Easy Zesty Lime Shrimp and Avocado Salad, by Cheryl

Ooh it's been a hot minute since I've been on here! But I just had to make this new shrimp and avocado salad and I'm so happy I did! I've already made it twice in one week. It's so light and refreshing... perfect for a summer lunch or snack! Super flavorful, healthy, and quick! Yum!

Ingredients: 

1/4 cup red onion, chopped

2 limes, juiced

1 tsp olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

1 lb cooked jumbo shrimp, chopped

1 medium tomato, diced

1 medium avocado, diced (I used two)

1 jalapeno, seeds removed, diced

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

Directions: 

1) In a small bowl, combine red onion, lime juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Set aside at least 5 minutes.

2) In a large bowl, combine chopped shrimp, avocado, tomato, and jalapeno

3) Combine all of the ingredients together, add cilantro, and gently toss. Add salt and pepper to taste, if desired. 

BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad, by Diane

 

I was craving a BBQ chicken chopped salad, and decided to try my hand with some summer produce from my favorite stand and a high protein dressing- side note, I'm getting really good at my own dressings! This salad was SO SO good and honestly this dressing was maybe my best one yet. So crunchy and flavorful and definitely a filling lunch. YUM. 

Ingredients (3 big salads):

1 bag of sliced grilled chicken breast, chopped small (I just used this for ease)

2 cups yellow and orange cherry tomatoes, chopped

4 long sweet banana peppers in different colors, chopped

1/4 red onion, diced

1 bag chipotle cheddar salad mix by Dole

3 ears corn, grilled and charred then kernels cut off

1/2 avocado

1 bunch cilantro leaves

1 clove garlic, peeled

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp onion powder

1/4 cup smoky BBQ sauce

8 oz plain greek yogurt

Directions:

1. Combine chicken, tomatoes, peppers, onion, corn, and salad portion of the mix together and toss well. For meal prep I divided this mixture evenly in 3 containers.

2. Make the dressing by blending remaining ingredients avocado through yogurt and adjust to taste.

3. When ready to serve, top each salad with dressing and tortilla chips from the salad bag (the salad bag also comes with cheese and an alternate dressing you can use if you like but I don't like either!).

Protein Beef Taco Bowls, by Diane

I have been seeing high protein beef bowls all over my instagram, and they have really been helping lately in my diet. I saw this one from Chelsea's Messy Apron, and a sauce by Get On My Plate, and decided to combo them together! This was really really good, and I loved how healthy and filling these were! They were also super easy to prep for batch cooking and tasted great all week! (note- I ran out of avocado for this photo but it's in the recipe!)

Ingredients:

1lb ground beef, grass fed

Taco seasoning (I made my own with paprika, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt and I like mexican oregano and a dash of cinnamon here)

2 sweet potatoes, cubed

EVOO

3 ears corn, roasted and cut off cob

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup cilantro, rough chopped

1/2 avocado, sliced

Sauce: 1/2 cup greek yogurt, 1/2 chili in adobo, 1/2 lime juice, 2 tbsp cilantro, 1 tbsp honey, 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Blend the sauce well and set aside in the fridge. 

2. Heat a large saucepan to medium, brown and drain the beef, and mix in taco seasoning to taste. Set aside.

3. While the beef is cooking, roast sweet potatoes tossed in EVOO and taco seasoning at 400 (I airfried them for 25 min) until soft.

4. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Enjoy!

Quick Sushi Snack, by Cheryl

Um, how is it the end of February and this is my first post of the year? 

This sushi has become a staple snack in our house. And it's super easy to make! My kids would have sushi everyday if we let them so this is a great option without breaking the bank. You really can put anything you want in here, but we've been keeping it simple with some sushi rice, avocado, and some cooked salmon in a sweet chili sauce. Dipped in some soy sauce this snack is just what everyone needs after a long day. Yum!

