Lunch

Chicken and Black Bean Burrito Bowl

With black beans, fresh salsa, a squeeze of lime, and creamy Greek yogurt on top of crisp romaine lettuce this Chicken Burrito Bowl is an excellent lunch.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cooked brown rice warm

  • 1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

  • 2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro

  • 3 cups chopped romaine lettuce

  • 1 cup cooked black beans warm

  • 1½ cups shredded cooked chicken breast warm

  • ½ cup shredded Monterey jack cheese

  • 1 cup fresh tomato salsa

  • ½ medium avocado sliced

  • 4 Tbsp reduced-fat (2%) plain Greek yogurt

Instructions

  1. Combine rice, lime juice, and cilantro in a medium bowl; mix well.

  2. Evenly divide lettuce between 4 serving bowls.

  3. Top evenly with rice mixture, beans, chicken, cheese, salsa, and avocado.

  4. Top each bowl with 1 Tbsp. of yogurt; serve immediately.

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Quinoa Chicken Salad in a Mason Jar

Say “good-bye” to the sad desk salad, say “hello” to this gorgeous, satisfying, Quinoa Chicken Salad in a mason jar.

This simple recipe is a snap to meal prep, so you’ll have four awesome desk salads for the week in no time.

Ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

  • 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

  • 1/2 tsp. raw honey (or pure maple syrup)

  • 1 tsp. Dijon mustard

  • 1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. olive oil extra virgin

  • 2 cups cooked quinoa

  • 4 cups sliced cucumbers

  • 4 cups halved cherry tomatoes

  • 3 cups grilled chicken breast boneless, skinless, sliced

  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Instructions

  1. To make dressing, combine vinegar, lemon juice, and honey in a medium bowl; whisk to blend.

  2. Add mustard; mix well.

  3. Slowly add oil while whisking; mix well. Evenly divide dressing between 4 one-quart Mason jars. Set aside.

  4. Evenly layer quinoa, cucumbers, tomatoes, chicken, and cheese on top of dressing in jars. 

  5. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Shake before serving. 

  6. Variation (Add 1 green container per serving): Add 4 cups fresh baby spinach. 

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Buffalo Chicken Tenders With Blue Cheese Dip

These tangy, spicy chicken tenders dipped in creamy blue cheese sauce are delicious enough to make you forget they're only 158 calories per serving.

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Ingredients

  • 4 Tbsp hot pepper sauce (like Frank's®) divided use

  • 2 Tbsp white vinegar

  • 1 tsp garlic powder

  • 1 tsp ground paprika

  • 1 dash ground cayenne pepper to taste (optional)

  • 1 lb raw chicken breast tenders

  • ¼ cup reduced-fat (2%) plain yogurt

  • 1 Tbsp crumbled blue cheese

  • 4 medium celery stalks, cut into sticks

Instructions

  1. Combine 1 Tbsp. hot sauce, vinegar, garlic powder, paprika, and cayenne (if desired) in a small bowl; mix well.

  2. Add chicken; toss to coat. Marinate, covered, in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

  3. Preheat oven to 375° F.

  4. Place chicken in a baking dish. Discard any remaining marinade. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle.

  5. While chicken is baking, combine yogurt and cheese in a small bowl; mix well. Set aside.

  6. Combine chicken and remaining 3 Tbsp. hot sauce in a large bowl; toss gently to blend.

  7. Serve chicken with dip and celery.

Southwest Chicken and Black Bean Salad

Goodbye, sad salad. This vibrant Southwest Chicken and Black Bean Salad is bursting with flavor, makes meal prep a breeze, and stays fresh for days.

Ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

  • 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

  • ½ tsp. lemon pepper

  • 4 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

  • 2 cups black beans

  • 3 cups sliced orange bell peppers

  • 3 cups sliced red bell peppers

  • 1 cup thinly sliced red onion

  • 2 cups chopped tomatoes

  • 3 cups sliced grilled chicken breast

  • ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

  • 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

  1. To make dressing, combine vinegar, lemon juice, and lemon pepper in a medium bowl; whisk to blend.

  2. Slowly add oil while whisking; mix well. Evenly divide dressing between 4 one-quart Mason jars. Set aside.

  3. Evenly layer beans, bell peppers, onion, tomatoes, chicken, cheese, and cilantro on top of dressing in jars. 

  4. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Shake before serving. 

Zucchini Ravioli

What you’ll need:

4 medium zucchini
2 c. ricotta
1/2 c. finely grated parmesan, plus more for garnish
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 c. thinly sliced basil, divided
1 clove garlic, minced
kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 c. marinara
1/2 c. shredded mozzarella

Directions:
PREP TIME: 0:20
TOTAL TIME: 0:50
Preheat oven to 375° and grease a large baking dish with olive oil.

