Tag Archives: what i eat

Recipe: Colorful Luteal Salad

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As you might know from our second book club book, I’ve been very interested in the idea of cycle syncing lately. It’s really fun to play around with adapting different areas of life to the cyclical nature of women’s hormones. Especially when it comes to food! So I thought I’d pop on and show you an example of a meal I created for the Luteal Phase.

In the Luteal Phase, you want your foods to be rich in B vitamins, calcium, magnesium, and fiber. Combined, these can: 1) stave off sugar cravings, 2) mitigate fluid retention, and 3) help your liver and large intestine flush estrogen through the bowel. In addition, roasting or baking veggies increases their sugar concentration which gives you a healthier and natural source of sugars. This will help with the dip in estrogen in the second half of this phase.

With this in mind, I decided to throw together a salad that combined leafy greens, apples, chickpeas, and roasted butternut squash. Here’s how to make it!

What you’ll need:

Salad components —

1 small butternut squash, cubed (you’ll also need olive oil and S+P for roasting)

leafy greens

1 can of chickpeas

1 cup feta cheese

1 Granny Smith apple, diced

Sprinkle of fresh dill

Dressing components–

2 Tbsps olive oil

2 Tbsps balsamic vinegar

And how it all comes together:

– Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss your cubed butternut squash with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for about 30 minutes, tossing halfway through. Remove and let cool.

– Whisk together the dressing components with a bit of fresh dill.

-Toss salad components in the dressing and top with more fresh dill. Enjoy!

It might sound super simple, but I can’t recommend this combination of ingredients enough. This salad is my new favorite lunch!! : )

To learn more about how to cycle sync, check out THIS BOOK and all the book club posts —

Post 1 // Post 2 // Post 3 // Post 4

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January Grocery Haul

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As I mentioned in my How I’m Kickstarting 2018 post, I want to spend more time in the produce section than anywhere else in the grocery store. So, to hold myself accountable, I thought I’d share a recent grocery haul. (I also want to start experimenting with more daily life micro-blogging in 2018 and thought this might be a fun one for that!) Here’s what I got and why I consider these items staples…

Bananas – Versatile because you can pair them with so many things. I love to have one with almond butter for my breakfast but they’re also great on top of oats, quinoa, granola, yogurt, etc.
Nectarines – Hand fruit is always good to have … on hand …for a quick portable snack. Down here in South Florida even the trash apples (sorry red delicious!) are kinda pricey but I’ve found nectarines to be affordable year-round.
Avocados – Good healthy fats for your brain and skin.
Zucchinis – I’ve cut way back on grains since our Whole 30 experiment so I love spiralizing zucchinis to replace noodles in any dish.
Pesto – Great as a topping for those spiralized zucchinis (easy lunch!) and really yummy on potatoes, too.
Bell pepper – Add an extra color to your salads or chop into sticks for a raw vegetable side with lunch.
Red onion – Great salad element (they really take it to the next level!), especially when you throw in something sweet too – like raisins or chopped dates. All about that taste balance!
Lemon – For detoxifying lemon water.
Broccoli – Yummy to add to soups or steamed up as a side.
Green lentils – I like to add these in place of grains to bulk up soups and stews for a healthy, protein-packed winter meal.
Kale – For salads or steaming but never for smoothies because my blender just isn’t strong enough, lol.
Sweet potato – Packed with Vitamin A and Beta Carotene so it’s great for your eyeballs!
Gluten-free wraps – Throw some avocados and veggies in, wrap it up!
Kefir – High in probiotics so it’s good for the gut.
Almond milk – Add it to smoothies, use it in baking, pour it over granola.
Walnuts – For salads and snacking. They’re great for your brain because they pack that Omega 3 fatty acids punch!
Kombucha – Because I’m addicted.

What are your grocery staples lately? Any tips for spending more grocery-time in the produce department and away from the convenient lure of frozen, packaged foods? Let me know! 

Recipe: Greek Quinoa Salad

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Now that I live in South Florida, my taste buds always seem to be after Mediterranean and/or tropical flavors. Fresh and crunchy vegetables, tangy tastes of citrus or vinegar, that sort of thing. With that in mind, I thought I’d give ya a peek at my dinner plate from last night….

Thin pork-chop marinated in mojo sauce (cut into strips because I am a child),

Fluffy pita bread and hummus,

Creamy slices of avocado (which I topped with a ton of salt and pepper if we’re being honest),

And a heaping helping of Greek Quinoa Salad!

