Apple, Cheddar, and Walnut Salad

September 29, 2020J Walden

Salads do not have to be boring. Here is a twist on some of my favorite ingredients just in time for Fall.

Prep: 10 min
Servings: 4

1/4 cup Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. honey
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

6 cups fresh spinach
1 honeycrisp apple, cored and cut into matchsticks
1 cup grated white cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Combine first 5 ingredients in container with lid. Shake to stir together.

In large bowl, combine spinach, apple matchsticks, cheddar cheese, and walnuts.

Place in refrigerator separately until ready to serve

When ready to serve, pour dressing overtop and toss to coat. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Per serving: 420 cal.  35g total fat, 9 g sat. fat, 0g trans fat, 20g carbs, 3 g fiber, 14g sugar, 12g protein

Clean Eating Shrimp Jambalaya

April 23, 2020April 25, 2020J Walden

Since we are all still staying at home and mostly cooking at home…I wanted to pass along a recipe I used last night. You could substitute any protein source for the shrimp based on what you have in the house. Stay safe and keep your nutrition in check these days! More important than ever now to keep your immune system strong.

Shrimp Jambalaya

recipe by: Dr. Gabe Mirkin, Drmirkin.com

1 pound shrimp
3 cups bouillon – low sodium
1 bay leaf
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (28 ounces) plum tomatoes, broken up
1 cup brown rice (uncooked)
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon thyme
6 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper

Peel the shrimp and set aside. Bring the shrimp shells, bouillon and bay leaf to a boil and simmer 20 minutes while chopping the vegetables. Strain the bouillon and return to the pot. Add the onion, pepper, celery, garlic, tomatoes, rice, hot sauce and thyme to the bouillon and simmer 45 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Stir in the shrimp, green onion and parsley and cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until the shrimp are pink and firm. Serve with ground pepper to taste.

4 servings

One final note, if you haven’t found Alton Brown’s (Good Eats) FB posts or You Tube posts about cooking from your pantry, you should check it out. Look up Pantry Raid and Alton Brown. Good laughs and creative recipes using common items in your pantry.

Worth a look!

Boring Breakfast Solution #8

September 27, 2019J Walden

Don’t suffer from a boring breakfast one more morning, or worse yet, skip it all together. This week I made my own Apple Pie Yogurt and guess what…it took less than 3 minutes. It is low in sugar, full of protein and quick. Here is the recipe:

Apple Pie Yogurt

recipe by eatlivefit.net

Ingredients:

1/2 apple, cored and sliced into 1 inch chunks

dash of cinnamon

1 cup of plain greek yogurt

Place apple in microwave safe dish and heat for 1 minute until soft but still crunchy. If you like your apple pie filling very soft add 20 second increments to cooking until soft enough. Sprinkle with dash of cinnamon while still hot. Top with 1 cup of Greek yogurt, and serve.

Spicy Thai Basil Chicken

July 30, 2018July 30, 2018J Walden

Super easy and very flavorful. Healthy food does NOT mean bland food.

Spicy Thai Basil Chicken (Pad Krapow Gai)

Recipe By:Chef John, modified by eatlivefit.net

Ingredients
1/3 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce, or as needed
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 lb. ground turkey or chicken
1/4 cup sliced shallots
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced Thai chilies, Serrano, or other hot pepper
1 cup very thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
2 cups hot cooked rice

Directions
Whisk chicken broth, oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, and brown sugar together in a bowl until well blended. Set aside.

Heat large skillet over high heat. Drizzle in oil. Add chicken and stir fry until it loses its raw color, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in shallots, garlic, and sliced chilies. Continue cooking on high heat until some of the juices start to caramelize in the bottom of the pan, about 2 or 3 more minutes. Add about a tablespoon of the sauce mixture to the skillet; cook and stir until sauce begins to caramelize, about 1 minute.

Pour in the rest of the sauce. Cook and stir until sauce has deglazed the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook until sauce glazes onto the meat, 1 or 2 more minutes. Remove from heat.

Stir in basil. Cook and stir until basil is wilted, about 20 seconds. Serve with rice.

Coconut Lime Rice Side Dish

July 6, 2018J Walden

I found this recipe on a blog that I frequently use for workout ideas. pfit/pfood. I tried it out and really like the flavor and texture enough to share it with you. I expect it will become a regular side dish in my house going forward. Coconut-Rice

Serving Size – 1/2 cup, makes 6-8 servings

New Way to Enjoy Vegetables

April 27, 2018April 27, 2018J Walden

If you like pickles, then you have to try this new vegetable snack! I know many of you struggle to find a vegetable you like and one that will fit into your eating. I just discovered these little bags of pickled vegetables at my store this week. While I don’t recommend they be the only vegetable you eat, occasionally, they are a decent product to throw into the mix.

