Roasted Veggie-Packed Vegan Spaghetti Sauce

R O T F L.

around here with all these boys though it's prolly pee :-|

Dego is 8 months, has 2 bottom teeth, and saying da-da-da-da-da-da all day long these days.  he is rolling/flipping EVERYWHERE and is a spinning axis when on his belly.  however he has yet to actually move forward! i do believe that's next on his to-do list for this week. we'll see!

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Homemade Vegan Spaghetti Sauce comin' at you RIGHT now!  i did a quick vlog one day last week (just now getting my life together, yep) so press play below and enjoy!  here are a few pics with tips you should read first (cause i forgot to mention some of them during the video). and sorry about the black bars, but they won't be there much longer ;)

TIPS:

• if you coat your baking pan with no stick cooking spray before roasting the tomatoes and red peppers, you don't have to worry about moving them around during baking.

• the more green veggies you add, the browner or 'muddier' the sauce color will be. red + green = brown, remember :(  you can compensate for this by adding more red peppers or tomatoes though to sustain that bright red 'tomatoey' color.

• to keep this recipe vegan, use vegetable stock instead of chicken.
• you can do a combo of basil & cilantro instead of a bunch of the same herb.
• lasts in the fridge 5-10 days and up to 6 months in the freezer!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qifJ8IhKwoE]

i used this chicken meatball recipe cause i LOVE following @fitmencook on IG!

Roasted Veggie-Packed Vegan Spaghetti Sauce

the stuff:(source)

• 8 medium ripe tomatoes
• 1 large red bell pepper
• 2 - 15 oz cans fire roasted tomatoes in garlic (i use Hunts)
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup carrots, diced
• 1 cup zucchini, diced
• 1 cup basil leaves (or cilantro)
• 1/2 sundried  tomatoes OR 1/2 cup tomato pasta
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp garlic or shallots, chopped
• sea salt & cracked black peppers to taste

do this:

1. pre-heat oven to 400 deg
2. toss tomatoes and bell pepper in olive oil and roast them for 1 hr on baking sheet coated with no stick cooking spray and drizzle with 2 tbsp of olive oil
3. in a large pot saute onions & garlic, remaining olive oil, & salt for 10 min or until translucent
4. add carrots, zucchini  and saute for 10 min or until tender
5. add in tomatoes, peppers (and their juices), veggie broth, basil, and sun-dried tomatoes or paste, and any other vegetable you'd like to include in the pot.  if that veggie needs to be cooked and softened, add it in step 4
6. reduce to simmer for about 20-30 min until flavors marry
7. cool!
8. put into your blender in batches and process until super smooth.  enjoy over pasta or zoodles!! super healthy and veggie-packed.  use this stuff for any other Italian dish as well: pizza sauce, lasagna, marinara, etc. makes 10 cups!

Q: video suggestions!  what else would you like to see on vid?

le

 

but did you die? + dairy-free banana fudge bomb pops

the first time i saw that meme on IG... instant tears. ooooh, spinning. the class i hate to love and love to hate.  i still remember taking my very first cycle class at 24HF years ago. i was drenched in sweat from head to toe like WHAT. JUST. HAPPENED.... *blank stare*.  i looked like i had just taken a dip in the pool, fully clothed.

Miko and i made it through again though!  i do believe the seat is more uncomfy the next few times after the initial time.  the 'it gets worse before it gets better.' phrase applies here.  wheeeeew, God bless spin instructors everywhere. i know you get used to it after a while but because i'm in the adjusting phase again it's definitely the discomfort talking. #seasonalcycler

  broken vajayjay.... but did you die? LOL #almost

colorful plates make my face and tummy HAPPY. i planned on baking meatballs this week but got lazy (hungry) and whipped up my lean apple-chicken  on Nature's Own Whole Wheat bread  with cheddar almond cheese instead. i still have Honey Crisp apples around from making homemade apple sauce, so i subbed one of those for the Red DelicicvVous apple my recipe calls for. i threw some steamed green beans, raw golden bell peppers w/ roasted red pepper hummus, and blackberries on the side.

 after making those chocolate coconut pb cups the other day, i got to thinking about other layered desserts and those classic banana fudge bomb pops came to mind. i used to LOVE getting them from the ice cream truck when i was a kid.  so i went for a healthier, dairy-free version!  Chiso gobbled his up, so i count it as a success!  I'd love them to be a little creamier, so i'm going to add some Skinny Tru Whip to the batters before freezing next time. make and try them with your kiddos!

