Broccoli Salad

Continuing with my holiday nostalgia, broccoli salad was one of those dishes from my past that still rocks my socks when I think about it. So how do we make it healthier? Again, ditch the mayo and go Greek!

This is lovely and tastes delicious because the cranberries add that sweet while the almonds and broccoli have that crunch. I surprised myself a bit because I actually like this flavor MORE than the past versions!

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Broccoli Salad

2+ cups broccoli florets

1/2 c. Dried cranberries

1/2 c. sliced or chopped almonds

2 strips turkey bacon - cooked and chopped

Dressing:

1/2 c. Greek yogurt

1 lemon - juiced

1/4 c. White vinegar

1 tsp. dried ground mustard

1 tbsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. onion powder

1/8 honey mustard dressing

Cut stems off florets and make sure pieces are small and bite sized. Mix dry ingredient together. 

Combine dressing ingredients and pour over dry ingredients. Stir and serve or cool in fridge.

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I actually didn't want to open a package of turkey bacon his for two pieces so I chopped up some salami pieces we already had. Still tastes awesome! The honey mustard dressing I used is Brianna's Organic which I love to the money. You need the sweet of it to balance out the vinegar. You could also use Dijon and honey if you don't have the dressing around. My mouth is happy!

Challenge Friendly: Max Phase only. Y'all know I suggest going easy on the dairy during your challenge so just keep that in mind!

Avocado Potato Salad

With the summer season approaching and Memorial Day Weekend bringing back memories of cookouts, potato salad and outdoor grilling, I once again found myself craving several dishes that spark that nostalgia. Even though I'm not a heavy potato person anymore, potato salad was one of the first that came to mind. But, dude, I can't bring myself to buy and eat the huge jar of Miracle Whip anymore! As good as Mom's potato salad sounds, I needed a life hack to get my kicks.

Enter in Greek yogurt. We know the wonders of using it as a creamy replacement so it was just a matter of spicing it up and making it taste reminiscent enough to hit the sweet spot. And it worked for me! Even Alice has been devouring it (and now claims she likes avocado ... But we'll see about that).

While not as healthy as it possible could be, I say it's healthy enough for me to feel okay indulging in this traditional dish! Also note that I love a mustard version so adjust your mustard to your tastes. Enjoy!

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Avocado Potato Salad

5 large russet potatoes - skinned, diced

1/2 red onion - diced

2 celery stalks - diced

1 avocado - chopped

1 lemon - juiced

1/2 cup bread and butter pickles - chopped

6 hard boiled eggs (yolks for dressing)

Dressing:

1/2 cup Greek Yogurt

1/8 c. Milk 

2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 tbsp. yellow mustard

1 tbsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. onion powder

Black pepper

Yolks from eggs

Dash of sea salt

Soak the avocado in lemon juice to help keep from browning (about 45 minutes to an hour) and add juice and avocado to the bowl. Boil potatoes until soft. Boil, peel eggs and chop the whites while adding the yolks to the dressing. Combine all top ingredients in a big bowl.

In a separate bowl, add all dressing ingredients and combine well. Pour over potato bowl mixture and gently combine until everything is coated and lovely.

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You can't screw up potato salad! Just add more or less of the seasonings contingent on taste. Even add a bit of the pickle juice if you need it sweeter. I love the variety from one person to the next when I try new people's versions!

Challenge Friendly: NO. But it sure beats a mayo heavy dish!

Chopped Thai Chicken Salad

HOLY SPICY-NESS BATMAN! I've been dying to make this since I pinned it on Pinterest and finally did. Now, I'm not a super awesome-can-handle-spicy-gal but I like a little hot here and there. Needless to say that my addition of a full serrano pepper was NOT the little spice I wanted ... but I ate it anyway ... as fast as I could ... because that's what you do with spicy food once you start mowing down!

I love love love this recipe from Pinch of Yum but I didn't add everything she did since I didn't have it on hand. My green onions I thought I had DIED. I totally forgot to get fresh cilantro from the store so I used my cilantro paste instead (can be found next the real herbs in the produce section). And I couldn't find a green mango or papaya so no fruit in this bad boy. I do like her suggestions of chopping and adding other crunchy veggies like cucumber or zucchini. I think yellow peppers might even make a good addition.

So here is how I made it today. Honey instead of sugar. No green onions, so I used red onion. Very thinly sliced and diced my cabbage (because who wants to eat a big leaf of raw cabbage? That stuff hard to chew!). The kicker is the dressing. HANDS DOWN. Throw whatever you want into the salad, the dressing is what makes it. Also: thank goodness again for my slap-choppy-thingy because getting my baby carrots, onions, hot pepper, and peanuts diced down was a snap. And life hack today: natural canned chicken in water. You gotta do what you can as you can.

