Chocolate Truffles!

I LOVE chocolate!  What about you?

What about chocolate candy or better yet TRUFFLES?!?!?  Found this recipe on Team Beachbody's website a while back and made them for one of my book club gatherings.  SCORE!!!! They were SOOO tasty and healthy and called for only a few ingredients.  Since making them the first time, I have made them again and change up the flavors.  I can't wait to continue making these again and trying different flavor combinations!

Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients:


5oz. Dark Chocolate (70% cocoa or higher), - I used Guittard 70% cocao chocolate the first time and Ghiradelli 70% cocoa chocolate, in my opinion, the Guittard was better
1 tbsp. Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, melted
1/2 cp. canned lite Coconut Milk
1/2 tsp. Extract (I have used Pure Mint & Caramel extract so far)
1/3 cp. unsweetened cocoa (optional)





Directions:
- Finely chop the chocolate and place in a small bowl.

-   Pour the melted coconut oil & extract in the small bowl with the chopped chocolate and stir together mixing well.  Set aside.

-  Bring the coconut milk to a gentle boil in a small saucepan over medium heat.

-  Add the heated coconut milk to the chocolate mixture and whisk gently to blend.

-  Cover the chocolate mixture and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours or over night at least.

-  Using a mellon baller or spoon, scoop 1 tbsp. of chocolate mixture and roll into a ball.  Roll the ball into the cocoa powder until evenly coated if desired.  Repeat to make 12 truffles.

-  Store in the refrigerator for up to one week or the freezer for up to 3 months.

Just some of my notes:
- When I made the mint truffles, I dusted them in the cocoa powder.
- When I used the caramel extract, I added a twist of the sea salt shaker and didn't dust them with cocoa powder.
-  The possibilities are endless here.  I also thought of using cherry juice for a black forest twist, raspberry juice or almond extract.  You could also just make plain chocolate truffles and coat them in walnuts, peanuts, pistachios, pecans or whatever you like.

These are fantastic for a sweet treat to share at a party or as a gift.   Enjoy and let your imagination drive what flavor combinations you want to try next!

For those following the 21 Day Fix plan, 1 truffle equals 1 yellow container.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Sarah Strubhar
Independent Team Beachbody Ruby Coach

Chicken Noodle Soup - 21 Day Fix Style

We have been fighting colds this week and what better thing to battle a cold with than some homemade chicken noodle soup.  BONUS when it comes from a cookbook that helps with portions and keeps me on track for my nutrition.  I took the recipe from the recipe book and made a few slight changes.

Hope it warms you on a cool day or if you aren't feeling well!

Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

2 tsp. Olive Oil (or coconut oil)

1/2 cp. Onion, chopped

1 1/2 - 2cps. Celery, chopped (about 4-5 medium stalks)*

4 cps. Low Sodium Chicken Broth

3 cps. Rotissseri Chicken Breast (boneless & skinless), chopped**

1 1/2 - 2cps. Carrots, chopped *

1 tsp. dried Oregano

Sea Salt & Black Pepper to taste

1 1/4 dry Whole Grain (or wheat) Pasta - Penne, Rigatoni, bows, shells, etc.)***

Fresh Parlsey and/or Cilantro for garnishing (if desired)

Directions:

-  Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.

- Add onions, celery & carrots cooking and stirring frequently for 3-5 minutes until the onions are translucent.

-  Add the broth, chopped chicken, carrots, oregano, salt & pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Add pasta & reduce heat to low and cook pasta for about 10 minutes until cooked through.

-  Top with cilantro and/or parsley before serving if desired.

My Changes:

*  Recently when I made this, I didn't have enough celery so instead of using the 2cps. of celery and 1 1/2cps. of carrots it calls for, I switched and used 1 1/2cps. celery and 2cps. of carrots. 

**I actually just cook 2 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts and then chop them and use instead of a rotisserie chicken.

***You could also use a gluten free pasta, brown rice pasta or quinoa pasta for a gluten free spin.

****I also like to add in additional veggies when I make noodle soup, so I always add in frozen green beans and frozen peas at a minimum when I make chicken noodle soup.  I probably add about 1 to 1 1/2cps. of green beans and 3/4cp. of peas.  But, you could either add any other veggies of your choice or omit this if you didn't want to add them in.
*****You could also add in some dried thyme or and rosemary if you like.  When I cooked my chicken, I sprinkled thyme, parsley, rosemary on the chicken prior to cooking.

