Ahh, the post holiday bloat. Don’t we all have it? It’s a good thing Thanksgiving and Christmas are during the winter months so we can all happily hide our turkey belly’s with big sweaters. I hold nothing back when it comes to the holidays and that includes eating all the time and having my fair share of pie and chocolate. 

Since we just returned from a few days away and maintained a less than stellar diet I have been trying to detox, de bloat, eat healthy—whatever you want to call it. I had shared my chicken protein bowl on Instagram stories a few nights ago and received a lot of messages for the recipe. You guys all mentioned you were feeling the exact same way so I thought it would be the perfect time to share this. 

Most of my staple ‘recipes’ aren’t really recipes but more so just things I have thrown together that are easy and healthy. I figured I would share those with you all and 6 of my favorites from around the web too! 

 

First, my at home faves:

 

Chicken Stir Fry: I have shared this before on stories but make a quick pit stop at Trader Joe’s and snag the fresh Asian stir fry bucket of veggies, fresh cauliflower rice, Soyaki sauce and some chicken and you are all set. Just sauté the ‘rice’ in some olive oil with salt and pepper while you cook the veggies in the Soyaki sauce in a wok. You can then add the chicken in to the veggies and cook until tender. Once everything has cooked down I make some ‘bowls’ with the cauliflower rice on the bottom and layer the chicken and veggies on top! The crunch from the cauliflower adds an extra layer to the meal and hot sauce always helps. Also, anyone who tells you cauliflower rice tastes like real rice is a liar. I usually only use it in recipes like this where it can add some crunch!

 

Baked Salmon: Fresh salmon is always a post holiday meal around here. Trevor despises the smell when I cook it stove top so I have started to bake it. Cooking it in the oven as a one sheet meal also created far less of a mess!I place each salmon filet in an aluminum foil wrap and add olive oil, fresh lemon juice, layer lemon slices on top and sprinkle fresh thyme. You can usually bake it for 25 minutes at 350 degrees for the perfect tenderness. I then add on any vegetable to cook simultaneously like asparagus or even red potatoes!

 

Protein Bowl: The protein bowl you guys were asking about is another one that’s easy and kind of a ‘dump’ meal. Meaning, I dump whatever I have around in a bowl and make it work. Usually that includes some kale, roasted chickpeas, a protein (usually chicken), black beans, quinoa, roasted veggies and some hot sauce! As far as seasoning, just add a little salt and pepper, cumin, chipotle and olive oil to your veggies and chickpeas and bake them till tender. I then usually sauté my greens (spinach or kale) and it always makes great leftovers!

 

Now, some favorites from around the web: 

 

Chili Lime Steak Fajitas: I love fajitas (and anything Mexican) and this marinade is so good! I usually use fresh corn tortillas if we have them but often throw this over greens and have it as a salad with salsa on top!

 

 

Kale Detox Salad with Pesto: Some salads are so complicated and I feel like I waste more money trying to recreate them at home than I would just buying one but this one is different. It’s pretty easy to batch prepare and tastes great. Definitely add the sesame seeds for an extra crunch!

*Also, if you are looking for great takeout or to go salad option try Sweetgreen! It’s my favorite salad spot and their bowls are gigantic and so flavorful. It’s all also locally sourced!*

 

 

Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Bowl: This is another easy to prepare ahead of time meal and kind of mimics the protein bowl I make at home. I like the addition of roasted sweet potato and will probably try this for lunches next week! 

 

 

Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup: Soups are a great meal during the winter! They are easy to prepare over the weekend and flavors like this sweet potato or a  butternut squash soup are great for winter. They are also thick in consistency so you don’t feel like you need anything else to eat! 

 

 

Green Smoothie: I always try to up the smoothie intake after the holidays. They are great snacks for me (I could never have one for a meal…) but really help me space out my meals and give me an extra dose of fruits and veggies. I love this post workout smoothie and usually throw in some type of similar combination. The non refrigerated almond milk at Trader Joe’s is great to have on hand for smoothies and I just snagged the frozen coconut chunks they came out with! 

 

 

Hope these recipes help you out a little bit and give you some good ideas. If you still have any questions or recipes you’ve seem me make that I forgot to share just shoot me an email!