Quick and Easy Veggie Sammie and Gluten-free Brownies

Hi Everyone! Just a quick post today for a "recipe" I made for lunch over the weekend. This veggie sammie is super simple, so I wasn't going to blog about it originally, but so many people mentioned how it inspired them to eat something a little healthier this past weekend, so I thought I should post it on here!

I use the term "recipe" loosely because hello, this is sandwich, not rocket science, you can literally put whatever you want on it.

This is what I choose:

-homemade hummus
-organic tomatoes
-organic cucumbers
-organic spinach
-organic arugula 

I layered all those yummy (and consequently, vegan) goodies onto whole wheat bread. I may have eaten some goldfish crackers with it... nobody's perfect.

Here's the proof:

I also made some gluten-free brownies this weekend for some co-workers (and myself...). The recipe uses black beans instead of flour and can be found here. They are SO good and no, they taste nothing like black beans. Give them a try if you don't believe me (they are also very easy to make), and before you tell you boyfriend/husband/neighbor/bff/whoever what's in them, let them taste for themselves.



Here's how mine came out:

Chocolatey Goodness

Please leave a comment and thank you for stopping by! :)

Super Summer Salad Dressing

 I CANNOT wait for summer to be here. So many good things to look forward to - including more time to blog! :) 

I made this salad dressing last weekend and have been meaning to post about it. 

Here are the ingredients: 

1/3 C. rice vinegar

2/3 C. extra virgin olive oil

a pinch of pink Himalayan salt

a pinch freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. dry mustard powder

1 t. honey

1 tsp. chia seeds

1 tsp. sesame seeds

juice from 1/2 an orange

                                                      Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a glass jar and shake well. 

The day I made it, I poured it over this salad: 

 

The ingredients for the salad were these (but you can use whatever you'd like). I also added pan-seared shrimp on top, and more sesame and chia seeds (which are uber-good for you). The shrimp was seared in a little butter, salt, pepper, and a little chili powder. 

 

I also used this dressing on top of my veggie wrap today for lunch. The wrap had homemade hummus, organic cucumbers, organic tomatoes, and organic arugula in it. It was too big to wrap, so I ate it like a giant taco (I looked ridiculous but was still delicious). 

I ALSO made some fresh squeezed organic orange juice today! It only took me maybe 10 minutes (squeezed by hand - old school style) and it was a 10 minutes well spent! 

Please comment below! Thank you for stopping by! :)

Ginger Lemon Detox Water

Happy June! 

I cannot believe it's June already! Being a teacher, June is pretty happy month - the end is near my friends! It's an especially happy June for us this year since we will be moving to the Sunshine State at the end of this month! 

It's safe to say I'm feeling pretty upbeat this morning and when I'm feeling good, I tend to eat, drink and be healthier. (Gotta keep the good times rolling, right?) So I made some "detox" water this morning - a term I use loosely, because really if you think about it, all healthy foods detox your body in one way or another. In any case, this water is good for you. 

Here are the ingredients:

- cold water

-1 organic lemon

-1/2 tsp. ground ginger (or fresh if you have it!) 

Directions:

Squeeze the juice of a lemon into a jar or large glass. Then go ahead and throw the lemons in there. Put in the ginger. Fill the jar/glass with cold (filtered) water. Put the lid on and shake to incorporate. 

What's so great about this water? Well I like the way it tastes, but of course the water is hydrating (more so than let's say, having just coffee in the morning...), and I'm not a huge fan of drinking plain water. It just seems so boring. 

And what about the ginger? You can read all about how awesome ginger is here. 

And the lemon? Again, they taste good, but lemons are also really good for you, and you can read all about them here. 

You can also read about how good lemon water is for you here. 

Please leave a comment if you try this or are already a lemon water drinker!   :) 

Spinach Shrimp Quesadillas

 Some of the most delicious meals can be made from fridge leftovers.

Quesadillas are especially good for leftover concoctions. You can literally put anything in them. We had shrimp and spinach in the freezer, so I went in that direction. It was a good decision for a Friday night quickie dinner. 

Here is what I used, but like I said there are many variations:

-1/2 a white onion, chopped

-1/2 a jalapeno, chopped 

-shredded cheddar cheese

-flour tortillas

-shrimp, thawed and patted dry

~1/3 cup chopped (frozen) spinach

-a dash each of: cumin, chili powder, salt and cilantro 

Directions: 

In a small pan, saute the onion, jalapeno, spinach and spices in olive oil. Then add in the shrimp and cook for another minute. In another pan, (NOT oiled) place a tortilla. Turn it on medium-low. Put cheese on the tortilla, and then spoon some of the filling you cooked on top. 

Cover with another tortilla. Cook for about 5 minutes (or until slightly brown on bottom) and then carefully flip over with a spatula. Cook for another 5 minutes. 