Ingredients: 

Salmon, cut into cubes, marinated in sauce for a couple of hours (optional)

Seaweed paper

Avocado, sliced

Sushi rice

Sweet chili sauce

Soy sauce, optional

Directions:

1) Cook sushi rice according to directions

2) Cook cubed salmon in a pan until just cooked through. 

3) When rice and sushi are done, arrange them on the seaweed with the avocado. Roll the seaweed. Cut in half or into pieces. Dip in soy sauce for extra flavor. 

Deconstructed Salmon Avocado Rolls, by Cheryl

While scrolling Instagram Jon came across a reel that featured these deconstructed salmon avocado rolls and immediately knew that we had to make them. I made them right away, ha! They were so good! They look like they take a while to make, but they were actually super easy and quick. These were great for dinner, but also for quick snacks throughout the day. Yum!

Ingredients: 

1 salmon fillet, cubed and removed from the skin

Bachans or other Japanese bbq sauce

Traeger Fin and Feather rub (I used a mix of sugar, salt, paprika, onion powder, and chili pepper)

1 cup sushi rice

Avocado, cubed

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 350. Marinate the salmon with the bbq sauce and rub. This is a quick marinade while you prep the other stuff. 

2) Meanwhile, cook the sushi rice according to the package directions.

3) Cut the seaweed into squares. 

4) Place a tablespoon or two of cooked rice into each square. It'll soften the seaweed. Place each square with the rice into an individual cupcake tin. 

5) Top each cupcake tin with the salmon. 

6) Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes. Top with cubed avocado, a drizzle of spicy mayo, and chives. 

Salmon Teriyaki Bowl, by Cheryl

While mindlessly scrolling Instagram I came across this recipe from Primal Kitchen. It looked so good from the way they showed the recipe I knew I had to try it! A quick Whole Foods shopping list was made and I was good to go! The recipe was super easy to make and was different! We enjoyed it very much. Next time I would make more of the mayonnaise, but other than that this was a great meal. Yum! 

Ingredients:

Salmon teriyaki:

1lb salmon, cut into cubes

Primal Kitchen no soy teriyaki marinade

Quick-pickled vegetables:

1 carrot, sliced into circles

1/3 cucumber, peeled, sliced into circles

2 tbsp water

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup rice vinegar

Sriracha Mayo:

1/4 cup Primal Kitchen Mayo w/ avocado oil

1 tbsp sriracha or chili paste

Bowl Assembly:

1 cup short grain rice

1 avocado, diced

2 individual packages nori

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 tsp sesame seeds

Directions:

1) Cover salmon with teriyaki sauce in a bowl for at least 20 minutes.

2) Prepare the pickled vegetables. In a bowl, add rice vinegar, water, sugar, and salt. Whisk together until combined. Add cucumber and carrot slices. Set aside for 20 minutes. 

3) Line a baking tray with foil and spray with avocado oil. Add cubed salmon and broil in the oven until browned on top and cooked through, about 5 minutes.

4) Between 2 bowls, split rice evenly. Top with cubed salmon, vegetables, avocado, and drizzle the mayo.

5) Serve with nori and garnish with cilantro and sesame seeds. 

Summer Corn and Tomato Salad with Shrimp, by Diane

 

This recipe was a spontaneous weeknight creation after a visit to the farmers market, and loosely based off Cheryl's pesto corn salad with shrimp! I batch cooked a bunch of it at once by cutting everything and placing it into separate containers so that I could just combine them into a salad when I was ready to eat, which made 4 portions. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 lb cooked and deveined shrimp, tail off

2 cups tomatoes (I used red and orange cherry tomatoes from the farm)

4 ears corn, uncooked, corn kernels removed

8 scallions, green and white parts sliced

2 avocados

1 handful basil leaves

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup EVOO

Salt and pepper

Merken (smoky spice is ok here too!)

