Day 8 of 20 (4/20 Foods) – Apple and Cheddar with Honey

April 8, 2017 ~ Marlee And Christie ~ 2 Comments

Trader Joe’s Special! This snack is something we encountered at Trader Joe’s while our friend Kathy* was demoing it. We were standing there catching up with Kathy for like 20 minutes and in that time Christie had several samples. Sweet, salty, and floral = freaking delicious. Also, you feel a little healthier eating this because it’s just a honeycrisp apple, sharp cheddar and honey.

There really isn’t much instruction wise. Just cut your apples and cheese, lay said cheese on said apples and drizzle with honey. BAM. How bout them apples?

Kick Ass Turkey Chili

March 30, 2016 ~ Marlee And Christie ~ 2 Comments

It’s hump day! And what better way to celebrate than with a healthy and quick meal to get you over the Wednesday Blues. This meal is super simple, and super delicious. It’s also packed full of flavor, protein, and all the good stuff to keep you full and satiated. And Chili is always better the next day, so this is the perfect meal that can be stretched over a few days!

It may seem like a lot of work, especially given the amount of ingredients, but most of the prep and work comes from chopping. So don’t be scared! And if you’re really that lazy, you can always buy most of the ingredients already chopped! But for us, personally, chopping is very therapeutic.

Kick Ass Turkey Chili

Ingredients

2 pounds Ground Turkey
1 medium Onion (Chopped)
1 jalapeño (chopped and deseed)
1 yellow bell pepper (chopped)
1 red bell pepper (chopped)
½ cup green onions
1 28oz cans diced tomatoes
2 10oz cans Rotell tomatoes
1 4oz can green chilies
1 package of Chili Seasoning
1 tablespoon chili power
1 teaspoon sriracha seasoning (or Cayenne)
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 can kidney beans
1 can white beans
3 cups frozen corn
olive oil
1 bottle of beer
Worchestire

Step 1:

In a large Dutch oven or cast iron pot, heat two tablespoon of olive oil. When the oil is good and hot, throw in your diced onion and cook for two minutes.

Step 2:

If needed, add another tablespoon of olive oil and add your turkey. Season liberally with kosher salt and pepper.

This is the only time to season the meat, don’t be afraid. Especially with turkey. We like to add a little of sprinkle of cinnamon to the meat while it browns. It adds a real nice depth of flavor.

Step 3:

Next, add the beer and a couple splashes of worchestire and allow the meat to cook in the beer. Cook until the majority of the liquid has cooked off.

Step 4:

Add the bell peppers, jalapenos, and green onions. Mix and cook for a minute.

Step 5:

Add the tomatoes, green chilies, beans and assorted seasonings. Stir and bring to a boil. Then lower and cook for at least two hours.

Step 6:

Add the frozen corn and allow to warm for 3 to 5 minutes.

Step 6:

At this point, taste and adjust the seasoning by adding salt and pepper. Serve with freshly chopped onions, sour cream, and cheese. Enjoy!

* Technically, it can be served once the meat is cooked, but we highly recommend letting it cook and all the flavors meld together. Trust us.

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Chicken Lettuce Boats

March 11, 2016 ~ Marlee And Christie ~ 2 Comments

It’s our one year anniversary! A year ago today we posted our very first recipe! How crazy is that?

Today we are sharing one of our favorite healthy and tasty recipes, Lettuce Boats! If you really hate lettuce, you can always substitute the lettuce for tortillas or whatever, but at least try this healthy alternative! As we like to say they are bomb diggity. Healthy, filling, and delicious! Packed full of protein, texture, crunch and they’re totally guilt free.

Celebrate our one year anniversary with us by eating well and making these mouth watering lettuce boats!

Lettuce Boats

1 pound ground Turkey or Chicken
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large carrot or 10 baby carrots
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons soy sauce (a few splashes for meat seasoning)
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons sriracha sauce
3-4 green onions, chopped
1/2 lb of mushrooms
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
Salt & Pepper
Lettuce (either romaine for boats or butter lettuce for cups)

Sauce

1/4 cup of hoisin
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons mustard

Step 1:

Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Start browning the ground meat and add a few dashes of soy sauce for seasoning.

Step 2:

Once the meat is half way, add the garlic, chopped onions, and carrots. Incorporated it well.

Step 3:

Grate ginger into the pan, also add: soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, and sriracha.

Step 4:

In a small saucepan, heat some more oil to sauté the mushrooms and green onions. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 5:

After you sauté the mushrooms and green onions, add them to the pan with the meat and give everything a good mix. Taste and adjust any seasonings from here.

Step 6:

Sauce: soy sauce, hoisin, sesame oil, and a mustard of your liking. We chose Coleman’s English mustard because its one of our favorites, but you can also choose dijon, spicy or even just regular yellow mustard.

