Buffalo Chicken Quesadilla

There are literally no words for how good this quesadilla is. Please, just admire it.

Then again, if there's "buffalo chicken" in front of something, there's a 101% chance I'll like it. Franks buffalo sauce is by far my favorite. Not just because it has 0 calories and in my mind that means " pour it on everything," I think it tastes the best too.

Skinny Sesame Chicken & Quinoa

It's not a secret that I'm obsessed with Chinese food. Being able to make Chinese food that not only tastes delicious, but is also good for you is one of the reasons we started this blog in the first place. Eating healthy does not mean you have to give up your favorite foods! You just have to make some changes to make it better for you. 

Chocolate Chip Cashew & Coconut Oatmeal

Lot of people like to have breakfast for dinner. Me? I like to have dessert for breakfast.

And boy, this oatmeal delivers. It's like a magic cookie bar in my bowl. It doesn't hurt that I added a gratuitous scoop of homemade coconut cashew  butter to finish it off (try out my recipe here!) It just felt like the right thing to do, you know?

Let's rewind for a second...It's kind of ridiculous how much I love oatmeal. Stovetop, baked, overnight in a jar, or old faithful -- nuked in the microwave.

After lurking for months on Instagram and Pinterest, I realized the true potential oatmeal has. I always thought of it as the bowl of apples and cinnamon goop that came out of a package I found in the back of my cabinet. It was a last resort when we were out of Pop Tarts, cereal, and anything else edible in the house.

But I was wrong. So, gloriously wrong. There is a never-ending list of combinations that can bring me tears of joy.

Today's breakfast was one of those times. Just look at it. Seriously...LOOK AT IT. The chocolate. The cashew butter. The coconut. Stop me anytime. Let's just get into it, shall we?

Ingredients
1/2c quick cooking oatmeal
1/2c unsweetened almond milk
1/4c egg whites
1 tbs stevia
1 tbs cashew butter
1 tbs unsweetened coconut
1/2 tbs chocolate chips

Directions
1. Combine oats, milk, egg whites and stevia. Microwave for two minutes. Stir after one minute to keep egg whites from cooking together.
2. Stir in cashew butter, chocolate chips and coconut.

Nutrition 1 serving = 360 calories
Carbs: 39g  Fat: 17g  Protein: 15g

Skinny Red Velvet Cake Pops

I'm always looking for an excuse to bake. Birthdays, holidays, Arbor Day...I really don't care. Just point me towards the oven and I'm on it.

The problem is when I'm done, I'm left with an entire cake, three dozen cookies, or a truckload of cake pops. I'll happily try to to polish off the pan on my own.

Skinny Red Velvet Hot Chocolate

 

I've always been casually ambivalent towards Valentine's Day. I'm not too sentimental (Read: I'm not sentimental. Like, at all.) I'm not that into jewelry and I'm pretty positive I'm allergic to flowers. But I'll be damned if I'm not gonna accept some delicious chocolate just because Hallmark is telling someone to give it to me. Who am I to get in the way of that tradition?

But lately, there's only reason I get remotely excited when February 1st rolls. In the last few years the rest of the universe has accepted what I've known to be true for quite a while: Red velvet is one of the best things that's ever happened to food. Maybe even to the world in general.

People who call red velvet "just a regular cake with food coloring" are just so wrong. Maybe it's the rich, opulent color that draws me to a red velvet cookie. It could be the simplicity and subtlety of mild cocoa flavor bundled up in dense, moist cupcake. Or, it could be because I love to eat cream cheese frosting by the spoonful (so much so that I created a healthy version -- try it here!). Who's really keeping score anyway?

Now, I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to realize that beauty red velvet could be repurposed into a beverage. To everyone who has kept red velvet hot chocolate from me until this moment: we're fighting.

When I finally realized all that my life was missing, I promptly cooked up a recipe. Mainly almond milk and cocoa, there's nothing in the way of keeping this treat a healthy one. It's so low in calories that, if you're like me, you may want to hit it with a shot (or two) of whipped cream while you're at it.

What I experienced when I took my first steamy sip can only be described one way -- it was a hug in a mug. That's coming from this self-professed pragmatist who's not even that fond of hugging. But no, it was so warm and rich and velvety that when I reached the bottom, I was actually sad. 

So it may be socially acceptable to red velvet-ify everything in sight only during Valentine's season, but there's not a chance I'm giving up this now nightly tradition any time soon.

-- Cara

Ingredients:
1 C Unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbs stevia
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
5  drops red food coloring

Directions
1. Combine milk, cocoa powder, stevia and food coloring in a pot. Stir continuously until it comes to a boil and then remove from heat.
2. Stir in vanilla. Pour and enjoy!

Nutrition: 1 cup (without whipped cream) = 43 calories
Carbs: 5g Fat: 4g Protein: 1g

Smoked Salmon Breakfast Wrap

I love oatmeal. If you ask any of my co-workers they will confirm this obsession due to the fact that they have to watch me eat it every single morning. However, when I woke up one morning to the wonderful text telling me I had a two-hour delay, I decided to push my red velvet oatmeal (recipe to come later!) to the side and make something equally delicious.

Coconut Cashew Butter

Confession time. Growing up, I never really liked peanut butter that much. I hated the sticky feeling when it gets stuck to the roof of your mouth. I liked my PB&Js to be more J than PB. . . by a lot.

When I first when to college and had to go through hours of agonizing ice breakers, my "fact" about myself is that I didn't like peanut butter. Some people would actually gasp, "What?!" Other people just stared, mouths agape, confused.

Butternut Squash, Sausage & Spinach Pasta

Kristen was the one who discovered Skinnytaste and introduced me to her blog. I'm forever grateful that she did, because I pretty much worship Gina. Like, I want to be her and cook delicious meals in my kitchen and hang out with famous chefs all day. Color me extremely envious.

Naturally, her blog is one of the first places we go to when we're looking for some meal inspiration!