Vegetable Salad with Hummus and Lemon Herb Chicken

I admit to be being a lazy cook and I usually forget to eat vegetables. Or even fruit. I don't juice or make green smoothies as much as I use to. Mainly because I am too lazy to have to clean out the juicer on the daily. You guys, I don't like doing dishes and I swear they just keep piling up and seems to never stop!

For awhile there, I was actually losing weight! I think ever since I did the sugar detox, my constant need for munchies subsided and my body was feeling good. Really good. That was a few weeks ago. I'm sure I've gained some back and now I'm trying harder to eat better, consume more vegetables and this was the perfect meal to start with.

Lazy cooks are all about simple and quick meals. Pre-packaged salad, cut up some veggies of your choice, hard boil some eggs (optional), store bought hummus and a quick marinated chicken. Easy peasy and it was very filling!



Vegetable Salad with Hummus and Lemon Herb Chicken

Salad:

1pkg salad mix of your choice
1/2 cucumber, peeled (unless it's organic) and sliced
2 roma tomatoes, deseeded and diced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, sliced
2 hard boiled eggs
4 baby carrots, sliced
4 TBsp hummus

Plate and set aside.

Chicken:

1 chicken breast, sliced in half
salt & pepper
2 TBsp evoo
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
Zest of 1 lemon

Marinade chicken in a ziplock bag for about 1-2 hours. Cook on stove top til done.

Plate chicken onto salad and squeeze lemon juice all over.

Granny Smith Apple Crumble

Awhile back, my friend Ana asked my friend Noel and I to go on a 10 day sugar detox. In the end, Ana backed out since she just had a baby, is breastfeeding and was hesitant on it. With that said, Noel and I went forward with the detox and let me just say, it was not fun. At all. We had salami and cheese parties, drank lots of water and cried about not being to eat fruit. The only fruit allowed was granny smith apples, green tipped bananas and grapefruit, but only one serving per day. I am a huge snacker, so not allowing to snack was a tough one. I had an apple left and looked through the 21 day sugar detox book for a dessert recipe. The recipe itself was extremely easy, but I wasn't a huge fan of it, but since I was on a detox, it helped curbed my sweet tooth for a bit. If you like tart, this apple crumble is for you!



Granny Smith Apple Crumble
recipe from 21 day sugar detox

Filling:

4 green apples, peeled and thinly sliced
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Topping:

1 1/4 cups almond meal
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
1 TBsp unsalted butter, melted, for the pan

Preheat oven to 350F

Make the filling: In a mixing bowl, toss apples with lemon juice and cinnamon.

Make the topping: Mix together the almond meal, butter, cinnamon and salt until completely incorporated.

Brush bottom and sides of a 9x9 dish with the melted butter.

Place the apples in the baking dish and cover evenly with the topping.

Bake for 20 minutes covered with foil, then an additional 25-30 minutes uncovered.

Baked Meatballs with Tomato Sauce

Friends! I have started a new journey. I've been working out. I KNOOOOOW right? I recently joined Curves and I'm on week 2, but as you're reading this, I'm on week 3, but I'm actually on vacation in LA.

I haven't tried too many of the recipes, but these meatballs were really good! I added a bit of salt & pepper and used panko instead. In some of the meatballs, I stuffed some mozzarella pearls in the middle and this is a great dish with some pasta too.


Frankie really wanted some meatballs too



Baked Meatballs w/ Tomato Sauce & Mixed Vegetables - 2 serving(s)*
recipe from Curves Complete

2 slice(s) bread - whole wheat
1/2 onion(s) - medium
10 oz beef - ground (95% lean)
1/2 cup(s) egg substitute
1 cup(s) sauce - tomato (meatless)
2 cup(s) vegetables - mixed, fresh

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Crumble bread into bread crumbs. Dice onions. Gently combine ground beef, bread crumbs, egg substitute, and diced onions. Wet your hands and form into meatballs. Brown the meatballs on the stove, and finish cooking in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through and reach an internal temperature of 165°F.

Place a steamer insert in a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Cover and bring water to a boil. Place mixed vegetables in steamer insert and cover. Steam for about 5 minutes or until tender.

Top meatballs with warmed tomato sauce and serve with steamed mixed vegetables.

Tip: 1/4 whole = 1/4 cup chopped onion
*Directions are only for one serving.

