Debbie Hatch | Family & F.I.T.
Now that I have your attention…
Happy Independence Day. It definitely felt like a holiday to me. I’ve been home six full-days!!! That’s unusual and it’s been awesome. I’ve had an opportunity to catch up on several important tasks and even a few back-burner items. Today I decided to relax in my kitchen. I love to cook and there are a few recipes I’ve been hoping to work on.
The final result was four quick and easy recipes (plus my stand-by lemonade).
Each recipe was completed in 20 minutes or less!
With a homemade vinaigrette I already in the refrigerator, each recipe today contained six or fewer ingredients!
RECIPE ONE: COBB SALAD
1 cup spinach 1 cup romaine lettuce
1/4 avocado 2 slices bacon, cooked & diced
1 roma tomato, diced 1-2 mushrooms, diced
1/8 – 1/4 cup garlic vinaigrette (I had this in the frig, but recipe is below)
Dice all ingredients. Toss together.
Garlic Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 1/2 tsp diced garlic 1 tsp spicy brown mustard
Freshly ground pepper 1 tsp Ms. Dash Italian Medley 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
Helpful Notes:
1. The vinaigrette stores very well in the refrigerator.
2. While there are specific bottles you can buy at a cooking store, for the sake of ease and simplicity, I just use oneof the protein shakers I have on hand.
RECIPE TWO: RED, WHITE & BLUE FRUIT SALAD
1 cup strawberries 1 cup blueberries
1/3 jicama 1/4 red onion
Fresh mint Fresh lemon juice
Dice all ingredients. Toss together.
Helpful Notes:
1. I like to use frozen berries when I make the salad, especially if it’s going to be a little bit until we eat. That way the salad keeps itself cold.
2. I was skeptical about the onion but it really enhances the flavor of this salad. Just try it.
3. What to heck is a jicama? It’s a very low calorie root vegetable from Mexico. You’ll find it in the produce section.
RECIPE THREE: GROUND TURKEY BURGERS
1 lb 99% fat free ground turkey
2 large white mushrooms, diced
1 tsp Flavor God 1/2 onion, diced
1 tsp Ms. Dash Italian Medley
1 tbsp diced garlic 1 egg white
Mix all ingredients. Form into patties. These were cooked on the grill (at 400 degrees). 10 minutes on one side and 5 minutes on the other.
Helpful Notes:
1. Again, make extra. One “secret” to staying on track is making food prep as easy as possible. These freeze well.
2. I don’t like dicing onions by hand. I typically use my Pampered Chef chopper. It works great!
RECIPE FOUR: STRAWBERRY LEMONADE
This isn’t a new recipe. It’s one of my favorites and I make it all the tie.
1 lemon, juiced 2 strawberries, diced
Fresh mint Ice
Water
Juice the lemon. Add strawberries and 1 sprig of chopped fresh mint. Throw in a few ice cubes and fill your glass with water. I did not use any sweetener (which is not unusual) but neither did my husband. It was just tart enough but the fruit added the right amount of sweetness without sugar.
RECIPE FIVE: NO-BAKE PEANUT BUTTER PIE
1/2 cup peanut (or almond) butter
1.5 medium bananas
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp coconut oil, softened
1 sheet chocolate graham crackers (optional)
1 tsp Glucomannan (optional)
Blend everything, except the graham crackers, very well. I just put all of the ingredients into the Ninja. Spray (olive oil, Pam, or something like that) a small ramekin (aka individual baking pan). If you want a crust, finely crush the graham crackers and put them into the ramekin. Pour the pie mixture into the ramekin. Pop this into th
e freezer for 10 or 15 minutes. You can keep it in the freezer or the refrigerator.
Helpful Note: What to heck is Glucomannan? It’s a powder made from Konjac root. This is completely optional to the
recipe as it is flavor-less, although it does add a little thickness. I add it to some recipes for additional fiber (which supports regularity).
I really hope one (or more) of these recipes becomes a family favorite for you! If you try something, please take a photo and share it, along with your comments, either here, on Instagram (#familynfit) or Facebook.