Food + Family + Friends

Christina Shoup

Mixed Greens with Tuna Salad and Dill Vinaigrette

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It’s the most delicious time of the year! I’m pretty sure I said that same thing over 5 years ago when I began this little food blog. But it’s true… beginning with Thanksgiving and ending with decadent New Year’s Eve, (with my birthday in between) there are endless opportunities to indulge ourselves.  I try my best to keep things balanced all year long, but especially this time of the year, and hearty salad a few times a week – if not more – is the answer for me.  

Let’s be honest, salads can be kind of a pain to make on the fly, especially for one person, but can be super simple if you’re prepped and ready for it.  I don’t mean all the veggies that are cut up and waiting for you in the fridge getting more dried out as the week goes on, but having the basics ready to knock out a balanced, filling salad in under 10 minutes.  

The basics – protein, fat and fiber – the keys to a balanced salad (or any meal or snack!).  This salad has all of the key elements.  I keep a few prewashed bags of arugula and mixed greens as the foundation of all my salads.  I decide on my protein – in this case good quality tuna salad.  I add some fiber in the form of garbanzo beans and/or radish. And in addition to the olive oil in the vinaigrette, I decide on a healthy fat source such as avocado or nuts. If you have your protein prepared (I often choose grilled or roasted chicken, tuna or mackerel) and a vinaigrette waiting in a glass jar in the refrigerator, you can get this salad tossed in a bowl and into your belly in a matter of minutes.  

In the middle of a busy season, this salad is a good one to keep in your back pocket – or even better, prepped and ready in your refrigerator!

Cheers,

Christina

My husband loves a good sprinkling of slivered almonds
Tuna salad without carrots- less orange!
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Mixed Greens with Tuna Salad and Dill Vinaigrette

Having pre-washed packaged greens, a prepared protein and a jar of homemade vinaigrette allows you to get a balanced, substantial lunch salad in front of you in no time at all. Salads like these are a mainstay in my diet and one that provides me with 3-4 hours of satiety. They are easily adaptable but examples of key ingredients that I almost always have on hand. I hope you enjoy this herby bright vinaigrette that pairs so nicely with the tuna salad. If you're extra short on time, a drizzle of good olive oil and a squeeze of lemon on top of seasoned greens makes a pretty delicious dressing in a pinch.

Course Lunch, Salad
Keyword dill vinaigrette, mixed greens, tuna salad
Servings 2 servings
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

Tuna Salad

  • 2 5 oz cans tuna, one canned drained of liquid I prefer Wild Planet Albacore Wild Tuna or Safecatch Ahi Wild Yellowfin Tuna
  • 2 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 2 stalks celery + leaves, chopped
  • 2 green onions, sliced
  • 1 carrot, grated on the small holes of a box grater optional but great for adding extra fiber
  • 2 tbsp parsley, coarsely chopped
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper

Dill Vinaigrette

  • ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
  • ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp finely chopped fresh dill
  • ½ tsp honey
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper

To Assemble the Salad

  • 4-6  cups mixed spring greens and/or arugula  I like to coarsely chop my leaves so everything fits on my fork
  • ½ cup sliced radish
  • 1 avocado, cubed or sliced
  • 2 tbsp toasted almond slivers optional

Instructions

  1. For the tuna salad: Drain one can of the tuna, place both in a medium bowl and use a fork to flake into pieces. Add the mayonnaise, celery, green onion, carrot (if using), parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper and combine well. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking, if needed.

  2. For the vinaigrette: Combine ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake well.

  3. For the mixed green salad: Combine all salad ingredients, except for the tuna salad, in a medium bowl. Toss salad with just enough dressing to coat the leaves. Divide between two plates and pile a mound of tuna salad on top of the mixed greens. Season your salad with a touch of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Top with slivered almonds, if using.

Recipe Notes

*This vinaigrette makes enough for several salads. I highly recommend making the whole recipe and keeping it in your refrigerator for easy salads all week. 

* You’ll likely have enough tuna salad for another salad later in the week or as a delicious snack with Triscuit crackers. 

Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies

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Cookie swaps and exchanges, front porch cookie deliveries, cookie plates at a potluck… all signs point to cookies being shared. Of all the desserts out there, I can pass on just about any sugary treat, with the exception of a good cookie. I have come to understand that my love for cookies is rooted in my love of sharing cookies.

