Category Archives for "Recipes"

There is a lot of Zucchini out in the world right now - true story! Personally I think that's a good thing, because there are so many tasty ways to prepare this versatile veggie. 

But Zucchini Soup?

Yup! 

Garlic, ginger and onion mean it's flavorful and packed full of nutrients, and it can be served hot or cold.

Another special thing about THIS particular recipe is it is just one of almost two dozen included in our next edition of our Cr8 Your Plate meal planning service. which you can now try out free for 30 days. 

Every month you not get only amazing recipes, but we create the meal plans and shopping lists for you. You can access them online through the Modernmeal software platform, get downloadable copies, or both. These are nutrition coach designed meal plans, designed to help you fill your plate (and your belly) with what you need for your best health - all for as low as $15 a month. You are practically stealing them at that price! 🙂

Subscribe to Cr8 Your Plate here, and then collect that Zucchini and get cooking!

- DC

Zucchini Soup

• 1 tbsp. coconut oil, divided 
• ½ medium onion, chopped 
• 2-3 large cloves garlic 
• 4 medium zucchini, chopped 
• 4 cups chicken broth (homemade is preferred) 
• ½ tsp. ground ginger 
• 1 tsp. sea salt 
• Ground black pepper, to taste 

Heat ½ tbsp. coconut oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onions, then smash garlic cloves with the flat side of a knife or the bottom of a glass and add to pan. Stir often and cook until the onions and garlic are soft and golden, but not browned, about 7 minutes. Add the other ½ tbsp. coconut oil to the pan, then add the zucchini. Stir to coat the zucchini with the oil, and then cook until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. 

Add the broth, bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to simmer. Let the zucchini cook 45 to 60 minutes until it’s very soft. Carefully, purée the zucchini and broth in a blender or food processor, or with an immersion blender. If you’re using a blender, work in batches, filling the canister only halfway each time. Pour the purée back into the soup pot and add ginger, salt, and pepper. Cook on low heat, 5 minutes, just to combine the flavors. 

Enjoy!

One of the hottest flavors of UMP (Ultimate Muscle Protein) is Graham Cracker.  I know many of you want to keep this flavor a secret but you've also created some delicious recipes and I want share them with others.

Dan's Dynamic Shake

• 1 scoop graham cracker protein
• ½ scoop vanilla protein
• ½ scoop chocolate protein
• 1½ teaspoon peanut butter
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 fistful spinach
• About 10 ounces of water

Blend until smooth in a blender. If you use a fresh banana, add in a few ice cubes to chill it. Enjoy!

Marquita's Marvelous Shake

• 1 scoop graham cracker protein powder
• 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
• 1 tablespoon shredded coconut
• 10 ounces of water
• Ice

Blend until smooth in a blender.

Protein Powder isn't just for shakes, this recipe uses it to make some tasty protein bars. Makes my mouth water just thinking about them. 

Homemade Granola Bar

• 4 scoops graham cracker protein powder
• 2 cups oats
• ½ cup crushed walnuts
• ½ cup raisins
• 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• Pinch of salt
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
• About ½ cup of water

In a large bowl, combine all the oats, protein powder, walnuts, flax seed, sunflower seeds, salt, and raisins. Add in the vanilla, coconut oil, and then the water a little at a time. At first it will seem very dry but be patient it will blend up. Coat an 8x8 pan with coconut oil. Press the mixture on the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Cut into bars or squares.

The great things about these granola bars is that they are flexible. Some shredded coconut or cacao nibs would go great in here. Experiment with different protein powder flavors for a different spin, too.

Check out this Graham Cracker Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding that Coach Dean came up with. It will satisfy chocolate and peanut butter cravings.

After trying Graham Cracker UMP, let me know what you think. Let your creativity fly and when it does send me your favorite way to use Protein Powder in your meals. 

