Frozen Watermelon Pops
Your kids (and you) will love these cool summer treats, with no added sugar!
It’s so easy, even Dean can do it! 🙂
Your kids (and you) will love these cool summer treats, with no added sugar!
It’s so easy, even Dean can do it! 🙂
As a light and refreshing dessert or a summertime snack for the kids, this easy to make, delicious and nutritious recipe is sure to please!
Looking for a cool salad to fill you up this summer? Here’s a delicious recipe from my partners over at Prograde Nutrition for you.
Roasted Red Pepper Chicken and Avocado Salad
1 medium ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 bag (10 oz.) torn romaine lettuce (about 10 cups)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 medium tomato, cut into wedges
1 small cucumber, sliced
¼ of a medium Vidalia or Walla Walla onion, chopped
½ cup Red Pepper
½ cup Light or Fat-free Italian Dressing
¼ cup Parmesan Cheese
Directions:
Toss avocados with lemon juice in large salad bowl.
Add lettuce, chicken, tomatoes, cucumbers and onions; mix lightly.
Add dressing; toss to coat.
Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
Serve immediately.
If you like this one they’ve got 196 more! Seriously, Prograde has a really cool 197 Healthy and Delicious Fat Burning Recipes ebook for just $4.95!
Check it out here: http://getfitnhbootcamp.getprograde.com/prograderecipebook.html
Make It Happen,
Nancy
PS – If you’ve been on the lookout for simple and nutritious meals then look no further than http://getfitnhbootcamp.getprograde.com/prograderecipebook.html
I am a big proponent of saving time when cooking. I’m just too busy to waste much of it, aren’t you?
To help with my meal preparation I often make many meals in one day and use them throughout the week or freeze them for another time. Here are five recipes I make using 5 pounds of ground beef/buffalo.
An added bonus – I only have to clean up one mess!
Meal one- Hamburgers
Meal two- Taco Salad
Meal three- Thai Ground Beef
Meal four- Spaghetti Sauce
Meal five- Meatballs on the Fly
Hamburgers
I’m not sure I need to explain how to do this….. but for those who might need to know. Divide the pound of ground beef into four rounds and shape them into patties. From there grill over medium heat until no longer pink in center. Serve each on a bed of lettuce with a slice of tomato and onion.
Tacos
Again sounds simple but here you go.
1 pound ground beef
½ cup of water
1 medium onion
2 Tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspo0n cumin
1 clove garlic, minced
Brown the beef along with the onion and the garlic. Drain off the fat and add the water and spices. Continue to cook until liquid is evaporated, about 20 minutes.
Serve with:
lettuce
tomato
chopped onion
olive slices
cheddar cheese
salsa
hot sauce
black beans
refried beans
Thai Ground Beef
1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
1/3 head of cabbage, shredded fine
1 small onion cut into ½ inch cubes
1 green pepper, cut into ½ inch cubes
2 Tablespoons of natural peanut butter
2 Tablespoons of chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
Place ground beef that has been browned into a pan with the cabbage, onion, and green pepper. Cook over medium heat until veggies are soft. Add the peanut butter, salt, pepper, and chili powder. Enjoy.
Spaghetti Sauce
1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1-2 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teasponn basil
½ teaspoon marjoram
¼ rosemary leaves
1 bay leaf
16-24 ounces tomato sauce
Brown ground beef, onion, and garlic. When the beef is no longer pink, drain excess fat. Stir in remaining ingredients. Simmer, stirring occasionally for 1 hour.
We serve this spaghetti sauce over Vegetable Fettucini or cooked spaghetti sauce.
Meatballs on the fly
1 pound meatballs
2 8oz can diced tomatoes
1 red pepper diced or sliced (how ever you prefer)
1 leek thinly chopped
1 bag of spinach
1 1/2 tsp basil
1 1/2 tsp oregano
4 minced garlic cloves or 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Simmer for 20 min in a large sauce pan and serve!
To make the meatballs-combine ground beef, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon sage, ½ teaspoon basil. Roll into balls and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
A few tips I’ve found help save even more time:
I brown all three pounds of meat together and then separate them. While they are browning I get the hamburgers and meatballs ready.
While things are cooking I get the veggies all ready. I start with the meal I am going to be eating right away and then work down the list. If I don’t get all the meals done when the hamburgers are ready I can pack all the veggies together to cook later or I finish preparing the meals after we eat.
Since hamburgers are best right away, I eat this meal first while the others can be reheated.
Get in the kitchen, get it done, get out of the kitchen – love it!
Make It Happen,
Nancy
We received great feedback from this recipe when we posted it, so this edition of “Cooking with the Carlson’s” shows you just how quick and easy it is!
Enjoy!
