No-Bake Snacktastic Bites

I bet you need a snack. Something...sweet and filling, but also chock full of healthy ingredients you want to put into your body. We feel you.

I bet you also don't want the snack to cost a whole lot of money, or take a long time to make...and you especially don't want to turn your oven on as the weather continues to warm. We feel you.

Perhaps something portable, that could be brought on road trips or on the plane, or thrown into your lunchbox? A snack that your kids can eat and you don't feel like you're rotting their teeth, and that you can eat, and you won't feel like your diet is as busted as your NCAA bracket.

We totally get it.

Which is why this week's recipe is for No-Bake Energy Bites. Little balled-up bites of rolled oats, chocolate, coconut flakes and peanut butter. Add in nutritional powerhouse chia seeds and flax seeds, and we have a winner.

No Bake Snack Bites

Ingredients

• 1 cup (dry) oatmeal (old-fashioned oats)
• 2/3 cup toasted coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup ground flax seed
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips or cacao nibs (optional)
• 1/3 cup honey or agave nectar
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Method

1. Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed. Cover and let chill in the refrigerator for 1/2 hour.
2. Once chilled, roll into balls, about 1in. to 2 in in diameter  
3. Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to a week.
4. Should make between 20-25 bites

Breakfast Ideas

Skipping breakfast? Or getting bored? Check these easy, delicious and healthy breakfast ideas to start your day off right and get your metabolism in gear.

Break-Fast. Maybe you've never really thought about it before, but breaking down the word breakfast, you literally have locked down the importance of this morning meal. When you chomp down on those first bites to fuel your day, you are literally "breaking your fast" from your sleep cycle. Your body hasn't taken in any nutrients since last night's dinner (or healthy late-night snack) and it needs to refuel. Putting the right amount of fats, proteins, fruits, vegetables, fiber and vitamins in from the geto-go can be the difference between a "let's conquer this day" attitude and "today was real rough." Try out some of these breakfast ideas that will keep your body running and your diet in check. If you are working out fairly heavily make sure to include protein in every breakfast!

Peanut Butter + Apples or Bananas

Optional: Serve atop Waffles.

This is a pretty easy one. Sliced apples, especially Granny Smith or Fuji are a perfect compliment to fresh grind peanut butter. Peanut butter has some healthy fat, which your body needs to function, and is high in protein. Apples or Bananas are a great way to get your required servings of fruit, first thing in the morning. Finally, serving this atop a multigrain waffle is a good alternative to sugar-laden syrup and butter. 

Strawberry Shake

Again, really simple. Grab a scoop or two of your favorite Vanilla Protein powder, and toss it into a blender with frozen strawberries and your milk of choice. (Almond, Coconut, Cows) The frozen strawberries will thicken up the shake and keep it frosty cold.

Ham + Boiled Egg Rollup

In a real hurry? Pre-cook some hard-boiled eggs for the week. They are awesome for adding to any breakfast, just a jolt of protein and good-for-you cholesterol to give you energy. Try slicing the hardboiled egg, adding a few slices of lean ham or canadian bacon, and then dropping a few spoonfuls of salsa into a whole wheat tortilla as you head out the door. 

Remember, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so fill your stomach up with the nutrients it needs to keep you going. 

Stay well, and see you back here next week for more recipes and meal ideas!

Baked Sweet Potato Chips

Summer is coming. It's not here yet. Not quite. But it's on its way. With summer comes pool days and get togethers, camping outside and block parties.

You're going to need something to munch on.

Which is why this week's recipe is for crunchy, addictive, healthy sweet potato chips. All you need is a few sweet potatoes, an oven and a really sharp knife. 

Why sweet potatoes? Because, they are jam-packed with vitamin A, B5, B6, thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, are fat free and have less calories than white potatoes. Whew! Good stuff, right? 

Best of all you can slice these up, toss 'em in the oven and have bags and bags of your own homemade potato chips ready to pop open whenever the need arises. Much cheaper than store bought and healthier because they are made in your own kitchen with only your own ingredients. Spice them with cinnamon for a sweeter bite, or add in the salt & pepper for mix of salty-sweet. 

Sweet Potato Crisps

Gather:

2  large sweet potatoes (organic preferable since you are eating the skin)

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt or preferred spice

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 250 F and position rack in the center

2. Wash and dry sweet potatoes and slice them as thin as possible. Try to make them all uniform in thinness, as a thicker cut will result in a less crispy chip. A mandolin slicer would be best, but if you don't have one...no sweat. Just use your sharpest knife and take your time.

3.Toss the chips in olive oil to lightly coat and sprinkle each with preferred spice. 

4. Place on baking sheet in a single layer and bake for two hours, flipping chips once while baking to ensure both sides are evenly baked. 

5. Remove from oven and let them rest for 10 minutes before trying...sometimes they need a little shock of cold air to crisp up. 

Enjoy! A little preparation before the pool party or movie night is all it takes to have your own salty-satisfying snack, without the calories, fat and disappointment. 

Stay fit, and see you back here next week for another simple, healthy recipe! 

Steak with Zesty Dipping Sauce

Let's just pause for a moment and consider, STEAK. It has been far too long since we have featured a beefy-meaty carnivorous recipe on the blog. This week, we will remedy that. You're welcome. 

Skirt, or Flank Steak is not the lowest calorie cut of  beef, but it packs a lot of flavor. The key with choosing a fattier piece of beef, sometimes, is that less is more. Because it has more flavor, you should choose to eat less and add in lots of vitamin rich and nutrient heavy vegetables to your dinner. All the while enjoying the more flavorful, fattier cut of beef.  Humans do need fat after all, to function correctly.  So, instead of quitting eating your favorite things altogether, try to eat the leaner cuts more often, and making a treat out of the fattier ones, and eating a smaller portion when you do. Because the flavor is richer, a smaller amount should satisfy as much as a larger portion of less flavorful meat. 

This week's recipe is quick + easy with a delicious yogurt dipping sauce (also packed with protein) for those delicious bites of steak.

Skirt Steak with Yogurt Dipping Sauce, serves 4 (can also be refrigerated for meal prep)

Gather
1/2  cup  plain low-fat Greek yogurt 

1/2  teaspoon  ground cumin 

1/2  teaspoon finely grated lime zest plus 2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tsp of kosher salt and black pepper 

1 tbsp  cup  olive oil 

1 and 1/4  pounds  skirt steak, cut into 4 pieces

Method:
1. Whisk together yogurt, cumin, lime zest 1 tsp each of the salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Heat tbsp olive oil in skillet on medium-high heat.
3.Cook Steak 3-4 minute per side for medium rare. Let rest 3-4 minutes before slicing against the grain
4. Serve steak with vegetables of your choice ( may we suggest a mixed greens salad, or sautéed mushroom and onions) and yogurt sauce for dipping. 

Enjoy! Feed those muscles!