{Yummy and Quick Vegetarian Salad}

The main reason i am avoiding chicken is b/c it is helping me save about $30.00 a week on groceries. I sometimes cook it once a week and sometimes not at all during the week. I never use hamburger...if i do, again, it's once a week. I am not strictly vegetarian. I am just saving money. I refuse to buy only 80% lean hamburger. And the 93% lean is expensive. Anyway, i found AND tried this yummy vegetarian salad. I did it a little different from the original. I like to eat something different than my kids do for lunch. They like macaroni(but they can only eat it twice a week). Otherwise they eat pbj sandwiches or turkey(all natural, no added stuff) sandwiches. They have turkey lunch meat like that at wal-mart, in case you are wondering. It doesn't have those nitrites(is that correct?) in it and other added stuff they say you should avoid in lunch meat. I might eat a turkey sandwich with avocado on it and spinach and tomato with olive oil mayo. ANYWAY, getting to the point, this is a yummy healthy lunch. I enjoyed it and it filled me. I couldn't eat it all. Plus, garbanzo(aka:chickpeas) beans are so good for you!

Ingredients:

2 TBS. olive oil

3/4 TBS. red wine vinegar

1 TBS. mint, chopped

1 TBS. Basil(i didn't have basil so i put in about 1 tbs. pesto, which i keep on hand)

1 cup grape tomatoes(sliced in half)

Walnuts(i crush them up with my hands and put the amount in to my liking)

Feta cheese(however much you would like in it)

1 can garbanzo beans

Directions:

Mix it all together and enjoy!

Source: merrygourmet.com

{Italian Veggie Salad}

I LOVE LOVE LOVE eating my vegetables like this. For me, it is sooooo good. I love it. Try it out! I make it for a side dish for one of our dinner meals and then i will snack on it the next day...all day long! :)

Ingredients:

About 1/2 head cauliflower(pulled apart into Bite Size florets)

1 can of black olives

Large Tomato(cut up into bite size pieces)

1 Red Bell Pepper(cut into bit size pieces)

Mushrooms(Cut in half or fourths, depending on what you like)

1 cucumber

1/2 to a whole red onion(cut into bite size pieces)

1 package of zesty italian seasoning(follow the directions on the back of the package)

Feta cheese

Directions:

Throw all the veggies in a cake pan and pour the mixed zesty italian dressing on top. Stir it up good so that each piece is covered in the dressing. Let it sit in the fridge for a few hours to soak up the dressing. And occasionally stir it while it's in the fridge sitting. You can eat it right away, but it tastes so much better the longer it sits! :) Sprinkle some feta cheese all over. The quantity depends on your liking.

Also, you put in however much of the vegetables you feel you would like. There really is no set recipe for the amount of each vegetable. That's just what i usually put in.

{Beans-and-Greens Tacos With Goat Cheese}

If you like vegetarian meals, try this one. It actually was pretty good and my family of boys ate them with zero complaints. I take that back...Shane(my picky eater) wasn't too faund of em. He said "Where's the meat?" I am trying to save money by fixing vegetarian b/c meat is pricey and really hikes up my grocery bill! There are so many things i would eat if i didn't have to consider Shane's eating habits. :) I really enjoyed these. I didn't feel stuffed afterwards, or weighed down by the food. It was very light. They DID taste good too. I would make them again for myself over and over. They were very easy to make, quick, and tasty! :) If you want the salsa for it that you are supposed to put on top, you will find it under this recipe in the same post! I didn't make the salsa b/c i forgot tomatillos! DARN! BUT i think it would have made these even better!

Ingredients:

3 TBS. Olive oil

2 red onions, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds

5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 lb. Swiss Chard, stems and ribs removed, leaves washed well and coarsely chopped

1 cup canned cannellini beans, drained

1/2 cup vegetable or chicken stock

Salt and Pepper

8 white corn tortillas

1/3 cup soft goat cheese, crumbled

cilantro

Directions:

1.Heat oil in a large high-sided skillet over medium heat. Cook onions until soft, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, and cook for 1 minute. Stir in Chard, beans, and stock. Cook until greens are wilted and beans are warmed through, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

2.Using tongs, hold each tortilla driectly over a gas flame, turning, until heated through, about 5 seconds.(Alternatively, wrap tortillas in foil, and warm in a 350 degree oven.) Spoon filling onto tortillas. Top with cheese and cilantro.

*Side Note* I just used regular whole wheat flour tortillas and warmed them up in the microwave.

Tomatillo and Chipotle Salsa

Ingredients:

6 tomatillos

3 garlic cloves(do not peel)

4 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, coarsely chopped

1/4 tsp. sugar

coarse salt

Directions:

Cook tomatillos and garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until charred on all sides, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a plate, and let cool slightly. Peel garlic. Finely chop tomatillos and garlic.

2.Mix together tomatillos, garlic, chipotles, sugar, and 1/2 tsp. salt.

Source: Martha Stewart

{Chicken Pitas with Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette}

This was a quick and easy meal to make. I put the chicken in the crockpot for a few hours. And when the chicken was done i just mixed everything together. It was a pretty tasty meal. I will make it again. It was easy, quick, and tasty. I served it with a fresh fruit salad. Yummy! Go for it!

Ingredients:

2 TBS. balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 TBS. sun-dried tomato oil

1 TBS. chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

4 cups shredded cooked chicken breast(about 3/4 lb.)

1 cup chopped tomato(medium )

1/2 cup grated asiago cheese

1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

Whole wheat Pitas, cut in half

3 cups mixed baby greens

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix balsamic vinegar, sun dried tomato oil, sun-dried tomatoes, pepper and garlic. Stir in the chicken, tomato, cheese, and basil. Line each pita half with 1/4 cup greens. Divide chicken mixture evenly among pita halves.

*SIDE NOTE* For the sun-dried tomato oil, i just used the oil that's in the packed sun-dried tomatoes. Also, i didn't use asiago cheese. It would add a little more taste, but i didn't have any. It still tasted good without it. ALSO, i had to double this recipe. It was just enough for the five of us.

Source: www.sweetpeaskitchen.com

{Green Smoothie}

Yes, i am into smoothies. I love em. What can i say. So, a friend of mine posted a green smoothie recipe on her blog a couple years ago. I made it for awhile and then stopped. I wanted to make those again , but couldn't remember the exact recipe so i decided to just put in what i remember and then add what i think i would like. It turned out DELICIOUS! I make this after my workout. It's my recovery drink! You can drink it anytime though! TRY IT!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup vanillla yogurt(any yogurt you prefer)

a squeeze of agave nectar, which is about 2-3 TBS.

juice of an orange

1 scoop of protein powder

About 1/8- 1/4 cup Flaxseed

one banana

6-7 strawberries

2 handfuls of spinach

6-8 ice cubes(your preference)

Directions:

Mix the liquids first along with the protein powder, then add the spinach, strawberries, bananas. And lastly, the ice cubes. Enjoy!

I am going to be totally honest. I can be a pig. This makes about 4 cups. I drink 3 cups of it. Tanner drinks about one cup. It's a lot, but man it tastes so good after a hard workout. I gulp it down quick! :)

I will be experimenting more with smoothies again soon.