Farro Haricot Salad

My friends mom made this dish for a summer get together. The best thing about farro dishes is that you can add in different ingredients depending on what you had. This recipe came from an old Food and Wine magazine, which called for Haricot (a thin green bean). For us college kids, or anyone else on a tight budget green beans are just fine too!! I have been slacking on updating the blog because I have been so busy this summer. Hopefully, I will get back on track so that way you guys have new recipes to try out! Enjoy!

xo Jackie

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Farro
• 8 0z of Haricot (thin green beans, can replace with just green beans if needed)
• 3  shallots
• 1 cup of all purpose flour
• 3 cremini mushrooms
• salt to taste
• dash of pepper

Dressing: 

• 2 tbs sherry vinegar
• 1 tbs balsamic
• 1 minced shallot
• 1 minced garlic clove
• 1/4 cup of olive oil

Directions:

Dust shallot rings with flour salt and pepper and begin to fry with olive oil in frying pan. Boil 2 cups of water and let the farro cook in the boiling water. Meanwhile, in a saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the green beans until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes; drain. Rinse the beans under cold water and pat dry. Once the farro is done (give about 10 minutes), mix the grain with 3/4 fried shallots, haricot, and mushrooms. Next, add the dressing and toss. Top with fried shallots. Optional: chopped hazelnuts.

Calories: 203

Protein: 4.8g

Sodium: 5.2mg

Fat: 9.3g

Carbohydrates: 30g

WW+pts: +6 pts

Turkey Taco Salad

I was getting really sick of turkey chili or just a plain chicken breast, so I decided to think a bit outside the box this week. I made this on Monday and had it for the whole week! It kept me feeling full for longer because of the meat and added veggies in this salad. I am not used to having salads with meat on them anymore (you could say I am a wannabe vegetarian!). Be on the look out for the next post, it may be a Turkey Taco Wrap! Yum!

xo Jackie

Prep Time: Depends on defrosting method Cook Time: 10 minutes Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients: 

• 8 cups of romaine lettuce
• 1 lb of turkey meat (lean 98% fat-free)
• 1 taco seasoning packet
• 1/2 an avocado chopped
• 1/4 cup of chopped onion
• 1 medium-sized tomato chopped
• 1/2 cup of part skim mozzarella cheese, cheddar or monetary jack

Directions:

Let the meat defrost for about 30 minutes prior to cooking or defrost in the microwave. Next place the meat into a skillet and place the burner on medium. Move the meat around to allow all the parts of the meat to cook. Once the meat is thoroughly cooked (a light brown color) add the packet of taco seasoning. Stir the meat around so that the seasoning is mixed in good. Next turn the burner off and let the meat sit in the skillet as you prepare the salad. On a plate, place the lettuce, chopped onion, chopped tomato and chopped avocado. Next, remove the meat from the skillet and add-on top of the lettuce bed. Mix the meat and condiments around and add the cheese on top. Since the meat is still warm, the cheese should melt on top.

Calories: 250

Protein: 35.5g

Sodium: 465mg

Fat: 7g

Carbohydrate: 11.5g

WW+pts: +6 pts

Sweet Apple Kale Salad

This is a great cleansing/detox salad. This salad is so easy to make and requires little to no ingredients! Look out spring break!

xo Jackie

Prep Time: 2 minutes Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 small apple
• 1 tbs of raisins
• 1 bunch of kale (4 cups)
• 4 tbs of olive oil
• 1 tbs of pine nuts
• 1 tbs of Agave nectar
• 1/2 tbs of sliced almonds

Directions:

Chop up the kale and add all of the ingredients together.

