Top 5 Healthy Mother’s Day Recipes

Chef Kenzie LOVES experimenting with unique ways to transform our original Always Hungry? And Always Delicious recipes into brand new tasty meals… In honor of Mother’s Day, Chef Kenzie has brought together 5 healthy Mother’s Day meals including: one side dish, one entrée, one appetizer, one breakfast, and one dessert… 

Side Dish: Mini Cheese Stuffed Savory Waffle “Muffins”

1. Mix together all ingredients listed in our Grain Free Waffle recipe, except for the fruit sauce (page 223 of Always Hungry?). OPTIONAL: If you like spice, you may add 1 tsp of chili powder to the batter OR 1-2 chopped jalapeno peppers (without seeds is less spicy, with seeds is more spicy). 
2. Preheat your oven to 350°F and lightly grease mini muffin tins. – or use silicone muffin tins for easier clean up. 
3. Divide the waffle batter evenly into your mini muffin tins (will make approximately 35-40 mini muffins, depending on the specific size of your muffin tins). 
4. Press about a teaspoon of your favorite cheese into the center of each muffin. Our favorites are: goat cheese, cheddar cheese, and mozzarella.
5. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the batter is cooked through (test by poking a wooden skewer into the muffins just off-center – of course, the cheese will be melty, but the batter should be fully cooked through). 
6. Let cool for 5 minutes and enjoy! 

Entrée: Pesto Fish (or chicken) Pasta

1. (Makes 4 servings) Start with preparing our Pesto Baked Fish recipe on Page 143 of Always Delicious. If you prefer, you can substitute the white fish for equal amounts of chicken breast.
2. While the fish (or chicken) is baking, cook 8 ounces (2 oz per person) of chickpea pasta in lightly salted water. The pasta should yield about ⅔ cup cooked pasta per serving (or, whatever amount your brand states is equivalent to approximately 35 grams of carbohydrates). 
3. Toss the pasta in an additional ¾ cup of the Basil Walnut Pesto (page 297 of Always Delicious). 
4. Serve each person ¾ cup of the pesto pasta and 4-5 oz of the chicken/fish.
5. Add a side salad of plenty of fresh vegetables topped with 1 tbsp of our Lemon Olive Oil Dressing (page 269 of Always Hungry?) OR another dressing of your choice from our books (use an amount equivalent to about 7-10 grams of fat for Phase 1 ratios).

Appetizer: Meatball Mozza Skewers

1. Follow the recipe for our Meatballs on page 149 of Always Delicious. 
2. Once the meatballs are cooked, place them on a skewer. Alternate this pattern: one meatball, one cherry tomato, one mozzarella ball (and repeat until the skewer is filled). 
3. OPTIONAL: Serve the skewers with Basil Walnut Pesto (page 297 of Always Delicious), Tzatziki (page 304 of Always Delicious) or a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. 

Breakfast: Strawberry, Coconut, and Pistachio Chia Seed Pudding 

1. Follow the recipe for our On-the-Go Breakfast Parfait on page 107 of Always Delicious with the following adaptations.
   1. Swap the ¼ cup half and half with ¼ cup canned coconut milk (optional)
   2. Swap lemon zest with ¼ tsp of vanilla (or, to your taste)
   3. Add ½ tsp cinnamon to the cottage cheese/chia mixture
   4. For the fruit sauce – use ¾ cup frozen chopped strawberries
   5. Replace the cashews with 1 tbsp unsweetened coconut and 2 tbsp toasted pistachios

Dessert: Wine Poached Pears WITH Cashew Cream

1. Follow the recipe for our wine poached pears on page 325 of Always Delicious.
2. While the pears are boiling, prepare our Cashew Crème recipe on page 323 of Always Delicious. 
3. Serve one poached pear with a generous dollop of the cashew cream for a decadent restaurant-worthy dessert!

What will you be serving for Mother’s Day this year?? Let us know in the comments below!