Green Pressed-Juice

I am sharing a basic green pressed juice recipe that I really enjoy and think that it is perfect for beginners who are not used to these type of juice. This green juice has a lemony, sweet, and refreshing taste to it. I hope you give it a try!

If you are new to drinking the common "healthy" vegetable and fruit blend pressed juice, you may notice that sometimes your taste buds find fresh mix juices to be slightly "earthy". This is because of the blend of vegetables in these juices that give off a strong earth type of flavor and if your taste buds are not used to this type of flavor, it may take a few juices to get used to it. But sometimes, an easy fix to this is to add an extra sweet source fruit such as an apple. But be careful not to turn your healthy juice into a high sugar blend in a glass by using too many fruits!

I finally pulled out my juicer after shoving it in my cabinet for more than a year after moving into our new apartment. When my husband and I first got married, we juiced and made smoothies often. Then, as both of our jobs became more hectic and lifestyles became consumed in other needs, making fresh vegetable and fruit juice blends became a bit of a tedious project every week. Like anything, a habit takes a bit of consistent work. We built a habit by consistently making sure we had something healthy and natural to sip on in our refrigerator but after a few moves, relocations, and new jobs, a new (bad) habit formed, which was to stop making our delicious fresh juices. I truly regret getting out of the habit of making these juices as they used to make both of us feel so refreshed daily. So to start off fresh with the new Spring season, I made the decision to start juicing again.

Now, when I say I "juice", I want to clarify that I do not use juices as a meal replacement or a detox. To have a healthy and fit body, I highly recommend a well-balanced meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Add a vegetable and fruit blend juice as a post-workout recovery drink or just a little "pick me up" refreshment throughout your day.

Ingredients: 
2 medium green apples (cut in halves)
3 large stalk of celery
1 large cucumber
1/2 thumb ginger root (peel off skin or leave it on)
1 whole lemon (use half if you want a less tangy flavor)-Peel off the skin
3-4 cups of fresh spinach
Cold-Press or Centrifugal Juicer (I used Breville Juice Fountain Duo HERE)
Large airtight mason jar for storage (in case you don't drink it all right away)

Directions:
Start out by putting in the tough fruits or vegetables first such as the apples, celery, cucumber. I also like to throw in the ginger in between other vegetables to assure it gets juiced. After I have shoved and juiced all of my vegetables and fruits, I like to go back into my jar that collected the "pulp", form into large balls and put it through the juicer again at a very low speed. You'd be surprised how much more juice you can get out of that pulp/fiber! Enjoy cold. Store in an airtight mason jar, refrigerated.

Sautéed Mushroom Poached Eggs on Ciabatta Toast

Happy Saturday!

It has defiantly been quiet around the blog lately and Rasmin and I apologize for our lack (of) social interactions. Sometimes life takes over and it becomes difficult to find the time to take authentic photos and blog about what we love sharing!

But I am on Winter Break for a few days (yay to being a teacher!) so in between the long list of things I have to do this week, I hope to whip up some delicious recipes, take some badass photos and share it with you guys!

Anyhow, this morning I woke up early (unintentionally). I didn't even set my alarm last night because I thought "heck! I'm on break now...no need to wake up early this Saturday...plus it's a much needed REST DAY from the gym for me today too". BUT...the hubs was working his night call and came home early this morning...which of course woke me up. Owell.

I usually love making [protein] pancakes on the weekends or sticking to my usual breakfast but today I wasn't craving either. I wanted something...savory yet not over filling. Then I realized I have like 6 zucchinis in my refrigerator (don'y ask why lol) and I really need to use em' up soon AND some ciabatta bread that also needs to be eaten before the end of the weekend so I decided to incorporate both into my breakfast.


Here is a simple recipe breakfast/brunch Ciabatta with Poached Egg + Coconut Oil Sautéed Zucchini:

Ingredients:
-1 whole egg
-1 egg white
-Deep wide pan
-1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
-1/4 zucchini (100g)
-Ciabatta Bread (I used a loaf and cut off about 1/4 [31g] of a piece)
-1/2 teaspoon (about 2g) coconut oil
-One medium sized baby bella mushroom
-Garlic & Herb Goat Cheese (10g)
-Sweet Potato Fries (I used frozen Alexia Brand) OR you can make your own following one of my older recipes HERE.
-Chives

Directions:
1) Heat oven to 400 to bake the fries for about 20 minutes
2) 15 minutes in, place your ciabatta toast in the oven to slightly toast
3) In a pan, sauté chopped zucchini in coconut oil for about 3-5 minutes. DO NOT overcook the zucchini as it will lose it's crunch and get soggy. Turn off stove and throw in sliced mushroom to sauté on off heat with the remaining coconut that is already in the pan.

