Sweet and Citrusy

Evening guys!
Today was a lot better than yesterday, no more bad news and I had a really great time with Danielle in the afternoon which definitely cheered me up.

I walked/ran on the treadmill for 40 minutes this morning; it was rainy outside so I couldn't go on my run as planned. The treadmill worked out though, I got some reading done, and it felt good to exercise.

After exercising, I had a small snack to hold me until lunch.


For lunch, I was planning on making a wrap, but all I was craving was a juicy burger- a Sunshine burger, that is!!

I made it just the way I did the other day; honey mustard, romaine, tomato and red onion on a whole wheat english muffin, with a fruit bowl on the side- some watermelon my mom left me this morning and a few green grapes.

This afternoon I went out with Danielle as planned. I had a light frappucino as we chatted, and caught up.

Afterwards I stopped at Rite Aid for a drink and couldn't resist the chocolate at the counter...

I had half of this! I've really been craving sweets, and I've reasoned that, as long as I keep it under moderation a little can't hurt. I'm healthy 80% of the time, like Erica's philosophy!!

It actually held me until dinner, which I created myself on the treadmill this morning. It was really simple, and the result was light and tasty!

Citrus Marinated Chicken with Basil
Serves 3

1 lg lemon, juice and zest
1 clove garlic, minced
1.5 tbsp blood orange evoo (or use regular evoo and a splash of oj)
1/3 c chopped basil
pinch salt
3 medium sized chicken breasts, trimmed

Combine lemon juice and zest, garlic, evoo, 1/4 cup basil and salt to taste. Whisk in a large bowl.
Place chicken breasts in bowl individually, turning to cover in marinade. Place chicken in zip top bag.
Repeat for all, add rest of marinade to bag and place in fridge for at least 3 hours.

When time to cook, remove breasts from bag, and pan sear on medium high until cooked through, 5-7 minutes per side.

Top with rest of chopped basil and fresh citrus pieces if desired. (I used grapefruit!)

Israeli Couscous with Asparagus
Serves 4 as a side

1 cup israeli couscous
vegetable broth
15-18 pieces of asparagus, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup chopped onion
sea salt and pepper

Simmer couscous in 1/2 water, 1/2 vegetable broth until soft
Meanwhile, steam asparagus and sautee onion until golden
Toss couscous, asparagus and onion, season with s&p to taste.

Enjoy!



The whole meal was very light, but just flavorful enough. Perfect for a warm spring night!

I'm just relaxing tonight, I may go out with my sister for a while for a treat, we'll see! Have a nice Sunday!
Tomorrow is BBQ day with the fam, should be fun!! =)

Devilish eats

Today was quite the spicy day!

I was planning on a smoothie for breakfast, but when I woke up I really wanted oat bran so that's what I made!
1/2 cup oat bran, 1 cup nonfat soy milk, 1 sliced banana, 1 tsp ghee and some cinnamon.

Yum!

For lunch I packed this wonderful spicy creation:

With some grapes!

Soo good! Tasted just like it would if I had packed Indian leftovers, TJ's strikes again- another great new find!

I worked for 4 hours straight this afternoon!! Busy, busy let me tell you!
For snacks I packed a light string cheese I had mid-morning, and then a honey chobani I found (awesome!!) with 2 tbsp chopped pecans for an afternoon snack.

Late afternoon as I was waiting for my ride I had half of this baby:

Definitely my new obsession!! So sweet, choc full of all-natural antioxidants! 1 full bottle has 80 calories, so my portion was a mere 40. Not bad for a sweet drink!

My snack and drink held me until dinner, which was fantastic! I made an Italian favorite- Shrimp Fra Diavolo, which means shrimp of the devil because of it's spiciness!!

I made my own version, complete with zucchini and a side of quinoa, which I got Nick to try, and to my pleasure he liked it! Yay!! My shrimp recipe is following =)

Today was a long day, which is why the post is so short!! I still have a bunch of work to do before I get to relax! A longer post is to come tomorrow, I promise!

Have a nice night, all!

