Protein and Nutrient Packed Berry Smoothie

I have been overwhelmingly busy lately! Between starting a new business and finishing school, my schedule has been hectic and I’ve needed the past week to recuperate. After eating poorly for a few weeks, I was starting to feel sluggish, so I decided to clean up my diet and I started with this smoothie! It takes 5 minutes to make and tastes delicious.

This smoothie is great as a meal replacement. It is packed with nutrients and protein, and makes for a great breakfast or lunch on a hot day! It would also be a great post-workout snack! Though it’s high in carbs and sugar, all of the carbs and sugar come from natural ingredients– fruit!

Berry Smoothie

Servings:1

Amount per serving: 361 calories–86g carbs-0g fat- 19g protein–60g sugar

Ingredients:

• 6 oz Chobani Vanilla Greek Yogurt
• 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
• 1/2 cup frozen raspberries
• 1 small banana
• 1/2 cup fruit juice– I used Dole Peach Mango juice
• 1/2 cup spinach

Directions

• put everything into a blender
• Blend.
• Drink.

Super simple and so yummy!

Smokey Apricot Glazed Salmon

I have an obsession with fruit on top of salmon. Something about the flavors of the sweet and salmon is just a match made in palate-heaven. Growing up, my dad used to use a plum sauce to put on grilled salmon and it’s one of my favorite foods to date.

I decided to put fruit and salmon together using my own little concoction and it was delicious! I used Trader Joes African Smoked Seasoning and it was the perfect addition to this dish! If you don’t have that, smoked paprika and some pepper will work

Smokey Apricot Glazed Salmon

Servings: 2

Amount per serving: 372 calories- 26g carbs- 12g fat- 41 g protein- 24g sugar (from fruit)

Ingredients:

• 2 salmon fillets – 6oz each
• 1/4 cup natural apricot preserves
• 1-2 tsp of smoked seasoning

Directions

1. put salmon fillets on a grill.
2. In a small pot on the oven, add the preserves and smoked seasoning. Stir until warm and smooth
3. When the salmon is done, top with the apricot glaze.
4. Serve with greens and enjoy!

 

Carrie’s Review Corner: Back to Nature- Cranberry Pecan Granola

I have another review for you guys!

This review is for Back to Nature granola in the Cranberry Pecan version. My “go-to” breakfast is Chobani Greek Yogurt (usually Raspberry, but I like Pomegranate as well) with some frozen blueberries and granola. A lot of times I use Chex cereal because good granola can get really expensive. I’m not a big fan of more popular granola brands, simply because I feel like the flavor isn’t that great.

Because I’m such a flavor weirdo with my granola, I was nervous about trying this because the bag wasn’t too big. I looked in it and saw that there were real, dried cranberries in it (which I love!) so I decided to give it a shot.

I was SO impressed! This was perfectly sweet, deliciously crunchy, it didn’t lose its crunch in the yogurt (which a lot of them do), and it is healthy! 

The photo doesn’t show it very well, but nearly all of the ingredients are clean. I found that I used half of the recommended serving in my yogurt as well.

Price-wise, this is a pretty decently priced product considering it’s the best granola I’ve had. It was $2.99 (for a 12-oz bag) at Publix and has lasted me about 6 yogurts so far– I still have about a third of a bag left!

The one flaw is that I couldn’t really taste the pecan. I’m not complaining since I’m not a huge nut fan, but if you are expecting a big pecan flavor, you may be disappointed.

Other than that…

I would definitely recommend this granola!

Carrie’s Score: PASS!!

Skinny Southwestern Eggrolls with Avocado Garnish

This post has been a long long long time coming. A friend of mine asked me for this recipe back in October, and I’m just now putting it on the blog (awful, I know!). Regardless, it’s up now! These southwest egg rolls are like the restaurant appetizer, just better for you! The Southwestern Eggrolls from a restaurant are 810 calories per serving (3 pieces). These are 160 calories per serving (2 pieces)! You can thank me later

Servings: 5 (2 pieces per serving)

Amount per serving:

• Without Avocado: 160 calories- 20g carbs- 4g fat- 13g protein
• With Avocado: 205 calories– 23g carbs- 8g fat- 13g protein

Ingredients:

Southwestern Eggrolls

• 1 chicken breast- cooked and shredded
• 2 tablespoons red bell pepper- minced
• 2 tablespoons onion- minced
• 1/3 cup corn- kernels only (I used a can of corn and drained them)
• 1/4 cup cooked black beans- drained and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons spinach leafs- minced
• 2 tablespoons jalapeño slices- minced (i used pickled jalapeños)
• 1/2 tablespoon minced parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup shredded 2% cheese (I used monterey-jack but I think cheddar would taste really good as well)
• 5 small flour tortillas
• 1 egg- beaten
• cooking spray

Avocado Dipping Sauce– this is really more of a garnish to put on top because it doesn’t really “dip” well.

• 1 avocado- mashed
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Cook and chop/shred your chicken
3. Heat up a skillet with some cooking spray in it and sautee the onions and bell peppers over medium heat.
4. Once they get tender, add the chicken, corn, beans, and spices to the veggies in the pan and cook for a few minutes.
5. In the microwave, warm up your tortillas so they are flexible.
6. Move the veggie mixture to a bowl and re-spray your pan.
7. Beat the egg in a separate bowl.
8. Place some of the veggie mixture in the center of a tortilla, top with a little bit of cheese, then tightly roll up the tortilla– fold up the ends, then roll the tortilla but before you fully close it, brush some of the egg onto the side that will be folded down to create a sticky edge for the tortilla to stick. It will look like a burrito.
9. Place the “burrito” seam side down into the pan to sear the edge shut then move it to a baking sheet, again, seam-side down.
10. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas.
11. Put the rolled up eggrolls into the oven for 10 minutes.
12. While they are cooking, mash up your avocado.
13. Add lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste and stir.
14. When the eggrolls are done cooking, cut them in half.
15. Place the avocado on top if you desire.
16. Eat up!!

This looks kind of daunting since it’s 14 steps, but it really goes by quickly and it’s not difficult at all!

My husband wasn’t expecting these to be as good as they were, especially since these are usually fried, but he loved them!

Ginger Fruit Salad

I have a new love for ginger dressing. I don’t know what started it, but I LOVE it! This is a salad that I’ve been making a few times a week, substituting different fruits sometimes. If you like fruit on your lettuce, or if you’re looking for a new spin on salad, this one is definitely worth trying!

Ginger Fruit Salad

Servings: 1

Amount per serving: 160 calories- 19g carbs- 7g fat- 4g protein

Ingredients:

• 3 cups spinach
• 3 strawberries- cut up
• 2 prunes- cut up
• 2 tablespoons ginger dressing (I used Makoto)

Directions:

1. put it all in a bowl!
2. Eat it!

I’ve put raspberries on this and it was amazing! I also added some chopped almonds for some crunch!

What is your favorite salad?