OhYaGood

Whole Food Lover + Recipe Hacker

Tuscan Tuna Salad

by 7 Comments

Did I mention I’m doing Whole30? Probably not since it’s more like the Whole26. Don’t judge. I haven’t had the will power to stick with it because of a family Christmas celebration, Leo’s birthday and a little happy hour. I know. I’m weak but I’m glad to have still do it partially. My joints feel better, I’m not as tired and huge bonus, my clothes fit better. Who knows, maybe I’ll just stick with this way of eating giving myself a break here and there.

I’ve noticed these COLD winter months can be really hard to get excited about salads or just fresh produce in general. I have a natural desire for carbs and heavy, warm foods. Maybe that’s why I gravitate towards a salad that’s mostly protein and room temperature, like this tuna salad. This one is packed with lots of flavor and keeps me full all afternoon with 27 grams of protein. AND it’s Whole30 approved.

Tuscan Tuna Salad
 
Save Print
Prep time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Salad
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 1-2
Ingredients
  • 1 4oz can of tuna in water
  • a handful of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
  • 2 tablespoons olive tapenade, I like Trader Joes
  • 2 tablespoons capers
  • ¼ cup diced cucumber
  • ¼ cup diced sweet pepper
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • a squeeze of lemon juice
  • a dash of red wine vinegar
  • salt and pepper
  • fresh basil
Instructions
  1. Mix all ingredients together and serve
  2. Garnish with fresh basil

 

Sweet Cinnamon Chex Mix

by Leave a Comment

It’s December 29th! How did that happen?! Every week just came and went with parties, events and of course some good old fashioned sickness to round out our December. Regardless, we have a holiday filled with lots of joy, rest and good food to boot.

One of my Mom’s go-to for parties and gatherings is a big tub of chex mix. She made it this Christmas in fact! It’s the savory kind with worcestershire sauce. It’s so damn good and better than any bagged mix on the market. She also makes a sweet, sticky, coconut kind that is delicious but not as easy to make. Because both of these varieties have butter, I wanted to try a version without. Naturally, I tackled a sweet version first.

Sweet Cinnamon Chex Mix
 
Save Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Snack
Cuisine: American
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups rice chex
  • 1½ cups corn chex
  • ½ cup pecans
  • ½ cup walnuts
  • ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon of cinnamon
  • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°
  2. Mix chex and nuts together place on a parchment lined baking sheet
  3. Mix oil, sugar, syrup, cinnamon, cayenne and salt together and pour over the chex and nuts, coating evenly.
  4. Bake for about 7 minutes and stir. Bake another 5-7 minutes or until golden brown.
  5. Add more sugar, spices or syrup to taste.

 

Chocolate Tea Latte

by Leave a Comment

SNOW! Yay! My family is so excited. As am I. The grayness and death or everything outside was starting to wear on me. Plus, the sun is now shining which combined with the white snow makes for happier days.

If you need to warm up with a little treat, I have just the thing. London fogs became an obsession of mine after doing a stint without coffee. And by stint I mean like two days cause I can’t do without my coffee. Anyways, london fog or earl grey tea lattes are just a bit sweet and so delicious. Well this version is just that but I specifically use chocolate hemp milk as the creamer. You can froth it with an immersion blender but it certainly isn’t necessary.

Chocolate Tea Latte
 
Save Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Drink
Cuisine: American
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 1 cup boiling hot water
  • 2 earl grey tea bags
  • ½ cup chocolate hemp milk
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup (optional)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Steep tea bags in hot water for about 5 minutes
  2. Add remaining ingredients
  3. Froth with immersion blender if desired

 

Cranberry Apple Smoothie

by Leave a Comment

This house is SOOOO excited for Thanksgiving! We’ve been talking about what we are thankful for, donating goods and volunteering our time, and of course I’ve been cooking up a storm trying new recipes. I try really hard not to get overwhelmed with all the to-do’s this time of year by writing and planning a ton. It sounds counter-intuitive I know but just getting it out of my head and onto some paper or in my phone calms my nerves. I never considered myself a planner until I had kids and I think this is because everything else involving kids is totally unpredictable and out of your control. I mean, how many times a year can a child come down with some sickness and an entire week can be gone? I know mine excel at that in the winter.

