Stars can’t Shine Without a little Darkness
PIN IT!So, as many of you all know, and to those who do not, this weekend was one of the worst I’ve had. For one, we were moving, which sucks anyway. But two? As we were moving into our new apartment, it caught on fire. Like ON FIRE. En fuego. With 80% of our things inside. We don’t have an exact cause of fire, all we know is it started in the kitchen and was luckily contained there.
Luckily, we saw the smoke and Elliot ran into the apartment to save our dogs. And he was okay. And as you can tell, my computer was saved from any damage, as well as my camera, wallet, passport…things that are harder to replace. Our couch? F’ed. Bed? Ruined. And there are so many things that are just lost. Thankfully the only things lost were just things. Easily replaced, easily bought. But even though I know that, it sucks. It sucks HARD. Going through everything you love, from wedding gifts, to family heirloom plates to that note your friend who passed away in high school wrote you a few days before he died and throwing it all away because it’s broken, burnt to a crisp or water and smoke damaged. That sucks.
But I know my life could be worse. My husband and I have never been stronger. And coming from a few months where things were really rocky for us, I’m so blessed to have our relationship rock solid again. My dogs are okay, most of my clothes are salvaged. It’s just the pots, pans, knives, plates that we lost. Which is a bit of a cruel joke since I’m a food writer who needs those? But it’s neither here nor there. I wanted to just say THANK YOU to everyone who has emailed, facebooked, tweeted me giving me their condolences and good thoughts. They mean more to me than I could ever express. I’m so lucky to have such an amazing group of friends and followers out there. Your support has gotten me through the dark times and allowed me to see the light, even if it’s still a bit hazy.
Despite the lack of wifi, I’m going to start cooking again today so I can restore just a little bit of normalcy to my life. So here’s hoping a new post will be gracing your inboxes this week 🙂 Oh and if anyone has an extra time machine, Tardis or DeLorean that works, if you could just send it to me, that would be GREAT.
Easy Grilled Chicken Tortellini Salad
Guess what I’m doing today?
It’s probably the most fabulous thing I’ve done in years. Went to Scotland with Disney? Ha. Was in Cannes mingling with celebs? LAME. Today? I’m MOVING! (If you are good at inferring tone over blog posts, you’d know that those first few sentences were constructed solely from sarcasm and despair.) We’re about 78% packed up but still have 300000 things to clean. Including another bathroom. Which on a ranking system of 1 (Laying by the beach) to 10 (Getting a lobotomy without any sort of pain medicine in a dark alleyway of some third world country), cleaning bathrooms is about a….15. So clearly I’m procrastinating But, I couldn’t let you go through another weekend without sharing this easy grilled chicken tortellini salad. That would be like a 16 wouldn’t you say?
Doesn’t this just look like a big bowl of happy? The bright colors of the tortellinis, tomatoes, basil and red onion make it one very visually appealing meal. But don’t worry, it tastes as good as it looks too. It not only walks the walk, but talks the talk.
If you wanted, you could omit the chicken and add some roasted eggplant for a vegetarian take. Or add in some grilled steak instead of chicken if that’s more your thing. I mean, you could just eat the tortellinis on their own and you’d be pretty satisfied. But blah, how boring would that be? Adding some chicken to this gave it a much needed protein boost, which easily turned it into a main entree salad and not just something you’d eat on the side.
As much as I wish I could just sit here and chat with you about salads, my husband is beckoning me to get up and start cleaning. He didn’t find my “YOUR MOM NEEDS TO CLEAN!” or my “WAHHHHH!” as endearing as I had hoped. He just pulled the “If you don’t get up, I’m going to unplug your computer and ground you from watching Investigation Discovery” bit.
Hmph. Being an adult sucks. Can’t I just trade lives with my dog who will sleep through the entire thing?
Easy Grilled Chicken Tortellini Salad
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!
