Favorite Recipes

Breakfast

Breakfast Smoothie
Prep time: 5 minutes
½ cup of soy milk
¼ cup of kefir
1 TBL ground flax seed
1 TBL wheat germ
1 cup blue berries
2 TBL of your favorite protein mix (I use Shaklee's Soy Protein)
Blend all ingredients into a smoothie. Add ice for a frothy texture

Lunch
Here are some light lunch recipes that pack a powerful energy punch that will carry you through the afternoon, and soften the blow on your wallet.

Cucumber Couscous
Servings: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat couscous
1 TBL olive oil
1 cup water
One cucumber, diced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 lemon (zest and juice)
½ cup of pine nuts

Pour water and olive oil in sauce pan, bring to a boil. Remove from heat, add couscous. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes.
Place pine nuts on baking sheet and roast in oven; 350 for about 7-10 minutes until lightly browned.
After couscous is set, lightly fluff with a fork. Add cucumbers, tomatoes, lemon zest, lemon juice and pine nuts. Stir and serve.

Tabbouleh
Servings: Makes 4-6
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

1 cup of bulgur wheat
¼ cup of lime juice
¼ cup of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp salt (optional)
1 cup diced tomatoes
3 cups fresh parsley, chopped
3 TBL fresh mint, chopped
3 green onions, chopped

Cook bulgur according to directions on the box. Once cooked, pour in medium size bowl. Mix in salt, lime juice, olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, parsley, onions and mint. Chill, then serve.

Tabbouleh offers a refreshing taste, highlighted by parsley and lime juice. It can be served as a side dish or light meal by itself. Parsley is a great natural breath freshner and a good source of antioxidant vitamins A and C, plus calcium, iron and others. Lime juice is also very cooling for the body, and helps digestion.

Wheat can be heavy on the digestive system, leaving you sluggish at times. A great substitute for the bulgur in this recipe is quinoa (pronounced keen-wa). Both are relatively inexpensive and available at Trader Joe's. Quinoa also offers higher levels of iron, potassium and b vitamins. It also cooks quicker than the bulgur, so you'll have to adjust the cooking time.

Chicken Waldorf Salad
Prep time: 30 minutes

1 lb skinless, chicken breasts or boneless thighs
½ cup nonfat plain yogurt
¼ cup low-fat mayonnaise
1 cup chopped apple
1 cup green grapes, sliced
½ cup chopped celery
2 TBL chopped scallions

In sauce pan, add chicken breasts/thighs with enough water to cover. Remove chicken from water, then bring water to a boil. Return chicken to pan, and simmer gently for 5-7 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand, covered for 10 minutes. Check the chicken to make sure it's cooked through. If not, simmer an addition 2-4 minutes.

Let chicken cool, then dice.

In large bowl, whisk the yogurt, mayo, apple, grapes, celery and scallions. Then toss chicken. Season with salt and pepper. 

Pack chicken salad in container, or mound between two slices of whole wheat bread. Chill in the office refrigerator.

Asparagus & Hummus Pita
Prep and cook time: 20 minutes

3-4 asparagus stalks
3 TBL hummus
whole wheat pita

Sprinkle 2 TBL olive oil in saute pan. Add asparagus and saute 8-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool.

Spread hummus inside pita, and slip in a few stalks of asparagus. Pack and chill in the office refrigerator.

Hummus
Prep time: 15 minutes

¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon of tahini (ground sesame seeds)
1 19-ounce can of chick peas (garbanzo beans)
Juice of one lemon
2 ½ tablespoons of olive oil
2 ½ tablespoons of warm water
3 cloves of garlic
½ teaspoon of salt

Pour everything into a food processor, blend thoroughly. Add more olive oil or water to adjust texture.

Barley and Parsley Salad
Prep and cook time: 1 hour, 5 minutes

1 cup of organic pearled barley
½ cup chopped parsley
½ teaspoon of salt

Bring 1 ¾ cups of water, ½ teaspoon of salt and 1 cup of barley to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and cook until tender. About 1 hour. Cool. Add chopped parsley and refrigerate. One cup of pearled barley has 5 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber.

Snacks

Spice Up The Seeds
Prep time: 25 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Pour raw pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and soy nuts in a zipper bag, sprinkle with your favorite seasonings (chili powder, smoked papirika, salt and pepper or curry). Pour seeds on baking sheet, bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden browned. Bag small serving sizes in air tight containers for quick snacking. Pumpkin seeds are a great plant-based source of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. Feel free to substitute any of these seeds with your favorite nuts. 

Basil Lime Apple-Cucumber Salad
Prep time: 5 minutes
Peel and chop one cucumber and one granny smith apple.  Sprinkle with lime juice and freshly chopped basil. Tastes like a healthy mojito!