rainbow grain bowl with cashew sauce

this makes me feel like i'm feeding my body about as healthy of a meal as it gets!! the cashew sauce makes it quite hearty to keep you full until your next meal. from eatingwell.com

ingredients for sauce

3/4 C unsalted cashews

1/2 C water

1/4 C packed parsley leaves

1 T lemon juice

1 T olive oil

1 t soy sauce

1/4 t salt

directions

serve over your choice of grain (lentils, quinoa, brown rice--or all three mixed) with shredded red cabbage, shredded carrot, shredded beet, sliced bell pepper and/or sliced cucumber. garnish with toasted cashews.

lean green muscle shake

 a variation on the classic green smoothie from cleansimpleeats.com

ingredients

1 C almond milk

1/2 frozen banana

1/2 T nut butter

protein powder

couple handfuls power greens

1/6 of an avocado

1 t cinnamon

6-8 ice cubes

romano's macaroni grill rosemary bread

this recipe from food.com tastes really close to the OG at the restaurant. the loaves are pretty small so i usually double or triple the recipe. i love to make this when as a compliment to my tomato basil soup.

ingredients

1 T yeast

1 T sugar

1 C warm water

2 1/2 C flour

1 t salt

2 T fresh rosemary

2 T butter

directions

place yeast, sugar and water in a large bowl and let it bubble up. mix in 1 T butter, salt and 2 C of flour. add 1 T rosemary. knead until soft and elastic. add more flour if needed. oil a bowl, place dough in and cover with a towel. let rise til double.

punch down dough and divide in half. spray baking pan with cooking spray. shape dough into two small, rounded, oval loaves. sprinkle remaining rosemary onto the surface and press in. let loaves rise again til double.

preheat oven to 375. bake 15-20 minutes. brush immediately with remaining butter. 

chocolate lava mug cake

 from afoodloverskitchen.com

put all ingredients in a ramekin and microwave for 1 minute:

2 T flour

2 T sugar

1 T cocoa powder

1/4 t baking powder

salt

1 1/2 T butter

1 1/2 T milk

1/2 egg

1/8 t vanilla

chocolate chips

1 t water

cherry almond smoothie

 i got this from suburbansimplicity.com.

ingredients

protein powder

1/2 C almond milk

1/2 C ice cubes

1/2 C frozen cherries

1/4 C spinach 

1/4 t almond extract

2 T almond butter

buttermilk syrup

 the classic. make sure to use a tall pot--it foams up a ton when you add the baking soda.

ingredients

1 C white sugar

1/2 C buttermilk

1/2 C butter

1 t baking soda

1 t vanilla extract

directions

heat sugar, buttermilk and butter over medium heat until it starts to boil. remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla.

garden orzo risotto

 love this super quick, super light family crowd pleaser.

ingredients

1 small zucchini, chopped

1 shallot, chopped

2 T olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 C uncooked whole wheat orzo pasta

2 C broth

1 C milk

6oz spinach

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1/4 C basil, chopped

1/3 C grated parmesan

salt and pepper to taste

directions

saute zucchini and shallot in oil until almost tender. add garlic and cook one minute. add the orzo, broth and milk and bring to a boil. reduce to simmer and cook for 10-15 or until liquid is almost absorbed. stir in spinach, tomatoes and basil and cook until spinach is wilted. remove from heat and add cheese, salt and pepper.