Spicy Sweet Potato Fries Wrap

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Microwave 2 small sweet potatoes for 3-4 minutes, until they are soft, but not mushy. Cut into slices and coat with approximately 3 T olive oil, 2 t cayenne pepper, 2 t oregano,  2 t Spike and 2 t nutritional yeast. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Place a handful onto low carb wrap and top with low fat cottage cheese. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Swirl Cinnamon Roll

So easy! So good! Just mix and microwave.

One scoop of Quest Nutrition Vanilla Milkshake protein, 1/4 cup liquid egg white, 1/2 cup pure pumpkin, and 1/2 t baking powder. Microwave approximately 1-1:30 minutes. Top with Greek yogurt infused with 1 t. vanilla extract and sprinkle with cinnamon!

Cinnanutter Protein Cake

My favorite protein bar is the Quest bar. I usually don't bake with them, but figured this challenge was worthy of a special recipe. Introducing the "Cinnanutter Protein Cake."

Preheat oven to 375. Rinse and drain one can of garbanzo beans. Blend garbanzo beans with approximately 1/3 cup of pb crave, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/4 cup honey, 1/3 cup water, and 1 scoop of Quest Nutrition Peanut Butter protein. Pour into baking dish and top with cut up pieces of one cinnamon roll Quest bar. Bake for approximately 35 to 40 minutes.

Cookie Dough Cake Batter

Beyond amazing!!!! I am literally eating this by the spoonful as I create this entry. With nearly 50 grams of protein, this clean recipe consists of just a few ingredients and is a healthy way to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Ingredients:
1 scoop Cake batter whey protein
1 serving non-fat Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon nectresse or stevia (this adds amazing frosting-like texture)
1/2 Cookie Dough Quest bar

Stir the first three ingredients with about 2 T. of water. Top with broken up Quest bar...enjoy! Last bit of advice...do not use a mason jar like I did! It looks super cute, but is very difficult to get the last bits of batter out with the spoon! Cake batter protein and Quest bars are available at Vitamin Shoppe.  Shipping is free with your purchase of $25 or more.

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Sweet Potato Coconut Fries

Who knew?! Sweet potato fries have become a staple in my diet lately and I recently was shocked to discover a sweet potato that wasn't orange! I did some research and came to these conclusions...There are two major varieties of sweet potatoes, the yellow, drier, more mealy kind with lighter beige colored skins, and the orange, more moist, sweeter ones with reddish skins that are usually called "yams." While all sweet potatoes contain similar amounts of the same nutrients, the notable difference among the varieties is the content of beta-carotene. More beta-carotene is available in orange-fleshed than in white- or yellow-fleshed varieties.  In the body, beta-carotene is converted to Vitamin A, an essential nutrient.  It has antioxidant activity, which helps to protect cells from damage.

Ingredients:
2 sweet potatoes
2 T. coconut oil
2 t. cinnamon
2 t. hemp seed

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake the potatoes for approximately 6 minutes in the microwave. Allow to cool before cutting. Slice potatoes and put into bowl. Stir in coconut oil, cinnamon, and hemp seed. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until crispy. Enjoy!  Purchase your coconut oil and hemp seeds at Vitamin Shoppe.

Detox Cocktail

This Detox Cocktail is super easy to make and very beneficial to your health. I drink it every morning and sometimes once in the afternoon. It's an acquired taste that goes down much easier after the first couple of days. Now, I actually look forward to drinking it! Simply add 1-2 T. of lemon juice (if it's from a fresh lemon, even better!) and a pinch of cayenne pepper to 16 oz of water. Lemon juice supports the liver and helps eliminate toxins. Along with that it destroys bacteria and improves digestion! Cayenne pepper is a thermogenic, so it stimulates your metabolism. It also stimulates the circulatory system, helps regulate blood sugar levels, and aids digestion. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

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Clean Eating Pumpkin Cake

Here's my own concoction of recipe randomness! Mix 1 can of pure pumpkin, 1/2 c liquid egg white, 2 t cinnamon, 2 t chia seeds, 2/3 cup almond flour. Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes. Pumpkin is a great source of fiber and the egg white/chia seeds provide protein.

Appreciate the Progress

When something provokes thought in my mind and stirs my emotions, the best way to deal with it is to ground the thoughts by putting them into words.

Two days ago, I noticed a used couch in the alley. The unsightly object was an eye sore, awaiting pick up by the garbage man--or some desperate soul in need of some furniture. That same day, while doing laundry in my building, I bumped into my old roommate, who (as I came to find out), was moving out of the unit where I had once lived with her. She told me how the unit is being renovated, that the kitchen was already done. I accepted her invite to see it, and embraced the familiarity of the apartment as I walked down the hallway. On my way out, I stopped to look at my old bedroom, appearing exactly the way I had left it. Empty of the people and moments that it once consumed. The orange walls I had painted, Candied Yam to be specific, would soon be covered with fresh paint and wall hangings.

It was the next day, that I took a second look at the still-there eye sore of a couch, and realized it was the one that had been in that apartment for the three years I lived there. A wave of sadness passed through me and while I went to dismiss it, I asked myself why. Why NOT be sentimental over a couch? Why not reminisce on the past and *appreciate the progress* I've made in my life since sitting on its mismatched cushions, wishing it wasn't so small and could accommodate my long legs.

How often do we dismiss feelings and detach from people, places and things? Do we dismiss the progress we have made because we're pressured to work harder, move faster, and crush goals? Stay focused on where you are heading but remember to appreciate where you are and where you have been. Embrace the people, places and things (even an unsightly couch!) that have contributed to your life and brought you to the place you are now. It's this reflection that will help shape our future and give us the confidence, courage, and determination to create it. Stay sentimental.