Grilled Romaine Salad

Now this one had us a bit skeptical. It sounds a little pretentious and something someone attempting to be on top of food culture would serve. Plus, throwing a green on the grill seems like a watery, wilted mess. But, turns out, it’s almost like a new veggie to throw in a sautée. And its size provides a nice base for a warm, wedge salad.

Ingredients: romaine stalks, 1/4 onion (red used here, any will work), 1/2 red pepper, 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 lemon slice, 1/2 avocado. Any protein will work: 2 pieces of bacon, 1 hard boiled egg and 2 slices of ham were used here.

Directions: Mix the vinegar, oil and juice of the lemon wedge. Cut the romaine stalks in half. Season with black pepper and salt. Lightly distribute the dressing over the half of romaine.

Once prepared, place romaine on grill. We have used a stove top griller but it will work the same on a normal outdoor grill. The only advantage here is allowing the onions and peppers to cook with the risk of them falling through.

It’s best to cut piece by piece. It definitely beats a normal salad and serves as a good healthy option for summer grilling.

Coconut Shrimp with Mango Salsa

If you can’t afford to take a trip to a tropical island this summer, bring the tropical island to your plate! This is sweet, spicy and just the type of meal to fill you up without sacrificing your summer body.

Ingredients: 24 ounces of shrimp (bought cooked, makes about 7-8 servings), 1/2 cup of coconut flour, 1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes, 1 tablespoon of organic sugar, 2 eggs, 1 tablespoon of chia seeds (optional), lemon slice, S&P

Salsa: 1 mango, 1/2 red onion, 1/2 red pepper, 1 bunch of cilantro, cayenne pepper

Directions: Crack both eggs in small bowl and scramble. Add chia seeds and let sit so they gel. We found that these make a great additional adhesive.

Mix coconut flour, flakes, and sugar together in separate bowl.

Lightly season shrimp with salt, pepper, the juice of the lemon and a bit of organic sugar. Dip each shrimp in egg/chia and roll thoroughly in coconut mix. Place on baking sheet. Once all are prepared, cover and let sit in refrigerator for at least an hour.

For the salsa, chop and mix all ingredients thoroughly like shown above. Season cayenne pepper and salt to taste.

After refrigerating shrimp for at least an hour, bake for 20 mins on 350. Broil for an additional 5 minutes.

The salsa really made this dish and compliment the coconut well. It’s a tropical mix of flavors while still being light. Unless your pairing it with a rum runner or pina colada. That will rack up your calories a bit more 😜

Lettuce Wrapped Burrito

Happy #tacotuesday! Tacos are not the most unhealthy indulgence, but it’s the shell and certain fatty add ins like sour cream that break the meal and your diet. The good news is the dish is welcoming towards different veggies, so load ’em up!

Ingredients: 16 oz lean ground beef (makes about 5 burritos), 1-2 bell peppers (any color), 1 white onion, 2 avocados, ), 1/2 of tomato, cheddar cheese (if desired), 2-3 stalks of romaine lettuce

Directions: Slice peppers and about a 1/4 of the onion. Place meat in a large bowl and season with cumin, garlic powder, various peppers (chipotle, cayenne and black were used here), cilantro, lime juice and salt. A dash of balsamic vinegar was also thrown in. In a greased pan, sautée peppers and onions until browned. Add meat and dice with spatula. Cook for about 15 mins.

Pick de gallo: Dice about half of the tomato and half of the onion like shown above. Season with cilantro, chipotle and salt. Mix thoroughly.

For lettuce wraps, we have found that it’s best to double up the romaine leaves for support. Plus, it adds to your veggie intake. We have layered the wet ingredients first, followed by the meat and some leftover quinoa, a bit of shredded cheese and finally the diced avocado.

Try to secure an additional romaine leaf on top of the wrap to give it a burrito feel. The final product is hearty and requires two hands. It will make you forget all about Chipotle or Moe’s!

