ALMOND BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP BLONDIES

Good evening guys! Here’s a yummy treat which I must say was very exciting to make! I never thought making healthy blondies were possible because they are famous for their thick, sugary, and chewy texture, and as yummy as that sounds, they aren’t usually very healthy…..until now!

These blondies are grain free, low in sugar (per serving), and high in protein. They also have a lighter texture compared to regular blondies.

If you want to make this recipe vegan, swap the egg with 2 tbsps. of unsweetened applesauce. You can also substitute the almond flour for 1 cup of brown rice flour if you would prefer a more moist texture. Enjoy!

Recipe: makes 9

1 1/4 cups almond flour
1/4 cup organic coconut oil (Nutivia is an excellent brand)
1/4 cup raw almond butter
1/4 cup raw organic honey
1 organic cage free egg
1/2 tsp organic pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp gluten/aluminum free baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips (Enjoy Life brand)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Grease a 9/5 non stick square baking pan with coconut oil and set aside.

Combine coconut oil, honey, almond butter, egg, and vanilla in a bowl and mix until well incorporated, then gently mix in almond flour, baking soda, and sea salt. Add in chocolate chips and mix again, but do not over mix.

Place batter in the baking pan and transfer to the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test.

When ready, let it cool for 5 minutes before cutting into squares and devouring!

PLANTAIN BREAD BOWL WITH SPICY GUACAMOLE AND POACHED SHRIMP

Happy Friday guys! With a rain storm heading our way, I prepared myself for the stormy weekend by doing three things:

Making sure I have gas in my car.

Making sure all my outfits match my hoodies, because lets face it, umbrella’s got nothing on rain storms + wind these days.

Making sure I am well fed, starting with this yummy plantain bowl 🙂

Growing up in an African household, plantains are a very popular staple item and they are usually served fried or boiled, either as a main or a side dish. However, as much as I love plantains, I get bored when I always eat in the same format, so I always try to experiment with methods to creatively incorporate plantains into my dishes while maintaining the flavor by keeping it as the main ingredient 🙂 This recipe was probably the best plantain recipe I’ve ever made! And I believe what made it so yummy was the combination of all three ingredients (plantain bread bowl, guacamole and shrimp) that made it a mouthwatering success! The bread bowl has a fluffy texture and it’s sweet because of the plantain flavor, and the spicy guacamole gets a lot of its flavor from the red onions, cayenne pepper and lemon juice. The poached shrimp creates the perfect finishing touch because of its tender, juicy texture and flavor. oh man, if food was a sexy gentleman I would be in trouble 😉

The trick to making perfect shrimp is by poaching it! I will list the poaching instructions in the ingredient section. When shrimp is boiled or fried, sometimes it loses a lot of its true flavor and tender texture because it is very easy to over cook shrimp. However, when you poach shrimp, it retains its flavor, it stays juicy and tender, and it remains the same size! Since other cooking methods sometimes tend to overcook or shrink it. So next time you have a shrimp craving, consider poaching it if you haven’t tried it already. Cheers!

Recipe: 1 serving

For Bread Bowl:

1/2 a medium ripe plantain
1 tsps. organic coconut oil
1/4 a cup brown rice flour
1/4 tsp gluten/aluminum free baking soda
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 organic cage free egg

For Guacamole:

1/2 an organic avocado
1 tsp. lemon juice (squeezed from lemon)
a dash of sea salt and cayenne pepper
a handful of red onions, grape tomatoes, red/yellow bell peppers, and green onions (chopped)
1 tbsp. chopped cilantro leaves (optional)

For Shrimp:

3-4 jumbo sized raw shrimp (unpeeled)
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 tsps. lemon juice (squeezed from lemon)
1 tsps. basil leaves (dry)
1 tbsp. Mrs. Dash salt free spice blend
A dash of oregano, sea salt, and cayenne pepper

For bread bowl, preheat to 350°F.

