Light and Healthy Summer Lunch!

Very quick, easy, and healthy :) (even my husband and son loved it)

Thinly sliced sourdough bread

Fresh Spinach

Fresh Arugula

Fresh Mozzarella

Tomatoes

Basil

Balsamic Glaze (I just lightly poured it on top)

I grilled them, but they taste awesome without grilling as well

What do you mean they're all done?!

Cucumber Salad! Perfect for hot days

It's been just about 4 months since my last blog post! I used to say that obstacles aren't excuses.... but if you've ever experienced Hyperemesis, you'd know that I needed to "eat" my words. Horrible pun intended... I actually couldn't eat at all. BUT the good news is that the cause is a cute little boy due around Thanksgiving :). Health chick will have an egg hatching soon!

On to the cucumber salad!

It's going to be in 100's all week in NC with a heat index around 115. It's so incredibly miserable outside, and heavy meals just don't mesh very well with the humidity. This cucumber salad is perfect the hot Summer days, and it only takes about 10 minutes to make. 

You will need: 

1.5-2 large cucumbers

1 package of grape tomatoes, sliced in half

1/4 cup of onions sliced thinly

1/2 of feta cheese (pasteurized if you're pregnant, of course)

1/2 can of garbanzo beans

1/2 cup (or more. I love them) of kalamata olives

1/2 lemon

Olive oil, white vinegar, ground pepper, dill weed.

1. Put the cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, olives, cheese, and garbanzo beans in a bowl. Set aside

2. In a large bowl, (and I admittedly didn't measure much) put a small amount of white vinegar, 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, and squeeze in the lemon juice

3. Mix in some ground pepper and dill weed (I think I used about a tablespoon)

4. Dump the bowl of vegetables & feta into the large bowl

5. Mix well and serve! You can add more vinegar if you'd like it. Adjust ground pepper and dill at this time if needed.

DELICIOUS! Stuffed Chicken w/ Strawberry Avocado Salad

This was such a great dinner and it's easier than it looks to make (ahem, I was able to make it). It also leaves plenty for lunch tomorrow!

Ingredients: 

2-3 chicken breasts

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 cup of broccoli

1/3 cup of feta

8 strawberries

1 small avocado

Mixed lettuce/salad

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1/4 cup of bread crumbs

Clean the chicken and then slice it in half, but not all the way. Open it up and lay flat (like a butterfly). Tenderize it. Put the garlic, broccoli, and feta in the middle (I also added ground pepper and basil). Tightly wrap the chicken and place on a baking sheet. Rub a TINY amount of olive oil over the chicken and sprinkle breadcrumbs on top. 

Bake it for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. 

OMG! The BEST sandwich I've EVER tasted!

I take back anything I ever said about making "the best thing I've ever made." This trumps everything. It is 10 times better that anything I've ever tasted. 

I don't care if you don't like eggplant, you HAVE to try this one. My husband protested like a child that I was making eggplant, saying that he hated it. How many sandwiches did he end up eating? 4. FOUR (kind of defeats the purpose of healthy eating, but it was THAT good!). 

The issue with eggplant is most people don't know how to make it correctly. It's not a normal vegetable that can be cut up, sauteed, and served. It won't taste very good that way. Eggplant needs a little more attention than all the rest. 

This is a weekend dinner because it requires more time. 

The key to making it taste good is drawing out the bitterness with salt. So, slice the eggplant into 1/3-1/2 inch slices. Arrange on a baking sheet and cover with salt (be very liberal). Let it sit for an hour, and you'll notice there's a ton of yellow tinged liquid sitting on top. Wash this and all the salt off each piece and blot dry. 

Brush with a tiny bit of olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and ground pepper. Eggplant really soaks up and retains liquid, so a little bit goes a long way. Grill it or bake it (350 for 20 min). Grilling will be a lot quicker. You're then ready to create your sandwich!

You can use Ciabatta bread or Rustic Italian Bread. I baked the bread in the oven, sliced in half, and then added the eggplant. I topped the eggplant with chopped spinach, fresh basil, grape tomatoes, roasted red peppers, Parmesan cheese, and Mozzarella (I wanted to use fresh Mozzarella, but for some reason it didn't taste quite right to me, so I discarded and used shredded Mozzarella). I put a little more Parmesan on top. 

I then put it back in the over (tops included) at 350 degrees for 6 minutes. You can brush the tops with a tiny bit more olive oil if you'd like. It had the perfect crunch! Like I said, this is absolutely incredible. I can almost guarantee you'll fall in love with eggplant if you're currently not a fan!

4-6 mini loafs of Rustic Italian Bread

1 Large Eggplant

Olive oil

1/.2 Fresh Lemon

Ground Pepper

Grape Tomatoes

Fresh Parmesan Cheese

Fresh Mozzarella

Fresh Basil

Chopped Spinach

Roasted Red Peppers

This sandwich is only about 300 calories (if you use small pieces of bread), and it's packed full of nutrients. It's definitely a winner!

I'M BACK!! Sweet & Sour Chicken!

So it's been a heck of a week! It was my son's first birthday, including a large party, and our families were in town. Needless to say I didn't go grocery shopping this week and we've been living off of left-overs. 

Now, if you know me, you know I don't believe in diets without medical necessity. Instead I believe in a permanent lifestyle change. This past week I haven't been eating the healthiest and I've already gained 2-3 pounds. So whatever I was doing before was working! Back to lifestyle we go :)  

Sweet and Sour Chicken!

So I cheated, I bought sweet and sour sauce at Whole Foods instead of making my own. But what mom doesn't love to save time? 

Super easy!

2-3 chicken breasts

Sweet and sour sauce

1 clove of garlic

1/2 cup of sweet and sour sauce

Ground pepper

Marinate the chicken in sweet and sour sauce over night (poke holes in the chicken). Grill or bake. Top with some additional sweet and sour sauce. It's usually served with broccoli over rice, but since I'm not a rice fan, we had (a small amount of) potatoes.

Latest Grocery List!!

The receipt is in my car, so I'll update with a picture of that later. Total this week was (purposely) $84. I had a little pork in the freezer I wanted to use and I needed to restock on some chicken, so I accounted for that and lowered the budget.

English Muffins

Fresh Peanut Butter

Basil Pesto

Bananas

BBQ Sauce

Lemonade

Canola Oil

Pasta Sauce

Tomatoes

Grape Tomatoes

Ranch mix

Roasted Red Peppers

1 Sweet Onion

1 Red Onion

Pork*

Chicken*

Fresh Parsley

Lettuce

Spinach

Eggs

Garlic

Mozzarella

Milk

1 Lemon

Avocado

Ground Turkey

Deli Turkey

Pepper Jack Cheese
Tortillas

Tortilla Chips

Hummus 

Feta

Kidney Beans
Pinto Beans

Pesto Ranch Chicken SO GOOD

This was last night's dinner. It was SO good. A nice, light meal that leaves you comfortably satisfied. It's extremely easy and requires little preparation. 

2-3 chicken breasts

3 tablespoons of pesto (I used basil pesto)

3 tablespoons of ranch dressing or ranch packet mix

1 lemon

1 cup of spinach

Fresh mozzarella

Cherry or grape tomatoes

Basil

1 tsp olive oil

Simmer the chicken in a crock pot or on the stove with the ranch dressing. Top with pesto, and a little bit of lemon. Place on top of spinach.