I have a few super simple meals to share with you, several of which are gluten and dairy-free, for those who need that option.

Let’s start with an easy breakfast (or snack), that looks like sludge, but tastes great!

“Banana Split” Smoothie (serves 1)

• 8 oz unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• large handful of baby spinach
• 1 serving of Shaklee chocolate protein powder
• 1/2 banana
• about 8 frozen strawberries

Place ingredients in a blender in the order listed, blend and enjoy! I wouldn’t go into this expecting an ice cream shake, but it is still delicious and packed full of nutrients. And for those who haven’t tried spinach in smoothies yet, no you cannot taste the spinach at all! I love this protein powder because it contains non-GMO soy, protein, fiber, 23 vitamins and minerals, and leucine (which is an amino acid that signals your body to retain muscle), and it contains no artificial colors, preservatives, or sweeteners.

Here’s a delicious option for lunch or a quick dinner. I’ve been making variations of this for years (it was on my old blog), and many have seen it on my instagram or facebook feed. I just love this so much and seriously “mmm” my way through it.

Mediterranean Quinoa

• cooked quinoa (if I make a batch ahead of time, I like to warm it up for 30 seconds in the microwave)
• baby spinach leaves, torn into smaller pieces
• kalamata olives
• sliced cucumbers (I love baby cucumbers)
• feta cheese
• pepperoncini peppers
• red bell pepper, diced
• tomato, cut into bite size pieces
• fresh basil
• sea salt and black pepper to taste
• drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil

Feel free to leave out an ingredient you don’t have/like, or add anything you think you’d enjoy, like grilled chicken, other herbs, etc.

Whenever I make this, I always wish I made more when I finish the bowl!

(Even with ugly, out of season tomatoes.)

Here is another super easy meal that you could enjoy for lunch or dinner. This was inspired by one of the guys who works at my Trader Joe’s, but I just bulked it up a little bit.

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup with Pesto Tortellini (serves 6-8)

• 2 boxes of roasted pepper and tomato soup
• 1 (16ox) package of pesto tortellini
• fresh spinach
• fresh basil
• black pepper to taste

In a large sauce pan, heat soup over medium heat with a few handfuls of torn spinach, and sprinkle in black pepper (we like a lot), cover, and allow to simmer & spinach cook down. Follow the directions on your package of tortellini and cook, drain, rinse with cool water, and add to pot of soup. Top with fresh basil.

This is one of those meals where I had no idea what to make that night and was happy I had the tortellini and soup in the pantry, and pretty much always have fresh spinach in the fridge. 

Here’s a gluten-free and dairy-free chicken nugget recipe we enjoyed this week.

Gluten-free and Dairy-free Chicken Nuggets (serves 2-3)

• 1 pound chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 cup almond meal (mine is from Trader Joe’s)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 Tbsp grape seed oil
• 2 eggs

Start by heating 1 Tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat (you will probably need to cook the chicken in two batches). In one bowl, beat the eggs, and in another bowl combine the almond meal and spices. Dredge chicken pieces in eggs and then almond meal mixture, and place pieces spaced apart in the hot pan. Flip over after 3-5 minutes and continue to cook for another 3-5 minutes (I can usually tell my chicken is done by it’s texture-if it seems really “squishy” it’s not cooked. Otherwise you can just cut a piece in half if you’re unsure).

Joe made us a delicious honey mustard dipping sauce to go with which was just equal parts honey, mustard and mayo.

These were served with roasted broccoli (one package of frozen broccoli florets, placed on oil misted baking sheet, sprinkled with creole seasoning, and baked for about 20 minutes at 425 degrees). We also had it with these roasted potatoes (potatoes cut into bite size pieces and tossed with grape seed oil, rosemary, sea salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder and roasted for 20 minutes at 425 degrees.

I wiped down the counter after dealing with raw chicken and eggs with these amazing disinfecting wipes:

They work 34% better than Seventh Generation Disinfecting Wipes and 17% better than Lysol Disinfecting Wipes at soil removal (source: Sterling Laboratories).

Friday night Joe and I attended our first Shaklee regional conference with my sister, that once again reaffirmed that I made a great decision to partner with this company to help create healthier lives.

Saturday we plan on enjoying the day together as a family, running a few errands, and helping with the children’s ministry at our church. Sunday morning will hopefully include a long run, church, and then celebrating my BFF’s birthday! So excited for the sun and warm temps to return this weekend-I still can’t believe it was snowing today, and we were sweating on Monday. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Question: Any fast and healthy recipes you love? Feel free to leave a link in the comments!