Skillet Shrimp, Rice Pilaf and Asparagus.

Happy Friday!

happy Friday everyone! hope your week was grand! mine was rather fast. thursday (which is my friday at work) came pretty quickly, so no complaints.

this week, i have been trying to opt for a healthier way of eating. although i'm a vegetarian, i do find myself snacking A LOT--which can help with packing on the unwanted pounds. i mean, who in their right mind would turn down some chocolate covered raisins?! ugh, so good. but at the end of the day, i want to be healthy and feel good. for the past few weeks i have eaten out, snacked and drank about 3 sodas a day and last week i noticed that i haven't felt very "healthy". i have been extra sluggish and just felt plain yucky.  this week my mom cooked some yummy, but healthy meals. one of them was salmon, fresh broccoli with a little cheese from a local farm, and potatoes. DELICIOUS! also my lunches this week consisted of healthy snacks: cheese and crackers, grapes, strawberries and maybe something left over from the night before. talk about a major change in the way i feel.

this week, every morning before i leave for work, i managed to make myself a smoothie for breakfast.  it gives me boost of energy and i don't seem to feel as sluggish.  i made a smoothie today which gave me LIFE! it was so good! so here it is

Ingredients:

-1/2 cup plain non fat yogurt ( i didn't opt for that, but greek non fat is the best :) )
-1/2 cup almond milk
-1/4 cup strawberries
-1/4 cup frozen berries (blackberries, blueberries and raspberries)
-1/2 cup mangoes and apples peeled (this part is OPTIONAL. also, you don't have to peel them if you don't want)
-1 cup spinach
-1 teaspoon honey
-1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

add yogurt first, then fruit, cinnamon, honey and spinach. blend and VOILA!



There you go! you don't have to stick to this recipe, you can use whatever you want as far as fruits go! and you also can replace almond milk with soy milk or regular milk. the choice is yours. :) this website helps a great deal on building a smoothie to your taste..  hope you can try this and enjoy it!! <3

Black Bean Veggie Burger

Last night I made some delicious black bean veggie burgers! I'd made them previously before then and they were better the second time around, no doubt.

Ingredients:

• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 egg (optional)
• 1 T chopped bell pepper
• 1 tsp chopped garlic
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1 T A1 sauce or bbq sauce of your choice
• 1/2 tsp onion power 
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 cup brown rice
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp salt  
• olive oil (as much as needed)
• 1 can of black beans

Before I start this recipe full on, I cook my brown rice.  Considering it takes about 40 minutes to cook, I use that time to prepare my other ingredients.

Rinse off and dry black beans and set aside.

In a saucepan, heat garlic, onion and bell pepper in 2 T of olive oil on medium heat for 15 minutes or until brown--stir occasionally and season with salt and pepper.

In a food processor, place garlic, onion, and bell pepper along with black beans and pulse about 6-10 times.  This should combine the ingredients enough to where they aren't mushy. (this photo is before the ingredients were pulsed. My food processor was set to 'ON' and made my mixture one pulse away from soggy. :/ )

In a large bowl,  place the mixture and add the rest of the spices, A1 sauce, salt, and egg and brown rice.  Mix together with hand until combined.  Adding the egg helps the ingredients to bind better.  Sticking them in the fridge for about half an hour also helps to keep them together.

In an iron skillet on medium heat, heat olive and let the burgers grille for 2 minutes on each side.  Add whatever ingredients you desire to the burger.  I added Swiss cheese, spinach and tomato on a whole wheat bun. :)


alright, there it is! hope you enjoy this recipe! :)