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Chopped Thai Chicken Salad

• 1 Chicken Breast (boiled and chopped/shredded OR 1-20 oz. can natural chicken in water)
• 1/4 head of a big white cabbage - sliced thin or grated
• 1 large carrot or 1 c. baby carrots
• 1 green papaya (if you can find it!)
• 1/2 c. fresh cilantro
• 1/2 c. onions - diced
• 1/2 c. peanuts - chopped

Dressing:

• 2 cloves garlic - minced
• 1 serrano pepper - minced
• 2 tbsp. liquid aminos
• 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar (or white)
• 1 tbsp. raw honey
• 1/2 a lime - squeezed
• 1 tbsp. EVOO
• ½ teaspoon fish sauce (found in the Asian section)
• ¼ cup peanut butter
• ¼ cup water

Slice, dice, shred, grate and make a happy salad with the crunchy stuff and chicken.

I put all the ingredients for the dressing in the processor and blended them until combined. You can use a blender for that too.

Pour over the salad and mix everything together.

Made 4 portions.

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I was prepping this at lightning speed trying to get it done so Dave could take some with him but that didn't happen. It still took me about 10-15 to throw together so prep is minimal.

I seriously would cut back on the hot pepper if you can't handle spice. If you don't have a hot pepper sitting around, you could use pepper flakes instead.

Also the honey: it offsets the vinegar and makes it more palatable so for as small of an amount as it is, I'm calling it ok for this dish!

I would love to have it with the papaya so if anyone sees a small green papaya around, tell me!

Challenge-Friendly: YES. I'm on Day #5 of my cleanse and this was awesome!

Chicken Chili

Buried deep, waiting on Polar Vortex Episode II, I CRAVE COMFORT FOOD! But I'm also on my first full 24-Day Challenge post-baby. Must eat clean and I sure as heck don't need to fall back into making cornbread, using cheese, or lathering sour cream on my comfort food. So the Pinterest perusing began as I looked over white chicken chili recipes. For the most part, they all had some things in common, so I took those ideas and ran with what was in my kitchen. The biggest flavor factors for this are definitely the combination of chili powder, cumin and jalapeño. And please don't leave out the jalapeño! I can't deal with a ton of heat so I only used one, but at least use a half. It just helps warm it up just a touch! I'm not calling this "white" since I had veggies and kidney beans, but dang this is good chili!

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Chicken Chili

2 chicken breasts

1 1/4 c. Dried bean/lentil/veggie mix

1 can pinto beans

1 c. peppers, diced (any or all colors)

1/2 red onion, diced 

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 c. Extra water (add as it cooks)

1 c. corn

1 jalapeño, diced (more or less to taste)

2 tbsp. chili powder

1 tbsp. cumin

1-2 tbsp. oregano

2-6 cloves of garlic, diced

For chicken:

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

Throw everything but the chicken and bottom 3 spices in the pot, stir together. Take bottom 3 spices and rub on chicken. Place chicken just in the water and let cook for 2-3 hours before stirring the pot. 

Cook in the crockpot on high for 4-6 hours.

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I'm in love! Better than ground turkey chili by far and lots of flavor so I didn't need toppers for it. New favorite stew by far. And it was THICK. So add more water if you need to! Why was I wasting my time trying to perfect turkey chili when this was waiting for me???

Also note: I used my no-msg chicken stock starter and 3 cups of water for the broth. But low-sodium broth should be just as flavorful!

Challenge-Friendly: YES. Full of protein. Pair with a side salad or extra veggies for more natural fiber.

Jerk Salmon and Garlic Spinach

O.M.G. So, I had my one experiment with jerk seasoning awhile ago and I haven't revisited the "jerk" realm until now. WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG??? Am I really that crazy to put off finding an awesome flavor?? Yes. Yes, I was.

Enter Pinterest - because face it, us recipe whores find everything on Pinterest. Google recipes? Are you insane? Go look on Pinterest like a good girl, now! Pinch of Yum's Caribbean Jerk Salmon Bowl with Mango Salsa caught my eye. (http://pinchofyum.com/caribbean-jerk-salmon-bowl-with-mango-salsa)

I had every intention of making this as a bowl ... And then in my rush I forgot. For me that's not a big deal because I'm the classic "mix it all together and eat it" girl, anyways. My friends dread going to a Mexican restaurant with me because I'm prone to cutting and mashing my burritos into their equivalent of visual "baby poop." LOL I'm off topic ...

