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healthy

Tasty

Taylor’s Tomato Salad

July 23, 2014

TomatoBasilSalad

I’m always looking for easy, healthy meal options (even better if I like them enough for leftovers the next day) and this salad fits the bill.  My sister whipped it up for lunch one day and now I make sure to have it a couple times a week for dinner (and a couple lunches)… it’s SO GOOD.

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Salad:

  • 1 head of red leaf/butter lettuce (hand torn is best)
  • 1 ear of fresh corn (corn cut from core, not cooked)
  • 1-2 heirloom tomatoes or 1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes (chopped)
  • 1 avocado (diced)
  • 10-15 basil leaves (sliced into strips)
Dressing:
  • 1 small shallot (minced)
  • ~1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup good olive oil
  • Salt/pepper
  1. Make the dressing by combing shallot, Dijon, red wine vinegar and salt in a jar. Shake until well combined and drizzle in olive oil and mix until combined.
  2. Combine salad ingredients – if you aren’t enjoying it right away, put basil aside and put it atop your salad right before
  3. Toss with dressing and enjoy!

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This would also be great with grilled chicken breast for a dinner salad!

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Tasty

Chipotle Chicken with Avocado Salsa

July 21, 2014

Chipotle Chicken

I love the foodie blog – How Sweet It Is… the majority of my recipe pins are from her site and I honestly have never been disappointed with her creations.  When I came across her Honey Chipotle Chicken Bowls, I knew I HAD to give them a try.   While the original is DELICIOUS, I wanted to put my own spin on it… so here is what I did:

Qunioa Tower

 

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Chipotle Chicken with Avocado Salsa

Chicken:

  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons adobo sauce (from a can of chipotles in adobo)
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon honey mustard
  • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
  • 1 large handful of fresh chopped cilantro
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  1. Salt and pepper chicken and transfer to a Ziplock bag or baking dish.
  2. Combine remaining ingredients (oil, adobo sauce, honey, mustards, cilantro and garlic) in a jar and shake until mixed.
  3. Pour over chicken and let marinate in the fridge for at least 2-12 hours.
  4. Preheat oven to 425.
  5. Transfer chicken to a baking dish (if you haven’t already) and let chicken sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes or so.
  6. Bake chicken for 20 minutes, then flip chicken breasts and bake for 20 more minutes.
  7. Top with salsa and serve with lime quinoa.

*I love to prep the chicken in the morning and let marinate for the day, for an easy dinner to whip up dinner!

Cilantro Chipotle Chicken

Salsa:

  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2 avocados, diced
  • 4 green onions, sliced
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, leaves torn from stem
  • 2 limes, juiced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  1. Combine tomatoes, avocado, green onion and cilantro in a bowl.
  2. Add lime juice, olive oil and honey to a jar and shake until combined.
  3. Pour over salsa and toss before serving.

*I make the salsa ahead of time (and depending on how early just let sit out at room temperature) and toss with the dressing 30 minutes before serving.

Lime Honey Dressing

Quinoa:

  • 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • zest of 1 lime
  • juice of 1 lime
  1. Rinse quinoa and combine with chicken stock in a medium sized saucepan.
  2. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to low, cover and let simmer for 15 minutes.
  3. Make sure most of the liquid has evaporated and then stir in coconut oil, lime juice and lime zest.

Qunioa Tower

Domestic

El Mercado

June 25, 2014

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I recently was introduced to a website – Quirky, which provides products designed by real people (like you and me)!  When I was asked to do some product reviews, I was excited to see the impressive list of items they have available for purchase  – like Tether, Mocubo and Silo!

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Due to my obsession with farmer’s markets, I thought it best to test drive the Mercado.  This multi-compartment farmers market tote, was an answer to all my farmer’s market haul troubles.

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Thanks to various pockets, loops and transparent compartments I was able to get my loot home undamaged and was also able to keep tabs on what I had purchased so far… Usually I bring a giant Costco worthy shopping bag to a farmers market and between delicate peaches, lettuce leaves and that watermelon I just HAD to have, something is bound to get smashed, bruised or just buried alive in there… plus I constantly am having to sort through my bag to see what I still need!  With the Mercado, the sheer compartments allow you to see inside the bag, and there were enough sections to hold lettuce, herbs, stone fruit, packages of raspberries, freshly squeezed juice and all of my gear from my Barre3 class I had just come from!