Last year in the early weeks of the pandemic, it was a lonely and uncertain time. Missing friends, routine, and life as we knew it was a difficult period for many of us. I did my best to keep my family positive and hopeful even when I wasn’t quite convinced myself. When the kids had a break from distance learning during spring break, we decided to make a bunch of treats, assemble them on beautiful plates and deliver them all over the bay area to family and friends. The streets were desolate and we made each leg of the drive in record time. It felt like we were sneaking out. Sounds silly now, but at the time the feeling was very real. We arrived unannounced, us in our quarantine comfy clothes (aka pjs), our friends and family dressed the same. There is something so fun about surprising people with a box of freshly baked treats, especially during the weirdest time of our lives.

Fast forward to Christmas 2020, cases had begun to surge and we were stuck in our houses yet again. No holiday gatherings, cookie exchanges or festive events to attend. We missed our friends and family and decided to do a repeat of our spring treat boxes – this time Christmas treats! It took days to make and freeze the dough, plan out what needed to be baked ahead of time versus last minute (this is the key to a successful treat box without making yourself crazy). But, it’s all worth it to share some homemade love from the kitchen and heart. This time, we separated in cars and delivered beautiful Christmas treat boxes with a hand painted/written note. I knew that pandemic/quarantine or not, this new tradition was born and one that my kids will forever remember.

This Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookie is now tested and perfected and one I’m happy to share! With its delicate molasses flavor and crisp sugar coating, it will be a hit with kids and adults alike. This cookie, along with my Frosted Christmas Sugar Cookie Cut Outs and Candy Cane Crisps (both on my website), will be in the treat box this year. I hope you enjoy!

Cheers,

Christina

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Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies

Out of all the cookies I give away during the holidays, this one steals all the attention! It's perfectly chewy in the middle and crisp on the outside. There are numerous ginger molasses cookies out there, but this one is a cherished recipe and one that I've worked on over the years and happy to share. I hope it makes its way into your holiday cookie repertoire.

Course Dessert
Keyword cookies, ginger, molasses
Servings 24 cookies
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

  • 2¼ cups all purpose flour
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ¾ tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground cloves
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • ½ cup butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg, room temperature
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup molasses
  • ¼ cup sugar, for rolling

Instructions

  1. Adjust the oven rack to the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°. Prepare two cookie sheets by lining them with parchment paper and set aside.

  2. In a small bowl, combine the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Set aside.

  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, add the butter and beat on medium for 1 minute. Scrape the bowl between each of the following steps. Add the sugar and continue to mix until light and fluffy, another 1-2 minutes. Add egg, egg yolk, molasses, and vanilla and mix to thoroughly combine. On low speed, add the flour mixture and mix until no streaks of flour are visible. Scrape the bowl one last time.

  4. In a shallow bowl, add the remaining ¼ cup of sugar. Scoop dough and roll into 1½" balls. Roll each ball in the sugar to coat and place on prepared cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

  5. Bake about 9-10 minutes. Take care to not overbake! Three things to look for: 1) edges that are lightly golden 2) cracks throughout 3) the whole cookie is puffed. Remove from the oven and lift one of the corners of the pan and let slam down gently on the countertop Let the cookies stand for several minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Mediterranean Chicken Wrap

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Wraps are one of my favorite ways to take food on the go… which my family (and perhaps yours!) seems to need a lot of these days. Made with pre-cooked proteins, you can get a nice assembly line going of these and make some for the whole family or set out all the fixings and let everyone make their own.

One of my favorite things about lavash flatbread is that it softens up as it sits, making it that much more yummy and easy to eat. It’s so adaptable and a great way to use up leftovers, too. One of the mistakes that is often made with wraps is they don’t have enough of a base and end up being dry. Always error on the side of a little more base, in this case, healthy hummus. Another way to keep your wrap from being dry is to toss some of your ingredients, like the chicken or lettuce in a salad dressing, just not too much as it can make your wrap soggy. The sky’s the limit with these flatbreads.

Soon, I’ll share my other favorite wrap using pre-cooked chicken and a family favorite, for sure.

