Hearty Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

 

There is nothing like a warm, savory, hearty soup when it's cold outside. This Chicken and Wild Rice soup checks all the boxes (and my kids love it). This has been on repeat at my house since Thanksgiving (we used leftover turkey for that one). It's pretty versatile and can be made allergen friendly. I have always made mine gluten and dairy free. Let's get to the good stuff...

What you need: 

• 1 onion, diced
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 2 stalked of celery, copped
• 1 container (8 oz) baby bella mushrooms, chopped
• 3 TBSP flour (or gluten free flour works great)
• 2 TBSP minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
• 4 TBSP butter, vegan butter or avocado oil
• 1/2 cup wild rice (not the quick kind)
• 1/2 tsp rubbed sage
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2-3 cups shredded chicken (I use a rotisserie chicken for this)
• 1 can unsweetened coconut milk 
• salt and pepper to taste

What you do:

1. Heat 1 TBSP oil or butter over medium heat in a large stock pot
2. Sautee onions, carrots, celery and garlic until onions start to soften
3. Add mushrooms and stir until they start to soften
4. Sprinkle in the flour and add butter or oil and stir until the flour is absorbed by the veggie mixture
5. Add rice, sage, thyme and broth
6. Cover the pot and let the mixture come to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 40 minutes or until rice is cooked
7. Stir in chicken and coconut milk
8. Season to taste 
9. Enjoy!

Tips to make this quicker and easier: 

*have shredded rotisserie chicken frozen and ready to go at any time

*used pre-mince garlic

*while carrots/onions/celery/garlic are sautéing, use that time to chop the mushrooms

*speaking of carrots, throw in a big handful of baby carrots and save peeling and chopping

12 Days of Fitness Challenge

 

 

Here’s the Deal:

The first day you only do Day One, the second day, complete Day One and Two, the third day finish Day One, Two and Three, and so on.

 

Here’s the Work:

Day One: 1 set of 100 jumping jacks

Day Two: 2 one-minute planks

Day Three: 3 sets of 10 lunges

Day Four: 4 sets of 30 second jump rope

Day Five: 5 burpees

Day Six: 6 sit ups

Day Seven: 7 push ups

Day Eight: 8 calf raises

Day Nine: 9 super low squats

Day Ten: 10 jump squats

Day Eleven: 11 triceps dips

Day Twelve: 12 mountain climbers

30-Minute Chicken Curry

This dish has become one of our favorites in our home; everyone eats it, everyone likes it. I can't say enough about how easy and flavorful this simple chicken curry dish is. Serve it over cauliflower rice and it has all the protein, fat and carbs you need for a balanced and filling meal. 

What you need:

• 2 TBSP yellow curry
• 2 tsp garam masala
• cayenne pepper to taste (or leave it out for "mild")*
• 1.5 lbs of chicken breast or chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 can light coconut milk
• 2 TBSP oil of choice (I like olive or avocado)
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 TBSP minced garlic (or 2 cloves garlic)
• 1 TBSP minced ginger
• 1/2 lemon, juiced (or 1 TBSP)
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 TBSP cornstarch
• 1 TBSP cold water
• Cilantro for garnish

What you do:

1. Put chicken pieces in a bowl and sprinkle in salt and 1/2 the other spices, stir to cover
2. Dump can of coconut milk onto chicken and set aside
3. Heat oil in large saucepan a couple minutes and add onion and the rest of the spices
4. Stir onion until it softens (5 minutes or so)
5. Add in garlic and ginger and stir together until it smells delicious (or about 1 minute)
6. Wisk together corn starch and water until smooth 
7. Dump everything into onion/spice/garlic/ginger mixture and stir
8. Bring to boil and then reduce heat to slow simmer
9. Check the chicken after about 7 minutes to see if cooked through, if so, you're done!
10. Sprinkle with cilantro if you'd like and serve over cauliflower rice (or regular or jasmine rice)

Enjoy!

*I like mine a bit spicy but my family likes it super mild, so I add a pinch or so of cayenne pepper to mine after I serve it.

