Easy Crockpot Tortilla Soup

Tortilla soup is an all time winter fave around here! And I love this recipe because it is a super easy one!! Check out this delicious, filling and healthy quick meal!!

Crockpot Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken breast, cleaned

• 3 cups low sodium chicken broth

• 1 1/2 cup verde salsa

• 1 (15oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

• 1 cup frozen corn

• 1 TBSP cumin

• 1 TBSP chili powder

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1-2 bell peppers sliced

• 1/2 onion, diced

• 3 TBSP lime juice

• Topping options: avocado, Cotija cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, cilantro

  • Tip: instead of buying tortilla chips, I buy baked tostadas and use them like tortilla chips.

How to:

1. Place chicken, broth, salsa, black beans, corn, cumin, chili powder, salt to crockpot and set on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-5 hours.

2. When ready to eat, saute peppers and onions. Mix into soup with lime juice.

3. Shred chicken with two forks (may have to remove from crockpot to do this)

4. Enjoy with your favorite toppings!

Side suggestion:

Simple Slaw

Ingredients:

• 1 bag shredded cabbage

• 1 bag shredded carrots

• 1-2 TBSP lime juice

• 1-2 TBSP olive oil or avocado oil

• salt, pepper and cumin to taste

How to:

1. Mix together and enjoy!

Greek Turkey and Rice Bowl

Here is another simple, quick and delicious meal. I am a huge fan of mediterranean flavors- if you are too, try this one out!

Greek Turkey and Rice Bowl

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground turkey

• 1-2 cups uncooked brown rice

• 1 bunch asparagus

• 1 TBSP olive oil

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 4 handfuls of spinach

• 1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes, sliced

• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, sliced

• 2 cups chicken broth

• handful parsley, chopped

• 1 lemon, zested and juiced

• feta

• salt and pepper

How to:

1. Cook rice by placing in a saucepan with with chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat and cook.

2. Preheat oven to 400F. Wash asparagus and mix with 1/2 TBSP olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place in oven and cook 25ish minutes, or until cooked.

3. Meanwhile, add olive oil to a saute pan. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Then add ground turkey, oregano, salt and pepper and cook until turkey is cooked through.

4. As the rice is getting close to being cooked, add olives, sun dried tomatoes, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Mix. Then add spinach and parsley and cover until it steams down.

5. Once everything is cooked, serve rice topped with turkey and feta with asparagus on the side. Enjoy!

Quick and Spicy Tuna Quinoa Bowl

I am always looking for quick, healthy and delicious recipes and this has been one I have been using for a while. This one literally takes 25 minutes! And not like one of those recipes that says it takes 25 minutes and then it takes 60! HA!! And it is so easy, you actually can get other things done while its going! Here are the details…

Quick and Spicy Tuna Quinoa Bowl

Ingredients:

• 1-2 cups quinoa

• 4+ cups kale

• 2 (5oz) cans tuna, drained

• 1 TBSP sesame oil

• Sriracha

• 1-3 green onions, sliced

• 1/2 avocado

• sesame seeds

• soy sauce

• pepper

How To:

1. Place quinoa in a pot with double the amount of water. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat and cook until water is absorbed. Then add a little bit of soy sauce and pepper for flavor.

2. Place kale in a pan over medium heat. Add some water and cover and allow it to steam down.

3. Drain tuna. Mix with sesame oil and sriracha to taste.

4. Chop avocado and green onion

5. Serve quinoa with kale and tuna on top. Add avocado, green onions, sesame seeds and more sriracha if desired.

Cheers to easy and healthy meals!!

Weeknight Curry

Guys… I finally found my go-to quick curry recipe!! I have been on a long time hunt for one that is packed with flavor but also really easy to make and this is it!!

One great thing about this recipe is it can be made with lentils and beans or with chicken, or, if you can’t decide like me you can do all three: lentils, beans and chicken!! February is Heart Health Month, so I am trying to emphasize more plant based proteins in my diet and this recipe has been a perfect fit! Plant based proteins are a great way to get protein in a way that is healthy for your heart. They are packed with fiber which can help lower cholesterol AND have no saturated fat, which is also great for the heart!

You have to try this recipe!

