Slow-cooker turkey breast over kale
Posted: December 9, 2013 Filed under: 24-Day Challenge Friendly Recipes, Food | Tags: 24 day challenge recipe, defrosted turkey breast, easy dinner, healthy crock pot recipe, healthy dinner, healthy dinner recipe, healthy slow cooker recipe, kale, kale recipe, low carb dinner, low carb recipe, pesto recipe, slow-cooker, sneaking in veggies, turkey and kale, turkey breast recipe Leave a commentAs a spin-off to my slow-cooker turkey breast soup blog, I want to share a recent recipe I’ve been having fun with.
Like the soup recipe, I still coat the defrosted turkey breast in pesto and cook it in the slow-cooker. What’s different on this one is that I throw in whatever vegetables I have on hand (I’ve done onion and different squash varietals, red peppers, carrots, etc.), add in just enough broth to help their flavors mingle and keep them from sticking, then, I serve them on top of fresh kale. The heat from the meat and veggies wilts the kale just enough.
I add a little Israeli couscous for my son since he needs the additional carbs, but we don’t.
Using spinach or kale as a rice or pasta substitute is a great, easy way to completely revamp the nutritional profile of your meal. Between the fiber and the overall nutritional makeup of dark, leafy greens, you’ll stay full longer, and avoid unnecessary starches. You don’t have to completely change your diet to eat more cleanly; just make easy swaps like this one.
This meal is great all-around because it’s ready whenever we finish our whirlwind day and are ready to eat, and it’s family friendly. Eating well as a rule is easier than trying out a fad-diet. It’s just too hard to make a special, healthy meal for one person. You need options, like this one, that everyone can enjoy. Eating well should taste really good.
BBQ pork loin and cucumber, black bean, quinoa salad
Posted: August 13, 2011 Filed under: 24-Day Challenge Friendly Recipes, Food | Tags: bbq pork loin, black bean quinoa salad, black bean salad, cucumber salad, grill out, grill recipes, grilled pork loin, healthy dinner recipe, heart healthy dinner, high protein dinner, low carb dinner, low carb dinners, low fat dinner recipe, quinoa recipes, quinoa salad 1 CommentHere’s a delicious, healthy recipe for you. It’s full of the things your body needs, and light on what it doesn’t. This dish has protein, loads of veggies, whole grain, citrus and fiber, while budgeting fat, sodium and sugar content. The bit of kick is an added bonus for your metabolism and circulation, if you can take the heat.
This meal is easy to make and convenient to prepare since you can make the salad ahead of time and let it chill while the pork marinates, leaving only the final step of grilling the pork loin. I knew I’d be in the gym all day, so it was nice to have almost everything done already when I got home. We will definitely be adding this one to the dinner rotation.
Pork loin rub
- 0.3-0.5lb/pp pork loin
Ingredients below are per each pound of pork loin.
- 2 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 Tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp black pepper
- Dash of cayenne pepper
- 2-3 tsp olive oil (just enough to make a paste)
Cucumber, black bean, quinoa cold salad
- 1 chopped cucumber
- 1 chopped shallot
- 1 chopped, seeded red pepper
- 1 diced, seeded tomato
- 1 chopped avocado (optional)
- Juice of one lime
- 1 can rinsed, drained black beans
- 1 cup prepared quinoa
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp agave nectar or honey
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp pepper
Recipe: Tropical Summer Salad, Grilled Chicken and Veggies, and Spicy Chocolate Cake
Posted: June 20, 2011 Filed under: Food | Tags: chicken marinade, grill recipes, grill wok, grilled chicken, grilled fruit, grilled pineapple, healthy dinner recipe, healthy recipes, low-carb recipes, no-carb recipes, spicy chocolate cake, summer chicken marinade, summer recipes, summer salad, vegetarian grill recipes Leave a commentWhat’s great about this meal? Aside from perfectly highlighting the amazing flavors of the season, your body gets tons of fruit, veggies, protein and fiber, it’s really tough to screw up, and the marinade adds enough flavor that you don’t need any sauce (read “added calories”) to enhance the flavor.
The portions below are for a 4 person meal, although the cake should stretch farther ;-). The entire meal takes about 45 mins; 15 to prep, 30 to cook – not counting the time the chicken is marinating.
Recipe #1: Chicken + Marinade
- Gallon-size ziploc
- 4 chicken breasts
- Blood orange juice – about 2 cups/enough to cover chicken when combined with other marinade ingredients
- Juice of one lemon
- Juice of two limes
- 2 tsps Chipotle Tabasco.
Combine liquid ingredients and add to ziploc with chicken breasts. Marinate for at least 1 hour. We also marinated two portabello mushrooms since my sister-in-law is a vegetarian, and they came out yummy, too.
To cook: Preheat grill and cook chicken for about 12-15 minutes (depending on how large your breasts are…hee hee) on each side over medium heat. Let sit for 5 minutes after you take it off the grill.
Recipe #2: Grill Wok Vegetables
- Grill wok
- 2 large red peppers quartered
- 1 pineapple halved and sliced
- 1 red onion sliced
- 1 Tbsp EVOO
Toss fruit and vegetables with olive oil and grill at medium heat for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently so everything is exposed to the grill flame.
Recipe #3: Tropical Summer Salad
- Head of Romaine Lettuce chopped/torn
- 1/2 English Cucumber chopped
- 1 Mango chopped
- 2 Tbsps EVOO
- 1 Tbsp Honey
- 1 1/2 tsps chili powder
- Juice of 2 limes.
Combine oil, honey, lime juice and chili powder. Toss with lettuce, cucumber and mango, sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper.
I recommend eating all of your grilled ingredients together (hello, party in your mouth) alongside the salad.
Recipe #4: Spicy Chocolate Cake
- I pkg Gluten-free chocolate cake mix (such as Bob’s Red Mill)
- 2/3 cup of natural, no-sugar added applesauce
- one egg
- 1/4 cup of vanilla soy milk
- 1/2 tsp cayenne
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1 Tbsp honey
Mix cake mix, applesauce, egg and soy milk and pour into lightly greased brownie/cake pan. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp cayenne and 1/2 tsp chili powder on top, drizzle with 1 Tbsp of honey. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes. Enjoy with a tall glass of milk.
*If you can get your hands on a can of pumpkin – not the pie filling kind – you can mix that with the cake mix instead of the applesauce, egg and soy milk. It’s harder to find out of season, but it’s a great way to add fiber and serve up a really moist dessert.