2 Salad Dinner

Good Morning,
So I bet your thinking wow what a healthy girl eating 2 salads for dinner but the main reason is that I was a very bad girl and had McDonalds for lunch and was feeling very guilty about it! The first salad I made was an oldie but a goodie, I used mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, sprouts, avacado, pine nuts and dried cranberries. I put over it organicville's tahini goddess dressing!

The Next salad I made I got the idea from a recipe my mom ripped out of a magazine but I changed it to my own version, lets call it Green Bean and Roasted Potatoe Salad. I cooked the potatoes in olive oil and rosemary in the over for about 40min, and I blanched the green beans for about 5 min. The dressing was just lemon juice, fresh dill, garlic, and olive oil. I cooled the green beans and potatoes off (it is supposed to be a cold salad). Then I tossed them all together in a bowl, to be honest this salad was tasty but I would use less dill next time and find a spice I like better to add another flavor layer.

Lastley, I have not put any pitures of the ones I love on this blog yet so here I go. Last night my son and his (our) Kitten were just chillin in the living room and it was so cute I had to take a photo. We just bought Preston this chair but Ollie the Kitten seems to have claimed it!!

Spinach & Strawberry Salad

So last night was my wonderful sisters birthday....I didnt go too crazy but I did make us chicken burgers (cause there easy) and a yummy in my tummy spinch and strawberry salad! I only photographed the salad :) . I had this salad at my friends bbq a few weeks ago and her secret ingredient was grated provolone cheese...mmmmmmmmm cheese! I told you I can never be vegan. So here is what I put in the salad: fresh spinch, sliced stawberries, popyseed dressing (I used kraft), slivered or chopped almonds, grated provolone cheese. I also thought we should celebrate with some bubbly....So I got a bottle of the banrock station sparkling shiraz.........very tasty!

So on Saterday night I made another one of my familys favorite dinners, baked shrimp with tomatoes and feta cheese. I got the recipe from one of my Martha Stewart magazines....and it is pretty darn ymmy, its super easy to make and is always a hit with dinner guests. I will post the recipe below. I have been making this recipe for a while now and I have tweeked a little to my liking....I dont use the mint, I don't use the peas and I put pesto and parmesean cheese on the orzo. Yummy!
http://www.marthastewart.com/

 

Baked Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 thinly sliced scallions
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined large frozen shrimp, thawed, tails removed
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh fresh mint, plus more for garnish
• 4 ounces feta cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees with rack set in upper third. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium. Add scallions, garlic, and oregano; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
2. Add tomatoes. Cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until no liquid remains in skillet, 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Add shrimp and mint to skillet. Stir to combine; transfer to an 8-inch square (or other shallow 2-quart) baking dish. Crumble feta over top.
4. Bake until liquid is bubbling, cheese is beginning to brown, and shrimp in center of dish are opaque, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with Orzo and Green Beans, sprinkled with additional chopped mint.

Thursday Night Chicken lettuce wraps

Well I must say that I have been slacking in both the making really healthy food department and in the blogging department....oopps. So last night I made one of my husband’s favorite meals, chicken lettuce wraps which I got the recipe from Rachel Ray when I was a stay at home mom and could watch daytime TV. (I miss those days!). Anyways I know there not vegan but they are yummy and pretty healthy so below is the recipe. http://www.rachaelray.com/recipe.php?recipe_id=3334 I also made one of the boxed grains I bought at the vegan store I went to a few weeks ago...I didn’t follow the recipe on the back, I just made it the basic way by boiling and simmering it in vegetable stock....I wasn’t sure what to put on it so I used Braggs' and nutritional yeast.....not sure it that was the best idea since it tasted mediocre.

This is the Granissmo made by GoGo Quinoa.........not sure if I am a fan yet, must try a different topping next time. It contains: organic black quinoa, brown rice, lentils, millet and amaranth.

This is what the finished product looked like :)

Satay Lettuce Wraps

• 1/2 cup dry-roasted peanuts
• 2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil
• 1 1/4 pounds thinly sliced pork or chicken cutlets or 1 1/2 pounds ground pork or chicken
• Pepper
• 1/4 pound oyster, baby white or shitake mushrooms, chopped or thinly sliced
• 1 bunch scallions, chopped or thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 1 1/2-inch piece of fresh ginger root, cut into thin matchsticks or finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice or chicken stock
• 1/4 cup Tamari (dark soy sauce)
• A few dashes of hot pepper sauce
• 1 small head iceberg lettuce, core removed and head quartered

Preparation

Using a food processor, finely chop the peanuts.
In a large skillet, heat the oil, two turns of the pan, over high heat. Add the pork and cook until browned, about 5 minutes; season with pepper. Add the mushrooms, scallions, garlic and ginger; toss for 2 minutes. Push the ingredients to the side of the pan and add the peanut butter to the center to melt. Whisk in the apple juice, Tamari (eyeball it) and hot sauce. Stir in the peanuts.
Spoon the satay into a serving bowl or individual bowls. Serve the lettuce wedges alongside. Scoop the satay mixture into lettuce leaves to wrap up as you eat.

