Low Carb Gluten-Free Cauliflower Fritters

These cauliflower fritters are so delicious, as well as grain free for those of you who are gluten sensitive or are just staying away from grains. For people who don't particularly like vegetables or have trouble fitting them into their diet, or for people who are on low carb diets for some days of the week like myself, this is a great recipe! Simple, fast and easy.

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower

½ cup cheese of choice (cheddar works well)

½ cup almond flour

2 eggs

Salt to taste

Olive oil

Directions:

Steam the cauliflower until tender enough to mash up (it took me about 10 minutes). In a large mixing bowl mash up the steamed cauliflower and let it cool for 2-3 minutes. Add in the eggs, cheese, almond flour and salt, mix until the ingredients are incorporated well (so you can’t see the separate ingredients anymore). Place about a tablespoon or so of olive oil in a frying pan on medium-low heat. Form the cauliflower mixture into “patties” and place them in the frying pan for about 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.

Eating vegetables does not have to be boring and monotonous! Help yourself stick to your diet by adding variety to it!   

Want “toned” arms ladies? Look no further than a board press!

 The Problem:

 “How can I get rid of that arm jiggle?” This question was asked to me today by a woman I was coaching at the gym, and it is not the first time I’m hearing it. The back of the arm, or the triceps, are a huge concern for women along with muffin top, cellulite, and thigh gaps. Unfortunately, many of us still have the wrong idea in mind when it comes to a solution…I know because I used to be one of these ladies! Everybody wants "toned" arms, they think that doing hundreds of reps with 1 pound dumbbells and hours wasted on cardio machines is going to do the trick, but it just isn’t so. 

The Solution:

The solution to this problem of so-called arm jiggle is quite simple actually. In order to get rid of it, you must put on muscle! It sounds scary, but in fact this “tone” that we all long for is lean muscle. You are not going to look bulky or manly from strength training – doing exercises that build muscle in your arms will give you sleek “toned” arms that you’ve always desired. From personal experience, I can tell you that lifting weights along with a proper diet is only going to improve your physique, making you appear tighter and leaner, not big and bulky. I am a powerlifter, and my physique has only improved since I began lifting heavy.

How to make it happen:

There are many different exercises that you can use to build muscle on your arms, particularly in the triceps area. One in particular that powerlifters use on a regular basis is especially effective is called the “board press” or “shoulder saver press”. This exercise is used to improve the lock out or the end portion of the bench press, but it has other benefits that can be used by the general population. The board press is an exercise that works primarily your triceps muscles, which again is that problem area that many of us ladies have.

            In order to perform this exercise, you will first need to learn to bench correctly. Contrary to popular belief, the bench press is a full body exercise, engaging many muscles including your abs and legs which is an added benefit for us ladies looking to tighten up. Since this is not a how-to bench press post, check out this article by John Gaglione on how to set up for bench press and perform the movement properly, minimizing injuries and using your muscles to their maximum potential.

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/8_badass_bench_press_tips

Once you learn how to properly set up for and perform the bench press, you can perform the board press. When performing board presses, the movement is exactly the same, but you will either have a shoulder saver pad on the bar, or someone holding a 2 or 3-board on your chest. You will lower the bar until you hit the board, and explode up as you would while performing the regular bench press.

Gaglione Strength athlete Savannah performing the board press with a shoulder saver pad.

Strength training has so many benefits for women, making daily activities easier, empowering us and improving how we look and feel about ourselves. If you implement this exercise into your strength training routine once a week, you can say goodbye to that arm jiggle and hello to “toned” (it’s really muscle!) arms.

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Banana Bread

Banana bread is one of my favorite treats. A lot of times, when I eat processed sugar and processed ingredients in general, I feel sick because my body isn't used to it. This recipe allows you to have a slice, without feeling overwhelming guilt and consuming processed ingredients. 

Ingredients: 

3 over-ripe mashed bananas

1/3 cup honey

2 tablespoons coconut oil 

1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1/3 cup creamy almond butter (check out my recipe!) 

2 tablespoons skim milk

2 large eggs 

1 cup gluten free oat flour

1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt 

1/3 cup dark chocolate chips 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Line a bread pan with parchment paper and lightly coat with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix together the oat flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt - set aside. In a sauce pan on low heat, mix together the honey, coconut oil, and vanilla until the coconut oil is melted and incorporated with the other ingredients. Make sure you constantly stir the mixture and do not over heat it - let that cool. You'll need an electric mixer for the next part: in the electric mixing bowl, pour in your mashed bananas and almond butter, and mix together on the lowest setting for about 15 seconds. Next, add in the honey mixture at medium speed for about 30 seconds and then add in the eggs and milk for 30 more seconds. Once this is done, add in the dry ingredients at medium-high speed for about 1 minute. Last but not least, add in the chocolate chips on the lowest speed for 30 seconds. Pour the batter into your bread pan and bake for 60 minutes. Check in the middle with a long toothpick - if it comes out clean it is done, if it does not place it back in the oven in 5 minute increments and keep checking until the toothpick comes out clean. 

White Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

This is my favorite salad dressing. It is very simple and easy, and if you follow my directions it will come out creamy and smooth, not separated like a normal vinaigrette. With this dressing, a little goes a long way - I usually only need 1 tablespoon to dress my whole meal. You will need a food processor or a hand mixer for this recipe.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar

1 cup safflower oil

3 cloves of fresh garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon dry mustard 

First, you will want to get out your food processor, or a large mixing bowl and a electric hand mixer. Pour in your balsamic vinegar, garlic, pepper, salt, and dry mustard. Turn your hand mixer or food processor on, and slowly add the safflower oil. Pulse for about 30 seconds or until the ingredients are completely incorporated into a creamy consistency. Using the safflower oil provides a light taste, while using the food processor makes for a creamy dressing. Pour into a jar or a bottle, and drizzle over your salad or use as a marinade!

Chocolate-Chip Almond Butter Banana Muffin Bites

These are killer when you're craving some homemade cookies. They're made of all clean ingredients, and they are packed with healthy fats, carbs, and protein...Not to mention, they are delicious. Super easy, super fast, and they taste great.

Ingredients: 

1 cup oat flour (gf oat flour if you are gluten free)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

Pinch of sea salt

2 ripe bananas

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp raw honey

2 tbsp coconut oil

3/4 cup almond butter (my recipe is in a previous post)

1/4 cup dark chocolate chips 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. First you will want to get a sauce pan and put it on low heat on the stove. Take your honey, coconut oil, and vanilla and combine in the sauce pan. Mix it around until the coconut is completely melted and it is one uniform mixture. Let that sit and cool. Next you'll want to mash up your bananas in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the oat flour, baking soda, baking powder and sea salt. In the bowl with the bananas, add the coconut oil mixture. Mix this lightly for a few seconds. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture. Add the chocolate chips and mix until completely combined. Drop tablespoonfuls of the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10-12 minutes. This recipe makes 18-20 muffin bites. 

Here are the macros for this recipe:

Per muffin bite:

Calories: 136

Fat: 9g

Carbs: 11.4g

Protein:3g 

Sunflower Butter

Nut butter's in general are super popular now, as I said in my post about almond butter. I never thought about sunflower butter until I saw it in Trader Joes. I could just buy it, but I much rather make it myself. This way I know exactly what is going into it, and I get to be creative and feel purposeful. This recipe is very similar to my almond butter recipe, the main difference is that it takes a little longer to turn into the butter consistency.

Ingredients:
Raw Sunflower Seeds
Salt (optional)
Sugar (optional)

You will also need a frying pan, a food processor, a spatula, and a container to put the sunflower butter in once it's done.

First, you'll want to toast your sunflower seeds. Place them in your frying pan on medium high heat, and constantly stir them until they are a little bit golden brown. Do not over toast them because they will burn and your sunflower butter will not come out good. Next, place the toasted sunflower seeds into your food processor. You can add a pinch of salt and sugar if you like, or you can just have it plain. Just like with the almond butter recipe, you'll want to periodically scrape down the sides of the food processor. You'll notice that this recipe takes longer to turn into the sunflower butter - just be patient. For me, it took about 15 minutes to get to the right consistency. Some people like to add olive oil to make it even more creamy, but I liked mine the way it was. I don't see a need to add more fat to the recipe. Once your sunflower butter is at your desired consistency, place into your container and enjoy!

Clean Eating Turkey Meatballs

Today I was craving spaghetti and meatballs. I decided to make the healthy version!

Ingredients:

1lb lean ground turkey

1/3 cup greek yogurt

2 cloves garlic 

1/2 cup onion

handful of spinach 

1/4 cup parsley

5 fresh basil leaves

3 sprigs of Thyme 

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

4 1/2 cups tomato sauce of your choice 

This is an easy recipe. It follows the same theory of my turkey burgers, in regards to incorporating greek yogurt to make the meatballs more moist. 

Preheat your over to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Prepare a baking sheet, lined with foil and greased with olive oil.  Put all of your ingredients except the turkey, greek yogurt, salt and pepper into a food processor. Pulse until the ingredients are finely chopped. Once your seasoning is chopped, place all of the ingredients into a mixing bowl, and mix together until it becomes one uniform mixture. Take an ice cream scoop or a spoonful of the turkey mixture into your hands and form a ball. Place on the baking sheet. Repeat this until you've used all of the mixture. Place the meatballs in the oven for 20 minutes. 2 minutes before they're done, put your tomato sauce into a sauce pan on low heat (you don't want it to boil) so the sauce is warm when the meatballs are done. Once you take them out of the oven, get a frying pan and drizzle some olive oil into in on medium high heat. Place the meatballs in there, and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Once the meatballs are seared, place them into the sauce pot for about 10 minutes. 

I served my meatballs over Ezekiel pasta. Ezekiel pasta is a sprouted grain product that is low on the glycemic index, and high in protein. Just one serving of the pasta has 9 grams of protein. It's a better alternative than whole wheat.