Snack Smoothie

I decided to blog this smoothie recipe that I got from the work out guru, Kayla Itsnes, to make sure I don't lose the recipe on social media somewhere and now I can find it whenever I need to look it up.  This smoothie is great for a healthy snack or for breakfast.  

Snack Smoothie:

1/2 cup almond milk

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1 cup frozen mixed berries

1 tsp. raw honey

Put all the ingredients in a blender and pulse until completely mixed. Since I had it for breakfast I added a whole grain English muffin with natural peanut butter and raisins.  This way I consumed protein and a grain to account for the day.  Simply Delicious.

A Healthy Creation

I was making my family spaghetti tonight and I wasn't feeling it.  I didn't make anything special for them.  I have my mom's delicious recipe for sauce that cooks all day but tonight was sauce from a jar with some hamburger and mushrooms added in.  But like I said, I wasn't feeling it tonight.  So I thought about what I wanted to create and luckily it ended up amazing!  Not sure what to call it so as of right now I will just call it:

A Healthy Creation:

2-4 Roma tomatoes 

(I used 4 and it made enough for two meals or for two people)

1 cup vegetable stock or broth

1 carrot diced

1/3 cup chopped purple onion

1/4 yellow pepper

1/4 orange pepper

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. ground coriander

1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

large handful fresh spinach chopped

large handful fresh kale, rib removed

3-4 mushrooms chopped

1 medium zucchini sliced lengthwise

2 large eggs per person

 

 

Chop the tomatoes and add them to a saucepan with the vegetable stock and bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer until tomatoes start to break down and become cooked through.

 

While the tomatoes are cooking heat some olive oil in a skillet on medium heat.  Add the carrots, onion and peppers. Combine the spices and add to the vegetables.  Cook until carrots become tender.

 

Once the carrots are tender, add the vegetables to the tomatoes and add the chopped spinach, kale and mushrooms. Continue to cook the vegetable reduction while cooking the zucchini and eggs.

  

I forgot to take pictures of the zucchini but it's super simple.  Heat some olive oil in a pan on medium heat.  Add the zucchini when the pan is hot and cook them until they have some color on each side.  What you would consider a little over-done.  After the zucchini is done place it in a dish creating a layer for the next ingredients.  

When I made the eggs I cooked them as an open omelet.  I wanted the circular shape to make sure it covered the layer of zucchini and also made a flat top to add the vegetable reduction.

This was absolutely delicious and would also be great served at a brunch.  I hope you enjoy my simple creation! Simply Delicious.

 

 

Cajun Chicken with Spiced Quinoa

This is a recipe that I saw posted by Kayla Itsines and her 12 week workout program.  I decided to make it tonight for my sister-in-law and we both loved it!  You can definitely make them separately but they went together perfectly.

Cajun Chicken:

2 tsp cajun seasoning

2 limes juiced

1 tbs. coriander chopped (I didn't put this in but will next time)

1 large chicken breast

1 tsp coconut oil

Spiced Quinoa:

1/2 cup quinoa

1 cup low sodium chicken or vegetable broth

2 tsp coconut oil

1/2 small red onion diced

1 carrot diced

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1 tbs chopped parsley

1 tbs lemon juice

*Side Note:  Pictured in the ingredients is coconut oil but I made the meal with olive oil due to an allergy to coconut.

 

 

Rinse the quinoa really well with cold water.  This is kind of tricky if you don't have a mesh strainer.  I use a measuring cup and then scoop the quinoa out with my hand.  Yes, it's kind of a pain.

 

Put the quinoa in a saucepan with the stock.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer until the quinoa is tender, about 15-20 minutes.  After it's cooked remove from heat and set aside covered.

 

Mix the seasoning, lime juice and coriander in a bowl.  Place chicken breast in the mixture for 5 minutes to marinate.  I did two chicken breasts with this amount so plan accordingly for however many breasts you're going to prepare.

 

I broiled the chicken on high and kept an eye on it.  The time will vary depending on the size of the chicken.

 

Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the vegetables and spices for the quinoa.  Cook until the carrot has softened. 

 

 Add the vegetable mixture to the quinoa and stir in the parsley and lemon juice.  Season with salt and pepper.

 

The Cajun seasoning adds a great taste to the chicken without being too overpowering and the quinoa has the best flavoring with the spices that are added.  This will definitely be a meal I make more often!  I also paired it with some asparagus and a platter of fresh fruit.  Simply Delicious.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Asian Lettuce Wraps

It was time today to put together my lunch meal prep for this week at work and decided to try a new recipe.  I made a minor adjustment from ground beef to chicken BUT remember you can always use whatever protein you want.

Asian Lettuce Wraps:

2 medium carrots, thinly sliced, or 3/4 cup shredded

 (it only took me one to shred for that amount)

2 heads Boston lettuce

1 tbsp canola oil

1 pkg (8 oz) sliced mushrooms

1 sweet yellow pepper, cored, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 1/4 ground chicken (or protein of choice)

 pkg (8.8 oz) fully cooked brown rice

1 large egg

3 scallions, sliced

3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

3 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp toasted sesame oil (I didn't have it on hand so I used peanut oil)

1 tsp ground ginger

 

 

First thing you want to do is start the brown rice.  Cook it according to the package directions.  When there was about 20 minutes left I started the rest of the steps. Also when the rice is cooking this is a good time to start prepping the vegetables you are going to use.

 

In a skillet add your carrot and 1/4 cup water over medium-high heat, covered, and cook for 4 minutes.

