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Jun 01 2017 
Avocado Brownies that will not Disappoint!!
Avocado Brownies – Gluten Free
If you are anything like me, you hate the feeling of being deprived. Especially when you are trying to live a balanced and healthy lifestyle. Now don’t get me wrong. There are times to push hard and go 100% on the meal plan but there are also times to live a little and follow the 80/20 rule. My best results come when I can enjoy “clean treats” vs. craving my old standbys aka sour patch kids. Processed candies and store bought pastries as a no-no for me so I make my own yummy desserts.
These have been one of those clean treats that I will use forever! Finding ways to tweak and refine what you’re putting in your mouth as you lose the weight and then maintain, is imperative. These freeze well and for chewy avocado brownies, are packed full of healthy fats that the whole family will benefit from. My nephew, Will, could hardly wait until I cut them open! I will say, they are better chilled so make them ahead of time. The kids love them in their lunch or for an after school snack. I love them all day, every day.
Portion control and overindulging had been a sore spot for me before I started to strengthen my self-control muscle. If you have ever struggled in that area, like me, freeze part of the batch and enjoy the next weekend. It will save your booty (pun intended;)) I hope this helps you as much as it helped me! I’ve got more where this came from so reach out! I love sharing and building relationships!
I’m gluten free, so any marketed GF brownie mix, like the one from Trader Joe’s, has so much sugar and unnecessary ingredients in it that almost bloats me as bad as a regular Giradelli brownie mix. My goal is to eat whole foods as much as possible and this is why I’d rather make my own.
Avocado Brownies Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips/dark chocolate/bittersweet chocolate/etc
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1 cup avocado puree (~2 very large avocados or up to 4 small ones)
- 1 Tbsp coconut flour
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 tsp gluten free baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease an 8X8 square baking pan.
- Melt chocolate and coconut oil in the microwave. Stir every 30 seconds until melted (usually about 1 1/2 minutes).
- Fold together melted chocolate and avocado puree in a large bowl (make sure your avocado puree is very smooth or you will have chunks in your brownies).
- Mix in remaining ingredients, mixing well.
- Pour in to prepared pan and bake for 35 – 45 minutes. Don’t over bake but realize that the brownies will get more moist as they cool.
I hope you can enjoy these avocado brownies as much as we did! Let me know what you think!
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Oct 17 2016 
Pumpkin Muffins The Whole Family Will Love!
My Favorite Pumpkin Muffins
Let’s talk about all the reasons we love pumpkin. It’s a clean, natural, low-calorie ingredient that can be used in both savory and sweet dishes. These pumpkin muffins are surprisingly a healthy treat!!!
Pumpkin Muffins Recipe
Ingredients:
2 oz. cream cheese
1 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1½ cups almond flour
¾ tsp. baking soda, gluten-free
1 dash sea salt (or Himalayan salt)
2 Tbsp. raw pumpkin seedsPreparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Prepare nine muffin cups by lining with muffin tin liners or coating with spray. Set aside.
3. Combine cream cheese and maple syrup in a small bowl; mix well. Set aside.
4. Combine egg and pumpkin in a medium bowl; mix well. Set aside.
5. Combine almond flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; mix well.
6. Add almond meal mixture to egg mixture; mix until just blended.
7. Spoon batter into each prepared muffin cup, filling a little less than ½ full.
8. Spoon about 1 heaping tsp. cream cheese mixture into the center of each muffin. Evenly fill muffin cups ¾ full with remaining batter.
9. Sprinkle muffins evenly with pumpkin seeds.
10. Bake 18 to 22 minutes, or until golden brown and toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
11. Transfer pumpkin muffins to rack; cool.Tips:
You can make your own almond flour by processing 1 cup slivered almonds in food processor (or blender with a strong motor). Make sure that you pulse in 20-second intervals to prevent the almonds from turning into almond butter. 1 cup of slivered almonds yields approximately 1 cup of almond flour.
If you can’t find almond flour in your store, you can look at club stores or online.Let me know when you try these delicious pumpkin muffins. They are a family favorite! They will fill you up, so are perfect for breakfast or a quick healthy snack!
(Courtesy of Beachbody Blog)
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Oct 13 2016 
Blueberry Protein Muffins – Gluten Free – Dairy Free
💓Blueberry Protein Muffins Gluten Free / Dairy FreeNeed a quick easy breakfast idea? Want to make sure it is as healthy as possible and anyone in the family can have them? This little blueberry protein muffins are loved by everyone in our home. If you need a quick fix in the morning or throughout the day, these have worked well for me!