Creamy Baked Boursin (Dairy Free) and Tomato Pasta (Gluten Free)

 I made this new-to-me concept tonight with my own twists thrown in. I'm going to be honest; I wasn't sure how it would turn out or if my kids would eat it. But it was AMAZING and everyone cleaned their plates! 

This is one of those meals that I'll keep coming back to because it's so versatile. I can have it dairy and gluten free, the rest of my family can eat regular pasta AND (this is a big bonus), I can serve it deconstructed to my kiddos-it's the best! Also, my family didn't know I had used the dairy free version of Boursin cheese...you have to try it...it's amazing!

E. H. Fitness Creamy Baked Boursin and Tomato Pasta

What you need:

• container of non-dairy Boursin cheese (I found mind at Trader Joe's)
• container of grape tomatoes
• 3 TBSP minced garlic
• 2 TBSP olive or avocado oil
• 1 package fresh baby spinach
• 3 cups uncooked pasta of your choice (I did gluten free for myself and regular for my family)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

What you do:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
2. Place cheese in a cooking dish and surround it with the tomatoes
3. Sprinkle with minced garlic, drizzle olive oil and salt and pepper to taste
4. Bake cheese/tomatoes/garlic for about 25 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and tomatoes have softened
5. While cheese stuff is baking, cook pasta according to package directions
6. Drain pasta when finished but leave just a bit of the pasta water in the pan with the drained-ish pasta
7. Stir in the fresh spinach to the hot pasta so that it wilts
8. Pour the cheese/tomato/garlic sauce onto pasta and toss
9. Feel free to add other veggies like zucchini, mushrooms or add protein like shrimp or grilled chicken.

Enjoy!

Deconstructed for the kids-they ate every last bite: 

FREE 12 Days of Christmas Fitness Challenge

Need to spice up your workouts or burn off a bit of holiday stress? I have a FREE 12 day fitness challenge that builds on itself to make you stronger each day leading up to Christmas.

Simply e-mail me (erin@ehfitness.com) by Saturday, December 11 with one of the two options below and let's get started!

Option 1: Just send me the workout, I'll do it on my own.

Option 2: I want a daily reminder e-mail with my workout.

What to expect during the challenge:

• Each day, there will be an assigned exercise-something that you can do anywhere without any equipment.
• Day 1 begins with a specific exercise with assigned number of repetitions. Day 2 will be a different exercise/repetition that you do after completing the day 1 assignment. Day 3, you will complete day 1, 2 and 3...and so on. When you reach day 12, you will be doing all of the exercises from the previous day...wew!
• This challenge can be done on it's own or in addition to your regular workout routine. It pairs nicely with a brisk walk if nothing else!

Let me know if you are in!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

I know that it's pumpkin mania right now, but these are a must try. They are clean, gluten-free, dairy free and I fed them to a group of people who only eat flour and milk...aka my family (exaggerating....slightly) and they didn't even know! Plus, you can make these in 30 minutes flat. POW.

E.H. FITNESS PERFECT PUMPKIN MUFFINS 

Yields 18 regular muffins, 36 mini muffins

(10 min prep, 20 min bake time)

What you need:

• Muffin liners (I'm obsessed with parchment paper cups)
• 2 cups old fashion oats made into flour (don’t freak out…just put them in your blender/food processor/magic bullet/etc. for like 10 seconds. Congrats, you just made your own oat flour)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/4 cup unsweetened, original flavor almond milk
• 2 eggs
• Dash of vanilla 

What you do: 

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Combine all dry ingredients (oat flour that you made, salt, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, old fashion oats)
3. Mix in all wet ingredients. Tough, right? 
4. Fill your muffin tins ½ full (like ¼ cup for regular sized muffins and about 2 TBSP for mini muffins). 
5. Sprinkle with chocolate chips (optional)
6.  Bake normal sized muffins for 20 minutes and mini-muffins for 10-12 minutes. They are done when a toothpick comes out goop-free. 
7. Cool before diving in.

ENJOY!

Easy One Sheet Spicy Peanut Chicken with Broccoli

This recipe is new, tasty, fun, clean, easy and quick! What more can a person ask for?!

I’ve never broiled chicken but it turned out great and it cooked  soooo fast! The trick is to have the chicken all one thickness so I pounded it flat with a meat mallet and it was super fun...judge me if you want but it was cathartic.

