Okay so this definitely not a recipe, but it is one of my favourite easy dinner “hacks.” If we are being honest here, it can be really tough to cook a nice meal for yourself after a long day of work. So on those days when I am exhausted and don’t have the energy to cook something nice for myself, this is one of my go-to solutions. 

Amy’s Organic Chili (spicy flavour, obviously) is my favourite vegetarian canned chili. It is low in calories, and has about 15g of protein per cup. Protein is so so so important (<— expect a post soon) and I always make sure I am getting lots of it in every meal I eat. Amy’s Organic Chili also just tastes amazing. Such great comfort food.

Now, here is my Skinny Belle twist. I always love to take something really simple and dress it up a little bit. Here are the things I like to add to my canned chilli:

• 0% unsweetened greek yogurt
• 5 drops tabasco sauce
• Avocado
• Cilantro (not featured in the pics but it is killer)
• Fresh lime juice
• Skinny Belle Lime + Sea Salt Chips

What I do with this chili is when I am heating it, I had a drop or 5 (maybe more, depends on how spicy I am feeling 😉 ) of tabasco sauce into the pot. This adds a nice extra bit of heat to the already flavourful chili. 

To dress it up even more (and add more protein!!) I then add a big generous scoop of 0% unsweetened greek yogurt on top. The greek yogurt is basically like sour cream except it is actually good for you. Win-win if you ask me. On top of the greek yogurt goes the avocado slices. Now squeeze your lime slice on top of everything! Be generous with the lime, it tastes great. Garnish the whole thing with some salt, pepper, and fresh cilantro leaves! Oh and don’t forget about your homemade tortilla chips, get those ready and dig in my friends. 😀

You hungry yet? I know I am. But then again, I am always hungry so what else is new haha. 

What do you guys think of this easy dinner hack? Will you be making this anytime soon? Comment below!

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It is so easy to eat clean and healthy if you buy just a few staple food items. This is why I wanted to share my list of staple breakfast items I always keep in my fridge! When you buy foods like these, you will be able to make nutritious and delicious breakfasts. Many of which I feature here on Skinny Belle! 

Okay, here is the skinny on some staple breakfast items to keep in your fridge:

• 0% greek yogurt
• All-Bran original cereal
• Frozen mixed berries
• Chia seeds
• Unsweetened almond milk
• Whole rolled oatmeal
• Lemons

The above items are things I alwayyyyys keep in my fridge! So necessary. I will be sharing lots of breakfast recipes with you, that will usually (like 99% of the time haha) include one of the above items! So get shopping my friends… your mornings will be that much brighter if you eat a nutritious breakfast. Want to know why? Check out my post on the Top 5 Benefits of Eating Breakfast! Its a good one 🙂

Also, now that you have your grocery list in hand… take a look at these breakfasts that all have one of the above ingredients featured in them. I will go into further detail on the benefits of some of the grocery items above in another post! (Chia seeds, greek yogurt, etc… so stay tuned.)

Recipes to make with my Skinny Belle Breakfast Shopping List:

• Coconut Overnight Oats
• Pumpkin Pie Granola
• Skinny Belle Granola
• Coconut Pear Breakfast Cake

If you haven’t tried the above recipes, definitely do! They are yummy ones 🙂

Hope you liked this Skinny Belle Shopping List, it will make a big difference to your morning breakfast! I will be posting lots more breakfast recipes over the next while, so you guys can get even more ideas of how you can use these awesome ingredients.

Let me know what you think of this shopping list in the comments below! What would you add to it?!

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Mmmmm so creamy, delicious, and satisfying. I am really not a fan of cows milk, it tends to give me a stomach ache and frankly the whole concept just grosses me out. Almond milk is my favourite substitute for regular milk, and in my humble opinion it tastes wayyyyy better. It is also much healthier for you, so win-win! I have happily made the full transition from drinking cows milk to either almond milk or coconut milk. My body feels better, and so does my heart knowing that no poor cow had some awful nipple clamp thingy on it for hours. 🙁

On a happier note…. No almonds were harmed in the making of this drink!! Haha. This icy drink here is one I love to make in the evening before bed. It totally satisfies me and makes me want to cozy up and read a book (or watch a tv show if I am being totally honest… Kardashians anyone?!) What I do is a fill a mason jar (or just any jar with a tight lid that isn’t so hipster) with ice and unsweetened almond milk. Then, I add some cinnamon, nutmeg, and a little bit of allspice. Put the lid on the jar and shake it about! The flavours from the spices mix perfectly with the nutty almond milk, and make an oh-so-yummy evening treat. 

