It's May and we're introducing another wonderful woman to our team! Lori Shaw, a resident of Stratford on Providence in Waxhaw, has published 7 healthy cookbooks, containing a total of 450 easy macro-friendly recipes. Her books have sold close to 100,000 copies, and can be found at www.rpstrength.com, under the ebooks category. Her cookbooks are available in spiral bound printed versions or as a pdf available for immediate download.
How will you be celebrating Mom this Mother’s Day? We’ve got an easy four-course lineup of quick and healthy dishes that are just as much a celebration of the freshness of spring as they are of Mom.
Avo-Caprese Bites
Ingredients
1-2 ripe avocadoes
Sea salt, to taste
One lime, or bottled lime juice
Mini salted rice cake rounds
Cherry tomatoes, quartered
Small basil leaves, or torn basil leaves, if you only have large leaves
Mini mozzarella balls
Balsamic vinegar
Instructions:
Prepare right before serving.
In a small bowl, use a fork to mash the avocado with a pinch of sea salt and a splash of lime juice.
Spread a layer of avocado mixture on each rice cake.
Top each rice cake with a quartered cherry tomato, a piece of basil leaf and a mini mozzarella ball.
Once all topped rice cake rounds are on your serving tray, drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
Simple Minty Spring Pea Soup
Ingredients:
4 Cups vegetable broth, divided
6 Cups thawed frozen peas
1/2 Cup fresh mint leaves
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 Cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
2 Tbsp milk or water
Fresh chives
Instructions:
Start with 2 Cups of the vegetable broth in a medium stockpot. Bring to a boil.
Add in the peas and simmer 2 minutes.
Remove from the heat and add in the remainder of the broth, fresh mint and lemon juice.
Carefully transfer the mixture to a blender and puree (in batches, if necessary) until smooth.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Soup can be served cold, warm or at room temp.
When ready to serve, combine yogurt or sour cream with milk or water to thin.
Drizzle over individual soup servings and sprinkle with fresh chives.
Tuna Nicoise Protein Noodles
Ingredients
1 box edamame spaghetti
1 jar Italian tuna in oil, oil reserved
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp white balsamic
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp miso
1 Tbsp fresh chopped chives
1/2 Cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2 Cups fresh arugula leaves
1/4 Cup briny black olives
lemon zest
Instructions
Cook the pasta per box directions in chicken or vegetable broth for added flavor.
Drain and rinse with cold water.
In a small bowl, whisk to combine tuna oil through chives to make the dressing.
Toss the pasta with dressing.
Gently add in chunked tuna, tomatoes, arugula and olives.
Top with fresh lemon zest.
Mini Pies for Mom
Ingredients
Frozen mini phyllo shells, thawed per box directions
Greek yogurt - strawberry, mixed berry, vanilla, lemon
nonfat whipped cream
sprinkles
chopped fresh fruit
raw coconut flakes
Instructions
Spoon Greek yogurt of your choice into the thawed shell.
Top with your choice of toppings.
Cute, calorie-friendly and delicious!
