Quick & Easy Healthy Recipe- Veggie Seafood Stir Fry

Okay, this just in. A spur of the moment meal, completely made-up, on-the-spot yumminess!

TJ’s Seafood Stir Fry

(The TJ in the title refers to Trader Joe’s. Everything in the recipe (save spices) came from my local T Joe’s. Love it! Lots of healthy choices at great prices!)

TJ’s Stir Fry Vegetables – 1 bag is 20oz. in produce section - napa cabbage, bok choy, snow peas, celery, carrots, broccoli)

TJ’s Seafood Blend – 1 bag 16 oz. – frozen aisle – blend of shrimp, calamari rings, scallops

Heat pan, medium high. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil. 1 tablespoon Toasted Seseame Oil (also a TJ’s find). Add sliced yellow onion (1/2 medium onion). Add 3 garlic cloves, minced. Stir for 3 minutes. Then add Seafood Blend bag. (I used half of bag this time, but you can use whole bag if need more than 2 servings.) Add 2 tablespoons soy sauce to pan. Sprinkle twice with ground ginger and crushed red pepper flakes. Also, take your black pepper grinder around the pan. After 3 minutes or so, add the Stif Fry Vegetables bag (again you can use half or whole depending on how big your pan is.)  Salt and pepper to your liking. Let cook for few more minutes until shrimps are all pink.  Won’t take long at all for seafood to cook. In the meantime, take out frozen Trader Joe’s Organic Brown Rice and zap 1 package in the mircrowave for 3 minutes. Once shrimps are pink, you are done.

Put 3/4 cup of brown rice on plate. Scoop stir fry onto rice, making sure to get some of the sauce onto the rice.  Very tasty and filling and oh-so-full-of-healthy stuff!!! Let me know if you like it. : )

Healthy Eating Recipe: Slammin’ Salmon (Get your Omega-3s!)

MBP’S SLAMMIN’ SALMON

Fresh salmon fillets (2-4 servings depending on size)

½ cup Soy sauce (I use Tamari Soy which has a richer flavor, but regular soy is fine)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/8 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon of pepper

1/8 teaspoon dried ginger

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 teaspoons honey

Dash or two of crushed red pepper flakes

Mix all of the marinade ingredients together and then place the salmon fillets, skin side up, in the marinade. Refrigerate for 20-25 minutes. Heat oven to broil – 500 degrees. Put salmon in oven-safe baking dish or broiling pan. Broil for 10-15 minutes, depending on thickness of fillets. Salmon is done when tops are slightly blackened. To check for doneness, stick a fork in thickest part of fish and pull out. If the fork is clean, then it’s done.   Serve with a fresh green salad or my favorite: wilted fresh spinach (saute spinach in olive oil and minced garlic for couple minutes).  This is yummerific and oh so healthy for your heart and brain!!!! The olive oil is another hearty-healthy fat and the garlic is a great detoxifer. Helps to push out toxins that build up and bog down the liver. Eat up!

Quick & Easy Recipe (Healthy too!) 2: Roasted Cauliflower

Star vegetable of the day is cauliflower. Go cruciferous veggies!

Roasted Cauliflower:

Take a head of cauliflower and chop it into small pieces.  Spread out the cauliflower pieces on a baking sheet covered in foil. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pour some olive oil in a bowl and use basting brush to baste the cauli pieces. Then season with salt & pepper. Bake for 15 minutes. Stir pieces half way through so all sides get a litte browned. 

Easiest and yummiest way to make cauliflower.  Now, why is Ms. Cauliflower the star veggie today? Because she is full of wonderful, nutritious deliciousness.  Eating cruciferous veggies is linked with lower rates of cancer.  Cruciferous veggies eliminate carcinogens in our body.  Pretty cool, huh! Cauliflower is high in fiber and water. And it has sulforaphane, which helps the body repair itself from diabetes damage.

Quick & Easy Recipe (Healthy too!)

Tex-Mex Bean Salad:

1/2 cup fat free salsa (spice level is to the discretion of your tastebuds)

3 tbsp reduced fat sour cream (I never get full fat sour cream and don’t miss it)

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

3 cups canned black beans, drained & rinsed (get low sodium kind)

1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

3/4 cup canned yellow corn or fresh kernals

3/4 cup diced avocado

1/2 cup sliced scallions (green onions)

6 cups shredded romaine lettuce or shredded green cabbage (Trader Joe’s has pre-made bag of shred cab!)

2 oz. pepper jack cheese, cubed or shredded (lower fat/calories than cheddar)

In a large bowl, stir together salsa, sour cream, vinegar until blended.  Add beans, tomatoes, corn, and scallions. Toss to mix. You can also add cilantro if you like it. Also, red or green bell pepper. Place lettuce on plates and add 1/2 cups of bean mixture to salad.  Sprinkle chopped avocado and cheese on top. Makes enough for 4.

You get awesome healthy fat from avocado (helps your brain work well) and keeps you satisfied longer.  The romaine lettuce is full of great vitamins.  Tomatoes are full of lycopene. Beans are a great, lean protein and full of fiber. Scallions help to move toxins out of the body. It’s a win-win meal. Plus, super fast & easy! Enjoy!

Healthy Eating Tip #1 – Homemade Vinaigrette

I am not a fan of store-bought, prepared salad dressings. Why? Because they have certain ingredients that we just don’t need.  Even the dressings advertised as “low fat” are not really a great choice. The dressing might be low-fat, but it can still have more than enough calories.  I like to eat food products that have the least amount of ingredients. Salad dressings usually have a long list of ingredients, which means that additives and preservatives are included (like MSG). Another problem is that sugar is usually the third ingredient in almost all salad dressings.  Ingredients are listed according to the highest amount used to the least amount.  So, sugar as the third item is not a good thing.  Here’s the thing: you don’t need to buy prepared salad dressings! Making your own home-made dressing is easy and fun.  Plus, it saves money…..I cannot believe the cost of popular salad dressing brands. 

To prove how easy and delicious it is to make your own salad dressing, here is my own personal recipe that I use all the time. It’s been a huge hit with friends and family, plus it’s versatile.

VaVaVoom Vinaigrette

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1 tbsp dijon mustard

1 tbsp of finely chopped red onion

1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

2-3 garlic cloves, minced (use less or more depending on your love/non-love of garlic)

3/4 cup to 1 cup olive oil  (heart-healthy, MUFA!!!)

splash of  lemon juice

in a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients except olive oil. then, slowly add oil and whisk.

you can add fresh herbs, fresh lime or orange juice for a citrus flavor, honey for a sweet taste, or red pepper flakes for spice to change it up.

So, try it out! Throw out those store-bought dressings and get fresh!     ***Onions and garlic are great natural dextoxifiers.