Shrimp Fra Diavolo with zucchini over quinoa

Serves 2
8 oz frozen tail off shrimp
½ cup diced tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium zucchini
1/3 cup diced onion
1 tsp butter
¼ cup white wine
oregano,basil, cayenne, red pepper flakes, s&p to taste
parsley and parmesan cheese

Defrost frozen shrimp under running water until cold
Meanwhile, chop onion and halve and slice 1 large zucchini
Heat 1 tbsp EVOO in pan
Add onion and garlic and cook on medium until onion is soft
Add zucchini and shrimp, and butter
Cook until shrimp is hot and zucchini is soft
Add diced tomatoes, white wine, and spices
Let simmer 10 minutes, until most of sauce has cooked off.
Meanwhile, cook quinoa according to package
Serve shrimp over/next to quinoa, topped with parmesan and parsley.

Curried away

WOW! I just made the most fantastic chicken salad I have ever eaten, hands down. So flavorful and satisfying!!

Last night while cooking dinner I poached a 4-oz chicken breast and chopped it up to put in the fridge and use on a salad today. I decided to make a healthy chicken salad out of it, and here's what I came up with:

Fruity Curried Chicken Salad
Ingredients:
1 cooked 3-4 oz chicken breast, chopped
1 stick celery, diced
1/2 red apple, peeled and diced
2 tbsp red onion, diced
1 tbsp Nayonaise (or low fat mayo/miracle whip)
1 tsp dijon mustard
big squirt lemon juice
1/2 tsp curry powder
salt & pepper to taste

Chop chicken, celery, apple and onion, toss together
Add all 'sauce' ingredients to small bowl, stir together, add chicken/veg mix and stir to combine
Serve on top a big bunch of lettuce or spinach, in a wrap, pita, on a sandwich thin, or between two slices of whole grain bread.
Enjoy!

Mmm, mm! I had mine over spinach with the rest of my apple.
Makes a HUGE portion- I gobbled up every bite!!

I got a good amount done this morning, but not nearly as much as I had wanted! Gotta get back to work!!

Smell of success

My house smelled fantastic with the wafting of this baby on the stove:

Kristin's home made turkey chili, try 2! I made this one a bit spicy, but Nick and I both agreed we liked the spiciness of the first one better! I made a couple changes to the recipe, including corn and a thicker base- that I'll post soon!
I had a big bowl of it along with a piece of a multigrain loaf smeared with some smart balance. Delicious! My recipe made 5.5 HUGE bowfuls, so I have some in the freezer right now for speedy meals next week!

I got lots done this afternoon- some studying, I finished both my writing and Kinesiology, did some thanksgiving planning and had an overall productive day, I love that!

I had a snack around 3 while I was making the chili- 1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese along with some fresh berries.

I still felt hungry though, so I had a handful of nuts and this was just enough to hold me the afternoon!

Since I got so much done I can veg on the couch and hang out until Heroes comes on!!

Another Kristin Creation

The day went pretty well- except for it being freezing... I warmed up with a hot coffee with a splash of skim milk in the morning, made it through my first two classes and then settled in the library to have my lunch and do a few hours of studying before Nutrition Club.

Nutrition club was great! We're planning on going to a food show in New York City in the spring, and we got our sweatshirts!
I snacked on my mixed nuts, and grabbed a juicy plum at the Union when I wasn't full.

Look at our sweatshirts!


After the plum I felt full, until I got home and was STARVING... I knew I wanted to use the frozen chicken breast I had defrosted in the fridge, as well as some leftovers (trying to use up leftovers before I'm away next weekend!)... so I came up with a delicious pasta dinner- a mediterranean inspired dish, I'll call it Basil Chicken with Vegetable Rotini!
I rubbed my chicken breast with a bit of sea salt, pepper, garlic powder and basil and pan-seared it in a tsp of olive oil.
After it was done cooking I threw my veggies in the pan with a bit of chicken broth and lemon juice, and sauteed 1/2 a tomato, a handful of leftover green beans, 2 tbsp sliced olives and some capers. When it was all nice and hot I threw it on top of 1 cup (leftover) cooked whole wheat rotini, and topped it with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese before digging in!

Soooo good! My kind of meal for sure. I gobbled this up and now I'm ready to take some online anatomy quizzes to try and prepare for my exam! Have a great hump-night!

Unexpected

Today was quite the day; it had a lot of unexpected twists and turns that made it a little different than I had planned... but it was still a pretty good day!

I did some studying, but then I decided to make an appointment with my doctor, because I really wasn't feeling the greatest and figured I should get checked out. Good thing I did because I'm on antibiotics now- letting it escalate would NOT have been a smart idea!

