The Keys to a SUPER AWESOME SALAD!

A sure way to make sure that you have yummy salads!

Include the following:

3 types of lettuce (I usually buy the Spring Mix) cut into smaller pieces

4-5 more vegetables- Cut into VARIOUS sizes and textures. This keeps all the good stuff from falling to the bottom.

Example: Carrot Ribbons, round Cucumbers, half cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered broccoli florets.

1- onion- watch the amount depending on the strength of the onion. Purple onions or Green onions are my favorite.

1-2 fruit (This adds juice so that you don't have to have as much dressing.)
Example: avocado, mango, peach, strawberry, capers, mandarin oranges, olives, grapes, raisins, dried apricots

1- cheese (This will add a boldness to the salad.)
Example: Parmesan, Feta, Goat, etc

1- fresh herb- not too much (This adds a freshness to the salad)
Example: cilantro (my favorite,) basil, mint, parsley, thyme, oregano

1- Nut or seed (try flavored nuts as well.)
Example: raw walnuts, raw almond slivers, raw pecans, candied nuts, roasted pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flavored seeds.

1- Good CRUNCH- croutons, Chinese noodles, crackers on the side, toasted baguette, tortilla strips,etc. Not more than a few.

My favorite combinations thus far:

1. various veggies, tomatoes, avacado, raisins, diced green onions, fresh shredded parmesan, cilantro chili lime pumpkin seeds, with teaspoon of a dressing that I made out of lemon juice, cilantro, mint, parsley, olive oil.

2. various veggies, mango, asagio cheese, cilantro, avacado, tomato, purple onion, tortilla strips. salsa dressing

3. various veggies, ribbon Parmesan, capers, croutons, walnuts, basil, avacado, purple onion slivers, green olives. white balsamic dressing

Get creative! Try new things! Watch the dressing- you'll find that you really don't need a lot MAYBE 2 TSP

Chicken Piccata

This is PERFECT served over coined squash and zucchini, roasted seasoned potatoes, or brown rice.... it doesn't have to be pasta!  YUMMY!

Ingredients

4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 ounces all-purpose flour, divided (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 tablespoons butter, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
4 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3/4 cup chicken broth, divided
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons drained capers
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

1. Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Place 1 teaspoon flour in a small bowl, and place remaining flour in a shallow dish. Sprinkle both sides of chicken evenly with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour in shallow dish; shake off excess.

2. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add chicken to pan; sauté 4 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm.

3. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in pan; swirl to coat. Add shallots to pan; sauté 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add wine; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook until liquid almost evaporates, stirring occasionally. Add 1/4 cup broth to reserved 1 teaspoon flour; stir until smooth. Add remaining 1/2 cup broth to pan; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced by half (about 5 minutes). Stir in flour mixture; cook 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, juice, and capers. Place 1 chicken breast half on each of 4 plates; top each serving with about 2 tablespoons sauce. Sprinkle each serving with about 2 teaspoons parsley.

Snack Mix

Love this snack mix!

Years ago, my friend Lynette shared this with me.  It has become a family favorite!

Pretzels
Raw Almonds
Green Grapes (although I'm sure red would be great as well.)

Combine together and VOILA!  Yummy!  Really healthy as well!  Careful though, it is addicting, and the calories can add up!  Give yourself a small bowl to snack on.  Also, if you have leftovers, make sure that you remove the grapes and put them in the fridge.  Then, add them the next day again.  If you leave them in, the pretzels get a little soggy.

The secret is to eat all three ingredients at once!  It's like a burst of sunny deliciousness.

Shrimp Boil! Par-tay and RECIPE!

Y'all might know that I am still on vacation.  The other night, we all got together and had a shrimp boil. This dish is so yummy, pretty healthy (as long as you can watch your portions,) and is a perfect "party dish" because everyone just digs in!  We had a blast!  So much good food, so much fun!  And, the leftovers heat up pretty well too!!

The nice thing about a shrimp (or crawfish or crab) boil is that there are minimum dishes (a cutting board, knife, and large stock pot) and it makes A TON of food!  This is a perfect dish for parties.  Plus, it's great to use with paper plates, or NO plates at all.

Traditionally, the seafood boils are just poured onto a table covered in butcher paper (or even newspaper, although I think that is kinda gross,) and every one digs in with their hands!  When finished, wrap up the paper and toss it, clean out the stock pot, wash the cutting board and knife, and clean up is done!

