/

Today I’ve got a great recipe to share with you. I’m easing my way into meal planning and for Monday’s I’m planning a meatless meal. I have made this soup for years and thought it would be perfect for our meatless Monday rotation. It’s taken from one of Tosca Reno’s Eat Clean Cookbook. I love her cookbook, everything I’ve made from it is great!

img_9480

img_9476

Has anyone else tried these? They are amazing 🙂 I’ve seen them at Trader Joe’s and Safeway in the frozen sections. They also have Ginger and Cilantro ones.

img_9487

img_9488

Zesty Spinach Soup

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp evoo (I use coconut oil)

1 purple onion peeled and coarsely chopped

1 thick carrot peeled and coarsely chopped

3 cloves garlic, passed through garlic press

1 tsp sea salt

Pinch of freshly ground pepper

6 Cups low sodium chicken or vegetable stock or water

2 vegetable or chicken bouillon cubes

2 cups chopped tomatoes

1/2 cup well rinsed quinoa

2 cups white kidney beans well rinsed and drained

1 tsp curry powder

pinch ground nutmeg

3 cups baby spinach

Directions: 

  1. Heat oil over medium heat in a large soup pot or dutch oven. Add onion and saute over medium-low heat until translucent.
  2. Add carrots, celery, garlic and salt. Saute until vegetables are golden, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add stock or water. Unwrap bouillon cubes and add to liquid. Add tomatoes, quinoa, beans and spices. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over low heat for 15-20 minutes, or until the quinoa is tender.
  4. Add the spinach and cover. Cook briefly, just until leaves are wilted.
  5. Season with salt and pepper and serve hot with crusty bread.

img_9505

It’s amazing I got any pictures taken with this monkey at my feet! 😉

img_9493

Does anyone else do meatless Monday’s? If so what are your favorite recipes?

You may also enjoy:

/

This last weekend my super hot assistant Matt and I were on the road. I was coordinating a wedding several hours away and staying in a hotel for a few nights. I don’t know about you but when I travel I forget to pack enough healthy snacks. This trip I tried to make enough food to get us through. Since our 21 Sugar Detox these have been our staple snacks.
Simple Beef Jerky:
1/3 c coconut aminos 
1 tsp granulated garlic & onion
1/2 tsp sea salt (I omit the salt)
lots of pepper
1 pound lean beef, fat trimmed (london broil)
Whisk marinade together. Adjust seasoning to your liking. I found the coconut aminos to be too salty. I prefer the braggs aminos and I don’t add any additional salt. I also add in a 1/4 cup of water to the marinade. 
Cutting against the grain of the meat, slice the meat thinly into approximately 1/8 inch slices using a very sharp knife or a meat slicer.
Place the sliced meat in marinade and let sit at room temp for an hour. 
If you have a food dehydrator then set temp to 135-145 and cook until desired dryness about 3-5 hours. 
To make jerky in the oven set temp to 200 and bake 2-4 hours or until jerky reaches your desired dryness. 
Since I don’t have a dehydrator I cooked in the oven for 2-4 hours the first time and flipped the meat after 2 hours. It turned out great, it just takes so long. The second batch I discovered that we have a convection oven in the camp kitchen and that cut my cooking time in half!!! I placed the meat on wire racks so it would cook evenly and it was done in 2 hours. 
Cinilla Nut Mix: 
1 egg white 
1 tbsp coconut oil melted
1/4 tsp vanilla 
1tsp cinnamon 
2 pinches of sea salt 
1/4 c macadamia nuts 
1/2 c walnuts (I used pecans)
2 tbsp almond meal 
Preheat oven to 275 
In a mixing bowl whisk together the egg white, coconut oil, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Add the nuts and almond meal, and toss evenly to coat. 
Spread evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes or until toasted. 
Spicy Thai Nut Mix:

1 tbsp coconut aminos (I use braggs aminos) 
1 tbsp coconut oil melted
2 to 4 drops fish sauce 
zest and juice of 1 lime
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp minced fresh ginger 
1/4 c almonds 
1/4 c pepita’s 
1/2 c walnuts (I used pecans) 
1 tsp sesame seeds 
Preheat oven to 275 
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut aminos, coconut oil, fish sauce, lime zest, lime juice, cayenne pepper, and ginger. Add the nuts and seeds and toss evenly to coat. 
Spread evenly on a baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes or until toasted. 
For the nut mixes I always double the recipe. The amount in the recipe would be like one handful for us.
I bake these mixes at the same time. I put them on a rack on parchment paper and use the convection oven again, I love that thing! 

