I am so excited to share these recipes! These are from my client Leslie who is doing so well at creating healthy behavior change in her lifestyle. When I first met her, she was not convinced with my advice. She was worried that eating 5 times a day would cause her to eat too much and when I suggested eating less processed food and getting back to basics she looked at me a little funny. I just had a follow up session with her and she is a changed woman! She is finding balance, making it work and seeing results. I am so proud of her!
Here are some of her favorite recipes to get her through her day.
Lentil Quinoa Salad (adapted from Food Network)
1 cup cup quinoa
1 1/4 cups water,
1 cup lentils
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 green onions, chopped
Optional:
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves (add right before serving)
¼ cup dried cranberries
Directions:
Put the quinoa in a sieve and rinse in cold water. Cook according to directions. Quinoa should be tender enough to eat, but with a little “pop” upon biting.
Put the lentils in a sieve and rinse in cold water. In a saucepan, simmer the lentils in 2 cups water until the lentils are tender, but not mushy, about 30 minutes. Drain and cool.
In a small bowl, whisk the mustard and vinegar together, and drizzle in the oil to make an emulsion. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper, to taste.
To assemble the salad: In a medium salad bowl, mix the quinoa, lentils, green onions. Top the salad with the dressing, toss to coat and top with optional ingredients.
Healthy Baked Oatmeal (adapted from Mayo Clinic)
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
½ cup egg substitute or 4 egg whites
3 cups uncooked rolled oats
2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup 1% or skim milk
Now the fun part:
You can mix tons of different fruit, nuts, spices in this!
My favorite is to add ¾ cup frozen cherries, 1 ½ Tbl almond extract, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 2 Tbl ground flax seed and sprinkle with sliced almonds
However, I use what I have on hand and also have used blueberries, raspberries, even chopped up apple and cranberries, plus different extracts and nuts…however, you like your oatmeal!
Directions:
In a good-sized bowl, stir together oil, applesauce, sugar and eggs. Add dry ingredients and milk. Mix well. Spray a 9-by-13 baking pan generously with cooking spray. Spoon oatmeal mixture into pan and bake uncovered at 350 F for 30 minutes.
When I make this, I cut in to 6 pieces (and freeze 5 of them) – that way, one minute in the microwave and I have a healthy breakfast (with a carb and protein), ready to go! I often top this with nonfat vanilla yogurt.
Thanks Leslie! Keep up the good work!