One pan PFF meals

It's officially the Fall! My FAVORITE.

I love the weather. I love the leaves changing. I love the scents and flavors (but, like, not the fake ones). I love that we're still outside a ton and that the holidays are approaching but I'm not scrambling to buy gifts and send cards yet. I dunno ... it's a vibe.



But it's also a hectic time of year with back to school, school events, sports, the return of bigger house projects (do you put them on pause for Summer too?), and it's a very packed time of year in my business. 



We want to cook, but a lot of times also not really. Right? And we *certainly* don't want a big clean-up. So I made you something! Here's a One Pan PFF-balanced meal collection. There are options for omnivores, plant based peeps, and everything happens to be free of gluten and dairy. Feel free to add your own gluten or dairy if you desire. ;-) 



These meals are balanced to help with metabolism-boosting, fat loss, "toning up", muscle-building, blood sugar balancing, craving-busting, and satiety-between-meals goals.



Which one are you going to try first??




Hope you enjoy,
Tara



P.S. Why was the robot couple's anniversary in the Fall?
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They were autumn mated.

Apple Vs. Pumpkin Fall Collection

I was gonna share a pumpkin-only recipe collection in celebration of the unofficial start to Fall, but some of you guys can't stand pumpkin (I know ... can you imagine?!?!) ;-)

So I decided to split it right down the middle with 4 pumpkin and 4 apple recipes. Hope you enjoy THIS recipe collection, even if it's still beach weather where you live too.   :-P



XO,
Tara

Sweet Potato Bruschetta

Hello!

With back-to-school coming at us full-force, many of us find September to be like a second New Years in terms of being able to re-establish goals, schedules, and commit to new habits.  I notice this to be the trend even amongst my friends that don't have young children.

A large factor for success here comes down to priorities and time management skills.  We need recipes we love that will nourish ourselves and our family and either be SUPER quick or at least allow us some 'hands off' time (like while something is in the oven) to be able to multitask.  This is a good chance to clean up, help with homework, make that phone call, or shoot off a quick email. 

The following recipe is a delicious side dish or app, but can easily be turned into a main dish by adding a protein source such as white beans, tuna, or chicken.

If you have any friends that could use some healthy inspiration / recipes, please let them know about my newsletter.  It is my mission to help as many people with their health / nutrition / fitness as possible - regardless of whether or not they ever hire me.  Sharing is caring!  ;-)

On to this delicious recipe...

Sweet Potato “Bruschetta” (Servings 4-8)

Ingredients: 

• 3 medium sweet potatoes, cut lengthwise into ¼ inch slices 
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 2½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered 
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ⅓ cup packed basil, roughly chopped
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  

2. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

3. Place sweet potato slices in a mixing bowl and toss with 1 tsp. olive oil.

4. Spread sweet potato slices out evenly on baking sheets, giving each slice a little space.

5. Bake for 20 minutes.  Flip to the other side and bake for 10 more minutes until golden brown.

6. Meanwhile, toss the cherry tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl.

7. When sweet potatoes are done, let cool. 

8. Top sweet potato slices with tomato mixture, and enjoy!

Do you plan on trying this recipe?  It works if you're looking to ditch the bread or have someone that is gluten-free that you're cooking for.

In good health,

Tara

Snack Attack - Pumpkin Pudding

Raise your hand if you're on the pumpkin-everything-until-January bandwagon.

I'm right there with ya!  ;-)  If you answered no, first of all, what's wrong with you?  Kidding!  Or am I?  Regardless, you may know someone (like a child, a spouse, a friend) who DOES love pumpkin everything.  Here's a super-quick, easy, and healthy recipe that works well as a snack, a dessert, a dip for fruit, mixed into oatmeal, under granola, or on top of yogurt.  The kitchen is for creativity!  How do you plan to eat this Pumpkin Pudding?

In an earlier social media post, I promised you guys some nutrition facts.  I think there's a time and place for counting calories, protein, etc.  I don't believe it's for everyone or forever, no matter what your situation is.  I'm a strong believer in listening to your body, balancing hormones, reducing stress and cravings, and eventually being able to be so in tune with your own needs, that there's no food journaling or strict tracking needed.  That being said, it IS helpful sometime.  Example: If you want to start your health journey and have NO IDEA how many calories you take in on a typical day, you may want to track for a few days to get a baseline.  Or, as in this case, I created this recipe custom for a client of mine that has Gestational Diabetes.  She needed something high in protein, high in fiber, low in carbs/sugar, and wanted it very "pumpkin-y".  Haha!  So, here you have it...

• 150 Calories
• 8g fiber
• 12g net carbs
• 11g protein
• 1 full serving of veggies

Pumpkin Pudding

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 4 T peanut flour (a.k.a. powdered peanut butter)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp stevia
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

1. This is the easy part - mix all ingredients together in a bowl / mug / cute cup.  That's it!  Enjoy immediately, store in fridge up to 3 days, or freeze and serve at a later date for your holiday party.

Enjoy.  In joy.  In health!

Tara