 

Next, stir in the canola oil and add the mushrooms and sweet peppers. Cook 2 minutes. I also covered the skillet for this step.

 

Next, add the ground chicken, or other protein, and cook until meat is cooked all the through.

 

After the meat is cooked through, add the brown rice and cook for 2 minutes.

 

Lightly beat egg; push skillet contents to one side of the pan.  Add egg to skillet and scramble.

 

Stir in scallions, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, (peanut) or sesame oil and ginger. I think you can omit the sugar.  I didn't use the whole amount.  It helps to counteract the vinegar.

 

Stir the mixture all together and remove from heat.  Make sure to wash the lettuce leaves and pat dry.  Add about 1/3 cup mixture to center of a lettuce leaf and wrap it up. So delicious and healthy. Simply Delicious.

 

 

 

 

No-Bake Java Chip Date Balls

I bought a bunch of dates the other day and realized I didn't know what to do with them.  So I contacted my friend who is a health genius and she sent me a few different recipes to try using dates.  Well this one blew me away!  So incredibly delicious and easy.

No-Bake Java Chip Date Balls:

1 cup raw cashews

2 tablespoons quality coffee beans

1 cup packed dates pitted

1/4 cup dark chocolate

 

 

So I started by using my dough bowl with my Ninja but it wasn't cutting it, so I switched to my single serve Ninja cup and it worked really well.  Put in the cashews and the coffee beans and grind up.  My beans were already ground so I did the cashews and then added about 2 tablespoons of the ground coffee. (The picture below is before I switched to the single serve Ninja cup.  The nuts went to a finer texture than pictured)

 

After the coffee and cashews are ground up add in the dates.  I chunked up the dates before adding them.

 

After the dates get chopped up, and it starts to create a dough like texture, empty the mixture into a bowl and add in the 1/4 cup dark chocolate.  I also chopped up the chocolate in my Ninja so the consistency would match the nuts.

 

Stir it together until mixed really well and them form into balls.  I made mine about 2 teaspoons in size.  Then store in a container in the fridge. Simply Delicious.

 

 

 

Overnight Oats

If you doing any sort of meal prep, want a yummy healthy breakfast, or always seem to be in a hurry in the morning let me suggest making Overnight Oats.  I know the recipe has circulated around social media but I thought I would blog it and make it more accessible.

Overnight Oats:

1 tbs chia seeds

1/3 cup rolled oats

3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 tsp raw honey

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbs chopped pecans

Mixed berries to top

Shredded coconut to top

These ingredients are the ones used from the recipe I took it from but remember there's lots of variations on what to add or take out.  Skip the nuts if you don't like them or have an allergy, or like I did and substitute different types of nuts.  I used:

1 tbs chopped almonds

1 tbs chopped pistachios

Also the topping can be just about any fruit you want and there are so many variations that you can do. And when adding the milk you can use the milk of your choice.  The healthy choice is almond but others would make it equally delicious!

 

I mixed the dry ingredients (chia, almonds, pistahios and oats) in a bowl first

 

Then I added in the wet ingredients and mixed it all together.  If you are using a bowl, cover it in saran wrap and put in the fridge.  If you are using a jar, place the lid back on top.  Store in the fridge overnight.  In the morning, uncover and stir.

For my topping I thawed 4 frozen strawberries that I then smashed with a fork until it made a puree, I thawed about a 1/4 cup of frozen blueberries, sliced about a 1/4 fresh nectarine and sprinkled some unsweetened coconut on top.  Super easy and healthy.  Be creative with your toppings and add a bunch of colors. Simply Delicious.

 

Kale and Quinoa Minestrone

I was given this recipe by a close friend when a third party was asking me what kind of kale recipes I have.  Other than using kale in smoothies and kale chips I don't have any recipes that I love with kale.  So I chimed into my friend and she sent this amazing soup recipe.  I may have a new favorite soup to make on a cold day like today.  So many yummy fresh ingredients and the ingredients can be switched out for what you have on hand.

Kale and Quinoa Minestrone:

1 medium yellow onion chopped

2 stalks celery diced

3 medium carrots diced

2 tbsp olive oil

2 small zucchini diced

2 cups fresh green beans cut into 1 inch segments

1 red bell pepper diced

1 (32 oz) carton unsalted or low-sodium vegetable broth

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes

3 cups water

3 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp dried rosemary crushed

3/4 tsp dried thyme

1 1/2 tsp granulated sugar

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

3/4 cup dry quinoa

2 chicken breast cooked and chopped (omit for vegetarian)

1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 oz)  can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

2 (heaping) cups chopped fresh kale, thick ribs removed

1 tbsp lemon juice

 

Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat.  Add diced onion, carrots and celery and saute about 5 minutes, until softened.

 

Add in zucchini, green beans , red bell pepper and saute 3 minutes.

 

Add in vegetable broth, crushed tomatoes, water, parsley, rosemary, thyme, granulated sugar, season with salt and pepper to taste and bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and allow soup to gently boil, uncovered for about 20 minutes.

 

Add in dry quinoa then cover and cook 15-20 minutes longer.  This is where I also added in two chicken breasts that are already cooked and cut into chunks.

 

Then add cannellini beans, garbanzo beans, kale and lemon juice and cook, uncovered, until kale has wilted, about 5 minutes.

 

Such a great way to eat lots of vegetables and include kale into your diet.  This was the first time I have made it and the whole family liked it.  The vegetables can also be substituted for other ones or add other one's of your choice.  Leave the chicken out to make it vegetarian but if you don't mind the chicken I suggest adding it.  It was a great addition to the soup.  Simply Delicious.