Cran-Apple Chicken Salad

Salad is a staple in a healthy diet for a goid reason: They're quick, easy, and flavorful!

Start with a bed of spinach, cut up half a cucumber and half an apple, and tossthem together with chicken, dried cranberries, and honey-balsamic dressing. If you want to prepare more in advance, just coat the apple pieces thoroughly in lemon juice to prevent browning.

I used leftover chicken that I oven baked whole a few days ago, which I'll post about soon!

Peach-Mango Iced Tea

I recently discovered my new favorite tea! It's Lipton's peach-mango white tea, and it's even more amazing when sweetened with stevia and served iced.

It looks extra pretty when garnished with a frozen peach!

Pasta-free Chicken Pesto

Who doesn't love pesto? All that basil and garlic taste incredible, and it can be served on lots of yummy meat and veggies, not just pasta!

So, I decided to make this yummy pesto and saute it with chicken, green beans, and mushrooms. Since the olive oil is already in the mix, there's no need to use any additional cooking oil.

Just put a big handful of fresh basil, small gandful of pine nuts, and as much garlic as you please into a food processor or blender with enough olive oil to cover most of the bulk and pulse until well blended. Throw it in a skillet with chopped chicken and veggies on medium high heat and stir fry until the meat is cooked an tender, about 15-20 minutes.

 

If you prefer a spaghetti-like texture but, you can always use zucchini, squash, or carrots and use a spiralizer! I don't have one just yet, but I will definitely post about it when I do! 

My Cup of Tea

As a former caffeine junkie, I am happy with my decision to stop allowing coffee to reign over my ability to function in day to day life. Instead of 3 cups a day, I now drink 2 or 3 cups of herbal tea with probiotics, and the difference is incredible!

Initially, I went through caffeine withdrawal and had a migraine for 3 days. I was grouchy and had less energy, but after the first few days, I got better sleep, the headaches stopped, I gained more natural energy, and my body began to function better than before.

So now, I'll take my lemon-ginger with a pinch of stevia and fresh-squeezed lemon juice in a pink polka-dot mug. 

Going green

Until recently, I reserved greens for salads or accents to a meal and definitely not part of breakfast! Fortunately, I learned how easy it is to just toss a big fistful of spinach into an otherwise fruity shake. 

Today, I made a sweet, tropical fruit shake with these ingredients:

Frozen mix of peaches, pineapple, grapes, and strawberries

Spinach

Ground flax seed (2 tbsp=3 g protein!)

Water with a splash of cranberry juice

Sprinkle of stevia

And voila! A green smoothie with natural protein, no sugar, and tons of flavor! Honestly, the next time I make it, I'm not even going to add stevia because the fruit is so sweet.

Soup's on!

I got very sick earlier this week and this soup got me through it! It's actually the first soup I've ever made that wasn't cream-based, as I came from new England, where chowder was the only kind of soup worth making. 

This was fairly easy, but it did take about an hour and a half to make. Here's the ingredients list:

Chicken (I used 3 tenderloins, which are cheaper than breasts but still great white meat)

Spices (salt, pepper, paprika, crushed red pepper, lots of minced garlic and fresh basil)

Olive oil

Chicken stock

Tons of veggies! (Onion, pepper, carrots, spinach, baby kale, tomato)

I heated garlic and olive oil in a skillet and added the chicken, which I shredded with a fork once tender. I cooked the onions and peppers with it, too, and added all other spices except for the fresh basil. While that was cooking, I poured my chicken stock into a large pot and chopped my carrots and tomato. I tore up the spinach and kale by hand, then added it with the carrots to the pot and let them boil for 10 minutes. Next I used a spatula to add all the oil, spices, and other contents of the skillet to the pot and turned the burner down to low. At this point, I just needed to let it simmer for about an hour, adding fresh crushed basil for the last 5 minutes only, which kept its flavor potent.

All the veggies are loaded with vitamins, plus garlic and onions provide immune system support naturally! The other spices pack in lots of flavor and chicken is an excellent source of lean protein. If desired, you can add rice or another grain, but it's not necessary. I chose to keep this soup grain-free to keep the calories low, which also means that it's naturally gluten-free!

Even if you're not sick, this hearty soup is still a great meal option, so laddle up a bowl and enjoy! 

Quick shake

Sometimes I want a quick meal, but I want it to be goid for me AND to taste good. In times like these, a shake is a fantastic quick fix!

Today, I put a handful of spinach and baby kale with half a chopped apple, frozen raspberries, milled flax seeds, and water and cranberry juice together in my mini-blender! If you don't have one yet, I highly recommend it. Mine is from Bella, and it was $25 at Target.

For a creamier texture, you can use banana instead of apple. You can also add stevia if desired, as the kale has a slightly bitter taste.

Enjoy!