For a snack today I had this clif bar: I ate 1/2 after the doctors, before I went to the gym and 1/2 for my afternoon snack.

I also sipped on this cranberry juice- I don't normally like to "drink" my calories, but cranberry juice is good for the kidneys and it should help relieve this pesky female prob I've got going on, so I drank away. [Listen to me telling the whole world my medical issues... guess I have no shame ;-) ]

I went to the gym but didn't have as much time as planned because of my impromptu doctor's visit. I did a 5 minute warm-up and ran 25 minutes and did a 5 minute cooldown, for 35 minutes on the treadmill. Then I did about 10 minutes of lunges and hamstring exercises before hitting the showers.

Luckily I was on time to meet my grandpa. He really wanted chinese food, and although I'm not a big fan I agreed to try the new place on campus and was pleasantly surprised! I ordered shrimp with broccol, which came with a side of rice- so I chose brown rice, and soup- I chose hot & sour.
I ate 1/2 the soup, all the shrimp/broccoli and half the rice.

This filled me up, but there wasn't a whole lot of shrimp so the protein was minimal- I definately needed the other 1/2 of my clif bar in the afternoon!

After my Kinesiology class I was studying in the lobby of the building my writing class is in, when one of the students from my class came up to me and asked me why I was there- when I told him the writing class he laughed and told me it was canceled! Now, I would have been ecstatic- if I had my car. But I didn't- I let my roommate borrow it for the afternoon with the intent he would pick me up when my class was over later that night. Normally you'd just call your ride... but in my case thats a bit of an issue because my roommate has a hearing problem and hardly ever answers his phone! So I was texting and texting and almost a half an hour went by before I resorted to texting Nick... he agreed to come pick me up with one stipulation- I made him dinner! Now I LOVE cooking for more than one so I gladly agreed! He told me he wanted home made baked macaroni and cheese, so we stopped at the store on the way home for some cheese- cheddar and a 4-cheese Italian mix, and went back home to make him his "Thank you" dinner! I've gotta admit, I went a bit overboard at dinner.
I LOVE macaroni and cheese. Especially crispy, creamy home made mac n cheese. So I had a helping. With some green beans. And another 1/2 a helping. And then I started picking at leftover crust, and thats when I realized I had eaten a bit too much... So I'm pretty much through with food for the night!


To make the mac n cheese I used a few tbsp of margarine, s&p, 3/4 cup 1% milk, 3/4 package each of cheddar and italian mix for the sauce, and whole wheat rotini for the macaroni (because spirals are so much better than elbows!). I cooked the pasta and simmered the sauce, mixed them together and then threw it in a pan that I covered with parmesan bread crumbs and baked for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. We had some steamed green beans on the side for some veggies, because the nutritionist needs her phytochemicals!
Overall it was really good- a bit crispy because the pan was so big (Nick's only complaint), but definately satisfied both of our cravings for a comforting home-cooked meal!

I got a lot done today, so I only have a bit more work to do before I call it a night!

Easy as a stir fry

Besides an omelette, stir-fries are my favorite quick, easy way to get a fast meal filled with protein, veggies and grains!
I just finished my LAST ANATOMY LAB (besides the final practical) so I was pretty much jumping up and down in excitement when I was making my dinner! And I was suuuuper hungry, so I needed something ASAP!

My dinner tonight was a Chicken Broccoli Brown Rice Stirfry. I'm not a big fan of processed foods, but frozen meats and veggies are so convienent! And the kinds I used were minimally processed. So, I threw a big handful of frozen diced chicken and a big handful of frozen broccoli spears in the pan with some chopped white onion, a bit of canola oil, added some chicken broth, a splash of tamari (added more towards the end!), rice wine vinegar, garlic powder, and a pinch of ginger. Towards the end I added 1 cup cooked brown rice, heated it all together and voila! A delicious dinner in under 20 minutes.

Perfectly satisfying, although not too big so I'm sure I'll be looking for a snack a bit later.

Let me back track to today's eats...

I woke up early to go to the gym this morning; so pre-workout was the usual 1/2 clif bar, and breakfast was my on the go combo- 1 cup Quaker oat squares, a banana and a 0% chobani.

For lunch I made a salad with a bunch of veggies- romaine, spinach, radicchio, tomato and orange pepper, and topped it with 1 60-oz can of drained tuna mixed with 1 tbsp light Italian dressing. I also had some carrots and an apple.

