Simple Steak Salad

I whipped this simple steak salad up last week with some leftover steak and it was soooo delish! It's a perfect use of leftovers or made on it's own! I will say, though that using leftover steak helped me get this on the table in like 10 minutes :) And the dressing...to die for! It would be perfect over steak and roasted potatoes as well!

Oh, and this recipe is very "California" -- so if you don't like some of the "California" items (i.e artichoke hearts), feel free to leave them out and substitute something you like! That's the beauty of cooking for yourself!!

Ingredients
(serves 2)

Salad:
Several handfuls of mixed baby greens
1 can artichoke hearts, drained (packed in water)
1 avocado, diced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 thinly sliced red onion
About 1 lb. grilled steak (flank works great!)

Dressing:
1 garlic clove, minced
1 big handful cilantro, minced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Juice of one lime
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt/pepper to taste

Instructions
1. Whisk all dressing ingredients together; set aside.
2. Assemble veggies on salad and pile steak on top. Drizzle with the delicious dressing!

30 Minute Meal Prep Anyone Can Do!

Meal Prep has been my saving grace on my health and fitness journey. I always say--"Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail."

How many times have you:

• Come home starving, don't know what to eat, so grab something frozen, unhealthy or order takeout?
• Been so tired you didn't want to cook, so you stopped for fast food?
• Had nothing of "substance" to eat in the house, so you find yourself grazing on items like chips, chocolate or anything else you can scrounge up?!

((RAISES HAND)) ME!!! That has been me more times than I can count...and everyone who knows me knows I get HANGRY and when I get HANGRY I will eat anything put in front of me.

This is where simple meal planning has SAVED me and kept me on track with healthy eating. I'm not talking about planning an entire week's worth of meals and portioning it all out.....i find that a bit time consuming and I don't really enjoy eating 5 day old food.

Simple meal planning is just about having a few things prepped and ready to go, so when HANGRY sets in, you have something healthy and your fingertips, instead of dialing the number to the Chinese place.


Here is a sample of a meal prep I did last week -- in 30 minutes while the kids were doing homework!

Here are the items I prepped:

1. Hard boiled eggs ~ awesome, high protein snacks through the week
2. Shredded the meat of a rotisserie chicken ~ used for my lunch bowls below
3. Cooked 1lb taco meat ~ used for burritos and soft tacos for dinner
4. Kashi Bars ~ great snack! From Costco, no prep necessary!
5. 3 minute quick cooking quinoa ~ for my lunch bowls
6. Strawberries ~ I just washed and cut them so they were ready to go. I love Strawberry Overnight Oats for breakfast and cottage cheese and strawberries for a snack.
7. Roasted Broccoli ~ Drizzled a bag of broccoli with a little olive oil and salt/pepper. Roasted at 425 for about 15-20 minutes then hit it with a squeeze of lemon and some Parmesan cheese.

With this simple meal prep I have AT LEAST

• 3 lunches
• 1 dinner
• Snacks for the entire week
• Several breakfasts

Here are my lunch bowls I made that week with my prepped food -- perfect for taking to work!

...or eating at home! It's A LOT of food, right??! These portions all fall within my nutrition plan, too!!

So does this make meal prepping seem a little more manageable? I hope so! I welcome any ideas on how you meal prep as well!!

Simple, Healthy Mix & Match Meal Plan

I don't know about you, but I get into the "WHAT IN THE WORLD DO I COOK FOR DINNER" rut...a lot. I love to cook and try out new recipes but sometimes I just need something SIMPLE and healthy. A meal that  I don't need to think about. A meal that requires very little chopping and very few ingredients! Sound good??!

