Chocolate Lover's Power Bowl

You can bet my meal prepping includes chocolate, and this is one of my all time favorite breakfast/snack/dessert bowls & one of the recipes I'm most proud of! 

Packed with antioxidants, healthy fats, and loads of fiber, this dish is promises more glowing benefits than your best beauty cream. Designed to satisfy that sweet tooth and keep hormone levels balanced (no sugar spikes), if you're craving something rich in chocolate or a mid-day treat with no added sugars, you'll love this Chocolate lover's Power Bowl!

Recipe:

• 1/4 c Blueberries
• 1/2  Banana - Sliced
• 1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
• 3 medium Strawberries - Sliced
• 1/3 c Unsweetened Coconut Milk
• 1 tbsp Unsweetened Organic Dark Chocolate Chips, 100% Cacao - TRY THESE
• 1.5 Tbsp Organic Chia Seeds
• 1/3 c Cooked Quinoa 

For meal prep mix quinoa, chia seeds, chocolate chips, vanilla extract, and ground cinnamon in snack sized storage bags and freeze. When ready to enjoy, use microwave safe bowl, and cover with warm coconut milk. If still frozen of cold, microwave for 60-90seconds. Top with fruit, shaved coconut, sliced almonds. Enjoy!
 

403 Cal / 47g Carbs. / 19g Fat. / 12g Protein  / 16g Fiber  -  Serves 1

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How I Meal Prepped for Baby + 6 Recipes

While waiting for Winnie's debut one of my biggest priorities was meal prep. Even though we'd have family visiting– and parents who were more than happy to cook or order out– I knew I wanted to have balanced meals available for healthier choices when left to my own vices. If I'm honest, I probably went overboard, but I was having fun playing with recipes and planning out my postpartum nutrition plan. Was that much meal prep necessary? Probably not, but I now know just how valuable it was in the weeks following our little one's arrival.

Why focus on food so much when adjusting to a newborn?...

I'm a firm believer that in order to care well for others unless you first take care of yourself. Since I'd decided to breastfeed, I knew that nutrition would be more critical than ever. I predicted late nights, early mornings, and little to no time to cook a healthy meal. I knew I would need to accommodate an additional 500 calories to nurse, and from what I'd read, women who breastfed were generally hungrier throughout the day. I wanted to set myself up for success both in postpartum recovery and caring for baby.

What I prepared?...

While I didn't plan on prioritizing breakfast recipes, in hindsight I'm really glad I did! 

Adjusting to life with a newborn, this is by far the hardest meal to prepare in real time. I can't tell you how satisfying it is to whip out a complete and somewhat luxurious meal in no more than 2-5minutes. With many of these recipes all that's left to do is warm some milk or fry a couple eggs and not only do I feel nourished, but heck, I feel pretty darn put together, and THAT goes a long way as a new mom! 

Was it Really that helpful?

YES! While our freezer was maxed out, and Paul was convinced I was going overboard, since Winnie's arrival, I've remade these recipes multiple times! Both Paul and I have found the breakfast options incredibly helpful during hectic mornings, and I've thoroughly enjoyed the added snack options throughout the day. Assuming that dinners would be covered by parents, I only prepared one dinner option, and once all of our visitors left, it proved a nice transition. 

Anything else you did to prepare?

While I didn't finish our nursery or pack my hospital bag until the week of, food and other household necessities were on stock and ready to go! I can't tell you how many Amazon orders I made in the month leading up to Winnie's arrival. In addition to the meals I prepared, I made sure to stock some frozen fruit (smoothies), veggie burgers, fish, and protein bars. 

As I pulled all of these recipes for you, this post became unbearably long, so rather than overwhelm you, I'll be sharing one recipe per day for the remainder of the week. Because the nutritional value of these meals is extremely important to me, I've included nutrition facts with each recipe, but should you have any questions you can always leave a comment or DM me via Insta. I hope you enjoy, and let me know what you think!

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Green Detox

Recipe (Serves 2):

• 3 c Organic Baby Spinach
• 1/2 Granny Smith Apple
• 1/2 Cucumber
• 1 1/2 Celery Stalk
• 1/2 Banana
• 3/4 to 1c Pineapple (adds to sweetness)
• 1/2 c Organic Nonfat Keifer - Plain
• 1/2 c Water
• 1 squeeze Lemon

Combine all ingredients in a Ziploc bag and freeze. When ready to enjoy, add keifer, water, lemon and blend until smooth. *Pro Tip: leave some air in each bag. Originally, I wanted to conserve freezer space, so I packed these down as much as possible, however, when it came time to prepare, I was stuck with a brick of frozen greens and an overworked blender. 

