This Sweet Potato Smoothie turned out tasting amazing and just like pumpkin pie! ​I accidentally bought canned sweet potato puree a while ago and finally looked up a fun recipe to put it towards. I froze the remaining sweet potato puree in a 1/2 cup freezer tray and actually enjoyed this smoothie more using the frozen sweet potato. I personally only used 1/2 cup of coconut milk and added a scoop of vanilla protein powder instead of the hemp hearts. It's certainly been a tasty post workout drink or snack, and can easily be a great breakfast option as well. Tastes like pumpkin pie, packed with nutritious ingredients and anti-inflammatory spices, I mean what's not to love? 

Sweet Potato Smoothie
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup cooked sweet potato , tightly packed
• 1 cup coconut milk (or milk of choice)
• 2 to 3 Medjool dates , pitted
• 1/2 inch knob of fresh ginger (or 1/4 teaspoon dried ginger)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon hemp hearts (optional, for added protein; or add a scoop of protein powder)
• ice , as needed to thicken

Directions:

1. In a blender, combine the sweet potato, milk, 2 dates, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, and hemp hearts, if using. Blend until very smooth.
2. Taste the mixture, then blend in another date if more sweetness is desired. Once smooth, add in a heaping cup of ice cubes and blend until they are totally broken down. You can add more ice if you'd like a thicker shake, but keep in mind that more ice will dilute the overall flavor.
3. Serve chilled right away.

Notes:
If you’d prefer to skip the dates, feel free to use any other sweetener you like. I’ve made this smoothie with a frozen banana instead, and with a splash of orange juice, and it’s hard to go wrong. 
​
Original recipe found here

Was looking around for a fun strawberry recipe to make for Valentine's Day and this cookie caught my eye. Only 5 ingredients and basically what I put in my morning bowl of oats (minus the chocolate chips), so I was sold. These Strawberry Oatmeal Cookies turned out so yummy they were devoured days before Valentine's Day even got here. I ended up having to make two batches in one week and we enjoyed them all week long. I used half of the amount of chocolate chips and increased the amount of strawberries some. I also found that dipping my hand in water while forming the cookies was very helpful as it was pretty sticky otherwise. Definitely worth forming into a cookie shape though so it bakes evenly. I have a feeling I will be making these a lot now. I mean you can't get much healthier in a cookie and it was certainly something we looked forward to eating! ​

Strawberry Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients:

• 2 cups rolled oats gluten free, if needed
• 2 large bananas mashed
• 1/4 cup strawberries chopped
• 1/2 cup almond butter (can sub for any nut or seed butter of choice)
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips of choice, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 175C/350F. Line a large tray with parchment paper or prepare a Silpat cookie sheet. Set aside. 
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all your ingredients, except for your chocolate chips, and mix well. Fold through your chocolate chips. 
3. Form 16 small balls of dough and place each one on the lined tray/cookie sheet. Press each ball into a cookie shape. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden on the edges.
4. Remove from the oven and allow cooling on the tray/sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Notes:
Store cookies in the refrigerator covered, for up to 1 week. Cookies are freezer friendly and will keep well frozen for up to 1 month.
​
Original recipe found here

Technically you can eat these for breakfast, so I am totally passing this as a meal prep recipe. These turned out so delicious and are probably my new favorite paleo cookie! I typically just enjoy the classic chocolate chip, but the walnut, coconut, raisin, banana, and dark chocolate combo is on point. Not to mention this was an extremely easy recipe to whip up and the ingredients are simple. These made about 18 cookies for me and took the full 18 minutes, which I might even stretch to 20 next time. I took most of these to a friends house to enjoy, and the rest didn't make it to the next day. Will definitely be making these many more times! 

Chunky Monkey Paleo Banana Cookies
Ingredients:

• 2 medium ripe bananas, sliced (+ slices for topping, optional)
• 1/2 cup almond butter (can sub peanut butter if not paleo)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup coconut
• 1/4 cup raisins

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Add the banana slices, almond butter, water, and vanilla to a large bowl and beat with electric beaters until mostly smooth. Add the almond flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt and beat until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips, walnuts, coconut, and raisins.
3. Drop the dough (it will be sticky) into 12 equal mounds on the baking sheets. Press a banana slice into the top of each cookie to flatten it out a little.
4. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden then remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool.