If it is your first time buying almond milk, I would recommend buying Almond Fresh. It is my favourite brand by far! Their unsweetened flavour has just 35 calories per cup. WINNING. <– That makes me so happy haha! A guilt free treat can be the best kind of treat sometimes. After all, I am all about treating yo-self. 😉

Enjoy this little trick of mine!! It is just the best on those nice spring evenings.

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This recipe though. Can’t get enough of it!! It is so rich, buttery, and delicious. This is the shit that I dream about. I kid you not. I dream about food. Is that normal? Probably not… but I mean, there are far worse things in life. 😉

My Cinnamon Pecan Squash is so filling, you can totally enjoy it as a light lunch or dinner just by itself! A great vegetarian option for my veggie friends out there. 🙂

Here’s what’s in it:

• Acorn squash
• Pecans
• Golden sugar
• Cinnamon
• Salt
• Butter

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees celsius. Now take that beautiful acorn squash and cut it in half, removing the seeds with a spoon. Place face down on a buttered baking pan, and bake for 30 mins. While the squash is baking take your pecans (just use as many as you like! I like to add lots and lots of pecans… so I use lots…. lol) and crush them up with a spoon. Combine the pecans, golden sugar, cinnamon, and pinch of salt. 

Once the 30 minutes is up, take the acorn squash out of the oven. Flip em over and lovingly (yes, lovingly. Everything done with butter must be done with love) rub a nice big slab of butter over each piece. Now cover the top of them with all the other ingredients you just combined. Put the squash back in the over for another 20 minutes, face up. And that’s it! 

Okay I know this might seem like it takes a long time, but remember friends… longer recipes = more time to have a glass of wine or 5 while it cooks. 😉 Because that’s how we do around here.

What do you guys think? Will you be making this for dinner? The good news is, if you have leftovers it tastes great cold for lunch the next day. Comment below with your thoughts!

Oh ps… if you like squash you should also try my Skinny Butternut Squash Bowl. 

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Confession: these didn’t even make it to a plate. I literally could not take the two seconds it takes to move them from the baking pan to the plate because I was so excited to eat them. Haha!

If that isn’t proof of how delicious these are, I don’t know what is. My Skinny Belle Balsamic + Goat Cheese Figs are for sure one of the easiest and best appies. They are super quick to make, and the flavours are ridiculously rich. I mean…. would you look at those figs?! So yummy. You really can’t go wrong when you combine all fresh and natural flavours. It just always seems to work out great.

Here are the ingreds:

• Figs (should be very soft)
• Plain goat cheese
• Balsamic reduction (I like this brand)

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees celsius. Cut all your figs in half, and cover them with your balsamic reduction of choice. Put as much goat cheese on top of the balsamic glazed figs as you like (sweet baby jesus… Dying of happiness over here.) Pop those little guys in the oven for about 8 – 10 minutes and you are good to go!

Baking the figs really brings out their flavour, and the result is amazinggggggg. It’s a great appie to make for dinner guests, but if we are being real here there is no way in hell you will want to share these. 

Enjoy, friends 🙂

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I don’t know if you guys understand how hard it is to make post titles. Like, I want to give you the best possible idea of how freaking awesome the recipe is…. this always leads me to trying to list as many ingredients as possible in the post title. If I had my way each post title would look more like “GARLIC PARMESAN FRESH ITALIAN PARSLEY LEMON OLIVE OIL PASTA – SO GOOD YOU NEED TO MAKE IT NOW.” But really that would not fit on anyone’s screen and I would just end up looking like a crazy. Anyways, I just wanted you all to know the struggle is real over here. Very very real.

Alright team. This pasta is killer. Summer is coming and I am all about fresh flavours, and eating as much seafood as possible! This Skinny Belle recipe is soooo easy and the flavour is just unreal.