Step 7:

Serve with lettuce as a vehicle for the meat to your mouth!

Adapted from Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen.

Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry

November 9, 2015November 9, 2015 ~ Marlee And Christie ~ 1 Comment

Happy Monday! You know what the best way to start your Monday off is? With our Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry Bowl. This is the perfect meal after a weekend of fun, and questionable food choices. This bowl is packed full of flavors and will keep you going for hours!

Sriracha, agave, and soy give this bowl an extra punch of flavor that really makes in unique and special. Give this tasty bowl a try and let us know what you think here or using the hashtag #twoyoungladies

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons Agave
2 Tablespoons Sriracha
1 Teaspoon Crushed Red Peppers
2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil,
1 Bunch Asparagus (Trimmed and Cut to bite sized pieces)
4 Teaspoons Garlic (Finely chopped)
1 Teaspoon Toasted Sesame Oil

How beautiful is this asparagus? We love asparagus!

Step 1:

In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, agave, sriracha, and red pepper flakes.

Step 2:

Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces, and place in a large bowl or ziplock bag.

Step 3:

Cover the chicken with about half of the soy mixture. Reserve the rest. Cover the chicken and sit in the fridge for at least thirty minutes (the longer the better) for the flavors to meld.

Step 4:

Twenty minutes before you plan on cooking dinner, remove the chicken from the fridge.

Step 5:

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over a medium high heat. Saute the asparagus and saute until just under done, you don’t want to over cook them. Remove the asparagus from pan. About two to three minutes.

Step 6:

Add the remaining oil, and cook the chicken pieces until almost cooked completely through, which is about five minutes.

Step 7:

Add the chopped garlic, and saute for about 60 seconds. Add the asparagus back into the pan, and the reserved marinade. Cook for another two minutes and just before you take it off the heat, add the 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil.

Serve immediately over rice and top with toasted sesame seeds.

Coconut-Curry Corn Chowder

September 15, 2015 ~ Marlee And Christie ~ Leave a comment

It’s raining in LA!

For one day, and one day only we have what feels like real fall weather (or at least to LA standards) and we are going to use that to our advantage and post this delicious and warm chowder recipe.

Today’s recipe is perfect for any rainy or fall day. You can make this chowder, curl up with a good book (or movie) and enjoy the warm comforts that a hearty chowder can bring you.

What’s great about this chowder? It’s all made in one pot and you don’t even have to really think about it. You throw everything into the crockpot and let her go and 4 hours later BAM! It’s magic!

Coconut-Curry Corn Chowder

Ingredients

3 bags of frozen corn
2 cups of yukon potatoes, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
1 large chipotle pepper, minced
Juice from 1 lime
14 oz. can of fire roasted tomatoes
4 cups of chicken or veggie stock
salt & pepper
1 tablespoon
1 can of coconut milk
diced avocado (garnish on top)

Step 1:

Add 2 bags of corn, potatoes, red pepper, onion, chipotle pepper, lime juice, fire roasted tomatoes, stock, and salt & pepper to a crock pot. Mix. Cook on HIGH for 4 hours.

Step 2:

While the crock pot pool party gets started, we’ll make the coconut corn cream to thicken the chowder. In a saucepan, place the coconut milk and remaining bag of corn and curry. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Let it simmer for 20 minutes.

Step 3:

Let coconut corn cream cool a little before blending in smaller batches, probably 2-3 batches. Pour into crock pot and let the chowder party commence!

Adapted from Joyful Healthy Eats!

Christie’s Chicken Salad

August 11, 2015 ~ Marlee And Christie ~ Leave a comment

Today’s recipe is a simple and classic. We’ve already shown you how to make traditional Chicken Salad, but today’s version is Christie’s take.

What makes this recipe special is it’s made with a combination of mayo, for the flavor we always look for in chicken salads, but also it’s made with greek yogurt, to cut out some of the calories of mayo and adding a tanginess. This is what happens when you have leftover shredded chicken and random fridge ingredients!

Christie’s Chicken Salad

Ingredients

2-3 cups shredded chicken breast
1/2 cup of celery (fine dice)
1/4 cup of onion (fine dice)
3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
Turmeric
Mustard powder
Cayenne pepper
Salt
Pepper
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
1/2 cup of plain greek yogurt

Step 1:

Finely dice the onions and place into a small bowl. Add the apple cider vinegar with a tablespoon of water into the bowl of onions. This will mellow out the ‘bite’ of the onions without compromising the crunch and give an added sweetness. so good!

Step 2:

Finely dice the celery and add to bowl of shredded chicken.

