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Healthy Mexican Shrimp Salad

grilled mexican salad

On Monday, my first day of healthy eating after a long stint of indulgent eating, which led to tight clothes and hating pictures,  I developed a mad craving for Mexican. As in I caught myself dreaming of guacamole, margaritas and chips at the early hour of 11 AM. Oops. Dreaming of high salt, calorie laden, yet delicious food is not the best way to start a week of healthy eating. Similar to what I did ten years ago when I initially lost 50 pounds, I am focused on eating healthy food Monday through Friday at lunch. Then Friday night through Sunday I can enjoy in moderation. This type of healthy eating has always helped me maintain or lose weight while also being moderate versus restrictive – a technique I try to avoid based on my history of disordered eating. Instead of pushing the cravings aside and ignoring them or restricting myself, I decided to do something better. Create a healthy alternative that would answer my craving and allow me a bit of Mexican flavor until I can sip a margarita this weekend.

Meet my new favorite salad – Grilled Mexican Shrimp Salad. This healthy Mexican salad packs the punch with flavorful tomatillos, tender charred shrimp and a tangy dressing. Thanks to the grill, it barely makes a mess in your kitchen and is quick and easy!

grilled mxican salad

 

Grilled Mexican Shrimp Salad

Makes two salads

Ingredients

  • Lettuce
  • 12-14 large shrimp – peeled and deveined
  • Thinly sliced white onion
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
  • 1/2 avocado, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons Queso Fresco cheese crumbled
  • 4 Campari tomatoes (or your favorite type of tomatoes), quartered
  • 2 tomatillos, quartered
  • Half jalapeno seeded, fire-roasted and thinly sliced
  • One ear of corn, fire roasted and cut off the cob
  • 2 teaspoons Chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
  • 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil for brushing shrimp
  • 3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil for dressing
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • Juice of 1/2 orange
  • 1 tablespoon baking soda
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  • Pre-heat grill to high heat
  • Dry shrimp and place them in a bowl
  • Season shrimp with salt and sprinkle with baking soda, let stand for 15 minutes
  • While waiting for the grill to pre-heat and baking soda to set into the shrimp, toss lettuce with tomatoes, tomatillos, white onion, cilantro, avocado and cheese
  • Pat dry shrimp and stick on skewers, tight together
  • Season with salt, pepper, chili powder and garlic powder
  • Brush shrimp with extra virgin olive oil
  • Cook shrimp and corn on high direct heat for 3-5 minutes per side, just until they pass the translucent stage
  • Quickly char jalapeno for 30 seconds to one minute
  • Remove all items from heat
  • Cut corn off the cob and sprinkle on top of salad
  • Top salad with charred, sliced jalapeno, to taste
  • In a separate bowl, whisk lime juice, orange juice, and 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • Dress salads with dressing then top each with 6-7  grilled shrimp
  • Enjoy!

 

 

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ashleyd /

Healthy, Asian Tuna Salad

Working from home, I need to keep lunch interesting. I have the entire kitchen and refrigerator at my disposal, but still find myself making the same salad or sandwich on a daily basis. Getting in a rut is easy. But to keep my taste buds satisfied, which is part of my goal with intuitive eating, I’ve made it my goal to try something new each week.

This delicious and healthy recipe makes the perfect lunch. It takes just a few minutes, and I bet you have most of the ingredients in your refrigerator or pantry already. This recipe is nutritious, affordable, delicious, easy and an excellent source of protein which is always key. Thanks to ClassPass, I’m working out more than ever which means I’m always hungry. Ensuring that I have a source of lean protein, like tuna, at every meal not only helps keep the hunger monster at bay but also repair muscles.

Asian Tuna Salad Ingredients
The base of this lunch is an ingredient we always keep handy in our pantry – Bumble Bee Solid White Albacore in Water. Guys, if you’ve never tried this type of canned tuna you HAVE to add it to your shopping cart during your next shopping trip. It is unlike any tuna you may have grown up eating or avoiding. Trust me, as soon as you open the can you will be able to see the quality of this firm, chunky tuna. With a firm texture, light color and fresh taste – Bumble Bee® Solid White Albacore is the perfect ingredient to deliciously enhance almost any recipe, adding a variety of nutrients – including lean protein, healthy fat and important vitamins and minerals.

