Tag: Spinach

Creamy Pea and Spinach Soup

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Hey there! I haven’t made a good soup in a while, so this DELICIOUS Creamy Pea and Spinach Soup really hit the spot! Soup is one of those things that might seem complicated or hard to make, but it’s actually super easy. This one in particular is very straightforward!

I cooked up some red onion with some garlic to start, then added in the veggie broth and all of the other ingredients! Ground ginger, some coriander and a bit of red chilli flakes add so much flavour, and of course the peas and spinach give the soup its GORGEOUS green colour. I also added in some chickpeas, which when blended help create a creamy texture.

These simple ingredients are all simmered together for a good twenty minutes, to make sure all the flavours come together. Then everything is dumped into a blender and pureed until super smooth! Look at that; so easy and so delicious.

Soup like this is the best on a cold day. And yes, this soup is also freezer friendly, so you can save some for later! Quick lunch idea for the win! It’s a great way to get your veggies in and is really good for you, as well as being naturally vegan and gluten free.

Enjoy this easy and tasty soup recipe!

Yours Truly,

Olivia:))

Creamy Pea and Spinach Soup

  • Servings: 4-6
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Ingredients

-1 tbsp olive oil

-1/2 a red onion, diced

-2 cloves of garlic, minced

-4 cups of organic veggie broth

-1/2 tsp ground ginger

-1/2 tsp ground coriander

-1/2 tsp red chilli flakes

-1 can of chickpeas. drained and rinsed

-3 cups of packed spinach

-1 1/2 cups frozen green peas

-Salt and pepper to taste


Directions

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add in the onion and cook until translucent, about 6 minutes. Add in the garlic and continue to cook for another 2 minutes.

2. Add the veggie broth to the pot, along with the ginger, coriander, peas, spinach, red chilli flakes, and chickpeas. Stir to combine and season generously with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low and let the soup simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Let the soup cool slightly before adding it to a blender or food processor and blending until smooth and creamy. Taste and season additionally if needed.

4. Serve warm.


Chocolate Smoothie Bowl

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Sometimes you just want some chocolate for breakfast, ya know? I know I do at least, and so today I’m sharing a delicious CHOCOLATE SMOOTHIE BOWL that not only tastes amazing, but is loaded with fruits and veggies so you can start your day off right🙌

I always have a stock of frozen bananas in the freezer, because they make the best base for creamy smoothie bowls! I chop mine up before freezing so that it’s easy to just pop em in the blender. That’s ingredient number one in this smoothie bowl👍 Ingredient two is some nice frozen mango- also VERY good for texture, plus it adds some sweetness. Next we’re adding spinach because we gotta get those greens in!! The chocolate flavour completely masks the taste of the spinach, so you get the benefit of the veggies with the benefit of some tasty chocolate. That’s a win-win situation if I ever saw one.

For the chocolate flavour, I threw in one full tablespoon of some amazing, organic cocoa, along with little bit of water (you don’t want to overdo it on the water or you’ll end up with more of a smoothie soup), and blended until everything was nice and creamy!!

One of my favourite things about smoothie bowls is all the different ways that you can top them. On this one I went with some frozen blueberries, a little bit of coconut, and obviously some peanut butter😍😍 But there are so many different topping possibilities! Here are some delicious topping ideas:

  • More fresh or frozen fruit
  • Different kinds of nut butters
  • Raw or toasted nuts and seeds
  • Granola
  • Cereal
  • Dark chocolate
  • Puffed wheat

Toppings really make the bowl, so make sure you don’t skip out on them if you have the time!

Smoothies and smoothie bowls are one of my favourite breakfasts because they fit in all of those nutrients and a delicious taste in a super convenient format. If you don’t have time to enjoy this smoothie in bowl form, you can definitely add a bit more water to make a thinner smoothie and take it with you on the go.

This bowl is such a healthy and delicious breakfast treat. I had a couple of eggs on the side of mine for some protein, and it was the perfect way to start my day. Hope you enjoy!

Yours Truly,

Olivia:)

Chocolate Smoothie Bowls

  • Servings: 1
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Ingredients

-1 frozen banana, chopped

-1/2 cup packed spinach

-1/2 cup frozen mango, chopped

-1 tbsp organic cocoa powder

-2 tbsp water


Directions

1. Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

2. Scoop into a bowl and top with your favourite toppings.


Lentil and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

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It seems too early to be transitioning from fall to winter, but it’s kind of already happening. Why the heck is it so cold? And why is the sun rising at like nine and setting at like six? These are questions we have yet to answer, my friends. But in the meantime, we might as well embrace the freezing darkness that is winter and enjoy these stuffed peppers.

Stuffed peppers are an amazing comfort food🥰 They’re hearty and delicious, perfect for a cold winter night. These ones also happen to be super healthy, as well as vegan and gluten free. I used lentils and quinoa for the meat substitute, and it makes a filling that is INCREDIBLE. My advice is to double or triple the recipe so you can have tasty peppers for lunch all week long.

Also, if you don’t feel like cooking for hours or washing a TON of dishes, these are for you! I used canned lentils and already cooked quinoa for increased simplicity. You just need to fry up some onions and basically mix everything tightest in the pot. Then stuff your peppers, pop em in the oven, and let them get nice and soft on the outside, warm on the inside, and crispy on top😍 (Those crispy bits are the best part). You’re left with a meal that is so flavourful and filling that you’ll be like, take that, stupid winter. So yeah, the season might not be too bad if you’ve got these hanging around!

