Grilled & Glazed Carrots

 

Ingredients:

• 6 carrots (equal in size)
• 1/8 cup Balsamic vinegar
• 1/8 cup Honey

Directions:

• Combine the balsamic and honey in a small bowl, whisk to combine and set aside.

 

• Peel, trim and slice the carrots in half horizontally.

 

• Put them in a zip-top bag and seal, leaving about an inch unsealed.

 

• Cook the carrots on high in the microwave for two minutes, or until they are slightly flexible. This shortens the grilling time greatly. (Note: You may need to adjust the cooking time depending on the size of your carrots and the power of your microwave.)

 

• Grill the carrots on a medium-high grill (about 400*) for three minutes.

 

• Flip them over, brush them with the glaze and continue grilling another three minutes.

 

• Remove the carrots to a platter and brush them with the glaze.

 

• Serve and enjoy.

Vegetable & Cashew Salad Rolls

Ingredients:

Salad Filling:

3 medium organic zucchini, shaved thinly lengthways

½ organic carrot, julienned or grated

½ organic red capsicum, julienned or finely sliced

1 organic lebanese cucumber, julienned or finely sliced

¼ cup organic coriander leaves

¼ cup organic mint leaves, roughly chopped

Cashew Sour Cream

1 cup raw organic cashews, soaked a few hours or overnight

¼ teaspoon sea salt

½ tablespoon organic lemon juice (or cider vinegar)

¼-½ cup filtered water

Guacamole

1 ripe organic avocado

2 tablespoons organic red onion, finely diced

½ lime, juiced

Dash ofTabasco, to taste

Salt, to taste

Instructions:

Salad filling: In a large bowl, gently toss the salad to combine.

Cashew Sour Cream: Drain the cashews, place nuts in a food processor add remaining ingredients then puree until smooth. Refrigerate until needed.

Assembly: On a clean bench or chopping board lay approx. 8 zucchini strips lengthways and close together, spread a spoon of each sour cream, guacamole and top with a small handful of salad and roll up tightly.  Repeat with remaining ingredients. Cut in half and eat straight away!

Greek Yogurt Berry Ice Cream

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of non fat greek yogurt
• 3 tbl agave nectar
• 3/4 cup of blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. You can buy them frozen and thaw them.
• 1/4 banana(about 2 inches in length)
• 3 tbls soy milk

Directions:

• Add the yogurt, fruits and agave nectar in a blender and blend until smooth, then add the soy milk and banana, and blend until smooth. If you like it on the sweeter side, add more agave nectar.
• If you’re using an ice cream maker, add the smoothie mix in the ice cream maker, and run it for 20 minutes or until it takes the shape of ice cream. You can either have the ice cream immediately and/or place it in a freezer safe container and freeze for 1-2 hours. It’s best to eat the ice cream immediately out of the ice cream maker and/or within 3 hours otherwise, it’ll harden, in which case you can pop the container in the microwave and run it for 30 seconds.
• If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can place the smoothie in a freezer safe container and freeze for 1-2 hours and then enjoy.

Crispy Roasted Chickpeas

 

Ingredients:

• Chickpeas (dried & cooked)
• Couple tbsp. olive oil
• Spices – combination of garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, and salt

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Dry your chickpeas! (Spread over some napkins & blot dry)
• Toss your chickpeas in olive oil. Make sure they’re all coated!
• Bake these for 15 minutes, add your spices and stir around, and then another 15 minutes until golden in color.
• Transfer to a bowl or plate to cool off before eating. They will be really hot!

