Grilled Bell Peppers, Roasted Asparagus, and Grilled Lemon Salmon

Last night I tested out my culinary skills and tried a new recipe I had been toying with for awhile now. I love salmon and I absolutely love grilled salmon, but grilling in winter is not always practical, or is it? 

I broke out my George Foreman grill and grilled up a delicious dinner. The salmon was so moist, the vegetables were all tender, and the asparagus was out of this world! My apartment smelt amazing and I was stuffed afterwards, but it was worth it. Plus I have leftover to heat up for dinner. 

So, instead of ordering a greasy pizza to eat while watching the Superbowl break out your indoor grills and get ready to enjoy a delicious and healthy meal!

Roasted Asparagus:

• 1 1/2 pounds asparagus
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• pinch of pepper

First wash the asparagus and cut off a half inch off the bottom. The very bottom part is tough and you don't want to eat that.

In a gallon Ziploc bag place the asparagus. 

Pour in olive oil, minced garlic, and add a pinch of pepper. 

Seal Ziploc bag, double check to make sure it is fully sealed, and shake! Gently shake/toss the bag so the olive oil and minced garlic will coat all of the asparagus. 

Once all asparagus is coated line the asparagus up horizontally on a baking sheet covered with tinfoil. Do not double layer asparagus as you want it all to cook evenly.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. It will be done when it is a darker shade of green and when it is tender- can easily check with a fork. 

Lemon Salmon:

• 4 ounce salmon fillet
• pinch of seasoning of choice- I use salmon seasoning it's in the seasoning aisle and available at most grocery stores
• 3 thin slices of sweet onion
• 1 1/2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Brush olive oil on salmon and the pour lemon juice over salmon. This will help keep salmon from drying out on the grill.

Sprinkle on seasoning and then line the top of salmon with onion slices. The onion will also help keep salmon moist and give it a hint of flavor.

Place salmon on heated George Foreman grill. Cut into salmon after eight minutes to see if the inside is still pink. Cook the salmon until the center is a pale pink. I checked mine every two minutes and flipped it as necessary, the onions may fall off which is ok. 

When the salmon is done and you go to lift it off the grill it will fall apart because it is so tender. A spatula is easiest the way to lift the salmon off the grill.

When my salmon was close to being fully cooked I threw some extra veggies on the grill to cook. I used:

• 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped orange bell pepper
• 1/4 cup diced sweet onion

Add the veggies around the salmon, do not cover the salmon with veggies or it will not cook evenly.

Using tongs I shifted and flipped the veggies every 50 to 60 seconds so they would not get burnt on one side. Once the veggies get lightly browned on both sides they are done.

I also cooked some white rice to go with my meal. Follow the directions on the bag/box to cook the rice for whichever brand you prefer.

I was fortunate enough that everything finished cooking around the same time so I didn't have to try to keep anything warm. If you can't eat everything, I couldn't finish all of mine, it all heats up nicely in the microwave. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the Superbowl while eating a hearty meal!

Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies

Valentine's Day is fast approaching. It's a holiday that is filled with sugary treats loaded with everything you gave up at the start of the year so you could finally get in shape. This year can finally be the year you don't have to fall off the healthy bandwagon on Valentine's Day, and you won't even have to give up the delicious sweets you love. 

I put extra effort in to make sure these cookies were extra good, which is why it took me multiple tries of switching up ingredients and changing measurements to get them just right. These peanut butter cookies are delicious and packed with healthy ingredients. They are super easy to make, only require a few ingredients, and are a sure hit with any peanut butter lover.

You will need:

• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup PB2 powdered peanut butter, can also use the chocolate PB2 for a chocolate cookie
• 2 packets sweetener of choice, or can use 1 tablespoon white sugar or agave nectar or honey
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (or 2 tbs if your dough is dry) almond milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• OPTIONAL: 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• OPTIONAL: festive sprinkles as topping, or top with raisins, or chocolate chips

*Word of the wise, if you are going to use whole wheat flour instead of almond flour you will need a tad less than 1/2 cup almond milk (more if your dough is dry though), you will want to use a bit more sweetener, and you will need more baking time than almond flour. You might want to add 1 tablespoon of unsweetened apple sauce to moisten the cookies up as well. Personally, I liked the almond flour cookies much better.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or tin foil. If you use tinfoil spray a light coating of non stick cook spray on it so the cookies won't stick. 

In a large mixing bowl combine almond flour, PB2, almond milk, and vanilla extract. 

While stirring, gradually add in baking powder, cinnamon, sweetener, and any extras you want to include.

If the dough forms and is too runny add a pinch more almond flour, or if it is too runny add in a little bit more almond milk.

Once the dough is fully formed, scoop 1 tablespoon of dough onto cookie sheets. Leave a little bit of space between cookies. Repeat until all dough is used up.

Next you need to press down the dough. I used a fork and made criss crossing lines pressing my dough down, like a traditional peanut butter cookie. You will want to spray the fork with nonstick cook spray on both sides so dough won't stick to the fork. Recoat the fork with spray as needed.

Finally, add any toppings of your choice. I sprinkled my cookies with Valentine's Day sprinkles for a festive feel. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Check at the 8 minute mark. Cookies are done when the edges turn a light/golden brown.

Allow to cool and remove from baking sheet with a spatula. 

Nutrition per serving (1 cookie):

Calories: 49

Carbs: 4

Fat: 3 grams

Protein: 3 grams

Sodium: 71mg

Sugar: 1 gram

Oats, Berries, Banana, and Greek Yogurt

Happy Saturday! This morning I did a grueling workout. I did 75 minutes of cardio, elliptical, running and walking on the treadmill, and I did 30 minutes of strength training on various machines. I enjoyed pushing myself and my body, but by the end of the workout I was spent and hungry.

When I got back to my apartment I whipped up a really easy post workout snack, and you could even have it for breakfast.

1 cup of old fashioned oats prepared 
2 large strawberries, thinly sliced
1/4 cup blueberries
4 slices of banana
1 5.3 ounce container of Dannon Light and Fit Vanilla Greek Yogurt 
sprinkle of cinnamon