My Favorite Salad

 I love this "big salad" so much. It is so healthy and has just the right balance of flavors. 

Here's how I make it:

1. Cover a 10-inch plate with a layer of "spring mix" salad greens.

2. Top with 5 grape tomatoes, halved; 4 black olives, halved; 3 broccoli florets, thinly sliced; about 2 tablespoons thinly sliced red onion; 1 baby carrot, shaved with a peeler; and 1/2 Gala apple, diced.

3. Sprinkle on 1/8 cup reduced-fat Feta cheese. Fresh-grind some pink Himalayan salt and peppercorn medley right onto the salad. 

4. Drizzle all over with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and add some sprinkles of red wine vinegar.

The picture above is my breakfast this morning. My favorite salad along with a hardboiled egg and a glass of water (I had 2 cups of black coffee earlier). I do not like the taste of egg in my salad, which is why it is separate!

This breakfast is so satisfying and filling. I won't be hungry for hours!

Calories (not counting egg): 220

With 1 large hardboiled egg: 290

Tex-Mex Breakfast Tacos

These breakfast tacos are soooo tasty! I use corn tortillas not only to keep the calories lower compared to flour, but for the authentic Tex-Mex taste. The tortillas are broiled in the oven to where they just start to char - which adds an extra depth of flavor that is amazing! A little jarred salsa adds some moisture and flavor to the eggs, but the diced tomatoes, onions, and jalapenos with a sprinkling of lime juice adds a layer of freshness. Each taco is about 155 calories.

Yield: 4 tacos

Ingredients:

4 corn tortillas (50 calories each)

Cooking spray

3 eggs

1/4 cup fat-free refried beans

1/4 cup reduced-fat shredded Mexican cheese blend

2 tablespoons salsa or picante sauce (I like Pace Chunky Hot Salsa)

1/4 cup diced Roma tomatoes

1/4 cup diced red onion

1/4 cup diced jalapeno (seeds removed before chopping)

Juice from 1/2 lime

2 tablespoons cilantro leaves

Directions:

1. Turn on oven broiler to high and and adjust rack to top position.

2. Combine diced tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, and lime juice in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

3. Place refried beans in a small bowl and cover with a paper towel. Microwave 1 minute. Remove from microwave and stir. Add a small bit of water if needed, to make into a spreadable consistency. Set aside.

4. Spray a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium. Crack the eggs into the skillet and immediately scramble with a spatula. Cook until eggs are just done but still moist, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside and keep warm.

5. Place the tortillas on a cookie sheet and spray each of them lightly with cooking spray. Broil until just starting to char, about 2 minutes (or less - watch them!).

6. Remove tortillas from broiler and spread each tortilla with 1 tablespoon of refried beans. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of shredded cheese on top of the beans. Return to broiler for 1 minute, to melt cheese.

7. Remove tortillas from oven and transfer to serving plates. Divide the scrambled eggs evenly among the tortillas, spooning them on top of the beans. Spread 1/2 tablespoon of salsa over each egg. Divide the fresh tomato mixture evenly among servings and spoon over the salsa. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro, and serve with fresh fruit on the side.

Super Low-Calorie, High Volume Vegetable Soup

I made this soup one afternoon when I was hungry, but it was still hours away from dinner. Instead of munching on cookies, chips, and other high-calorie (but unsatisfying) snacks, I decided to throw together a bowl of veggie soup, keeping it as low calorie as possible - but making sure the volume was high enough to get me through the afternoon until dinner. Boy, did this work! This made a HUGE bowl of veggie soup, it was tasty, satisfying, and filling - and according to verywellfit.com's recipe calculator, only 71 calories!! I need to make a bigger batch of this soup and keep it on hand for the afternoon munchies.

Yield: 1 serving

Cooking spray (I use avocado oil)

1/4 yellow onion, thinly slice

1/2 medium carrot, thinly sliced

1 small celery stalk, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons cooked white beans (I used cannellini)

1 teaspoon tomato-chicken bouillon granules (I used Knorr)

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules (I used Knorr)

1/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

3 cups water

1 cup raw baby spinach, long stems removed

1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley, chopped

1/2 small lemon

1. Spray medium saucepan lightly with cooking spray. Heat over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add onion, carrot, and celery. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes, until tender and starting to brown. Add garlic and cook for one additional minute. 

2. Stir in water, tomato-chicken bouillon, chicken bouillon, Italian seasoning, and thyme leaves. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Add spinach and parsley. Cover and simmer for 2-3 minutes longer, until leaves are wilted.

4. Serve with a splash of lemon juice.

<a href="https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076" target="_blank"><img width="320" height="651" src="https://www.verywellfit.com/thmb/5mfAZ7OncDMczIQL3KypuxMEGi0=/1000x0/Nutrition-Label-Embed-282707599-a6e71284511d449eb1c4a1e616d89038.png" /></a>

(This was supposed to copy and paste my recipe's nutritional values here but it didn't work. 😔)