Dijon Chicken Salad

This is one of those dishes that I came across online and just HAD to make. This is the perfect make-ahead salad to pack in your lunches for the week, or just for a healthy weeknight dinner.

A little warning, it's a little time consuming with the different steps to prepare, but if you buy pre-grilled chicken and pre-roasted peppers that will save you a lot of time. If you have time to make it by scratch you wont be disappointed! I fed this to my 10-month-old and he loved it! I ended up not adding all the dressing to the salad but I did just enough to coat it and get the flavor.

Dijon Chicken Salad
6 SERVINGS 
PREP: 20 minutes           COOK: 30 minutes            READY IN: 50 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

---

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 quart fat free, low sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (or 2 fresh garlic cloves, finely chopped)
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds or sliced raw almonds (optional)
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1/2 bunch asparagus, roasted and diced
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 large bell peppers, roasted (or store bought works great too)
• salt and pepper to taste

Dressing:

• 1/3 cup fresh parsley
• 1/3 cup fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

---

1. To roast your peppers preheat oven to 450º. On a lined baking sheet, spray with coconut oil. Cut peppers into quarters and place skin-side up. Bake peppers for 15-20 minutes, or until the skin begins to blacken (its okay if its black--that's what you want). Once peppers are done transfer them to either a ziploc back or a covered bowl to allow them to steam. 
2. While peppers are roasting, mix asparagus with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. When peppers have about 10 minutes left, throw asparagus on the baking sheet. Allow them to roast 5-10 minutes (depending on the thickness of asparagus). Allow asparagus to cool before chopping. 
3. For the salad add chicken broth and bay leaves in a large skillet with a lid and allow it to come to a simmer. 
4. Add chicken breasts to the skillet and bring broth to a boil. Cover pot. Allow chicken to cook for 15-20 minutes, depending on size of chicken. 
5. While chicken is cooking you can prepare the other salad ingredients. Chop garlic, onion, asparagus, basil and parsley and place them in a large bowl.
6. Take your peppers out of the bowl, or whatever you placed it in, and remove the skin. They should just slide right off. Chop peppers and add them to the salad mixture. 
7. Once chicken is cooked, shred it into bite size pieces and add it to your salad. 
8. To make the dressing, add all ingredients to a blender until combined. Add dressing to your salad and toss to combine. 

NUTRITION FACTS

---

    1 serving    120 calories  2g fat  6g carbs   16g protein   4g sugar   

Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from stiritup.me

Steak Roll-Ups

Have you ever been told not to play with your food?

Have you said that to your children?

Well this tasty dish allows just that and they are best eaten with your hands! Cooking is always more fun with you can get creative with your food. I wanted to show off my skills to my husband so I decided to use my fancy mandolin to slice my vegetables. I apparently got too cocky and sliced my finger. ouch. It wouldn't stop bleeding, so he had to finish cooking as I gave him instructions (so its not TOO hard). I admit, it's not the best way to get your husband to cook for you, but hey I'll take it!

I'm not a huge fan of balsamic vinegar, but the glaze was pretty tasty so I'd recommend giving it a try. I might serve it just with steak sauce next time. Thanks to my sister-in-law, Kaitlyn, she introduced me to Sweet Baby Rays sauce. I could drink the bottle. It makes everything better.

Steak Roll-Ups

2 SERVINGS (makes about 5 rolls) 

PREP: 30 minutes           COOK:10 minutes            READY IN: 40 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

---

• 1 lb skirt steak or thinly sliced sirloin
• Steak Seasoning of your choice (I just used seasoning salt)
• 1 carrot
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1/2 zucchini
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning 

Balsalmic Glaze (optional)

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons shallots, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 cup beef broth

