I used to hate mushrooms

With a passion.  Like, couldn't stand them in or on anything.  But then I was out to eat with B and some friends one day when someone offered me a bite of their burger.  I'm a girl who likes to share and appreciates it when others share food, so I happily accepted.  It was delicious.  Magical even. 

And then I found out it was a portabella mushroom burger.  I had been duped.

But I couldn't be upset because it was amazing.

So, since that fateful day I've tried incorporating mushrooms into my meals more frequently. I still don't care for raw mushrooms - the texture is a little rubbery for my liking.  But a sauteed mushroom? Mmmmm, my mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Why does this interest you? Because I just made a super easy, clean, tasty mushroom meal and I thought you might like to try it out too. You know, cause I'm a girl who likes to share.

Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

• Portabella mushroom caps
• Olive oil (I used sunflower oil)
• Onion, chopped
• Garlic glove, chopped
• Fresh spinach leaves

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Remove the gills from the mushroom caps and place caps on a large baking sheet, de-gilled side down.  Drizzle with oil and roast for 15 minutes.

While your mushrooms are roasting, heat a skillet over medium heat with some oil.  Add in chopped onions and garlic until tender.  Then add in your spinach leaves. Stir until they cook down and are tender.

When the mushroom caps are done roasting, take them out (don't turn off the stove!) and flip them over.  Pack the caps with the onion/garlic/spinach mix you have.  Place back in the oven and cook for 15 minutes more.

Note: this recipe came from the back of a sticker on the portabella mushroom caps I purchased but I didn't have all the ingredients so I modified.  The original recipe also called for breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and goat cheese.  Had I not been on the cleanse, I would have gone to the store for those because I loooove goat cheese. However, this cleanse-friendly version was excellent!

To make with the cheeses and breadcrumbs, roast mushroom caps and sauteed veggies in the same manner.  When the veggies are done, transfer them to a bowl or plate so they cool slightly.  Add in 1/3 cup breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, and 4 oz crumbled goat cheese.  Then fill the mushrooms with this mix and bake for the additional 15 minutes.

Do you have any other yummy mushroom recipes to share? Or foods you thought you hated and then discovered were delicious?

xoxo,

Cait

amazing dinner

I've really been slacking on posting what I've been eating on this cleanse, so get ready for an update. 

First up, I have to share this super simple and delicious dinner I made tonight:

Sorry the picture isn't great - I'm not a food photographer!

I wasn't sure what I wanted and I knew that going out to the store wasn't an option - there was too much food in my fridge (that will spoil at some point) and it was cold freezing. The temps here dropped 40 degrees today!  That means Texas is practically in an ice age.

When I saw the ground turkey I was planning for my eggs cups I decided to use a little to make some burgers as well.  Searching around my fridge also led me to an avocado, some turkey bacon, an onion, and romaine lettuce.  The best part? I made two burgers and sauteed extra onions so I have lunch tomorrow planned out already!

Since I was already making the kitchen a mess, I went ahead and made my egg cups as well. In a large mixing bowl I combined 12 eggs, cooked ground turkey, and sauteed onions.  I then poured my mix into muffin tins sprayed with Pam.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

I store them in the fridge and pop them into the microwave for 15-30 seconds!

Other meals and snacks I've been eating while on the Cleanse?

• breakfast smoothies
• edamame hummus with cherry tomatoes and sugar snap peas
• hard boiled eggs
• gluten-free cereal, banana and almond milk
• gluten-free bread, toasted, smeared with avocado and topped with turkey
• almonds
• grilled chicken, black beans, and steamed veggies
• dessert smoothies - almond milk, vanilla protein powder, banana, chia seeds, ice 

The hardest part so far? I am CRAVING some Starbucks.  I've been drinking it so frequently, and especially while studying, that it makes it hard to start any reading or assignments without getting my fix first. I sound like an addict. But I know that my first post-cleanse Starbucks will taste that much sweeter for having waited for it and not giving in to my temptations!

I've got a few other things hanging around my fridge just waiting to be made into a delicious meal. And I'm dying to make this Almond Butter detox shake from Jesi, though I'll probably substitute the soy milk with almond milk. Keep an eye out on IG for more meal updates!

xoxo,

Cait

aka the Bottle Lady

I leave my house with these every morning: Spark, smoothie, fiber drink.

 

5 easy & clean breakfast options

I've been back on the eating clean train for about 2 weeks now.  Choo choo!  I had been in a rut of eating whatever drive thru crap I could get my hands on before and after clinical but finally forced myself to grocery shop for some decent food.  There's no way I can do everything I need to do without putting good fuel in the tank.  