1 lime

Directions:

1. Combine 1 avocado, basil, garlic, EVOO, salt and pepper and lime in a blender, using salt and pepper to taste. Set aside as your dressing- I like this on the thick side.

2. Combine remaining ingredients including the other avocado diced up and toss well to combine.

3. Top with dressing, and season to your preference.

Salmon with Avocado Chimichurri Sauce, by Cheryl

Yes, I am on a salmon kick right now. I think I have finally figured out how to cook it properly and without it drying out. I used to not really like cooked salmon (only raw), but these new dishes have converted me! I also really trying to incorporate 2 fish or seafood meals a week for the family. It's easy for me because I love fish and seafood, but for everyone else I need to get creative! This was easy, healthy, and delicious! Yum! 

Ingredients: 

6 oz. salmon fillets

1 tsp ground cumin

salt and pepper

1 small avocado, diced small

1/4 cup fresh minced parsley

2 tbsp fresh minced cilantro

1 tsp dried oregano

1.5 tsp minced garlic

1.5 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp minced red onion

3 tbsp EVOO 

2 tbsp water

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions:

1) Brush salmon lightly with EVOO. Salt, pepper, and cumin the fish on both sides. Cook at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

2) For the sauce toss all of the chimichurri ingredients together. Season with salt and pepper. Put on top of cooked salmon. Serve with a veggie and side! 

Tuna, Blood Orange, and Avocado Salad, by Diane

Our next country up was Spain, as we thought it would have a lot of cold dishes we wouldn’t have to turn the oven on for. First up was this salad, which seemed good in theory but in actuality the tastes just didn’t really go well together for me. It was supposed to use tuna belly, but I couldn’t find it and had to use canned tuna instead. Recipe from: https://spanishsabores.com/2014/04/18/tuna-belly-blood-orange-and-avocado-spanish-salad-recipe/


Ingredients:

One cup arugula
1/4 cup tuna
1 blood orange, cut in slices
1/2 avocado, cut in slices
10 pistachios, crushed
Olive oil
Sea salt


Directions:

Assemble all ingredients together, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt.

Cilantro Lime Shrimp Bowls, by Cheryl

I was looking for a quick Whole30 bowl to make for dinner and I happened to have almost all of these ingredients on hand! They were easy to make, but I felt like they were just okay. Jon actually really liked them, but I was meh. Maybe if I had the cauliflower rice that I thought I had! The flavor of the shrimp was pretty good, not great. I added peppers and onions since I like that in a bowl. I don't think they were bad at all, but I probably won't be rushing to make them again. I think it needed a different sauce that wasn't so mayonnaise like. Then it would be Yum!

Ingredients:

1 lb large shrimp, deveined and peeled
2 tbsp avocado oil, divided
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1 lime juice and zest
sea salt and pepper

Sauce:

Compliant mayo
1 tbsp hot sauce

For the rest of the bowls:

4 cups cauliflower rice (I thought I had this and didn't)
1 tbsp avocado oil
sea salt and pepper
shredded cabbage
2 avocados
Optional: lime wedges, jalapeno

Directions:

1) Chop cilantro and juice and zest lime. Set aside. Make the sauce.

2) Heat a skillet with 1 tbsp avocado oil and the cauliflower rice. Cook for about 5 minutes until tender. Season with salt and pepper.

3) Heat a large skillet over medium heat with 1 tbsp oil. Add shrimp to pan and cook undisturbed for two minutes. Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat and add 1 tbsp avocado oil, cilantro, and lime juice and zest. Toss to coat shrimp.

4) Put your bowls together, starting with a bed of cauliflower rice, cabbage, shrimp, cilantro, avocado, etc.

Healthy Veggie Chili, by Diane

3/4 of our family is on Whole 30 right now, so for last weekend's football playoffs we searched around for a chili recipe that didn't have beans in it. We found this recipe, which turned out to be a total dud. In short it didn't include any tomato sauce and was low on spice so it turned out to taste more like a really thick minestrone soup. We saved it with the ingredients I'm posting below though, so it turned out alright! Not pictured are the avocados some of us had with it as a topping.

