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Sep 7 2015

Banana Zucchini Quickbread

by Marilyn McKenna

End of summer scenario: You’ve got a zucchini in your garden that’s as big as a baseball bat. What to do with it? Suggestion: Make it into a healthy treat for your family and you to enjoy! Grate that puppy and you’ll have a head start on some yummy banana zucchini loaves. Enjoy one now and […]

Filed Under: Comfort Food Makeover, Fuel The Day Breakfasts, Recipes Tagged With: Banana Bread, Chia Seed Recipes, Coconut Oil Recipes, Comfort Food Makeover, End of Summer Recipes, Healthy Recipes, Zucchini Bread

Aug 30 2015

Recipe: 2-Ingredient High-protein, Low-carb Toffee Crunch Pancakes

by Marilyn McKenna

These yummy pancakes aren’t just high-protein (15g) and low-carbohydrate (3g) , they’re also low-sugar (less than 1g) and only 128 calories … for all three! As far as breakfast options go, these pancakes stack up in a way that almost nothing else can. Their subtle nutty flavor is due to the Toffee Crunch flavored Nuts […]

Filed Under: Comfort Food Makeover, Fuel The Day Breakfasts, Recipes Tagged With: Comfort Food Makeover, Fuel the day Breakfasts, High Protein Pancakes, Low-Carb Pancakes, Pancakes

Jun 7 2015

Recipe: Awesome (high-protein, low-sugar) Pancakes

by Marilyn McKenna

Sunday mornings were made for pancakes! But white flour pancakes loaded with butter and syrup have been off my menu for a very long time. To come up with a healthier alternative I turned to a staple in my kitchen: vanilla protein powder. I served these pancakes to my family on a recent Sunday morning […]

Filed Under: 100 days of awesome!, Fuel The Day Breakfasts, Recipes Tagged With: Awesome Pankcakes, Healthy Pancakes, High Protein Pancakes, Low Sugar Pancakes, Pancakes

May 24 2015

Creamy Buckwheat Breakfast Bowl

by Marilyn McKenna

I love almost any kind of grain made into hot cereal. If you haven’t tried my Quinoa Breakfast Bowl recipe I encourage you to try it. Buckwheat, despite its name, is not even related to wheat. In fact, buckwheat is a gluten-free seed. You can buy it toasted, which gives it a slightly nutty taste, […]

Filed Under: Fuel The Day Breakfasts, Recipes Tagged With: Buckwheat, Buckwheat Breakfast Bowl, Buckwheat Groats, Buckwheat Recipe

Apr 15 2015

Peanut Butter & Jelly Smoothie

by Marilyn McKenna

This is my all-time favorite post-workout recovery drink. Sure, we could drink chocolate milk, but why would we when we’ve earned this?!? Serves one. Ingredients: 1 scoop vanilla protein powder 1 cup frozen mixed berries 1 T all-natural peanut butter 1 1/2 cups very cold water Directions: Place all ingredients in blender; mix well.  

Filed Under: Fuel The Day Breakfasts, Recipes Tagged With: Breakfast, Breakfast Ideas, Fuel The Day, PB&J Smoothie, Peanut Butter and Jelly Smoothie

Apr 14 2015

Marilyn’s “First-Thing-In-The-Morning-“Let’s-Go-Get-It!” Smoothie

by Marilyn McKenna

You might think I’d get tired of drinking this smoothie (almost) every day for breakfast for the past several years, but I don’t. Every day I look forward to it; it’s sweet and satisfying, and I love the flavor combination of mango and banana. The chia and ground flax seeds give it fiber, antioxidants and […]

Filed Under: Fuel The Day Breakfasts, Recipes Tagged With: Breakfast, Breakfast Ideas, Fuel The Day, Mango Banana Smoothie

Feb 8 2015

Gluten-free Pancakes with Strawberry-Pomegranate Syrup

by Marilyn McKenna

To say I was thrilled to find a healthy – and delicious! – gluten-free pancake and waffle mix is an understatement. To make it dairy-free too, I used almond milk instead of regular milk and coconut oil in place of the butter. The result is a sweet, nutty healthy pancake (or waffle) fit to serve […]

