Easy Peasy Baked Chicken.

August 15, 2017September 21, 2017Leave a comment

Happy Tuesday! I have recently been contemplating starting a meal prepping business and trying this out for some friends of mine. With that in mind I do have a disclaimer: I have been vegetarian for almost 10 years. Let’s not forget that at one point in my life I did consume meat on a regular basis but I wasn’t quite as interested in cooking as I am now. Now it seems like I cook more than I go out mostly because I enjoy it and because I don’t like to consume food full of high fats and calories! Don’t get me wrong I love to go out, but I also prefer hosting and cooking a little bit more. 🙂 I had someone ask me to prepare some meals for them so this is the first of many. I baked some chicken- to my surprise it came out really good (yes I had a bite). Who knew after 10 years I can still cook chicken?! With this entire meal planning in mind it applies to my life as well. I have been working out a lot and sometimes not consuming enough calories throughout my day- so it will be beneficial to my food consumption as well. The name of the game is planning. Yes it involves time but so does anything that you can see results from.

What you’ll need:

6 TB Olive Oil
2 lemons sliced and layed out on baking sheet
2 garlic cloves (minced)
sea salt
finely ground black pepper
dried oregano
2 small red potatoes, diced up in med pieces
cherry tomatoes
1 Anaheim pepper, sliced (clean seeds out)
2-4 boneless skinless chicken breast (organic)
baby carrots
1 can chicken broth

Directions:

Coat a large baking dish with 1 TB of the olive oil. On the bottom of your dish, arrange lemon slices in a single layer.
Combine olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper In a large bowl. You will be coating all the ingredients with the olive oil mixture. Start with the chicken. Next, add the potatoes to the olive-oil mixture and toss to coat. Place the chicken on top of the lemon slices with the red potatoes. I add the tomatoes, peppers and carrots without coating (they will get flavor while cooking). Pour any remaining olive-oil mixture over the chicken. Add chicken broth (1 can).
Cook at 350 for 1 hour – 1 hour and 15 minutes (or until potatoes and veggies look soft and chicken cooked through). Serve warm.

Pickled Onion Meets Avocado Toast.

March 9, 2017March 9, 2017Leave a comment

{drizzle olive oil, avocado, chili flakes, onion + sprinkle kosher salt}

{Arugula, avocado, onion, feta + drizzle olive oil}

Hello Friends!! My new obsession is a cross between pickling and loving avocado waaaay to much!! I recently gave a shot at pickling for my first time. After 2 weeks of letting the bad boys sit in the fridge and marinate I pulled them out and gave them a try on some delicious avocado toast! Who doesn’t love bread and more importantly who doesn’t love the green goodness!!! This recipe is super easy and you can put the onions on anything you like- eggs, sandwiches, tacos, rice bowls….you name it!!

Here’s what you’ll need for the pickling portion:

2 cups water
1 cup ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar, Bragg’s)
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp kosher slat
mason jar
red onion (organic)

Directions:

Combine w/ whisk: vinegar + salt/sugar with 2 cups of water until fully dissolved.
Place onion slices in a mason jar or any container and add liquid until covered. Med size mason jar works perfect for this. Some recipes say to store over night but I left mine for 2 weeks and they tasted great!!

GOOD LUCK!

**If you make this tag me @newtritionsavvy!! Can’t wait to see! xo Sarah

Leek + Potato Soup.

February 20, 2017February 20, 2017Leave a comment

Potato + Leek Soup

What you’ll need:

1 lb leeks (I used 4 since it’s just me)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
heavy pinch kosher sale, plus additional for seasoning
3 Potatoes (yukon gold or russet work – I used 2)
1 quart vegetable broth (Or chicken)
1 cup heavy whipping cream (I used 1/2 cup)
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 table spoon snipped chives

Directions:

Chop the leeks into small pieces. Both ends off. Cut in half and then slice.
In a large sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the leeks and a heavy pinch of salt and let them sweat for 5 minutes. Decrease the heat to medium-low and cook until the leeks are tender, approximately 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the potatoes and the veggie broth, increase the heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and gently simmer until potatoes are soft, approximately 45 min.
Turn off the heat and puree the mixture with an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in the heavy cream, and white pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired. Sprinkle with chives and serve immediately, or chill and serve cold.

Side note: I didn’t need to add anything aside from the recipe. I added half the cream because I am usually not a cream fan but I LOVE potato leek soup. If you find that you don’t prefer dairy this soup will be just as good without.