Weeknight Curry

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil

• 1 small onion, diced

• 1 tablespoon garlic, grated or minced

• 1 tablespoon ginger, grated or minced

• 2 tablespoon yellow curry powder

• 1 can diced tomatoes

• 13.5 oz. can lite coconut milk

• 1 lime, juiced (about 2 tablespoons)

• 1/2 cup dry red lentils

• 3 cups broccoli florets

• 1 - 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• Red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper, to taste

• Cilantro, for topping

• Naan bread and/or jasmine rice, for serving

How to:

1. In a large pan heat coconut oil over medium heat. Add onion to pan and saute for 2 minutes. Then, add garlic, ginger, yellow curry and stir until onions are coated.

2. Add diced tomatoes, coconut milk, lime juice, and lentils and let come to a simmer. (If you like a thinner, more soup-like curry, add ½ cup of water at this step.)

3. Once it reaches a simmer, turn heat down to low, cover, and let simmer for 10 minutes.

4. Then, stir in broccoli florets and chickpeas and let simmer for 5 more minutes, until broccoli and lentils are tender.

5. Season with red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper, to taste.

6. Garnish with cilantro and serve over basmati rice or naan bread. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Note: If you want to use chicken in this recipe, simply replace the 15 ounce can of chickpeas with 1 pound of cubed chicken breast. Ensure the chicken reaches a temperature of 165 degrees before serving.

Nutrition information:

Without chicken: 6 servings, 287 calories, 38g carb, 11g fat, 11.5g protein

With chicken, no chickpeas: 6 servings, 319 calories, 22g carb, 12.5g fat, 30g protein

Lemon, Fennel and Olive Tuna

This is one of my FAVORITE summer meals. Not only is it quick to make and perfect on a hot day BUT it is also packed with flavor!!

Here are some unique flavors this meal consists of:

• Lemon rinds: what?! Trust me, I thought it was weird too! But if you slice them thin, then the flavor is just right with each bite and not overwhelmingly sour (like citrus rinds can be)!

• Fennel: if you’ve never had fennel, this might make you nervous. Don’t be! Fennel has an awesome flavor, similar to licorice (but not really cause I don’t actually like licorice, but I like fennel!!)

• Dill and Kalamata olives: you can’t go wrong with either of these ingredients… am I right?!

Okay, so now that we’ve determined this meal is delicious, here’s how to make it:

Lemon, Fennel, and Olive Tuna

Ingredients:

• 1 lemon

• 1/2 bulb fennel, stalks trimmed

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 30 oz canned tuna, drained

• 2 TBSP olive oil

• 2 TBSP capers, drained

• 1/3 cup Kalamata olives, chopped

• 1/3 cup dill, roughly chopped 

How to:

1. Slice lemons very thinly. Quarter lemon slices and remove any seeds. Slice fennel bulb in the same way. In a medium bowl, mix together lemon, fennel and salt and let sit for 20 minutes.

2. In a medium bowl, toss together tuna, 2 TBSP olive oil, 2 TBSP capers, 1/3 cup olives and 1/3 cup dill. Add the lemon-fennel mixture and combine.

3. Enjoy!!

We like to eat ours with sourdough bread, grapes and green beans!!

The best AND easiest chicken salad recipe

So Kevin and I have been meal prepping for a couple months now. What that looks like for us is making 1 lunch for the week, all breakfasts, and usually 2 dinners to get us through Sunday night through Friday lunch. We usually spend a couple hours on Sunday afternoon making this all happen.

Because of this, I am constantly searching for meals that can be made easily in bulk and taste good throughout the week. That is where this meal comes in… Apricot Almond Chicken Salad. WE LOVE THIS MEAL!! So naturally, I have to share :-)

This can be made with canned chicken, rotisserie chicken or baked chicken. We have been using canned chicken. If you are using one of the other two, you may need to add a little bit of salt to the recipe. I have found the canned chicken tastes fairly salty, so usually don’t add anymore.

You can also use either fresh or dried apricots. If you are using dried, try to find ones without added sugar!

And lastly, you can buy already roasted almonds or roast them yourself in the oven or on the stovetop.

Okay… here are the details!

