Salmon Florentine

Salmon is probably the best seafood for you. It's quick-cooking, tasty, doesn't taste too "fishy", and falls apart when it's ready.

I think the toppings for the same could be used for chicken or even steak.

10 oz spinach

1 Tbs olive oil

1/4 cup shallots, minced

2 tsp. garlic, minced

5 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/2 cup ricotta

4 skinless salmon fillets

Heat oven to 350°. 

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots; cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute more. 

Add spinach, tomatoes, salt, pepper flakes and pepper; cook, stirring, 2 minutes more. Remove from heat; let cool about 15 minutes. 

Add ricotta; stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. 

Pack about 1/2 cup spinach mixture on top of each fillet, matching the shape of the fillet. 

Place fillets on a rimmed baking sheet or in a glass baking dish; bake until cooked through, 15 minutes. 

Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Walnuts

Who would have thought my family would be such beet-fanatics?! Not only are the delicious, but they are SO good for you. 

We are also crazy for goat cheese, so this recipe was just perfect.

I used:

2 Organic Beets

Organic Kale

Boston Lettuce

Organic Walnuts

Organic 100% Maple Syrup

EVOO

Organic Balsamic Vinegar

Fresh Goat Cheese

Thoroughly wash the beets.

Place them in a pot and fill with enough water to cover them.

Bring to a boil and cook for about 20 minutes.

Drain and let cool.

Once the beets are cool, peel or cut off the otter layer and slice into cubes or strips.

Meanwhile, heat a couple turns of EVOO in a small skillet.

Add the walnuts and brown.

Add in about 1 Tbs of maple syrup and let bubble and brown.

Tear apart and place the kale and boston lettuce in a large bowl.

Add the beets and walnuts with the liquid from the skillet.

Toss with the balsamic and top with crumbled goat cheese.

Chicken Caprese

Here's a healthier version of fried chicken for y'all.

The chicken is breaded, but with organic whole wheat panko breadcrumbs and then the chicken is baked instead of fried.

The caprese adds in your vegetables and the whole meal can be done in under 30 minutes!

Perfect for one of those busy days where you don't want to cook a huge dinner.

The caprese can be prepared ahead of time, as well.

Ingredients:

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

4 oz fresh mozzarella, cubed

2-3 Tbs olive oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 large leaves fresh basil, chopped

3/4 tsp salt, divided

2/3 cup panko bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp paprika

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/4 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Brush parchment paper with olive oil.

In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, mozzarella, 2-3 Tbs olive oil, garlic, basil, and 1/4 tsp salt. 

In a shallow dish, combine bread crumbs, cheese, and paprika.

In another dish, pour a few Tbs of olive oil to coat the chicken.

 Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.

Dip the chicken in the olive oil and then the breadcrumb mixture.

Place the breaded chicken on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

Turn chicken over and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Remove garlic and discard before spooning mixture onto the chicken.

Turkey Spinach Meatballs

I'm always looking for a healthier, lighter meatball recipe. As long as you add enough liquid to the turkey meatballs, they will always come out moist and delicious!

The spinach added an nice flavor and helped boost up the nutritional value.

You can add the turkey balls to some whole wheat pasta or brown rice or you can enjoy they on their own.

Ingredients:

1 heaping cup of spinach

1 cup shredded Parmesan

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs or whole wheat panko

1/4 cup olive oil

3 eggs

1 package ground turkey

Preheat oven to 375.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Finely chop the spinach.

In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients except the turkey.

Add the turkey and mix together.

Form into meatballs on the lined tray. (It helps to wet your hands while rolling, the meat won't stick to you)

Bake for 20 minutes.

My turkey meatballs flattened a little bit and were more like turkey meat-flats, but they still tasted amazing.

Quinoa Veggie "Fried Rice"

Quinoa. 

A superfood.

High in protein, a good source of fiber, magnesium, and iron. Also, it it a good source of calcium!

Getting in your fruits and vegetables everyday is so important. You need to feed your body with the right fuel to make it run.

I often find that those who have a hard time eating a ton of vegetables really like stir-frys. It gives you the opportunity to customize the vegetables (and meat if you chose).

Let's get started!!

2 Tbs EVOO, divided

2 eggs, beaten

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, diced

2 cups cooked quinoa

1 Tbs freshly grated ginger

3 Tbs soy sauce

2 scallions

2-3 cups of your choice of vegetables (I used Organic broccoli, carrots, cauliflower & zucchini)

Heat 1 Tbs oil in a large skillet over low heat.

Add the eggs and scramble. Set aside.

Heat remaining Tbs of oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat.

Add the garlic and onion and cook, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes.

Add vegetables and cook until tender, about 4-5 minutes.

 Add cooked quinoa and stir until heated through.

Add ginger and soy sauce. Toss to combine and cook until heated through.

Stir in scallions and eggs.

Kale Salad with Brussels Sprouts

Ugh. Brussels Sprouts Again?!

Haha. I apologize for those Brussels sprouts haters, but here comes another one!

For those of you who are regular salad eaters, this is a great dish to spice up your menu.

Kale is one of those "super foods". There are sooooo many health benefits to kale and I can't believe I've only just recently started incorporating it into my weekly meal plans. I often add it into a smoothie or we make kale chip. My husband and 15 month old son eat the kale chips up before I can even sit at the table!

This salad is raw and full of all it's natural nutrients!

You will need:

1 bunch kale

10 Brussels sprouts, washed with ends cut off

2 lemons

2 Tbs mustard

1 Tbs shallot

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 tsp salt

black pepper

1/2 cup EVOO, divided

1/3 cup raw nuts (I used walnuts), chopped

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Add 1 Tbs olive oil to a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped nuts and stir until browned, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a towel-lined plate to de-grease. Sprinkle with a little salt.

Wash and de-stem the kale. Chop into thin strips.

Wash and cut off the ends of the Brussels sprouts and chop into thin strips.

Juice the lemons into a bowl and add the minced shallot and garlic, mustard, 1/4 tsp salt, and pepper.

Whisk to combine.

In a large bowl, mix together the sliced kale and Brussels sprouts.

Add the remaining olive oil to the lemon juice mixture. Whisk to combine the dressing.

Add half of the mixture to the greens and mix thoroughly.

Keep adding to taste.

Add the toasted nuts and top with cheese.

Chicken Spring Rolls

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a Chinese food, sushi maniac! But, unfortunately, it is not the healthiest type of food. Actual sushi, without the rice and added sauces is great for you, if you don't mind eating raw fish (which is don't, but most people can't handle it).

That being said, there are a ton of other Asian options, like spring rolls. I used Soy Wrappers that I found at Wegmans. You can add any type of vegetable that you have and really any meat. I used chicken or you can make it vegetarian, as well!

I never used these wrappers before and they are very thin and a little hard to work with. I had 5 wrappers and after the first and second one, I got the hang of it.

The recipe I based this off of had a peanut dipping sauce, but I opted to just add a dribble of Organic Soy Sauce instead!

So, play around with the ingredients and have fun with it!

I used:

5 Soy Wrappers (a variety pack)

Organic Cooked Chicken, cut into thin slices

Organic Shrimp

Organic Red Pepper, thinly sliced

Organic Cucumber, thinly sliced

Organic Carrots, thinly sliced

Organic Spinach

Organic Radish Sprouts

Organic Sage and Basil

Organic Scallions

Organic Lime

Place all of the filling in the center top of the wrapper.

Fold the bottom up and roll (carefully).

Yup. That's it!

Easy Peasy! 

Enjoy!