Tomatillo Salsa

This salsa took me less than 5 minutes to make and came out delicious! It's great on so many things but  I could seriously just eat it like soup :) 

½ bunch Cilantro

1 Serrano chile

1/4 cup water

5-6 medium tomatillos

½ tomato

1 clove minced garlic

Juice of 2 limes

Salt (to taste)

Combine all ingredients in blender (Adjust amount of water for desired thickness)

A taste of Summer

I had to share this beautiful and delicious summer salad I created for lunch the other day. While eating this, it made me really excited for summer and all the BARBEQUING to come :).  Take this salad for lunch or as a side dish to any summer party you're attending. (No one has to know it only takes about 10 minute to make!)

• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained
• 1 cup sliced mini sweet peppers
• 1/2 avocado, cubed
• 1 tomato, julienne
• 2 tbsp honey mustard
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• crushed red peppers (This little kick of spice makes all the difference!)

Combine the garbs, sweet peppers, tomatoes, and avocado in a bowl.  Make the dressing by whisking together the mustard, vinegar, and canola oil.  Toss dressing into bowl with other ingredients.  Mix in salt, pepper, and crushed red peppers to taste. 

This little salad has everything your taste buds crave: salty, sweet, and lots of amazing textures...and of course it's healthy too ;)

On the News!

Hey Everyone!
As usual, I have been busy with work and studying for the GRE.   I want to score well on the test but studying for the math section has been really discouraging :/.  Every time I take a practice test, I get most of them wrong...If anyone has helpful tips please, please let me know!!

On a WAY MORE exciting note, thanks to my roomie Mal, I was able to appear on KCRA Channel 58 Morning News :)  The segment was done by California Family Fitness' "Workout Wednesday".
(Click the link above to watch)

I was pretty nervous but it was sooo much fun!

Pizzzzza Cake

It has been raining for 4 days straight:( Totally not motivating me to do much...

Yesterday I had a great workout at the gym.  I did about 4 miles on the treadmill incorporating lots of intervals and inclines.  Afterwards I did some crunches and 3 sets of squats.  By the time I got home, I was starving!! All this rain definitely makes me crave comfort food and one thing came to mind: PIZZZA!  Not wanting to ruin the great workout I just had, I decided to experiment by making a healthier version.  In less than 10 minutes I was sitting down to a delicious lunch!  It really was a piece of cake...er...pizza (;

Pizzzza Cake

Set Oven to broil on high

Lightly spray a baking sheet (I used my cast iron skillet) and lay down tortilla

Spread sauce over tortilla then cover with spinach/arugula

Sprinkle the rest of the toppings except tomatoes; put the cheese on last.

Place pan on the top rack of the oven for 5- mins or until outside of tortilla is browned and cheese in melted.

Once out of the oven, lay sliced tomatoes on top

Enjoy!!!

  This was such a great lunch and waaaay lower in calories than traditional pizza.  I loaded it with sauce and spinach and went easy on the cheese and it still satisfied my pizza craving.  The tortilla came out crispy and grilled so it was exactly like eating a thin crust pizza.  Also, it only took a couple minutes to throw together and broil in the oven.  A perfect post-workout lunch :D

That's a Wrap!

Just when I thought our Monday night dinners couldn't get any tastier, me and my roomie hit the nail straight on the head with our delicious southwestern turkey lettuce wraps.  This low carb dinner was nutritious, delicious, and filling.  As you can see by the picture, they also looked beautiful!

Photo strategically taken by Mallory

1 lb lean ground turkey
1/2 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup frozen corn
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp canola oil
1 can fire roasted tomato sauce
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 water
1 tsp chili flakes
1Tbsp apple cider vinegar
Salt, to taste

1 head butter leaf lettuce
Sliced avocado
Tortilla strips
1bunch green onions, thinly sliced

1. Sauté onions garlic bell pepper and corn in oil

2. Add salt, all the spices, and ground turkey. Cook until turkey is browned

3. Add tomato sauce water and cider vinegar. Bring to a simmer then set to low heat for 5 minutes.

4. Place mixture on lettuce and top with tortilla strips, avocado, and green onion. Add cheese, salsa, and low fat sour cream for extra flavor. Garnish with lime wedges

 

Dessert was also a winner. Fresh strawberries over a slice of angel food cake.  We topped that with some melted semi-sweet chocolate chips and a pinch of coconut. Sooo tasty! 

 

Thank you Rocco!

