Whole Wheat Shells with Asparagus, Spring Peas, Shallots, and Garlic in a Fresh Lemon and Olive Oil Vinaigrette with Slivered Almonds, Fresh Parsley, Chives, and Mint

Ingredients:

Ingredients

• 1 box Whole Wheat Medium Shell Pasta
• 3 tbsp. Olive Oil
• 4 Shallots, finely chopped
• 1 lb. Asparagus, cut in 1/2 inch slices
• 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 c. Spring Peas
• 1/2 c. Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated
• Zest from 1 Lemon
• Juice from 1 Lemon
• 1 c. Mixed Herbs, chopped (I used parsley, chives, and mint)
• 1/2 c. Slivered Almonds
• Sea Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Red Pepper Flakes, to taste

Instructions:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain, leaving around 1/2 cup of water in the pot
• Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a large pan.  Add shallots and saute until soft and fragrant, 4-5 minutes
• Add asparagus and garlic, and saute 3-4 minutes
• Add peas and saute for another 2-3 minutes
• Add the vegetable mix to the pasta and stir over low heat until a "sauce" forms
• Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl
• Add the parmigiano-reggiano, lemon zest, lemon juice, rest of the olive oil, herbs, almonds, and spices and toss to coat

Grilled Chicken over Chopped Arugula and Cucumber Noodles with Peanut Lime Sauce

This will be my husband's lunch for the week.  I used large English Cucumbers, so my plan is to spiralize half of a cucumber every night to prep for him for the following day.  I grilled the chicken breasts with just a little garlic powder on them.  I'm also keeping the sauce in a separate container so nothing gets soggy.



INGREDIENTS:

• 4 large, English Cucumbers (don't spiralize all at once if you plan to eat over multiple days)
• 5 oz. arugula, chopped
• 3/4 cup natural peanut butter
• 6 tablespoons maple syrup (natural)
• 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• juice of 1 lime
• 6 tablespoons of water
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
• sesame seeds to garnish

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a small bowl, whisk peanut butter, maple syrup, soy sauce, lime juice, sea salt, cayenne pepper, water, and sesame oil.

Chop arugula

Peel and spiralize 1/2 a large cucumber (if only making 1 serving right away)

Squeeze as much liquid out of the cucumber noodles as you can (I squeezed them in a paper towel over the sink.  They hold ALOT of water)

Combine with chicken and arugula in a large bowl

Pour the sauce and toss to combine 

Top with sesame seeds 

Power Greens and Mixed Vegetable Soup

Another soup recipe that will provide you with endless amounts of nutrients as well as the warm comfort of a hearty soup.  Power Greens is a brand mixture of Baby Spinach, Baby Kale, and Green and Red Chard, so if you can't find the blend, you can make it yourself.

Ingredients:

• 4 c. vegetable broth
• 4 carrots,diced
• 5 celery stalks, diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb. green beans, cut in thirds
• 2 large zucchini, diced
• 1 15 oz. can low sodium chick peas
• 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1 lb. Power Greens

Prep the veggies

Drain and rinse the tomatoes and chick peas

In a large soup pot, saute the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic until aromatic

Add the broth and bring a boil.  Using an immersion blender, make a hearty stock by blending until smooth

Add the tomatoes, chick peas, string beans, zucchini, and power greens, and simmer until tender

I Love Sesame Oil

Sesame oil is one of my favorite oils to cook with because it's full of healthy fats, but also packs a lot more flavor than traditional cooking oils.  Tonight, I went out for a nice run (2 miles!) and was starving when I returned, so I sauteed 5 oz. chicken breast, 1 cup string beans, 1.5 cups broccoli, and 1 cup water chestnuts in 1 tsp. of sesame oil and a bunch of garlic powder.  Then I added 1/4 c. whole wheat couscous and mixed it all up for a healthy alternative to traditional stir fry.  It was flavorful, light, and delightful.  It packed 550 calories (which sounds like a lot, but is perfectly reasonable for dinner, especially post-workout), 72g carbs, 43g protein, 11.8g fat, only 154mg sodium, and 15g of fiber.  Such a perfect recovery meal :)

Protein Monster

After my workout tonight, my body was craving protein.  The resultant dinner was Garlic and Cayenne Pepper Tilapia over Quinoa with broccoli, edamame, tomatoes, and onions.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c. water
• 1/4 c. quinoa
• 1/2 c. organic salsa (with chunky onions and tomatoes)
• 1 c. frozen, chopped broccoli
• 1/2 c. edamame (shelled)
• 4 oz. Tilapia fillet
• Garlic Powder and Cayenne Pepper

Preheat oven to 425
Coat Tilapia with garlic powder and cayenne pepper
Bake Tilapia for 8-12 minutes until white and flaky
In a small pt, bring water, quinoa, broccoli, salsa, and edamame to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer, 15 minutes or until all water is absorbed and quinoa is fluffy.

Mix together and enjoy!

My kind of convenience food...

Mornings for me can be pretty hectic and fast-paced.  Wake up at 4:30, throw down some nonfat greek yogurt with blueberries and flax seeds, and rush off to the gym for my morning workout.  Shower at the gym, get on the road to be in West Orange by 7:45ish.  Post-workout re-fueling is very important, and should never be neglected, no matter what kind of time crunch you are under.  I wouldn't be able to get through the first part of the day without it.  However, I try as often as possible to utilize real food rather than protein shakes if possible. 

And thus, I began experimenting.  Hungry Girl has a lot of recipes for "egg mugs" which can be delicious and nutritionally are perfect for a post-workout blend of protein and carbs, but if you are anywhere near as uncoordinated as I am, using a fork and operating a motor vehicle should not be done simultaneously. 

And so I give you, a true egg muffin!  For 5 days worth, I blended 1 1/4 cups of liquid egg whites with chili powder, red pepper, hot sauce, shredded fresh baby spinach, and diced fresh green pepper.  I divided them evenly amongst 5 muffin cups coated with non-stick spray.  Popped the tray in the oven for 12 minutes at 350, and voila...a week's worth of quick, convenient, nutritious post-workout meals.  Just keep in a tupperware in the fridge.  In the morning, put it on an Arnold's Wheat Sandwich Thin, pop it in the toaster for a few minutes to warm, wrap it in foil and it should stay warm for you to eat after your workout on the morning commute.

Celebrate we will, cause life is short but sweet for certain...

Today is my Mom's 51st birthday, and in celebration, I decided to cook her an amazing meal because food is absolutely the way to her heart.  The late, great Julie Child once said "You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces - just good food, from fresh ingredients."

Today's menu consisted of a spinach and mango salad with homemade mango vinaigrette, grilled chicken breast in a citrus marinade with a side dish of Israeli couscous with asparagus, sugar snap peas, and peas in a lemon garlic sauce.  For dessert, red velvet cupcakes with vanilla cream icing (Magnolia Bakery's recipe).

As promised, here are photos :o) (Recipes will come when I figure out how to put a recipe tab in this blog)