So I was successful at packing in a bunch of fruits & vegetables into my day yesterday (my goal for August...and, uummm, lifeJ). In fact, I managed to sneak em into breakfast lunch and dinnerJ
First up, I added some strawberries to my 'overnight oats'...
Ever try overnight oats? They're a GREAT way to sneak oatmeal into the summer when you're JUST not in the mood for a hot breakfast. Simply combine:
- 1/4 cup of oats
- 1/4 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt
- 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1 teaspoon chia seeds (optional)
Mix everything together and pop it in the fridge until morning. Top with any fruit you like & enjoy. I also like to add a tablespoon of slivered almonds to make it a little more filling. But this makes a great, filling, ON THE GO breakfast.
For lunch, I had some leftover Cornbread salad, but brimming with jewels of green beans, fresh corn, red peppers, kidney beans, cornbread croutons & fresh, homemade dressing...YUM!
And finally, dinner was a new recipe I could not WAIT to try! Kristin's Grilled Chicken & Barley Salad!
The part I was MOST excited for was the homemade marinade to coat the chicken AND the barley.
Into my mini chopper went:
- 1 cup of halved cherry tomatoes
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Juice from 1/2 a lemon
- 2 tablespoons of water
- 1/4 of a red onion
- salt & pepper
After a quick whirl...
I used about 1/3 to marinate the chicken breast and saved up the rest for the barley salad.
Speaking of the barley, you may want to get it started a little early (or over the weekend and save it for a quick weeknight dinner)....
It takes about 45 minutes to cook, PLUS you'll need time for it to cool if you'd like to make this a 'summer salad' type of dish.
Once the barley was cooked and Scott was grilling up the chicken breasts, I gathered up my ingredients for the barley salad, as well as my sous chef...
(All festooned in her RED, WHITE & BLUE to cheer on the GOLD MEDAL WINNING GYMNASTICS TEAM!J)
Although I had to bring in some 'back up reinforcements,' as SOMEONE got a little bored of Mommy's 'cooking show'J
Into the barley salad went:
- 3 ears of corn, shucked
- 1 roasted red pepper, diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1/4 minced red onion, minced
- 2 slices of bacon , crisped & crumbled
- 1 avocado (I know...shocking J) , diced
And if any of you out there are like me and are NOT a fan of fresh tomatoes, just toss em into the (toaster) oven for about a half hour with a little drizzle of olive oil. I may not like fresh, but I LOVEEEE roasted tomatoes!
I mixed everything together and let it chill in the fridge until the chicken was ready.
Then it was time to plate the barley & top it with the chicken...
I loved the fresh taste of the tangy tomato marinade and Scott & I are ALWAYS big fans of dishes with grains and LOTS of veggies (ummm...couscous salad, much?) He even gave a resounding "OH WOW!" when I told him all that was going into the saladJ Pretty good reactionJ
So how 'bout those gymnasts, huh???? I've been waiting since '96 for the team to win again and Gabby, Jordyn, McKayla, Aly & Kyla were finally able to pull it offJ YAY! Although, is anyone ELSE tired of the NBC coverage?? One rotation of gym and then BACK TO SWIMMING! Another rotation of gym, BACK TO MICHAEL PHELPS! Come on, NBC...one thing at a timeJ
Anyone else have any favorite Olympic Sports?
I obviously love gymnastics, but I also love the swimming & track and field events, but I'll watch anything at the Olympics. Not much else is funnier than waking up the day after the opening ceremonies and proclaiming "YAY! Table tennis is on!"
Or is that just our house??J
Anyway! Have a great WednesdayJ
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