Eat! 

Buffalo Chicken Wraps and Homemade Potato Salad

Happy Memorial Day! It is FINALLY beautiful here in New York and I am officially ready for it to be summer!

All this nice, warm weather puts me in such a good mood! 8-) It's one of the many reasons we're moving to Florida (in exactly one month tomorrow!) I can't wait to live in a place with amazing weather more than 3 months out of the year. That being said, I will miss summertime in NY - so far it's the only thing I can think of that I'll miss! (Except our friends and family, of course!)

In honor of this lovely 3-day weekend and my upbeat attitude, here are the recipes for our dinner tonight - Buffalo Chicken Wraps (made in the Crockpot), and Red Potato Salad.

The Chicken is EXTREMELY easy to make.

Ingredients:
- 2 chicken breasts (I used frozen organic)
- ~1/2 cup buffalo sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays)
- thin cut carrot sticks and celery sticks
-tortillas
-lettuce
-blue cheese crumbles

Directions:
Place the chicken and sauce in the Crockpot for about 4 hours on high (if frozen). Shred the chicken with 2 forks and mix around in the sauce.
Build your wrap. You can add whatever you'd like, but I recommend a few carrot and celery sticks, a leaf of lettuce, and some blue cheese crumbles.

For the potato salad, you will need:
- 6 red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into chunks
- ~ 1 tsp. mustard
- ~1 1/2 tsp. white vinegar
- ~ 1 tsp. red wine vinegar
-salt and pepper to taste
- ~ 1/2 tsp. dill
- ~ 1/2 tsp. garlic
- ~ 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt (or mayo if your prefer)
- ~1/4 tsp. paprika (I used smoked)

Directions:
I'd be lying if I said I actually measured any of these ingredients (I rarely measure when cooking, but ALWAYS when baking). That being said, I gave you some approximations, but it's salad not rocket science, so feel free to add or subtract as you see fit.
First, cook the potatoes in just enough water to cover them, on medium-high for 20 minutes. As soon as they are soft when poked with a fork, they're done. Let the potatoes cool, or use cold water to cool them off. Make the sauce while they cool.
Mix all the remaining ingredients together. Then mix with the potatoes. Cool in the refrigerator for about an hour.

Chicken Tikka Saag

Today, I took the day off work to go to a doctor appointment, which I thought would mean I'd have the other 7 hours of my day to lounge around.
I was way off. Somehow, having a day off to relax suddenly turns into 'chore day'. #bummer.
So, I did laundry, cleaned, went to visit some old co-workers, went to my check-up appointment, aaaaaanndddd made Indian food in the Crockpot for dinner! :)

So here it is! My first attempt at making Chicken Tikka Saag (in the Crockpot)!
From what I understand, 'saag' means spinach and 'tikka' just means little pieces, so basically this recipe is chicken with spinach and some 'Indian' spices.

Ingredients: (Serves 2)
-1 large chicken breast (I used frozen)
-2 cups frozen chopped spinach
-1 cup chicken stock (which I made using 1 tsp. Better Than Bouillon + 1 cup water)
-1 small onion, chopped
-1/2 tsp. chili powder
-1/2 tsp. coriander
-1/2 tsp. cumin
-1/2 tsp. crushed garlic
-1 tsp. garam masala (which is an Indian spice mix)
-a few turns of the black pepper grinder (to taste)

Directions:
Throw everything in the Crockpot, (liquids and chicken first), then cover and set to low for about 8 hours. Shred chicken. Serve with rice.

*Notes* 
This is a very healthy dish, however that to me, makes it taste slightly less authentic in a way. Next time I make this, I might try using some olive oil or coconut milk, to give it a little creamy nudge.

Also, I'm just now realizing that this a very frugal meal to make, which is awesome! I'm thinking about adding price approximations to the meals I make from now on! :)

I hope you try this recipe! Enjoy!

1,000 views!

It might seem like a small milestone to seasoned bloggers, but I am SO EXCITED to have reached over 1,000 view this morning!

I'm going to take this opportunity to also announce that we are moving from New York to Florida this summer! We (the bf and I) are very excited about this new chapter in our lives, and to finally be WARM for once! :)

If anyone has any tips about moving/packing or Florida in general I would love to hear them! (You can comment below).

Also, since I reached 1,000 views today, I thought I would try to survey my followers and see what they'd like me to blog more about. Do you want more dessert recipes? More healthy dinners? More DIY beauty products? Or maybe something else? I would really LOVE to hear your suggestions!
Maybe I'll even share some of my creations with those that post a comment....     ;-)

Anyway, THANK YOU so much for following my blog or even just reading it occasionally. Your comments are what make me want to keep blogging! Here's to another thousand views! 


(Enjoy my explanatory emotion GIFs --- which don't seem to be playing automatically, but if you click on them they should).