Slice plaintain into 4 circles, then add 1 tsps. coconut oil into a skillet over medium heat; fry plantains until edges are brown. When ready, mash plantains with a fork and set aside.

Place remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix until well incorporated, then add plantain and mix until you get a moldable batter.

Line a ramekin dish with parchment paper and place bread batter in it, making sure all the edges of the dish are covered. To make parchment paper stay in the ramekin, dap the paper and the ramekin with a little bit of coconut oil or butter and press it down into the dish, then cut off the excess paper around the edges.

Place in the oven and bake for 12 minutes.

To make guacamole, peel and mash avocado then place remaining ingredients in a bowl and set aside after it’s been mixed together.

To poach shrimp, set the stove to medium heat and add water into the skillet. Let the water boil on the stove until bubbles start to form, then add seasoned shrimp into the skillet and turn of the heat. cover the skillet and leave the shrimp in the skillet until a bright pink color forms.

when all 3 ingredients are ready, assemble and devour!

PEAR RASPBERRY “SHE HULK” GREEN SMOOTHIE

Happy hump day guys! I’m finally back from Paris, which means I’m back to my daily work, fitness, and clean eating routine 🙂 Although I enjoyed all the yummy dessert pleasures that Paris had to offer, my body is crying for a detox, so here we are! This yummy green smoothie was a smart way to kick start my body in the right direction. This smoothie contains:

1 organic pear
1 cup organic fresh raspberries
2 cups organic kale leaves
1 cup organic baby spinach
2 cups organic unsweetened almond milk
1 scoop Sun Warrior Blend raw vanilla protein powder
1 tbsp. chia seeds
A dash of unsweetened coconut sprinkles for flavor, totally optional

Have a great day!

FROM PARIS WITH LOVE❤️

Hey guys! I’m finally back from Paris, France, and boy I must say, words cannot describe how amazing my experience was, so instead I will describe it through pictures 🙂

Basically, just like every country has it’s own monument that makes it well known, Paris is known for the eiffel tower, and of course you can’t go to Paris without going to the tower, because lets face it, no one might believe you lol. But I must say, the tower is so beautiful, majestic, and very intimidating. The best part about going to the eiffel tower was also getting to go inside! And to the very top!

The view of the entire city from the top is amazing! There are three floors in the eiffel tower, and although it’s more convenient to take the elevator, it’s more fun taking the stairs! When coming down of course. You get to admire the detailing of the architecture as well as life size wax sculptures of people who were significant in making the tower what it is today. But of course, the best part of the eiffel tower is how beautiful it looks at night time!

Look at it, and I hate to toot my own horn, but I believe I took a very nice shot 😉

Now that the mesmerizing eiffel tower tour is completed, it’s time to explore the shopping scene. The famous Arc de Triomphe is the starting point for the Champs-Elysèes, which is a very popular street in Paris that has shopping malls, cabaret theatres, restaurants and cafes, bars and nightclubs, and so many more!

Although the stores are quite pricey, you don’t have to go to the Champs for shopping purposes only! There are always street performances going on to keep you entertained, but for the most part, it’s a beautiful place to walk around, especially when you get to see the Arc de Triomphe 🙂

Another thing Paris is known for is the rich history which is preserved in the museums. From the Louvre where the Mona Lisa resides, to The Château de Versailles where historical legends like Napoleon Bonaparte and Marie Antoinette resided. The picture above is a museum which honours the army heroes called Musée de L’Armée, but it’s most famous for housing Napoleons tomb.

Versailles is huge! You need more than a day to cover everything, and you still have to go to the garden, which is another journey on its own, but totally worth it!

And the Louvre, where I got to see the beautiful Mona lisa smirk hehehe. She is indeed famous, because it was difficult getting a picture with over a thousand people trying to get a picture of her.

Ohh this cathedral was beautiful, you feel a sense of calmness and peace when you walk in, especially when you get to listen to the nuns sing. I also got a chance to pray 🙂

And of course I cannot leave out the Notre Dame cathedral, it’s huge! Literally! But oh so beautiful.

