What a journey it's been since January 1, 2016! A lot of you know that Clay and I decided on a lifestyle change in the new year. Definitely a LIFESTYLE change - meaning becoming more aware of what we were eating, watching our portions, making better choices whenever possible, doing a little more exercise and more kayaking of course. Don't let us fool you though. I mean, when a new frozen yogurt place AND a new Mexican restaurant comes to downtown High Springs we HAVE to support them! It just doesn't happen on a weekly basis.
Over the past several months I've scoured Pinterest for the best low carb recipes and have learned many ways to substitute vegetables for pasta and potatoes and every single bit of it has been worth it. We both feel great, have more energy, and my digestive issues are not really issues anymore.
We are not scale-watchers but rather go by the way our clothes fit. To me, it's a much more rewarding feeling when those jeans that haven't fit in 2 years suddenly fit like a glove (or even a bit loose!) We do not have gym memberships and never have been too excited about the gym life. Some people love it...just not us! We did get an elliptical and a bow flex off Craigslist a couple years ago and I have a kettlebell and a couple yoga mats. That's about it y'all. I would much rather have the basics at home and get to be on the water doing what we love more often. So far so good.
OK enough of that mess...let's talk about some recipes! I've linked to blogs with the recipes in the captions below each photo and made a note when I tweaked them. ENJOY! If you have specific questions, leave a comment at the end of this post and I'll get back to you! Happy cooking and cheers to tight pants fitting again!
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| Honey-Dijon Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Hummus |
For most recipes that call for red, orange, or yellow bell peppers I typically sub in a green one since they are cheaper!
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| CHICKEN AND ZUCCHINI NOODLE CAPRESE |
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| Cauliflower Crust Pizza |
This is a great crust recipe, however IT TAKES TIME. Plan this one out folks. Only tweak is that I use an entire head of cauliflower for one crust and the rest of the ingredients the same. This was one of the game changer meals for me.
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| spicy shrimp with cauliflower mash and garlic kale |
For this one, I followed the shrimp ingredients/directions but changed the rest up a bit. I sautéed the kale with garlic and some water on the stove until it was wilted while everything else cooked. I followed this cauliflower mash recipe which has been my favorite of all mashes.
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| spicy blackened tilapia, quinoa, and cilantro lime slaw bowls |
This was a recipe mash-up! I seasoned the tilapia and blackened in a pan on the stove and then chopped it up. I followed the recipe below for the cilantro lime slaw and cooked the quinoa normally and added avocado, tomato, and limes. The slaw came from HERE (Pinch of Yum).
For the Slaw:
- ¼ cup oil
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup chopped green onions
- ½ cup cilantro leaves
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- juice of 2 limes
- ½ cup sour cream, Greek yogurt, or mayo
- 3-4 cups shredded purple and green cabbage
- SLAW: Pulse the slaw ingredients (in order, starting with oil and ending with lime juice) until chopped/chunky. Add the sour cream and pulse again until just combined (you don't want it totally smooth green - just like an herb-loaded creamy sauce). Toss the sauce with the cabbage. Let it sit in the fridge while you prep the other ingredients.
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| MUSHROOMS AND TOFU EN PAPILLOTE |
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| Golden Chana Masala |
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| SPAGHETTI SQUASH NOODLE BOWL + LIME PEANUT SAUCE |
DO NOT add scallions unless you know what they taste like. I repeat...DO NOT add scallions. Without those, this recipe is on point!
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| black bean lettuce burgers with mango avocado salsa |
Ingredients and instructions are in the pictures & from the book Cooking Light - Way to Cook Grilling. One of the best black bean burgers I've made and the salsa is just YUM!
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| sorry these are sideways - it wasn't cooperating! |
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| Greek Sloppy Joes - a South Beach cookbook favorite! |
Seriously...this page in our cookbook has almost torn out we've made it so many times! We put it over 1/2 cup cauliflower rice instead of the whole-wheat orzo.
The ingredients and instructions are in the pictures below:
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| Broccoli Cauliflower Pizza Crust |
For this one, I had leftover broccoli from a previous recipe so I just riced it up with cauliflower and followed the same crust recipe listed above.
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| Pesto chicken zoodles |
For the above, simply cut up chicken breast and toss in pesto sauce to cook in a skillet. Chop one onion and add to a separate skillet over medium heat with some olive oil and garlic. Add in 1 cup grape tomatoes until wilted. Take 2-3 zucchini to make zoodles and either microwave for 6 minutes to steam or add to onion and tomato skillet.
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| Pork Chops, creamed spinach (frozen), and cheesy fiesta poppers |
This was a pretty basic meal except the cheesy fiesta poppers. These are perfect for parties!
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| Roasted Cauliflower, Turkey, Tomato and Goat Cheese Casserole |
This casserole was the ultimate comfort health food but we will probably make it again when it's colder. I added ground turkey to the recipe.
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| Coconut Chicken Thai Curry over Cauliflower Rice |
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| Ginger Chicken Salad with Homemade Tzatziki |
This recipe was tweaked quite a bit. I did not grill the chicken on skewers, I made this a salad instead of a wrap, and I doubled the tzatziki sauce. I cooked the chicken on the stove instead and more tzatziki was a good option for the salad since it served as the dressing.
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