Lemon Ricotta Pancakes.

Last year, I ate at a cute little bunch spot in Santa Barbara called Scarlett Begonia and had the best lemon ricotta pancakes. Since then, I've been trying these pancakes from other brunch spots and I have yet to find one that was as good. Obviously, I can't be going to Santa Barbara every weekend for brunch so I decided to try to make these pancakes on my own. My lemon ricotta pancake recipe was so delicious and I'm very excited to share it with you all!

These are the ingredients I used. I like using Kodiak Cakes pancake mix because it has a hint of honey in it, which just adds a little extra flavor to pancakes. I also like using fresh blueberries rather than frozen, I think it makes the pancakes taste fresher. Most recipes suggest using whole milk ricotta cheese, but let's face it...summer is coming and even though I'm eating pancakes, a girl's gotta cut calories somewhere, so I used low fat ricotta cheese.

When adding the ricotta cheese, the batter will look a little curdled. Do not panic, this is normal! The cheese makes it a little lumpy. It's important to not mix the batter too much to make it smoother.

A griddle is the best way to get the perfect pancake.

Short stack of delicious lemon ricotta pancakes!

Ingredients:

Makes 6 pancakes

• 1 cup of Kodiak Cakes pancake mix
• 1 cup of water
• 1/2 cup of low fat ricotta cheese
• 1 tablespoon of lemon zest 
• 2/3 cup of blueberries

Directions:

1. Mix 1 cup of pancake mix with 1 cup of water.
2. Then, mix in 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese. Do not over mix it. The consistency should be a little lumpy.
3. Wash and fold in the blueberries.
4. Heat a griddle to 325 degrees and butter the griddle. I like using cooking spray instead, but either one works. 
5. Ladle a spoon of the batter onto the griddle. Let it cook until bubbles start forming at the top (about 1 minute).
6. Flip the pancake and let the other side cook for about another 30 seconds. 

Voila!!

Health Conscious Recipes.

Summer is here already! And I have been super behind in getting bikini body ready. But its never too late to start a living a healthier lifestyle with a better diet and exercise.

For someone like me who thrives on deadlines and itemized lists of tasks, I really like to do 30 day challenges, whether its an ab challenge, squat challenge, or arms challenge. I find that they really work if you commit to it.

Eating healthy is a bit more difficult for people because there are A LOT of temptations everywhere. I started cooking up some recipes that are tasty and good for you in order to help me get into shape, and believe me...these aren't your average bland, cardboard tasting meals!

Breakfast
So I started my day with a yogurt granola breakfast.

I use Greek yogurt, honey to sweeten the yogurt a bit, granola with pecans and pralines from Trader Joe's, and fresh strawberries and blueberries. You can easily change up the fruit in it and sweeten it with a little vanilla extract instead of honey.

Lunch
For lunch, I made myself some fish tacos with some fresh toppings.

I used breaded cod fish, which is about 50 calories per piece. After heating that up, I place it onto a corn tortilla and then begin my toppings. First is my special guacamole...


I mash together avocados, tomatoes, and cilantro and season it with salt and pepper. To add a tanginess, I add lemon and mix it all together.

Guacamole ingredients.

Next, instead of using sour cream which is loaded with tons of fat and calories, I use Greek yogurt again and mix it with some chili powder. Lastly, I top it off with fresh corn and romaine lettuce. I also squirt some lime juice on there too. Honestly, so good!

Around 4pm I start getting hungry again and I almost always crave chips. But those aren't very bikini body friendly, duh. So I made kale chips! Don't knock it til you try it...as an avid fan of sour cream and cheddar Ruffles chips, I was surprisingly satisfied with the taste of the kale chips instead of regular potato chips.

They come out super crispy and yummy.

To make the kale chips...

Ingredients:

• 1 head of kale washed and thoroughly dried
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• Sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.
2. Remove the ribs from the kale and cut into 1.5 inch pieces. 
3. Lay on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil and salt. The kale shrinks when its baking so don't use a lot of salt, otherwise its going to be too salty!
4. Bake until crisp, turning the leaves halfway through, about 20 minutes.

Dinner

Finally for dinner, I made garlic rosemary chicken. I made this for my whole family, but obviously to eat healthier, I just ate the chicken breast, not the dark meat. 

To make the marinade:

Mix 3 tablespoons of fresh rosemary, 2 garlic cloves minced, 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 1 lemon zested and juiced, salt and pepper. Pour the mixture on top of the chicken and let it marinate for 3 hours or overnight. You can cook the chicken is a skillet or bake it, but since the weather has been so nice lately I grilled the chicken outside.

Pair it with some arugula with dressing: olive oil, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt and pepper...perfect!

These are just a few health conscious recipes, but I'm definitely trying to create some more to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Happy eating!