She's ALIIIIVVVEEE

Hi guys!!

Wowzas, haven't posted here in a long time 😅 I've just been so excited about my @cafekass instagram page! But I'm back here for smore fun!

One thing I did want to share was this new Costco discovery of mine... HAVE YOU HEARD OF TRUFRU CHOCOLATE COVERED RASPBERRIES!?!

They're in the freezer section at Costco - the raspberries are almost like "partly freeze-dried", and frozen, and dipped in white and dark chocolate, and delicious, and heavenly, and probably contain magic or something... (I'm still trying to figure out why they're so addicting). Best of all... they're low in calorie, and a perfecto guilt-free snack/dessert/meal/breakfast/whatever way you want to eat them! Not kidding I'd rather have a handful of these than a gourmet "restaurant dessert"... #alwayscravingthem

Let me tell ya... these things MELT in your mouth. You take a bite and right after your teeth break through the glorious, cold, rich chocolate, they dive deeper into the depths of a sweet and tangy raspberry that disintegrates like cotton candy. Not even joking here.

BONUS they make SO MANY dishes 50,000 times better. I threw them on/in some of my favorite recipes and discovered a whole new world of yum.

Haha in case you can't tell... I kinda like these things....

TruFru might very well be my favorite Acai Bowl topping... 

And making a healthy Chocolate Chunk raspberry "milkshake" with them... A  whole nother level...

👆👆These recipes are all on my instagram page! (@cafekass) 👆👆

Update: More Pointers & Lots of Pics!!

Hi guys!!

Update: Life is good.

I'm gonna let you in on a few secrets of mine...

• Find yummy healthy things
• Pick the healthy(er) option
• Know your weaknesses
• Make your own food
• Love your life

First Que: find yummy healthy things

Any acai bowl/smoothie lovers here? How bout peanut butter lovers? I LOVE ME MY SMOOTHIES AND PEANUT BUTTER!! So obviously combining the two is like a recipe from  heaven.

Below are sneak peaks of things that make me hyperventilate (<-- definitely used spell check on that one). 

The Acai bowl is from a place called Pressed For Juice in Las Vegas. This is evidence that it is possible to eat healthy while on the road on long trips with your fam! Highly HIGHLY suggest this place - this acai bowl has it's thick smoothie base on the bottom, yummy granola and fresh fruit, and its topped with their HOMEMADE PEANUT BUTTER. Its to die for.

The smoothie is homemade and one of my go-tos!! It's got PB2 powder, cacao powder, pink himalayan sea salt, stevia, 1/2 banana, and ice! 

Moral of the Que: Honestly I'd choose these things over a rich, buttery, pound cake for dessert. Not only do I genuinely think they taste yummier, but they make me feel better, less heavy, happy, and they're better for my body! YASSS. 

    

Second Que: Pick the healthy(er) option

If you're an OG reader here, you might know that I LOVE Malibu Farm in Malibu California. This place has 2 money examples of substituting to still be able to eat the things that you love. 

The first example is their cauliflower crust pizza (YUM). Replacing the crust for a veggie is an awesome healthier option and it tastes sooooooo good. 

The second example is this ice cream. It is vegan, meaning it contains no animal products (i.e. milk, cream, eggs, etc). The fact that this stuff is made out of coconut milk makes it so that it settles well in your stomach, it is healthier for you, and it serves as an awesome delicious alternative to your average ice cream. (BTW this is PB flavored too 😏)

 

Third Que: Know your weaknesses

My weakness = nuts. All nuts. Pistachios, almonds, cashews, peanut butter (okay overkill on the PB kass...) 

I have very little portion control with these things and  a visual example of this is seen below...

This is my tub of Costco Cashews (my fav) after just over a week....

SO know your weaknesses... because I know I am very susceptible to inhaling these I decided to divide the rest in individual little baggies with reasonable portions. I allowed myself one of these baggies each day so that I didn't sit there mindlessly with the entire tub on my lap and demolish a ton in one sitting. 

Fourth Que: Make your own food

I have realized that when I go out to eat, I can often make the same thing at home but 10x healthier, 10x less calories, and probably 10x yummier... so I started to loove cooking for myself and started to not like eating out as much. Plus I noticed that my self control was lower at restaurants cuz I'd see everything everyone else was eating and want some ice cream too, but I would get frustrated cuz I knew I had 35 calorie ice cream at home.

Tip: Make this at home! Its SOOO GOOD!

