Cauliflower rice bowl

Wow, it’s been a while. So sorry! I’ll be better, I promise.

Recently, I’ve been caught up with transitioning back to school, doing homework and working on the school paper, but I did have time to make a new logo (let me know if you like it!) and I have been fairly active and eating clean since I’ve gotten back to school, which means more ideas for posts.

Right now, I’m living in an apartment off-campus that’s about a 25 minute walk, so I’ve been moving quite a bit. Also, I am completely off my school’s meal plan, so I have been experimenting with a ton of different meals (mostly involving veggies). Last night, I made the most amazing cauliflower dish that every definitely needs to try! It’s a great way to sneak in veggies by substituting ground up cauliflower for rice. Check it out:

Cauliflower rice bowl

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces of extra-firm tofu, pressed
• 1/2 head of cauliflower
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 medium onion, finely diced
• Juice of 1/2 of a lime
• 2 cups baby spinach, chopped
• 1 avocado, cubed
• Sriracha to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the tofu in 1-inch cubes and spread on the baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes, flip and bake for 8 more, so the tofu is a crispy brown.
3. While the tofu is baking, start the cauliflower rice by placing florets into a food processor and pulsing until it reaches a rice-like consistency.
4. Heat oil on a skillet with olive oil, onion and garlic on med-high heat and cook for 4-5 minutes.  Add the cauliflower rice and squeeze in the lime juice, stirring to prevent burning, for 10-12 minutes or until it is lightly brown. Add spinach and cook till it is slightly wilted.
5. Divide between two bowls. Top with tofu and avocado. Drizzle with Sriracha to taste.
6. Enjoy!

Oodles of Zoodles

This summer, especially during those hotter nights, I have been digging into a big bowl of zoodles for dinner. A bowl of what now? Zoodles — or zucchini noodles — are a low-carb, higher nutritional alternative to pasta and is super easy to make and requires no stove-top cooking.

All you do is bust out your spiralizer and it transforms your zucchini into strands of “noodles.” They can be different thickness and length depending on your preference. If you don’t have a spiralizer a peeler can work just as well, it just might take a bit more time.

My favorite part about zoodles are the different combinations of sauces and vegetables I have been adding that makes it taste better — and lighter — than pasta. Last night I made one of my favorite bowls of zoodles ever involving pesto and some seafood. Check it out!

Pesto Zoodles with Grilled Shrimp

Serves 1

Ingredients:

• 1 zucchini (spiralized)
• 1 cup of corn
• 1/2 of a medium avocado
• 1/2 cup of baby bella mushrooms
• 7-8 pieces of grilled shrimp
• 2 tablespoons of pesto

Instructions:

1. Spiralize the zucchini into thick noodles.
2. Chop up the corn, avocado and mushrooms and add to the bowl.
3. Grill shrimp for about 5-6 minutes until fully cooked and peel when cooled.
4. Drizzle on your favorite pesto.
5. Enjoy!

Berry Smoothie Bowl

Good morning!!

Let’s be honest. I’m a morning person. I like to be up before 9 (something most teenagers dread) to get my day going or I feel like I wasted most of my day.

More importantly, I’m a breakfast person. I don’t think I could function without a bite to each right after I wake up and I look forward to loading up on fruits and carbs to start my day right. Usually, I have been slurping down a smoothie before I leave for my internship, but when I have more time in the morning I like to make a thicker, soupy smoothie bowl.

Acai and berry bowls have been super trendy lately, so I decided to hop on the bandwagon. There’s something more enjoyable about taking the time to eat and enjoy breakfast rather than quickly sipping through it.

For this smoothie bowl, I blended together my usual ingredients for a berry smoothie — I even snuck some in kale and protein power – but used less liquid so it would be thicker and creamier. I choose to top it off with some fresh fruit, but other days I will throw some granola or chia seeds for an extra crunch. The toppings are the best part, so you can make each bowl different by varying them.

I’ve been munching and adding cherries to my smoothies all summer, so I was super excited when my mom got me a cherry pitter. It saves me so much time and I don’t end up looking like I was in a crime scene from the red juice all over my hands (pardon my nails they are in dire need of a mani).

This thing is amazing. It pops the pit right out. The first time I used it, the pit when flying to the other side of the counter. If necessary, I could definitely use this as a weapon by hitting my attacker with the pits.

Berry Smoothie Bowl

Ingredients:

• A handful of kale or spinach
• 1 cup of frozen mixed berries
• 1/2 a banana
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup water

Toppings:

• 1/2 sliced banana (I used the remaining half)
• Handfuls of fresh fruit
• Handful of granola
• 1 tablespoon of chia seeds

Instructions:

1. Blend together ingredients (I used the NutriBullet). If it’s too thick or won’t blend add a bit more liquid to the mixture.
2. Top with a combination of fruit, granola, and seeds.
3. Enjoy!