Blueberry Protein Muffins Recipe:
1 can pumpkin
4 eggs
3 ripe bananas
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
2 cups frozen or fresh blueberries
3 Tbs olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 Tbsp honey
Spray muffin papers and preheat oven to 350°. Mix everything and add blueberries and walnuts last. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes. They freeze well and the kids LOVE them. See more on my Instagram stories today only. (Click my profile picture) 🙂 @stacyrody Enjoy!!!Do you like baking this time of year as much as we do? These blueberry protein muffins will definitely make you want to bake!! Let me know what you think of them!
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Apr 18 2016 
Avocado Brownie Recipe! – Fudgtastic and Delicious!
Avocado Brownie Recipe
I can successfully say my desserts are all mapped out for the week ? Food prep is vital, right? I have a Paleo strawberry rhubarb crisp I’m making tomorrow and NO I’m not pregnant. Just love playing with desserts that have no harsh sugars in them like this brownie recipe. But for realzies, this brownie dessert is the bomb and way easier on our “gut” than a box. Knowing the exact ingredients in our food is SUPER important!
Check it:
~1 medium ripe avocado
~1/4 cup melted coconut oil
~1 large egg
~1/2 cup maple syrup
~1tsp. vanilla
Blend it all up and then add in the dry ingredients:
~3/4 cup cocoa powder | unsweetened
~1/4 Pamela’s GF Baking mix or GF flour
~1/2 sea salt
~1/3 cup dark choc chipsPreheat oven to 350. Line an 8×8 baking dish with foil. Spray foil with cooking spray. Pour into pan and bake for 33-36 minutes until done. I let the kids decorate their brownie section with tiny marshmallows and it came out yummy. Not only did they like it…but they loved it! So did my hubby. This was his one dessert for the week and he demolished it! I didn’t know if it would be very good, but it was a hit and we will be making it again. Remember, as in all things moderation is the key. I didn’t have 3 servings, I had one. So make sure you protect yourself and only eat smaller portions. This could work for the 21 Day Fix meal plan, but you can only have a small amount because there is a lot of fat.
I stole this from the amazing Team Beachbody blog. I also apologize for posting it at 9:30 at night. It’s now time to drink water and go to bed. Please do not get up and make these? but you’ll love them when you do get a chance!!! Did you notice my “corner” piece? Who else loves the corners?
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Apr 13 2016 
The LOVE/HATE Relationship of Food Prep!
•I Love Food Prep • I Hate Food Prep•
Okay maybe I hate food prep a little more than I want to admit, but it’s so worth having it done. I’m happy when I have fast healthy choices for me and the family.
Here’s what I just did:
✅ Cut and washed the romaine and kale.
✅ Cooked two types of organic sausages.
✅ Prepped the taco meat and used one package ground turkey mixed with one package ground turkey breast.
✅ Baked paleo pumpkin muffins for the kids breakfast and before bed snack if they are begging for more food ? (recipe on my Instagram)
Here’s our menu for the week:
Monday: Tacos
Tuesday: Roasted brussel sprouts and almond flour breaded chicken tenders with Fixate Cookbook, honey mustard dressing dip
Wednesday: Kale salad and sausages
Thursday: Udi’s GF cheese pizza (my late work night) with green beans
Friday: Sweet potato fries and leftovers of their choice. We usually do popcorn for our movie night, too!
Now to enjoy my strawberry, goat cheese, walnut salad..???#phew#foodprep
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Feb 21 2016 
When to Drink Shakeology?!
Have You Ever Wondered, When to Drink Shakeology?
When to drink Shakeology? It is more of a common question than you might think. With a meal replacement like Shakeology, that has so many advantages, you want to make sure that you might be consuming it at the proper time so as to maximize those advantages! The true answer is, there is no correct time because it totally depends on your specific schedule and the needs you have in your nutrition.
Here Are Your Choices For When To Drink Shakeology
Most the time, t works good for me to drink Shakeology an hour and a half or so after breakfast. It offers me a ton of energy for the rest of the day. It allows me to be sustained till lunch and keeps my mind sharp. It’s essential to notice that though Shakeology is a meal substitute, you can actually drink it at any time outside of your three main meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). The comfort of the drink is what makes this meal alternative so efficient!