Turkey Avo Almond Cran wrap! (50 cal wrap, turkey slices, spring mix, chopped almonds, 1/4 avocado, dried cranberries)

Last Que: Love life!

While yes, it is always good to pick the healthier option and exercise and eat healthy etc. etc. make sure you don't get overly concerned about it. Life is (at least it should be) so simple. Don't spend too much time thinking about it! If you have a bad day and eat 5 slices of pizza and feel sick, get excited to drink a smoothie and eat a salad tomorrow! Or if you drank a smoothie and ate a salad yesterday, treat yoself to pizza! Listen to your body and love life! 

PB Choc Lava Cake

Any fellow peanut butter addicts out there? 𝠉✋

This STEAMING hot molten lava peanut butter chocolate cake is sooo delicious. I love when things taste naughty but they're actually full of clean, healthy, good-for-you ingredients!
This cake is rich, chocolaty, gooey, peanut buttery, decedent, dairy-free, gluten-free, flourless, sugar-free, quick, easy, and ahMaiZINg!

PB Choc Lava Cake

Serving size - 2 cakes
Ingredients:

• 1 c Enjoy Life 69% cacao dark chocolate chips (dairy, nut & soy-free) *Pic Below
• 1 T Maranatha chunky peanut butter
• 1 egg
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1/8 c vanilla coconut yogurt (or greek yogurt if not dairy-free)
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 c powdered peanut butter (I use PB2 powder)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400* Fahrenheit

Rub 2 ramekins with coconut oil

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the coconut yogurt, egg, salt, vanilla extract and salt (preferably with a stand mixer) until frothy

Melt your chocolate with a tsp of coconut oil until smooth 

In multiple intervals, slowly add your egg mixture into your melted chocolate while constantly whisking (this ensures your eggs don't scramble from the heat of the chocolate)

Once everything is whisked together, mix in 1/4 c PB2 Powder

Pour some of the mixture into the ramekin until it is 1/2 full

Add in 2 T chunky peanut butter (the more the merrier in my opinion!)

Fill the rest of the ramekin with your chocolate mixture until the peanut butter is completely covered 

Bake for 10 minutes and make sure to let it slightly cool before trying to separate it from the ramekin

Sprinkle some additional PB2 powder on top to make it look cuuuute 

DEVOUR 

(and definitely take a video of the molten lava peanut butter that spills out at the first spoonful!!) 

(Oh! & tag @bakeryzero on Instagram so everyone can see the molten lava goodness!)

(Oh! & bonus points if you add AMAZING cheesy Christmas music to the video! 😆)

Homemade Healthy Twix

THESE ARE GOOD.

When I'm bored, sometimes I'll start throwing things into a food processor and try to make something new and yummy (haha, anyone else?) A few weeks ago I decided that I was going to try to make healthy Twix. So I tried it... BOOM. So good.

• Dairy free
• Gluten free
• Refined sugar free
• Guilt free!

Healthy Homemade Twix Bars

Ingredients:
Base layer-

• 1 c coconut flour
• 3 T coconut sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 c egg whites (or a whole egg)
• vanilla
• 1/2 c apple sauce
• almond milk to reach desired consistency

Caramel layer-

• 12 soaked dates
• 1/4 c water 
• 2 T maple syrup
• pinch of salt
• a few tsp carob powder (optional - this just gives it more of that "toffee" taste)

Chocolate-

• Dark Chocolate 
• 1 T Coconut oil

Directions:
Mix all of the ingredients for the base layer until the mix reaches a firm/doughy consistency and press into a pan lined with parchment paper
**You can either place this in the freezer to set OR bake on 375 for 10 minutes**
While the base layer is either setting (or baking), strain the dates and place them into a food processor with 1/4 c water and process until it reaches a smooth consistency
Add in the maple syrup, salt, carob powder, and more water if needed
Once the base layer is ready, spread the date caramel evenly on top
Place it back into the freezer to set again
After about 10 minutes in the freezer, take out your base and caramel concoction and slice into twix-sized bars and either space them out on a plate, or place them on a cooling rack (so you can pour your chocolate evenly on top)
Melt the dark chocolate with the coconut oil
Pour the chocolate evenly over the twix bars until they are all covered
Place your bars back into the freezer and wait for them to set (should only take a few minutes)
Enjoy your dairy-free, refined sugar-free, grain-free, guilt-free treat!

