5 minute Garbanzo Bean Salad

July 6, 2017July 6, 2017Leave a comment

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I always love a tasty salad for the summer time. I stumbled upon this one last week when I was browsing through the fridge as to what I should make for dinner. It was hot (like 95 degrees hot) which means I didn’t want to even dare turn the oven on. I usually lean towards salads with no lettuce – and yes I am well aware that might sound a little weird. For instance, at Whole Foods when I attack the salad bar I usually just get all the toppings (veggies) with some dressing and call it a day. Anyway- this one is super easy and can be a great dish you bring to your next summer BBQ!!

What you’ll need:

2 Avocados, pitted, and chopped
1 can Chickpeas
1/3 cup Cilantro
2 tbsp Green onion
1 Lime (juice – if you feel like you need more add a little extra virgin olive oil)

How to make it:

In a mixing bowl combine your avocado, chickpeas (rinsed), cilantro, green onion, and lime juice. Mix everything together – season with salt and pepper and top with the feta cheese. (*optional- it tastes just as good without it)

Let me know if you make this and how it turns out!

xo Sarah

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!

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!?

Cauliflower Fried Rice.

January 21, 2016January 21, 2016Leave a comment

This recipe is always a go to favorite when you are craving rice but don’t want the extra calories. I think some people might be skeptical of this, but it’s actually pretty good. I have been on a cauliflower kick as of late (cauliflower mash, baked cauliflower w/ parmesan cheese) it’s easy, cheap but still a member of the cancer-fighting cruciferous family of vegetables. This is one vegetable that deserves a regular rotation in your diet, however, as it contains an impressive array of nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other phytochemicals.

What you’ll need:

1 head of cauliflower (about 2 1/2 cups chopped in a food processor)
2 tbs sesame oil
1 small white onion, chopped
1 cup frozen peas/carrots (I prefer fresh carrots over frozen)
2-3 Tablespoons soy sauce (more or less to taste)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp chopped green onion (optional)
salt/pepper to taste (optional)

Directions:

Rinse and chop the cauliflower into florets and put in the food processor. (If you don’t have a food processor you can easily chop up cauliflower into small pieces.) Pulse the cauliflower until it’s small and resembles rice.
Preheat a large skillet or wok to medium heat. Pour some sesame oil in the bottom. Add white onion and peas/carrots and fry until tender.
Slide the onion, peas, carrots to the side. Using a spatula, scramble the eggs. Once cooked mix the egg with the vegetable mix.
Add the cauliflower to the veggie an egg mixture. Pour the soy sauce on top. Stir and fry the rice and veggie mixture until heated through and the cauliflower is tender. Add chopped green onion if desired.

*I have made this before but instead of peas I used grated zucchini and grated carrots. I prefer to add the zucchini because the texture absorbs the flavor of the soy sauce.

*This recipe would be great with some pieces of diced organic chicken or shrimp.

Good Luck!

I found this recipe at The Recipe Critic dot com.

5 Things This Week.

January 8, 2016January 8, 2016Leave a comment

5 Things This week.

5.New Year, First Week. We survived! I hope all of you have had a chance to get your goals in tact because I have. This is definitely a perfect opportunity to reflect on all the thing we can ADD into our lives to be more successful on a daily basis.

4. Made some yummy cannellini bean soup. It’s been raining this whole week so if you’re in a rush for the week soup is a great meal to have for leftovers.

3. Mushroom medley tacos. Add some cumin, salt, pepper, lime and garlic powder and BOOM! They were bomb.

2. I will have managed 5 workouts this week. Some circuit, one yoga class and I will hit up Soul Cycle on Sunday to end my week on a positive note! Feels good to start off the year on the right note.

1. “Don’t Be Busy. Just Be Productive.” It’s such a thing that we create this “too busy” for our lives, tasks and people around us. Are we really too busy, or just wasting time on non essential things? I am going to go with the ladder. New goal: Be Productive! Get things done NOW!

Hope you all had a great week!

Kitchen Savvy Weekend.

December 21, 2015December 21, 2015Leave a comment

weekend 4 weekend 3 weekend 1 weekend 5 weekend

It looks like the beginning of winter is in FULL effect. The rain didn’t stop me from getting a few workouts in annnnnnd staying busy in the kitchen! Instead of going out to eat we opted on cooking up a storm. On the menu for Sunday:[Lentil soup] [Garbanzo Bean Salad] & [Homemade Raviolis] Does it get any better?? I love soup and this is the perfect season for it. See the recipe below!

