Good morning!!

Good morning lovelies!! And how are we this morning? Me? Oh I'm fine!
So what did you have for breakfast? I had some baked blueberry oatmeal. Added some almond milk and VOILA!!!

I posted the recipe for this recently but just in case you missed it here is it again: Baked Oatmeal
I chose to add blueberries instead of raspberries. You can also do this with apples or peaches. I added some flaxseed for a little added bang for my buck. 

This is an EASY fix! After you bake it, you can portion it off in containers so that all you have to do is grab one of the containers out of the fridge, just add a little milk, heat it up, and enjoy. I have also taken it to work so this is another nice fix for those of you always on the run. 

Well, I am off to the farmer's market for some fresh treats!!

Have an AWESOME day!!

SALUD!!!!!

First Single Sista's Giveaway!!!!!!!

As a thank you to everyone that has supported the Single Sista, I am doing a giveaway!!! One of you wonderful people will receive this great book on juicing and making drinks from fresh fruit and veggies.

Here's how this works. The first person to complete all of the following wins:
1. Like the Single Sista's Facebook page
2. Follow the Single Sista on Twitter
(Links for both are included in a previous post. If you already like the Facebook page and follow on Twitter there is no need to redo these tasks)
3. Mention the Single Sista's Facebook page in your status on Facebook
4. Mention the Single Sista in a tweet
5. Comment on this post with the person that this blog is dedicated to (this information is in a previous post as well)

And that's it!! Good luck!!

I Cheated!! And I Liked it!!

Warning, the juicing purists will not be pleased with this post at all. BUT this may be helpful to someone out there. I get the feeling that there are people out there that would like to juice or make smoothies on their own but are afraid of trying or are concerned about the costs of all the equipment or buying all the fruit and veggies. So yes, I cheated! But before you banish me, let me explain!

I like the Bolthouse Farms juices. Okay, Yes, YES, I KNOW they are not homemade and that I am limiting the amount of nutrients I can get. But again, give me minute to explain before you pop me on the wrists. I promise I am going somewhere with all this.

This morning I wasn't feeling like a protein based shake SO I decided to make a shake with the Bolthouse juice I had. I grabbed some frozen strawberries and some spinach. I put about 8 ounces of the juice in and then added the about 4 oz water, the spinach, and the frozen strawberries.

And then I blended it all together. AND VOILA!

SEE sometimes cheating ain't so bad :)

NOW, I will say, you can't grab just any ole pre-made juice. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE read the labels and DO some research. Bolthouse does not use genetically modified ingredients (GMOs), which is rather important to me. Bolthouse juices can be a little pricey so using them to start your smoothies will stretch out how much you get out of it. You should also pay attention to how much sugar is in them. 

I will be the first to admit that there are other juices out there that are better. And NOTHING beats making the juice on your own with fresh fruit and veggies. But that's not the point of this blog post. The point is, I made a simple smoothie for breakfast that tasted yummy and I added some nutrients to it. Will I make my smoothies this way every morning? NO. But it's a nice backup say if you are on the road (especially for those of you that travel with your portable smoothie makers) or if you feel you don't have much time in the mornings. Or for someone that is just starting and isn't quite sure where to begin. But this a money saving start/alternative to running and spending $5-8 a pop on a smoothie from Whatever Juice or Smoothie Blah (LOL!!!). And don't think I have not checked out the frozen pre-packaged smoothie mixes in the freezer section. You only get like two servings for like $6. I'm just trying to look out for you ;) 

Any way, I hope this was helpful :)

And as ALWAYS, SALUD!!

What's the Single Sista Having for Dinner Tonight?

Looks tasty doesn't it? So, I'm having brown sugar chicken, stewed tomatoes, and a whole grain blend including quinoa, couscous, and lentils. All low sodium, low-fat, and heart healthy. A complete balanced meal!

What was on your plate tonight?

Salud!!

Kicking it with the Celeb Chefs!!!!

Hey lovelies!! I just wanted to show off a little by showing you all pics of me with some celeb chefs :)

Yours truly and Doron Petersan of Sticky Fingers. You may have seen her on the Food Network show Cupcake Wars a few times, which she has won twice. She sells vegan desserts in her DC bakery. The brownies taste better than a lot of dairy-based brownies that I've had. 

At a book signing with Chef Marcus Samuelsson. You've definitely seen him on Food Network on a variety of shows :) He's very humble and very nice!

And, the man I have been smitten with for YEARS, Chef G. Garvin!!!!! Ladies, fall back!!! 

Okay, that's it for this go round! Until next time, SALUD!! 

Quick Fix - Lunch Edition: Tuna!

