Chips and Dip, sinful? NOT

Who doesn't love potato chips and creamy dip? Well, I can't think of anyone. Chips and dip is one of those things that is def a treat and a snack that's hard to quit on! But i baked up sweet potato chips until they were crispy and dunked them in a greek yogurt dill dip! This is a snack that's easy and delish, you will love making it for a party or just a movie night!
Chips n Dip
1 sweet potato, thinly sliced
cooking spray
1/2 c greek yogurt
2-4T dried dill weed
1t granulated garlic
s&p
squirt of lemon juice
1. Oven @ 375.
2. Place sliced sp on a sprayed cookie sheet in a single layer then LIGHTLY spritz the tops w cooking spray and sprinkle w salt. (this will take 2 batches) Bake for 10-12 min or until crispy, watch closely! Then let cool on a cooling rack, they will get crispier as they sit.
2. Mix together g-yo, dill, garlic, s&p, and lemon. Then dunk your chips!
<3 whollygirl

chicken salad, um yum!

Who doesn't like chicken salad!? If you don't you should just stop ready or try my recipe, because I think I can convert you. I take all of the guilt out of this chicken salad and boost the protein by using greek yogurt instead of mayo. I promise you will not miss a thing!
Chicken Salad
1.5 to 2 c shredded or chopped cooked chicken
1/4 c or so of greek yogurt
1/2 t celery seed
s&p
1 t dill weed
squirt of dijon mustard
1/4 t crushed red pep
handful of grapes
few thin slices of white onion
1. Mix all ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. Spoon on a slice of toast with tomato, sprouts, and spinach! This will rock your mouth. <3 whollygirl

#3o'clockslump

People have different relationships with 3:00 pm. The kids love it, out of school for the day! But for adults, it clocks the countown until rush hour. 3 can hit you so hard all you want to do is nap, but with the right snack you will be energized to get through the rest of the work day and feel good about it! An important thing to snacking right in the afternoon is getting your fats in! It's important that you have that fat so your brain can do its job. Now, saying that, you want the right fats, not a candy bar or slice of pizza. Hummus (made with edamame) and veggies will leave you satisfied, both hunger wise and mentally.
Green Hummus
2 c cooked and shelled edamame (soy beans)
2 T oil (i use olive)
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
3 T lemon juice
1/2 t salt
1 t paprika
handful of olives or sundried tomatoes
**extra liquid if it's too thick
assorted veggies, pretzels, warm pita
1. Place the first 6 ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth. Adding extra liquid if needed.
2. Serve with your fav veggies, pretzels, or warm ww pita!
2 T is a serving of hummus (24 cals, 3g fat, 3g protien)
<3 whollygirl

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Even with a healthy lifestyle you still have to live a little! This a remake of grandma's and I think you will love it:) Even though it is a healthier version of our favorite, moderation is still key! Try to stick to just a few, but it will be rough to not eat the whole batch! **  These cookies are very thin, if you like a thicker but still chewy cookie, use regular all purpose (organic) flour instead of the spelt flour. Also, baby cereal works if you do not have oat bran. To make this cookie vegan use carob chips instead of dark chocolate.

Chocolatey Coconut Cookies

½ C coconut oil (any oil can be substituted)

3 T organic cinnamon applesauce

½ t sea salt, finely ground

1 T pure vanilla extract

½ C plus 2 T sugar in the raw

1 C whole spelt flour

2 T oat bran

½ t baking soda

1/3 C organic dark chocolate chips

2 T shredded, unsweetened coconut

1.     Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F, and set out two non-stick cookie sheets, or line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2.     In a large bowl, mix together applesauce, coconut oil, salt, vanilla, and sugar.

3.     In a medium bowl, whisk together spelt flour, oat bran, and baking soda. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir using a wooden spoon.

4.     Once your dry is incorporated to the wet carefully fold in the chocolate chips and coconut (you may use a rubber spatula for this step for easy folding).