Healthy Asian Tuna Salad

 

Healthy Asian Tuna Salad

Serves: 2

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

 

  • 1 can of Bumble Bee Solid White Albacore Tuna, drained
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
  • 1 teaspoon Sriracha
  • 1/8 cup Grape Seed Oil or other neutral oil
  • 3 scallions (greens only)
  • 1/4 cup shredded carrots or Trader Joe’s Asian Slow mix
  • 1 tablespoon minced cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon cashews or slivered almonds
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Your favorite salad base (kale, mixed greens, romaine)

Instructions

  1. Place the drained tuna in a large mixing bowl, gently breaking the chunks up with a fork.
  2. Add the soy sauce, lime juice, sesame seeds, Sriracha and grape seed oil and toss well to combine flavors and ingredients.
  3. Place greens in two bowls, one for you and the other for a friend!
  4. Top greens with shredded carrots and scallions
  5. Place half tuna salad mixture on top of each bowl of greens and carrots
  6. Top with cilantro, nuts, salt and pepper
  7. Enjoy!

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Want to learn more about the quality and ingredients that go into each can of Bumble Bee tuna? Visit their “Only Bumble Bee Albacore Will Do” site.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

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Meatless Monday – Vegetarian Carbonara Recipe

This seems to be a week of firsts on the blog. Last night I shared my first StitchFix experience and today I’m sharing our first Meatless Monday recipe. A popular hashtag on both Twitter and Instagram each Monday, it inspires many people to eat less meat by experimenting with one day of meatless cooking or meals each week.  Over the years this movement has become quite popular as more and more research shows that reducing meat consumption can have many positive health benefits.

As I searched my blog, trying to see whether I’d previously shared a Meatless Monday recipe, I was surprised to not find a single Meatless Monday post. Maybe that’s because until recently, both Bo and I were of the mindset that a meal needed to have meat in order to be filling. Luckily, we’ve come a long way and now enjoy a meatless dinner every other week or so. Sometimes it is more simple, like spaghetti squash and marinara while other times it becomes a fun challenge which results in a delicious, often healthy recipe.

Tonight’s Meatless Monday recipe is the former. After a week of staring at the spaghetti squash just sitting on the counter, we knew we needed to put it to good use. An especially cold night inspired us to create a healthier version of one of our favorite comfort foods – carbonara. We ate our weight in carbonara when we were in Italy, our favorite of which was the fresh carbonara tossed table side in Rome during our meal at Felice A Testaccio. In fact, just thinking about it has my mouth watering. Can I please return to Italy immediately for wine, gelato and pasta? Until we can make our return, this recipe is going to be a regular in our rotation. It is healthy, at under 500 calories per serving, and it is full of rich flavor.

carbonara

We are very aware of the inherent contradiction in the term “vegetarian carbonara”.  After all, what is spaghetti carbonara without those deliciously salty hits of pancetta.  However, it is that luxurious egg yolk that coats the pasta that provides richness and makes the dish so luxurious.  For this vegetarian, carb-free version, we used spaghetti squash instead of pasta and a generous amount of sage for a rich, deep, flavor.
Worried this healthy, vegetarian dish won’t be enough to satisfy your appetite?  We paired it with a simple arugula salad to make a complete dinner for two.
Vegetarian Spaghetti Squash Carbonara with Sage pic JPG
Vegetarian Spaghetti Squash Carbonara with Sage
Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage
2 garlic cloves – grated on a microplaner
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (If you are a strict vegetarian, make sure you buy a vegetarian approved Parmesan such as Trader Joes!)
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
Extra virgin olive oil
2 egg yolks
1/2 Tbsp. heavy cream
Salt and fresh ground pepper
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375, and roast the squash for about an hour; cut in half, scoop out the seeds and use a fork to scrap the meat into a bowl – set aside
2) Beat the egg yolks and cream and add a pinch of salt; set aside
3) Heat butter and 1 Tbsp. of EVOO in a skillet over medium heat; add garlic and soften for 3 minutes
4) Add squash, sage, and Parmesan and toss to mix
5) Season with salt and a generous amount of pepper
6) Take the skillet off the burner and allow squash to cool for a minute
7) Fold in the egg / cream and mix lightly for about 30 seconds; adjust seasoning and serve immediately.
If you’re curious in the nutritional information, see below for the breakdown.
Vegetarian Spaghetti Squash Carbonara with Sage
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