Cheers,

Christina

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Mediterranean Chicken Wrap

Lavash flatbread is one of the easiest ways to wrap up healthy proteins and veggies and take it on the go. I always like to have some sort of spread as a base to keep the wrap from being dry – hummus or yogurt tahini sauce, a protein – usually roasted or grilled chicken, greens – often crunchy romaine, arugula or spinach and a drizzle of a full flavored sauce. Rolling it up and wrapping in parchment paper makes for an easy, healthy, fast food option for busy days.

Course Main Course
Keyword wrap
Servings 1 wrap
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

  • 1 whole grain lavash flatbread, room temperature or slightly warm
  • 2-3 tbsp hummus
  • ½-1 cup mixed greens
  • ½ cup roasted or grilled chicken, shredded or sliced
  • 1-2 tbsp kalamata olives, chopped
  • 1-2 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
  • 1-2 tbsp crumbled feta cheese
  • ¼ cup roasted cauliflower florets optional
  • drizzle Sriracha optional

Mixed Greens Salad with Roasted Chicken, Goat Cheese, Figs and Shallot Vinaigrette

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I recently served this salad to my very happy, working from home hubby. It’s such a simple salad but both of us delighted in the flavors – that was a REALLY good salad was his remark when he finished with his calls. Food brought to you in the middle of a workday is generally very well received, but he was right, it was so good!

This salad was thrown together in a matter of minutes using leftover roasted chicken and the remaining figs and goat cheese from a snack board earlier in the week. The vinaigrette was already in a jar in the refrigerator – in my best Ina voice, How Easy is That? Light, protein packed, and satisfying.

I’ve got a ladies get together coming up soon and while figs are in season in CA a little longer, this just may be the lunch salad I serve.

Cheers,

Christina

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Mixed Green Salad with Roasted Chicken, Goat Cheese, Figs and Shallot Vinaigrette

A perfect light lunch salad that is great to serve for a luncheon, book club, or a working meeting. You can easily scale this salad up or down, I like to serve 2-3 cups of greens per person. Breadsticks or crusty bread with salted butter or a cup of seasonal soup are great ways to round out the meal.

Servings 2 servings
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

  • 4-6 cups mixed greens, washed and completely dry
  • 1 cup roasted chicken, cubed
  • ¼ cup crumbled goat cheese
  • ¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted
  • 4 fresh figs, halved

Shallot Vinaigrette

  • 1 tbsp small shallot minced
  • 2 tbsp champagne vinegar
  • 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • ½ tsp honey
  • ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 pinch Maldon salt or any coarse flake salt

Instructions

  1. For the vinaigrette: add the ingredients to a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake until emulsified.

  2. For the salad, add lettuce and chicken to a large bowl. Lightly toss with enough vinaigrette to coat the leaves. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Divide between two plates. Top each plate with goat cheese, almonds and figs.

Chicken Salad with Almonds, Turmeric and Celery Leaves

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Pre-made, portable meals are my favorite, especially this time of the year when school and sports have ramped back up. Like so many with school aged kids, sports schedules and after school activities has us all over town in the afternoon and evenings, not to mention weekends! Maintaining a healthy lifestyle means running through a drive thru for a meal is just not an option for me and I rely on protein-packed dishes like this to eat on the go.

This roasted chicken salad is delicious and packs a powerful punch with anti-inflammatory nutrients. It leaves out the typical sweetened dried cranberries (though I still sometimes add a few) and heavy canola oil based mayo that so many chicken salads have. One of my favorite portable meals is a container with chopped up arugula or spinach drizzled with a little olive oil and salt and topped with this chicken salad and sliced radish or cherry tomatoes. It takes less than 5 minutes to throw together and I’m always so happy I did.

Cheers,

Christina

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Chicken Salad with Almonds, Turmeric and Celery Leaves

Chicken salads are a great protein packed lunch option to make ahead and take on the go. Perfect in a lettuce cup, scooped up with crackers, mounded in the middle of a chopped salad with veggies or simply on its own! This salad has added health benefits of almonds, turmeric and freshly ground pepper, as well as mayonnaise made with avocado oil. And don't throw away those celery leaves – they, along with the celery diced up, provide powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients.