*At this point, go ahead and take out your ciabatta toast from the oven (if it looks lightly toasted).

4) Now EGG TIME: Bring a generous amount of water to a low simmer in a large sauté pan and then add about 1 teaspoon of distilled white vinegar to help egg whites coagulate.
5) In a small dish/bowl, carefully crack one whole egg, making sure the egg yolk does not spread. Pour one egg white into same bowl.
6) As the water simmers, starting at the edge of the pan, gently ease the egg into simmering water. Let the eggs simmer for about 3 minutes (5-7 if you don't like your eggs too runny).
7) Using a slotting spoon, remove the egg from the water and place it on a paper towel to blot away excess water. Trim the edges of the egg if you'd like (for appearance purpose).
8) Spread goat cheese on toast, top off with poached egg, sauteed mushroom and chives
9) Serve with a side of the sauteed zucchini and sweet potato fries.

EASY PEASY!

Nutritional Info: (approx.)- 314 cal, Protein: 18g, Fats: 12g, Carbs: 32g Fiber: 5g

Butterscotch Chip Muffins

Lately my hormonal cycle has been on a roller coaster and my tastebuds for sweet cravings are insane. I normally don't fancy sweet things as much but these days, I am craving it. Maybe it's the weather? Maybe it's the political stress? I don't know. But I made these healthy butterscotch chip muffins that are SUPER macro friendly if you #iifym and even if you don't log your macros, you can STILL enjoy these without having any feelings of guilt...because let's be real, food should NEVER make you feel "guilty"...only HAPPY :)

Enjoy and tag me if you create this recipe #thelipstickpantry #amlin_
xo- Nil


Ingredients:
-1 whole egg
-1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
-2-3 ripe bananas (I used 3 but I think 2 would have been perfect)
-5 teaspoon Coconut Palm Sugar (use Stevia if you want to cut out more carbs...or use regular sugar if you want higher carbs)
-1 teaspoon baking powder
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1/2 cup (72g) Whole wheat flour (use regular flour if you'd like)
-2-3 tablespoon butterscotch chips (I used 2 tablespoons and then threw on a few on top right before baking the muffins---also use can use chocolate chip...peanut butter chips...whatever your heart desires chips instead...butterscotch chips didn't seem to MELT as nice as I thought they would so just a heads up!)
-Sprinkle of ground cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven 375 (baking time 18-20 minutes)

In a blender, blend egg, apple sauce, bananas, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and flour. Fold in the butterscotch chips. Pour about 1/4 cup (or slightly less) of batter into lined muffin tins. Sprinkle some cinnamon on top as well as some chips. Bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes. Let cool. Enjoy. Be HEALTHY + HAPPY :)

Serves: 12
Calories for 1 muffin: 75
Fat: 1.4g
Carbs: 14g
Protein: 1.7g

Low-Sodium Taco Seasoning

Growing up in a Pakistani/Indian household, I have always known the importance of seasonings and spices when it came to cooking. My mother often used many of the basic Indian spices in most of the meals she'd make. I often tried to do the same when I cooked at home. One of my favorite "non-Indian" meals to make was "taco night"...mainly because it was so easy, filling and delicious. Easy because of the prepackaged taco seasoning that pretty much all grocery stores sell.

Once I started my new healthy lifestyle journey, I began to pay more attention to the ingredients label on foods that were prepackaged...yes, even some spices. What I learned by doing this was that so many prepackaged "ready to use" spices contained many ingredients that seemed extremely unnecessary to put in my body. This is what one of the taco seasoning packages read: Yellow Corn Flour, Salt, Maltodextrin, Paprika, Spices, Modified Corn Starch, Sugar, Garlic Powder, Citric Acid, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Natural Flavor, Caramel Color (sulfites). Whaaaat? WHY does my taco seasoning need corn starch, sugar and caramael color anyway? 

