Doin' Some Cookin'... Pickle Potato Salad

The instant the temperature starts to warm up my cravings for watermelon and potato salad increases exponentially. One is good for the waistline while the other is not. Or is it?

This recipe uses just one tablespoon of mayo and to be honest you could do away with it entirely. This potato salad also reminds me of how I make a salad at the salad bar... anything I have on hand that sounds good together goes into this. I like a lot of mix-ins. The people at Cold Stone hate me. 

Speaking of Cold Stone... my biggest craving while following Whole30 is ice cream because I want something cold. My go to is usually an iced coffee with coconut milk but now I can have a serving of chilled potato salad and it's more satisfying. 

I have finally perfected my potato salad recipe and can't wait to make this over and over again over the Summer. Bookmark this one for your Memorial Day picnic coming up and I promise it won't disappoint. I'll even share with you a secret ingredient that's not listed in the recipe below... bacon drippings mixed in. 'Nuff said. 

Pickle Potato Salad

Adapted From: Spabettie

Makes 4 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 3 russet potatoes, peeled, cubed, boiled, and drained
• 5 hard boiled eggs, chopped
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp yellow mustard
• 3 dill pickles, chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• onion powder, to taste
• parsley, to taste
• 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 3 garlic cloves, minced

And Action:

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until well combined. Eat at room temp or serve chilled. Enjoy!

Doin' Some Cookin'... Lemon Garlic Chicken Drumsticks

Came home from work exhausted and did not want to cook at all but I reminded myself of my goals and decided to stick to my meal plan. I am so happy I did because I put a fantastic dinner on the table in less than an hour... Lemon Garlic Chicken Drumsticks served with homemade potato salad (recipe tomorrow). Trust me, it's worth the time in the kitchen and all it will take is one bite and you'll agree too. These drumsticks are the easiest recipe to make so no excuse make these tonight!

Little Man approved because he got to use his fingers and I approved because I got to break my chicken breast rut by switching it up with drumsticks.

While these cooked I did the dishes thinking about how the aroma reminded me of spending the Summer at my Grandma's house in Utah. She made fried chicken drumsticks every Sunday and all of our extended family were invited to join for dinner. First time I smiled while doing a chore in a long while. These will definitely be a make again meal.

Lemon Garlic Chicken Drumsticks

Adapted From: Popsugar Food

Makes 3 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• salt and pepper, to taste
• 6 skin-on chicken drumsticks
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lemon, juiced
• dried parsley, to taste

And Action:

Season the drumsticks with salt and pepper 30 minutes before cooking. Pat them dry with paper towels.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with the olive oil and 1 tbsp butter. Brown the chicken on all sides. 

Reduce heat to medium-low and cover the chicken with a lid. Cook for 20-25 minutes, flipping the drumsticks halfway through. Once they are done cooking add 1 tbsp butter, garlic, and lemon juice to the pan. Gently toss the chicken in the sauce to coat. Sprinkle with parsley. Enjoy! 

Doin' Some Cookin'... Mango Berry Green Smoothie

Mangoes are one of my favorite fruits. I love a taste of the tropics.

This smoothie is perfectly sweetened naturally by the mango with a little hint of tartness from the raspberries and gets its creaminess from the coconut milk.

Starting the morning with a green smoothie makes me feel like I'm doing something great for my body and even better when I don't have to taste the greens because mangoes are the predominate flavor. This smoothie will keep you filling full and energized until lunch time.

Knowing that I started my day with a healthy choice will lead to me making one healthy choice after another.

Mango Berry Green Smoothie

Adapted From: Organize Yourself Skinny

Makes 1 Serving

Stars of the Show:

• 1/2 cup mango chunks
• 1 cup raspberries
• 1 banana
• 1 tsp chia seeds
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup spinach
• water, if needed

And Action:

Pulse all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Enjoy!

Doin' Some Cookin'... Strawberry Spinach Green Smoothie

I've created the countdown calendar above to help keep me on track until my 29th birthday with diet and exercise. A balloon means that my diet was Whole30 compliant and I got at least 30 minutes of exercise in. Off to a good start already.

Smoothies are still my "flavor of the month" breakfast. They are ridiculously easy to make and I love that I can pack fruit and veggies in my diet first thing in the morning. Smoothies retain their fiber unlike juicing.

Strawberry Spinach Green Smoothie

Adapted From: Cooking Classy

Makes 1 Serving

Stars of the Show:

• 1 banana
• 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
• 1 orange
• 1 1/2 cup spinach
• 1 cup water
• ice, to taste

And Action:

Pulse all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Enjoy!

Doin' Some Cookin'... Tuna Salad

Great news... I finally broke my six week plateau with a 2.2 pound loss this week. That's a total of 16.3 pounds since January 2016. I went through a couple stacks of clothing I put away that didn't fit and I was thrilled to see how many articles of clothing I added to my wardrobe, both tops and bottoms.

One of things that has led to my success with weight loss has been meal planning. Here's what has worked for me:

1. On Friday night after work I go to Starbucks and get a Venti Iced Coffee Unsweetened with Coconut Milk and Cinnamon Powder. Once home I plant myself on the couch since I am exhausted from my work week and I know I've earned some down time. As I go through my favorite blogs and Instagram accounts I bookmark recipes that I just have to make that are Whole30 diet compliant. I bookmark just about every salad and smoothie. These have been my obsession lately.
2. On Sunday morning I go through the recipes I bookmarked and make my grocery list and then head to Whole Foods or Costco. 
3. Every night after I lay Little Man down for bed I create my meal plan using WebMD's Food & Fitness Planner calculating the calories in the recipes and basing my day around my calorie goal. After I'm done meal planning I make Little Man's lunch first and then mine. 

Without a plan in place I have to wing my meals from the local fast food/restaurant options we have close. Believe it or not, I have found diet compliant options at just about every place, except McDonald's and Popeyes. No biggie. The food at these places is shit. Not that I won't get a craving for nuggets and fries on road trips cause that does happen.

Tuna sandwiches are Little Man's favorite and whenever we open a can I make half with just mayo and use the other half to try a new tuna salad variation. I think I may have found a new favorite.

This tuna salad is heavy on the veggies, a tasty way to get them into your diet, and a super easy lunch to throw together. Instead of using mayo I used olive oil and lemon juice.

Tuna Salad

Adapted From: Oh, That's Tasty!

Makes 1 Serving

Stars of the Show:

• 1/2 can of tuna, broke up 
• 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
• 1/2 of a lemon, juiced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• dried parsley, to taste
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 3/4 cup bell peppers, chopped
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 tbsp capers

And Action:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss well. Enjoy!