Calories: 146

Protein: 1.9g

Sodium: 19.8mg

Fat: 11g

Carbohydrate: 13g

WW+pts: +4 pts

Edamame Salad

Our school opened this asian al a carte and the only thing I love is the EDAMAME SALAD! I decided to recreate my own! It is super easy and very cheap! The fiber content for this dish is 8g! You cannot beat that! I have been having this salad on its own, but you can also put it over a bed of lettuce or even in a wrap!

xo Jackie

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 0 Yield: 5 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 can of edamame (or lima beans), drained
• 1 can of black beans, drained
• 1/2 can of garbanzo beans
• 1/4 of a yellow onion chopped
• 2 tbs of olive oil
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• dash of pepper
• 1/2 tsp of cumin
• 1/4 tsp of chopped cilantro
• 1/2 tsp of cayenne
• Optional: chopped peppers

Directions:

Drain the edamame (or lima beans), black beans and garbanzo beans. Once those are drained, add them to the bowl and chop up the other ingredients. Mix all of the ingredients together and your all set!

Calories: 223

Protein: 10.9g

Sodium: 307mg

Fat: 6.7g

Carbohydrates: 33g

WW+pts: +6 pts

Peachy Chicken Salad

I found this recipe on Taste of Home and it was perfect because peaches were on sale at Kroger! I decided to use canned chicken because it was so much easier for me to make. If you are in a rush, definitely use canned chicken..but if canned chicken grosses you out, make your own chicken and shred it yourself! Up to you! This is great to make ahead of time for the rest of the week!

xo Jackie

Prep Time: 5 minutes Yields: 2 servings

Ingredients:

• a large can of canned chicken (drained)
• 1 peach (sliced and chopped)
• 2 tbs of chopped walnuts
• 3 tbs of low fat mayonnaise (or light)
• 1/4 tsp of cumin
• 2 tbs of raisins

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine the ingredients. Make sure you drain the chicken prior to mixing the rest of the ingredients together.

Calories: 182

Protein: 8g

Sodium: 331mg

Fat: 11g

Carbohydrates: 11.2g

WW+pts: +4 pts

Tomato Spinach Orzo Soup

I found this fabulous soup on Pinterest! Its so easy and great for the fall! Its great for those cold days coming up! This is a good recipe for beginners in the kitchen! Its also vegan (if you use vegetable broth). If you want to add some more protein, add some chicken!

xo Jackie

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Yields: 3 servings

Ingredients:

• 1/4th of an onion, chopped
• 1 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 cups of spinach, fresh or frozen, defrosted
• 1 – 15 oz can diced Italian tomatoes
• 1 tsp of oregano
• 1 lb package orzo pasta (this makes a thick soup) you might want to use half the amount of pasta
• 1 container of chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 cup of  water
• olive oil

Directions: 

Place the chicken or vegetable stock in a pot and put on medium high. Drizzle with olive oil. Add onions and saute until tender. Add garlic and saute for 2 – 3 minutes. Add canned tomatoes and spinach. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium.  Add orzo cook for 12 – 15 minutes, or until orzo is tender.

Calories: 252

Protein: 9.3g

Sodium: 485mg

Fat: 1.1g

Carbohydrates: 48g

WW+pts: +6 pts

Lentil Salad with a Poached Egg

As you can tell, I am back at school and I am short on ingredients! This is a great salad for lunch or dinner. It actually did fill me up. It was so easy, why would not you make it?!

xo Jackie

Prep Time: 15 minutes Yields: 1 serving

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup of fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup of cooked lentils
• 1 poached egg (how to poach an egg)
• 2 slices of tomato (chopped)
• 1 tbs of yellow onion (chopped)
• 1 tbs of chopped avocado
• 1 tsp of olive oil
• 2 cups of water
• a dash of salt

Directions:

Bring the water to a boil and add the lentils. Optional: add a dash of salt to bring the water to a boil faster. Once the lentils have cooked for 15 minutes, drain the lentils and then chop the vegetables (except the spinach). Add a tsp of olive oil to the lentils and veggies. The spinach will be cooked by the hot lentils, so they will cook down. Lastly, cook the poached egg and lay the egg on top.