Shakeology is an outstanding meal replacement that’s made up of over 70+ superfood components to help you drop a few pounds, increase vitality and immunity, improve digestion and regularity, and it may well even lower your cholesterol. My husband’s cholesterol went from 230 to 150 in 6 months. That was also with working out consistently, as well as eating healthy in addition to Shakeology. It is not a magical pill or something that happens overnight. It is about consistency. It slowly helps in getting your body balanced.
is shakeology a good pre workout?
Pre Exercise – With regards to a pre workout, you COULD use Shakeology… but I do not. My husband has a scoop of it when he wakes up early. He has that, waits 15 minutes and then has Energize, the pre workout that both Matt and I have daily. It is great for energy and getting your body going, but truly isn’t made to be a pre workout.
Can Shakeology be a good Post Workout Recovery Drink?
Post Workout Recovery -Directly after my workout I used to have Shakeology, a banana and some L-Glutamine. That gave me protein, carbs and what not, but I definitely still get sore. What I now have, most recently is a Beachbody Performance Line supplement called Recover. I have this ready to go and take it as soon as I’m done with my workout. Then, about 30 minutes later, I will make my Shakeology. I hardly get sore when I have the combo. I will say, there are days that my workouts and the timing of Shakeology don’t coincide. I also share it with my kiddos. So if I can’t get my workout in before the kids wake up, I have it regardless for breakfast.
So it’s not so much of a problem of when to drink Shakeology, but what time of the day is the best time FOR YOU! It is a meal replacement, especially for a woman, so feel free to have it when you feel sapped for energy. I have some friends and clients that love it during the mid afternoon. That time of the day when you might start feeling lethargic. So, know that you are getting the most healthy meal of the day when you drink Shakeology!
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Jan 27 2016 
Awesome Salmon Gluten-Free Dinner
Salmon Gluten-Free Dinner
I love have a gluten-free dinner that my whole family enjoys. I was the queen of white bread sandwiches with the crust cut off. Doritos. Candy. Fast food. Frozen dinners. All throughout my 20’s. As my husband started his health transformation, after our daughter was born, and I started seeing how much his nutrition made a difference, I really started finding new options. Finding staple gluten-free options is now a priority.
Now at 37, I don’t have time or the freedom to have my energy completely zapped from me with poor nutrition. I have fought the good fight to say bye-bye to fast food and that was a slow process! Our kids don’t even know what McDonald’s is. Extreme? Maybe, but we want them to have proper fuel just like we do. They ate this for dinner last night too! Meals like this used to be boring to me and now they are a blessing.
Salmon Gluten-Free Dinner Recipe
- Broiled wild salmon with Trader Joe’s garlic salt on it (7-10 minutes under a 500 degree broil).
- The topping is a recipe from ohsheglows.com
- One avocado
- 1/2 cup of cilantro
- 1-2 Tbsp lime juice
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1-2 Tbsp of water
- Food process until smooth!
So very delicious as a dip for anything! We steamed broccoli and there you have it. A wonderful, absolutely balanced gluten-free dinner that really keeps the body happy and healthy. Do not think that you aren’t making a difference when you put the right food in front of your family. Their bodies will love you for it! As the mother of the house, I really take pride in providing the best options possible, especially for my kids. So go make your gluten-free dinner and your family will love you for it!
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Jan 22 2016 
Taco Salad, Keeping it Healthy!
Taco Salad
I’m sure we can agree tacos might be our favorite meal! I used to hit up Taco Bell twice a week! In fact, while I was pregnant with my first child, Matt and I had the tough decision of where to eat on break from our birth training class ? Would it be McDonald’s or Taco Bell? Taco Bell won, but it was a close call.
We haven’t had fast food since Jude was born 3 1/2 years ago. It was a personal decision to just say goodbye forever and never look back. We feel SO much better! Those gut bombs are not worth it!
So now, I make a taco salad and pretend it tastes like a double-decker, lol.
Taco Salad Recipe
✔Swap out the tortilla for a bed of lettuce
✔Swap the sour cream for high protein Greek yogurt
✔Swap the cheese for lots of salsa and jalapeño
✔Swap the fatty beef for turkey (I like to mix one pack of ground turkey breast and one pack of regular turkey)
✔Swap the MSG filed taco seasonings for you own seasoning blend. Mine is from the 21 Day FixThis is a slim tummy recipe as compared to a bloated sad tummy. Tag a friend you wanna eat taco salad with??!!!
