Cakeballs, by Diane

And...we're back to photos of delicious things that look unappetizing! :)

It's my birthday week, and I have no less than 3 half-eaten cakes in my kitchen. I felt bad throwing them out, since other people so kindly bought them for me. But I was eating WAY too much of them, like- for breakfast, so I had to find a way to get them out of my grasp for now. A few years back, a friend made me cakeballs for my cross country trip to California as a going away present. And that is what I decided to recreate this evening...

This is not a fancy recipe or a healthy one, but I'm posting because I think we all run into this problem at one time or another. Or, they are fantastic gifts/desserts to bring to a party.

Basically, you take a flavor cake, a flavor icing, and a flavor coating that you like. Then you can decorate them any way you want! Tonight, I am taking my 5 Belgian chocolate cake and my tres leches cake with chocolate icing and coating them both in chocolate. They are undecorated as this was a last minute decision and I don't have sprinkles on hand, but that is what I would have done. The icing keeps the cake really moist and gooey, and the coating locks in the moisture so they stay fresh for a long time in the freezer! They are good frozen, or only slightly defrosted, as the coating will start to melt at room temp.

Ingredients:

Cake of your choice
Icing of your choice

For a chocolate coating: 3 tbsp melted coconut oil, 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, and 2 tbsp sweetener of your choice. Mix well until all ingredients are combined and dissolved.

For a peanut butter coating: 3 tbsp melted coconut oil, 2-3 tbsp creamy peanut butter.

Directions:

1. In a large bowl mix the cake and frosting together until combined. The mixture will be gooey! This keeps the cake balls moist!

2. Make the coating in another bowl and set aside.

3. Form the cake mixture into 1.5 inch balls, then dip in the coating and coat on all sides. Let the coating all drip off, then place on a large plate spaced 1 inch apart. They will not be perfect spheres at this point- that's ok! Sprinkle decorations on at this point if using, and freeze.

4. About 1 hour later, remove balls from the plate and form into spheres- they will still be pliable at this point as the coconut oil softens with the heat of your hands. Store in an airtight container or freezer ziplock baggie in the freezer until ready to eat!

Green Trekker Smoothie, by Diane

At long last, I've finally found a way to make these green smoothies look as appetizing as they taste!

The problem with having a favorite smoothie from your local Whole Foods within walking distance (2 blocks away!) is that you wind up spending lots of money at Whole Foods for something you could easily make at home (and for way cheaper!). This smoothie is my latest in a long line of green smoothie obsessions. It's packed with greens, antioxidant-rich blueberries, potassium-rich bananas, electrolyte-balancing coconut water, and superfood energizers/anti-inflammatories maca and cacao powder. Because of these ingredient properties, this smoothie is great for managing dehydration, low energy, and inflammation. And the flavor is that banana chocolate combo that I crave all day long, naturally sweetened without any sugar. YUM.


Ingredients:

2 large handfuls of greens (spinach/kale/chard blend is my vote- or just spinach for beginners!)
1 large frozen ripe banana (for a milkshake consistency) or 1 large fresh ripe banana plus 1 cup ice
1/2 cup blueberries (I love Wyman's wild blueberries in the freezer section!)
3 dates (sometimes I skip these as they make the smoothie very sweet!)
2 tbsp raw cacao powder and 1/2 tbsp maca powder OR 2 tbsp of TerrAmazon Organic Raw Cacao Powder with Maca (this stuff is seriously delicious and tastes like dark cocoa!)
1 cup coconut water (or less/more for consistency)


Blend all ingredients until smooth- if using dates blend for longer!

