Biology major studying to become a physical therapist Based in Los Angeles & Dallas
Greek spinach salad & caprese grilled cheese | well… college-style caprese made with shredded mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, and spinach on Ezekiel bread
healthy(er) spinach dip | 1 package frozen spinach, 2 cans artichoke hearts, 1 package 1/3 fat cream cheese, 1 package fat free cream cheese, 1 cup Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup low fat mozzarella, 1/4 cup Parmesan, 1 tbsp minced garlic, salt and pepper | bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes | #iheartfood
Copycat Spa Salad by Snappy Salads
I think literally every time I’ve gone to the mall I have gotten this salad, but for a whopping $8… To some, the price may be insignificant. To me, a college student on a budget, I’d rather spend my money buying the ingredients to make as many Spa Salads as I want.
Spinach, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, monterey jack, fresh/canned salmon (I used canned), roasted red pepper vinaigrette (blend canned roasted red pepper with your favorite balsamic vinaigrette - you don’t need a whole lot of vinaigrette since the peppers are canned in water and provide plenty of liquid)
Day 5 of 4-week cleanse: Pita pizza w. ricotta, mushrooms, spinach, roasted red bell peppers, and oven-roasted cherry tomatoes
Spinach & Quinoa Greek Salad w. Salmon
2 cups baby spinach, 1/4 cup (dry) quinoa cooked, red onion slices, cucumber slices, diced tomatoes, feta crumbles, 3 oz baked salmon, and Greek dressing
Only five days until I leave for San Diego for Spring Break! Which means I really have to make sure I’m eating healthy and drinking plenty of water all week… and actually getting to the gym
Tomato & Spinach Brushcetta . recipe
When I think back to this time last year, I was in my little dorm room in a town outside of Rome cramming for finals and wanting so badly to be home with my boyfriend, my family, my dogs, and American food. It wouldn’t be fair for me to simply arrive home and remain content with my surroundings. No, every day I find myself experiencing extreme symptoms of wanderlust; I miss the days of buying plane tickets on Wednesday night to fly off to another country Thursday afternoon.
Realizing it’s been a whole year since I’ve traveled makes me realize something else. It’s been a whole year and this blog simply hasn’t blossomed the way I had hoped it would. Small successes were achieved: I moved into an apartment with a kitchen, reached 1000+ followers, and have kept up my healthy eating habits (for the most part). But what I want more, is to be able to look back on my blog this time next year and see 365 posts that don’t just say “healthy oatmeal w. craisins #instagram”
This is the beginning of my end-of-the-year resolution (I’m also not banking on the world ending in 9 days). I’m going to try to post something every day, and we’ll see how long I can keep it up.
To start it off, I made a delicious bruschetta today with the inspiration of Italy fresh in my mind. I can’t say it lives up to the bruschetta I had in Rome, nor does it even live up to my mom’s bruschetta, but it’s pretty darn good when you want a single serving of some Italian comfort food without breaking out the gnocchi.
Ingredients:
½ Roma tomato (or any tomato, but Roma was today’s theme), chopped
1 tsp chopped garlic
½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup spinach
1 slice Italian bread
butter or margarine, if desired
In a medium pan, heat oil on medium heat. Add garlic and tomatoes. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Toast bread lightly. Add spinach to tomatoes and cook until wilted. If desired, spread butter or margarine on toast and top with tomatoes.
Omelettes: The Cure for the Common Breakfast
if you watch Mad Men, you’ll know i’m not witty. but i was clever enough to come up with this winning combination
ingredients:
- 2 eggs (1 egg + 1 egg white)
- red bell pepper
- mushroom
- spinach
- crumbled goat cheese (chevre)
Heat a pan and spray with generous[ish] amount of nonstick spray. Add chopped bell peppers, then add chopped mushrooms, then add the spinach. Cook until the spinach is wilted, the bell peppers are slightly charred, and the mushrooms are slightly browned.
Remove veggies and place in a bowl to the side. In the same pam, add eggs that have been whisked in a bowl and add to pan. Cook eggs for an omelette and once mostly cooked, add veggies and some goat cheese crumbles.
Then eat it. And the goat cheese was just perfect with the veggies.
and I’m about to go make a salad with the same goat cheese because it’s too darn delicious
![Mushroom-Artichoke Risotto w. Spinach and Feta
i had bought a tub of arborio rice a little while ago to make risotto-stuffed mushrooms and now that it’s the end of the year i am trying to use it up so i don’t waste the entire thing
with a little produce-shopping at my local cafeteria (so convenient) i made mushroom-artichoke risotto with spinach and some feta i had leftover from the fettucini i made
Risotto is really simple to make, it just takes a while. I’ve only made it that one other time and felt like I already had gotten the hang of it. So I suggest follow a strict recipe at least once and then start switching things up to make it just how you like it :)
ingredients:
i’m not sure about the exact measurements, i just winged it
2 tbsp canola oil
1/2 cup arborio rice
2-3 cups vegetable broth (or any other broth)
2 tbsp butter
chopped mushrooms — as few or as many as you prefer
chopped artichoke hearts — as few or as many as you prefer
spinach leaves — as few or as many as you prefer
crumbled feta — as much or as little as you prefer
salt and pepper to taste
Total time to cook rice: about 30-40 minutes
Heat 1 tbsp oil in pan and add rice. Add 1/2 cup broth and stir until about 3/4 is absorbed. [perhaps following the instructions on the rice is the best idea, but this is what i did]. Stir frequently on medium heat and keep adding broth by the half-cup. You may end up using more or less than suggested amount — just keep an eye on it.
Keep stirring — the rice should nearly double in size and become thick and creamy. Add butter and stir until completely melted into risotto.
In another pan, heat 1 tbsp oil and saute mushrooms and artichoke hearts.
