Monthly Archives: February 2016

Blackened Panseared Salmon

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I always loved Blackened seafood during my days as a graduate student at MIT.   I would spend $20 for some blackened salmon of sea bass without the blink of an eye.  However, finding local seafood comparable to Boston or my hometown is hard to find in local restaurants in Kentucky.  So I quickly had to learn how to make blackened seafood at home.  The trick is to pan sear the fish on the stove top then finish it in the over.
 
1.3 lbs fresh salmon (skin on) from Wholefoods (wild caught or responsibly farm raised)
1 lime
Tones Cajun seasoning
Old bay seasoning
McCormick’s Smoked Paprika
Olive Oil
Preheat your oven to 375
 
Directions:
1. Marinate the salmon with fresh squeezed lime juice in a ziplock bag, refrigerated, for 20 minutes
2. Season both sides of the fish
3. Heat up a nonstick frying pan on medium high heat. This seals the pores so that the food won’t stick to the pan.
4. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil in the pan. Spread evenly across the pan with a soft basting brush that can tolerate high heat. The oil will bead up but that’s ok. Don’t worry that not all surfaces of the pan will be covered with oil. Warm up the oil just until it starts to ripple but before it smokes up. If the oil smokes up, it’s too hot and you will have to turn down the flame and fan over the pan until the oil cools down.
5. Pansear the fish on one side for 5-7 minutes until it forms a nice crust.
6. Gently flip over the fish with a spatula that can tolerate 450 degrees Fahrenheit and stainless steal things
7. Transfer the fish to a new frying pan with no oil. Make sure the cooked side is up.
salmon 7
8. Bake the fish for 5-7 minutes.
9. Drain both sides of your fish by laying them on a paper towel. Cover the tops of the fish with a paper towel then add an empty plate on top to help absorb excess oil.
 
This process of pan searring, finishing in the oven and draining helps to minimize excess oil in the fish. Notice after you bake the fish some of the added oil is released from the fish.
 
If you want both sides of your fish to be crispy, then broil rather than bake your fish on the top shelf of your oven at 375 F for 5-7 minutes.

Veggie Frittata

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veggie omlette

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Eggs, Veggies (baby spinach, shredded carrots, grape tomatoes), 100% fat free greek yogurt, himalayan salt, black pepper, organic sharp cheddar cheese, sundried tomatoes

I will never make an omelette on the stove top every again.  I  love making this on Saturday when  I have more time to prepare my breakfast.

Ingredients (serves 2):

4 Eggs

1/4 cup baby spinach (sliced thin)

1/4 cup of shredded carrots)

1/4 cup of grape tomatoes cut in quarters

2 TBSP of 100% fat free plain greek yogurt (Buy from Trader Joe’s)

1/4 cup organic cheddar cheese

2-3 Sundried tomato in olive oil (Buy from Costco)

Himalayan Sea Salt (to taste)

Peppercorn medley (to taste)

Cooking Spray

Small nonstick frying pan that can withstand 350 F

Directions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 375 F
  2. Whisk eggs and greek yogurt
  3. Whisk in seasonings
  4. Stir in veggies
  5. Spray your pan with the cooking oil
  6. Add your eggs to the frying pan then cook for about 15-18 minutes.
  7. For the last few minutes add your cheese and sun dried tomatoes.  Cook just until your cheese melts

 

If you love this recipe you will love my 7-day clean eating e-cookbook at my website, Wholistically Improve You

Join my 7-day clean eating group for motivation and other clean eating tips and recipes,  7-day Clean Eating Challenge

Strawberry & Cherry Green Smoothie

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Strawberry and Cherry Green Smoothie

Baby spinach, frozen, banana, frozen strawberry, frozen cherries, moringa oleifera beverage, Vanilla Protein Powder

1 cup of Supermix with moringa oleifera powder* (see below for details)
1 cup of baby spinach
1 frozen banana
0.5 ounces XMProtein Vanilla Powder**  (see below for details)
1 cup of frozen cherries
4 large frozen strawberries
0.5 ounces XMProtein Vanilla Powder

