This burger is shown with sliced avocado.

I can't even tell you how mouth-watering delicious this burger is. OMG the combination of beef, avocado, mushrooms, red onion and sweet potatoes with a pinch of salt is out of this world! If you workout as hard as I do this recipe is totally packed with energy building and strength building nutrients while completely filled with flavor. It will give you exactly what your body needs after a hard workout. You will feel amazing right away. You MUST try this recipe!

Did you know portobello mushrooms are a super food? Baby portobello mushrooms provide huge health benefits. They provide several vitamins and minerals such as riboflavin, selenium, copper, phosphorous and potassium. Baby portobello mushrooms are a nutritional powerhouse. These vitamins are essential for a healthy metabolism and nervous system. They also keep your skin, liver, eyes and hair healthy. Portobello mushrooms are loaded with fiber, they are low in calories. One whole cup only has 35 calories, they are dense so they fill you up without a lot of calories. Bonus!

Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, copper, manganese, vitamin B6, pantothenic acid and are an excellent source of potassium, fiber, niacin, vitamin B1, Vitamin B2 and phosphorous. 77% of the calories in an avocado are from fat. Avocados are packed with heart healthy monounsaturated fatty acids. They are considered a super food as well.

Ingredients:
1 lb grass-fed Beef
3-4 portobello mushrooms
avocado slices or guacamole
2 medium sweet potatoes
sliced red onion
4 Boston lettuce leaves
2 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste

STEPS:

1. In a large bowl combine beef, dijon mustard, worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, salt and pepper. Mix well and make 4-ounce patties. Set aside.

2. Using your spirilizer(a link to purchase one below pictures) spiralize your sweet potato. Place spiralized sweet potato in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and sea salt. Toss until coated. Place sweet potatoes on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 375 degrees or until crispy. Turn them over 1/2 way through.

3. Clean mushrooms and remove stems, reserve for other use. Place caps on a plate with the gills up. Brush each mushroom with olive oil on both sides. Sprinkle salt on both sides. Let sit for about 20 minutes then grill on a hot pan for 10-12 minutes. 5-6 minutes per side. Remove from pan.

4. Cook burgers on your outside grill or in a pre-heated oven at 375 degrees. Cooking time depends on how you like your burger....rare, medium-rare, medium-well, well-done. I like mine medium-well so it takes about 7-8 minutes per side on an outside grill.

5. assemble burger...boston lettuce on the bottom, portobello mushroom, then the guacamole, red onion, burger and sweet potato fries. Wa-Lah, you have "THE BEST BURGER."

I doubled the recipe so I got 6, 4-5 ounce patties and 3, 3 ounce mini patties.

Grilled portobello mushrooms

sweet potato fries using the spiralizer

This burger is shown with guacomole. I burnt the fries I bit but I love burnt so it's all good.

Products I use for this recipe. This is the best spirilizer!

Happy Monday Everyone! I did a Team CrossFit competition yesterday. It was so much fun. Knowing it was going to be a very loooong day (too long..lol) I created this recipe the day before the competition so I could have a healthy snack to nibble on in between WOD'S. Boy, are they delicious and each square provided enough protein, fat and carbohydrates to give me the energy and strength for each workout(4 in total...yikes). My stomach is sensitive especially when I am competing so I really have to be careful not to under or overeat while I am waiting to perform the WOD. Here is what I ate before, during and after the competition:

4:30-5:00 a.m: 2 cups of coffee with cream and stevia in it.
6:00 a.m: 2 over easy eggs with 1medium sweet potato.
8:30 a.m: 1 banana, tons of water (that is a given in my book).
9:40 a.m: WOD #1
more water
10:15 a.m: 2 slices of rolled up turkey, 1 square of the cranberry/walnut/almond butter protein bar.
11:30 a.m: WOD #2
12:30 p.m: 1 orange, 1 small square of the cranberry/walnut/almond butter protein bar.
1:15 p.m: WOD #3
2:45 p.m: WOD #4
3:45 p.m: 1 small primal muffin that my friend/partner in the competition made. I have to get that recipe!
6:00 p.m: salad with chicken
7:30 p.m: BED! Exhausted. ha..ha

