Cauliflower, White Bean, and Feta Salad

If you follow me on Instagram then you knew this recipe was coming your way.  I have been trying to eat pretty clean since the New Year (minus the Bojangles and Pizza I consumed last weekend).  I like to make a salad at the start of each week to have for my lunch everyday.  Saves money and then lunch is easy no planning necessary and it's healthy.  I made this salad this week and it knocked my socks off.  If you love Cauliflower then you will love this salad.  The flavors are so fresh, light, and delicious.  I think it would be killer with some grilled Shrimp if you wanted a heartier meal but it was perfect alone for lunch.  I love that the cauliflower is raw and not cooked- most recipes call for it cooked.  The raw crunch of the cauliflower adds some great texture.   All the fresh herbs and feta really give the salad amazing flavor.  I promise you will be hooked on this.  I am on day three of eating it and still not sick of it!
Bon Appetit!

{CAULIFLOWER, WHITE BEAN, AND FETA SALAD}

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 medium head of cauliflower, trimmed, cut into small florets (about 3 cups)
• 1 (15-ounce) can white beans (such as Great Northern or navy beans), drained
• 2 large heads of Belgian endive, trimmed, halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced crosswise
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 3 ounces)

Combine oil and rosemary in small saucepan. Stir over medium heat just until fragrant, about 1 minute. Cool.

Whisk lemon juice, vinegar, lemon peel, salt, and pepper in small bowl.

Combine cauliflower, beans, endive, chives, parsley, and rosemary oil in medium bowl; toss. Mix in cheese. Add lemon juice mixture and toss to coat. Season salad with salt and pepper.

What I Eat | 3 Day Food Diary

I shared a food diary last January and I had a request to share one again.  

A few things to note:

This took place during the week on a Tuesday-Thursday.  Let's be real I don't always eat this healthy  but my A game is on since I gained 5+ lbs over the Holidays.  I do however still eat a lot of veggies and very little meat in my regular diet , I just usually snack more often.  During the week I really try to be mindful of what I am eating with little processed foods,  little sugar and not many snacks.   On the weekends I definitely indulge more and don't restrict myself. Also if I am eating out, I order what I want and don't restrict myself. 

I didn't include all my drinks below, so FYI I gave up caffeine after I had Frances and I only drink decaf coffee now.  The caffeine was making me anxious and I feel so much better now without it.   I don't miss it one bit.  But I do still like a cup of coffee in the morning, I usually either make a decaf black coffee with my Nespresso or pick up a decaf latte  or cappuccino at Starbucks.  Otherwise during the day I only drink water, seltzer, or unsweetened green tea (the tea is the only caffeine I have and it doesn't seem to affect me like coffee did), and of course wine a few nights a week. 

I just recently got back into juicing and I have to say my energy has been so much better.  Sometimes it is easier to just pick up a green juice but it saves so much money if you make it at home.   I have this Breville Juicer and love it. I bought it 4 years ago after Christmas and it still works like a charm.  The parts are also dishwasher safe which is always a plus.    I hand wash it for the most part but run it through the dishwasher once a week. 

Now sometimes I am lazy and don't feel like juicing, on those days I drink one of these 8 greens tablets dissolved in water.  It is a superfood supplement and contains 8 different greens pressed into one little tablet.  They are kind of like Airborne but filled with nutrients and greens instead. These green tablets are amazing.  On Sunday I felt so tired and wanted to take a nap but I drank one and then ran 2 miles and felt so good.  I had so much more energy.  Btw this is by no means an ad or sponsored post, I paid for them and truly love them.

DAY ONE

Lemon Water.  I start each day with hot lemon water and often end with it as well.

I squeeze half a lemon into a coffee mug with water and microwave 1 minute.  You can do this on the stove as well.

