VIDEO: Ultimate Greek Salad with Seasoned Shrimp & Crumbled Feta

In the summer, I love having giant salads for dinner. I also like changing up the recipes, so I don’t get bored. I’ll usually eat one combo until I’ve had enough! Sometimes they are super fruity, and sometimes they’re on the savory side.

One of my favorite salads to make is a Greek salad. They are so tasty with seasoned shrimp, and I love how quick and easy shrimp is to make. I think this weekend; I’ll make these Greek salads for my parents with a side of Greek fries inspired by one of my favorite local restaurants. 

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Ultimate Greek Salad with Seasoned Shrimp & Crumbled Feta

Course Lunch, Dinner

Cuisine Greek

Keyword Greek Salad, Shrimp, Feta, Salad, Healthy Dinner, Pitas, Onion, Avocado, Tomatoes, Toasted Pecans

Servings 1 Salad

Author Taralynn McNitt

Ingredients

• 4-5 Cups Fresh Romaine Lettuce
• 2-3 Tbsps Greek Dressing Farmer Boy Brand
• 1 Medium Roma Tomato
• 2 Petite Cucumbers
• 1/4 Cup Chopped Red Bell Peppers
• 2 Tbsps Chopped Red onion
• 1/4 Cup Toasted Unsalted Pecans
• 1/4 Cup Crumbled Feta
• 1/2 Small Avocado
• 1 Whole Grain Pita I used the Joseph's pita bread with oat, flax & whole grain.
• 1 Cup Cooked Seasoned Shrimp Cooked the shrimp in a few tablespoons of the Greek dressing, dill and avocado oil.

Instructions

• Add a drizzle of avocado oil into a pan on high heat. Add in fresh shrimp, one tablespoon of Greek dressing, black pepper, and a splash of dill weed. Cook until the shrimp is pink and firm. Set aside.
• In a bowl, toss the lettuce with the Greek dressing.
• Top the lettuce with Roma tomato, cucumber, red bell pepper, red onion, toasted pecans, avocado slices, feta, pita bread, and seasoned shrimp!
• Toss & enjoy!

I hope you all enjoy this salad as much as we do!

Questions for you!

1. Would you like me to start making individual recipe posts for some of the recipes in my recaps?
2. What is your favorite combo during the summer?
3. What kind of protein do you like to add to your salads?

Cook up the shrimp, prepare the creamy garlic sauce, cook up vegetables, and toss it together!
I highly recommend adding a ton of arugula or spinach! It cooks down, and it adds an extra texture and nutrients to the dish.

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Creamy Garlic Pasta with Citrus Shrimp, Tomatoes & Arugula

Delicious dinner recipe that can be made in30-minutes.

Course Main Course

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 Servings

Author Taralynn McNitt

Ingredients

• 1 Lb Jumbo Shrimp peeled and deveined
• 4 Tbsps Citrus Vinaigrette (linked in blog post)
• 5 Cups Arugula
• 1 Cup Grape Tomatoes
• 1 Package Spaghetti I used chickpea pasta
• 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
• 3 Tbsps Butter
• 1 Tsp Dillweed
• 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 Tsp Onion Powder
• 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper
• 1/4 Tsp Sea Salt
• 3 Garlic Cloves diced
• 1/4 Cup Shredded Parmesan

Instructions

• Cook pasta according to the box.
• Add the shrimp and vinaigrette to a pan on medium-high heat. Cook each side for five minutes.
• Without washing the pan, cook the tomatoes until wilted.
• Set shrimp aside. In a pan on medium-high heat, add the garlic, butter, heavy cream, garlic powder, onion powder, dill weed, sea salt, and black pepper. Cook until the butter is melted and the sauce starts to bubble.
• Turn off the heat, and mix in the pasta, parmesan, and arugula.
• Plate the pasta, and top with shrimp and tomatoes!

And it’s important to make extra because we all went back for seconds…and maybe thirds

Questions for you!

1. What foods do you crave during the warmer months?
2. What is your favorite type of pasta?
3. White sauce or red sauce?