They are perfectly portable and taste good too. The sodium content is a little higher than ideal, but for a picky veggie eater, not bad. They were in the refrigerated section at Super Target. They are also for sale at Sprouts. If those stores are not near you, check out this link for store locations: https://www.glkfoods.com/store-locator/

Caribbean Tuna Cakes

March 14, 2018J Walden

I have to confess, I am not a big fan of canned tuna. I enjoy fresh tuna, but the canned variety has never really caught on for me. Perhaps it was because I was using the canned variety that looked more like cat food. Recently, I found albacore tuna packed in water that has a milder taste. When I rediscovered this recipe, with the jerk flavor, I had to retry it. This is my new favorite lunch, because eaten cold or rewarmed, these are wonderful for several days. Pair with a Napa cabbage slaw (thinly sliced Napa cabbage, drizzled with lime juice, jerk seasoning and vinegar) and you have a meal!!

Caribbean Tuna Cakes

1 small red onion

1 small green pepper, diced

1/4 cup mayo (olive oil based)

1 1/3 cups whole wheat panko bread crumbs

2 tbsp. Jamaican Jerk Rub

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cans chunk light tuna (albacore in water), drained

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided

fresh lime or lime juice

Finely chop onion and bell pepper. Combine mayonnaise, 1 cup of bread crumbs and jerk rub in small bowl. Add onion, bell pepper, beans, and tuna to same bowl. Mix to combine. Place remaining bread crumbs on plate. Using hands, form small patties, approx. 1/2 inch thick, with tuna mixture and pack firmly. Press gently in to bread crumbs to lightly coat outside of each patty. Mixture will fall apart very easily if pressed or pushed into crumbs, so use caution. Turn cake over to lightly coat other side. Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in pan on stove over medium heat. Add 1/2 tuna cakes ; cook 2-3 minutes until golden brown, turning once. Heat remaining oil in pan and repeat with remaining cakes. Serve warm with lime slices and a extra dash of jerk seasoning on top.

Yield: Approx. 12 cakes

recipe by: Pampered Chef 29 Minutes to Dinner, modified by eatlivefit.net

Warm Peaches

September 5, 2017J Walden

As we wind down the last week of Palisade Peaches in Colorado, I wanted to share one of my favorite ways to enjoy a slightly unripe peach. By all means enjoy the ripe peaches straight out of the bag or box. However, if you happen to get one that is not quite juicy enough or you are hankering for a different way to enjoy them, try this recipe.

Warm Peaches

Slice peach with skin on into a microwave safe bowl. Sprinkle with cinnamon and fresh nutmeg. Heat in microwave on high for 30 seconds, just long enough to warm them and bring out the sweetness. Enjoy plain or with 1 TBSP plain yogurt or a 1/2 cup milk.

recipe by: eatlivefit.net shared by family friend

Super Side Dish – Zucchini Fritters

August 16, 2017J Walden

Zucchini Fritters

recipe by eatlivefit.net

Ingredients:

2 cups shredded zucchini

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

dash of salt and pepper

1 tsp coconut oil, or flavored oils

Directions:

Add olive oil to deep skillet and heat on medium to high heat. Meanwhile drain shredded zucchini in a strainer (think pressing into a spaghetti strainer here) and then wipe dry on paper towels. The more moisture you can remove, the better your fritters will bind together and cook. Next add shredded zucchini and remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Toss to blend.

To cook, place in 2 tsp portions in pan and brown lightly on both sides. Using a spatula, turn occasionally to cook thoroughly. Serve warm.

Dinner Tonight: Spicy Garlic Shrimp with Cauliflower Rice

April 5, 2017J Walden

Love the simplicity of this dish not to mention the taste!! It’s on my table tonight for dinner.

Yep, Cauliflower rice is the “new” rice. No need to add a cheesy sauce to cauliflower any longer, just substitute it in for rice in your favorite dishes.

Spicy Garlic Shrimp with Cauliflower Rice:

recipe by: cleanfoodcrush.com modified by eatlivefit.net

Ingredients:
Makes about 3 servings

1 lb. shrimp
1 Tbsp. avocado oil, or olive oil + an extra tsp.
1 head cauliflower, grated (can buy this already prepped for you in most stores now)
4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
sea salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp chili flakes
3 cups fresh chopped kale

Directions:

Heat 1 Tbsp. of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Once hot, add the shrimp and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side until cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and set aside on a plate.
In the same skillet and a drizzle of olive oil, garlic, kale and sauté until softened. Add the cauliflower rice, chili flakes and season generously with salt and pepper.
Stir fry for about 5 minutes, then add the shrimp back to the pan and cook for about 1-2 minutes until reheated.
Rachel