Anyway...you can make this spicier or less spicy depending on how much Sriracha you use. The amount in this dish is on the milder side.

E. H. Fitness One Sheet Spicy Peanut Chicken with Broccoli

What you need: 

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast pounded to 1/2 inch thick
• 1 large head broccoli chopped into large florets
• 1/4 cup coconut aminos
• 1/4 cup natural (no sugar added) creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 1/2 TBSP rice vinegar
• 1 TBSP honey
• 1 TBSP Sriracha
• 1 TBSP sesame oil
• 1 TBSP arrowroot powder or corn starch to thicken sauce
• crushed peanuts to top (optional)

What you do:

1. Pre-heat oven by turning on broiler and place rack about 6 inches from the heat source
2. Line a sheet pan with foil (easy clean up) or spray with oil
3. Whisk together coconut aminos, peanut butter, warm water, vinegar, honey, Sriracha, sesame oil and arrowroot powder together until smooth
4. Dip chicken in the sauce and place around the sheet pan
5. Toss the broccoli in the sauce and place in between the chicken pieces
6. Drizzle the remaining sauce on the arranged chicken and broccoli
7. Broil for 10-12 minutes (flipping the chicken once half way) until the chicken is cooked all the way through (check often to make sure it's not burning)
8. Serve over rice or cauliflower rice (my fav) and drizzle with sauce from pan.

Enjoy!!

Foods that Give Your Immune System A Boost

During the last few months, our health and the health of others around us has been at the forefront of our minds. Exercise, adequate sleep and washing our hands are all great ways to boost our immune system. But did you know, that what we put in our bodies can give our immune system even more of a fighting chance? That's right, "we are what we eat" isn't completely true but maybe "we are as healthy as what we eat" has a bit more weight to it. 

Check out these foods that give our immune function a BIG ol' boost:

1. Sweet potatoes, carrots and leafy greens are loaded with beta-carotene which is a crazy-strong antioxidant that reduces inflammation in our bodies and increases disease-crushing cells! 

2. Bell peppers, citrus fruits and broccoli contain a healthy does of Vitamins C. Foods rich in Vitamin  E include nuts and seeds. Both of these vitamins help destroy free radicals (those nasty unstable atoms in our bodies that damage cells and can cause disease and aging).

3. Beans and lentils contain a good amount of Zinc, a mineral that helps boost white blood cells in the body which defend us against unwanted invaders like harmful bacteria.

So next time you reach for a snack or think about what to do for dinner, consider adding one (or many) of these foods to your plate!

THREE Ingredient “Ice Cream”

So I love ice cream just like the next person but for every day, it doesn't fit into my goals. BUT that doesn't mean I have to deprive myself of a silky smooth, frozen treat. I'm loving blended banana frozen banana and a bunch of cacao powder. Sometimes I even add a bit of peanut butter. I'm telling you...it's super yummy and I don't even love bananas!

What you need:

ripe bananas chunked and frozen for an hour or two

• Unsweetened almond milk
• your favorite mix-ins: peanut butter, cocoa powder, fruit, whatever!!
  

What you do:

1. Add bananas and mix-ins to a blender and blend the junk out of it. If the bananas wont blend, add a little bit of almond milk to get it going
2. Throw in your mix-ins
3. EAT!

Stuffed Chicken Breast: 4 Ingredients!

Sometimes you need an easy, go-to meal that doesn't have a zillion ingredients. And maybe you need a super tasty, simple recipe that can be served to important guests or to your family...or even just you! Here's one that I have 
tweaked to be super healthy and delicious. 

E. H. Fitness Stuffed Chicken Breasts

What you need:

• 4 boneless, skinless breasts (or 8 thighs)
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary, chopped finely
• 4 tbsp goat cheese or feta crumbles or dairy free cheese
• 4 tbsp finely chopped Canadian bacon

What you do:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Heat cooking spray or oil in skillet on medium high heat
3. Combine rosemary, cheese and Canadian bacon in a little bowl
4. Use a knife to cut a "pocket"  in the breast or thigh
5. Stuff the mixture into the pocket
6. Seal the pocket closed with toothpicks
7. Salt and pepper chicken to taste
8. Sear the chicken in the skillet on each side for 1-2 minutes or until brown
9. Place the chicken on a sprayed or lined baking sheet
10. Bake chicken for 20 minutes or until cooked through 

Serve with lots of veggies and enjoy!

