Grilled Chicken with Strawberry Jalapeño Salsa

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One of the best things about summer is the abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables. And at this time of year, we all have our pick. What makes all that produce even more special though, is that much of it, at this time of year, can be grown locally.

Sometimes the sheer amount of choices we have inspires us to buy more than we can eat, and we end up wasting perfectly delicious goods because our eyes were bigger than our stomachs. No more!

This week's recipe is perfect combination of sweet, spicy and tangy that just screams summer. Even better, it's a snap to prepare and cook and dishes up a hearty dose of vitamins from the fresh fruits and vegetables, and a protein kick from the grilled chicken. This definitely needs to go on your go-to recipes for summer.

Grilled Chicken with Strawberry & Jalapeño Salsa

Gather:
2 limes, zested and juiced
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
4 thinly sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts, or you can just pound regular breasts thin.
Sea Salt
 Black Pepper


For the Strawberry-Jalapeño Salsa:
2 cups diced strawberries
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped1½ tbsps finely chopped cilantro (or more to taste)
½ lime, juiced
Sea Salt

Method:

1. In a baking dish, mix the lime zest, lime juice, olive oil, and cilantro with a pinch of salt. Set aside.
2. Set each chicken breast between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Use a rolling pin or tenderizer (or a wine bottle works too), to pound the chicken until about half and inch thick.
3. Place the chicken breasts into the baking dish, and coat with the marinade you prepared earlier. Put into refrigerator to sit at least 25 minutes.
4. While chicken is marinating, place all salsa ingredients into a medium size bowl. Toss the ingredients with a fork, gently, being careful with the fruit, and season with salt to taste. Cover and stick in refrigerator.
5. Heat a grill or grilling pan to medium high and lightly oil. Remove chicken from fridge and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
6. When the grill/grill pan is hot, add the chicken and cook for about 3½ minutes per side until grill marks appear and chicken is just cooked through, making sure there is no pink. 
7. Remove chicken and top with salsa. 

Frozen Fruit Pops

Is it hot enough for you yet? Down here in Houston, it's insanely uncomfortable with the humidity + heat + abundant sunshine. The question is, how to cool down?

Water can be boring, and energy drinks are too sugary...and to be honest, neither of these options are quite cool enough. Ice cream is fattening and popsicles have the same problem as energy drinks...sugar. 

So, how about making your own? Don't worry if you don't have a popsicle mold, because you don't need one. Plastic cups work just as well. The beautiful part is that all you need is a little almond milk or natural (unsweetened) juice, and your choice of fruit. Combine together, freeze with a stick (even a skewer would work) and voíla, delicious frozen pops that cool you down and taste amazing. 

Frozen Fruit Pops

Again, this recipe can be made with whatever fruit you like, but here we give you an idea to start with!

1/3 cup diced kiwi

1/3 cup diced strawberries

1/3 cup diced mangoes

1/3 cup diced pineapples

1/4 cup fresh pineapple or orange juice (or coconut milk if preferring a slightly creamy pop.)

5 oz plastic cups or popsicle molds

Method:

In a bowl, combine all diced fruit. 

Separate mixed fruit into 4 cups. 

Add 1 tbsp of juice and place craft sticks into each cup, they will easily stay put, owing to the amount of fruit.

Place in freezer for a few hours until firm.

To release from cup, run under warm water for a few seconds. 

Enjoy, and stay cool + fit! 

recipe adapted from Skinnytaste.com

Lemon Basil Grilled Shrimp Skewers

When we are having people over, we always like to have a little something for them to snack on while they enjoy their summer drinks, or waiting on the main meal.

But, we don't like to serve up fatty cheese and crackers, or the old staple chips and salsa. It's been done. It's tired. So we do a step better, with fun, delicious, grilled shrimp skewers. And trust us, it's always the first appetizer to go. (People grabbing two or three skewers at a time...)

But this easy, prepare-ahead recipe is great for warm weather and the flavors have just the right amount of savory citrus, and enough satiating protein from the shrimp to keep our appetites in check. 

Lemon Basil Shrimp Skewers

Ingredients:

1 pound of shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon of dijon mustard
2 lemons, juiced
1/4 cup of olive oil
2 teaspoons of sea salt
1 teaspoon of cracked pepper
wooden skewers

Method:
1. In a bowl, combine garlic, basil, parsley, dijon, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Combine well with a fork.  Add shrimp and toss.  If time allows, let the shrimp marinate for 1 hour or over night.

2. Soak wooden skewers in water for 1 hour.  Skewer shrimp onto the sticks.  Grill for 1 minute on each side until pink.  Serve warm, at room temperature, or refrigerate and serve cold.

Honey Grilled Watermelon

Need some in-season, tasty treats for the hot weather? At Norton, we loved grilled...well, pretty much everything. But we especially love grilled fruit for the way the heat locks in, and amps up the natural sweetness. And since it's summer and the grill is on anyway...might as well throw some fruit on and keep dessert healthy.

This week's recipe is perfect, and perfectly in season. Add this to a family dinner, or for your backyard grilling party. But it's so tasty, you will probably want to make it every chance you get.

Honey Grilled Watermelon

Ingredients:
2 large, round watermelon slices, each cut into 4 triangles.
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbsp honey
Optional (balsamic glaze for drizzling)

Method:
Preheat grill to medium heat
Brush both sides of watermelon triangles with olive oil and dust with salt and pepper. Add a drizzle of honey
Place on grill and cook for about two minutes each side
Remove from grill and drizzle a little more honey and balsamic glaze if desired
Serve immediately.

And there you are! A delicious, easy dessert that is also healthy. Enjoy!

Diet Roadblocks

We're more than halfway through the year, and training has either become part of your daily routine, or you are still struggling to find your motivation. Either way, we are all encountering the same roadblocks in our diet.

With summer and all of its get togethers, barbecues, picnics and days at the pool, it is easy to stray from a healthy eating plan.... and then never really get back onto it until the damage is done. On this week's blog, we give you the top 3 obstacles to diet success over the summer, AND how to avoid these challenges. 

1. I'm SO hungry

Having a jam-packed social calendar can mess up your choices for eating healthfully. Never allow yourself to get "starving" hungry, as once you start eating, it can be more difficult to stop. Always have some fruit, vegetables, or raw almonds/cashews/walnuts on hand to dull the hunger pangs until your next meal. Allowing yourself to get "too hungry" only spells trouble at your next meal.

2. It's a special occasion!

It's always a special occasion. In our society we are taught to "celebrate everything." There is always a reason to eat something, drink something, to indulge in foods we normally wouldn't. But, it's only an indulgence if it isn't part of our normal eating habits. No good will come of "saving up" your calories to splurge on cake or pizza either, just have a small piece of either if you're at a party, and eat according to your regular diet/calorie intake the majority of the time.

3. Keeping off lost weight

You lost all that weight, you earned a better bathing suit body/more confidence/greater health...whatever your goal was. But when your training slacks off, expect to gain back some of the weight. If you stop working as hard, your body will react accordingly. 

It's summer, and you should have a great time in a beautiful season, but be prepared and remember that it's a season, not a 3 month no-holds-barred birthday party. Think: moderation, mindfulness and motivation. Don't let yourself get lulled into an unhealthy summer! If you need meal plan suggestions or workouts, call us or check out some of our other posts.