7/16/2014 Sole en Papillote with Zucchini & TomatoesSole en papillote - sounds pretty fancy right? En papillote literally means "in parchment" and basically, it's just a super easy way of cooking where you put all your ingredients in a parchment packet and bake it in the oven. Easy! It completely locks in flavors and moisture and makes the prep and cleanup of your meal a total breeze. My favorite en papillote recipes always use flaky white fish with juicy, seasonal veggies. Anytime I see this on a restaurant menu, I immediately order it because I know it has to be delicious and healthy - the fish gets cooked perfectly and all of the flavors from the herbs and veggies are heightened. I also love making this type of entree when I'm having friends over for dinner because 1, it's really easy and quick, and 2, each guest gets their own little packet and I kind of feel like I'm giving everyone their own yummy present. So about a week ago, I realized my wedding is less than 4 months out. AHH!!! I decided it is officially time to get working on my bridal bod, but being on a diet is sooooo boring and annoying. I really wanted to come up with some fresh, new recipes that would make clean eating more exciting and fun, and this recipe is all that and more. These days I've been so beyond busy - wedding planning, renovating our condo (pics to come eventually!), working, going to pilates, and there's hardly been much time for cooking. Then I remembered the Fish En Papillote class I had last summer in Cooking School. Even with very little spare time, I can always whip up this type of recipe in 20 minutes flat and have a perfectly healthy and delicious dinner. It's packed with so much flavor and is a nice light, low-cal, and filling meal. You're absolutely going to love it all summer long . . . Whether you're working on your bridal bod, bikini bod, or just cleaning up your diet, wrapping it up en papillote makes healthy eating a breeze and I promise it will be your new go-to! Ingredients 4 sole fillets (about 6 oz each) 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 cups cherry tomatoes (I used red and yellow) - halved 1 zucchini - thinly sliced and cut in half 1 clove garlic - chopped 2 tbsp freshly shaved parmesan 2 Dorot frozen basil cubes (or 1 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh basil) Fresh thyme sprigs (at least 8) Salt and pepper + 4 sheets of parchment paper Serves 4.
Feel free to make this recipe with any of your favorite seasonal veggies or any flaky white fish! Let me know how it goes!!
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5/28/2014 Clean-Out-The-Fridge Breakfast CasseroleAside from dessert, breakfast is by far my favorite meal of the day. Your breakfast can either start your day off on the perfect track, or set the tone for an overly indulgent or unhealthy day. I usually have a green smoothie in the morning as I'm running out the door to work, but by 10:30ish, I'm hungry again and ready for a delicious snack. And that's when I'm faced with some tough choices - there's the freshly baked coffee cake calling my name from across the cubicle, the ridiculously yummy pastries someone brought in from Porto's Bakery (sighhh), OR the healthy snacks I packed in my new, cute lunchbox. Now, normally the baked goods would be way too tempting, but when my healthy snack is as satisfying as today's Clean-Out-The-Fridge Breakfast Casserole, the decision is pretty easy! The key to staying on a healthy track and avoiding the naughty pastries in the office is to do some simple meal prep early in the week and set yourself up to make great food choices. One of my go-to recipes to make on my Meal Prep Day is this casserole. It only takes a few minutes to prepare and it makes breakfast for the whole work-week. It's also a great way to use up a ton of your ingredients in the fridge - you can literally throw any veggies and herbs in here and it will be absolutely delish! This is what I used in my breakfast casserole. I had leftover black beans and green onions from taco night, 2 slices of cheese, not enough spinach for a salad, a couple slices of turkey bacon, and a few tomatoes. This was all I needed and it was just perfect for my casserole. There's really no need to measure here, just chop up those veggies and throw em in. . . .the more colorful, the better. Ingredients
8 eggs 1/4 cup almond milk 1/4 cup water 1 cup cherry tomatoes - cut in half 1/2 cup black beans - rinsed and drained 3 green onions - chopped 1/4 cup shredded cheese 1 avocado - cubed 3 slices turkey bacon - diced 1 cup raw spinach - chopped 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1 tsp dill (fresh or dried) Serves 6-8