It filled me up for the afternoon, and then I had my snack before lab:

This was really, really good- but I still think the cinnamon ones are my favorite!

What a day. Lots of work, I really didn't take a break all day- but theres no time for a break now either- I still have an English paper to re-write, and some Anatomy outlining to do because my test is a week from today; and I want to watch Heroes at 9!

Italian love

Today was a fast day- I woke up late, so I only did about 15 minutes of ab exercises before getting ready for work. My quick breakfast was a huge choco-banana-berry smoothie, and I packed my food for the day as I was sipping on it!

I packed: A baggie of raw almonds, which I ate mid-morning; a can of Amy's black bean soup and some baby carrots I had for lunch, and an apple I snacked on mid-afternoon.

Work went by fast- there were a lot of signs to put up and a lot of customers, so time flew by!
Once I was done I headed over to belmont to pick us this baby for dinner:

Pancetta, otherwise known as Italian bacon, was the key ingredient to my fab dinner tonight!
During the afternoon I snacked on about 1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese and did some homework before making dinner.

I made a fantastic Italian dinner tonight! I cooked up the package of gnocci I picked up at the store the other day, and while that was boiling I sauteed some chopped pancetta in olive oil, added some black pepper and wilted some spinach in there. When the spinach was nice and cooked I added some sweet basil tomato sauce (about 3/4 cup) along with some parmesan cheese, added the drained gnocchi and let it simmer for a bit for the flavors to meld.

I thought I would only need a tiny portion because gnocchi is pretty filling...

but I went back for seconds (1/2 of the 1st portion) because it was sooo good! This whole dish made about 4 servings, theres leftovers for Tyler for tomorrow night because he tried it and liked it!!

Now I'm settling down for a bit with a second glass of red wine- I did a lot this weekend, so there won't be too much work for me tonight. Back in the grind for sure tomorrow morning!

Never a break

I can not believe it's already 3pm and I haven't blogged yet! This day off has flown by, it feels as though I never have a break, even when I have the day off!
Last night I must admit I did my fair share of indulging... two slivers of cake (chocolate and strawberry ice cream) and a few pieces of leftover halloween candy (blushes)... I know it was a bit much, but I was soooo craving something sweet! Must be hormones, but I could NOT lay off the chocolate!

Luckily I was ready to eat healthy again this morning. I started off my busy day with a Choco-banana-berry smoothie made with 1 cup soymilk, 1 cup frozen berries, a big banana and a scoop of choc Jay Robb protein powder.
It filled 1 big cup and a little leftover halloween cup!


I spent the morning working on my egg project, before a bit of baking- I made Happy Herbivore's apple crisp muffins again, which are always a hit- I brought a few to my Aunt at work! The first part of my lunch consisted of some leftover apple slices...

and I licked these bowls clean!

Mmmm, mmm- I can never stop myself!
My real lunch consisted of a whole wheat tortilla I topped with 1/2 cup refried black beans and a bunch of sriracha hot sauce , warmed and wrapped up, with some cottage cheese and carrots on the side.

I headed to the gym for some cardio, where I did 30 minutes of running intervals on the treadmill. After my quick workout I headed to Rite Aid- not my store, but the one where my Aunt works as a pharmacist so she could give me my flu shot. Working at a pharmacy, it's important I keep myself as healthy as possible! I chatted with her for a while, did a bit of shopping, came home and chatted on the phone with my dad (super secret Christmas plans! hehe) for a while before heading home.
I snacked on 3/4 cup 0% chobani with my favorite topping, pom seeds!

I only have a bit of time to relax because I still have a bunch of egg work to do... but as promised here's my recipe...
(combined & adapted from VWAV and a Cooking Light recipe)

Vegan Maple Walnut Pumpkin Muffins
1 3/4 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 cup canned pumpkin (pure, not pie filling!)
1/2 cup soy milk (i used West Soy nonfat)
1/4 cup vegetable oil (i used organic canola)
1/4 cup apple sauce
2 tablespoons maple syrup
handful of chopped walnuts or pecans (i used walnuts; optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. While oven is heating, sift all dry ingredients together in a big bowl
3. Whisk wet ingredients until completely combined
4. Pour wet into dry, stir and fold in nuts (optional)
5. Pour into greased 12-cup muffin pan, each muffin 2/3 full
6. Bake 18-20 minutes until a knife/toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy!

