White Bean, Italian Chicken Sausage, + Kale Soup

Recipes

White Bean, Italian Chicken Sausage, + Kale Soup

makes 4 main meal sized servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes

WHAT YOU NEED:

  • 1 LB spicy or mild Italian sausage, casing removed as-needed + crumbled
  • 1 sweet onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1, 28 oz can white beans, drained
  • 4 C low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 heavy dashes of Italian seasoning
  • 1/4 tsp dried rosemary
  • 2 C shredded kale or baby kale
  • Sea salt & pepper, to taste
  • Optional: parmesan cheese, to top

TO MAKE:

  1. Cook the crumbled sausage in a large soup/stock pot over medium heat for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through. Meanwhile, prep the other ingredients.

  2. Transfer the sausage to a plate.

  3. Add the onion to the pot and sauté it for 3-5 minutes or until it’s softened and starting to lightly brown. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

  4. Add the beans, chicken broth, Italian seasoning, and rosemary. Stir well, scraping the bottom.

  5. Take the pot off the stove. Using an immersion/stick blender, purée the soup. I like to leave some beans whole. You can also use a potato masher if you don’t have an immersion blender or a normal blender, in turns, if you want it smoother.

  6. Return the sausage to the pot. Increase the heat to high + bring to a boil- cover, reduce the heat to a summer, cook for 15-20 minutes so the soup thickens.

  7. Stir in the kale and let it wilt – season with salt + pepper as-needed.

Brown Rice Kimchi Breakfast Bowl

Recipes

Nothing makes me happier these days in the kitchen than a quickly prepped, but creative savory breakfast bowl filled with an abundance of nutrition. Fermented foods for better digestion thanks to some kimchi, antioxidant-rich cabbage, spice to boost the metabolism, fiber-filled brown rice, protein-packed egg, + dark, leafy greens for the win with Bok Choy.

Kimchi Brown Rice Bowl

What You Need:

  • 1/2 cup kimchi, I buy the Mother In Law’s prepared Kimchi because it is one of the pre-made lower sodium options
  • Brown rice bowl or 3/4 cup prepared brown or black rice –  Annie Chun’s easy steam bowls
  • 1 TB scallions, chopped
  • 1 cup Bok choy; pan-grilled with sesame oil + scallions
  • Thai red chiles
    • QUICK COOKING TIP: instead of chopping peppers, use a chile paste- I love the ease of Gourmet Garden’s
  • 1 egg, fried
    • QUICKER COOKING TIP: have soft or hard-boiled eggs ready + use them instead.
  • 1 TB sesame seeds
  • Handful of shredded purple cabbage

To Make:

Simply saute the Bok choy + scallions with sesame oil while steaming the rice in the microwave + frying an egg. Mix all together with the remaining ingredients + enjoy!

Stuffed Lamb Burgers with a Greek Side Salad

Recipes

LAMB BURGERS WITH FRESH AND LIGHT GREEK SALAD

Every now and then I like to switch up my proteins and I have always loved darker meats like lamb and duck because of their heavier flavoring. Your body does crave variety. Their rich flavor does indicate a higher fat content, but that richness makes it easier to eat smaller portions. See the nutrition facts.

 

NUTRITION MANAGEMENT:

My burgers are in 3 1/2 oz portions to keep fat down + the nutrition is for the burger along with a cup of the salad with extra virgin olive oil and feta as the other fats. Feta, being a harder cheese, is lower in fat than many.

LAMB BURGERS WITH FRESH AND LIGHT GREEK SALAD RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes
  • 1 LB ground lamb
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 TB hummus, flavor-of-choice
  • ½ lemon, juice divided
  • ½ red onion, chopped + divided
  • 3 TB mint, chopped + divided – check out my Instagram for how I grow my own indoors!
  • 1 Pint cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 ½ Cucumbers, sliced + quartered
  • Extra virgin olive oil, for cooking + drizzling
  • Sea salt, to taste
  • ⅔ cup feta cheese, crumbled

TO MAKE:

For the Burgers:
  1. Mix the lamb w/hummus, garlic, 1 1/2 TB mint, + 1/8 C red onion with a dash of lemon juice.
  2. Form 4 patties (3.5 oz – tennis ball sized)
  3. Place in a skillet over medium heat, push down with a spatula, + cook until temperature is 120 degrees.

