Clean Watermelon Salad

There is nothing I love more than watermelon in the summer! I like to have it in the refrigerator at all times. It's so refreshing and is a cure for the sweet tooth when it rears it's ugly head ;)

I had quite a bit of watermelon that was going to go bad so I decided to make a quick salad as a side item to some grilled chicken.

Clean Watermelon Salad

2 cups of arugula
1 cup of cubed watermelon
1/2 cup of fat free feta
1/4 cup of chopped fresh mint

I drizzled the whole thing with some balsamic vinegar and added a little fresh ground pepper.

Clean and Low-Carb Salmon Patty

I LOVE salmon patties. When I was 18, before I moved to the Virgin Islands, my mom asked me what I wanted my last meal at home to be. I chose a salmon patty, mashed potatoes, and green peas. YUMMY!!! 

I have made clean salmon patties before with Ezekiel bread crumbs, but lately I have been trying to eat clean and lower carb (not atkins, 90 carbs a day). So, I decided to try putting almond flour in my mix and they turned out great. It's really the most simple recipe ever. 

I put my patty on some field greens with a little goat cheese and some crunched up pecans to give it some crunch. Since my husband isn't doing low carb or eating as clean as I am, I split his patty in two and made him little sliders on some Hawaiian sweet rolls with some garlic stone ground mustard. His exact words were "I want this on our menu once a week!". Good enough for me!

Clean and Low-Carb Salmon Patties (Makes 2 large, or 4 small)
1 2.5oz package of salmon (found in the canned tuna aisle)
1/4 cup and 1 tbsp of Almond Flour
1 egg
1 crushed garlic glove
a dash of salt and pepper
a dash of Mrs. Dash in whatever flavor you want

Mix all ingredients together. Form your patties and place on a nonstick skillet on med heat. Cook each side about 5-6 minutes...until golden brown.

Clean Mexican Salmon Salad

This is something I literally threw together on my lunch break. I added it to an avocado, but you could also use it as a dip with tortilla chips. 

Clean Mexican Salmon Salad
1 package of Wild Caught Salmon (From the canned tuna aisle)
1/2 cup of FF greek yogurt
1/4 cup black beans
1/4 cup thawed frozen corn
1/4 cup of chopped cilantro
1/4 cup of FF Feta Cheese
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp of chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and you are done! 

I scooped out a little bit of a half of an avocado, added that to the mixture and stirred it up until blended. Then I put about 3/4 cup of the mixture in the avocado and cooked it on a cookie sheet on 350 for about 15 minutes. It was great that way! 

Things you could add that I didn't.....

Diced Tomatoes

Green Chilies 

Diced Onions 

Cayanne Pepper

Diced Bell Peppers 

Clean Summer Salad

I love summer salads. There is something about fruit, nuts, and stinky cheese that gets me! This is one of my favorites! Enjoy! 

Clean Summer Salad
Field greens
Grilled chicken
Sliced strawberries
Diced granny smith apples
Pecans
Low fat gorgonzola
Clean Honey Vinaigrette

Clean Chicken Taco Salad

This salad is super simple and super tasty! I have added the ingredients I used below, but not the measurements. I'll let you decide how much you want to put on your salad. Enjoy!

Clean Chicken Taco Salad
Field greens
Grilled chicken slices
Black olives
Cherry tomatoes
Diced avocado
Shredded low fat white cheddar
Drained black beans
Frozen corn thawed
Clean tortilla chips
Clean Chipotle Avocado Vinaigrette 

Apple Ginger Ale Juice

Made another juice tonight for dinner. Using the same picture from yesterday since it looks exactly the same! This one has ginger in it which is good with all the beans we have been eating lately!! :) 

Apple Ginger Ale Juice

1/2 of a fresh beet ( antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and detoxification support)

3 small gala apples and 2 small granny smith apples (regulate your blood sugar and good fiber source)

3 stems of kale (cholesterol-lowering, risk-lowering benefits for cancer, support for the body's detoxification system, avoidance of chronic inflammation and oxidative stress)

1 tbsp size of fresh ginger (alleviating symptoms of gastrointestinal distress, very potent anti-inflammatory compounds, may also inhibit the growth of human colorectal cancer cells, kill ovarian cancer cells by inducing apoptosis, Immune Boosting Action)

1/2 of a lemon (Phytonutrients with Antioxidant and Antibiotic Effects, help fight cancers of the mouth, Protection against Rheumatoid Arthritis)

Red Pineapple Juice

I love to juice. It makes me feel good. When I juice I feel like I am drinking a salad bar and can feel myself get healthy right away!

