BALT - Bacon Avocado Lettuce & Tomato Sandwich

Every Once in a While  you just need a little Bacon.  A few weeks ago I was talking to my sister who was making BLTs for dinner - I was momentarily baffled, and had to search my mind to remember what a BLT was. When was the last time I ate a BLT? Since I couldn't remember the last time I indulged in a BLT, I decided it was time for a little BLT action.
The Deets for a BLT (serves 2)
4 slices whole wheat bread
6 slices Bacon
1/2 Tomato
1 Avocado
Romaine Lettuce 
The How To
Toast Bread

Cook Bacon to desired texture (I like mine more on the crispy side)

Slice Tomato & Avocado

Assemble 

Add a side & Dinner's ready!

Plate, Pray & Enjoy!

Whole Foods Foodie Fantasy Contest

I did something brave today. 

I made my first ever video and submitted it to Whole Foods for their Foodie Fantasy Contest. 

Here is my video submission

How Awesome would it be to win this trip? Ah-May-Zing!

I am so excited about this contest, I mean really, really excited...

Hopefully my submission isn't too dorky & I win; 

but if not, hey, at least I learned how to use iMovie! 

Head on over to FB & check out the Contest Page on Facebook , while you're there be sure to leave me lots of loving comments.

Wish Me Luck!

Ahi Tuna Tacos with Slaw

I Love Fish Tacos! During the Summer I will make them every week or two, with Ahi Tuna or MahiMahi. The Fish Taco is easy, healthy & oh so tasty!
The Slaw on the other hand, is a totally new concept.  As I've mentioned, I joined a food coop a few months back, which means I get mystery produce every 2 weeks. Most of it is stuff I use on a regular basis, but sometimes I am challenged with foods I don't normally eat. This week it was Cabbage. Purple Cabbage. What does one do with Purple Cabbage? Well I added it to fried rice {it turned everything purplish blue - but tasted good} and since I still had over half a head left I decided to make a slaw.
Here's my first attempt at purple slaw.

The Deets on the Slaw
2 Cups Shredded Purple Cabbage
1/2 Bell Pepper thinly sliced
3 Sweet Peppers (1 red, 1 orange & 1 yellow)
1/2 Cup Shredded Carrot
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Lemon Pepper
1 TBS Rice Vinegar
1 tsp Sesame Oil
1/2 tsp Sriracha Sauce
1/2 tsp Sugar
1/4 Cup Plain Yogurt (nonfat)
1 TBS Lime Juice

The How To on the Slaw
Whisk Vinegar, Sesame Oil and Yogurt
Add Sriracha, Salt, Lemon Pepper & Sugar
Add to shredded Vegetables
Add Lime Juice and Mix well
Let sit for an hour before serving for flavors to mix

Taco Taco Deets
1 Ahi Tuna Fillet
1 tsp Taco Seasoning
1 tsp Lemon Pepper
1 TBS Lime juice
1/2 TBS Olive Oil
1 Avocado diced
1 Tomato diced
2 handfuls Romaine lettuce or Spinach
4 Corn Tortillas

The How To
Heat Olive Oil in Pan over Medium High
Sprinkle Tuna with Taco Seasoning and Lemon Pepper
Sear Tuna on each side for 4 minutes, remove from heat and sprinkle with lime juice

Use fork to "pull apart" Tuna

Heat Tortillas & assemble your tacos as desired

Serve with Black Beans {I also added baked sweet potatoes today}

Plate, Pray & Enjoy!

Mean Green Smoothie just in time for St. Patrick's Day!

Sometimes I have visions of grandeur when it comes to healthy eating. Usually my healthy ideas taste fantastic, but sometimes it's a miss...I won't say epic failure, but only because I can usually turn an epic failure into a "not too bad" or even a "pretty good".  Let me share the smoothie that almost became an epic failure.
The Mean Green Smoothie
4 Leaves of Kale {Next time I'll only use 2}
1 cup Yogurt (Stonyfield organic - usually I use plain but I was out)
1 Banana
1 Orange
1 Kiwi
1/4 Cup Milk

This is how I started the Mean Green Smoothie - Not so good. 
So, I added the following:
1/2 Cup Black Berries
1/2 Cup Strawberries
1 Orange
1 Kiwi
Makes 4 Smoothies

Much Better!  It still tastes a little too healthy, but it's well worth it.  Think of all those vitamins & fiber!