(Oh, and the batter for this is fab as well. Be careful... you'll end up eating an entire muffin before they're cooked!)

Recipes that gobble

So as I promised, I have two new Kristin recipes for you- this time featuring my new favorite lean protein source, Turkey! For all you veggies out there who haven't returned to the dark side such as I, you can use my favorite boca meatless ground, or any other meatless ground you prefer. Just defrost it, skip the cooking of the meat and use it as indicated!
Enjoy!

Italian-style Turkey Meatballs
Makes 15-18 medium-sized meatballs (Serves 4-5)

1 lb lean ground turkey
2 regular brown eggs
1 cup plain or whole wheat breadcrumbs
extra virgin olive oil (to taste)
parmesan cheese (1/4-1/2 cup; to taste)
dash oregano
dash garlic powder
big dash parsley
dash basil
salt and fresh black pepper to taste
-sauce of choice
-pasta of choice

Beat eggs, set aside
Add ground turkey to large bowl, add all other ingredients (including eggs) and mix well with hands
Drizzle EVOO in bottom of pan, heat on medium
Form turkey mixture into medium sized balls, place in pan and cook approximately 4 minutes each side, until browned
Add sauce to pan, simmer 10-15 minutes
Meanwhile, boil pot of water and cook pasta until al dente
Place 3-4 meatballs in sauce on top of pasta, sprinkle with a bit more parmesan. Garnish with fresh basil if desired.

And, my first of many (I'm sure!) tries at meaty chili:

Spicy Turkey Chili- Mk-1
Makes 5-6 bowlfuls

1 lb lean turkey breast
2 15-oz cans beans (I used just Kidney; I would have preferred to use black or pinto as well)
1 can diced tomatoes with chili peppers
2 8-oz cans no salt added tomato sauce
1 ½ cups vegeatable broth or chicken stock
1 spanish onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp oregano
cayenne pepper to taste
paprika to taste
dash cumin
pinch salt

-Spray pan or large pot with nonstick cooking spray; add turkey and cook on medium until completely browned
-transfer to colander, drain excess fat and set aside
-meanwhile, chop onion and re-spray pan
-add onion and 2 cloves minced garlic to pan, cook until onions are soft
-reduce heat to medium, add pepper, turkey, tomatoes, broth and tomato sauce
-let simmer 10 minutes
-add beans and spices, stir, cover and let sit 40-60 minutes until flavors meld.

Serve with a sprinkle of Mexican cheese and bread, cornbread or paked potato to balance the spiciness. Enjoy!

Pasta con tonno e salsa pomodori olive

Today was a fun afternoon! My sister and I set out for our hair appointments after I finished lunch, and we had a great time talking to Nicole, our stylist, and taking a quick stop at the health food store next door! We got a couple treats for the road; we tried this "healthier" soda, Diet Steaz Sparkling Green Tea, in Raspberry. I wouldn't drink the whole bottle; it does still have some sugar in it, but it was a nice treat and a lot healthier than your average soda! We also bought a bag of unsweetened dried mango, which I had 5 pieces out of.

When we got home, we took pics of our new styles- I just got my hair darkened a little for fall, and she got some layers. I think we look pretty darn cute!

I also had a small 1/2 cup of 0% fage to hold me until dinner.

A couple hours later, I knew what I was craving for dinner- tuna and pasta, but I didn't want to make the same recipe I've made twice before (although I love it!) so I came up with my own, with a few twists and it came out DELICIOUS! I'm so proud of this dish, the flavor was light and mediterannean, but incredibly tasty. I sauteed some tomatoes in a little garlic and a couple tablespoons of olive oil, along with some chopped red onion, capers, black olives sliced, oregano and fresh basil and then let them simmer for a bit. Then I added some spinach and let that wilt, all while my pasta was cooking- I used whole wheat penne. After I drained the pasta, I tossed it with 1 6-oz can chunk light tuna, added my sauce, a bit of fresh black pepper and mixed it well, and then added a few pieces of chopped fresh mozzarella balls to each bowl. It was exactly what I was craving, and filled me up well!


In again tonight, tomorrow is going to be a long day so I need my rest! Then I work all weekend, and then it's move in! I guess it's my last night of lazyness!

