Guacamole Deviled Eggs - (AKA - light deviled eggs)

Another way to step up your classic game

Okay so you won't find deviled eggs in any diet book... why? Because it's literally all mayonnaise. 

For lighter deviled eggs, I use guacamole as my base (subbing out the mayo)... and it's AMAZING. You can use homemade guac or store bought 80-100 calorie packs. I've used both with great results. 

Pro tip... Chipotle's guac recipe is at the bottom ;)

Ingredients

• Hard Boiled Eggs - save yourself the trouble and just buy them hardboiled, seriously $5 at Costco for 24 boiled eggs.
• Guac: Homemade, or 100- 80 calorie guacamole packs
• Cilantro, chopped - if your a cilantro fiend like me
• Touch of Garlic powder
• Touch of Onion powder
• Touch of celery salt
• Green Chili powder - optional
• Diced tomato and Cilantro garnish - optional

Directions

1. You know the drill, cut the eggs in half and empty yolks in a bowl
2. Combine yolks and guac in pleasing quantities, it's not rocket science folks.
3. Fold in any extra tomato, peppers, or cilantro that you want to add for texture and flavor
4. Season to your hearts content!
5. EAT :)

Chipotle Guac:

INGREDIENTS
2 ripe Hass avocados
2 tsp lime juice
2 tbsp cilantro (chopped)
1/4 cup red onion (finely chopped)
1/2 jalapeño, including seeds (finely chopped)
1/4 tsp kosher salt

HOW TO DO IT:
1. Choose the right avocado. It should feel squishy yet firm (like the palm of your hand), and be a nice dark green color on the inside.
2. Cut the avocado in half and the remove the pit (carefully!)
3. Scoop the avocados and place in a medium bowl.
4. Toss and coat with lime juice.
5. Add the salt and using a fork or potato masher, mash until a smooth consistency is achieved.
6. Fold in the remaining ingredients and mix well.
7. Taste the guacamole (over and over) and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Make it a party, and try Pesto Deviled Eggs too! :)

Subscribe :)

Pesto Deviled Eggs

This is how you reinvent a classic

This is so easy its stupid. Deviled eggs are just one of those things where everyone has that one grandma, aunt, etc who makes THE BEST. Well, I'm not promising these are the best, per se, HOWEVER... they are unexpected! Different is huge when you're talking deviled eggs because most people usually use the same ingredients, and only differ in the quantities.

This reminds me of one mother's day when I was a teenager, we went to this great Italian place with daily menu changes. One of those places where the chef makes whatever inspires him that day. So, that particular day, he made basil mashed potatoes. Green mashed potatoes on my plate. At first I was totally weirded out, but then I took a bite, and my eyes rolled into the back of my head. Unfortunately for me, my father is a usual patron, and the chef was on his way to the table to personally ask how we were enjoying the food. Obviously, he saw the entire event transpire. My entire range of facial expressions from, 'wtf' to 'Holy Lord in heaven.' He was laughing and grinning ear to ear by the time he was standing next to me, and I - of course- was mortified. To add insult to my injury, he asked "How are those potatoes for you?" Anyways, so those are literally the most memorable mashed potatoes I've ever had. They might also be the best, but I don't know, mashed potatoes are just one of those dishes that are amazing each and every time - so it's hard to say which is best. The take home message here, is that I will forever REMEMBER those mashed potatoes, and their creator. A classic that is difficult to reinvent is forever ingrained in my memory... so much that it inspired these deviled eggs

This recipe will definitely stand out and people will love it 1) because it's delicious, and 2) this is not your average, run of the mill egg.  A deviled egg is something so common and classic that most people don't even think of changing the fundamental ingredients and flavors. IF ANYTHING this is memorable.   

Ingredients

• Hard boiled eggs
• Basil pesto, see recipe here for boss ass pesto
• Just enough mayo to soften the yolks up (if you're being health conscious)
  or just add tons of mayo till it tastes like heaven
• Dijon if you like mustard, I guess.... blegh! I don't know, its up to you. (blegh again!) It REALLY does not need it at all, and I'm not even sure if it will go with pesto...
• Garlic salt
• Celery salt

Directions

1. Make pesto, (see recipe) or use any on hand
2. Cut eggs in half, emptying yolks in a bowl
3. Combine ingredients with the yolks and mix with fork
4. Season to taste

Make it a party! Try my Guacamole Deviled Eggs! Aka - LIGHT deviled eggs! :)

Enjoy!

Basil Pesto Baked Tofu

This is an interesting one because it is so versatile! Its lunch, dinner, snack, and even a salad topping. Today I ate it simply as you see above with a side of veggies. But in the past I've thrown it into veggie stir fry bowls, rice bowls, salads, curries, pad thai, ramen, salads, the list goes on.