Enjoy your Mean Green Smoothie. 
It's a great start to help you Attack your Day!

Cuppies & Joe...Boom Boom Wow!

Last weekend I went to a party at Cuppies & Joe
Let me just say, the  Boom Boom Pow is Wow oh Wow!

This is the Boom Boom Pow Cupcake

Vanilla Bean Cupcake, Chocolate Buttercream, Caramel & Sea Salt

It was Delicious! Chocolaty, Salty, Gooey Goodness!

It was pretty obvious that Cuppies & Joe is an OKC hotspot.  There was a line out the door the entire time I was there. Yes, an out the door line for almost 2 hours! If your in the area stop by Cuppies & Joe and try the Boom Boom Pow or one of the other delicious concoctions.  

Meatless Monday: Vegetable Fried Rice

Monday, Monday you're here again. Time to start the week off right with a meatless monday meal. Today's meatless meal is vegetable fried rice. This is a great way to start the week, because you can do all the prep the night before & once you get home from work all you have to do is throw it together. Even those of us who love to cook have days (usually Mondays) where we just don't want to cook.  That's why I've made a habit of prepping my Monday meals while making Sunday dinner. Last night while making a delicious Sunday dinner, I prepped my veggies & rice.  Because I took the time to prep last night while I had time, tonight's dinner only took about 15 minutes (including phone time).  
Here's How I like my Vegetable Stir Fry - Lots & Lots of Veggies - whatever veggies I've got on hand (which is usually a lot) & as close to a 50/50 ratio of veggies to rice as I can get.
The Deets
1/2 Cup Mushrooms chopped
2 Cups finely chopped Carrots
1 Yellow Squash 
1 Large Broccoli Floret 
1/2 Bell Pepper 
5 Sweet Peppers (red, yellow, orange) 
1 Jalapeno
1 1/2 Cup Brown Rice cooked according to directions
3 Eggs
Sesame Seeds
1 tsp Sesame Oil
1 TBS Olive Oil 
2 TBS Soy Sauce
1 TBS Tempura Sauce

The How To
Chop all vegetables to desired size (for stir fry I like mine chopped very fine)
Add oil to pan and heat to medium high
Begin with mushrooms and squash, once seared nicely add peppers, next add remaining vegetables, add 1 TBS Soy sauce and cook on medium high for 5 minutes.

  (this version from a few weeks ago has Purple Cabbage)

In separate pan scramble eggs

Add cooked rice and eggs to vegetables, add soy sauce and tempura sauce. Mix well and continue over medium high for another 5 minutes.  Add Sesame seeds.

Plate, Pray & Enjoy!

Seared Halibut with Truffled Mushroom Risotto and Wilted Kale

The Risotto

1 TBS Olive Oil

1/2 Shallot

1/2 Cup finely chopped Mushrooms

1 Cups Risotto 

2 Cups Chicken Broth

1/2 TBS Truffle Oil

1/4 Cup Fresh Parmesan Cheese  

The How To

In Sauce Pan heat Oil, add Shallot & Mushrooms until Caramelized 

Add Risotto 

Add 1 Cups Chicken Broth

Cover & Simmer over medium low

Once liquid is mostly absorbed add remaining 1 Cups Chicken Broth

Finish with Truffle Oil & Parmesan

Wilted Kale & Watercress with Mushrooms & Squash

3 Leaves of Kale

1/2 Bunch of Watercress

1/2 Cup rough Chopped Mushrooms

1/2 Cup rough Chopped Squash

1 TBS Olive Oil

The How To

In Saute Pan heat oil over medium high

Add Mushrooms and Squash until well Seared

Add Kale and Watercress until wilted

Halibut 

2 Halibut Steaks

1 TBS Olive Oil

Seasoning Salt, Salt & Pepper to Taste

How To

Heat Olive Oil in Pan over High

Season Halibut Steaks with Salt & Pepper

Sear Halibut on each side for 4 minutes

Remove from Heat and cover for 5 minutes to finish cooking

Plate, Pray & Enjoy!