Grilled Salmon
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 c onion, chopped
1 tsp ginger, grated
1 tsp garlic, minced
2 Tbsp Soy sauce or Tamari
1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1 lb salmon fillets
Combine marinade ingredients. Add salmon and marinade at room temperature for 15 minutes. Drain marinade. Cook on uncovered grill for 7 minutes. Turn with spatula and brush with marinade and cook for an additional 6-8 minutes until the fish flakes easily. (the fish can be broiled in an oven as well) Serves 2
No Pasta? No Problem!
This great tasting dish uses your favorite vegetables to keep calories low while keeping all the flavor.
I love cooking with fresh ginger. It’s quick, easy, and very flavorful. The picture on the right might not look like a gingerbread house, or a ginger cookie, or a ginger drop, so I put it there so you can see what the ginger root looks like in its “natural” state.
The flavor of ginger is peppery and slightly sweet. It makes a killer marinate for chicken, pork, and beef, but my favorite is on Salmon.
This recipe is super-easy and fast to make, and it tastes fantastic!
Grilled Salmon
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 c onion, chopped
1 tsp ginger, grated
1 tsp garlic, minced
2 Tbsp Soy sauce or Tamari
1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1 lb salmon fillets
Combine marinade ingredients. Add salmon and marinade at room temperature for 15 minutes. Drain marinade. Cook on uncovered grill for 7 minutes. Turn with spatula and brush with marinade and cook for an additional 6-8 minutes until the fish flakes easily. (the fish can be broiled in an oven as well) Serves 2
At the grocery store you can find ginger in the produce section. It is a root and looks like a gnarly branch or somewhat like a deer antler.
Now if you don’t use ginger all the time here is a great tip for keeping it on hand and not letting it go to waste.
Store ginger root in the freezer (I use a zip-type bag).
Try this and you will be a convert, I guarantee. It takes all of the hassle out of working with fresh ginger.
Coach Nancy
That’s what the amazing Coach Nancy demonstrated during her live “Cooking With The Carlson’s” portion of our nutrition seminar tonight.
If you think food prep takes forever and you don’t have time to cook, think again. A little patience, perseverance and practice and you’ll be cranking out tasty and creative meals in no time!
We’ve shared all the recipes below, so if you couldn’t make it tonight, you can still make chicken dinner!
[imagebrowser id=12]Crock Pot Chicken
1 whole chicken
salt and pepper
Place chicken in crockpot, salt and pepper it. Cover and turn crock pot on low. Cook 6-8 hours. Enjoy.
Variations:
1. Place a lemon pierced with a knife in the cavity of the bird along with several sprigs of fresh parsley.
2. Vary the spices by sprinkling inside and outside the bird with Cajun spices or thyme, paprika, and sage
Kung Pao Chicken
1 pound raw chicken breast, cut into ½ inch cubes
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 inch of ginger, chopped
2 Tablespoon of rice wine vinegar
1 green pepper cut into 1- inch squares
1 onion cut into 1- inch squares
8-15 dried red chilies, snip off dried stem
8 ounces of sliced water chestnuts, drained
½ cup chicken broth
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
2 Tablespoon natural peanut butter
2 Tablespoon peanut oil
Marinate chicken in garlic, ginger and vinegar while preparing other ingredients, up to several hours in advance
In a large skillet or wok, heat 1 Tablespoon of peanut oil over medium heat. Add chicken and marinade to wok. Stir fry until chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken, add another Tablespoon of oil. Stir fry the onions, and peppers, water chestnuts, and chilies until the veggies start to brown. Add chicken broth, soy sauce, peanut sauce, mix thoroughly and serve.
Grilled Chicken
2 pounds of Chicken breast
½ cup rice wine vinegar (can use apple cider vinegar)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 sprigs of thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
Add all ingredients to a Ziploc bag. Marinate for several hours. Grill over medium high heat until done.
Chicken Tenders
1-1 ½ pounds of chicken breast cut into 1/3 inch strips
¾ cup almond meal
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon paprika
Mix all ingredients except the chicken in a ziploc bag. Add the chicken one at a time and shake to coat. Place on a cooking sheet coated with cooking spray.
Bake at 400 degrees for 7-15 minutes.
Coconut Chicken
1 pound of chicken breast
2/3 cup coconut
2 Tablespoon coconut oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
Lay chicken in baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray. Mix the remaining ingredients together and cover chicken with coconut mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes and broil for an additional 10 minutes.
Barbeque Chicken
2 pounds of chicken pieces
½ cup cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon prepared mustard
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon celery seed
¼ hot pepper sauce
1/8 teaspoon salt
Mix all ingredients together except chicken. This can be done in a Ziploc bag to save on dishes. Add the chicken and marinate for 1 hour. Grill chicken pieces over medium high heat for 20 minutes, turn and grill for another 15-25 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside.
Here’s two quick and easy stir fry recipes, one chicken, one beef, to add healthy vegetables and lean protein to your meal plan. Oh so good!
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