Everything spinach salad

Let's face it, most of don't eat enough veggies. You can pre-make salads for the week, just don't put any dressing on them and they will last a few days in the frig. Try various types of lettuce, like spinach and arugula, to get more nutritional bang for your buck. And then load it up with a colorful array of vegetables. Here's an idea for one:

Ingredients:

-Organic spinach

-Organic grape tomatoes

-Reduced-sodium canned black beans

-Canned quartered artichokes

-No-salt-added canned corn

-Feta cheese

-Salsa verde

-Pepperoncini pepper



Tomato, Cucumber & Avacado Salad

Growing up, we had our own garden. Fresh picked WV tomatoes are the best. The farmer's market ones from NC and FL don't compare. Must be the mountain soil. And this was a classic late summer salad. I've added avocado to this version.

Tomatoes are widely known for their outstanding antioxidant content. Research shows tomatoes can improve bone and heart health.

Cucumbers are known to have a connection with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease as well as several cancer types, including breast, uterine, ovarian, and prostate cancers. 

Avocado is a high-fat food, but the good fats your body needs. Good fats that help keep inflammation under control and help boost your metabolism.

Ingredients:

-1 c cherry tomatoes
-1 medium cucumber
-1 avocado
season to taste

Source: http://www.whfoods.com

Artichoke Tuna Salad

There really is no way to show canned tuna in a pretty way, but I've been making this for a while. I'm addicted to it. Tuna fish is a nutrient-dense food. An excellent source of high quality protein, tuna are rich in a variety of important nutrients including the minerals selenium, magnesium, and potassium; the B vitamins niacin, B1 and B6; and perhaps most important, the beneficial omega-3 essential fatty acids. Enjoying tuna or salmon just twice weekly may help raise omega-3 levels at least as effectively as daily fish oil supplementation.

Omega-3 fatty acids provide a broad array of cardiovascular benefits and benefit the cardiovascular system by helping to prevent erratic heart rhythms, making blood less likely to clot inside arteries (which is the ultimate cause of most heart attacks), and improving the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to potentially harmful (LDL) cholesterol.

One medium artichoke contains seven to 10 grams of fiber. For most adults, this much fiber provides about 20 percent to 25 percent of daily recommendations. Artichokes aren't all fiber. One medium artichoke qualifies as a good source (at least 10 percent of the daily value) or excellent source (at least 20 percent of the daily value) of vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, magnesium, potassium and manganese. The beauty of nutrient-rich vegetables like the artichoke is that you get the nutrients and fiber without a lot of calories. The nutrients mentioned above are a bargain at fewer than 65 calories.

Ingredients:

-1 large can of tuna-in-water, drained
-approx. 4 oz. of Fage 0% Greek yogurt
-1/2 can of quartered artichokes
-3 tbsp grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
-black pepper & oregano to taste

Directions:
Mash artichokes in large bowl. Add tuna, yogurt, cheese & spices. Mix well. Serve as a sandwich or wrap or with whole-grain crackers.

Mashed Cauliflower

I've never been a big fan of cauliflower until now. I've been meaning to make this recipe for some time, and wow, these taste a lot like mashed potatoes! But with fewer carbs and saturated fat. Top with chopped herbs if you like. 

Cauliflower is an excellent source of folate and vitamin C. Just three raw florets provide 67 percent of the Daily Value (DV) for vitamin C. That's more than some citrus fruits. The same amount offers 9 percent of the DV for folate. A strong immune system is essential for staving off everything from the common cold to heart disease. So eat up!

Ingredients:

-1 medium head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into small florets (about 6 to 7 cups)
-1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
-Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add cauliflower and cook until very tender, about 10 minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid and then drain well and transfer cauliflower to a food processor. Add oil and reserved water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and puree until smooth. (Or, mash cauliflower with a potato masher). Season with salt and pepper and serve. Serves 4

Nutrition:

Per serving: 110 calories (80 from fat), 9g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 330mg sodium, 8g total carbohydrate (3g dietary fiber, 3g sugar), 3g protein

Passion fruit & mango smoothie

The mango is called the ‘King of Fruits’ and one of my favorites. The phenolic compound found in mangoes has been found to have powerful antioxidant and anticancer properties. Being high in iron, it is said to be very good for pregnant women as well as for people suffering from anemia. It's also believed to be effective in relieving clogged pores of the skin (yay!). The vitamin A (beta-carotene), vitamin E and selenium present in mangoes provide protection against heart disease. And have been found to be quite helpful in treating acidity and poor digestion. It is being said that the vitamin E present in mango helps hormonal system function more efficiently and thus, boosts sex life (double yay!).

Combined with passion fruit, the large number of antioxidants, including vitamins A,C,E and K, which have been shown to have a huge number of health benefits, makes this one powerful smoothie!

Ingredients:

-3/4 cup frozen mango

-1/2 cup of frozen passion fruit puree

-approx. 1 c non-fat milk

-2-3 ice cubes

Eggplant, zucchini, tomato, feta salad

Roasting a bunch of veggies all at the same time saves you time & energy. Drizzle a little olive oil & crushed garlic over the eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes and bake for about 15-20 minutes. Mix together with the other ingredients and you have 1-2 vegetables servings accounted for the day!

Ingredients:
-Roasted eggplant
-Roasted zucchini
-Cherry tomatoes
-Feta cheese
-Olive oil
-Garlic, pepper, oregano


Total calories: 124

Crab cakes

Ingredients:

-1, 8 oz. container of lump crab
-1 egg
-1/4 c Panko bread crumbs
-1/4 c chopped green onions
-1 tbsp chopped parsley
-pinch of cayenne
-pepper, oregano (spices of choice)

Directions: 

In mixing bowl, combine tuna, eggs, bread crumbs, onion and spices. Shape mixture into 3 patties.
Coat skillet with spray or olive oil. Over medium heat saute patties 4-5 minutes on each side. Serve.

Pumpkin yogurt

Ingredients:
-1, 17.6 oz Fage Greek Yogurt
-1 can pumpkin
-pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon, ginger & cloves
-stevia

Separate yogurt into two servings. Mix in about 1/2 c pumpkin into yogurt. Add spices & stevia to taste.