Enjoy Good Food,

Coach Nancy

 A few years ago Rock star Doreen sent over this recipe to me. I tried it out and it was delicious! What an energetic way to serve breakfast. When I have guests over, this often makes a delicious brunch. If you've been to any of our events where we've served food this is often on the menu.

The Breakfast Salad

• 1 pound pork breakfast sausage or bacon
• 9 eggs, hard boiled
• 3 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• ¼ cup purple onion, chopped
• 2 avocados, diced
• ½ cup fresh cilantro (or parsley), chopped
• ½ to 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 lemons, juiced

Roll the sausage into 1½ inch meatballs. Over high heat, cook and stir until brown on all sides and cooked through. Set aside to drain and cool.

Peel the eggs and cut each into 8 pieces

Combine eggs, tomatoes, onion, avocado, meatballs, cilantro, salt, and pepper, and lemon juice into a large mixing bowl. Stir until the yolks and avocado become a little creamy. Spoon into bowl and enjoy! It will keep for 3 days in the refrigerator.

I serve this with wedges of cantaloupe or watermelon. It looks as amazing as it tastes. 

Enjoy Good Food,

Coach Nancy

Christmas comes once a year but in July it is fun to celebrate again. This year we broke out the Christmas music, Christmas lights, Jingle Bells, Elf on the Shelf, and of course Christmas cheer. We didn't want to wait another six months and you won't either. 

The Red: Strawberry and Pineapple Protein Shake

• 1/2 cup strawberries (I used frozen)
• 1/2 cup pineapple (frozen again)
• 1 Tablespoon Cashews
• 1 scoop Vanilla UMP (from Beverly International)
• 8 ounces water

Blend and enjoy. If you didn't use frozen fruit, add some ice cubes to chill this shake.

The Green: Pistachio Pick Me Up

• 1 Tablespoon pistachio flavored pudding (sugar free)
• 1 Tablespoon pistachios
• 1 handful spinach
• 1/2 banana (frozen if possible)
• 8 ounces of water
• 1 scoop Angel Food UMP (from Beverly International)

Blend and enjoy. If you didn't use frozen fruit, add some ice cubes to chill this shake.

Just so you know you can make these protein shakes anytime of the year. These shakes provide one serving of protein and one serving of healthy fats along with a serving of fruit. I bet both of these shakes would taste great using different flavors of protein too. Give it a try and let me know what you came up with. 

Enjoy Good Food and Merry Christmas,

Coach Nancy

I love August in the garden. The backyard garden is bulging with produce. One of my favorite growing plants is zucchini. I think it is because they are easy to grow, hard to kill, and produce fruit with little effort. I’m not much of a gardener but I do get my hands dirty. Over the years I've collected many recipes using zucchini. Here are a few of my favorites.

Raw Zucchini Alfredo

• 1 cup raw unsalted Cashew nuts, chopped
• ¾ cup water
• ¼ cup Pine nuts
• ½ teaspoon thyme
• ½ tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cloves garlic
• 8 cups zucchini

Blend all ingredients except zucchini in a high power blender until smooth and starts to warm up from blender, about 5 minutes to make the Alfredo sauce.

Cut top and bottom off of zucchini. Using the julienne blade on a mandolin cut zucchini length wise to create noodles. Pour sauce over individual portions.

Since zucchini are prolific I wanted to share this recipe from Paulette W. These are one of our family’s favorites year round.

Zucchini Fritters (my absolute favorite when I have a bit of time in the kitchen)

• 5 medium zucchini, shredded (4 cups) with box grater or food processor
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/4 cup coconut flour (I used almond flour)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional (but yummy) and 1 teaspoon black pepper
• coconut oil or ghee for cooking

Shred zucchini and put into large bowl. Sprinkle with the sea salt and toss well. Walk away for 10 min. Scoop up a generous handful of zucchini and squeeze the living daylights out of them. You want the zucchini dry - nobody likes soggy fritters. Place in a different bowl. Add flour, egg, pepper, and baking soda. Stir to combine Heat a large skillet over med-high heat. Melt a spoonful of oil or ghee in the pan. Pack a 1/4 cup of zucchini mixture out onto the pan and flatten until you get a patty. You can cook 4-5 patties at a time. Cook each side for 3-5 min or until brown. Cool on a cooling rack so they don't get soggy. 