Pizza night

  

  

One of my favorite foods is pizza. I know I'm not alone in this. I also don't eat food with gluten and I don't eat dairy...sooooo....pizza is basically off the menu for me unless I go to VERY specific restaurants or make it myself. This week, we did make-your-own pizza night at my house and I wanted to share my two favorite pizza crusts.

I found a cauliflower crust at Trader Joe's (freezer section), got a ton of veggies from the salad bar...because I'm lazy...and sprinkled some dairy free cheese. Oh..and I treated myself to a some pepperoni. Let me tell you...it was DELICIOUS. I got tons of veggies in (they are hidden under the cheese and pepperoni...haha) and was able to enjoy pizza with my family. It even reheated really well a couple days later. Definitely worth a try. The cauliflower crust could also be used as any kind of bread or cracker replacement for dipping or topping...can't wait to use it again!                               

UPDATE: So, if you are totally grain free, this Mikey's pizza crust (I get mine at Sprouts), is pretty tasty as well AND if you are reading this during the Covid-19 stay-at-home order where salad bars are closed, I will be using just extra chopped up veggies from my fridge! 

Honey Chicken Thighs

I'm a chicken breast eater...which is great...but I realized a little while ago that there are several parts to a chicken that are much more flavorful than the breast like the thighs. So yesterday I picked up some skinless, boneless chicken thighs and got this incredibly tasty and easy recipe from a friend and it was delicious...and, of course, I modified it to be a bit cleaner and dare I say, better? 

I paired the chicken with mixed stir-fry veggies and cauliflower rice. It was sooo good, filling and easy. Oh! And my whole family liked it!



E. H. Fitness Honey Chicken Thighs

What you need: 

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 3 TBSP Coconut Oil (or oil of your choice)
• 3 TBSP Coconut Aminos
• 4 TBSP Honey
• 1 TBSP minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp minced ginger
• Dash of black pepper

What you do;

1. Pre-heat oven to 425
2. Line an 8x8 pan with foil OR use a silicone baking dish. The honey-soy sauce is super sticky and takes forever to scrub off....so therefore, line the pan!!
3. Mix all the ingredients (except chicken) together
4. Place chicken thighs in a single row in your baking pan
5. Pour sauce over the chicken
6. Flip the chicken to get the sauce on the other side
7. Bake for 40 minutes 
8. Serve with rice or cauliflower rice and mixed veggies!

Enjoy!

How to not eat your entire stash of food in one day...

So most of us are home all day every day now. If you're like me, I walk into my kitchen no less than 10 times an hour and frequently (okay, like very single time) just need a "little something" to eat. It dawned on me that even though I bought a bit extra for the next few weeks, if I (and my family) continue our eating habits as they are now, we will be out of all food like tomorrow. Anyone else?

I've come up with a couple things that are helping us eat in a healthy and measured way and perhaps they will be helpful for someone else out there as well.

First, I would like to say that stress-eating is a totally normal reaction to the pressure and changes that are on us in this current situation. In fact, stress-eating isn't just something made up, it's proven to be a coping method for the extra cortisol in our body to make us feel better by increasing our feel-good hormones in our brain when we eat something sugary or fatty. But then those hormones drop and we crave sugar or fat or both again...it's a cycle. So have some grace for yourself and come up with your own way (or take mine) to regulate that stress and how you eat.

3 Ways to Stop Eating ALL the Food:

1. Have a schedule. We have found it sooooo helpful (especially with the kids) to have certain eating times. This is not to say that we aren't flexible when we need to be but it's been great to have a routine most days:

•    8 a.m. Breakfast
•    10:30 a.m Snack
•   12:30 p.m. Lunch
•    3 p.m. Snack
•    6 p.m. Dinner
•   7 a.m. Post Dinner Treat (sometimes)

2. Plan our your meals (or at least dinner). We have a chalkboard (check it out) that we write our meals on so I know what we are making for dinner. It sounds simple or maybe a bit like a drag, but it's a lifesaver even in normal times. And, per the picture, doesn’t have to be fancy. 