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Between the adjustable strap (you can go shorter for over the shoulder or longer for a cross-body bag) and the assortment of compartments (4 small, 2 medium and 1 large, plus 2 outside pockets) make this for the perfect bag for weekend activities, or to store in you car for grocery store runs.

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My only issue was that, I probably could have used some more room (I’m a chronic over buyer), so hopefully one day this will be available in various sizes… maybe even different colors/fabrics?  Long story short – this bag held A LOT of stuff, and did not feel that heavy, plus all of my groceries made it home in their original condition… yay!

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To get your own Mercado bag click here – and shop their entire line-up of amazing products click here!

Walking Away

Tasty

Soba Noodle Bowl

June 11, 2014

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I’m going through a “bowl” phase… the idea of grains, veggies and a protein all touching and mixed together may terrify my 5 year old self, but now I can’t get enough – one dish to clean? Sign me up!

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Amazing Soba Bowl

  • Soba Noodles
  • 1 bell pepper, sliced into matchsticks
  • 2 carrots, peeled into ribbons
  • 1/2 a bag of edamame, cooked
  • 1/4 of a head of purple cabbage
  • 4 leaves of kale, de-stemmed, cut into ribbons
  • 1-2 bunch of green onions, chopped
  • Large handful of cilantro

Dressing

  • 1 1-inch piece of fresh peeled ginger, grated
  • 3 tablespoons oil
  • 3 tablespoons lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons agave nectar
  • 1½ tablespoons white miso
  • ½ teaspoon minced garlic
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  1. Cook soba noodles and be sure to rinse them with cold water after draining them to stop them from cooking further.
  2. Top them with prepped veggies.
  3. Make dressing of your choice (I used the one above) and stir until well combined
  4. Drizzle with Sriracha and lime juice if you like.

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The joy is, you can mix and match to your heart’s delight… just find a dressing that fits your mood and get creative! Here are some of the “usual suspects” in my rotation (don’t forget that preparation variations make for even MORE combinations – hard-boiled/fried/poached eggs, shredded/grilled/roasted chicken, etc.):

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Dressings are key to making this all come together… if your ingredients are bold enough, perhaps you can go the oil and vinegar route, but if you want to mix it up, here are some of my favorites:

  • Coconut Peanut Sauce
    • 1/2 cup light coconut milk
    • 1/4 cup natural peanut butter
    • 2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
    • 1 tablespoon lime juice
    • splash of agave
  • Mustard Vinaigrette
    • 1/3 cup olive oil
    • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
    • pinch of sugar
  • Shallot Dijon Vinaigrette
    • 3 tablespoons finely diced shallots
    • 1 tablespoon honey
    • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
    • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
    • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • Cilantro Balsamic Dressing
    • 2 cloves garlic
    • 1/2 cup cilantro
    • 1/4 balsamic vinegar
    • 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
    • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
    • 1 cup olive oil
    • juice of half a lemon
  • Sesame Ginger Dressing
    • 2 tablespoons low sodium tamari sauce
    • 2 tablespoons water
    • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
    • 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
    • 1/4 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
    • 1 clove garlic, minced
    • 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

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Tasty

GF Blondies with Sea Salt

June 4, 2014

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I am a big fan of Ambitious Kitchen and she constantly posts amazing baked goods with a “healthy” twist. Since completing the Barre3 Spring Challenge, I’ve wanted to continue healthy eating habits (low gluten, low sugar, etc.) but I still love an occasional sweet and wanted to find something that could accommodate my new spectrum. I’ve had these Blondies pinned for quite some time and finally made the plunge (no idea what took me so long… they took 5 minutes to whip up with only a 20 minute cook time) and couldn’t be happier I did!

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I love the idea of “sneaking in” veggies when I can… and this whole movement of incorporating healthy ingredients is RIGHT up my alley.  Avocados in brownies? Chickpeas in Blondies? Sign me up. Plus who doesn’t love a secret ingredient?!?

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Secret Ingredient Blondies
  • 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, rinsed & drained
  • 1/2 cup all natural peanut butter (or nut butter of your choice)
  • 1/3 cup pure maple syrup (or agave or honey)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Mix all ingredients (except chocolate) in a blender or food processor until well combined.
  3. Fold in chocolate chips.
  4. Transfer  batter to a greased 8×8 baking dish.
  5. Sprinkle with a few more chocolate chips
  6. Bake for 20-25 minutes (edges are golden, but it will still seem a little undercooked – you don’t want it to dry out!)
  7. Sprinkle with sea salt and let cool.

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