The List: Top 30 Foods for Your Health

Have you seen "The List"?
It seems every few years a new list is created of the healthiest foods, usually the top 15 or so remain the same, but occasionally there are new additions.  Here is the latest list of Healthy Foods, with my commentary on each food of course.
Almonds   Yum! Top salads, add to yogurt or eat by the handful - Be sure to buy them "RAW"
Avocados  One of my favorite foods! Sometimes I will sprinkle with lemon or lime & a little sea salt & scoop it right out of the shell.  Also great on salads, sandwiches and in tacos.
Barley  It's on my list for the market tonight - I can't even remember the last time I made it. You can't go wrong with a whole grain & Barley is nutty & very versatile.
Black Beans I have finally learned to like beans! I love black beans with rice as a side to Enchiladas & Tacos
Blueberries Ok. I have a confession to make...I eat blueberries almost every day. Love them!
Broccoli Honestly not my fav. It's a little rough on my tender tummy - but I do like it in fried rice & stir-fry
Bulgur just another kind of wheat.  Little 'heartier" tasting.
Chard Good Stuff, I usually buy Rainbow Chard, because it's fun - usually I saute it with a touch of olive oil & a pinch of salt - quick & easy side dish
Chicken Breasts The oh-so versatile chicken. I usually butterfly & cut in half to keep portion size under control
Edamame Confession time...I am obsessed with Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Covered Edamame...bad thing - no trader joe's within 300 miles - good thing a BFF who loves me & sends them to me!
Eggs I love a good hard boiled (hold the yok), an omelet, scramble or egg salad.  I don't like yoke but I do use every other one when cooking because the yoke contains some good stuff.
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil kitchen staple.
Kale not just for plate decorating! I actually love kale. Sauteed with mushrooms & a little shallot - perfect. (Side note - the decorating comment is from a friend who didn't know you ate kale - she thought it was just for presentation)
Kidney Beans not something I enjoy on their own, but you can use them instead of chick peas to make hummus
Kiwi Hello Vitamin C! Cut in half & eat with a spoon...yumm yumm
Lentils Still working on this one...I will try harder to like them
Mushrooms This was a surprise to me. I love mushrooms anyway I can get them; in stirfry, fried rice, risotto...
Nonfat Greek Yogurt although I do prefer regular yogurt, Greek is ok - its just a bit too thick some days
Oatmeal I love oatmeal.  I also love making oatflour to add to baked goods.
Oranges Who would have thought an average fruit would make the A team? Love them - especially when I juice them
Peanut and Nut Butters I do NOT like peanuts...so I buy Almond butter.
Pumpkin I've made some not so good pumpkin sides...but pumpkin desserts I can rock!
Quinoa My favorite Grain.  I would say we eat Quinoa once a week. Tastes Great, Versatile & Delish!
Sardines Not a Chance!!! I will not eat them in a can I will not eat them Sam-I-Am!
Skim Milk Everyday, at least once a day.
Spinach My favorite Salad Green. We've always got spinach on hand.
Sweet Potatoes One of my new found favorites, I've been making some pretty good stuff with these sweet babies lately.
Walnuts Does it count if they're sugar coated? An ok nut, but not my fav, unless they are glazed - then I love them, especially in salad.
Whole-Grain Pasta The only kind allowed in our house.
Wild Salmon Only Wild. I don't buy farmed fish - it grosses me out.  I love Salmon, especially smoked.

I'd say I'm doing pretty good, really there are only 4 things on the list I don't eat on at least a monthly basis.  And only one I refuse to eat, sorry I will not eat sardines, I don't care what bountiful benefits they promise. How does your score stack up?  Happy Healthy Eating!