Meals of the Week: Fig, Goat Cheese, Arugula "Pizza"

When figs are in season and available - I buy them and find as many uses as possible to eat them. One of my favorite pizzas in the world is anything fig/goat cheese, fig/gorgonzola. I would say my #1 pick is the mushrooms & figs flatbread from Trade. So, so good. So... clearly, this week's 'staple' is FIGS, in addition to baby bella mushrooms & arugula.

I included figs and arugula in my lunch salad twice this week. Perfect combo: Figs, arugula, parmesan, pecan halves, grilled chicken or tuna, lemon juice. 

Tonight, I made my rendition of the Trade flat bread with a healthy twist.

Need:

- Whole wheat pita - halved

- Goat Cheese (can use gorgonzola or feta) Feta & goat cheese are a litttle bit 'healthier' than gorgonzola 

- Black Figs

- Grilled Chicken

- Arugula

- Slivered almonds

- Fig jam (not necessary, but, I had some in my fridge) 

- Extra virgin olive oil

- Salt

- Baby portabella mushrooms (sliced and sauteed) 

This meal takes about 15 minutes to make. 10 minutes prep and 5 in the oven. Just pile everything on top. Last night, I grilled up some chicken so that I'd have it for the week and cut it up to put on top. Only thing to be mindful of is to save most of the arugula for the last minute in the oven. You don't want it to get... limp. Nobody likes limp arugula.

Here's the lowdown on the nutrition: Protein from the chicken, complex carbs & fiber from the pita, antioxidants, fiber, vitamins a, c, & potassium from the arugula, vitamin e from the almonds, and fiber, potassium & vitamin B6 from the FIGS!

What's your favorite fig meal/appetizer/dessert?

Have a happy hump day. xo

Weekend Sunshine_8.12.13

Weekends like the one we just had here in Boston, to me, are pure perfection.  80 degree (dry!) days, clear skies, and cool nights. I think we "New Englanders" take extra advantage of perfect days like these because they are so rare. I hope you all had a chance to go outside and have some fun!

Friday night, I had a little deck party with all my bff's. Today is Chris' bday so Rachael picked up some (amazing) cupcakes from Crumbs Bake Shop.  A nice little surprise for the birthday boy!

I served all the favorites... cheese board, prosciutto/mozzarella/basil/tomato, avocado chickpea dip, deviled eggs, hard Italian salami, grilled buffalo chicken & fresh mojitos! Kim made yummy stuffed mushrooms. Andres and Rebecca brought Espolon Tequila... which took us right back to Punta Cana (served chilled with salt & tequila). Yes, the 'fancy' way of simply saying that we took shots... (That tequila is amazing)

Saturday, I spent the afternoon at Duxbury beach after a great boxing class. Sunday, we took the boat to Duxbury and anchored off the 3rd crossover. The water was SO WARM. And for locals, yes, it really was warm (Duxbury is usually pretty cold). We swam to the beach, laid out, & relaxed for the rest of the day.

Here's this week's motivation. Remember, it takes hard work, mistakes, ups, downs, and a lot of focus to accomplish the big things that life throws at you. Keep your eye on the prize and work hard my friends!

Have a fantastic week! xo

Meals of the Week Part 2: Pesto/Avo/Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Continuing meals of the week, I put together another recipe tonight that contains this week's staples: pesto & chickpeas.  Lettuce wraps always feel a little more substantial than a salad, maybe because you can eat them with your hands...?

Anyway, between the lettuce wraps I made tonight and the two dishes I've already shared - I hope you find some inspiration for your next pesto meal or can of chickpeas! 

Need:

- 1/2 Avocado

- Chicken tenderloins (At the beginning of the week, I marinate chicken in extra virgin o/o, lemon juice, salt, garlic, crushed red pepper, & rosemary from my garden) 

- Tomatoes (used twice this week)

- Toasted Chickpeas (used in all 3 meals this week)

- Pesto (used in all 3 meals this week)

- Feta (used twice this week) 

- Large lettuce leafs (I used romaine from my deck garden) Bibb lettuce and Romaine are also good options

Start arranging! Avocado, Feta, Tomatoes.

Grill up the chicken & toast the chickpeas. I have some extra chicken that I can bring to work tomorrow for lunch!

Dollop with pesto. Shred the chicken with a fork and knife. Dollop with pesto again. Done!

These were really yummy! Each meal I had this week was completely different so I never got sick of eating pesto or chickpeas. Here are the health stats: Protein from the chicken & chickpeas, omega's, fiber, potassium, & the B vitamins from the avocado, lycopene & vitamin c from tomatoes, fiber & too many vitamins to name from the romaine. 

If you want to see a 15 second video on how to make this - I shared it to my instagram account... here. Check it out. 

And hey,  it's almost Thursday! Have a great day!  xo