Course Lunch, Salad
Keyword almonds, chicken salad, turmeric
Servings 4 servings
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

  • ⅓ cup avocado mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1-2 tsp whole grain mustard
  • 3 celery stalks, chopped
  • ¼ cup celery leaves, chopped
  • ½ cup raw sliced almonds, toasted
  • ¼ cup parsley, chopped
  • 3 scallions, sliced
  • 3 cups roasted chicken, chopped

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, add all ingredients except the chicken and mix until well combined. Add chopped chicken and mix.

    *Taste for seasoning – if more tang is desired, try adding a touch more mustard or a splash of white wine vinegar. If you'd like a stronger turmeric flavor, add more (depending on the brand and freshness, flavor can vary.) For a hint of sweetness, sprinkle in a few unsweetened dried cranberries or raisins .

House Vinaigrette

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Every weekend, usually on Sunday, I have a list of kitchen staples that I prep for the week ahead. Some type of vinaigrette is always at the top of the list. After years of doing this, it remains a key part of feeding my family healthy meals throughout the week. I’m happy they are big salad eaters and I’m certain homemade dressings and keeping at it since they were little has helped a ton. I wrote about this years ago, but a strategy I used with my kids was to allow them to pick out one thing from their salad – almost always this included tomatoes – but this means they ended up learning to eat other food things like radishes, scallions, cucumbers, peppers, chickpeas, nuts and a variety of herbs that they otherwise may not have eaten. To this day, I still have two kids that will always pick out the tomatoes!

This is a flavorful vinaigrette that is delicious on mixed greens with any type of protein – it’s one of my top 3 that I make all the time and a house favorite. Two vinegars that I use the most are sherry and champagne and they can be used interchangeably in this recipe. The honey can be dialed up or down depending on your preference – I have a particular affection for avocado honey that I can occasionally find at my local farmer’s market.

I make a double batch of this in a mason jar and keep it in the refrigerator for up to a week. When I am ready to use it, I leave it on the counter and let it come to room temperature while I’m prepping the rest of the salad. On busy days, I’m always thankful I’ve got this in the fridge for a quick meal!

Cheers,

Christina

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House Vinaigrette

This is my go-to salad dressing. I make a double batch every single week and it makes putting together a salad for lunch or dinner a snap. When I can get my hands on local avocado honey, I make sure to use that, otherwise, any good, local honey will do.

Course Sauces snd Dressings
Keyword vinaigrette
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp champagne or sherry vinegar
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
  • ½ tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp freshly ground pepper
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

  1. In a jar with a tight fitting lid, add ingredients and shake vigorously.

The Best Iced Matcha Green Tea Latte

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Matcha green tea seems to be all the rage these days. During the summer, this is the drink I make after a day at the lake or pool, but also the one I make before jumping in my car to grab the kids from school (t-minus a few weeks!). As per usual, the mainstream coffee shops serving up matcha green tea lattes (iced or hot) are using highly processed, low quality matcha blend sugar bombs. Sugar is the main ingredient that is mixed with the green tea, so you cannot even order the drink unsweetened. The green tea powder is usually chunky and floating in the milk and ice, almost impossible to incorporate using their method. As you can see I am not a fan but I want to be!

The key tools and ingredients

Enter the homemade iced matcha green tea latte where you can control the quality of the matcha and the quantity of sugar. It only takes about 2 minutes to make! Our family has several members who love the flavor of matcha – I find it creamier, naturally sweeter and prefer it to regular green tea. It’s high in antioxidants – the kind that protects your cells from damage – sign me up! And, I also have noticed since I’ve incorporated matcha green tea into my regular routine, I do feel it has revved up my metabolism a bit, something this almost 45 year old appreciates.

There are many quality brands of matcha powder, but my favorite brand that I’ve been loving for quite awhile is Kyoto Dew Matcha Organic Ceremonial Grade Powder. It’s quite strong and a bit pricey, but this is the powder we use to make hot green tea as well, so we often choose the ceremonial grade. If you have plans for only iced lattes or adding it as an ingredient to smoothies (highly recommend and a family favorite), I recommend a more affordable and less strong culinary grade – it is meant to be used as a blended ingredient, and is a great choice if matcha is new to you. Brands I have used and enjoy are Jade Leaf Culinary Grade and Matcha Love Culinary Grade.

Almond milk and oat milk are my favorite non-dairy beverages for this (homemade almond milk being by absolute favorite but that’s for another day!), but regular cow milk is likely just as delicious. Either way, I hope you try this iced matcha green tea latte at home!

