My Current Favorite Dinner

I'm a pro at cooking something, devouring it happily, and then thinking, "Mmm mmm, that meal was delicious. I should blog about it." The problem is, I've just devoured it, so I would only be able to describe it to you with words since the only thing left of my tasty meal is dirty dishes.

Dirty dishes don't make great pictures. Someone should put that on a pillow.

 

Hello, Gorgeous.

Poor, poor me. I had to make my favorite dinner again to show you.

 

I could barely take a picture before chowing down. Just kidding, I ate half the brussels before the iPhone came out.

I recently blogged about the awesomeness of roasted brussels sprouts. You could pretty much pick any roasted brussels sprouts recipe you want; it would most likely be amazing.

 

Oh hey, legs. And I just noticed that my apartment's kitchen counter matches my kitchen floor. Weird.

 
Here's how I did it this week:

Salmon and Brussels Sprout Bowl

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Cut, wash, and dry about two cups of brussels sprouts.
3. Toss sprouts in olive oil, apple cider vinegar, cajun seasoning, and minced garlic (if some garlic is good, more garlic is better...that should also be on a pillow)
4.) Dump sprouts into a sprayed pan and roast for about 20 minutes, mixing up about halfway through. (I line my pan with foil so I don't have to wash it! Cutting corners is awesome!)

Roasted Salmon

1. Your oven is already preheated to 425 and has the sprouts in it. Smile to yourself because you can skip right to...
2. Wash and pat dry salmon (I use a 5-6 oz. piece). Place salmon on sprayed pan (Use foil! Down with washing dishes!) 
3. Season salmon with cajun seasoning, minced garlic, and rosemary. Drizzle olive oil and rub it in...lightly...don't get weird about it.
4. Roast for 10-12 minutes, until it's as done as you want it.

I like to mix my salmon and sprouts in one bowl (usually the one I used to toss the sprouts with oil and vinegar) and have a sprouts and salmon party! 

Happy munching!

xoxo,
E

What's All This Talk About Carageenan?

As part of my recent clean eating change, I've been paying a lot more attention to the ingredients on food labels. Well, since I've been eating more cleanly, the nice thing is that I've been eating a lot more foods that don't have labels. Think about it: when you eat an apple, the only ingredient is...apple. Pretty nice. (Of course, we're assuming it's an organic apple and you've washed it...there's always a way to complicate these things...)

 

Apple. Ingredients: Apple. Brilliant!

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But when you are eating something with a label, it shouldn't come as a surprise that you should probably be able to recognize the ingredients for it to have a chance of being good for you.

I've been drinking a lot (A LOT) of almond milk lately. In my morning oatmeal/quinoa, in my iced coffee, in my smoothies...I buy like three containers at a time of this amazing stuff. When planning out how to start my clean eating switchover, my aunt (who is an amazing healthy lifestyle guru! Seriously, check her out!) warned me to make sure that I bought a nut milk labeled "Shake Well" since this would probably indicate it didn't contain carageenan.

 

There you are, Carageenan (Carrageenan?)! Now, what are you?

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Car(r)ageenan? What's that? We can't even seem to agree on how to spell it. That should raise some eyebrows right there. According to prevention.com, it's a natural ingredient derived from seaweed. You're thinking, great, it's natural...no big deal, right? Wrong. Apparently, this carageenan stuff has been linked to inflammation, gut irritation, and even cancer. So now the healthy almond milk people are out to get me?! That's what it feels like.

 

I'm looking at you, Almond Breeze.

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Carageenan is pretty much only added to nut milks to keep the ingredients mixed. How lazy do you have to be to not be able to shake a container of almond milk?! Seriously. Shake your own almond milk or drink a carcinogen almost daily? Pretty sure I can handle shaking a box of almond milk.

What's the lesson here? CYL! Check Yo Labels! I know it seems like there is a new killer ingredient written about everyday, but when it's so easy to avoid something potentially harmful, why wouldn't you?

Here are some more articles on this creepy ingredient:

Harmful or Harmless: Carageenan

The Natural Ingredient You Should Ban From Your Diet

Is Carageenan Safe?

Want to just scrap it all, become a pioneer person, and make your own almond milk? Go right ahead. Just to let you know, making your own almond milk will probably involve buying a nut milk bag. Which is both a real thing and a hilarious to say out loud.

xoxo,
E

Honey Simple Syrup

Don't you hate how sugar won't dissolve in cold drinks?! I've always preferred iced coffee to hot coffee for some reason (like, as soon as the temperature go above 30 degrees, I'm breaking out the cold brew coffee and doing a little dance). I used to use icky fake sweeteners, but I have since quit that nonsense and gone with either simple syrup (homemade of course...do NOT pay for sugar water! It's the easiest thing ever to make!) or just unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

But, I definitely like a little honey in my tea in the afternoons/evenings. I've noticed, though, that I can be a little heavy-handed with the honey. Teaspoon, shmeaspoon. So I just transferred the easiness of simple syrup to make honey simple syrup. Having homemade simple syrups on hand makes me feel like a barista!

