Day 3: Week of healthy meal plans & Summertime Clean Eating

It's almost the weekend, so here are some more recipes to try out and make your weekend eating as clean and yummy as possible!

Breakfast: Blueberry Waffles

It's safe to say that I am pretty much obsessed with Trader Joe's. It's not just grocery shopping; it's an experience. And my latest obsession (which John is now also a huge fan of) is Trader Joe's frozen blueberry waffles. There's no better way to kick off a weekend of clean eating than blueberry waffles topped with fresh blueberries and a drizzle of honey! (Just don't drench the waffles in syrup or that would defeat the purpose of eating clean.) Plump blueberries and honey add the perfect amount of sweetness.

Lunch: Veggie & OJ Farro 

Farro is a good whole grain to use for a little something different. It's hearty texture works well for a satisfying lunch. 

Directions: For this dish, I cooked the farro by the package instructions. I then added in edamame, corn, chopped onion, chopped mushrooms, and chopped yellow pepper. I tossed this combination with cayenne, ground black pepper, lime juice, freshly chopped basil, freshly chopped cilantro, a drizzle of olive oil, and a splash of orange juice. 

The orange juice gave this dish a summery taste!

Dinner: Quinoa, Chickpea, and Avocado Salad

I made this recipe up last night from a combination of things I had in my fridge. I was happily surprised and it turned out to be a filling salad (a quest I've been on to make sure my hungry man is full after eating a salad!) 

Ingredients:

Serves 2-4, depending on whether it's a stand alone dish or not

1/2 cup quinoa

1/2 avocado, chopped

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper 

1 1/2 cup chickpeas, rinsed and drained from  can

1 tomato, chopped

1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped

1/2 red onion, chopped

1/2 lemon, squeezed

Freshly ground black pepper

Dash of salt

Mixed greens (I used a combination of spinach and kale, but any lettuce will work fine. Add as much lettuce as you prefer.)

Salad dressing: 2 Tbsp. olive oil, 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar, Ground black pepper, 2 tsp. lemon zest. (These are rough estimates. Toss into salad according to how much dressing you prefer.)

Preparation:

1. Cook quinoa according to package instructions.
2. Once quinoa is cooked, mix avocado and crushed red pepper into the quinoa. Stir until avocado is a bit creamy.
3. Combine the chickpeas and remaining ingredients through the mixed greens.
4. Add the quinoa mix to the salad and combine.
5. Add the salad dressing and toss to combine.

Note: This recipe would also be good topped with grilled shrimp.