What’s in it:

• Spaghetti
• Large handful fresh Italian parsley
• 3 garlic cloves
• Frozen shrimp (or fresh if you are ballin like that)
• Lemon juice
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Ground sea salt
• Pepper
• Grated parmesan cheese

Start by boiling a pot of water with a pinch of salt in it. Cook your spaghetti as the instructions say on the package, or until al-dante. Once the pasta is cooked, drain the water and stir in a little olive oil to stop it from sticking together in the pot. Set aside.

Now you need to prep your parsley. Wash it thoroughly then chop it up really fine. Once this is done take a frying pan and cook your shrimp as directed on the packaging. I used pre-cooked shrimp so this only took a few minutes. 

In a separate frying pan heat up a few generous “glugs” of olive oil to medium heat. Add in your parsley and let soften up for a few minutes, then add in about 3 cloves of crushed garlic (or however much you prefer.) Let this simmer together for a few minutes. Now, add your cooked pasta to this mixture. Take your fresh lemon and squeeze it on top! Add your salt and pepper to taste, and finally add the cooked shrimp. Mix this all together and then garnish with fresh parmesan cheese! Anddddd done!!!

SO YUMMY. This is a really big comfort dish to me, and a regular occurrence in my kitchen. What do you guys think?! Will you be making this Skinny Belle recipe? Let me know in the comments below 🙂

Also if you want to try a a different pasta sauce recipe, check out this Skinny Bolognese Sauce recipe. 

x,

This is a major staple food for me. I eat some sort of combination of toast and avocado pretty much every single day. There are probably a million different avo/toast combos I could throw together, but today I practiced my very best self-restraint and kept my shit together and just made one. I was standing there in my kitchen debating making about 10 different avo/toast creations and shooting them all at once but realistically that is a bit much. I mean, I don’t want to come on too strong to you guys or anything. LOL. Ya so anyways, this is one of my fave avo/toast recipes to make.

Here’s the skinny on what is in this glorious stack:

• Silver Hills Bakery’s “Little Big Bread” (so good, you should buy it)
• Avocado
• Roma tomatoes/grape tomatoes
• Lemon juice
• Coarse sea salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• Cilantro

Toast the toast. Put everything else on top. BOOM. That was easy.

Okay so why am I so into avocado? Other than the fact that is tastes delicious and is basically natures version of butter. Here are some of my favourite things about eating avocados: 

1) Healthy fats!!! These are the best. Why? They make your skin glow, increase vitamin and mineral absorption, and help boost your immune system. Another added benefit of eating healthy fats is how they keep you more satisfied and fuller for longer. Happiness!

2) High in fiber! There are about 6 – 7 grams fiber in half of a regular sized avocado. Eating avocado will significantly improve your digestion.

3) Potassium! Avocados have more potassium than bananas. Potassium is known to reduce blood pressure, build muscle, and preserving bone mineral density. Pretty important stuff if you ask me.

If you arnt already hopping in your car to go buy some avocados I am not sure what is wrong with you. Haha! Kiddingggg 🙂 But really, this is such a tasty meal you need to try it. The best thing about toast and avocado? It can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, OR dinner. Amazing, I know. 😉

x,

Today I wanted to show you what most mornings look like for me…. starting with my overnight oats! This is the easiest breakfast to make, mostly because it doesn’t actually involve you making anything in the morning. Winning. 

I have been totally in love with making overnight oats for a while now, mostly because they taste freaking amazing and are super simple to make. This particular recipe is one of my favourites, so it makes an appearance quite often. My Coconut Overnight Oats are a great way to kick-start your day with a clean and healthy breakfast.

What’s in it:

• 1/2 cup whole rolled oats
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• Shaved coconut (unsweetened)
• Cinnamon
• Fresh berries

Okay so before you go to bed, mix together equal parts of your whole rolled oats and your coconut milk in a mason jar (or just any jar with a lid.) You can add more or less coconut milk depending on how thick you like your oatmeal to be! For me, half and half is perfect. Mix in a few teaspoons of dried unsweetened coconut shavings. Add a pinch of cinnamon, and shut the lid on the jar! Shake up the mixture and put it in the fridge overnight.