 When it dawned on me that I will have to make dinner for my family ever. single. night. I was at a loss. Usually, I'm out at least three nights a week with friends or on a date with my husband or at games/practices so this 7 days a week deal felt brutal. BUT with a plan, it's WAY less overwhelming and completely doable. Also, everyone in the house gets to choose one of the meals which makes it less likely that people (kids) aren't complaining as much.

3. Make a "snack" basket. This is a very new concept for me, but I saw one of my friends do it for her kids (they were asking for snacks constantly) and I thought "Gosh...I need that for ME!" Basically, you put the snacks you feel are reasonable for you to eat in a day in a basket and once they are gone, you are done snacking. The trick here is to make sure you have some of your favorites and that you have enough. It not only provides a limit, it also shows you that you have had enough instead of grabbing a handful of a million different things and not remembering most of it.

What are your ways to not eat all day every day while staying at home? We would all love tips and tricks!


 

Double Chocolate Protein Muffins

I redid the Double Chocolate Raspberry Muffins to add protein, reduce sugar and eliminate some hard to come-by items in the pantry...they are still just soooooo good!

E. H. Fitness Double Chocolate Protein Muffins

What you need:

• 3/4 cup dry old fashioned oatmeal
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 12 drops liquid stevia
• 1/2 cup plain pea protein powder* 
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup dairy free semi-sweet chocolate chips                                                                      (Trader Joe's regular chocolate chips are dairy-free!)
• 3/4 cup unsweetened almond or coconut milk
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp unsweetened apple sauce (you can use oil here as well)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 room temp eggs

What you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Line muffin tins with liners (or grease them)
3. Put oats into a blender or food processor for 30 seconds (to make oat flour)
4. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well, add chocolate chips
5. Combine all wet ingredients in a separate bowl (make sure to whisk eggs)
6. Mix wet and dry ingredients together 
7. Put about 1/4 cup mixture into each liner
8. Bake for 20-23 minutes.
9. Cool before diving in!

Enjoy!

*I find my plain pea protein powder for $11 at Trader Joes. But regular vanilla or chocolate protein powder will do great as well...just eliminate the stevia and one tsp vanilla!

Mouth-Watering Meatloaf

This meatloaf is clean, simple, delicious and excellent as left overs. I've simply adapted Ina Garten's amazing meatloaf recipe to be gluten free and cleaner.

What you need: 

• 2 smallish white onions, finely chopped
• 2 lbs ground turkey (I love turkey but you could totally go with beef)
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 cup quick oats 
• 1 tsp thyme (I use dried  if fresh isn’t available and crush in between my fingers to make it more potent!)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• 2 tbsp coconut aminos 
• 1/3 cup chicken, beef or vegetable broth
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp avocado oil (or oil of your choice) 

What you do:

1. Pre-heat oben to 325 degrees 
2. Heat the olive oil on medium heat
3. Saute onions for a few minutes until they turn a bit translucent but not brown
4. Add the thyme, salt, ground pepper, coconut aminos, tomato paste and broth-stir together.
5. Remove from the heat to let cool a bit
6. In a separate bowl, mix the meat, oatmeal and eggs. I prefer to use my hands, but a fork will do too. Add the onion mixture.
7. On a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, form a 2 inch high “loaf”...mine usually looks pretty interesting...but it doesn’t matter 🤗.
8. Bake for 1 hour or until it’s cooked...I also recommend putting a oven safe pan of water in your oven when you bake it too...so it doesn’t dry out!

These freeze well and are delicious after a minute in the microwave. 

What I buy...and where I buy it...

I feel like I hear all the time that eating healthy is just too expensive, that people can't find good produce and that things just need to be more convenient to eat healthy most of the time. Well, I'm here to tell you that it doesn't have to be costly to eat right, that there is good produce to be found in the right places and that there are more options now than ever for healthy convenience food.