It’s hard to believe that tomorrow is officially August. Something else that’s hard to believe is that I kind of wish summer would slow down a bit. I’m usually the first one to scream “can it be fall already?” but this is the first time in a long time that I’m truly loving summertime. Even though the weather is hot, summer is been good around here. I love my early morning walks, my afternoon swims, all of the flowers, and sitting out on the patio with my coffee and book. I’m not ready for the cooler weather just yet. 

These past few weeks, we’ve been enjoying our dinners outside on the patio. Last night, we made the most delicious summer salad with grilled shrimp and washed it down with fluffy pink cupcakes. I hope our dinner gives you an idea for one of your weekend meals. I’ve been trying to share more “what’s for dinner” style posts on the blog to help switch up the menu. I always get inspiration from others. I kept seeing, Natasha, our boot camp instructor, post her shrimp salads, and that’s what inspired this dinner night!

Everything about dinner was delicious. 

First, I wrapped the shrimp in tin foil, added a lemon vinaigrette dressing, salt, pepper, and threw it on the grill to cook for ten minutes. I wanted to cook the shrimp first so it would cool by the time dinner was ready. I’m not a big fan of adding hot proteins to a salad.
After I took the grilled shrimp off, I added the sweet corn. I seasoned it with avocado oil, black pepper, and onion salt from Trader Joes. I let the corn cook for about 6 minutes on each side (corn has four sides, right? )

The salad had multi-colored romaine, diced mango, raspberries, cherry plums, cucumbers, avocado, red onion, and goat cheese. We used the lemon vinaigrette dressing (same one as the shrimp) for the top.

Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing

• 1 cup avocado oil
• juice of 2 lemons
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp dried chives
• 1 tsp garlic (or onion salt)
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
  

If you’ve never had a cherry plum, you need to head to the grocery store and find them. I raved about them late last summer, and I’ll be eating them for the next few weeks since they’re in season right now. They are the sweetest little fruits ever!
And of course, the highlight of the meal was the fluffy gluten-free cupcakes with strawberry frosting. 

I used the Simple Mills vanilla cupcake mix and added the Simple Mills vanilla frosting mixed with strawberries and lemon for the top. I sprinkled a dash of powdered sugar on top for a little bit of extraness. 

The cupcakes were so good. I can’t wait to have the leftover salad and cupcake for lunch today. 
You all will have to let me know if you like these “what’s for dinner?” posts! If you missed the last one, we had amazing Caesar salads with glazed angel food cake.
While I’m here, I thought I’d also throw in something I’ve been loving lately. A few days ago, I finished the book I was reading, The Dilemma. It’s by one of my favorite Authors, B.A. Paris. Kyle and I have been doing this new thing for the past few weeks where we turn the T.V. off downstairs and head up to read an hour before bed around 8:30. We don’t have a t.v. in the bedroom anymore, which has really helped me get more sleep, and we’ve replaced that time with reading. I think it’s truly helped with stress and better sleeping habits. Anyways, my point, I started reading Where The Crawdads Sing, and WOW. It’s such a beautiful book and I’m so deep into the story right now. I have a feeling I’ll finish this book before the weekend is up. It’s not my normal genre of books, but I think I’ll start reading outside of my go-to for a while because this book is so wonderful. If you haven’t read it yet, please do! And if you have any more book suggestions, feel free to drop them below!

I hope you all enjoyed this blog and I can’t wait to catch up with you! xo 

Questions for you! 

1. Book recommendations?
2. What would you like to see on my “what’s for dinner?” menu next!?
3. Any weekend plans/projects you have?

I have been cooking everything in it lately, and my oven has been feeling a bit neglected. About three weeks ago, I cut out all processed foods and added sugar from my diet, and I’ve been using my air fryer every night to make healthy and wholesome dinners. It’s made this new food journey a slice of cake, well not literally.

