Steak Salad with Homemade Cilantro dressing

 Dressing Ingredients:

1 cup Cilantro (no stems)

1/2 plain greek yogurt

2 Tsp Fresh Lime juice

1 garlic clove

1/4 cup olive oil

1 1/2 tsp white wne vinegar

Salt to taste

Puree all ingredients in a blender!!

 

For the Salad:

1 head romaine lettuce chopped or torn

1 pint baby tomatoes (halved)

Sliced red onion

1 carrot (grated)

1 diced Red bell pepper

1 can organic black beans (rinsed)

 For the steak:

I marinated my meat like I would for carne asada. Add the juice of half a lime, season with garlic salt and seasoning salt, chopped onion, chopped cilantro. Set aside for 20-30 minutes. Grill to a medium rare or medium... I did about 3-4 minutes per side. Allow to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.

To assemble the salad, add some greens and veggies to your bowl, top with meat & drizzle with yummy dressing!!!

ENJOY!!

Quinoa and Roasted Pepper Salad

This recipe was adapted from Pinterest, I thank the quinoa gods everyday for allowing me to come across this recipe.... I know my mom & sister do too!! It's pretty amazing, very flavorful.

 It's perfect alone or as a side dish, and the long it hangs out in the refrigerator the better.

Original recipe! 

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked Quinoa (red & white variety)

1 Red  & 1 Yellow Bell Pepper (roasted & peeled)

1 can of peeled Garbanzo beans

1/4 Red Onion (thinly sliced)

1/4 bunch Chopped Cilantro

1/2 lb Crumbled Feta cheese

Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup chopped Cilantro

2 minced Garlic cloves

1/2 cup Olive oil

2 Tb Red wine vinegar

2 Tb Lemon juice

Salt & pepper to taste

You can make this dressing in the blender, by throwing everything in or slowly incorporating the oil with the vinegar and then adding in remaining ingredients. Either way will work.

Cook the quinoa & allow to cool completely. Meanwhile, roast the bell peppers, peel and dice. Peel the garbanzo beans, thinly slice the red onion and chop the cilantro. In a large pretty bowl, add the cooled quinoa and its veggies. I like to add half the crumbled feta and half the vinaigrette, mix to incorporate all ingredients & then add remaining dressing, mix again!

 Lastly crumble remaining feta on top, makes it look pretty... I like pretty things! 

Refrigerate until your ready to eat or not! Don't forget leftovers are amazing!!

ENJOY!!

Amazing Seafood!

 For my birthday week celebration, yes week!

 My parents took my to this fabulous seafood restaurant out in East LA, seriously the seafood is the bomb to say the least! It's call Mariscos 4 Vientos and it's located on Olympic Blvd. and Lorena St. Apparently there are 5 restaurants on the road with the same name, we ate at this one, which my family claims is the best one. So there you go!! I had a tostada of Agua chiles (spicy shrimp in a Serrano/ jalapeno sauce) my favorite. My entree consisted of a Campechana ( Shrimp and seafood cocktail) and a large Mexican coke... Of course I tried everyones food, which was also delish!! 

I hope I've convinced you to try this place!!!

 

 

Kale/Spinach/Romaine Chopped Salad

This week I was visiting my parents for dinner, my mom loves when I help with dinner so I decided to make a different type of salad. Keep in mind my mom always has a well stock pantry and refrigerator so this salad came together quite easy. There are many variations of similar salads out there, I always mix and match ingredients and vinaigrettes from salads I've tried in the past.

 

This salad seriously filled me up & left me craving more. I can stress how delicious it turned out!!!I'm always looking for ways to incorporate kale into my dishes. I decided to add ingredients I love the most and would of course blend well together. As far as the vinaigrette I made, it's a very basic recipe, for the most part I make my own dressings. Sometimes I add dijon mustard to this recipe and other times I omit it. If you want to make it alittle more "Greek" for a Mediterranean salad add oregano to the mix. It's so versatile!

 

For the Salad:

Half head of kale 

1 romaine heart 

1- 1 1/2 cup spinach leaves 

1 pint cherry tomatoes

Lots of crumbled feta

1/2 of chopped Pecans 

1/4 cup dried cranberries 

Let's get started, wash & chop your greens very finely and place in a large bowl. Slice cherry tomatoes in half and chop pecans (set aside for now). Now for the dressing... 

Dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil

3 Tb red wine vinegar 

1 Tb Dijon mustard

6-7 chopped sundried tomatoes 

1/2 tsp salt

Ground pepper 

Pinch of raw sugar

Place all ingredients in a bowl, mix together. Add remaining topping to your salad bowl (pecans, tomatoes, cranberries and crumbled feta). Add dressing and completely toss all ingredients together. Add more cheese or pecans if desired. Serve immediately!! 

Ask for seconds! 

 

Enjoy!! 

Baked Fish in foil packets

When it comes to seafood I rarely discriminate. I love it!

 I've been craving baked fish, something pretty... Individual foil packets were the way to go. I'm all about eating with my eyes, I'm such a freak. Anyways, the simplicity of this recipe & variations can make this a staple in your book of recipes. Use any veggies and/or herbs of your choice, & wrap in foil. Impress your honey with this eye pleaser.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb chunky tilapia filets

 (or halibut, bass, cod, flounder, mahi mahi etc.)

3 garlic cloves

Olive oil

Salt & pepper

(Veggies I choose)

Red bell pepper, jalapeño, onion, asparagus (thinly sliced) 

Marinate your fish if time allows, place in a large ziplock, add crushed garlic, and 1Tb oil. 

 

Chop veggies for later use. 

 



Pre-heat oven at 400. Cut large pieces of foil, add a piece of fish, season with salt & pepper,

 

add some veggies,

 

finish with a slice or two of lemon, 1 piece of butter

 

& wrap tightly.

 

Place packets on a baking sheet & in the oven they go! Bake for 20-25 minutes.

 

 25 minutes was perfect!

Opening up the packets of fish smelled heavenly!

 

I probably made more food than our stomachs can handle, but everything was delicious!

My sides included black beans, barley, & Roasted Broccoli.

 The kids fish packets didn't included veggies, so these sides were perfect for them. 

 

XOXO, Enjoy!!!

Ree's, Quick Italian Salad

 

Who loves Olive Garden salad?? Or any fab Italian salad for that matter? ME! ME!

This recipe was adapted from Ree Drummond also known as Pioneer Woman, she's amazing!

Click the link to view her recipe: Ree's Italian Salad

I made this salad for a family BBQ and it was a total hit! I'm sharing it because some of you may not be familiar with Pioneer Woman & if you are yay!! You'll love this side.

 

I followed the dressing recipe to a T! It's so yummy, why mess it up!

Dressing:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup grated Parmesan (pre-grated in a pack from the store)

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon vinegar

2 teaspoons black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 clove garlic, pressed

Juice of 1 lemon

 

In a blender add the olive oil, mayonnaise, Parmesan, parsley, sugar, vinegar, black pepper, salt, red pepper flakes, garlic and lemon juice and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

 

You can also use a good store bought Italian dressing,

but if you have these ingredients on hand, try it!

 

For the salad I used the following, 

2  romaine hearts (chopped)

1/2 head iceberg lettuce (chopped)

6 whole pepperoncini

1/2 cup whole black olives (sliced in half)

1/2 cup whole red cherry tomatoes

1/2 small red onion (sliced into thin cirlces)

1/3 cup grated Parmesan or more

 

Wash your veggies and dry. In a large bowl add the lettuce combination and mix together, top with the remaining veggies, I assembled them on top neatly. Looks pretty! 



 

I set the dressing in a bowl near by, as well as extra parmesan cheese.

 

Enjoy!!



Spicy Tequila Fajitas

Here's my special kicked up take on fajitas... more habanero please!

2lb Flap meat (Carne Ranchera)

1 Red bell pepper

1 Green bell pepper (sliced)

1 small onion (sliced)

1 tomato (sliced)

(2 habanero peppers (thinly sliced)

1-2 shots Tequila

Pinch of Cumin

Salt & pepper to taste

Slice all veggies & set aside. Pre heat a large skillet. 

Season meat with salt, pepper & cumin. Sear on both sides until brown (about 2-3 mins per side).

Take meat out, allow to rest on your cutting board for about 10mins. Then cut into strips.

 Throw veggies in and sauté for about 4 mins until slightly tender. Take veggies out onto a plate, throw sliced meat back into the skillet, make a hole in the center of the pan & pour in the

  Tequila shots.. Yay PARTY!! 

Mix meat into the tequila & cook for 1 min, pour veggies back in & incorporate all together. 

Turn heat off!!

