Cold Orzo Salad

This quick pasta is a great side or delicious on it's own!

1 box cooked orzo (cooled)

Couple bunched of raw kale (chopped)

1 large tomato (seeded & chopped)

3 Persian cucumbers (chopped)

1/4 red onion (finely chopped)

Red Wine Vinaigrette:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Pinch of oregano 

Salt & pepper to taste 

Mix veggies with the orzo & slowly incorporate Vinaigrette. Mix & taste, adjust seasonings if needed. Sprinkle feta cheese crumbs on top, add more to your liking. 

Refrigerate for about 20 mins, allowing flavors to incorporate. 

Enjoy!

Simple Spaghetti & Meatballs

Ingredients:

(For the meatballs)

1 1/2 lean ground beef

1 egg

1/2 shredded small zucchini 

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Some bread crumbs

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1Tb salt & freshly ground pepper 

Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, with a small ice cream scoop

form the balls. Heat up a large skillet, add olive oil, brown the meatballs

 in two batches. Take out meatballs onto a plate lined with a paper towel

 to drain excess oil.

Sauce:

Favorite store bought marinara

1 garlic clove

1/4 diced red onion

1 bay leaf

Some dried oregano 

You will then add the diced onion & garlic to the skillet you cooked your

meatballs. Sauté for 3-4 mins, add marinara sauce, bay leaf, oregano &

simmer for 10mins. Add meatballs into the sauce & simmer another 10mins.

1 1lb spaghetti to pasta

Meanwhile cook the pasta accordingly. To serve place pasta on a plate & spoon

 over generous amounts of sauce & meatballs. Finish with Parmesan cheese &

 possibly some fresh basil. Enjoy!!

Fiesta lettuce cups

 

Ingredients:

1 iceburg lettuce 

1lb ground beef

2-3 tb of Homemade taco seasoning

1 tomato (chopped)

3 green onions (chopped)

1/2 shredded cheddar cheese

I've said it many times but here it goes again, I always crave Taco Bell (no I don't always give into my cravings). Instead I look for ways of using the same flavors in healthier alternatives. This journey begins with my simple refried beans, which aren't really "fried". I cook the beans, mash with a bit of grape seed oil, some sautéed green onions & season towards the end if necessary. I then brown a pound of ground beef, add my homemade seasonings (which you can find the recipe on my blog). Simmer for 5 minutes & all done. For the toppings I chop tomato, green onions, shredded cheese & possibly some jalapenos if you like the heat. Lastly, wash some iceberg lettuce, tear into palm size pieces and begin by laying mashed beans, ground beef & the toppings of your choice.
Enjoy!! Oh, don't forget the salsa!!

Baby Spinach Salad

Ingredients:

Organic Baby Spinach

Chopped red onion

Halved Cherry tomatoes

Garbanzo beans

Crumbled Feta cheese

Optional Sides: 

Whole wheat pasta

Hard boiled Eggs

Use Dressing of your choice! Enjoy!

Salad Bar Friday

This is by far my daughters favorite dinner!! Weird right!! But they love salads & serving themselves! This post is pretty self explanatory, I wanted to share my take on an "At home salad bar". Hope this inspires you to recreate your own version, Enjoy!!!

Detox water

There are times when you feel blah, bloated, and just plain gross.. maybe you had an over the top weekend!? By over the top I'm referring to your crazy binge eating, which I'm far more guilty of than I'd like to admit. Opps! Anyhow, I jumped on the detox water drink last year and to my surprise, it worked.... for me. I lost 3-4 lbs in a week, the bloat was gone and my water intake was higher. AMAZING! The best part is all ingredients are natural and accessible.

Try it, you just might be pleasantly surprised.

 

Yes I did the research for you.... you're welcome!

 

Mint:   Mint leaves help you lose weight and stimulate the digestion of fat while eliminating toxins.

Lemon: Vitamin C and the juice is a digestive aid and liver cleanser.

Cucumber: 95 % water, yet more nutrious than plain water. So it keeps you hydrated.

Ginger: anti-inflammatory, eliminates intestinal gas, etc. It's has crazy good benefits!

 

Ingredients:

 

1 Cucumber

1 tbsp. Fresh Ginger (peels)

1 Lemon

Lots of fresh mint

2 Qt of Water

 

In a pretty jug, fill with water, slice the veggies & add to the water.