Calories: 186

Protein: 11.5g

Sodium: 82mg

Fat: 10g

Carbohydrates: 13.5g

WW+pts: +5 pts

Simple Coleslaw

This is another recipe I made with the Healthy Home Plate Program! I already had a coleslaw recipe on the blog, but this one sticks to the basics. This recipe is great with summer grilling, big crowds, and or just on a hot summer day. Kids love it, as well as adults! You cannot go wrong with coleslaw.

xo Jackie 

Prep Time: 10 minutes Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 tbs Dijon mustard
• 1 1/3 tbs mayonnaise
• 1 1/3 tbs vinegar (red wine, white wine, or cider)
• 1 1/3 tbs of canola oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/3 head green cabbage, very thinly sliced
• 1/3 head red cabbage, very thinly sliced
• 2 carrots, cut into thin strips
• 2/3 tsp fennel seeds

Directions:

Mix the mustard, mayonnaise and vinegar in a bowl. Slowly whisk in the oil. Season with salt and pepper. Combine the cabbages, carrots, fennel seeds and dressing in a large bowl. Toss so that everything is evenly coated and season with more salt and pepper.

Calories: 70

Protein: .9g

Sodium: 111mg

Fat: 5.5g

Carbohydrates: 4.6g

WW+pts: +2 pts

Strawberry Basil Quinoa Salad

My sister has a big garden full of herbs! We wanted to find something that used basil. This was so easy and great for a side or even a lunch option. This is gluten free, kid friendly, and you can make it under 30 minutes. What else could you ask for? I found this recipe on Ambitious Kitchen. Check our her other great recipes!

xo Jackie

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup organic quinoa, rinsed
• 1 1/4 cups quartered strawberries
• 3-4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (about 5-6 leaves)
• 1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds (I buy mine from Trader Joe’s)
• 4 ounces crumbled goat cheese
• For lemon dressing:
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon honey or sugar
• 1 large basil leaf, chopped
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• fresh ground pepper, to taste

Direction:

To cook quinoa: Rinse quinoa with cold water in mesh strainer. In a medium saucepan, bring 1 ½ cups of water to a boil. Add in quinoa and bring mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 15 minutes or until quinoa has absorbed all of the water. Remove from heat and fluff quinoa with fork; place in large bowl and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes. You should have a little over 2 cups of quinoa.
To make dressing: place olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, sugar/honey, basil, and salt in blender or food processor. Blend/process for 10-15 seconds; fold into quinoa.
Gently fold in strawberries and basil and any other add-ins you’d like such as chickpeas or chicken. Add salt or extra basil to taste. Place salad in refrigerator for few hours to let flavors marinate together. Once ready to serve, garnish salad with goat cheese, sunflower seeds and extra basil.

Calories: 228

Protein: 9.4g

Fat: 13.7g

Carbohydrates: 17.3g

WW+pts: +6 pts

Summer Kale Salad

I am going to be honest, I cannot take complete credit for this recipe. This is Whole Foods recipe that my sister made when she worked at Whole Foods. She said this was the most popular prepared food she would have to make! I thought it would be great for the blog, since it is SO EASY. This would be great to make the night before or in between classes. I said it yields 8 servings, but it may be a little bit less. Depends on how much you are going to eat. My family has about 6 servings when we make this (since we have more then 1 cup of the salad). This recipe has become a staple in our families summer dinners. Let me know what you think!

xo Jackie

Prep Time: 10 minutes Chill Time: min of 20 minutes Yields: 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of kale
• 1/4 cup of chopped apples (can also be dried apples)
• 1/4 cup of cranberries
• 1 small shallot (chopped)
• 1/2 orange, with a little bit of zest
• 3 tbs of olive oil
• 1 1/2 tbs of champagne vinegar
• a drizzle of honey
• 1/2 cup of chopped almonds

Directions:

Soak the shallots in orange juice, olive oil an champagne vinegar. Let it sit for 10minutes. Next add the rest of the ingredients and let sit. The longer it sits, the better.

Calories: 136

Protein: 3.2g

Sodium: 23mg

Fat: 8.5g

Carbohydrates: 14.7g

WW+pts: +4 pts