These cinnamon chips don’t lie – this fruit salsa is perfecto. And now is the perfect time to start planning those game day snacks! While the Pack may have been defeated, I’m not letting that rain on my parade. Because really, football is all about the snacks anyway, right? And those snacks don’t have to set you back from your healthy eating aspirations. Read on for some of my favorite not-so-sinful game day recipes including this fruit salsa, buffalo cauliflower wings and a roasted red pepper dip that will have you dipping veggies for days.

When you think of game day food, what comes to mind? Visions of buffalo wings, pizza and cheesy dips? Uh huh. Thought so. Now there’s no shame in salivating over everyone’s favorite fried foods. But, brown doesn’t have to be the only color of choice on your plate. Because fruit and veggies can have just as much game when dolled up in their Sunday best. And filling up on these fiber-rich, nutrient dense and high water foods can help you to scale back on some of the more indulgent foods. And yes, I said scale back because eating healthy doesn’t have to be black or white – especially if you’re just hopping off the January Whole30 train and ready to imbibe in some of the sworn off foods. Here are some my tips for eating healthy-ish at game day.

Tips for a Healthy-Ish Game Day

1.) Hydrate! Hunger is often masked as thirst. Before your game watch, chug a glass of water to curb your appetite. If you’re enjoying adult beverages, consider swapping every other drink for a glass of water. If water isn’t your thing, think about dressing it up with some fresh fruit or grabbing a flavored seltzer water.

2.) Bigger Is Not Always Better. Grab a smaller, appetizer-sized plate rather than a dinner-sized plate at the buffet table. More often than not, we’ll fill the space of our plates, so this is a way to hold yourself back from piling on portions that are too large. It also forces you to make choices of the things you really want, but everything is not gonna fit on that tiny plate.

3.) Mamma Always Said, Veggies First. Before you dive head first into that pizza, grab a plate of fruits and veggies with healthy-ish dips. This ensures you get in those greens and will keep hunger at bay so that you’re more conservative when you get to the good stuff like those wings you wanted to devour.

4.) Step Away From the Buffet. Out of sight, out of mind. Ever find yourself endlessly munching because you’ve been standing by a table piled high with food for the last hour? Take yourself away from the food. Force yourself to make the choice of walking over to the buffet for more food. In fact, sit as far away as you can! It serves a dual purpose of getting in those steps and being more mindful of your choices.

5.) Walk It Out. Find some time to get in some movement, whether it be a pre-game workout, a half-time dance party with Shakira or scheduling a post-game workout session the next day. It’s a long game and that means a lot of sitting. At a minimum, make sure to stand up and walk around every 20 minutes or so. Maybe even consider watching the game on an exercise ball to get in some core work. Do you, but also, do some movement to offset some of the excess calories.

Now that you’re ready to get your healthy-ish game on, let’s dive into some of my favorite, not-so-sinful game day snacks!

Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Tortilla Chips
Makes: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:
Fruit Salsa
– 2 Golden Delicious apples peeled, cored and diced
– 8 oz of raspberries, cut in half
– 16 oz of strawberries, diced
– 2 kiwi fruit, peeled and diced
– 3 T fruit preserves
– 1 T coconut sugar (optional)
Cinnamon Tortilla Chips
– 2 packages of tortillas (I used Mikey’s Gluten-Free Cassava Flour Tortillas)
– Ghee, ghee spray or butter spray (I used Vital Farms Ghee Butter)
– Coconut sugar and cinnamon (I used 2 T sugar for every 1/4 tsp of cinnamon)

Directions:
Step 1: To make the tortilla chips, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Using  a scissors, cut each tortilla into 6 or 8 wedges and place in a single layer on the parchment paper. Either spray the tortilla wedges with ghee or butter spray, or brush on the ghee butter. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture, flip and repeat. Place in the oven for 15 minutes and allow to cool. You likely will need to do this in a few batches.

Step 2: To make the fruit salsa, add all of the ingredients to a large bowl and gently mix. Place in the fridge for 15 minutes to chill and serve with the tortilla chips!

Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:
Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
– 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
– 1/2 C almond flour
– 1/2 C water
– 1 tsp garlic powder
– 1/2 tsp salt
– 2/3 C hot sauce
– 1 T ghee or melted butter (I used Vital Farms Ghee Butter)
Greek Yogurt Ranch
– 3/4 C plain, full fat Greek yogurt
– 1 tsp lemon juice
– water to thin
– onion powder
-lemon pepper seasoning

Directions:
Step 1: To make the cauliflower wings, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. In a large bowl, mix the almond flour, water, garlic and salt. Toss the cauliflower florets in the mixture to coat and place on the baking sheet in a single layer. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, flipping the cauliflower mid-way through.