Serve!!!

 It's spicy & has a kick... I love taking chances with food, I hope you enjoy this dish as well!

Enjoy!!!

Roasted Broccoli

 

Roasted broccoli takes on a whole new flavor, it's really yummy

and easy especially if you're already using the oven. 

Cut large broccoli florets, wash and dry! Don't skimp on the drying stage, it will pay off.

 

 Preheat oven at 400.

 

 

Place broccoli florets in a baking dish, season with salt & pepper.

 (I snuck in small chunks of butter, 1Tb cut).. don't tell my husband.

 

Bake for 15-20 mins & done!!

 

 

Enjoy!!

Organic Salad Mix topped with Spicy Salmon

This is my favorite go to salad, super flavorful & filling.

 

Ingredients:

1 Salmon steak per person

1/2 to 1 cup cooked Quinoa

1/2 onion (sliced)

2 Jalapenos (sliced)

Salad mix

1 Lemon

Salt & Pepper

 

Let's get started, cook about 1/2 (2 servings) to 1 cup (4 serving) of quinoa. Meanwhile season the individual portioned salmon steaks with salt & pepper, set aside. Slice 1/2 onion, 2 Jalapenos & in a medium sauté pan heat up a Tb of olive oil & cook for 4-5 minutes. Move onion and chilies to the outer edges of the pan, place salmon seasoned side down to brown. Remember to only flip once, cook about 5-6 minutes per side (or until desired readiness). Turn heat off. Now to assemble your salad... I used a combination of organic kale, spinach & Swiss chard salad mix, lay a bed of this on your plate, spoon on a good portion of quinoa (1/2 cup cooked) & top with a portion of salmon & the onion pepper mix. The dressing for this salad is very complicated.... Lemon wedges! Enjoy!  

 

 

Mini flat bread Pizzas

Here's another great lunch idea for kids!! 

Ingredients:

Thin (whole wheat) Sandwich rounds

Pepperonis

Pizza sauce or (canned tomato sauce)

Mozzarella cheese (shredded)

Parmesan

Dried oregano 

Preheat your convention oven to 400

Break open a sandwich round & use one half per pizza. Spread on some pizza sauce, cheese, pepperoni's, oregano & Parmesan & bake until crispy. My girls devoured these! I'm not gonna lie, I only planned on having 2 pizzas ( 50 calories per half bread slice + toppings calories). But I may or may not have had more than 2. Anyhow, be creative with your toppings, I added onion, bell pepper & jalapeños to my pizzas!! Yumm! Can't wait to make this again!

Enjoy!!!

My take on: Easy "Fried" Brown Rice

Take Out anyone?!?

Fried rice, yum. Like always I'm trying to improvise techniques and come up
 with easy takes on my favorite (take-out or fast food meals).

RECIPE:
1 Chicken Breast filets
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup frozen peas and carrot mix
1/2 diced red bell pepper
1/4 onion chopped
2-3 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp Stir-fry sauce (your choice)
2 eggs *optional

Let's get started with this healthier not so fried "fried brown rice".
Split each chicken breast into 2, season both sides with salt and pepper.
Sear each side fore about 5 minutes until golden. Take out and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
 Then cube the breast and set aside.
 

Cook brown rice accordingly and set aside.

 

Meanwhile dice the onion and bell peppers. In a large skillet, heat up some oil, add onion and
cook until translucent. Add red bell pepper, cooking about 2 minutes and finally add the
 peas and carrots mix. Cover and steam for about 3 mins. When rice is ready add to the
veggies mix, followed by the diced chicken, lastly add some low sodium soy sauce and mixing to combine. At this point you can crack 2 beaten eggs and stir into the rice. That's pretty much it!
 Congrats you've just made easy brown "fried" rice.

 

Enjoy!! xoxo

 

My favorite Smootie

 

Here's my go-to smoothie when I haven't eaten or don't feel like cooking.

The ratios are 1 cup green veggies (kale or spinach), 1 cup frozen fruit (your choice)

Liquids: 1/2 cup almond milk, 1/2 cup water (add more if needed)

Grains: 1 Tb Chia seeds, 1 Tb flax seed, 2 Tb Raw Oatmeal or 6-8 raw almonds

Blend until smooth!!

 

A little insight:

I hope to continue this lifestyle forever, especially for my kids & the example I'm setting. 

