I can't rave enough about how great this chicken was. I feel like I can brag on this one a little harder because I can't actually take the credit for it. For those of you new to my blog I participate in a recipe swap club where I partner with another blogger each month to trade recipes (of our choice) to try and write about. This month I partnered up with Payal from Don't Give A Fork. Payal lives in Mumbai and has a fab collection of Indian recipes as well as some others that she has picked up on her world travels. I mean she takes cooking classes all over the world when she travels - how amazing is that?! It is so neat to me that I get to connect with other food bloggers not only locally but all over the world. I had so much fun chatting with the gal behind Don't Give A Fork, learning her story, and feeling like I now have a friend in Mumbai. 

Have y'all ever tried making your own popcorn? It is seriously so much easier than you might anticipate - plus a lot better for you as you can control how much oil, butter, seasoning, etc... is added. Not to mention it's fun and only takes about as long as waiting for a microwave bag to make. Have I sold you yet?! This time around I used a tiny popcorn variety and a garlic jalapeno spice blend to make a fun snack with a kick to pack and take to work as snacks. 

This is one of my favorite go to ideas for meal prep - it is easy to prepare, all tastes great together, and a good balance between meat, veggies, and healthy carbs. Also maybe it's because I love teriyaki chicken ... but who doesn't?! ​I prepped this exactly as below and brought it to work for 5 days of lunches and it was good until day 5 (made on Sunday - last ate on Friday)! If you make this exactly as I did I would recommend starting with the quinoa so you can allow it to cool (per instructions) while you work on the chicken for best use of your time! I hope y'all enjoy this easy meal prep as much as I do! 

Okay, total moment of honesty here. I broke down from my clean eating this past Sunday and ordered Chinese food takeout. Why? It sounded damn delicious, that's why. It tasted damn delicious too, not even going to try to skirt around that. The only part that wasn't awesome was how full & lethargic I felt after. It's amazing how much more "bad" food effects you when you've been on a health kick! Anyway, one of my favorite things to do in the kitchen is create healthier alternatives to some of my favorite foods. I'm a total junk food lover at heart, clean eating decisions don't always come easy so I feel a lot of inspiration to find ways to eat what I love without feeling all the guilt... because I love food, but I also love feeling good about myself. Ya feel me? This quinoa fried rice was absolutely delicious and left me feeling a whole lot better after eating it. Score! I hope y'all enjoy! 

Anyone else feel like summer crept up on them this year? Like having a total panic "I forgot to do my beach bod diet and it's already beach weather OMG" kind of moment? I'll be honest, that's totally where I'm at this year and it sucks, not to mention there's a bunch of fun holidays coming up (I love MDW & 4th of July weekends!) AND some trips I have planned. I've said it to myself before and realistically will probably say it again ( but hopefully not ), better luck next year! Anyway, I am so excited to share this recipe with you as I teamed up with Frank's RedHot to bring you guys a perfect holiday weekend (think Memorial Day) recipe to put on the table that is not only delicious, but won't break that calorie bank. I love this because typically all the fun holiday foods aren't also healthy, and well let's be honest, that veggie tray get's a little boring time after time. These are super easy to make, are packed with protein and veggies & will make you and your family/ guests feel just a little bit better about all the other goodies we both know you'll snacking on! I hope you enjoy these as much as I did! 

I present to you yet another recipe that was the result of "how can I use up what I have in the fridge for dinner tonight?" I'm telling you that is seriously how I come up with some of my favorite recipes, forced creativity! I made this and loved it so much i made it again two nights later so I could photograph and share it with you, ha. It takes less than 15 minutes to have on the table, is all cooked in one pan, is packed with veggies and lean protein, and is absolutely delicious. Anyone else reading that saying "win, win"? Seriously give me something easy, healthy AND tasty and I am a happy camper. This is a perfect easy weeknight meal, and makes taste test and approved leftovers. I brought a bowl for lunch the next day and really enjoyed it, although I probably wouldn't heat up after more than a day or two as the cabbage will get a little soggy. This recipe will feed 2-3 as a meal. Enjoy! 

Anyone else out there feel like life is just too darn busy right now?! Seriously I don't know where my days and weeks are going! It's always easier said than done to take a couple hours on Sunday to meal prep for the week but I'm so glad when I do because my weeks are a little less stressful when I can just grab my lunch and go. Especially if I don't even have to heat it! I think a lot of you probably feel the same way because the last no heat meal prep post I put together has been one of your favorites and most pinned! (You can find that one here: No Heat Ham & Cheese Roll Ups with Greek Quinoa Salad)! This time I switched it up with some deli sliced chicken and provolone with pesto orzo salad as the side.... I have to say I think this combo may be my new favorite! I hope y'all enjoy!

hi y'all! This smoothie recipe is the result of another fun recipe swap club challenge. If you haven't followed along with my swap posts in the past it is a food blogger network where I am challenged monthly to recreate a recipe from a fellow foodie and give it a try. I have so much fun with this each month because it gives me new inspiration and recipes to write up for you that I may not have gotten to otherwise! This month I worked from Simply Made Recipes, a blog written by a husband and wife duo who love to cook together and work to bring their audience easy and affordable recipes and decided to give their protein packed strawberry vanilla smoothie a try. 

If you love following all the latest healthy food trends there is two words you need to know. Buddha Bowl. They're really just a fancy protein bowl but it is so much for fun if it's trendy and called a Buddha bowl, right?! I decided to hop on the bandwagon and give one a try... so yummy and I felt so good about calling this my meal. This bowl is packed with protein, greens, and healthy grains and consists of seared ahi tuna (super easy to do, I promise), raw spinach, brown rice, quinoa, avocado, sesame seeds, and an easy to whip up soy ginger wasabi vinaigrette. While this Buddha bowl was super yummy there is endless options for putting one together. I personally can't wait to come up with some new ones! See below to find out your mix and match options!