Category Archives: #food4life

Avocado & salmon stacks

#food4life, #foodFAVS, #sandwiches&mains, index

~Shopping List~

  • 1 medium avocado
  • 3.5 oz smoked wild salmon
  • 2 Tbsp full-fat cream cheese
  • 1 small spring onion
  • 1 small cucumber
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 Tbsp fresh dill
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup micro greens or chives and spring onion (topping)
  • tomato and cucumber salad (side,optional)

~To do~

  1. Mash avocado in a bowl.  
  2. Add chopped cucumber and onion.  
  3. Add lemon juice and ground pepper
  4. In a séparante bowl combine chopped salmon with cream cheese and dill.
  5. In a form (or just on the plate) make a layer of avocado mix (1/2), add a layer of the salmon (all of it) and top with remaining avocado mixture.  
  6. Top with micro greens.  

* If you used a form, remove the form before serving.

Buttermilk biscuits

#breads, #food4life, #foodFAVS, index

~ Shopping List ~

  • 2 cups sifted all purpose flour
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/3 cup shortening
  • 1 cup buttermilk

~ What to do ~

  1. Preheat oven to 375-400 degrees (F).  
  2. Sift together dry ingredients.  
  3. Cut in shortening.  
  4. Add buttermilk all at once.  
  5. Mix until combined.  
  6. Turn out on a lightly floured surface and knead 5-6 times.  
  7. Roll to about 1/2″ thickness.  
  8. Cut into shape.  
  9. Place on greased pan, brush gently with butter.  
  10. Bake for 10-12 minutes.  
  11. Remove from oven and brush with butter again.  
  12. Serve warm.

Chocolate gravy

#sweets, index

One of my mom’s favorites ;-D

~ Shopping List ~

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa
3 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 stick butter

~ What to do ~

Mix dry ingredients together.  Add 1/2 cup warm water.  Stir well.  Heat milk in saucepan to almost boiling.  Pour boiling milk into cocoa mixture, stirring constantly until thickening.  Add butter and vanilla.

Halsie Tanner Butler recommends them with homemade biscuits.  

Citrus shrimp

#food4life, #sandwiches&mains, index

90 sugar calories

~Shopping List~

  • 5 medium shrimp
  • 1-2 Tbsp lime juice
  • 1/4 cup black beans
  • 1/2 cup cooked rice
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • Shredded lettuce or spinach

~To do~

Heat grill or broiler on high, brush shrimp with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.  You can skewer the shrimp if it makes them easier to handle on the grill.  Place in the broiler or on the grill and cook 2 minutes on each side until pink throughout.  Toss shrimp with lime juice, rice and beans and adjust salt and pepper to taste.  Serve  on a bed of lettuce or spinach.

~Alternatives~

You can replace the black beans with kidney beans.

Low Carb Peanut Butter Cookies

#food4life, #sweets, index
68 calories (per cookie)  9.8g carbs (.6g fiber, 3.9g sugar).  2.5g protein

~Shopping List~

  • ½ cup almond flour
  • 1/2 cup granulated Truvia
  • 1 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy, you choose)
  • 3 eggs
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract

~To do~

Pre-heat oven to 350 F.  Prepare baking sheet with baking parchment or cooking spray.

Mix all ingredient in mixer until well combined and dough has formed.  Make balls of dough and place balls on pan. (They don’t need to be far apart, they don’t puff up.)  Flatten cookies slightly making a crisscross mark on cookie with a fork.  Bake for 15-17 minutes till edges are golden brown.

Makes 16.

Open-faced avocado sandwich

#food4life, #foodFAVS, #sandwiches&mains, index

65 sugar calories

~Shopping List~

  • 1 slice pumpernickel bread, toasted
  • 1/4 avocado
  • 1 slice provolone cheese
  • 1 or 2 radishes, sliced thinly
  • 1/4 apple, cut into 5 thin slices
  • 2 Tbsp goat cheese, crumbled
  • Salt and pepper

~To do~

  1. Preheat broiler.  
  2. In a small bowl mash avocado, add salt and pepper to taste.  
  3. Spread the toast with avocado;
  4. Top with radishes, apples, provolone, and goat cheese;
  5. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  
  6. Place under broiler just until cheese melts (about 1 minute)

~Alternatives~

You can turn this into a skinny recipe by creating avocado cups instead of a  sandwich.  Dice up the provolone, radishes and apple and toss with the goat cheese, salt and pepper.  Slice an avocado in half, take out the seed and fill one of the avocado halves with the mixture, reserving the other half for another meal.  Serve on a bed of baby spinach or lettuce.

Spicy corn cakes

#food4life, #foodFAVS, #sandwiches&mains, index

87 sugar calories

~Shopping List~

  • 1/2 ear corn
  • 2 Tbsp flour
  • 1 Tbsp cornmeal
  • 1/2 Tbsp red onion, diced
  • 1/2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
  • Pinch baking powder
  • Pinch baking soda
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp buttermilk
  • 1 tsp butter, melted
  • Olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp tomato, chopped
  • 2 Tbsp avocado, diced
  • Pinch cilantro, chopped
  • Salt and pepper

~To do~

  1. Pulse the corn kernels in a food processor or blender, or chop finely by hand.  
  2. In a bowl, mix the kernels with the flour, corneal, red onion, basil, baking powder, baking soda and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.  
  3. Set aside.  
  4. In a coffee mug or small bowl, whisk the egg with a fork and measure out approximately 1/4 of the egg mixture into another small bowl (reserve the remaining egg for breakfast or toss it out).  
  5. Mix the egg with the buttermilk and melted butter, then add to the cornmeal mixture and mix well.
  6. Heat a skillet and add a drizzle of olive oil.  
  7. When the oil is hot, add the batter and cook each side until golden brown and cooked through.  
  8. Serve topped with the tomato, avocado, cilantro.  
  9. Adjust salt and pepper as needed.

~Alternative~

Pump up the protein by adding a couple of slices of bacon or a couple of Tbsp of cheddar cheese.

Chicken salad stuffed tomatoes

#food4life, #sandwiches&mains, index

0 sugar calories

~Shopping List~

  • 1 hollowed out tomato
  • 1/2 cup cooked chicken, shredded
  • 2 Tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1/2 sliced scallion
  • 1 Tbsp chopped cilantro
  • 1 tsp lime juice
  • Pinch garlic powder
  • Pinch cumin
  • Pinch chili powder
  • Salt and pepper

~To do~

In a small bowl, mix chicken, mayo, scallion, cilantro, lime juice, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste.  Fill tomato with chicken mixture.

~Alternatives~

Use rotisserie chicken or keep cans of chicken for this recipe.

Green greek salad

#food4life, #sandwiches&mains

0 sugar calories

~Shopping List~

  • 1 chicken breast
  • 2 cups arugula
  • 1/2 cucumber, chopped
  • 5 cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 5 Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
  • 2 Tbsp red onion, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp feta cheese
  • 1/2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
  • Salt and pepper

~To do~

Heat grill or broiler on high.  Brush chicken with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.  Place chicken in broiler or on grill and cook until no longer pink inside and juices run clear, about 10 minutes each side.  when done, slice chicken thinly.

In a bowl or on a plate, arrange the arugula and top with the chicken, cucumber, tomatoes, olives, onion and feta cheese.  In a bowl, whisk the garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and vinegar.  Drizzle over the salad and season with salt and pepper.