Original recipe found here

I've made the Almond Flour Blueberry Banana Muffins recipe a couple more times and still love that one, but wanted to try out a plain banana recipe this time around. This recipe below did not disappoint! Simple ingredients without a ton of flour, so these turned out very light tasting. Also, although it says banana nut, the only nuts the recipe calls for is almond butter. If you like a crunch I suppose you can top with nuts or just throw some into the batter. The recipe said it yields 12 muffins, but I ended up having enough batter for 18 muffins, which just means a serving is more like two. These turned out smelling and tasting delicious, and I'll definitely be making again soon! 

​Paleo Banana Nut Muffins
Ingredients:

• 4 bananas, mashed with a fork (the more ripe, the better)
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with cups. In a large bowl, add bananas, eggs, almond butter, coconut oil, and vanilla. Using a hand blender, blend to combine.
2. Add in the coconut flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Blend into the wet mixture, scraping down the sides with a spatula. Distribute the batter evenly into the lined muffin tins, filling each about two-thirds of the way full.
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm or store in the refrigerator in a resealable bag.

Original recipe found here

Anyone else notice that Birch Benders came out with a couple new paleo pancake and waffle mixes!? Along with their original Paleo version that I use pretty frequently to make these Paleo Blueberry Pancake Muffins, they now have a Paleo Banana and Pumpkin Spice mix! The Birch Benders website lists that both new products can be found at Whole Foods, and after looking at my local Whole Foods store all month I finally found the Banana Paleo Pancake & Waffle Mix! These mixes only require adding water, but I also always add a scoop of Paleo Protein to get some more protein in the meal, 1 egg (though I have experimented with 2 as well) to make the muffins more fluffy, and some fruit. Since this was a banana mix I figured I'd stick with the banana theme and add a few slices of banana on top of each muffin. This is a super easy meal prep recipe to throw together and they came out smelling and looking amazing! I unfortunately didn't make enough to taste test them myself, but my mom enjoyed them for breakfast and my mother's approval is not easy to get haha! Let me know if you try this new mix out and what you think. 

Paleo Pancake Muffins
Serves: 10-12 muffins
Ingredients:

• 3/4 Cup Birch Benders Banana Paleo Pancake & Waffle Mix! (found at Whole Foods, but can also purchase online)
• 2/3 Cup Water
• 1 egg
• 1 Scoop Protein Powder (optional) (I used a scoop of this Paleo Protein)
• 2 Tbsp 100% Maple Syrup or Honey (optional)
• Optional mix-in ideas:

          o Sliced bananas, or other fruit
          o Enjoy Life Dairy-Free Mini Chocolate Chips
          o Chopped nuts
Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Mix together all ingredients, minus the optional mix-in’s
2. Spray muffin tin pan with nonstick spray or use muffin liners. Fill ⅔ way full. Top each muffin with your choice of mix-ins.
3. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. (It took me 20 minutes for 10-12 muffins.)

One of my very first blog posts was my Protein Pancake recipe that I used to make every week for breakfast. I seriously loved eating those every morning, but after I started prepping my mom's breakfasts and lunches along with my own, I unfortunately didn't have much time anymore to prep my pancakes too. Anyways, I decided to bring it back for my mom to try and I experimented with this muffin version. The only additional ingredient I used was Flaxseed and that was solely to sneak in some extra nutrients into this meal for her. The recipe below makes 9 muffins and if you are enjoying this as a meal I recommend having at least 3, which puts the meal at 20g Carbs, 8g Fat, and 19g Protein. I personally like using the single serve blade assembly on my Ninja blender because it's easier to clean up, so I ended up just making two batches of the recipe below to get 18 muffins for the week. If you are using a bigger blender though you can easily double the ingredients below. Of note, I ended up filling the muffin tins a little above 2/3 of the way full and although they alarmingly rise in the oven, once they were out of the oven and cooled down they shrunk back down. The bottoms actually shrunk in a lot more then the top, so they turned out looking a little odd, but they still tasted delicious! I'm curious if I need to add more oats of flaxseed to prevent that issue, so I'll most likely be experimenting with this one again. Anyways, this was not only an extremely easy recipe to prep for breakfast, but now my mom is enjoying chocolate muffins all week for breakfast. Happy mom, happy life! Let me know if you try these out please! 