Aside from the long list of ingredients, my real concern was the amount of sodium that was in them. 430-600 mg of sodium per serving (about 1/6 of the package). No thanks. I used to have the biggest problem feeling bloated due to a high intake of sodium in my daily foods (which most of the time I didn't even realize it) and once I became more cautious of how much salt I was putting in my body, I am not caring that extra water weight!  

Give this low-sodium seasoning a try for your next taco or fajita night! 

-2 tablespoon Peprika 

-1/4 cup Red Chili Powder 

-1/2 tablespoon Crushed red chili flakes (optional)

-1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper Powder 

1 tablespoon Garlic Powder

1 tablespoon Onion Powder 

1 tablespoon Cumin Powder 

1 tablespoon dry oregano

-Pinch of Crushed black pepper 

-1.5-2 tablespoon Sea Salt 

Mix everything and store in a air-tight jar & use when needed

xo-nilma

Nutty Protein Smoothie

One of the biggest mistakes people often make during Ramadan fasting is that they lack sufficient amount of nutrients that their bodies require on a daily basis. Yes, we "feast" during Iftaar, but unfortunately, in some homes these feasts include no nutrient dense food or the daily macronutrients that help our bodies stay healthy: Carbs, Protein, & Essential Fats.

If you feel that your Ramadan lacks some healthy "pick me up's" then give this delicious nutty protein shake/smoothie a try! Since I am fasting and am not eating as many meals as I normally do to get the appropriate amount of protein in my body, I try to add this smoothie as an addition to my post-iftaar snack. It is cold, smooth, creamy & yummy.

You Will Need:

-1-1.5 Cups of (Unsweetend) Almond Milk

-1 Tablespoon of Almond Butter

-1 scoop of your favorite protein powder (for this particular smoothie, I enjoy some type of peanut butter flavored protein powder--I use Impact Whey Protein flavor "Peanut Cookie" by MyProtein. Here

-1 medium banana (sliced and frozen)

-Blender or Magic Bullet

*Put everything in your blender until smooth. Put shake in freezer for about 20 minutes or more if you want it thicker, more like a smoothie instead of a shake.

Enjoy & Ramadan Kareem from the TLP team!

xo- nilma

Ramadan + Eid

As a Muslim, one of the biggest celebrations in the Islamic calendar (which is based on the lunar cycle) consist of: Ramadan and Eid (al-Fitr). Flashback to my childhood days, I remember being in Pakistan and India during the months of Ramadan or Eid and my surroundings were full of festive Ramadan talks and Eid celebrations. Flashback to about 4 years ago when I went wedding shopping in Pakistan, we were fortunate enough to be still there for the first few weeks of Ramadan and it was such a delight to be in an Islamic country during this holy month, especially as an adult, where I was able to soak in all the memories.

In Pakistan the month of Ramadan is celebrated with numerous prayers and rituals. I remember the Men would go visit the mosque to perform prayers while the Women did the same at home. I would wake up to the sound of EARLY morning prayer Azan (prayer call) that was heard from a mosque miles away. Every morning special foods were served which are unique to this month’s breakfasts. A popular breakfast food that I remember being served in Pakistan (literally with LINES of people at the sweets dukaan/shop) was the Halwa Puri combo as well as cholay (chickpeas). Then in the evening people prepare special refreshing drinks made of rose water (raise your hand if the words "rooh afza" make your heart skip a beat!) and fresh lemonade, and many different kinds of deep fried dishes. The bazaars(shops) opened late and usually have a break during the evening prayers and then re-opened again till about 10 PM or midnight. I remember during the first few weeks of Ramadan that we were there, all restaurants, food stalls in the streets and even the "Paan shops" closed and it was frowned upon to eat or drink in public.

Ever wonder...what exactly is this month full of happiness...giving...praying and err...fasting from sunrise to sunset without any form of food or water that about 1.6 billion Muslims celebrate worldwide? 

