Easy, Nourishing & Delish Recipes

healthy, easy, simple and tasty recipes for busy people

summer recipes

Apricot Baklava Oatmeal

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I love making up different and unique variations of oatmeal!  I eat it almost every day, so I like to have a little variety!  I couldn’t go to sleep last night, so I was dreaming about different flavors of oatmeal I could make (not normal I know)!  I thought about my favorite desserts, and that idea led me too baklava.  So sweet, crunchy and delicious, this dessert is so satisfying for a sweet tooth!  I also remembered about the overripe apricots in my fridge, so I came up with this variation!  Who would have thought that apricots and baklava go hand in hand?  Well thank God I did, because this here is an oatmeal winner!

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Apricot Baklava Oatmeal

  • 1/2 cup oats, cooked in almond milk
  • 1 Tbsp. crushed walnuts
  • 1 Tbsp. crushed pistachios
  • 1 Tbsp. raisins
  • 1 apricot, sliced
  • 1/2 Tbsp. honey
  • 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
  • 1/4 tsp. cinnamon 
  1. Place apricot in a bowl with cloves and cinnamon.  Microwave for 2 minutes.
  2. Combine oats with apricot and remaining ingredients.  Stir well and drizzle with honey.
  3. Enjoy!

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Health Benefits

  • Fiber
  • Protein
  • Healthy fats
  • 100% clean
  • No preservatives
  • No added sugar
  • All natural
  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
  • Vitamins 
  • Minerals
  • Antioxidants

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Healthy 4th of July Dessert: Berry and Coconut Cream filled Almond Shortcakes

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Looking for a 4th of July recipe to impress your family and friends at the cookout? Well look no further and make this clean, healthy and most importantly, delicious take on this summer treat! Traditional shortcakes are made with loads of butter, sugar, refined flours and heavy cream. Here at the Athletic Avocado, that stuff is a no-no! This is my tasty and successful attempt at making this festive holiday dessert that will not only satisfy your tastebuds, but also your nutritional needs! 

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Berry and Coconut Cream filled Almond Shortcakes Shortcakes

  • 1/2 cup oat flour (1/2 cup pulverized oats)
  • 1/2 cup dry oats
  • 2 tbsp almond meal/flour (or pulverize 2 tbsp of whole almonds until finely ground up)
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 egg whites or one flax egg (3 tbsp water mixed with 1 tbsp flax meal)
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup/honey/agave
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • Sliced almonds

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until throughly combined

2.  Spray a jelly roll pan with cooking spray and divide batter into 4 large or 8 small cookie shapes and top with sliced almonds, if desired

3. Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes or until fully cooked

4. Cool and then place the coconut cream and berries in between 2 cookies, enjoy!

Filling

  • Coconut cream from a can of full-fat coconut milk(the solid part), chilled
  • Strawberries
  • Blueberries

1. Place the chilled coconut cream in a large bowl and mix with a electric mixer until texture is like that of whipped cream

2. Sandwich berries and cream inside two cookies and top with sliced almonds, if desired Makes 2 large shortcakes or 4 small

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 Health Benefits

  • Vegan
  • Gluten free
  • GMO-free
  • Dairy-free
  • 100% clean
  • Healthy fats
  • Fiber
  • Protein
  • No added sugar
  • All natural
  • No preservatives
  • Vitamins, minerals and antioxidants

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God Bless America!

 

Easy Delicious Salad: Peach and Maple-Spiced Pecan Spinach Salad with Maple Vinaigrette

by 1 Comment

Who doesn’t love a refreshing salad for a summer cookout?  Salads are a simple and delicious way to enjoy your veggies!  With this recipe,  you get a nice simple salad that is packed with flavor!! A little bit of saltiness balanced out by a little bit of sweetness!  What more could you ask for?? Oh yea thats right, is simple and easy to make!!!

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Peach and Maple-Spiced Pecan Spinach Salad with Maple Vinaigrette

Makes 4 servings

  • 4 cups spinach
  • 1 peach, sliced in thin, small slices

Pecans

  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
  • 1/8 tsp. sea salt

Dressing

  • 1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Mix pecans with salt and maple syrup. Place on a cooking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake for 15 minutes, or until nuts are crunchy
  3. Combine spinach, peaches and nuts, mix well.
  4. Mix together balsamic vinegar and maple syrup. Pour on top of spinach.
  5. Toss well, or until salad is evenly coated with dressing
  6. Enjoy!

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Health Benefits

  • 100% clean
  • Vegan 
  • Vegetarian
  • Paleo
  • Whole 30
  • Vitamins and Minerals
  • Fiber
  • Healthy Fats
  • No added sugar
  • No preservatives
  • All-natural

 

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Cilantro Pistachio Sweet Potato Salad with Balsamic-Lime Dressing

by 4 Comments

Potato salad is a summer staple, but with all of that mayo, cream-cheese, butter, you name it, its not very forgiving on your waistline, or very clean at all. I absolutely am in love with sweet tators! They taste like pure heaven to me and I wanted to create my own version of the so-called “potato salad.” Not only did I create my own version of the popular dish, but I added my own flair to it as well. With the addition of cilantro, lime and pistachio flavors, this salad takes on a whole different level full of flavor blasting goodness, unlike none other! This recipe is perfect for 4th of July or your next summer cookout, iProcessed with VSCOcam with f2 presett’ll be sure to impress, guaranteed!