Recipe found here.

Please let me know how it goes if you make it!

xo Sarah

Brown Butter Carrots…Yum!

January 11, 2017January 11, 2017Leave a comment

Produce

1 lb Carrots (or however much you want there is no rule 🙂 )
4 cloves Minced Garlic
1 tsp Thyme or parsley

Condiments

1/2 tbsp Honey

Baking & Spices

3 dashes Black pepper, ground
1/4 tsp Salt

Dairy

4 tbsp Butter, unsalted

This recipe is so easy!!!

Directions:

Warm the butter up in a pan with the garlic on med-high until butter starts to brown. Once brown mix carrots in with the butter, garlic, add parsley and honey +pinch salt and dash of pepper. Spread out on baking pan- Cook on 400 degrees for 15-20 min. (Every oven is different- mine cooked quickly and carrots were soft after 12 minutes so keep an eye!!

Enjoy and Tell me how you like them! 🙂

xo Sarah

Chipotle Flavored Breakfast Burrito.

April 11, 2016April 11, 2016Leave a comment

Happy Monday! Ok, for starters I was on a roll with cooking this weekend. It was rainy, cold and one of those weekends where you just want to lay in bed and do nothing all weekend. If you have read any past posts you know by now that it’s really hard for me to slow down, so instead I headed to the book store and picked up a new cook book! Saturday I made Chipotle Roasted Cauliflower tacos (which were SO good) and so on Sunday I used the leftover cauliflower, whipped up some breakfast potatoes with the chipotle chilis in the adobe sauce and Wa La! I had myself a delicious brekfast burrito. So many times when I buy vegetables (because it’s just me) I have leftovers which leads to being a little creative otherwise I am eating the same meal for 3 days. Who wants that? Not me! Anyway, get creative and use your left overs for something new.

In this burrito I used:

chipotle roasted cauliflower/corn
breakfast potatoes with chipotle pepper sauce
eggs [scrambled]
avocado
chipotle sauce (made with fresh greek yogurt)
diced tomato
flour tortilla

Are you a fan of breakfast burritos? What do you like to put in yours? Remember, if you are a meat eater you can always scramble up some sausage or bacon with those eggs. Good luck!

Easy Peasy Brussels Sprout Salad.

March 3, 2016March 3, 20161 Comment

brussels 2 brussels 1

What you’ll need:

Brussels Sprouts [sliced thin)
lemon
percorino romano
olive oil
white balsamic vinegar
salt/pepper to taste

Start by washing and slicing the brussels sprouts thin while placing in a bowl. I used about 10-15 brussels sprouts which was enough at least 2 or 3 people. I measured out about 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, and just a couple dashes of white balsamic vinegar to bring it to 1/4 cup. Squeeze the juice of 1 & 1/2 lemons then put in a blender/mixer. The mixer helps with the consistency of the dressing. Toss the dressing in with the bowl of raw sliced brussels sprouts. I like to massage them together so they flavor really gets absorbed by the sprouts. Lastly, the pecorino is shaved over the top of the salad. (You can use the side of the cheese grader with the smallest holes).If you need any salt at all a pinch should suffice. I like to add crushed black pepper to the salad for extra flavor and also to cut the bite of the citrus. Enjoy!

Breakfast Game on Point!

February 3, 20161 Comment

breakfast sand

Get your breakfast game on! Man, this was amazing. I am usually more often than not on my game when it comes to breakfast (steel cut oats, yogurt, toast, fruit etc.) but this one was so damn good! Toasted ciabatta bread, avocado, baby arugula, fried egg, sliced tomato, and a spicy pimento cheese spread I picked up from Whole Foods. Don’t be a afraid to tackle the kitchen for your own amazing weekend breakfast. You don’t always have to go out to eat to get what you want!

Stuffed Zucchini.