Cucumber Wrapped Turkey Rolls

It’s always great to find a dish that’s equal parts healthy, convenient, and delicious. But no one wants to each the same thing over and over again. The cucumber wrapped sushi rolls were amazing so we decided to change up the contents and it gave it a whole new life.

We have peeled the cucumbers with the vegetable peeler (see the sushi post for instructions) and cut red bell pepper and onion julienne. The turkey meat is grocery store bought and is nitrate and hormone free. Most lunch meat is heavily processed and contains all kind of nastiness. It’s best to shell out a little extra money for a better product. Next, we used hummus as a binder and to give it a bit of moisture.

We’ve served it with quinoa and gone with a Mediterranean theme in seasoning it with dill, parsley, and garlic and garnishing with green olives.

Lettuce wraps are great (and stay tuned! we are working on some fun variations) but cucumber wraps are much easier to bite and enjoy. Wrap it up!

All American Granola Bars (V)

Regardless if keeping a healthy diet or not, we all like a good bar. But the purpose of the handheld treat differs greatly: A snickers bar to appease a sweet tooth, a protein bar post workout, or a breakfast bar when running out the door in the morning. Most bars, however, are pumped full of artificial sweeteners and other harmful additives that sacrifice nutritional value for convenience. That’s why it’s always best to make your own!

Ingredients: 2 cups rolled oats, 2 tablespoons of flax seeds, 2 tablespoons of chia seeds, handful of strawberries, handful of blueberries, 1 scoop of vegan protein powder, 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. Add honey/agave to taste.

Directions: Soak flax seeds in 4 1/2 tablespoons of water for 5 minutes. Mix oats, protein powder, chia seeds, coconut oil, and flax mixture. Cut strawberries and blueberries in half. Add to mixture. Make sure to mix thoroughly so protein powder is fully dissolved.

Once mixed, form bars onto greased tin foil on pan (recipe makes 6). Bake for 15 mins. Let cool for at least 5 minutes.

You can see that we chose our berries with America in mind. Happy (belated) Independence Day to all our American followers!

While the honey or agave will give it additional sweetness, the berries and protein give plenty of natural sugar so it’s not necessary. These are great in the morning, post workout, or when you just need something sweet. Hey, looks like we fulfilled all three!

Steak Pasta Primavera

Not all pasta is created equally. Well, actually it is, but then it’s processed, stripped of the majority of its nutritional value and has a pound of cream dumped on top it and is then called cuisine. **cough** Olive Garden.

Whole wheat pasta has much more vitamins and fiber than its lighter component. Also, it has a much lighter taste and doesn’t give you that heavy gut feeling when you’re done eating.

Ingredients: Whole wheat shells (any whole wheat pasta will work), .87 lb of round steak, bunch of asparagus, bunch of carrot sticks, 1/4 onion, sliced mushrooms, 1 clove of garlic, Parmesan cheese to taste

Directions: Boil water, add pasta and sliced carrots. Taste to check if soft.

Slice veggies. Cut up raw meat separately. Add garlic, mushrooms and onion to heated pan. Once browned, add meat. Once sufficiently cooked, add asparagus and tomatoes.

Once pasta is in colander and dryer, add garlic powder, salt and pepper. In large bowl, combine pasta, meat, and veggies. Once mixed together, add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and mix. Add a bit of Parmesan cheese to taste.

Pasta tends to get a bad reputation for its heavy carb content. But it can be indulged in as long as it’s portion controlled. This recipe perfectly shows how to balance out good carbs with plenty of protein and veggies.

Almond Crusted Chicken Tenders

We all can agree that we miss fried food. The savory flavor, the crunchy shell it’s encased in, and the lack of silverware needed to consume it all make up the magic that is fried food. But the carbs and oil needed to make that magic happen come with a catch (kinda like a Disney movie). So getting creative is necessary when plain old grilled chicken has gotten old (which it will. After about the first week).

