Here’s a recipe to use those little decorative pumpkins that fill the market this time of year. It’s possible to turn these pumpkins into a quick and yummy dessert.

Here’s the sweet and creamy dessert recipe for baking small pumpkins with coconut oil, cinnamon and a touch of coconut sugar. Eat this wholesome dessert instead of all that seasonal candy to stay on track with your fitness goals!
Courtesy of RealHealthyRecipes.com

Servings: 1

Here’s what you need

• 1 mini baking pumpkin
• ½ teaspoon coconut oil, melted
• 1 teaspoon coconut sugar
• sprinkle of ground cinnamon
• sprinkle of sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Fill a small casserole pan with ¼ inch of water.
2. Carefully cut the top off the pumpkin, so that you can set the top back on for baking. Scrape out the seeds and pulp.
3. Pour the melted coconut oil into the pumpkin. Sprinkle with the coconut sugar, cinnamon and sea salt. Place the top back on the pumpkin and put into the casserole pan of water.
4. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until really tender. Enjoy!

Nutritional Analysis
119 calories, 3g fat, 24g carbohydrate, 12g sugar, 246mg sodium, 7g fiber, and 3g protein.

I’m always on the lookout for quick, on-the-go, protein snacks to enjoy after my workouts, and today I have a new one for you to try.

It’s important to fuel tired muscles and refill energy stores after exercise, and while there are plenty of protein bars on the market, making your own protein snacks using wholesome ingredients will help keep you on track with your nutrition and increase fat burn.

Whip up a batch of these tasty morsels to power you through the coming week…
Courtesy of RealHealthyRecipes.com

Servings: 30

Here’s what you need

• ½ cup natural peanut butter or almond butter
• 2 Tablespoons coconut palm sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup flax seed meal
  
• ⅓ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 tablespoon Lily’s stevia-sweetened dark chocolate chips
• ¼ cup rolled oats
• ½ cup protein powder of choice
• ¼ cup coconut milk

Instructions

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix until fully combined. Chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
2. Form the chilled dough into 30 balls. Store in the freezer, then pack in ziploc bags for on-the-go power snacking. Enjoy!
   

Nutritional Analysis
69 calories, 4g fat, 3g carbohydrate, 1g sugar, 41mg sodium, 1g fiber, and 7g protein.

Oh yah! These dark chocolate coconut cups are about to become your new sweet tooth obsession!

These sweet treats are filled with only wholesome, low-sugar ingredients to keep you on track with your fitness goals. Store these tasty treats in your freezer. Enjoy!
Courtesy of RealHealthyRecipes.com

Servings: 15

Here’s what you need
For the Dark Chocolate:

• 1 bag lily’s chocolate chips (stevia sweetened)
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil

For the Coconut Filling:

• ½ cup Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
• ¼ cup coconut oil
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
• Liquid Stevia to taste

Instructions

1. On a rimmed baking sheet that will fit in your freezer, arrange 15 mini cupcake liners.
2. Place the chocolate and coconut oil in a double boiler over medium heat. Melt, stirring often, until smooth. Remove from heat. Carefully spoon a teaspoon of melted chocolate into the bottom of each cupcake liner. Place the pan in the freezer for 10 minutes to harden.
3. Combine the filling ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until creamy and fully combined. Remove the pan from the freezer and place a heaping teaspoon of filling in each liner. Press down to level off the tops.
4. Drizzle the remaining chocolate over the filling, covering all of the white with chocolate. Place the pan back into the freezer for 10 minutes to harden. Serve and enjoy! Keep leftovers stored in the freezer.

Nutritional Analysis
102 calories, 8g fat, 9g carbohydrate, 0g sugar, 16mg sodium, 3g fiber, and 2g protein.

Here's a tasty way to serve up roasted chicken breast...

Today's recipe is a hearty ragu filled with roasted, shredded chicken breast. This is a wonderful dinner recipe for those busy weeknights, and it a fantastic method for serving yesterday's cooked chicken in a brand new flavorful fashion.

A ragu is what the Italian's call a meat-based sauce that's simmered with vegetables and wine and served over pasta. I chose to serve my ragu over roasted spaghetti squash, nestled on a bed of fresh arugula. You could do the same, or opt to serve it over zucchini noodles, butternut squash noodles, sweet potato noodles, or simply over some sautéed veggies, cooked quinoa or fresh greens. The key is that you are avoiding those traditional, starchy, grain-based noodles.

Courtesy of RealHealthyRecipes.com

Servings: 4
Here’s what you need

For the Spaghetti Squash

• 2 spaghetti squash
• dash of sea salt and black pepper
• 1 Tablespoon coconut oil

For the Ragu

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 8 oz white mushrooms, sliced
• ⅓ cup yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons garlic, chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
• sea salt and black pepper
• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• ⅓ cup Marsala wine
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• ⅔ cup coconut cream
• 2 cups roasted chicken, shredded
• 2 cups baby arugula

Instructions
For the Spaghetti Squash

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Cut the spaghetti squash in half, lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.
2. Rub the inside of each spaghetti squash half with coconut oil and sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper. Place, cut side down, on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, or until tender.

For the Ragu

1. In a large skillet place the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and brown. Add the onions, garlic and thyme. Sauté for 4 minutes. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Mix in the tomato paste and sauté for another 4 minutes.
2. Deglaze the skillet with the Marsala. Add the chicken broth, tomato sauce and coconut cream. Mix to combine and bring to a simmer. Add in the shredded chicken and continue to simmer for 5 minutes as the sauce thickens. Serve over a bed of arugula and roasted spaghetti squash. Enjoy!

Nutritional Analysis

348 calories, 9g fat, 21g carbohydrate, 11g sugar, 956mg sodium, 6g fiber, and 25g protein.