A healthy meal, complete with dessert, that even your kids will be sure to enjoy!  Look for the full article to be featured by Advanced Healthcare Network.

Better Brownies

A tasty rich, flourless treat with protein and fiber.  This treat uses the natural sweetness of fruits, cocoa and nuts to make a healthy treat without any harmful chemicals that our body reacts to like poison.  These brownies are also gluten free, due to the rising number of individuals who show a mild or severe gluten intolerance we avoid gluten containing ingredients as much as possible.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time – 30 minutes

Number of servings – 4

Serving size – ½  cup

Difficulty – normal

Ingredients:

½ cup sliced almonds (provides heart healthy fats)

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (a rich flavor that has no added sugars)

¼ cup agave nectar or honey (a natural sugar that is rich in immune system boosting antioxidants).

1 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped

½ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

½ cup packed pitted dates (provides a chewy texture and sweetness, along with Iron, fiber and potassium)

¼ cup almond milk (a dairy alternative to those who suffer from lactose allergies)

2 Tbsp. Extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. vanilla

2 large eggs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8 inch square pan with foil and coat lightly with oil.
2. In a food processor, blend almonds, cocoa, chocolate, baking soda and salt until ground. Pulse in dates, agave nectar, almond milk, oil and vanilla until a smooth paste forms.
3. Beat egg whites until medium peaks form. Stir in 1/3 of almond mixture, then fold in remaining mixture. Spread in baking pan.
4. Bake until a toothpick comes out almost clean, about 30 minutes.

Healthy Chinese Orange Chicken

This is a healthy spin on traditional Orange Chicken from your local Chinese restaurant.  This is not fried and is lower in sodium but is still packed with flavor.

Total Servings- 8

Servings Size- 4oz chicken

Difficulty- Medium

Ingredients:

2 lbs. or 32oz. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast (boneless skinless chicken breast is the leanest cut of chicken making it the most heart healthy)

8 oz. broccoli florets (fresh or frozen) (broccoli is cruciferous vegetable, it natural detoxes our body helping reduce our risk for certain cancers, it is also rich in vitamin A and K which help rebuild vitamin D stores)

1 bunch fresh green onions chopped

2 tbs. toasted sesame seeds

1-2 Tbsp. olive oil (olive oil is a heart healthy fat)

Orange Chicken Sauce

½ c orange juice

¼ c pure honey

1/3 c lite soy sauce (reduced sodium which makes this more friendly for blood pressure and heart disease)

3 tbs. corn starch

The zest of an entire orange

Dash of crushed pepper

1 tsp. ground ginger (a powerful antioxidant that help reduce inflammation and boost immune system)

3 cloves of garlic chopped (another powerful antioxidant that improves heart health)

Directions:

1. Cut chicken breast into cubes and cook both chicken and broccoli in olive oil until cooked through.
2. Add Orange Chicken sauce, bring to a boil, reduce heat and serve over quinoa, rice, or noodles, quinoa, brown rice or wheat noodles are a great source of fiber making them an excellent choice over traditional white starchy options.  Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and green onions.

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