Mini Polenta Pizza

I wasn't sure how these would turn out, but to my surprise they were so good and better yet cured my craving for pizza! 
Ingredients:

1 package of precooked polenta
part skim mozzerella cheese
organic all natural pizza sauce
green peppers

Slice the polenta, add toppings and bake at 400 for about 25 min.

Mexican Casserole

   *

    *1 cup brown rice
   * 1 cup chicken broth (or use proportions recommended on rice cooker)
   * 1 tablespoon olive oil
   * 1/3 cup diced onion
   * 1 clove garlic, minced
   * 1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
   * 2 cooked skinless boneless chicken breast halves, chopped
   * 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
   * 1/2 teaspoon cumin
   * salt to taste
   * ground cayenne pepper to taste
   * 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained
   * 2 jalapenos
   * 1 cup shredded carrots
   * 1 cup shredded reduced fat  mexican cheese

  1. Cook the rice and broth in the rice cooker
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a
large casserole dish.
  3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and cook
the onion and garlic until tender. Mix in the zucchini, chicken,
carrots, and mushrooms. Season with cumin, salt, and ground cayenne
pepper. Cook and stir until zucchini is lightly browned and chicken is
heated through.
  4. In large bowl, mix the cooked rice, onion, zucchini, chicken,
beans, jalapenos, and 1/2 the cheese. Transfer to the prepared
casserole dish, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
  5. Cover casserole loosely with foil, and bake 30 minutes in the
preheated oven. Uncover, and continue baking 10 minutes, or until
bubbly and lightly browned.

Clean Eating Bannana Muffins

Recipe: 
3 Egg Whites
3 Ripe bannanas
1\2 cup unsweetened applesauce 
1\4 cup Agave Nectar or 1\2 cup Pure Maple Syurp
2 Cups whole wheat flour (I also like to use Spelt Flour when I have it on hand)
 1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1\2 teaspoon baking powder
1\2 teaspoon Sea Salt
1\2 cup Raisins 
1\2 cup Slivered Almonds (or walnuts)

Mix All wet ingredients in a bowl, and all Dry in a separate bowl.  Add both mixtures to a large bowl.  Bake at 325 until golden brown.  Usually about 30min.

Yum Yum!

 I tried to blog everything I ate for one dayy.....I got Breakfast, lunch and dinner down just forgot my snacks.  I usually have the same thing everyday in between clients for a snack though while I am working.  Either a Chobani greek yogurt with almonds, walnuts, or ground flaxseed, a kashi granola  with a piece of fruit or a luna bar.  These snacks I find are the easiest for on the go. 

Today for breakfast at about 7am I had a 1\2 cup liquid Free Range Organic egg whites, 1 piece of Ezekiel toast with a little olive oil ( I use olive oil instead of butter on everything), and half a grapefruit.  By 9am I was getting hungry already so I had a bannana to tie me over until I had time to scarf down a yogurt. My little girl must be growing, because I am STARVING every 2 hours.   Lunch at about noon  was a Ezekiel wrap with hummus, avacado, pickles, spinach, and tomato.  Delish! Oh and 2 pieces of dark chocolate I found in my freezer :)

I have not been to the store all week, because I am trying to clean out our freezer and fridge of food that has been in there a while.  So for dinner I roasted a free range chicken with cumin, sea salt, pepper, oregano and garlic.  After that cooked for about 30min I threw in some new potatoes and brussel sprouts that needed to be used up.  It actually turned out really good! My husband even made a sandwich with it the next day to take to work:)  I wish I took a picture of my dessert of  Sliced mango with agave and whip cream on top! YUM YUM! I will say I do miss my glass of red wine at night..........

Fast Lunch time Salad

Whenever the weather is nice I want a salad.  Just about every day I come home for lunch or make it the night before and eat in my office at the gym.  This has been my favorite this week:

Organic Spring Mix, Canned organic Chicken (its a quick and easy protein source), organic tomatoes, celery, Carrots, Red wine vinegar and olive oil.

Break out the Grill!

Grilling Season....I love it! I don't eat Pork very often, but when I do I like to buy an organic  pork chop with the bone in .  The bone in gives it a little more flavor and taste great on the grill. Like everything I make, I  make extras for leftovers the next night or lunch.  This makes it so much easier on busy nights when you really don't feel like doing much of anything after work and will keep you from ordering out!
Grilled Pork Chops
In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil, smoked Paprika, Cumin, Sea Salt and Pepper ( I never measure just make sure there is enough to cover both sides).  Rub on each side of the chops.  Grill each side about 10 min.  or no longer pink in the center.  I like mine a little burnt on the outside:)

Tonight I made sweet potatoe fries and green beans to go along with our Pork Chops.  Sweet potatoes are a power food and I believe should be eaten at least once a week.  There are many different ways to eat them.  My favorite is to cut in the shape of fries, toss in a freezer bag with a little olive oil, season salt, and bake on a baking dish for 1 hour at 400 degrees.  DELISH!

  

 

 For the Green Beans simply steam with a little low sodium free range chicken broth, Season with Oregano and done!

Sping is almost here!

This is my favorite time of year.  Everyone starts coming out more, the walking paths suddenly aren't so lonely anymore, and finally fresh produce is at its peak once again!  With warm weather approaching, I thought I would look for some healthy side dishes.  A question I am asked every year around Spring and Summer is "What can I bring to a cookout that is still a clean food?"  I found two salads in the March issue of Clean Eating that will be perfect for any group you are getting together with.  Even those who aren't used to a "Clean" way of eating will love both of these! 

SIDE ITEM 1: MOROCCAN CHICKPEA SALAD  serves 6 (this one was my favorite)
*Chickpeas are a great source of protein, so this salad is hearty enough to eat as a complete meal on its own for those who are vegetarians. 
Ingredients:
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. cumin
sea salt and ground pepper
dash cayenne pepper
3 cups BPA free canned chickpeas drained and rinsed
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into thin slices
3 green onion thinly sliced
2 plum tomatoes, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1\4 cup of cilantro
1\2 cup low fat feta
In a small bowl, whisk  together oil, lemon juice, cumin, salt, pepper, and cayenne.
In a large bowl, combine chickpeas, carrot, onions, tomatoes, red pepper, cilantro, and feta.
Pour lemon dressing over chickpea mixture and toss to combine. 
*Can be served right away or refrigerate for 24 hours. 

SIDE ITEM 2: MEDITERRANEAN VEGETABLE, WHITE BEAN AND FETA PENNE (serves 6)
Ingredients:
6 oz whole wheat pasta
1 cup canned BPA free white beans rinsed and drained
2 med. tomatoes, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. dried basil
1\4 tsp red pepper flakes
1\4 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 med. zucchini cut lengthwise then into 2 inch pieces
1 med. green pepper cut into strips then 2 inch pieces
1\2 tsp dried rosemary
1 cup low fat feta
Cook penne according to the box.  Add beans last few min. of cooking.  In a med. bowl mix tomatoes, garlic, vinegar, basil,, pepper flakes, set aside.
Heat 1 tsp oil in large skillet on med-high heat.  Add zucchini and bell pepper cook until edges are brown.  Stir in tomatoe mixture and drizzle with remaining oil.  cover and keep warm. 
Drain penne-bean mixture, place in a serving bowl, sprinkle with rosemary and 1\2 the feta. Spoon zucchini mixture over top and finish with remaining feta.