Tomato and Olive Bruschetta

I'm killing it with the recipes lately!  Since doing Whole 30 most days you will find Brian and I both eating scrambled eggs for breakfast.  I'm one for variety so I like to add things to my eggs or on top of them once they are cooked.

I had a ton of fresh basil still growing in our garden and some plum tomatoes that needed to be used so I whipped up some Tomato and Olive Bruschetta to eat on top of eggs or on salads!  There are so many things you can do with this stuff!

Tomato and Olive Bruschetta

Ingredients:

6-7 Plum Tomatoes - finely diced

3 cloves garlic- minced

1/2 cup black olives (or green would work too!) -chopped

1/4 packed fresh basil leaves- finely minced

Drizzle of Balsamic Vinegar

2-3 Tbsp Olive Oil

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:

-Add all ingredients to a bowl.  Stir it up and let it sit for a bit to let the flavors meld together!  Enjoy!

Luves,

Laura

Bulletproof Coffee : My Whole 30 Approved Version --- and a super healthy way to drink your morning cup!

Brian and I did Whole 30 a few months back and since then I've gone through a less strict version twice.  If you aren't familiar with Whole 30 -- it is a program that for 30 days cuts out added sugars, alcohol, grains, legumes, and dairy products.  It sounds WAY more difficult than it actually is.  Through the process of Whole 30 I discovered many healthier ways to enjoy the things that I love to eat.  One of my favorite discoveries is a delicious version of Bulletproof coffee.

Bulletproof coffee involves adding grass-fed butter to your coffee and coconut oil but my version cuts out the butter and adds some other special additions instead.

Whole 30 Approved Bulletproof Coffee : Laura's Luves Version

Ingredients:

8 ounces hot fresh brewed coffee
1/2 banana
1 heaping teaspoon Cacao powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1/8 cup coconut milk

Directions:
Place all ingredients into a blender. Blend and enjoy!

Let me know if you try it!

Luves,
Laura

Greek Lemon Chicken and Rice Soup

Hey y'all!  It's been FOREVER since I've posted on here and I have really missed it!  The past year has been so busy in so many ways but I plan to start posting periodically on here to share fun stuff with you!

The little guys and I have colds right now so I made a delicious protein-packed clean-eating friendly soup that is so good in the fall and winter and when you have the sniffles!

This recipe is adapted from a recipe that my grandmother gave me and is one of my favorite soups of all time.  I make a very large batch since it can easily be frozen to give you extra meals when you have those days where you just don't feel up to cooking--- that being said if you want to 1/3 this recipe just to make a small batch you can easily do that!

Greek Lemon Chicken and Rice Soup
Adapted from a recipe from my Grandmother

Ingredients:
12 cups water
6 chicken breasts (cooked in the water and shredded)
3 medium carrots (chopped)
3 small onions (chopped)
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
3 chicken bouillon cubes
1 1/2 cups Arborio Rice
Juice of 3 lemons
9 eggs
1 bunch of fresh dill--- chopped
1/2 Tbsp Lemon Pepper Seasoning
Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions:

-Boil the chicken breasts in the water until cooked- once cooked, remove chicken and skim off all of the foam from the chicken water.
-While the chicken is cooking- chop the carrots and onions and saute them in the olive oil for apx. 5 minutes or until the onion is translucent.
-Once the carrots and onions are cooked add them to the chicken water with the chicken bouillon cubes and the rice.  Cook for 15 minutes.
-While the rice is cooking in the broth--- juice your  3 lemons and then add the eggs to the lemon juice- beating to combine.
-Pull the chicken breasts or chop them into small pieces and add them to the pot once the rice is finished cooking.
-Using a ladle- slowly add some of the hot soup mixture to the egg and lemon juice mixture and keep stirring.  Pour the egg mixture into the soup.  The soup will thicken up as you stir this in.  
-Add the lemon pepper and the salt and pepper to taste.
-Add the fresh dill last and cook for a few more minutes before serving.
-To serve you can top will a bit of feta cheese which is so yummy!

Enjoy!!

Luves,
Laura

10 Easy Clean Eating Snacks

We try to eat as clean as we can in our house because we like the way we feel when we do!  Snacking however is one of those things that can be a struggle since it's so easy to reach for stuff that's processed and unhealthy.  