My mom is allergic to fish.  So, we improvised.  We had two stock pots going, one with shrimp, one without, and we used cookie sheets to present the boil so that the two wouldn't get messed up.  See?!?!

Oh... I also TRIPLED the recipe......  ok, so I am not good at figuring out how much people will eat.  :) 

Looks yummy though, huh! 

Ok, so, here is the recipe! (I know, that is really the whole reason you came to the post.) This recipe will feed 6 adults. 

Shrimp Boil

4 lbs of uncooked, devained, tail on, jumbo shrimp (You can use shrimp with the shell on as well, it just takes a little longer to cook.)

3 medium onions or 2 large- Quartered

5 Large Lemons- Halved

1 whole garlic bulb, small- pressed (about 6-8 large cloves)

2 lbs- red or russet potatoes- cut into 1 ½ -2” sections

3- Large Sausage links (cut into pieces at a diagonal.) We used Hillshire Farms Turkey Polska Kielbasa Sausage, and al fresco italian style chicken sausage. (You could try the blueberry, but...... well.... let me know how that goes.) Any of these flavors would be good.  Be creative!

1- Zuchinni- cut into 1 inch pieces

1- Yellow Squash- cut into 1 inch pieces

24- mini corn cobs (2 packages)

1 stick of butter (dont' worry, you dump most of this out with the water)

1 package Zatarains Crawfish, Crab, Shrimp Boil Seasonings

2 TBSP- Basil

2 TBSP- Parsley

1 TBSP- Dill

2 Bay Whole Bay Leaves

Fill VERY LARGE, like, HUGE, like, two feet tall stock pot  with 6 quarts of water ( you can always add more if you need it.)  Add Onions, Seasoning,  3 Lemons, Garlic, 1 stick of butter, Dill, Basil, Parsley and Bay Leaves.  Bring to Boil and let simmer for 15 minutes

Add potatoes, zucchini, squash, and sausage.  Boil for about 10 minutes until potatoes are fork tender.

Add Corn Cobs. Bring to boil.

Add Shrimp. Cook for 1-2 minutes until shrimp turns white.  Remove as soon as it changes.

Drain and Serve on a table,  large cookie sheet, large plate or whatever. Eat buffet style, in the center of the table.   Squeeze lemons onto pile.

Serves 6 adults

Cute Plate, huh. 

My family thought that this would be gross.  In fact, just in case, my sister went nuts on the dessert end. She figured if the Shrimp Boil was gross, she could fill up on dessert..... (where's the trust?)

Talk about Temptation!!!  I was good though! 

There you have it folks! Healthy and delicious!  Be careful though, choose the wrong sausage and it will backfire since those things are super high in fat and calories and..... CORN SYRUP!  I think it's worth the little extra for better quality sausage. Just sayin'. 

THR's Breakfast Casserole

Sometimes the green smoothie just isn't doing it for me! I want BREAKFAST!!  You know, the warm, cozy, shouldn't eat much of, kind.  But with reducing the amount of WHOLE GRAINS from my diet, this has proven to be somewhat difficult. That's when I found THIS....  Caution though, this needs to be prepared the night before.  That's right, you heard me. I am actually making you think TWICE about downing this deliciousness!

12 eggs, from happy free-range chickens, with grass under their little scaly feet
1 lb pork sausage or bacon from the happy little piggy that went to market.
1/2 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, medium, chopped (Go grab it from the garden!)
1/2 tomato, chopped (or grape or cherry tomatoes, halved)

1 cup all natural heavy cream. Skim it off the top of the all natural milk you have in the fridge... or just make sure that Ingredients list just doesn't include anything that wouldn't have come from the cow!

1 1/2 cups all natural shredded cheddar cheese (or cheese mix of your choice)

Fresh Organic Spinach

2 Turnips (peeled and shredded)

Directions:

Brown pork sausage or bacon over medium heat, drain (and save fat to cook with later that day!) and let cool a bit.

Scramble 12 eggs in a large bowl.

Chop onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, green onions, whatever you are in the mood for, and add it to the eggs.

Add cream.

Add 1-2 cups of shredded cheddar

Finally add the slightly cooled off cooked sausage.

Mix well, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

Heat Oven to 325.

Peel, shred and add the Turnips.