Next Green Juice.  My go-to Green Juice is : 2 apples, 1 lemon, 2 celery stalks, 1 baby cucumber, 1 jalapeño seeds removed, 1 inch piece peeled ginger, 1 bunch kale, and handful spinach.  This makes enough juice for Matt and I both to have a glass.

Breakfast

 Yogurt with Strawberries and Pistachio Crumble.  

This recipe came out of the Bon Appetit Food Lovers Cleanse cookbook and Matt and I are both loving it.  It is super simple all you do is dry roast 1/4 cup chopped pistachios, 2 teaspoons poppy seeds and 2 teaspoons sesame seeds on medium heat about 1minute.  Then add in 2 tablespoons honey and cook 1 more minute.  Remove from heat and let nuts cool and harden into chunks.  Serve over greek yogurt with fresh strawberries.

Lunch 

Greek Salad + Hummus + Naan Bread + Pepperoncini

I frequently make this chopped Greek salad.  It is just chopped cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, kalmata olives and feta cheese if you have it.  Add salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil and red wine vinegar.

Dinner

Panko Crusted Salmon + Roasted Cauliflower & Chickpeas with Mustard and Parsley (recipe below)

The cauliflower + chickpea recipe comes from Gwyneth Paltrow's cookbook and we all love it.  My kids will even eat the cauliflower this way.  It is so delicious.

1 14-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed, drained and dried

1 head of cauliflower, outer leaves removed and discarded, cut into bite-sized florets

3 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided

Coarse sea salt

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon seeded mustard (i.e., grainy mustard)

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and set the rack in the middle. Toss chickpeas and cauliflower together in a large roasting pan with 3 tablespoons olive oil and a big pinch of salt. Roast, stirring now and then, until everything is dark brown and the cauliflower is quite soft, about 45 minutes. 

2. Meanwhile, whisk together mustards, vinegar, and 1/4 cup of olive oil with a big pinch of salt and a few healthy grinds of black pepper. While the chickpeas and cauliflower are still warm, toss them with the mustard dressing and the parsley. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I was still hungry before bed and I ate 1/2 an orange. 

Then I had hot lemon water with ginger.

DAY TWO

Hot Lemon Water.

Starbucks Decaf Latte

Breakfast

2 eggs scrambled with cheese, spinach and avocado, 2 pieces of bacon, 1/2 grapefruit

Lunch

Chopped Detox Salad + Leftover Roasted Cauliflower + Naan + Hummus

I had 1/2 a vegan cookie from Earthfare for a snack.

Dinner

Shrimp Nachos

DAY THREE

Hot Lemon Water

Green juice

I save my old Starbucks cup so I can use them as to-go cups and take my juice with me.

Breakfast

Starbucks Oatmeal + Decaf Latte

If I am on the go and need a quick easy breakfast I frequently get the oatmeal at Starbucks.  It is surprisingly good and filling.

Lunch

I ate lunch out at Xao Bao Biscuit and had the Cabbage pancake + fried egg

I had a few pretzels left over from the kid's snack before dinner.

Dinner

Skinny Taste's California Sushi Stacks (we used tuna and crab instead of shrimp) + Edamame.

This meal is super easy and my kids actually loved the edamame, added bonus.

Lemon Ginger water before bed.

When I eat clean like this and exercise I usually notice results quickly.   I lost about 2 lbs last week just from cutting out most of my snacks and processed foods.  I am not the type of person who can totally give up carbs, so I still enjoy them in moderation.   If you have any go-to healthy recipes I would love you to share them! 

Thai Chicken Meatballs + Curry Cauliflower + Dressing Room Find | Tee Shirt Dress

Happy Humpday guys!  I had several requests to share the recipes from my instastory Monday night featuring these Thai meatballs and curry cauliflower.  I have to say both were amazing.  The flavors were off the hook good and both were relatively easy to make and healthy.  The meatballs have no bread in them just chia seeds to bind so they are super light and tasty.

