Chickpea Salad

I don’t know about your pantry, but we always have beans and legumes in there. High in fibre (12.5g per cup), some protein and great source of carbs.

Chickpea salad

Ingredients

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 Tbsp lemon juice, from 1 large lemon

1 TBSP red wine vinegar

1 garlic clove, minced

sea salt & black pepper

1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1 Cucumber, halved & sliced

15 oz chickpeas or garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed

½ medium red onion, thinly sliced

1 avocado, cubed

goat cheese or feta cheese, to taste

Pair with 4 oz chicken or steak, 3 soft boiled eggs or baked tofu and a bed of greens and you’ve got yourself a balanced meal with over 30 grams protein! Remember 20 grams is the minimum needed for muscle protein synthesis!

Who’s going to try this? This is perfect for vegetarians, you don’t have to add any animal protein to this!

🎃 Pumpkin Salted Caramel Overnight Oats 🎃

Overnight oats have so many benefits… great carb source that will fill you up rather than have you starving 2 hours later (like rice for example). It also can be Gluten Free and protein can be added without changing much add all. I like adding 3 TBSP Egg Whites or 1-2 scoops Life Shake for added protein so it’s a complete macro meal!

Try this!

Ingredients:

½ cup old-fashioned oats

½ cup milk of your choice

¼ cup canned pumpkin puree

2 scoops of Salted Caramel LifeShake (or Vanilla and use caramel extract)

½ tsp ground cinnamon

Opt toppings: chopped pecans, pumpkin seeds or a dollop of Greek yogurt

Directions:

In a mason jar, combine oats, milk, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, LifeShake.

Stir well to combine all the ingredients until the mixture is smooth.

Cover the jar with a lid & refrigerate overnight (or for at least 4 hours) to allow the oats to soften and the flavors to meld.

In the morning, give the oats a good stir and add your favorite toppings, such as chopped pecans, pumpkin seeds, or a spoonful of Greek yogurt.

Enjoy chilled, or you can warm it up in the microwave for 30-60 seconds if you prefer a warm breakfast.

How do determine if food is clean or processed

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NOT CLEAN!

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My favorite starches to buy.  Flatazza is great for so many things and vacuum sealed so they last a long time. 

If you want to sweeten coffee use Stevia or this creamer, drink it black or with cream, regular milk, almond milk, or half and half.

I love talking about this topic because it's an easy concept, but hard to grasp because manufactures want to trick us!!  Just kidding, sort of.  To attract MOST shoppers, the key words to use are "low fat," "light," "reduced fat," "low sugar," "low sodium," "natural," and "sugar free." It used to work for me y'all! COMPLETELY!  And that's why I had awful sleep and the afternoon slump from 2-4pm.  The only thing that would got me through was grazing on whatever was ready for quick consumption.  This is where processed food creaps in before we notice it and our plans are derailed AGAIN.  This is a never ending cycle unless we take charge and change it.  Watch this video to understand the most common items I buy (yogurt, milk, peanut butter, etc) and how to know if it's clean or processed. 

Look how tricky this is..."The Good Nut" and "never oily"  When I looked at the back of the jar it read... SUGAR, CANOLA OIL, PEANUTS, SALT.  Sugar and added oils are what you want to RUN from!  I prefer to buy Peanut Butter, Almond Butter and Sunflower Butter (best for school allergies) at Costco because they are clean and a super deal.  I will let you down easy...Nutella and Trader Joe's Cookie Butter ARE NOT CLEAN. Google how Nutella is made... you won't want it again, but here's an overview :) 

So, I bet you're thinking, "I'm not a stay at home mom Stephanie, how do I have food ready and available when these hunger fits come on?"  My answer is...MEAL PREP!  When I first started this journey, I rolled my eyes too, go ahead, but now I'm a firm believer that 1-2 hours of focused time in the kitchen on Sunday makes me week much easier and I don't get in a jam anymore and grab chips, goldfish or pretzels.  I can grab sliced cucumbers / carrots / peppers, boiled egg, fresh fruit, string cheese, pumpkin muffins, oatmeals balls, etc or I have cooked pork chops, chicken breasts or leftovers in the fridge so I can make a quick salad.  Boiled eggs are easy to use in anything.  Everything I listed keeps me on track with my goals and what I worked for all week and not cause me to throw in the towel and start the sleepless, low energy, cycle again.