#WWHD: Buffalo Chicken Salad Wraps

A work week is all about convenience when you're a rockstar -- I mean, that's the only way you're going to get everything done, right? Well, I knew I couldn't do #WWHD without a wrap, being that wraps are the most portable & convenient food besides, well.... an apple. Since you can't have an apple for your entire meal (well, you shouldn't,) I thought I would create an awesome spin on one of my favorite things ever -- buffalo chicken -- and teach you how to wrap it so you can get your nutrients and eat them too. Enjoy.

Servings: 2

What You'll Need:

• 1 small package raw chicken tenders
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup buffalo sauce (or, combine hot sauce & melted butter)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup cornmeal (about $1 for a jar at the store)
• 2 wraps (or large tortillas -- go multigrain if you can -- fiber!)
• 2 cups salad greens (go with what you have!)

The Step-by-Step:

1. Combine egg white and 2 tbsp buffalo sauce in a small bowl. Stir together.
2. In another small bowl, combine flour & cornmeal.
3. Take your baking sheet and spray it with cooking spray. Turn on oven to 350 degrees F.
4. Take chicken tenders and sprinkle with a pinch of salt & pepper.
5. One at a time, dunk the tenders in the sauce mixture, then shake off the excess (it shouldn't drip.) Then toss it in the flour mixture. Put it on the pan.
6. When all the tenders have been coated and placed on the pan, bake them for 30 minutes.
7. When time is up, lightly toss the tenders in a little more sauce. (If you are too rough, the coating could fall off. If this happens a little, don't freak -- it still will be delicious.)
8. Bake for another 10 minutes.
9. To make wraps, spread a cup of salad on each wrap. Then split the chicken between the two. Roll up, and cut in half.
10. Serve with even more buffalo sauce, if you're like me :)

xoxo n

For more info about the #WWHD feature, please see the below post, or head on over to The Gym Bag Diaries!

#WWHD: Spicy Shrimp Tacos w/ an Avocado Lime Coleslaw

Maybe it's the Texan in me, but I just can't get over the classic (& delicious) versatility of the taco. I mean, think about it -- there are so many wonderful combinations you can make with whatever you have -- not to mention, a bag of tortillas is pretty much the cheapest thing EVER at the grocery store. My bag of corn tortillas used in this recipe cost me $1.99 and the bag had 18 tortillas. Think about it, that's literally $0.11 per taco. What?

My recipe takes a basic shrimp taco and adds a cool element to it -- making a slaw from cabbage, avocado, and lime. This combination turns into a light, refreshing flavor, that also helps you up your veggie intake! Shrimp can be seasoned like below, or can be bought already cooked/seasoned at the grocery store! Seriously, you can't do any better on a work night, which is why I immediately thought to include it in #WWHD.

Servings: 2 servings of 2 tacos (bag it up for tomorrow's lunch!)

What You'll Need:

• 4 corn tortillas
• Flour tortillas are fine if you have them, but corn tortillas have less calories, and in my opinion, they give you more of that "south of the border" flavor!
• 1 lb medium shrimp (about 16 shrimp)
• 1/4 a red cabbage
• 1/4 an avocado
• Juice of 1 lime
• Salt/Pepper/Old Bay seasoning
• Any cajun seasoning will work!
• If you have seasoning salt (like Lawry's brand), that can sub in for the salt and the Old Bay
• Medium Skillet/Cooking Spray
• OPTIONAL: Garlic Powder & Onion Powder
• OPTIONAL: Oven

The Step-by-Step:

1. In a small bowl, take shrimp and mix with a dash of salt, pepper, and the Old Bay. Set aside.
2. Spray the cooking spray onto the small pan, and heat on the stove. Add shrimp, and let cook for about 5 minutes, stirring. When the shrimp are no longer grey/see-through, they're done. 
3. Slice the cabbage into small slices and put in a small bowl (NOT the bowl that had the raw shrimp in it.)
4. Take the avocado & juice, and blend in a blender until it's all liquid.
5. Take the avocado juice mixture and pour over cabbage. Mix together with your hands and let sit for 5 minutes.
6. In the meantime, take the tortillas and place in the oven. Heat at 350 degrees F for 5 minutes. (If you don't have access to an oven, you can heat them on the stove! Just use cooking spray and heat on a skillet for 30seconds a side!)
7. Assemble the taco by adding the shrimp first, then topping with some slaw. If you have extra avocado, add that on top (get your healthy fats on!)

See -- easy. Do I hear an "Andale Andale, ay, ay, ay"....?

xoxo n

For more info about the #WWHD feature, please see the below post, or head on over to The Gym Bag Diaries!

