Edamame summer salad

Since the day Ebby and I started this blog, I have been excited to write a post about this salad. I'm a huge lover of salads, so it holds great meaning when I tell you that this recipe is in my Salad Top 3 list. It is DELICIOUS. It is fresh and healthy and I could eat it every day of my life. I'm not kidding.

It is also super simple to throw together. And it's pretty. I'm sure it would also be a crowd-pleaser, but I wouldn't know this for sure because it never makes it to the crowd when I prepare it.

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil.

Add a 12-oz. package of frozen shelled edamame to the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes.

Add 2 cups of frozen corn kernels to the saucepan and boil for 1 more minute.

Drain the corn and edamame very well and place in a large bowl, along with:

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

Juice from 2 limes

1 teaspoon white sugar

1 teaspoon coarse salt

2 cloves of garlic, very finely minced

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced

Mix well and chill before serving. Er, you know, if you have the willpower to do so. I always dig right in and have a hard time stopping, but it really is tastier when it is cold and when the ingredients have had a chance to intermingle.

I hope you all enjoy this one as much as I do!

Click here for a printable recipe!

Grilled scallops with quinoa and fresh veggies

My second son is almost a year old, which seems absolutely insane. I remember those first seven weeks of his life when it literally felt like time was standing still. He refused to sleep during the day during that span of time, so I found myself walking a million laps a day around our home with him in my arms while also trying to care for a crazy 3-year-old. It was a stressful time, and I vividly recall thinking that time would never march on from that point. I felt like I would be walking laps to the soundtrack of wailing (toddler and newborn) forever.

And now it is almost a year later and it's hard to believe it's almost a year later! Time is so strange in that way, isn't it? You wish something away and then it goes by way too quickly.

One thing that hasn't gone too quickly, though, is the last 5 to 7 pounds of baby weight I've been carrying for the past nine months. I realize that 5 to 7 pounds is not a huge deal, but when you are stubborn and refuse to buy new clothes it kind of matters. So. As we near the one-year mark of the birth of our beautiful second son, I am buckling down. I am making even more of an effort than usual to prepare healthy meals and avoid unhealthy foods.

I came up with this creation on the fly the other night. It was another beautiful evening, so I stationed my husband at the grill with the seafood while I put the rest of the meal together in the kitchen. We both loved it.

Start by soaking 8-10 sea scallops in a few tablespoons of butter for about 20 minutes.

While the scallops are soaking, prepare 1 cup of quinoa according to package directions.

In a medium bowl, combine:

1 large tomato, diced

1 green or red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 large cucumber, peeled and diced

1 cup corn kernels

2 cloves garlic, very finely minced

Juice from 1 lime

2 tablespoons olive oil

Red pepper flakes, to taste

Salt and pepper, to taste

While the quinoa is finishing up, sprinkle salt and pepper onto the buttery scallops and cook them on a grill over medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side.

Serve all of the deliciousness together. Throw a pat of butter over the quinoa if you're feeling crazy. Or not. I didn't think it needed it.

After a (fairly) good week and some delicious healthy eating (oh, and sickness, too), I now only have 3-4 pounds to go!

Click here for a printable recipe!

Healthy breakfast muffins

My friend Maren read this post of mine, and, as a fellow non-breakfast-breakfaster, she sent me this recipe of Martha's. I instantly fell in love with the healthiness of it, plus it has raisins, bananas, carrots and oatmeal. Yum! I am a sucker for all of the above.

I made my first batch on a Sunday and ate one for breakfast each morning that week (I froze and then thawed half). This is huge for me! The last time I ate breakfast seven days in a row was probably in 1995 and it most likely consisted of greasy scrambled eggs and hash browns from our college servery.

These muffins will be a new a staple for me. There is zero guilt, and they keep my hunger at bay until lunch time. And they are easy to make. So, so easy.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and coat a muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (I bet they would also taste great with cinnamon in place of nutmeg!)

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

Stir until there are no lumps.

Stir in:

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup raisins

Add:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 large egg

1/3 cup skim milk

4 medium carrots, shredded

1 medium ripe banana, mashed

Stir until blended.

Fill 12 muffin cups with 1/4 cup each of batter. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 23 to 25 minutes.

Happy guilt-free breakfasting!

Click here for a printable recipe!