Chia Seed Pudding

When we got back from our vacation back in September, my husband decided to go on the Hunger for Change 3 day detox. Chia seeds is a gelatinous plant food that helps to draw out toxins from the liver and pass them into the colon for excretion. Chia seeds are also high in omega-3 and make you feel full and satiated! We love chia seeds in our smoothies and juices but have never tried chia seed pudding til the detox.



The verdict? It wasn't that bad. Extremely thick, so I would add more milk or a TBsp less of the seeds.

Chia Pudding
recipe from Hunger for Change 3 day detox

1 1⁄4 cups Coconut Milk
1 tablespoon raw honey
4 tablespoons chia seeds

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a large jar, combine all of the ingredients and shake well. Refrigerate until it thickens into a pudding-like consistency, about 30 minutes.

Simple Kale Salad with Feta and Cranberries

Hellooooo Summer! There I was complaining about the overcast and rain and bam! The sun came out and you know, anything over 70 is sizzling hot for us here in Washintgton state. One of the good things about summer is that it makes me not want to eat heavy foods, but at the same time it makes me feel lazier in the kitchen and I get hungrier more often.



When I was in Southern California, I had the best salad at true food kitchen and a side salad at the gypsy den. The contents itself is very easy to recreate, but its the dressing that I can't recreate. I actually stood in the salad dressing aisle for a good 5 minutes pondering which one to buy. I settled with a raspberry vinaigrette which isn't perfect, but I do plan to test out some homemade dressings this week. The one at true food kitchen, they had a champagne vinaigrette which was soooo good! Plus, I had this delicious kale salad from Trader Joe's and that inspired me to make this salad for last night's dinner.

Kale is extremely good for you. You know... that dark leafy green goodness. A sprinkle of feta, a bit of red onion and I of course had to add my cherry tomatoes. Some grilled chicken would be perfect too.



Simple Kale Salad with Feta and Cranberries

1 small bunch of kale, leaves torn
sprinkle of feta cheese
sprinkle of dried cranberries
1 TBsp red onion, or to taste
black pepper to taste
small handful of cherry tomatoes
2-3 TBsp vinaigrette of your choice

Mix and serve. Best when served cold.

Spicy Thai Tofu with Red Bell Peppers & Peanuts

Spicy Thai Tofu with Red Bell Peppers & Peanuts
Original recipe from Epicurious

1/3 C. Olive Oil
Red Bell Peppers (I only had the frozen mixed bell peppers)
Ground Ginger (Couldn't find mine and still tasted great)
3 Garlic Clove, finely chopped
Extra Firm Tofu, cut into cubes
3 Green Onions, chopped
3 TBsp Soy Sauce
2 TBsp Lime Juice
1/2-3/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 Bag of Baby Spinach
1/3 C. Basil, Chopped
1/3 C. Peanuts, Chopped

Method:
Heat oil over high heat. Cook bell peppers, ginger and garlic for 2 minutes. Add Tofu and green onions, toss for 2 minutes. Add the next 3 ingredients, Toss to blend. Add Spinach. Mix in basil. Season with Salt & Pepper. Sprinkle with Peanuts.

Serve with Rice.

Overnight Strawberry Oatmeal

I'm sure you've seen overnight oatmeal being posted all over the internet especially Pinterest and Foodgawker. The concept is great and it makes an amazing on the go breakfast, but I hope you like cold oatmeal! I'm not a huge fan of oatmeal unless it's in a cookie. Oatmeal by itself is like a blank canvas and you can add whatever you want!

Overnight Strawberry Oatmeal
1/2 cup oatmeal (I used Quaker Oats, but not the instant one)
1/2 cup diced strawberries
a big squeeze of honey
1/2 cup milk

Mix everything in a mason jar and refrigerate til the next morning.

Quick Baked Veggies and Sausage

Had a busy Saturday running from one grocery store to the next looking for Ezekiel bread which I did find at Trader Joe's, but they didn't have the one I was looking for. DH headed out to Bellevue for a BMW meet and ended up just picking up Jack in the Box for himself since I can't eat that anymore. I got home a little late and was starving and really didn't want to slave in the kitchen, but I remember seeing a grilled squash and sausage recipe online awhile ago. Instead, I baked mine for about 20-25 minutes til the sausage is cooked through. Delicious quick, healthy (maybe not so much on the sausage) and simple!

