix evenly among 12 muffin cups. Bake for 12 minutes and remove to cool. 

Hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

I'm part SAHM (Stay-At-Home-Mom) and part WAHM (Work-At-Home-Mom) and I'm ALWAYS craving a good chopped salad midday but with none of the time it takes to stand over the cutting board and chop for hours.

My week is split between what my kids call "Mom Days" and "Meghan Days" (Meghan days are when they head to our childcare provider's house so I can work). On Mom Days, I'm cramming in 1-on-1 kid time, commutes to and from school and other after-school activities and on work days, I'm on phone calls, writing and doing all the entrepreneurial things. Taking an hour to prep lunch? No thanks!

So, EASY, "pre-made" (by me) lunches are super key. Basically, this means lunches that I can assemble, usually in one bowl because #onebowlwonders are my jam. Today's lunch was my chopped chicken coleslaw salad and it's so easy, I ate it with a spoon as I typed this blog!

Assembly took all of 1-minute but there was a liiiittle prep in advance last night.

Pre-make the coleslaw:

Ingredients:
1 head of coleslaw 
4 tsp. rice wine vinegar
2 tsp. low or full fat Greek Yogurt
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. Himalayan pink salt
1 tsp. black or white pepper
(makes 4 servings)

Instructions:
Take one head of cabbage and using a cheese grater on the largest side, grate the cabbage into a large mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and toss to mix.

Pre-make the chicken:

Ingredients:
4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp. avocado oil
1 tsp. Himalayan sea salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 lemon, sliced into 4 1/8 inch rounds, leaving 1/4 of the lemon for juicing
(makes 4 servings)

Instructions:
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Drizzle a bit of avocado oil on the bottom of a casserole dish and place chicken side by side in one layer in the dish. Drizzle with the rest of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Place one lemon round on each chicken breast and squeeze the remaining piece of lemon over the assembled chicken breasts. Bake for 10-12 minutes then finish for 4 minutes under a low broiler setting (rack as high as it will go) to just brown the chicken and lemon wedges.

Cool, remove lemon and chop chicken breasts into small pieces and store in the refrigerator.

The day of: 

Simply heat 1/4 of the chicken in the microwave and layer on 1/4 of the coleslaw, adding any extra flavors you'd like. My favorite toppings? Halved grape tomatoes, feta, spicy marinated banana peppers or chopped pitted spanish olives.

Simple, tasty and perfect for the woman on the go! Try it and let me know how you like it!

Want more simple and easy recipes that will help support your health goals? Get my FREE "How To Eat Deliciously Lean" here, which is jam packed with meals and snacks that support fat-loss (shopping list included!).

The summer is the perfect time to hone some key skills in the kitchen, skills that will keep your palate pleased while you maintain a lean diet all year round. When we think of a lean diet, we often think of bland, boring foods, which leave much flavor to be desired. Learning how to make a tasty marinade/dressing will come in handy for your next BBQ and will be perfect to have on hand so you can ditch the high-sugar bottled salad dressings year round.

A killer marinade (or dressing) contains four key components:
Fats, acids, seasonings and sweetness.

The fats are the base. They help transfer fat soluble flavors into the meat (if used for a marinade) and will help the meat retain moisture as it is cooked. The next layer are the acids. Acids bring a tartness to the dressing and franky, I think this is a necessary component to the flavor profile. Additionally, acids help tenderize the meat by breaking down the connective tissues. For the third layer we add seasonings. Seasonings can vary depending on the season, however my typical go-to's tend to be celery seed (adds a great pop of flavor), dried basil, grated fresh garlic, sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Other seasonings options could be herbs de provence, fresh chopped herbs, grated onion...really, the sky's the limit with seasonings. In the final layer, we add sweetness. A little goes a long way with this final piece but it's wonderful in balancing the acids in the dressing/marinade. 

Tunisian Marinade (My Mom's Recipe):
Fat: 
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
Acid:
1/2. lemon juice
Seasoning:
1 c. onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp. garlic, chopped
2 tbsp. soy sauce 
2 tsp. hot sauce
1/4 c. fresh oregano, chopped
1 tsp. tumeric
1 tbsp. dry sherry
1 tsp. dried marjoram
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. fresh cracked pepper
Sweetness:
1 tsp.brown sugar

Combine all the ingredients and use as a marinade for flank steak (score the meat before placing in the marinade) and chill in the refrigerator overnight. Enjoy, this is super tasty!

My Go-To Salad Dressing:
Fat:
1/2 c. oil (extra virgin olive or avocado)
Acid:
1/8 c. lemon juice
1/2 c. vinegar (rice, apple cider, balsamic, champagne, white/red wine)
Seasoning:
1 tbsp. celery seed
2 tsp. dijon mustard
Optional: fresh grated garlic (I'm usually in a rush so I use powdered)
1 tbsp. pink sea salt
1 tbsp. fresh cracked black pepper
Sweetness:
1 tbsp. local honey (or a few drops of Stevia)

On a typical week, I mix up a big batch of the salad dressing and keep it on hand for a week or two at a time. I've tried many containers but I'm loving my Progressive Salad Shaker right now (pictured). I'm working on swapping out all my plastic containers to glass and have alternatively tried a small mason jar with a whisk ball for easy mixing prior to using.

