1. Today is my 5 year wedding anniversary! It really wasn't that difficult to reach this point considering I married my soul mate. I thank the heavens daily that I met him. No, I'm not making him dinner. I'm exhausted! We are going out tonight for the first time since wee babe joined us 9 months ago. I know, I know. But she's sooo sweet it's difficult to tear ourselves away. Here's to 70 more years (FYI: that would make my hubby 110- totally reachable with the help of vegetables)!
2. Today is also my fantastic sister's birthday (ok, sister-in-law but we're closer than that). Yes, we she shared her birthday with us AND did most of my wedding decorating and organizing. That's just a peak at how wonderful she is. Happy Birthday Sister!
3. I'm doing this tomorrow. And I haven't started training yet. Am I injury bound? Most likely. The best part about this is I signed up last week, two glasses of wine into a fantastic girl's night, and I signed up on my iPhone. Poor planning? Yes, that's the name of the game. I was told that I would need to use these during this endeavor But I can't do it. Texture overload. So I'm using these instead. I will let you know how she goes. Hopefully not from my hospital bed.
4. My husband is not an egg fan. Weirdo. But he saw this recipe and asked me to make it. Can't wait!
5. This looks and sounds divine! Thanks Julia.
6. It's my birthday in two weeks. Yes, I am a Cancer. Forever and ever amen. Which means that my birthday month begins next week. Plenty of time for you to buy me these or if you really love me, these. Oh yes I would wear them. Even with sweatpants.
One delicious salad, two ways. One fancy, one easy. You choose. Either way you have loads of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Grilled Beet & Onion Salad
Serves 2
2 medium beets, washed, stemmed and sliced into 1/4" slices
1 small yellow onion, sliced into 1/4" slices
Olive oil spray
Salt & fresh ground black pepper
5 fresh basil leaves, chopped (or chiffonade)
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar, reduced to a syrup*
1 oz crumbled feta cheese
Heat grill to medium.
Spray beet and onion slices with olive oil spray on each side. Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place slices on grill. Cook for ~ 15 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking (note: onion may cook more quickly then beets- remove when done).
For serving:
1) Stack beet slices alternately with onion slices. Garnish with basil and feta, then drizzle plate with balsamic reduction.
OR
2) Toss together beets and grilled onions, top with feta and basil, drizzle with balsamic reduction.
*For balsamic reduction, heat vinegar in a small saucepan to a low boil. Reduce heat to medium and continue to stir for ~ 7 minutes, or until liquid is thickened. Remove from heat and allow to set (note: liquid will thicken more when removed from heat so don't wait until it is syrupy to do so).
Nutrition Info per 1 serving: 139 calories, 5 g fat, 4 g protein, 15 g carbohydrates, 3.5 g fiber
Making a traditional mousse is a bit of a pain in the rear.
And in this stage of my life (working mommyhood with a baby who's not a fan of sleep) I'm not down with extra kitchen frustration.
This is a bit lighter in texture than your traditional mousse. I would place it halfway in between eating yogurt and whipped cream. Well that doesn't sound half bad now, does it?
Vanilla Bean Yogurt Mousse
Serves 8
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 cups low fat plain yogurt
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
3 vanilla beans
Combine sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Scrape the insides of the vanilla beans and add to the sugar mixture, along with the bean. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and allow to set for 30 minutes. Remove bean pods, then transfer to a covered container and place in refrigerator until chilled.
After sugar mixture has chilled, whisk in yogurt.
In a chilled metal bowl, whip cream (with chilled beaters) until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in yogurt mixture.
Serve immediately!
I love Thai food. And there's something about Thai spice that doesn't kill me like Mexican spice. Why is that?
A cold cucumber gazpacho with a spicy Thai kick. Sounds like summer to me!