4/30/2014 Chicken Taco Bowls w/ Mexican Cauliflower RiceIs it just me or is cauliflower the total it-veggie this year? I'm seeing it everywhere and in all forms - cauliflower crust pizza (I've been meaning to try that out), roasted cauliflower, cauli rice . . . you name it. I've been buying it every single week lately, especially because the one's at the farmers market are ginormous (but cheap!) right now, and I usually chop it into florets and roast it up in the oven with olive oil, salt, and pepper until it's golden and crunchy. I was almost tempted to go my normal roasting route, when I remembered a photo my friend Hillary had sent me of her Mexican Cauliflower Rice. I got inspired and decided to spice up our dinner plans with Chicken Taco Bowls. Ohh man . . . I am so glad I did because now cauliflower rice is my new best friend. I'm already planning on making it again tomorrow for an Asian stirfry instead of my usual brown rice or quinoa. It's FILLING, satisfying, majorly healthy, and to be honest, I forgot I was eating cauliflower . . . I didn't even miss the carbs AT ALL. I've been trying to make our dinners more low-carb lately (6 months and counting until our wedding!) and this recipe is perfect because first of all, it's a big bowl packed with protein and veggies, and secondly, it's freaking delicious. I'm going to start making this every week - Cauli Rice Taco Bowl Tuesdays has a nice ring to it, right? By the way, Mitch wolfed down his Taco Bowl without even mentioning the "rice", and he was totally stuffed afterwards . . . all 6'3 of him . . . so I'm proud to say that this dinner is totally MAN APPROVED! Side note - One of my greatest joys in life is to make something that's sneakily healthy and not tell people what it really is until after they eat it. Like when a friend finishes off one of my Secret-Ingredient Blondies, then I'll tell them "guess what... that was made almost entirely of beans!" Or "Hey Mitch... that giant bowl of Mexican rice you just polished off . . . that was actually cauliflower." Ha! It's just so satisfying. Oh life's simple pleasures. Another beautiful thing about this recipe - the whole meal cost less than $15 (including good quality organic ground chicken) and it makes FOUR heaping servings. Cha. Ching. Alright let's get on with it - here's how you're going to make your new favorite dinner:
4/23/2014 Yellow Curried Sweet Potato Noodles Packed with VeggiesAs you know, I've completely fallen in love with the Spiralizer. This amazing tool turns my favorite veggies into pasta-like noodles and it makes it so easy to eat clean, to get creative with my dinners, and to fill up on healthy veggies. It's just the best! For a while, I was just keeping it safe and sticking with zucchini noodles (check out my Bikini Zucchini Bolognese recipe) but I finally decided to break out of the zoodles routine and spiralize sweet potatoes. I am SO glad I tried it because now it's become one of my favorite go-to dinner ideas! I'm always looking for a reason to use my favorite Yellow Curry Sauce from Trader Joe's, and sweet potato noodles seemed like the perfect excuse. I didn't quite know where to start, so I checked out the amazing Inspiralized blog for ideas, and of course I found exactly what I was looking for. Alli's Creamy Vegetable Thai Red Curry w/ Sweet Potato Noodles was the perfect inspiration. I spiralized my sweet potatoes, sauteed whatever veggies I had on hand (this is a great fridge-cleanout recipe!), added in some garbanzo beans and fresh cilantro, poured in the TJ's Yellow Curry and within a few minutes, dinner was ready! That's my kind of WeekNight Bite! This recipe is not to be missed, and here is everything you'll need to create it for your dinner tonight: Ingredients 2 medium sweet potatoes - spiralized into noodles (peel them, slice off the ends, cut them in half, and run them through the spiralizer using the smallest blade) 1 tbsp coconut oil 2 cloves garlic - minced 1 tsp fresh ginger - minced 2 cups cauliflower florets 2 cups sugar snap peas 1 can garbanzo beans - rinsed and drained 3/4 cup Trader Joe's Yellow Curry Sauce 1/4 cup chopped cilantro Salt and pepper to taste Serves 3-4 - Heat coconut oil in a large sauce pan until it is melted. Add garlic and ginger and saute for a few seconds. - Add cauliflower and snap peas and cook until the cauliflower has started to soften. - Add curry sauce and stir to coat veggies evenly. - Add sweet potato noodles and garbanzo beans. Cook for about 10 minutes or until noodles are at desired consistency. You may choose to add more curry sauce if it has started to absorb and you like it a bit more saucy (I do!). Feel free to use any cury sauce you love - it doesn't have to be the TJ's one! - Season with salt and pepper to taste. - Once noodles are cooked, serve into bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro. ENJOY! I know you will absolutely love this recipe! It's a great excuse to get creative and make something totally new and different than your usual dinners. Whenever I go all-veggie for dinner, I always feel light and healthy afterwards. It's great for your body to take a break from meat every now and then and fill up on nutrient-packed vegetables. Sometimes it's challenging to get out of our cooking routines, but with the spiralizer, it makes it so easy to create satisfying and filling vegetarian meals. For more spiralizing ideas, make sure to check out Inspiralized!