In Islam there are five pillars that every practicing Muslim must fulfill in his or her lifetime. Ramadan (month of fasting) is one of the pillars. The sole purpose of Ramadan is to be in abstinence from certain earthly pleasures and curbing away from certain intentions and desires. Fasting during this month is regarded as an act of obedience and submission to Allah (God) as well as an atonement for sins, errors, and mistakes. Muslims will fast from sunrise to sunset without any form of water or food. Fasting during this month is done out of the deep love for God. Islamically, it is obligatory for every sane, able and healthy Muslim.

And then after Ramadan, there’s Eid. Eid is such a wonderful joyous celebration at the end of the month long Ramadan cycle. Not just Eid al-Fitr but any Eid is a special treat for Muslims, and especially the children. Eid al-Fitr (end of Ramadan) is a delightful 3-day celebration of breaking the fast. It is a time to give to charity and to those in need, and celebrate with family and friends the completion of a month of blessings and joy aka Ramadan. During these three days, muslim families donate food and money to charity, gather early in the morning in (usually) outdoor locations or mosques to perform the Eid prayer and sermon, and after the prayers, families usually scatter to visit various family and friends, give gifts (especially to children), and make phone calls to distant relatives. Many Islamic countries, Eid is celebrated via a 3-day holiday from all official government jobs and school. One day before Eid, as a Muslim, you should give a determined amount as a form of donation to those in need. Sadqa-al-fitr is a donation in the form of money, rice, barley, dates etc. to insure that the less fortunate have a holiday meal and are able to participate in the celebrating of Eid.

The first day of Ramadan changes every year because of the Lunar calendar. This year, Ramadan will begin sometime during the first week of June and will end exactly one month after that (July). If you are planning to celebrate Ramadan and Eid this year, Rasmin & I wish you Ramadan & Eid Mubarak!

I dip! Do you dip?

Want a add a little kick to your taco night (or really any night in my opinion)? Give this delicious green sauce a try. Don't let the color scare you away either! 

*Ingredients & Directions* 

-Avocado

-Spinach 

-Fresh Garlic 

-Cilantro 

-Greek Yogurt 

-Lime

-Black pepper & sea salt (optional)

-Put it all in a food processor and TA-DA! Store in an air-tight container. Use this as a dip, add to your taco night, fish bowl, rice bowl...whatever your heart desires! So yum!

Oh-So-Loaded (guilt-free) Sweet Potato Nachos

Recently, I was craving some deep friend tortilla chip nachos so bad, but, I have certain fitness goals that I am working very hard towards and unfortunately, the traditional crispy-fried nachos do not make the #abgoals cut. But, I also believe that it is important to find balance in our fitness journey, so my form of balance consisted of these savory...delicious...bursting with flavor: Loaded Sweet Potato "nachos". These turned out to be a dream come true for my (and hubby's) taste buds. The best part was that when I decided to make these, I remembered that I had leftover chicken from the Cilantro Lime Chicken tacos we had the other night...score!

Also, fun fact: Sweet potatoes are considered to have a lower glycemic index vs regular white potatoes so they tend to sustain energy levels because they digest more slowly. These were a perfect pick-me-up after a vigorous #LegDay I had at the gym the other day.

I hope you give this recipe a try because I know you will love it!

What You'll Need:

(To season Sweet Potatoes)
-2 large sweet potatoes
-Sea Salt
-Black Pepper
-Garlic Powder
-Olive Oil

(To Add Toppings)
-Half an Avocado
-Chopped Sweet Onion
-Chopped Tomato
-Cilantro
-Corn
-Chicken-Taco style (I used leftover lime chicken taco chicken)

(Sauce)
-1 Cup Spinach
-2 Tablespoon Greek Yogurt
-pinch of sea salt
-pinch of black pepper
-1 Tablespoon minced Garlic
-Food Chopper

Step 1: Pre-Heat oven at 425F.

Washing & Peel Sweet Potatoes

Step 2: Using a mendoline(spk chk?) slicer, slice up your sweet potatoes. Toss sliced pieces in olive oil, black pepper, sea salt, garlic powder and onion powder

Step 3: Space the sliced sweet potatoes on an oven-safe wire rack & place wire rack on top of a large cookie sheet pan

Step 4: Place in oven for about 15-20 minutes. Keep an eye out

Step 5: Once cooked, transfer onto a trey (I used disposable aluminium trey because I am all about that easy-clean-up LIFE!)