Allow mixture to sit over night, enjoy the following day.

 

Power Salad

Serves about 4

This salad is great, it's different yet contains many ingredients we all know and love. 

My daughters loved it. 

1/2 head of broccoli 

1/4 cauliflower 

1 cucumber (quartered)

1 tomato sliced

1 cup cooked quinoa

Chopped parsley 

Vinaigrette: 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 red wine, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt,

 pepper & a about 3 chopped kalamata olives. 

Let's get started...

Cook quinoa accordingly, set aside & allow to cool completely.

In a pot of boiling water, throw in broccoli & cauliflower & cook for 2 minutes. Take out & blanch in icy water ( this retains their color & stops the cooking). Meanwhile chop all the remaining veggies. Place everything in a large mixing bowl, add cooked quinoa, soup on desired amount of vinaigrette. Combine all ingredients & Enjoy!!! 

Black bean & Zucchini Quesadilla

INGREDIENTS:

1 can organic black beans (rinsed)

1 zucchini (diced)

1 garlic (minced)

Pinch of cumin

Part skim mozzarella cheese (shredded)

This mixture should give you about 5 whole quesadillas.

I love topping these with some fresh pico de gallo.

Let's get started...

Heat up a large skillet, add a tb of olive oil, sauté minced garlic (1min). Add diced zucchini (3min), incorporate black beans & season with cumin. When beans are heated through, turn heat off. 

Heat up tortillas, place some cheese as a base & spoon on a hefty portion of the bean mixture, cover with a second tortilla & melt cheese.

Cut into quarters & enjoy!

Broiled Fish Tacos with Chipotle mayo

Who doesn't like fish tacos???

This is a great alternative to fried fish tacos.

Preheat oven at 400.

Season fish of your choice with, salt, pepper, paprika & pinch of cumin. Cut your fish into strips. I recommend using tilapia, cod, or halibut. About 2 lbs should feed 4 people.

Broil for 12 minutes, turning once.

Meanwhile slice 1/4 red cabbage & 1/4 green cabbage. Set aside.
Pickle some sliced red onions in lemon juice & a bit of salt.

Chipotle Mayo:

1/4 cup Light Mayo 

4 chipotle chiles

Blend until smooth & season if needed. 

This stuff is the bomb!

Warm up tortillas, assemble 2 slices of fish in the center of the tortilla,
cabbage, drizzle chipotle mayo & garnish with pickled onions. 

ENJOY!!

Healthy Wrap

RECIPE

Looking for a healthy lunch or dinner idea???

 Try this easy wrap. I purchase these tortillas from Trader Joe's and the canned salmon in from Costco. Try this with canned tuna or shredded chicken.  

RECIPE:

1 Organic sprouted grain tortilla

Spinach leaves (washed) 

Canned Salmon, drained

1/2 cucumber (chopped)

1/2 Tomato (chopped)

1 Green Onion (chopped)

a bit of Parsley (chopped)

some edamame

Olive oil & some lemon juice

In a bowl mix canned salmon, cucumber, tomato, green onion, parsley, edamame  

& drizzle olive oil & lemon juice. Heat up sprouted tortilla, lay lettuce leaves on top and spoon on salmon mixture, roll & slice in half.

ENJOY!!

Chile glazed Salmon

Roasted Salmon with Rosemary & Garlic

Preheat oven at 400.

Season salmon with salt & pepper, set aside.
In a small bowl place chopped  fresh rosemary (about 2 Tb) & 2 minced garlic cloves.
Add 2 Tb of olive oil & mix. Spoon mixture onto each salmon steak. 

Roast for about 10 minutes uncovered.

ENJOY!!

Mixed Greens topped w/ Quinoa & Ground Turkey

The best thing about salads is making them your own, so be creative & remember you're the boss!!

Prep a mixed green salad with all your favorite veggies,
brown ground turkey using my (taco seasoning),

http://shesohungry.blogspot.com/2013/05/homemade-taco-bell-seasoning.html

& lastly cook quinoa accordingly.

Plate the salad, add 1/2 to 1 cooked quinoa, & top with ground turkey.

Drizzle My Habanero Lime Vinaigrette!!

http://shesohungry.blogspot.com/2013/08/habanero-lime-vinaigrette.html

ENJOY!!