I go to three stores every week and then Costco every other week. I know that it sounds like a lot, but I know exactly what I'm going to get at each store for the most part. I also know which stores have the best produce and what meats to buys where and the best of the best healthy food that is quick! It's taken me a while, but I have it down to a science for my family and I and if I can save someone time and $$, then yay!!

Here are my go to foods at the best prices and the best stores at which to get them:

Aldi: If you haven't tried it...you are truly missing out.

• Greens of any kind...I love their organic selection
• Peppers
• Celery
• Snapeas
• Necterines
• Carrots
• Sweet potatoes
• White potatoes
• Onions
• Zucchini
• Bagged salad kits
• Eggs
• Almond Milk
• Bacon
• Full fat plain Greek yogurt
• All canned goods including tuna
• Oatmeal
• 100% pure maple syrup
• Rice cakes
• Guacamole
• Fresh salsa
• Hummus
• Chicken Sausage
• Fresh Chicken breast
• Pork tenderloin
• Pork shoulder
• Hamburger 
• Ground turkey
• Steam bags of frozen broccoli, California medley, Asian stir-fry
• Frozen berries
• Frozen quinoa meals (add some cauliflower rice to fill them out with more veggies)
• Apple Cider Vineager
• Coconut Oil
• Avocado Oil
• Coconut Sugar
• Gluten-free bread/snacks

Trader Joe's

• Spaghetti squash 
• Butternut squash (found already cubed if in a time crunch)
• Frozen cauliflower rice
• Frozen cauliflower fried rice
• Frozen brown rice (steam in bag)
• Jazz apples (if you haven't tried these...you're welcome for introducing you!)
• Frozen "Hodge Podge" veggie mix...good with anything!
• Natural peanut butter (just salt and peanuts)
• Dried, unsweetened mango
• 1/2 the salt roasted almonds
• Plantain chips
• Hummus
• Spices
• Dairy free chocolate chips 
• Dark chocolate
• Coffee
• Chomps Turkey sticks (no sugar!)
• Popcorn kernels
• RX Bars (always $1.99 each)
• Wine (my favorite Cab right now is Lazy Bones and it's $6.99!)

Sprouts

• Bars: Lara Bars, Quest Bars and Amrita (almost always less expensive here-sometimes RX bars are a dollar-what?!)
• Daiya dairy free cheese
• Mikey's grain free pizza crusts (frozen)
• Avocados...they are the best and they are really really inexpensive here
• Berries of all kinds
• Turkey breast...in the deli section...it's slices like you would do for Thanksgiving...amazing!)
• Rotisserie chicken (no added junk)

Costco

• Veggie tray-soooo convenient for those weeks that you don't want to cut up veggies
• Frozen wild caught Alaskan salmon
• Protein Powder 
• Collagen (it's the least pricey here...by sooooooo much!)
• Chicken sausage (frozen section)
• Kirkland Protein Bars (similar to quest but I think they're better)
• La Croix

Double Chocolate Raspberry Muffins

My house if full of 3rd graders (we are in the middle of another 4-day-weekend...whoop). So I decided to create a chocolaty, raspberry muffin...and they are too good. They are dairy, gluten and soy free and you can't even tell. This is a great recipe because you can sub so much of it out. Don't have avocado oil? No problem, use coconut or olive oil. Don't have coconut sugar? No problem, use maple syrup. Don't have coconut flour? No problem, just use more oatmeal!

Let me know what you think and how you changed it up!

E. H. Fitness Double Chocolate Raspberry Muffins

What you need:

• 1 cup dry old fashioned oatmeal
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup coconut flour 
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup dairy free semi-sweet chocolate chips                                                                      (Trader Joe's regular chocolate chips are dairy-free!)
• 3/4 cup unsweetened almond or coconut milk
• 5 tablespoons avocado oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 room temp eggs
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3/4 cup raspberries (fresh or thawed from frozen)

What you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Line muffin tins with liners (or grease them)
3. Put oats and sugar into a blender or food processor for 30 seconds (to make oat flour and grind the course sugar a bit for texture sake)
4. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well, add chocolate chips
5. Combine all wet ingredients in a separate bowl (make sure to whisk eggs)
6. Add raspberries to the wet ingredients and smash a bit with a fork
7.  Mix wet and dry ingredients together 
8. Put about 1/4 cup mixture into each liner
9. Bake for 20-23 minutes.
10. Cool before diving in!