Monday night dinners are becoming a weekly ritual with my roomie Mallory.  We have been dedicated to trying a new recipe each time, and it's been really fun! This week we got several good ideas out of Rocco Dispirito's Now Eat This! diet plan and cookbook.  His recipes all look so wonderful and he finds ways to cut unhealthy fats out of traditional dishes.  From appetizers to desserts, all the recipes look sooo yummy and are super easy to prepare.  

This week we flipped through the pages several times and finally decided on his Ginger Sweet chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry.

 4 cups broccoli florets

¼ cup water

2 tsp canola oil

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast

Salt/pepper

1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced

¼ cup apricot preserves

¼ cup low sodium soy sauce

2 tbsp fresh cilantro

½ tsp garlic chili sauce

2 cups cooked brown rice

1. Steam broccoli in microwave or boiling water
2. Sauté chicken in pan with oil (about 2 mins each side).  Add ginger, apricot  
3. Add steamed broccoli to the pan and mix together with garlic chili oil. 
4. Garnish with cilantro

This beautiful dish contains only about 298 calories per serving with only 6 grams of fat!

We also added sliced carrots and sesame seeds for extra color and texture.

Nutritional Bonuses: 

Pretty much everything about this recipe has nutritional benefits. The brown rice and broccoli make this a fiber-rich recipe, the chicken is a great source of lean protein, and the ginger helps keep your GI tract regular :)

Once again, Thank you Rocco!!

Power Packed Recipes

My only day off this week was spent relaxing, studying for the GRE, and whipping up some yummy recipes!  I really wanted to focus on adding extra protein to breakfast and lunch….

Nutty Breakfast Bars:

I got the idea from a great recipe for “Breakfast Buzz Bars” in the January-March 2012 Raley’s Something Extra Magazine.  You can find the recipe here (page27), or follow my slight modifications below:

1 Tbsp butter

¼ cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp fat free milk (or soy milk, almond milk)

¼ cup almond butter

¼ cup peanut butter (I used chunky)

3 cups fiber packed cereal (bran flakes, bunches of oats, cheerios, or Kashi cereals are just a few ideas)

2 tbsp finely ground coffee of your choice

½ tsp cinnamon

Chopped pecans or almonds

Melt butter in a small saucepan.  Stir in brown sugar and milk.  Add nut butters, coffee, and cinnamon and stir until mixed through evenly

In a large mixing bowl, add cereal.  Immediately add nut butter mixture and mix with hands.

Spread mixture into a non stick square cake pan or into individual muffin pan molds.  Use plastic wrap to press firmly into mold.   

Sprinkle top with chopped nuts.

 

Place in refrigerator for a few hours

Enjoy a protein packed, coffee infused breakfast bar :)

*** Visit MY INNER CHEF page to see more healthy & delicious recipes I've tried out so far!

Insta-Chicken that's Picture Worthy...

My roommate and I have been experimenting with lots of yummy dinners and last night was definitely a proud moment!  We decided on chicken breast stuffed with a delicious feta mixture.  It turned out amazing!  I could say more but I'll let instagram tell the rest...

(Picture thoughtfully taken by my roomie Mallory)

No kidding, this took us less than 30 mins from start to finish...we added a side of grilled zucchini and squash for some extra veggies :)


Insta-Chicken:

2 boneless, skinless, halved chicken breasts, flattened with a mallet (I used my cast iron skillet! haha)
1/2 cup feta cheese
2 cups arugula and spinach
1 small bunch fresh basil, julienne
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1tbsp olive oil
4 to 5 sun dried tomatoes, re-hydrated
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Boil 1 cup of water, remove from heat, and add SD tomatoes.  Let soak for 5 mins.  Remove  them from water and finely chop.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine feta, arugula/spinach, basil, garlic, olive oil, and chopped SD tomatoes, salt and pepper.
4. Once chicken is flattened, take a (sharp!) knife and cut a deep slit in each half (see picture above).
5. Divide feta mixture in half and stuff into each chicken breast.
6. Drizzle about 1/2 tsp olive oil onto top of each piece of chicken and rub on a dash of salt and pepper.
7. Bake chicken in oven for about 20 minutes or until done.

That's really it!! It comes out looking fancy and beautiful.  It is a "nutritious and delicious" dinner that will have any guest ooo-ing and awww-ing (They don't have to know how easy it was ;))

After dinner we satisfied our chocolate craving with Zico's NEW Chocolate Coconut Water.  THIS STUFF IS AMAZING!  It tastes exactly like chocolate milk but only has 110 calories per bottle and as much potassium as 1 banana. It seriously tastes better than any soy, almond, or regular choco milk out. there  I think I'm in love :)