Easy No-Bake Protein Cookie Balls

These protein cookies are take less than 20 min to make and will placate your sweet tooth without derailing your healthy New Years goals.  They give you a good dose of energy from the complex carbs in the rolled oats; you get a substantial dose of fiber from the oats, chia seeds, and flax seeds; you'll gain extra protein from the protein powder and nut butters; and finally, you will add good fats to your diet with the nut butters and shredded coconut.  These ingredients combine well to boost long term energy without any added sugar.  They are a nutritious way to pack some extra nutrients into your body throughout the day. I eat them before my workout or for a quick breakfast.  I hope that you enjoy them as much as I do.

No-Bake Protein Cookie Balls

2 cups of Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats
2 cups of no sugar added organic peanut butter or other nut butter of your choice (do NOT drain off the excess oil)
2/3 cup Organic Raw Honey
1 oz scoop of no sugar added chocolate protein powder
1 cup unsweetened dried shredded coconut
1Tablespoon of chia  seeds
1 teaspoon of ground flax seed
Sesame seeds (optional)*

Pour all ingredients into a bowl and mix well.  I find it easiest to combine the ingredients by hand instead of spatula because of how dense this cookie is. I also prefer to spray my hands with coconut oil to prevent the ingredients from sticking.  Once well combined, roll dough into balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.  Continue to coat hands with oil as needed.  Refrigerate for 1 hour, serve chilled.

*For added variation, I will roll half my cookies in loose sesame seeds.  This adds a delicious, unique flavor.

Easy Flavorful Chicken Salad

Flavorful Chicken Salad

1 cup Whole Greek Yogurt

12 oz can of Cooked chicken

1/4 cup Sweet and Hot Jalapeños, minced

1 Stalk Organic Celery, minced

1/2 teaspoon Onion powder

1/2 Ground Mustard seed

1/4 teaspoon Garlic powder

Juice of 1 Lemon

Salt and Pepper to taste

Pinenuts, Walnuts, OR Slivered Almonds for Garnish

Mix all ingredients (except Nuts) together in a medium bowl.  Stirring until mixed. Add salt and pepper to taste, stir.  Garnish with one of the above nuts.  Serve in Organic Lettuce leaves* or with sliced veges.  I usually eat my chicken salad with Organic Celery, Rainbow Baby carrots, and Sliced red/orange/yellow pepper.

*If serving in lettuce leaves, add a few slices of avocado for an added boost to the good fats.

ENJOY!!!!

New Year Cleanse

The new year is upon us and with that I am doing a New Year cleanse.  I start by weighing myself to see what I am working with.  I will just say, it's more than I need to way for my height, but I'm ok with that because I have lost 11 pounds over the last 6 months by making healthy nutrition choices and getting rid of many major stressors in my life. 

I'm hoping to continue that loss and jump start my metabolism by doing a Cleanse that involves getting rid of all process foods, sugar, alcohol, dairy, and simple carbs.  This is my goal for 1 month.  

Today is the first day.

The reason I find it important to do a cleanse a few times a year is to clean out my body of every toxin I put into it.  I know the liver does a very good job of doing this, but this is my way of assisting it. I am giving my body all the nutrition it needs in an easily digestible way, so that it can utilize all the nutrients in a fully functional, maximized way.  In addition, I am taking herbs that assist in the cleansing process... speak to your healthcare provider before starting any new herbs or changing your diet.

So this is what my cleanse looks like.

When I woke up, I started by drinking 8 oz of water and taking my cleansing herbs.

Then I had a cup of coffee sweetened with 1 Tablespoon of honey and a Tablespoon of whole coconut cream; the unprocessed stuff out of the can.  I chose to keep my coffee.  There are many health benefits, including it helping with elimination and having antioxidants. I cleaned it up to include a healthy fat and a healthy sweetener that boosts the immune system.  In addition, I also decided that keeping my coffee would keep me from feeling like everything enjoyable in my life was ending for 1 month, lol.

For breakfast I made a whole juice that included 4 cups of mixed organic greens, 3 organic carrots (each a different color), 2 stalks of organic celery, 1/2 an organic lemon, and 1organic apple.  It was delicious.  

My goal is to boost my nutrient load and give my body the antioxidants it needs to assist the liver in the clean up all the excess toxins from the previous year.  

Next,  I had 12 oz of water with a capful of raw, organic, apple cider vinegar added to it.  This alkalizes the body and provided good bacteria for the intestines.  FYI: You can taste the vinegar.  I don't mind the flavor, but it can take a bit to get used to.

In addition: 

For lunch, I had a chicken and ginger bone broth soup (see previous post on bone broth).

For a snack, I'm going to have 1 cup blueberries and raspberries,  a 1/4 cup of nuts, and a cup of green tea.

For dinner, I am making lemon pepper chicken, asparagus and mushrooms sautéed in olive oil, garlic, shallots, and lemon, and steamed kale.  The key to a filling dinner when removing simple starches is to use multiple fibrous vegetables. 

My final snack will be homemade protein balls. I will post the recipe in an upcoming blog.

I hope this inspires you as you move forward into a healthy new year.