It's been a hectic few weeks in our household, with summer in full swing, looking for our forever home and this week, scrambling to prepare for a mini trip to see a good friend of mine. Packing, cleaning and trying to make
sure all of our ducks were in a row before departure extended to the kitchen as well! So I decided to make a roasted vegetable medley to use as much produce in one meal as possible...success!

One of our favorite meals has been roasted vegetables with chickpeas and Cous Cous, and this was a close relative of the dish, paired with brown rice and wheat berry pilaf. The beautiful thing about roasting vegetables is that the flavors become so rich and each individual ingredient takes on a flavor all it's own...you can follow this recipe to a tee, or use whatever you have on hand!

For this recipe I used:

1 head of broccoli, stem removed (set aside to juice later) and cut into florets
1 sweet onion, halved and sliced
4-5 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 large carrot, sliced
1 sweet potato, skin on (I only do this with organic potatoes!) scrubbed well and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 pint Baby Bella mushrooms, quartered
​1/2 eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp fresh black pepper
1 tbsp Bragg Organic Herb Sprinkle
1/2 tsp Himalayan sea salt

Putting it all together:

First, preheat your oven to 400F, then line a large baking sheet with foil, spraying lightly with olive oil and setting aside. Next, in a large bowl, combine all of the chopped vegetables with the spices and Bragg Herb Seasoning. Drizzle the olive oil over the top and mix well with a spatula until all the veggies are nicely coated with the oil and seasoning.

​Spread evenly over the baking sheet, then pop in the preheated oven. After 15 minutes, stir the veggies well so they cook evenly, roasting for another 15-20 minutes until the most firm vegetable (usually sweet potato) is tender. When done, remove and allow to sit for a few minutes before serving!

I absolutely love this stuff, it works great with vegetables, sauces and salad dressing too!

The beautiful veggies before popping into the oven...yum!

The final product... I couldn't wait to eat! The whole house smelled amazing! I used a LundbergToasted Almond Pilaf mixed with cooked wheat berries (added after preparing the pilaf per package directions) and it was a lovely pairing for this meal! I hope you will have a chance to try this soon, and please let me know how it turned out!

Overnight oats are a great way to prepare a delicious breakfast ahead of time, but on this particular day I decided to try a recipe that set for just an hour, and it came out just as good! The fresh blueberries were perfect on top and cacao nibs paired with sliced almonds added a nice crunch!

Here's what you'll need:
​
1 cup organic thick cut oats
1/2 cup organic plain yogurt
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (Orgain)
2 packets stevia
1 tbsp flax seed
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp lemon extract
2 tbsp sliced almonds
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1 tbsp cacao nibs (optional)

First, combine oats, flax seed, protein powder, and stevia, mixing until well combined. Next add the yogurt, water, and lemon extract, stirring until all ingredients are incorporated together. Place in the fridge for one hour then stir and divide between two bowls. Lastly, top with blueberries, almond and cacao nibs. This is a tasty, healthy and filling breakfast, I hope you will enjoy!

See MFP nutritional info below 👇

Brown rice has been a tricky cooking item for me up until recently, and I'm so glad my many experiments finally paid off! I like using the short grain variety because of its meatier texture, and it's also hardier making it great to use in salads and other dishes. Sometimes a simple recipe is the best kind, and this only has 4 ingredients! (5 if you count the water 💦)

Here's what you'll need:

1 cup short grain brown rice
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tbsp olive oil
Dash of sea salt
1 2/3 cup water

Putting it all together:

First, pour 1 tbsp olive oil into a small/medium saucepan, followed by the garlic cloves, then rice, sea salt and water. Turn the burner to high and bring to a boil (uncovered). Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer covered for about 15 minutes. Stir gently and re-cover, simmering another 15-20 minutes until the rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed.

Those beautiful cloves of garlic add a wonderful aroma and flavor to the rice, and if you're lucky, you might get a nice tender chunk of one in a bite! Serve as a side or mix into salads or other dishes. 🍚🍲🍣

See the video slideshow below for each step of the cooking process 😊

When I learned it was national donut day, it was time to whip up a healthy treat to commemorate this occasion 🤗❤️🍩 Growing up my dad would bring home donuts after work meetings, and there were usually Long Johns and sprinkle donuts left, which I got pretty tired of eating, and haven't eaten them for a long time since! Luckily there are other alternatives to curb that sweet tooth! This recipe is easy to prepare, gluten free and delicious...I had a hard time not eating each one I rolled up! 😂

You will need:

1 1/4 cup coconut flour (Bob's Red Mill
1/2 cup Orgain Sweet Vanilla Bean Protein (or other vanilla protein)
1/2 cup peanut butter powder (Honeyville)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk +2 tbsp
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 tbsp agave nectar
Pinch of Himalayan Sea Salt

For cinnamon sugar powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 2 tsp coconut sugar.

​First, mix all the dry ingredients together until well combined. Then add the almond milk, apple sauce & agave...mash together with a spatula until a soft crumbly dough forms. Roll 1 heaping tbsp worth into balls, then toss in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Chill for an hour in the fridge, or devour right away! Makes 16-18 bites ❤️

See My Fitness Pal nutritional info below 👇