Two Delicious Recipes

Happy Monday! It feels so wonderful to be back in Geneva! Check out the gorgeous sunrise that I was privy to this morning when my flight was approaching the city. 2014-01-06 08.11.40-1A few days ago I didn’t think I’d utter words of excitement upon stepping back onto European soil as I had such a wonderful time with our friends and family in both Savannah and New York. But it became clear this morning that right now, this is where we are meant to be in our life and I have a renewed sense of excitement. This year is going to certainly have it’s share of challenges professionally but personally I know it’s going to be filled with fun weekends away and traveling.

As my friend Ranald said, skiing is the perfect Winter weekend activity as you always have something to look forward to, even on Monday! 2013-12-01 14.23.27This weekend our same group is heading back up to Verbier for a weekend of skiing and fun. It will be even more fun as some of my co-workers from New York our joining us for the weekend before our semi-annual strategy meetings begin in Geneva on Monday.

I have found that in order to keep a positive outlook and manage stress I need to focus on what I put in my body. For this reason I’ve been spending a lot of time on Pinterest and talking with friends about their favorite healthy recipes. Over the past month I discovered two kale recipes which are totally different yet both are packed with flavor and can serve as either a side dish or a main dish if some protein is added. One of them was a Pinterest discovery and the other was served at a dinner party I attended. Enjoy!

Recipe #1: Warm Balsalmic Kale Salad: This recipe says it serves 2 but if served as a side it definitely makes 4 servings. The flavors are incredible thanks to the balsamic paired with the richness of the mushrooms sautéed in a little butter. The only change I made to this recipe was using 1/2 the butter. Bo loved this dish so much that he asked me to Pin it to my Pinterest board and then insisted that it becomes a regular standby.

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Recipe #2: Kale and Avocado Salad My friend Lauren served this at our December girls night dinner and none of us could stop commenting on how delicious it was. Asian inspired, this is the perfect compliment to teriyaki chicken or even a lighter Asian inspired dish such as a soup as the use of avocado, hemp seeds and olive oil give it satiating staying power. As you can see by the Instagram post, Lauren served it alongside homemade Viatnamese Beef Noodle soup which was a perfect meal for a cold December night. (picture source)

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I hope you enjoy these two recipes as much as I have. These are two easy and flavorful ways to squeeze in some extra nutrients to your next lunch or dinner!

Have you hopped on the kale train? If so what is your favorite recipe or way to enjoy it?

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Shrimp and Kale Low Country Soup Recipe

I hope you and yours have had a wonderful weekend thus far. I’m finally starting to feel a little bit better though I’m far from 100%. This morning after sleeping for twelve hours, my mom and I found ourselves in the kitchen staring into an over packed refrigerator. The past few nights we’ve returned home with leftovers from each meal. Without time to catch up on any of this food we risked having a lot of it go bad today. A girl who loves her seafood, I decided to salvage the Low Country Boil leftovers first!

On the 26th my brother Ryan, hosted everyone at his home for an oyster roast and Low Country Boil. This was a new tradition for our family but hopefully one that will continue for years to follow as everyone had a blast laughing around the fire while shucking oysters and sipping cold beers. 104 100 101 I looked at the two containers of shrimp, potatoes and sausage trying to figure out what I could make when my mom suggested I try my hand at a soup. She figured that with half our family feeling under the weather it would be the perfect dinner. I always love a challenge so I quickly searched our refrigerator and pantry for ingredients before grabbing the cookbook and getting to work. I decided to start the soup with a French mirepoix base to give it flavor before layering in the additional ingredients. A French mirepoix is a trio of aromatic vegetables – onions, carrots and celery, sautéed or used raw as the flavor base for many soups.

This soup is a healthy yet hearty combination of proteins and vegetables that result in a “stick to your bones” soup that is bursting with shrimp flavor.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did this evening! It is the perfect way to use some leftovers in your refrigerator this winter.

Shrimp and Kale Low Country SoupShrimp and Kale Low Country Soup Recipe

Serves: 4  – Preparation Time: 15 minutes -  Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

-2 Tbsp Olive Oil

-1/2 cup chopped carrots

-1/2 cup chopped celery

-1 cup chopped onions (sweet onions preferred)

-4 cups chicken or vegetable stock depending on flavor preference

-1 Bay Leaf

-1 tablespoon parsley

-1 teaspoon Garlic Gold or other preferred seasoning

-2 cups chopped kale

-1 pound of cooked, peeled and deveined shrimp

-1 cooked Kielbasa sausage cut into bit size pieces (can use any type of sausage)

– 5 small new potatoes, cooked and quartered

-1 15 oz can white beans, drained and rinsed

-1/4 cup heavy cream, half and half,  fat free half and half, or milk

130 Directions

1. Combine carrots, celery, onions and olive oil in large pot over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat to low once the onions begin to brown and the vegetables soften.

2. Pour broth and kale over the softened vegetables and bring to a boil.

3. Reduce to a low simmer and stir in herbs before simmering for 15 minutes while partially covered.

4. Stir in sausage, shrimp, potatoes and drained white beans before simmering for 5 more minutes. Taste for flavor and add any additional seasonings.

5. Stir in cream and allow to simmer on low for 5 final minutes before removing from heat. Serve while warm and garnish with either a drizzle of sherry wine or a few sprigs of kale for added color.

6. Enjoy!

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Easy Lunch Idea: Ziplock Beet Salad

When life gets stressful, I know that I need to rely on healthy eating, workouts, friends & family, and sleep to get through the period without going insane. There are some big, unexpected changes going on in our life right now, which I will hopefully share with you all soon. Therefore, on Sunday I made it a priority to head to the gym and grocery store before the day got away from me.

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I stocked up on lots of healthy ingredients for my desk drawer, office fridge, and our home fridge and pantry so there are no excuses! Lately Bo and I are loving pretzels, grapefruits, string cheese, smoked salmon, and greek yogurt!

I also made sure to pick up the essentials needed for another round of Ziplock salads. If you missed my previous posts you can check out previous ones by clicking on the links: Easy Lunch Idea: Ziplock Greek Salad and Easy Lunch Idea: Ziplock Mexican Salad. I saw beets on sale in the produce section of the grocery store and quickly decided that those would inspire and be a key ingredient in this week’s Easy Lunch Idea: Ziplock Beet Salad!

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This colorful salad is my favorite one so far because the textures and flavors kept each bite interesting while the three different protein sources kept me full for longer than other salad choices. I’ll admit that this salad took a bit more prep work on Sunday since it includes quinoa and roasted vegetables but they are both super simple and were able to roast and simmer while we cleaned the apartment.

  • 4 handfuls of baby spinach
  • 2 handfuls of mixed tomatoes (I’m loving the Zima orange tomatoes)
  • 1 handfuls of chopped red onions
  • Any random leftover cooked vegetables you have in your fridge (this week I have roasted butternut squash and vidalia onions)
  • 1/4 cup quinoa and 3 ounces leftover pork tenderloin (or your favorite protein)
  • 1/4 cup sliced strawberries
  • 1/4 cup sliced beets (canned or roasted)
  • 1/4 cup gorgonzola

Many people have asked whether I put everything in the Ziplock bags at the beginning of the week and the answer is no. I take 5 minutes each night to toss everything into the Ziplock bag so it’s easy to grab and go in the morning. I find that this keeps the salad ingredients fresher versus dividing/combining them early in the week.

When I get to the office I toss some dressing in the bag, shake, put it on a plate, and then enjoy! Inexpensive, healthy, flavorful, and delicious!

I hope you like this week’s creation!

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