Quick Lunch in a bag

on Sunday's I cook several chicken breasts & make a big pot of brown rice, quinoa or couscous for the week. On a day when I don't have a lot of time to prepare my lunch, like today. I make what I call my 'quick lunch in a bag'. It goes a little someth'n like this:

1 cup broccoli*
1/2 cup cooked brown rice, quinoa or couscous
3 oz. cooked chicken breast cut into cubes
1 garlic glove, minced
1tsp extra virgin olive oil
sea salt to taste
1 ziplock steam bag

I throw all ingredients in the ziplock steam bag, shake it and microwave for 2 1/2- 3 minutes. Open & dump into bowl. And there you have it! "quick lunch in a bag"!

On days I have to go into the office , I throw all ingredients except for olive oil in ziplock steam bag the night before and refrigerate. In the morning on my way out, I put it in my insulated lunch bag. When lunch time rolls around, I add olive oil & pop in the microwave. You'll be finished eating by the time everyone else is still microwaving their processed frozen weight loss cuisine's ;)

*you can also use frozen broccoli- just place frozen broccoli in ziplock steam bag and microwave for 1 minute. Then add the rest of the ingredients and microwave for 2 additional minutes.

"Green Drink"

I usually make this the morning after my 'cheat meal'. Awesome detox drink.

1 scoop organic wheat grass powder
8 oz apple juice
1 banana (I recommend frozen if using fresh pineapple)
1/4 c pineapple (frozen works good)
1 kiwi (chinese goosberry), peeled and sliced
1 scoop whey protein powder

place all ingredients in magic bullet (or blender) blend and enjoy!
(need a little more liquid: add juice from pineapple or a little more apple juice)

Benefits of wheatgrass: source: provided by Amazing Grass

For the majority of people, consuming processed foods along with stresses of every day life create an acidic balance in the blood. This causes the body to store water and build up fat in the arteries (cholesterol) as protection from acidic blood.

By restoring alkalinity and neutralizing acid production your body can recover quicker, metabolize faster, reduce food cravings and achieve your optimal health. Click pH level.

Wheat grass is believed to have many unexplained natural healing qualities. Many of the phytonutrients (plant nutrients) contained in cereal grasses have yet to be identified and it is not completely known how they provide such great benefits to our health. We do know that cereal grasses contain large amounts of chlorophyll (the “blood” of plants), which is amazingly similar to hemoglobin, the molecule that carries oxygen in the blood.

Chlorophyll is soluble in fat particles, and since fat particles are absorbed directly in to the blood via the lymphatic system, there is evidence that chlorophyll can also be absorbed easily in this way. Essentially the “blood” of plants is easily absorbed into human blood, which transports nutrients efficiently to every cell of the body.

This explains why chlorophyll is so readily assimilated into our blood stream and our bodies are able to utilize its powerful properties. With the addition of Chlorophyll into our diet, we are consuming the very essence of life’s energy. Essentially the “blood” of plants is absorbed into human blood, which transports nutrients to every cell of the body.

for more information on wheatgrass go to
http://www.amazinggrass.com/about-wheat-grass.html

Chicken Cherry Salad

was out of town for a few days and had TWO cheat DAYS. I think it was really more like 3 cheat meals. got home and was watching live with Kelly & Emeril. Emeril prepared a meal that inspired my Chicken Cherry Salad. Got me back on track. Great for summer dinners and really quick!

1 cup fresh raw spinach (washed)
10 fresh cherries, cut in half and pitted
4 oz cold grilled chicken, cut into cubes
1 Tbsp. Brianna's blush wine vinaigrette (or homemade vinaigrette dressing)
2 TBSP sliced almonds

toss all ingredients in a small bowl, grab a fork and enjoy!

calories: 293
carb:22
fat: 13
protein:29

Chicken Salad

my new favorite lunch dish...

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

6 oz of left over grilled chicken- cut into small chunks
2 Tbsp. light miracle whip
1 Tbsp. dijon mustard (I like grey poupon's mild & creamy)
2 celery stalks, diced
1, chunk of red onion, diced
1, hard boiled egg (white ONLY), diced
fresh ground pepper to taste

mix all ingredients in a bowl.
serve on a bed of greens, wasa crackers, Ezekiel or whole grain bread (depending on your carb intake for the day)with tomato slices...yum!

nutritional info for chicken salad only(per serving)
180 calories, 4g carbs, 5g fat, 26g PROTEIN

Sweet & Spicy Tofu & Veggies

Friday night I prepared this meal for me and my man before we went out to the movies- he didn't know he was eating tofu ;) He really liked it and so did I. Unfortunately, I didn't photograph this meal because, honestly, I was a little skeptical :)

2 tsp olive oil
12 oz firm tofu, drained & cut into cubes
1 minced garlic glove
1/2 c sliced onions
1 sliced red bell pepper
2 cups shredded chinese cabbage
1/4 c low sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp honey
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes (I added a little more because I like it HOT)
2 cups cooked brown rice

in a small bow mix broth, vinegar, soy sauce, honey & pepper flakes.

Heat olive oil in a wok or large skillet. add tofu and cook 5 min. add garlic, onion, bell pepper & cabbage. cook until onions soften (approx. 7 min)

add broth mixture and simmer for 3 minutes.

Serve with brown rice

254 cal, 7g fat, 492mg sodium, 36g carb, 4g fiber, 8g sugar, 13g protein

Are Your Friends a Fat Influence? | Active.com

Are Your Friends a Fat Influence? | Active.com

Strip Steak in Mustard Marinade & Spinach Summer Salad

we had this for dinner tonight. I've been using this marinade for about a year now. I tweaked a recipe that I had gotten from the southbeach diet. The spinach summer salad is something I just threw together.

Makes 4 servings

4, strip steaks (a serving size is 4oz. so you may have to cut your steak in half once grilled- depending on the size of steaks you have chosen.)

Marinade:
1 tbsp whole grain dijon mustard
1 tbsp low sodium worcestershire sauce
1 tsp ground mustard
pinch of sea salt
pinch of ground pepper

mix all marinade ingredients into a small bowl. spread evenly on each steak and let stand for approx. 10 minutes. place steaks on a heated grill and grill to your satisfaction.

196 cal, 22g protein, 1g carb, 13g fat


Spinach Summer Salad:
1 cup fresh baby spinach
4-5 tomatoes sliced in quarters
1/4 cup diced red onions
1 raw cucumber peeled & halved
2 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette dressing
(you can add fresh mushrooms to this dish as well, my man is no fan of fungus so I leave them out for the most part)

place all ingredients in salad bowl and toss.