Cilantro-Lime Avocado Chicken Salad

Good morning everyone!

Usually I despise Mondays and Tuesdays…. I’m just waiting to get over the hump of Wednesday, but I woke up especially peppy yesterday morning and this peppy-ness has continued into this morning!!

I don’t know if it’s because October (my fav month ever) is just around the corner, yoga has been especially awakening this week, or the fact that GLEE comes back on tonight! O yes I am thrilled!!! To be honest I think it’s a combination of all three…

I love the fact that fall is beginning to set in and that the holidays will be swiftly approaching! There are also some fun things happening over the next few months, but you’ll just have to stay tuned to find out what they are… mwahaha

I easily slipped back into the work-thang yesterday and was thrilled to return home and be a couch potato the rest of the evening! Sometimes it’s the only way to go…

For dinner I had roasted veggies with Cilantro- Lime Avocado Chicken salad (yes, that’s a mouthful) and a unpictured sweet potato! “Dank-a-licious…”

On Sunday when I returned from Raleigh, I stopped by the grocery store to pick up all my necessities for the week… TONS of produce, salmon, yogurt, and a rotisserie chicken.

The best buy was definitely the rotisserie chicken… last week I picked up some Curry Chicken Salad from Earthfare and successfully gobbled it up in 2 days, so this week I wanted to try my hand at making my own.

I’m not a huge fan of mayo… sometimes it just makes me squeamish, so on my way into the grocery store I was thinking of doing something with avocado to replace the mayo. Then while shopping I spotted this….

It’s a mayo substitute with no eggs, no dairy, and no soy. I thought sure I’ll try it out, so I threw it in my basket along with a few other ingredients.

Cilantro-Lime Avocado Chicken Salad                             

• chicken from 1 rotesserie chicken shredded
• 1 avocado
• 1 tbsp. of mayo (or mayo substitute)
• 1/4 c. chopped scallions
• juice 2 limes
• 1/2 c. cilantro
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste

Seriously this stuff is so good!! First, I mashed the avocado and the mayo leaving a few chunky cubes of avocado. Next, I added in the lime juice, cilantro, scallions, cayenne and s&p. Lastly, I combined it all with the chicken. The creamy-ness from the avocado really doesn’t let you miss the missing amount of mayo in the least and you’re getting a good serving of some healthy fats! This would be great on a sandwich with juicy thick slices of tomatoes or on top of a salad packed to the max…

Spinach, beets, peppers, zucchini, sweet potatoes and lastly my new beloved addiction of avocado chicken salad. Yum… can’t wait for lunch today

Hope you all have a fabulous day and you better be ready to discuss all the GLEE-worthy news tomorrow.

(source)

Are you excited for GLEE? What other shows in the fall line-up are you excited to check out??

 

Veggie Rice

Yes, I know no post yesterday?? Let’s just say Monday was super busy and I ended up sleeping through my alarm on Tuesday…oops! I did wake up 10 minutes before my standard yoga class started and I made it there just as the class was moving into their first downward dog… SUCCESS! I think the sleeping in had a lot to do with a few days of some intense yoga for me. On Monday I went to my usual 6am class and then Katie talked me into going with her to a 6:30 class after work at a different studio. Last night when I arrived home from work, even though I was sore and exhausted I really wanted to play around in the kitchen before I took to the couch for the rest of the evening. I didn’t mention this on Monday’s post because it’s become my standard weekend lunch spot if I’m here in Charlotte and many of you have seen the same dish posted on the blog over and over again.   Yes you know what I’m talking about… Luna’s Living Kitchen. I’m telling you I am head over heels in love with this place and Saturday was no different. I ordered my favorite Gaia’s Treasure and devoured every bite. My favorite part of this dish is the veggie rice. It is a mix of cauliflower, walnuts, garlic and celery root left to marinate in ginger dressing. It is amazing! One thing which was new to my lunch was this Fruit Tart. O yes and it was all raw… nom nom nom. The crust was made of brazil nuts, dates and cashews. The inside crème was a combination of coconut butter, cashews, vanilla and a few other ingredients I couldn’t remember…oops! The tart was topped with plum slices and figs! Isn’t it pretty?? It tasted just as good as it looks if not better. Even though I was full from lunch, there is always room for a new dessert Now back to the veggie rice… sometimes desserts just get me so sidetracked! Over the weekend I picked up the biggest head of cauliflower at the grocery store I could find just so I could make my own veggie rice at home. It is so easy and it’s a great way to add some protein and healthy fats to your diet. Of course it’s an easy way to get some more added veggies too! Veggie Rice 1 c. chopped cauliflower ½ c. walnuts 1/2 clove garlic Place all ingredients in a food processor and combine! The end result will look a little something like this…   I multiplied this recipe by 3 to make a large batch! When they are raw like this they taste kind of bland, but once you dress them up in a marinade… delish!! I dressed this batch up with soy sauce and when I combined the ingredients above I added 1/2 c. carrots!   I wish I had thought to buy some peas to add to it too as they kind of taste like fried rice! It’s delicious and I’ve been enjoying it all week as one of the toppings to my salad. After I make my salad I’ve been topping ½ c. – 1c. of this “fried” veggie rice and it really adds some great texture and protein!! Yes, I promise it’s under there! Stay tuned for more variations coming soon… this just may be my next new KICK! Happy Hump Day!! Have you discovered a food or recipe recently that you just can’t get enough of? Please share!!