Ingredients:

2 lb ground beef
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 each red, yellow, and orange pepper, diced
2 medium sweet potatoes, diced
1 cup shredded carrots
3 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. cumin
1 tsp paprika
Salt to taste (We use Tony Chachere's b/c it adds just the best amount of salt and spice)
1 28oz can tomato sauce
Optional: diced avocado topping

Directions:

1. In a large pot, brown the meat along with onions and garlic. Drain and return to the pot.

2. Add in peppers, carrots, and sweet potatoes, cook 10 minutes stirring often to soften. Cover the pot while cooking so the steam speeds up to cooking.

3. Add in spices, stir well, then add in tomato sauce.

4. Simmer for 30-60 min until the veggies are soft. Note: this isn't a good chili to keep on the stove for a long period of time as the sweet potatoes will break down and thicken/sweeten the chili too much!

Roasted Beet, Orange, and Avocado Salad, by Cheryl

This is a great start to any meal! I actually roasted the beets the first time I made it, but used canned beets for other times and it was still great. I put it on a bed of arugula to get some greens in. The recipe is from the Whole 30 cookbook. Yum!

Ingredients:

2 medium beets
2 tbsp EVOO
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 orange, halved, one half zested and juiced, the other peeled and cut into segments
salt and pepper
1 avocado, diced
Extra greens (optional)


Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 425. Rinse the beets thoroughly and stab all sides with a fork. Oil the beets and place in tin foil pinching the top to create a seal. Roast for 35 minutes, or until tender.

2) Remove the skins from the beets. Dice the beets into one inch pieces and place in serving bowl.

3) In a small bowl, combine the 1 tbsp EVOO, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, orange juice, salt, and pepper, and whisk until combined.

4) Add the orange segments and avocado to the beets. Drizzle with dressing, sprinkle in orange zest, toss to coat, and serve.

Mango Avocado Salsa, by Cheryl

What a great salsa! I made this with shrimp tacos and it added the perfect amount of sweetness and spice to an already delicious dish. Yum!

Ingredients (recipe from here):

1 avocado, pitted and diced
1 lime, juiced
1 mango, pitted and diced
1 small onion, chopped
1 habanero pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
salt to taste

Directions:

Place the avocado in a serving bowl and mix with lime juice. Mix in everything else.

Honey Mustard Chicken, Bacon, and Avocado Salad, by Diane

I made this salad after seeing it on facebook to many rave reviews (link here). It was fairly easy to throw together in a large batch for the week's lunches, only the prep of each ingredient was time consuming but the rest came together in a breeze. The dressing was a bit too sweet and I had to double the recipe because there wasn't enough for more than two salads. I also added eggs because I love the extra protein and it went really well with this salad! Finally, I cooked the bacon in the pan first before the chicken (the recipe cooks the chicken first and then bacon) because I wanted more flavor in the chicken. I am posting the recipe below for 2 servings, if you want more for the week just double the dressing part.

Ingredients:

Dressing / Marinade (for 2 servings):

• 1/3 cup honey (I would use maybe 1 tbsp per batch here and then add as you go if you want it more sweet)
• 3 tablespoons whole grain mustard
• 2 tablespoons smooth and mild Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons Apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• Salt to season
• 2 skinless and boneless chicken thighs or chicken breasts

For Salad (for 2 servings):

• 1/2 cup diced bacon
• 4 cups Romaine lettuce leaves, washed
• 1 cup sliced grape or cherry tomatoes (I used sundried for the flavor)
• 1 large avocado, cubed
• 1/4 cup corn kernels
• 1/4 of a red onion , sliced
• 4 hard boiled eggs, quartered