135 Cal / 30g Carbs. / 0g Fat. / 5g Protein  - Per Serving

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Click through to more Recipes:
 

• Green Detox

• Tropical Power Bowl

• Loaded Pasta Sauce

• Simply Nourish Bowl

• Chocolate Lover's Power Bowl (Coming 4/28/2018)

• Protein Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins (Coming 4/29/2018)

Roasted Chickpea Recipe

Sharing my favorite roasted chickpea recipe with you today! I've been whipping these up for years as the perfect pre-dinner snack, or they're an easy make ahead option for salads and snacking throughout the week. Either way, these spicy crunchy bites are sure to leave you wanting more! Best of all, this recipe requires 5 ingredients and no more than 10min prep time– the hardest part will be waiting ;)

Pro-Tip: Expect chickpeas to shrink when roasted. Since they store well in a sealed jar, I usually double or triple this recipe for guaranteed leftovers.

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Recipe:

• 2 Cans Organic Garbanzo Beans
• 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 1/8 tsp Ground Ginger
• 1 Lime - Juiced
• Salt & Pepper to taste

121 Cal / 18g Carbs. / 4g Fat. / 5g Protein  -  1/4c  Roasted Chickpeas

Rinse beans thoroughly, removing as many skins as possible while rinsing. Lay on paper towels to remove excess water. Move to mixing bow and add Olive Oil, Cayenne, Ginger, and Lime Juice. Gently stir in seasonings & transfer to baking sheet (I use a cooling grid on top to assist in even airflow). Sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste. Bake at 250-300 degrees for 45-60min or until desired crispiness is achieved. Enjoy!

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Harvest Oatmeal

Breakfast is my all-time favorite meal of the day. With the holidays upon us I've been playing with some healthier alternatives that are guilt free, but just as comforting. In case you couldn't tell, I love food, so while I strive to maintain a healthy diet, my dishes still need to be packed with flavor, and this Harvest Oatmeal is just that! Easy to make in large batches and one of my favorite meals to make ahead, this Harvest Oatmeal is the perfect Thanksgiving Breakfast option to set you up for the weekend ahead. Enjoy!

Recipe:

• 3/4c Old Fashioned Rolled Oats - Organic
• .5tbs Chia Seeds
• 1tsp Organic Vanilla Extract
• 1/8c Raw Pecan Pieces
• 1/8c Organic Dried Cranberries
• 1tbs Organic Pumpkin Butter
• Optional – 1/8c Granny Smith Apple,  diced
• Optional – Cinnamon / Nutmeg to taste

Cook Rolled Oats as normal, include additional 1/4c water. Cook for approx 5 min, turn of burner, stir in Vanilla Extract & Chia Seeds. Top with Pecans, Dried Cranberries, Pumpkin Butter, Apple, and Cinnamon / Nutmeg. 

380 Cal. / 54g Carbs. / 16g Fat. / 9g Protein. 

Oatmeal Smoothie

Guys, I've been making this smoothie for years & it's the perfect start to your morning or exactly what you need for an afternoon pick-me-up. My two secret ingredients? Vanilla Extract & Coffee Grounds. No need to make both coffee & breakfast, just combine them & you'll have a fully satiating meal to-go. 

If you follow on Insta-stories you know that lately, I've been trying to get some extra protein in my diet, and while I struggle to find protein supplements I enjoy, this Vegan Fit Protein by Whole Foods pairs perfectly with the ingredient on this list.  

Enjoy!

*Pro Tip - Always keep frozen bananas on hand. If you enjoy smoothies, this is my number one piece of meal prep advice!

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Recipe:

• 3/4c Milk or Milk Alternative (I use Unsweetened Coconut Milk)
• 1 Small Banana (frozen)
• 1/2c Ice
• 1 tbsp Powdered Peanut Butter
• 1.5 tsp Cinnamon
• 1.5 tsp Dark Cocoa Powder (optional)
• 1.5 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 tbsp Organic High Quality Coffee Grounds
• 1/4c Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
• 1/2 Scoop Fit Protein - Vanilla Cinnamon (optional)
• Garnish with Oats, Unsweetened Cocoa Nibs, & Agave

387 Cal. / 62g Carbs / 7g Fat / 20g Protein

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Glitterary Cooks!

Chicago is home to countless gourmet restaurants, constantly elevating our own culinary expectations, and frankly, making us a little lazy in the Home Ec. department. That said, despite our lack of culinary genius like that of Stephanie Izard (Girl and the Goat), every now and then we still like to try our hand at gourmet cuisine–as unsuccessful as some of our attempts may be. Plated is our solution to cooking gourmet meals. Like you, between, work, the gym, hobbies, and social life balance, we often end up picking up takeout for a late dinner on the couch. Grocery shopping, cooking, and clean up- no thanks, we'll take the easy route! However, being the online gurus that we are, we loved shopping Plated's weekly meal options, making our selections and having them delivered to our homes just days later. With the exception of a few kitchen essentials, such as salt, pepper, and a little olive oil, everything needed for the recipes comes carefully packaged and delivered to your door.

To our surprise, the meals made us feel like real chefs- we can cook!!

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To make your plated selections, visit www.plated.com.