EVERYTHING GREEN! Grilled Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Grilled Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Monday's are busy for most of us and thinking of easy, healthy, and inexpensive meals are often hard to think of during those busy days. Here is a simple, fast, and economically affordable meal that your family will love! This recipe will make 5 lettuce wraps.

Recipe

2 Thin sliced chicken breasts cut into strips.
Italian dressing
Romaine lettuce
Tomatoes cut into small pieces
1 Cucumber diced and seeded (Lightly salt diced cucumber and set aside for about 5-10 minutes. Drain excess liquid)
Purple onion
1/2 cup of sour creme
1/2 Plain Greek Yogurt
1 handful of cilantro
Italian seasoning. (Parsley, basil, oregano, and thyme)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper
 Lemon -  The juice of 1/2 a lemon

Tzatiki Sauce

Add a 1/2 cup of plain Greek yogurt, and 1/2 cup of sour creme. If you do not have one or the other, this recipe will work with all sour creme, or all Greek yogurt. Next add about 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste, chopped cilantro, cucumber, and the juice of about 1/4 lemon. Stir.

Directions

Add salt, pepper and Italian seasoning to chicken. If you do not have an indoor grill pan, then use a regular frying pan. Add Italian dressing to bottom of frying pan. Add seasoned chicken. Cook until golden brown.  While chicken is browning. Slice 5 leaves of Romaine lettuce into strips and dice tomatoes. I used about 15 cherry tomatoes, or about 2 Roma tomatoes. Cut about 1/4 of a purple onion into strips. Add sliced lettuce,tomatoes, and purple onion to bowl. Toss lightly with Italian dressing. I only used about 1 Tablespoon of Italian dressing. Assemble. Add salad mixture to lettuce cups. Add chicken and Tzatiki sauce. Be creative! add Feta cheese or other cheese if desired.

NOTE: Adding salt to the diced and seeded cucumber before adding to tzatiki sauce will help to draw out some of the moisture, preventing the sauce from becoming too watery. It's a simple, fast trick that will improve the consistency of your sauce.

HERB SEASONED SWEET POTATO FRIES

HERB SEASONED SWEET POTATO FRIES

 

Recipe

Depending on how many people are eating will depend on how many sweet potatoes you will need. I used one medium sweet potato and it made 26 thin fries. 

1 Sweet Potato - I left the skin on as it contains many valuable nutrients.

Oil - I used vegetable oil, however any oil will do. Healthier oils are better choices such as olive oil and vegetable oils.

Italian seasoning which included the herbs parsley, basil, oregano, and thyme.

Garlic powder

Salt and Pepper

Directions

Toss cut fries in oil add herbs, salt and pepper and spread out on baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown, about 15 minutes. 

HEALTH BENEFITS OF SWEET POTATOES

 

EVERYTHING GREEN! Spinach and Kale Stuffed Mushrooms

Spinach and Kale Stuffed Mushrooms

When we think of spinach we often think of Popeye the sailor man. Mothers around the world have been trying to get their kids to eat their spinach for centuries. Unless you can incorporate the nutrient dense green leafy vegetable into other ingredients, then chances are you might not be so lucky in getting your loved ones to eat their greens. 

This spinach and kale stuffed mushroom recipe is absolutely delicious. I made this recipe as an appetizer for a wine tasting party and it was a big hit. 

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

24 Baby Bella Mushrooms

1 package frozen spinach (Defrosted, and squeezed out in a clean towel)

1 bunch fresh baby kale (if you cannot find baby kale at your grocer, then use mature kale cut up and steamed). Steam the kale and let cool. Wring out any excess water in a towel the same way that you do with the frozen spinach.

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 stalks celery finely chopped

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 lemon zested

1 cup of Panko breadcrumbs (Japanese style)

1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Salt and Pepper

Olive oil to drizzle

DIRECTIONS

Defrost frozen spinach and wring out with clean towel. Cook kale until it is wilted. After cooling, wring out the kale with clean towel. Add spinach and kale to bowl. Finely chop onion and celery and add to bowl. Chop and mince 4 cloves of garlic. Add remaining ingredients, salt and pepper to taste. Toss together, and add mixture to stuff the mushrooms. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 400 Degrees for about 25 minutes, or until slightly golden brown, cheese is melted and mushrooms are tender. 

Stuffed mushrooms before they are baked.

 

TOMATO, CUCUMBER, AND AVOCADO SALAD

TOMATO, CUCUMBER, AND AVOCADO SALAD

Are you looking for new ways to use avocado? Here is a simple salad that anyone can make. I used heirloom cherry tomatoes, mini cucumbers, and avocado. I had bought some delicious olives from the farmers market and added them to the salad along with some feta cheese.  

