the millennial who's good at nothing: lemon

THE JUICING DIARIES: Volume 1

January 18, 2016

I may seem hypocritical because I just made a post about how not to resolve to be healthier. However, it's not that. My post says to resolve to be healthier for the right reasons. Most of the reason I eat healthy is because I love trying new foods and seeing how I can make heathy substitutions. That's why I asked for a juicer for Christmas. I got the Bella 13690 High Power Juicer.

image credit: Amazon

I was looking into the Ninja Juicer, but I already have a blender so the combination juicer/blender wouldn't be necessary. I stumbled upon this brand. I loved the price and the brand's dedication to the light and healthy lifestyle. So far, this juicer has worked great: it's extracted lots of juice with minimal pulp. The disassembling, cleaning and reassembling process is simple.

Here are two juices I've experimented with so far. These are great beginner juices because they're tasty and easy to make.

bananas

RECIPE: CITRUS STRAWBERRY BANANA SMOOTHIE

August 04, 2015

One of the most go-to flavors involving fruit is strawberry banana. Tart strawberries and tangy bananas soften each other out. I love having this flavor in things purchased in store or over the counter, however when I make myself a strawberry banana smoothie, I find myself disappointed. Of course, however, I always have strawberries and bananas in the house. I was craving a smoothie the other day, and upon reflection of the ingredients of my fridge, I found the answer to my strawberry banana blues: cut it with citrus! The addition of the lemon raspberry yogurt and the limes really make the flavor of this smoothie special.

When I make my lackluster strawberry banana smoothies I usually use a, you guessed it, strawberry banana yogurt. However, I'm glad I grabbed this one this time. It made me take an adventurous path.

picture: chobani.com

The fruits in question: bananas and strawberries. Get ready to experience them like you never have before.

I really think it was the lime that made the difference in this dish. The acidity of the citrus cut the creamy thickness of the yogurt. I added a refreshing bite. It also added air of tropical-ness.

Ingredients

2 limes
2 banana
4 strawberries
1 package of Chobani 100 raspberry lemon
1/2 cup of almond milk

Directions

1. Slice the banana and strawberries

2. Cut the lime in half

3. Add the yogurt, milk, and berries into the blender

4. Juice the limes over the mixture

5. Blend

6. Enjoy!

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dollar store diva

LIFESTYLE: MEDITERRANEAN ORZO PASTA SALAD

September 20, 2014

I love salad and I love pasta... My life is constant love triangle between the two loves. My mind wants me to eats carbs all day every day, but my thighs want me to eat salad forever. However, I think I may have found a compromise to keep both sides happy. For my birthday party, I concocted a pasta salad as neutral as Switzerland.

I skimmed pinterest and found a post something along the lines of "19 pasta salads to try this summer." Some looked deliciously decadent, some were asian-infused, however I always like to stick to my Mediterranean styles. I found one that was a "lemony-orzo" salad with feta and cucumber, and another one with tomatoes and broccoli. I did a mash-up of both!

Mediterranean Orzo Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1 full box of orzo (1-1/2 cups)
3 tbsp EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
Juice and zest of one full lemon
Parsley to taste
1 cup of broccoli
Garlic salt to taste
1-1 and a 1/2 cups of feta cheese (depends on how Greek you are!)
1 whole cucumber, sliced
2 roma tomatoes, diced

Look at how many vitamins and minerals you're getting! These dark veggies are choc-full of 'em and green vegetables mean fiber. This picture above is like food porn to me. Eating pasta doesn't always have to be with a thick, creamy alfredo or garlic-wine sauce; it can be light and filling as well.

The reason I think this salad is a good mix is that it has the attributes of a salad and a pasta dish, but not too much of each. The orzo is a pasta, but it's a small pasta. The sauce is olive oil and lemon juice, it's refreshing. The veggies and cheese give it some hearty texture. It's a square meal!

First, I would cook the Orzo according to directions on the box. Then, I would get a pot of steaming water and steam the broccoli until the color is darker. You can skip that part, but I prefer steamer over raw broccoli. Then, you can chop up your veggies. Make sure your broccoli isn't overcooking.

Whenever your broccoli is soft and your pasta is all cooked, drain them both. You can keep the broccoli with the other chopped veggies, and put the orzo in the refrigerator to let it cool. It's very important to let the orzo cool so that the feta doesn't melt away!

In a bowl, mix the oil and lemon juice. You can use a cheese grater to zest the lemon by grating the skin. Mix that in, too!

When the orzo is cooled, mix in the veggies, feta, and dressing (oil and lemon).

There you have it! This salad was a huge hit at my party might I add. I had a few people ask me for this recipe. Now, I can just tell them to look on my blog.