Habanero Lime Vinaigrette

This concoction came to life because I wanted a dressing for my salad & of course a spicy salsa.

So I thought why not combine the 2 ideas & boy was it a hit with my husband!

Can't wait to make this again!

 

RECIPE:

1 chopped habanero

1/2 tsp of cumin

1 lime (juiced)

Few stems of chopped cilantro

1/4 cup of olive oil

Salt & Pepper

In a small bowl add the lime juice, chopped habanero, cumin, cilantro, salt/ pepper & slowly whisk in the olive oil.

Warning- the longer the vinaigrette sits, the spicier it becomes!!

Homemade Applesauce

Yesterday my daughters and I picked fresh apples from Grandma's backyard.

Upon arriving home the first thing my oldest said was, can we make applesauce like Tia??

So here we are!! I looked up this easy recipe online, hope you enjoy!
 

  I don't think we'll ever buy jarred apple sauce again,

this is tooooo easy!

 

RECIPE: 

10 apples (your choice)

1/2 Tb cinnamon *optional

1/2 cup water

 

Let's get started, peel all the apples! Let the kids handle this part..

 

Chop into chunks..

 

 

Place in a good size pot, add the water & cinnamon.

Cover & bring to a boil, reduce heat & simmer for 20 minutes.

 

 

Depending on how chunky ( mash with a potato masher) or smooth (blend)

you prefer your applesauce is up to you. We blended more like pulsed until our desired texture!!

 

Voila, you have homemade applesauce, yes it's that EASY!

 

 

Pour into a clean mason jar, allow to cool or not.

Taste for desired sweetness, leave as is or add brown sugar.

Once cooled, store in the refrigerator & enjoy for days to come.

I'm sure ours will last 2 days tops!!

 This recipe filled a quart sized jar a little over 3/4 of the way up.

ENJOY!!!

Habanero/Jalapeño Salmon

This is my family's favorite way to make Salmon, everyone I've introduced this recipe to

LOVES IT!!

RECIPE:

Salmon steak
Salt, pepper & garlic powder

Onion (sliced)

!-2 Jalapeño (sliced)

1 Habanero (sliced)

Season the salmon with Salt, freshly ground pepper & a pinch of garlic powder.
Pre-Heat a skillet to medium high & add some grape seed oil.

Saute the peppers & onion until they become semi-soft (about 5 mins)

Make room for the salmon by moving peppers to the sides of the skillet,

 place salmon in carefully & arrange the peppers on top, cover (4 mins).

Again take peppers off the salmon & gently flip, re-arrange the peppers on top.

If you do not move the peppers they will burn before the salmon in fully cooked (trust me). By placing the peppers on top the salmon absorbs the heat faster, beware. Haha!

After about a minute or so, take the salmon out & plate. In the past I've made white or brown rice along with & a side of steamed veggies. This time I decided to place on top of an organic mixed green salad & man was it delicious. I drizzle my salad with a bit of lemon juice & olive oil. 

ENJOY!!

Homemade Taco Bell Seasoning

Nothing can or ever will come between my crispy taco bell tacos & I.. like EVER! I'm talking fast food (Taco Bell) tacos. I'm obsessed, always have been. I can't help it. These obsessions have driven me to find a homemade Taco Bell seasoning mix, yes your welcomed.. in advance!

 Stop buying store packets with all those unnecessary ingredients! 

After much Internet research I found this simple recipe from browneyedbaker.com! Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

4 Tb Chili powder

3 Tb Paprika

3 Tb Cumin

1 Onion Powder

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper

Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Store this seasoning mix in an airtight container at room temperature.

** Use about 2 tablespoons per pound of meat & 3/4 cup of water.

Cucumber / Tuna bites

RECIPE:

1 can fresh water (low sodium) tuna

1 scallion (green onion) chopped

1 tsp light mayo

1 tsp mustard

2 sliced (seedless) cucumbers

1 tomato (sliced & quartered)

Drain tuna & break up the chunks. Add the mayo, mustard & scallions... stir to combine & set aside.

Slice cucumber...

Arrange in a platter..

add desired amount of tuna mixture..

& finally top with tomato! Perfect snack or anytime meal. Your kids will love!

 

ENJOY!!