Oh my this is yummy!

Crumble very crispy bacon and mix with coconut or almond flour. Add spices - I used cayenne, black pepper, and garlic sea salt.

Dip chicken tenders in egg white and roll in the bacon mixture. You will need to press the bacon into the chicken a bit. This was probably the trickiest part, but I had been enjoying wine with girlfriends, so it could have just been me.

Pan fry the chicken in some olive oil - about three minutes on each side. It will get a little dark, that's ok!

Add chicken to your favorite greens and drizzle with a little yogurt blue cheese dressing and Frank's hot sauce.

I decided to try a few new things in my smoothies this week! Aloe juice, apple cider vinegar drinks, and concentrated green tea. Hope they will add a little boost!

I've made kale chips before, but this is the first truly successful attempt. The vinegar was key!

Put cut/washed/dried kale in a gallon ziplock. Add olive oil and vinegar (used raspberry for flair) to the bag and massage it into the leaves.

Line a couple of cookie sheets with foil, spread the kale in a single layer on the sheet and pop in a 300*F oven for 30-35 minutes. About halfway through cooking turn the leaves so they don' t stick to the foil.

Take out of the oven and immediately sprinkle with salt. Enjoy!

Most of the smoothies I make don't require any special blender, but for this one, a Vita-Mix (or other industrial strength blender) is key.

First, use an unreasonable amout of leafy greens: kale, spinach, chard, etc... Like 6 cups.

Then add some cooled green tea - about a cup. Blend until really smooth.

Add: 3 apples, 2 peaches, 1/2 pineapple, a few blueberries and/or cherries. Blend until smooth. A banana would probably be yummy too, but I was just using what I had on hand. The Vita-Mix really can handle this much volume.

Add: one cup Greek yogurt, tablespoon honey, and vanilla to taste.

This makes a full blender - about 64 oz. So it will last you a day or two. Keep covered and refrigerated.

I love Mexican food!! But a fondness for tortillas, cheese, and all things fried becomes a stumbling block when you decide to go sans grain, dairy and anything dipped in oil! Enter the egg... I mean huevo! There's no limit to the variations on this theme. I've made "Huevos a la Fiesta" of all kinds, but my favorite versions are the ones pictured.
Place a slice or two of deli chicken or turkey in a pan over medium heat (I usually spray a little Pam before I add the deli slices). Add an egg or two - you can either leave them sunny side up or you can beat them before you add to your pan. Pepper (a little salt if you're feeling naughty) to taste, add a tablespoon of water to the side of your pan so the eggs cook a little easier without burning your deli slices. Cover the pan. Once the eggs are nearly done, add any veggies you'd like warm. I also like to add a dollop of jalepeno Greek yogurt - my dairy exception - and some hot sauce like Chalula or Tobasco. You can either fold your creation like a taco/omelet or leave it open tostada style, then move the dish to your plate. Top with leafy greens, sprouts, any other veggies (I like tri colored bell peppers, jalepenos, avocado and tomatoes) and a wee bit more Greek yogurt.

This is my new morning favorite - it's like sunshine in a cup - and mornings in Alaska need a little sunshine! It's a great time of year for sweet little citrus and pineapple (which has always seemed odd to me - but when the produce sections are overflowing with tropical fruit in Alaska, who am I to argue?), so take advantage and treat yourself to this delicious and energy boosting smoothie. I use about 3 cuties or other mandarin type oranges, a cup of fresh pineapple, a cup of plain Greek style kefir or yogurt, coconut water and stevia to taste. Add ice (or freeze your fruit and/or yogurt the night before) and any other supplements - I've been adding a detox tea - and blend! I promise it will brighten your day.

Smoothies are my favorite "start the day right" food. As a general rule I'm a fan of Greek yogurt as the key creaminess factor - high protein, low fat and carbs, but I also love the tofu smoothie. You can add tofu to a yogurt base for more protein or if you feel like a dairy free option, blend tofu with coconut water for a smooth, creamy texture.
Smoothie making is not an exact science and I think the impromptu nature of the smoothie is what appeals to me - see what you've got in the fridge and freezer and just go with it. I do try to keep a few staples on hand - frozen blueberries, green tea, Greek yogurt, silken tofu, and my latest addition - coconut water. Makes me feel healthier just writing about it!

For me, camping is just an opportunity to eat anything I want, afterall, calories consumed in the Great Outdoors don't count. Everyone knows that.
My husband adores camping. I like it, too, but it is one the fastest ways I've found to de-rail my weight-loss efforts. So, when my husband asked me with his charming boyish enthusiasm if I would "pleeeease" go camping for a couple days, I couldn't refuse. Instead I prepared.
I made sure I had a lot of easy to eat fruits and veggies on hand for munching, picked up some reasonably healthy popcorn, and even made sure I had some kind of hot dog I could roast on a stick. This wasn't all I packed, but it gives you the idea - I was trying to find alternatives to my regular camping fare, but also trying to keep it fun. My hard-line no wheat and ban on most dairy had to be temporarily abandoned or I knew I would just give in completely the first time the kids pulled out marshmallows.
S'mores are really just an ultra-gooey cookie (and cookies and I have a hard time co-existing), so I had to figure out an alternative or all would be lost. I decided to work with the graham crackers because a) we packed a ton of them, and b) they aren't THAT bad if you can exercise portion control.... Tricky.
Introducing "Super Yummy Graham Cracker Desserts" - original title, I know. The kids loved them, too, and they are fun to make, which is an added bonus. There are three main components to these treats: graham crackers, laughing cow/laughing cow light, and the toppings of choice. We used blueberries with laughing cow light to make blueberry cheesecake; cherries and strawberrry laughing cow for cherry pie, and finally Nutella (about a teaspoon would be sufficient, but the one pictured has closer to a tablespoon - oops) and laughing cow light for the S'mores inspired deliciousness. The kids loved building them and I loved eating them, so it was a win-win for sure!

This is one of my all-time favorite salads - spicy and crunchy with a hint of blue cheese (yes, I know I said Greek yogurt was my only exception, but I meant besides a teeny tiny bit of blue cheese).
The key ingredient here is Frank's RedHot Original sauce. I buy the really big bottles from Costco. Use whatever chicken you have handy - for the salad pictured, I used left-over rotisserie chicken. In a medium sized pan, pour as much Frank's over your chicken as you can handle, toss in a tablespoon of blue cheese crumbles and heat through. If you are starting with raw chicken, you can do the same thing, just be sure to cook the chicken all the way through, and you may want to add the Frank's after you've partially cooked the chicken.
The blue cheese adds flavor, but it also helps the sauce stick to the chicken. Once the chicken is ready, set it aside and prepare your greens. I like to use dark leafy varieties. Add any other veggies you want. The salad pictured just has grape tomatoes, but I also think that red bell peppers, carrots and cucumbers are perfect. Finally drizzle a very small amount of either yogurt blue cheese or yogurt ranch dressing over the top. My husband loves this salad, too - so that makes an easy dinner!

Well, I'm posting this a day late, but this is the smoothie that kicked-off my 4th of July celebration. I tried to get my husband to drink it by telling him it "tastes like freedom!" Somehow that didn't convince him to try... I loved it though, fresh, light and delish!
Red = Strawberries and Red Swiss Chard (this is where the green comes into play)
White = White Tea, cooled
Blue = Blueberries
Blend together with some kefir (I used organic raspberry flavored) and lots of ice!