Serves 4.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: About 15 minutes
Ingredients:
For the salad:
- 1 box tri-color tortellini
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (4 – 5 ounces each)
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
- Fresh basil, chopped
- 2 mini babybel lights, thinly sliced
For the dressing:
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 medium shallot, chopped
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (good quality)
- 2 teaspoons Greek seasoning
Directions:
- Liberally rub chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Preheat a grill to medium heat and coat with nonstick cooking spray. Add chicken and cook until completely done, about 5 – 6 minutes on each side. Remove from grill and slice into thin pieces.
- While chicken cooks, bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add tortellini and cook for about 8 minutes, or until they are fully cooked (they’ll float to the top). Rinse.
- In a large salad bowl, mix the tortellini with the chicken. Add tomatoes, onion and sliced cheese.
- Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a shallow bowl. Pour over salad and stir in fresh basil.
Nutritional information per serving (about 1/2 cup serving with 1 tablespoon dressing):
Calories: 421
Fat: 20 grams*
Carbohydrates: 28.75 grams
Fiber: 3.25 grams
Protein: 23.25 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 10
*To lessen the fat, omit the dressing. Most olive oils have 14 grams of fat per tablespoon.
Claire
Tags:chicken recipes, healthy recipes, low fat recipes, salad recipes for summer, tortellini recipes
Fresh Shrimp Wraps with Green Goddess Dressing
Thanks to a friend of mine, whenever I write, say or think of green goddess dressing, I giggle. I was raving about it to her the other day and her response was “that sounds like a stripper’s name…or a porn star.” And because I’m a 15 year old boy, I now chuckle because that’s all I can think of now. I hope all you can think of now when you look at these fresh shrimp wraps with green goddess dressing (bahahah) is a stripper and porn star.
You’re welcome for that. Name connotations aside, this sauce (or dressing) is seriously divine. It was super popular in the 70’s and has had a resurgence of popularity lately. It’s usually made with ranch, mayo, sour cream, chives, tarragon and a blend of other spices. Michelle Bernstein, who I met in NYC a few weeks ago at a culinary round-table event, did a demonstration on how she makes her dressing lighter. She subbed in an avocado and uses Greek yogurt in place of ranch. Since I’m constantly watching my weight and am addicted to Chobani, I mirrored my own dressing after hers.
To give it a bit more flavor, I added some cilantro (surprise, surprise). Guys, I could eat it with a spoon it was that good. Slathered on a fresh shrimp wrap, it just sang. The bold flavor and slight tang from the lemon was a beautiful compliment to the fresh shrimp and seasonal veggies. This is honestly my new go-to for summer lunches.
If you’re looking for a light, flavorful, crisp summer recipe, you’ve found it with these fresh shrimp wraps with green goddess dressing. And totally try saying “green goddess” without a teenage boy giggle. Just try it.
For the easy and delicious recipe, check it out here on SHEKNOWS.COM!
Nutritional information per 1/2 wrap (with 2 1/2 tablespoons sauce):
Calories: 125
Fat: 8 grams
Carbohydrates: 6.5 grams
Fiber: 2.5 grams
Protein: 16 grams
Weight Watchers points: 4
Bluth Frozen Bananas
CAN YOU GUESS WHAT SUNDAY IS? Can you guess? IT’S THE DAY I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR FOREVER! I’ll give you a hint…it has something to do with the below photo.
It’s the series PREMIERE OF ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT!!
Who else is so excited they can barely contain it? As y’all know, I’m a little addicted to the show and have been dying for the 4th season since the 3rd season ended (DAMN YOU FOX). So, when Nutmeg Nanny suggested we host a little AD virtual party (aptly titled Operation Hot Ham Water), you know I had to hop on that stair car. When it came down to finding a recipe to share to celebrate the show, I knew almost immediately what I was going to make. I mean, you can’t have Arrested Development with frozen bananas. And what’s more Bluth than a traditional frozen banana dipped in nuts?
What makes this such an amazing treat, aside from the Arrested Development reference, is how easy this is to make. Simply cut a banana in half, dip in warm chocolate and scatter with nuts. It’s legitimately that easy. You can even omit the nuts for other toppings, like white chocolate glaze, sprinkles, candy, you name it! Frozen bananas are quite versatile. In fact, I may even entertain the idea of opening my own stand here in Virginia.
via Roy Mustache.