My workouts are constantly
changing because I learn something new everyday. Baby steps will one day make
 a huge difference, so far these changes are definitely working for me. Let me clarify that I still
enjoy all the foods I love, except of course not everyday. However, if I'm
 having a heavier dinner, I'll maybe skip the weights and do extra cardio. Balance is key.

 

My weekly workout looks something like this:

Monday: 40 mins Legs & butt / 25mins Cardio

Tuesday: Arms, Boxing & Cardio (1hr total)

Wednesday: Pure cardio (treadmill, elliptical, jump rope or a variation of all 3) 45mins

Thursday: Repeat monday

Friday: Repeat tuesday

Saturday or Sunday: Cardio

I totally fell off schedule during the holidays and I'm slowing picking it back up :)
Shit happens, but don't give up!!

 

Valentine's Weekend Dinner

I'm a sucker for all things cute and romantic... well someone in this household needs to be!

Last year I created a romantic heart inspired menu. I began with my favorite kabobs. Shrimp!! I really have a deep affection for these things, I"ll eat shrimp all day/ everyday, don't judge me.

  I love things simple sometimes....

 

Shrimp Skewers:

 

1 lb medium deveined shrimp

1 small green, red, yellow bell peppers

1 small red onion

about 10 button mushrooms

1 lemon

1 garlic clove (minced)

wooden skewers

 

Begin by soaking the wooden skewers for 30 mins. Meanwhile marinate the shrimp in a ziplock bag by adding minced garlic, the juice of half a lemon, some olive oil (2 Tb), and salt/pepper. Pop these in the refrigerator to marinate. Cut your veggies into nice squares. After half an hour, you can begin to assemble these yummy skewers. The next step is a personal preference, you can either use an indoor grill or outdoor. Pretty much grill until the shrimp are pink & the veggies have some chard on them.

 

The second item to this romantic dinner is "Heart-Shaped" Steak Empanadas.. I'm providing the link to this amazing recipe below. Use a heart cookie cutter for the masa. Enjoy & have fun.. the first 5 hearts weren't perfect, but you'll get there I promise.

 

Empanada Recipe!

 

Happy Valentine's Day ... Weekend!! 

 



 

 

Roasted chicken & Potatoes (1 pot meal)

Seriously who doesn't enjoy a oven roasted meal? Not even a question right!

This might be one of my easiest ways to roasted chicken.

 

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (cut into pieces)

3 red potatoes (quartered)

3 gold potatoes (quartered)

1 large zucchini (cut into large chunks)

1 red onion (big chunks)

1 garlic minced

1 lemon (quartered)

Mixed herbs: Thyme, Parsley & Marjoram

Salt and Pepper (1Tbsp)

Pre heat oven at 375.

Wash your whole chicken, cut into pieces (breast, legs, thighs etc) or purchase a pre-cut chicken.

I began by throwing all the ingredients into a baking dish, seasoned with salt, pepper, fresh herbs of my choice, a quartered lemon, and some olive oil. Cover all ingredients & roast for 45 mins.

 Lastly uncover & brown the chicken pieces for another 15 minutes. Timing might vary depending on your oven.

 Serve yourself some wine or whatever you prefer and relax! Yum!

 

Enjoy!! xoxo

 



Cauliflower Ceviche

First time I tried this was at my cousins party couple years ago, boy was I hooked. Totally thought it was the real deal. Who knew cauliflower was so versatile, especially nowadays people keep reinventing fresh new ways of using this mighty veggie. If you've never tired fish ceviche, you may never want to after this. OK I lied, I love fish ceviche.. but this is definitely up there!!

 By the way my daughters loooove this. It's full of lemony goodness, what's not to love. 

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower 

1 large tomato (diced)

1/4 onion (diced)

1 minced garlic clove

1/2 bunch cilantro (chopped)

Juice of 2 limes

Salt & peeper to taste

Let's get started by boiling water in a large pot, meanwhile cut the florets off the cauliflower, & wash. Planch for 5-6 mins and shock in icy water to stop the cooking process.

Chop the remaining veggies...

After cauliflower is cool, chopped into tiny pieces, the smaller the better.

Combine all ingredients in a large pretty bowl, add lime juice and season accordingly..

Mix to combine.

 

Lastly cover with plastic wrap & allow the flavors to distribute throughout for about 30-1hr.

The longer the better.

 

Finally serve.... (optional: add diced avocado on top)

Enjoy!!! xoxo