I get asked daily on Instagram for air fryer recipes, so I decided I’d document today’s lunch and share a little tutorial for those of you interested. I know I’m getting ahead here, but this weekend, I’ll be blogging air-fried almond flour chicken fingers (yum!)
The best part about this meal is that it takes about fifteen minutes to make, it’s easy cleanup, and I don’t have to worry about any leftovers. I purchased a pound of salmon from Trader Joe’s and cut them into individual portions for my meals. I’m usually team leftovers, but not when it comes to salmon.

Cooking vegetables in the air fryer is incredible as well. The oven takes about an hour for them to roast, but the air fryer is within minutes. In the summer, there’s nothing worse than a giant oven heating your entire house, and I love that the air fryer doesn’t heat things up. 
In the air fryer tray, I spray it with avocado oil to prevent anything from sticking. The tray itself is super non-stick, but the olive oil also adds an extra crisp to the food. The oil is optional, though. That’s the beauty of the air fryer,

I seasoned the salmon and brussels sprouts with onion salt and everything but the bagel seasoning from Trader Joe’s. I cooked them at 375 for about 10 minutes. I always cook my salmon until it reaches 145-degrees. You never want to overcook salmon! 
While the salmon and brussels sprouts are cooking, I massaged the kale with Habanero Ranch dressing from Tessemae’s. This is the only non-dairy ranch that I have fallen in love with. I’ve been eating it on my chicken, vegetables, salads, and chopped veggies every day! It adds the perfect flavor and a small kick of spice to all of my food.

I love when the kale has time to sit and marinate in the dressing, so if you want to do this step first to give it more time, that’s what I usually do!
I’ve loved this little avocado & cucumber combo lately!

I chop up half of an avocado, two tbsps of red onion, one mini cucumber, and mix it with onion salt.

oh…perfection!! 
I topped the kale with the salmon, brussels sprouts, cucumber & avocado salad, and baby tomatoes.  I usually add an extra drizzle of the Tessemae’s dressing over the brussels sprouts to add more flavor.

This has been my go-to for lunch for the past few weeks, and I plan to keep on havin’ it!  
Questions for you!

1. Do you have an air fryer?
2. What is your go-to lunch?
3. Any request for air fryer recipes?

It’s going to be 65-degrees today, so after I close the laptop, I’m heading out on a long walk, and I may break out the bike! Before Kyle headed out the door for work this morning, we talked about picking up salmon and grilling out on the patio after the gym. That reminded me that I had forgotten about sharing my grilled salmon recipe from last summer! I went back into my albums, found the photos, and decided to get it up for you just in case you’re looking to grill this afternoon as well. We have flavored our shrimp, tofu, and chicken the same way, so if you’re not a salmon lover, you can replace it with your choice of protein.
When it’s warmer out, I crave anything with citrus flavors, especially on the grill.

This salmon recipe is absolutely to die for. The salmon had so much flavor, and it just fell apart so perfectly. The only regret was not making more! It’s easy to make, and I bet you already have most of the ingredients in your house. It’s also easy to customize! If you don’t have an orange, replace with a lime, lemon, or even grapefruit. No avocado oil? Any oil with work! No honey? Try agave or maple syrup.

For the shishito peppers, I pre-boiled them for about ten minutes, and then finished them on the grill with a little avocado oil, sea salt, and pepper! If you haven’t had shishito peppers yet, you’re in for a real treat! 
This post has me excited for tonight’s dinner!

Questions for you!

1. What fruit do you crave in the summer?
2. Have you ever had shishito peppers? (you can usually find them at Whole Foods & sometimes Trader Joe’s!)

Can you believe Christmas was over two weeks ago? It’s going to be spring before we know it (thank goodness.) This week was miserably cold. I’m so used to being outside walking the dogs, walking the trails, or just going out and about. All I wanted to do this week was stay inside, drink tea, blog, watch movies, and read books. Maybe the cold was a blessing in disguise. I suppose drinking tea and reading all weekend wasn’t that bad. This week coming up, you won’t hear me complaining about the weather (other than the rain) because it’s going to be in the high fifties

My recap today is going to be much shorter than most. I’ll be sharing some of my eats from the week, and a couple of random photos here and there.
On Wednesday morning, I woke up super early to walk the dogs, have some toast, and drink a ton of water before going back to the doctor to do bloodwork. Luckily this time was more successful. I have another doctors appointment tomorrow, so hopefully, I won’t have to do more bloodwork. I have nightmares about this stuff. I should be getting my test results back any day now.