 

 

Papaya Kiwi Sunrise

I just wanted to drop in and let you know that I don’t have too much time to post this morning… yesterday and this morning have been pretty hectic so that whole post I had planned on unemployment, well it’s going to have to wait until tomorrow.

Like I said this week is going to be a little bit of an adjustment as I settle into my new work schedule, but I am starting to figure out how the blog will be able to fit in to it all! Please be a little patient with me as I try to balance it all out!

I am going to leave you with an awesome smoothie recipe though that I made this morning… boy is it fruity and o so refreshing.

Papaya Kiwi Sunrise    

• 1/2 c. cubed papaya
• 2 kiwis peeled and sliced
• 1/2 c. almond milk
• 1/2 c. vanilla yogurt (I used almond)
• Handful spinach
• scoop protein powder
• extra almond milk as needed to stir it all up to the consistency you like

To ensure this smoothie was nice and cold, I cut up the fruit the night before and put them in the freezer to freeze overnight.

I usually love my smoothies thick, but since this one is coming with me on the fly a to-go cup was definitely in order. No spoon option available, so I added almond milk throughout the blending process to get it to the right consistency. The kiwi and papaya are a fantastic combo! I can’t believe I haven’t tried this sooner.

It’s definitely going to be a perfect frozen treat after the intense yoga class I endured this morning… Feel the Love is ova and I made it! VICTORY

I’m off to work… today I’ll be shadowing the trading desk, yay!!

P.S. Don’t you just love my new “lunch tote”? I’m kind of obsessed with it… It’s made by BUILT and is absolutely perfect, plus it doesn’t look too geeky. Does it??

Hope you all have an awesome Hump Day!

If you’ve been unemployed, leave a comment on how you kept busy and motivated. I’ll be sure to include it in tomorrow’s post

O yea I can’t forget… My second Giveaway will be held on Friday! Be sure to check back in to find out what it is!!

 

The Curve

Happy Happy Tuesday everyone!!

Hope you all had a fantastic Monday. I know I did! It really does feel good to be back working again! I feel so ridiculous for being nervous yesterday, but I think it normal to feel that way when walking into a new situation.

 

Once I arrived and started talking to people all my nerves went right out the window. I always try to tell myself it’s no big deal and even though I know everything will be fine I can’t help but get a little nervous.

(source)

In yoga, they always tell you to breathe through the poses and it is supposed to help with shaking limbs and a rapidly beating heart, so on my way to the office yesterday I practiced some deep breathing to try to calm my nerves. I swear it really did work! I couldn’t believe it. Once I got in the elevator they started creeping back up on me again, but it helped for a little while!

Everyone was really nice and very helpful while I asked question after question. My morning was smooth sailing with just getting settled in and getting my computer, phone and cell set up.

For lunch I had some roasted veggies with adzuki beans. The final touch that made it completely fabulous was a whopping spoonful of spinach hummus I picked up at the farmers market on Saturday. SCORE!!

After lunch, I had the chance to sit down with my boss and plan out some projects for the next two weeks. I will be attending meetings and shadowing different departments so there is definitely a learning curve I am going to have to tackle. At least I will be learning so many different skill sets, so once I have acclimated myself with everything I should be well-versed in just about every department which will make my job so much easier in the future!