COOKING TIP: I mix them with hummus to make them more moist and to help bind them better- a garlic hummus with some lemon + mint mixed in is a great combination.

For the salad:
  1. Red onion can be raw or pan-grilled.
  2. Mix it all together with a drizzle of olive oil, lemon juice, + a dash of sea salt.

The results? This wonderfully tasty and colorful meal!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I LOVE REPURPOSING MY LEFTOVERS IN CREATIVE WAYS FOR CREATIVE MEALS THAT SEEM LIKE NEW!

For the Lamb Burgers:
***Heat + mash the burger into the salad
***Use half of the burger as a breakfast sausage substitute with an egg dish

Recipe Round-Up: Sunday Morning Pancakes

Recipes

 

I am a true breakfast lover at heart and being a mom to a little one, I’ve muddled around in my kitchen trying to make the traditional breakfasts creative, healthier, + filled with flavor. These are my go-to pancake recipes that will serve you up with some fork-licking breakfast options!

 

 

 

 

 

Protein Pancake Trio

Blueberry Cheesecake

Vanilla Pear

Roasted Cinnamon Apple

 

 

 

Potato Pancakes with Sriracha-Spiced Syrup

Mixing the sweet with the savory is such a yummy experience for your tastebuds! Partner them with some morning veggies and/or greens for an added dose of nutrients.

 

 

 

Savory Spinach Pancakes

Serve these up with some lightly roasted garlic tomatoes and you can have pancakes at ANY time of day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Banana-Chocolate Protein Pancakes

Ok….so sometimes a cheat prep of these pancakes is in order! Take the protein pancake base from above + top them with melted chocolate chips + banana slices!

Hot Honey Air Fried Chicken Meal Makeover

Recipes

RECIPE REHAB | MEAL MAKEOVER

Take something

HOT HONEY CHICKEN

makes a lot of servings!!!

For the Chicken:

You can do any combination of thighs, drums, and breasts you’d like, but note that breasts are generally bigger, so you may need to double the brine, flour, +  sauce.

I used:

  • 4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
  • 2 x 4 oz. skinless, boneless chicken breasts – if they come thick, you may want to pound them down into thinner pieces with a meat mallet in order to have them all cook at a uniform time. Check my chicken cooking chart for more cooking hacks.
  • 8 wings (“drumettes”)

For the Seasoning Flour:

  • 3/4 cups tapioca flour
  • 3/4 cups cornflake crumbs
  • 1 TB Old Bay seasoning
  • 2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp mustard powder
  • 1 tsp black pepper, best if from freshly ground peppercorns

For the Brine:

  • 2 cups coconut milk
  • 1 TB hot sauce – I used a probiotic Sriracha I love
  • 2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper, best if from freshly ground peppercorns
  • Avocado oil, to brush with for air-frying

For the hot honey sauce:

  • 1 TB butter, melted in a skillet
  • 1/4 cup raw honey, melted or room temperature
  • 2 TB hot sauce
  • 1 TB Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 clove garlic, minced

TO MAKE

For the Chicken:

  • Mix the brine together in one bowl.
  • Mix the seasoned flour together in one bowl.
  • Dip chicken into the brine, cover in the flour, shake, and place on a lined baking sheet. NOTE: You may need to air-fry in shifts.
  • Prep the air fryer + spray or brush the chicken with cooking oil. Air fry until desired crispiness…meanwhile preparing…

For the Sauce:

  • In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the honey, hot sauce, Worcestershire and garlic.
  • Simmer gently until it thickens.
  • Remove from heat.

To Serve:

  • Drizzle the hot-honey sauce over the chicken after air-frying, brush, + save some extra to dip!
  • Top with parsley and chives, chopped