A mouthful of delicious, that’s what this meal was. Even little Chicken Nugget, my picky eater, took a sniff, took a bite, and declared, “Mom, this is so good!”

I wanted to make this as a main course (which I did), and have Watermelon and Feta Salad with Mint and Lime (which I did not) for a side but I ran out of time so we settled for watermelon and cherries straight up.

I should not that this salad is meant to be served warm, so if you are experiencing a heat wave, you might do well to wait until temps cool off a bit.

I hope your Wednesday is full of watermelon and other deliciousness!!

XX, Megan

For the Farro
6 cups spring water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 large garlic cloves – skinned and left whole
1 fresh bay leaf
1 cup farro (semi-pearled or pearled barley is a good substitute)
For the Brussels Sprouts
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup (or honey)
12 oz (340 g) Brussels sprouts – trimmed, halved and cut lengthwise in 1/8″ slices
1 shallot – skinned, halved lengthwise and cut in 1/8″ slices
2 garlic cloves – skinned and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/3 cup salted shelled pistachios
1/4 cup reserved cooking liquid from the farro

Place the water in a medium heavy-bottomed pot and bring to a boil. Add the salt, garlic, bay leaf and grains. Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, until tender but still al dente. Drain well, remove the garlic and bay leaf and reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter. As soon as the butter has melted, add the olive oil and syrup. Stir well and add the Brussels sprouts. Sauté for 6 to 7 minutes until golden-brown, stirring only from time to time.

Add the shallots and sauté for 2 more minutes until softened. Add the garlic, salt and pepper and sauté for an additional 30 seconds until the garlic has released its flavor, but don’t let it brown. Add the pistachios, farro and reserved cooking liquid. Toss well and sauté for a few seconds only. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately.

This recipe was originally posted on Food and Style.

The summer months have me craving all things light and flavorful. All of that healthy, delicious goodness is often poached by an after dinner milkshake or other sugar-laden dessert, so please don’t get the impression that we eat clean every meal of every day of every week.

But I do like to keep our food as light and clean as I can. Whole foods are so much more vitamin and nutrient packed than anything you can get from the freezer isle (or the milkshake shack for that matter ;)! We all try, right?

This salad comes from The Six O’Clock Scramble*, and if you haven’t tried their service yet, why not?!? (See details at the end of this post.) This is the side dish I brought to our Thanksgiving in July party at our friends’ home last night.

These friends began this tradition four years ago and it is going strong!!! I have eaten some of the most delicious food of my life at this soirée, including some smoked sausage that is truly amazing!!!

This 4th we also brought spice-rubbed apple wood smoked baby back ribs, and some of my mom’s famous brownies to share. Our plates were full, our bellies were happy, and the fireworks were awesome!

Happy Tuesday, friends!! Here’s to a short week, and getting back on the eat clean wagon!!

XX, Megan

Ingredients

1 cup quick-cooking brown rice, (about 2 cups prepared)
15 oz. reduced-sodium canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1 – 2 fresh mango, cut into 1/2-inch chunks, or use frozen
1/4 sweet onion such as Vidalia or Walla Walla, finely diced (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup scallions or chives, green parts only, finely chopped
1 lime, juice only, about 2 Tbsp.
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 tsp. salt, or more to taste
6 large Boston or butter lettuce leaves, separated, rinsed and dried (optional)
6 whole wheat tortillas (use wheat/gluten-free if needed) (optional)

Directions

Thaw the frozen mango, if using it. Cook the rice according to the package directions and when cooked, remove it from the heat. (If you want to serve this salad immediately rather than allowing it to chill for a while, put the rice in the freezer for 5 minutes to cool it.)

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the beans, mangos, onions, scallions, lime juice and cilantro. I also added one hot pepper (optional). Add the rice, season it with the salt, and toss gently. Chill it for at least 10 minutes (an hour or more is ideal) and up to 24 hours.

Serve the salad on its own or wrapped in large lettuce leaves, warm tortillas, or both.

*The Scramble is a meal planning service to which you can subscribe here. For a fantastic price you will receive 8 weekly meals which means 8 recipes (main course plus a side dish), complete grocery list, the ability to tweak the number of people you are making for, and full nutrition facts.

PLUS tips as to how best to PREP your meal beforehand, add a punch of FLAVOR, and how to SLOW COOK almost every recipe if you’re especially slammed that night. This wonderful service really does live up to it’s name. You can come home at 6 p.m. and be sitting down to a DELICIOUS, HEALTHY, HOME COOKED meal by 6:30 p.m. most nights.

