Whole Wheat Toast with Avocado Olive Oil Salt & Pepper

Whole Wheat Toast with Avocado Olive Oil and Salt & Pepper

This recipe is so simple, it’s almost embarrassing to call it a recipe…but it’s so good that I had to share! I have this almost every morning for breakfast, and it also makes a perfect quick snack. The nutty flavor from the whole wheat toast with the creamy avocado is literally the best combination ever! The drizzle of olive oil and crack of salt and pepper makes this deliciously simple and wonderfully tasty!

Ingredients:
1 piece of whole wheat bread (toasted)
1/2 avocado, cut into slices
1 tsp. of olive oil
pinch of salt & pepper

Whole Wheat Toast with Avocado Olive Oil and Salt & Pepper

Directions:
Cut an avocado in half & remove the seed (you can save the other half by squeezing lemon or lime on it and keeping it in a container in the fridge). Cut the avocado into lengthwise slices and run a spoon between the “meat” and the skin to get the slices out. Toast a piece of whole wheat bread and lay the slices of avocado on top when it is finished. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Spinach & Ricotta Stuffed Shells

These shells are an awesome dinner to make ahead of time for a busy week! They’re filling, healthy and full of flavor. They’re also super fun and easy to make. You can even freeze half of them and bake them off whenever you’re ready! Feel free to get creative with your fillings, you could even do sausage or ground turkey or keep them vegetarian friendly.

Ingredients:
1 package of large shells
1 16 oz. container of ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 yellow onion
2 cups of fresh baby spinach (could use frozen but make sure to defrost and squeeze out excess liquid)
1 1/2 cups homemade or store bought tomato sauce
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Boil a large pot of water, add salt and olive oil and stir. Add in the large shells and cook for 9 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool. Saute the chopped onion in a pan for 2 minutes on medium heat. Add in the spinach and stir, cooking until the spinach is wilted. Set aside to cool. In a bowl mix together the ricotta cheese, egg, grated Parmesan and salt and pepper. Add in the cooled spinach and onion and combine. Ladle enough tomato sauce to fill the bottom of the baking dish. Fill a plastic Ziploc bag with the ricotta mixture and cut a piece off of the end. Carefully pipe the mixture into the shells. Cover with more tomato sauce and grated cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.

Egg Spinach & Cheese Whole Wheat Toast Cups

I saw these for the first time on pinterest.com (a site I am unhealthily addicted to) and had to try them! The ones I saw were made with white bread, no spinach and had the addition of bacon…which I probably would have added if I had any, but bacon in my house seems to have a short stay! These require just a few ingredients, but the nutty flavor from the whole wheat toast against the runny egg and gooey cheese is absolutely delicious. I made these for myself on a day off from work and enjoyed it on my porch sipping a cup of coffee, perfect start to my morning!

{Makes 2}

Ingredients:
4 pieces of whole wheat/multi-grain bread (4 circles cut from each)
2 eggs
1/4 cup of fresh spinach leaves
2 tbsp. grated cheddar cheese
1 tsp. melted butter or olive oil
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees – Bake for 15-17 min. depending on how runny you like your eggs

Directions:
Cut out 4 circles from your bread (I didn’t have a cookie cutter so I used the other side of a glass). Place 2 of them slightly overlapping in each muffin tin and press down in the center and along the edges. Lightly brush with melted butter (or olive oil) and cover with 1 tbsp. of the grated cheddar cheese in each. Crack each egg one at a time (I cracked each one over a glass to make sure no shell got in and then opened them over each cup to make sure the yolk didn’t break). Sprinkle with salt & pepper and then cover with the ribbons of spinach! Bake for 15-17 min. at 350 degrees (you can check the yolk consistency by gently pushing it with a spoon to see how much it jiggles). When it comes out of the oven carefully take a knife along the edges of the muffin tin – making sure to not cut into the bread – and the cup should come right out! Enjoy : )

*Tip: Save the leftover bread, let it get stale and put it in a food processor or blender with grated cheese & herbs for fresh breadcrumbs!

Lemon Chicken Soup with Spinach & Feta

Lemon Chicken Soup with Spinach & Feta

Finally it’s soup weather! I could eat soup for breakfast, lunch and dinner! It’s warm, filling and a perfect cheap and healthy meal. The lemon in this soup really brightens it up! It is light and has a nice zing while still feeling homey and comforting. The feta tops it off perfectly adding a little salty bite!

Ingredients:
6 14.5 oz. cans chicken broth
1 boneless skinless chicken breast
3 garlic cloves chopped
1 yellow/white onion chopped
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. black pepper
juice from 2 lemons (seeds removed)
2 large carrots cut into small pieces
2 cups fresh spinach
1 tbsp. crumbled feta cheese

I decided to try showing things step by step, let me know if this is helpful!

Lemon Chicken Soup with Spinach & Feta

Directions:
In a shallow pot add 2 cans of broth and the boneless skinless chicken breast. Season with a little pepper and a pinch of oregano. Simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and shred the chicken apart with two forks and set aside. Add 2 tbsp. of olive oil to a large pot over medium high heat and add in the onions. Saute for 3 minutes or until translucent and add in the garlic, oregano and the pepper. Add in the broth and scrape any browned bits off of the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Add the carrots into the soup and let simmer for 15 minutes. Add in the chicken and broth that it cooked in. Simmer for another 5 minutes and add in the lemon juice & spinach, stir and you’re ready to eat! Serve topped with feta and a pinch of black pepper!