THIS WAS AMAZING. And amazingly, no garlic for once. Yes, you heard me right. It didn't need it. It was fabulous on salmon, but I think any white meat or fish would hold up to the flavor. And next time, I plan on marinating for a few hours because the flavor of the leftovers today was even more insanely awesome from sitting.

Wait there was garlic! The spinach had garlic, DOH. The spinach is super fast side that's still full of flavor and a green for your plate.

As for the mango salsa I added to mine, I will post that recipe at some point. It's super simple!

Please remember that all the measurements are general. If you get more less of something, it won't kill the flavor. Just try to keep everything fairly equal and you'll be fine!

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Jerk Salmon

2-4 Servings of Salmon Filet

1 tbsp. EVOO

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. hot madras curry powder (or regular curry powder)

1 tsp. all spice

1 tsp. cinnamon

Dash of sea salt

Mix the dry spices together, then add the oil. Mix well and pour over the salmon filets. Rub all over to coat them well. Let marinade or cook right away in a hot pan. 3-5 minutes each side. Serve!

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Garlic Spinach

4 handfuls fresh Baby Spinach

2-4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp. EVOO

Heat the oil in a pan. Mince in garlic and cook about 30 seconds. Add Spinach and cook until wilted. Serve.

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I added Seeds of Change Quinoa and Brown Rice for my grain (super fast, not too processed ... But fast was the key term here: http://seedsofchangefoods.com/our_foods/product.aspx?c=rth&p=285) and my homemade mango salsa. DELICIOUS!!

Challenge-Friendly: YES. This was dinner on Day 1 of my Cleanse this time.

Crockpot Freezer Meal: Fajita Steak Taco Filling

Last month - in preparation for the arrival of Baby #3 - I went into full nesting mode one week and mass produced enough food to fill my freezer. I ended up with 9 crockpot meals, 5 dinners of turkey veggie pasta sauce, 6 meal sides of mango salsa, 4 bags of sweet potato hash and 4 jars of lemon garlic sauce - all so I wouldn't have to think or prep too much with the inevitable lack of planning that comes with having a new baby in the house.

This Fajita Steak mix is the first I pulled since #1: I knew Dave would dig it for his first cleanse day; and #2: because the extra prep was easy with the "toppings" I had in the fridge.

I truthfully can't find the original recipe I pulled this from as I was in overdrive on Pinterest and writing down recipes as I found them. So, if this is based off of yours, please feel free to take the original credit!

We prepped this tonight as "burrito bowl" style. This included making rice in faux-chipotle style (which I will also list below) with lettuce, guacamole (I would have used plain avocado but I had this on hand), organic salsa and jalapeños for Dave. This also works for lettuce wraps or as taco filling.

I love bowls at Chipotle and if I've ever coached you, we've probably talked about making "healthier" Chipotle choices if you are on the go and have no other choice but to grab something on the run. My normal suggestions for Challengers include: half rice (go brown not white), no beans (unless you are coming from a workout - extra protein), veggies, meat, salsas, lettuce ... Forgo the cheese and sour cream, of course. Guac is overkill for their bowls since all the nutrition you usually need is already there ... Plus the extra sodium from their prep.

Love this! Turned out great! I went no sodium when I prepped it for the freezer and did end up adding a couple of shakes of sea salt after I pulled the steak apart for a flavor kick just FYI.

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Fajita Steak Taco Filling

2 lbs. Flank/Lean Steak

1/2 yellow onion

1/2 red onion

1 green pepper

1 red pepper

1 fresh jalapeño (optional) chopped

2 tbsp. chili powder

1 tbsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper

To freeze:

Chop and slice all veggies to your preference. Combine all veggies and meat in a gallon size freezer bag. 

Mix spices in a separate bowl. Spread as evenly as possible over contents in the baggie. Shut Baggie and mix ingredients to ensure spices get coated over as much as possible.

Mark on Baggie: "Add 1/2 c. water."

Freeze 4-6 months in a standard freezer.

To make or do fresh: defrost contents for a day in the refrigerator. Place in crockpot with 1/2 cup of water. Cook for 6-8 hours covered. Shred steak and combine with all ingredients in pot for final filling. 

If cooking for 8-10 hours on low, I would add 1/4-1/2 c. extra water to make sure your mix doesn't burn dry while you are at work!

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Cilantro Lime Rice

1 1/2 c. Brown Rice (I used instant)

2 c. Water

1 lime - squeezed

3 tbsp. cilantro

Combine line juice into the water while bringing to boil. Add rice. Cook down. Add cilantro after rice has set.

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Things I would do for next time: MORE VEGGIES and real garlic. :) Probably add another pepper or two.

