The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
If you know me, you know that I make a lot of my meals at home. And here’s a secret: I modify recipes to match my food philosophy. Today, I’m going to talk about how I make my meals healthy, even when I work from a recipe. Here are 10 tips on how to cook healthier:
The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
This week, I wanted to give you a little glimpse into my weekday lunch preparation. Hopefully some of the creative shortcuts can be helpful for you – and this post will show you how to make weekday lunch preparation easy.
The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
Happy St. Patrick’s day! When I lived in Boston and worked for the school district, St. Patrick’s day was a big deal. And, classroom parties that were full of green snacks made it an even bigger deal. There was a potential for unhealthy snacks and sugary drinks – and it was my job to give teachers and parents alternative ideas. Here are ten St. Patrick’s day snack ideas that are healthy and kid-friendly: Continue reading Ten healthy St. Patrick’s Day snacks that are kid-friendly→
The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
Do you drink sugary drinks? Some argue that sugary drinks play a significant role in today’s obesity epidemic in the US. Why? Because when you drink sugar, you are consuming calories. And, your body doesn’t feel as full when you drink these calories compared to when you eat the same number of calories as food. 1
The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
Notes:
Pan A, Hu FB. Effects of carbohydrates on satiety: differences between liquid and solid food. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2011;14:385-90. ↩
When it comes to party foods served on game day, many of us turn to options that are greasy, salty, or super-sweet. Here are ten party foods for the big game that will keep the football fans at your party happy and healthy. Continue reading Ten Healthy (and Super) Game Day Party Foods→
The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
Last weekend, my friends and I visited Dallas and Austin. We live in different states now, and so a weekend with friends is ever so valuable. What did we do for most of the time? We ate, we talked, and we discovered different restaurants. Throughout the weekend, each of us worked to eat healthfully. Continue reading How to Eat Healthy while Dining Out: 18 Tips→
The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
Do your taste buds need a flavorful, healthy boost this week? If your New Year’s resolution is to eat healthier this year, try this salad. This salad features nutty quinoa, sweet dried fruit, fresh herbs, tangy bell peppers, crunchy cucumbers, and toasted almonds. It is packed with protein, is vegetarian and vegan, offers a gluten-free meal, has no sugar added, and is full of flavor.
The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
This Saturday (around lunchtime), I desperately needed a fridge cleanup. We had veggies in the refrigerator that I knew would not last the entire week, and we also had bits of leftovers from dinners this last week. For example, my spouse and I had grilled up some chicken and eggplant earlier in the week, but there simply wasn’t much left for us to split.
I thought—you know what? I’ll throw some Mediterranean veggies in with these two base ingredients. The resulting salad not only ended up being delicious, but these leftovers transformed into two pretty satisfying salads for a Saturday lunch.
Here’s what I did. I looked through the fridge. We had a little bit of salad mix, a cucumber, tomatoes, leftover grilled chicken (like a ¾ of a breast), and some grilled eggplant. I also found some Kalamata olives, almond slivers, basil, raisins, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar in my pantry. These ingredients make a really nice, mayo-free chicken salad!
A quick note: this became a “chicken” salad, but really the stars of the salad were the veggies. Their flavors really brought out the Mediterranean feel of the dish. You don’t need that much meat to enjoy lunch—a little can go a long way if you add flavorful veggies.
First, I took the sliced almonds and started slowly roasting them in my toaster oven at 250 degrees.
While the almonds were toasting, I chopped up the veggies and chicken into bite-sized pieces. This made the salad more interesting and fun when each bite has a little bit of a different flavor. Once the veggies were chopped, I turned off the toaster oven (my almonds were a light golden brown).
Then, I whisked together my simple dressing ingredients: olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
I moved all of the chopped ingredients in a mixing bowl and gently mixed with a big wooden spoon. Then, I added the dressing to the mixture. I topped it with those crunchy, toasted almond slivers and chopped basil.
Then, I put the little bit of salad greens I had left in the fridge to the bottom of a salad bowl. I topped the greens with the veggies (tossed in dressing) and added this mixture to it to some salad mix. Here’s what it ended up looking like:
Cleanup (also very important on a busy Saturday) was minimal. I just sprayed the area with a homemade green cleaner, and loaded the rest of the dishes in the dishwasher. And, I got a two-fer out of this salad—it helped me clean out the fridge without having to throw food away!
Here’s the final recipe:
Ingredients:
For the salad: ¼ cup Kalamata olives
½ cup grilled eggplant, chopped into ½ inch chunks
1 cup chopped chicken
1 medium cucumber, sliced into quarters
¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted at 250 degrees for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown
1 tablespoon basil, chopped
¼ cup raisins
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
For the dressing: ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
Directions:
Mix all salad ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the balsamic vinegar and olive oil together. Add the dressing to the medium mixing bowl.
In a salad bowl, add greens. Top greens with the chicken salad mixture and enjoy!
Have you ever made the best of a fridge cleanup? Let me know by commenting below! And, try this salad and let me know what you think!
The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
Celebrating creative productivity, healthy living, and purposeful growth
at 250 degrees.