Baked Veggies and Sausage

1 Yellow Squash, cut into bite size chunks

1/2 Zucchini, cut into bite size chunks

1 Sausage, cut in half

Drizzle of Evoo

pinch of salt

dash of black pepper

sprinkle of onion powder

sprinkle of Parmesan cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F

Place everything in an oven proof dish, drizzle with evoo and seasoned to taste.

Bake everything for about 20-25 minutes til vegetables are soft and sausage is cooked through.

Baked Basil Balsamic Chicken

Where do I begin about this chicken?! It was AMAZING good! Sweet from the honey and basil, a little tart from the balsamic and I honestly have to say, one of the best chicken dinner I've made thus far!! Best of all, NO SALT ADDED! You must, must I tell you, to try this recipe. Everything should already be in your pantry, so there's really no reason not to. If you don't like it, add some salt, but I personally think its not needed. The original recipe calls to grill it, but I baked it instead.

Baked Basil Balsamic Chicken

1 tsp evoo

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 TBsp honey

3 TBsp basil, roughly chopped (definitely use fresh!)

3 medium garlic cloves, minced

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (i only used 2)

1) In a large bowl or ziplock bag, add all the ingredients and marinate in fridge 15-30 minutes.

2) Preheat oven to 350F

3) Put marinaded chicken on baking sheet lined with foil and pour leftover marinade over chicken breasts.

4) Bake for 30-35 minutes til cooked through.

Linguine with Tuna and Broccoli

I'm not a huge tuna fan, except that once in a blue moon tuna sandwich, but with a new diet comes new foods. I'm not huge of fish alone. Something to do with this lady I knew as a kid and she got a fish bone stuck in her throat and she had to go to the ER to get it removed. I think that alone scarred me for life!

This is a really great busy week night meal. A can or two of tuna cooked with garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and linguine (or your pasta of choice) cooked with broccoli. Perfect. Only one pot and one skillet, now I definitely like that! Linguine with Tuna and Broccoli Recipe from Diabetes & Heart Healthy Meals for Two 3 oz uncooked whole grain linguine (or any pasta of your choice) 4 oz broccoli florets, broken into bite-sized pieces 2 tsp olive oil 2 medium garlic cloves, minced 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes 2 (3oz) pouches chunk light tuna in water, flaked (i used canned tuna which was a little mushy but still good) 2 tsp shredded or grated Parmesan cheese 1 medium lemon, halved 1) Prepare linguine using package directions omitting salt or oil. Three minutes before the end of cooking, add broccoli florets. Cook 3 minutes. Drain well. Return linguine and broccoli to the pot (heat should be off). Cover to keep warm. 2) In a small nonstick skillet, stir together the oil, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook over medium high heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the tuna. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently but being careful not to break the tuna into small pieces. 3) Spoon the linguine and broccoli onto plates. Spoon tuna sauce on top. Sprinkle with Parmesan and squeeze generously with lemon.

Warm Spinach Salad

I won't get into full detail, but this week I was diagnosed with Diabetes. It literally crushed me, but I've been pushing on, doing some research, gone to the bookstore to get some diabetic cookbooks and so far I've been pretty positive. That positivity can only last so long before I crash and burn.

Cooking dinner takes over my day. I can't just whip up a meal and eat it without worrying about how much carb, sodium and sugar. Last night I made a warm spinach salad with quinoa. It was really good, but I was still hungry afterwards. Thank you sugar-free fudgsicle. Quinoa is new to our diet and I know DH doesn't like it, but he's a trooper and still eats as much as he can.

Warm Spinach Salad

recipe from Eat what you Love by Marlene Koch

1/4 cup chicken broth

2 tsp minced garlic

1 TBsp olive oil

2 TBsp balsamic vinegar

Pinch of Salt

Pepper to taste

8 cups spinach (I used 3-4 handfuls)

2 TBsp grated Parmesan cheese

1) Add chicken broth and garlic to large saute pan and place over medium heat. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook for 10 minutes to soften and mellow garlic.

2) Whisk in the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Turn off heat and add spinach. Using tongs, quickly toss the spinach in warm dressing just until coated.

3) Top with grated parmesan cheese and serve.