A dear friend of mine that is like a big sister to me told me she had some tuna fish for dinner one night and ever since then, I have been thinking about making some tuna fish. 

But before you reach for your usual ingredients, please note my recipe is a little different. You will notice I that I don't have any mayo on the counter. That's because, there no mayo in this recipe. I use hummus instead of mayo! And believe it or not, I do not miss the mayo. Plus this recipe gives tuna a nice wake up call and adds more nutrients to it. This recipe has less calories, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. I make enough to last a while so you can cut down the recipe some if you like. 

Without further delay, here it goes:

3 packets of tuna

3 celery stalks

1 shallot

1/2 - 3/4 cup of hummus (depending on your desired creaminess) 

1/4 cup red. yellow, or orange bell pepper

2-3 boiled and diced eggs (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

Sometimes I add dried cranberries to the recipe. 

Mix and let the it sit over night. Get yourself some some whole grain crackers or whole grain bread (that has not been pre-sliced, get it sliced at the store) and add a little lettuce or spinach and you have your lunch!

Let me know how you like it!

Salud!

Single Sista, where have you been?!?!?!?!

I'm right here, I promise!!! Not going anywhere. I've been on facebook a lot lately!!! Wait, what?? You said you didn't know I was on facebook!!!!! Oh yes maam/sir!!! Come check me out here: https://www.facebook.com/SingleSistasDish. I post something there almost daily. Normally nutritional tips, interesting articles about food, etc. So when you feel you are going through some Single Sista withdrawal, you can always find me there. AAAAANNNNDDDD, I'm on twitter (@SingleSistaDish) and Pinterest (SingleSistas). I'm all over the place!!!

But, what else have I been up to?? Well, I ran two 10Ks this year, training for a half-marathon, volunteering for lots of community events, enjoying my summer, and quite honestly, just living life to the FULLEST!!! Oh and I am trying to relearn how to ride a bike. I don't think it's true what they say about never forgetting how to ride.

So yea, I'm very much still here!! And I am setting days on my calendar monthly to write to you wonderful people. Few plans I have in the works are a video about grocery shopping AND offering LIVE google hangout sessions where you all can watch me cook. Let me know if any of this tickles your fancy.

And as always, I LOVE answering your questions. I have been answering several questions about smoothies and juicing on facebook. But I can talk about other things too. Just ask!

Well, the that's all from me lovelies!!! SALUD!!!!!

QUICK FIX - Breakfast edition: Baked Oatmeal!!!

A co-worker has been telling me about this recipe all week. She brought some in this morning for breakfast and I caught a sneak peak. I gotta say, it looks really tasty. She says it tastes like cake. So I am going to try this recipe with some blueberries and tell you ALL about it. The blogger for this recipe is one of my person favs. This is definitely for all you "I don't have time to cook" people. Bake this and you've got breakfast for the week! Throw a little almond milk (or low-fat milk for those of you that can handle lactose) and BAM!!

Lemon Raspberry Baked Oatmeal

Until next time my lovelies, SALUD!!!

Fire Up the Grills!!

Time to fire up those grills! I actually do not have an outdoor grill (yet) but a Grill Pan is WELL worth the investment. Here are a few of grilled treats for you to try out! And remember, you can lightly grill some peaches and/or nectarines and then drizzle them with a little honey for a super fantastically wonderful treat.

Grilled Eggplant Parmesan

40 Top-Rated Grill Recipes

Grilled Vegetables

Salud!

Quick Fix - Sauteed Corn

Here is another one of my quick fixes, sauteed corn. I came up with this because I was looking for a healthier alternative to southern fried corn. For those of your not familiar with fried corn, you fry some bacon and then use the fat and oil from the bacon to cook the corn. Essentially, fried corn is about adding flavor to the corn from the oil and bacon fat. So, I thought, why not get the flavors from other sources. I like to add red pepper, fresh garlic, and shallots (I've also added a poblano when I wanted an additional kick). And yes that is frozen corn. I am not 100% against frozen food. It is the next best thing to fresh. If you have the time and resources, fresh corn with this recipe is WONDERFUL!

Dice up your red pepper, shallots, and garlic and sautee them in a pan (I prefer my good ole cast iron) with some Earth Balance and coconut oil (about a tablespoon of each). After the ingredients have sauteed for 3 to 4 minutes, add your corn. If you have frozen corn you will need to let things cook a little longer. Cook time total should be about 15 minutes on medium-low. Make sure you stir. 

The BEAUTY of this dish is that it is vegan, vegetarian, meat-eater friendly as a side dish. Notice I didn't mention adding salt. Guess why?? Because you don't need to :)

  

  As always my good people, SALUD!!