For a late lunch/brunch on Wednesday, I made a delicious meal with leftover spaghetti squash and roasted vegetables. I topped the roasted spaghetti squash and vegetables with two eggs over medium. I found pre-cut butternut squash crinkle fries at Whole Foods, too! Cutting butternut squash is a pain in the butt, so these were super convenient. To cook them, I tossed them in a little avocado oil and baked them on a sheet pan for ten minutes at 425 degrees. They were super crispy. I didn’t use much seasoning with my meal other than chili flakes and black pepper. When you have a runny yolk, you don’t need seasoning  
My dinner was so good.

I had so much spaghetti squash leftover that I planned on eating it all week long. I also had another squash sitting on the counter to cook up after this batch was finished. I refrained from buying another at the store yesterday. Not sure I can eat anymore! I love to use large containers for salads because it’s better for mixing. Have you ever tried to combine salad ingredients in a small bowl? It’s nearly impossible. Lettuce overboard!

My salad consisted of baby arugula salad, guacamole, Whole Food’s chicken salad, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, roasted vegetables, and spaghetti squash. I didn’t use dressing because the guacamole and chicken salad made up for it. I had a La Croix with my salad, a little Sun Cup for dessert, and lemon ginger tea before bed. Now that I’m on one cup of coffee a day, I’ve been drinking a lot of decaf lemon ginger tea. I’m thinking about writing a separate post with how I feel after cutting my coffee intake and replacing it with lemon tea. My moods and complexion have changed drastically. Let me know if that’s a post you’d be interested in. I never believed in the power of a lemon until now. 
Thursday was brutally cold. I had to sit in front of the fireplace for twenty minutes after walking the dogs to warm up. When you’re cold, oatmeal and coffee are perfect cures. I brewed a cup of coffee, warmed up some oats, and topped them with sauteed blueberries. Some people hate warm blueberries, but I love when they are squishy and pop in your mouth. They’re delicious! That is why blueberry muffins are one of my favorite foods.