Apricot and Almond Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

• 16 oz chicken, shredded

• 1/4 cup almonds, roasted and chopped

• 1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped (can also use fresh if they are in season)

• 3+ green onions, sliced

• 2+ stalks celery, sliced

• 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt

• 1 TBSP olive oil

• 1 TBSP dijon mustard

• 1/2 tsp honey

• rosemary and pepper

How to:

1. Prep chicken (drain if needed). Mix with green onions, celery, apricots and almonds.

2. Make the dressing by combining Greek yogurt, olive oil, dijon, honey and rosemary and pepper.

3. Add dressing in with chicken and mix well.

4. Serve with a starch and vegetables on the side!

We served ours with roasted green beans and homemade sourdough bread!!

Mustard Garlic Pork Tenderloin

I don’t know about you, but pork tenderloin was something we ate only for special occasions growing up. That is the idea that I brought into adulthood. Until I dug a little deeper…

• We have found that pork tenderloin is actually cheaper than chicken.

• Also, it is a very lean cut of meat, so is not an unhealthy thing to throw into your protein mix!

• Pork tenderloin is also generally easy to cook, which is another bonus!!

This is just one of our favorite ways to eat pork tenderloin. It is very flavorful, and like I mentioned, very easy!

Mustard Garlic Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:

• 1 pork tenderloin

• 1 heaping TBSP dijon mustard

• 1 TBSP olive oil

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1-2 TBSP Italian seasoning (or a mix of oregano, basil, garlic power, onion powder, salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary)

• 1 tsp salt

How to:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Clean and trim the fat from the pork tenderloin.

3. Mix remaining ingredients together. Spread over the surface of the pork tenderloin.

4. Place in oven safe dish

5. Roast for 30 minutes, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 145F. Let rest for 5 minutes and serve.

To make your life easier, serve with potatoes and a vegetables that can all be roasted at the same time!

Mediterranean Eggplant and Chickpea Ragout

This is one of those recipes that we used to eat a lot and then somewhere along the way we kind of forgot about it. Then, the other day I was with one of my friends at My Fresh Basket and she got a dish that looked just like this. Then I HAD TO MAKE IT! It has such great flavor!!

I got all the ingredients before the chaos of COVID-19, but the good news is, all of these ingredients should still be available!!

One more thing, if you think the idea of eggplant sounds gross, it isn’t. You actually don’t even taste it much in this recipe!!

Here is a healthy dinner recipe to try tonight!

Mediterranean Eggplant Ragout

Ingredients:

• 1 lb lean ground turkey

• 1 large eggplant, chopped into cubes

• 1 tbsp avocado oil

• 1 yellow onion, diced

• 1/4 cup raisins

• 1 tsp red pepper flakes

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 2 cups canned unsalted diced tomatoes

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

• 1 15oz can low sodium chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• 2 TBSP capers

• 3 oz goat cheese

How to:

1. Heat 1/2 TBSP avocado oil in a saute pan. Add onion and eggplant and saute for 5-7 minutes, or until eggplant softens.

2. Add raisins, salt, pepper flakes and cinnamon. Mix to combine. Then add canned tomatoes, 1/2 cup water, chickpeas and capers. Increase heat to a boil. Then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes, or until eggplant is tender.

3. Meanwhile, using the other 1/2 TBSP avocado oil, cook the ground turkey. As it is cooking, add salt and pepper and break up into bite sized pieces. Cook until no pink remains.

4. Once ragout is cooked, add the ground turkey!

5. Serve with goat cheese and a starch and vegetable! We served with polenta and green beans, but you can serve with any starch and vegetable!!!

Miso Lime Shrimp Bowl

We have started taking meal prepping more seriously and are loving it!!! I know I will always go in seasons with this, but we have started a meal each week for our lunches, we prep our breakfasts and then make 2-3 dinners each week that we eat fresh one night and have the leftovers the other nights. It has like changed our world!!! We have so much more time in our evenings and so much less stress around making dinner. This recipe was so easy and quick to make that I had to share!!!

You may notice that I have a lot of shrimp recipes posted. This is because we often use shrimp as a quick protein. We buy the already cooked (but frozen) shrimp, and then literally just heat it up and throw it in whatever sauce we have made. SO SIMPLE!

If you have never tried soba noodles, don’t be afraid of them! They are buckwheat noodles (meaning they are a good source of whole grains!). You can often find them in the Asain Food Aisle of the store. My one tip is to make sure it is made out of buckwheat… I bought some one time that had yams added, which made them kinda sweet and not as good.