Dairy-free Banana Fudge Bomb Pops

the stuff:

banana layer

• 2 ripe bananas
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cashew milk

fudge layer

• 1/2 cup Enjoy Life Mega Chunks
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cashew milk

do this:

1. blend bananas and milk in blender until smooth
2. add chocolate chips and milk to a microwave safe bowl and nuke it for 15 seconds at a time until chunks are completely melted. incorporate this together until smooth.
3. add banana layer 1 to your popsicle trays filling them only 1/3 of the way full
4. freeze for 15 minutes
5. take out of freezer and add the chocolate layer, leaving room for banana layer 2 near the top
6. freeze for 15 minutes
7. take out of freezer and fill trays to the brim with banana layer 2. insert popsicle tops/sticks and put back into freezer for at least 1 hr or more.

* running hot water over the popsicle trays first helps them to pop out easier when you're ready to eat them by the way*

 feel free to make as many layers as you'd like!  more layers = more prep time though and your little one might keep asking 'is it ready yet!?'

the boys and i finally got to hang out with and take an #usie with this amazingly sweet woman this week!  Adaeze is a long-time blog follower of mine (like she has been there from THE jump), a former 6 Pack USA client, and a newlywed (woo hoo!). it was a true pleasure chatting with her!!! she has such a genuine, gentle spirit a big beautiful smile to go with it.  i'm grateful for all her support over the years <3

Q. what exercise do you HATE doing but feel so dang unstoppable when you finish?  

le

food faces #toddlerfood

having a little fun with healthy breakfasts these days!  it's whatever works and gets Chiso's plate clean, and these have proven to do just that. he thinks it's hilarious (telling a funny story along with it helps too) and i enjoy creating them. just some ideas for your picky eater(s) fueled by Pinterest.

banana bear faces using Sara Lee whole wheat bread, natural peanut butter, and chocolate chips.

 the original 'recipe' actually used blueberries for the eyes and nose, but they were a no-go.

this morning we had whole wheat pancakes and i'd love to share this easy recipe with ya as promised.

easy whole wheat pancakes

the stuff:

• 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk + 2 tbsp
• 1 packet stevia
• 1 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
• 1 whole egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp melted coconut oil
• 1 tsp baking powder

do this:

1. heat your griddle or pan to med heat and coat it with no-stick cooking spray.
2. mix all ingredients well in a large mixing bowl.
3. drop 2 tbsp worth of batter onto your griddle and cook 2-3 minutes on each side (flip when you see bubbles form)
4. top however you'd like and eat warm!

makes 15 (or more) silver dollar sized pancakes. for 1:

i added natural pb and chocolate chips to Ralph too. happy friday :)

le

jam. oooooh jam

man the weekend went by freakishly fast! yesterday morning i missed my saturday morning workout for the second straight saturday, uuuuugh. but with good reason!  i attended my first AKA chapter retreat with my Sorors and had a seriously fun time.

posing with Soror Peach on the left, and Crystal on the right.

i enjoyed fellowshipping with these women, learning more about them, and more about myself.

fun, memorable times were had,

and plenty of cake was eaten :) .

i found myself looking back on some of my older posts recently and they were so dang long i lost interest myself :shock: . so i'm gonna try somethin' a little different in an effort to get more posts out during the week. cool? cool.

i have so many dang recipes on Instagram (fitfoodiele)  i need to add to the fit recipes section it's not even funny.  so here's  the homemade strawberry chia jam by request and as promised!

homemade strawberry chia jam

the stuff:

• 1 cup diced strawberries
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 packets stevia

do this:

add your chopped strawberries to a small sauce pan on medium heat; add stevia and mash together with your fork.  as SOON as it starts to simmer, turn the heat off and add the chia seeds; incorporate real good.  you can also do this in the microwave.  just nuke the strawberries for 30 seconds, stir in the stevia,  nuke for 30 more seconds, take out, and add the chia seeds and mash it all up with a fork.  if you have an emulsion blender, use it!  if not, do i like i did and throw it all in your bullet, food processor, or blender and give it a few quick whirls until smooth.  put it in the fridge so the chia seeds can do their thing and thicken.

for 2 tbsp:

here's another healthy breakfast option from my first ebook, Fit Foodie Lean- pineapple upside down pancakes!  just one of almost 50 healthy, cleaner, leaner recipes for breakfast, lunch, brunch, dinner, and dessert.  if you'd like a copy for 9.99, click on the book cover over there on the right side of this page and it's yours!  thank you for the FAN-FREAKIN-TASTIC support i have received thus far!!! i just can't stop saying thank you.

oooooh my life would be OVER and yours just might be too.  as we go into another week, make it a point to LAUGH MORE!  happy monday eve you guys!

Q. what is one product you'd rather make at home than pay for? 

le