Here’s one last recipe I made for the trip. 
Apple Cinnamon Muffins from PaleOMG this was our breakfast each morning.They turned out amazing. I am loving everything about her site!! 

Hope you enjoyed these healthy travel snack ideas. 
xo 
Ash 

You may also enjoy:

/

Cabbage & Bok Choy Slaw 


This weeks salad is super simple and healthy. Matt, my sis in law Cori and I have started the 21 Day Sugar Detox. This recipe was in our menu plan for the first week 
We are now 6 days in and I’m hoping the hardest part is over. All the recipes are great but let me tell you it is a lot of work. Eating healthy, whole foods is time consuming but it is worth it. All of us are already feeling better and have more energy after just 6 days. I can’t wait to see how we feel after 21 🙂 


Fresh Cabbage & Bok Choy Slaw 
Dressing: 
2 Tbsp raw tahini 
juice of 2 limes 
1/4 tsp minced garlic 

Slaw: 
4 cups finely sliced red cabbage (1 medium head) 
1 cup finely sliced bok choy 
1/4 cup chopped green onions for garnish 
1 tbsp white sesame seeds for garnish 

Hope you enjoy!! 
Ash 

You may also enjoy:

/

This week I tried something I found in Guy Fieris Diners Dives and Drivin’s cookbook.
 Asian Slaw with Spicy Thai Vinegarette .
Here are a few adjustments I made to make it a little easier. I used broccoli slaw instead of all the cabbages and olive oil instead of peanut oil.
For leftovers the second day I added tuna, super healthy and delicious. 

For the salad you will need:

1 cup finely shredded green cabbage
3 cups finely shredded red cabbage
3 cups finely shredded napa cabbage 
1/2 cup green onion, sliced 
1/4 cup red bell pepper chopped small 
2 cups carrots, shredded 
salt and pepper 

Spicy Thai Vinaigrette (use 1 cup)
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tsp fresh lime juice (to taste)
2 -3 tbsp chili-garlic sauce
1 1/2 tsp honey
1 tsp minced fresh ginger, peeled
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1 tbsp fresh mint leaves, chopped
1 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
salt to taste 
1/2 cup peanut oil (or corn oil)

Enjoy
 Ash 

You may also enjoy:

/

The Pioneer Woman’s 

This is not a recipe that I would normally make because I don’t normally eat bacon. Although lately there has been something about bacon…ahhhh bacon. Since I love the Pioneer Woman I thought I would try her take on this classic salad.

Check out this hilarious clip from one of our favorite comedians Jim Gaffigan, all about bacon.

 

Here’s what you’ll need: 

3 Whole Eggs 
7 slices thick-cut peppered bacon
1 small whole red onion
1 package white button mushrooms
3 tbsp red wine vinegar 
2 tsp sugar 
1/2 tsp dijon mustard 
dash of salt 
8 ounces baby spinach 

Hard boil your eggs.
Fry the bacon until crispy.
Drain the fat into a bowl and reserve. 
Slice the red onion very thing and add to the skillet.
Cook slowly until onions are caramelized.
Remove and set aside.
Slice mushrooms and add to same skillet.
Cook until caramelized and brown 
Chop the bacon. Peel and slice the eggs. 
Make the hot bacon dressing.
Add 3 tbsp of bacon fat, vinegar, sugar, dijon and salt to a small saucepan or low heat.
Whisk together and heat until bubbly. 
Add the spinach to a large bowl. 
Arrange onions, mushrooms and bacon on top.
Pour the hot dressing over the top toss to combine.
Arrange the eggs over the top and serve. 



Here’s a few things I would do differently next time: 
I would not use any bacon fat for the dressing. 
I would use some olive oil or avocado oil in it’s place
I would leave the onions raw.
Other than that the flavor is awesome and the salad delicious.

How are you liking the salad recipes? 
Any suggestions on what I could make next? 

xo 
Ash

You may also enjoy: