Sweet as a Peach

Since Mike, my boyfriend, was out of town, I felt a nice salad was the easiest dinner option for myself.  I'm always on the look out for a great infused balsamic vinegar.  They're great for marinating as well as salad dressing alternatives.  I've been saving my peach balsamic vinegar for peach season, so I felt now was the best time to break into it!  There's something about a grilled chicken salad in the summer that just makes me happy.  I love how the hot, grilled chicken melts the chilled goat cheese.  Plus, the fresh summer fruits and veggies are like the "cherry on top".

Grilled Chicken Peach Salad 

serves 2
 

Ingredients

Chicken Marinade

• 2 chicken breasts, skinned and trimmed
• 2 T peach balsamic vinegar
• 1 t garlic, minced

Salad

• 2 fresh peaches, cut in half and pitted
• 8 cups mixed salad greens
• Mixed Vegetables: tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, peppers
• 2 T slivered almonds
• 1 T chia seeds
• 1 T goji berries
• 2 T crumbled goat cheese

Dressing

• Fresh cracked pepper
• 1 T peach balsamic vinegar

Directions

1. Combine all of the chicken marinade ingredients in a zip-lock bag, add the chicken, and marinate for 1-12 hours
2. Preheat the grill
3. Place the chicken and sliced peaches on the grill and grill, turning several times, until the chicken is fully cooked and the peaches have softened
4. While the chicken and peaches are cooking, combine the salad ingredients between 2 plates
5. Remove the chicken and peaches and chop both into small pieces
6. Add the chicken and peaches to the salad, season with fresh cracked pepper, and top with peach balsamic vinegar

The best part about this salad was that I didn't burn down the house while starting the grill!

Single Serving 2-Ingredient Banana Pancake/Scramble

Another one of my favorite breakfasts has become my banana pancake or scramble. It's a basic 2-ingredient recipe that can be customized to your liking with different add-ins and toppings. I've shared this recipe with a lot of friends who have all given my a quizzical look, but then went on to say how amazing it was when they actually tried it!

2-Ingredient Banana Pancake/Scramble

makes 3 pancakes

Ingredients

Banana Scramble

• 1/2 medium ripe banana (fresh or frozen and thawed)
• 2 egg whites (or 1 egg white + 1 T chia seeds)
• 2 t pb2
•  3 t unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• Optional Add-Ins: fresh fruit, flax seed, unsweetened cocoa powder, pb2, chocolate pb2, unsweetened shredded coconut, etc.
• Optional Topping: cinnamon, nut butter, sugar-free jelly, Greek yogurt, fruit, unsweetened shredded coconut, seeds/nuts, etc.

Directions

1. In a small bowl mash the banana until smooth
2. Mix together the pb2 and almond milk; set aside
3. Add the egg whites and chia seeds (if using chia seeds, let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes to gel)
4. Mix in any other Add-In options
5. Heat a skillet over medium heat and prep it with healthy non-stick cooking spray
6. For Pancakes: Scoop out 2-3 portions of the batter onto the skillet and cook on each side for about 3 minutes (be delicate when flipping because these cakes are not as
7. For Scramble: Add the mixture to the skillet and cook as you would a scrambled egg - breaking apart the mixture to ensure even cooking
8. Top with the pb2 sauce or any other desired toppings

Before you judge it or give me that quizzical look, give it a try and let me know what you think!

CH CH CH Chia!

CH CH CH CHIA!  For the past few months I've been experimenting with chia seeds.  If you haven't heard of them or used them, I suggest you try them out.  They are a high fiber, low calorie seed that has a "gelling" characteristic when they come in contact with a liquid.  I mix them in my oatmeal, yogurt, shakes, sprinkle them on my salads - the possibilities are endless.  Because of their gelling feature, they're also a great thickener for puddings and jellies.

Raspberry Chia Jelly

Ingredients

• 2 cups raspberries (fresh or frozen and defrosted) 
• 3 T chia seeds
• 1/2 t raspberry extract (or vanilla extract)
• 1/2 t light agave nectar (optional - I don't use)

Directions

1. Mash berries either by hand or in a food processor until almost completely smooth
2. Add berries, chia seeds, extract, and agave to a glass jar and stir to incorporate
3. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours or overnight until the jelly has thickened
4. If the jelly is too thick, add 1 t of water at a time to thin it out
5. Enjoy on a rice cake with homemade almond butter 

Strawberry Chia Pudding

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 2 T chia seeds
• 2 strawberries, diced
• 1/2 t strawberry extract (or vanilla extract)
• 1/2 t light agave nectar
• 1/2 t unsweetened shredded coconut, topping
• 5 blueberries or 1 strawberry, topping

Directions

1. Add the chia seeds and almond milk to a bowl and stir until combined
2. Stir in the strawberries, strawberry extract, and agave nectar
3. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours or overnight until the pudding has thickened
4. Remove from the refrigerator and top with shredded coconut and additional strawberries or blueberries

 I enjoy either of these snacks as an afternoon "pick-me-up" or an after dinner treat!

Coconut Curry Salmon Cakes

I've been wanting to try this recipe by Eat-Spin-Run-Repeat for some time now, and finally found the time to do my food prep last night so the salmon could really marinate and soak in all the delicious flavors.

Coconut Curry Salmon Cakes with Grilled Corn
 

Ingredients (for 3-4 cakes)

Corn

• 2 ears of corn
• 1/4 t curry powder
• 1/4 t ground ginger
• yogurt butter

Sauce

• 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1-2 t sriracha sauce
• 2 T lime juice
• 1/2 t curry powder

Salmon Cakes 

• 1/4-1/2 lb. fresh salmon 
• 1/2 t minced garlic 
• 1/4 cup celery, diced 
• 1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced 
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes 
• 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats 
• 1 t basil, chopped 
• 1 egg white 
• 1/2 t fresh ginger, grated 
• 1/8 t cayenne pepper 
• 2 t red curry paste 
• 1/2 a lime, zest & juiced
• Lime wedges, garnish

Directions 

1. Spread a very thin layer of butter on the corn then sprinkle with seasonings
2. Grill corn, turning occasionally, until kernels turn bright yellow
3. To make the sauce, stir together all 4 ingredients in a small bowl; set aside
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
5. Combine all ingredients for the salmon cakes in a bowl; stir until a coarse mixture forms
6. Portion out the mixture into 3-4 even sized portions and form into patties
7. Place the patties on parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes
8. Flip each salmon cake and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the edges appear crispy
9. Enjoy with lime wedges and dipping sauce

Adapted From:Eat-Spin-Run-Repeat

I'm Back! Oatmeal Overload!

I took quite a long hiatus from blogging, but I'm back with tons of new, healthy recipes to share!  I'm also working on revamping my blog, so bar with me through the changes!

I was never really one to get fancy with my breakfast.  Greek yogurt, chia seeds, and fruit have been my "go-to" breakfast for quite a while, but within the past few months, I've adapted a few breakfast obsessions that I'll be sharing within the week.

My greatest breakfast obsession has become oatmeal - baked, boiled, microwaved, chilled overnight - you name it, I've experimented with it.

Being that it's summer, I'd say my favorite way to eat oatmeal is chilled overnight since it's refrigerated overnight, it's a nice chilled breakfast on these hot and humid mornings.  This mornings breakfast included several of my favorite ingredients: coconut, mango, and oatmeal!  It's such an easy, refreshing breakfast that can be customized to seasonal fruit.

Coconut, Mango Overnight Oats

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 T chia seeds
• 1 T unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 t coconut extract
• 1/2 t light agave nectar
• 1/4 cup mango, diced
• Optional Toppings: coconut, cinnamon, additional milk/Greek yogurt

Directions 

1. Add all of the ingredients except the mango and toppings in a mason jar; stir until combined 
2. Stir in the mango 
3. Refrigerate overnight
4. Remove from the refrigerator, stir in any additional milk/yogurt and top with shredded coconut and cinnamon

On the completely other end of the oatmeal spectrum, I also want to share this baked oatmeal recipe.  This recipe, adapted from MissK_J6, contains more of my weaknesses - chocolate, almond butter, and bananas.  I could live off of this stuff it's so good!

 Baked Dark Chocolate, Nut Butter, Banana Oatmeal

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 T unsweetened dark cocoa powder
• 1 t natural sweetener
• 2 T light agave nectar
• sprinkle of cinnamon
• 1/4 t baking powder
• 1/2 banana, sliced
• 1 t coconut flour, divided
• 1 T nut butter (I use almond)

Directions 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and spray a ramekin with cooking spray
2.  Add all ingredients except the banana, coconut flour, and nut butter in the ramekin; stir until combined
3. Once mixed, sprinkle with 1/2 t coconut flour
4. Bake for 35-45 minutes
5. Top with banana slices, remaining coconut flour, and nut butter

There's plenty more where these came from so keep following!