Healthy doesn't have to be bland, you just have to be creative!

Menu for Week 6:

Breakfast and snacks are my usual. I'm mixing it up with lunch and dinner though. If I have to eat lean protein (white fish, chicken breast, lean turkey), greens and grains for a while, I better get creative and mix things up! I usually cook brown rice & quinoa in the rice cooker and portion it into 4 oz servings in tupperwares and keep it in the fridge. That way I always have the right portion of grains that I need and I can eat it with whatever protein and greens I choose.

Sunday, we're going up to Breck for some snowboarding and I think coming home to delicious warm soup would be great!

Sunday: 
Dinner: Chicken Quinoa Kale Soup (This recipe makes plenty)

• 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 carrot, chopped
•  2 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• salt & pepper
• 4 cups torn kale
• 4 garlic clove
• 8 cups of water (or fat free, low sodium chicken broth)
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 large chicken breasts (about 1lb), cut in half
• 2large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1/2″ cubes
• 2/3 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Heat oil in large soup pot over medium heat. Add carrot, celery, garlic, and onion, season with salt and pepper, then saute until tender, about 10 minutes. Add 7 cups chicken broth, parsley flakes, dried thyme, bay leaf and bring to a boil.

Add chicken breasts to the pot then cook for 10 minutes, or until no longer pink in the center. Remove to a plate then add sweet potato and quinoa to boiling broth. Place a lid on top, lower heat to medium, then cook for 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender and quinoa is cooked. Meanwhile shred chicken.

Add shredded chicken back to the soup, remove bay leaf, and kale. Taste and add more salt & pepper if necessary. Serve topped with parmesan cheese, if desired (Vince does). Use remaining 1 cup chicken broth to add when reheating soup, as quinoa will absorb much of the broth as it cools.

**I'm planning on making this in the slow cooker so it will be warm and ready after a day of snowboarding. I will saute the mirepoix and add the rest of the ingredients in the pot except for the kale and quinoa. I like my kale a bit more fresh instead of fully cooked. I just want the hot broth to wilt it right before serving. I'll probably have the quinoa cooked already and just add the soup on top of it. This way, I can better measure my portion.**

Monday 
Lunch: Grilled Chicken Breast with Zucchini Ribbon and Quinoa Salad

• 1 green zucchini, thinly sliced with a vegetable peeler
•  2 cups of arugula or baby spinach (I like arugula because of it's peppery taste)
• ¼ cup slivered almonds
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
• 1 garlic clove, smashed
• 1 cup of cooked quinoa
• oregano, salt and pepper to taste

Lightly spray/brush the zucchini with olive oil and grill on hot grill for a few minutes. Set aside, combine vinegar, mustard, garlic, evoo and mix well. Mix the zucchini, quinoa and arugula together and toss with a little bit of the dressing.

Dinner: Cilantro Ginger Baked Tilapia with Quinoa/Brown Rice & Oven Roasted Asparagus

• 2 large tilapia fillets
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 2 Tbsp reduced sodium tamari
• 1/4 cup water or fat free, low sodium vegetable broth
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Preheat the oven to 475 F.  Place the fish in a glass baking dish and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Place the garlic, ginger, tamari, water/broth, sesame oil, and cilantro into a food processor and blend it up.  Pour the mixture over the fish. Bake for 8 minutes or until the fish flakes easily and is cooked through. Served with cooked grains and greens.

Tuesday:
Lunch: Italian Roasted Chicken Breast with Italian Roasted Snap Peas &  Mashed Sweet Potato

Italian Roasted Snap Peas: 

• 1 large leek, white part only, halved lengthwise and thoroughly washed
• 1 pound sugar snap and snow peas, trimmed
•  3 teaspoons  extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon  salt
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut leek halves into 2-inch lengths and then very thinly slice each piece lengthwise, yielding 2-inch-long strips. Toss the leek strips, peas, oil and salt in a medium bowl. Spread evenly on a baking sheet.

Roast for 15 minutes. Stir in tomatoes. Return to the oven and roast until the vegetables begin to brown, about 10 minutes more. Toss in dried oregano and serve.

Chicken:

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 
• 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil 
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 chicken breast halves
• Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425°.
Combine first 8 ingredients in a bowl, stirring well. Rub rosemary mixture on the chicken breast and place chicken on a baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 35 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest portion of the breast registers 155°. Remove chicken from pan; let stand for 10 minutes.

Dinner:  Chicken Quinoa Kale Soup Left Overs
  
Wednesday:
Lunch: Spicy Baked Tilapia with Sauteed Brocollini & Kale and Brown Rice

• 4 Tilapia fillets
• 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil 
• Salt and pepper to taste
• a pinch or more of crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced

Preheat oven at 450°.
Lightly brush fillets with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and pepper flakes and lemon zest. Sprinkle lemon juice and bake fish for 10 minutes or until fish is flaky.

• 2 pounds broccolini, trimmed & steamed for 5 minutes or until bright green
• 8 ounces kale
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil

Heat oil in a pan. Fry lemon slices until lightly brown and set aside. Add garlic and pepper flakes to the pan for about a minute. Toss in broccolini and saute for 3 minutes. Add kale until wilted. Toss in salt and serve with lemon slices.

Dinner:  My less fat, less sodium yet still delicious version of Ginisang Bagiuio Beans (Filipino Food)

• 1 lb of very lean ground turkey
• 1 1/2 lbs of green beans, french cut
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoon of low sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 medium tomato, sliced
• 1/4 cup of water.

Cook turkey in a pan until brown. Set aside.
Heat oil in a pan. Saute onions until slightly transparent, add garlic and red pepper flakes. Add tomatoes and green beans. Add water and cover and let simmer for about 10 minutes or until green beans are tender. Add turkey back in the pan along with soy sauce and black pepper. Serve with quinoa or brown rice.

Thursday:
Lunch:  Grilled Chicken Kale Salad with Butternut Squash Soup

• 1 large butternut squash
• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 tart, firm green apple, peeled, cored and quartered
• 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• few dashes freshly-ground black pepper
• healthy pinch red chili powder
• 5-6 cups vegetable stock

Pre-heat oven to 400 F.
In a large roasting pan, toss the squash, onion, garlic, and apples with the oil to coat. Season well with the salt, pepper and chili powder. Roast, stirring every 10 minutes, until the vegetables are fork-tender and lightly browned, about 40 minutes.
Put all of the vegetables into a big soup pot and blend until smooth with an immersion blender.  Return pureed soup to a large soup pot. Add more broth if the soup seems too thick. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Dinner:  Baked Salmon with Shredded Asparagus Salad and Quinoa

• 3/4 lb. asparagus, (the thicker the better)
• 1/4 red pepper, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 tsp. each: onion powder, sea salt (more or less, to taste), ground black pepper (more or less, to taste)

Using a sharp vegetable peeler, shave the asparagus into paper-thin slices into a large mixing bowl. Hold the tough ends/stems and shave towards the spear. Throw out the tough end once stalk is shaved down. Add all remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Friday: 
Lunch: Left Overs

Dinner: Tinola (Filipino Dish - cleaner version of course)

I still haven't decided on what to do for my cheat meal this week. Although sushi is sounding really good right about now! :)