What you’ll need:

3 cloves minced garlic
chopped yellow onion
diced celery & carrots
tomato paste
zucchini
1 cup fennel
3 bay leave
dried thyme
salt/black pepper
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 bunch choppep fresh dill
1 1/2 cup lentils

Start by cooking the carrots, onion, celery with olive oil on a med heat. The beans are SEPARATE! This is important. Start the lentils on a boiling temperature and then bring to a med heat and let the beans cook through. This will prevent them from splitting and being too mushy. Once they are finished-drain them and then add the bean water to the carrots, onion and celery. From there add the fennel, tomato paste (about half a small can), bay leaves, salt, pepper, dried thyme, dill, zucchini and let them simmer on a low heat. When the soup is near done, add the lentils and serve. I like to add feta cheese to the top just to add a little texture. Enjoy!

Just Beet It.

August 26, 2015Leave a comment

It’s Wednesday my friends! Two days closer to the weekend. If your summer has been anything like mine, it’s been full of events left and right which sometimes leads to lack of planning and eating 100% on point. I have been in and out of town, going to concerts and just basically enjoying myself….so this week I hit up Whole Foods to get back on track. Let’s just clarify that back on track for me is not as dramatic as most. I am vegetarian, I don’t eat like crap- sometimes I just eat out more than I should. I have been working out like crazy but don’t always have time to cook as much as I would like. Bummer, but it’s the reality. Time is so much more valuable when you don’t have enough, right? Anyhow, usually when I feel like juicing I just go to my local farmers market and do it myself. Sometimes those store bought juices don’t really compare to my yummy juice – but this one hits the spot. I like to stock up on items that are “grab and go” type- for work. My mornings are always rushed, and the last thing I have time to do it juice away lol. Heck, I don’t even have time to get coffee sometimes! If you want a little health boost I highly recommend “Just Beet It.” It’s a combination of beets, carrots, and oranges. This is great for digestion and simply to get your day going. For $4.99 this is a healthy Starbucks alternative. Every day counts, don’t forget it!

Go Vegan for a Night!

July 9, 2015Leave a comment

It’s summer and It’s hot so let’s lighten things up a bit. Sometimes we tend to load up on the refined carbs when its not really needed, so with this recipe I say, ditch the carbs! I do think the right carbs are okay to consume but if you can eat a healthy meal that tastes great and fills you up without them- then Let’s do it! Vegan tacos {pictured above} are a great dinner, and if you have leftovers a great lunch as well. I used Smart Ground original crumbles for my protein source. If you don’t want to go vegan you can cook up some ground beef/turkey (organic of course) and substitute for the real thing. I threw in some veggies, made a Pico de Gallo, added avocado and called it a day. These were great!

What you’ll need:

tomato (diced)
avocado
red onion (chopped)
cilantro (chopped)
asparagus (cut into small pieces)
zucchini (cut into small pieces)
butter cup lettuce
smart ground (or your choice of protein)
olive oil
cumin/chili powder/salt/pepper (to taste)
juice of 2 limes

Directions:

Prepare all veggies and place olive oil, asparagus and zucchini in a pan. Cook on med heat just to get crunch out of the veggies. Add the smart ground, salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin to taste. The crumbles don’t really need to cook, they just need the heat to loosen up the meat. In a separate bowl add red onion, cilantro, tomato, lime juice, and light salt/pepper. Place the meatless mixture on top of the buttercup lettuce. Add Pico de Gallo & avocado and top with hot sauce If desired. The whole prep from start to finish took 15 min.

Enjoy!

Mexican Quinoa.

July 8, 2015July 8, 20152 Comments

Hey friends! After my crazy hard workout last night I jumped on Pinterest and found this recipe. Mexican quinoa is EASY ( I am all about easy) and damn good at the same time! Nothing like a recipe that kills it in the taste department. Score! I have made different variations of this salad, but adding the cumin was a hit). I have vowed to myself for the next 6 weeks there will be nothing but clean eating. (Well, majority- let’s be realistic). I am all about moderation including moderation, but I know for a fact that the daily habits we do add up so with a few changes here and there between food and working out I should be seeing some results coming my way! Here is another easy recipe sent from me to you. I try to make/look up different dishes and use the ingredients I already have on hand. This alleviates any time constraints or any additional trips to the grocery store than necessary. Baby steps like replacing pasta and rice with quinoa can really add up when it comes to minimizing refined carbohydrates. Think you don’t eat a lot of a certain food? Start by jotting down and the truth finally comes out. All is fun and games until your jeans don’t fit! What are you doing to replace your habits with healthy ones?

What You’ll Need:

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapenos, minced
1 cup quinoa
1 cup vegetable broth
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5 oz) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 cup corn kernels
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and jalapeno, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Stir in quinoa, vegetable broth, beans, tomatoes, corn, chili powder and cumin; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until quinoa is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Stir in avocado, lime juice and cilantro.
Serve immediately.

This recipe was found here. Thanks, Pinterest!