The Skinny Confidential: A Babe's Sexy, Sassy Health and Lifestyle Guide (5 page)

If you don’t finish all the salmon in one sitting, save it for the next day and throw it on a salad.

SERVES 2

2 salmon fillets, grilled

1 tsp/5 ml palm oil

Sea salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

Cayenne powder, to taste

Chili flakes (optional)

1 cup/80 g quinoa, cooked according to package directions

½ head of broccoli, chopped and steamed

1 lemon

20 capers

6 stems of rosemary

+ Preheat oven to 450°F/230°C. Rub the salmon fillets with a dime-size amount of palm oil. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne powder. Optional: Add chili flakes for a spicier dish. Place the salmon on a broiling sheet and bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes.

Change the heat temp to 500°F/260°C and turn salmon. Broil for another 5 minutes.

Arrange a bed of cooked quinoa and broccoli on a plate. Place salmon fillet on top. Squeeze lemon juice on top of the fillet and garnish with lemon slices. Add capers on top with a little extra dash of cayenne powder. Garnish with a few sprigs of rosemary.

THE RADDEST “FAKE PASTA” ON THE PLANET

My stepmom first introduced me to pasta replacements. I replace actual pasta all the time. She totally got me hooked on spaghetti squash and fresh marinara sauce. Every once in a while, she uses homemade pesto sauce, and it’s like I died and went to heaven.

Anyway, lately, instead of using spaghetti squash, I’ve been obsessed with grilled bell peppers.

Yes, that’s right. Grilled bell peppers instead of noodles. This is a great recipe for the kiddos. Most of them won’t even know the difference.

NOTE:
Use a slicer for best results.

SERVES 2

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 yellow bell pepper, sliced

1 green bell pepper, sliced

1 orange bell pepper, sliced

2 tbsp/30 ml palm oil

2 handfuls broccolini, chopped

Fresh, all-natural marinara sauce

½ jalapeño, diced

½ lemon, squeezed

A sprinkle of chili flakes (if you like extra spice, like me)

Fresh basil, chopped

Optional: a few sprinkles of grated Parmesan cheese (no need for 10 handfuls)

+ Grill sliced bell peppers with palm oil in a sauté pan. Add broccolini to the pan, then the marinara sauce. Throw in jalapeños last (I like them crunchy). Transfer to a bowl. Add lemon juice, throw in chili flakes and add fresh basil. Garnish with fresh Parm. Feel free to add more sliced bell peppers!

THE RADDEST “FAKE PASTA” ON THE PLANET

DESSERTS
BERRIES OVER ICE

I need dessert. Something sweet to end the night is essential. One of my go-to treats requires only four ingredients. This dessert is perfect for a nightcap while watching trashy TV. Enjoy!

SERVES 1

A handful of any kind of berries

1 tbsp/20 g raw honey

1 scoop of coconut yogurt

3 tbsp/14 g unsweetened coconut flakes

+ Squish berries with a fork until they appear sauce-like. Drizzle the berry sauce and honey over a scoop of coconut yogurt. Sprinkle unsweetened coconut flakes on top. If you want it sweeter, add a natural sweetener such as Stevia or a bit of raw honey.

BERRIES OVER ICE

PEANUT BUTTER “ICE CREAM”

I’m not into ice cream with 10 million ingredients. I prefer to keep it simple/stupid and know exactly what I’m putting into my bod. This guilt-free “ice cream” is seriously amaze—and for the kiddos, too!

SERVES 1

1 banana

½ cup/90 g of peanut butter (100% pure peanut butter with no added crap)

+ Mix banana and peanut butter together using a blender. Add mixture to a bowl. Put the skinny ice cream in the freezer for about two hours.

SNACKS
THE ASS TIGHTENER

Let’s be honest: It’s difficult to find time to eat healthy. One of the best tips ever is making a smoothie the night before. Genius, right? Just freeze this recipe the night before. Make sure you leave space in the top of the glass, though, and use a freezer-safe cup. In the A.M., take it out of the freezer and enjoy as a midday snack.