SOO YUMMAY

Copycat Cubby's Wild Rice & Kale Salad

One of my most favoritest salads ever... Can't decide if it's a good or bad thing that this re-creation is so spot on cuz now I can have it 4.5 times a day every day 😳

I LOVE this salad from @cubby's (as previously mentioned in my "Healthy Reminder" post when madre & I hiked Timp)

FYI - I do like to change a few things in this salad. Keep in mind that you can have fun & go crazy with each ingredient swap!

Copycat Cubby's Wild Rice & Kale Salad

(I like using spinach so technically this is a 'Wild Rice & Spinach Salad' 😆

Serves 1
Ingredients:

• large handful of spinach (or chopped kale) 
• 1/2 of a microwaveable Minute Rice "Ready to Serve" Multi-Grain Medley cup (got this @Walmart - pic below)
• chopped grilled chicken (I use Foster Farms frozen pre-cooked grilled chicken breast strips @Walmart - pic below)
• garlic salt
• 1/2 thinly chopped gala apple 
• 1/2 of a sliced avocado
• dried cranberries
• slivered almonds
• fresh grated parmesan
• lime juice

Directions:

Slice up 1/2 apple and 1/2 avocado
(I would suggest massaging the avocados into the greens - it also acts as the dressing)

Microwave the Multi-Grain Medley rice cup

Microwave the chicken to defrost it, then cut the strips into smaller pieces. Sprinkle on some garlic salt and grill on medium-high heat for just a few seconds to get it a bit of crispier/charred (grilling is optional)

ASSEMBLE! 

Throw everything inside of a bowl, mix it all up, and squirt lime juice on top as the healthy dressing! 

TRUST ME & TRY THIS SALAD - IT'S INCREDIBLE 

Plus, it's super easy, super cheap (got of my all ingredients from Walmart), and super healthy. 

HEALTHY TOMATO BASIL SOUP

I lovvvvvvve fall!! Lately for some reason it's been so fun for me to finish classes (shocker...), escape the crisp autumn air 🍁🍂 , toast some 45 cal bread, warm up a steaming bowl of soup, and chill on my comfy couch while I fill my belly with warm, amazing food ...Which is exactly what I did after making this delicious tomato basil soup!

It's...

• Dairy-free (Creamed with tofu!)
• Vegan
• Gluten-free
• Low-calorie
• Super easy to make
• DELICIOUS!!

Dairy-Free Tomato Basil Soup

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

• 6 oz semi-firm tofu (I got some at Walmart)
• 1/2 small red bell pepper
• 1 whole can of diced tomatoes without added salt (we'll be adding that in later!)
• 2 fresh basil leaves
• garlic salt
• dried diced onions

Directions

BLEND EVERYTHING on a high speed blender until it has reached a smooth, creamy consistency AND ENJOY!!

PB2 Banana Bowl

OK GUYS THIS IS IT. I'm officially releasing one of my all time favorite recipes EVER.
....It's the PB2 Bowl...plus healthy granola...

TIP: make the granola first so the smoothie base doesn't melt 👍😉

PB2 Banana Bowl

It's definitely cool to take your bowl outside and enjoy the morning sun as you demolish it! 😊

Serves 1
Ingredients (for smoothie base)

• 2 heaping T of PB2 powder
• 1/2 c ice
• 1/4 c almond milk (amount might vary depending on blender & desired consistency)
• 1 small to medium sized RIPE banana
• 2 squirts stevia
• large pinch of pink himalayan sea salt (this gives the smoothie a super delicious "buttery" taste, but normal salt always works just fine as well 😀)

Directions

Blend everything! (Thicker consistency is ideal)

**AH! THIS SMOOTHIE IS MY FAVORITE! It is super light & low-calorie and often I will just drink the smoothie on its own without the extra work of making granola! (But the granola is still amazing)**

Ingredients (for sweet n salty granola)

• 1/4 c crispy rice cereal
• 2 T slivered almonds
• 1/8 c quick oats
• 2 heaping T of PB2 powder
• 2 T pure maple syrup
• A large pinch of pink himalayan sea salt (or just normal sea salt)
• optional: a few squirts of "I Can't Believe it's Not Butter" spray
• optional: handful of shredded sweetened coconut
• optional: throw some sliced banana on top

Directions

Mix everything together in a separate bowl and pour on top of smoothie base

**This granola recipe is so bomb because it is light & oil-free! It pairs so perfectly with this smoothie bowl and is soo delicious! My mom will sometimes ask me to make her a bowl of just the granola so she can munch on it! YUM!**

Turkey Feta Spinach Burger

Who loves burgers? Me! ✋

The thing I love about eating healthy is that you can still eat the things you love minus the full/heavy feeling!