Not very glamorous, but great to have on hand!

It's seriously so easy. Just equal parts honey and water heated in a saucepan/whisked until two become one. Easy-peasy.

Does anyone else stare at their tea until it's finished steeping? No? Just me?

Right now I'm liking my honey simple syrup with lemon ginger tea. Simple syrup is easier for me to measure than gloppy honey.

Happy Friday!

xoxo,

E

Quick, Healthy Snacks

For me, the biggest thing getting in the way of me eating healthy regularly is...life. Doesn't life just get in the way of the things you've been meaning to do sometimes?! I mean, seriously. The only way I can eat healthily on a regular basis is if I plan for it. I love cooking and trying new recipes, but when it's 8pm, I've been running around all day, and I'm hungry enough to eat my own hand, I just want to reach for something easy.

With this in mind, I tracked down some healthy snacks that are either make-ahead or super quick so you can have a go-to for those I-would-eat-my-hand-if-it-had-butter-on-it moments. And get this, they're delicious. All of our mothers have told us to eat a piece of fruit if we're hungry before dinner, but what fun is that? Here's to elevating things a bit...

Clockwise from top left: Energy Oat Balls, Avocado Toast, Savory and Spicy Mixed Nuts

(All photos via their respective blog posts)

A few hints...

• For the energy balls (I'm doing my best not to make a middle school type joke...how am I doing?), use dark chocolate, if you use it at all (heart healthy!), and natural peanut butter (or whatever butter).
• For the avocado toast, I have to say I'm not a huge tomato fan, but I definitely eat this with Ezekiel bread, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper/chili powder. Yum!
• The spicy nuts (see the above reference to definitely not writing a joke here...) don't have any sugar. There are plenty of sugary recipes out there, and I'm guessing they all smell heavenly while cooking...but resist the temptation to add sugar to your snack! Save your sugar fix for something truly worth it! Like this! Or any of these! Also, I used two tablespoons of olive oil instead of butter and all almonds...it tastes like Chex mix! So good!

Roasted Rosemary Almonds

One of my new year's resolutions was to try one new recipe each week. This resolution was made with the hope of channeling my love of food into broadening my horizons and eating more cleanly, instead of, say, shoveling Girl Scout cookies in my mouth by the handful. (ps- Have you seen this? Hilarious.)

Luckily, I have enjoyed just about every new recipe I've tried, but the most recent one I've tried is definitely a keeper. It's funny how the easiest recipes are usually the most memorable. These roasted rosemary almonds are the perfect snack: crunchy, salty, a touch spicy...and pretty healthy! Plus, by making your own seasoned roasted almonds, you control the ingredients and save money! Win-Win!

I made half of the recipe to make sure that the almonds stayed fresh since I'm the only one eating them. Make them soon!

Happy snacking!

xoxo,
E

My Favorite Juice Recipes

Are you on the juicing trend train yet? I got a juicer a few Christmases ago and have loved throwing whatever I can find in my juicer to see what it tastes like.

Delicious "green lemonade"--such a pretty color and amazing for after you've had a weekend of fried food and beer :)

I've done a few three-day cleanses, kind of a modified version of the BluePrint Cleanse. I would love to try BluePrint to see how it compares, but it's so dang expensive! Plus, I can't imagine that any type of bottled juice could be as good as the kind I can make in my own kitchen.

I have this Breville juicer. I used a 20% coupon at Bed Bath & Beyond, and it wasn't too bad--pretty much middle of the road when it comes to juicers based on my research. Also, I always use these pretty glass bottles to store my freshly made juice. Keep in mind that you should drink freshly made juice within 36 hours. I've tried freezing it, and it's OK, but not great.

Here are my two favorite juice recipes...try them; they are seriously delicious!

Green Lemonade (makes 2 big glasses)
As much spinach as you want
3-4 lemons, peeled
1-1 1/2 inch piece of ginger root, peeled
3 green apples
1 cucumber
3-4 celery stalks

Wash everything well. Add spinach first--awesome dark green color! The more spinach the better! Stir the juice well and either pour in bottles (drink within 36 hours) or serve over ice immediately with a straw because straws make everything taste better.

Carrot-Orange Juice (makes 2 big glasses)
5-6 peeled carrots
4-5 peeled oranges
1-1 1/2 inch piece of ginger root, peeled
2 peeled lemons
2 green apples, peeled (I only peel them so the juice stays a pretty orange color)

Wash everything well and dump it in the juicer! Stir it up and either store it in bottles for up to 36 hours or drink immediately over ice. A straw is, again, mandatory.

When I drink fresh juice, I definitely notice an increase in my energy...I just feel healthier all around!

Happy Juicing!

xoxo,
E