Later in the afternoon, I headed to a power hour yoga class at the gym. Luckily, it was a hot yoga hour, and the heat felt so good. 
For lunch, I had roasted butternut squash crinkle fries and scrambled eggs mixed with spaghetti squash and roasted vegetables. Luckily, it was the last of the leftovers. I could eat something different for dinner. 
Nothing better than sleeping puppies. Leo fell asleep on my shoulder while I was working, and he stayed like that for about an hour. The rule is that you can’t move if your dog is asleep on you. My cup was filled with Stash mango passion tea and the juice of one lemon. I bought a Stash tea fruity herbal flavor assortment, and I’ve loved every flavor so far. It was inexpensive, too. I don’t know what has gotten into me, but I’ve never enjoyed tea this much. 
What is better (or easier) than a three ingredient dinner? I cooked up ground turkey, broccoli, and teriyaki sauce for dinner on Thursday night. I ended the night with So Delicious no sugar added coconut milk vanilla ice cream with a scoop of honey roasted peanut butter on top. 
I was up at 5:30 on Friday morning and ready to start my day. It was 7 degrees when I walked the dogs outside. It took me a while to get the feeling back in my legs. I do not do well with cold temperatures. My body is so sensitive to it. I’m currently in a house with my heat cranked to 70, and my hands are still cold.
On Friday morning, I chopped up some fresh fruit for the fridge. Eating fresh fruit throughout the day always prevents my crazy sweet tooth at night. 
I wanted to come up with some fun recipes to share this week, so I made matcha maqui pancakes and chocolate matcha muffins. I’m excited to share those recipes with you this week! They turned out delicious. I like to make stacks of pancakes and keep them in containers in the fridge. Whenever I want one, I just throw it into the toaster to heat it up. Adding the matcha and maqui to the pancakes turned them green and blue! This could be a fun way to get kids to eat their pancakes, or a festive Earth Day breakfast. 
Leo always sits by the table when I take recipe photos. He’s a character! 
After taking recipe pictures, I made myself a little cozy nook at the kitchen table and got some work done. 
I didn’t feel like heading to the gym, so I wrote up a workout to do in the living room. I had a lot of messages about my workouts, and I was surprised at how many of you guys loved them! I will start sharing more on my Insta stories. This was a great workout to do in the living room! 
I had so much fun doing a mini little workout challenge on my Instagram story. I had so many of you participate! I’m still getting the emojis sent in. It’s a lot of fun If you missed it, head over to my profile and click the “fitness” category. I’ll be saving them all there! I’ve also had a lot of request for a new fitness challenge. I think a three-week challenge could be fun! I’d like to keep it simple with workouts that you can do in your home. 
For my post-workout/lunch, I had one of my favorite combos. I’ve been mixing my So Delicious unsweetened plain coconut milk yogurt with Orgain protein powder. It tastes like vanilla pudding/cake batter. It’s dairy free, gluten free, soy free, and vegan. I top it with pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, shredded coconut, and banana slices. It’s like a creamy dessert for lunch. When I shared this recipe on Instagram, I had a lot of questions about the protein powder. This is the protein powder I have been using for about a year. It’s the best organic plant-based protein powder ever! It’s not chalky, and very affordable compared to its competitors. 
I shared a little fun recipe tutorial on Friday night. I was feeling the cabin fever and started having way too much fun. When it comes to videos, I’ll admit it. I’m extremely awkward. Some people do Insta stories, and it’s so natural, and I’m like a deer in headlights. Hello, trainwreck! I’m trying to get better. Luckily, I had some great feedback, and you guys requested more, so I’m going to try!

I needed to use up the ground turkey and ground chicken in the refrigerator, so I decided to make meatballs to go with the spaghetti squash.

My turkey meatballs had: 1 pound of ground chicken, 1 pound of ground turkey (93% fat-free), 1 large egg, 1/2 tablespoon ground mustard, 1 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tablespoon onion powder, 1/2 tablespoon oregano, 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon minced onion, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 tablespoon gluten free low sodium soy sauce.

Add all of the ingredients into a large mixing bowl and combine.  
Before adding the meatballs to the oven, I browned the outer layer in a pan with olive oil on medium-high. I transferred the meatball to a baking sheet and baked them for 15 minutes in the oven at 400 degrees. I took them out when the temperature was at 168. I sliced the meatballs in half once they cooled down. 
I normally make my own sauce, but this meal was a last-minute decision. I used organic garlic lover’s tomato sauce as back up. I added the sauce to a saute pan on low heat along with the sliced meatballs. I let them cook in the sauce for about twenty minutes, stirring occasionally. 
I still get asked how to roast spaghetti squash. I think a lot of people are intimidated by it, but it’s so easy. Just slice your squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and cut it up into large chunks. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray (I always use my older one when roasting at high temperatures), place the squash with the insides down on the baking sheet, and roast it for about 35 minutes at 400 degrees. The time depends on the size of your squash. I can always tell when it’s done when the outer layer is soft.

I let the squash cool completely before scooping it out. I use a giant spoon and scrape it into a large bowl, and then fluff it up with a fork. There’s really no wrong way of doing it. 
The reason I love making meals like this is because I’m usually set for the next couple of days. Leftovers are my jam, and this was delicious. On Friday night, Kyle and I watched Ben’s Status, and it was a pretty good movie. It gave you a really good perspective on life. 
Breakfast on Saturday morning! Told you I’m all for that leftovers life. I made an omelet stuffed with spaghetti squash and a side of meatballs. 
Power hour and smoothies <3

I shared the recipe for this matcha smoothie on My Instagram!