I swear I only have one kid that is a good eater at a time.  Right now it is Sterling.  As I was making the meatballs he exclaimed that looks gross like 10 times.  The green stuff always throws him for a loop.  After he sat down to eat them, he looked at me and goes " Mom,  you were right these are awesome." Winning mom moment, I love when I am right:)  Frances however would not touch dinner and went to bed hungry.  Go figure, at least one child appreciated my cooking skills.  These are a little spicy so use less hot sauce if you don't want them as spicy. 

I loved both and I also paired mine with my favorite Asian Kale Salad.  The 3 make a pretty killer dinner combo in my book:) 

Enjoy!

|| T H A I   C H I C K E N  M E A T B A L S || 

via The Dude Diet

- 1 pound ground chicken

- 3 garlic cloves minced

- 1.5 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

- 3 green onions sliced finely

- 1/4 cup cilantro finely chopped

- 1.5 teaspoons soy sauce

- 2 teaspoons sesame oil

- 2 tablespoons chia seeds

FOR THE GLAZE

- 3 tablespoons soy sauce

- juice of 1/2 lime

- 1 tablespoon honey

- 1 tablespoon sriracha

Put all the ingredients for the meatballs in a medium bowl.  Use your hands to mix all together.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  This gives the chia seeds time to bind everything together. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

With damp hands gently roll the chicken mix into balls.  Don't squeeze the meat too much.  Arrange them on the baking sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

In a large skillet, whisk together ingredients for the glaze.  Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook about 1 minute or until it slightly thickens.  Add meatballs to skillet and shake to gently coat with glaze.  Serve warm.

|| R O A S T E D  C A U L I F L O W E R  W I T H  C U R R Y + L I M E ||

via It's All Easy

- 1 head cauliflower, cut into bite size pieces

- 2 tablespoons olive oil

- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder

- 3 tablespoons vegenaise

- juice of one lime

- 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put the cauliflower on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil, curry, and salt.  Roast for 20 minutes.

Mix vegenaise and lime juice in a large bowl.  When cauliflower is done toss it in this mixture.  Add cilantro and mix all together.

................................................................

The dressing room find of this week is a super cute tee shirt dress I spied at Loft.  

I am wearing a size small runs TTS.   I loved the pattern and the fact that it was not clingy

Swing Dress you can find my shoes HERE

also comes in black.

Roasted Veggie Pot Pie

Last week I had a reader comment and ask if I really felt better eating vegetarian.  I mentioned this before but I am not strictly vegetarian, Matt however is.  The truth is we both feel better when we eat a mainly plant based diet.  I have noticed I have way more energy,  I am not as sluggish and I think Matt feels the same.  He has even lost some weight and looks really good.  Of course for us ladies losing weight is always harder:) 

 I still love to indulge in some meat every now and then but I eat a primarily veggie based diet the majority of the time.  I cook mostly meat free meals now since Matt is a vegetarian.  I don't love meat enough to cook it just for me and the kids.  I love a good veggie meal so that is why many of the recipes I post lately are meat free.  I will post meat recipes again but this is our life and what we are eating currently.

We have had a lot of rain and dreary days lately and that makes me crave comfort food.  This veggie pot pie is so good you won't even the miss the meat.  But if you did want to have meat add some chicken in by all means.  I subbed cauliflower for the chicken because I felt like it was a hearty veggie.   Roasting the cauliflower and potatoes beforehand helps bring out great flavor instead of just boiling or steaming them.  You could really use any vegetable combo you wanted though.  I think for a fun Fall pot pie butternut squash or sweet potatoes would be really good.

 I decided to get all fancy and cut a star design out of my pre-made pie shell:)  I always use pre-made pie dough.  Maybe one day I will get ambitious and make my own but the pre-made works perfectly and is so easy.  If you want to do a design just save a little extra off the sides and cut into a design and place on top!