January 27, 2016January 27, 2016Leave a comment

zucchini 1 zucchini 2 zicchini 3 zucchini 4 zucchini 5 zucchini 6 zucchini 7 zucchini 8

What you’ll need:

INGREDIENTS

4 large zucchini
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup cooked rice (I like to use spanish rice)
1 cup salsa (optional-I didn’t; use)
1/2 red onion [diced]
1 red bell pepper [diced]
mushrooms [diced]
1/2 cup corn1 jalapeno (or poblano pepper), cored and diced
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon olive oil
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
avocado [sliced]
salt to taste
1 cup shredded cheddar/monterey jack cheese
queso fresco [crumbled]

INSTRUCTIONS

Start by greasing a cookie sheet with olive oil and place to the side. Slice each zucchini in half lengthwise[DON’T cut off the ends (I made the mistake of doing that!). Using a melon baller or metal teaspoon, hallow out the center of each zucchini. Lightly brush the tops with one teaspoon of olive oil then place them skin side down in the casserole dish. I reccomend dressing the zucchini with a little salt and pepper before filling with everything.
Next warm the tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and the peppers until coooked through. Then add the rice, corn, and beans along with the salsa, chili powder and cumin. Stir everything together and continue to cook for about 5 minutes then remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 400°F and then stir in 1/4 cup of the cilantro and salt to taste to the filling. Spoon the filling inside of each zucchini until they are all full. Sprinkle each half with cheese then arrange them in the dish and cover with foil. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes then remove the foil and set the oven to broil. Cook them for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown.
Allow them to cool for 5-10 minutes then top with fresh cilantro, avocado and queso fresco and serve.

Thank you Making Thyme For Health for this recipe! There were a few modifications but it was delicious!!

*This recipe can also be made without cheese and would be just as good. Anything with avocado and salsa you can’t go wrong! Enjoy!

Juice-licious.

January 26, 2016January 26, 2016Leave a comment

jucing

How good does this look? I’ve said it before and will say over and over! It’s not a matter of having time for anything – it’s really a matter of making it. Yes, juicing can be messy and take 7 minutes of your time, but really…if you think of the amount of time you spend trolling though facebook, instagram, watching tv. etc everyday I think you can take a few minutes to juice it up! Not to mention, these store bought juices can be a litttttle pricey. Actually, let’s be real here, A LOT of pricey!!! This weekend I made a quick juice for some extra nutrients and energy. I used:

raw beets (sliced, not cooked) [pottasium(essential for healthy nerve and muscle function) and manganese (which is good for your bones, liver, kidneys, and pancreas).]
green apple[antioxidants lessen your risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke]
lime [weight loss, skin care, improved digestion, relief from constipation, eye care]
kale [great for aiding in digestion and elimination with its great fiber content]
ginger [relieving digestive problems such as nausea, loss of appetite, motion sickness and pain]
carrots [beta carotene and fiber content. This root vegetable is also a good source of antioxidant agents]
cucumber [ decreasing swelling and irritation of the skin and providing vitamin K]
grapefruit [vitamin c/maintain healthy heart]

It’s important to remember to have more veggies than fruit but whatever gets you going is better than nothing at all in my eyes. For 2 days worth of juice it was $11. That’s 5.50 a juice. Can we stay steal!?

My kind of Football Sunday.

January 25, 2016January 25, 2016Leave a comment

sunday 5 sunday 3 sunday 4 sunday2

sunday1

sunday 6.png

Happy Monday! This weekend was pretty low key. I didn’t really do much besides get a great workout in on Saturday/Sunday morning and of course enjoying football Sunday! What a game with the Broncos VS. Patriots. It’s even more exciting that we will be hosting Superbowl 50 in our very own backyard in just a few weeks. Although the Niners didn’t quite make it to the championship, it is still something to look forward to! I have given up drinking for the month of January which concludes week 3 of 52! Most of you will be either hosting or going to a Superbowl party or maybe even hitting up your local joint for the festivities. I know this is sometimes and excuse to splurge on not so healthy food- but if you want to keep it on the healthy side (while remembering your new year resolutions) I think I can help. This weekend I made a 7 layer bean dip as well as a garbanzo bean salad. Guess what? My friends LOVED it! There were also chicken wings and pizza but adding a little healthy snacks to the mix never hurt anyone.

7 layer Bean Dip:

Mashed Black Beans
Sour Cream
Shredded Cheese ( I use jack/cheddar combo)
Mashed Avocado (I made guac/lemon/salt/pepper/tomato)
Black Olives
Red Onion (Diced)
Tomato (Diced)
Jalapeno (Sliced/Optional)

This is a simple recipe. All the ingredients are listed in order starting from the bottom of the pan to the top layer. Beans are always first and remember to heat them before putting them in the pan. I used corn tortillas/cut them in 4 for the chips. I bake them on a cookie sheet for about 10 minutes (flipping half way in between). Cut them before, drizzle with olive oil and cook on 450 degrees. When you remove them from the oven you can dash some sea salt on for extra flavor. Good Luck!