Make the Noodles: Slice two sides of each zucchini lengthwise to create two flat sides. Using a vegetable peeler, slice each zucchini into thin flat strips, peeling until you reach the center. These are your “noodles.”

Make the Filling: In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, Parmesan, egg and 2 tablespoons basil and season with salt and pepper.

Assemble the Ravioli: Lay two strips of zucchini noodles so that they overlap lengthwise. Lay two more noodles on top, perpendicular to the first strips. You should end up with a “T” shape. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of the zucchini. Bring the ends of the strips together to fold over the center, working one side at a time. Turn the ravioli over and place in the baking dish seam-side down. Repeat with remaining zucchini and filling. Pour marinara around the zucchini and top ravioli with mozzarella.

Bake until zucchini noodles are “al dente” and the cheese is melted and starting to brown on top; 25 to 30 minutes.

Top with remaining basil and Parmesan and serve.

 

TIPS: Don’t stress over the zuccini noodles. It took me about 3 tries before I felt confident on how to assemble them. Also don’t stress if you run out of a certain ingenditent. I learned to just roll with it. Example: I ran out of pasta sauce so instead I added a can of tomatoes on top that I had on hand and it still turned out delicious!

Egg White Pizza

Ingredients:

  • 4 egg white

  • 1/3 cup pizza sauce

  • 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

  • Turkey Pepperoni

Directions:

  1. In a nonstick skillet over medium heat, add the egg white and allow to begin cooking.

  2. Place the lid on top to allow the top to cook.

  3. Gently flip the egg white and place sauce, cheese and pepperoni on top.

  4. Place lid back on top with burner off to melt the cheese.

  5. ENJOY

Have fun with recipe! So many options you could play around with. You could do a taco pizza, all meat pizza, hawaiian pizza...you get my point. Never be afraid to get creative in the kitchen.

Simple BLT Salad

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Ingredients:

  • 2 handfuls of romaine lettuce
  • 1 medium tomato chopped cup
  • 4 slices of turkey bacon chopped

I personally love ALL the Bolthouse dressings.

Extra tips to save time and calories: I like to get the bags of lettuce already washed and chopped and mini tomatoes all I have to do is rinse off. When I make my turkey bacon I’ll make a full package at a time and put the rest in the refrigerator for the following day. I’m all about saving time.

Calorie tip: Put the salad dressing on the side and dip instead of pouring the dressing all over your salad. You'll be surprised at how much less dressing you’ll use the calories you’ll save.

Sweet Potato and Chicken Wraps

Here’s a delicious and innovative take on a collard green wrap that gives you a complete meal on-the-go. It’s kind of like a chicken salad wrap, but it uses mashed sweet potato as a binder instead of mayo, which takes it to a whole new level of flavor!

SERVES: 4 (2 wraps each) Prep Time: 35 min. 

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp raw honey
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
  • 1/2 tsp + dash sea salt (or Himalayan salt), divided use
  • 1/2 tsp + dash ground black pepper, divided use
  • 8 large collard green leaves
  • 2 cups mashed cooked sweet potato (approx. 2 small)
  • 1 tbsp + 1 tsp melted ghee (organic grass-fed, if possible)
  • 3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast, boneless, skinless
  • 1 cup chopped bell peppers (approx. 11⁄3 medium)
  • 1/2 cup chopped tomato (approx. 1 medium)
  • 1/2 cup sliced green onions

1. Place oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, basil, 1 dash salt, and 1 dash pepper in blender; cover. Blend until smooth. Set aside.
2. Remove stem from each collard green leaf where it touches base of leaf. Pare down remaining stem with a vegetable peeler until it is flush with rest of leaf. Set aside.
3. Combine sweet potatoes, ghee, remaining 1⁄2 tsp. salt and remaining 1⁄2 tsp. pepper in a large bowl; mix well.
4. Add chicken, bell peppers, tomato, and green onions; mix well.
5. Lay out prepared collard leaves, dark green side down. Evenly top with (approx. 2⁄3 cup) sweet potato mixture. You may add 1 Tbsp. of dressing to each leaf, or reserve it to dip in later.
6. Roll up each leaf like a burrito, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap.
7. When ready to serve, slice each wrap in half while still in plastic wrap; peel

RECIPE NOTES:

• To prepare sweet potatoes, pierce whole sweet potatoes multiple times with a fork and bake at 425o F for 40 minutes, or until soft to the center.

• Leftover wraps will keep in refrigerator, wrapped in plastic, for up to 5 days.

1 red, 1 green, 1 yellow, 1 orange, 1 tsp.