Check this healthy, easy weeknight meal out!!

Miso Lime Shrimp Bowl

Ingredients:

• 1 lb already cooked frozen shrimp

• 10 oz green beans

• 10 oz mushroms

• soba noodles

• 3 TBSP white miso paste

• 3 TBSP lime juice

• 3 cloves garlic

• 1 TBSP fresh grated ginger

How to:

1. Chop vegetables and saute in a little bit of avocado oil.

2. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook soba noodles for 8-10 minutes, or until they are the texture you desire.

3. Meanwhile, make the sauce by combining the miso, lime juice, garlic and ginger in a bowl.

4. When vegetables are done, add shrimp and sauce and mix together. Cook until shrimp are heated through.

5. Serve with soba noodles!!

Quick Mediterranean Quinoa Turkey Bowl

Kevin was out of town last week for 8 DAYS!!! That is a long time in my world. Anyway, because he usually eats more than me and is willing to eat leftovers for days, I knew I had to be strategic about my meals. I didn’t want to be eating one meal all week AND I wanted my meals to be easy to make and easy to clean up. This turned out to be a great option and will continue to be a quick weeknight meal!

Quick Mediterranean Quinoa Turkey Bowl

Ingredients:

• 16 oz lean ground turkey

• 2 tsp avocado oil

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa

• 3 medium zucchinis, chopped

• 1 (15oz) canned diced tomatoes (look for low sodium)

• 1/2 yellow onion, diced

• 5 cups spinach

• 10 oz mushrooms, diced

• 1 TBSP oregano

• 1 tsp dried basil

• 1 tsp rosemary

• 1/2 tsp salt and pepper

• 1/3 cup white wine vinegar

• 1/3 cup water

• Shredded parmesan cheese

How to:

1. Place quinoa in a pot with 2 cups water. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat and cook until water is absorbed.

2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tsp avocado oil in a skillet. Add ground turkey. Season with salt and pepper and allow to brown. As it cooks, break it up into bite sized pieces. Once cooked through (no pink left), set aside in a bowl.

3. Add another 1 tsp avocado oil to the saute pan. Add mushrooms, onion and zucchini. Cook until they begin to soften. Add spinach and canned tomatoes.

4. As spinach is wilting, add seasonings to vegetables.

5. Mix vinegar with water.

6. Mix quinoa with ground turkey and vegetables. Add vinegar mixture. (add more vinegar if necessary)

7. Serve topped with parmesan cheese.

Everyday French Toast

French toast is one of those foods that I LOVE but rarely eat. The reason being, when I know if I have a sweet treat for breakfast, I will likely need a nap and be pretty much useless for the day. When I do have it, I make sure I balance it with some eggs, so the sugar doesn’t hit my system so drastically! There is so much to say about a balanced plate!!

So, Kevin came up with this lovely idea for french toast that doesn’t leave me down and out for the rest of day. He was like, what if we use the ingredients we usually use for breakfast and make it into french toast…? Brilliant!!

This french toast is made of our normal whole wheat bread, sweetened with yogurt, berries, banana and peanut butter AND has no added sugars!! If you are looking for a fun a different breakfast to have that keeps you on track with your goals, try this recipe out!!

Everyday French Toast

Ingredients:

• Whole wheat bread (5 pieces)

• 4 eggs, whisked

• 1/4 cup milk

• a splash of vanilla

• 1/2-1 tsp cinnamon

• Dash of cloves and allspice

• 1/3 cup Greek yogurt

• 1/4 cup peanut butter

• 1 cup frozen berries

• 1 banana

How to:

1. Whisk eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, allspice and cloves in a flat dish.

2. Heat a skillet. Soak 1-2 pieces of bread in the egg mixture. Flip so that the full toast is soggy.

3. Place in the skillet and cook 3-5 minutes on each side, or until toasted and egg is cooked.

4. Continue steps 2 and 3 until all the pieces are cooked.

5. Meanwhile, stick the frozen berries in the microwave to 20-30 seconds. Mash with banana. Then mix in yogurt and peanut butter. Mix in more cinnamon if desired!

