Creamy Strawberry Treat

Creamy Strawberry Treat - 
4 strawberries in a blender with a
splash (about 1/8 cup) of milk + about
1/2 cup of water +
vanilla creame stevia +
ice.

Wow, seriously so good. Tastes like cheat...and at about 20 calories per glass...is so good for you too!

Blueberry Slushy Treat - HCG Recipe

Yummy Blueberry Slushy Treat

 1/4 cup blueberries, ice, water, liquid vanilla cream stevia - AMAZING.

Cauliflower Bread Sticks - HCG Phase 2 & 3

Cauliflower Bread Sticks



Ingredients:
1 cup raw grated cauliflower or 100 grams (2 Greens)
1/4 cup egg (whites for Phase 2) substitute * you are able to add up to 2 oz of additional protein per Nutrition Support
1 cup shredded or 4 oz 2% light mozzarella, divided (1 Lean)(leave off for Phase 2)
Garlic salt and Italian seasonings, to taste

Marinara Sauce
1/2 cup Italian diced tomatoes - less than 5 g of carbs per serving (1 Green)
You can also use Walden Farms Marinara Sauce, but 1/4 cup is considered to be 2 condiments and is not a vegetable. You would have to add a third of veggies to your meal if you choose this option.

Directions:
Puree Italian diced tomatoes in a small chopper. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350. Mix cauliflower, 1/4 cup egg substitute, and 3 oz or 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella together in a bowl until combined. Line a 9 x13 loaf pan with parchment and lightly spray with Pam. Pour mixture into pan about 1 -1/2 inch deep. (It is okay if the mixture does not cover the entire pan). Bake at 350 for 30 min or until set. Lift the edges of the parchment and place bread with parchment on to cookie sheet. Carefully use a spatula to lift the edges of the dough off the parchment and flip the dough. Bake for an additional 15 minutes at 450 degrees. Take out of oven and with a pizza cutter, slice strips through set dough. Separate slightly. Sprinkle with garlic salt, Italian seasonings and 1 oz or 1/4 cup 2% reduced fat mozzarella or three cheese blend. Continue baking at 450 degrees for about 10 more minutes until cheese is melted. Serve with marinara sauce.

1 Complete Lean and Green Meal, No Healthy Fat Required

Found on Sandy's Kitchen: Cauliflower Bread Sticks

Artichoke W/Dipping Sause HCG Phase 2

Need a great snack idea? Try an artichoke! Steam artichoke for 40 minutes. Make a dressing out of a little milk, Dijon mustard, cayenne pepper, garlic powder and salt and pepper. Really good and satisfying. Don't eat the heart. :-)

A great healthy make-at-home lunch option!

Source: allyfit.tumblr.com via nd on Pinterest

Black Bean Salad with Corn, Red Peppers, Avocado & Lime-Cilantro Vinaigrette

This recipe was inspired by one of my readers, who sent me a fabulous Mexican Bean Salad recipe. Thank you, Ellen! It's perfect for entertaining because it's festive and you can make it ahead of time -- in fact, you should because it gets better and better the longer it sits. I made it last weekend when we had friends over for a cookout...everyone loved it.

I'll be honest with you, this salad involves a fair amount of chopping and fussing -- nothing difficult but it does take some time to put together. Please don't let that discourage you! It makes such a large amount, you'll be eating it for days, and it's incredibly substantial -- you won't need to serve much else with it. I made it with grilled chicken and roasted sweet potato wedges.



For the beans, make life easy on yourself and use canned. You could certainly buy them dried and soak them overnight but I don't think it's worth the time or trouble here. Just be sure to rinse and drain them well.



But since you're saving time on the beans, definitely opt for fresh corn. Canned is awful and frozen won't give you the crunch you need.



Fresh lime juice is also a must. If you don't already have one, get yourself an inexpensive citrus juicer like this one from OXO...it makes life in the kitchen soo much easier.



When you make this salad, you have to wait a while for the flavors to meld together. At first, it may taste a little too acidic...but give it a few hours in the fridge and the sharpness will mellow out.



Mark my words, this salad will keep you coming back for seconds and thirds -- it's addictive -- but everything in it's so good for you, I don't think you'll mind.





Black Bean Salad with Corn, Red Peppers, Avocado & Lime-Cilantro Vinaigrette
Printable Recipe

Serves 6 - 8

Ingredients

2 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 ears fresh corn, cooked, cooled and kernels cut off the cob
2 red bell peppers, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced shallots (you'll need one medium shallot)
2 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons sugar
9 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (I like Colavita)
6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon lime zest (be sure to zest limes before juicing them)
½ cup chopped cilantro, plus more to garnish
2 Hass avocados, diced

Directions

Combine all ingredients except avocados in a large bowl and mix well. Cover and chill for a few hours or overnight. Right before serving, add avocados and mix gently, being careful not to mash avocados. Garnish with a few springs of freshly chopped cilantro if desired. Serve at room temperature.

Found on:
Black Bean Salad with Corn, Red Peppers, Avocado & Lime-Cilantro Vinaigrette - Once Upon A Chef

cook it up: kale chips

I love potato chips. I don’t love going to the gym. My answer to this dilemma is kale chips.
It makes sense in my head. See, kale chips are such an awesome substitute to the beloved potato chip I almost can’t tell the difference. And I figure if I have one instead of the other, I can save valuable minutes at the gym and get off of the elliptical trainer way earlier than if I was having potato chips with my lunch. Get it?! Brilliant!

In any case, here’s what you do. Prep your kale by tearing it into pieces and arranging it in a single layer on a baking sheet (don’t use the stems). Drizzle with olive oil (MCT oil for HCG) and sprinkle with sea salt & any other seasoning you might like (I used some garlic powder). Preheat your oven to 375 and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the kale gets slightly brown and crispy. Take it out. Eat it and then don’t go to the gym. xoxo





Found on:
cook it up: kale chips | lovely indeed!

Roasted Kale Chips with Sea Salt and Vinegar

(Makes 2-3 servings of kale chips, recipe adapted by Kalyn with inspiration from many other bloggers who also made kale chips.) one small bunch of kale, about 6 oz. 1 T extra-virgin olive oil 1 T vinegar (I used Spanish sherry vinegar, but any vinegar you like the flavor of will work) sea salt to taste Preheat oven to 300F/150C. Cut away inner ribs from each kale leaf and discard, then tear the kale leaves into same-size pieces. (I made my pieces about the size of a small potato chip.) Wash torn kale pieces and spin dry in a salad spinner or dry with paper towels until they're very dry. Put kale pieces into a large Ziploc bag (or use a bowl if you don't mind getting your hands oily.) Add half of the 1 T of olive oil, seal bag, and squeeze the bag so the oil gets distributed evenly on the kale pieces. Add the other half tablespoon of oil and squeeze the bag more, until all kale pieces are evenly coated with oil and slightly "massaged." Open the Ziploc bag and sprinkle the 1 T sherry vinegar over the kale leaves, then seal bag and shake to spread the vinegar out over all the leaves. Arrange kale leaves in a single layer on a baking sheet, then roast until they are mostly crisp, about 35 minutes. I checked every 10 minutes or so and turned some pieces over. I also found I didn't mind if there were a few softer parts on some of the kale leaves, I liked the combination of crisp and softer parts. When chips are done to your liking, sprinkle with a generous amount of sea salt and eat immediately.