Challenge-Friendly: YES. Serve it clean with a simple carb and added greens for the best results!

Taco Pizza

So, being 25 weeks pregnant with my 3rd kid, I FINALLY get around to being able to post food of some sort ... again.

I have to say, this has been a very different preggo experience from my previous ones and finding the balance between eating and eating healthy is not an easy road to follow when incubating a human life-sucker. For my first trimester, I lived on green smoothies; eating was not something my mouth or stomach wanted to do. As a non-consumer of milk for the previous year, we now find foods creeping back into the house like cow milk and cheese on a regular basis because sometimes they are palatable for me. Don't worry: post-pregnancy these items will once again be phased out as I hit my normal Advo-regime and can finally eat and prepare all my favorite healthy dishes without gagging or becoming nauseous.

Yep, right now I eat what I can and make it from scratch as often as I can so I know where my ingredients are coming from.

A lot of my cravings this time around are for foods I loved in high school. Why am I channeling my high school tastes buds??? I have no clue, but so far the choices have been deeply satisfying! At least I haven't started wearing "curtains" for pants again, so I'm not channeling my entire HS self! LOL 

Today was the Taco Pizza that I used to get from Mancino's back in the day. I'm sure ordering it from the store down the road would have been easier, but where's the fun in that?

This CAN be made healthier and I'll give suggestions at the bottom of the page. Also, make sure to use FRESH, ORGANIC or natural ingredients when possible. The less processed interference, the better your bowels will fair when you TREAT yourself to the dish.

And don't fret at the "Steps." I organized it this way so your workflow goes smoothly. It really only took 10-15 minutes total in prep and that was while other parts were in the oven. You'll even have time to wash your cutting boards while it finishes cooking!

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Taco Pizza

Step 1

1 Pillsbury Thin Pizza Crust

Step 2

1 Can Refried Beans (with green chilis)

1/4 C. Salsa

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. red pepper (optional)

1 tbsp. minced garlic

Step 3

1/2 lb. ground turkey (previously made with Mexican flavors if possible - leftover ground turkey works great!)

Step 4

1/2 c. Diced tri-colored peppers

1/4 c. Diced Onions

1 tbsp. EVOO

1 tbsp. minced garlic

Step 5

1/2 c. Salsa

Small Can of Black Olives

1 c. Taco/Mexican Shredded Cheese

Step 6

Shredded/Chopped Lettuce

Diced Tomatoes

Greek Yogurt/Sour Cream

Salsa

Directions:

Step 1: Make up the pizza crust as told on the container. Oven at 400 degrees. 5 minutes to start. 

Step 2: While your crust warms up, add all ingredients from Step 2 in a small pot and warm up so it's spreadable.

Step 3: I had leftover ground turkey from another meal and that was the easiest to use. Heat it up in the microwave real quick so it's not going on the pizza cold.

Step 4: Heat up oil in a small frying pan and sauté veggies and garlic.

Option for combining Step 3 and 4: do up your meat and veggies in a pan together. Add cumin, paprika, pepper, onion powder and make it all yummy together if you don't have leftover meat to use.

Step 5: Pull out the pizza crust. Spread refried beans mixture like a sauce. Put meat, veggies, olives on top of sauce. Gently spoon/spread salsa over everything. Add cheese to the top.

Cook the pizza for 10 minutes or until crust gets golden brown and cheese is melted thoroughly. Chop up Step 6 toppings while you wait.

Step 6: top with what you want! Add things like lettuce, fresh tomatoes, more salsa or jalapeños or even banana peppers. Do it up like you would your fav taco.

ENJOY! Two pieces were enough for me! (It yielded about 15 pieces when cut - 3 across and 5 down)

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I loved this as I did it, but lets talk about options!

Crust: Make your own low carb or whole grain crust. I'm wondering how whole grain flatbread might hold up as well. 

Refried Beans: How can you make beans healthier?? Maybe smash up your own black beans! That would be yummy! Add in some spices and chili peppers and even more yummmmy.

Salsa: Homemade is the way to go, of course! Just try to keep some of the liquid/juice out so it doesn't get too runny.

Meat: Lean turkey or chicken is always best. Don't forget beans are a protein, too.

Cheese: This is the toughy. What is a taco pizza without cheese? I say go low fat, skim, cut down the portion even more, use sharp cheddar for more punch with less ... I did say this is a TREAT meal so just keep that in mind! You don't need to be eating this masterpiece once a week and a little cheese goes a long way.

Challenge-Friendly: NO as I have it here. Let's forgo the cheese for 24-days and use this as a fun-treat meal once in awhile!