Blog Bites: Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

I'm mildly obsessed with the Skinnytaste blog and cookbook.  Who isn't?

And it's football season.  So of course I had to peruse her snacks to see if I could find something fun and football-ish for Sunday Funday.

This spicy cauliflower bites are DELICIOUS.  I actually used a combo of broccoli and cauliflower.  The broccoli worked great because the florets really held the batter and sauce.

These are super easy and perfect for gameday!

Skinnytaste:  Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

Fabulous Find: Jif Peanut Powder

True fact.  I love peanut butter (and yet I hate actual peanuts, go figure).

I will legit put peanut butter on or in anything I can. 

Unfortunately, while it does have it's protein benefits, it's also got a lot of fat. 

There have been several brands of peanut powders on the market, yet they all seem pretty pricey.  Not that I didn't buy them, I did.  But in the interest of saving money, this new one caught my eye.

So at first I was skeptical.  But the price was a good 3 dollars less than my favorite, PB2, so I figured, what did I have to lose?

And then I looked at the back.

The ONLY ingredient is roasted peanuts.  In three tablespoons, there are 8 grams of protein and only 2 grams of fat.

Consider me sold.

But....does it taste good?

So far I've added 2 tablespoons to a chocolate smoothie and 1 tablespoon to a half cup of Greek yogurt, and I have to say, I'm impressed.  The price is right, the ingredients are right, and the taste is right.

Keep an eye out!

Fave YouTubers: Healthy Grocery Girl

So I'm searching for healthy recipes towards the end of the summer and I come across this Back to School series.  And I fell down the rabbit hole.  Hours.

But it was worth it!  Healthy Grocery Girl, aka Megan Roosevelt, is a registered dietician who has some fabulous healthy, plant based recipes.  I've already tried a few and just love them!  Her videos are quick (unless, like me, you watch hours of them!) and her recipes are super easy.

Check out her blog here.

And this is one of the recipes I've tried!  Apple Almond Butter Overnight Oats!

Make sure to subscribe to her channel!

Avocado Corn Salad

Because let's face it, avocado makes everything better!

This is a quick and easy salad that's perfect for outdoor functions because there is no mayo.  It's light and delicious with a good dose of protein.

For good measure, I roasted the corn.  It made the corn a bit sweeter and deeper in flavor and really added to the flavor of the salad.

Corn and Avocado Salad

2 cans of corn, drained + salt and pepper
29 oz. can of black beans, rinsed and drained
4 basil leaves, torn
1 tsp. olive oil
1 avocado, diced
3/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
Juice of one lime
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 400.  Spread corn in single layer on large baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast for 9 minutes, toss, and then roast for about 9 more minutes (keep and eye so it doesn't burn).    Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Once corn in cool, combine corn, black beans, avocado, goat cheese, basil, and salt and pepper in large bowl.  Add olive oil and toss to combine.    Finish off with the fresh lime juice, salt and pepper.  May be served at room temperature or cold!

Blog Bites: Maple Bacon Breakfast Muffins

Ah, football.  Welcome back!  I'm a HUGE Jets fan, and had some tickets to the home opener with some friends.  I was looking for something fun and easy that wouldn't necessarily need to be heated up. 

When I saw these muffins on Mystery Lover's Kitchen, I knew these were the ticket.  On the blog, there is a from scratch version as well as a version using a pancake mix.  I used the one with the pancake mix and they were delicious!

I only made a couple of modifications to this recipe.  One is I made mini muffins.  I doubled the batter and it made about 32 mini muffins.  I also used maple flavored bacon to up the maple factor.

Maple Bacon Breakfast Muffins from Mystery Lover's Kitchen

Sunshine Smoothie

I am a big fan of the smoothie.  It's quick, easy, and when you make it at home and can control the ingredients, it's delicious.

I do have a small blender, but for this bad boy I used my Ninja because I had some whole fruits and wanted a really high quality blender to do the work.  As a word of warning, the smoothie itself wasn't completely smooth, but it was definitely enjoyable!

This smoothie is bright and citrusy and perfect for summer (or when you need a summer boost in the dead of winter!).

As a tip, whenever I use bananas in my smoothies, I use frozen ones.  It eliminates the need for ice and it makes the smoothie super thick and creamy!

Sunshine Smoothie

1 frozen banana
1/2 seedless orange, peeled and sectioned
1 cup chopped pineapple
1 small container 0% Greek yogurt
1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or milk of choice)

Throw all the ingredients in blender and mix until smooth!

Chocolate Coconut Raspberry Overnight Oats

I am kind of sort of obsessed with overnight oats.  I absolutely love them for breakfast, but have also found they are a great make ahead lunch for the week!  And oats are pretty much a blank canvas, so you can really choose the flavors that work for you.

For me?  That's always chocolate.  And I had found these delicious raspberries at the store and so the wheels started spinning.

You can make these the night before or a couple of nights before and either way?  Delicious!

Chocolate Coconut Raspberry Overnight Oats

1/3 cup oats
1/3 cup 0% plain Greek yogurt
1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk (or milk of your choice)
1/2 tsp. coconut extract
2 1/2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 packet Stevia or sweeter of choice
1/2 cup fresh raspberries

In a bowl, combine oats, yogurt, milk, extract, cocoa powder, and Stevia.

Spoon half of the oats mixture into a mason jar.  Layer half the raspberries.  Spoon the rest of the oat mixture and top with the rest of the raspberries.

Let sit overnight and enjoy!