5.     Using a teaspoon, make dollops of cookie dough onto your prepared baking sheets. Then bake at 325 for 7-9 minutes, rotating your cookie 180 degrees sheet after 4 minutes. Cookies will be pretty thin, so watch them close!

Makes about 36 cookies.

I like to be naked.

Naked. Fully exposed, no covers, what you see is what you get. And that's what I love.. about naked burgers! Come on now, I'm not that dirty;) I took grass fed beef and filled it with simple, bursts of flavor that will just take your breath away. You will love eating naked.
Spinach-Goat Cheese Burgers
makes 3 small burgers, or 2 large ones
1/2 lb grass fed ground beef
2-3 T spinach puree (handful of spinach, 1 T sundried tomatoes, 1 t garlic, 1/4 t crushed red pep, s&p all blended together in a food processor)
2 t flax meal
1 ounce or a few T of crumbled goat cheese
1. mix all ingredients together w your hands. Form into patties and grill 4-5 min per side. EAT
Naked is the best:)

You give me a ticket, I'll make some meatballs.

I was having such an awesome day, school was chill, my workout was awesome, and then a cop had to go and do their job! I was coming home from the gym and I got a ticket for expired plates. Bummer. But, life still goes on and it's really not a big deal. So I decided to make spaghetti and meatballs for dinner! It's one of those comfort foods that just make you happy. I swapped ground beef for turkey and added some stuff to bulk up these turkeyballs! Jarred tomato sauce and buckwheat noodles made this dinner healthy, quick, and enjoyable:)
Turkey-Flax Meatballs
BASED ON 1/2lb OF TURKEY
Ground turkey (1/4 lb per person)
Splash of balsamic vinegar
2 t olive oil (mine was infused w smashed garlic cloves)
1 t dried or fresh italian seasonings
s&p
1/2 t crushed red pepper
1/2 slice ww bread tore up
big spoonful of ground flax meal
1 T egg whites (or 1/2 beaten egg)
1. Combine all ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. Form into 1inch balls and brown over medium high heat. Then add in your fav jarred spag sauce and cover. Continue cooking until the meatballs are fully cooked, about 10 min over low heat.
2. Serve meatballs and sauce over your favorite ww noodles! I used buckwheat noodles tonight!

ENJOY. Sit down with your family, TV off and your favorite music on. Talk and just appreciate that the most important thing is sitting across from you at the table:) love, whollygirl <3

Tater Loveee

Thanksgiving is def one of my favorite holidays. All of the food just makes my mouth water! It seems like we count our calories and fat for days just to save up for our plate full of love. Even though I love all the rich foods I dont love the foodbaby that comes along with it! But for one day, that's kind of okay;) But my all time favorite thanksgiving food is sweet potatoes! I've messed around with different variations for the perfect candied yams and I finally came up with one that is the perfect mix of sweet and still has that natural sweet tater taste. I roasted sweet potatoes with real grade B maple syrup and coconut oil, and everyone loved them! You can't even tell the difference..
Roasted Sweet Taters
5-6 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1inch pieces
2 T coconut oil
1/2 c real maple syrup (i use grade B but grade A is alright too)
squeeze of lemon
sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon
s&p to taste
1. Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl and make sure that everything gets coated. Then pour into a 13x9 pan.
2. Roast, covered, in a 400 oven for 20 min. Then, remove cover and roast for another hour. Stir every 20 min.

November 20th.. a National Holiday!?

Today is my mothers birthday. She's only 31! (okay, not really but don't say anything) She also has been prepping me and everyone else for her birthday for a good week. She would say stuff like "oh, i bet your baby is waiting to be born until sunday.. you know the national holiday." Goofy, right!? But anyway, for her holiday festivities I am making her dinner. It's crummy weather so she decided on Chicken Tortilla Soup! Simple but delish:) Baked corn tortillas and a spicy soup will make this birthday unforgettable!
Zesty Tortilla Soup
4 c broth (chick or veg) or more if you like a lot of broth
1 can fire roasted tomatoes, not drained.. you want that liquid!
1 can green chiles
1 can black beans, drained
1 can corn, drained
2-3 c shredded or diced chicken (cooked)
1/2 onion, chopped
2 poblano peppers, chopped
2 T cumin
1 T smoked paprika
1 T oil (olive, canola, or coconut)
s&p to taste
corn tortillas
1. Preheat your oven to 425.
2. In a stock pot sautee onion and poblanos w the oil until soft. Add in rest of ingredients(except tortillas) and simmer for 20ish  minutes on medium-low. Serve w tortillas and toppings of your choice like cilantro, lime, and avocado.
3. Cut corn tortillas (2 per serving) into wedges or strips and place on baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 5-7 minutes or until crispy!
Let me know what you think!:)