Enjoy!

||R O A S T E D  V E G G I E  P O T  P I E ||

- 1 head cauliflower chopped

- 1 small bag yellow baby potatoes diced

- 1 small container mushrooms, sliced

- 2 leeks, thinly sliced (wash them well first)

- 1 cup frozen green green peas

- 4 carrots, chopped

- 2 cups chicken or veggie broth

- 2/3 cup milk

- 1/3 cup all purpose flour

- 1/4 tsp celery seed

- 1/4 tsp pepper

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1/4 tsp garlic powder

- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

- 5 tablespoons butter

- 2 pre made pie crusts

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  

Toss cauliflower, carrots and potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Spread on a baking sheet and roast about 20-30 minutes until tender.

Meanwhile heat 2 tablespoons butter in skillet.  Add sliced mushrooms and leeks and sautee about 5-7 minutes until softened.  

Scoop out mushrooms and leeks and place in bowl. 

 In that same skillet add in 3 tablespoons butter, flour, salt, garlic powder, celery seed, and cook about 3 minutes.  Do not let it overcook or burn.  

It should look like mashed potatoes almost.  Add in chicken stock and milk and cook on medium high heat until bubbles and thickens.

Once it thickens remove from heat and stir in all veggies.  

In a pie shell press one pie shell on the bottom.  Bake in oven 7-9 minutes. 

 Remove from oven and pour in veggie mix.  Top with second shell.  Cut several slits in so it can breath while it cooks.

Bake at 400 degrees 35 minutes.

Mealtime How I Do It + Favorite Easy Meals

One of the number one questions I get is, how do you have the time to cook for your family and does Sterling eat what you cook. Here is the low down. 

Cooking is my passion, it makes me happy, so I make time for it in my life.  I most certainly do not cook every night but I would say 2-3 nights a week I try and whip up something tasty.  On the weekends we usually order pizza one night and then Matt helps cook something the other night, usually grilling out etc.   My happy place is in the kitchen whipping up something delicious and sipping a glass of wine.  Its how I unwind plus it gives me sense of satisfaction and accomplishment when I create a really awesome meal.

GROCERY SHOPPING AND MEAL PLANNING

 I am lucky because Sterling is in school everyday from 9:45-12:45.  Usually after I drop him off I take Frances and we head to the grocery store.  I still have not mastered the whole meal planning thing and truth be told I actually enjoy going to the grocery store.  It gets me out of the house and I love browsing.  We go almost everyday depending on what I need for our meal that night.  This week I actually cooked all four nights, but that was rare.   Usually I don't cook that many nights in a row but I was bringing a friend food who had a baby so I doubled it for us.

On the menu this week:
Monday- Gwyneth's Siriachia Lime Salmon + Quinoa, Mushrooms and Arugula + Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas
Tuesday- Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Meatballs + Arugula Salad
Wednesday- Ground Beef Tacos
Thursday- Simple Baked Lasagna + Arugula Salad

You may wonder about leftovers.  If there is any type of meat leftovers Matt takes them for his lunch the next day. He eats lunch in his office everyday and welcomes the leftovers.  The salad stuff I eat, for example I had the quinoa and roasted cauliflower the next two days for lunch.  I also usually always make a batch of Tuscan Kale Salads for my lunch during the week.  If you need a quick easy salad we just toss arugula with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper.  Then we add fresh Parmesan.  It is a simple light salad we make often.

WHAT DOES STERLING EAT
As for Sterling, I do not cook him separate meals any more,  and yes he is a picky eater.  That being said on the nights I don't cook sometimes he will eat chicken nuggets, cereal, or whatever I have in the freezer.  We try every night to sit down together as a family.  This is hard because Matt doesn't get home til about 7 or later most nights. We usually wait and eat with him unless he is going to be later than 7:30.  I think family meals are are so incredibly important.   It is a time where we all sit down with no interruptions and I think as Sterling and Frances get older these dinners will be even more important.  Sterling must take one bite of everything on his plate,  after that if he doesn't like it he doesn't have to eat it,  but he is not getting anything different to eat.  If he eats well he gets to choose a dessert.  There are many nights he takes two bites of something tells us he hates it and goes to bed hungry.  Eating is a struggle but I do feel like slowly this approach is working as he is starting to eat more things than he used to.  I give him a multi-vitamin and probiotic everyday to help with nutrients.

