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3 No Cook, Healthy Recipes In Under 10 Minutes

We are well into 2019 and I’m keeping on track with my intentions for this year. One of them involves eating with intention rather than dieting or depriving myself of certain foods. I was turned onto this subject by a fellow blogger and love the concept it creates around the relationship we have with eating. It teaches you to eat with a balanced mindset and to view your food as a way to fuel your body and mind so that you are the healthiest, best version of yourself.

I partnered with Farmer John to bring you three simple, no cook recipes are that healthy lunch choices and ready in under 10 minutes! I usually find these quick recipes on Pinterest and then tweak them to add in my own ingredients and foods that my family will enjoy. I chose to use Farmer John Lunchmeat  since it is packed with protein and delicious flavor. You can substitute any of their lunch meats for the original ham that I used below, like their Smoked Ham or Black Forest Ham for a bigger flavor.

Farmer John products are available at local grocery stores including Smart & Final, Stater Brothers, Albertsons, Ralphs,  Northgate and my second home, Target. If you’re looking for a family-friendly weekend activity, join Farmer John on Sunday, February 17th at the 41st Annual L.A. Chinatown Firecracker Run/Walk & Kiddie Run. It is an event held to promote health, fitness and cultural awareness in the greater Los Angeles community. Farmer John will be serving up their delicious new breakfast sausage links at the finish line. For more information and to register, visit Firecracker10k.org.

 

Recipe: Ham Cucumber Rolls

Ingredients:

Farmer John Classic Ham

1 Large Cucumber

Pesto (or you can use hummus, ranch, etc.)

Cheese of choice

Spinach

Carrot Strips

Red Bell Pepper

Salt and Pepper

  1. Peel thin strips of cucumber with a vegetable peeler. The strips need to be thick enough to hold the fixings in the middle of the roll, but you need to ensure they are thin enough to roll.
  2. Lay strips out on wax paper and spread pesto over each one (you can also substitute pesto for hummus, or mustard).
  3. Layer cheese, spinach, carrot strips and bell peppers over each cucumber slice.
  4. Top with Farmer John ham slices.
  5. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Roll each cucumber slice and secure with a toothpick (depending on the thickness of the roll, you may need more than one or two toothpicks to secure them.)
  7. Enjoy!

Recipe: Ham Chopped Salad

Ingredients:

Farmer John Classic Ham

Iceberg Lettuce

Grape Tomatoes

Hard Boiled Egg

Avocado

Red Onion

Dressing:

Lemon Juice

Olive Oil

  1. Rinse lettuce and finely chop lettuce leaves
  2. Roll 4-5 Farmer John ham slices and cut into 2 inch sections.
  3. Dice grape tomatoes, hard boiled egg, avocado and red onion.
  4. Fill salad bowl with lettuce.
  5. Layer each topping side by side.
  6. Mix together 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice with 1/4 cup olive oil to make a healthy salad dressing.
  7. Enjoy!

Recipe: Ham Kabob Sticks

Ingredients:

Farmer John Classic Ham t

Iceberg Lettuce

Grape Tomato

Green Olives

Persian Cucumber

Cheese cubes

Wooden Kabob Sticks or Large Toothpicks

  1. Roll Farmer John ham slices and cut into 2 inch sections.
  2. Cut lettuce into small sections.
  3. Thread ham sections onto wooden stick, followed by cheese, lettuce and other vegetables in an alternating fashion.
  4. Enjoy!

For more product information and recipe inspiration, visit www.FarmerJohn.com.

Kid Friendly Holiday Health-ade Kombucha Recipe

I always like to add some extra flare to the holidays for the kiddos. Now that Willow is older and can really make memories of our Christmas season, I like to find fun activities for us to do together. We love to cook and often whip up holiday recipes. So this time I got creative with our Health-ade Kombucha. Honestly I can’t get her to eat certain vegetables, but she can down a glass of Kombucha. It just blows my mind! At least I know she is getting a good dose of healthy probiotics and in her mind she is drinking a fizzy soda. We are gonna let that one keep going before she realizes the difference! By the way a Health-ade Kombucha has so much LESS sugar than a regular soda too!!

So I thought I would share this fun holiday drink with you all, so you can make it with your little ones as well. You know they are the best little helpers, so let them pour, mix, and garnish away!

Recipe:

  1. In a mug or glass add ice
  2. Pour 3/4 apple cider into cup
  3. Pour 1/4 Health-ade Kombucha Holiday Cheer into cup
  4. Stir
  5. Garnish with cinnamon sticks
  6. Taste the holiday joy!