Asian Lettuce Cups with Basil

Asian Lettuce Cups with Basil

These lettuce cups are the most refreshing meal on a hot day, and lately we’ve been getting a lot of those! The lettuce is a perfect substitute for heavy carbohydrates such as rice or pasta, and creates a really fun edible bowl! The ground meat soaks up the salty flavors from the soy sauce and the pungent garlic and ginger, with the perfect added crunch from the peanuts. The basil makes it really special, creating a fresh pop that keeps you going back for more!

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey or ground chicken *could make vegetarian by substituting tofu
1 head of butter lettuce – rinsed and leaves separated
3 green onions sliced [or 1/4 white onion finely chopped]
1/2 red bell pepper finely chopped
3 cloves chopped garlic
1 tsp. chopped ginger
1 tbsp. chopped basil
1/4 cup chopped peanuts (optional garnish)

Sauce:
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp. chili sauce (such as sriracha)
1 tbsp. fish sauce (optional)

Directions:
Combine all of the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl and let marinate while you prepare the rest of the meal. Chop the onion, garlic, red pepper, and ginger and saute with 2 tbsp. olive oil over medium high heat for about 1 minute. Then add in the ground meat, breaking up with a spatula into small pieces as it cooks. Cook until the meat is completely cooked through (no pink). Add in the sauce and combine thoroughly. Turn off the heat and stir in the basil. Fill the lettuce cups with a spoonful or two of the meat mixture and sprinkle with chopped peanuts!

Stuffed Zucchini Flowers

Zucchini Flowers Stuffed with Feta, Tomato & Basil

This is the last week of my local farmer’s market and believe me I am taking full advantage! A trick about the farmer’s market…because we know it isn’t cheap, is to go right before closing. People don’t want to go home with all of their produce so they will usually give you great deals on fresh fruits and vegetables. This week I scored a bunch of zucchini flowers and beets for only two dollars! These have to be eaten within the day so I decided to make a tasty snack for myself. The flowers take on the tangy flavor from the feta and the sweetness from the basil and tomatoes. That little sprinkle of black pepper at the end makes these look so beautiful and taste so fresh and delicious!

Ingredients:
8-10 zucchini flowers (stamen removed)
1/4 cup of feta
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tomato cut into small pieces
1/2 tbsp. basil leaves cut into ribbons
a few pinches of black pepper

Directions:
Mix the feta, lemon juice, tomato, basil and a pinch of black pepper together in a bowl. Transfer to a small plastic bag and cut a small hole in the tip. Carefully open the tops of the zucchini flower and gently remove the inside (stamen). Then squeeze enough filling to fill each flower and close the tops by lightly wrapping them up. Fill a shallow pan with 1/4 cup of olive oil and heat over medium high [you want the oil to bubble around the flower when you place it in there. Cook the flowers in small batches so that you don’t overcrowd the pan. Turn them once (gently) and then remove them when they are slightly browned on each side (30 seconds-1 min per side). Place on a paper towel to drain off any excess oil. Sprinkle with cracked black pepper and enjoy!

Spicy Tortilla Soup with Homemade Tortilla Crisps

Tortilla Soup with Homemade Crisps & Sliced Avocado

This soup is spicy, fresh and full of flavor! It has heat from the chili peppers, body from the tomatoes and a zingy freshness from the limes. I add chicken for extra protein and to make the soup more filling, but if you wanted to make it vegetarian you could omit the chicken and use vegetable broth! Tortilla soup is very healthy while still feeling so sinful. It’s just broth with vegetables and chicken! What can be so bad about that? This soup is perfect for this time of year because we are still clinging to summer, but starting to move into those fall months. I start school today so I made a big batch for some easy comforting meals after a long day!

Ingredients:
4 cans of broth
2 cans of chopped tomato
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 limes – 1 for garnish
2 jalapenos chopped
1 Fresno chili chopped (optional for extra spice)
1 tbsp. chili powder
½ red/white onion chopped
4 cloves of garlic chopped

Tortilla Crisps:
1 tortilla sliced into strips
1/4 cup olive oil or canola oil
Heat the oil over low-medium heat making sure it doesn’t start to “spit” or splatter. Once it comes up to heat [you can test by dropping a small piece of tortilla in and it should bubble around it], drop the tortilla strips in small batches – making sure not to overcrowd. When lightly browned put onto a paper towel to absorb excess oil and sprinkle with salt.
*Could use store bought tortilla chips to save time

Directions:
Chop the onion and garlic and saute in 2 tbsp. olive oil in a large pot. When they are translucent add in half of the chili powder (1/2 tbsp.) and the chopped jalapenos and Fresno chillies [optional for more heat]. After 1 minute add in the canned tomatoes and 3 cans of broth. Add in the juice from 2 limes. To cook the chicken put the chicken breasts in a baking dish and pour an 18 oz. can of broth over the top. Put the rest of the chili powder (1/2 tbsp.) in and cook at 375 degrees. When the chicken are cooked through (20-30 min and white all the way through) pour the cooking liquid in the pot and shred the chicken with two forks in the baking dish and set aside. Ladle the chunky tomato and onion into a blender and puree. Add back into the soup along with the shredded chicken and simmer for 15 minutes over low heat.

Garnish with sliced avocado, tortilla crisps and slices of lime for a fiesta in a bowl!