Tofu is a blank canvas. The possibilities are endless. I love pesto, so that's what I did today. I bought a huge pack from Costco, so I'll play with it some more and see what I come up with!

Ingredients

• Firm tofu
• Basil Pesto Sauce

For the Basil Pesto Sauce

• Fresh Basil, from your basil plants if you're a boss
• Garlic, whole or chopped
• Olive Oil
• Parmesan Cheese
• Pine Nuts/Almonds/Hemp Seeds (whatever is on hand)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
3. Drain the water from the tofu
4. Horizontally slice into 3 thinner layers
5. Set aside the amount of tofu that you need for today, and refrigerate the remaining tofu in a container with water.
6. Cut your tofu into 3 equal rectangles
7. Salt the tofu if desired and sandwich the tofu between two paper towels. Place a heavy can, or any other item you have on hand on top. This will help dry the tofu a little
8. Spread a small amount of pesto on each side of the tofu
9. Bake for 15 minutes on each side, possibly a little more depending on desired crispiness
   Note: The bottom side of the tofu will be browning, not the top. 

Garlic Parmesan Popcorn

Yep, here I go again... cheese, garlic and popcorn!

Ingredients

• popcorn kernels
• grated parmesan cheese, fresh
• garlic powder
• italian seasoning (optional, but encouraged!)
• misto - olive oil
• sea salt, kosher salt, himalayan salt - your choice

Directions

1. Air pop popcorn in microwave, or with air popper
2. light spray of olive oil with misto
3. take two pinches of grated parmesan cheese, rub and grind into small pieces between two fingers as your sprinkling. Rub hard! you want to distribute it as much as possible
4. garlic powder - not garlic salt - to taste
5. top with a sprinkle of italian seasoning if you like!
6. salt - easy cowboy! 

Enjoy!

Mini Zucchini Pizzas

Guilt Free Snackable Pizza

Pseudo Bagel Bites! Great snack for everyone, regardless or not if they want to eat healthy. I brought these to a girls night once and the girls loved it.

This is a great carb free, gluten free, and paleo excuse to snack on pizza. SOLD!

Ingredients

• Zucchini
• Homemade Marinara, or store bought
• Low Fat cheese of choice (Mozerella, Swiss, Parmesean, etc)
• olive oil in misto spray (optional)
• turkey pepperoni, cut into smaller pieces (optional)

Directions

1. Turn broiler on high
2. Slice zucchini into medallions or longer ovals, place on baking sheet lined with foil and broil for a couple minutes. Option two is to quickly saute in skillet on medium heat. (It's not entirely necessary to cook the zucchini medallions, so you can skip this step if you like)
3. Place a dollop of marinara sauce on the zucchini
4. Top with cheese
5. Broil for a few minutes or place in oven at 400 F

Notes:

If you do not have marinara sauce made, or any on hand

• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• onion powder
• garlic powder
• ground celery seed
• salt and pepper
• little bit of cumin and paprika if you like

Hard Boiled Egg Snack

Quick Protien. 

This is a great protein snack that I like to pack in my lunches. A little bit or a lot of seasoning is up to you! Today I was definitely feeling the seasoning, however, even a little bit goes a long way. Try any of your favorite seasonings,  I personally do not like hard boiled egg yolks for some reason, so I take them out. 

Today, I used paprika, rosemary, thyme, and a salt free Italian seasoning blend  (Mrs. Dash).

For convenience, I use hard boiled eggs from Costco. Saves me the trouble of making them myself and makes meal prep a little bit faster!

Ingredients

• Hard boiled eggs (prepared and bought from Costco)
• Salt & Pepper
• Olive oil, sprayed from a misto (optional, but light!)

          options include:

• Ground Rosemary (a favorite of mine)
• Dried rosemary, whole
• Italian seasoning
• Paprika 
• Celery seed / celery salt
• Curry
• Lemon pepper

Directions

1. Cut hard boiled eggs in half
2. Punch out egg yolk, if so desired
3. Season moderately, lightly, heavy.. whatever you are feeling today
4. Pack in snack sized bags for on the go snacks!

Cheesy Garlic Popcorn

Cheesy, Garlicy, Salty

I, for one, love garlic. That being said, the one thing I love more than garlic is cheese. Well, my go to seasoning on pretty much anything used to be garlic salt, but, I switched to garlic powder now that I know better. Garlic salt, although deviously delicious, is terrible for your body.

Anyways, once I started eating healthy, I started popping popcorn in brown paper bags. At this point I didn't really season much since I didn't know any better and hadn't really seen popcorn seasoned with anything other than butter and salt. One day I must have automatically just gone for the garlic powder and then had to roll with it. I ended up adding nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor and I added a touch of salt, because I am not a savage.

I freaking loved it. This is my go to popcorn recipe and now popcorn almost tastes weird without it.