Cheers,

Christina

The bamboo whisk is amazing at blending the powder into a paste
A cup of ice keeps it cold and frothy without diluting
Almond milk, almond extract and matcha green tea – yum!
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The Best Iced Matcha Green Tea Latte

The perfect afternoon pick me up on a summer day! Good quality matcha is the key to getting the most nutritional benefit out of this drink. It can be a bit pricey but a little goes a long way and making it at home will always be cheaper and far superior in taste than what is likely available at your corner coffeeshop.

Course Beverages
Keyword iced latte, matcha
Servings 1 serving
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

  • 1 tsp matcha green tea powder
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • ¼ tsp almond or vanilla extract
  • 1 cup ice
  • sweetener of your choice: agave, honey, liquid stevia optional

Instructions

  1. In a glass mason jar, add the matcha green tea powder and about a tablespoon of warm water. Whisk to form a paste.

  2. Add almond milk, almond or vanilla extract, sweetener to taste, and about a cup of ice. With a tight fitting lid, shake vigorously to really combine the paste and the milk. The ice will help froth the beverage a bit. Add a straw and enjoy!

Southwest Chicken Salad with Chipotle Lime Vinaigrette

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Cooking during the summer, at home or on vacation, is a true pleasure for me. Summer’s bounty combined with high quality proteins I keep stocked up on in my freezer make for the easiest, healthiest meals. This dish is no exception. There’s almost never a time I don’t have these ingredients handy. And a quick trip to the weekly farmer’s market makes this salad that much more fresh and amazing. That said, frozen corn and grocery store cherry tomatoes are not a bad backup!

My family has been spending most of the summer away from our home. This means a ton of planning to make sure I have all the ingredients on hand to keep healthy and delicious meals available. I love a good meal out, especially with my favorite date, but definitely treat it as just that – a treat! Less crowds, cheaper, healthier, and often tastier (if I don’t say so myself) when we eat most of our meals at home.

The key to getting my family to eat things like radishes (rich in vitamin C, calcium and potassium) and arugula (loaded with calcium, iron and vitamins A, C, and K) is to CHOP THEM UP! I’m not yelling, but this was a game changer a few years ago to get my family to eat more of these nutrient dense ingredients. I used to just omit them and add more familiar ingredients like corn, tomatoes, etc. but salads are so much more satisfying and nutrient dense with these added ingredients. Since my kids were little, I allowed them to pick out only one ingredient from their salad, but when chopped, it’s pretty hard to pick out that chopped radish or arugula! I guess they got older with more advanced tastebuds or just plain tired of trying to find all of the ingredient they think they don’t like. #don’tmesswithmom! For the record, I almost always chop my lettuce, even when I’m just making a salad for myself. It just easier to eat that way!

Cheers to healthy cooking,

Christina

The deep red chipotle pepper combines with the bright green cilantro makes a strange colored, yet very tasty dressing
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Southwest Chicken Salad with Chipotle Lime Vinaigrette

Smokey, sweet, spicy, and healthy – this chicken and vinaigrette has it all! This is the kind of recipe that I make on a Sunday and eat all week long. During the summer – that means you'll rarely find my refrigerator without a mason jar of this vinaigrette or a container of this grilled chicken all ready for a quick salad. The chicken also is perfect on a BBQ chicken pizza or in a loaded quesadilla.

Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

Marinade

  • 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp chipotle chili powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper

Vinaigrette

  • 1 cup cilantro leaves and stems, roughly chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 1 large chipotle pepper
  • ½ large fresh jalapeno pepper, roughly chopped
  • ¾ cup avocado oil
  • ¼ cup lime juice
  • ⅓ cup rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 1 tsp kosher salt

Salad – optional ingredients

  • mixed greens/romaine/little gems/kale
  • black beans, rinsed and drained
  • corn
  • tomatoes, chopped
  • radish, sliced
  • green onion, sliced
  • avocado, diced
  • cilantro, chopped
  • pepitas
  • crispy tortilla strips for topping

Instructions

  1. For the chicken: Combine the marinade ingredients in a glass bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

  2. For vinaigrette: Combine all ingredients in a high speed blender and process until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.

  3. Grill the chicken: Preheat the grill to high. Lightly oil the grill grate. Place chicken on the grill and discard the marinade. Cook chicken until juices run clear.