Enjoy and let me know how you like these recipes if you try them! Be sure to follow me on IG here for more tasty & simple fat-loss meal ideas. 

Want more on eating deliciously for fat-loss? Enter your name here to receive my weekly newsletters where I send workouts, recipes and motivation to support my insiders with their health journey.

I was out to a girls night on Friday and one of my friends said "I'd die to have my kids eat like yours do!" and it reminded me to share this trick with you. Because, it's not always as if my kids really want to eat what I serve them, and there are plenty of nights where we battle, but I choose to trick them first. :)

When I put a meal in front of my kids, before they can even reject it, I start feeding them bites. Like, I walk over to them with the plate and a forkful of the meal. Before they can even size up the dish and reject it. Even my four year old.  Of course, I know I could be encouraging him to eat things on his own and he certainly does, but usually only those things that any kid would willingly shovel into his mouth, like pizza and cookies. There was a time when I would fight the good fight and encourage him to eat on his own, but of course the power struggle ensued and he'd resist even eating pizza because I wanted him too. Ah, does it get any easier?!

Almost always, when I get the first bite in their mouth, they are pleased. I've mastered my kids and what flavors will get them to eat something, if not willingly, at least passively in anticipation of their treat afterward. Sometimes, parents, that's the best we can do.

This salmon dinner was a winner by far. It took me all of 15 minutes to prepare and cook and the entire family inhaled it. To the point where my 2 year old was begging for bites even AFTER he had finished his dessert.

​This may be the shortest post in the history of posts because here's the simplicity of it:

• Pre-heat an oven to 400 degrees, lay salmon skin down on an aluminum lined baking sheet
• Season salmon with salt and pepper, drizzle with a little organic honey and smear with whole grain mustard.
• Create a pocket with the tin foil by folding it up over the salmon and sealing it. 
• Then, dress asparagus with salt and pepper, sprinkle with a little parmesan cheese and bake in the oven at the same time as the salmon.
• Cook both for about 10-12 minutes until the salmon is light pink. Serve the salmon on a bed of arugula.

Bonus points if you serve with some sweet potato fries (we love Alexia Foods brand)!

ENJOY!

-Jess

I love, love, love Pinterest. I'm always on the search for new, easy and delicious recipes that I can make for my family. As much as I love to cook, I also prefer to cook only once or twice a week. So, my strategy is to cook in bulk so I can freeze the extras for easy weekday meals. Does this mean I never have take out? No! But, it sure as hell eliminates the amount of time we do order out, because a healthy meal is only a microwave minute away. (Yes, I am working on using the microwave less but, I pick my battles!)

Over Labor Day weekend, we hosted my sisters and their families (10 people!) so I decided to make pancakes using a gluten-free pancake recipe I've been holding onto for a while. I substituted in some of my staples; quinoa flour + coconut oil and the result was delicious! A few days later, I took out the ingredients, quadrupled the recipe and stocked my freezer.

On busy mornings in our house, I reach in the freezer, throw these pancakes in the toaster for one or two rounds and BOOM, we have a healthy breakfast for the kiddos in no time! Serve with a side of fresh berries and DONE. I love Nature's Path Chia Plus - Quinoa and Amaranth Waffles from Whole Foods but my wallet loves these pancakes more!

Coconutty Protein Pancakes
Ingredients:
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats, roughly processed
1/2 cup quinoa flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil, melted and cooled (plus a little more for pan)
2 eggs, room temperature and beaten
3 tablespoons organic honey (buy local - so delicious and free from preservatives!)
1 cup milk (I used almond), room temperature

Preparation:
In a medium-sized bowl, place the processed oats, the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk to combine. Add the coconut oil, eggs, honey and milk, whisking to combine each separately. Continue to whisk until very well combined. The batter should be thick but thin enough to pour. (As you'll see in the picture, I made mine a bit on the thicker side).

Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat and brush with a teaspoon of the coconut oil. Pour the pancake batter into the hot skillet in rounds, 3-4 at a time. Bubbles will begin to break through the surface from the underside and you'll know they are ready to be flipped. Carefully flip them over and press down on the cooked side with a wide spatula. Since the pancakes cooked most of the way through before being flipped, you will need only a minute or two to finish on the other side.

Brush the skillet with more coconut oil and begin the next round. If you are serving a large quantity at once, you can keep cooked pancakes warm on a platter in the oven at 200 degrees. Or, if you are going to freeze the extras, place pancakes on a wire rack to cool. Once cooled, place in a tupperware in the refrigerator. After about an hour in the refrigerator, transfer the pancakes to a large ziplock freezer bag, squeeze out the extra air, seal and pop in the freezer. Tip: Make sure to label and write the date cooked - use within 6 months for optimal freshness!

I advocate finding recipes that sound good to you then swapping out ingredients to fit YOUR tastes. There can be some trial and error with this process as some substitutions just DON'T work! But, I find that this process makes me more proficient in the kitchen and the more recipes I make my own...the more I cook and the less we eat out! 

ENJOY!

- Jessica, Founder of Be PowerFULL

Like what you read? Be sure to sign up for the Be PowerFULL weekly newsletter for insights on healthy living from me right to your inbox. When you sign up you'll receive my FREE 7-Day Fitness + Meal Power-Up! Sign up here.