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Jan 12 2016 
Protein Pancake Recipe! Gluten-Free of Course!
Protein Pancake Recipe
This protein pancake recipe is fantastic. It is absolutely perfect for a yummy weekend breakfast or perhaps a fun breakfast for dinner idea? A great way to get some protein with your carbs. These pancakes are packed with protein and will be perfect for getting the kiddos full with a healthy meal! Matt took the original recipe on the back of the pancake mix package and changed it up. He said it took him about 10 tries before he finally found the right measurements. We will have these any time! When you are gluten-free it is nice having something like this, because literally, they taste better than buttermilk pancakes. A lot of time they come as gluten-free lunch ideas! So don’t just think they are a breakfast specialty…they’re not.
Here’s chef Matt’s signature Protein Pancake Recipe:
- Heat pan to med-high with 1 Tbsp of avocado oil
- 1/4- 1/2 cup Pamela’s gluten-free pancake baking mix
- Match the amount of water to the amount of Pamela’s you used
- Wisk in 6-8 eggs
- Add 1-2 Tbsp of avocado oil.
Makes enough for our family of 4. The kids love them so it fills them up the whole morning. Perfect if you have a busy Saturday!! I love the fluffy egginess (is that a word;)?) Sometimes a protein pancake recipe comes from just experimenting!
Enjoy!
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Jan 10 2016 
Healthy Pesto Recipe – Beyond Delicious!
?Healthy Pesto Recipe?
Our families favorite meal! This healthy pesto recipe is the best meal. If you want something clean and fancy for dinner this weekend, you’ll love this! It is not just any recipe. We have been having this one at least one to two times a month for a few years now. We all love it. My son, my daughter and especially my husband. It also makes pretty good left-overs.
I want to talk about basil. I have included a break down the health benefits from Dr. Mercola.
“Basil also is considered one of the healthiest herbs. It’s best when fresh, exuding a sweet, earthy aroma that indicates not only the promise of pleasantly pungent flavor, but an impressive list of nutrients. Vitamin K, essential for blood clotting, is one of them. Just two tablespoons of basil provides 29 percent of the daily recommended value.
Basil also provides vitamin A, which contains beta-carotenes, powerful antioxidants that protect the cells lining a number of numerous body structures, including the blood vessels, from free radical damage. This helps prevent cholesterol in blood from oxidizing, helping to prevent atherosclerosis, heart attacks, and stroke.
Other vitamins and minerals in basil include iron, calcium, manganese, magnesium, vitamin C and potassium. Not surprisingly, basil also has antibacterial properties and contains DNA-protecting flavonoids. It’s the flavonoids and volatile oils in basil that give it the most health benefits, the former protecting on the cellular level, with antibacterial properties related to its volatile oils. Among these are estragole, linalool, cineole, eugenol, sabinene, myrcene, and limonene, all capable of restricting the growth of numerous harmful bacteria, including listeria, staphylococcus, E. coli, yersinia enterocolitica, and pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Some antibiotic medications which have been found to be resistant to some of these strains have been inhibited by basil extracts. One of those oils – eugenol – can block the activity of the harmful enzyme cyclooxygenase (COX). This same effect puts basil in the “anti-inflammatory” category because it provides relief from related problems, such as rheumatoid arthritis.”
Basil is something that I really think is important to add into our diets on a normal basis. I also use the basil essential oil with an infuser in our house about once a week or every other week.
Healthy Pesto Recipe
- I buy Trader Joe’s live basil plant because it’s the best price in town. Rinse and tear leaves away from the stem. I use the whole plant.
- 2 Tablespoons of pine nuts
- 1/4 cup of shredded Parmesan (or) a vegan option is nutritional yeast. You can find it in the bulk section.
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
- As many garlic gloves as you want. I usually do 3-4
- Salt and pepper
That’s it! The best healthy pesto recipe out there!! Blend everything in a food processor and mix with your favorite brown rice noodle or gluten-free pasta and you have delicious pesto pasta dinner. Oh, zucchini noodles could work for this too! Yum! It’s amazing topped with thinly sliced broiled chicken and a few extra pine nuts sprinkled on top. Let me know what you think of this healthy pesto recipe and leave a comment if you have any suggestions on making it better!
Enjoy!
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