Category Archives: recipe

protein, recipe, starch, vegetables

Salmon, Quinoa, and Veggies in 20 Minutes

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Try this meal when you only have 20 minutes to get a balanced dinner on the table! Salmon cooks quickly in the oven, quinoa is a breeze to prepare on the stovetop, and veggies are sautéed to perfection in under 10 minutes. Here we go!

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Ingredients:
2 marinated salmon filets, 6 oz each
1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1 tsp + 1 tbs olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic, divided
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
2/3 cup grape tomatoes

1. Place 2 salmon filets on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes until fork tender. (I used Costco’s wild Alaskan marinated salmon)

2. While the salmon is in the oven, heat dry quinoa in a saucepan until hot and fragrant. Add water, chicken broth, 1 tsp olive oil, and 1 tsp minced garlic. Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.

3. Once the quinoa is cooking, slice the veggies. Heat 1 tbs olive oil in a skillet. Add the onion and bell pepper. Move around the pan for a few minutes until golden. Add a splash of water if the pan is getting dry. Add the grape tomatoes and 1 tsp minced garlic to the pan and continue to sauté for a couple minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. The salmon and quinoa should be done shortly after the veggies are finished. Split everything between 2 plates and serve!

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protein, recipe

Pizza Meatballs

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So I had all this string cheese in the fridge and had to come up with a way to use it up. String cheese isn’t great on quesadillas because it’s the wrong shape. Plain string cheese is a boring snack. I think melted cheese is just so much better in texture and flavor. This recipe was born from my love of melted cheese, pizza, and ground meat. I hope you like it too!

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Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground turkey
1/2 cup old fashioned oats, ground in a food processor
1.5 tsp dried basil
1.5 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
6 slices salami or pepperoni, finely chopped
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks of low fat string cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and cut string cheese into bite sized pieces:

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2. In a mixing bowl, combine all remaining ingredients and smush together with clean hands.

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3. Wash your hands and using wet fingers, make a ping pong ball sized meatball. Gently press a piece of cheese into the inside of the meatball and re-form.

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4. Place the formed meatball on a lightly greased baking sheet. Repeat with all the remaining meat and string cheese pieces. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the meatballs are no longer pink inside and the cheese is melted.

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5. Serve the meatballs with your favorite marinara sauce on a hoagie roll, over spaghetti, or atop zucchini noodles!

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recipe, snacks

Flavor Your Own Yogurt

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Do you know how much sugar there is in strawberry yogurt?

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Check it out:

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26 grams! To put that in visual terms, there are about 4 grams of sugar in a teaspoon, so one 6 oz Yoplait yogurt has over 6 teaspoons of sugar in it! By comparison, a cup of Froot Loops has 12 grams, or 3 teaspoons, of sugar. That’s less than half of Yoplait’s sugar content! I didn’t always realize how sugar laden flavored yogurt can be, but I set my mind to flavoring my own after finding out.

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I like to use plain Fage Greek Yogurt because it’s creamier than regular yogurt. This brand of Greek yogurt is strained to give it it’s texture and high protein content. Some brands of Greek, such as Dannon, do not make their thick “Greek” yogurt by the traditional method of straining. They take a shortcut and add thickening agents. This results in more filler ingredients and less protein. Fage has fewer calories and more than quadruple the protein of Yoplait Light!

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I buy the big container because it’s less expensive per serving than individual cups. You can usually get it for under $5 at Costco. You’ll notice it does contain some sugar. These 9 grams are lactose sugar, the less sweet milk sugar inherently found in dairy products.

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I use stevia to add sweetness to my yogurt because it’s a calorie-free plant extract. If you’re ok with using a bit of caloric sweetener, try a spoon of local honey or unrefined sugar in your yogurt instead.

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(Follow @GemmaCorrell on Instagram for more puns!)

Here is all you need to make your plain Greek yogurt vanilla flavored:

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Ingredients:
8 oz plain Greek yogurt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Liquid stevia to taste (about 3/4 dropper)

Stir the vanilla extract and stevia into the plain yogurt and mix well. Liquid stevia can be hard to find, so you can substitute 1-2 packets of powdered stevia. I buy my liquid stevia on amazon.com for about $10 per bottle. This lasts me between 3-6 months.

For more fun flavors, top your vanilla yogurt with fresh fruit. Try strawberries, blueberries, or peaches. Frozen fruit works well too!

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recipe, snacks

Kiwi Spinach Green Smoothie

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I usually make very basic green smoothies. The only ingredients are green apples and spinach. Today I decided to add a little something special- kiwi! This exotic fruit is rich in potassium, vitamin C, and natural protein digesting enzyme, actinidain. It’s also one of the lowest pesticide containing conventionally grown foods, so you don’t have to buy organic. Here’s how to make a super green smoothie with it:

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Ingredients:
1 kiwi, no need to peel!
1/2 green apple
1 handful baby spinach
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 c water
Handful of ice cubes

1. Combine all ingredients in a powerful blender and gradually increase speed from low to high until very smooth. Serve immediately.