Coach Dean's sister gave me this recipe. It is a killer soup in the Fall. I freeze some zucchini just for this recipe. 

Deb’s Zucchini Beef Soup

• 1/2 pound cooked ground beef or use left over steak or roast cut into bite size pieces
• 2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 2 Tablespoon coconut oil
• 1/3 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 can diced tomatoes,  do not drain (28 ounce)
• 3-5 zucchini, cubed
• 2 cups water
• 1 ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Pepper to taste
• Chopped parsley as garnish (optional)

In large stock pot cook onion, celery, and green pepper in oil until tender. Stir in tomatoes, water, seasonings, and beef. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until zucchini is tender. Garnish with chopped parsley if desired. Serves 6

Chicken & Zucchini Poppers

• 1 pound ground chicken breast
• 2 cups grated zucchini (leave peel on)
• 2-3 green onions, sliced
• 3-4 Tablespoon cilantro, minced
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ¾ teaspoon cumin (optional)
• Coconut oil for cooking (or avocado oil or ghee)

Toss chicken with zucchini, green onion, cilantro, garlic, salt, and pepper (and cumin, if using). Mixture will be quite wet.

To cook on the stovetop:

Heat a drizzle of coconut oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Use a small scoop or a heaped tablespoon to scoop meatballs into the pan. Cook 8-10 at a time for about 5-6 minutes on the first side. Flip and cook an additional 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown and the centers are cooked through.

To bake:

Drizzle a bit of coconut oil or avocado oil onto a baking sheet. Scoop meatballs onto the greased pan. Drizzle a bit of additional oil over the meatballs. Bake at 400 degrees 20-25 minutes, or until cooked through. If desired, place under the broiler for an additional 2-3 minutes or until browned on top.

Serve with guacamole, salsa, or your favorite dip.

Enjoy Good Food,

Coach Nancy

Let see...

It's called the "Great Grub to Grill" cookbook, and it's packed with "grill-ready" recipes that will not only get you out of the kitchen, but add some serious flavor to your summer!

From Poultry to Pork with flavors ranging from Spicy to Sweet, there is sure to be your new favorite summer recipe in this beautiful book.

And It's absolutely FREE!

Just enter your first name and email address below, and you will be sent your own copy faster than you can say "Humugity"!

Enjoy!

It's a sign when in the past two weeks, three different people have asked about Quinoa. I figure if three people are asking, more of you just haven't had time to ask as well. 

Quinoa is a grain. It's been proclaimed as an ancient grain, the queen of grains, and close to super food status. I'm going to stick with calling it what I know- a grain. Since it is a grain, its primary macro breakdown is carbohydrate. While it has a fair amount of protein (for a grain) and some healthy fats too, it is a grain and in our meal planning should be treated as such. It is a bit different than wheat as a grain because it is gluten free and eaten more like a seed than a cereal type of grain. 

With all that being said. Here is one way to enjoy quinoa in a cold summer salad. 

Quite the Quinoa Spinach Salad

• ½ cup quinoa, rinsed
• 1 cup water
• 1 pound of turkey kielbasa
• 1/2 cup black berries or raspberries
• ½ cup walnuts
• 6 cups of fresh spinach

Don’t forget to rinse the quinoa. You’ll be an unhappy camper if you spend time fixing a meal that you can’t eat. Quinoa has a coating that is easily rinsed off with water right before cooking. It tastes bitter without that rinse. Place the quinoa in a strainer and rinse until the water runs clear before going to the stovetop.