Later in the afternoon, I started writing a post about my goals and plans with running. I didn’t plan on writing it, but sometimes those are the best types of blog posts. I have all of your comments in moderation, but I’ll get to those today! I promise. I don’t like to post the comments until I have a chance to reply back to all of you. I’ll be heading to the gym today to start my journey all over again. 
Grumples and Leo were overdue for a bath and trim. I usually try to trim the hair around their eyes, cut out their mats, and give them a complete blow out until we get them groomed. It’s been so cold here, that I’ve been holding off until next month.

We really like the Burt’s Bees shampoo and conditioner. We find that it’s the best for dogs with itchy coats because of its relieving ingredients. I also love that it’s 98.2% natural.

Relieving Shampoo & Conditioner Link! 
Here are three other tools to make at-home grooming so much easier.

We use a handheld showerhead to wash the dogs. It attaches to any showerhead, and it makes it so much more comfortable in the tub. The dogs can just stand there, and we can use the shower head all around them. It’s the best $25 purchase we’ve ever made for the dogs. We also use a bathing mat in the tub, so they do not slide, and it makes them more comfortable standing in the tub. We also use de-matting combs to help break up the mats before cutting them out. You can find these at Petco or online. The showerhead was $10 cheaper online than at the Home Depot.

I was so tired on Saturday night. I turned on a movie and was out by nine.
I was really excited for Sunday morning. We had had some fun afternoon plans with the dogs! I was up at the crack of dawn to get them fed and walked. I had my tea and decided to try out the Apple Cinnamon RX Bars. Have you ever had a brown sugar cinnamon pop tart? They taste just like it! I was shocked. I’m about to order another box right now!
Later in the morning, I made a maqui protein shake! It had two tablespoons of maqui powder, 1 frozen banana, 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, 1 scoop vanilla Orgain protein powder, and a couple of ice cubes. 
Kyle and I have been talking about finding a trainer for our dogs for a while now. Our dogs are great, but we want them to be better. They had a good streak last fall, but now it feels as if they are back to their old ways. We made the commitment and signed the dogs up with Holland K9 Services for a lifetime of training. We made a list of all of the struggles we face with our dogs and then found the perfect trainer, who is confident he can fix the issues. The best part is that he’s not going to fix them, he’s going to train US how to fix them. We didn’t want to drop our dogs off at month camp for training, we wanted to be trained with the dogs, so I’m excited to share this journey with you all. I will make sure to fill you guys in on the training each week in my recap posts. I know a lot of you have dogs and have shared your experiences, so hopefully, this will be able to help you or inspire you to sign your dogs up as well. We want to be confident in our dogs, and it seems as if their unpredictable behavior has become a huge stress. Your dogs should never dictate your lives, but it seems as though our dogs have kind of taken over. We have to do things around them, and it’s not fun anymore. This is now one of our biggest priorities, and it’s extremely important to do this. Not only will this benefit our lives, but it’ll make our dogs much happier, less anxious, and more confident. My ultimate goal is to turn Leo into a therapy dog in a couple of years so he can visit hospitals, and bring joy to the life of others. I have this dream of reading children’s books to little kids with Leo. 
When training a dog, it’s about going back to the basics.

This week, we are working on teaching them to heel and making them stay on command. We are also trying to get Leo and Grumples to stop giving us their paw. They tend to do it a lot, and it’s a big distraction and a form of begging. We are using more verbal commands rather than our hand signals. Check out their Instagram page to see Leo & Grumples staying in place! They learn quickly You can follow along with our progress on their page too. I’ll be documenting this whole process. I love my dogs so much, but I can’t wait for them to behave better, so I can take them places with the confidence.

We learned so much with John (the trainer.) We discussed some of the things we do and learned a lot about things we shouldn’t be doing. It all started to make sense! 
“Pet dog obedience is the foundation for solving all behavior problems.”