For the green smoothie:
Blend first 4 ingredients
Pour half of the smoothie in a glass

For the reddish smoothie:
Blend half of the green smoothie, frozen cherries, frozen strawberries and 0.5 ounces of XMProtein Powder

Layer the green and red smoothie in your martini glass or mason jar to create art

 

*Zija’s SuperMix is a delicious, convenient powdered beverage that can be added to water for a daily dose of Moringa’s 90+ vitamins, minerals, vital proteins, antioxidants, omega oils and other benefits. Drink Life In–your body will thank you.

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**Zija’s XMprotein nutritional supplement shake–in Dutch Chocolate and Vanilla Bean flavors–is a delicious way to consume lean protein, Moringa oleifera, and other natural ingredients. Fuel your game, fuel your life!

Two Shades of Black Berry Martin

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two shades of black berry martini

What you will need:

4 oz unsweetened apple juice
4 oz water
1 cup of baby spinach
1 cup of frozen fruit mix (peaches, mangoes, grapes, pineapple, strawberries)
1/2 frozen banana (cut into 4 equal parts)
~10 frozen raspberries (divided into 4 and 6 berries)
1 scoop of Vanilla moringa protein powder*
1 TBSP Flaxseed Powder

health benefits of flaxseeds

Directions:
1. Add liquid, spinach, protein powder and flaxseed to the blender then blend.
2. Slowly add the frozen fruit medley, banana and 4 black berries then blend.
3. Once the fruit is evenly distributed, remove half of the smoothly into a glass. Then add the remaining 6 black berries.
4. Layer your two tone smoothie into your martini glass

 

“Instant” Oatmeal Jars

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instant oatmeal jars

I had fun making my instant oatmeal jars last night.  I love the idea of just adding hot coconut milk sealing the lid and allowing it to “cook” for 20 minutes, while I finish getting ready for the morning.

I am an oatmeal enthusiast. I eat it almost daily. Trust me, I have tried various ways to make my life easier regarding oatmeal.  I stopped eating instant oatmeal because it was cheaper to buy old fashion oats and make it myself with my toppings of choice.  I use to slave over the stove each morning.  As long as I watched the oatmeal closely the texture would come out good.  Often I over cooked my oatmeal or simply burnt it. Then I became fascinated with cooking the oatmeal in the crockpot.  I would cook enough to last the entire week. Crockpot oatmeal has a wonderful texture but it does not reheat well.

Recently, I was excited about a post I saw on the Clean Food Crush by Rachel Maser regarding instant oatmeal jars.  With the “instant” oatmeal jars I can add my old fashion oats and dried fruit and superfoods (chia seeds, flaxseed meal, hemp seeds) and get the perfect texture in 20 minutes each and every time.  I was so impressed with the texture, I literally went to my refrigerator, packaged a week supply of crock pot cooked oatmeal, packaged it up and gave it away to a friend.  I did allow him to try my new “instant” oatmeal with strawberries, chia seeds, sundried strawberries and he absolutely fell in love with the oatmeal.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Old fashion oats
1/4 cup unsweetened sun dried fruit (peaches, strawberries, bananas, raisins, coconut)       1 cup of SILK coconut milk (or liquid of choice)

Directions:

When you are ready for your oatmeal, add 1 cup of boiling hot coconut milk to a 12-16 oz mason jar.  Immediate cover the jar with the lid and let it sit for 20 minutes.

Next time I am going to make enough instant oatmeal jars for the month.

My life is forever changed by Instant Oatmeal Jars. I can save time and money.

