Salad Takeover

Salad. Its a leafy, crunchy, green food. People say its boring, tasteless, ugly. Others say that if you are eating it then you are just trying to be "healthy". These are the myths of lettuce and salad too! The people that refer to it this way have often had bad past experiences with it. In this post I will give you different options on how you can spice up your lettuce, but first here is some of the nutritional info:

1. Low Calorie (1 serving has 10-25 calories!!!)

2. Helps with weight loss (it contains fiber and cellulose which keep you full longer)

3. Protein (20% of its calories is from protein)

4. Tons of beneficial vitamins (helps to clean to the bad toxins in your body and keep you feeling more awake)

Now if those healthy benefits didn't convince you, some of these salad trick should do it!

Try to add a protein

This will add the perfect taste that you love and it will help you stay full for a longer period of time

ex) -steak

-chicken

-shrimp

-hard-boiled/fried egg

-tofu

Veggies

This is my personal favorite part of a salad because vegetables offer a wide variety of flavors and all of their different colors makes everything look so exciting!

ex)-carrots

-multicolored tomatos

-cucumber

-peppers

- string beans

Dressing

This is where the real flavor aspect comes in; but be careful with which dressing you choose. Many have tons of added sugar and sodium. I like to make my own using olive oil, a little bit of vinegar, pinch of salt/pepper, and some it alien seasoning.

Chicken kebob salad with chickpeas and cucumber/tomato medley

Grilled shrimp salad with crayons and feta cheese

Giant mushroom/red pepper salad with artichokes hearts and a balsamic vinaigrette 

Paradise

It has been a cold,snowy, and bitter winter for just about everyone (minus the snow in some places). And because it is finally March,which means spring is soon to come, what better time is there to write this blog post?! These are the beach pictures from my most recent trip o Florida (where I wish I was right now!). if you have read my last post then you will know the details of where I stayed in Florida and what I ate. I hope these pictures relax you as much as they do to me! Also, I have big things coming for new blog posts, so make sure you subscribe!t

On the pool terrace at the Diplomat Resort and Spa

Hollywood, Florida public beach

Hollywood, Florida public beach; Boardwalk

Key Largo, Florida; on a boat

Living Large

     About 3 days a go I got back from a family trip to Florida. We stayed in Fort Lauderdale and drove around to different cities each day. We went to Hollywood, Miami, Key Largo, ect. I ate at so many different restaurants and had some amazing meals! I took so many pictures of both the food and the activities and I will be posting most, if not all, of them! I decided to organize the posts, so here are some of my daily meals (not including dessert ;)). I hope this doesn't make you too hungry!

Yogurt Parfat: vanilla yogurt, craison/nut-granola, fresh berries

Mahi Mahi Salad: grilled mahi mahi, lettuce, veggies, croutons, balsamic dressing

Tacos: mild lean meat, coleslaw, tortilla chips

Baked Penne: penne pasta, red sauce, cheese (tons), meatballs

Cobb Salad: lettuce, avacado,chickpeas,veggies,grilled chicken, balsamic dressing

Skirt Steak: Steak with a lemon sauce, sauteed veggies, broiled lemon potatoes

Food-A-Holic Award!

I have recently created the Food-A-Holic Award!!! Below I have tagged a few of my favorite food blogs. This award will be passed onto them, and they will then pass them onto others! Here are the rules:

1. It must link back to the creator (www.cruisinandcuisine.blogspot.com), and the person who nominated you

2. You must answer the questions below

3. Your nominees must be informed of their nominations

4. Tag as many bloggers as you would like

5. HAVE FUN!

Questions:

1. Favorite meal (obviously)?

         My favorite meal would definitely have to be a well-coked skirt steak with golden browned potatoes and sautéed string beans

2. Favorite food to cook?

       I also have such a great time cooking pizza because there are so many different ways to prepare it!

3.  Favorite type of food?

      Italian!!! 

4. Last thing you ate?

      Fresh chicken breast, kale/cranberry salad, baked sweet potato

5. Sweet or savory?

       Savory!

I Nominate...

http://www.foodiecrush.com

http://pinchofyum.com/

http://iamafoodblog.com/

http://www.topwithcinnamon.com

http://www.loveandlemons.com/

http://ohsheglows.com/

http://fooddoodles.com/

http://skinny-vegan-food.blogspot.com/

Beach Vacation Planning

      Whenever I go on vacation I am always the last-minute packer of the family. I'm so busy running around and making sure everyone else is good to go. A couple years ago I was on a trip and realized that I had forgotten tons of stuff! To prevent this from happening again I decided to  write up a checklist. Since writing one, I haven't forgotten (that many) items! This list is for Beach vacations, but you can use it for other trips too! It may not include everything, but its a basic outline of what I like to have with me.

Healthy Banana-Coconut Muffins

Over this past weekend I was in the mood for a sweet treat, yet I didnt want to go crazy with the sugar because I have been endulging on the remains of my halloween candy. I wanted something that was quick and easy to make. After looking through my food pantry I finally came up with a recipe for a delicious and semi-healthy treat that my whole family loved!

Ingredients:
-1 cup whole wheat flour
-11/2 teaspoons baking powder
-1/4  teaspoon sea salt
-1/2 cup virgin coconut oil
-1 cup mashed bananas (2 medium-sized)
-1/4 cup honey
-2 egg whites
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
-2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Greases a muffin tin or line with muffine liners.

2. In a medium bowl, wisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and shredded coconut.

3. In a separate, medium bowl, wisk together the coconnut oil, mashed banana, honey, egg, and vanilla.

4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

5. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups, then sprinkle the muffin tops woth a little bit of shredded coconut, and/or some cinnamon.

6. Bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centr comes out clean. Transfer muffins to cooling rack and let them cool for at least 5 minutes.



Because the is a simple recipe, you can add different ingredients based on how you like it. After I shared this recipe with ine of my friends, she decided to add walnuts and raisons, which added more of a crunch and it made them sweeter.

Classic Summer Side-dish

Corn, Corn, Corn! As you could probably tell, I'm obsessed with it! It is so delicious and it has amazing benefits for your health! I prefer to season it with just a little bit of salt, pepper, and butter. After that I wrap it in tinfoil and grill it for about 10 minutes (rotate while grilling). It comes out so crunchy and perfectly seasoned that the juices melt in your mouth and give you that savory satisfaction! Just writing this is making me in the mood for corn :)