Spicy Thai Cucumber Gazpacho
Serves 4
2 cucumbers, peeled and chopped
3 green onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, pressed and minced
1/2 fresh habanero pepper, seeded and chopped
1 cup low sodium vegetable broth, chilled
1 Tbsp lite soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp sweet chili sauce
1 tsp Sriracha hot sauce
Combine cucumbers, green onions, garlic, and habanero in a food processor. Chop until a puree is formed. With food processor running, slowly add remaining ingredients. Mix until combined.
Place mixture in a covered bowl in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
*This is a lovely side dish to some grilled shrimp or a curry dish!
Nutrition Info per 1 cup: 62 calories, 1 g fat, 3 g protein, 9 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber
Let's talk about kiwis for a moment. Why don't people eat the skin? Because it's fuzzy? A while ago I determined that I would eat quite a few more kiwi fruits if I didn't have to peel them. So I ate the skin. And guess what? It's not that bad. Leave the skin on in this fruit salad for a trial. You won't even notice it! One serving of kiwi has more vitamin C than an orange! And by eating the skin you get TRIPLE the fiber and EXTRA vitamin C. How 'bout them odds?
Kamut is a wonderful, chewy, high protein whole grain. Lots of fiber, straight from the earth, etc., so on, so forth. It's such a lovely addition to a fruit salad! You can find it in bulk at your local grocery or health food store.
Kamut Fruit Salad
Serves 6-8
1 cup dry kamut
3 cups water
2/3 cup fresh cherries, halved and pitted
2 ripe mangoes, diced (check out this link for instructions)
3 kiwi fruits, stemmed, and cubed
2/3 cup fresh blueberries
1/4 cup honey
1 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 Tbsp fresh spearmint leaves, chopped
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Place kamut in a saucepan and cover with 3 cups water. Place covered in refrigerator overnight. When ready to cook, place saucepan on the stovetop and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 40 minutes, or until water is absorbed and kamut is chewy. Remove from heat and place into a large bowl.
Combine honey, lime juice and vanilla in a small bowl. Microwave for 15 seconds or until warm. Drizzle over kamut, toss to coat. Place kamut in refrigerator for one hour.
Prior to serving, add in fruit and mint. Toss to combine.
Nutrition Info per 1 cup: 201 calories, 1 g fat, 5 g protein, 45 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber
Using avocado in place of the mayo in egg salad. It's been done before. And it's really not that complicated. Healthy fats, improved taste, what's not to love?
But I have a great little trick that goes with it, passed down from my grandmother.
Do you hate hard-boiling/peeling eggs? It's the guessing game, right? Is it done? Is it overcooked? Yes, I know, there are tips and tricks out the wazoo (look up hard-boiled egg on Pinterest). But it's still sort of a shot in the dark, right? And then, and then, you have to peel them. Ugh.
Well fret no more. If you need chopped hard-boiled eggs for a recipe, you are not going to actually hard-boil them. You are going to poach them in a poached egg pan. Like in this one on Amazon.
No mess, no fuss.
You're welcome.
Avocado Egg Salad
Serves 2
1/2 ripe avocado, mashed
3 "hard-boiled" eggs, chopped
3 Tbsp chopped white onion
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and serve immediately on crackers or toasted bread (bagel halves).
Nutrition Info per ~ 3/4 cup: 195 calories, 14 g fat, 10 g protein, 3 g carbohydrates
This one's for all you nursing mothers out there who really need a drink.
And this one's for all my patients out there who say that they don't like to drink water because it doesn't taste like anything.
And it's for everyone else who love mojitos but knows that for optimum health alcohol consumption should be in moderation.
Mojito Water
Serves 4
1 liter (or quart) filtered water
1/2 large lime, sliced
~12 spearmint leaves
Place leaves in the bottom of a large glass jar. Use a muddler or large spoon to muddle leaves. Squeeze in lime juice, then add in remaining wedges. Pour in water and place jar in refrigerator for at least 4 hours prior to serving.
Enjoy cold with or without ice.
Nutrition Info per 1 glass: no calories, fat, protein, very minimal carb, no bad for you things (take THAT diet soda)
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