Life Changer - Trader Joe's

My friends and family make fun of me because I tend to go a little overboard sometimes, well, ok, maybe all the time.  They call me "ok.com" which stands for "overkill.com."  If I am throwing a party or planning something, there is usually way too much food and way too much drink.  If there are 10 people coming, plan on there being enough stuff for 100!  Not sure why I am like this.  Anyhow - the rumor started about TJ's coming and I was very excited!  I no longer do my weekly shopping at Giant Eagle and my grocery bill has been cut in half.  I will most likely start a TJ's link because there are so many items from this store that have become an obsession.

This is a new purchase I just found - it is incredibly tasty and very good over vanilla greek yogurt (Thanks Helen).

Trader Joe's has made its way to the South Hills!

Balsamic Chicken With Lemony Mushrooms & Beans

This recipe is another dish from the April/May issue of Clean Eating Magazine (p. 75).  In my house, we love chicken (cooked any way), we love balsamic vinegar (Mike loves his veggies sauteed in it) and I LOVE green beans.  My Nunni always made green beans.  Its one of those memories of her cooking that I think about often. 

Another very easy dish to prepare and it was SO FLAVORFUL!  The combination of the tangy balsamic vinegar, the crispy beans and the meaty mushrooms was fabulous.  This dish is very high in protein (31g per serving!).  I will definitely be making this again!

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb or more fresh green beans, trimmed and rinsed
2 tsp olive oil, divided
16 oz button mushrooms, thinly sliced (I just bought white mushrooms already sliced)
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 yellow onion, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rings
1 lb or more boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp sea salt


INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Steam green beans until tender-crisp. Set aside.
2. In large non-stick skillet, heat 1 tsp oil on medium then add mushrooms and saute’, stirring occasionally about 10 minutes. Stir in lemon zest and juice and garlic, and saute’ for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. Add beans to bowl and toss well to combine. Cover to keep warm.
3. In large non-stick skillet, heat remaining 1 tsp oil on medium. Add onion and saute’ for 5 minutes. Add chicken, thyme, vinegar, and salt, and cook, stirring often, for 8 minutes until the thickest part of chicken is cooked through. Remove from heat and serve with beans. Makes 4 servings.


Nutrients Per Serving (4 oz chicken mixture and 7 oz. mushroom mixture): Calories: 235, Total Fat: 4g, Sat. Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Carbs: 19g, Fiber: 5g, Sugars: 8g, Protein: 31g, Sodium: 332 mg, Cholesterol: 66 mg


My Notes:

1. Very easy to prepare and took the 35 minutes it stated on the recipe.
2. The flavor of the mushroom mixture was DEVINE!  It was so tasty.  I could have just eaten a plate of that!
3. The biggest pain was trimming the beans.  So if you want - do that ahead of time.
4. The onion flavor mixed with the dried thyme was so good!
5. We ate this for two days!  I will definitely be making this again!  Very, very tasty!

Protein Salad

I love salads.  Any type of salad.  I could eat a salad from breakfast, lunch and dinner.  A lot of times Mike and I will just eat a giant salad for dinner and throw whatever we have in the fridge in the bowl.  If it is getting close to grocery shopping time, I will almost always make a salad the night before and "clean out" the fridge with all the veggies, any type of greens, meat, beans or fruit that I can find.

Someone once told me eating a salad at dinner time is a great way to detox (wink wink if you know what I mean) your body while you are sleeping.  It makes sense if you think about it - all those greens and fiber and protein churning away while you saw some logs.  You wake up feeling light and fresh.  At least I do.  I am a total nerd, sorry!

This particular salad was inspired by an item that is sold at Trader Joe's (I just accidentally typed "hoes" and giggled).





Mmmmm....yummy!



Close Up!

INGREDIENTS:

greens (mixed butter lettuce, spinach, arugula, mesclun greens, etc)
beans (garbanzo, edamame, pinto, etc, I used edamame)
fruit (any or dried, I used dried cranberries and fresh apple)
carrots
cucumber
organic beets
nuts (any, I used raw,organic almond slivers)
goat cheese
dressing - my homemade balsamic vinaigrette


DIRECTIONS:

Throw everything in a bowl and mix well!

Penne With Chile-Lime Shrimp & Red Peppers

Farfalle With Chile-Lime Shrimp & Red Peppers (Clean Eating Magazine, April/May 2012, p. 72)

The April/May issue of Clean Eating Magazine was one of my favorites.  There are a ton of delicious, flavorful and easy to prepare meals.  I made this meal for some friends who came over to watch a Pen's playoff game. 

What I love about most of the meals from CEM is if you have the ingredients in your pantry/fridge, you can always whip something up fast!  Everyone enjoyed it and it was relatively easy to prepare/cook.  The only problem is - for some reason some of the pictures I took did not save so I only have ONE! 

Red Peppers, Lime Zest and Fresh Cilantro

INGREDIENTS:

8 oz whole-wheat farfalle pasta (I did not have this so I subbed penne)
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil, divided
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced

1/8 tsp plus 1/4 tsp sea salt, divided
pinch fresh ground black pepper, or to taste
1 cup frozen corn
5 scallions, thinly sliced (omitted these because I did not have any)
1 lb shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed
1 1/2 tsp chile powder
1/2 packed cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime, zested and juiced, plus additional wedges for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook farfalle al dente according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1/2 tbsp oil on medium-high. Add bell peppers, 1/8 tsp salt and black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until peppers are tender and lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Add corn and cook, stirring often, until heated through, about 2 minutes. Stir in scallions and transfer mixture to a large bowl.
3. Reduce heat to medium and add remaining 1 tbsp oil to skillet. Season shrimp with remaining 1/4 tsp salt and chile powder and add to skillet. Cook, turning once or twice, until centers are opaque, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer shrimp to bell pepper mixture and add cilantro and lime zest and juice. Add pasta to mixture and toss to combine. Divide among serving bowls and, if desired, garnish with lime wedges. Serve immediately.

Serving Size: makes 4 servings 1 3/4 cups each serving