Enjoy!

Steak Soup (Plaza III Copy Cat)

This soup is something else...it’s sooo delicious and filling and wam. AND if you live in the KC area and have ever had the steak soup at Plaza III, this is definitely a second best (or the best since it’s diary and gluten free but still had that thick feel).

Steak Soup

What you need:

• 1/2 cup gluten free flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
• 1/2 cup avocado oil
• 8 cups beef broth (hot)
• 2 lbs ground sirloin (hamburger will work here too but if you can get the ground steak, so that)
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 bag frozen mixed veggies
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• Dash of oregano
• Pinch of garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

What you do:

1. Heat the oil in a large stock pot, when hot, slowly whisk in the flour until smooth.*
2. Slowly add hot broth to the roux (the oil and flour mixture) until smooth.
3. Let the broth mixture simmer a bit while you brown and drain the meat.
4. Dump the meat, chopped veggies, frozen veggies and diced tomatoes into the broth mixture
5. Bring to boil and the simmer for at least an hour.
6. Enjoy!!

*If you want to make a roux the old fashion way with flour and butter, go for it...the substitute is 1:1.

Whole Roasted Chicken...Yep...the WHOLE Chicken

Confession time: I've never bought, roasted and definitely have not touched with bare hands a whole, raw chicken. BUT my family's favorite chicken is rotisserie style...from the store. These chickens, though totally yummy are generally injected with butter and have some interesting ingredients rubbed on them...and not all of them I would call "food." No judgement if you grab one at Costco when you're there, I do that too...just know that this recipe is super easy, and clean. Plus, it definitely got me out of my comfort zone....which I think is a great thing!

Clean Whole Roasted Chicken

What you need:

•  a whole chicken (you can buy fresh or frozen, but if frozen, allow to thaw in the fridge for a couple days)
• foil
• olive oil cooking spray
• 1 onion
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic 
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

What you do:

1. Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees
2. Take the giblets out of the chicken (I don't even know what those are, but they just fell out of my chicken in the sink)
3. Pat the chicken dry, inside and out
4. Mix all the seasonings together in a bowl
5. Take the outer peel off the onion
6. Put the onion inside the chicken...I know....this is part of my growing process....getting out of my comfort zone...just pop it in and forget it
7. Rub the seasoning all over the chicken
8. Line an edged baking pan with foil and grease it with oil
9. Pick that chicken up (I picked it up like a baby, under it's wings) and place it on the greased foil
10. Grease another piece of foil and place it lightly on top of the chicken
11. Bake for about 4-5 hours or until cooked through
12. For the last 10 minutes, crank the oven up to 450 to crisp that sucker up
13. Let rest for 10-15 minutes before carving

Enjoy!!

New 4-Ingredient Protein Balls (perfect for protein snowmen)

T hese protein balls are super easy (4 ingredients!) and also super fun. I'm actually taking them to a little Christmas get together tonight...ho ho ho (or whatever snowmen say).

Anyway, I usually use unflavored protein for my protein balls but I ran out and instead played around with using vanilla protein powder (the kind I would use in a shake) and it turned out GREAT. Plus, I didn't have to add any extra sweetener...whoop!

What you need: 

• 1 cup oatmeal made into flour (just put it in the blender and turn it on for 10 seconds or so)
• 1 cup natural peanut butter
• 4 scoops (or 100 grams) of vanilla protein powder...I used Orgain Vanilla Bean (it's vegan)
• unsweetened almond milk to bind (anywhere from 2 TBSP-1/4)

What you do:

1. Toss oatmeal flour, peanut butter and protein powder in a mixer (or use your muscles and mix it by hand...or with a spoon)
2. Add 1 TBSP of almond milk at a time until "dough" sticks together and can be shaped...but not sticky
3. Shape into balls or snowmen or whatever!
4. If you like your protein balls a bit more exotic, add some chocolate chips or coconut or chia seeds or whatever you like!

Enjoy!