Be a fruitnut!

Yesterday I made raw/vegan fruit and nut bars! They were so simple and the fact that all the ingredients are in their pure form you know that you still have all the nutrients. I used figs as my main fruit, they are high in fiber and calcium! Walnuts and pecans brought this bar together and cinnamon is infused. I really really hope that you make this recipe for yourself, your family, and your friends. I'm so excited about it and the are so simple! This natural energy bar will keep you going and all of the unsaturated fats will keep you full.
Fruit and Nut Bars
8 oz package of dried figs, chopped
handful of raisins
cinnamon stick
1 t vanilla extract
1 c or so of walnuts
1 c of pecans
1/4 c flax seeds (you can use whole or ground)
1. Place chopped figs, raisins, and cinnamon stick in a medium sized bowl and cover with warm water. Let sit for about an hour.
2. In a food processor (may want to do this is two batches!) combine your fruit, drained and cinnamon stick removed, nuts, vanilla, and flax seeds.
3. Process until smooth, a few chunks is alright! Then press into an 8x8(for thicker bars) or 9x13(for thin, skinny bars) baking dish. Put them into the fridge until set.. about an hour. Then cut into bars!

Hope you dig these! Love lots.. whollygirl:)

saweeeet potatoes!!

Okay, so I am very in love with the sweet potato. SP's are super high in beta carotene, which can help raise our blood levels of vitamin A! There are just so many good things about this lovely potato.. but to get all the benefits of the beta carotene levels you want to have fat with/in your SP. I'm not talking about a bagful of cheese and a stick of butter, but a tablespoon or so of coconut oil will do the trick. Since thanksgiving is in a week I have been thinking of ideas for a healthier sweet potato recipe. I love marshmallow topped gooey potatoes but a lighter version will do! What if I did grade B maple potatoes with homemade mallows or a homemade meringue sweetened with agave? Let me know what you think and if you have any ideas. blogging soon... whollygirl:)

For the Love of Fall

Tonight it was a bit breezy, dark, and moody and I was CRAVING some comfort food! So I decided to make a tex-mex turkey chili with homemade ww cornbread. It was so amazing and I can wait for you to try this on a drury day.. it will def pep you up!
Tex-Mex Chili
1 lb ground turkey
1/4 c chopped red onion
2 cans ranch beans (jalapeno style)
1 can pinto beans
1 can kidney beans
1 small can or 1/2 c salsa verde
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
1 can or large jar tomato juice (w/ pulp)
1 can chick broth (fill up a bean can)
1 pack chili seasoning (salt free)
2 bay leafs
to taste: oregano, pepper, garlic powder, and cumin (about a T each)

In a large non-stick pot over med-high heat cook red onion and turkey. Then add all remaining ingredients to pot and simmer over med-low heat until hot. You can simmer for a few hours if you have time to intensify all your flavors! Remove bay leafs and serve with fresh cilantro, chopped jalapeno, lime wedges, and avacado. You'll love it!
For the ww cornmuffins:
Purchase a container of cornmeal and prepare to the manufactures instructions on the box. But, sub whole wheat flour for all purpose, apple sauce for oil, and agave nectar for sugar. These turn out better than the box and they are super simple!
Hope you love! Muah!! <3