**stay tuned on what we did for workout's in the competition and a video!

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup raw walnuts
1/2 cup raw almonds
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup raw creamy unsalted almond butter or cashew butter
1/4 cup coconut oil (measured as a liquid..pop in microwave for 20-30 seconds to melt)
1/4 cup almond meal
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
1 tablespoon raw honey
2-3 stevia
1/2 cup vanilla protein powder
1 large organic egg
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup dried unsweetened cranberries or blueberries
1/2 cup enjoy life chocolate chips or 85% dark cacao chocolate (optional)

STEPS:

1. Set your oven to 325 degrees and toast your nuts and shredded coconut on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Be careful not to let the coconut burn. Let cool.
2. Chop nuts in a food processor, add coconut, pulse mixture together until coarsely ground. If you like it a little chunky chop it for less time.
3. Stir melted coconut oil and almond butter together in a separate bowl. Make sure you use creamy almond butter that is at room temp. If it has been in the refrigerator, melt it in the microwave for 20 seconds.
4. Add the honey, vanilla, sea salt and 2 stevia to the coconut oil/nut mixture. Mix well.
5. In separate dish whisk egg.
6. Add in vanilla protein powder, nut mixture, egg and almond meal. Mix well.
7. Fold in enjoy life chocolate chips and cranberries.
8. press batter into a pan lined with parchment paper.
9. sprinkle more coconut on top, a few cranberries, chocolate chips and 1/2 stevia.
10. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 325 degrees for 10-12 minutes. 
11. Let cool, then cut into 12-15 squares.

**Store in refrigerator in an airtight container.

My new Ooey goey brownie recipe is mouthwatering delightful. One bite will melt in your mouth. I am not kidding. They are outrageously moist, full of rich chocolate flavor. I doubled the recipe. I put 1 batch in the freezer cut into individual squares and 1 batch cut up into individual squares in a container on the kitchen counter and the first batch is gone. No lie! They lasted 24 hours with 2 teenagers and 2 adults in the house. These are hard to resist. So have some discipline people! If you look at the list of ingredients there is not one thing that is unhealthy or processed. Compare my brownie recipe to this  brownie recipe. I am positive this regular brownie recipe is absolutely sinful and delicious but the calories add up quick and before you know it you have gained a couple lbs and feel like crap. No thanks! Chocolate is a must in my world so that is why I enjoy creating recipes that taste like the real thing without all the processed ingredients. Nothing is worse for me than waking up the next day and feeling lethargic, bloated and gross because of food. Not happening!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 cup creamy almond butter, no salt
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1/4 cup blanched(extra fine) almond meal
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup plus 3 tbsp honey

Steps:
1)Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.
2)Mix all ingredients with a hand mixer or Kitchen Aid mixer.
3)Pour batter into a brownie pan lined with parchment paper.
4)sprinkle with cacao nibs or enjoy life chocolate chips(optional).
5)Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool  for 15-20 minutes before cutting.

Feeling ambitious...

Brownie Recipe #2

 I love coffee especially Starbucks so I decided to try this brownie recipe and and add espresso powder to the cacao powder. The espresso powder enhances the chocolate flavor. I can't even explain how delicious these are. You have to try both recipes and decide which one you like better. I keep taking bites of each trying to decide which recipe is better and I simply cannot. Chloe likes the espresso love brownie better. Mark likes the ooey gooey brownie recipe better. Well, you know Conor we have to hide food from him. He will eat either one. I am positive he cannot even taste it because he eats so fast. Lol This recipe got it's name from a coffee shop we absolutely adore on Martha's Vineyard, Ma called Espresso Love. Cacao chocolate can improve your memory, increase your bliss, reduce heart disease, shed fat, boost immunity, and create loads of energy. It may surprise you to discover that raw cacao contains nearly four times the antioxidant content of regular processed dark chocolate, 20 times more than blueberries, and 119 times more than bananas.

ESPRESSO LOVE BROWNIE CUPCAKES

Ingredients:

1/4 cup cacao powder
2 tbsp espresso powder
1 cup creamy, no salt almond butter
1/2 c blanched almond meal
1/2 c plus 3 tbsp organic honey or natural organic maple syrup
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Steps:

1)pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.
2)mix all ingredients together with a hand mixer or use your Kitchen Aid Mixer.
3)Pour batter into your silicone muffin pan or use a brownie pan lined with parchment paper.
4) sprinkle with cacao nibs or use enjoy life chocolate chips(optional).
5) Bake in oven oven for 15 min. Let cool for 15-20 min. before taking out of silicone mold.