Tasty little antioxidant salad

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When funfitflavor first started, I was posting A LOT of salads. So much so that I've been kind of against posting them for a while now. I'm breaking my rule tonight because this simple little garden salad is packed with antioxidants and a homemade dressing that would be good on ANYTHING. Also, this little salad was inspired by one that we got last week in Portland. (OMG it was so good - we were raving about it! I'll save that one for a later date once I perfect it. Sorry for the tease!)

Anyway, here's how this one goes!

First, turn a small saute pan on low and toast some pecans.

Next, Start with some organic mixed greens. Top with crumbled goat cheese and chopped avocado. Then, once the pecans are toasty - chop them and top the greens.

For the dressing - mix 2.5 parts extra virgin o/o with 1 part rice vinegar, add a hearty squeeze of a quality honey mustard. Add in a clove of chopped garlic and a little bit of thyme, salt, and pepper. Blend.
(Oh, I made it with chicken tonight because I needed some protein, but, I actually like this salad better without it. The flavors are excellent.)

Drizzle the dressing and serve. I call this an "antioxidant salad" because pecans are LOADED with antioxidants. They have more than any other nut! Plus, the mixed greens, avo, and garlic in the dressing are all winners when it comes to antioxidants. Enjoy!

Have a great week! xo

Asian Noodle Bowl

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As mentioned, a couple weeks ago I made my way to Blue Dragon with Rae & Becca. The three of us were sitting there trying to dissect each ingredient in our delicious noodle bowls. I hadn't cooked an Asian meal in a reallllly long time so I decided that I'd give it a whirl the following Friday night. We knew we tasted chives, garlic, definitely some chili oil, vinegar, and ginger. I picked up what I already didn't own and also some pine nuts and a red curry paste. Figured it wouldn't hurt...

I told Rob... "I have no idea how this is going to come out... be warned"...  he assured me he was confident (so nice). Anyway, so I chopped up a couple cloves of garlic, the chives, pea pods, and grated ginger. 

In a separate pan - I quickly toasted the pine nuts to bring out the flavor. Then, I started sauteing all of the ingredients:

- Couple cloves of garlic
-  Chopped chives
- Crushed red pepper
- Tsp of chili paste
- Grated ginger
- Rice vinegar (I just kept adding it and letting it burn off)
- Pea pods
- Walnut oil

Then, I boiled the shrimp separately (next time I'll just toss them right in this pan).

I boiled the pasta in salted water (I used papardelle noodles because I had them in my cabinet - an Asian noodle would make more sense, but, these were delish).

Separately, I made the deviled eggs as snack. You can find my simple recipe for them here.

Finally, I tossed it all together and served it. I must admit that I kind of nailed it. The flavors were so powerful and tasty. I love experimenting in the kitchen and this was one of my most favorite experiments in a long time. A long time ago, I learned that tasting the food while you cook is essential for any meal you put together. I don't think there is much better advice. You don't need recipes... do what works for you! 

Question of the day! What have you made recently that surprised you?

Hope you're all having a great week! xo

Weekend Sunshine_1.20.14

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Whew... this weekend FLEW! (do I say that every Monday??) Maybe it felt even faster because everyone around me had the day off today. I... did not. But, I made the most of it. Traffic was super light and I went to the gym this morning and got after some serious intervals and pushed the sled (does that thing ever get easy?... woof)

Friday kicked off with a lotttt of traffic... admittedly, I was rather cranky, but, had an instant mood change once I ordered this:

This weekend was a lot of fun. Ella (my 7 year old niece) came to stay with me in the city. She's just the best kid in the world... so fun, sweet, thankful, friendly, outgoing, and easy to please. We kicked off the day picking out the fixings for sundaes with Rob and then took an uberx to the aquarium (she really likes uberx).

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We met up with Uncle Brett and navigated the whole aquarium. Ella loved it! I think we all agreed that the giant sea turtles were our favorite. The penguins and seal show were a close second though.

After dinner, we introduced her to the North End. Dinner at Pellinos and her first Mike's Pastry whoopie pie! She lit up like a Christmas tree as soon as she stepped inside... it was awesome. :)

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{For those that don't know... I'm a HUGE Pats fan... I'm the commissioner in my fantasy league sooooo.... I'm not going to talk about Sunday afternoon... Ok?}

Since Rob had the day off today... I decided to treat the end of day like a vacation day. Poured myself a small glass of vino and made this healthy salad for us... this thing is jam packed with antioxidants and protein. Simple to make, too.

  • Steak
  • Baby spinach
  • Apples
  • Roasted chickpeas
  • Goat Cheese
  • Pomegranates
  • Avocados
  • Cranberries
  • Almonds
  • Dressing: 2-3 parts extra virgin o/o, 1 part red wine vinegar,  tbs of honey mustard, tbs of honey, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp salt, pepper to taste - mix & dress
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Hope you all had a great weekend! Stay warm out there... looking like another wacky weather week all over the country!

xo