New recipe video coming your way next week - stay tuned, it's a good one! :) 4/9/2014 Clean Eating 101 + WNB's First Guest Post & A Clean Recipe: Layered Quinoa Fiesta Salad!We've all heard about "eating clean", right? I know it's a phrase I throw around often . . . After an indulgent weekend, Monday morning rolls around and I can usually be caught saying "ughhh! I need to eat cleeeaan this week and detox immediately!" But what does it really mean to eat clean? It's not as hard as you may think, and I've brought in the Clean Eating expert (for our very first guest post ever!) to show us the way! Enter the fabulous Christina Markos --> A SoCal native with a passion for wellness, cooking, and nutrition. Tina and I met through our mutual friend Sierra while wine tasting in Santa Barbara and hit it off instantly. We talked about our love of cooking and our favorite healthy recipes, and I heard all about her culinary training, nutrition courses that she has taken, and her job as the editor for the Adelle Davis Foundation’s online magazine, which is dedicated to preserving the legacy of one of America’s most famous nutritionists, while promoting health and supporting programs that build school gardens and wellness programs at major Universities nationwide. Amazing right? I can't think of a better person to write today's guest post! Alright let's get into it . . . Here are all the rules, tips, and clean eating tricks from Tina: Clean Eating is NOT a diet, it is simply lifestyle change and one we can all make pretty easily! There are no “restrictions” with clean eating, you simply begin by eating more healthy foods - foods that contain nutrients that are essential and vital. You eat food in its purest form as much as you can to eliminate added preservatives and chemicals. When people try to “diet”, their life becomes focused on that diet- they are no longer able to go out to eat with friends anymore, they start to really crave the foods they can’t have and end up bingeing on something that wasn’t on their “diet”. Their life becomes their diet. Clean eating works in reverse, you eat foods that are delicious, healthy and in turn give you more energy, a clearer mind, and a stronger body so your life can be about YOU, not a diet. Diets are not healthy and they confuse your metabolism which is crucial for regulating your digestive system and maintaining a healthy weight. Clean eating is a way of life, something that you can start today and stick to forever! Tina's 6 Simple Ways to Start Eating Clean TODAY 1. Eat an orange instead of drinking a glass of OJ. Eating the “whole” version of something is almost always the better choice. The more processed the food is, the more it becomes laden with preservatives, sugars, artificial dyes, ingredients, and other added “flavors”. Any item in its natural unprocessed form is always best. 2. Only buy things with 6 ingredients or less. Have you ever looked at the ingredient list of most processed foods there are at the grocery store? There are tons and tons of unhealthy and unnatural ingredients- even hidden in health food products! Eating clean means staying away from all of those unnatural ingredients that accumulate as toxins in our bodies. Keep it simple and you will be healthier. A handful of homemade trail mix or raw nuts, or an organic string cheese and apple are great on-the-go ideas, and if you have to get a bar, choose gluten free and vegan option such as larabars which have 3 ingredients or less (fruits+nuts+salt). You can also try making your own bars! 3. Use healthy fats and oils. When you are clean eating, you want to use healthy cooking oils and consume healthy fats. Extra virgin olive oil, grape seed and coconut oil are going to be the best options. As for healthy fats (other than those oils), stick to nuts and nut butters, flax seeds, avocado, low-fat dairy, and salmon. All of these contain those healthy omega-3 fatty acids that are so good for us. 4. Rid your pantry of highly processed foods. Example: that box of cookies or cheesy crackers. Opt for healthy snack and dessert alternatives. Low-fat cheese or raw nut butter and wasa crisps or yogurt dip with veggies. Desserts could include a healthy low-fat greek yogurt parfait with berries, cacao nibs and agave nectar, a fresh ripe piece of fruit, a healthy homemade hot cocoa or a few raw cocoa nibs. It is about buying foods in their purest form and eating them in that form. Next time you are in your pantry look at the ingredients in your cereal, crackers or cookies. If they have more than 6 ingredients or you don’t even know what some of them mean, it’s time to toss! 5. No more white flour & limit white sugar. Whole wheat bread can sometimes list the second ingredient as white flour! Don’t be tricked-look for healthy sprouted breads such as Ezekial or find whole wheat breads that contain only 100% whole wheat flour. Switch out your pasta to whole wheat, gluten-free, quinoa, and brown rice versions. Instead of sugar in your coffee or ice cream, use raw honey or agave, make a healthy ice cream with bananas (see Weeknight Bite recipe!) 6. Make you plate colorful and savor each bite. The idea with clean eating is when you make simple and healthy meals they are most likely going to look amazing on the plate. Colorful veggies, brown rice, fresh salmon with a salad makes for a pretty plate. Yogurt and fresh mixed berries is a pretty way to start the day! Take the time to sit at the table when you are eating your major meals. It will help you to slow down, savor and realize when you are full. Your body will thank you for ridding those toxins and receiving the real nutrients! I love all these tips and am going to put them to use in my daily life ASAP! And now for a clean and delicious recipe:
Tina's Layered Quinoa Fiesta Salad |
CATEGORIESPOPULAR POSTSJuly 28th, 2016Almond Milk Matcha LattesJune 23, 2017Almond Butter Cup SmoothieABOUT LINDSAYLindsay is a Holistic Nutritionist who lives for a great meal, a beautiful farmers market, daily matcha lattes, and homemade chocolate chip cookies. Weeknight Bite is Lindsay's happy place where her nutrition practice, simple recipes, and wellness tips come together to inspire you to live a healthy, balanced life.
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