Spicy Quinoa Salad with Grilled Chicken & Goat Cheese Sandwich

Make this easy summer salad with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, hot peppers & cilantro. I've been on a goat cheese kick, so try grilled chicken on whole wheat with a serving of creamy goat cheese & a roasted red pepper. Delicious!

Click here to recipe to quinoa salad.

Total calories: 504

Southwest salad

Salads are quick & easy and oh-so-good-for-you when done right. I use spinach instead of lettuce. Spinach is a super food, so knock yourself out with it. And I use salsa as my dressing to save a ton on calories & sodium. Pre-make to enjoy for the entire week (just add the salsa before eating)!

Ingredients (for 5 salads):
-2 bags organic spinach
-1 can black beans
-1 container cherry tomatoes
-1/2 cucumber
-1/2 can artichokes (in water)
-1/4 c 2% cheddar cheese per salad
-1/2 c green salsa per salad
-5 grilled boneless, skinless chicken tenderloin

Total calories: 325

Chicken Pasta Salad

Refreshing salad to make for the summer. You can also use tuna instead of chicken. Enjoy!

Ingredients (makes 4 servings):
-2 c whole wheat pasta (I used Ronzoni penne)
-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
-1/2 cucumber, chopped
-1/2 can artichokes (reserve 2 tbsp liquid for dressing)
-1 red pepper, chopped
-1 c cherry tomatoes, halved
-8 oz. 0% Fage Greek yogurt
-pepper, parsley, oregano for yogurt dressing

Total calories: 310

Italian Chicken Crockpot

Yes, I'm a lazy cook. So I never get sick of "cooking" in the crockpot. It may not look pretty, but it's pretty tasty. Here's another crockpot creation.

Ingredients (for 4 servings):
-2 large boneless, skinless chicken breast
-1 can diced tomatoes (w/ garlic & basil)
-1/2 bag frozen broccoli
-1/2 c quinoa
-3/4 c water
-garlic powder, oregano, pepper
-1 tbsp Parmesan cheese

Cook on high 1 hour. Low for 6. Done & done!

Salad ingredients:
-Spinach
-grape tomatoes
-1 serving feta
-sliced pepperoncini
-Maple Groves Fat-Free Balsamic Vinaigrette

Total calories: 378 for chicken & salad

Killin' the Crockpot

This was an impromptu creation that turned out really well. Eat-clean & easy!

Ingredients:
-3 Boneless skinless chicken breast
-1/2 c brown rice
-1 can chickpeas
-1 bag of frozen broccoli
-3/4 c water
-1/4 c Bragg (it tastes like soy sauce)
-ginger
-pepper

Layer chicken on bottom, season, add brown rice, beans & liquids. Veggies go on top. Cook on high for 1 hour. Low for 6. Makes 4 servings.

Mediterranean Chicken

First time sauteing chicken. It didn't turn out how I imagined, because I think I overcooked the chicken. Anyway, it has potential!

Ingredients:
-Boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-2" pieces
-Cannellini beans
-Fresh spinach
-Cherry tomatoes
-Fresh mushrooms
-Balsamic vinegar
-Olive oil (for sauteing)

Crockpot creation continued...

Again, the crockpot rules! Ask for one for Christmas. This is Mexican-inspired. Cook on high 1 hour. Low for 6. And you have lunch to go.

Ingredients:
-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
-1 can black beans
-1/2 c salsa
-1 can corn
-1/2 c dry quinoa
-1 c water

Total calories: 322

Snack ingredients:
-2 tbsp hummus
-3/4 c grape tomatoes

Total snack calories: 135 (and Starbucks tea)

Indian inspired crockpot chicken

I'm pretty lazy when it comes to cooking. It's more like putting things together. So the crockpot is right up my ally. Layer chicken, brown rice & sauce in crockpot. Cook on high for 1 hour. Low for 6. Done and done.

Ingredients (for 5 lunches):
-5 boneless, skinless, chicken breast
-1/2 c brown rice per serving (left-over from Chinese take-out)
-1 jar Seeds of Change Jalfrezi sauce

Total calories: 342

How many ways can you use a tortilla?

Healthy Mexican is super easy and fast to make. Steam the tortilla in the microwave for a few seconds to make it roll-up easily & stuff with chicken, beans, fish or some other lean meat. Try some sauteed onions & peppers for filling, just watch the cheese! You can kill a healthy meal in a sec by smothering with cheese. Dinner in under 10 minutes. Love it!

Ingredients:
-Trader Joe's Whole Wheat Flax tortilla
-Salsa verde
-Refried black beans
-Parmesan cheese
-Shredded chicken breast (made in crockpot)
-1 slice low-fat cheddar cheese

Crockpot chicken (once again)

Seriously. Need to take a break from the crockpot. I think I only ate one of these meals. I used homemade canned tomatoes & peppers (thanks Mom!), Barilla Plus penne and boneless, skinless chicken breast. It was good, but need something different! Maybe I'll start doing soups & chilis now that it's not so blazing hot out. Any crockpot ideas are welcome!

Treat meal!

Yes, I do eat other things beside Greek yogurt, sweet potatoes and eggs. Here's a typical Friday "treat" meal from Toreros. Chicken taquitos with Spanish rice & refried beans. And don't forget the chips & salsa as an appetizer! And no Mexican meal would be complete without a margarita. Salud!

I'm feeling like Mexican

I'm telling ya, if you don't have a crockpot, go get one! Here's crockpot chicken with salsa. The crockpot makes the chicken super moist. Just add a little salsa on top of several chicken breasts, cook on high for 1 hour and then low for 6. I also made brown rice & black beans.

Ingredients (for 5 servings):
-5 boneless, skinless chicken breast
-1 jar of salsa (1/2 for crockpot, 1/2 for topping when done)
-1 c brown rice
-1 can of black beans
-cumin, pepper, garlic for rice & beans

Pasta sauce almost as good as Nana's

Another crockpot creation. Chicken with Lucini sauce. Love this sauce. It has no added sugar. I'm not a fan of sauce with sugar! Fresh zucchini with more sauce (did I say I like sauce) and penne. Yum.

Ingredients (for 3 servings):
-3 servings boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins
-1 jar Lucini Tuscan Marinara
-2 servings Barilla Penne Plus
-1 zucchini

Cook chicken (w/ 1/2 c sauce) in crockpot on high for 1 hour, low for 6. Simmer zucchini in sauce for 15 minutes.

Total calories: 431