WHEN I COOK
I wish Matt had one of those jobs where he got home at 5-5:30 and could help with the kids while I cook but that is not the case.  I am in charge of dinner and bath which can be tricky (not to mention exhausting).  I usually try and make meals that can be prepped early and then just popped into the oven or stove.  Luckily for me Sterling still naps most days and if he doesn't he still has to sit in his room quietly and play with the ipad or read.  Most of the time nap time is when I get down to business.  I do laundry, get our meal started, straighten the house, and work on my blog.  I cram alot into 2-3 hours.  The morning time when he is at school is usually spent running errands and hopefully soon working out again!   While Sterling naps I will get dinner at least started and do most of the prep work so when he wakes I can spend some time with him,    Around 6 I will start to finish up our meal.  This is when I allow Sterling to turn on the TV and watch a show or two while I finish up dinner (and drink a big ole glass of wine). I usually put Frances in her swing during this time.  While dinner is cooking we will go do a quick bath although lately Sterling has been showering in the mornings with one of us which opens up some time in the evening.  This way since Matt gets home later, when he gets home dinner is ready so we can sit down and eat and the kids are ready for bed.


EASY MEALS
I wanted to highlight a few of our favorite go to meals.  They are all relatively easy to prepare in advance or quickly.   I try and make at least one new recipe a week for blog purposes and because I love testing new things but these are tried and true favorites!

|| MEXICAN RICE BOWLS ||
You can precook your rice and have all the toppings pre-diced so all you have to do at dinner is cook the meat or you can go totally vegetarian and leave off the meat.

|| SPICY BLACK BEAN, GREEN CHILE + MANCHEGO ENCHILADAS ||
You can assemble this whole dish pretty quickly since nothing has to be cooked.  I assemble at nap time then just pop in oven to cook.

|| ROASTED SALMON WITH TOMATO BASIL RELISH ||
All you have to do for this is pre- make the relish, it is better the longer it sits anyways.  Then just cook your salmon.  Under a 20 min meal.  Sterling loves salmon or as he calls it pink fish- although we serve his without the relish.

|| CHOPPED GREEK SALAD WITH SHRIMP ||
Such a quick easy salad and the shrimp only take 5 mins to cook.

|| VEGGIE RANCH PIZZA ||
You can pre-chop all the veggies and then just assemble at dinner time.  Sterling loves this pizza, it is one of the only ways I can get him to eat broccoli and cauliflower.

 || SLOPPY JOES ||
These really only take 30 mins max to whip together,  best sloppy joes ever.  We serve with box mac and cheese for an easy weeknight dinner.

|| SIMPLE BAKED LASANGA ||
I actually just made this this week for my friend who had the baby.  As far as lasagnas go it is fairly quick to whip together because you use no bake noodles and only make one sauce and it is so good.  This can be made at nap time and just popped in the oven.

|| CHOPPED MEXICAN SALAD ||
Another easy salad you can per-assemble and put in fridge like this and then just toss together and add meat at dinner time.

|| BUTTERNUT SQUASH, ARUGULA + BACON QUICHE ||
I love any variation of a quiche they are always a quick dinner and one that Sterling will eat too.

I would love to know any favorite weeknight meals you have!
Have a fabulous weekend.
xoxo

Veggie Ranch Pizza

I am about to introduce you to your new favorite pizza. Crescent Rolls, Cream Cheese Ranch Mixture, Veggies, and tons of cheese = the best pizza ever. My mom made this while I was home last week and I remembered just how darn good it was. This pizza is always a hit with kids and adults. For those of you attending Sterling's Birthday party next week it will be served:) You can use any veggies you have on hand but the ones listed below are what my family normally uses. The original recipe doesn't call for olives or onions but I think they give the pizza great flavor so we always add them. If you are feeling extra lazy and don't want to cut up veggies you can buy a bag of the broccoli slaw and use that instead. But it really is better if you chop the veggies. Enjoy, I think you will love this tasty spin on pizza.