Bring 1 cup of water and quinoa to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for 12 minutes. Set aside. Cook kielbasa on a grill over medium heat. Set aside to cool, then slice into ½ moon shapes. Combine all the ingredients in a large salad bowl. Drizzle with your favorite dressing.

Once it gets closer to Fall, I use 2 apples, sliced, in place of the berries for a perfect Fall time salad. 

Enjoy good food,

Coach Nancy

Why is it that when it gets hot out, I'm in the mood for hot spicy foods? Am I the only one like this? Well whether I am or not, I've got a great recipe for a hot and spicy meal. If you're not up for this in the summer, then save this one until the cooler weather hits. 

Tex-Mex Hash

• ½ pound ground beef or ground turkey
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 medium sweet potato, diced small (about 1 ¼-1 ½ cups)
• ½ cup diced red onions
• ½ cup diced red pepper
• ½ cup mushrooms, chopped
• 2 cups spinach, chopped
• Fresh Cilantro, Avocado, Green Onions, Salsa (optional)

Place a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add beef, seasonings and water to the pan. Cooked until beef is browned.

Remove beef from pan and place on paper towel lined plate.

To the same pan, add ½ tablespoon of coconut oil and heat over medium-high until it starts to shimmer.

Add sweet potatoes, dash with salt and pepper, and sauté for about 10-12 minutes or until cooked through and slightly browned.

Add remaining ½ tablespoon of oil, onions, red pepper, mushroom and spinach and sauté for about 3-4 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Garnish with fresh cilantro, avocado green onions or salsa. 

Enjoy good food,

Coach Nancy

P.S. I haven't tried this yet but sprinkling the top of this dish with crumbled bacon sounds sensational. Let me know what you think after you try it. 

This salad will get you ready for the warmer weather. It's the perfect dish for a summer barbecue. It's excellent with grilled shrimp or chicken, and you can also place this salad on top of lettuce greens.

Watermelon Salad with Balsamic Dressing

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 medium seedless watermelon, cubed
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
• Black pepper, to taste

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together vinegar, olive oil, mustard, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Spread two-thirds of the watermelon on a serving platter. Top with red onion and mint, then season with pepper. Pour dressing over salad and garnish with remaining watermelon cubes.

To your best health,

Coach Nancy

I love parties and I love birthday cake. The other day a group of us were talking about protein shakes and which flavor we liked best. I mentioned that Coach Dean is very good at creating new combinations of flavors. Since Sonia's birthday was coming up, they suggested Coach Dean put his creative abilities into making a Birthday Cake Protein Smoothie. It was a hit. In fact I liked it so much I had it for breakfast this morning, and I do not know anyone who has a birthday today. 

Birthday Cake Smoothie

• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I used Beverly International's Vanilla UMP)
• 1 scoop angel food cake protein powder ( I don't know of any other brand that carries this fantastic flavor- Beverly International's Angel Food Cake UMP)
• 1 frozen banana
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 16 ounces of water
• ice
• whipped cream and sprinkles just for fun!

Mix the protein, the banana, the almond and vanilla extract, water, and ice in a blender. Pour into a glass and decorate with whipped cream and sprinkles. 

During the summer I love treat that is light in flavors. As a kid Pineapple Upside -Down Cake was a favorite. So you know what I did? I made a Pineapple Upside - Down Cake Smoothie. It was delicious, maybe just as good as Coach Dean's Birthday Cake Smoothie. You'll have to let me know. 

Pineapple Upside Down Cake Smoothie

• 1 scoop Vanilla UMP
• 1 scoop Angel Food Cake UMP
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup frozen pineapple
• 16 ounces of water
• ice
• whipped cream and sprinkle - because it makes me smile

Mix the protein, the pineapple, the almond and vanilla extract, water, and ice in a blender. Pour into a glass and decorate with whipped cream and sprinkles. I think a cherry on top would make this perfect. 

Enjoy your food,

Coach Nancy