Hope you enjoy this recipe!:)

Lentil and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Serves: 2

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2 large bell peppers, any colour
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 can of tomato paste (6 oz)
  • 1 cup cooked lentils (I used the brown canned variety)
  • 2/3 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 cup packed spinach
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. In a medium sized pot, heat the olive oil. Add in the diced onions and cook for 6-8 minutes, until translucent.
  2. Add the minced garlic to the pot and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Then dump in the tomato paste, lentils, quinoa, balsamic, soy sauce, herbs and spices, and stir to combine.
  3. Let the mixture cook for about 5 minutes, then add in the spinach and continue to cook until it’s wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then remove from the heat.
  4. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut out the tops of your peppers so that a round hole is left. Full each pepper with half of the lentil and quinoa filling, then place in a glass baking dish.
  5. Bake the peppers for about 15 minutes in the oven; then reduce the heat to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes, until the peppers are soft and the top of the filling is crispy.
  6. Remove from the oven and enjoy!

Hope you guys are having a great week! I have another great pumpkin recipe for you guys on Friday. We’ve got to milk this pumpkin and apple stuff before fall is over, am I right? See you then!

Yours Truly,

Olivia:))

No Powder Protein Smoothie

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Hey guys:) I got a cool new blender over the weekend that makes single serving smoothies, so I thought I’d whip up a smoothie for breakfast this morning, and I could drink it on the drive to school. This morning was Upper Body day💪💪 so I wanted sone protein in there. Protein powder is my first choice, and for a while I was using some that we just had in our pantry. But now we’re out, and it’s so dang expensive! I’m not about to spend sixty five bucks on a thing of protein powder. This is where we get creative, people.

I tried adding black beans into one of my smoothie bowls a few weeks ago, and it may sound gross, but you can’t even taste them. Plus, they help thicken things up. Boom, 6 grams of protein. Then you’ve got a tablespoon of peanut butter, which adds great flavour. Another 4 grams of protein. Then some spinach and kale for the vitamins. 1 more gram. And finally, a cup of almond milk. 1 gram. So then you’ve got yourself a smoothie with 12 GRAMS of protein without using any powder whatsoever!!

This smoothie is not only full of vitamins and protein, but it tastes great👌 The peanut butter gives it some nuttiness, and the strawberry, banana, and peaches make it sweet🥰 This is a recipe that I will definitely be remaking, because it’s a quick, portable, protein filled breakfast that satisfies my sweet tooth! Definitely give this one a try😊

No Powder Protein Smoothie

Serves: 1

Total Time: 7 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 banana, frozen and chopped
  • About 5 fresh strawberries
  • 1/2 cup cooked black beans
  • 1 tbsp natural peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup packed spinach
  • 1/2 cup packed kale
  • 1/2 cup chopped frozen peaches
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk

Directions:

  1. Add all of the ingredients into a good quality blender and blend until smooth.
  2. Enjoy!

Such a quick and easy breakfast recipe!! Hope you enjoy:)💪💪

Yours Truly,

Olivia:))

Roasted Cauliflower Wraps with Red Pepper Sauce

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I’m back! I went on a little vacation and wasn’t super active on my blog or social media, but I’m coming back with a BANG, aka these Roasted Cauliflower Wraps with Red Pepper Sauce. Portable lunches are going to have to start becoming a thing again soon, so these beauties are going to help you get one step ahead. Simply roast, wrap, press, and then boom, you’ve got yourself an amazing, nutritious lunch.

The cauliflower, red onions, and red peppers all get roasted up on the same pan, then the peppers are tossed in the blender with garlic, oil, and lots of cilantro to make a bea-u-tiful sauce. I spread it on a wrap, then added the cauliflower, onions, some avocado, and some spinach. YUM. After rolling, my wrap got the VIP treatment in my panini press. Once you start pressing your wraps and getting those perfect grill marks on there, you’re not going back. It also helps the wrap stay together- perfect for lunchbags.

These would be great prepared the night before, or if you prep all of the ingredients and then just roll and press as needed. This recipe makes 1 wrap but lots of extra sauce, which is awesome in bowls, more wraps, salads, more wraps, for dipping things in, and in more wraps. I hope you enjoy this recipe and keep an eye out for more meal prep ideas coming soon!!

Roasted Cauliflower Wraps with Red Pepper Sauce

Serves: 1 (with extra sauce)

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Red Pepper Sauce:

  • 2 small red bell peppers, chopped
  • 2 tbs + 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, loosely packed
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

For the Wraps:

  • 1 Whole Wheat Wrap
  • 1/2 cup cauliflower florets, cut into small pieces
  • 1/4 of a red onion, sliced
  • 1/2 an avocado, thinly sliced
  • a small handful of spinach leaves
  • 1 tbsp Red Pepper Sauce
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Place the cauliflower, red peppers, and red onion on a parchment lined baking sheet. Toss each with 1 tsp of olive oil and some salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes, until soft and slightly charred.
  3. Remove the pan from the oven and add the red peppers, along with the rest of the Red Pepper Sauce ingredients, into a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
  4. Preheat a panini press and begin assembling your wrap. Spread 1 tbs of sauce onto a whole wheat wrap, then add the cauliflower, onions, spinach, and avocado, and fold tightly, tucking the two vertical edges in, then rolling away from you.
  5. Place the wrap on the press and bring the lid down on it. Let gravity do its work and leave your wrap in the press for about a minute.
  6. Carefully remove your wrap from the press and enjoy!!

Happy munching and I’ll see you Wednesday!:)

Yours Truly,

Olivia:))