Below are some healthy mix and match meal plan ideas.
Consider this your "Chinese Menu" for easy dinner planning! All you do is choose ONE item from each of the categories and BOOM--a healthy dinner is planned! The printable "menu" is at the end of this post. Most of the items are super simple to prepare, but just in case you need further explanation, here is how I'd prepare each one ~

Protein

• Teriyaki Salmon
  • Whisk honey, garlic, lime juice and soy sauce in a bowl, pour over salmon and bake at 375 10-15 minutes until cooked through.
• Flank Steak
  • Rub steak with garlic, salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar. Grill (or cook in skillet) until desired doneness.
• Pesto Chicken
  • Cut chicken into large chunks and cook in a skillet with 2 tablespoons pesto
• Pork Chops
  • Rub thin cut pork chops with your favorite spice blend (i love lemon pepper!) and cook in a little olive oil until cooked through.
• Chicken Sausage
  • Cut into large chunks and cook in skillet until browned.
• Shrimp
  • Stir fry quickly with garlic and olive oil; finish with a squeeze of lemon.

Veggies

• Roasted Broccoli
  • Drizzle with olive oil and salt pepper. Roast at 425 for about 15 minutes. Serve with a squeeze of lemon and Parmesan cheese
• Mixed Greens
  • Topped with Balsamic + Olive Oil
• Stir fried green beans
  • Stir fry with a little soy sauce and pepper until crisp tender
• Sauteed spinach
  • Cook spinach in a skillet until wilted; add salt/pepper to taste
• Roasted asparagus
  • Toss with olive oil/salt/pepper. Roast at 425 until crisp tender.

Starch

• Roasted sweet potatoes
  • Toss sweet potato chunks with olive oil, salt, pepper and a drizzle of maple syrup. Roast at 425 until tender.
• Quinoa 
  • I love the steam in a bag kind!
• Brown rice
  • Minute Rice!
• Pasta
  • Whole wheat is best but any kind will do!
• Black Beans
  • Canned, drained and rinsed and heated through

The Best Crockpot Minestrone Soup ~ 21 Day Fix Approved

This winter has been sickness central over here in the Rooney house. Add in a little rain and dreary weather and it's just straight up time to bust out the soup!! This 21 Day Fix Approved Minestrone Soup is just AWESOME. It's easy and it's PACKED with veggies, protein, vitamins and antioxidants galore!

This recipe was one of the recipes in my free online crockpot group I hosted on Facebook a few months back and it was a HIT!!!

In the meantime, make up a huge crockpot full of this soup--you won't be sorry!! And for all of you following the 21 Day Fix--it fits perfectly into the plan :)



Crockpot Minestrone Soup
Serves 6+

Ingredients
1 lb sweet Italian turkey sausage
1 small onion, diced
2-3 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups frozen green beans
1 small zucchini, diced
1 cup fresh spinach
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes, with juices
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans or Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary (or 1 teaspoon fresh)
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 cup elbow or small sized pasta (whole wheat if you can find it)
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Freshly-grated Parmesan cheese for serving (optional)
Instructions

1. Brown sausage in a skillet, breaking into small pieces; add to crockpot.
2. Add onion, carrots, celery, garlic, green beans, tomatoes, broth, and beans to crockpot
3. Add the bay leaves, oregano, rosemary, and red pepper flakes and stir to combine.
4. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
5. 30-40 minutes before the soup is done cooking, add in the zucchini, pasta, and spinach.
6. Cook until pasta is tender.
7. Remove bay leaves. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste.
8. Ladle soup into bowls and serve with Parmesan cheese and mixed greens.

Enjoy!!!!

Simple 7 Day Clean Eating Meal Plan

In one of my first posts, I gave an Essential Clean Eating Grocery List. While this wasn't an EXHAUSTIVE list, I feel like it listed some very basic staples to get anyone started on their healthy eating journey. These items can be mixed and matched in a zillion different ways to create super simple, FAST meals.


I have put together one week of "sample" meals for you using just the items on the list. These simple "meals" are very similar to a meal plan I used t use for my free clean eating groups that ran on Facebook every few months. In these groups, participants lost an average of 3-5lbs in one week following the meal plan. More important, they report feeling better, having increased energy and just feel like they have a jump start on a healthy lifestyle!

The meal plan doesn't give EXACT portion sizes for everything, but you can refer to the below graphic if you want a rough idea of how much you should be eating ~

Depending on portion size, the meal plan runs roughly between 1,200-1,600 calories. A few things you will notice and that might help you in creating your own meal plan:

• I repeat snacks, breakfasts and some lunches! This not only helps make the planning process EASY, it helps reduce waste! Who wants to buy a week's worth of groceries only to let half of it go to waste??
• I utilize LEFTOVERS for lunch! Cook once, eat twice. No brainer. Again, reduces the amount of food you waste, too.
• Dinners tend to be a good balance of protein, veggies and carbs. Makes planning easy if you choose one of each and mix and match!

