Sweet Potato Blueberry Waffles with Lifeway Kefir (GF)

I first stumbled upon kefir just over a year ago. That's probably a bit embarrassing to admit, but I honestly had no idea what it was. I pretty much just thought it was yogurt that was a little less thick and a little more liquid-y. The general consistency isn't that far off, but kefir itself is SO much more than that! It is packed with probiotics which are great for gut health and immunity. You may have heard these terms a lot recently, but that is because they are truly so important. Gut health is everything! It literally effects your entire body and is so important when it comes to digestion. Beyond the probiotic aspect, kefir is also high in protein, calcium, and vitamin D just to name a few. 

I was recently introduced to Lifeway Kefir, a brand of a variety of different, delicious kefir, cheeses, and other probiotic products. They have everything from flavored kefir to frozen (dessert-like) kefir to supplements and obviously your standard, plain kefir which I just love! With all of these options, I knew that I needed to have some fun playing around in the kitchen.

I'm starting it off with a sweet potato and blueberry gluten free waffle using Lifeway's blueberry kefir. I know the combo might sound a little weird, but it is SO good! Seriously, you can't knock it until you try it. And the flavor of this kefir is so delicious, you'll never know that there aren't actual blueberries in it.

Here's What You'll Need:

-1/2 of a large sweet potato (or 1 small one)
-1/2 cup Blueberry Lifeway Kefir
-1/4 cup water
-1/4 cup quinoa flour
-1 tsp baking powder
-1 egg

Instructions:

1) Cook you sweet potato until it softens by either roasting it in the oven or poking holes in it with a fork and microwaving . I generally microwave it for about 2-3 minutes per side.
2) Remove the skin, and place the softened sweet potato in a mixing bowl.
3) Mash the sweet potato with a fork until smooth.
4) Add in the remaining ingredients and mix together thoroughly until ingredients are evenly distributed.
5) Preheat and spray your waffle maker. Add in the mixture, and cook according to your waffle maker's instructions.
6) Remove from the waffle maker, serve, and enjoy!

I topped mine with some chopped walnuts for a little crunch and a drizzle of maple syrup. I'd definitely recommend the combination but would also love hear how you enjoyed yours! Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Green Chile & Aged Cheddar Turkey Meatball Skewers

Blue Moose of Boulder products have easily become some of my favorites. They make so many delicious goodies - hummus, cheese dips, salsas, and pesto, and they really are all SO good! As we're getting further into football season, it really hit me - they have the BEST game days eats! Veggies or chips with any of their dips or some pesto skewers would make for a huge hit during any entertaining you're doing this football season.

That being said, I decided I wanted to kick it up another notch and create even more options with these already delicious products. So over the next few weeks I'll be playing around with some fun football-ready recipes that are perfect to serve when you're watching the big game.

I decided to kick it off with some turkey meatballs. I thought the Green Chile & Aged Cheddar Cheese Spread would be the perfect way to pack that extra flavor into some mini meatballs. The idea was to make little appetizer-sized cheeseburger bites. I added some fresh burger toppings to the skewers, and they made for the perfect football snack!  

Here's What You'll Need:

-1 lb ground turkey
-1 egg
-1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
-1/2 tsp sea salt
-1/4 tsp black pepper
-2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
-3 tbsp Blue Moose of Boulder Green Chile & Aged Cheddar Cheese Spread
-2 large tomatoes, chopped
-About 30 (spicy) dill pickle slices
-About 30 toothpicks

Makes 25-30 mini meatballs

Instructions:

1) Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, and spray a pan with (olive oil) cooking spray.
2) Mix together the ground turkey, egg, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, garlic, and cheese spread in a bowl using your hands.
3) Scoop out tablespoon amounts of the mixture and form into small balls with your hands, spreading out evenly on the pan.
4) Cook the meatballs for about 15 minutes until they are fully cooked through. Remove from the oven.
5) Fold a pickle slice in half and push it to the top of the toothpick with about a finger's amount of room. Add a tomato chunk, and finish the skewer off with a turkey meatball.
6) Continue until all the meatballs are used.
7) Serve, and enjoy!

You can also serve them with the dipping sauce of your choosing, but I honesty loved them as is. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Five Ingredient Tuna Cakes (GF)

So if you haven't already seen me talk about Safe Catch tuna on Instagram, let me give you a little introduction. They sell pretty much the only canned tuna I will ever buy again. They have the lowest mercury limit of any tuna brand (their elite tuna is 10x stricter than FDA regulations), making it safe for both pregnant women and children to eat regularly. They test every single tuna and pack each can with just the tuna and it's natural juices. Does it get any better than that? It actually does because you can use the code allroads for 10% off your order on their website!

