healthy recipes

RECIPE: VEGETARIAN CHILI + CORNBREAD

This is my go-to meal for my family, especially on a chilly fall day! My kids gobble it up, though I think the cornbread might have something to do with it. You can really add in whatever vegetables (or meat) you have in the fridge and it’ll always taste good. There’s a variation of this that I LOVE if you scroll to the bottom- you cook the cornbread dough directly on top of the chili so that each bite has a layer of cornbread on it! YUM.
VEGETARIAN CHILI:
1-2 tbsp EVOO
1-2 tsp minced garlic
1 yellow onion
1 bell pepper
couple handfuls of chopped kale (optional)
soy meat crumbles / real meat
1 can green chilies
2 can diced tomatoes
1 can corn / 4 fresh ears of corn
2 can of your favorite beans (I use black beans and navy beans)
1 tbsp cumin
salt & pepper
Optional spices (leave out if you’re cooking for littles): 
cayenne, chili powder, crushed red pepper, chipotle chili powder
Toppings: 
plain greek yogurt / sour cream, shredded cheese, avocado, scallions
Serve with corn muffins – the Jiffy box is my fav! (1 box makes 6 muffins, and you’ll need 1 egg and 1/3 cup of milk)
Heat olive oil on medium and add in garlic, chopped onion and pepper, and saute 5 min.
Add in meat crumbles and saute 5 min. You may need to add a little more olive oil at this point.
Add in all cans and spices you’d like.
Bring up to a boil then reduce to simmer for about 30 minutes.
I like to put a handful of chopped kale at the bottom of my bowl, put the hot chili on top to steam, then pile on the toppings. When cooking for my whole family, I leave all of the spices out except for cumin, salt, and pepper so it’s not too spicy for my kids. I’ll add crushed red pepper to my own bowl.
VARIATION:
Spread cooked chili in an 11×13″ pan (as much as can fit leaving at least 1″ room on top. I like to freeze the rest! Make 2 boxes of Jiffy cornbread mix (you’ll need 2 eggs and 2/3 cup of milk) and spread the dough on top of the chili. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until cornbread just starts to brown. Don’t overcook, or your cornbread will be dry! 
Enjoy!
-L

MY DAILY DINNER – KALE QUINOA SALAD

You guys. This salad is SO good and SO filling. I’ve been craving it (not pregnant) every day for dinner and sometimes for brunch over eggs. Mmmmm. Kelly Simmons from yesterday’s nap time pilates post HERE created the yummiest healthiest salad, and she’s letting us share it with you! Hooray! Actually when she came over for the photo shoot, she brought the salad for me as a yummy post workout lunch. I mean… come on! 
Kelly tells me that’s a lot of siracha I added on there. I could have gone with more, but I’m a freak. I usually add a huge handful of extra steamed kale under the salad, and I’ll throw some grilled tofu on top for me and grilled chicken for the hubs. I make a recipe of this in a huge pyrex covered bowl and it lasts the week. I’m usually in a rush to eat with the kids so this is perfect for just scooping out over kale, microwaving, and dousing in siracha 🙂 Enjoooooy!
-L

Here’s Kelly (see her site and contact info HERE) with the recipe:

RECIPE:
KALE QUINOA SALAD
by Kelly Simmons
INGREDIENTS:
1.5 cups of uncooked quinoa
2-3 cups frozen broccoli
1 c frozen corn
1 c frozen edamame (shelled)
1 c shredded carrots 
1 c chopped raw green beens
2 cups of spinach or 2 cups shredded kale
Sliced almonds
1/2 cup of dried cranberries
Crumbled Feta
Optional toppings: Avocado, balsamic, teriyaki, siracha
-Prepare 1.5 cups of quinoa according to package directions, but boil in large pot, instead of small pot. Add salt to water. 
-While quinoa is cooking, put all of the veggies in a huge, microwave safe bowl (I like using a gigantic glass pyrex bowl, because I can then store the quinoa dish in it later).
-Cover the veggies with water, put in the microwave, cover with a micro-safe top and microwave on high for 10 minutes (or until all veggies are warm/blanched)
-When quinoa is finished, throw 2 cups of spinach or 2 cups shredded kale into pot with quinoa. Stir until greens are wilted. 
-Drain veggies. Put them back in the bowl. Add quinoa and wilted greens to veggies in the bowl. Add salt and pepper, a handful of sliced almonds, dried cranberries, feta, and avocado (optional). 
-Scoop out a serving size, and your favorite condiment (I’d suggest balsamic, teriyaki, hot sauce or siracha) and enjoy!
NOTES: 
– Depending on how much quinoa/veggies you want, you can reduce the amount of quinoa to 1 cup, or increase it to 2 cups. 
– I like a LOT of greens, so before I dish out my serving, I put torn kale in a microwave safe bowl, then add the quinoa mixture on top of the kale. I cover the bowl, microwave for 1-2 minutes until the kale has wilted. Then, I add the feta. 
– For protein, the quinoa mixture tastes great with eggs, chopped deli meat, chopped chicken or whatever you’d like to add. My favorite combination is scrambled egg whites with a few pieces of chopped deli turkey, with avacado and siracha.
Enjoy!

As a Certified Health Coach with the American Council on Exercise, Kelly helps people get well and stay well with tools and strategies for everyday healthy living.
To contact Kelly, visit kellysimmonshealth.com or email kellysimmonshealth@gmail.com
For fitness tips and healthful ideas, go to Facebook.com/KellySimmonsHealth, find her on instagram @kellysimmonshealth, and follow her on Twitter at @ksimmonshealth.

HOUSE WARMING IDEAS – FREE PRINTABLES

Our awesome friends, Drew and Kelly, just moved from New York to Nashville this month (everyone’s doing it, come on!), and I wanted to give them something special to welcome them to the South. If you need something easy and thoughtful, I designed some housewarming notes for recommendations around town to fill out. (Scroll down for download link.)
You could go all out and do a big basket of goodies with it, share homemade cookies, or just give something simple but much appreciated like a bottle of wine. 
I ended up getting Drew and Kelly THIS AHeirloom Tennessee cutting board I’m obsessed with! You can get a star, heart, or home shape on the city where you live. The perfect welcome to the state. They have states, countries, custom items, and I’m drooling over these gorgeous geo cutting boards. 
One of my fav house warming baskets/bucket I did for friends moving from California to Nashville: healthy snacks, homemade granola, yummy smelling soap, and a subscription to Nashville Magazine.
 I also baked them healthy vegan banana bread (recipe here) – SERIOUSLY delicious! I knoooooow it’s healthy and vegan, but for real… it’s insanely m-o-i-s-t and delish! Plus I added bittersweet chocolate chips, so how bad could it be? 
(Normally I like to bake yummy fatty cookies, but if you couldn’t tell… these people are health nuts!)
I wrapped the banana bread in saran wrap first, then wrapped that in a recycled paper grocery bag and tied with twine. 

Download the housewarming notes HERE and HERE.
Welcome to Nashville, y’all! 
I can type that… just not say it. That’s the midwesterner in me!
-L