My husband and I have been juicing for a while. We bought the Jack Lalane Juicer about 7 years ago. It's not something we do often, but I intend to try it at least once a week from here on out. 

The best part about juicing for me is that I get to put veggies in my juice that I would NEVER eat. Plus, you are eating these vegetables in raw form. 

Red Pineapple Juice (Makes 2 glasses) 

1/2 of a fresh beet ( antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and detoxification support)

2 cups of fresh pineapple (Anti-Inflammatory and Digestive Benefits, Antioxidant Protection and Immune Support, 

3 gala apples (regulate your blood sugar and good fiber source)

4-5 stems of kale (cholesterol-lowering, risk-lowering benefits for cancer, support for the body's detoxification system, avoidance of chronic inflammation and oxidative stress)

Add all to your juicer and Voila! All those benefits in a glass! And, it tastes amazing. Trust me, I wouldn't drink it if it wasn't good! 

Clean and Vegan Pesto

Tonight I made some yummy pesto. I made it without parmesan so it's vegan and on top of that it's clean! 

I added it to some whole wheat angel hair pasta with sautéed gourmet mushroom blend, kalamata olives, and sundried tomatoes. It was super yummy and quick and easy for a busy night!

Vegan/Clean Pesto

Handfull of fresh basil leaves...about 1/2 cup

1/4 cup of pine nuts

3 garlic cloves

3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend until creamy. 

Vegan and Clean Shepherds Pie

I think this is my best creation to date. First of all it's vegan, second of all it's 99% clean. The only thing that makes it not clean is the veggie crumbles I used and the vegan cheese. And for all I know, they are actually clean I just didn't know what some of the ingredients were on the list.

This shepherds pie has so much flavor and tastes like a homemade pot pie. I think I could eat it everyday. My husband agrees! Such a good husband he is!!

Vegan Shepherds Pie

Filling

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup of diced onions

4 minced cloves of garlic

8oz of baby bella mushrooms chopped

1.5 cups of vegetable stock

1 tsp of dried thyme

1/2 tsp of dried sage

salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp of whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 cup of unsweetened almond milk

12oz package of frozen mixed veggies (mine had green beans, corn, peas, and carrots)

1/2 cup of veggie crumbles*

Topping

1.5 pounds of red baby potatoes

2 tbsp of olive oil

1 cup of unsweetened almond milk

1/2 cup of vegan cheddar cheese*

salt and pepper to taste

In an extra large skillet on med-low add 2 tbsp of olive oil and diced onions. Cook until they are golden...about 10 minutes. Add minced garlic, mushrooms, sage, thyme and 1/2 cup of vegetable stock. Cook on medium for about 20 minutes stirring often. Sprinkle 1 tbsp of flour over mushrooms and stir until combined. Sprinkle the other tbsp and stir again. It should be getting very thick. Add 1/2 cup of vegetable stock and stir. Add the other cup of vegetable stock and the almond milk and stir. Add the frozen veggies and crumbles and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 10 minutes stirring often. Add the filling to a casserole dish and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350

Cut potatoes in quarters and boil until they are fork tender. Drain and add to a large bowl. With a potato masher, mash them until they are all mashed (not fluffy and creamy, just mashed). Add 2 tbsp of olive oil, 1/2 cup of vegan cheddar cheese, salt and pepper to taste, and almond milk. With a hand mixer, whisk until creamy. Don't over mix them and make them starchy. There will be chunks of potatoes.

Large spoonfuls at a time, add the potatoes to the filling and spread evenly. Cook on 350 for 40 minutes.

*If you are not concerned about this being vegan, but want it clean, just used cooked ground turkey meat in place of the veggie crumbles and low fat cheddar cheese.

Clean Eating Cobb Salad

I had never eaten a cobb salad until recently. To be honest I had never really eaten a salad until recently. You see I am the pickiest eater on the planet. I don't like lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, peppers....pretty much every thing that goes on a salad! I slowly started to eat baby spinach with strawberries, sweet and salty pecans, salmon, and blue cheese. Then I started expanding. When I say expanding I mean, eating field green salads and choosing a salad with pears and gorgonzola!! So expanding is probably not the correct word!!

Since my husband loves cobb salads I decided to make one. I mean I like cheese, eggs, turkey, bacon...sounds pretty darn good to me. (I left the tomatoes off mine) I liked this salad so much I could eat it everyday!!!

