Tag Archives: Healthy Eating

Grilled Chicken, Onion, Plum, and Goat Cheese Salad

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I had a craving for the Grilled Chicken, Onions, and Peaches with Avocado Tomato Salsa the other night.  I didn’t have any peaches on hand though and sadly my avocado’s weren’t ripe yet, so I did a variation and used some plums!

It wasn’t as delicious, but a close 2nd… 🙂blog Grilled Chicken Onions and Plum Salad with Goat Cheese Salad-4Ingredients (to serve 4)

  • 8 plums (I used ones that were almost ripe, but still a little on the firm side)
  • 4 boneless chicken breasts
  • 1 large sweet onion
  • 10 cherry tomatos (I used orange ones)
  • 4 Tablespoons of goat cheese
  • Handful of diced almonds
  • 4-6 Cups of salad greens.  Your choice, but I like to use a mix that has both spinach and arugula, because those wilt nicely.
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil (amount not measured, but will describe in instructions :))
  • Sea Salt and Pepper
  • Trader Joe’s Reduced Balsamic Glaze.

Directions

  • Light your grill and set it to a medium heat.
  • Cut your onion into 1/2 inch slices
  • Season the chicken breasts and onion with olive oil, sea salt and pepper.
  • Set both on the grill for 8-10 minutes (depending on the size of your chicken breasts)
  • Cut plums in half and lightly coat with olive oil and a little bit of sea salt.
  • At the 8-10 minute mark, flip both the chicken and onion and add the plums to the grill.
  • Cook everything for another 8-10 minutes until chicken cooked all the way through.blog Grilled Chicken Onions and Plum Salad with Goat Cheese Salad-2
  • During the cooking, cut tomatoes and break up the goat cheese over the salad greens in a big bowl.
  • Layer everything together.  Drizzle a little bit of olive oil and Trader Joe’s Glaze over each serving and ENJOY!!! 🙂blog Grilled Chicken Onions and Plum Salad with Goat Cheese Salad-8dit-elle-Lauren

 

Baked Acorn Squash Stuffed with Quinoa, Apples, and Chicken Sausage

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I’m an equal opportunity gourd lover!  I’ve been itching to make an acorn squash meal, and when I saw them at Costco when was there earlier this week, I pulled the trigger.  I honestly just made this up as I went along with ingredients that I had on hand.  I ended up adding the Craisins and avocado in at the end because I wanted more color for the pictures haha.  BUT…it tasted amazing, so I’m so glad I did!Blog Baked Acorn Squash Stuffed with Quinoa Apples Chicken Sausage-4eIngredients (feeds 4)

  • 3 Teaspoons Coconut Oil (half for the squash/half for the quinoa mixture)
  • 3 Teaspoons Organic Pure Maple Syrup (half for the squash/half for the quinoa mixture)
  • 2 Acorn Squash
  • 1 Cup uncooked quinoa
  • 1/2 medium size sweet onion
  • 1 medium apple- I used HoneyCrisp because they’re on SALE at Costco for 1.27 per lb!!
  • 1/2 Teaspoon crushed garlic
  • Sea salt and Pepper to taste
  • 4 Aidells Chicken and Apple Sausages
  • 1/4 Cup Craisins
  • 1 Small Avocado

Directions

For Squash

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees
  • Fill baking pan with about 1/2 inch of water
  • Cut Acorn Squash in half, and lightly coat each with 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil, 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup, and freshly ground sea salt/pepper
  • Place in oven for an hourBlog Baked Acorn Squash Stuffed with Quinoa Apples Chicken Sausage-1

For Quinoa Mixture

  • Place the uncooked quinoa, 2 1/2 cups of water, 1 tsp coconut oil, 1 tsp maple syrup, 1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic, diced apple, and 1/2 diced onion and a few grinds of sea salt and pepper all in a rice cooker (I tend to use my rice cooker like a “fast” slow cooker-dump a bunch of stuff in and voila haha.)  Start it cooking, and dice up the Aidell’s sausages.  Towards the end of the quinoa cooking (about 20 minutes), dump the sausage in as well as the 1/4 cup craisins.Blog Baked Acorn Squash Stuffed with Quinoa Apples Chicken Sausage-10ceEnjoy!dit-elle-Lauren