 

Cilantro Pistachio Sweet Potato Salad with Balsamic-Lime Dressing

  • 4 medium sweet potatoes, cooked
  • 2 Tbsp, cilantro, finely chopped
  • 2 Tbsp. pistachios, finely chopped

Dressing:

  • 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp. lime juice
  • 1 tsp. honey
  • 1 tsp. mustard
  1. Peel off the skins of the sweet potatoes, and cut them into small cubes.
  2. Combine remaining ingredients to the sweet potatoes, mix well.
  3. For the dressing, combine all ingredients and mix well.
  4. Add dressing to sweet potatoes, mix well.
  5. Enjoy!

Serves 4

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Health Benefits

  • Fiber
  • Healthy Fats
  • Good Carbs
  • No added sugar
  • No preservatives
  • All natural
  • lots of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants
  • Low calorie
  • Vegan
  • Paleo
  • Whole30
  • 100% clean
  • Gluten and dairy free

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Filling Vegan Dinner:Spinach and Carrot Chickpea Patties

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Being the Veggie Monster that I am (seriously though), I always try to create recipes that are about 80% veggies to show people that vegetable are delish!  Today I went far out and created a recipe containing 100% VEGETABLES  (well ok like 95% including spices and oat flour)!  Thats right!  I’m on a mission to show people that veggies taste as good as they are good for you!  These patties taste similar to Falafels, however they aren’t fried in greasy oil!  No added shit crap here!  Just the good stuff (aka a vegan and vegetarian’s dream).

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Garlic Spinach and Carrot Chickpea Patties

Serves 2 (2 patties each)

  • 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 1/2 cup spinach
  • 1/2 cup grated carrots
  • 1/4 cup oat flour ( or 1/4 cup oats pulverized)
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp. paprika
  • 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 tsp. cumin
  • salt and pepper
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a food processor, combine chickpeas, spinach, parsley and spices.  Blend for about 30 seconds, or until mixture is smoothed.
  3. Mix chickpea mixture with grated carrot.  Shape mixture into 4 balls and coat with oat flour.  
  4. Spray a cooking sheet with cooking spray and flatten out patties onto pan.  Bake for about 30 minutes, or until patties are golden brown.
  5. Enjoy!

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Health Benefits:

  • Vegan
  • lean protein from chickpeas
  • Filling Fiber
  • Vegetarian
  • No preservatives
  • All- natural
  • 100% clean
  • No added sugar
  • Vitamins and antioxidants

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Paleo-Approved Breakfast: Oven-Puffed Banana Bread Pancake

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Pancakes, pancakes, pancakes, that is literally all I have been thinking about this weekend. I have been looking forward to making them, but not all the unhealthy flour and butter that is in them. So I figured, how should I make my own healthy and clean version? I didn’t want to make regular pancakes because that’s what everyone does, so I thought, “why not make a oven-puffed pancake?” So I did and it was extremely easy and simple, not to mention the best pancake I have ever eaten in my life. This little guy is banana bread in pancake version, you have to try this, especially since it’s paleo and is all good!

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  Oven-Puffed Banana Bread Pancake

  • 2 egg whites
  • 1/4 coconut flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/2 small banana, ripened
  • 2.5 Tbsp. unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 tsp. honey
  • 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Place all ingredients in a food processor. Blend for about 30 seconds, or until mixture is smooth.
  3. Spray two ramekins (or other small pans) with cooking spray. Add pancake mixture to ramekins and slice other banana to place on top.
  4. Bake in oven for about 25 minutes (or until fully cooked).
  5. Top with high-quality maple syrup, if desired.
  6. Enjoy!

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Health Benefits:

  • Paleo-friendly
  • Gluten-free
  • Whole 30 approved (if leaving out honey)
  • Natural sugar from honey and banana
  • No added sugar
  • All-natural
  • Low-fat
  • Low-calorie: approx. 210 calories for the whole recipe (not including the syrup)!

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Cinnamon Peach Pie Layered Yogurt Parfait

by 4 Comments

I went to the farmer’s market today to grab some fresh summer produce.  To my surprise, the peaches were on sale and just beautiful looking!  I had to get them, and quickly came up with this awesome and easy recipe!  This is so EASY and taste exactly like a peach pie or peach crumble (the healthified version of course)!  It takes a whopping 2 1/2 minutes to make and so filling it will keep you full for a while.  Not to mention, ITS DELISH!!

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Cinnamon Peach Pie Layered Yogurt Parfait

  • 1 small peach, chopped
  • 1 tsp. honey
  • 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 Tbsp. oats
  • 1 Tbsp. chopped pecans
  • 1 cup plain greek yogurt (low fat or fat free)
  1. Combine peach, honey, oats, pecans and cinnamon in a bowl.  Mix well and microwave for 2 minutes.
  2. Layer peach mixture with greek yogurt in a wine glass.
  3. Enjoy!