Spray 9x13 pan with olive oil. I use a MISTO oil sprayer.

Bake for 50-55 minutes.

Serve over 2 C of spinach per person. The spinach will wilt just a tad and you can mix it into the rest of the casserole while still keeping the nutrients. Add some fruit to the side to get in a well balanced meal!

How does this weigh in to THR's food pyramid?  

1 Animal Protein Serving

2 Vegetable Serving

1 Dairy Serving

.5 Healthy Oil Serving

This recipe is also perfect for any primal or paleo diets! 

Anti-Oxidant Popcicles (Sugar Free)

Hey Friends!  This has been a tough week for me.  I've been a little under the weather.  My workouts have been on the lighter side, my eating habits have been lazy.  These were a saving grace. 

Sneak some awesome anti-oxidant power into a yummy treat for your kids (and the kid inside of you!) At 100 calories per Popsicle, who can resist these fruity treats!

Makes 8 Servings (larger containers)
100 Calories per serving

Ingredients:
1 C Frozen Organic Anti-Oxidant Blend Fruit (I buy mine from Costco.)
1 C Frozen Organic Unsweetened Strawberries
2 Ripe Bananas
1/2 Pineapple, Cut into small pieces or 1 Can of Crushed Pineapple with juice
3/4 C Water (exclude if using the canned Pineapple)
1 TBSP Organic Coconut Oil
2/3 C Evaporated Milk
1 C Natural Vanilla Ice Cream (this won't make them Sugar free though... ;))

Add all ingredients to blender and blend until really smooth.  

Pour into Popsicle Holders or small paper cups with spoons. Tip: To hold spoon in place, Cover each cup with aluminum foil with the spoon poking out of the top.

Freeze for a couple of hours until frozen solid.

Enjoy!

Chicken Enchiladas

We had these the other night and they were SO very yummy!!!  I stuffed them with chicken and used the Jalapeno- Cilantro Hummus to top them!  This is pretty healthy if you go easy on the cheese and sour cream on the top!  ;) 

Servings: 4
INGREDIENTS:

3 cups enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup cream cheese
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper, to taste
Oil, as needed
12 (6 inch) corn tortillas
No-Stick Cooking Spray

Enchilada Sauce:
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Juice of half a lime (You won't regret this!)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare Enchilada Sauce.
2. Enchilada Sauce: Heat oil in large saucepan; stir in flour and chili powder. Cook for 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients, bring to boil, and simmer for 10 minutes. Makes three cups of sauce.
3. Enchiladas: Mix together chicken, green onions, 1/2 cup Cheddar, 1/2 cup Monterey Jack, sour cream, chiles and cilantro in a medium bowl. Stir in 1/2 cup Enchilada Sauce; stir until well blended. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
4. Heat 1/4 inch of Oil in large pan.
5. Fry tortillas, one at a time, until soft (10 seconds per side). Drain well on paper towels.
6. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with No-Stick Cooking Spray. Spread a small amount of Enchilada Sauce over the bottom of dish.
7. Spread 2 heaping tablespoons of the chicken mixture in each tortilla and roll up. Place enchiladas, seam side down, side by side in prepared dish. Pour remaining sauce over. Top with remaining cheeses.
8. Bake until bubbling, 15-20 minutes. Garnish with sour cream (optional) sliced green onions and chopped cilantro.

The "SECRET, SUPER EASY" Jalapeno-Cilantro Hummus

If you have ever been to the Pita Jungle restaurant, you may have had their Jalapeno Cilantro Hummus.  It. Is. AMAZING!  My hubby doesn't like hummus and he LOVES this!  Even the kids like it!  Part of what makes it so good is that it is smooth, not gritty like others can be. Well.....this is my recipe, and it comes pretty dang close!  Wanna know how I can tell?  The family eats it!! No complaints!

Use it for pitas, crackers, sandwiches (in place of mayo,) a veggie dip, or, dip your popcorn into it (don't knock it till you try it!) It is also AMAZING on nachos or fajitas and a great low fat option to sour cream or guacamole.

This recipe has been fairly close guarded.....until now!

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 Jalapeno (seeded, unless you want some real spice!)
Juice of 1 Lime
2 Garlic Cloves
1 can Garbanzo Beans (Rinsed)
1/4 C Water or vegetable stock  (more if too thick)

Combine all ingredients into blender.