SERVES 1

1 handful of baby kale

1 handful of blueberries

⅓ banana

Juice of ½ grapefruit

¼ cup/60 ml water

1 handful of ice

Optional: Grapefruit slice. For a spicy smoothie, add diced jalapeños.

+ Blend together, adding more water if needed. Garnish with a grapefruit slice.

SKINNY COCKTAILS
BLOOD ORANGE SKINNY MARGIE-POOS

I can speak confidently on cocktails because I’ve been a bartender, so playing around with favors is nothing new.

My motto on margaritas is this: Use only fresh ingreds—no chemicals. No artificial shit. Absolutely none.

Stay away from store-bought margarita mix and stick with fruit.

After you have a margarita with real ingredients, you’ll never go back to fake, chemical crap.

SERVES 2

2 ½ oz/70 ml 100% agave tequila

4 organic limes

2 lemons

Juice of 1 blood orange (If they’re out of season, use 2 tangerines or 1 grapefruit.)

½ packet of Stevia or 1 tbsp/20 g raw organic honey

2 handfuls of ice

2 sprigs of rosemary, for garnish

Optional: Rim your glass only ⅓ of the way with salt, because is it really necessary to rim the entire glass? No.

+ Pour all the ingreds over ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake, shake, shake. Rim your glass with a lime and put salt on ⅓ of the rim. Add ice to a cocktail glass. Pour the margarita contents over the ice in the glass. Garnish with two sprigs of rosemary.

BLOOD ORANGE SKINNY MARGIE-POOS

GETTIN’ FIZZY WITH IT: A KOMBUCHA SPRITZER

Oh hey, probiotics!

Kombucha is so cool.

Many people call it an “immortal health elixir.”

Let me give you the background on this weird, delicious drink. It’s refreshing and loaded with benefits. It’s fermented by a bacteria and yeast culture (that’s what those floaty things are at the bottom). The tea is known to help with digestion, aid with liver function, stimulate the immune system and speed the metabolism. Look for the brands with no added sugar, though (think raw kombucha—no pasteurization, please!).

So why not add a little booze to your kombucha? Check it:

SERVES 1

6 oz/170 ml dry champagne

⅓ cup/80 ml kombucha (<<< filled with probiotics!)

ice

1 lemon

+ Use a wine glass. Pour champs and your favorite flavor kombucha (I’m a fan of the guava) over ice. Add 2 squeezes of lemon and garnish with a lemon wheel. If you want to get all cute and pretty, add a colorful, striped straw!

GETTIN’ FIZZY WITH IT: A KOMBUCHA SPRITZER

THE POM POM LUSH

If you’re a vodka-tonic lover, then get ready to shed a tear, because this info will make you never want to drink tonic again (sorry).

Tonic is filled with sugar. Yes, sugar. And sugar makes you want more sugar. You’re setting yourself up with tonic. It’s not just some clear, harmless liquid. It’s not like soda water.

Again, sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

There’s more.

Studies suggest that tonic is very similar to soda (don’t even get me started on soda; I’d rather drink tar). These studies have also suggested that drinks like soda can cause weight gain and type 2 diabetes.

If you’re heaving a big sigh of relief right now because you drink diet tonic, hold up.

You’re definitely not in the safe zone.

Diet tonic water is sick.

It’s known to increase the risk of strokes, plus it’s filled with artificial sweeteners (that’s what we call not eating clean).

If you’re going to drink alcohol, at least make sure you’re adding the freshest ingreds possible. Don’t add more artificial crap to something that’s already not beneficial to your health (booze).

OK, back to the recipe. This one’s for the vodka lovers. I’ve never been big on the vod.

I mean, essentially it tastes like nothing.

I’d rather have a little bite (hi, tequila!).

This one’s a quick, easy cocktail recipe that actually contains antioxidants: pomegranate seeds (not the concentrated juice, the seeds).

ice

½ lime, squeezed

1 ½ oz/40 ml vodka (my preference: Chopin)

3 oz/80 ml sparkling water

½ handful of pomegranate seeds, mashed