Step 6: Layer on your toppings (I layered in this order: shreded cilantro lime chicken, corn, chopped onion, chopped tomatoes, light taco style cheese, chopped avocado). Now put it back in the oven for about 10-15 minutes. KEEP AN EYE OUT so it doesn't burn!

Step 7: Once it is done, garnish with chopped cilantro and spinach-avocado sauce and ENJOY!

Comment, Share & Tag us! @TheLipStickPantry #TheLipstickPantry

xo- nilma

A Taste of the Windy City

Happy friday everyone! Hope everyone plans on enjoying the pretty weather we're going to have this weekend. Today's post is going to be a review on all the food places I ate at in Chicago, so if you're ever planning on visiting soon, some of these places are so good and some may not be worth it (depending on what you eat). For the most part, when I eat out I'm vegetarian unless the restaurant serves Halal meat (since I am Muslim)-- so if you see me mentioning this down below, that's why :). 

1) Usmania's, ($$) an Indo-Chinese restaurant located on Devon Ave. 

Orange Chicken and Hakka Noodles

This was one of the first spots we tried in Chicago and man was this place good! There are two restaurants with the same name located right across each other (not sure how/why this happened lol). The Usmania restaurant is bigger & serves (halal) Pakistani food whereas this was across the street serving (halal) Indo-Chinese food. The servers were kind and accommodating and the prices weren't bad for the amount of food you received. We ordered the: corn soup, orange chicken, hakka noodles, manchurian chicken with a side of white rice. I can't say I was a fan of the soup however everything else was absolutely delicious. Definitely stop by here if you're in the area!


2) Catch 35, ($$$) a high-end seafood & steak restaurant located at 35 W Wacker Dr. 

Catch 35 was recommended to us by almost everyone in our lobby at the Renaissance hotel. It was less than 50 feet from the hotel and apparently everyone working there loved it so we decided to try this place out for dinner. Since they do not serve halal meat, I was limited in what I could order here. They had a variety of shrimp options and I got buffalo shrimp with a side of fries. My sister ordered salmon, which she liked. The buffalo shrimp however is something I do not recommend getting. It was literally buffalo sauce poured on cooked shrimp (I'm glad I ordered French Fries is all I'm saying lol). Personally, I did not enjoy this place but if you eat meat (fish, etc.)you will have a lot more options and may want to try it out or find Yelp reviews. However, everyone was nice and the ambiance is upscale formal. 


3) Lou Malnati's, ($$) an American Chicago-style pizza restaurant chain (multiple locations). 

The Lou

Oh. My. God. If you visit Chicago and don't go to Lou Malnati's... what are you doing with your life? I will say this, do not let the wait time turn you away from trying it. There were three of us and we were given an estimated 1 hour wait however they gave us a booth used for two people in about 15 minutes and we all fit so it worked out! A plus is that while you put your name down, you can go ahead and order so by the time you're seated your pizza is ready since it takes 45 minutes to make. 

It is no secret that I love pizza but I had never tried deep dish before so I was excited to try this place out because it was recommended by so many. We got the classic "Lou" pizza in medium and it was big enough for all three of us. If you love pizza or are a major foodie, you have to try this place and somehow make room for the chocolate chip cookie desert. It takes 10 minutes to make so they recommend ordering it after you start on your second slice. We waited awhile after finishing our pizza to put in our order for desert because we were pretty stuffed, but I wish we had gotten the bigger size! The small order is a sample size and once you take a bite-- you'll wish you ordered the bigger one (like we did haha). 




4) Max's Take Out, ($) a small American fast food joint serving hot dogs, burgers & fries located at 20 E Adams St. If you eat halal/kosher-- ask for a separate menu! 

Personally, I wasn't a fan of this place. It wasn't bad-- I ate my chili cheese + onions hot dog and my fries but the chili didn't have enough flavor that I'm used to from making my own at home. The fries were actually pretty good. 




5) Wildberry Pancakes & Cafe, ($$) a popular breakfast/brunch cafe located at 130 E Randolph St.

The Garden

Go ahead and schedule this place in your vacay itinerary and download the NoWait app to reserve your name so you aren't waiting on location for 2 hours (because if not-- you will. This place is busy but it is worth it. They open at 6am so logon to the app and reserve your spot). We weren't told about the NoWait app until we got there, even though we called beforehand to inquire about it but we were catching up with family so the time flew by. 