Yellow Squash Guacamole // Paleo // Whole30

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My father in law has a big garden.  I loooove that we get to go over for a visit, and then he sends us home with a bag fool of yummy home grown veggies!!  I’ll be honest.  I made this and took these pictures a month ago, and am just getting around to blogging the recipe-whoops!  Hopefully, you can still get your hands on some kind of squash that is ok to eat raw, because this was amazing and a great way to sneak in some veggies/aka totally healthy!Blog Paleo Squash Guacomole-1 Blog Paleo Squash Guacomole-2 Ingredients

You can totally play with these measurements of ingredients.  I honestly don’t even remember how much of what I used-sorry!!  I sometimes just throw a bunch of ingredients in the Cuisinart, hope for the best, and then add a little more of this or that as needed.  This time it worked! 🙂

  • One medium to large yellow squash
  • 2 Avocados
  • 10 Cherry tomatoes
  • 2 Baby onions, or about 1/3 cup diced
  • 1/4 Teaspoon crushed garlic
  • 4-5 fresh basil leaves (you could use the typical cilantro as well, but I love my Trader Joe’s $2.99 Basil plant!  Mainly, because it’s still ALIVE! haha :))
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Juice from half of a lime (not necessary, but an added bonus)

Directions

  • Cut off the ends of the yellow squash, cut into 1 inch slices and toss in the Cuisinart.  I keep the skin on…
  • Throw everything else in there and pulse a few times.  The squash is the main thing that needs to be shredded first, everything else pulses up pretty quickly.
  • Serve on top of any kind of grilled fish/meat, with chips, pitas, sweet potato or plantain chips.  Really, you can do whatever you want with this!

Tips

This is best served right away.  The liquid from the squash tends to leak out the longer it sits, which might not be so appealing to some if you make it too much ahead of time 🙂  I still ate leftovers the next day, but I really hate seeing food go to waste, and it still tasted yummy!  You could probably use a lot of different veggies in this.  Carrots, zucchini, eggplant (?? Not a big fan, but to each his own :)).  The main goal is to slip some extra vitamin enriched goodness into something that everyone loves-guacamole!dit-elle-Lauren

Chia Pudding with Blackberries + Coconut

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One of the many things I love about social media is the creativity it sparks.  It can also spark feelings of inadequacy, but that’s another post for another day 😉  I’ve seen a lot of posts about chia pudding/porridge/smoothies around Instagram, and it got me thinking about the ginormous bag of chia seeds in our cupboard.  The Huz goes online and buys various things to put in his after work out smoothies.  This was one of them, yet he wasn’t putting it in the smoothies.  Not sure why, but I hate for things to go to waste!  So…I thought I’d make some pudding!

I am always looking for easy healthy desserts, and this totally fits the bill!  I haven’t tested it out on the boys yet (who would be harsher critics), but Maya gobbled it up and asked for more 🙂  And, with a little extra drizzle of raw honey, I did too haha.Blog Paleo Chia Pudding with Blackberries Coconut Shavings-1 Blog Paleo Chia Pudding with Blackberries Coconut Shavings-2 Blog Paleo Chia Pudding with Blackberries Coconut Shavings-3Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup chia seeds (or more depending on how many people you want to feed-this would make about four to five 1/2 cup servings)
  • 2 Cups unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk (or whatever milk you want to use)
  • 1 Tablespoon raw honey or agave, plus a little additional for drizzling.
  • Raw Unsweetened Coconut shavings to sprinkle on top (got mine for totally cheap at the bulk section of PCC)
  • 1 cup of blackberries (or whatever berry you’d like to use!)

Directions

  • Mix, chia seeds and Honey/Agave in with the milk and let it sit overnight, or do it first thing in the morning, if you want to have it for dessert.  It will plump up, and ends up looking like tapioca pudding.
  • Scoop out into bowls.  Top with berries, coconut and drizzle a little more honey over the top.