One thing I know is having a smoothie five days a week for breakfast has really streamlined our morning routine. Gosh I sound like such a dork but it’s so true! I always have some sort of frozen fruit, juice or milk alternative on hand, some protein additions and wa-la! Breakfast is served. I thought up this recipe after realizing I only consume cranberries this time of year which needs to change. Did you know they are considered healthier than spinach?! According to WebMD they have more antioxidants which make them disease fighters. (See reference to kid sickness above.)

 

Cranberry Apple Smoothie
 
Save Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Smoothie
Cuisine: American
Serves: 2 cups
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup cranberries (fresh or frozen)
  • 1 small apple, preferably a sweet red variety
  • ½ cup carrot juice
  • ¼ cup orange juice
  • ¼ cup coconut milk (I used Thai Kitchen, canned)
  • 1 scoop or tablespoon collagen or protein powder of your preference
  • ½ teaspoon fresh ginger
  • 1 teaspoon hemp or chia seeds
  • 2 walnuts
  • 5 ice cubes
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients into a high speed blender and blend for a minute. Serve immediately or freeze into cube.

Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles

by Leave a Comment

Now that I feel like I completely mastered the chocolate chip cookie, I’ve been itching to try other kinds. Rough goal, I know. My family is happy to taste test.

This idea came to me after a few unsuccessful attempts at a ginger molasses cookie. Hopefully that will show up on here soon. I like pumpkin spice but not in a nutty way. I mostly enjoy it in a baked good which is why I made these lovely mounds of sugar. If you want to amp up those flavors you could mix in pumpkin pie spice into the cinnamon sugar mixture as well. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles
 
Save Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Cookie
Cuisine: American
Serves: 24
Ingredients
  • 2½ cups almond flour
  • 2 teaspoons ground flax
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ginger
  • ½-1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • ½ cup oil, I use avocado
  • 2 Tablespoons molasses
  • Cinnamon sugar for rolling, I used brown but coconut works too.
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°
  2. Mix all the dry ingredients together with a fork.
  3. Add syrup, oil and molasses to combine.
  4. Roll 1½ inch balls in cinnamon sugar and flatten gently with a fork, crosswise.

 

 

BLT Pizza

by Leave a Comment

This summer hasn’t left much time for kitchen exploration but it has my the motivation to try new products. Mostly to make the cooking process a little easier. I really wanted to make my own cauliflower crust for pizza but I bought a freezer full of the trader joes version instead. I’m only half kidding.

After a successful attempt at making taco pizza with the cauliflower crust, I decided to try another favorite from the infamous Happy Joes I frequented as a kid, BLT pizza. It turned out amazing!

BLT Pizza
 
Save Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Entree
Cuisine: American
Serves: 2-3
Ingredients
  • 1 cauliflower crust or pre-made crust of your choice
  • 2 tablespoons mayo (whole30 approved)
  • 3 slices of bacon
  • 1 cup thinly sliced romaine or iceberg lettuce
  • ¾ cup sliced cherry tomatoes
  • 3 slices of red onion
Instructions
  1. Bake crust according to package directions
  2. Render bacon in the oven for 10 minutes at 375°
  3. Spread mayo onto cooked crust
  4. Top with remaining ingredients

 

Dairy Free Ice Cream Cake

by Leave a Comment

I have fond summertime memories eating my Mom’s Oreo Dirt Dessert as a kid. It was the answer to any summer special occasion and super simple to make. It’s been on my list of many desserts to try to make dairy and gluten free and all I can think is why on earth did I wait so long! The girls were even able to “help” me make it for their Daddy’s birthday so very kid-friendly. The biggest challenge is finding the special ingredients which did require two trips to two different grocery stores. You could also try making it with different cookies besides oreos or in this case fake oreos.

