Grilled Chicken Rice Pilaf

Colorful things are fun to eat. Like Lucky Charms. Wanna know why? It's because long long ago, when Geico Neaderthals roamed the earth, the ones whose brains were wired to be attracted to colorful fruits and veggies and rainbow squirrels reaped the nutritional benefits that these foods had, whereas their color-insensitive cousins missed out on the essential vitamins and died before they could reproduce. So, eat colorful things. Just make sure they are naturally colorful - artificial colors don't have nutrients.

Grilled Chicken Rice Pilaf

1 grilled chicken breast, torn into pieces

broccoli florets

yellow corn kernels

brown rice

garlic infused olive oil

black pepper

1. Mix everything together.

2. Cover with a plate and microwave for 1 minute.

3. Sprinkle with black pepper.

Harvest Veggie Pasta

So many pasta dishes you see at restaurants these days are 1% veggies and 99% starch. I'm not sure what the optimal ratio is, but I do like to see more color on my plate once in a while.

This one is 80% veggies, 20% pasta, and 100% delicious.

(...am I starting to sound like Sandra Lee?)

Harvest Veggie Pasta

1 spoonful whole wheat penne (1/2 cup cooked)

4-6 spoonfuls of meatless pasta sauce

2 Tbsp green peas

4-5 broccoli pieces (break up the big pieces)

2 Tbsp kidney beans

1/2 cup savory spinach

4-5 tomato wedges

2-3 pieces sliced roasted red peppers

2-3 mozzarella balls

1. Gather veggies, pasta, and cheese on a plate. Spoon sauce on top, and mix gently together.

2. Put a plate upside down on top and microwave for 2 minutes. Take it out carefully (use napkins if it is hot) and enjoy.

Vegan-ify!

To make vegan, leave out the cheese.

Lemon Honey Vinaigrette Salad

If you're tired of pre-made salad dressings, try making your own! This one is light, citrus-y, and perfect for cooling down on a humid day.

Lemon Honey Vinaigrette Salad

plateful of romaine lettuce

2 Tbsp sunflower seeds

2 Tbsp raisins

juice of 2 lemon wedges

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp raspberry vinaigrette

1. With a fork, whisk together last 4 ingredients in a small cup.

2. Drizzle mixture over plateful of lettuce.

3. Sprinkle raisins and sunflower seeds on top, garnish with a lemon wedge. Enjoy when the sun is out.

Banana Muffin with Strawberry Cream Cheese

You know those adorable couples that you just can't see breaking up, ever? Like Aladdin and Jasmine? How about strawberry and banana? It's just not right to separate the two. So when life gives you banana muffins, make strawberry cream cheese frosting.

Banana Muffin with Strawberry Cream Cheese
1 banana muffin
1 oz cream cheese
1 Tbsp strawberry jam
1/2 banana, sliced
1 waffle cone

1. Mix cream cheese with strawberry jam until very well blended.
2. Frost the top of the muffin with the strawberry cream cheese.
3. Garnish with a shard of waffle cone and banana slice.

Cheesy Broccoli Mushroom Wrap

Lately we've been obsessed with microwaved broccoli. It's subtly sweet, good for you, and awesomely green - and even better with melted cheese and mushrooms in a wrap.

Cheesy Broccoli Mushroom Wrap

1 spinach tortilla

5 broccoli florets

1/4 cup shredded cheese

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup sliced raw mushrooms

3 lettuce leaves

4 tomato slices

1. Place broccoli, cheese, mushrooms, and oil on a plate. Cover with another plate and microwave until cooked through, about 1 minute.

2. Layer lettuce, tomatoes, and broccoli mixture on tortilla.

3. Fold up the sides, roll up, cut in half on a diagonal and eat.

Salmon with Potatoes

Salmon with Potatoes

1 piece of salmon with minted pea puree

1 baked potato

1 Tbsp sour cream

1/4 cup clear broth

1 Tbsp scallions

mixed greens and carrots for garnish

1. Mash the potato (without the skin) with sour cream, broth, and scallions.

2. Put a mound of potato mash on the plate.

3. Arrange salmon on top.

4. Garnish with leaves and dot the plate with minted pea puree.