Clean-Eating Baked Chicken Drumsticks

My old go-to recipe for baked drumsticks called for the not-so-clean eating baking mix, so I was on a quest for a much healthier version of our beloved dark meat treat, with all the flavor but without the baking mix. This is what I came up with, and I have to say I don't miss our previous recipe ONE BIT! You can either leave the skins on, or remove them prior to baking. I do find that my family's preference is with the skin on, and removing it just before eating seems to keep the meat moist and juicy.

Clean-Eating Baked Chicken Drumsticks (serves 4-6)

Ingredients
6 chicken drumsticks 
EVOO
Smoked Paprika
garlic powder
salt (I love sea salt)
fresh ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
2. Place drumsticks in a 9x13 baking dish, and rub the drumsticks with enough olive oil to lightly coat them on all sides.  Combine desired amounts of seasoning blend in a small bowl, and sprinkle the drumsticks to lightly coat.
3. Bake drumsticks at 375 degrees for 22 minutes.
4. Flip the drumsticks, sprinkle them again with seasoning blend, and bake at 375 degrees for an additional 23 minutes (so they are in the oven for 45 minutes total) until the skin is golden brown and the juices run clear.

The drumsticks are literally that easy.  I just eyeballed the amount of spices to use...just a light sprinkle of each is enough.  You'll just want to make sure that each drumstick gets a sprinkle of each spice.  I left the skins on because they brown beautifully and add extra flavor to the chicken.  My kids love to pick up their own drumstick and go to town!

I served the chicken legs with a simple spinach souffle (and apple slices for the kids), but you could also slice sweet (or russet) potatoes into wedges and add them to the baking dish at the beginning for a one-dish meal.  Just coat the baking dish with cooking spray or olive oil (and you can line your baking dish with foil for easier clean up) and make sure to stir/flip the potato wedges when you flip the drumsticks halfway through the baking time.  Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. This is SO amazing... enjoy!

After School/ On-the-go Healthy Snacks

Perhaps one of the biggest things we all struggle with is finding healthy protein-packed snacks that we can take with us on the go or have handy in case we are away from home for longer than we planned!  When you PLAN ahead, you really can set yourself up to succeed. I often times hear that it costs SO much to eat healthy or "clean". WELL>>>> today, I put that theory to the test. And you know what?! What I discovered is quite the opposite! You pay for convenience, regardless if what you're eating is healthy or not. I even splurged on a few items that I don't usually purchase for my little snack experiment.
So what I bought:
*Dried Cranberries
*Semi-sweet chocolate chips
*Cashews
*Chocolate covered plums
*Cocoa Almonds
*Organic unsweetened coconut flakes

My total came to $26.24. I combined all the ingredients together in a large bowl (it was cheaper to purchase a large bag of the dried cranberries, but I only used about half of the bag) and portioned into 1/2 c. servings, put them in snack-size baggies, and WALLAH! 33 servings, all ready to go! I'm set for awhile. So this came to around $0.80 per serving. I don't normally buy the organic coconut flakes (they were $2.58) or Plum Sweets ($3.28), so when calculated without those 2 items, my cost per serving came down to around $0.68 per serving, and I would also have fewer servings.  Comparable to most other pre-packaged serving size snack items in the stores, but WAY more healthy! A little planning and prep is all it took to have healthy nutritious snacks for me and my family. Perfect for school lunch packs or after school snacks!

21 Day Fix Egg White Muffins

21 Day Fix-approved>>> This is on my meal plan this week, and I'm doing my prep, making them up for the week so I thought I would share!!! 

Servings: Makes 12 full size muffins

Ingredients:
· 2 regular cartons 100% pure liquid egg whites or 1 large carton
· Vegetables of your choice- Suggest spinach, multi-colored bell peppers, mushrooms, and/or onions
· Pepper
· Garlic and/or Onion Powder, a few drops of Hot Sauce (tabasco)

Method:
1. Grease a muffin tin with olive oil spray
2. Fill each muffin compartment with chopped vegetables
3. Sprinkle with pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder
4. Fill each compartment to the top with egg whites
5. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes

Remember:

· These can be eaten by themselves or you can put them on a whole wheat English muffin, or my fave Ezekiel Bread!

· If you want to jazz it up more, top with some additional Tabasco or feta over top (Not TOO MUCH!)

· Store 2 muffins in each Ziploc bag. Stays fresh for 7 days in the fridge.

I love lists and checking things off:

Fix Portions used:
· 2 egg white muffins = 1 red, 1 green
· 2 egg white muffins + ww english muffin = 1 red, 1 green, 2 yellows
· 2 egg white muffins + cheese = 1 red, 1 green, 1 blue

INSIDE OUT SHAKEOLOGY PEANUT BUTTER CUPS

So I know I have a SERIOUS weakness for anything peanut butter, or any nut butter for that matter. And when paired with chocolate?! Serious WEAKNESS. So I'm always on the search for ways to endulge in my weakness without the guilt! Like breakfast, for example. Cocoa oats drizzled with melted peanut butter! My no-bake protein balls. PB Cup Shakeology! Well, this recipe fits right in! And at only 64 cals. per serving, it's not going to leave me feeling guilty (SCORE) Enjoy!!!

Inside Out Shakeology Peanut Butter Cups
(Makes 2 servings)

Total Time: 40 min.
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cooking Time: None

2 tsp. unrefined coconut oil, melted
2 Tbsp. powdered chocolate peanut butter (like PB2)
2 tsp. Chocolate Vegan Shakeology
2 Tbsp. water

1. Combine oil and powdered peanut butter in a small bowl; mix well. Set aside.
2. Combine Shakeology and water in a small bowl; mix until it has a pudding-like consistency. Set aside.
3. Coat two foil muffin liners evenly with half of peanut butter mixture. Top evenly with Shakeology mixture and remaining peanut butter mixture.
4. Freeze for 30 minutes, or until firm.

Nutritional Information (per serving):
Calories: 64
Total Fat: 5 g
Saturated Fat: 4 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 50 mg
Carbohydrate: 3 g
Fiber: 1 g
Sugar: 1 g
Protein: 3 g