Oh man. These are the bomb. I was eager to bake something all week long and just didn't have the time with my work and school schedule. I had a container of strawberries that was going to go bad real soon, and rather than throwing them away (I absolutely hate wasting food,) I wanted to incorporate them into something. But plain old strawberry muffins are a little boring. So here we have Strawberry & Orange Ricotta Muffins! They're low fat and full of vitamin C.

Ricotta cheese is so versatile, low fat and high in calcium and protein. Why don't I eat it more? The flavor is really mild and gives these muffins some extra density and richness. The ricotta goes perfectly with the fruitiness of the orange and strawberries. Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 2 tbsp coconut flour
• 1/3  cup organic turbinado sugar* + 2 tsp (for topping)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp orange zest
• 3 tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice
• 1 cup fresh chopped strawberries
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup skim ricotta
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup water

Directions: 

• Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees
• Add flour, sugar and baking powder in a medium bowl and mix together
• In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, ricotta, butter and orange juice until consistency is smooth
• Add the wet ingredients (except the water) and the orange zest to the flour mixture and mix well
• Add in water and mix
• Line a muffin pan with muffin liners and fill each one 3/4 way full
• Sprinkle remaining sugar on top of batter
• Bake for 25 minutes

These muffins have the perfect amount of sweetness. They're dense, yet super refreshing. Give 'em a try!

Rach

Happy St. Patty's Day! I've got a yummy recipe for you. Last night I made this spinach, corn and bacon dish along with some grilled chicken for a really flavorful and healthy dinner. The bacon and corn add a lot of flavor! The thing with cooking and what you'll see in this blog (once I get more recipes posted) is that everything I make on a week day or night has to take less than 30 minutes. I don't make anything fancy schmancy but I like it to taste fancy schmancy.

Ingredients:

• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 shallot
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• 1 red bell pepper
• 3/4 cup sweet yellow corn (I used frozen)
• 4-6 cups roughly chopped spinach*
• 2-3 slices bacon
• 1 teaspoon each of salt & pepper
• Mrs. Dash garlic & herb seasoning (can also use regular garlic powder)

Directions:

• Chop shallots, garlic, pepper and spinach

• Add oil to medium pan and bring to medium heat
• Add garlic, shallots and pepper and cook for about 5-7 minutes or until the pepper becomes slightly tender

• While the above is cooking, place the bacon on a pan to bake in either a toaster oven or oven. Bake on 350 degrees for about 5-10 minutes (this really depends on your preference of how crispy you want your bacon!)
• Add in spinach, corn and seasonings to pepper mixture and stir frequently while spinach wilts
• Once bacon is done, pat off oil, chop in small pieces and add to spinach
• Turn heat down to low and cook for 1-2 more minutes before serving

I added some BBQ sauce and it hit the spot! And then I got into this:

Delisshhhh. I'll be back later with a recap post about my weekend at Auburn University for the Evolve Fitness Conference!

Have a wonderful Tuesday,

Rach

Good morning! I've got my first recipe to add to the blog! Actually, it's more of a 'how to' than a recipe because it is pretty basic. However, it is one of my favorite breakfast recipes and only takes a few minutes.

This bowl of oats is nutty, creamy, fruity, warm, delicious, filling and all of the above. You'll need:

• 1/2 cup of rolled oats
• 1 cup of water or milk of your choice (I like to use almond milk)
• 1/2 banana
• 1/2 cup of blueberries
• 1 teaspoon of chia seeds
• 1 teaspoon of honey
• 1 heaping tablespoon of nut butter (obvs)

Start by bringing the liquid to a boil. Stir in oats and chia seeds right before the boiling point. I find that my oatmeal always comes out best when I add the half cup of oats right before the boiling point of the milk. For some reason it seems to take less time to cook or absorbs the liquid better.

Let the oats cook on high for about a minute. Turn heat to low and add blueberries and thinly sliced banana. Slicing it thin helps the banana cook down and almost melt into the oats. YUM. Let that cook for a few minutes, until the liquid is absorbed. Add in the honey.

Serve right away with a big spoonful of nut butter. I usually use peanut butter but wanted to try something new with the sunflower seed butter. I don't know how I feel about it quite yet but it's starting to grow on me a little bit. Has anyone else tried it?

Now I'm off to my internship, work after that and hopefully I can squeeze in a workout later! Busy busy.

Have a great HUMP DAY.