Healthy Recipes

The end of finals brought me more time to try to get back into healthy eating habits, and I'm doing well so far (one week later). I thought I'd share some of the recipes I've tried out lately in case you're looking for some healthy, flavorful inspiration.

Superfood Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette by Iowa Girl Eats [picture from her site]

I will definitely be making this salad again. I'm always looking for yummy ways to eat quinoa, and this fits the bill. The lemon vinaigrette adds a nice zip, and blends so well with all the other flavors. I did leave out pomegranate arils (couldn't find them easily, or a pomegranate), and added some edamame. I also added shrimp to the salad, which is pictured but also listed as optional. I'm glad I did, as I do love shrimp! I would definitely recommend this recipe. 

Mango-licious Tilapia from Allrecipes [My photo]

I still have leftovers of this one, and I'm glad! This recipe also includes avocado (YUM), and the salsa just bursts with flavor. This recipe is also really easy, because all you need to do is chop up the ingredients, mix the salsa, and bake the fish in the oven. Another winner. 

Pina Colada Smoothie by Paula Deen* [My photo, with Today Show in the background]

This was pretty good too! I especially enjoyed being able to use a fresh pineapple from the grocery store. I did also increase the ratio of banana, using 1 full banana for 1 serving. I threw in some flaxseed as well, which I like to do with all smoothies.

Update: I made this smoothie again today (Sunday), and it tastes even better when I use a frozen banana and no ice. It was a lot thicker and the flavors were more concentrated. 

Whole Grain Pancakes on Allrecipes [Photo from the site]

I made these just this morning and I have leftovers for the week. I love this recipe because it includes whole wheat flour, oatmeal, flaxseed, and cornmeal (realized I didn't have any and subbed cornbread mix...). No white flour! The pancakes turned out really light and yummy. For me there's nothing better than a guilt-free pancake. I ate mine with honey drizzled on top this morning but I look forward to experimenting with other toppings in the future. I also added some applesauce and a little bit of salt. I let the batter sit for a while after mixing to thicken, as recommended by many of the reviews. 

There's a little sampling of what's been happening in my kitchen during my week off. I love being mindful about food again. Please share any of your favorite healthy recipes that you want to share!


*I just feel the need to share that lately especially, I am far from PD's biggest fan. I wish she would use her diagnosis as a platform to promote healthy eating and exercise as a way to mitigate diabetes symptoms, but I suppose there's more money in promoting a drug. Okay, stepping off my soapbox now. :-)

Green Monster Smoothies

So apparently these "green monster smoothies" are a bit of a craze, at least on the internet. My first reaction was, "Meh, a smoothie full of vegetables... ok." Then for some reason I ended up thinking about them the other night, and realized I happened to have fresh spinach on hand, along with the rest of the other ingredients that were required. I tried it out for breakfast two mornings ago, and as it turns out, it's delicious! The color is beautiful and fun, and yes, GREEN, but I taste the banana and peanut butter mostly, and really don't taste the spinach (I swear!). I did a slightly modified version the "classic" recipe that I found at greenmonstermovement.com.

Photo from ohsheglows.com (the blogger who made the movement website)

My "recipe" for the past couple days was as follows:

1 frozen banana

2 oz baby spinach

1/2 oz peanut butter 

6 oz skim milk 

5 grams ground flaxseed

1 small container unsweetened applesauce 

On my food tracker, this recipe comes out to a whopping 10 grams of fiber, which is a great start to the day! I have found it keeps me full straight through until lunch, which is unusual for my breakfasts. I eat early (around 5:30) and often find myself needing a morning snack to hold myself over. I think the combination of fiber, fat and protein really makes a difference. Anyway, I'll stop going on about it, but I just have to say that I'm now among those who have been converted by the magic of the green monster smoothie.

In slightly related news, I'm glad to be able to report that my weight loss for the new year is definitely progressing - I'm down about 5 lbs at this point! To be honest, I'm a bit surprised, as I haven't been as good about getting on my exercise routine as I'd hoped. I think tracking my food is really working for me though, so I'll keep up with that and try to improve on the exercise. Aside from weight loss, I'd like to actually be more fit as well, so this will remain a goal no matter what the scale says. 

And in I guess "life" news - this is the second week of school. I am currently in the midst of interviewing for some summer internships, and all of my classmates are looking for their own internships as well (aside from a few that have already found something). It's a nervewracking, but exciting time, and I'm along for the ride!