Here are 10 healthy snack ideas:

1.  Sliced Apples and Peanut Butter (or almond butter... or whatever nut butter of your choice)

2. Greek yogurt with fruit and honey

3. Veggies and hummus

4. Fresh fruit

5. A Piece of toast with peanut butter and sliced banana

6. Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie:  To Make this I blend 1 cup of Unsweetened Almond Milk, 1 Banana, 1/4 cup peanut flour, 1 tbsp cocoa powder, and 3 ice cubes... YUM!

7.  Handful of Almonds

8.  Cottage Cheese with fruit

9. Strawberry Banana Lemonade Smoothie: To make this I blend 1 cup water, 1 banana, a small handful of frozen strawberries, and the flesh and juice of half a lemon... YUM!  I also love adding some fresh mint leaves to this when I have some around.

10.  Did I mention fresh fruit??!  This is my favorite because there are literally tons of options out there... right now we are loving tangelos, pineapple, bananas, and berries.

Eating healthy doesn't have to be hard!

Luves,

Laura

Sweet Potato Chickpea Curry

This has been a favorite recipe in our house lately.  Baby W can put away bowls of this stuff.  It's clean and its DELICIOUS!

Start out by making a batch of brown rice to serve this over.  I usually start my rice before I start this dish so the rice has plenty of time to cook.

Recipe: Sweet Potato Chickpea Curry 

Ingredients:

1 small yellow onion (diced)

1 tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp each- cinnamon, turmeric, cumin, ground coriander, ground cloves

Salt to taste

1 tsp fresh grated ginger

1 red chili (or jalapeno)

1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes

1 large sweet potato- peeled and diced

1 can (15oz) chickpeas- drained and rinsed

1 can (15 oz) coconut milk

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Brown rice for serving

1.  Start Brown rice- cook according to directions.

2. In a large skillet, heat the oil.  Add onion and cook 3-4 minutes.  Put the dry spices in a small bowl and add a tiny bit of water to moisten them before adding to the hot skillet.  This ensures that the spices don't burn.  Add the garlic, chili, ginger, and spices.  Cook for several minutes- stirring often.

3. Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, coconut milk, and sweet potato.  Stir to mix everything up nicely.

4.  Turn the heat down to a simmer.  Let the curry sit for 20 minutes, then add extra spices (I usually add an extra 1/2 tsp cinnamon, cumin, and turmeric as well as 1/2 tsp salt).  After adding the extra spices stir again and let sit for 30 minutes. 

5.  Just before serving add the chopped parsley.  Serve over rice.  This meal will keep for several days in your fridge!

Enjoy!

Luves,

Laura

Green Herb Salad with Hummus

Whoever said clean eating doesn't have to taste delicious was all wrong!  Today I whipped up this salad with a few things that I had on hand from last weeks dinner recipes- and it was GOOD.  Brody actually wouldn't eat what I gave him for lunch because he wanted salad... and that boy rarely eats green stuff unless I hide it in smoothies or come up with other ways to disguise it.

I like to eat hummus with my salads instead of using salad dressing.  It's a healthy delicious alternative and provides protein which keeps you feeling fuller longer.

Green Herb Salad with Hummus

Feeds 1- as shown in photo above

Ingredients:

1 large handful of spinach- chopped

1/4 cup fresh dill- minced

1/4 of a large cucumber- cut however you like

1/3 cup fresh parsley- chopped

1/2 avocado sliced

2-3 Tbsp prepared hummus

Make It:

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix well so the dill and parsley stick to the cucumber pieces.  Pour into your salad bowl, garnish with avocado on top.  Serve it with hummus on the side.  Enjoy!

I like to dip my fork into the hummus so each bite gets a little bit of that flavor- and it lasts longer too so you don't eat as much.

Hope ya'll had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  

Luves,

Laura

Tuscan White Bean Soup

Last week I whipped up a huge batch of this delicious soup and we LOVED it!  This recipe was from the April/May 2014 Issue of Clean Eating magazine but I made a few changes to the original recipe.  We will definitely be making this again.

