Spring Potluck Picnic Recipes

Spring time is here, and we couldn't think of a better way to bring it in than with a Potluck Picnic! The members and friends of Pura Cycling Studio got together over the weekend to share our favorite healthy recipes and celebrate the winners of our 60-Day Body Transformation Challenge at Trout Creek Wilderness Park. The weather was wonderful and of course the company was amazing!

The winners of our challenge were:

Most Body fat % loss: Tatiana

Most Inches Loss: Jessica

Most Body Weight Loss: Christina

A BIG thank you to our local businesses who donated some amazing prizes: Nutrition S’Mart of Wesley Chapel, Massage Envy, Cantina Laredo, and Safety Harbor Resort and Spa! We are so glad you all could join us for this amazing event; we will definitely do more in the future! Here are some of the recipes that were presented at our picnic – as always, if you have more to share, please comment below!

Ingredients

• Cooking Spray
• 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup all natural almond butter or peanut butter
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup or agave nectar (you can also use honey if you’re not vegan)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup vegan (or regular) chocolate chips plus 2 tablespoons
• sea salt, for sprinkling

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray 8×8 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a food processor, add all ingredients except chocolate chips and process until batter is smooth. Fold in 1/3 cup of chocolate chips, I like to use dark chocolate because it has less sugar but it’s up to you. Note: Batter will be thick and super delicious, so you could actually just eat it on it’s own!
3. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan then sprinkle 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips on top. (The batter may stick to your spatula, so I like to spray my spatula with nonstick cooking spray first.) Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean and edges are a tiny bit brown. The batter may look underdone, but you don’t want them to dry out!
4. Cool pan for 20 minutes on wire rack. Sprinkle with sea salt then cut into squares. Makes 16 blondies.

Notes Adding an egg to the batter will make it more cake-like, but not vegan. You can use your favorite nut butter, just make sure it’s all natural. Feel free to add in other things according to your dietary needs like nuts, dried fruit, or other types of chocolate.

Read more at: Ambitious Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 6 Roma Tomatoes
• 1 tub of hummus (any flavor is fine!)
• 1 small container of your favorite tabouleh

Directions:

1. Slice Roma tomatoes in half (lengthwise) and scrape out the insides
2. Spoon a tbsp. of hummus in each half and drop with a dollop of tabouleh.
3. Serve chilled or room temperature

Ingredients

• 1 sweet potato
• 3 eggs (2 whites, 1 whole) whisked
• ¼ cup Virgin Coconut Oil, melted
• ⅓ cup raw honey
• ½ cup Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
• 3 tablespoons Coconut Flour
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Poke holed into the sweet potatoe and put in the microwave on high for 5 minutes, or until soft.
2. Once the sweet potato cooled enough . Peel the skin off, mash it up and put it in a glass bowl to further cool.
3. Preheat the oven to 350F
4. Add the eggs to a bowl and whisk, add melted coconut oil, honey, vanilla and whisked together.
5. Add in sweet potatoes into the wet ingredients after they cooled off a bit.
6. Prepare another bowl with the dry ingredients: coconut flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and cocoa powder.
7. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ones and mix well.
8. Spread the mixture into an 9×13 baking pan
9. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350F.
10. Once they look done, take them out of the oven and let them cool in the pan.

Read more at: Run Fast Mama

Ingredients:

• ½ cup of raw cashews, soaked in warm water for at least 30 minutes (rinse well)
• 1 tablespoon of tahini
• 1 red bell pepper roasted and seeded (I used a jar of salsa instead)
• ¼ cup of nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon of low-sodium soy sauce
• Zest and  juice from ½ lemon
• ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender, add ¼ cup of water and blend well until smooth.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup quinoa
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, chopped
• 1 (20 ounce) package ground turkey
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon water

Directions

1. Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, and the water has been absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute; remove from heat to cool.
4. Stir the turkey, cooked quinoa, onions, tomato paste, hot sauce, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire, egg, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until well combined. The mixture will be very moist. Shape into a loaf on a foil lined baking sheet. Combine the brown sugar, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire, and 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl. Rub the paste over the top of the meatloaf.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 50 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Let the meatloaf cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Read More at All Recipes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups quinoa (dry)
• 1 can kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
• 1 can white beans (rinsed and drained)
• 1 bag edemame (remove from shells)
• 1 ½ cups sweet peppers (red, yellow and orange) diced
• ½ cup craisins
• 2 tbsp. light rasp. Vinegarette (Newman’s own or Bolthouse farms make good ones)
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• ½ tbsp. thyme
• 1 tsp. oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cook quinoa according to directions (no oil necessary).
2. Meanwhile, sauté peppers until lightly browned. Remove from heat and let sit until cooled.
3. Rinse and drain all beans. Important!! Let all indredients cool SEPERATELY in the refrigerator until cool. Once chilled, combine remaining ingredients in a large serving bowl. Refrigerate and let it sit over night for best results. Serve chilled or at room temperature!

CILANTRO, CORN AND BLACK BEAN SALSA

Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) can yellow corn, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can white corn, rinsed and drained
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 bunch finely chopped cilantro
• 5 green onions, finely sliced
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/4 cup lime juice (or more for zestier taste)
• 1 avocado - peeled, pitted, and diced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, or to taste

Directions

1. Stir the yellow and white corn, black beans, tomatoes, cilantro, green onion, red onion, bell pepper, and garlic in a large bowl.
2. Gently mix in the lime juice and avocado. Drizzle with olive oil to serve.

Read More at All Recipes

Ingredients:

• Fat Free Cream cheese
• Sliced Low sodium honey baked ham
• 1 cup Baby arugula
• 1 tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
• ½ tbsp. Parmesan cheese
• 2 Spinach tortillas

Directions:

1. Toss arugula lightly in balsamic vinegar until coated.
2. Roll out tortillas and spread a light layer of cream cheese on the tortillas.
3. Layer ham and arugula then sprinkle with parmesean cheese.
4. Roll up into a wrap and slice into 1-2 inch pinwheels.
5. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Ingredients:

• Grated fresh ginger
• Two fresh cloves of garlic pressed
• Fresh whole package of basil
• Bousari orange ginger seasoning salt
• Black pepper
• Dash of gluten free tamari sauce
• Dash of Worcestershire sause
• 1 and 1/2 cups of fresh pressed pineapple juice.

Directions:

1. Rinse the chicken and pat dry, poke holes with a fork and pour the marinade and chicken into a large ziplock
2. Massage the meat well so the marinade covers all sides and the fresh herbs spread evenly.
3. Let it sit overnight in the refrigerator and cook or grill.