  4. Assemble the salad: Combine lettuce and desired ingredients in a large bowl and spoon enough dressing to lightly coat all the desired ingredients. Plate the salad and place chicken on top. Garnish with tortilla strips, if desired.

Recipe Notes

The vinaigrette makes enough for 4 entree sized salads as well as several salads throughout the week.  I don’t include quantities for the salad ingredients but for a single salad I like to do: 2-3 cups of chopped lettuce, 1/4 cup each of black beans and corn, a handful of cherry tomatoes, 2 radishes, 1 green onion, 1/2 of an avocado, a few sprigs of cilantro and about a tablespoon of pepitas.  I always top with a big pile of chicken and am full and satisfied for hours.  

Everyday Protein Smoothie

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Another day, another smoothie in the Shoup House! After 15+ years we are still going strong with our smoothies. My kids regularly prepare a smoothie for themselves or the family, but over this past weekend I watched each of them prepare their own variety the minute they walked in the door from their respective sport or activity – it’s become second nature for them to do this. One was a cherry mango and flax blend – heavy on the Greek yogurt, another was blueberry and spinach with a scoop of vanilla protein powder, and the third was a peanut butter, banana, chia, and vanilla protein powder. All great choices!

We all have our favorites, and those change all the time, but I love that they can throw together these healthy and satisfying meals for themselves. In fact, often times the minute we get home from a trip, the first thing they do after emptying the car is to make a smoothie. It’s just part of their daily routine after so many years and variations. I just fear they’ve gotten so used to daily smoothies and the Vitamix they may be lost without one when they head to college… An excellent (crazy!) high school graduation gift perhaps? I can only imagine their smoothie bar set up in the dormroom.

My current favorite is this Everyday Protein Smoothie. It’s easy to prepare, always makes me full and satisfied and I haven’t gotten tired of it yet. In fact, I drank chocolate protein powder (I love Primal Kitchen’s chocolate coconut fuel), banana, almond butter smoothies for years and years before tying a new flavor a few months ago – vanilla protein powder – and I love how versatile it is. I can add a nut butter and/or a banana like usual or I can add a bit of fruit like blueberries or blackberries, or skip the fruit altogether. Either way, it’s a healthy meal to take on the go – something we’ve been doing a lot these days as the kids’ schedules pick back up like it’s 2019!

Cheers,

Christina

Everyday smoothie without the blueberries – nice pretty green
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Everyday Protein Smoothie

This is my current go to smoothie – I make this several times a week for either breakfast or lunch and it gives me all the energy I need to make it to the next meal. This is the smoothie that I can throw together when I've got 2 minutes before running out the door and it's delicious. The perfect "fast food!" Optional to add the blueberries – I probably do about half the time and I really enjoy it both ways.

Course Breakfast, Lunch
Keyword protein smoothie
Servings 1 serving
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

  • 1 cup macadamia nut milk I like Milkadamia
  • 1 big handful of fresh spinach
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder I like Truvani brand
  • 2 scoops grass-fed collagen peptides I like Vital Proteins
  • 1 tbsp almond butter
  • 1 tbsp chia seeds
  • ice cubes
  • ¼ cup frozen blueberries optional

Instructions

  1. Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth.

Spring Greens with Radish, Flaked Mackerel and Toasted Walnuts

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“Don’t overlook the oily little fishes” -Michael Pollan, Food Rule #32

Eating FOR Health… it’s been a shift in my meal planning strategy for quite some time now and I wanted to share how I got there. I’m hoping it helps even just one person include more foods in their life that are pro-health. The kinds that make you feel good. The kinds that make you thrive!

Early on in 2020 I picked up the book, The Hormone Cure. It’s been around for awhile but wasn’t on my radar. It was recommended to me by a friend after telling her about my frequent headaches/migraines and silly aches and pains. Seems every conversation with a group of 40 and 50 somethings eventually leads to our list of grievances about getting older… for me it has been frequent headaches, low energy, unexplained joint pain and tendon injuries. In the grand scheme of things, especially in 2020, these were not much to complain about! But, I was determined to figure it out rather than go the route of my doctor who predictably prescribed medicine with a laundry list of side effects. 
I learned many useful tips from that book, but then it lead me to another book, then a podcast, then another book and down the rabbit hole I went… one thing I had was TIME in 2020, and I’m so thankful I did. 