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I still have lots of kiwi to use up. That’s what I get for buying it at Costco! Maybe I will come up with more kiwi recipes. For now, I’ll be enjoying more of these refreshing green smoothies.

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recipe, treats

Paleo Mocha Pound Cake

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Remember the watermelon cake I made a few days ago? The coconut whipped cream I frosted the cake with was sooo good! I didn’t want to throw the leftover whipped cream away, so I set my mind to baking a coconut flour cake to go with it! The inspiration came from Paleo Spirit. My cake is not nearly as beautiful or quite as “paleo.” The changes I made include swapping 2 eggs for egg whites, the maple syrup for stevia, and 1/2 cup coconut oil for applesauce and plain greek yogurt. I’m glad the cake still turned out rich, moist, and delicious!

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Ingredients:
2/3 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
20 packets stevia
4 eggs
6 tbs egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 c coconut oil, melted
1/4 c plain greek yogurt
1/4 c unsweetened applesauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.

2. Whisk eggs and egg whites in a stand mixer. Add remaining wet ingredients to the eggs and mix to combine.

3. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and combine on low speed. Scrape down sides of the bowl. Whip the batter on high speed for 1 minute to make it fluffy.

4. Pour the batter into two greased loaf pans. Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

5. Allow to cool and frost with coconut whipped cream.

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It’s yummy unfrosted too!

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Enjoy with a cup of coffee! 1/4 of a loaf (1/8 of total recipe) is 166 calories, 9 g protein, and 5 g fiber when served unfrosted.

breakfast, recipe

Turkish Eggs Menemen

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Ever since Colby and I visited a friend of ours in Istanbul last December, I’ve been dreaming of menemen. Menemen is a special dish consisting of eggs cooked atop of simmering vegetables. We ate it for breakfast almost every day there and felt very spoiled to have such a flavorful meal each morning. I figured the sauce must take hours to cook, so I never thought to recreate the dish at home. Now that I realize it takes less than 15 minutes to make, I’ll be enjoying it a lot more often!

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Ingredients:
1/2 green pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 small onion, diced
1 large tomato, diced
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tbs olive oil
2 eggs (or 1 egg + 3 egg whites)
Salt, pepper, and fresh parsley as seasonings

1. Heat olive oil in a skillet. Add onion and green pepper to the hot oil. Sauté until tender.

2. Add diced tomato and garlic. Continue to stir until the tomatoes break down.

3. Top the bubbling mixture with eggs and allow the eggs to cook a bit.

4. Gently fold the eggs in with the vegetables until cooked through.

5. Season with salt, pepper, and parsley.

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recipe, treats

Watermelon Birthday Cake

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One of my friends at work celebrated his 25th birthday this week! To celebrate, we had a potluck in his honor. As an avid Crossfitter, he follows a paleo diet pretty consistently. The paleo party we threw was pretty great! There were bowls of fruit, a veggie tray, rotisserie chicken, guacamole, butternut squash soup, and CAKE!

What would a birthday be without cake? Make this beautiful dessert for the healthy eater in your life.

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Ingredients:
1 large seedless watermelon
Assorted fruits and nuts for decorating
1 can coconut milk, refrigerated overnight
2-3 tbs powdered sugar (powdered coconut sugar or maple syrup if you’re going for strict paleo)

1. Cut the top and bottom off the watermelon. Carve the remaining rind off to be left with a cylindrical birthday cake shape.

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2. Pat the watermelon down with paper towels and place on a plate lined with additional paper towels to soak up excess moisture. Chill in fridge.

3. While the watermelon is chilling, make the frosting. Scoop the cream off the top of the refrigerated coconut milk and place in a stand mixer. Discard the liquid portion below the cream.

4. Whip the cream in the stand mixer until fluffy. Add sugar or maple syrup and mix again to incorporate. Begin with 1 tbs of sweetener and add more as needed.

5. Frost the top of the watermelon with a butter knife or rubber spatula and then the sides. Decorate with additional fruit and chill until it’s time to serve the cake!

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protein shakes, recipe

Mocha Banana Protein Shake

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Hey there! The protein shake I have for you today is a complete breakfast in a glass. The flavors of coffee, chocolate, and banana work perfectly together.

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Ingredients:
1/2 banana
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
2 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbs instant coffee
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup ice
1 tbs ground flax seeds

Combine and blend all ingredients in a high powered blender until smooth.

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Enjoy this in the morning, pre-workout or post-workout!

cocktails, recipe

Skinny Piña Colada

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You only need 3 ingredients to make this delightful low calorie cocktail! With 1.5 oz of vodka per serving and only 140 calories, it will hit you fast.

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Ingredients:
3 oz coconut flavored vodka
1 cup fresh diced pineapple
1 cup ice

Combine all ingredients in a high powered blender and pulse together until smooth. Split between two glasses and garnish with fruit.

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