#WWHD: Crockpot Black Bean Soup w/ a Cilantro Yogurt Sauce

When I think of comfort food, I think of soup on a cool winter night. When I think of a work night, I think of something I can heat up quickly -- without much thought or energy. This black bean soup meets both of those requirements -- comfort & quickness. It takes a while to prepare, but once done, it can be heated in the microwave for 2 minutes and be nice and steamy! I use a slow cooker to make this dish, and there have been times where I put all the ingredients in in the morning, and come home to a house smelling like soup. You can also make this on the weekend and portion it out in freezer bags, so you later can just grab one, heat, and go!

This go-around, I decided to get creative and add a cilantro-yogurt sauce. The recipe is delicious on its own (I've even used it as a spread on a grilled chicken sandwich,) but feel free to let your creative wings soar! Add this yogurt sauce, add some sliced avocado, add some goat cheese crumbles -- do what you want! With this soup made of one of nature's most protein-and-fiber-filled foods, you really can't go wrong.

Servings: about 5 (1 and a half cups of soup each)

What You'll Need:

• 1 bag (16 oz) of dry black beans (about $1.30 at the store)
• 1 medium or large sweet potato
• 1 red onion
• 4 cups chicken broth (go for "low-sodium" to avoid bloating later-on!)
• Some people use vegetable broth -- feel free if you're vegetarian -- but since this soup has no meat, I find that the chicken broth adds some flavor!
• Seasonings (they seem like alot, but they will dilute when the starch from the beans is released)
• 4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• A dash of allspice, if you have it
• OPTIONAL: a cup of fresh chopped cilantro (a bunch is $0.50 at the grocery store)
• For the sauce:
• 1/2 a plain greek yogurt package
• 1 cup of fresh chopped cilantro

The Step-by-Step:

1. The night before, chop the onion into small pieces and sweet potato into chunks. Set aside in the fridge. Place black beans and half the chicken broth in the slow cooker, and let soak overnight. (Some people soak the beans in water, then drain it in the morning-- forget it, you want the FLAVOR to penetrate the beans.)
2. The next morning, add in the onion and sweet potato to the beans. Add the seasonings on top. Turn on the slow cooker to "low" and let cook for 8 hours. The day is yours!
3. When the 8 hours is up (your home will smell like a fiesta) -- turn the slow cooker to "off" and in small batches, scoop the soup mixture and blend it in a blender, returning the blended soup to the pot. This allows the insides of the beans to be released, combining with the sweet potato to become a creamy (and delicious) puree. Keep repeating until the soup becomes the texture you want it to be. (I prefer it to be all creamy, but some people like it half & half -- creamy with some whole beans in there -- up to you.)
4. If you're making the yogurt sauce, all you have to do is blend the cilantro with a little bit of water (about a tablespoon) to make a paste. Then, mix in the paste to the yogurt. This is a delicious alternative to sour cream (plus, the yogurt adds lots of protein.)

Top the soup with the sauce, some salsa, avocado, and/or goat cheese crumbles. The possibilities are endless!

xoxo n

For more info about the #WWHD feature, please see the below post, or head on over to The Gym Bag Diaries!

#WWHD: Sweet Potato & Kale Lasagna

There's nothing better after a long day, than a nice, comforting, plate of homemade lasagna. Yes, lasagna. I said it. You might be thinking "Lasagna's hard! Why is she including it in #WWHD?" Well, because with my recipe, you make it once, and eat it 12 times (yes, TWELVE is the number of portions) -- making it ideal to pop in the oven and plan ahead for later (more stressful) times. Easy to freeze, this can be made on a weeknight or a weekend (up to you!) and easily heated-up when you're getting home from work and are just plain starving and tired. With the fresh ingredients and nutrients it provides you, you'll be jumping for joy. Get ready to bust out the wine, the Sinatra, and the latest episode of VH1's Mob Wives (ahem -- it's not like I've done this before.)

Servings: 12

What You'll Need:

• 1 package oven-ready lasagna noodles
• These are a life-saver, you can put them as is into the pan! Can you say hassle-free?
• 1 bottle marinara sauce
• Go for an organic brand, if you can (Giant has "Nature's Promise" for $1.99)
• If you can't go organic, try reading the ingredients on the side of the bottles available -- if you don't recognize something, don't buy it! You want your ingredients to be wholesome!
• 1 bag chopped kale
• 3 medium sweet potatoes (or 2 cans sweet potato puree)
• 8 slices of cheddar cheese (I used Sargento Sharp Cheddar cheese -- the sharper, the more flavor!)
• 1 small tub ricotta cheese (find one that's "low-fat" or "part-skim")
• Should be by the cream cheese in the supermarket
• Oven/13x9 pan (a brownie pan)
• OPTIONAL: 1 package silken tofu
• A great way to sneak in some protein to build strong muscles, especially if you're exercising!
• OPTIONAL: 1-2 fresh tomatoes