My family sees me do it and thinks its kind of weird to put garlic on popcorn... but I'm not sure if they've tried it or not. Honestly, I haven't really made any effort to let them try some because I don't like to share my popcorn anyways!

The way I see it, is it's just more grown up popcorn. Gourmet maybe? Who cares, its good, I'm putting it on here for anyone who cares!

Okay so there are several easy methods to popping popcorn

• Brown paper bag

• Microwave popcorn maker: Joie (this is what I use now), Nordic Ware, Presto

• Air popper

• Stove top (not recommended since you have to use a lot of oil)

Easy peasy.

Ingredients:

• Popcorn
• Garlic Powder
• Nutritional Yeast
• Salt, easy on the salt there tiger
• Olive Oil, keep in mind we're trying to be healthy here! LIGHT sprays!
     -- or Pam

Directions:

1. Make popcorn, as mentioned above there are several different ways. If you have some sort of popcorn maker, then I'm sure you know the drill or have access to the instructions and measuring cups on the machine, etc
2. Brown paper bag:
• grab a handful or two and toss in the bag
• fold over brown paper bag a couple times (leave as much space for popping as possible)
• Put in the microwave for 2 minutes, or until you can't hear popping for 2 seconds!
3. Use Misto to spray olive oil lightly / spray Pam lightly (it doesn't really have zero calories!) 
4. Season with garlic liberally
5. Season with nutritional yeast moderately (it has more calories, fat, etc)
6. Season with salt LIGHTLY

Enjoy!

Spinach Dip

Satisfying, Cheesy, Savory 

This is a very useful recipe. It can be used as a dip for almost anything and it can also be used as a spread on sandwiches, wraps, etc.

Ingredients:

• Spinach, chopped
• Laughing Cow Wedges

          Cauliflower Rice Ingredients

• Cauliflower, finely grated into rice
• Garlic, very finely minced
• Onion, very finely minced

          "Chips"

• Zucchini, sliced into medallions with mandolin
• Squash, sliced into medallions with mandolin
• Artichokes
• Broccoli

Directions:

1. Turn stove top on low for a saute pan
2. Set up a double boiler: a pot of boiling water + a glass or metal bowl that sits on top 
3. Break up cauliflower into florets and blend in Vitamix or food processor until it looks like rice
4. Garlic and onion may be chopped by hand, mandolin, zester, or food processor - dealers choice
5. Combine cauliflower rice, onion, and garlic on stove top for a few minutes
6. Combine spinach, rice, and Laughing Cow cheese in the bowl and stir occasionally until it melts. Note: make sure to adjust the temperature of the boiling water to make sure the water does not over boil into your dip. 

Notes:

You may also want to see:

Chicken and Vegetable Sandwich

Pico de Gallo and Zucchini Chips

Spicy, Tangy, Fresh

Heellooooo game day munchies! Hellooo mindless snacking! 

I hate watching sports with people when I am watching what I eat, or having company over at all.. because we all know this means food. Lots of food. The fattier and least healthy the better. I hate having to say, "Oh no thanks, I'm not hungry" because we all know what happens when you tell other people you are watching what you eat. Instead of support, you get the opposite.. 

"You look great! You don't have to watch what you eat"
"Oh please one chip/mozzarella stick/fried you name it wont hurt!"
"Live a little!"

Those of us who watch what we eat know that there are times when we have the strength to have literally just one and run in the opposite direction. Other days, most days, just 1 turns into just 15... just 20... etc and it's a slippery slope from there. 

Its great to have an alternative right there in front of you so you can (more) easily ignore the chip monster rattling around in its securely locked cage. Enter: zucchini medallions. Zucchini is so clutch. I use it in almost everything because it is so versatile. Here, its my chips.


What's so great about this recipe is that you can prepare a typical "game day" or "party" food and have a regular option and a healthy option for the chips! No more feeling left out and looking at everyone with hangry eyes, and people generally pressure you less when they see you enjoying something. Problem solved. Your guests can much on chips and you can grab the zucchini. Honestly, you don't even miss the chips! This is an easy snack to bring to parties too! Bring enough zucchini to bail someone else out of a jam just in case ;) you might save someone else who is trying to watch what they eat.

Its also an amazing snack for munching while watching TV or studying. Satisfies chip cravings and munching cravings. 

Ingredients:

• Zucchini for "chips" , slice to an appropriate thickness with mandolin

          Pico De Gallo Recipe

• Tomatoes on the vine (1 or 2), roughly chopped
• Onion, roughly chopped, or diced with mandolin
• Cilantro, roughly chopped
• Limes, squeezed
• Chile Serrano, roughly chopped, add to taste!
• Garlic (optional), roughly chopped or whole

Directions:

1. Roughly chop tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and chilies to food processor
2. Slice zucchini into medallions 
3. Serve!