If you’re interested in learning more about what we’ll be doing in training, or getting your dog trained, check out John’s website! Or, you can email him Info@hollandk9services.com

I am really excited about this.
Our pups were exhausted when we got back from their two-hour training session. We did a lot of exercises, and I’m sure they were a bit stressed in a new environment. They passed out on the couch, so Kyle and I decided to have lunch, and then hit the gym.

I had a bowl of coconut milk yogurt mixed with my Orgain protein powder! 

I topped my yogurt bowl with pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and grapes! I also had a slice of peanut butter toast on the side.
I was super tired when I got to the gym. I planned on doing a workout with Kyle, but I just felt like doing the bike instead. I grabbed my book from the car and did an easy ride while reading for an hour. I have been reading “A Man Called Ove” for the January recipe & book review. I’m a big psychological thriller genre type of person, but I want to switch it up because I know not everyone likes those types of books, and I’ve heard amazing reviews on this book so far. I’m excited to finish it! If you want to join the discussion, order a copy and start reading! I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the review post! 
After the gym, Kyle and I stopped at the grocery store to pick up some ingredients for dinner. We decided on salmon, salad, and roasted potatoes! I’m so glad we agreed on this because it was amazing…

If you’re ever trying to figure out what to eat for a healthy meal, just always go with the 3-method. 1. choose your protein. 2. choose your healthy carb. 3. choose your vegetable(s).
I never liked salmon until my mom cooked it for me. I still stick to her salmon recipe!

I massage the salmon with the juice from 1/2 of a lime and 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce. After massaging the salmon, I pat the salmon with garlic powder, black pepper, minced onions, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, and onion powder. I let the salmon marinate in the fridge for two-three hours.
I couldn’t wait to bake this salmon! It smelled so good. Sometimes, I’ll use an orange instead of lime. It’s fun to switch things up. 
I boiled about two cups of red potatoes until fork tender. I diced them up and added them to a baking dish. I drizzled a tablespoon of olive oil on top and tossed them in black pepper, minced onion, sea salt, and garlic powder. I cooked the potatoes in the oven for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. I flipped them halfway through. 
While the potatoes were cooking, I prepared the salad.

I’ve been using the Tessemae’s honey balsamic dressing lately, and it’s so tasty! This dressing also works as a marinade for chicken and shrimp.

I massed the baby arugula in the honey balsamic and then topped the salad with avocados and strawberries. 
When the potatoes were done, I turned the oven temperature down to 375 and cooked the salmon for 15 minutes. The cooking time depends on the size of your salmon.
The salmon was perfectly glazed, and we were ready to dive in! 
There is no better feeling than cooking a perfect salmon. It just fell apart in your mouth, and the flavors were spot on. I love my mom’s recipe, and I’ll be making this for the rest of my life! It was the first recipe that made me truly enjoy salmon.
Cooking salmon at home way more budget-friendly than salmon at a restaurant! This is why I love cooking at home! I like to eat at restaurants in the summer, but I’d rather watch movies, have dinner around the coffee table, and get my own ketchup instead of asking for it. Remember when I used to eat out at restaurants practically every meal? I’m so happy that I’ve cut that out. 
Questions for you!

1. Would you like me to start posting more recipe/workout videos on my Instagram story?
2. Which recipe would you like to see first? The Matcha & Maqui Pancakes or Chocolate Matcha Muffins?
3. I made a list of thirty blog posts to create this year. What do YOU want to see?

Sometimes I love Mondays, and sometimes I don’t. I look at them as fresh starts. I love setting goals on Monday and working hard to reach them all week. I had a pretty fantastic week, and I’m excited to blog about it. I woke up early to walk the dogs, make coffee, and blog because today is going to be fun. I’m heading to my hair appointment around eleven. I haven’t had my hair cut since January! It’s way too long and overdue for a cut. It’s so hard to work out with my hair being so heavy because it falls out of the pony tail or breaks off. It’s hard to style, and I’m tired of walking around with a mop on my head. I may go short, we’ll see!

