Hey guys! I hope you are all having a great week!
If you saw my post a couple of weeks ago giving a shout-out to my girl Laura and you’re familiar with Lauren’s blog, then you probably already know where I’m going with this post…
Yep, in an effort to break out of the pin everything in sight but never make it mentality, I am whipping myself into shape and gettin’ my bootay in the kitchen! I LOVE creating and sharing my own recipes (one of the many reasons I started this blog), but what I love even MORE is getting feedback from you guys when you’ve try something I’ve posted here on KMB.
Since I know how good it feels to hear someone say they enjoyed my recipes, I’ve decided to make this a series of sorts…
Why not SHARE the LOVE?
First off, you should know that Lauren is absolutely amazing! Her blog is real and whenever I read it, I feel like I’m back in Colorado talking with her face-to face. With her always on the go…teaching a MILLION classes at her gym, studying for her personal trainer certification exam, AND taking care of that cute little hubby of hers…I honestly don’t know how she still has the time to come up with such fabulous recipes!
Over the last few months, I’ve drooled over so many of her tasty-looking recipes vowing to try them in the near future…and that future just happened to be TODAY!
Three recipes…one day….total DELICIOUSNESS!
Breakfast: Lemon-Blueberry Protein Muffin
I really wanted to try the pancake version of her recipe, but with eminent face planting in my future after my 10 hour night shift, I opted for the micro version instead.
It cooked up in less than five minutes and was just oozing with blueberry goodness.
See that purple puddle underneath it? That is liquid Heaven right there folks! And the warm pockets of blueberries hidden within?
Smack yo mama! 😉
When I woke up later this afternoon, I figured I’d have something “breakfasty” like I usually do, but today, all I was craving was savory.
Lunch: Honey-Dijon Pretzel Coated Chicken
I rarely ever bake chicken in my house…I guess I just think it takes too long and would rather throw it in the grill pan and gratify myself in a matter of minutes…well, I don’t know how THAT got in my head because this only took 5 minutes to prepare, 20 minutes to cook, and about 2 seconds to devour!
Just look at that perfect pretzel coating!
Crispy and crunchy on the outside and moi- …umm…really NOT dry on the inside! 😉
I only made a couple of minor changes due to what I had on hand…
TJ’s Hot & Sweet Mustard instead of dijon and honey and my Spinach & Herb Mix from my foodie pen pal, Jamie, instead of dried parsley.
And even though I mixed some up, it didn’t even NEED a dipping sauce!
Alongside some roasted tomatoes and zucchini (more of my “summer staples”), it was BEYOND AMAZING!
As soon as I finished up with lunch, I started prepping dinner. Not that I thought it would take that long, but because I needed to take pictures before I ran out of daylight! 😉
Dinner: We Got the “Beet” Burger
Ok, I’ll admit, the prep for this was a little bit more than I’m used to…cooking grains, sauteing onions, grating my knuckles the beets…yeah, that beautiful red hue isn’t JUST from the beets! …just kidding! 😉
But even though my kitchen was in total disarray and my hands were COVERED in beet burger “meat” after I was done, as soon as I had my first bite, I realized it was ALL worth it!
Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, with a perfect sweet beet flavor!
And yes, for the record, I prettied up the plate, took pictures, and then covered it with plastic wrap and stuck it in the fridge for later. There, I’ve shared my blogger secret with ya! 😉
But more importantly, that record should also note that a beet burger on top of mixed greens with zucchini, pine nuts, kalamata olives, and this dressing is…
TO DIE FOR!!
And the best part? I have FIVE more burgers to eat for the rest of the week! I can’t wait to try them with a bit of melted goat cheese…definitely scheduling a grocery store run tomorrow 😉
Thank you Lauren for making my day so fantastically delicious! <3
Do you like beets? What is your favorite way to have them?
Have you tried any of Lauren’s recipes?
That muffin…holy yum!!
All the recipes look wonderful, but that beet burger looks Amazing! going over to pin. I really need to try making peeps recipes. Seems to be the thing to do right now. And a rather good idea too. 😉
Annnnnd… that muffin will be happening for meal 7 in a few mins. Gracias.
I tried Lauren’s beet burgers and got a bit too creative trying to up the protein. They totally fell apart but tasted amazing crumbled on top if a salad! Whoops.
Your orange ‘cakes are on my menu for breakfast tomorrow. 🙂
so i am thinking you three need to open a cafe. K?
I think we should all quit our jobs, move to Boulder, and open a place. 🙂
I would like that very much! We can have a gym/healthy cafe. GENIUS, huh?
Weren’t you with us when we were talking about this at Blend? I could totally be convinced….
Seriously…we were minutes away from putting together a business contract! I really need to see about getting some investors! 😉
Heck yeah! And you know, we’d always have an open counter for Healthy Bites! 😉
Haha! Mine were a bit opposite…impatient Heather didn’t wait long enough for the grains to cool/dry out some and had a gooey beet-y mess everywhere! I felt like I was playing in quicksand! Lol I’m just glad they ended up sticking together…once I got them UNstuck from me that is! 😉
YUM!!!! And I love the color of that beet burger! So pretty! 🙂 All of those recipes look amazing!
You have officially inspired me to break out of my meal rut and start whipping up some of the recipes that I’ve been eyeing for months. Everything looks absolutely delicious! Not to mention, your plating and photography is gorgeous. (I love that you cooked up the beet burgers early just to ensure you got a good picture…that’s some serious dedication!)
I’m definitely going to try making a tofu version of the honey-dijon pretzel recipe! Mmm…
Aww, thank you Emily! And heck yeah, getcho booty in that kitchen girl! Time’s a wasting…boring bowls of cereal BE GONE!
Dude, a tofu version would ROCK! I gotta try that too!
i love lauren! and now I’m gonna have to find some beets!
You are just the sweetest gal ever! This totally made my day- and I am humbled! I am SO impressed that you made all three recipes in the same day- you are QUITE ambitious – and inspiring!
For the record, I drool over pretty much every single photo that you post of something you’ve created (and STILL need to make those almond butter granola bars… I’ve been lazy!).
Foodie soul sistas 4 Life! (God, I’m cool.)
Fo LIFE!! …don’t worry, we can be white girl food ganstas together! Fo shizzle my fizzle! 😉
Love you girl!
I have never made any of Lauren’s recipes before–but that may change VERY soon!! Those beet burgers look fantastic; being a vegetarian, I am always looking for new veggie burger recipes. My favorite way to enjoy beets is roasting them; it makes them taste soooo flavorful and sweet. Though when I chop them up, my hands DO get very heavily stained–no wonder beets can be used as a natural food coloring!
Pretzel coating? I have a secret love affair with pretzels – so that is brilliant. 🙂
I love these featured blogger posts you keep making! Great way to discover deeelicious recipes that are out there but get lost. And YUP, I want to make that muffin, the recipe is officially bookmarked to be made (and veganized–will be easy) this weekend!
Thank you for showing off those beat burgers! We have 3 things {bushels? Groups?} of beets from the CSA and have no clue what to do with them! Now we have a plan!
Oh Katie, you MUST try them roasted too! Just cut the stems off, spritz on a little olive oil and seasoning, and wrap in foil. Bake at 350F for about an hour and prepare your taste buds for beet Heaven! 🙂
I love Lauren… and Laura…. and YOU! You three make me drool over your food all the time! 🙂 I love roasted beets! I need to try the beet burgers though. And for that muffin… OMG! I die!
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Those beet burgers are fantastic!! And so is Lauren. 🙂
And I’m so impressed you make your meals early for the light – I can’t find time for this, so jealous. 😉
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