*Note- to make this smoothie more energizing and anti-inflammatory, I usually add in a small amount of the following: turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, and chia. You can't taste any of these except hints of cinnamon!*

*Girly Note- if it's that time of the month, definitely add the dates and consider upping the cacao for more chocolatey sweetness, also include 1/4 of an avocado for cramps and bloating. This should take care of any cravings/symptoms! :)*

Sweet Spinach Salad with Homemade Dressing, by Cheryl

I wanted to make a sweet salad to accompany dinner the other night. My typical quick go-to salad consists of lettuce, tomatoes, mushrooms, and whatever else I have on hand. I wanted something different and had all of the ingredients on hand that I wanted to use. I used this recipe as my guide and it came out wonderfully! I changed a few things from the original recipe. I marinated sliced portabello mushrooms in a truffle balsamic vinegar (a yummy souvenir from France) and put them in there which added a wonderful flavor. I didn't use the bacon, mainly because I just didn't have it on hand, but I think it would be a great with it. The homemade dressing was so delicious and really complemented the salad. I would definitely make this again, especially if I'm hosting dinner. Yum!

Ingredients (Original recipe):

pecans
baby spinach
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
dried cranberries
bacon slices, roughly chopped
blue cheese

For the dressing:

1/2 cup Danish blue cheese
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon sugar
salt and fresh pepper

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350.

2) Fry chopped bacon until brown and crisp. Transfer to paper towel to drain.

3) Toast pecans in the oven until lightly golden and fragrant, about 6 minutes.

4) In a medium bowl mash the blue cheese with a fork. Mix in the buttermilk, sour cream, sugar, salt, and pepper to taste.

5) Combine everything in a large bowl. Toss with dressing immediately before serving.

Fish Cakes, by Cheryl

This is another recipe from 100 Days of Real Food and it is delicious and easy! I went to the store and bought some tilapia to use in this recipe, although any mild white fish will work. Very tasty, very easy, and very healthy! Yum!

Ingredients:

Dipping Sauce:

1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard

Fish Cakes:

1 cup whole-wheat bread crumbs
1 pound white fish, such as tilapia or cod or flounder, cooked and shredded
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon minced fresh onion
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash of cayenne pepper
olive oil, for cooking

Directions:

1) To make the dipping sauce, combine all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate.

2) To make the fish cakes. spread 1/2 cup of the breadcrumbs on a plate and set out another empty plate.

3) In a medium bowl, thoroughly combine the fish, eggs, onion, sour cream, lemon juice, mustard, salt, cayenne pepper, and the remaining 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs.

4) To form the cakes, grab a golf-ball size handful of the fish mixture and squeeze it together with your hands just enough for it to come together (discard excess liquid). Slightly flatten the ball, coat the outside with a light later of breadcrumbs, and place it on the empty plate. Repeat with the rest of the mixture.

5) Set a large saute pan over medium-low heat and add a thin layer of olive oil to cover the bottom. When the oil is hot, cook the fish cakes until golden brown, 3-5 minutes per side. Serve warm with the dipping sauce.

Homemade Teriyaki Marinade, by Cheryl

I've been doing a lot of research about eating "real food" and I've really been trying to eat things in their whole natural state and stay away from a lot of heavily processed stuff out there. While I have always eaten pretty healthily I have a whole new definition of healthy and it doesn't have to do with low fat, low this, low that, and instead deals with things in their whole state (using whole wheat flour instead of white or refined, no artificial crap, etc). I've been using 100 Days of Real Food as my guide and am excited to see the new documentary, "Fed Up". While I'm pretty sure I won't ever go into it 100% replacing some everyday items can be doable. So this recipe comes from 100 Days of Real Food's new cookbook, which I preordered. I marinated salmon in this yummy marinade. This is not a sauce that you would dip things into as it's pretty liquidy and you can taste the soy sauce pretty heavily, but as a marinade it was great! And it's very easy to make, which I like :) Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons peeled and minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 garlic cloves, minced
pinch of cayenne pepper

Directions:

1) Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Use immediately or store in the fridge for up to three days.

2) To use, pour over meat or seafood, and let marinate for as little as 20 minutes or (for meat) up to 24 hours. The longer it marinates the stronger the flavor.