Recipe 

Cherry Tomatoes (Or tomato of your choice)

Cucumbers cut into bit size pieces

Avocado cut into chunks

Squeeze lemon juice over avocado to prevent browning. The lemon juice also adds a delightful flavor to the salad. 

Olives (Optional)

Feta cheese (Or other cheese of your choice-optional)

Italian salad dressing

Mix all ingredients and dress with Italian dressing. 

ENJOY!

HEALTH BENEFITS OF AVOCADO

BANANA PECAN MUFFINS

RECIPE

3 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tsp of baking soda
1/2 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of cinnomon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp of salt
4 ripe bananas (peel and mash)
2 cups of sugar
3 eggs
1 cup of vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup of pecans (or nut of your choice)

Frosting

8 oz of cream cheese
1 stick of butter
3 Tablespoon honey
1/2 cup pecans (You can toast them for a warm, nutty flavor)

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners. Next Mix the dry ingredients into bowl, flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Beat the wet ingredients together, sugar, eggs, oil, vanilla, and add banana and nuts in. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

Add the batter to the cupcake liners in the muffin pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Beat the cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Next add the honey. Frost muffins as desired. Top with pecans if desired.

EVERYTHING GREEN! Baby Kale, Spinach, and Avocado Salad

BABY KALE, SPINACH, AND AVOCADO SALAD

We have all heard of the well known green leafy vegetable that is making its reputation around the world as one of the most nutritious vegetables, Kale. Most of us have heard of that kale is good for us, but how do we use it or cook with it? There are many recipes out there floating around the internet on the many uses of kale, however I wanted to show you one recipe that is simple palatable, and easy to make. If you have shopped around for kale you might have noticed the big dark leafy green. Although mature kale is great in many recipes I have found that baby kale is great for salads. Baby kale is much sweeter, tender, and finally making its way into grocery markets across the country. I found a bag of baby kale at Trader Joe's. Baby kale to me, has the mildness of spinach, and a milder version of peppery arugula. It really is a great flavor, nothing like raw, fresh mature kale which can be a bitter and rough unless it is cooked. This baby kale and baby spinach salad is a refreshing and good for you. We have included a video on the benefits of kale below. 

Recipe

Baby Kale
Baby Spinach
Avocado
2 Hard boiled eggs
1/4 Purple onion sliced
1 Orange
The juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and Pepper
Crushed Red Pepper flakes (As desired)
Garlic powder (a couple shakes)
Oil
Vinegar

Directions

Cut up baby kale, and spinach as desired. Section off orange segments. Slice purple onion. Chop one hard boiled egg. Slice avocado to preference. Assemble salad as desired. Drizzle with oil. I used avocado oil, however any oil of preference will do. Add the juice of 1/2 lemon, a splash of vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes. 

ENJOY!!!

HEALTH BENEFITS OF KALE

HEALTH BENEFITS OF AVOCADO 

EVERYTHING GREEN! Avocado Chicken Salad Sandwich

AVOCADO CHICKEN SALAD SANDWICH

RECIPE

2 Chicken breasts (You can also use canned chicken if you prefer)

2 stalk celery diced

1/2 medium onion diced

1/4 cup of cran-raisins 

1/4 cup cashews chopped

1/2 avocado

2 Tablespoons of mayo

The Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/4 Teaspoon thyme

1/2 Teaspoon garlic powder (You will need about 1/4 for the chicken mixture and the avocado mayo.

1/4 Teaspoon Italian seasoning (Basil, oregano, parsley mixture)

1/4 Teaspoon Parsley

Salt/Pepper

Good bread (I used multi-grain bread)

Baby Kale

Baby Spinach

DIRECTIONS    

If you are using canned chicken you can disregard this first step. Boil chicken until cooked. Cut chicken into bite size chunks after boiling. Put chicken in bowl and add salt and pepper. Set aside. Next dice celery and onion and put in bowl with chicken. Chop the cashews into pieces large enough to bite into but not crushed. Add cashews and cranraisins to bowl. Add spices and toss together with all ingredients. 

Avocado Mayo

Some people love avocado while others do not eat it due to its bland taste but they want the health benefits from it. Mixing avocado with something else can provide the taste you are looking for and offering the excellent benefits that avocados offer.  I used about 3/4 of the avocado. You can use as much or as little as you like! Add 2 tablespoons of mayo, salt, pepper, dry parsley, garlic powder, and the juice of one lemon. In a food processor, or by hand, mix ingredients. Add the avocado mixture to the chicken ingredients.

SERVE THE CHICKEN SALAD ON GOOD BREAD. I USED A MULTI-GRAIN BREAD FROM TRADER JOE'S. TO MAKE A HEALTHY SANDWICH ADD BABY KALE AND BABY SPINACH!

 

HEALTH BENEFITS OF AVOCADO- V