Arugula Salad

Arugula Salad with Roasted Veggies & Grilled Chicken

(Recipe 2 servings)

                          

First thing to start is by roasting the vegetables:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit. 

2. Peel and chop into cubes 1 sweet potato & 1 yam; boil in medium pot for 5-7 minutes until fork tender

3. While those are cooking, clean and trim 10 asparagus 

4. On a large baking sheet, add the asparagus and season with about 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1-2 garlic cloves, sea salt and fresh ground black pepper (to taste).

5. Once the sweet potato and yam are fork tender, transfer the cubes onto the same baking sheet. Season these with 1-2 Tbsp olive oil, small amounts of cayenne pepper, black pepper, and sea salt.

6. Roast these veggies for 15-20 minutes, until potato and yam are browned and asparagus is tender. (Sometimes for the last minute I will put the oven on broil to make a nice crust)

Grill chicken breasts:

While the vegetables are roasting, season 2 chicken breasts with 1/2 of a lemons juice and sprinkle each side with fresh black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and salt. Cook each side on a medium-medium high heat grill pan for 7-8 minutes, until brown and cooked through.

Assemble salad:

1. For the greens, I used a bag of fresh arugula (1/2 bag for each person)

2. Once vegetables and chicken have cooled, top each serving of arugula with half roasted vegetables (chop asparagus spears) and a sliced chicken breast.

3. Top each salad with 1-2 Tbsp raw pumpkin seeds and 1-2 Tbsp raw sunflower seeds.

4. (Optional) If you need a dressing, a mix of lemon juice, agave, olive oil, and pepper is a great option. However, I did not need a dressing since the chicken and veggies were all seasoned.

*This salad works very well without chicken as well if you are a vegetarian or vegan or also if it is being used as a side salad!*

Paleo Vegan Pizza!

I have been wanting to try a paleo pizza with cauliflower crust. I didn't have cauliflower in my fridge but I did have broccoli! Yummm. So I decided to give it a try. First, I had to make flax eggs (since this was a vegan paleo crust). To make a flax egg you will whisk 1 tablespoon ground flax meal with 3 tablespoons water (make sure to whisk while adding water to flax), and refrigerate for a minimum of 15 minutes (an hour is preferred).

I took about 4 cups of broccoli and put into the blender until "riced", and then transferred broccoli to a big bowl.Then to the blender, I blended about 1/3 cup of almonds to make almond flour. Once the almonds were a flour consistency I added them to the big bowl of broccoli. I then added my 2 flax eggs and mixed them all together with a big spoon until a dough ball formed. On a cookie sheet I spread the dough out, and cooked it in a preheated 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes. Once the crust was getting crispy, I took it out and added some fresh marinara, veggies (bell peppers, garlic, onions, spinach and mushrooms), fresh herbs, and the last part of my soy mozzarella cheese (pretty sure the cheese isnt a part of the paleo diet, but I wanted to finish up the cheese so I added it!). Once all the toppings were on, I put the pizza back in the oven for 8-10 minutes. And then it was all ready to eat!

 

It turned out pretty well! I was pleasantly surprised with the results. Next time I want to try with cauliflower because the broccoli had a very strong taste and the crust was a bit moist. I think this is a healthy alternative to regular pizza. The vegan cheese is very low in calories as well as the crust, and I put a lot of veggies to add nutrients! 

For the boy I made an egg white scramble with red bell peppers, spinach, onions, and turkey, with a couple grilled shrimp skewers and a glass of orange juice!

Mini Pizzas!

I tried vegan cheese for the first time! Not too bad on pizza. It was a mozzarella, Parmesan blend. I put it on top of a Sara Lee whole wheat pita (200 calories for the whole pita). For toppings I put purple basil, bell pepper, onion, tomato, and steamed broccoli, with a vegetarian low fat marinara. It was really good and pretty low in calories. I also had a side salad and a glass of champagne in a sweet mini goblet I found in my mom's wine glass cabinet.





I want to experiment more with whole wheat mini pita, flat bread, and homemade cauliflower crust pizzas. Using different vegan cheeses could be fun as well as different sauces like pesto, sun dried tomato pesto, olive oil & garlic, bbq or different favors of marinara. Any other ideas?