I am not going to give measurements on what I used because it's kind of up to you. It all depends on how many you are making and what you want.

This is what I used.......

Clean Eating Cobb Salad
Baby Spinach
Grape Tomatoes
Avocados
Reduced Fat Blue Cheese
Hard Boiled Eggs
Clean Turkey Bacon crumbled
Clean Turkey Deli Meat
Clean Parmesan Croutons
Clean Chipotle-Avocado Vinaigrette 

Clean Chipotle-Avocado Vinaigrette

I had a salad recently at a restaurant called Grace 1720. It was a seafood cobb salad and it was one of the best salads I have ever had. The dressing it came with was an ancho-chili vinaigrette. It was the perfect blend of sweet and spicy.

This evening I decided to make a cobb salad. My husband grew up on them. He said it's one of the main memories he has of his grandmother, Viola. She used Ott's dressing on hers. I searched high and low for the ingredients list of Ott's Red Dressing and couldn't find it anywhere. I know it's similar to French dressing, but I wanted to try to recreate the real thing. Since I don't like French dressing (or Ott's for that matter) I decided to try to recreate the ancho-chili vinaigrette I had at Grace 1720 so we could both eat it.



This is what I came up with from ingredients I could find in my fridge and pantry.....

Clean Chipotle-Avocado Vinaigrette
1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
2 tbls of raw honey
1/4 tsp of garlic salt
1 tsp of chipotle powder (this makes it a little on the spicy side. Reduce to 1/2 tsp if you don't like spicy, but I liked the spice with the salad. I couldn't have taken it on it's own though...I am a baby!)
1 package of 100 calorie packs of Wholly Guacamole

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until thoroughly mixed.

Clean Eating Parmesan Croutons

If you are coming here to find out how to accidentally make clean croutons, you have come to the right place!!

Last week I made these croutons by accident. I was making my husband and I some clean garlic bread to go with our meal. Well I turned off the oven and then never took the bread out. The next day I went to put something in the oven and there was our garlic bread.....hard! I almost threw it away and then thought wait, I can use this as croutons. I cut it up in crouton size pieces and tried one....and the clean eating crouton was born!!!

Remember these have to be made the night before. (You could probably cook them on a lower temp for a longer amount of time and make them the same day. I have not tested this though)

Clean Eating Parmesan Crouton
1 piece of clean bread (I got mine from the farmers market. It was a whole wheat sourdough so it was a larger piece of bread. Use 2 pieces if yours is a small piece)
1.5 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp of oregano
1/8 tsp of garlic salt
1 tbls of shredded parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 350.
Using a pastry brush, brush olive oil on bread. Even sprinkle oregano, garlic salt, and parmesan.
Lay bread right on the grate in the oven and back for 20 minutes. Then turn oven off and take the bread out the next day. I suggest putting a note on the oven.

Mine have been in plastic container for 4 days and they are still hard. I used them on the clean cobb salad with clean chipotle-avocado vinaigrette I made last night and they were very good. Gave it a nice crunch.

Clean Chicken Burrito Bowl

This is the easiest, quickest, yummiest recipe! I love something that you can throw together quick, that is healthy and still tastes good! You can pretty much add whatever you want to this. FF Greek yogurt, tomatoes, onions, peppers, olives...whatever you want. Below is what I had on hand!

Clean Chicken Burrito Bowl

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts boiled and shredded

1 can of black beans

1.5 cups of clean cilantro lime rice 

1 large corn on the cob

1 avocado

4 tbls of fat free feta

1 tbls of chili powder 

2 tbls cumin

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1 tbls of water

Heat oven on 350 and cook corn with the husks still on for 30 minutes. (while the corn is cooking, go ahead and boil your chicken.) 

Once the corn is done, in a med bowl, add the cooked and shredded chicken, cumin, chili powder, garlic salt and water. Stir until all the chicken is covered in the seasoning. 

Warm the can of beans....either in the microwave or in a saucepan. 

Cut corn off the cob. 

Chop avocado in small pieces.

In 4 small bowls divide all ingredients evenly and layer.....rice, corn, beans, chicken, avocado, and FF feta. Add anything else you can think of! 

Since there are only 2 of us, we had it the next day as leftovers...still yummy!

Clean Italian Sausage Red Sauce

I love pasta sauce! I eat this on spaghetti, pitas, polenta, tortillas....everything! It simple and quick!