My Healthy And Quick Salad Recipe

Since sharing my journey to get back in shape and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, I have received several messages from my followers on Instagram asking me to post more recipes. So here we go!!!  This has been my go-to salad recipe that I make for lunch or dinner. It can be used as a side dish or you can easily add any protein to it, like salmon or chicken.

It is quick, only requiring five ingredients and is so simple that even Willow knows how to make it (she also loves to eat it…#momwin).

Ingredients:

  • Tomato
  • Cucumber ( I use English or Persian cucumbers depending on which is in my fridge)
  • Avocado
  • Lemon
  • Salt

Directions:

  1. Cut cucumber into halves
  2. Dice tomato
  3. Cube avocado
  4. Add all ingredients to bowl and mix
  5. Squeeze half a lemon over entire contents and stir
  6. Salt to taste!

Let me know if you try it and tag @thechicmamas so I can see your yummy salad!

Low Calorie Summer Cocktail With Health-Ade Kombucha

Summer is my favorite time of the year!  There is something so relaxing about having your toes in the sand and a drink in your hand. It’s going to be a hot one this year and LA already hit 103 degrees today! With the rising heat nothing sounds better to me than a refreshing, cool cocktail. The only problem is so many of these delicious drinks can really rack up the calories without you even noticing, and let’s be honest I’m definitely trying to work on that summer bod.

So this summer I will be whipping up and sharing my favorite healthy versions of some traditional summer cocktails that you can enjoy virgin or a little tipsy (always in moderation of course… because hangovers are not welcome here anymore). Since getting in shape post twins, I find that foods or drinks with a high sugar content really make me feel terrible these days. So recipes like this one, don’t make me feel bad or guilty since they have such a small amount of calories and sugar! And Mama deserves a drink right??

One of my favorite drinks during the summer is a Moscow Mule, they are so light and refreshing. I almost fell out of my seat when I looked up the calories one day!! A Moscow Mule is usually made with vodka and ginger beer (which is non-alcoholic). The average glass of ginger beer has 110-128 calories and are you ready for this…. 38.5 grams of sugar… that is equivalent to 8 teaspoons of sugar!!!

Thus my Health-ade Kombucha Moscow Mule was born. If you’re unfamiliar with Health-ade Kombucha it is made from a probiotic, fermented tea. Health-ade Komucha comes in so many amazing flavors, and for this recipe we are going to use their ginger-lemon flavor that tastes a lot like ginger beer, just a little less sweet. Plus an entire bottle of Kombucha has only 35 calories and 5 grams of sugar.

Ingredients:

  • 6oz Ginger-Lemon Health-Ade Kombucha
  • 1.5oz Vodka (of your choice)
  • 1 juiced lime
  • Mint for garnish
  • Lime wedge for garnish

Instructions:

    • Fill copper mug with ice
    • Add vodka
    • Add Lemon-Ginger Health-ade Kombucha
    • Add lime juice
    • Garnish with mint and lime wedge
    • Drink your low calorie Moscow Mule like a champion

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Enjoy!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Perfect, Kid Friendly Guacamole Recipe

Does your household celebrate taco Tuesday? Turkey tacos and guacamole is a constant in our house. One of my biggest cravings that I had when pregnant with Willow was avocados. It’s no wonder that she also loves them! As a Mom, I really appreciate finding easy recipes that I know the whole family can enjoy. I snagged this 5 minute recipe from one of my best girl friends, India and it has remained a favorite for the last several years. You can really make it two ways, one for your children to enjoy and one with a kick of jalapeños that really gives it a spicy kick.

Gather your ingredients:

4 Ripe Avocados (press them gently, they should give a little)

1/4 red onion, finely chopped

1/2 vine tomato, finely chopped

1/2 lemon

salt

 

Instructions:

  1. Cut Avocados in half, remove the pit. Score the inside of the avocado with a knife and scoop out the flesh with a spoon into a bowl. I mash the avocado just a bit, as I really like it stay chunky.
  2. Add chopped onion and tomatoes, mash again to mix.
  3. Squeeze half a lemon to add juice to guacamole and salt to taste. Mash again to mix.
  4. Serve immediately with your favorite chips, raw vegetables, or as a topping to your tacos! Enjoy!

*To make the spicy adult version, I add a 1/4 of a fresh, chopped jalapeño to step 2.

Photo Credit: Kate Hauschka Photography