Berry Buttermilk Pancakes

Red Velvet French Toast

We ordered "The Garden" which is essentially a skillet of hash browns topped with cheese, sautéed and fresh vegetables and 2 sunny side up eggs on top. I'm going to attempt to recreate this heavenly breakfast item on the blog soon, so look out for it! My brother ordered the red velvet french toast that was also amazing. The fries were good. It's just all good haha. 6) Sunda, ($$) a chic space serving Asian fusion food. They offer a vegan menu!

After visiting SkyDeck we were absolutely starving and initially we were trying to go to Xoco, a mexican place but that specific location was closed. This was the closest spot from where our Uber dropped us off that seemed good. I had a bad pad thai experience in Atlanta and the noodles were just hard to chew. However, form the vegan menu I ordered their pad thai and while I could've done without the chopped peanut, the dish itself was plated perfectly and tasted amazing. Both my sister and my brother ordered sushi and enjoyed their dish as well!

7) Eataly, ($$$) a modern market featuring a wide variety of Italian eateries & markets located at 43 E Ohio St. 


This is the cutest little market! They have a bunch of desert places like a Nutella crepe bar, Gelato, etc. I tried a Nutella crepe and my friend got the strawberry Nutella crepe and both were amazing! Definitely a cute little spot to pop into while you're walking the streets of Chicago and are craving a little something sweet. 

8) The Halal Guys, ($) a Middle Eastern eatery serving falafel and gyros located at 49 W Division St.

I have heard so much about this place and like I mentioned on my travel vlog, it's like a Chipotle but the Middle Eastern version. They have a rice platter and you choose your choice of meat, etc. and it comes with the infamous white sauce that wasn't actually bad (I'm a picky eater lol). They don't mix the food items either, it's all separated on the platter. I've never tried the NY Halal Guys but I have heard that the location there is better than the Chicago location. 


9) Ghirardelli, ($) a chocolate shop/desert cafe located at 830 N Michigan Ave. 


YUM. Without a doubt, this was guaranteed to be good-- let's be honest haha. The brownie sundae and banana split was to die for, I'm craving it all over again. We were strolling through Chicago and ran into this place and of course being the foodies we are, we stopped in. 

Crispy Brussel Sprouts

Four words you don’t often see together: mouth-watering BRUSSEL SPROUTS (haha). 

After having multiple failed attempts at wanting to love Brussel sprouts, I finally discovered an amazing & delicious recipe! The secret ingredient: Coconut Oil. If you are not a fan of coconut, don't let this scare you away. Give these mouth watering crispy sprouts a try and I promise you that you'll add these babies to your next family dinner!! 

-1 bag of Brussels Sprouts

-Any type of garlic seasoning (I use Flavor God Garlic Lovers seasoning) 

-Garlic Salt (optional---I skip it sometimes)

-Unrefined Coconut oil 

-Oilvr oil cooking spray 

-Red chili flakes (optional)

-Large mixing bowl 

-Largr oven safe trey 

-Oven pre heated at 400 Degrees

STEP 1: Wash, dry & cut the Brussels Sprouts in half

STEP 2: Throw in large bowl and add about 1-2 tablespoon of coconut oil

STEP 3: Sprinkle in your garlic seasoning as well as others that you might be adding (optional garlic salt & red chili flakes) 

STEP 4: Use your hands to mix! This will allow the thick pasty coconut oil to mix well. (My oil had melted because of the stove heat while I was cooking other stuff so I just used a wooden spoon to mix)

STEP 5: Spread on to a aluminum covered (Lightly sprayed w/olive oil) oven trey

STEP 6: Bake on top trey for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F.

*Let some pieces on to brown to add some crispiness! You won't regret it! Enjoy & please tag us if you give this recipe a try! 

Xoxx--Nilma

Peanut Butter + Protein FRENCH TOAST

I have been craving some soft, warm, sweet...French Toast for weeks now! This morning, I decided to finally make some since I needed to clean out my refrigerator before going grocery shopping for the week. Instead of making regular plain ol' french toast, I decided to throw in some protein powder (so these could become my post workout friend this morning) as well as my fav...
P E A N U T B U T T E R. Say what? Yeap. :)

Below is the recipe for this goodness and SO easy and a perfect post workout snack too. 