It super fit the bill and satisfied my cravings for a summertime-is-upon-us feast. Wanna know how to whip up your own Greek Quinoa Salad? Of course you do! It would be a perfect dish to make this weekend for work-week lunch prep or to pack along for a picnic pot-luck.

greek quinoa salad

What you’ll need:

– 1 cup quinoa

– 1 1/2 cups water

– 1 red bell pepper

– 1 green bell pepper

– 1 cucumber

– 1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled

– 1/4 cup olive oil

– 3 Tbsps apple cider vinegar

– salt and pepper to taste

And how it all comes together:

– Rinse quinoa and then place it in a saucepan on medium heat to toast for a few minutes and get rid of any excess moisture.

– Add water to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and cover the pot with the lid slightly off kilter (so as to allow some steam to escape). Let this simmer for 12-14 minutes.

– While quinoa is simmering, chop bell peppers and cucumber.

– Fluff quinoa with a fork, take it off heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

– Once quinoa is cooled, add it to a large bowl along with chopped vegetables and feta cheese. Note: To make this salad vegan you could replace the feta with olives as they both provide a salty flavor. Also, non-vegans who like olives (aka NOT ME) could have BOTH!

– To create the dressing: whisk together oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper. Then add this mixture to your salad.

– Serve room temperature or place in the refrigerator to chill.

– Enjoy!

greek dinner

Have any recipe ideas that might keep my cravings satisfied for the months of sky-rocketing temperatures ahead here in Miami? What have YOUR dinner plates been lookin’ like lately? Share below! 

No-recipe Recipes.

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No Recipe Meals Collage

Do you have an arsenal of easy-to-prepare dinners you look to on busy week nights when you’re exhausted and frankly too lazy to make anything that meaningful? I definitely have my own rotation. When you’re trying to stick to at-home eating, whether for dietary reasons or budget, it’s important to recognize the barriers which will keep you from staying the course. For me, these barriers are time and effort. To combat, here are a few quick, no-recipe dinners I make to stay away from take-out and scarf down a home-cooked meal when ain’t nobody got TIME for the kitchen…

*Baked Potatoes- As soon as you get home from work, cut the top of a washed potato with a knife in a cross pattern, pop it in the oven, and go about your business for the next hour or so. Top with any combination of the following: butter, sour cream, cheese, salt & pepper, salsa, beans, avocado, chunks of deli meat, banana peppers, or capers. Note: This works for russet or sweet potatoes, though I have found sweet potatoes don’t need as much time in the oven.

*Omelettes- The key is to cook your eggs very slowly! Fill with cheese and veggies. Serve on top of greens, if you like.

*Spaghetti Bolognese- Heat up olive oil in a pan. Add garlic and onions, then carrots and celery, then ground beef and finally canned tomatoes and herbs/spices. Let this thicken for about 30 minutes while you cook some pasta.

*3 Ingredient Chili- 1 lb cooked ground beef + undrained can of beans + can of tomatoes OR jar of salsa if that’s what you have on hand and you like things with a kick = CHILI yumminess. I like to add in pasta because that’s just the sort of chili eater I am.

*Salmon and Veg- Grill a salmon filet on the George Foreman and top with a dollop of cranberry sauce. Serve with whatever vegetables you have on hand. If you’re especially famished, add some brown rice.

*Pancakes- If you use pancake mix it’s as easy as adding an egg or two and some milk to create a batter. For flair; mix in blueberries, walnuts, chocolate chip, banana or anything else your heart desires. Speaking of hearts, why not make your pancakes in the shape of a <3!

*Mexican Bagels- Toast a bagel and top with creamed cheese and sliced cheese. Stick this under the broiler to melt, then top with salsa and avocado.

*Pizzas- Buy store bought crust and top with combination of pizza sauce, cheese, and any and all leftovers you find in the fridge. Even easier? Pita pizzas! Just do the same but on pitas. They’re adorable!

*Chicken and sweet potato fries- Bake a chicken breast and serve with store-bought, frozen sweet potato fries. My favorite are the Alexia crinkle-cut kind.

And of course, ANYTHING on toast can become a meal if you believe hard enough!

What quick dinner recipes/no-recipes do you know by heart? How did they make their way into your arsenal? Trial and error? Grow up with them? Home Ec class? Share your favorites in the comments below!