Once everything is nearly done, add spinach and feta to risotto — allowing the spinach to wilt and the feta to get mixed in. Then add the sauteed mushrooms and artichoke hearts.
Serve in a bowl and add salt and pepper to taste (it needs salt, trust me) - (or add it while you’re cooking)
Hope that was about as straightforward as the inter-continental alliances during WWI! Happy Finals Week!
i also have much better step-by-step pictures from my camera but my camera is alllllll the way at my boyfriend’s apartment (down 5 flights of stairs and about 30 ft away) - i’ll put them up later. maybe. if i survive finals](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3mf4eybch1ql9xfbo1_400.jpg)
Mushroom-Artichoke Risotto w. Spinach and Feta
i had bought a tub of arborio rice a little while ago to make risotto-stuffed mushrooms and now that it’s the end of the year i am trying to use it up so i don’t waste the entire thing
with a little produce-shopping at my local cafeteria (so convenient) i made mushroom-artichoke risotto with spinach and some feta i had leftover from the fettucini i made
Risotto is really simple to make, it just takes a while. I’ve only made it that one other time and felt like I already had gotten the hang of it. So I suggest follow a strict recipe at least once and then start switching things up to make it just how you like it :)
ingredients:
i’m not sure about the exact measurements, i just winged it
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 1/2 cup arborio rice
- 2-3 cups vegetable broth (or any other broth)
- 2 tbsp butter
- chopped mushrooms — as few or as many as you prefer
- chopped artichoke hearts — as few or as many as you prefer
- spinach leaves — as few or as many as you prefer
- crumbled feta — as much or as little as you prefer
- salt and pepper to taste
Total time to cook rice: about 30-40 minutes
Heat 1 tbsp oil in pan and add rice. Add 1/2 cup broth and stir until about 3/4 is absorbed. [perhaps following the instructions on the rice is the best idea, but this is what i did]. Stir frequently on medium heat and keep adding broth by the half-cup. You may end up using more or less than suggested amount — just keep an eye on it.
Keep stirring — the rice should nearly double in size and become thick and creamy. Add butter and stir until completely melted into risotto.
In another pan, heat 1 tbsp oil and saute mushrooms and artichoke hearts.
Once everything is nearly done, add spinach and feta to risotto — allowing the spinach to wilt and the feta to get mixed in. Then add the sauteed mushrooms and artichoke hearts.
Serve in a bowl and add salt and pepper to taste (it needs salt, trust me) - (or add it while you’re cooking)
Hope that was about as straightforward as the inter-continental alliances during WWI! Happy Finals Week!
i also have much better step-by-step pictures from my camera but my camera is alllllll the way at my boyfriend’s apartment (down 5 flights of stairs and about 30 ft away) - i’ll put them up later. maybe. if i survive finals
Turkey Sandwich on sourdough w. pesto, mozzarella, spinach, and red onion
i’m at my boyfriend’s family’s house in Kansas for Easter and it’s been beyond wonderful having a cute kitchen to cook in. Thus far I have cooked a grand total of two things: poached eggs on toast & this sandwich.
but basically this sandwich was delicious and I’m glad i decided to try to work some lean meats back into my diet
Vegetarian Bean Burritos
Serves 6 - or great as leftovers for a quick lunch!
- 2 teaspoons canola oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon chile powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup water, chicken broth, or vegetable broth
- 1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15-oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 6 tablespoons fresh salsa
- 6 10-inch wide whole wheat flour tortillas, warmed in microwave for 10-15 seconds
- 1 cup shredded low-fat cheese
- 1 ½ cups chopped tomatoes
- 1 ½ cups spinach leaves
- 6 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
- 6 tablespoons nonfat Greek yogurt or nonfat sour cream
Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, chile powder, cumin, and salt, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the beans and broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and allow to simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in salsa, and mash lightly with a slotted spoon or fork.
Spoon about ⅓ cup of the bean mixture down the center of each tortilla. Top each serving with about 2 ½ tablespoons shredded cheese, ¼ cup tomatoes, ¼ cup spinach, 1 tablespoon green onion, and 1 tablespoon Greek yogurt. Roll tightly and serve immediately.
![Spinach Salad - my mom makes this fantastic salad all the time and it’s always a hit, so to add some healthy greens to the table i hunted down most everything i needed in the huge outdoor market in Barcelona
-spinach leaves (i always de-stem them)
-dried cranberries
-candied walnuts
-chopped red onion
-diced avocado
-bleu cheese crumbles [this salad had to do without - my friend is sadly allergic]
-balsamic vinaigrette [the dressing was just olive oil, balsamic vinegar, one clove of garlic finely chopped, and a little bit of lemon juice]
i have sooooo missed being able to make a healthy addition to a meal](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lv7rbd466L1ql9xfbo1_500.jpg)
Spinach Salad - my mom makes this fantastic salad all the time and it’s always a hit, so to add some healthy greens to the table i hunted down most everything i needed in the huge outdoor market in Barcelona
-spinach leaves (i always de-stem them)
-dried cranberries
-candied walnuts
-chopped red onion
-diced avocado
-bleu cheese crumbles [this salad had to do without - my friend is sadly allergic]
-balsamic vinaigrette [the dressing was just olive oil, balsamic vinegar, one clove of garlic finely chopped, and a little bit of lemon juice]
i have sooooo missed being able to make a healthy addition to a meal
Summer Saute
workin’ it for the camera
Summer Saute
yes, i do realize that nearly every post recently has been titled “Summer [whatever food i made]” but if anything deserves the title it’s this.
it’s little to no effort, light, and … there’s summer squash in it
and it’s freaking healthy
1/2 summer squash
1/2 zucchini
2 big mushrooms
5 cherry tomatoes, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1/3 cup cooked spinach
