Mexican and Chinese ...

Hey there, peeps!  Once again, I am blown away by how many people are looking at this blog.  It is so exciting!  I am humbled by your support and interest.  Truly, I hope each of you are doing well today and feeling good. :)  I'm with you!

I started the day with another green smoothie.  I call it the "Everything But The Kitchen Sink Green Smoothie".

Everything But The Kitchen Sink Green Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1/2 a frozen banana
• 1/2 cup frozen pineapple
• 1 cup frozen mixed fruit (grapes, strawberries, peaches, and melon)
• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 cup mustard greens
• 1 cup arugula 

Preparation Instructions:

• Blend, serve, and enjoy!!!

It was a good one.  Without a ton of mustard greens like yesterday, it had the perfect amount of bite to counter the sweetness of the fruit.  All of my measurements are just approximates.  I don't sit there and measure everything out.  I just throw stuff in trying to make it about half frozen fruit and half greens.  It works great to peel your bananas and cut them in half before storing them in a freezer safe bag in the freezer.  You should also put your liquid and non-frozen ingredients in the bottom with the frozen stuff on top.  This helps it to blend much better.  Another tip I have figured out is to work the tamper (the stick that goes into the blender) pretty vigorously at first and then sit back and allow the smoothie to blend.  If you are using a VitaMix, it will eventually begin to blend and make the little vortex in the top.  I can't imagine I will ever get sick of these.

Lunch was THE. BEST. SALAD. EVER.  I was shocked by how delicious it was.  I wanted to drink the rest of the dressing right out of my tupperware, but my coworkers probably would have thought I was insane.  Don't worry, I managed to slurp it up when I got back to my office!  I adapted this recipe from Martha Stewart's Whole Living Website.  Leave it to Martha to make the salad of all salads.  Over-achiever.  Thank God for her though, I tell you.  I will be eating this salad regularly.  The flavors mingled perfectly, satisfying any craving for Mexican deliciousness that any of you might have.  Here it is.  Make it.  You will thank me (and Martha) later.

Spicy Black-Bean Salad

Ingredients:

• Juice of 2 limes (seriously, use fresh lime juice ... heavenly)
• 2 Tablespoons cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 Teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 Can organic black beans, drained 
• 1 Red bell pepper, stems and seeds removed, diced
• 1/2 Red onion, diced
• 1 Jalapeño, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1/4 Cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 Cups Organic mixed greens
• Coarse sea salt to taste
• Cracked black pepper to taste

Preparation Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, olive oil, and cumin.
2. In a large bowl. combine beans, red pepper, onion, jalapeño, cilantro, and mixed greens.
3. Drizzle with vinaigrette and add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Toss and serve.

I promise.  You will love this if you have a soul and love Mexican flavors.  Heavenly.  Just heavenly.

I came home from work feeling pretty hungry.  I made a snack of fresh raw radishes dipped in cashew cheese.  The cashew cheese is even better today.  I didn't think that was possible, but it totally was.  Perfection.

Tonight I made my own healthy version of one of my favorite Chinese restaurant meals ... chicken with broccoli.  Here is my recipe:

Chinese Chicken and Broccoli

Ingredients:

• 1 chicken breast (5-6 ounces)
• 2-3 cups broccoli florets 
• 1/2 onion, diced or cut unto strips
• 4-6 garlic cloves, minced or put through garlic press 
• 3-5 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup organic chicken broth
• 1/4 cup pickled ginger
• 1 Tablespoon cold-pressed, extra-virgin olive oil
• Ginger powder to taste
• Crushed red pepper to taste

Preparation Instructions:

1.  Heat olive oil in deep skillet over medium heat.

2.  Add garlic and onions and sauté until onions start to become soft.  Be careful not to let the garlic burn, as this will make it taste bitter.

3.  Add broccoli florets, soy sauce, chicken broth, pickled ginger, and ginger powder to skillet.  Stir and put the lid on.  Heat over medium heat.

4.  Cut chicken breast into cubes and add to skillet.  Add red pepper flakes to your liking.  Put lid back on and continue to cook for approximately 5-10 minutes (until chicken is cooked through and broccoli is tender to your liking).

5.  Serve.  You may need to add extra soy sauce once it is served.

This turned out to be a great quick and easy meal.  It was great to have similar flavors to what I would have ordered from a Chinese restaurant.  The best part is that my version is nutritious and delicious!

So, another day here and gone.  Two more recipes tried and loved.  All is well in the world and my belly.  :)   Take care of you, and I will see you all tomorrow!  Nighty night ...