Here are some easy, clean eating breakfast options I've been doing lately.  
Note: I try to stay gluten-free and dairy-free since my digestive track seems to appreciate it. I realize that may not be suitable for everyone out there. To each her own!

1 - Cereal

When I went gluten-free and dairy-free, I realized that I missed cereal.  It's a great breakfast but also makes a good study snack.  I buy Unweetened Almond Milk and pour it over a bowl of Nature's Path Organic Sunrise Crunchy Maple with banana slices on top.  This cereal is awesome. Not some cardboard tasting junk.

2 - Smoothie

My girl Jesi recently posted on her new blog (hey girl!) about the benefits of cherries in smoothies.  As intelligent as I may be, I never thought about adding cherries.  But now I've been experimenting with frozen, pitted cherries and I like what I'm tasting! Plus, smoothies are pretty much idiot proof and I appreciate that.  Combine almond milk, handful of spinach leaves, hefty scoop of chia seeds, frozen fruit (blackberries, cherries and strawberries are my fav) and one banana in a blender. Blend until smooth. The Magic Bullet is my favorite blender because you blend in the cup you drink from which means less clean up!

3 - Eggs & Beans

Last week I youtube'd how to fry an egg.  I wish I was kidding.  Turns out, the trick is to use low heat and a little butter in the pan. Now I am an egg-frying machine.  Except I use coconut oil in the pan (just a smidge).  Here, I fried two eggs together - time saver! - and then served it with black beans and salsa.  I happen to think black beans are one of the tastiest things on Earth so the more the merrier.  I often use black beans at dinner and then put the rest in the fridge.  Super easy to heat up in the microwave.  Then smash up the runny yolks and eat the salsa/beans/eggs all together.  Delish!

4 - Waffles

I don't have the time to do made-from-scratch waffles healthy so I substitute with Van's Gluten-Free Frozen Waffles.  Instead of syrup, I top them with fresh fruit preserves or jam and a sprinkling of chia seeds.  Serve with whatever fresh fruit you have or a scrambled egg and voila!

5 - Toast Two Ways

Toast is often underrated, in my opinion.  It is easy to fix and there are a million ways you can dress it up. One of my current faves is toast is with poached eggs and avocado slices.  If you have the Salton Great Eggs Cooker, then poached and hard boiled eggs are a snap.  B makes fun of me for it but it is painless! Another way I fix toast is with PB2, banana slices, and chia seeds with a side of scrambled eggs topped with salsa.  Bonus: our Oster toaster has a retractable cord which makes me love it even more!  

Check out Jesi's suggestions for 5 Healthy Fast Food Options!

What do you eat for breakfast?  I'm always looking for new ideas so I don't get burnt out and return to fast food!

xoxo,

Cait

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Stuffed peppers recipe

A while back I made a delicious, gluten-free, dairy-free clean eating stuffed peppers dinner. It was delicious! And super easy to make plus I had extra and was able to mix it up over the next few days. Being in school and working, I love meals that keep giving - meaning meals that give me leftovers!

[Note: I don't claim to be a chef/nutritionist/dietician/food blogger. I don't have calorie counts (I don't count my calories) but I don't think it would be difficult to figure out.]

Ingredients:
Lean ground turkey
Onion
Mushrooms
Broccoli
Yellow squash
Bell peppers (any color)
Garlic powder (optional)
Salt and pepper (optional)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Cook turkey in skillet until lightly browned, over medium heat.
• Chop all veggies except bell peppers, add to pan with turkey and continue to cook, adding garlic powder/salt/pepper to taste.

I promise there are onions and mushrooms under there somewhere!

• Cut the tops of the peppers off so they make a little container. Save the part you cut off so it makes a lid. Scoop out the innards.
• Pack each peppes with your turkey/veggie mixture.
• Place packed peppers in a baking dish with a little water in the bottom to keep peppers from drying out. I used a square pan but I think a long, bread loaf pan would have worked better since one of my peppers fell over and spilled. 

• Put tops on peppers and bake for 20 minutes. 

That orange guy in the front right just wouldn't stay up!

• Serve alone or with sides. Enjoy!

I ate two peppers (all but the stem) and also some extra steamed broccoli and then some fruit.

Top plate was dinner, bottom container was lunch the next day

I took two peppers for lunch the next day and they heated up well in the microwave. I think I zapped them for about 45 seconds with the lids off.

I had left over turkey/veggie mixture so I saved that and ate it on top of some spaghetti squash later that week. Mmmmm!

Any good, clean recipes you'd like to share? Any great ideas for being gluten-free and dairy-free? Comment below or share a link!

Xoxo,
YFG