Ingredients:
-3 slices of bread (I suggest whole wheat)--I used Sprouted Grain Ezekiel bread because that's all I had on hand
-1 egg + 2 egg whites (6 tablespoons if you are using boxed egg whites)
-1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder 
-1 tablespoon of powdered peanut butter (I used PB2) BUT I think if I had used regular peanut butter, it would have been fine..if not, better and more moist. 
-1 scoop of Whey Protein Powder (vanilla protein powder is suggested but its up to you)
-1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract (optional only if you are NOT using vanilla flavored Whey protein powder---I used plain no flavor protein powder so that is why I added the vanilla extract)

Directions:

Step 1: Combine all the ingredients (except for the bread duh!)
Step 2: Spray either a pan or a griddle with non stick cooking spray (I just used a little bit of coconut oil) and turn on medium heat. 
Step 3: Soak each slice of bread until it is fully saturated in the mixture 
Step 4: Cook each slice of bread until lightly golden brown on each side, about 2-4 minutes (use your judgement based on how hot your pan is).
Step 5: Take off of pan and let cool for a bit. Serve with chopped bananas on top (like I did) and pure maple syrup OR even some smooth peanut butter drizzled on top (make sure to slightly warm the peanut butter in the microwave so it becomes easy to drizzle). 
Step 6: DEVOUR :) 

Garlic Spinach Chicken Pasta

let me just start off by saying i love italian food- if i could eat pizza & pasta everyday (and get away with it- i probably would)... but since life is all about balance (not to mention it would probably be super unhealthy), i switch my meals up. however, with that said, i have tried a bunch of pizza & pasta over the years from a ton of places and nothing compares to this recipe that i'm about to share with you all. it's very easy to make and i'm thanking Pinterest right now for this new fave meal. 

the original recipe had bacon, among other things; i took the recipe and recreated it w/minor changes to a taste that worked for me (made it twice already!)

prep time: 10 mins

total time: 25 mins (tops!)

ingredients: 

-penne pasta

-boneless chicken 

-crushed red peppers! 

-5 roma tomatoes/3 firm tomatoes

-2 cups of shredded parmesan cheese 

-1-2 cloves of garlic (varies on preference)

-2 to 3 cups of spinach (varies on preference)

-standard italian seasoning, basil (fresh preferred) & oregano

- 1 &1/2 cup half & half (or 1/2 heavy whipping cream, 1/2 milk- what i used!)

Preheat your convection oven/oven to 400 F.
Place a pot of water to boil (for the pasta).

 Take your whole tomatoes and chop them to a decent cube size that will fit into your chopper/blender (doesn't matter how they're cut because they'll be blended in a few). Add minced garlic, crushed red peppers, oregano, basil (fresh if possible), Italian seasoning and put in a convection oven on broil for 5 mins. Switch to bake for another 5 mins and remove. Proceed to blend/lightly puree and set aside. (this step really makes all the difference in this recipe since the garlic and tomatoes are not only baked together but blended as well = flavor overload)

In a large skillet, on high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil until hot. Add chicken and cook on one side on high heat for 1 minute. While it cooks, sprinkle the uncooked sides of the chicken with paprika, crushed red peppers & Italian seasoning. Flip the chicken over and cook on the other side for 1 minute on high heat. Repeat until the chicken is fully cooked & no long has a pink center. 

Remove chicken from the pan and keep warm. 

To the same pan (but without chicken), add tomato/garlic puree, spinach, garlic, crushed red pepper, 1/3 of the chicken (sliced into small strips). Mix everything.

Add half and half and bring to boil. Only after half and half starts boiling, add grated Parmesan cheese.

Immediately reduce to simmer and stir, until the cheese melts and makes the sauce creamy, only about 1 minute (at most 2 minutes). Then, immediately remove from heat. Season with more crushed red pepper and salt, if needed.

In the mean time, cook pasta according to package instructions. Add cooked pasta to the skillet with the sauce. Season with more salt if necessary. Slice the remaining 2/3 of chicken into thin strips. To serve, top the pasta with chicken strips and grated Parmesan cheese.

tag #thelipstickpantry if you recreate this recipe so we can see! enjoy! xo