These burgers are MONEY. They are one of my favorite meals ever!

PS sorry for not putting exact measurements! I rarely use exact measurements anyways, but this recipe is fairly simple so definitely try it out!

Turkey Feta Spinach Burgers

Ingredients

• 1 part extra lean ground turkey
• 1/2 part chopped spinach
• 1/4 part feta
• 1/4 part quick oats
• 1/4 part egg whites
• salt & pepper
• around 3 T garlic powder (they need more than you'd think)
• garlic salt
• 1/8 part dried or finely chopped onions
• optional: whole wheat burger bun or iceberg lettuce wrap(my fav)
• optional: garnish with parsley

Directions

Mix everything together in a large bowl

Form into patties and grill on a greased pan for 5 minutes each side on medium high heat

*If using a whole wheat bun, grill the bun on the pan as well

*If using a lettuce wrap (MY PERSONAL FAV!!) rinse the iceberg lettuce thoroughly and wrap it around the turkey burger in place of the whole wheat bun

**TASTES AMAZING paired with a ketchup and mustard mixture

The Original Acaí Bowl

Who doesn't love Acaí bowls?
✋ me when I can't afford them....

Acaí bowls are not only delicious, but they contain a super fruit (Acaí....) that is pack full of healthy antioxidants. Fun little fact: antioxidants help the body in avoiding damage to cells caused by oxidants.

While these delicious bowls are SO YUMMY, they tend to be extremely over-priced and can often contain loads of extra sugars.

So to all of the Acaí bowl lovers out there, (and to anyone in general) here is the solution!! This is my recipe for your typical, "original" flavored Acaí. (One that is cheaper and way more healthy!)

The Original Acaí
(BTW this is my secret recipe so don't let it get out okay? 😁😂)

Serves 2
Ingredients

• 1 Sambazon unsweetened Acaí packet
• 1/2 c shredded ice
• 1/2 c frozen blueberries
• 1 date (optional)
• 1 banana
• unsweetened almond milk (only a tiny swig at first, then add more to reach desired consistency)
• Optional: 2 large dollops of agave or honey (sometimes instead of agave or honey, I only add a few squirts of stevia)

Directions

Blend and enjoy! Top with homemade granola (recipe below), sliced bananas, and a swirl of honey! 

Homemade granola👇👇

The cinnamon granola topping

• 1 c almonds
• 3 c oats
• 2/3 c honey
• 2 T coconut oil
• 1/2 t vanilla extract
• 1/8 t almond extract 
• 1&1/4 T cinnamon

Directions 

Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit

Chop the almonds so that you have a bunch of different sizes - some finely chopped, and some larger (it might be a good idea to take half of the almonds and process or blend them to get finer bits)

Mix all of the almonds, oats, and salt in a large bowl 

Microwave the honey and coconut oil for about 30 seconds, then add in the vanilla and almond extracts

Pour the wet honey mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix so that everything is coated evenly

Pour your entire mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper

Bake for 5 minutes, stir everything around, then return to the oven for 5 more minutes

Spread granola evenly onto wax paper or a different baking sheet and allow it to cool

After completely cool, break it apart and store in an airtight container!

Quinoa Quiche Bites

Quinoa Quiche Bites
These are a perfect savory meal for a healthy morning breakfast, snack, lunch, (or I even eat them for dinner... and dessert...)

Makes about 36 mini bites
Ingredients

• 1 c uncooked quinoa, rinsed
• water to cook quinoa
• 2 eggs + 2 egg whites
• 2 c shredded spinach
• 2 T minced garlic
• 1/2 c shredded nonfat cheddar cheese
• 1/4 c nonfat parmesan cheese
• 3 T dried chopped onion
• chopped low-fat fresh ham
• garlic salt to taste
• garlic powder to taste
• pink himalayan sea salt (or just normal salt) to taste
• pepper to taste

Directions

Cook quinoa according to package directions

Let it cool off

Preheat oven to 350F

Mix cooled quinoa and all of the ingredients in a large bowl

Fill greased mini muffin tins with the mixture

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown

*Can be stored in fridge for up to 3 days

*You can also freeze them for later and heat em up in the microwave when ready to chow!!

You can also use larger muffin tins which yields around 12 :)

Gut-Healing Chicken Soup

My stomach was feeling all gurgly and bubbly the other day so I whipped up this soup and it turned out SO YUMMY. The garam masala gives it a little bit of a curry/indian flavor but trust me, it pairs deliciously with everything! I made it for my whole family and even my picky brother loved it!