 

Two Shades of Black Berry

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two shades of black berry martini

What you will need:

4 oz unsweetened apple juice
4 oz water
1 cup of baby spinach
1 cup of frozen fruit mix (peaches, mangoes, grapes, pineapple, strawberries)
1/2 frozen banana (cut into 4 equal parts)
~10 frozen raspberries (divided into 4 and 6 berries)
1 scoop of Vanilla moringa protein powder*
1 TBSP Flaxseed Powder

Directions:
1. Add liquid, spinach, protein powder and flaxseed to the blender then blend.
2. Slowly add the frozen fruit medley, banana and 4 black berries then blend.
3. Once the fruit is evenly distributed, remove half of the smoothly into a glass. Then add the remaining 6 black berries.
4. Layer your two tone smoothie into your martini glass

Pink & Green Smoothie

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pink & green smoothie

This pink & green smoothie happened by accident. But I think I am going to have more of these accidents because I love the colors that were achieved with bananas, peaches, strawberries and spinach.

What you will need:
4 oz unsweetened apple juice
4 oz water
1 cup of baby spinach
1 cup of frozen peaches (about 4-5 pieces)
1/2 frozen banana (cut into 4 equal parts)
4 frozen strawberries
1/2 scoop of Vanilla moringa protein powder*
1 TBSP Flaxseed Meal

Directions:
1. Add liquid, spinach, protein powder and flaxseed to the blender then blend.
2. Slowly add the frozen banana and peaches then blend.
3. Once the fruit is evenly distributed, remove half of the smoothly into a martini glass. Then add the 4 strawberries to the other half of the green smoothie.
4. Layer your two tone smoothie into your martini glass

 

Blog website >>> wholisticallyimproveyou.com

*Moringa Oleifera has 92 naturally occurring nutrients, including antioxidants, essential amino acids, omegas 3, 6, and 9.

Chia Pudding

Posted in Breakfast, Dessert, Snacks by

 

chia pudding

I was first introduced to chia pudding after watching a Food Network Video.  After watching the video I decided to start experimenting on how to make the chia pudding.   At first I wanted to make it the way I make my oatmeal.  However, that was a complete disaster.  Then after a little more research, I learned chia seeds can hold up to 10 times their weight in water.  Finally, I decided to fill a 24 ounce mason jar with 4 cups of coconut milk, followed by 1/4 cup of chia seeds.  The chia pudding is not ready to eat instantly.  The chia seeds need time to absorb the liquid and become gelatinous.  I usually make my chia pudding and refrigerate it over night.  Some recipes say it takes a couple of hours for the chia seeds to form a pudding but I love letting it sit in the refrigerator for several hours.  I notice each day that goes by the consistency gets better and better.

I love using SILK coconut milk because it is sweet but not off the charts in terms of carbohydrates per serving.  SILK also has an unsweetened or reduced carbohydrate versions for those who are watching their sugar consumption.  And not I do not receive royalties for promoting this brand. I’ve tried many dairy substitutes over the past 27 years and I’ve finally found a product I love.

Other than it’s extensive health benefits what I love most about chia pudding the association with my childhood fondness of rice pudding, less the butter, sugar and eggs.  I also can make a batch of chia pudding for the week and store it in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed mason jar.

Below is the recipe.  However, feel free to modify it for your taste buds and texture preference.  You can top the chia pudding with fruit or nuts.

CHIA PUDDING

Shopping list:

1 half gallon of SILK Coconut Milk
1/4 cup of chia seeds
cinnamon (optional)
pure vanilla extract (optional)
pure 100% maple sugar (optional)
24 oz mason jar with the lid

Ingredients:

24oz SILK Coconut milk #80
1/4 cup of chia seeds
2 tsp pure raw maple syrup
2 tsp pure vanilla extra
Few dashes of cinnamon powder
Top with your favorite fruit

Directions:

  • Place ingredients in a 24 oz mason jar, starting with coconut milk first. Mix vigorously.
  • Refrigerate overnight. The longer it sits the better. I make a new batch each week and store it in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed mason jar.  It stays fresh for at least a week.
  • When you are ready to have some chia pudding, pour from the jar, then reseal the jar.  Try not to spoon out from the jar to help to prevent the chia pudding from spoiling.

Ingredients