Clean Italian Sausage Red Sauce
2 cans of no added sugar tomato sauce
1 small can of tomato paste
1 cup of water
1 tablespoon of Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb
2 tablespoons of raw agave
2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 pound of cooked ground turkey italian sausage
2 cups of fresh baby spinach

In a large sauce pan on med heat, mix all ingredients together. Cook, stirring often for 30 minutes.

And you're done!!! Add it to anything you want.

Note: if I have 100% apple juice, I will use that in place of the water and agave. I didn't have any today though.

Clean Zucchini Fritters

I have made the "unclean" version of these before and the clean ones taste exactly the same. I couldn't tell a difference at all. I found the recipe at Smitten Kitchen, one of my all time favorite blogs! 

Clean Zucchini Fritters 

1 pound (about 2 medium) zucchini grated
1 teaspoon coarse or Kosher salt, plus extra to taste
2 scallions, split lengthwise and sliced thin

1 garlic clove (minced)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Olive Oil Spray

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. 

In a large bowl, add zucchini and 1 teaspoon coarse salt and toss. Set aside for at least 10 minutes. Wring out the zucchini in a paper towel. I use 2 so they don't break. This step has to be done or you will have soggy fritters and no one likes a soggy fritter!

Put the zucchini back in the bowl and add salt to taste...maybe 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon.  Stir in scallions, egg, garlic, and pepper. In a small boy, stir together flour and baking powder, then add to the zucchini and fold until blended.

In a large non-stick skillet on medium heat, spray with olive oil. Drop rounded bunches of the zucchini mixture onto the skillet, about 2 tablespoons in size and then flatten with a spatula. Don't do all of them at the same time. 

Cook on each side for about 3 to 4 minutes. They should be kind of crispy and golden brown. Place on a paper towel to remove some of the oil. Place on a cookie sheet and in the oven on 200 degrees while you make the remainder to keep them warm. You will have to spray the pan down with the olive oil each time you add a new batch. 

I added fresh grated parmesan to mine, but you could also add marinara. 

Clean Eating Avocado Enchiladas

I have always used a friend's recipe for enchiladas. They are really good, but they call for 10 white flour tortillas, 1lb of cheese, 1/2 cup of heavy cream, 1 cup of sour cream, and a package of cream cheese......BAD!!!!!  I decided I wanted to clean them up a bit. They of course do not taste like the original recipe, but they do the trick and are very good! I served them with clean refried black beans and clean cilantro-lime corn.

If you are having a get together and serving this meal, you might try clean 7-layer dip or clean nachos for an appetizer!

Clean Eating Avocado Enchiladas

1.5 pounds of cooked and shredded chicken breast

6-8 whole wheat tortillas

1 RIPE avocado smashed

3oz of 1/3 less fat cream cheese

1 cup of FF Greek yogurt

1 small can of green chilies 

1 tablespoon of Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb

2 tablespoons of ground cumin 

1/2 teaspoon of salt 

1/2 cup of low fat shredded cheddar

Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 9x9 glass baking dish with olive oil spray.

Add avocado, cream cheese, greek yogurt, Mrs. Dash, cumin, green chilies and salt in a bowl and stir until fully mixed. Add chicken and mix until fully blended. 

Add about 1/2 a cup of chicken to each tortilla and roll up. Add tortillas side by side to the baking dish. Sprinkle cheddar cheese to the top of the enchiladas.

Cook for about 25 -30 minutes.

Note: next time I am going to mix the cheddar with some greek yogurt to make the cheese on top more creamy. We shall see. 

Clean Lime-Cilantro Corn

When I was back in Arkansas last week we had a party at my best friends and served Mexican food. I made the side items which were all clean. This corn was one of them. My friend told me that my husband came up to her and said who made this corn, it's awesome....she said your wife made it! I love that my husband loves my cooking. Makes it so much more fun for me!


This is the easiest recipe in the world. I serve it hot, but it's good cold as well. Add a few chopped up tomatoes to it for a cold corn salad!

Clean Lime-Cilantro Corn

1 pound of frozen corn
1 cup of chopped cilantro leaves
1/2 cup of FF feta cheese
juice of 1 lime

Cook the corn (microwave or stove top). Once corn is heated through add cilantro, feta, and lime. Serve immediately.

Note: I noticed that if I didn't serve immediately you couldn't really taste the lime. So if you are not serving right away, then I would wait to add the lime. I also add a little FF spray butter to it which is not clean so if you want it 100% clean, leave that out.