Here are some specific pizza combos I want to try:

Original Pizza:
•Marinara sauce
•Bell pepper, sliced
•Onion, sliced
•Tomato, thinly slice or chopped
•Basil, fresh, chopped
•Low-fat or Vegan Mozzarella cheese/Italian blend
•Garlic, minced

BBQ Pizza:
•BBQ sauce
•Grilled BBQ chicken
•Red onion, sliced
•Low-fat or Vegan Mozzarella cheese
•Fresh Cilantro, chopped

Pesto Pizza:
•Pesto or Sun dried tomato
•Low-fat or Vegan Mozzarella cheese/ Italian blend
•Pine Nuts
•Onions, white, sliced
•Broccoli, steamed, chopped
•Garlic, minced
•Tomato, sliced/chopped, optional

White Pizza:
•Olive Oil
•Garlic, minced
•Onion, white, sliced
•Basil, fresh, chopped
•Spinach
•Low-fat Ricotta
•Tomato, sliced/chopped, optional


What other combinations have you tried or would like to try! Let me know

Food!

Yes, I have been cheating a little with the healthy eating, but it is good for you to indulge a little every now and then! :) I am also improving on taking photographs of my meals.

For Breakfast yesterday I went to Side Street Cafe in Costa Mesa. It is a little whole in the wall place,l but it has delicious breakfasts with a homey feel for good prices. I started with a hot chocolate and orange juice. My friend and I decided to split the french toast, while he had oatmeal with bananas, brown sugar, and raisins and a side of egg whites; I had the huevos rancheros, eggs over medium and corn tortillas.

Overview of breakfast!!

Toppings for the oatmeal

Th main attraction, the French toast! Put a couple sprinkles of cinnamon sugar and powdered sugar, and it was delicious

I love condinements

Lunch! Turkey sandwich on a heart healthy english muffin with lettuce, tomato, and cucumber with a side green salad and fruit salad.

Healthy meals-on-the-go! Grilled chicken breasts with grilled asparagus and steamed brown rice in tupperware for easy reheat!

Lunch Part 2! Dannon Light and Fit peach yogurt, side fruit salad, side green salad, and 1/2 whole wheat pita pocket with crushed raspberries.

Chipotle chicken salad! I did not get their salad dressing, although I have heard it is really good. I did extra lettuce, light borwn rice, black beans, corn, tomatoes, chicken, and very light cheese.

Found this Trader Joes Spinach & Kale dip. It was actually pretty good, but it had a little bit of mayonaise in it and unforunately, I can't get over the fact that I don't like mayonaise.

Yard house one again! Tomato Basil soup!

Greek Food

So I just had Daphne's California Greek Cafe for the first time and was quite impressed. I got the grilled chicken kebabs, side Greek salad with light dressing, fire roasted veggies and it came with whole wheat pita and tzatziki. I looked online and found some good Greek recipes I want to try, I like to make Greek salads at home but I am going to try to expand my knowledge about Greek food!




"Good For You Greek Salad"


 

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• • 1 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
  • 5/8 cucumbers, peeled and chopped
  • 3/8 small red onion, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1-1/4 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 2 black Greek olives, pitted and sliced
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In shallow salad bowl, or on serving platter, combine tomatoes, cucumber, and onion. Sprinkle with oil, lemon juice, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle feta cheese and olives over salad. Serve. 

Only 190 calories per serving! A great substitution is with Fat Free Feta, Trader Joe's has a good one; they taste the same yet you cut out a lot of calories!

Recipe From: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Good-for-You-Greek-Salad/Detail.aspx 

"Greek Couscous Salad"

 

Ingredients for 4 Servings:

• 5/8 (6 ounce) package garlic and herb couscous mix (or any flavor you prefer)
• 1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1/4 (5 ounce) jar pitted kalamata olives, halved
• 3 tablespoons and 1/2 teaspoon mixed bell peppers (green, red, yellow, orange), diced
• 1/4 cucumber, sliced and then halved
• 1 tablespoon and 1-3/4 teaspoons parsley, finely chopped
• 1/4 (8 ounce) package crumbled feta cheese
• 1 tablespoon and 1-3/4 teaspoons Greek vinaigrette salad dressing

Cook couscous according to package directions. Transfer to a large serving bowl to cool. Stir to break up clusters of couscous.When the couscous has cooled to room temperature, mix in tomatoes, olives, bell peppers, cucumber, parsley, and feta. Gradually stir vinaigrette into couscous until you arrive at desired moistness.

