Lemon Lover's Smoothie

photo: Blogghetti

 1 lemon

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup raw cashews

1.2 tea. vanilla extract

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/2 frozen banana

1 medjool date

1 tea. lucuma powder

Zest your lemon directly into your blender container. Cut away the peel. Then juice the lemon into the bender container, 1 large lemon for a tart smoothie, 1/2 a large or 1 small for a sweet smoothie. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.

Greek Bento Box Lunch

 

Source: Gathering Dreams

• Prep the Greek salad: chop 1 cucumber, add 1 cup cherry tomatoes, add 1/2 cup chickpeas, a handful of chopped fresh parsley, green and black olives, 1 Tab. extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper, and mix.  
• Slice or chop 1/2 grilled chicken breast per container.
• Add 1/2 cup brown rice cooked brown rice and lemon wedge in the bento box.
• Add the fresh grapes.

Chickpea Bento Box

Source: Gathering Dreams

• Prep the salad: chop 4 small cucumbers, cut in half  2 cups cherry tomatoes. Add in 2 cups chickpeas
  2 cups brown rice (cooked), chopped fresh parsley, 2 cups green and black olives
  4 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper, and mix. 
• Begin assembling bento boxes by putting chickpea salad in bento box.
• Add a whole avocado and a plastic knife to the bento box. Add the lemon wedge next to it.
• Place the carrot and celery sticks in the container with a few tablespoons of hummus.

 

Marinated Vegetable Salad

source

¾ cup sliced mushrooms
¾ cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes
¾ cup sliced zucchini
¾ cup peeled, chopped carrots
1 small sweet bell pepper, chopped
½ cup broccoli florets
½ cup cauliflower florets
½ teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon dry mustard
¼ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil

Place all vegetables in a large bowl.
Place remaining ingredients (garlic through olive oil) in a jar with a lid and shake until completely combined.
Pour dressing over vegetables.
Refrigerate salad for at least 2 hours (or overnight).

Note: Vegetables may be changed according to what you have available at the time.

source: The Seasoned Mom

Greek Salad with Lemon and Basil

source

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 large cucumber, halved & sliced
1 bell pepper, chopped
½ red onion, thinly sliced
½ cup black olives
juice from ½ of a lemon
2 to 3 ounces feta, thickly sliced or cubed
2 tablespoons olive oil, or more to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 sprigs basil, roughly chopped

Combine cucumbers, tomatoes, pepper, onion, and olives is a serving bowl. Squeeze juice from ½ a lemon over the top.
Add feta cubes/slices.
Drizzle olive oil over the top.
Sprinkle with basil, salt, and pepper.

source: Mid-Western Mama

Weis Corn Salad

Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tab. Lemon juice
1 tea. Dijon Mustard
1/4 tea. Cayenne
1/4 tea. Salt
1/4 tea. Black Pepper

Salad:
6 ears of corn cooked 3 min. and cut off ears
2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
2 Tab. Fresh Chives
1 Avocado, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1/3 cup fresh Basil, shredded

Whisk together vinaigrette ingredients in a large bowl. Add in salad ingredients and toss to coat.

Source: Weis Market

251 Calories, 15g Fat (2g Saturated), 0mg Cholesterol, 121mg Sodium, 29g Carbohydrates, 6g Fiber, 5g Protein

Greek Salad Wrap

Whole wheat tortilla

spread with hummus

topped with a salad made of

shredded Romaine lettuce

tomato

Pepperoncini

Kalmata Olives

Feta cheese

Lemon Vinaigrette

1 garlic clove, crushed 

1 teaspoon sea salt 

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice 

3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Chop garlic and place in a bowl, add salt.

Crush salt and garlic into a paste.

Add remaining ingredients stir and enjoy.

Garlicy Kale

6 cups of kale (or Swiss chard, spinach or some mixture of them), chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 Tab. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/4 tea/ salt
squeeze of lemon juice

In a medium saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute 30 seconds. Add the greens and salt and saute just until the greens begin to darken and intensify. Squeeze on the lemon juice. Taste. Add more salt or some maple syrup to taste.

source: One Bite at a Time, Rebecca Katz

Greek Salad with Marinated Grilled Chicken and/or Feta Cheese Crumbles

source

Greek Dressing

1 cup White Wine Vinegar
1/3 cup Olive Oil
2 tablespoons Crushed Capers (optional)
Zest & Juice of 1 Lemon
1 tablespoon Greek Seasoning
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 teaspoon Black Pepper

Combine all ingredients together in a large measuring cup and stir well.

Greek Marinated Grilled Chicken

(Skip if using Feta Cheese Crumbles)

2 pounds Chicken Tenders
1 cup Greek Dressing

Put all chicken tenders in a large Ziploc bag.
Pour half the dressing over the chicken and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Using either an outdoor grill or an indoor grill pan, grill the chicken for about 5 minutes on each side. The cook time will vary depending on the heat of your grill. Cook until they’re finished but avoid too much char. Set aside.

Greek Salad

4 cups Chopped Romaine
1 ½ cups Tomato Chunks (half or quartered tomatoes depending on how large they start off)
1 ½ cups Cucumber Chunks
¼ cup Chopped Purple Onion
¾ cup Kalamata Olives (deseeded)
¾ cup Pepperoncini Peppers
1 cup Greek Dressing

Crusty bread or pita pockets (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss with the salad dressing.
Plate with the Greek Marinated Grilled Chicken or Feta cheese crumbles. Serve with crusty bread or pita bread.

Source: Fed and Fit

Green Bean Salad

2 cups fresh green beans, trimmed
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/8 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tsp lemon juice
1/8 tea. salt

1/4 tea. cayenne pepper

1/2 cup red, yellow or orange bell pepper diced
 4 oz deli turkey, chopped (optional: use if serving as a lunch, not if as a vegetarian or side dish)

Place green beans in a pot of boiling water and cook for 2 min. Remove from heat and rinse with cold water. Stir together mayonnaise, yogurt, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice and seasoning in a large bowl. Add green beans and bell pepper. Toss well to coat.(Top with deli turkey, if you are using it.)

Moroccan Butternut Chickpea Stew

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, small dice
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
salt and pepper, to taste
1 lb. butternut squash, large dice
3/4 lb. red potatoes, large dice
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups cooked chickpeas, drained
14 oz. diced tomatoes, with juices
pinch saffron threads (optional)
1/2 preserved lemon, finely chopped
1 cup brined green olives
cooked couscous
fresh cilantro, chopped
slivered almonds
Greek yogurt
hot sauce of your choice

Heat olive oil in a large and deep heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium flame. When hot, add onions, garlic, cumin, and cinnamon. Sauté until the onions are translucent (about 5 minutes). Stir in the butternut squash and the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir to coat. Cook until tender – about 5 minutes and then add the broth, chickpeas, tomatoes, and saffron. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover with a tight-fitting lid for about 10 minutes until the squash is fork-tender. Remove the pot from the burner and stir in the chopped preserved lemon and the olives. Ladle the stew over cooked couscous and garnish with cilantro, toasted almonds, plain yogurt, and hot sauce. Serves 6 to 8.

source: Use Real Butter

Citrus Fruits; Oranges, Grapefruit, Lemons, Limes

Perfect Portion : 1 orange,  1/2 grapefruit, 1-2 Tab. Lemon or Lime Juice

• Very Low glycemic load
• Helps lower cholesterol 
• Antioxidants reduce risk of cancer, especially colon, breast and prostrate 
• Perhaps helps prevent cancer
• Staves off kidney stones
• Lemon rind strengthens the walls of veins and capillaries, potentially reducing risk of varicose veins
• Lowers blood sugar