You can download the printable 7 Day Meal Plan here:
7 DAY CLEAN EATING MEAL PLAN_FEBRUARY

Strawberry Overnight Oats

Is love in the air for you???  Whether it is or not, you  absolutely NEED to try these Strawberry (AKA: Valentine's!) Overnight Oats. Are you on the overnight oats bandwagon yet?? If not, you sure need to be!! It's the easiest breakfast EVER!

There are several different ways to make Overnight Oats but I always chose the easiest and least complicated version of everything #aintnobodygottime.

The concept is simple: Oats + Milk (try unsweetened almond, soy, coconut, etc)+ topping and mix ins! Stir together and refrigerate overnight. When you wake up in the morning, give the oats a stir and enjoy! You can heat them in microwave for a minute if you like a hot breakfast. That's it! Super healthy and filling!

Double this recipe for your sweetie on Valentine's Day :)

Ingredients
1/2 cup oats (either rolled or quick oats are fine)
2/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or other milk of your choosing)
1/2 cup diced strawberries + more for topping
2 teaspoons chia seeds (totally optional)
2 teaspoons maple syrup

Instructions
1. In a bowl or mason jar, stir together ingredients.
2. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
3. In the morning, give it a good stir and top with more strawberries or maple syrup, if you like!

3 Zucchini Noodle Recipes on Your Table in 10 Minutes

Zucchini Noodles. Zoodles. Whatever you want to call them, I am addicted!! I had been hearing about them from friends forever so last month I finally broke down and bought a spirializer. AKA: Fancy name for Zoodle Maker. The one I bought was the Wonder Veg Spirializer ($24, Amazon). I love it and it works just fine--I am sure there are other brands that work just as well.

I have to say I haven't gotten too fancy with it yet, but I like to keep my meals simple, healthy and yummy and these 3 recipes certainly fit the bill! They all have few ingredients and very little chopping, too! #score




Zucchini Noodles with Sausage and Marinara
(serves 2)
2 Zucchini, spiralized
2 links of chicken apple sausage (or similar), diced - i like the Adelle's and Trader Joe's Spicy Chicken Sausage
1/2 jar good quality marinara sauce

1. Heat non stick skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and cook until slightly browned (3-4 minutes).
2. Add in marinana sauce and heat 1-2 minutes.
3. Add zucchini noodles and toss to coat in the sauce. Cook about 2-3 minutes longer until zucchini is heated through but NOT mushy!
4. Top with Parmesan and serve!

Zucchini Noodles with Tomatoes & Pesto
(serves 2)
2 zucchini, spiralized
2 tablespoons pesto (I like Costco's Kirkland brand!)
1-2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
Parmesan Cheese, red pepper flakes for serving

1. In a a non stick skillet, throw in the cherry tomatoes and pesto and cook until heated through and until the tomatoes cook just a bit (about 1-2 minutes).
2. Add in zucchini and toss to coat with the pesto (add more pesto if you like). Cook about 2-3 minutes until zucchini is heated through, but NOT mushy (no one likes mushy zucchini!).
3. Turn off the heat, stir in Parmesan cheese. Top with red pepper flakes if you like,  pour yourself a glass of wine and ENJOY!!

Zucchini Noodles with Shrimp
(serves 2)
2 zucchini, spiralized
1/2 to 1lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 cup chicken stock
Parmesan cheese, basil and red pepper flakes to finish (optional)
2 teaspoons olive oil

1. In a large non stick skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add shrimp, season with salt and pepper and cook until no longer pink.
2. Stir in chicken stock and lemon juice and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add zucchini, cook for 1-2 more minutes, tossing until well combined.
4. Top with red pepper flakes, basil, Parmesan cheese and more lemon juice, if you like!

(adapted from Damn Delicious)

There you have it!! Hope this gets you started out on your Zoodling adventure!!!