Smoked Salmon Salad Bites take just five minutes to make and are perfect for a quick snack or light meal. This recipe is low in calories, but packed with protein and those good-for-you fats. …
gluten free
Cajun Chicken and Grapefruit Lettuce Cups
The phrase ‘Easy as Cajun Chicken and Grapefruit Lettuce Cups’ was coined after this exact recipe. I’m obsessed with this quick, healthy, minimal-heat-required recipe and you will soon be too.
Is it summer yet? Is it, is it, is it?
I’m ready!
I’m at the beach this week, so I suppose this is my summer.
Ya know, adulthood isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Remember the days when you got 10 weeks of summer vacation? Remember how much you looked forward to that? The excitement… The anticipation… All the planning and daydreaming of what the summer would bring… Fun! Trouble! Romance!
I mean, I still do all that daydreaming… There’s just no summer vacation attached to it…
This is the second year I’ve done a personal beach week. I’m lucky — my parents have a beach condo, so no planning ahead required and no expenses accrued.
When I skip down here for a weekend, yes, I definitely bring a friend and plan to have a little fun! But this week is about peace, quiet, rest, and relaxation. I did invite Dad (he’s the other quiet member of the family), but he declined. Umm… and be glad you aren’t here Dad — I have literally taken over the place. My stuff is EVERYWHERE. I’m dreading cleaning up in the morning.
In my normal life, I’m pulled in so many directions. Working eight+ hours a day, blogging, kickball team, tennis team, gym, side job, family occasions, girls’ nights… it all builds up until… I need to either implode or decompress. So here I am. At my personal beach week. Decompressing.
And it just so happens, one of my favorite ways to decompress is to create in the kitchen! Plus, after my freckled skin was burnt on Day 1, spending time indoors looking at the ocean is quite an attractive idea.
I’m a bit obsessed with grapefruit right now. I’m not sure why. Maybe because it’s pink. And pink = pretty. I’m also obsessed with quick, healthy, minimal-heat-required meals. And I’m obsessed with these inexpensive marcona almonds from Aldi. And that, my friends, is how a good recipe is born. Obsession A + Obsession B + Obsession C. That is the key. Easy as pie Cajun Chicken and Grapefruit Lettuce Cups.
I made five of these. I’ve eaten two. It took me exactly 4 1/2 bites to eat two of the lettuce cups. 1/2 a bite for all those little drippings that dripped out the side and that I wiped up with my finger (and then licked, of course). That means, I’ve got six bites waiting for me in the fridge and my stomach is a’growlin’.
Here’s what I like about Cajun Chicken and Grapefruit Lettuce Cups:
- no utensils required
- a little heat tempered by cool Greek yogurt
- juicy grapefruit
- crunchy, salty almonds
- mint! so you don’t have to brush your teeth after… (?)
- swimsuit-friendly (like, you’re gonna look good and feel good even after cramming your face with these little snack-lunch-treats)
You are 15 minutes away from eating some of these, but I’m only 15 seconds away, so pardon me…
Cajun Chicken and Grapefruit Lettuce Cups
Easy as Cajun Chicken and Grapefruit Lettuce Cups was coined after this exact recipe. I'm obsessed with this quick, healthy, minimal-heat-required recipe and you will soon be too.
Ingredients
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 pound chicken tenderloins
- 8 leaves bibb lettuce
- 1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- 1 grapefruit flesh removed with a grapefruit spoon or a sharp knife
- 1/4 cup plain almonds chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh mint chopped
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 425 degree F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.
-
Mix together cumin, chili powder, and paprika. Run mixture onto chicken tenderloins and lay on prepared baking sheet. Bake about 6 minutes, turning halfway, until cooked all the way through. Once cool, slice tenderloins into strips.
-
Lay lettuce cups flat. You are going to fill them as if they are tacos. Spread Greek yogurt in a strip down the middle. Divide chicken strips evenly among lettuce cups. Divide grapefruit evenly among the lettuce cups. Sprinkle with almonds and mint. Enjoy.
Crispy Chickpea and Greek Yogurt Protein Bowls
Crispy Chickpea and Greek Yogurt Protein Bowls are light and filling at the same time. This recipe has tons of flavor and crispy plus creamy textures. Beware — you may find yourself craving these creamy and crispy bowls at all times of day.
Crispy chickpeas are the ultimate protein-packed power snack right now.
Says… ME!
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Buffalo Chicken on a Stick with Blue Cheese Dip
March Madness is still in full swing. Remind me what sport we’re watching? Is it college or pro? Who’s winning?
As a Carolina grad, ignoring the March Madness hype is a heinous crime. So, all my Tarheel friends, please stop reading here and skip to the recipe below —
(I’ve just never been big on basketball. Shhh… Don’t let them know.)
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Ham and Cheese Asparagus Spears
Forgive me, for I have too many pictures and too few words.
This is the first food I photographed with my *new* camera lens.
It was <3 <3 <3 at first click. Let’s just take a second to look at this beautiful asparagus and how clear and clean the little tender tops are with such a perfect fade into the distance. That, friends, is my new Nikon 35mm f/1.8 lens.
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Thyme-Roasted Cauliflower with Horseradish Sauce
Cauliflower is big right now.
I’ve seen:
-
- Cauliflower Pizza Crust
- Cauliflower mashed “potatoes”
- Cauliflower “Buffalo Wings”
- And my personal favorite: Cauliflower Steaks — like you can substitute a white vegetable for a sirloin. HA HA HA HA. Laugh out loud.
Obviously, I haven’t exactly jumped on the cauliflower bandwagon. Cauliflower just doesn’t excite me in the way that say… scallops, or chocolate chip cookies, or red Thai curry excites me…
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Spiced Pork Posole
My pipes froze over the weekend. But thankfully I had a batch of this Spiced Pork Posole ready to zap in the microwave.
It may not have been enough to thaw the pipes, but it unfroze my soul.
Just kidding. My soul is pretty warm-fuzzy.
An FYI about frozen pipes — they are not fun. I returned from work one day, got undressed for a post-work rinse, which takes a lot of courage since my house is not exactly winterized (single-pane windows, thermostat set to 65…). I turn on the bathtub faucet only to be met with a quick spit of water, a few gurgly sounds, and then a puff of dust. (There probably wasn’t dust — I might have conjured that bit in my imagination.)
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Poached Eggs with Bacon-Roasted Butternut Squash
Now that I’ve given you dinner & dessert, let’s round out Valentine’s Day Weekend with a romantical breakfast in bed.
I’ve never been served breakfast in bed. I KNOW. I have been missing out for years on one of relationship’s greatest perks. So I can’t exactly tell you what getting breakfast in bed feels like. But I can tell you how I imagine it to be: it’s like having all of your dreams come true + a warm, cuddly blanket + world peace.
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