Step 2: To make the buffalo sauce, place the hot sauce and ghee or melted butter in a large bowl. Take the cauliflower out of the oven and using a spatula or tongs, place in the bowl of hot sauce and toss gently to coat. After coating the cauliflower, place back on the baking sheet in a single layer and bake for an additional 10 minutes, flipping the cauliflower mid-way through.

Step 3: Finish the cauliflower by setting the oven to broil at 450 degrees and baking an additional 15 minutes, flipping the cauliflower mid-way through. Allow to cool.

Step 4: To make the Greek yogurt dipping sauce, stir the Greek yogurt and lemon juice in a small bowl. Add enough water to get your desired consistency and enough onion powder to get your desired level of flavor. Add in small increments. Finish with a few shakes of lemon pepper seasoning.

Roasted Red Pepper Cashew Dip
Makes: 8-10 servings

Ingredients: 
– 1 red bell pepper, roasted (I bought a jar from Trader Joe’s)
– 1 C raw cashews soaked overnight in the fridge
– 1/2 C of water
– 1 clove of garlic (or 1 tsp of jarred, minced garlic)
– 1 tsp smoked paprika
– 1 tsp nutritional yeast
– 1/2 tsp salt
– freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a food processor. Mix until a creamy texture. Add additional water depending on desired thickness. Serve with your favorite veggies, crackers or chips.

Game Day is on! Share any of your favorite game day snacks below!

The post Game On For Healthy Snacks appeared first on The Shooks Life.

When your heart wants pizza and your head says salad: GREEN GODDESS PIZZA. Who says pizza is reserved for the weekends? I’m officially bringing pizza back to Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday because…pizza. And my love for pizza is infinite. This week on the blog I’m sharing some of my favorite healthy-ish and meatless pizza combos so you can take the guilt out of your guilty pleasure any day of the week. Get the dEATs on this Green Goddess Pizza, a Peach Ricotta Pizza, Breakfast Pizzas…and more below!

Okay, friends! We’ve FINALLY moved into the new house…hurrah! That’s the good news. The bad news, is that not only is our kitchen reno not done yet, but also…our air conditioning broke on the first time. Ug. But, I didn’t let that stop me from a pizza palooza (turning on the oven in the TX heat did not help the situation). The heart wants what it wants and it wanted…pizza! Also, salads. Also, easy. Because…moving.

Whipping up some healthy-ish pizzas was both creative and comic relief. The first step, is a healthy crust that doesn’t taste healthy. My go-to’s:

Better For You Pizza Crusts

1.)  Superseed Pizza Crust from Superseed Life: it’s made with 7 powerhouse seeds like flax, sunflower and chia seeds. It’s also gluten-free, vegan, paleo and keto-friendly. Find it online or in the frozen section at some Whole Foods.

2.) Mikey’s Gluten Free Pizza Crust: this one is made with just 9 pantry ingredients like eggs, almond flour and coconut flour. It’s also gluten-free, dairy-free and paleo-friendly. Find it online or in the freezer section nationally at Whole Foods and Sprouts.

3.) Outer Aisle Plantpower Cauliflower Pizza Crusts: this crust is made of fresh cauliflower and just 6 other pantry ingredients like eggs, Parmesan cheese and spices. It’s naturally gluten-free and low carb. I also use the sandwich thins as mini personal pizzas. Find them in the refrigerated section at Whole Foods.

Other honorable mentions include: Stonefire mini naan bread (they have an ancient grain version that I love!) and the Mikey’s gluten-free English muffins, which are great for breakfast pizzas.

Here’s the other beauty about these pizzas: they’re veggie forward and loaded with filling fiber. Because we all know it’s rare to eat a side of veggies with pizza. Also, the Green Goddess and Cherry Tomato Hummus pizzas are great as appetizers because they use hummus as the base with a sprinkle of feta so that they taste just as good cold as they do warm. All of these are relatively adaptable based on what fruit or veggies you have on hand, so they’re stress free and are guaranteed to be party pleasers. Even my husband, who is a traditional pepperoni pizza kinda guy, gave these pizzas his approval. Time for some pizza, yes? Get the recipes for the Green Goddess Pizza, Summer Tomato Hummus Pizza, Peach Ricotta Pizza, Caprese Pizza and Breakfast Avocado Pizza below!

