Tropical Green Protein Smoothie

Another smoothie for your drinking pleasure!  This one is tropical and very refreshing.  I just can't get enough of smoothies this summer...

Tropical Green Protein Smoothie

1 frozen banana (I cut ripe bananas in half and store them in the freezer for smoothie making)
1/2-1 c frozen mixed tropical fruit (I like mango and pineapple!)
1/2 avocado
1 scoop (14 g) unflavored whey protein (or vanilla whey would be good too!)
2 huge handfuls spinach or kale
3/4-1 c water or nut milk (for a super filling and thick smoothie, you could even use canned coconut milk)
3-4 ice cubes

Place all ingredients in large blender and process until smooth.  This is too much for a magic bullet, so you'll need a full size blender to process all of the ingredients.  Makes 1 large serving.

Favorite Chicken Salad

I eat a huge salad most days for lunch, and this one is one of my favorites!  I think I ate it every day for lunch this week.  It's definitely a staple in my diet.  The recipe below makes 1 very large salad (in the picture I actually just photographed about half of the salad).

Favorite Chicken Salad

spinach, a few large handfuls, torn into small pieces
baby carrots, chopped into small pieces
fresh sugar snap peas, chopped into small piece
1/4 c red onion, chopped fine
1/2 avocado, sliced into pieces
salsa, about 1/4 c
pepper, a few grinds
cumin (this makes it extra tasty!), a few shakes
4 oz. chicken breasts or thighs, cooked any way you like and chopped into bite size pieces

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Eat!  This makes 1 serving for me.

*Sometimes I swap out or add cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, cabbage, or broccoli slaw.
I also swap out ground beef (heated) or tuna for the chicken.

Guacamole

There are tons of guacamole recipes out there but this is the version we've found to be our favorite.  It is adapted from many other recipes to suit our taste.  The spices really give this guacamole some zip!  Salt is an essential ingredient because it brings out the flavor of the avocados, tomatoes, and onion.  

Guacamole

3-4 avocados (save 1 or two of the pits!)
2 small tomatoes or 1 very large tomato, diced 
1 small red onion or 1/2 large red onion, diced
1/2 c cilantro, chopped fine (just eyeball it)
1/2 tsp coarse salt (sea salt or kosher salt)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
3 T lime juice

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mash together.  I like my guacamole chunky, so I just give it a rough mash with a fork.  And that's it, you're done!  If you want it smoother, you could mash up or blend the avocado before mixing it with the rest of the ingredients.  Throw 1 or 2 of the avocado pits into the bowl of guacamole.  This will help keep it green and fresh or up to 2 days after making it.  

Avocado Chicken Salad

  

This chicken salad recipe is adapted from one by my friend Mike.  It is easy, delicious, and a definite crowd-pleaser!  The avocado is the perfect simple, creamy alternative to mayo or dressing on a traditional chicken salad.

A few tips on buying and using avocados:

You have a few options when buying avocados.  You can buy avocados that are very hard when you squeeze them.  Store on the counter until they give a little when you squeeze them but are not at all mushy.  Then, either refrigerate them (for up to 4-5 days in my experience) OR use them right away.  You could also just buy avocados that give a little when you squeeze them but are not mushy.  Then refrigerate them for up to 4-5 days or use them right away.  I find the easiest way to cut up an avocado is to slice it longways down the middle, rotating the knife around the pit.  Then remove the pit with your fingers.  Hold one half of the avocado in the palm of your hand and (with a butter knife), score the avocado down to the skin in one direction and then again in a perpendicular direction.  Then use the knife to pop the chunks you have created out of the avocado skin.  Avocados are a great way to incorporate healthy fats into your meals.  I love to eat them in this salad, alongside eggs, mixed with salsa as a "dip" for raw vegetables, or in guacamole.

