Super Summer Salad
- 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 ;)
Edamame Hummus Dip Super Summer Salad
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1/4 cup shelled edamame beans
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup low or nonfat greek yogurt
salt/pepper to taste
pita chips, pretzels, tortilla chips, or veggies to dip
Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor then set in fridge to chill.
It came out really good and is packed with protein. It's also good as a spread on bagels or a sandwich!!
Ginger Sweet Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
**Taken From Rocco DiSpirito's Now Eat This! Diet
4 cups broccoli florets
¼ cup water
2 cups carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
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
sesame seeds
- Steam broccoli in microwave or boiling water
- Saute carrots in a pan with 1 tsp oil
- In a bigger pan, sauté chicken with the rest of the oil (about 2 mins each side). Add ginger, apricot.
- Add steamed broccoli to the pan and mix together with garlic chili oil.
- Garnish with cilantro and sesame seeds
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 :)
Mmmmm Mahi Tacos
8 oz mahi mahi pieces (fresh or frozen)
Tequila lime marinade, or any seafood marinade that sounds good to you!
1/4 head red cabbage, finely shredded
Avocado, sliced
Tortillas
Lime wedges
Cilantro
Chipotle Sauce:
1 cup low fat plain greek yogurt
1 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt/pepper to taste
3 canned chipotle peppers
- A couple hours before making, put mahi pieces in a zip-lock bag with marinade (make sure to let mahi thaw if bought frozen)
- In a skillet, heat 1 tsp canola oil. Place mahi with marinade in the skillet and let cook; about 4-6 mins on each side
- To make the chipotle sauce, combine yogurt, salt/pepper, cayenne pepper, and about 3 of the canned chipotle peppers in a blender. If you're like me and LOVE spice, add more chipotles until you get the amount of heat you desire :)
- Grill tortillas and add mahi, cabbage, and avocado. Top with chipotle sauce and garnish with limes and cilantro.
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
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees
- Boil 1 cup of water, remove from heat, and add SD tomatoes. Let soak for 5 mins. Remove them from water and finely chop.
- In a mixing bowl, combine feta, arugula/spinach, basil, garlic, olive oil, and chopped SD tomatoes, salt and pepper.
- Once chicken is flattened, take a (sharp!) knife and cut a deep slit in each half (see picture above).
- Divide feta mixture in half and stuff into each chicken breast.
- Drizzle about 1/2 tsp olive oil onto top of each piece of chicken and rub on a dash of salt and pepper.
- Bake chicken in oven for about 20 minutes or until done.
Chicken Posole
1 tbsp canola oil
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 can fire roasted tomatoes (or you can roast them yourself)
2 red bell peppers, diced
16 oz chicken broth
2 cups canned hominy, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
1 jalapeno, minced
1 pasilla chili (or any chili of your choice)
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp oregano
salt/pepper to taste
cabbage and lime for garnish
- place 1/2 chicken in slow cooker
- In a skillet, saute bell peppers, garlic, and onion in oil. About 5 minutes or until soft
- Add saute mixture and the rest of ingredients into slow cooker.
- Set to low and let cook for about 4 hours
I love crock pot recipes because they're easy, delicious and make your house smell amazing while they're cooking. The cabbage and squeeze of lime really complete this dish. Definitely a top comfort food of mine :)
Incredible Quinoa Salad
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
3 springs minced parsley
1/2 cup garbanzo beans (i used canned)
3/4 cup chopped baby spinach.
feta cheese (to sprinkle on top)
chili flakes (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
Dressing:
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. You can use the dressing I have above or any dressing of your choice.
This salad has tons of protein from the garbanzo beans, feta, and quinoa (14 grams protein per 1 cup, uncooked). Its also versatile, feel free to add other veggies and/or beans to make it your own!
Butternut Squash and Couscous Salad
½ butternut squash, cut into ½ inch cubes
1 tbsp olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt, pepper, and thyme to taste
½ cup whole wheat couscous
¼ cup raisins
3 tbsp slivered almonds
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Coat butternut squash with olive oil, minced garlic, salt, pepper, and thyme. Spread on a cooking sheet and roast in oven for about 20 mins.
Boil 1 ½ cup water. Pour boiling water into a small bowl and add couscous. Place lid or plate over bowl for 10 mins. so couscous can absorb cook. Place the raisins in the remaining hot water for a few minutes; drain raisins.
Add squash and blanched raisins, and almond slivers to cooked couscous. Eat right away or enjoy it chilled. Either way is delicious!!
Spinach Bruschetta
This recipe was invented one night when I wanted a crunchy, cheesy side to my pasta dish. A hybrid between a mini pizza and bruschetta, this tasty recipe doesn't break the caloric bank. Also, the spinach is packed with nutrients and the whole wheat sourdough has more fiber than regular bread.
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup frozen shredded spinach
4 slices Whole Wheat Sourdough bread (found it at Trader Joe's)
2 slices of provolone cheese, cut in half
Pinch of each: salt, pepper, chili flakes
Saute red onions with 1 tbsp of olive oil in small pan.
Meanwhile, boil frozen spinach in 1 cup of water for 5-6 minutes. drain spinach and place in a bowl. Once onions have softened, remove from heat and add to the spinach. Add a pinch of salt, pepper, and chili flakes.
Toast the sourdough then lay 1/2 slice of provolone on each slice. Top the slices with the spinach mixture and broil on high for a few minutes or until cheese has melted.
Weekend Detox Dinner
Ok, like most people I eat healthy throughout the week, but once the weekend comes, it all goes out the door. I blame this problem on friends, date night, drinking, and I guess just having a good social life haha. So Sunday nights I like to cook a “weekend de-tox dinner”; a healthy, nutrient dense dinner that gets me back on track for the week ahead…This week I made cous-cous with grilled chicken and summer squash and it came out pretty good. Match this with a a quick Sunday night workout and you’ll wake up ready to tackle the work week.
Grilled Chicken Breast- grill with lemon juice, salt, pepper, and minced garlic (about 5 minutes each side)
Cous-cous with Carrots and Raisins- bring about ¼ cup red onion with ¾ cup of low sodium chicken broth to a boil. Add 1/3 cup finely shredded carrots and let simmer for 5-8 mins. Add ½ cup cous cous and bring to a boil again. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 10 mins. Stir in ¼ cup raisins and fresh chopped cilantro (optional). Fluff cous-cous with a fork and serve.
Grilled Summer Squash- cut one squash into circles and coat with 1 tbsp virgin olive oil. Add a dash of salt, pepper, and lemon pepper. Place on grill or cooking sheet and bake for about 10-15 mins.
**Nutritional Bonuses: Whole grains, lean protein, beta carotene, manganese, vitamin c, fiber, vitamin A, and antioxidants