​Protein Pancake Muffins
Servings: 3 muffins = 20C/8F/19P (Makes 9 muffins)
Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Gluten-Free Oats (I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Quick Cooking Rolled Oats)
• 2 Tbsp Flaxseed (I used Bob's Red Mill Golden Flaxseed Meal)
• 2/3 cup Egg Whites
• 1 1/4 Scoop Protein Powder (I used 37g of this Paleo Protein)
• 1 Banana
• 2 Tbsp Almond Butter (or other Nut Butter)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Mix together all ingredients in blender.
2. Spray muffin tin pan with nonstick spray, oil, or use muffin liners and fill ⅔ way full. 
3. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

A Nom Nom Paleo recipe! My sister has made this a couple times and loved it, so she suggested I make it for our mom too. This batch ended up making me 14 muffins, and after talking with my sister we both agreed that the extra 1/3 cup of sweet potato was definitely too much. Other then that though, this recipe as-is turned out pretty tasty! Since I didn't actually eat this though, I am going off my sister's opinion, who doesn't even like sweet potatoes, and my picky mom who devoured these every morning without complaint despite the visible "green things." Anyways though, I asked my sister for her review, and this is what she had to say... "The tuna cakes were the perfect lunch. They were easy to make and they had a sweet-spicy combination. I am not a fan of sweet potatoes at all, but in this recipe they were the perfect combination with the tuna." Let me know if you give them a try and what you think! 

​Spicy Tuna Cakes
Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons melted ghee, divided
• 10 ounces canned albacore tuna packed in water, drained
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced (about ⅓ cup)
• 2 tablespoons finely minced fresh cilantro
• 1⅓ cup mashed baked sweet potato
• finely grated zest from ½ medium lemon
• 1 tablespoon minced jalapeño pepper
• 2 large eggs
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 medium lemons, cut into wedges (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, and use a brush to grease a 12-cup regular sized muffin tin with one tablespoon of melted ghee. (Or skip this part and just line the tin with parchment muffin liners!)
2. In a large bowl, mix together the tuna, scallions, and cilantro. Add the mashed sweet potato to the tuna mixture, and gently combine.
3. Then, mix in the lemon zest, jalapeño, the remaining two tablespoons of ghee, eggs, and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. I normally use 1½ teaspoons of Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt, but your taste may vary. (Not sure if you’ve added enough S&P? Take a small portion and fry up a little pancake to see if the seasoning is right!)
4. Use your hands to mix everything together because that way you can make sure that the fish chunks aren’t overly broken up.
5. Scoop a ¼ cup of the mixture into each greased muffin tin cup and flatten with the back of a spoon.
6. Bake the tuna cakes for 20-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out cleanly.
7. Transfer the cakes to a wire rack to cool. The easiest way I’ve found to get them out is to put the wire rack on top of the muffin tin, flip everything upside-down, and tap them gently on the counter. 
8. Grab a lemon wedge and squeeze some juice on your tuna cake before your pop it in your mouth. They’re fantastic right out of the oven. Alternatively, store them in the fridge in a air-tight container for up to four days, and when you’re ready to eat, skillet-fry the cakes in some melted fat over medium heat. Crisp the edges, and you’re good to go.

Original recipe found here

I am currently running our spring nutrition challenge at the gym and we had a potluck this past weekend, so this is what I made for it! A potluck full of delicious Paleo friendly foods... what more could you ask for!? Alright maybe that's just my kind of potluck, but for once I didn't get made fun of for bringing the Paleo dish to the party. Anyways, I selfishly made this one because I've been wanting to try it for a while and it's highest in carbs, which I am always in need of. Not only was this a really simple recipe to make, but it turned out so freakin' delicious! It had more of the consistency of bread rather then a mashed sweet potato and those warm blueberries on top... oh my gosh, just amazing!! The 9x5 loaf pan is small, so I ended up making two loafs for the potluck. I cut each loaf into 8 bars, which put each bar at 13g Carbs, 5g Fat, and 4g Protein (using the measurements I indicated below). I don't know if I would call this breakfast since one bar is definitely not a substantial amount of food, but this was a great snack or post-meal treat. If you think this looks even a little bit yummy, then I definitely recommend you give this one a try! I will for sure be making it again soon.