Green Goddess Pizza:
Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:
– 1 Superseed Life Superseed Pizza Crust
– 1 container of garlic hummus (or make my vegan cashew ricotta)
– 1 bunch of broccolini
– 1 bunch of asparagus
– 1/2 C of fresh or frozen peas
– 1 bunch of basil, cut into strips
– 1 container of feta or goat cheese
– 1 clove of garlic, minced
– extra virgin olive oil
– salt and pepper to taste
– optional: micro greens to top

Directions:

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. While the oven pre-heats, trim the asparagus into 1-inch pieces and set a medium pot of water to boil on the stove top. Place the asparagus pieces on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Step 2: Place the pizza crust directly on the rack next to the sheet pan withe asparagus pieces. Set a timer for 15 minutes.
Step 3: While the pizza crust and asparagus bake, add the broccolini to the boiling water for 2-3 minutes until bright green. Place in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Then, heat a medium skillet over the stove top with a little bit of olive oil. Add the minced garlic, stirring frequently for a minute until fragrant. Add the broccolini and cook for a few minutes. Set aside the broccolini. Option to trim to 1-inch pieces.
Step 4: Once the timer goes off, assemble the pizza. Add a layer of hummus (or cashew ricotta) to the pizza crust, leaving a half inch around the rim. Then, layer on the asparagus, broccolini and peas (making sure to cook or thaw the peas if frozen). Sprinkle on as much feta cheese as you’d like and top with an ample amount of basil strips. Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil over the top of the pizza and finish by sprinkling with salt and pepper. Option to garnish with micro greens. Enjoy!

Summer Tomato Hummus Pizza
Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:
– 1 Mikey’s Gluten-Free Pizza Crust
– 1 container of red pepper hummus (or make my vegan red pepper crema)
– 1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
– 1 zucchini, thinly sliced
– feta cheese crumbles
– micro greens

Directions:

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Once heated, place the crust directly on the oven rack and bake for 9-10 minutes, depending on desired crispiness. Remove from the oven.
Step 2: Assemble the pizza by layering on the red pepper hummus (or vegan crema), leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edges. Top with the cherry tomato halve, zucchini slices, micro greens and feta. Enjoy!

Peach & Ricotta Pesto Pizza
Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:
– 1 Superseedlife Superseed Pizza Crust
– 1 container ricotta cheese
– 8 oz fresh mozzarella
– 1 jar of basil pesto (or make my kale pesto)
– 1 fresh peach, pitted and thinly sliced
– a bunch of fresh arugula or basil leaves
– extra virgin olive oil
– salt and pepper to taste
– optional: balsamic vinegar to drizzle

Directions:

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the oven is heated, add the crust directly to the rack. Bake for 5 minutes and remove from the oven.
Step 2: Top the pizza with a layer of the basil (or kale) pesto, leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edge. Distribute slices of mozzarella sporadically on the pizza (I used 6 slices). Then, place spoonfulls of the ricotta to cover the remainder of the pizza. Place the pizza back in the oven to bake for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven.
Step 3: Top the pizza with any additional ricotta if the pizza doesn’t have full cheesy coverage. Then, distribute the peach slices on top of the cheese. Sprinkle with arugula or basil leaves, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper. Option to drizzle balsamic vinegar for extra flavor. Enjoy!

Individual Hummus Caprese Pizzas
Serves: 1

Ingredients:
– 2 Mikey’s Gluten Free English Muffins
– 1 tomato, sliced
– 4 slices of fresh mozzarella
– 1 container red pepper hummus (or make my vegan red pepper crema)
– extra virgin olive oil
– salt and pepper to taste
– micro greens or basil leaves to top

Directions:

Step 1: Toast the English muffins either in a toaster or an oven set to 350 degrees Farhenheit.
Step 2: Top the toasted muffins with a layer of the roasted red pepper hummus or crema. Top with two slices of fresh mozzarella. Heat in the microwave for :15 seconds to melt the cheese, or place back in the oven for a few minutes.
Step 3: Layer a tomato slice on top of the melted mozzarella. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with micro greens or basil leaves. Enjoy!

Individual Breakfast Avocado Pizzas
Serves: 1

Ingredients:
– 2 Outer Aisle Gourmet Cauliflower Thins
– 2 Vital Farms pasture-raised eggs
– 1 avocado, cut in half and pit removed
– salt and pepper to taste
– optional squeeze of lime juice and sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:
Step 1: Toast the cauliflower thins in a toaster or oven set to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 2: Heat a small fry pan over medium heat on the stove top. Add a dollop of butter or ghee, or spray with olive oil. Crack the eggs into the pan and heat to desired doneness.
Step 3: Remove the avocado flesh from the skins and place in a small bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper along with optional lime juice. Mash with a fork to create a chunky guacamole.
Step 4: Top the each of the toasted cauliflower thins with a layer of the guacamole, a fried egg, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, along with optional crushed red pepper flakes. Enjoy!