Back on the topic of frozen bananas (if I had a nickle for every time I said that), you have got to serve these at your Memorial Day shindig. They are much healthier than most frozen desserts and are a salute to one of the best shows ever created (I’m not biased).
THERE’S ALWAYS MONEY IN THE BANANA STAND. HOW MUCH CLEARER DO I HAVE TO BE?
For the super delicious and very easy frozen banana recipe, check it out here on She Knows!
Nutritional information per banana:
Calories: 266
Fat: 14 grams
Carbohydrates: 49 grams
Fiber: 2 grams
Protein: 7 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 8
Be sure to check out these other amazing Arrested Development inspired recipes!
- Blue Vodka Lemonade – Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts
- Cornballs – Emily Bites
- Salted Chocolate Frozen Banana Bites – Gimme Some Oven
- Banana Stand Smoothies – In Katrina’s Kitchen
- Banana Donuts & Homemade Soda – Nutmeg Nanny
- Afternoon Delight – Stetted
- Whole Wheat Ice Cream Sandwiches – Texan Erin Baking
Kiwi & Banana Milkshakes With Chocolate Covered Kiwi Pieces
Also known as, your Memorial Day dessert! Trust me, you won’t want anything else after you have a refreshing sip (and crunch) of one of these kiwi & banana milkshakes with chocolate covered kiwi pieces. Oh yes, you read that right. Chocolate covered kiwi pieces, let that just marinate in your mind for a minute.
Have you ever had a chocolate covered kiwi? I got the idea on Pinterest and want to punch myself in the face for not trying it sooner. Kiwis are SO tart on their own, so the chocolate coating really mellows that out, creating the perfect tart, sweet and slightly crunchy treat. I may (or may not, jury is still out) have enjoyed about 4 chocolate covered kiwi pieces this morning already. Because I clearly want to look really good in my bikini this weekend when I’m on the boat.
Look at that? Can you actually blame me? Plus, it’s fruit, so it’s healthy. RIGHT? Eating 15 of these kiwi chocolate bites may not be super good for my figure, but this milkshake sure is! It’s made from low-fat vanilla bean ice cream, bananas, fresh kiwi and skim milk. That’s it! Then it’s topped with a bit of fat-free whipped cream and some chocolate chips. And the best thing is, it tastes like its loaded with fat.
One of my favorite challenges with my job is making lower fat, good for you food taste like it’s the complete opposite. And this milkshake is exactly that. When you’re dieting, or watching your weight, or just trying to live a healthier lifestyle, you miss the things you ate/drank/enjoyed when you weren’t. Which is why I love making light recipes that taste like the ones we wish we could enjoy all the time.
Seriously. Make this milkshake this weekend. And try not to eat 15 chocolate covered kiwi pieces. Just try. If you succeed, I will send you a million dollars.
Kiwi & Banana Milkshakes With Chocolate Covered Kiwi Pieces
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!
Serves 2. Kiwi pieces yield about 5.
Prep time: >5 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes
Ingredients:
For the milkshake:
- 2 large scoops low-fat vanilla bean ice cream
- 2 medium bananas
- 1/2 cup skim milk
- 2 kiwis, peeled and chopped
- Fat-free whipped cream
For the chocolate covered kiwi pieces:
- 1 kiwi, sliced (about 5 pieces)
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips (we used milk chocolate)
- 1 teaspoon canola oil
Directions:
- To make the kiwis, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave. Add canola oil and stir until mixture is very liquidy. Stick a lollipop stick or toothpick into the kiwis and roll into the chocolate and liberally coat. Place kiwis on a small wire cooling rack (make sure they are standing upright) and freeze for about an hour (or until set).
- To make the milkshakes, blend the ice cream, bananas, milk and kiwis together. Blend until smooth and slightly thick. Pour into mason jars or milkshake glasses. Garnish with whipped cream, one chocolate covered kiwi piece and chocolate chips.
Nutritional information per milkshake:
Calories: 327
Fat: 6.5 grams
Carbohydrates: 55 grams
Fiber: 0.5 grams
Protein: 7.5 grams
Weight Watchers points: 8
