A summer heatwave has been hitting us here in VA (and all over the country) pretty hard. It’s the time of year for no-cook, just throw-together dinner options, which quite often means a salad. Keeping salads interesting can be a challenge, so I’m always looking at how to put a new twist on an old favorite. Since I love bread, Panzanella salad has always been in my recipe rotation. It’s great for lunch or dinner at home, but it is also is a perfect make-ahead, portable potluck or picnic offering. This salad tastes better after it sits for a few hours to allow the ingredients to marinate and the flavors…
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Old School Italian Sausage, Peppers and Onions
Instead of ringing in the New Year with a healthy meal like most everyone does, I decided to go in a different direction. For some reason, I had the desire to make one of my mom’s feel-good recipes, sausage, peppers and onions on a soft hoagie roll. This meal was one of my comfort foods when I was a kid. Even now I can remember exactly how the house smelled when mom was sauteeing all those yummy peppers with onions and garlic. This is such an easy meal – a one-pot wonder full of flavor and color, and flexible enough to add your own spin on it. For instance, I…
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The perfect grab-and-go breakfast – egg muffins.
I’m always in a rush in the mornings, so stopping at the Starbucks drive-through was my go-to for coffee and breakfast for years. In an effort to save money and calories, I started making coffee at home. Making coffee at home was a pretty easy change, but I certainly didn’t have time or desire to make breakfast every morning. On Sunday’s I prep meals for the rest of the week. I needed a breakfast item that I could include in my weekly prep time, and grab-and-go during my stressful mornings. Egg muffins are the perfect solution. Egg muffins are versatile – fill them with whatever you have left over in…
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Garbanzo Bean Salad
I love a garbanzo bean, and it’s the perfect ingredient to toss with other Mediterranean flavors. These little legumes are packed with protein – 1 cup has 15 grams – and full of fiber to help keep you feeling full. Also known as chickpeas, they are nutritious, but 1 cup is 269 calories, so portion control is key if you are watching your weight. They are not Keto, but included in the healthy Mediterranean diet. Here’s a tasty, easy and healthy salad full of fresh flavors and veggies. As with all of my recipes, this is really more of a “guide” – if you like more tomato, add more tomato!…
