Hello Bella Diva
How are you doing after a life changing 2 months of uncertainty? Hopefully as you read this new blog, you are healthy, safe and not feeling stressed. There are definitely going to be days that are better than others, but on those tough days have your moment of solitude, cry it out, give your self a pep talk in the mirror, go for that walk and then say….no matter what, I GOT THIS and remember how amazingly strong you are and that you can handle anything. I know I needed that pep talk a few times as I am making a big leap of faith and creating change with Bella Diva Fitness.
Okay, pep talk done! I wasn’t sure what new divalicious food ideas or recipes I wanted to blog about this week, so I asked one of my regular clients what would she like to know more about or new ideas. She immediately said new grilling ideas. We are all now cooking more and grilling is so easy and tasty. Some of you are just starting to use your grill again as the weather gets warmer. Us ladies here in SWFL are fortune enough to grill year round, but we tend to forget about that option. So let’s chat about grill ideas.
Marinades
Chicken, shrimp, some thicker steak like fish are so yummy when they are grilled after being marinated for at least 1-2 hours. The 2 main factors you want to look for when purchasing already made marinade are the sugar and sodium. Yes a lot of the marinade gets burned off, but you still want to be aware because some can be super high in both. Here are 2 of my favorite marinades that we use mostly on chicken and shrimp. They are a game changer for making the chicken so moist and tender. Both are found at Publix. If you cant find these where you live, still take a look at the nutrition label to get an idea of how much sodium and sugar are really in your marinade.
Homemade Marinade
Here are 2 of my absolute favorite homemade marinades. Simple, easy ingredients.
Divalicous Recipe
Curry Yogurt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon cardamom
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (at least 2% fat)
- Sprinkle of salt
- Freshly ground pepper
Cilantro Lime
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1/2 tbsp honey
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
- Sprinkle of salt
- Freshly ground pepper
Directions:
- For each of the marinades, place all ingredients into a Ziploc bag or a large ceramic dish.
-
Add 1 pound of chicken of choice to the bag or dish, and mix well to evenly coat.
- Let the chicken marinade in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours before cooking. 30 minutes before you’re ready to cook the chicken, remove the chicken from the marinade.
-
For boneless skinless chicken breasts: preheat grill to medium high and lightly oil the grate. Cook chicken breast 6-8 minutes per side, until juices run clear and chicken in no longer pink.
The Curry Yogurt Chicken tastes great over rice or cauliflower rice with a side of broccoli.
The Cilantro Lime Chicken make fantastic tacos or fajitas or over a Mexican salad with guacamole, salsa and extra cilantro. Oh and hot sauce of course!
Last great thing about both of these marinades, you can pre make both chicken dishes and freeze them in your zip lock bag for up to a month. If it is going to be a super busy week, take your zip lock bag out of the freezer and let it defrost in the fridge for 24 hours. Then, the next day all you have to do is fire up your grill and grill up your already prepped dinner.
side note if grilling is not an option, you can bake both at 375′ in the oven for 18-20 minutes. Check with meat thermometer to be sure you reached the desired heat. Around 145′ for chicken breast.
Grilled Roman Salad
Lastly, I would love to share how easy and very different grilling your salad can be, YEP!
Find Fresh Firm Roman hearts. Usually 2-3 per bag
This technique is pretty much foolproof, but here are a few things to keep in mind, just to make sure:
- Most important: slice the head of lettuce VERTICALLY, think lengthwise. This keeps the leaves connected to the core, thus your leaves staying together, nice and firm.
- Make sure your grates are clean, and brush them with a little oil.
- Turn that grill up to medium high, no need to be shy. This will give the lettuce those beautiful sear marks and infuse a smokiness.
- Don’t forget the fresh lemon juice. This is key to making the natural flavors of the lettuce sing, and brightens the entire dish.
Divalicious Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 heads of fresh and firm romaine lettuce, cut vertically (you will have 4 halves)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- kosher salt, divided
- black pepper
- one medium lemon, cut in half
- fresh parmesan cheese
Directions:
- Make sure grates of grill are clean and turn to medium high.
- Brush lettuce halves liberally with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, cut side and back side. Then sprinkle each halve with some salt.
- Grill for 3 minutes, cut side down, pressing with your tongs to make sure the lettuce gets a good sear. Flip and grill for one or 2 more minutes.
- Remove from grill. Sprinkle with more salt and pepper, drizzle with remaining olive oil. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over each half. Top with a tablespoon of parmesan on each halve.
Grilling Conclusion
Well, hopefully this sparked some new ideas or maybe just a reminder to use your grill. So full of flavor and you feel like your having a cheat meal, yet all these recipes and ideas are so healthy. As I always say, watch your portions and live a healthy happy forever lifestyle.
Also, our next Virtual Divalicious Cooking class will be Friday May 22nd 5:30-6:30. Details will be out by a newsletter at the end of the week or message me for info.
Buon Appetito Bella Diva and if your try the recipes, let me know or post and tag @Belladivafitness
Ciao,
