Sweet Chili Sesame Stir-Fry

My New Years resolution was to challenge myself. This months challenge: eliminating processed foods from my diet (aka clean eating). I've done pretty good by cutting back throughout the month but this week I've decided to cut out all processed foods completely. Now that I've switched shifts at work it's been a little difficult to meal plan. Instead of making dinners and having the leftovers for lunch the next day I have to make lunch and bring the leftovers for dinner. Having tons of fresh fruits and veggies on hand has made it so much easier.

A big part of clean eating is including proteins, carbs, and fats in every meal. Protein helps to build muscle and aids in curbing appetite so including it in every meal will help keep you full all day. Now that I have made the switch to second shift, I am at work until 11pm. Planning meals that keep me full throughout my entire shift has become a big part of my morning routine. This morning I decided to throw a stir-fry together with just a few simple ingredients. This one meal gave me enough leftovers for three more meals AND has protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats.

Yield: 4 servings

• 1 cup quinoa, cooked according to package directions
• 1 lb. washed and trimmed green beans
• 1 tbsp. sesame oil
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 lb. lean ground chicken
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 1/2 tbsp. sweet chili sauce
• 1 1/2 tbsp. hoisin sauce
• 1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp. reduced sodium soy sauce

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add green beans and boil for 6 minutes. Once cooked, drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking; set aside. 

Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add sesame oil, garlic, and ground chicken to pan. Break up chicken as much as possible and cook until browned (about 5 minutes). Once chicken is mostly cooked, add sweet chili sauce, hoisin, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, and cooked green beans. Stir to coat and continue to cook until chicken is done and green beans are tender (about 2 more minutes). Serve over quinoa. 

Asparagus and Spinach Pesto

For the past few weeks I've been trying really hard to minimize my intake of processed foods. My fridge has been stocked up with fresh fruits and vegetables now that it's FINALLY transitioning into spring here in Wisconsin. I'm not a sweets fan so I have to force myself to eat fruits. When I do that I usually neglect my vegetables. I had an entire bunch of asparagus sitting in my fridge and did not want to roast it like I normally would. I thought and thought and thought about what to do with it and then it hit me...pesto. Typical store bought pesto's are too strong for me and are loaded with preservatives so I wanted to make my own. Using an entire bunch of asparagus and handfuls of spinach for this pesto is also a great way to sneak in veggies. The garlic and pine nuts add such distinct flavors that even the pickiest eaters wouldn't realize just how healthy this vegetable based pesto is.

Yield: 2 cups

• 1 bunch of asparagus, tough ends discarded (about 1lb.)
• 3 cups fresh spinach
• 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/4-1/2 cup olive oil
• Salt to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add asparagus and boil for 4 minutes or until tender. While asparagus is cooking toast pine nuts until fragrant. When asparagus is tender, transfer to a large bowl filled with ice water with stop the cooking. 

Once cooled, chop asparagus into 1" pieces. Add to food processor with spinach, garlic, toasted pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, and lemon juice. Pulse until roughly chopped. Drizzle in olive oil and continue to pulse until pesto becomes smooth. Serve over pasta with grilled chicken and toasted pine nuts. 

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

Fad diets are all the rage these days. There are so many people that are testing out diets just to lose weight instead of making healthier choices for the rest of their lives. Not going to lie, I've done it. I was vegetarian for 3 years, vegan for a month, pescetarian for all the times in between, and the list goes on. This year though I have really been trying to make bigger changes that last. My new years resolution was to challenge myself with something new for each month. January I gave up meat and challenged myself to eat more seafood (sustainable seafood at that). February I challenged myself to give up sugar. Since lent started in March, I gave up tortilla chips (weird I know, but when I go out for Mexican food I eat the entire complementary basket and then some). This month I've been challenging myself to make foods that I normally buy processed. I've been making my own salad dressings, chips, sauces and now cookies!

I know, I know, it's easy to make cookies from scratch. I am way more conscious of what I put into my body though and wanted to take something so unhealthy and make it better. This recipe is gluten free, dairy free, butter free, and most importantly: ALL NATURAL. I'm not going to lie and say these taste just like the most indulgent of chocolate chip cookies because they don't. They do however taste so good for being healthy and in my book, that's all that matters. You know those almond cookies you get when you order Chinese take out? That's exactly what these taste like only with chocolate chips to make them better.

Yield: 2 dozen cookies

• 2 cups almond flour
• 2/3 cup coconut flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla
• 1/2 cup organic maple syrup (sugar free if you can find one)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil

Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients. In a small bowl combine the vanilla, syrup and eggs and mix to combine. 

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix (starting with a spatula and then using your hands). Once mixed, add the chocolate chips. Melt the coconut oil and mix into the batter. Your batter should have the consistency of normal cookie dough, if it is too thin add more flour. 

Place tablespoon sized scoops onto a cookie sheet lined with a Silpat (if you do not have a Silpat, lightly spray your cookie sheets with cooking spray). Make sure to flatten the cookie dough with a spatula, it will not flatten as it cooks so this step is important! 

Bake for 12 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before eating. 

Recipe adapted from: Simply Taralynn