Paleo Sweet Potato Blueberry Breakfast Bars
Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup mashed sweet potato (I measured 160g)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
• 1 tablespoon raw honey
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1/8 cup coconut flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup blueberries (I measured 115g)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Roast or microwave one large sweet potato until soft. Scoop out the inside and reserve 3/4 cup
3. In a medium bowl, combine the mashed sweet potato, vanilla extract, melted coconut oil, raw honey, and egg
4. Add the almond meal, coconut flour, and baking powder. Mix well
5. Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan and pour in the batter, pushing it into all the corners and middle of the pan to avoid large air bubbles. Smooth out the top
6. Place the blueberries in a single layer on the top and gently press the berries into the batter
7. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the middle is set
8. Let cool and cut into small bars. Serve immediately or refrigerate to store

​Original recipe found here

I bought this Paleo Baking Company Paleo Banana Bread Cake & Muffin Mix for my mom for Christmas so we could try new breakfast options for her. I actually bought her this mix and the blueberry muffin mix, only to realize that it is the same exact mix and you are required to add the ingredients that make it either banana or blueberry. What a let down... Anyways, as always I snuck a scoop of protein powder into the mix, but you do not have to do that if you don't want to. I also added some cinnamon and salt to this recipe, but besides those three additions, the recipe is what was on the back of the banana mix package. I actually noticed that my package directions differed from the ones below that I got online, so they must have updated their packaging at some point. Nonetheless, the package I received did not have the step below about microwaving the bananas, which I found extremely helpful, so I recommend following the directions below if you purchase this cake and muffin mix. I filled my muffin cups to the max and they did not rise much, but I think next time I would put a tiny bit less batter in. Filling it to the max got me 14 muffins, and I put 5 days worth in the fridge and the remaining muffins in the freezer. My mom absolutely loved these banana muffins and was really happy knowing this was her breakfast all week...which makes me think these definitely tasted like a treat! 

Paleo Banana Bread Muffins
​Ingredients:

• ​Paleo Baking Company Paleo Banana Bread Cake & Muffin Mix 
• 5 eggs
• 2/3 cup Coconut Oil
• 2/3 cup Honey
• 1/3 cup Water
• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 bananas) 
• 1 scoop Protein Powder (I used this Paleo Protein), optional
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt coconut oil in a microwavable dish until liquid (about 60-90 seconds on high). Allow 2/3 cup liquid coconut oil to cool.
2. Peel and microwave bananas on high for 90 seconds. Allow to cool, then mash into a paste. Measure 1 1/2 cups mashed banana and set aside. Beat eggs on medium speed for 30 seconds, then slowly add cooled liquid coconut oil, honey, and water, mixing until combined. Add Paleo Banana Bread and Muffin Mix, scoop of Protein Powder, cinnamon, and salt to wet ingredients. Mix on medium speed until smooth, then stir in 1 1/2 cups mashed banana until blended.
3. Fill standard muffin pan cups with paper liners (or grease muffin cups), fill cups to full (batter will not rise). For bread loaves lightly grease four 4x6 inch mini loaf pans with extra liquid coconut oil, divide and spread batter evenly into pans.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes (muffins) or 30-40 minutes (bread) until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow muffins/bread to cool completely before moving from pan. Store for up to 5 days in refrigerator or 30 days in the freezer. Baking times may vary.

Recipe from Paleo Baking Company Paleo Banana Bread Cake & Muffin Mix package

These looked extremely simple to make and involved no baking, so I gave them a try for my mom's breakfast meal prep this week. Now I don't think I will make these that often because they are loaded with maple syrup/honey, but they did turn out tasting like a treat! I ended up  using 100% maple syrup over honey and found that I had to add in additional maple syrup and almond butter because my mix was still dry. That might not be the case if you use honey instead though, I am not sure. Either way, I would reduce the gluten free oats to 1/2 cup next time to see if that would eliminate having to add in more syrup and almond butter. Other then that though, these were super easy to make and are a great grab-and-go breakfast or snack option! 

No Bake Cinnamon Vanilla Breakfast Protein Bites
Ingredients:

• 1 heaping TBSP ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup (around 65-75 grams) Vanilla Protein Powder (I used this Paleo Protein)
• 1/3 cup maple syrup or honey if you are not vegan
• 1/2 cup almond meal or peanut flour (you can also just finely grind raw almonds) ·
• 1/3 cup nut butter (creamy no stir works best)
• 3/4 cup of gluten free quick oats 
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Grind up your oats or cereal in a food processor and transfer into a mixing bowl. This is optional. You can keep them whole as well and adjust the addition of honey.
2. Add your almond meal, protein powder, cinnamon, and nut butter. Stir ingredients all together. • Add in your honey and vanilla then mix again well with hands. •
3. You might need to add more honey or nut butter if batter gets to dry. 
4. Roll into 1-1.5 inch balls and place on cookie tray or plastic ware with parchment paper underneath.
5. Let them freeze for 20-30 minutes then transfer into a Ziploc bag.
6. Dust with additional cinnamon and vanilla protein if desired.
7. Keep in fridge or freezer for up to 6 weeks.

Original recipe found here