DIRECTIONS

---

1. Trim your meat and pound it with a meat tenderizer. Cut meat into 2-3 inch strips (going along the length of the meat). Sprinkle both sides with salt, pepper, and steak seasoning of your choice. Set aside in fridge for 30minutes. 
2. Cut vegetables into thin strips, I just used my simple slicer mandolin to do this, but a knife works too. Make the length of your vegetables a little wider than your steak strips. 
3. Peal and finely chop your garlic. 
4. Saute vegetables and garlic in a pan with a little olive oil for about 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with italian seasoning and set aside.
5. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, start making your glaze. Melt the butter. Add in shallots, vinegar, sugar and beef broth. Cook until shallots are transparent and then set aside. 
6. Now the fun part. Take your steak and place in a good amount of the vegetables. Roll the steak and secure with a toothpick. Repeat step for remaining steak strips. 
7. On medium heat add a little oil, just enough to coat the pan. Add in your rolls. Cook each side until brown, or your desired doneness for steak. 
8. Serve with balsamic sauce spooned over the top. Don't forget to remove the toothpick before digging in!

NUTRITION FACTS

---

    1 roll w/o glaze    130 calories   6g fat   3g carbs    14g protein    2g sugar   

Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from http://picturetherecipe.com

Over-Stuffed Avocados

Avocados by themselves are divine, but then when you fill them with chicken, onions, cucumbers, and yogurt? Something amazing is born. These over-stuffed avocados are a great appetizer or game day treat. And the plus side - they are less than 300 calories a piece!

Over-Stuffed Avocados
4 SERVINGS 
PREP: 10 minutes           COOK: 10 minutes            READY IN: 20 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

---

• 4 medium avocados
• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
• 1/4 cup green peppers, diced
• 1/4 cup red onion, diced
• 1/4 cup cucumber, diced
• 1/3 cup nonfat yogurt
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons sugar (or as needed)

DIRECTIONS

---

1. Slice avocado in half lengthwise. scoop out center, leaving about 1/4 inch of the fruit all around. Put scooped fruit in medium-sized bowl. Set halves aside.
2. Add chicken, pepper, onion, cucumber, yogurt, mustard, lemon juice, salt, and sugar to the bowl. Mix well.
3. Scoop mixture into avocados. Chill if desired.

NUTRITION FACTS

---

    3/4 cup serving    259 calories   12.9 g fat   13.4 g carbs    22.7 g protein    8.5 g sugar   

Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Muscle & Fitness Hers

Asian Lettuce Wraps

The lettuce wraps from PF Chang's have always been a favorite for me and my husband. We don't go there as much as we used to, but when we do, it never disappoints. Now that we have a baby the thought of going out to dinner is exhausting, so we brought the lettuce wraps to our own kitchen! I love how light and filling they are and when you pair it with crispy lettuce it just puts it over the top! These aren't a copy-cat recipe but they sure do hit the spot!

Asian Lettuce Wraps

4 SERVINGS 

PREP: 10 minutes           COOK: 15-20 minutes            READY IN: 30 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

---

• 1 pound lean ground turkey
• 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
• 8 green onions, chopped
• 1 8-oz can water chestnuts, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 2 1/2 tablespoons Hoisin Sauce
• 1 tablespoon ginger
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil (or extra virgin olive oil)
• Head of lettuce

DIPPING SAUCE

• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon ginger
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic 

DIRECTIONS

---

1. Cook meat until brown. Drain meat and return to pan. 
2. Add in chopped red peppers, green onions and water chestnuts. Stir to combine. 
3. Add in soy sauce, Hoisin sauce, ginger, water and sesame oil. Cook mixture until peppers and onions are soft. 
4. In a separate bowl combine ingredients for dipping sauce.
5. Fill lettuce with meat mixture and either dip into sauce or pour sauce over wrap. 