Satay Lettuce Wraps

Clif Bars for Breakfast :)

So I already mentioned last week that I went to Trader Joe's, but what I didn't mention is that I got some Clif bars for $.99 each!! My new breakfast of champions is bowl of quick cook steel cut oats and a clif bar. Today I tried the carrot cake flavor...it was interesting...my favorite so far is the peanut butter crunch!!

Ohhhhhhhh Snap!

I am so excited, I finally went across the border yesterday and got to go to Trader Joe's!! It was my very first time. I have heard people raving about it for the last 5 years and they now have one in Bellingham which is about an hour and a half away from me but I dont care! lol. I got lots of yummy stuff, I got some organic ketchup for only $2!! You say, what?? haha....these are the kind of things that get me excited. I got some steel cut oats and my favorite Snapea crisps, and a bunch of other ymmmy stuff.

My New favorite Oats, I like mine with honey, cinnamon and chia seeds.

These are the yummiest (is that a word?!) snack ever, they are so addictive! Here at IGA they cost about $4, but at Trader Joe's only $1.50! :)

Monday Night Dinner

So I have been back from my trip for a week now and I thought it was time to make something healthy and blog worthy for dinner last night! I have had this goji berry quinoa salad in my pantry forever so I decided to give it a try. I also went through my fridge and used all the veggies that were on the verge of going bad for a stirfry and then I made a small salad and tried some tuscan "Gardein" chicken cutlets.

This is what the goji salad looked like before I cooked it, its made by Mitchell's Soup Co.

So here we have sauteed broccoli, zucchini, and asparagus with toasted sesame seeds and tahini goddess dressing. Next there is the quinoa goji berry salad, the gardein chicken cutlet and my sprout, tomato and feta salad. I was on the fence about the quinoa salad but the sprout salad was yummy!

Kombucha Tea

Hi Bloggers,
Sorry I have not posted anything in a while, I was in Mexico being naughty eating Nacho's and drinking Pina Colada's! Yummy in my tummy. Anywho, my friend Aimee dragged me to this vegan store here in New Westminster today called Karmavore. It actally had some cool stuff but it was not cheap!! I decided to try some cold Kombucha tea and it made my tongue numb and I feel a little funny but its all good because here is a list of all the health belefits!!

Health Benefits of Kombucha Tea
One of the major health benefits of Kombucha tea is its detoxification properties. The tea is rich in bacterial acids and enzymes that the body produces and uses to cleanse and detoxify itself, thus helping reduce the stress on the pancreas and easing the load on ones liver. Kombucha tea is also rich in Glucaric acid which has been reported to help prevent certain cancers. In the realm of Traditional Chinese Medicine, this type of tea is labeled as the elixir of life and Tea of Immortality.
The detoxifying properties of Kombucha tea help ensure that the bodys systems will function properly and efficiently. Aside from Glucaric acid, Kombucha tea is also fortified with glucosamines. These are substances needed by the joints to stay strong and healthy. In particular, glucosamines help promote the production of hyaluronic acid which helps reduce arthritis-related pain and preserves the form and structure of cartilages. Hyaluronic acid also allows for the bodys connective tissues to bind more moisture, thereby maintaining healthy tissues, flexibility, and lubrication in the joints.
Kombucha tea contains acids that effectively calm the mind and body. Regularly drinking the tea will allow you to manage stress, depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders.
Aside from strengthening the body and curing it from different illnesses, Kombucha tea has cosmetic effects as well. Many people have discovered that drinking the tea has helped them achieve tighter, firmer skin and an overall better complexion and skin tone. Some reports suggest that it helps to strengthen and restore hair as well. In general, more and more Kombucha tea drinkers are discovering its anti-aging properties. Doctors and other health practitioners have started to recommend this organic tea to patients.
Other Benefits of Kambucha:
Helps to reduce the effects of a hangover
Helps in speeding up the metabolism
It assists in constipation
Aids in acid reflux
It assists with: asthma, cough, and bronchitis, it also protects children from phlegm
It prevents muscular pains and aches
It helps with allergies
It has been proven that it is extremely helpful when it comes to cataracts and several other formations at the cornea
It purifies the gall bladder and prevents nervous stomach and colitis
It helps in lowering the cholesterol level and softens the veins
Aids with infectious diarrhea
It helps in proper digestion
Aids in weight loss