Enjoy!

Keeping it Real…

This is not a decadent rich dessert.  It’s a relatively healthy option when you are craving dessert, but don’t want to feel too guilty 🙂

dit-elle-Lauren

40 Clove Garlic Lemon Chicken // Paleo and Whole30

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I’ve seen this recipe in various forms, and have been so intrigued by all the garlic!  40 cloves sounds like a lot, but it really isn’t!  I might add more next time I make it.  When it bakes, it gets golden on the outside and buttery smooth on the inside.  It’s not overpowering at all and so delicious!!  I added some onion and lemon to give it a little more flavor, and I think next time I will throw in some grape tomatoes!Blog Paleo Whole30 40 Clove Garlic Lemon Chicken-1Ingredients

  • 4 chicken breasts  (I used boneless and skinless, although you could use bone in!)
  • 40 garlic cloves, peeled (I bought pre-peeled cloves from Costco, and yes, I counted them :))
  • One large yellow onion cut into 1 inch pieces.
  • 2 lemons cut into 1/4 inch slices and quartered.
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • sea salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste (I did about 20 grinds for the pepper and 10 for the sea salt)
  • Garnish with fresh basil (mainly because I have a basil plant that I’ve managed to keep alive! :))

 

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Put chicken breasts, garlic, and lemons in a big bowl.  Pour olive oil over the entire mixture, salt and pepper to taste and toss until everything is evenly coated.
  • Pour into 9×13 pan and cover pan with aluminum foil.
  • Bake for covered for 30 minutes.
  • Uncover and cook for 15 minutes uncovered or until chicken is cooked all the way through.
    (I used really large chicken breasts and did them for an extra 10 minutes.)
  • I served it over quinoa, but it would be fine all by itself with a salad or with some crusty artisan bread that you could smear the garlic on YUM!!!  (Not Paleo or Whole 30 if you do this :))
  • Blog Paleo Whole30 40 Clove Garlic Lemon Chicken-2 Blog Paleo Whole30 40 Clove Garlic Lemon Chicken-3 Blog Paleo Whole30 40 Clove Garlic Lemon Chicken-4Enjoy!!dit-elle-Lauren

Paleo Chocolate Almond Banana Ice Cream Shake // Healthy Wendy’s Frosty!!

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Blog Paleo Healthy Wendys Frosty Chocolate Almond Banana Ice Cream Shake-1I loved the Paleo Banana Coconut Ice Cream Pies so much that I decided to try another variation.  I’m not a big fan of chocolate all on it’s own, but I do like chocolate flavored things.  I decided to skip the crust this time, and just make the “ice cream” all on it’s own. Blog Paleo Healthy Wendys Frosty Chocolate Almond Banana Ice Cream Shake-2

I topped it with crushed almonds, shaved unsweetened coconut and fresh blackberries that Maya and I picked (ok, the ones SHE picked went directly into her belly as seen here :)).

Truth be told, I’ve made this twice in the last few weeks haha.  The first time, it got devoured before I could take pictures of it, so of course I had to make it again!!  The 2nd time I made it, I substituted some chocolate protein powder and convinced myself it was actually ok to have for dinner 🙂  It was just me and Maya because the Huz and the boys were out of town.  Sometimes I feel like I’m constantly saying “no” to Maya or telling her to not do things all day long.  This felt like a much deserved treat for being the sweet kid that she is.  Ok, I wanted it too 😉  For some reason the first time in the bowl, I thought it just tasted like chocolate soft serve, but as soon as I put it in a big glass cup, all I could think about was a Wendy’s Frosty!!  So delicious!Blog Paleo Healthy Wendys Frosty Chocolate Almond Banana Ice Cream Shake-3Ingredients (makes 6 Servings about 1 overflowing Cup  or 4 milkshakes :))

Ice Cream

  • 5 frozen bananas
  • 1 Tablespoon pure Cacao or Cocoa (or a scoop of chocolate protein powder!)
  • 1 Cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
  • 2 Tablespoons Almond Butter (can use peanut butter if you aren’t Paleo)
  • 3 Medjul Dates (pitted)
  • Berries, crushed almonds, unsweetened coconut, or just about anything for topping!