6. Top french toast with berry mixture and ENJOY!!!

Sweet Potato Kale Shrimp Bowl

I am working on cleaning out some of the “extras” we have in our fridge this week, which means, I am winging recipes for dinner. Last night, we made this lovely dish and I was SO proud of it, that I thought I should share. I love this meal because it is full of healthy ingredients, is very balanced and was super easy.

Shrimp is a lean and healthy protein and is extremely easy to cook, so it is one that I recommend frequently! Also, if you haven’t tried the Murasaki sweet potatoes- DO IT! They are so delicious. I literally had to hold myself back from eating the whole pan full!!

Heres the recipe:

Sweet Potato Kale Shrimp Bowl

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lb sweet potatoes (we used the Murasaki ones from Trader Joes)

• 1 lb already cooked shrimp

• 10 oz kale, chopped

• 1/2 red onion, diced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 head broccoli, chopped

• 1 ½ TBSP coconut oil (or olive oil)

• 1 lemon, zested and juiced

• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

• 1/2 bulb fennel, chopped

• 1 avocado

How to:

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Clean and cube sweet potatoes. Melt 3/4 TBSP coconut oil, and pour over sweet potatoes. Season with salt and pepper and stick in the oven for 35 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, chop the broccoli and cover with ¼ TBSP coconut oil, salt and pepper and place in the oven to roast.

3. With 20 minutes left on the roast time, heat ¼ TBSP coconut oil. Add onion and garlic and saute until onion softens. Add kale and cover to let the kale wilt down. Mix occasionally.

4. In another saute pan, heat the remaining ¼ TBSP coconut oil. Add fennel and cook until slightly softened. Add shrimp, lemon juice, lemon zest and red pepper flakes.

5. Serve potatoes with kale and shrimp on the top and broccoli and avocado on the side.

This meal was made to make 4 servings and should take about 40 minutes to make (most of that time is the sweet potatoes roasting)

The Perfect Smoothie Formula

Warm weather is coming which means smoothie season is here!! All the fresh produce makes smoothies that much more appealing this time of year. I do, however, make smoothies all year round and generally use frozen fruit. If smoothies aren’t done right, they can cause your blood sugar to spike and your energy to crash- not what we want. This is a formula I use for making smoothies. You can add quite a bit of variation using this formula. As you think through various options, just remember, you want more than just carbs in your smoothie!! So add protein and/or fat to make those carbs last longer!!

Smoothie Formula (makes 2-3 smoothies)

• 1 cup vegetable (beets, cucumber, zucchini, carrots)

• 1 banana

• 2 cups other fruit (citrus, berries, mango, etc)

• 3/4 cup Greek yogurt

• 2 cups spinach (or other green)

• 1 cup almond milk or other liquid

• 1/2 cup dry oats (you won’t even notice them)

• 1 scoop protein powder (I like to use unflavored)

Beet Orange Smoothie:

• 1 cup beets (steamed)

• 1 orange

• 1 cup berries

• 1 banana

• 2 cups spinach

• 3/4 cup Greek yogurt

• 1 cup almond milk

• 1/2 cup oats

• 1 scoop protein powder

Carrot Ginger Sunshine Smoothie

• 3-4 large carrots

• 1 orange

• 2 cups spinach

• 1 cup berries

• 3/4 cup Greek yogurt

• 1 banana

• 1 scoop protein powder

• 1 TBSP grated fresh ginger

• 1 tsp turmeric

Cucumber Berry Spice Smoothie

• 1 cup cucumber

• 1 cup berries

• 1 banana

• 2 cups spinach

• 1/2 cup oats

• 3/4 cup Greek yogurt

• 2 tsp fresh grated ginger

• 2 TBSP unsweetened coconut

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp cardamom

• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

• 1 scoop protein powder

*Note- I generally serve my smoothies with granola on top, which adds some extra fat. If you will not be topping with fat of any source, consider throwing in nuts, seeds, nut butters, or avocado. Here is a link to an awesome granola recipe.

{Not Fried} Fried Rice

19.5 is finally here! I am feeling extra nerves around this workout because I know how badly it is going to hurt!! With that said, I know my fueling has to be on point! This workout requires a lot of minutes to be worked at a high intensity- which means carbohydrate stores will be a hug factor. Also, this workout requires a lot of mental fight, which means immediate carbohydrates will be crucial. We don’t often think about the fuel our brains need, but trust me, your brain can make you quit a lot sooner than your body quits if it senses it isn’t fueled well.