Here’s to pizza any day, all day! Comment with your favorite pizza combos!

The post Pizza Pizza appeared first on The Shooks Life.

Straight up, wait up, hold up, Mr. Lover. Like Prince said you’re a sexy avocado. Oh wait, did I just mashup 2 of my faves? If Salt-N-Pepa got word of these baked avocados, I’m sure I’d get a “that sounds sexy!”. I had every intent of making these crispy strips of avocado into tacos, but they were so dang good on their own, that I just straight up grazed on all this roasted veggie goodness. And the vegan red pepper crema – honey, dip it, dunk it because it is so worth it! Don’t be shy, ask for dEATs (and get ’em below).

Here I go again. Girls what’s my weakness? Avocado. And Salt-N-Pepa. And tacos. I’ve got a lot of weaknesses, okay? And there’s nothing I love more than combining all my faves in one. Ever since I made these Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos, I’ve been obsessed with finding more veg friendly tacos. Avocado is usually a garnish on a taco, but what if it was the star of the show? Wish it, wonder it, make it happen. Gluten free and vegan baked avocados it is! And since a taco isn’t a taco without something saucy atop, I mixed up this vegan red pepper crema for drizzling and dipping to your hearts content.

I thought the baked avocado was going to be the star here, but O-M-G, this red pepper crema is amazeballs. Like, I want to put it on everything (and probably will). The creamy base is raw cashews soaked overnight in water and then blended with roasted red peppers, nutritional yeast and paprika.

If you’re not yet familiar with nutritional yeast, hop on the train because this caboose delivers cheese-like flavor, tons of nutrients like B12 and is a complete protein. It comes in a flaky or powder form and is low in fat and sodium, gluten free and contains iron. Talk about nutritional magic dust.

Also, option to add one more secret ingredient: a scoop of Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides. Find out all the benefits of collagen here.

So while my original intent was tacos, these baked avocados make a great appetizer too when paired with the red pepper crema. Make sure the avocado is *slightly* under ripe. You want it to be firm enough to hold it’s shape through dipping in almond milk and then breading with seasoned panko. I was also super stoked to find shishito peppers at Trader Joe’s this past weekend. I first tried these at a market in Madrid, Spain, but they’re actually Korean. Hot off the grill, these blistered little peppers are a spicier version of a green bell pepper – something like 1 in every 10 is bit hotter like a milder jalapeno.

Also, the striped bell peppers that I charred with portabellos and sweet onion are a variety that were first discovered in The Netherlands in 2013. The enjoya peppers have a yellow base color with strips of red, similar to a Gala apple. They’re sweet and crisp just like a red bell pepper, but ‘o so much prettier.

I found both the shishito and Enjoya peppers at my local Trader Joe’s, but char whatever veggies you like with this baked avocado and red crema stat – you won’t be disappointed!

Baked Avocado with Vegan Red Pepper Crema
Serves 4
Ingredients:

Baked Avocado
– 2 firm avocados
– 4 T unsweetened, unflavored almond milk
– 3/4 C panko bread crumbs
– 1 tsp smoked paprika
– 1/2 tsp cumin
– 1/2 tsp garlic powder
– pinch of salt & pepper

Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Crema
– 1 red bell pepper, roasted (I bought a jar from Trader Joe’s)
– 1 C raw cashews soaked overnight in the fridge
– 1/2 C of water
– 1 clove of garlic (or 1 tsp of jarred, minced garlic)
– 1 tsp smoked paprika
– 1 tsp nutritional yeast
– 1/2 tsp salt
– freshly ground black pepper, to taste
– optional: 1 scoop of Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides

Directions:

Baked Avocado
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and prepare two dipping stations: fill one shallow bowl with the almond milk and the other with the panko, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Mix the dried breading thoroughly.
Step 2: Halve the avocados, using a large knife to remove the pits. Lay the avocado halves skin side down on a cutting board and slice into 3 equal parts or roughly 6 slices per avocado. Gently peel away the skin.
Step 3: Dip the avocado slices in the almond milk, allowing excess to drip off. Then coat in the panko spice mix, using a spoon if necessary to fully coat all sides. Place on the foiled baking sheet.
Step 4: Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Crema
Step 1: Place all ingredients in a food processor. Mix until a creamy texture. Add additional water depending on desired thickness.
Step 2: Enjoy as a dip for your favorite veggies or as a sauce for tacos or pasta.

The post A grazer’s delight appeared first on The Shooks Life.