Protein Packed No Grain Pancakes

When I heard the ingredients for these pancakes, I was super skeptical. I mean, how can eggs and a banana make a pancake? But seriously, TRY THEM! They are sweeter than a normal pancake, which means you don't need much syrup (honestly, you may not need any at all!). Best of all? They are SO easy! And you probably have the ingredients on hand at all times!

Seriously, here are the only ingredients:

2 Eggs
1 Banana
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
cinnamon and vanilla to taste

First, throw all of your ingredients into a blender or food processor. You could also just mix them really well in a bowl if you want. I used about 3/4 capful of vanilla extract and several good shakes of cinnamon. 

Blend for just a second or two, until a batter is formed. Meanwhile, melt a little coconut oil in a frying pan or skillet. You can use any oil you want, but the coconut oil adds a nice sweetness that I really like. 

Once your oil is melted, just pour the batter into the size pancakes you want, and let it start bubbling a little around the edges before you flip it (just as you would with a normal pancake). 

Flip it over for only a few seconds on the other side, and that's it! Top it with some real maple syrup, or some fresh berries, and you've got yourself a super delicious breakfast that feels like a guilty pleasure, but is really a very healthy, high protein meal! Who knew eggs and a banana could taste so good?!

Chicken and Cheese Chimichangas

I have to give credit to my sister-in-law Erin for this recipe. It was one of the first of many that I have gotten from her over the years, and it remains a favorite in our house. The best thing about it is that it was so already healthy, so I really didn't have to modify it much for our clean eating lifestyle.

I think what is so great about these chimi's is that they can be thrown together in just a few minutes, and can be on the table in 30 minutes start to finish. Plus, I always make them the night we go grocery shopping and I use a rotisserie chicken! You all know I love shortcuts, and what is easier than using an already cooked chicken? Bonus is that at Costco the rotisserie chicken is only $4.99, so it's cheaper than buying raw chicken and cooking it too!

Honestly, these guys couldn't be easier. Here are the ingredients:

2 1/2 cups cooked and shredded white meat chicken
2/3 cup Pace Pecante Sauce (or chunky salsa of your choice)
1/3 cup sliced green onions
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1 cup shredded cheese (I use whatever we have on hand-- usually a mexican blend)
Tortillas (best to use corn, but they break more easily. I find sprouted wheat varieties at Trader Joes)
Olive Oil spray

Preheat the oven to 475. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large deep rimmed pan and simmer 5 minutes, or until the flavors are well combined.

Spoon 1/3 cup of filling and 2 tbsp cheese onto each tortilla, and roll up like a burrito. Spray the tops of the chimichangas with olive oil cooking spray (or just brush them with EVOO).

Bake at 475 for 13-15 minutes or until tortillas are crispy and chimichangas are heated through. Enjoy with a dollop of guacamole or greek yogurt and some chopped cilantro on top!

Fruit and Nut Chicken Salad

I have been following the 21 Day Fix meal plan lately, and it has been really eye opening! I learned that even though I was eating clean foods, too many of my calories were coming from carbs each day, and not enough from fruits and veggies. So I've been trying to come up with recipes for lunches that I can eat without any carbs, but I was getting a little bored of having a salad with chicken or salmon on it every day.

I decided to create this awesome chicken salad recipe because I had some leftover rotisserie chicken and didn't want to throw it away. Whenever we go to Costco we buy their rotisserie chicken, because HELLO! It is $4.99 and HUGE! There is so much white meat on it that I had more than what I needed for last nights chicken and cheese chimichangas, so I decided to use ingredients I had at home to create a yummy lunch for today.

I like chicken salad, but it's usually loaded with fattening mayo, which I refuse to eat. Lately I substitute plain fat free greek yogurt for anything that calls for mayo or sour cream, so I decided to use as my base. It didn't have much flavor that way, though, so I started adding other stuff I had laying around. The result was this super delicious fruit and nut chicken salad that was absolutely incredible!

Here is what I used, but of course, feel free to substitute your own ingredients that you have lying around!

1 cup shredded cooked white meat chicken
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt (I used Fage fat free)
1/2 cup chopped apple
1/2 cup chopped red grapes
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped toasted pecans
drizzle of honey to taste
salt and pepper to taste

I just mixed it all together in a tupperware and let it sit overnight in the fridge. The next day the flavors had all combined, the apples and nuts were still crunchy but the honey had sweetened everything just enough to reduce the tanginess of the yogurt, and I was one happy girl!

In my efforts to reduce my carbs, I just ate mine with a fork, but it would be really great as a sandwich, or on top of greens as a salad, or scooped up on some whole grain crackers!