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Health Benefits

  • Protein and calcium from the greek yogurt
  • Fiber, antioxidants and vitamin C from peaches
  • Natural sugar from honey
  • Healthy fats from pecans
  • Stabilizing blood sugar and lowering cholesterol with cinnamon

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Microwave Salted Caramel and Banana English Muffin

by 9 Comments

So it happened again, I got a little too carried away made another english muffin.  They are just so easy quick and delicious that I could not help myself!  But this time I made a more unique flavor. Bananas + Salted Caramel = HEAVEN!  Add some natural peanut butter and the rest of the banana, and you got yourself a beautiful, fiber-filling, tasty breakfast in a mere 4 minutes!

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  • 1/3 cup oat flour (1/3 cup pulverized oats)
  • 1/2 small banana
  • 1 egg white (2 Tbsp. applesauce for a vegan option)
  • 1 prune
  • 4 whole unsalted cashews
  • 1/8 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/8 tsp. flaked salt
  • 1/8 tsp. vanilla extract
  1. Add all ingredients into a food processor and pulverize for about 30 seconds (or until ingredients are fully mixed.
  2. Spray cooking spray in a mug and add mixture.
  3. microwave for about 2 1/2 – 3 minutes (or until fully cooked).
  4. Top with natural peanut butter and the other half of banana, if desired.
  5. Enjoy!

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Health Benefits

  • Fiber from the oats and prune
  • Vitamins B, E, and K  from oats
  • Protein from egg white
  • Potassium and natural sugars from banana
  • antioxidants
  • all-natural
  • no sugar added
  • 100% clean
  • no preservatives

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Vegan Chocolate-Strawberry and Hazelnut Tarts with Cocon ut Crust

by 1 Comment

So today my goal was to make coconut tortillas, but that FAILED.  It was my first time working with coconut flour so I didn’t really know how the texture was.  It is super-fine, so the tortilla dough was all crumbly.  That was clearly not going to work so I put my thinking cap on and came up with these babies.  They say when one door closes another door opens!  And I think this is even better than what I originally wanted to make!

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Vegan Chocolate-Strawberry and Hazelnut Tarts with Coconut Crust

  • 1/3 cup hazelnuts (without skin)
  • 1/4 cup sliced strawberries
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp.  coconut oil
  • 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
  • 2 tsp. maple syrup

Crust

  • 1/2 coconut flour
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
  • 1/4 cup warm water
  • 3 Tbsp. egg whites, beaten
  • 2 Tbsp. shredded unsweetened coconut
  • 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/2 Tbsp.  honey
  1. To make the crust, place all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and mix until it resembles a dough (will be crumbly).
  2. Spray five ramekins with cooking spray and press dough to bottom.
  3. Bake the crusts at 350 °F for about 25 minutes, or until slightly brown.
  4. While crusts are baking, add remaining ingredients to a food processor and mix until mixture is a smooth puree.
  5. Let the crusts cool for about 15 minutes before topping them with chocolate-strawberry and hazelnut puree.
  6. Add sliced strawberries, shredded coconut, cocoa nibs for toppings, if desired.
  7. Enjoy!

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Health Benefits:

  • Vegan
  • Gluten-free
  • Paleo
  • no-added sugar
  •  dairy free
  • Fiber
  • Protein
  • Healthy fats
  • Antioxidants, vitamins and minerals!

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Have YOU ever had a failing recipe that lead to a success??

Pineapple Coconut Baked Oatmeal with Blueberry Cashew Cream

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Got my creative juices flowing this morning, and thought about making something interesting for my Dad, as it is Father’s day today! I wanted to make something, A. healthy, B. delicious, C. creative, and D. pretty. So that’s what I did, I’m pretty sure this is the most creative think I have ever made, plus, it’s pretty darn tasty too!

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Pineapple slices on the outside, coconut in the shape of a cross, and an orange flower

Pineapple Coconut Baked Oatmeal with Blueberry Cashew Cream

  • 3/4 dry oats
  • 1/2 cup almond milk
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp egg whites
  • 2 tbsp chopped pineapple

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and coat a glass pan with cooking spray

1. Place oatmeal in a glass pan and cook at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until golden.

Blueberry Cashew Cream

  • 1/4 cup cashews soaked for at least 3 hours
  • 1/4 cup blueberries
  • 1 tsp honey

1. Pulverize all ingredients together and spread on bake oatmeal

2. Top oatmeal with coconut, raisins, pineapple and other fruit, if desired 

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Pineapple sun, blueberry cashew creme “ocean”, raisin sailboat, and a coconut flag

Health Benefits

  • Fiber
  • Healthy Fats
  • 100% clean
  • Vegan
  • No added sugar
  • No preservatives
  • Antioxidants
  • Vitamins and minerals
  • Low glycemic carbs 
  • Calcium

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