Today I am fueling with fried rice for lunch. I will also consume an apple and RX Bar prior to the workout, and possibly a Fig Bar right before depending on my energy. All of these are carbohydrates that I know my body likes and utilizes well. As the workout gets closer, my carbohydrate intake switches to quicker carbs (fruit) vs slower carbs (brown rice).

This fried rice recipe is a fun way to get some carbohydrates in! And good luck to everyone competing this week!

{Not Fried} Fried Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice

• 10 oz mushrooms, sliced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 3 carrots, grated

• 1 TBSP fresh ginger, grated

• 1 cup edamame, thawed

• 4 scallions, sliced

• 3 TBSP low sodium soy sauce

• 1 1/2 TBSP Sriracha

• 2 TBSP sesame seeds

• 1 1/2 tsp sesame oil

• 3 eggs

• 1 1/2 tsp Ghee/avocado oil

• 1 1/2 lb shrimp

How to

1. Place rice in a saucepan with 3 cups water. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat and cook until water is absorbed.

2. Add 1 tsp Ghee/avocado oil to a saute pan at medium high heat. Add mushrooms and garlic and saute until browned (4-6 minutes). Turn heat to low. Add carrots, ginger, edamame, and scallions.

3. Add vegetables to rice.

4. Whisk eggs together. Heat another saute pan with 1/2 tsp Ghee/avocado oil. Cook eggs without scrambling (like an omelet). Once cooked, let cool and then cut into bite sized chunks. Mix in with rice and vegetables.

5. Make sauce by combining soy sauce, Sriracha, sesame seeds and sesame oil. Add sauce to rice and mix.

6. Heat shrimp and serve with rice.

Peanut Soba Noodles

Well… the Crossfit Open season has begun! This will be my fifth year competing in it and I am very excited about it this year. In past years, I haven’t had specific goals for it and have ended it feeling extremely discouraged in my performance. This year, I have been working on some of the movements that have limited me in the past and my goal is to be able to do every movement in every workout. Seems simple, but it would be a huge deal for me!!

Part of success in these workouts is proper nutrition, so I will be posting some good recipes that will support good performance. This workout, 19.1, is 15 minutes long which can feel like a long time when you are pushing hard. Good carbohydrates are always beneficial in fueling exercise, but because of the length, they are even more crucial in this specific workout. However, you don’t need to “carbo-load” because after all, we are not doing a marathon here!

This recipe includes soba noodles which are SO easy! And full of whole grains. These complex carbs will serve you well in providing good energy for this workout. This is also a fun and easy option if you are just looking for a healthy meal, as these whole grain noodles are a great source of starch that will keep you feeling energized and full without a carb crash. Either way, try this meal because it is so quick and delicious!

Peanut Sesame Soba Noodles

Ingredients

• Soba noodles

• Shrimp, eggs, ground meat (any protein)

• Shredded cabbage

• Shredded carrots

• Bell pepper, sliced

• 1/2-1 bunch cilantro, chopped

• 1/4 cup peanut butter

• 1 1/2 TBSP rice vinegar

• 1 TBSP sesame oil

• 1 1/2 TBSP low sodium soy sauce

• 1 TBSP grated fresh ginger

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

How to:

1. Make sauce by combining peanut butter, rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger and garlic. Whisk until combined.

2. Chop cilantro and peppers.

3. Bring water to a boil. Cook soba noodles according to package (usually 8ish minutes). Then drain noodles.

4. Heat shrimp

5. Combine sauce with warm noodles. Then, mix in vegetables and shrimp.

Making Lunches in Bulk: Mediterranean Tuna Salad

Lunch is a hard meal… am I right?!

For years we have relied on leftovers and/or eggs with some mixture of other ingredients to make a complete meal. We began to realize that this meal was causing us a lot of stress. We often would have a lot of leftover protein and not enough starch, or vice versa. We have gotten used to mixing and matching leftovers in order to fill the “gaps” in making our meals balanced. One of us would end up with a nice meal and the other would have to scrounge around to make something work. As if that didn’t already cause us some tension, we usually pack our meals after dinner… after we have spent X amount of time preparing, X amount of time eating and X amount of time doing dishes. We would always look at each other in frustration that we had to turn around and create another meal and spend 15 MORE MINUTES IN THE KITCHEN. One of the harsh realities of being prepared…

So, all of this said, I have been trying to implement some change. I am trying to pick an easy meal to make in bulk each Sunday that can be used for lunches throughout the week to fill in the gaps. This solves many of our frustrations:

1. The meal is almost always completely prepared, so we don’t have to spend 15 minutes every night making a meal for the next day.