Marinated Greek Chicken Kabobs

Servings

4

Nutritional Information

• Calories: 243
• Total Fat: 7.5g
• Cholesterol: 85mg

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) container fat-free plain yogurt
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese with basil and sun-dried tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 large red onion, cut into wedges
• 1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

Directions

1. In a large shallow baking dish, mix the yogurt, feta cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, salt, pepper, and rosemary. Place the chicken in the dish, and turn to coat. Cover, and marinate 3 hours in the refrigerator.
2. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat.
3. Thread the chicken, onion wedges, and green bell pepper pieces alternately onto skewers. Discard remaining yogurt mixture.
4. Grill skewers on the prepared grill until the chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Spice Chart

The Healthy Tater Tot

The healthy alternative to tater tots, try zucchini bites instead! They are much better nutritionally for you and are just as easy to make, not to mention they are quite delicious!

Zucchini Bites

yields: 12 mini muffins

1 cups zucchini, grated
1 egg
1/4 yellow onion, diced
1/4 cup cheese (cheddar or Parmesan work the best)
1/4 cup bread crumbs
Salt and Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a mini-muffin tin with non-stick spray, set aside.
2. Grate the zucchini and then place in a dish towel to squeeze out the excess water- like when using frozen spinach; if you skip this part, the middle of the zucchini tots will be really soggy while the outside gets crispy and no one wants that.
3. In a bowl combine, the egg, onion, cheese, bread crumbs, zucchini, salt and pepper.
4. Using a spoon or a cookie scoop, fill the muffin cups to the top. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the top is browned and set.

Grilled Chicken, Peach, Blackberry + Basil Pizza

 

Makes 1 pizza

Ingredients:

• 1 batch of whole-wheat pizza dough
• 1 sweet onion, sliced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese
• 2 grilled boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 ripe peach, thinly sliced
• 2/3 cups blackberries, coarsely chopped
• 10-15 basil leaves, chopped
• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar

Preparation:

Pizza:

Prepare dough as directed and while it’s rising, heat a large nonstick skillet over low heat and add butter and onions with a pinch of salt. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, then stir in brown sugar and cook for 10 minutes more. Remove and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Shape dough as desired and top with garlic and olive oil. Add on the grated cheese, then top with the chicken, peaches, berries, basil and caramelized onions. Evenly place fresh mozzarella on top.  Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until cheese is melty and golden. Top with additional basil and finely grated parmesan if desired! It’s also delicious when topped with a balsamic glaze.

Glaze (Optional): 

While pizza is baking, heat vinegar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Allow to come to a boil, then let simmer and cook for about 15-20 minutes until reduced to about 1/3-1/2 cup. Set aside to cool for at least 10 minutes to thicken. When pizza is finished baking, drizzle glaze on top and serve.

 

Lunch Under 400 Calories

Spicy Bean and Guacamole Burritos

Preparing this delicious lunch from start to finish is only 5 minutes, it doesn’t get easier than that. Eating healthy doesn’t mean going hungry… Try this satisfying option for less than 400 calories! This meal fits perfectly in to a 1,500 calorie a day diet plan.

Ingredients 

• 1/2 cup canned low-fat refried beans
• 1/4 cup salsa
• 3 tablespoons prepared guacamole
• 1 cup shredded romaine lettuce
• 2 small (6-inch) whole-grain tortillas
• 1 cup red grapes

Make It
Stir together beans and salsa. Microwave for 1 to 2 minutes. Place warm bean mixture, guacamole, and lettuce on tortillas and roll up. Serve with grapes on the side.

Summery Pasta Caprese

Summery Pasta Caprese

Light and Refreshing

Serves 4 for an appetizer

Serves 2 for entree

1/2 pound orecchiette

1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 lb. mozzarella, preferably ciliegene (balls)

2 tablespoons basil pesto

12 basil leaves, sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

1. Bring a large pot of water and 2 teaspoons salt to a boil. Add the pasta, stir a few times, and then cook until it’s al dente.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, basil leaves, mozzarella, olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper.

3. Drain the pasta and place back in the hot pot  on low heat. Add the basil pesto making sure to coat the pasta. Stir to incorporate.

4. Add pasta to large bowl and toss it with the tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. Add more salt and pepper to taste.