Friday, January 24, 2014

Salads, Salads, Salads

I eat salad pretty much every day, while most people will settle for lettuce and some tomato, i like to spice up my lunches. below are a few of the salads i make for lunches...


Santa Fe salad
 4 cups of romaine heart chopped
1 roma tomato
1/2 cucumber chopped
1/3 cup shredded cheese
a little red onion
2 Tablespoons of tortilla strips (i like the lime ones)

I take 1/4 cup cooked chicken, 1/2 cup black beans, and yellow and red pepper into a pan with 2 tablespoons of BBQ sauce and just heat until covered and warm.

When i got to eat i will warm the chicken and beans up in their own container then add them to the top ingredients with 1 Tablespoon coyote ranch dressing. This salad is about 400-500 calories but it's very filling and you wont be hungry again until dinner if you are drinking your water.




Chicken Cordon Blue Salad

4 cups of romaine heart chopped
1 roma tomoato
1/2 cucumber chopped
1/3 cup shredded cheese
a little red onion
1/4 cup chopped chicken
4 slices of ham
1 slice mozzarella cheese

I put all of that together and will usually use an italian or coyote ranch dressing. Same as above this salad is usually about 400 calories


Asia Salad
3 cups of romaine heart chopped
1/2 cup napa cabbage
1/2 cup red cabbage
shredded carrot
chopped chicken breast
green onion
almonds
1 Tablespoon wonton strips
I will eat this with a miso dressing


Olive Garden Salad
4 cups of romaine heart chopped
Roma tomatoes sliced
red onion
Parmesan or mozzarella cheese
a couple olives
Olive garden Italian


* Be creative, if you keep having a similar salad then add something crazy like a little feta cheese, or try a new dressing or create your own dressing. I eat a lot of plain jane salads too but i'll add broccoli or asparagus into it once in a while to keep it interesting.

Pita Pizza

What you need:
Pita bread
roasted red pepper hummus
red, green, yellow, orange pepper
1 can black beans
cheddar jack cheese
roma tomatoes
cilantro
seasoned chicken breast


spread hummus on pita bread ( i use one service size), add all of the above ingredients in the quantities that you want. then broil in oven.

* I use this same idea to make different kinds of pizza without hummus.

Minestrone Soup

What you need:

1 qt. chicken broth
2-3 pounds of ground turkey
1 medium onion diced
2 carrots, diced
1 stalks celery sliced
1 qt whole tomatoes (you can use the diced canned ones)
10 oz. package frozen mixed vegetables ( you can use fresh)
1 zucchini sliced
1 cup shredded cabbage
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup vermicelli
1 can garbanzo beans
1 t. oregano


Cook ground turkey, than add all ingredients to crock pot.

Southwest White Chili (chicken chili)

What you need:
 1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts- cubed
1/4 cup onion- chopped
1 cup chicken broth
1- 4 oz can green chilies or green chili salsa
1- 19 oz. can white kidney beans- drained
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 t. cayenne pepper ( if you don't like spicy use chili powder instead)
1 t. cumin
1/2 t. oregano


Brown chicken and onion in olive oil. Add everything else into the crock pot and cook all day.

* you can cook it on the stove if you don't like crock pot cooking.

Asian Beef with snow peas

What you need:
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 pound beef round steak cut into strips
8 oz. snow peas


In a small bowl combine the soy sauce, rice wine, brown sugar and cornstarch. set aside

Heat olive oil in a wok or skillet over medium heat. stir-fry garlic and add steak and cook for a couple minutes. add the snow peas and stir-fry for 3 minutes. add the soy sauce mixture, bring to a boil, stirring constantly. lower heat to simmer until the sauce is thick and smooth. serve with brown rice or by itself.

Nutrition facts:
Calories 203
Protein: 16g
Cholesterol: 39 mg
Sodium: 711 mg
Fiber: 1.5 g

* This recipe makes four servings.

Greek Style Garlic Chicken Breast

What you need:
4- boneless/skinless chicken breasts
A little extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon juiced
2 teaspoons crushed garlic
1 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 teaspoon paprika

cut three slits in each chicken breast to allow marinade to penetrate. In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, and paprika for about 30 seconds. Place chicken in a large bowl and add marinade, work marinade into the chicken. cover and leave overnight in the fridge.

Almond Chicken Sal

What you need:
 4- green onions thinly sliced
1- large carrot (shredded)
1- red bell pepper (cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
1/2 pound sugar snap peas
2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast meat
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup slivered almonds
2 tablespoons sugar substitute
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
1 Tablespoon teriyaki sauce
1 Tablespoon ground dry mustard


In a large bowl mix the onions, carrot, red pepper, peas, chicken, cilantro and almonds. set aside

In a small bowl whisk together the sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, teriyaki sauce, and dry mustard until smooth. Pour over salad mixture and toss until coated. serve in pita pockets or over a bed of lettuce.