21 Day Fix Equivalents:  When made per the recipe above (without my changes), 1 serving equals 1 1/2cps. each for a total of 4 servings.  The container breakdown is 2 green, 1 1/2 yellow and 1 red.  However, if you throw in some extra veggies, the container breakdown would then be more like 2 1/2 green, 1 1/2 yellow & 1 red.

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you enjoy and it warms your soul.

~Sarah Strubhar
Independent Team Beachbody Ruby Coach

Apple Picking and Apple Crisp!

Every fall I love to go apple picking with our family!  Last year we didn't go, so there was no way we were missing that this year.  However, there are so many different varieties of apples to choose from and I can honestly say we don't usually pick the same variety every year.

So, after picking nearly 20lbs. of apples, now the question comes, what are we going to do with those apples?  In the past I would make apple sauce full of sugar, apple butter, apple crisp, apple cake, apple dumplings, apple pie filling and whatever else I could come up with.  However, each one of these recipes that I had made in the past don't really align with the clean eating journey now.

BUT, problem solved when I found this recipe on Beachbody's website (but I have tweaked it a bit for our liking).  I have enjoyed it so much I have made it multiple times!  LOVE the fact that it only has a handful of ingredients!  This is fantastic on it's own.  PLUS I warmed a serving in the microwave this afternoon and poured it over some Greek yogurt this afternoon which was phenomenal!

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Apple Crisp

*taken from teambeachbody.com

Ingredients:
4 cups peeled, sliced apples
5 Tbsp. pure maple syrup, divided use (original recipe calls for 3tbsp.)2 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided use (original recipe calls for 1tsp.)½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats¼ cup finely chopped raw walnuts

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375° F.
2. Combine apples, 3 Tbsp. maple syrup, and 1 tsp. cinnamon in a medium baking dish; mix well. Set aside.
3. Combine oats, walnuts, remaining 2 Tbsp. maple syrup, and remaining 1 tsp.cinnamon in a medium bowl; mix well.
4. Top apple mixture with oat mixture. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until apples are soft.

NOTE:  For my 21 Day Fix Lovers, 1 Serving equals 1 purple and 1/2 yellow and 1/2 blue or orange container.  This recipe serves 4.





















Thanks for stopping by!  Enjoy!!
~Sarah Strubhar
Independent Team Beachbody Ruby Coach

Peach Rosemary Chicken Bake

I recently had a friend inquire about clean eating and if it is doable when eating gluten & dairy free.  My answer, was definitely.  So, I went on the hunt for some recipes.  This was one I found.  I changed it a little bit from the original as the original called for chicken thighs & I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts and used a different oil compared to the origianl recipe.  I also thought of cooking this in the crockpot but wanted to try it first with the way the original recipe indicated.  So, next time I make it, I will for sure do this in the crockpot.  Give it a spin and let me know what you think!

Peach Rosemary Chicken Bake

Ingredients:

2 T. Safflower Oil
1 Small Sweet Onion, sliced thinly
 4 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary, stems removed, chopped
1 ½ t. Sea Salt
¼ t. Pepper
3 Peaches, pitted, sliced
1/3 cp. Honey (if your peaches are really ripe, use 1/4 cp.  If your peaches are not very ripe use between 1/3 & 1/2 cup.)
¾ cp. Balsamic Vinegar
2 Large boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts

Directions:

- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

-  In a large sauté pan, heat the safflower oil to medium/high. Add the onion, rosemary, salt and pepper, sautéing until the onion is translucent and soft, about 4-5 minutes. Add the peach slices to the pan and sauté with the onion for another 5 minutes. Add the honey and balsamic vinegar to the pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced to a thick syrup. Do not reduce too long or the syrup will caramelize

- Place the chicken breasts in a lightly greased baking dish. Pour the peach/balsamic sauce over the chicken, spreading the peaches over the chicken evenly.

- Bake in preheated oven for 1 ½ hours, or until tender and cooked through.

-  Remove from oven and pour the liquid in the baking dish into a small saucepan.

-  Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat and let it boil down to a thick sauce, about 2-3 minutes.

-  Pour the sauce back over the chicken, evenly coating.

-  Serve & Enjoy.

*I served this with a sweet potato and a green bean, mushroom saute.  For the green bean recipe, click HERE.