Only 160 calories per serving!

Recipe from: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Party-Size-Greek-Couscous-Salad/Detail.aspx

"Yia Yia's Tzatziki Sauce" 

Ingredients

• 2 English cucumbers
• 2 (16 ounce) containers sour cream
• 1 (16 ounce) container Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Peel cucumbers and grate into a colander. Squeeze out excess water.Mix together sour cream, yogurt, garlic, and olive oil in a large bowl. Stir in cucumbers. Chill at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours before serving.

Good alternative to the Tzatziki I made the other day which required fresh dill. I would use non-fat greek yogurt and most likely no sour cream. Tzatziki is great with whole wheat pita, on sandwiches, with chicken, even as a veggie dip! At Daphne's they served Tzatziki with Pita; I spread the sauce on each Pita slice and topped it with some of the Fire Roasted veggies, it was like a pizza!

Recipe from: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Yia-Yias-Tzatziki-Sauce/Detail.aspx

"Grilled Chicken Breast with Cucumber and Bell Pepper Relish"

 Ingredients for 4 Servings:

• 1 cucumber - peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/8 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 
  

• 
  
• In a medium bowl, prepare the relish by mixing together the cucumber, parsley, chopped onion, bell pepper, and red pepper flakes. Set aside. In a small bowl, mix the cumin and chili powder with the olive oil. Rub the mixture onto the chicken, and place in a shallow dish. Marinate in the refrigerator at least 1 hour.
• 
  
• Prepare the grill for medium heat. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill chicken 8 minutes per side, or until juices run clear. Serve with cucumber relish.

Recipe From: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/grilled-chicken-breast-with-cucumber-and-pepper-relish/detail.aspx

"Martinated Greek Chicken Kebabs"

 Ingredients for 2 Servings:

• 1/2 (8 ounce) container fat-free plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons crumbled feta cheese with basil and sun-dried tomatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary
• 1/2 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 large red onion, cut into wedges
• 1/2 large green bell pepper, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

In a large shallow baking dish, mix the yogurt, feta cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, salt, pepper, and rosemary. Place the chicken in the dish, and turn to coat. Cover, and marinate 3 hours in the refrigerator. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat. Thread the chicken, onion wedges, and green bell pepper pieces alternately onto skewers. Discard remaining yogurt mixture. Grill skewers on the prepared grill until the chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Recipe From: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/marinated-greek-chicken-kabobs/detail.aspx

Morning!

I do love me some fresh strawberries and bananas in the morning!

Grilled Corn

I made a grilled corn salad. First, I grilled the corn, let it cool then added tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, and minced garlic. In a seperate bowl I wisked together chopped cilantro, olive oil, honey, lime juice and pepper, then added that to the corn mixture. As the final touch, I added fresh avocado on top. Served this salad along side my brown rice with dried cranberries, corn, sliced almonds, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper.

        With the left over salad, I put it in my cactus leaf corn tortillas added black beans, salsa verde and a little jalapeno cheese.  

Oats & Fruits!

I love hot oatmeal, but sometimes I am not in the mood for a hot breakfast. So, I will make cold oats with milk and fruit! It's simple and super easy. All it had us old fashioned oats, almond milk, chopped fruit like grapes, kiwi, strawberries, blueberries I occasionally will add ground wheat germ and ground flax to bump up the nutrient value.

Trader Joes Cilantro Dressing

One of my best friends introduced me to Trader Joe's Reduced Fat Cilantro Salad dressing and I fell in love. It is great on any salad and relatively low in calories (2 tbsp= 45 calories). I made a salad with lettuce, tomatoes, black beans, avocado, and corn, it was delicious!