In any new position, especially if you are moving companies a learning curve is always expected. Sometimes it can be a bit frustrating/ intimidating, but what I’ve realized from past positions is you have to ask questions!! They don’t expect you to know everything and if you don’t ask questions how will you ever know exactly what they expect from you. When I first started working, especially in internships I sometimes had a hard time speaking up. Why? Who knows… maybe I didn’t want to seem inexperienced or that I didn’t know what I was doing. Then when I finally realized that is what internships are for I finally spoke up and figured out it only works to your advantage!

I had a notepad and pen glued to my hand all day today writing down everything I need to know going forward. I’m pretty sure I’ll be sporting this look for the next few weeks.

After work, I came home and had an intense hankering for more roasted veggies. I don’t know what is with me these days, but roasted veggies are the only thing I can think about. They are just so freakin’ delicious and you can spice it up in so many ways!

Plus, I find cutting vegetables incredibly relaxing so it’s the perfect after work task I decided to make a huge skillet full of vegetables and knew I could eat some in my lunch or for dinner tonight. This veggie skillet was packed with red peppers, sweet peppers, green peppers, onions, jalapenos, yellow squash, zucchini, pattypan, cabbage and kale. Nom nom nom! I also had a piece of marinated chicken that went un-photographed.

I’m off to work, but be sure to check back in tomorrow for a post all about the joys of unemployment and how to keep yourself busy and motivated!

How do you deal with the learning curve at a new job? I would love some tips so please share Have a great day!

 

Zucchini Hummus

Happy Hump Day!!

I feel so great this morning… I think it’s from the intense yoga class! I was really feeling it and once class was finished I felt fabulous! 3 hours later and I’m still riding the yoga high. The fact that my trip to San Fran is two days away doesn’t hurt either

Yesterday was full of running errands… I really need to find a few more pairs of work pants and let’s just say I was beyond frustrated as I made my way home. I ended up buying 3 pairs to try at home and then I’m probably going to take back a pair or two. I just couldn’t tell what looks good while in the dressing room. On the bright side at least I found a few! Now I just need to take them to get altered. O the joy of being less than average in height.

When I arrived home all I felt like doing was experimenting in the kitchen. Last week I told you about my new smoothie obsession the Glowing Green Smoothie and let’s just say there have been many repeats of this smoothie around here lately. I love it! Yesterday,  I added a handful of cilantro and it really gave it a little kick.

I am learning so much from The Beauty Detox Solution especially about food combining and the order to eating your meals. It may sound like a lot to take in, but I tried it yesterday and it’s actually pretty easy. Did you know you aren’t supposed to eat protein and starches at the same time? I had no idea… supposedly this taxes your digestion and takes way longer for your body to process. In theory it makes complete sense, but we’ll see if I can apply this on a daily basis.

(source)

So yesterday, I grabbed her book as I have been eyeing the Chickpea-less Hummus. The base of the hummus is zucchini instead of chickpeas. I’ve been on a little zucchini kick lately so I decided to give it a whirl.

Into the mix went zucchini, raw tahini, lemon juice, garlic, sea salt and nutritional yeast. Click here to go to her site for the recipe! (This recipe is a tad different from the book as the book calls for 1-2 tbsp. of Nutritional Yeast and no Cumin.)

Nutritional Yeast  is a product which many vegetarians and vegans use as a source of B vitamins. This tasty product can be used on just about anything. On top of salads, cooked grains, any meat, mixed into a dressing, etc. The list goes on and on. Nutritional yeast is a great source for “vitamin B3, B1, B2, B6, and B12.” (source) You can find this at any health food store.

This hummus is so flavorful and light. I think it would be great with cilantro or red peppers. Think of all the possibilities!

I used it as a salad dressing for my lunch which was a salad packed with spinach, romaine,tomatoes, orange peppers, celery, basil and avocado. It was awesome!! O yea I had a piece of toast on the side too.

Later on I was hankering for an afternoon snack, so I sliced a cucumber and orange pepper. This hummus made the perfect dipping sauce as well. So versatile!!

Hope you all have a great Wednesday! 

P.S. – Any book suggestions for my flight on Friday?? I am coming up at a complete loss! What about these Hunger Games books? It is worth diving in?