Filed Under: Comfort Food Makeover, Fuel The Day Breakfasts, Recipes Tagged With: Dairy-free, Gluten Free, Nicole's Naturals, Pancakes, Pomegranate

Jan 28 2015

“The Pumpkin-ator” Protein Smoothie

by Marilyn McKenna

As part of the detox I started last fall, I’ve been drinking this low-sugar, low-carb protein drink every morning. It’s packed with anti-oxidants and good-for-you protein. I add cinnamon for it’s anti-inflammatory properties (and it tastes good), but pumpkin pie spice works too. Make it with water or unsweetened almond milk for a powerful start […]

Filed Under: Detox, Easier Than Takeout, Fuel The Day Breakfasts, Recipes, Weight Loss Tagged With: Pumpkin Protein Smoothie, Pumpkinator

Jan 11 2015

Sweet Potato Hashbrowns with Eggs

by Marilyn McKenna

My new vegetable spiralizer is in big demand in my kitchen! I’ve had success with making zucchini “ribbons” which I put to good use in my “Chicken with Zucchini Ribbons and Avocado Pesto” so I thought I’d start testing other vegetables to see what I could come up with. Here I used a sweet potato […]

Filed Under: Comfort Food Makeover, Fuel The Day Breakfasts, Recipes Tagged With: Breakfast Ideas, Comfort Food Makeover, Healthy Sunday Brunch, Paleo Breakfast, Sweet Potato Hash

Nov 19 2014

Gluten-free protein bars

by Marilyn McKenna

This is a recipe makeover of my infamous (in my own mind anyway) Vegan Thumbprint Cookies that I’ve been making for years. This new version’s still vegan, but because I’m doing a metabolic detox and my doctor’s got me off of gluten, I had to redo the recipe without using the whole wheat flour that […]

Filed Under: Comfort Food Makeover, Fuel The Day Breakfasts, Recipes Tagged With: Gluten Free, Protein Bar, Vegan

Nov 16 2014

Gluten-free Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins

by Marilyn McKenna

Yes, I said chocolate … and peanut butter! Did I mention they’re gluten-free and completely vegan?!?! Boom! These crowd-pleasing muffins couldn’t be any easier. I sprinkle dark chocolate chips on them for an extra-decadent touch. Makes 9 muffins. Ingredients: 1 cup creamy peanut butter (or nut butter of choice) 2 very ripe bananas 1/4 cup maple syrup […]

Filed Under: Comfort Food Makeover, Fuel The Day Breakfasts, Recipes Tagged With: Chocolate, Gluten Free, Muffins, Vegan

Nov 8 2014

Roasted Cauliflower and Mushroom Quiche with Quinoa Crust

by Marilyn McKenna

I’ve been wracking my brain trying to come up with a healthier way to make quiche. Everybody loves quiche, whether you’re entertaining or just making a simple Sunday breakfast for the fam. The magic of this recipe is the quinoa crust. It’s got a nutty taste that’s a departure from the standard pie crust, and […]

Filed Under: Comfort Food Makeover, Easier Than Takeout, Fuel The Day Breakfasts, Recipes Tagged With: Cauliflower, Quiche, Quinoa, Vegetarian

Oct 22 2014

Grab-n-go breakfast sandwich

by Marilyn McKenna

Put down that nasty protein bar! I know you’re in a hurry. I know you’ve got hungry mouths to feed. Me too! In addition to the “make ahead” versatility of this grab-n-go breakfast sandwich, there are nearly infinite ways you can put it together. Top it with smoked salmon for a super healthy yet decadent […]

Filed Under: Fuel The Day Breakfasts, Recipes Tagged With: Breakfast Sandwich, Healthy Recipes

Oct 15 2014

Badass Green Protein Smoothie

by Marilyn McKenna

I finally came up with a green smoothie that actually tastes good and is super healthy! The secret is to use frozen kale + banana and mango, which are super sweet. The result is a smoothie that is nutritious and filling, but even better it’s creamy and delicious! Ingredients: 1 scoop vanilla protein powder 1 […]

Filed Under: Detox, Easier Than Takeout, Fuel The Day Breakfasts, Recipes, Weight Loss Tagged With: Green Protein Smoothie, Green Smoothie, Healthy Green Smoothie

Oct 7 2014

Overnight steel cut oatmeal

by Marilyn McKenna

Steel cut (Irish) oats are the least processed type of oat cereal. The toasted oat groats are simply chopped into chunks the size of a sesame seed. The nutritional profile of steel cut oats and old-fashioned rolled oats is virtually identical, but the slow-cooking nature of steel cut oats makes them a superior candidate for […]

Filed Under: Fuel The Day Breakfasts, Recipes Tagged With: Breakfast, Slow Cooker, Steel Cut Oatmeal

Sep 18 2014

OMG! Who knew oatmeal could be so funny??? (brought to you by the letter “O”)

by Marilyn McKenna

Oh. I guess you were thinking this was going to be about the health benefits of oatmeal. That’s understandable. It’s not. It’s about THE Oatmeal. The Oatmeal is the website and comic drawn by very funny guy and fellow Pacific Northwest resident, Matthew Inman. My introduction to The Oatmeal came by way of a Twitter […]

Filed Under: Fuel The Day Breakfasts, Recipes, Weight Loss Tagged With: Oatmeal

Sep 12 2014

(Drink Your) Greens Juice

by Marilyn McKenna

This is my variation on a popular green juice recipe. Do like I did; try lots of different combinations to come up with one that suits your palate. As long as your drink is primarily vegetables … and you love it! … you can’t go wrong! I don’t own a juicer, so I prep my […]

Filed Under: Detox, Easier Than Takeout, Fuel The Day Breakfasts, Recipes, Weight Loss Tagged With: Juice

Sep 3 2014

B is for Beets

by Marilyn McKenna

More ABCs of weight loss, and if “A” is for avocado, then… … is for beets! Beets are on more “Top Superfoods” lists than I can count. There are scads of reasons to eat beets, and even more delectable ways to eat them. Let’s take a look! 5 reasons you can’t “beet” ‘em: Lower blood […]

Filed Under: Comfort Food Makeover, Detox, Easier Than Takeout, Fuel The Day Breakfasts, Recipes, Weight Loss

Jun 12 2014

Healthy Eggs Benedict

by Marilyn McKenna

Ingredients: 1 Orowheat Bagel Thin (“Everything” flavor) 2 slices ultra thin swiss cheese 2 oz smoked salmon 4 slices roma tomato Pea sprouts (or arugula) 2 soft boiled eggs Directions: Place eggs in saucepan filled with cool water, just enough to cover eggs completely. Bring to boil over high heat, reduce heat to medium and […]

Filed Under: Comfort Food Makeover, Easier Than Takeout, Fuel The Day Breakfasts, Recipes

May 9 2014

Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

by Marilyn McKenna

Ingredients: 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa 3/4 cup light coconut milk 1/4 cup pure maple syrup 1/8 tsp salt 1/4 cup unsweetened flaked coconut 1 cup sliced strawberries 1 cup sliced bananas Directions: Combine quinoa, coconut milk, maple syrup and salt in medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes […]

Filed Under: Easier Than Takeout, Fuel The Day Breakfasts, Recipes

Mar 6 2014

Breaking Bad (Breakfast Habits)

by Marilyn McKenna

It’s entirely possible that fruits and vegetables need better marketing. Between fast food outlets, sit-down chain restaurants, processed food manufacturers and the industrial farming marketing machines we are inundated with persuasive messaging around food. Their efforts are not in vain. Sadly, the Standard American Diet runs on the foods put out by these institutions. No […]

Filed Under: Fuel The Day Breakfasts, Recipes, Weight Loss

Mar 4 2014

Breakfasts for Weight Loss Champions

by Marilyn McKenna

“Eat less, exercise more.” Blah, blah, blah. Yes, we all know this. We hear it endlessly. It’s not that it isn’t true; it just isn’t terrible instructive. I’m dedicating the blogs in March to breaking down exactly how you do that. Like with anything, healthy living is a cumulative effort. You achieve success one decision […]

Filed Under: Fuel The Day Breakfasts, Recipes, Weight Loss

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