Kim Juen's Spinach Smoothie

 1/2 c coconut milk - unsweetened from the carton 

1/2 medium banana 

1/2 c frozen blueberries

 3 walnut halves

 1 c fresh spinach 

Blend all ingredients. Kim used a magic bullet and it worked great.

 This makes one serving.

Cucumber Salad

Ever need a recipe to use up all those cucumbers and tomatoes from the garden? This is a good recipe for that. This makes a big bowl of salad with a lot of nutritious ingredients. This is great to make at the beginning of a busy week, packaged in small containers, and can be enjoyed throughout the week.  The dressing makes a great salad dressing.

Dressing:
1 cup fresh parsley, minced (about 1/4 cup)
juice of 2 lemons (about 1/4 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced ( about 1 teaspoon)
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and black pepper to taste

Salad:
2 medium cucumbers, peeled
2 medium green peppers, seeded
3 medium tomatoes
1/2 medium red onion
1 bunch radishes
1 can (6oz) large black pitted olives

In food processor, mince the parsley.Add the lemon juice, garlic, cumin, paprika, and oregano. Process until well blended. Add olive oil, salt and pepper, and process until well blended.

Dice all the vegetables, or use food processor to get about a 1/4 inch sized dice. Combine all vegetables and sliced black olives in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and combine until vegetables are coated.

Spiced Mayo

1 egg
2T lemon juice
1/4 cup plus 1 cup light tasting olive oil- not extra virgin oil!!
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
dash of paprika
dash of cajun seasoning

In blender or food processor, break the egg, and add lemon juice. Allow egg and lemon juice to come to room temperature- at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours.

When the egg and lemon juice are at room temperature, add the 1/4 cup olive oil, mustard, salt, paprika, and cajun seasoning. Blend on medium until the ingredients are combined. Add the remaining 1 cup of oil VERY slowly- over 2-3 minutes.

Blend or use the food processor until the mixture resembles traditional mayo. Store in a airtight container marked with the expiration date of the eggs used.

Sliders:

This recipe makes 16 little sliders- great for post-workout nutrition! This can be made ahead and stored in the fridge.

1 lb grass fed beef
1 lb pork
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano 
1 teaspoon paprika
dash of cayenne red pepper
1 teaspoon dried cilantro

Directions: Combine meat, chopped onion and seasonings. Make 16 small patties. Grill.

Roasted Lemon Pepper Chicken:

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt - Some seasoning salts have sugar. I picked up some Aloha Spice Company "Pele's Fire Hawaiian Seasoning Salt" on vacation and its delicious with a little kick: available at alohaspice.com

1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 (3 pound) whole chicken

2 lemons

2 tablespoons olive oil

 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Combine the seasoning, salt, mustard powder, garlic powder and black pepper; set aside. Rinse the chicken thoroughly, and remove the giblets. Place chicken in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons of the spice mixture inside the chicken. Rub the remaining mixture on the outside of the chicken.
3. Squeeze the juice of the 2 lemons into a small bowl or cup, and mix with the olive oil. Drizzle this oil/juice mixture over the chicken.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours, or until juices run clear, basting several times with the remaining oil mixture.

Grilled Tangerine and Spinach salad

4 medium tangerines or naval oranges
10 oz. spinach, trimmed, washed and well drained
8 oz. bibb lettuce
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 T. cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. honey
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 oz. (18-20 halves) toasted pecans
1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper

Coarsely grate peel of 1 tangerine and set aside for use later. Peel remaining peel from tangerines and discard. Prepare your grill to 400 degrees, then lightly oil the grates. Cut tangerine in half, and place the flat side directly on the grill for 2-3 minutes or until it lightly carmelizes. Toast pecans for 3-5 minutes or until fragrant. Set aside for garnish. Next prepare the greens by cutting or ripping them into small bite sized peices. Prepare the vinaigrette by whisking together the olive oil, vinegar, honey, mustard, pepper and grated tangerine peel. Add the greens and grilled tangerines to the dressing and top with toasted pecans.

Zucchini spaghetti and meatballs

Sauce:  In a crockpot, add 2 cans of tomato sauce (15 oz each) and 1 can diced tomatoes. Add 1 can (6oz.) tomato paste and 1 large onion roughly chopped. Add 1/4 cup red wine and the following seasonings: garlic powder, parsley, pepper, italian seasoning, oregano, and onion powder. Cook on high for 2 hours, when meatballs are done, add these to the crockpot with the sauce.

Meatballs:
1 pound of ground turkey or pork
2 pounds grassfed beef
2 eggs (try the omega 3 ones!)
1/2 cup almond meal
1 onion, minced
2 stalks celery minced
4 cloves garlic
seasonings: parsley, basil, oregano, salt and pepper

Mix all together and form into 1 inch balls- cook in glass baking dish with a little olive oil. 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Noodles:

I got this new kitchen gadget - a julienne peeler. Pretty fun to use!

I got mine from Bed Bath and Beyond:http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=12949731. They are also available on Amazon.com

I used 1 large zucchini - about 1 foot long, and used the peeler to make the noodles. Run the peeler the length of the zucchini to make the noodles. Noodles will look like this:

Place noodles in a microwave safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Cook on high for 2 minutes. Place a generous amount of noodles on a plate and cover with sauce and meatballs. Enjoy!