The Step-by-Step:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. If using fresh sweet potatoes, place them on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees F for 45 minutes. When time's up, take out of the oven, and put the potatoes in the fridge to cool down a little bit (about 20 min, be careful!)
3. If you are using fresh tomatoes, chop them up and heat them in a pan with the marinara for about 10 minutes. (This is totally optional -- just a great way to get in more veggies!)
4. When the sweet potatoes have cooled, remove the skins and throw away. Mash the sweet potato in a bowl. Set aside.
5. If you are using the tofu, put in a blender with half of the ricotta. Blend, and set aside in a separate bowl.
6. Take your pan, and spread a thin layer of your marinara mixture onto the bottom of the pan.
7. Cover the marinara layer with a layer of noodles.
8. Take 1/2 of the sweet potato mash and spread it over the noodles (it's okay if it's not perfect!)
9. Spread 1/2 the kale over the sweet potato, and top with another layer of noodles.
10. Spread 1/2 of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, then top with some tomato sauce, then more noodles.
11. Repeat this pattern -- you should be towards the top of the pan by now.
12. Lay the cheddar slices on the top, then spread the last of the tomato sauce mixture on top.
13. Bake for 40 minutes, then take out of the oven to cool for about 20 minutes.
14. Enjoy!

xoxo n

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a note on kale

Kale is QUEEN of winter greens, which is why I chose it for this mid-February post. It is loaded with incredible nutrients like fiber, manganese and Vitamin K, A, B6, and C, which all help you stay strong throughout your day. Not to mention, a cup of kale has only 36 calories, which to me -- screams bang for your buck. You really can't go wrong. Try it, eat it, love it! 

For more info about the #WWHD feature, please see the below post, or head on over to The Gym Bag Diaries!

#WWHD: Southwestern BBQ Chicken Salad

In the spirit of finding something quick to eat (and to kick off this awesome work week challenge  (#WWHD)) -- I'm a big fan of wholesome, filling, and TASTY salads. Yes, salads -- what, did you think I was going to say steak? I mean, yes, steak is also filling and tasty -- but sometimes, thats not what your body really needs after a long day. It needs nutrients, not just protein. In that spirit, the other day -- after a late workout -- I realized I was low on energy, and quickly threw together this salad based on what I had in my fridge. If you do not have the exact brand items, feel free to sub in some spinach or plain salad mix, chicken and barbecue sauce for the meat, or throw together some canned corn and bottled salsa for a similar taste combination. After all, when your day is coming to an end, sometimes you need to be flexible!

Servings: 1

What You'll Need:

• 1/3 a package of Trader Joe's Pulled Chicken in BBQ Sauce
• The package will last you 3 salads, so buy and be happy!
• 2 cups chopped kale
• One bag of kale is about 6 cups!
• 2 tbsp Trader Joe's Chile Corn Salsa
• Drizzle of Olive Oil

The Step-by-Step:

1. Heat chicken per package directions (about 2-3 minutes)
2. Arrange kale on plate.
3. Spread corn salsa over the kale.
4. Top with the chicken, and drizzle with some olive oil.

So easy, trust me, you won't miss the steak.

xoxo n

For more info about the #WWHD feature, please see the below post, or head on over to The Gym Bag Diaries!

Table Haven & The Gym Bag Diaries proudly present... "A Work Week of Healthful & Delicious"

Everyone meet Michelle (Williams) McAllister!
(Ummm.... ab envy is completely understandable.)

Let me be very clear, fitness and nutrition are both needed for a healthy life. It's like a two-sided scale -- you have to have both together or else you're not in balance! With that being said, Michelle's fitness and my nutrition have teamed up to bring you "A Work Week of Healthful & Delicious" -- 5 recipes over the course of the next 5 days.

Michelle is an old college friend of mine (we met freshman year in business orientation) who now has her own fitness blog, The Gym Bag Diaries. I mentioned this before, but this upcoming week, February 17-21, Table Haven is partnering with GBD. Michelle & I have been working together over the past few weeks, and I am so excited to show you what's to come!

Guaranteed, these recipes are:

• Tasty -- if it doesn't taste good, what's the point?
• Easy -- if it takes forever to make or requires pro-chef skills, what's the point?
• Healthy -- if it's not providing you with the nutrients you need to be a superstar in your day-to-day life, again, WHAT'S THE POINT?

Stay tuned for #WWHD Recipes, and in between posts, check out what Michelle has to say here about getting your move on!

xoxo n (& m)