So here’s a fun story for you. On Valentine’s Day, I spent a few romantic seconds with this fellow at the Pére Lechaise cemetary. He is known as Victor Noir, who was a famous pianist and politician in the late 1800s. He died while playing Russian roulette and fell to the ground exactly the way it is depicted on his grave. Basically, the sculptor who made his statue made a little booboo by leaving a very questionable bump on his pants, which makes it look like he is happy to see you haha!

!

Basically the myth is, if a woman rubs his feet, his *ahem* bump on his trousers, his heart, and kisses him on the lips, she will either get pregnant or find a soulmate within a year, and although I am not superstitious, I thought it was fun to try, but who knows? 😉

If you are young and want to explore the nightlife, the bars on Bastille (on rue de la roquette and rue de la rappe) and the clubs on the champs-elysées are definitely worth checking out! Just be careful of the bastille area, it can get rowdy and there are a lot of pickpockets everywhere! The bars and clubs are also open until 6am for the most part, so don’t worry about having to get there too early.

And last but not least, you cannot go to Paris without indulging in the goodness of macaroons and crêpes. I mean this is a food blog after all right? 😉

Nutella crêpes with vanilla ice cream and coffee liquor drizzle with toasted almonds and poached pear slices….yumland!

The Ispahan macaroon. It’s a rose flavoured macaroon with scented rose flavoured cream, crunchy caramel nuggets and raspberries! So unique and delicious! The best place to get this is at Laduree on the champs-elysées, and you can even get some to go wrapped up in cute gift boxes.

And that’s a wrap! After ten full days of fun, love, and adventure, and possibly ten extra pounds, I’m back to my reality of work, training, and cooking healthy recipes for your lovely faces! Paris was fun and I can’t wait to go back, but it definitely feels good to be back! I will start posting clean recipes tomorrow, god knows my body needs it!

BAKED CINNAMON FRENCH TOAST WITH BERRIES

Happy Friday guys! Here’s a yummy and protein packed nutritious breakfast for you French toast lovers. I will be leaving for Paris in a few hours, so I decided to sort of get in the spirit by having some French toast for breakfast, even though there are a few debates on wether French toast really originated from France. However, if it tastes good, the origin shouldn’t matter right? 😉 I’ve come across quite a few people who aren’t huge fans of French toast, and this is mainly due to its eggy texture; basically, the idea of soaking bread in whisked eggs and frying it may be a nay or a yay for some. However, this recipe is different based on two things! The bread is baked instead of fried which makes it healthier, and I added some non fat plain greek yogurt to the eggs to give it a boost of protein and a creamy dessert like texture. I also added a few drops of pure vanilla extract and cinnamon to enhance the flavour. I used Udi’s gluten free brown rice and chia millet bread, but be careful to read the ingredients before buying the bread, since some gluten free breads might have hidden white flours or sugars in them. Finally, are you ready for this? Okay here it comes……the powdered sugar is sugar free! Yup it sure is! All you have to do to make a single serving is place 1/2 a tsp. of arrowroot starch and 1 stevia packet in a bowl and mix until well incorporated, then sprinkle on your toast and make it magical! That’s it! Have a great weekend everyone, and since I will be away in Paris I will be off my blog for a couple of weeks, but I will definitely try and post some yummy French cuisine for your lovely faces! Oooo la la 😉

Recipe: serves 2

4 slices of Udi’s gluten free brown rice bread
2 organic cage free eggs
2 tbsp organic non fat plain greek yogurt
1/4 tsp organic pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Mix eggs, greek yogurt, vanilla and, cinnamon in a bowl and dip bread slices in the egg mixture, coating both sides, then dipped bread slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Place baking sheet in the oven for 5 minutes and take out of the oven.

Top with fresh berries, a drizzle of organic maple syrup and sugar free powdered sugar. To make powdered sugar, mix 1 tsp of arrowroot powder and 1 packet of stevia in a bowl, then sprinkle away!