I’m already putting this salad on repeat for the summer! Yet another winner from The Scramble. I have made it a handful of times already, and I am just going to keep whipping it up. Especially when my healthy eating habits have been lacking, this is the perfect dietary reset.

A few things to note. I have ALWAYS roasted my sweet potato for 20 minutes. I like them to be a little more on the soft side. I also reduce the honey content in the dressing from 1 Tbsp. to 1-2 tsp. Last but not least, I haven’t ever added cinnamon to the dressing. I really enjoy cinnamon as a general flavor, but in a salad like this I stick to chili powder and cayenne.

With all of that said, I hope you are ALL experiencing, or about to experience a very wonderful Wednesday!

XX, Megan

20 oz. sweet potatoes, about 2 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. smoked paprika
3/4 cup quinoa
1/2 tsp. salt
1 lime, juice only, about 1/4 cup
1 Tbsp. honey
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
4 oz. fresh spinach or other mild greens, coarsely chopped
15 oz. reduced-sodium canned black beans, drained and rinsed, or use 1 1/4 cups cooked beans
2 Tbsp. chives or scallions, finely chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. In a large serving bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with 1 Tbsp. oil and the paprika. Spread them evenly on the baking sheet and bake them for 10 – 15 minutes, tossing once, until they are fork tender. (Reserve the bowl to serve the salad.)

Meanwhile, cook the quinoa according to the package directions, adding 1/4 tsp. salt to the water. In a large measuring cup, whisk together the lime juice, honey, 1 Tbsp. oil, 1/4 tsp. salt, and the cinnamon.

In the bowl you used to toss the potatoes, combine the potatoes, quinoa, spinach, beans, chives and the dressing. Allow it to cool for 10 minutes, if time allows, and serve, or refrigerate the salad for up to 3 days.

*The Scramble is a meal planning service to which you can subscribe here. For a fantastic price you will receive 8 weekly meals which means 8 recipes (main course plus a side dish), complete grocery list, the ability to tweak the number of people you are making for, and full nutrition facts.

PLUS tips as to how best to PREP your meal beforehand, add a punch of FLAVOR, and how to SLOW COOK almost every recipe if you’re especially slammed that night. This wonderful service really does live up to it’s name. You can come home at 6 p.m. and be sitting down to a DELICIOUS, HEALTHY, HOME COOKED meal by 6:30 p.m. most nights.

Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie times 2, that is! I made this meal for a new momma of twins in our neighborhood. It sounded so good that I decided to double the recipe, double the fun and make one for her family and one for our family.

The original recipe for this dish came from Today’s Parent. The one thing that I would amend is the time recipe preparation time. Unless you have ALREADY chopped all your veggies, boiled your potatoes, and maybe even pre-browned your meat, there is NO WAY that the recipe prep time will be 10 minutes as the linked article says.

It took me around 30 minutes to complete recipe prep. On top of that, do note that if you are taking this to new parents, it will also take longer than 20 minutes to cook the dish if it comes out of the refrigerator. I would bake it for 25 minutes, and broil the top for 2-5 minutes for that browned crispy effect.

This meal was savory, filling, and just what I needed on a cold day. Plus, the leftovers were DELICIOUS!!! Hope your Wednesday is brilliant.

XX, Megan

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
1/4 cup unsalted butter, divided
1/4 cup milk
3/4 tsp salt, divided
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup peeled, chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 lb. extra-lean ground beef
2 tsp chopped garlic
4 tsp all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sodium-free beef stock
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1/8 tsp pepper
1 cup fresh or defrosted frozen green peas

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Place potatoes in a pot of cold salted water and bring to a boil. Cook for 15 min or until tender when pierced with a fork. Drain. Return potatoes to a pot over low heat for 1 min to evaporate any remaining water. Add 2 tbsp butter and mash until combined and fluffy. Add milk to loosen, season with 1⁄4 tsp salt and stir in half of cheese. Set aside.

Heat remaining 2 tbsp butter in large frying pan over medium. Add carrot, onion and celery and sauté for 5 min or until beginning to soften.
Turn heat to high. Add beef and garlic, and sauté, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, for 5 min or until meat begins to brown. Add flour, stirring for 2 min to cook out floury taste.

Add stock, Worcestershire, mustard and thyme. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 min or until broth has reduced and thickened and made the meat saucy. Season with remaining 1⁄2 tsp salt and pepper and stir in peas.

Transfer beef mixture to a deep 9-in. ovenproof casserole dish. Spread mashed potatoes overtop. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 15 min or until sauce is bubbling. Turn to broil and cook until potatoes are golden.

You can make this well ahead and refrigerate, but it will need more time in the oven to heat through.