Dairy Free Ice Cream Cake
 
Save Print
Prep time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: dessert
Cuisine: American
Serves: 10-12
Ingredients
  • 2 packages of Mi-Del Dairy and Gluten free "Oreos"
  • 2 pints of vanilla ice cream, I used So Delicious Cashew Very Vanilla Ice Cream, softened
  • ¼ cup (or more) chocolate fudge
  • 1 container of So Delicious Coconut Whip Cream, thawed, or your own
  • Magic Shell drizzle (I made my own with ¾ cup Enjoy Life Chocolate chips and 1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted together)
Instructions
  1. Place all the cookies in a plastic zip lock and crush with a rolling pin. Use all but 1 cup and loosely press to the bottom of an 8x8 pan.
  2. Spread the softened ice cream carefully over the cookie crumble.
  3. Squirt the fudge as evenly as you'd like over the ice cream. I was pretty liberal with mine. Place in the freezer for about 10 minutes to harden a bit.
  4. Spread the thawed whip cream over the fudge
  5. Top with the remaining cup of cookie crumble and drizzle with magic shell

 

Mexican Corn

by 2 Comments

Well it’s about time. Thank you to everyone who encouraged me to keep posting. I was feeling a bit defeated and focused more attention on community driven projects. I’m still doing those things but with summer, I’ve got a teeny bit more time to do my stuff. Think tv shows, sprinklers and some mandatory quiet time so I can do what I need to do.

This recipe comes from my favorite cookbook, Food Lab with some alterations to make it not only dairy-free but with short cuts. I first had Mexican Street Corn aka Elote in Sedona, Arizone this spring at a wonderful restaurant of the same name. I think I ate an entire pound of it. It’s a fairly simple dish and according to my family, the cheese wasn’t necessary. Hope you like it as much as I do.

Mexican Corn
 
Save Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Side Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 bag of trader joes, frozen roasted sweet corn (about 3 cups)
  • 2 tablespoons of oil, i used avocado
  • 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
  • ½ cup of green onions, thinly sliced
  • ½ cup of cilantro, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
  • 2 tablespoons of trader joes diced jarred sweet and spicy jalapenos
  • salt
  • chili powder
Instructions
  1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the frozen corn and spread evenly. Let simmer for a few minutes before stirring. Cook for another two minutes or until evenly heated through.
  2. Mix the mayo, green onions, cilantro, lime juice, garlic and jalapeno together with the cooked corn. Add salt and chili powder to taste. Serve room temperature or hot.

 

Vegan Shamrock Shake

by Leave a Comment

I have a vivid memory trying the McDonald’s Shamrock Shake for the first time. My mind was blown. My stomach, well, it wasn’t as happy. If it isn’t already clear by my blog, I have a love for all things mint so naturally I’ve tried to recreate the infamous shake more than once following recipes online. Nothing really satisfied me so I started experimenting on my own. The result is below and I am very pleased. Two thumbs up from the entire family.

Vegan Shamrock Shake
 
Save Print
Prep time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: sweets
Cuisine: American
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 2 cups almond milk (whole30 approved)
  • ½ cup coconut cream (canned)
  • 1 frozen banana
  • ½ medium avocado
  • 2 T cashew butter
  • 3 (or more for added sweetness) dates, soaked for 5 minutes in boiling water
  • 1 cup packed spinach
  • ⅛ teaspoon peppermint extract
  • 4 ice cubes
Instructions
  1. Add all ingredients to a high speed blender and blend

 

Sesame Carrot Noodles

by Leave a Comment

If you shop at Costco, you are no stranger to the ginormous 10lb bag of carrots that are available in their produce section. So often I would reach for them then think “there’s NO way we could get thru all of these” and put them back. Well, on Monday, I gave into the challenge and to my surprise, we’ve actually eaten a good portion of them. However, it was time for a new variation besides raw sticks. So I came up with this delicious “noodle” dish using my spiralizer. It tastes so much like a Japanese seaweed salad with out the jelly like texture. I’ll be honest, my kids weren’t sold but my husband and I slurped them up.

 

Sesame Carrot Noodles
 
Save Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Side
Cuisine: Asian
Serves: 4-5
Ingredients
  • 7-8 large carrots or 4 cups of spiraled carrot noodles
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 1 T sesame oil
  • 1 tsp garlic, minced
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ⅛ tsp pepper
  • ¼ cup rice vinegar
  • ⅛ cup + 1 T light oil like avocado, olive or vegetable, divided
  • ⅛ cup coconut aminos
  • ½ T red onion, finely diced
  • black or white sesame seeds
Instructions
  1. Spiralize the large part (about 1½ in in circumference) of the carrots to make into noodles
  2. Toss the noodles into a large skillet over medium heat with the Tablespoon of oil for about 5 minutes or until carrots are slightly softened
  3. Whisk together remaining ingredients except for onions and seeds for the dressing and pour over noodles
  4. Garnish with red onion and sesame seeds