Smoothy Anyone?

With this hot weather (which I'm loving because we had such a long winter)

it leaves craving something refreshing and sweet!

How about a yummy smoothy?

Super easy for breakfast or lunch!

Strawberry Smoothy

Cup of plain greek yogurt (want the greek because of twice the protein content)

1/2 cup of OJ

2 bananas

good helping of chopped strawberries or other berries (1 1/2 to 2 cups)

2 cups of ice

**May want to make it sweeter by adding 2 tablespoons of honey**

**Also, coconut milk is quite yummy as well **

Blend it up and serve! Yum!

Honey Lime Chicken

from myrecipes.com (posted by Nessa)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup lime juice, plus the zest of 2 limes
• 2 tablespoons mild honey
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Preparation

• Whisk all ingredients together. Put chicken in a nonreactive baking dish and pour marinade over, turning to coat. If you like a stickier glaze, mix 2 more tbsp. honey with 1 more tbsp. lime juice and brush onto chicken during last 5 minutes of cooking.

Menu Ideas

A little late, sorry.

Never a dull moment with 3 crazy boys here!

Nor a moment to breath, chill, relax... make a menu. Ha!

But I managed, 2 days into our week!

Here's what's cooking this week :)

1) Roasted lemon garlic chicken, with dill potatoes & fresh green beans

2) Italian wedding soup (paleo style: cauliflower & turkey italian sausage & greens)

3) Gingered carrots & broccoli with tilapia

4) Honey lime barbequed chicken, salad & pilaf

5) Pizza night!

Who Would Have Thunk? Beets and Sweet Potatoes!

We've been getting beets in our CSA box lately.

I wasn't too thrilled at first.

Tried just roasting them by themselves.... yuck! (well... it's not for me anyways)

Wow, so who would have thunk??

Beets & sweet potatoes would be the magic combo, really?!

REALLY!!

Believe you me, I have NEVER been a fan of beets. Ick!

But once I tried this combination, thanks to Matt, I actually like them.

I don't love them, but they are growing on me.

And each time, we're able to mix a little less sweet potatoes with the beets ;)

That's progress in my opinion.

Besides, I did some research and found that beets have some great benefits.

They are a little higher on the carb/sugar content, so don't go nuts.

Which I honestly don't think anyone would over beets. Ha!

Also, may sound gross, but don't be alarmed if your pee is reddish after eating these.

Kind of scared me the first time.... but it does happen.

TMI?? Sorry, just didn't want you to have a scare.

Better to be informed, right?!

So anywho, on to the benefits I found out about (from organicfacts.net)

1) Good for the heart. Beet fiber helps to reduce cholesterol and triglycerides by increasing the level of HDL.

2) Avoids birth defects: Great for pregnant women since it is a source of vitamin B folate, which is helpful in the development of the infants spinal column.

3) Prevents certain cancers. WOW!! I thought this was pretty cool, VERY cool!! Studies have found that beets help prevent colon cancer, since it contains betacyaninis, which counteracts cancer.

4) Good for the liver.

5) Helps prevent respiratory problems (asthma) and lung cancer.

6) Prevents cataracts because of the beta caratene

Pretty impressive huh?!

I was pretty stunned.

I'll be eating my beets now ;)

So there you have it.

Don't knock it until you try it.

You may be surprised.

Roasted Beets & Sweet Potatoes

So here's how we prepare ours:

1) Preheat oven at 400.

2) Cover cookie sheet with foil. Peel and Cut up 2 to 3 sweet potatoes and 2 to 3 beets.

3) Place sweet potatoes on sheet first. Drizzle with a little olive oil & bake for 15 min.

Add cut beets to sweet potatoes, a little more olive oil and 1 to 2 tblsp of brown sugar. Mix it up and place back in oven for another 15 min.

**Matt likes to add a little honey to his. I don't think it's necessary, but you may**

Serenity Food Prayer

Thought this was hilarious!

Posted by Nikki on FB. Loved it!

God grant me the serenity to accept the foods i cannot eat,

the courage to eat the things i have to

& the wisdom to never buy ice cream again,

amen.

Grilled Salmon with Cucumber Salad

from myrecipes.com (posted by Nessa)

Ingredients

• SAUCE
• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• About 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• CUCUMBER SALAD
• 1/2 pound Persian or English cucumbers
• 2 teaspoons chopped chives
• 2 teaspoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced shallot
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• SALMON AND SERVING
• 4 sockeye salmon fillets (each 5 to 6 oz., 1/2 to 1 in. thick), with skin
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• Fresh dill sprigs

Preparation

• 1. Make sauce: Combine yogurt, dill, oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Cover and chill until used.
• 2. Heat grill to medium-high (about 450°).
• 3. Make salad: Cut cucumbers lengthwise into paper-thin strips, preferably with a mandoline. Put in a bowl with herbs and shallot; chill until used. In another bowl, mix oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper; set dressing aside.
• 4. Prepare salmon: Rub all over with oil and sprinkle all over with salt and pepper. Fold a 12- by 20-in. sheet of heavy-duty foil in half crosswise. With a knife tip, poke dime-size holes through foil about 2 in. apart. Oil one side of foil.
• 5. Set foil with oiled side up on cooking grate. Set fillets slightly separated, skin side down, on foil. Grill, covered, until fish is barely cooked through, 7 to 12 minutes. With a wide spatula, slide fish from skin to a platter and tent with foil. If you want crisp skin, continue to cook skin on foil until crisp, 2 to 3 more minutes. Remove foil from grill, then gently peel off skin, using your fingers or a wide spatula (skin may break into pieces).
• 6. Set crisp skin, if using, on plates and set the salmon on top. Discard any liquid from cucumber mixture in bowl, then quickly toss mixture with dressing and mound on fish. Garnish with fresh dill sprigs. Serve immediately with yogurt sauce (salmon skin will soften as it stands).