Tuscan White Bean Soup

Adapted from Clean Eating Magazine

Serves 2 (Which is why I actually quadrupled the recipe to serve 8)

Ingredients:

Drizzle of Olive Oil

1 carrot, peeled and chopped into rounds

1 stalk of celery, chopped

1/2 white onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp dried rosemary

1/4 tsp fennel seeds

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

1 cup vegetable broth

1 cup water

1 15 oz can Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed

3 oz all-natural Turkey Sausage - I got small breakfast turkey sausages and used the whole 12 oz package in my huge batch

1 1/2 cups packed baby spinach, chopped a bit

Instructions:

In a dutch oven heat drizzle of olive oil on medium.  Add carrot, celery, onion, and saute, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 6 minutes.  Add garlic, rosemary, fennel, red pepper flakes, and saute for 1-2 more minutes.  Add broth and 1 cup of water.  Cover, increase heat to high and bring to a boil.  Stir in beans, cover and reduce heat to medium-low.  Simmer until veggies are very tender, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile drizzle medium skillet with a little olive oil and heat on medium-high.  Remove sausages from casings and add them to skillet.  Crumble with a wooden spoon as the cook.  Cook until lightly browned- 4-5 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside. I like to put my sausage on some paper towels to absorb as much oil as possible before adding to the soup.

Remove soup from heat and transfer 1 cup to a blender.  Remove plastic stopper from blender lid and hold a kitchen towel over the lid to allow the steam to escape.  Blend until smooth, then return to dutch oven.  Heat the soup again on low and add the spinach. Simmer until the leaves are wilted.  Stir in sausage and remove from heat.

Enjoy!

Luves,

Laura

Good Morning Green Smoothie

Green smoothies are probably one of the best things you can drink for breakfast in the morning.  They are packed with all sorts of vitamins and nutrition.  And if you struggle to eat lots of veggies throughout your day they are perfect for making sure you get that little extra.  Today's smoothie is a great one for everyday!

Good Morning Green Smoothie
From: Laura's Luves
Yield: Apx. 28-32 ounces

Ingredients:

1/2 Large Cucumber
3 Small to medium size carrots
1/2 Lime
1 cup water
2 stalks celery
2 handfuls spinach
1 small apple- cored
1 Banana
5-6 stalks of fresh parsley
1 tablespoons chia seeds

Directions:

Using your juicer- juice the following ingredients in this order: Cucumber, carrots, then lime.

Take the juice from the juicer and pour it into your blender.  Add 1 cup of water to your blender with the juice. Add the spinach and blend,  then add the celery and blend, then add the parsley and blend, then add the apple and blend , then add the banana and blend until smooth.

Pour smoothie into a large glass and stir in the chia seeds.  Let it sit for 2 minutes, then stir and enjoy!

It's very important to not juice every single ingredient.  The veggie/fruit pulp has a lot good stuff in so that's why I do both the juicer and the blender.

I'm going to go enjoy my smoothie now :)

Luves,

Laura

Immune Boosting Green Smoothie

The littles and I just got over a 24 hour stomach bug... Yuck!  I woke up today feeling a lot more like myself and little B told me his belly was feeling good!  W is also acting like his normal self.  I wanted to make sure we all replenished our bodies with lots of vitamins and nutrients this morning so I decided to whip up a green smoothie that is packed with good stuff!  Little B drank his right up and I'm feeling energized since drinking mine.

Immune Boosting Green Smoothie
From: Laura's Luves
Yield: Apx. 28 ounces

Ingredients:

1/2 Large Cucumber
3 Small to medium size carrots
1/2 Lime
2 inch piece of ginger
2 stalks celery
2 handfuls spinach
2 small apples- cored
5-6 stalks of fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chia seeds

Directions:

Using your juicer- juice the following ingredients in this order: Cucumber, carrots, celery, ginger, lime.

Take the juice from the juicer and pour it into your blender.  Add the spinach and blend.  Then add the parsley and blend, then add the apples and blend until smooth.

Pour smoothie into a large glass and stir in the chia seeds.  Let it sit for 2 minutes, then stir and enjoy!

It's very important to not juice every single ingredient.  The veggie/fruit pulp has a lot good stuff in so that's why I did both the juicer and the blender.

Drink up!

Luves,

Laura