2. Has allowed us to use leftovers for dinners more frequently. This gives us more time in the evenings and has honestly dramatically decreased our grocery bill.

3. Has eliminated the stress of figuring out what is for lunch.

4. Has helped us change up our routine- which is always a fresh feeling.

This week, we made a Mediterranean Tuna Salad. We have also prepared some rice in bulk, that can be added as a starch and then we always through in some extra raw vegetables. This recipe was definitely good enough to share and can be used for any meal, but was an easy bulk lunch to make :-)

Mediterranean Tuna Salad

Ingredients:

• 5 (5oz) cans tuna, canned in water

• 3-4 celery stalks, chopped

• 1 cucumber, chopped

• 1/3 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

• 5-7 radishes, chopped

• 1/2 small red onion, chopped

• 1/2 bunch parsley, chopped

• 10-15 mint leaves, chopped

• 1 1/2 TBSP dijon mustard

• 1 TBSP lime juice

• 1 TBSP lemon juice

• salt

• pepper

• chili flakes

• 3 TBSP olive oil

• 3 TBSP water

How to:

1. Open and drain tuna.

2. Add to bowl with chopped celery, cucumber, Kalamata olives, radishes, red onion, parsley and mint.

3. Make dressing by combining dijon mustard, lemon and lime juice, chili flakes, olive oil and water. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Pour dressing over tuna mixture and mix well until combined.

5. Serve with a starch and additional vegetables!

I hope this adds a fresh idea to your routine. I will continue to post some of my favorite bulk lunches!

A quick meal: tuna cakes

Okay... so yesterday was one of those days where nothing really went according to plan or as we expected. I often tell people that having a plan is one of the easiest ways to provide consistency and ultimately success in eating well and getting exercise in. I realize though that there are times when our plans don't work- that is just life. I also often suggest to people that they have a stock of foods that they know they can easily throw together for a quick meal. 

Back to yesterday...We got home later than we anticipated from work and had only a little bit before we had friends coming over.  People always ask me what our quick go to meals are, and I have started to feel boring telling people the same 3 or 4 that we usually choose. So, yesterday, I felt the challenge to create something different than we usually do. We decided to make tuna cakes!

Tuna is one of our go to proteins in these situations because it doesn't require thawing, cooking, or really much at all. It is also a great source of lean protein, has some omega 3 fatty acids, and some vitamin D as well. When buying tuna, get the tuna in water, not oil. Also, looked for canned light tuna instead of canned white. Canned white comes from albacore tuna, which is a bigger fish- meaning it has higher mercury content. Don't overdue tuna because it does contain mercury. For most individuals including those who are pregnant and breastfeeding, limit intake to about 2 cans of CANNED LIGHT TUNA per week (12 oz total). If you are choosing canned white tuna, limit intake to 1 can per week. 

Okay, here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 2 cans light tuna in water, drained

• 1 egg, lightly beaten

• 1/4 cup bread crumbs

• a couple dashes of salt, pepper, celery seed and basil

How to:

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Form into 2 patties with hands.

2. Heat a sauté pan with 1/2 tsp Ghee or avocado oil. Place patties in pan and cook until browned on the outside- flipping halfway through.

Easy peasy!

We also made a Sriracha mayo to go on top with 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt, 1 tsp Sriracha, 1 tsp lemon juice, 2 tsp soy sauce and 1/4 tsp pepper

As far as the rest of the meal goes, we whipped up some quinoa and a mix of the veggies we had around already including sautéed garlicky Swiss chard: sauté roughly chopped Swiss chard in a tiny bit of Ghee/avocado oil with a couple of cloves of minced garlic, salt and pepper. 

And viola! We had a satisfying, well balanced meal! And one to add to our list of quick ideas.

Give it a try! Or figure out what kind of quick meals you can make when a crazy day hits and get the ingredients, so you know you're prepared!