If you're ever craving some soup, your tummy is hurting, or you just want to try this out, give it a go!!

Gut-Healing Chicken Soup

Serves 1-2

Ingredients

• 1 small sweet potato
• 1/2 c cooked shredded chicken
• 1/2 of a shallot (or 1/8c chopped onions)
• 1 t garlic
• 5 chopped mushrooms
• 5 chopped cherry tomatoes
• 2 c low-sodium vegetable broth
• Coconut Oil
• 1/2 c almond milk
• 1/2 t garam masala
• 1/2 t turmeric
• 1/4 t ginger
• 1/2 T garlic powder
• garlic salt
• salt and pepper to taste
• chopped cashews to garnish (optional but HIGHLY recommended!)

Directions

Chop the sweet potato, tomatoes, mushrooms and shallot

Heat veggie broth in a soup bowl on medium/high heat

Heat coconut oil on a pan and grill the sweet potatoes for about 3 minutes. At 2 and 1/2 minutes, sprinkle salt and turmeric on top

Add sweet potato to the soup bowl with veggie broth

Now grill the rest of the chopped ingredients along with the garlic. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder

Add 1/2 of the grilled veggies to a blender with 1/4 of the sweet potato and broth mixture

Blend and add it back into the soup bowl with everything inside

Add in some shredded chicken (You can crockpot cook the chicken in advance, or boil the chicken and shred it as well) 

Add the chicken to the soup bowl

Season with garam masala, salt n' pepper, garlic salt, and ginger

Add in the almond milk to make it creamy!

Mix everything and it's ready to eat! (After you throw on some chopped cashews!!)

THE BEST Healthy Banana Bread

Trust me on this one...

Serves about 6

Ingredients

• 2 ripe bananas
• 1/2 T baking soda
• 1 T vanilla
• 1/2 c egg whites (or 2 - 3 whole eggs)
• 1&1/2 - 2 c quick oats
• 2 T cinnamon
• 1/3 c pure maple syrup or honey
• A few squirts of Stevia extract (optional)
• Optional: dark chocolate chips

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350* Fahrenheit
Mash the bananas in a large bowl
Add in all of the other ingredients and mix
Empty into a well greased bread tin (The mixture should be pretty sticky)
Bake for 35-45 minutes (Loaf should be light brown at the edges and should not have a wet center)
ENJOY!!!

*Tastes especially delish topped with maple almond butter, chunky peanut butter, spray butter, or just plain!

*Stores great in the fridge for up to 5 days!

Breakfast Rice Cake

 Breakfast Apple "Cake"

So simple yet so indulgent!

Ingredients

• 1 Lightly Salted Rice Cake
• 1/2 Fresh Apple - Peeled (Gala is the yummiest)
• Cinnamon
• Raw & Unfiltered Honey
• "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" Spray butter

Directions
Squirt "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" spray butter on top of the rice cake (I spray quite a few!)
Chop up apples to desired size and place them on the cake
Drizzle honey all over apples
Sprinkle some cinnamon and be generous with it!!
Enjoy!

Sample of Heaven (aka "Healthy Apple Crisp")

A delish dessert that satisfies the sweet tooth... and its healthy!? 

Serves 1

Ingredients

• 1 Fresh medium sized apple (Gala is my fav)
• 1 Small "Lite & Fit" Vanilla or Coconut flavored greek yogurt container (frozen and defrosted a bit)
• Cinnamon

For the "Crumble"

• 1 part almonds
• 1 part cashews
• 1 part pumpkin seeds
• Very small drop of olive oil or coconut oil
• 2 t cinnamon
• Pinch of allspice
• Pinch of Ginger
• (A larger) pinch of coconut sugar

Directions
Spiralize the apple and toss in some cinnamon*
Heat up the spiraled apple in the microwave for about 30 seconds
Chop up the almonds and cashews and toss them with the pumpkin seeds, coconut sugar, all of the spices, and the drop of oil
Heat up the "crumble" in the microwave for 1 minute, stirring once in between
ASSEMBLE!
Place the hot apples in first, add the frozen greek yogurt (aka "healthy ice cream") then top it all off with the warm, cozy and delishioussssss crumble
ENJOY!!

*If you don't own or have access to a spiralizer, this should work just fine with a peeled apple, thinly chopped apple, sliced apple, or any other type of 'cut apple' you can think of! (It all goes the same place right? 😆😂)