I've loved playing around with this tuna in the kitchen ever since discovering it, and I can't wait to bring you guys some delicious recipes here on the blog. To start it all off I made these super easy, super delicious tuna cakes. They're perfect for an easy dinner, and the leftover are great to pack for lunch.

Here's What You'll Need:

1) 5 oz Safe Catch Elite Tuna
2) 1/2 cup cooked Chosen Foods quinoa
3) 1/4 cup onion, chopped
4) 1 tbsp German mustard
5) 1 egg

Instructions:

1) In a bowl, mix together the ingredients with your hands.
2) Form the mixture into 2-3 patties (depending on size), squeezing tightly to rid of excess liquid.
3) In a pan on the stove top over medium high heat, add the patties and cook for 3-4 minutes per side. If the patty crumbles a bit when flipping, just reassemble it using a spatula. 
4) Remove from heat, serve, and enjoy!

I served mine over a couple of tomato slices. They'd also be great on their own or on top of a salad. You can add some extra mustard or hot sauce for a little kick. Let me know how you ate yours and what you think in the comments below!

Pumpkin Pecan Waffles (GF)

It's officially fall, and therefore, officially pumpkin season in my opinion. So get ready for all of the pumpkin recipes! 

I love pumpkin flavored everything pretty much. From coffee to pies to baked goods, it really never fails. So I thought I'd start it off with a very classic All Roads Lead to Healthy pumpkin-style recipe, pumpkin waffles. I decided to kick it up a notch and make it pumpkin pecan, and you guys, it's SO freakin' fall and so freakin' delicious!

Here's What You'll Need:

-1/2 cup quinoa flour
-1 scoop Vanilla Ka'Chava (you can use the code allroadshealthy10 for a $10 store credit)
-1 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp cinnamon
-1/4 tsp nutmeg
-1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
-1/2 cup organic canned pumpkin
-2 tbsp Purely Pecans pecan butter
-1 egg
-1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
-1/4 cup water

Instructions:

1) Preheat your waffle maker.
2) Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until smooth.
3) Pour one half of the mix into the waffle maker and cook according to waffle maker instructions.
4) Remove, and repeat with the second half of the batter.
5) Remove, serve, and top each waffle with your favorite toppings.

I topped mine with some extra pecan butter, a little maple syrup, and some pumpkin seeds which I'd highly recommend. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

"Chicken" Zoodle Lo Mein (Vegetarian + GF)

One of my favorite easy and guilt free go to meals recently has been cauliflower fried rice. It's super easy to make and great for you without sacrificing flavor. So I figured, why not try another Chinese food classic, lo mein?

I was recently introduced to Quorn's meatless soy free and gluten free products, and I've been trying to make a lot more of my meals vegetarian (if not vegan) throughout the day. So this seemed like the perfect time to utilize their Chik'n Cutlets (which are also available vegan).

The ingredients are straight forward, simple, and take about 10 minutes to throw together, so there's really no excuse to not get in this veggie packed meal. Plus you can eat the entire giant serving which is always a plus in my book!

Here's What You'll Need:

-1 zucchini, spiralized
-1/2 tbsp EVOO OR sesame oil
-1-2 cloves garlic (I go with 2, but feel free to reduce if you prefer)
-1 cup frozen carrots and peas
-1 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced
-1 Quorn Chik'n cutlet, cooked according to instructions and sliced
-2 tbsp Bragg Live Foods liquid aminos (or Tamari)
-1 tbsp Fix Hot Sauce sriracha
-1/4"-1/2" ginger, grated (I used 1/2", but again feel free to reduce based on preference)

Instructions:

1) Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
2) Once hot (but not smoking), add in the garlic, and cook for about a minute.
3) Add in the frozen peas and carrots and cook for about a minute.
4) Add in the shiitake mushrooms and cook the vegetable mixture for about 2 minutes mixing regularly.
5) Add in the zoodles, and continue to cook for 3-5 minutes until they soften.
6) Add in the Chik'n Cutlet slices, and mix in the liquid aminos, sriracha, and ginger, cooking for an additional minute or so.
7) Remove from heat, serve, and enjoy!

I topped mine with some green onions for some freshness, but feel free to skip if you prefer. The taste is slightly different than standard lo mein because I skipped on the sugar aspect, but it tastes pretty darn close and pretty darn delicious if you ask me! I'd love to hear what you think in the comments below!