Metabolism Boosting Breakfast Smoothie

When the booking producer over at the San Diego 6 Morning News Show asked me to come on this week to talk about juicing and smoothies, I couldn’t wait to share some of the drinks I’ve been mixing up over in the LLB kitchen every morning!

While I’ll be juicing up some of my favorites like the Green Detox Juice and Antioxidant Immunity Juice, I also wanted to throw in a new drink made with my favorite smoothie booster, the beaming superfood blend!

This 100% natural, organic blend increases stamina, boosts energy, balances hormones and enhances mood. I don’t know about you all, but with long work hours and busy days, I could use all of the above!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup strawberries
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1 banana
• 6 oz greek yogurt
• 1 cup coconut water
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp fresh ginger
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp beaming Superfood Smoothie Blend
• 1 tbsp Premium Gold Ground Flax Seed

Begin by adding the strawberries, blueberries and banana to a blender.

Next add the greek yogurt, coconut water, honey, ginger, cinnamon, superfood smoothie blend and flaxseed.

Blend well.

Chill and serve.

This smoothie not only helps speed up your metabolism, it also reduces nausea and aids in digestion.

Don’t forget to tune in later this morning – June 6th – at 7:50 AM to San Diego Channel 6 Morning News where I’ll be whipping up this smoothie and more!

Lean and Green Superfood Smoothie

This smoothie was inspired by my first trip to bBar Superfood Vitality Bar in Del Mar!

I tried the Sexy Mayan and Lisa’s Daily Lean & Green and was immediately addicted to the lean-ness and green-ness of Lisa’s smoothie!

After meeting with bBar’s social media guru Dustin Towery, he sent me home with a bag of bBar’s Beaming Organic Superfood Protein Blend with Greens so that I could re-create their amazing smoothie in the Little Leopard Book kitchen!

And that I did!

Ingredients (makes two 16 oz smoothies)

• 1 avocado
• 1 banana
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 cup coconut water
• 1 cup spinach
• 1 tbsp beaming superfood protein
• 1 tbsp Premium Gold Ground Flax Seed
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Begin by adding the avocado and banana to a blender.  Next add the almond milk, coconut water and spinach, then add the protein and flax seed.

Top it off with the honey and cinnamon.

Blend well.

Chill then serve.

This energy packed smoothie is loaded with vitamins, nutrients and protein!

Grab a bag of beaming’s soy-free, dairy-free, gluten-free protein packed powder and make your own Lean Green Superfood Smoothie at home!

Mediterranean Crab and Couscous Stuffed Mushrooms

This weekend I had the serious craving for fresh crab, but instead of making crab cakes, I decided to combine the crab with couscous and some of my favorite Mediterranean flavors, then stuff it into these large portobello mushrooms.

I then grilled the mushrooms for a fresh, healthy take on stuffed mushrooms!

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked couscous
• 1/2 cup fresh lump crab meat
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup feta cheese
• 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1/2 cup roasted red peppers (chopped)
• 1 tbsp green onions (chopped)
• 1 tbsp Enzo Garlic Olive Oil
• 2 large portobello mushrooms

Begin by combining the couscous, crab, parmesan, feta and garlic.

Next, add the red peppers, green onions and combine well.

Clean out and de-stem the mushrooms, then brush each side with Enzo Garlic Olive Oil.

Stuff the mixture into the mushrooms.

Grill over medium heat for 15 minutes, then serve.

These can be served as a light meal or as a deliciously filling appetizer!

♣ Vegetarian Option: Substitute 1/2 cup shredded zucchini for the crab to make this recipe vegetarian.

♦ Gluten Free Option: Substitute brown rice couscous or quinoa to make this recipe gluten-free.

Frozen Strawberry Cheesecake Bars

Talk about the perfect summer dessert, these Frozen Cheesecake Bars are super simple to make and a great cool treat for warm summer days!

Fresh strawberries are combined with a no-bake cheesecake recipe and placed on top of a Nutella Graham Cracker Crust… oh no I didn’t… yup, I did!!!

Toss this recipe together for a delicious treat that’s way better than anything the ice cream man has on his truck

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 5 tbsp butter (melted)
• 1/4 cup nutella
• 16 oz cream cheese
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup strawberries (chopped)

Prepare the crust by adding the graham crackers and sugar to a food processor and blending until a fine crumb forms.

Next, add the nutella and butter and blend into a coarse crumble.

Place the crust in the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Place in the freezer for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the cheesecake filling by using an electric hand mixer to combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and milk.

Blend until creamy, then hand mix in the strawberries.

Remove the crust from the freezer then add the cheesecake on top.

Place back into the freezer for at least 4 hours.  Remove 20 minutes before serving to thaw enough to slice through.  Cut into bars and serve.

So cool, refreshing and easy to make!

Grab a fork and dig in!

♣ Vegetarian Option: This recipe is vegetarian.

♦ Gluten Free Option: Substitute gluten-free graham cracker crumbs for the crust.

Strawberry Peach Guacamole

This guacamole gives a sweet & fruity summer twist to the dip that everyone loves!

I made this dish last weekend for a Memorial Day BBQ and it was a hit with all of my friends!

Juicy pieces of strawberry and peaches mixed with fresh basil and lemon juice make it difficult to put down the chips!

Ingredients

• 3 avocados
• 1 tomato (chopped)
• 1 cup strawberries (chopped)
• 2 peaches (peeled & chopped)
• 1 lemon (juiced)
• 1 tbsp fresh basil (chopped)

Begin by mashing the avocados together in a medium bowl, then add the tomatoes, strawberries and peaches.

Mix all of the ingredients together then juice the lemon into the guacamole and add the fresh basil.

Serve with your favorite chips for delicious dipping pleasure!

♣ Vegetarian Option: This recipe is vegetarian.

♦ Gluten Free Option: This recipe is gluten-free.