Instructions

1. Whisk marinade/dressing ingredients together to combine. Pour half the marinade into a shallow dish to marinade the chicken for two hours. Refrigerate the reserved untouched marinade to use as a dressing.
2. Heat a nonstick pan (or grill pan or skillet) over medium heat with about a teaspoon of oil and sear/grill chicken on each side until golden, crispy and cooked through. (Grill in batches to prevent excess water being released.) Once chicken is cooked, set aside and allow to rest.
3. Wipe pan over with paper towel; drizzle with another teaspoon of oil and fry the bacon until crispy.
4. Slice chicken into strips and prepare salad with leaves, tomatoes, avocado slices, corn, onion strips and chicken.
5. Whisk 2 tablespoons of water into the remaining untouched marinade/dressing and drizzle over the salad. Sprinkle the bacon over the top and season with a little extra salt and cracked pepper (optional).

Avocado Salmon Rice Bowl, by Cheryl

I made myself cauliflower rice

This is a pinterest find (originally from here) and it was really good and satisfying! I had made this a few months ago when I was going through a bowl phase and just thought of it again and remembered that it was tasty! A couple of things: 1) The avocado makes the dish. Without the avocado mixture this dish would be very boring. 2) I'm not too sure what the glaze on the fish does... I really couldn't taste it at all. Overall, it's a solid dish. Yum!

Ingredients:

Rice:
1 cup jasmine rice
1.5 cups water
Juice from 1/2 large lime
2 tablespoons minced cilantro
1 tbsp honey
3 tbsp chicken or vegetable stock
salt

Salmon:
1lb salmon fillet
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp minced cilantro
salt

Avocado:
1 avocado
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp minced cilantro
salt

Directions:

Rice:
1) Cook rice according to package directions.

2) Mix stock, lime juice, honey, and cilantro together in a medium pot over medium heat. Let simmer for a minute. Take off heat. Mix in rice. Season with salt. Mix. Set aside.

Salmon:
3) Preheat oven to 425. Rub salmon with some oil and place skin side down on a baking sheet.

4) Mix together all of the salmon ingredients. Rub glaze over salmon fillets. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Avocado:
5) Chop avocado and add to a small bowl. Add in all avocado ingredients and mix together.

6) Assemble rice bowls with the rice on the bottom, then the salmon, and top each bowl with the avocado.

Mexican Avocado Chocolate Mouse, by Cheryl

I don't even know what to write here. This is one of the worst things I've made. Don't make it. Not yum.

Ingredients (from here):

2 ripe avocados
1/2 cup cacao powder
1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
1/3 cup honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ancho chili

Directions:

1) Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.

2) Taste and adjust seasonings.

3) Spoon into serving dishes and chill to set.

Avocado Bean "Alfredo" Sauce, by Cheryl

Um, yum!! This is such a healthy alternative to a standard alfredo sauce that is full of cheese and cream. The white beans blend really well to provide a nice base for the sauce (as well as added protein) and the avocado adds a whole other level of creaminess to the dish. I combined two recipes when I made this and since the dish was green anyway, I blended some spinach into the mix in order to add some greens. I put in about a quarter cup of shredded quattro formaggio, but you can easily eliminate that and the taste will still be there. We had this with whole wheat gnocchi and for leftovers the next day I made it with whole wheat rotini. Yum!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can white beans
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/4-1/2 cup milk (whatever you need to use to make it thinner)
1 avocado
spinach or kale
salt and pepper to taste
pasta or gnocchi

Directions:

1) Melt butter in a pan. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a food processor.

2) Add the white beans, broth, avocado, and spinach to the processor. Blend until creamy. Add milk until it loosens out some.

3) Transfer to a pan to heat up slightly. Add cheese if desired and mix. Add the pasta or gnocchi to the pan and coat well. Top with shredded cheese, or not!

Spring Roll Bowls with Sweet Garlic Lime Sauce, by Diane AND Cheryl!

CHERYL AND DIANE ARE BACK TOGETHER IN THE KITCHEN!!!