Step 3:

In another small bowl, add mayo, greek yogurt, turmeric, mustard powder, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. You can also add a splash of the apple cider vinegar onion liquid, but don’t add the onions yet. Combine everything and give it a taste, adjust accordingly.

Step 4:

Drain the onions and add them to the chicken bowl, mix the chicken, celery and onions together until incorporated. Add half of the mayo mixture to the chicken and mix, add more mayo mixture if needed or wanted. 🙂

Watermelon Basil Salad

July 24, 2015July 24, 2015 ~ Marlee And Christie ~ 2 Comments

Happy Friday!

Today’s recipe is the definition of clean eating. Watermelon and basil. Yup, that’s it. I mean you don’t even need a recipe, but we’re going to give you one anyway. This combination is so simple and easy, and incredibly healthy and refreshing. What more do we need to say?! Try it!

Watermelon Basil Salad

Ingredient

1 Watermelon (cut into pieces)
15 -20 Basil Leaves (chopped into ribbons)
Fresh Cracked Pepper

Step 1:

In a bowl, gently mix together water melon and basil.

Step 2:

Sprinkle with fresh cracked pepper and combine.

Step 3:

Enjoy.

Turkey Bacon Arugula Roll Up

July 21, 2015 ~ Marlee And Christie ~ Leave a comment

A couple of months ago we gave you our Bacon Arugula Avocado Sandwich on Sourdough, but we wanted to give you a healthier version of one of our favorites.

For this recipe, we replaced the thick cut bacon with turkey bacon, and switched out the sourdough for a whole wheat tortilla or pita. This is a really simple lunch and super healthy and satisfying.

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Bacon Arugula Roll Up

Ingredients

3 Pieces Turkey Bacon
Handful Arugula
Avocado (Half)
Kosher Salt
Pepper
Sriracha Mayo
1 Whole Wheat Tortilla or Pita

Step 1:

Cook your turkey bacon to your liking (microwave or stovetop) and set aside.

Pro tip: Turkey bacon tastes WAAAAY better if you cook it in a skillet. Trust us.

Step 2:

In a small bowl mix together your arugula and Sriracha.

Step 3:

Place the avocado on the tortilla and lightly mash it up and spread around the tortilla. Sprinkle the avocado with kosher salt and a little pepper.

Step 4:

On top of the avocado add the arugula and then lay the bacon on top. Roll up and enjoy!

Healthy Strawberry and Banana Ice Cream

July 19, 2015July 19, 2015 ~ Marlee And Christie ~ Leave a comment

It’s National Ice Cream Day! And here at Two Young Ladies, we LOVE ice cream. We love making it, and we of course, love eating it. We had so many different ice cream recipes to post, but we thought we would mix it up, and post a healthy version of a classic.

What? Healthy ice cream? No your eyes did not deceive you, and the best part is, you don’t need an ice cream maker! Yes, this ice cream churn free. All you need is a food processor.

If you can’t have heavy cream, you can use coconut milk or your favorite non dairy substitute.

Healthy Strawberry and Banana Ice Cream

Ingredients

1 Cup Strawberries (Sliced)
2 Banans (Sliced)
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
Zest of 1 Lemon
1 Tablespoon Turbinado Sugar
4 Tablespoons Heavy Cream

Step 1:

THE NIGHT BEFORE you want to make this, slice your strawberries and bananas and put them in the freezer to freeze.

Step 2:

When you’re ready to make your ice cream, put the bananas and strawberries in a food processor. Pulse until the bananas and strawberries have broken up.

Step 3:

Next, add the zest, extract, and sugar. Pulse until combined.

Step 4:

With the food processor running, slowly add the heavy cream. Pulse until smooth. Transfer to a freezer safe container and enjoy!

Mini Apple Pie Crumbles

July 17, 2015July 17, 2015 ~ Marlee And Christie ~ Leave a comment

How cute are these mini apple pie crumbles? They are the perfect way to kick off your weekend and are almost guilt free. They are adapted from a weight watcher recipe and are totally delicious.

If you’re really serious about cutting out sweets and sugar, you can totally leave off the crumble part of this recipe, but just know, you’re apples will be very sad and cold without their warm crumble blanket.

You can also leave out the flour, but this recipe can get very soupy without something to help thicken and soak up that water. So you can either use flour, corn starch or quick cook tapioca.

Ingredients:

Filling:

4 Small Gala Apples (Medium Dice)
3 Teaspoons Sugar
1 Teaspoons Cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon Nutmeg
1/4 Teaspoon Cloves
1/2 Tablespoon A.P Flour

Topping:

1/2 Cup Quick Cooking Oats
1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Cup Butter (Softened)

For the Topping:

In a small or medium bowl, using a fork combine the oats, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and butter until it comes together. Stick in the fridge until you’re ready to use.