Sushi Friday

No post today..  One because it's Sushi Friday!!  Woo Hoo!!!  Second because the boyfriend kept me up all night by deciding to hog the whole bed, throw his arms all over my face, lay on my hair and snore in my ear..  Needless to say, I'm tired and he didn't get breakfast or lunch fixed for him today because he was beyond annoying last night!  TGIF!!  Have a great weekend!!

Green Bean & Shrimp Salad

This is my boyfriends fav dish of mine.  Enjoy!  It is delish!!  Easy to make and doesn't take too much time


Vinaigrette Ingredients:
1 tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
1 teaspoon Honey Dijon
1/8 teaspoon salt (I do not put use salt in this recipe)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons (I double this to 6, just to make more sauce)


1 lb green beans trimmed
1/4 teaspoon salt for water
1 lb Shrimp
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese


1.  In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, salt & pepper.  Gradually drizzle olive oil, whisky continuously, until dressing is emulsified.  Set Aside
2.  Bring a large pot of lighlty salted water to a boil.  Add beans and simmer for 5 min or until crisp~tender, drain.  In a large bowl, toss beans with dressing.  Set Aside
3,  Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add garlic & shrimp.  Season with salt (I don't use for this part) and pepper.  Cook.
4.  To serve, toss tomatoes with beans and dressing & scatter shrimp & feta over the top.


Nutrition Facts per Serving:
359 calories, 32g protein, 4g carbs, 24g fat, (6g saturated), 1g fiber

The Best Ways to Clean Up Your Diet

The Best Ways to Clean Up Your Diet

By: Kate Lemley

http://www.cbs.com/daytime/the_talk/blog/?id=61452

One of the best things about summertime is all the fresh food you have access to! There is no better time to commit to a healthier lifestyle and diet. Processed food has become the main component in most people's daily meals. Each meal should really focus on fresh, natural foods instead. These highly processed and chemically enhanced diets are taking a toll on the general population, helping to increase the obesity and diabetes epidemic. 

If each of us starts focusing on preparing meals that focus on clean eating and change our unhealthy relationships with food, it will change our lives for the better. We can easily have better overall health, fitness and enjoyment with what we eat just by making a few changes and becoming more mindful about what we are consuming.

We all have to start somewhere, so decide to take the initiative and begin incorporating some of these healthy ideas into your daily life. Your physical well-being, general disposition and mind will thank you. Always remember it has to start from you and nobody else can do this for you!

• Get Rid of Processed Food in Your Diet - This can be difficult, especially when fresh food can be hard to find. Start small and try eliminating soda and corn oils from your food. Another easy approach is to start replacing refined breads and grains made with white flour to those with whole grains.
• Stick With Your Favorites - In order to be successful with a new diet and way of life, you will have to stick to some of your favorites and tweak them to become a healthier staple. For instance, if you love meat, start buying meat that is grass-fed and switch to pasteurized eggs. If you love fruits and veggies, focus on buying as much organic as possible.
• Change The Way You Shop - The grocery stores are designed in a very specific way - all of the fresh, whole foods are stored along the perimeter of the store, where the more heavily processed and unhealthy options are kept in the middle in the aisles. If you stick to the perimeter and buy most of your groceries from those areas, you will automatically be on your way to a healthier diet.
• 80-20 Is The Way to Go - Eating plans can easily become too nit-picky and hard to stick to, causing us to fail quickly. Clean eating can turn into something like this too, so make it a sustainable way of life by eating clean 80% of the time and allowing yourself to eat processed foods 20% of the time in social situations or when you don't have access to healthier options.
• Enjoy Cooking at Home - Eating out is a death trap for gaining weight and unhealthy eating. Restaurants are serving larger than life portions loaded with excess fat and oils. It's important to always know what's going into your food and be able to control your portion sizes. If you start cooking at home, you can learn new recipes, enjoy time with your family and discover a new pleasure for food.
• Read The Labels - The next time you head to the store, take some extra time to read labels every time you pick something up. You will notice that fruits and veggies don't have any labels whatsoever while more processed foods have a list of a million ingredients we can't even understand. Instead of eliminating processed foods altogether, focus on avoiding hydrogenated oils, artificial flavors, preservatives, lots of sodium and extra refined sugar.
• Change Takes Time - Changing over to a completely clean and healthy lifestyle does seem tempting, but it can be harder for some more than others. We become very used to the taste of high fat, high sugar foods and our taste buds will have a hard time acclimating to the new diet. To start off, try mixing brown rice with white rice or white pasta with whole wheat pasta. It can take quite a bit of time to adjust, so give yourself some slack and ease into it.

The most important thing to remember when attempting to switch over to a healthier, cleaner diet is to really start focusing on what you are consuming. Right now, most people don't give their food any thought; they simply eat and eat without considering the consequences. Challenge yourself to start being more thoughtful when you shop, cook and eat. This will give you a whole new perspective on what your body needs and how to live a healthier life.

Fast & Healthy Breakfast to Start Your Day

Egg Whites on Whole Grain Toast


3-5 Egg Whites

• Season with Black Pepper

Whole Grain Toast

• Make sure to check the sugar and sodium levels
• Make sure the first ingredient say "Whole Grain"
• I love the 9 Grain bread from Sunflower Market, WholeFoods has some great options as well or you can't go wrong with Ezekiel bread

How to cook:  Spray pan with some EVOO spray..  Add in your egg whites..  Cook for a few minutes..  Toast your bread and place the eggs on top..  Delish and fast, what more could you want...  Boyfriend and dog approved!

Ground Turkey and Veggies

I thought I would start off this blog with not only something on the healthy side but also a recipe that is SOO easy to make!  Plus, this is what I had for dinner tonight.. So hey, why not share it!  It was delish and boyfriend approved!  Also, adding some fresh salsa would bring some extra flavor too it..  But make sure it is fresh and low in sodium to keep it on the healthy side..  Good luck!!  Let me know what you think!!


Cooking Meter:  1
Health-o Meter: 10


Extra Lean Turkey Meat

• Season meat with Minced Garlic, Garlic Powder and Black Pepper

Veggies

• Fresh Green Beans
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Grape Tomatoes
• Feta Cheese
• Avocado

How to cook:  Ground Turkey Meat for 7 min and add in veggies.  Cook for 10-15 minutes..  Add in cheese and let melt..  Once cooking is complete, put in a bowl and layer with Avocado