Clean Mini Pizza's

Sorry for the crappy picture again! I forgot to take one after they were out of the oven, but you get the idea!

Last Friday night I needed to make something with the leftover sauce I had made Monday for my Clean Chicken Parm. I had added some Jenni-O Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage and mushrooms to it on Wednesday and made spaghetti, but I still had a little of left to use up. (I am really trying to be good about using leftovers) I was out of pasta so that was out of the question. I started looking in the fridge and these whole wheat mini pitas caught my eye....I can make mini pizzas! Since those pitas are really a pocket and kind of thick, I split them apart. I added a couple of leaves of baby spinach, a little bit of sauce, and some shaved parmesan to them. Put them in the oven on 350 for about 10 minutes. This was quick, easy, and hit the spot. My husband loved it. These would be great as an app for a party or a snack for the kids!

Clean Eating Tomato Soup w/ Grilled Cheese

So tonight was not a great night for tomato soup and grilled cheese being that at 7:30 it was still in the upper 80's! However, that is what I made. I was soooo not in the mood to cook anything and we are going out of town on Friday and I did't want to buy groceries this week. This means I have to get creative. I knew I had bread and cheese that I wanted to use up before we left so a grilled cheese sandwich it was! Of course you have to have tomato soup and I just happen to have 2 cans of organic tomato paste in the pantry. This was the most thrown together meal I think I have ever made ....well maybe not! I tend to do this often! It's just the way I cook. My husband loved it, so that's all that matters!

Clean Eating Tomato Soup
2 6oz cans of tomato paste
3 cups of water
1/2 cup of FF greek yogurt
2 tablespoons of raw agave
1 tablespoon of Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb
Salt to taste

In a medium saucepan on med-low add all ingredients. Whisk often for about 10-15 minutes.

While the soup is heating make the grilled cheese.

Clean Grilled Cheese (For 2)
2 pieces of clean eating bread (whole wheat with no sugar)
4oz of low fat mozzarella shredded
8 medium baby spinach leaves
EVOO spray
(I normally add a few avocado slices, but I was out)

Cut each piece of bread in half. I use my olive oil sprayer to spray a little olive oil on the sides of bread that will be facing outward. Add 2oz of cheese per sandwich and 4 spinach leaves. Cook in a skillet on med-low heat for about 5 minutes each side....until golden brown on each side and cheese is melted.
(These are small sandwiches since the whole concept of eating clean is to eat smaller portions. For my husband I use 2 full size pieces of bread and more cheese!)

Clean Shrimp Fried Rice

Horrible pic taken with my phone while I was trying to cook and take care of a 3 year old!

I love fried rice. When we go to a Chinese or Thai place I ALWAYS get the fried rice. I like it with chicken, shrimp, or scallops. On this night all I had was shrimp so that's what I went with. My 3 year old niece was over and we were having a girls night. If you ask her what her favorite food is she will tell you.....chicken, rice, and broccoli. I had to kind of fib to her and tell her the shrimp was chicken, but she cleaned her plate!! :) This is such a fast and easy thing to cook on a weeknight when you don't have a lot of time or aren't in the mood for something big. Of course you can change up the veggies you add to it. Sometimes I use corn and mushrooms. Normally just what I have on hand.

Clean Shrimp Fried Rice

3 cups of cooked brown rice

2 eggs

1 1/2 cup of cooked broccoli (I steam mine)

1/3 cup of cooked diced carrots (I just cooked them in the microwave before hand)

1/3 cup of cooked baby peas (I used one of those frozen steamer bags in the microwave)

About 30 uncooked peeled and deveined shrimp

2 tablespoons of coconut oil

1/4 cup of Bragg Liquid Amino Acids

1 tablespoon of Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb

In a small nonstick skillet on medium heat break your eggs in it. With a wooden spoon, kind of move the yolk around with the white. You aren't going for that full scrambled egg. You want a little white and yellow. Here is a video of what I mean. Of course you don't have to get all fancy like that! Just gives you the idea! Once the eggs are cooked set it aside for later.

Place rice, Mrs. Dash, and coconut oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Cook and stir occasionally for about 5 minutes. Add veggies. Cook and stir occasionally for another 2 minutes. Move all rice and veggies to the side of the skillet and add shrimp to the open side. Cook and stir until pink and white. Mix in with the rice. Add Bragg and the egg. Stir until Bragg has coated everything. Enjoy!