I bought one too many cartons of strawberries from the market last week and didn't realize it until today. I took all of them out of the fridge and stared at them for a good 10 minutes before I decided what I was going to do with them. By the way, when you buy strawberries, especially the organic ones, you have to be careful as they are full of dirt and can carry a lot of bacteria. The way I handle strawberries is I usually take the green tips off, place them in a deep bowl, and rinse them off really well with cold water. Finally I cut the top portion off where the leaves were attached and I let them soak in cold water for about 10 minutes to make sure they get squeaky clean. Once they're done being soaked I drain them in a colander and lay them out on some paper towel to dry. You shouldn't wash the berries until you're ready to eat them. 

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped strawberries

1/2 cup sliced blackberries

2 cups dry old-fashion oats

3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

4 tbsp organic agave nectar (separated into 3 and 1)

2 tbsp coconut/almond milk blend

1/2 tbsp baking powder

1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt

2 tbsp Light Kefir Cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl; oats, unsweetened cocoa powder, and baking powder. Add the water, milk, and 3 tbsp of agave nectar to the dry ingredients and form a dough. Grease a flat baking pan with butter, spread the dough into a 9-inch circle (1/2 inch thick) and bake for 15 minutes. While it's baking make the yogurt spread. Mix together the nonfat plain yogurt, light kefir cheese, and 1 tbsp agave nectar. When the tart is finished cooking let it cool completely before adding the yogurt. Spread the yogurt mixture evenly and top with strawberries and blackberries. Drizzle some more agave nectar on top for taste. Place in the fridge for at least an hour, then cut into slices and serve :)

Okay, so this spinach and artichoke dip is SO delicious.. but it took SO long to make! I opted out of using canned goods and bought some beautiful fresh artichokes. The entire process is tedious but honestly so worth it. I made this for a huge get together with friends and family & we all enjoyed it so much. Everyone loved it but nobody knew how healthy it was ;) 

The chips were very easy to make and didn't take long at all. Just cut up your favorite tortilla wraps, spray both sides lightly with olive oil, spread them out evenly on  a lined baking pan, and pop them in the oven to bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes, or until crispy and gold brown. I bought Tumaro's whole wheat tortilla wraps for the chips, but you can use any brand you like, just try to stay away from pure white flour tortillas (they're not that nutritious and definitely not healthy). 

Ingredients:

3 artichokes

1 cup wilted baby spinach (about 4 cups fresh spinach makes 1 cup wilted)

3 cloves garlic

1/2 cup Light Kefir Cheese

1 cup part skim shredded mozzarella

1/2 cup shaved parmesan

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

Remove outer layer of artichoke leaves and chop off the stem. Slice the artichokes in half and remove the inner fuzzy hairs. Place all the halved artichokes into a large pot and cover with water. Boil for 30 minutes, covered, and then let cool to room temperature. Transfer the cooled artichokes to a colander and drain. The leaves of the artichoke have softened meat on the inside of them and I scooped it out using a flat headed wooden spatula. I held each leaf by the tip, hard part facing down, and just dragged the spatula across the leaf removing the meat. This is the tedious part of the recipe. It takes a long time to scoop every leaf but boy oh boy is it delicious. In a food processor, add the artichoke meat along with the hearts, wilted spinach, garlic, red pepper, black pepper, & salt. Let everything process until the garlic is fully crushed and evenly spread throughout. Add the mixture to a bowl and fold in the light kefir cheese, parmesan, and mozzarella. Spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and evenly spread the dip into the baking dish. Sprinkle with more mozzarella (optional) and place in the oven to bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until the cheese is fully melted and the edges start to brown. Serve with your homemade baked chips. 

Ingredients:

1 cup Yams, cooked & mashed

1 ripe banana, mashed

2 cups oats, pulsed into flour in food processor

1/2 cup oats

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp unsweetened cacao

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 whole eggs

2 tbsp chia seeds, soaked in 4 tbsp boiling water

2 tbsp vanilla almond milk

2 tbsp any natural syrup (honey, maple syrup, date syrup, or agave nectar)

1/4 cup granulated sugar substitute (if preferred)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl: oat flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cacao powder, and sugar substitute (if preferred). In a separate bowl, mix together the yams, banana, vanilla extract, eggs, chia seeds soaked in water, almond milk, and natural syrup. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and fold everything in together really well until your cookie dough has formed. Spray or grease a lined baking pan (I used parchment paper and greased it with butter), and evenly spread out cookie dough as shown in picture above. I formed each cookie using about 2 tbsp of cookie dough, rolled it into a ball, and flattened it with my hands. If you like you can top the cookies with mini dark chocolate chip morsels to give it that extra sweet crunch. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until cookies have browned. I was able to make 26 cookies from the dough that I made. Nutritional information depends on the way you prepare the cookie (adding morsels or not). 

Guilt-free chocolate cookies at only 50 calories a piece.. Keep them in the freezer but don't worry once you take them out they are so chewy and gooey you wouldn't even believe they were frozen. 

What you'll need:

• 1 banana
• 3/4 cup raw oats
• 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chip morsels

What to do:
Microwave the chocolate chips in the microwave making sure not to burn them. Once they are close to being melted take them out and mash the banana in with the chocolate really well. Add the oats and mix them in. Lay a piece of parchment paper out on a tray that you can pop in the freezer. Drop rounded tablespoons of the mixture onto the parchment paper and using a fork press it down to flatten out the cookie. Pop them in the freezer and snack on them all day long :)

Chia seeds are so good for you! And there are so many different ways you can use them. Eat them raw or soak them overnight where they can expand up to 9 times their original size. How good does this sound? Pop them in the fridge at night & breakfast is served when you wake up. Perfect when you're in a hurry and have no time to whip up a healthy breakfast in the  morning. 