After lots and lots of research, I determined that I need to ADD more to my diet rather than remove. There were some holes, things I could do better to improve my health. Once I spent some time analyzing two things: 1 – what I was eating (I needed more healthy fats and even more high quality protein than I was getting) and 2 – when I ate it (I feel 100x better when I eat later in the morning and earlier in the evening) – a few simple steps and changes made all the difference.

Notable changes included: INCREASING the good stuff – greens, fiber, high quality protein and healthy fat. Or as Kelly LeVeque refers to in her books Body Love and Body Love Everyday, the “Fab Four.” Her books made so much sense to me and were really the first ones that resonated with me regarding meal planning and balancing meals that result in being full for the right reasons – it’s a very pro-health lifestyle and way to plan and I love it. It aligns with things I was mostly already doing, (I’ve been happily planning healthy meals since 2006 so this is saying a lot!) but I found so many new ways to elevate my meals. It just makes so much sense and it really is that simple. Adding foods from these 4 categories to every single meal makes me so satiated that snacking – even the healthy kind, is rarely needed!  It’s really a mindset and knowing what foods make you feel good or not. ADDING pro-health foods rather than eliminating fits into a healthy lifestyle (NOT a diet!) that’s easy to maintain and works for me. Perhaps some of this resonates with you?

You can imagine there have been some minor tweaks to our pantry, fridge and freezer, but again, it was about making sure I had the foods on hand to balance any meal I was preparing. Since I prepare nearly all the food in my house, guess who was also adding these healthy foods on a regular basis?! I have 3 kids – 1 tween and 2 teens – and they have been awesome about the tweaks. (Although recently one of my kids found a tab open on my laptop for “black bean brownies” and said that crossed the line!) Keeping them informed but not deprived is very important to me. I figured if I’m providing meals primarily from the above categories, there’s less room in their tummies for the Doritos. 🙂 


The salad below is an excellent example of what a typical meal for me looks like – greens/carbs (lettuce, radish, bell pepper, herbs), fiber (garbanzo beans, obviously a good source of protein as well), protein (flaked mackerel), and healthy fats (walnuts and kalamata olives + olive oil dressing). I’m not necessarily taking away cheese (dairy), croutons (gluten), or refined sugar and oil salad dressing (ultra processed, refined ingredients), but after a bite of something this satisfying, why would I need to add anything? Plus, if I want some bread with my meal it’s going to be because I walked down to my favorite bakery, Backhaus, and picked up their Heavy Seeded Loaf or Rustic Country Bread. And I’m going to top it with some room temperature, grass-fed, salted Kerrygold butter. Yum. Nobody is being deprived here!

Cheers,

Christina

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Spring Greens with Radish, Flaked Mackerel and Toasted Walnuts

This bright refreshing salad hits all the key elements of a satisfying, healthy meal for me. It's full of crisp spring radishes, toasted walnuts, creamy garbanzo beans and tossed with a tangy lemon vinaigrette – and it's simple to prepare. Avocado and summer tomatoes would be lovely additions. If you haven't tried mackerel, it's a mild fish high in omega-3's; similar in taste to tuna. Be sure to look for wild, Northern Atlantic mackerel that is low in mercury.

Course Salad
Keyword lemon vinaigrette, mackerel, spring greens
Servings 2 servings
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

  • 4-6 cups mixed spring greens I like to chop my leaves so everything fits on my fork
  • 2 4 oz cans wild mackerel, drained and flaked I like Safe Catch brand
  • ½ cup garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
  • ½ cup yellow bell pepper, chopped
  • ½ cup radish, thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup walnuts, toasted
  • ¼ cup kalamata olives, sliced in half
  • 2 tbsp chopped dill

*Lemon Apple Cider Vinaigrette

  • ¾ cup olive oil
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice + zest of 1 lemon
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • ½ tsp honey
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Combine all salad ingredients in a medium bowl. For the dressing, combine ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake well. Toss salad with just enough dressing to coat the leaves. Season your salad with a touch of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper and divide between two plates.

Recipe Notes

*This vinaigrette makes enough for several salads. I highly recommend making the whole recipe and keeping it in your refrigerator for easy salads all week.