VEGETABLE RANCH PIZZA
Ingredients
2 (8 ounce) packages refrigerated crescent rolls
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (1 ounce) package dry Ranch-style dressing mix
1 cup fresh broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup sliced red onion
1 cup chopped cauliflower
1 cup shredded carrots
handful sliced green olives
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (I usually add more)

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2.Roll out the crescent roll dough onto a 9x13 inch baking sheet, and pinch together edges to form the pizza crust.
3.Bake crust for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Once finished cooking, remove crust from oven and let cool 15 minutes without removing it from the baking sheet.
4.In a small mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, and dry Ranch dressing. Spread the mixture over the cooled crust. Arrange broccoli, cauliflower, shredded carrots, onions, green olives and Cheddar cheese over the cream cheese layer.
5.Bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Thoughts For Friday

TGIF.  This weekend we have lots of fun stuff going on.  My parents are in town, Matt is in a fishing tournament and we have a party Saturday afternoon.  

On Tuesday night we had our girl's supper club.  We usually rotate houses but decided during the Summer just to meet out somewhere.  We tried out Barsa and loved it.  All the tapas were delicious and this was the best paella I have ever had.  A great spot for wine and nibbles.  I loved their outdoor patio area where we ate.

They also had a very tasty cheese and meat platter where you choose what cheeses and meats you prefer.

What I wore:

Dress | Necklace | Sandals

Who else is hooked to the Bachelorette?  I love JoJo and think she is so cute.  Her hair always looks so perfect. 

Who are y'all pulling for Robbie or Jordan.  I feel pretty sure she will chose Jordan he has seemed like her favorite from the beginning.  I feel like if she chooses him though it won't last.

I found the cutest red dress at Madewell now on sale.  Size down as it runs on the large side, I am in a size XS.  It is a great dress for now and into Fall.  

Available  HERE and HERE

The kids and I hit up Citadel Mall this week.  Every time I go there I am amazed it is still open, it is the saddest mall ever.  I still don't understand why Charleston doesn't have a good mall.  The only redeeming aspect is the photo booth.  We had a blast taking pictures.

Last night we had dinner over at my parent's place since they were in town.  We love the deck at their condo.  The marsh view is so pretty.

Outfit Details: 

My off shoulder blouse is currently 40% off, no code needed.  I am wearing a size small.

Off Shoulder Blouse | Shorts | Sandals 

I have been very diligent about my diet all week.  I have been working on post where I will share a sample menu of what I have been eating.  The main things I have tried to avoid are processed foods and carbs.  Last night we made our favorite cauliflower tacos and used lettuce instead of flour shells.  They were actually so good wrapped in lettuce I didn't even miss the shells.

Next I want to try out cauliflower nachos.  These look amazing.

Nachos

I have been on a major reading kick lately.  Below are a few books I have read over the past few months.  For the most part they are all pretty light and easy Summer reads. The Nightingale was heavy but such a good story.  Any recommendations of what to read next?

800 Grapes | First Comes Love | The Singles Game | After You | Love and Lemons

Then Came You | The Nightingale | The Weekenders | The Nest | Summer Secrets

I have been kind of obsessed with taking videos of the kids lately.  I feel like they are growing up so fast and I want to remember these sweet ages.  Lately Frances Moon keeps telling me she is not a baby and I had to record it.

Don't miss out on the Serena and Lily Tent Sale!  Everything is 40-75% off.  Scroll through to see my favorites.  There are some really awesome deals on bedding especially.

Have a great weekend!