Blend on Low until it gets going...

Turn to high..and blend for a full minute!  You want it very smooth!

Pour into a container and enjoy! If it is too thin, it MAY firm up in the fridge, but watch the water next time.

THAT'S IT!!!  SO EASY!!! SO YUMMY!!!

Cilantro- Lime Quinoa

Cilantro-Lime Quinoa

Oh so yummy!!!  ( I stole this recipe and picture from here.)  BUT, as always, I made some changes.  We don't like things too spicy, so below is the way that I make it.  

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2  limes, juiced (or 2 if you like.)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt

1  large garlic clove (pressed)
1 1/2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can black or garbanzo beans, drained
and rinsed
5 green onions, finely chopped

1 small, chopped avacado
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/3 C chopped walnuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Bring quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender and water has been absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Whisk olive oil, lime juice, cumin, garlic, and 1 teaspoon salt together in a bowl.
3. Combine quinoa, tomatoes, black beans, walnuts, avacado and green onions together in a bowl. Pour dressing over quinoa mixture; toss to coat. Stir in cilantro; season with salt and black pepper. Serve immediately or chill in refrigerator.

My Powerhouse Muffins!

I really wanted to come up with a powerhouse muffin to start my day!  These turned out great! Well, I think that they did.  I mean, the name needs a little work, but still. They are dense, moist, and delicious!  Even the kids liked them.  I didn't put in any nuts or raisins, but that would be awesome!!

2 3/4 C Oat Bran
3/4 C Cooked Quinoa
4 Ripe Bananas
1 Large Apple, shredded (or organic, natural applesauce- 1 C)
1/2 Tsp Himalayan Pink Salt
4 TBSP Agave
1 TBSP Coconut Oil
Juice of 1 Lemon
3/4 C Water
2 TBSP Ground Flax
2 TBSP Cinnamon
2 Tsp Lemon Zest
Walnuts (optional)
Raisins (optional)



Preheat oven to 375.

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix.

In a separate bowl, combine banana, shredded apple, lemon juice,zest,  coconut oil, agave, and optional ingredients and mash together until semi smooth.

Combine wet and dry ingredients in to one bowl until blended together.

Use muffin scoop to scoop them into a SPRAYED muffin tin.

Bake for 40-50 minutes or until Golden Brown.  Muffins will not raise.  Store in fridge when cooled.
Yields: 18 regular sized muffins (using muffin scoop)
Calories: 90 per muffin
Carbs: 23g
Fat: 2g
Protein: 3g
Sodium: 84g
Sugar: 8g

I am on my way to becoming The Healthy Redhead!

Go Go Green Smoothie!

I drink a green smoothie almost every day for breakfast. I get asked a lot what I put in them!  The answer really is what ever fruits and vegetables that I have in my fridge.  And yes, some turn out WAY better than others.  But THIS is BY FAR my favorite recipe. (I try to make most of the produce organic.)

1/2 C Orange Juice (or the juice of a large orange and some water.)
1/2 C Almond Milk or Coconut Milk
1 C Spinach
1 C Kale
1 Large Carrot or a large handful of the baby carrots
1 Banana
4 Large Strawberries- frozen
1/C Organic Anti-Oxidant Blend from Costco- frozen
A squeeze of Lemon
1/2 C of Pineapple (if I have it)
1 scoop of Juvo Organic Raw Superfood -I love this greens mix.  The price is pretty good compared to others.  This is Organic. It has protein (beans and such which some consider fillers, but is actually protein, which makes it awesome for an after workout smoothie.) This has mushrooms (which are awesome for your mind and energy and I just might do a post on them.) And this has Probiotics in it!

Throw it all in a blender, making sure that the liquid is on the bottom, and GO!  I let it blend on high for a good minute or so.  I like my smoothies to actually be SMOOTH, not gritty.

My kids LOVE this!  I actually make it for my friends as well and they tell me that THEIR kids ask to come back so that they can have smoothies!  I tell ya!  This is the key!  This was my breakfast this morning after my workout!  I feel fantastic!

Enjoy!

Do you have a good smoothie recipe?  I would love to try it! Have you ever put NUTS in it?  How does that turn out?  Leave your recipe or comment here and I'll add it to my "smoothie creations" list!

I am on my way to becoming The Healthy Redhead!