While you sleep the oatmeal will soak up all the coconut and cinnamon flavour. What you will be left with is a delectable, creamy, rich oatmeal breakfast. I love to eat this cold in the morning, as a nice little wake-up call. And obviously use as many fresh berries as you want for a topping, and add even more shredded coconut on top of the berries! SO GOOD. I want breakfast again now…

Sometimes (okay this is really embarrassing but I am going to tell you anyways lol) I am literally thinking when I go to sleep how damn excited I am for it to be morning so I can eat my breakfast. Yes, that is a thing that happens in my life. Haha! Anyone else do that? Or is it just me… 😛

Anyways, you guys have got to try making this if you have not already! It is fool proof and delicious. What more can a girl ask for?!

Like this skinny breakfast? Check out more Skinny Belle breakfasts by clicking here, here, and here. 

x,

Smoked salmon is such a delicious snack, and a great way to get your protein in! These Smoked Salmon & Dill appies are a great skinny option for either an appetizer or a light snack! They are super easy to make, they look beautiful, and taste amazing.

Today I made two different versions. I made half with goat cheese and the other half with cream cheese. Just really depends what you feel like eating!

Here’s the skinny on what is in these Smoked Salmon & Dill appies:

• Smoked salmon
• Fresh dill
• Goat cheese or cream cheese
• Cucumber

Okay so this is so easy I am not even sure if it counts as a “recipe.” But you guys know me, the simpler the better. It is a tough life being a girl boss, we gotta be efficient! Alight, cut up your cucumbers into nice thick slices. Put your goat cheese or cream cheese on top of each cucumber slice (or do half of them cream cheese half goat cheese…. where my bad bitches at!!) Then, take your smoked salmon and make a little teepee shape on top. S’cute! And finally, put a little bit of that delicious fresh dill on each bite. 

Guys I just crushed all of these and they were freaking awesome. My recommendation? Go to the store and get these ingredients now and have a party for your taste buds. Yes, a taste bud party. (I am officially losing it.) If you like this recipe, check out my other Smoked Salmon Bite recipe too.

x,

The other day someone asked me what my favourite food was. Without even thinking I answered “salted tortilla chips.” Honestly, if I could have them with every single meal of the day I would. There is something so satisfying and delicious about the nice crunch and the saltiness of corn tortilla chips. Oh god I am getting hungry again just thinking about it haha!

To feed my tortilla chip addiction (rehab is not necessary yet…lol I kid I kid) I created my own home made tortilla chips. In addition to my tortilla chip addiction, I also have a lime addiction. For anything that tastes good with limes I tend to add about 6 times the amount of lime that any other normal human would. Why? Because limes taste freaking AWESOME. Given my natural need to be efficient with all things in life, I was quickly lead to combining my two favourite things. Salted tortilla chips + lime = heaven.

And I’m not talking about the Tostitos crap where there is some sort of sketchy green powder all over the chips that someone called “lime.” (Okay those taste really good too but they are so bad for you.) Back to the point here… my Lime & Sea Salt Chip recipe was born. And yes, it really is a simple as it sounds.

Want to make your own chips at home? Here’s the skinny:

• Corn tortillas (usually found near taco making stuff)
• Limes
• Sea salt (coarse)

Turn your oven on to 350. I usually don’t even let it preheat all the way, I just turn it on a minute or so before I want to use it. Next, cut up your corn tortillas into the desired chip size (it’s an art, really 😉 ) Lay out the corn tortilla pieces on a baking sheet. Make sure they are not overlapping each other. Squeeze some lime all over the chips. The more lime, the more flavour. YUM. And lastly, sprinkle salt all over your chips! I like to use really coarse sea salt, but use whatever you like best!

Now toss this in the oven and WATCH IT CLOSELY. I am not kidding here. These go from soft to burnt in like 0.00000005 of a second. At least that has been my experience haha. Watch them in the oven for about 6 – 9 minutes. Do not forget about them!! They will burn. You have been warned.

Once they are just slightly browning on the tips, take the chips out of the oven and let them cool for a second (it will be hard but do your best) and then go ahead and dig in! These Lime & Sea Salt Chips taste great with my Skinny Belle Guacamole for Cheaters or my favourite Pink Hummus. 

Okay now one last thing… why should you bother making your own chips? They are soooo much healthier! They are not deep fried, there are no weird preservatives added to them, and you can just make as many as you want to eat! I don’t know about you guys but if I have a large bag of chips in front of me, it is super hard to not just crush the whole thing lol. So homemade is always better for health reasons, and I find it fun to make them myself too!

Have you ever made your own chips before? Do you have a different way of doing it? I want to know!! Comment below <3

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