What you'll need:

• 1/4 cup black chia seeds
• 3/4 cup coconut almond milk blend
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 banana

What to do: 
Soak the chia seeds in the milk and water over night. When you wake up they'll have expanded and formed a pudding like texture. Toss in some banana slices and dive right in :)

The perfect snack that'll keep you full just until dinner is ready about ready :). Believe it or not it's loaded with protein and good fiber. Be careful when choosing which yogurt to use. If you use plain nonfat greek yogurt, which tends to have a sour/bitter taste to it, this might come out weird... Try it with coconut yogurt, or any other flavor you like. 

What you'll need:

• 1 cup coconut yogurt
• 1 banana
• 2 tbsp PB2 w/ chocolate (or regular PB2)
• 1/2 tbsp peanut butter
• handful of almond
• mini unsweetened dark chocolate morsels
• coconut shavings
• pinch of cinnamon

What to do:
Blend together the peanut butter, PB2, and yogurt. Put that mixture into a bowl, top with banana slices, almonds, chocolate morsels, coconut shavings, and cinnamon. 

What you'll need:

• 1 can of tuna, drained
• 1/2 small lemon, juiced
• 1 scallion, minced
• 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 clove of garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp miracle whip light
• salt & pepper to taste

What to do:
Mix all the ingredients really well in a bowl. You can eat this 1 of 2 ways; either eat it as a tuna salad & serve it up with celery OR form it into a little round cake and cook it in a sprayed pan. I only cooked one side of it because I don't have a plating ring to keep it's form and i figured it would probably fall apart if  I tried to flip it! Then I topped it with a dollop of yogurt and voila :)

The most delectable snack ever! 

What you'll need:
1 cup whole grain brown rice, already cooked
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
4 tbsp pure honey
1/2 banana, mashed (as a substitute for butter)
1  tbsp organic whole flax seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

What to do:
Put the almond milk, honey, cooked rice in a pot and cook on high. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for about 15 minutes, making sure to continue to stir the pot! Half way through, so after about 7 or 8 minutes, add in the mashed banana mixing really well. Once the 15 minutes are up, add in the cinnamon and flax seeds. You can eat it warm or put it in the fridge to cool and serve it cold. I like to add a little more flax seeds on top before I eat it :)

Wow, this was delicious! It's a MUST-TRY. If you like oreos, and you like peanut butter, and you like apples, but you don't like what it has to offer (ehimm sugar ehimm) you have to make this! It's only 150 calories per serving, and this recipe makes 2 servings :)

What you'll need:

• 1 & 1/2 apples, thinly sliced
  
• 1/2 tbsp peanut butter
  
• 2 tbsp almond milk 
  
• 1/2 an oreo (the side without the cream), crushed. 
  

What to do:
Put the peanut butter, almond milk, and crushed oreo into a zip lock bag, and knead together until you get a smooth consistency. Pour this heavenly concoction over your apples and enjoy. 

#1 Rule: To eat a good snack, one must make that snack look pretty :) and for just a 100 calories this is the prettiest of them all. 

What you'll need:

• 1 tangerine
• 2 tbsp Karoun Light Kefir Cheese
• a pinch of cinnamon granola

What to do:
Slice open the individual pieces of the tangerine to make an opening for the cheese. Put the kefir cheese in the bottom corner of a zip lock bag and tear off the tip of the corner to make stuffing the orange easier. After you stuff the tangerine slices, sprinkle on the granola making sure it gets onto each slice. It is absolutely delicious!

Perfect late night snack! At or around 150 cals. 

What you'll need:

• 3/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
  
• 1 stalk celery
  
• a palmful of walnuts (the more the merrier) 

What to do: 
Layer the ingredients like a parfait! P.S., do NOT leave out the walnuts, they're the best part :)

This is great for whoever can't help but to eat right before bed because that's obviously what your supposed to do, duh. The good thing is that it's virtually carb-less (if that's even a thing). Also my home made salad dressing only has 6 calories per tablespoon, no fat, no sugar, no carbs, and full of tastiness. It's too bad that it's a secret recipe and I can't share it with you :(

What you'll need:

• 2 cups Brussel sprouts, halved
  
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
  
• 1/2 tomato, chopped
  
• 1/4 red onion, sliced
  
• Salt and pepper, to taste
  
• Reduced-fat Feta, for topping 
  
• 2 tbsp of my homemade dressing, which i just got done telling you was a secret, haha!
  

What to do: 
Mix the brussel sprouts and vinegar in a bowl and lay them out on a sprayed baking pan. Sprinkle salt and pepper over them and place in the oven for 6-8 minutes at 450 degrees. Broil for 2 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Mix in tomatoes and red onion, top with feta and salad dressing. 

Healthy breakfast with protein and antioxidants, to help kickstart your lazy metabolism :)

What you'll need:
1 cup 'Dannon' nonfat plain yogurt
1/3 cup  'Kind' cinnamon cluster granola
3 strawberries, sliced
cinnamon

What to do: 
In a bowl, mix in however much cinnamon you like in the yogurt really well then stir in half of the granola. Put 1/2 of your yogurt mixture on the bottom of your parfait glass. Sprinkle a little bit of granola on top (make sure to leave some on the side to layer again). Add 1/2 the slices of strawberry. Then layer again with the remaining yogurt, strawberries, and granola.