A Heavenly Toast

I got up this morning craving a big breakfast! Normally I would have a bowl of oatmeal but today I decided to have three eggs, a glass of raw milk, and my favorite part of the morning... honey-feta toast:) OMG this stuff is so good! One of my best friends (Shahrzod) is persian and so even at breakfast their eating habits are bit different than ours. One morning we had eggs, bacon, and toast. But the toast blew my mind. Its just a slice of wheat toast with a tablespoon of honey and a about a tablespoon of feta cheese. I know, it sounds funky but it's delish! I really hope you try this because you will never go back to toast and jelly.

simple, sweet, crunchy. [granola]

I was craving granola and I didn't want to make a trip to the supermarket, I also wanted to save a few bucks! ;) So I made a fool proof, simple granola recipe that you can add your own twist to. I hope you love it and let me know what you did to jazz up this granola!

3 c whole oats
1/2 c wheat germ
1/2 c flax seed
3 T canola oil
3 T honey
dash of cinnamon
1/2 c chopped pecans
1/4 c ww flour
1/2 t vanilla

Preheat your oven to 325.
In a large bowl mix all ingredients together then spread out evenly on a large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15 min thin stir and bake for an additional 5-10 min until golden. Let set until at room temp then enjoy! You can use your granola to top yogurt, crust chicken, and form into bars! Hope you la la love it:)

Breakfast. The BEST meal:)

I was up earlier than expected this morning because of the time change! So I decided to make a big breakfast for my friends that spent the night. One of my friends (Logan Everett) is lactose intolerant! So I made my baked french toast with vanilla soymilk instead. I also made my own b-fast sausage! I used ground turkey breast. I combined 1/2lb of the meat with 1 t poultry seasoning and 1 t maple syrup and salt, pepper, and chile flakes! I formed the meat into patties and it was fantastic with scrambled eggs, french toast, and I even had a glass of raw milk for myself:) Hope you like this idea for the next big breakfast you decide to have with your friends and family!

Crackling Oatmeal

You don't have to eat rice cereal topped with spoonfuls of sugar to listen to your breakfast. This morning I made oatmeal that will have your ears tuning in and your tastebuds begging for more. The loud crackle got my dad's attention as he sat across the room on the couch. Apples, walnuts, and a hint of cinnamon make this oatmeal my total fav! Try it out and let me know what you think:)
Crackling Oatmeal
(1 serving)
3/4 c quick oats
1 1/2 c milk (I use raw)
1/2 small apple, chopped
small palmful of walnuts, chopped
2 t cinnamon, divided
1 t sugar or honey (optional)

1. In a small bowl(covered) or steamer bag, place apples and 1 t cinnamon in and toss to coat. Then, microwave the apples for 2 minutes. Set aside.
2. While apples are cooking, put chopped walnuts in a dry skillet on med low heat. Stirring frequently, cook until you can smell the walnuts.
3. While walnuts are cooking, make your oatmeal. Oats, milk, cinnamon and sugar if wanted. Cook for 2 min in the microwave.
4. Putting it all together! Top your oatmeal with walnuts, then pour apples over the walnuts. You will hear the crackle! Enjoy.

Peanut Butter?

I was checking out the pb's at the grocery store today and I noticed something.. they are peanut butter SPREADS. This means that they added oil and other stuff like high fructose corn syrup. Even the all natural versions have palm oil added! So the next time you buy your butter look for the kind that is just peanuts or peanuts and salt. You should also try almond butter. Almonds are high in monounsaturated fats which can help lower your risk for heart disease!
Fun Fact- Almonds are actually the seed of the fruit of the almond tree.

Go Greek

I la-la-love greek yogurt! It's so high in protein and it's super creamy too! This weekend I was thinking outside the carton and decided to cook with my favorite dairy:) I added spices like tumeric, cinnamon, cumin, and cilantro to my yogurt and smothered it all over a few chicken breasts and chopped bell peppers. I cooked the chicken with the lid on and it was so tender! I also added about a cup of raw milk and a little bit of cornstarch slurry to thicken up my chicken and g-yo sauce! I served it over some dill and green onion whole wheat cous cous. #crazygood