Ingredients: chicken tenderloins, 1 bag of almonds, clove of garlic, 2 eggs

Directions: Process the full bag of almonds and the clove of garlic. Add whatever spices desired (just pepper and salt were used here). Crack eggs in separate bowl and mix thoroughly.

Dip each chicken in the egg and then mix rigorously in the almond mix until completely covered. Place on baking sheet. Once all chicken has been coated, bake on 350 for about 20-25 minutes. Broil for 5 minutes for added crunch.

These were served with sweet potato wedges (recipe below) and salad. Thinking about pitching this to McDonald’s to replace the Happy Meal. Or maybe an Adult Happy Meal. The Amicable Meal :).

Sweet Potato Wedges: Cut the sweet potatoes into wedge shapes. Toss with olive oil, rosemary, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bake for 30 mins on 350.

Caulibrown Brunch

Happy Father’s Day to all the healthy dads out there! Brunch always caters best to the Sunday holidays so here’s a lighter option when the table is already covered with bagels and pastries.

Ingredients: 1 head of cauliflower, 1 quarter white (or yellow) onion, 1 clove garlic, 2 eggs (or 4 tablespoons of chia seeds)

Directions: Dice and microwave cauliflower for about 6 minutes. Once cooled, process cauliflower with garlic and onion (and seasonings of your choice) until puréed. As described in the caulirice recipe, the garlic and onion give the caulirice some much needed flavor.

Once processed, transfer to bowl. Mix eggs separately and add to cauliflower mixture. Mix throughly. Shape into ovals.

These were cooked on a flat top but can also be prepared in a pan. Cook for about 5 mins on each side.

#Leftoverremix Quinoa Meatless Balls

There’s nothing more satisfying than using every last bit of produce in your refrigerator. Interestingly, the mini sweet peppers were originally purchased for the portobello pizzas, which lead to the stuffed mini peppers, and left the refrigerator with excess bean mixture and quinoa. The circle of meals. While the bean mixture isn’t bad over quinoa, but we have something more creative in mind.

Ingredients: Leftover bean mixture (Lima beans, kidney beans, red onion, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar), quinoa (about 1/2 of a cup was leftover), flax seed

Directions: Soak 1 tablespoon of flax seed in about 2 tablespoons of water and let sit for 10 mins. Combine quinoa, bean mixture and flax once soaked. A little bit of whole wheat flour was thrown in to absorb some moisture.

Make into small balls on cooking sheet. Cheese was added to these, but it’s not required for structure. The flax seed acts well as a binding agent. Bake for only about 10 mins or so. Afterall, there’s no meat that you need to worry about cooking thoroughly.

These came out great and required very little time to prepare. And their taste will convince even the heartiest of meat eaters.

Vegetarian Mini Stuffed Peppers

You gotta love a finger food. Quick, easy, and gone in a second. Problem is, most of them are starchy, fat laden and have spent way too much time in someone’s freezer. But these mini stuffed peppers are nutrient rich and pack the protein, even with being veggie based.

Ingredients: Bag of mini sweet peppers, 1 can of kidney beans, half can of Lima beans (combination of any beans will work), 3 tablespoons of tomato paste, quarter of diced red onion, balsamic vinegar, shredded mozzarella cheese (if desired).

Directions: Slice tops off of mini peppers. Bake at 350 for only about 10 mins. Let cool afterward.

In a bowl, mix together all beans, onion, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, and any seasonings desired (onion powder, garlic powder, red pepper, and salt were used here). Taste the mixture and make sure to balance the amount of vinegar to tomato paste neutralize the sweetness of the tomato paste. Now, this recipe is vegan (it’s good to give your body a break from digesting animal proteins every now and again), but ground beef or chicken will work also.

Pack a bit of the bean mixture into each pepper. Top off with the mozzarella cheese if not keeping vegan.

These are excellent as an appetizer if entertaining healthy guests or can be a meal with rice or quinoa.