Directions

  • Let the bananas sit out for about 5 minutes.  It helps make it easier for them to blend.
  • In a blender or food processor, mix all the ingredients until smooth and creamy.
  • This really is best served right away, but I bet you can freeze individual servings in Popsicle molds!!
  • If you only want to make 2 servings, it halves easily!

NOW…what variation to try next!?!

ENJOY!!

dit-elle-Lauren

Paleo Banana Coconut Ice Cream Pies

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I’ve been seeing so many pictures of Nana Ice Cream on Instagram, and have been dying to try my own version.  Funny thing…I’m not really a big fan of bananas haha.  So, I added a few other things into the mix to see how it turned out.  OMG, it was so creamy and delicious!!!  One of my favorite desserts (crazy, I know!) is just a plain soft serve ice cream cone.  I am TOTALLY doing that with this recipe later!!

I’ve also been itching to make a crust out of almonds and dates, so….I figured why not make them both…TOGETHER!  You’d think you were eating a decadent dessert, yet not!  Now, with all the almonds and dates, it’s not necessarily low calorie/low fat, but it’s all good for you, so toss the guilt aside, and ENJOY!Blog Paleo Vegetarian Vegan Banana Almond Coconut Ice Cream Pies-So the crust on these…OMG.   I am a die hard LOVER of graham cracker crust.  Like, I double it every time I make a cheesecake or other recipe that calls for it :}  This was pretty darn close and so much better for you!  Totally converting!Blog Paleo Vegetarian Vegan Banana Almond Coconut Ice Cream Pies-1Blog Paleo Vegetarian Vegan Banana Almond Coconut Ice Cream Pies-2Ingredients (makes 8 little pies, or could make one 9 inch pie)

Ice Cream

  • 6 frozen bananas
  • 1/3 Cup Almonds
  • 1 Can low fat Coconut Milk
  • 2 Medjul Dates (pitted)

Crust

  • 12 Medjul Dates (pitted)
  • 1 1/3 Cup Almonds
  • 2 1/2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil

Directions

  • In a food processor pulse the ingredients for the crust until it starts to clump together.  I took 1/3 of a cup and put it in the bottom of each little glass bowl (could use ramicans or place most of it all in a 9 inch pie dish).  I kept a little left over to sprinkle over the top of the pies.
  • I a blender, mix all the Ice Cream ingredients until smooth and creamy.  I spooned 1/2 cup into the little bowls, and then sprinkled the leftover crust mix.
  • This really is best served right away, but you can freeze them and then let them sit out for about 15-20 minutes before serving.
  • I topped with shaved unsweetened coconut and fresh blueberries.  Really, the possibilities are endless on how you can vary this!  And…I WILL!

ENJOY!!

Nutritional Facts (I entered all the ingredients into Calorie Count)

Per Individual Pie

Serves 8 //  Calories per Individual Pie- 351 // Total Fat- 17g // Saturated Fat- 7g  // Total Carbohydrates-55.8g // Dietary Fiber-7.3 // Sugars- 33.1g // Protein- 5.8g

dit-elle-Lauren

Mango Avocado Salsa

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Just a warning.  I will be posting a few recipes using this/variations of this.  It is THAT good!!  I made this big bowl thinking we’d have leftovers (it was just me, the Huz, and Maya).  Well…we polished off the entire bowl haha 🙂Blog Paleo Mango Avocado Salsa-1 Blog Paleo Mango Avocado Salsa-2Ingredients

  • 2 Mangos cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
  • 1 1/2 medium avocados
  • 20 Cherry tomatoes diced
  • 1/4 cup Walla Walla sweet onions diced
  • Juice from 1/2 a lime
  • 5 leaves of fresh Basil diced
  • Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

  • Cut everything up and toss in a bowl!
  • Or….if you are short on time, toss everything into a Cuisinart and pulse a few times.
  • Serve over fish, chicken, or as a dip with chips or pitas!

dit-elle-Lauren