I can’t believe I haven’t shared this recipe with you yet. This was the first clean eating recipe I made last January, and it’s definitely a winner. Whenever I’m about to make these bars, and need the ingredients, I google my blog recipe page and realize – oh yeah, they’re not on here.

Well, now they are!

Jamie Eason’s recipes are the best. You can find the recipe for her pumpkin protein bars HERE.

I use an 8in x 8in glass Pyrex dish for this recipe.

Makes 16 bars.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup oat flour
• 2 scoops whey protein powder (I use chocolate)
• 3 tbsp baking cocoa
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ cup truvia or splenda
• 4 egg whites
• 6 oz apple sauce
• 4 oz water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a big bowl (oat flour, protein powder, cocoa, salt, baking powder) together in a large bowl.

Stir wet ingredients (sweetener, egg whites, apple sauce, water) in with the dry.

Spray cooking dish with a non-stick spray and add batter to dish.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

*****

I love to eat these as an afternoon or evening snack, and they really keep you full. Perf with some sliced strawberries [obsessed] or a glass of milk.

I think they expand in your stomach or something.

Thanks as always to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons for hosting What I Ate Wednesday!

My mom made apple sauce bread for me for breakfast when I went to go visit her in Durham a few weeks ago.

I liked it so much that I asked her to send me the recipe!

I made a loaf last week to bring on our road trip, and we (several of us, ha) ate it all – it was nice to have a healthy snack with us on the road and in the hotel/s.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup apple sauce
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup vanilla yogurt
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 1/2 cup oats
• 1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 2 tbsp chopped almonds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix wet ingredients together in a bowl, then add oats. Stir in remaining ingredients until mixed.

Top with chopped almonds and sprinkle with additional cinnamon.

Bake in a greased loaf pan (over a cookie sheet in case of drips) for about 50-55 minutes.

Thanks as always to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons for hosting What I Ate Wednesday!

We could all use a little pick-me-up lately, and dark chocolate definitely works for me.

When I saw a recipe for dark chocolate pistachio bark in this month’s edition of Women’s Health Magazine, I knew it would be a great recipe to bring to book club.

This dark chocolate pistachio bark is the perfect combination of sweet and salty, making it a great snack.

Plus, it doesn’t hurt that it is ridiculously easy to make. Promise.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 shelled pistachios, chopped
• pinch of salt

Directions:

Prep a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.

Melt chocolate in the microwave for about 1 minute 40 seconds (take out and stir in 20 seconds increments).

Stir in chopped pistachios.

Spread out the mixture flat onto the baking sheet.

Sprinkle salt on the top of the flat mixture.

Place in the freezer for 20-30 minutes.

Take out, break apart as desired.

Store bark in the freezer if serving in a few days. If serving that day or night, keep cool in the fridge until ready to serve.

Thanks as always to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons for hosting What I Ate Wednesday!

I already love my slow cooker. (Thanks, Dad!)

Crock-pots may perhaps be one of the best inventions ever. How did I not have one until now?

They are ridiculously easy to use since you just plop all of the ingredients into the pot and let it sit. Plus, when everything was cookin’ away, it made the apartment smell so good. 

Here’s my first slow cooker experiment! I hope you like it as much as Tuna and I did.

We though it was delish and quite hearty. Too bad I discovered this recipe as soon as it is spring/summer!

Recipe adapted from 365 Days of Slow Cooking. 

Makes 4-6 servings

Note: I used a 4 quart slow cooker size.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 2 tbsp red onion
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup orzo

Directions:

Dice veggies and cut up chicken breast into pieces.

Place chicken, chicken broth, celery, onion, carrot, tomato paste, tomatoes, garlic, basil, bay leaf, salt, and pepper into slow cooker.

Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours.

Add in the orzo and cook on high for about 15-20 minutes.

*****

Thanks as always to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons for hosting WIAW! 

You know I love to complain about how expensive granola is.

Ever since I started eating clean, I have been a granola fiend. Granola makes me super happy – but my wallet? Not so much.

My fam has been telling me for months that I should make my own, but since granola-making seemed like a foreign art to me, I stuck with buying a bag a week from Whole Paycheck Foods for seven bucks a pop.

But I finally gave in last week and forced my brother to send me the recipe for homemade granola that he and his gf use.

I changed it around a teensy bit and love the results! It tastes just as good as the store-bought stuff, but at half the price.

Yay for cost efficient granola!

Ingredients:
3 cups rolled oats
3 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup milled flaxseed
1/4 cup prunes

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300F.

Stir together oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large mixing bowl.

Add canola oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.

Mix everything up with your hands.

Spread the mixture in a thin, even layer on 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and pour back into the mixing bowl. Stir in pecans and flaxseed, then put back in oven for 15 minutes.

Take the baking sheets out of the oven and stir in prunes.

Thanks as always to the newly preggers Jenn @ Peas and Crayons for hosting What I Ate Wednesday!

Though I was totally down for some “dirty eating” on girl’s night last Friday [insert Ben and Jerry’s pint here], my BFF Nancy steered me back in the right direction. 🙂 I’m glad she did, because these no-bake cookie dough balls were just as tasty as any ‘real’ junk food.

Thanks for inspiring this clean eating recipe, Nance! (And for making most of it….)

This recipe was adapted from Averie Cooks.

Ingredients:

• 2/3 C cashews
• 1/3 C oats
• 2 tbsp agave nectar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 C dark chocolate chips

Yields approximately 14 cookie dough balls

Directions:

Pour cashews and oats in to blender and blend into a flour-like consistency.

Add the agave nectar and vanilla extract.

Blend again.

Stir in the chocolate chips by hand.

Transfer dough into a medium bowl and roll into balls.

I’m totes bringing a second batch of these babies to book club! Get excited, ladies.

Thanks as always to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons for hosting What I Ate Wednesday!

I had something fun in the works for you today for What I Ate Wednesday, but it didn’t end up happening.

Since I don’t have a cool new recipe to post, I figured I’d go old school and roundup my past recipes for you!

I promise to eventually add these to a page at the top of the blog for easy access.

Maybe it will give you something new to make this week. 😉

Breakfast

Breakfast Burrito
Overnight Oats

Entrees

Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Cheat Day Chili
Crabby Summer Salad
End of Summer Pasta Salad
Grilled Chicken Kabobs
Pesto Pasta Salad with Chicken
Quinoa Sliders

Shrimp Paella
Spinach Burgers

Sides

Cajun Sweet Potato Fries

Cinnamon Baked Apples

Old Bay Zucchini Chips

Quinoa Pizza Bites
Red Potatoes

Snacks/Dessert

Blueberry Bread

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Scones
Chocolate Covered Apple Wedges
Dark Chocolate Turtles
No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bites

Pumpkin Protein Bars

Smoothies

Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie
Homemade Green Machine