Avocado Chicken Salad

Adapted from Mike Lassak

2 lb chicken breasts or thighs

4 avocados

¼ cup lime juice

Salt

Pepper

8 ribs celery, diced

6 green onions, diced

1 c dried cranberries

Prepare chicken however you would like- bake, sauté, grill, etc.  You could also shred up a rotisserie chicken.  Whichever way you choose, just make sure you have about 2 lb. of meat.  (We like to bake 1 bag of Trader Joe’s chicken breasts or thighs and then cut it up to use in the salad).  Cut up chicken and set aside.  Mash up 4 avocados.  Squeeze about ¼ cup lime juice (fresh or bottled) and a liberal amount of salt and pepper onto the avocados.  Dice 8 ribs of celery and 6 green onions, then add that to the avocados.  Then add 1 cup of dried cranberries.  Next add the chopped up chicken.  Stir everything well and refrigerate before serving.  This keeps well in the fridge for up to 2 days but tastes best when eaten within a day of making it.  

Green Deviled Eggs

Another recipe I shared with friends at the Fit Club games on Sunday was these deviled eggs!  They were well received by all, and I even had strangers asking to try them!  I’m not usually a big fan of deviled eggs (mayo and mustard aren’t my favorite) even though they are a staple appetizer at many family gatherings.  These eggs, however, are something I will make again and again!  Instead of the traditional mayo and mustard base for the filling, these eggs have avocado.  Yum!  I won’t say this recipe is quick, because cooking, cracking and peeling the eggs does take some effort and patience, but making the filling is very simple if you have a food processor.  These eggs are also inexpensive and require only a few ingredients.

I have heard of about a thousand “best” ways to hardboil eggs and get them to turn out “perfectly.”  I am definitely not claiming this is the best way, but I do like how they turn out when I make them the following way: Place eggs in medium saucepan and cover with cold water to just above the eggs.  Place on stove over high heat and bring to a boil.  Once the water is boiling hard, cook for 3 minutes.  Then remove pot from heat, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes to continue cooking.  After 10 minutes, drain the hot water from the pot and replace with cold water, and let the eggs sit in the cold water for about 5 minutes.  Then refrigerate the eggs to peel later, or peel immediately.  I can’t say I’ve figured out a great way to peel the eggs perfectly, but this method of cooking does provide good results in terms of the “doneness” of the yolk.  The yolks will be a nice bold shade of yellow and not chalky at all.  And they never have that grey/green tint to them. 

The original recipes called for 6 eggs, 1 avocado, and ¼ cup of cilantro, but I adjusted the ratios for this recipe.  I wanted to use 9 eggs because 18 halves fit in my deviled egg carrier!

Green Deviled Eggs

Originally from Mastering the Art of Paleo Cooking 

9 hard-boiled eggs

1 ½ avocados

½ c cilantro (I estimated here- just use a “good amount”)

Salt, pepper, cayenne to taste

Hard boil eggs, cut in half and remove yolks.  In food processor, pulse cilantro until finely chopped.  Add egg yolks, avocado, salt, pepper, and cayenne.  Process until uniformly smooth and creamy.  Scoop filling into eggs as desired.  (I used a Ziploc bag with a corner cut off and a star decorating tip inserted in the corner to make a pretty “swirl.”  You could use an actual pastry bag to pipe in the filling, or to make it even easier, just scoop the filling in with a spoon!)  Refrigerate.  These are best if served the day you make them. 

Cowboy Caviar

This “cowboy caviar” is a dish we originally found on delish.com and have adapted to suit our taste and dietary preferences.  We have made it dozens of times (usually a double batch), and every time it disappears too quickly!  This is a perfect summer dish because it requires NO cooking and is extremely versatile.  We typically eat it with burgers, grilled chicken, or on salads.  We used to eat it with tortilla chips, which was delicious as well.  If you can tolerate corn, add 1 cup of corn to the recipe for a nice contrast in color and texture.  If you eat Paleo, omit the beans and add cooked chicken to the mix.  What really makes this dish delicious is the avocado, so definitely don’t skimp on that!  Try this one or make your own version and let me know what you think!

Cowboy Caviar

Adapted from delish.com 

15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 roma tomatoes, diced

3 green onions, minced

1 large avocado, diced

1 c chopped fresh cilantro

½ c salsa (we like to use hot salsa, but any type will work)

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients in large bowl and gently stir to combine.  Refrigerate.  This only keeps for 2-3 days (past that, the avocado starts to turn brown), but it probably won’t even last that long!