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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Pumpkin Chocolate Protein Muffins

Gluten Free. Dairy Free. Paleo Friendly.

Recipe:

• 1 pkg, Simple Mills Chocolate Cake Mix
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2c water
• 1/2 c 0% Plain Greek Yogurt
• 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
• 2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 Tbs Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 1 scoop Plant Based Fit Protein
• 2 c Organic Pumpkin Puree
• 4 Tbsp Ground Flaxseed 

Mix cake mix, flaxseed, cocoa, and protein powder. In separate bowl mix eggs, water, oil, and vanilla according to instructions on package– add to dry ingredients. Follow with pumpkin puree and greek yogurt. Use coconut oil to lightly grease muffin pans. Scoop batter into pans filling each hole halfway as batter will rise in oven. Bake at 350, let cool, and store in fridge. Best served cold for moist fudge-like texture. 
 

198 Cal / 19g Carbs. / 9g Fat. / 7g Protein / Only 10g Sugar  (1 serving = 2 muffins)

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Simply Nourish Bowl

This is by far one of my favorite dishes for brunch... and I say brunch because you can enjoy it at either breakfast or lunch. As a new mom, this is also the dish that makes me feel most put-together– it's luxurious, balanced, and powerful start to your day! Best of all, it takes about 3min to prepare. I've remade this recipe at least 3x since having Winnie & will usually freeze 6-8 bowls at a time. 

Recipe (Serves 1):

• 1 c Chopped Lacinato Kale
• 1/2 c Diced Sweet Potato, Baked
• 1/4 c Organic Black Beans
• 1/4 c Quinoa, Cooked
• 2 Pasture Raised Eggs

Prepare quinoa and sweet potato in advance. For quinoa cook plain, 1 to 1 ration of quinoa to water. For sweet potatoes wash and cut into 1inch wedges– bake plain. 

Dish up kale, quinoa, sweet potatoes (diced), and black beans. To store for later, use quart sized freezer Ziploc & leave some air in the bag– do not pack down. When ready to enjoy, microwave for approx 2min from frozen. In small nonstick pan, fry two whole eggs– I highly recommend pasture raised! Serve over easy for that runny yolk, top with salt, pepper, and hot sauce (optional). Enjoy! 
 

353 Cal / 43g Carbs. / 11g Fat. / 21g Protein  

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Loaded Pasta Sauce

Continuing our Meal Pre Series, this recipe is an adaptation of Keri Glassman's (MS, RD, CDN) Squash Champion. Needless to say, while you're welcome to serve this with pasta, I recommend spaghetti squash– the sweetness from the squash compliments the sauce and spices beautifully for a complete and balanced dish! Altogether, this meal is loaded with protein & rich in nutrients while keeping your calorie count low.

Recipe (Serves 6):

• 1 Diced Red Onion (Small) 
• 1 tbsp Minced Garlic
• 1 tbsp Fresh Rosemary
• 4 Whole Organic Tomatoes
• 1 c Organic Strained Tomatoes
• 6 cups Organic Baby Spinach
• 1 lb Ground Beef or Turkey 
• 1 tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Pinch of Cheyenne
• 1tsp Red Pepper Flakes 

Sauté onion, garlic, and rosemary in olive oil until onion is transparent. Remove rosemary branches, add diced tomatoes and spices. Cover and simmer on low. In separate pan, brown ground beef or turkey with rosemary. Once cooked, add protein to sauce. Stir in strained tomatoes and spinach, cover and simmer until spinach is soft. Serve over spaghetti squash & sprinkle with grated parmesan. For meal prep, freeze & reheat once spaghetti squash is cooked and ready to enjoy!

*Disclaimer– I love spinach, so I load up on this recipe. Paul could probably do with less spinach and more meat. The choice is yours. 
 

202 Cal / 10g Carbs. / 10g Fat. / 17g Protein  - Per Serving

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Tropical Power Bowl

When considering the nutritional data below, you'll notice this recipe is both high calorie and high fat, but don't be deceived, the main source of calories is quinoa, and the fat content is primarily sourced from coconut and almonds. All of these are whole, unprocessed, high quality ingredients– quinoa, a protein rich superfood, and both almonds & coconut rich in health benefits including improved heart health, lower cholesterol, healthy brain function, and a boost in metabolism (perfect for breakfast). In fact, in fitness, healthy fats are necessary to both shed excess weight and keep it off. Additionally, the ingredients in this recipe are all rich in fiber proven to keep you feeling full longer.

Personally, I enjoy this dish as either a breakfast or afternoon snack. Consider it a hot cereal bowl to satisfy that sweet tooth ;)

Recipe (Serves 1):

• 1/2 c Cooked Organic Quinoa
• 1/2 c Mango Chunks (Trader Joe's)
• 2 tbsp Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
• 1 tbsp Organic Chia Seeds
• 1/4 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 tsp Organic Agave Nectar
• 1/2 c Unsweetened Coconut Milk
• 1 tsp Raw Sliced Almonds
• 1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon

Mix quinoa, mango, coconut, chia seeds, and vanilla extract, this will serve as your base. From here either freeze for later or add warm coconut milk to enjoy immediately. Top with almond slices, shredded coconut, and cinnamon.

421 Cal / 57g Carbs. / 19g Fat. / 10g Protein  - Per Serving

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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)