NUTRITION FACTS (without dipping sauce)

---

 1cup serving   256 calories  10.9g fat  14.6g carbs   24.7g protein   5.0g sugar   

Enjoy!
Recipe Adapted from www.Fit2Fat2Fit.com

Mexican Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa & Black Beans

Is it just me or does quinoa remind anyone else of fish eggs? Nope...just me? It's taken a while for me to introduce this power food into our diet since I just couldn't get over that. I stumbled upon this recipe and thought I'd give it a go. My husband isn't a fan of peppers or quinoa, and yet this recipe highlights BOTH those ingredients. I'm a mean wife. I was just crossing my fingers he wouldn't have to gag this down. I was shocked when he actually enjoyed it! So believe me, if my husband liked these then it's a great way to introduce quinoa in your diet.

Mexican Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa & Black Beans
8 SERVINGS 

PREP: 15 minutes           COOK: 25-30 minutes            READY IN: 40-45 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

---

• 4 bell peppers (slice in half from stem-to-tip and remove seeds)
• 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 5 cherry tomatoes, diced
• 1 4-oz can diced green chiles, with juice
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (for the extra kick, if desired)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup reduced fat 4-cheese Mexican cheese
• 2 14-oz can enchilada sauce (I like the medium red sauce)

DIRECTIONS

---

1. Add quinoa and onion in a saucepan with 2 cups of water over medium heat with a dash of salt. Let it boil for 5 minutes, then remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 15 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile, prepare your peppers to be filled. If you like a softer pepper then microwave them for 2 minutes. If you like them more crisp you can skip this step.
3. Put your quinoa and onion mixture in a large bowl. Mix in black beans, tomato, chiles, cilantro, pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. If your mixture is too dry then you can add a little olive oil, but it should be fine without. 
4. Pour your enchilada sauce into a 9x13" pan (save a little for drizzling on top, if you want). Set your peppers in the pan so they are nice and snug. Divide the quinoa mixture between the peppers. Top it off with cheese. 
5. Cover with foil and bake at 375º for 25-30 minutes. Remove foil and cook another 5 minutes.

Serving options: drizzle enchilada sauce on top, add diced avocado, or add a dollop of sour cream. 

NUTRITION FACTS

---

    1 pepper serving    221 calories   4.1g fat   36.2g carbs    10.8g protein    5.6g sugar   

Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from www.onelovelylife.com

Breakfast Quesadillas

Step aside, Wheaties, we have a new breakfast of champions in the house! My husband LOVES his breakfast of champions, but if you ask me, these quesadillas compete for the title. This dish is packed with veggies and protein that will be sure to leave you full and satisfied. Just 2 wedges fill me right up and I don't have the urge to snack during the day...what more could a girl ask for?!

Breakfast Quesadillas

2 SERVINGS 

PREP: 10 minutes           COOK: 15-20 minutes            READY IN: 30 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

---

• 2 slices low sodium bacon
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 teaspoon fat free milk
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1/2 jalapeño 
• 1/4 small red onion
• 2 taco size tortillas
• 1/2 cup reduced fat 4-cheese Mexican cheese
• 1/2 avocado
• optional toppings: pico de gallo and table cream or sour cream.

DIRECTIONS

---

1. Place bacon on tin foil lined baking sheet. Cook bacon in oven at 350º for 15-20 minutes, depending on how well done you like it. Chop into small pieces when done. 
2. Chop pepper, jalapeño, and red onion. Cook on stove until veggies are soft, and set aside.
3. In a separate bowl beat together egg, egg whites, and milk. Add salt and pepper to taste and scramble eggs on stove top. 
4. Once eggs and bacon are done, get a skillet and spray with cooking spray. Place one tortilla down. Top with half of the cheese, scrambled eggs, veggies, bacon, avocado, the remaining cheese, and then top it all off with the second tortilla.
5. Once the tortilla is a nice golden brown, flip it over to brown the other side. 
6. Cut it up into fourths. Garnish with pico de gallo or table cream. 

NUTRITION FACTS

---

    1 serving (1/2 tortilla)  325 calories 19.2g fat 20.6g carbs  19.2g protein   2.0g sugar   

Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman.

Enjoy!