Rain, again?

I spent the afternoon doing more organizing and relaxing, and had a quick snack of some grapes before heading out for a light walk with my mom- so we intended.

Only 15 minutes into the walk we felt raindrops, so we knew we were going to have to cut our walk short. Unfortunately we only got about 20 minutes in... but I was SO glad we came back when we did- it started downpouring only a few minutes after we got back! Just in time!

I decided to start dinner early, so I got to work in the kitchen making my own Eggplant Parmesan Stacks, based on a recipe I learned while I was in Italy, with a few modifications (no frying the eggplant, less cheese and no hard boiled eggs). It came out SO delicious, I was so proud of myself!

Here's the recipe:

Baked Eggplant Parmesan Stacks
Serves 4

2 medium or 1 1/2 large eggplants, sliced into 8 1/2" rounds
salt
marinara sauce- make your own (tomato sauce, olive oil, oregano, garlic, parsley) or use jarred
1/2 sliced red onion
cooking spray or olive oil
shredded reduced fat mozzarella (about 1 cup)
fresh grated parmesan cheese
fresh or dried basil

1) A half an hour before you begin preparing the eggplant, slice and rinse eggplant, sprinkle with salt and let sit
2) When you are ready to start preparing the eggplant, rinse off each slice thoroughly and dry
3) Spray a large skillet with cooking spray or drizzle with olive oil; turn stove on medium high
4) Place eggplant slices on skillet, sautee until lightly browned, turning once
5) Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425 degrees and slice onion
6) Spoon a thin layer of tomato sauce along bottom of casserole dish, layer with sauteed eggplant, and top with more sauce and a bit of mozzarella on each slice
7) Sautee the onions until they are limp, in the same pan as the eggplants, top eggplant slices with onions
8) Top slices with second slice of eggplant, cover with sauce, mozarella and a generous sprinkle of parmesan on each
9) Top with dried basil, and place in oven for 2-30 minutes, until cheese is browned and sauce is bubbly

The serving is two stacks per person, so I had two along with some whole wheat penne in garlic spinach. It was just enough, (although I did grab a couple spoonfuls of leftover sauce as well) and reminded me of Italia!


Any more questions??

Lunch with the cousins

This morning, I went for a quick run around my neighborhood before getting ready and speeding out the door to grab my cousins lunch and meet up with them between their exams. Being in my old school was so strange- they're doing renevations so it was definately different than I remembered it! My cousins and I relaxed outside at the picnic tables with our lunches. I had a big wrap from one of my favorite middle eastern delis, Pick Pockets. It had hummus, tabbouleh, lettuce, tomato and tahini in a big pita- yum!

I finished my whole big wrap, and a diet lime snapple green tea, while we chatted and relaxed before they had to take their next test. After having a nice time seeing them, we agreed to meet up again tomorrow and have lunch again! I always love seeing my cousins and it's been hard, first when we were both at school, and then when I was home and they were finishing up their school. So it's great to be able to spend some time with them before I leave!
Afterwards I decided to take a quick trip to the Alternative food co-op, to look for a new natural sunscreen to take to italy, and picked up some organic strawberries, and a couple of my favorite vegan cookies as well!
Back at home, I decided to throw together a big mexican-inspired salad for lunch with my cousins tomorrow- they get out at 10:30 so I have to leave early to catch them in between exams, and now all I'll have to do is throw the salad, some tortilla chips and fruit into a picnic basket and be out the door!

Here's the recipe for my salad (quick, easy, and great for a summer bbq!)

Tangy Bean and Corn Summer Salad

1 can black beans, rinsed
1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 orange bell pepper, diced
1 tbsp canola oil
juice from 1/2 lime
1/4 tsp chili powder
a couple dashes paprika
pinch sea salt
pinch pepper
handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

Rinse black beans, thaw corn, chop peppers and cilantro
Toss all together, and voila- a simple, tasty, crunchy salad- great as a side! This makes 4 1-cup servings.

Our lunch, all set for tomorrow: (I'm bringing some guac packs too!)

I had a snack to hold me over as well; a blueberry soy yogurt with some sliced almonds and a golden delicious apple.

Now I'm going to relax out in the sun with my book for a while before heading in to prepare dinner- one of my quick, easy meaty meatless favorites I haven't had in a while but have been CRAVING! Guesses?