Today, we got together for lunch and cooked this great recipe. It was filling, delicious, and pretty healthy! We both said we would make it again!

Ingredients:

3 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

¼ cup agave or brown sugar

¼ cup fish sauce

⅓ cup lime juice

⅓ cup vegetable oil

Rice Noodles

Basil, Mint, and Cilantro

Serrano Peppers

Chopped Peanuts

1 avocado

1 red bell pepper

2 carrots, shredded

3 chicken breasts, cubed

Directions:

Pulse the first 6 ingredients plus 1/4 cup peanuts together in a blender or food processor.

Cook your rice noodles by soaking them in cold water for about 30 minutes. When they're softened, transfer to a pot of boiling water for just a minute or two before quickly draining again. 

Cook the chicken, put in a bowl.

Mince the herbs, slice the serranos, and peel or julienne cut the vegetables, and cook through.

Toss the noodles (hot or cold) with the sweet garlic lime sauce and all the other ingredients.

Summer Salad, by Diane

Last night was so hot, I barely felt like eating anything at all for dinner. So I walked to the whole foods in my neighborhood and bought all sorts of summery veggies, a few extras, and threw them together into this amazing salad!! This was so good as a main dish, and would be a great side dish at a summer bbq too! I can't wait to eat it again today!

A few notes- if it hadn't have been so hot I would have grilled or roasted the corn and it would have been a great extra flavor in this dish. Also, I forgot to buy fresh basil so I used dried, but would like to try it fresh next time in sticking with the summer theme! Finally, I would like to say that these ingredients cost me 8.67 at whole foods- I've never spent that little in that store in my life! What a good deal for fresh organic ingredients!


Ingredients:

3 heirloom tomatoes- I picked a yellow, purple, and red/green type for variety
1 just ripened avocado
1/2 large cucumber, peeled
2 ears of corn, cooked/1 large can of corn (optional- grilled or roasted)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup black and green olives, mixed
1/2 cup feta cheese
Basil and parsley
Drizzle EVOO
Sea salt and black pepper
Balsamic vinegar


Directions:

Chop veggies into bite-sized pieces and mix all ingredients together. Toss to mix, refrigerate for 10-15 minutes to let the flavors meld, toss again and serve!

Spicy California Shrimp Stack, by Cheryl

Like my picture and presentation?

This recipe was circulating Facebook from Skinny Taste and it looked so good that I just had to try it! It basically tastes like one big sushi roll, and is incredibly healthy. It made 4 stacks and while it was a delicious dinner, I think that it's better suited for lunch or for dinner when you've had a heavy lunch. This shouldn't take away from the deliciousness of this dish though... it was so so good! And doesn't it look pretty? This might be my most beautiful dish yet! The original recipe has gorgeous pictures of each step as you put it into a one cup measuring cup to stack. You won't find that here, but you can click on the link to see for yourself. So good and super easy to make. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups cooked short grain brown rice (I love Trader Joe's frozen organic brown rice... great texture for this and quick to make)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
8 ounces cooked shrimp, deveined and tails removed
1 cup diced cucumber (about 1 small)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives
1/2 cup mashed avocado (about 1 medium)
4 teaspoons Furikake (I used sesame seeds)
4 teaspoons reduced sodium soy sauce
4 teaspoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon sriricha sauce

Directions:

1) Cook rice. When rice is done add the rice vinegar and stir.

2) Cut shrimp into one inch cubes. In a bowl combine the chives and cucumber. In another small bowl combine the mayonnaise and sriracha.

3) Using a 1 cup measuring cup, layer 1/4 cup cucumber, then 2 tablespoons avocado, then 1/4 of the shrimp, and 1/3 cup rice (I just layered them all until the previous layer was covered).

4) Carefully turn the cup upside down to turn the stack out onto a plate. Sprinkle with Furikake and drizzle with 1 teaspoon soy sauce and sriricha mayonnaise. Repeat 3 more times.