I created this post to give others some meal ideas that are nutritious, easy, and perfect for summer weather.

Kabobs

Cut into small pieces: chicken, mushroom, zucchini, pepper, and tomato. Grill until golden.

Pasta w Roasted Veggies Drizzled in Pesto Sauce

1 cup of spinach pasta

Sautée veggies or your choice in a pan (I used cauliflower and sweet potato) with pepper and garlic. Combine both after and add a basil pesto sauce. (I will post my pesto recipe soon) pesto is a great, light sauce/flavoring alternative.

Lemon Basil Pasta Salad (great cold and on the go)

Make some whole wheat/vegetable based pasta of your choice.

Combine some cut basil, olive oil, pinch of salt, pepper, garlic. Drizzle lemon juice over and combine and stir with pasta. Add chicken or vegetables of your choice.

Stewed Zucchini w Tomatoes and Garlic

2 medium zucchini (unpeeled, cubed or sliced)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes (or tomato sauce)
1/2 cup water
1 medium sweet onion (coarsely chopped)
2-3 cloves chopped garlic
salt and pepper (to taste)
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil

Sauté onions in olive oil until translucent. Add zucchini and sauté 5 minutes, turning occasionally. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds more. Add remaining ingredients, stir, and cover. Reduce heat to medium low and sauté until zucchini are tender.

I found this recipe a while back on Kenzie Burke’s Instagram and wow. If you like frozen coffee/Starbucks Frappuccino- this recipe is for you. Incredibly lower in calories and clean ingredients. It’s also more filling than the average frozen coffee with the added banana.

Here are the ingredients (makes 2-3 coffees- so measure accordingly if you want less or more):

1 banana (I recommend frozen so that the drink is more cold)

1 can of coconut milk

1-1.5 cup of iced coffee or expresso

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Ice! As much as you want. I used a lot to get the drink very frothy/icy

Add ingredients all together in a blender. When blended nicely, pour into cups. Add more iced coffee/expresso on top if you’d like. Enjoy xo

Normal bagels have many added ingredients and usually have little nutrients in them. This recipe I’m sharing uses Greek yogurt, which has great protein and will stay with you for hours unlike bagels from Dunkin’ that leave you hungry in 45 mins. This recipe is from Skinny Taste and I’ve been using it for a very long time. It’s great with an egg on it, peanut butter, sandwiches, and more. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (5 oz) unbleached all purpose flour, or whole wheat or gluten-free mix*
• 2 teaspoons baking powder, make sure it’s not expired or it won’t rise
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, use less if using table salt
• 1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt, not regular yogurt, it will be too sticky
• 1 egg white, beaten (whole egg works fine too)
• optional toppings: everything bagel seasoning from Trader Joe’s), sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried garlic flakes, dried onion flakes

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 375F. Place parchment paper or a silpat on a baking sheet. If using parchment paper, spray with oil to avoid sticking.
• In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk well. Add the yogurt and mix with a fork or spatula until well combined, it will look like small crumbles.
• Lightly dust flour on a work surface and remove dough from the bowl, knead the dough a few times until dough is tacky, but not sticky, about 15 turns (it should not leave dough on your hand when you pull away).
• Divide into 4 equal balls. Roll each ball into 3/4-inch thick ropes and join the ends to form bagels. (or you can make a ball and poke a hole in the center then stretch it slightly)
• Top with egg wash and sprinkle both sides with seasoning of your choice. Bake on the top rack of the oven for 25 minutes. Let cool at least 15 minutes before cutting.

I decided to create a health and wellness blog to share: nutritious recipes, food pics and ideas, workouts, and tips to show up as your absolute best self.

The nice thing about blogs is I will be able to go into more detail and be able to share links. I started getting very into healthy living right after I broke my elbow in fall of 2019. I remember having team pictures the next day and then seeing them and feeling so poorly about how I looked and felt. That was my ah ha moment when I realized I had to change my eating and exercise habits in order to feel and look like my best self.

To me: health and wellness is more than just working out. It’s making decisions everyday that benefit your mind and body. Besides clean eating, wellness is also taking the time for yourself to go for a walk, think, reading, watching a sunset, or doing something that you enjoy.