**edit** I had to take a break from the post because I didn’t finish it before the appointment! Before and after hair photos are at the bottom!**

Today is also a very special day. It marks one year since I jumped out of an airplane! It also marks 29 years since the love of my life was born! Happy birthday to, Kyle! We are going to have a gym date tonight followed by Chipotle, cake and ice cream! His request  
I’m starting the weekly recap post with Wednesday.

I wasn’t feeling too great when I woke up. It was one of those days where the energy wasn’t kicking in, and I had no motivation to do anything. But, I also had the urge to do something. Such a weird mood. I managed to work on the blog and emails all day. 
I knew I had to get up and do something. I took a must-need rest day on Tuesday, so I decided to head to an athletic conditioning class on Wednesday night. It wasn’t with my usual Wednesday night instructor (:(), but it was still a great workout. I wasn’t a fan of all the dance-y movements (never am) but I was sweating and feeling it afterward.

A couple of hours before my workouts, I went a little heavy on the carbs. This is the best way for me to get energy when I’m feeling sluggish, and it made me feel so energetic and awesome during my workout. The weird feelings I had in the morning were completely gone after I left the gym. Sometimes a little sweat sesh is all you need! 
Meighan and I were taking our dad’s to the PGA golf tournament on Thursday, so I headed to the mall after the gym to pick up some shorts. I ended up getting a couple of pairs of shorts and two golf/tennis skorts that were so cute! I normally don’t do Lilly Pulitzer or crazy patterned bottoms, but I loved the way they fit. Here is the skort I bought!
After spending an hour walking around the mall, I stopped at Chopt to pick up dinner. I usually build my own salad when I’m there. My salad had the Chopt blend (kale, romaine, spinach), cucumber, avocado, goat cheese, butternut squash, chickpeas, double grilled chicken, egg whites, and spicy honey vinaigrette. 
I woke up at 5 am on Thursday morning. I had to get the dogs walked and a cup of coffee before starting the busy day. I had to drive thirty minutes (in rush hour) to pick up my dad and bring him to Charlotte for the tournament. We headed back uptown around 8 am to meet up with Meighan and her dad! Our dads were so excited. 
Because there is no parking at the tournament, we had to take the light rail from uptown to the shuttles in Southend. The transportation went smooth! 
We were excited to spend the day with our dad’s, check out the cute golfers (love you, Kyle), and eat so many snacks!
I bought this top last summer at Express, but they don’t have it in stores or online anymore! A lot of you were asking me about it. I found a similar one online here! The shoes I’m wearing are from Target, and literally my favorite! They are so comfortable and I’m obsessed with the crystals and blue color. You can find them here! They come in three colors!
Happy dad! 
Bubba Watson! Justin Bieber was at the tournament with him during the practice rounds.
He didn’t do too well though ;/
I didn’t have time to sit down and have a breakfast, so this RXBAR saved my life! I was so hungry and didn’t feel like eating lunch food at 10 am. The Mint is one of my favorite flavors! 
We picked the best day to go! It wasn’t muggy or humid and the only day without rain during the tourney! 
Besties! 
Jordan Speith, my dad’s favorite golfer! (Next to Phil, Nicholson) 
We were starving around 1 pm. They actually had really good food there! I had a Greek salad, and was shocked at how tasty it was! The dressing and feta cheese was on point. 
I also bought an orange because they were so juicy looking! Couldn’t resist. 
Meighan and I figured our dads would be ready to go around two, but NOPE! They were glued to the golfers. I don’t know where those two get their energy from. We were going to stay as long as they wanted though because it was all about them! 
Meighan and I ended up just walking around and exploring. We lost our dads about six times, but we always managed to find them somewhere. 
We hit 20,000 steps during the tournament…
FEEEEEELS.
Meighan snapped my first experience ever in a porta potty. These were clean, but still terrifying. 
Six hours in.
Of course, we had to buy hats! 
Link to my shorts: HERE
Link to Meighan’s shorts: HERE
Nine hours later…we were still there! We thought our dads would have had enough, but they wanted to milk it to the end! Meighan and I walked around like starving wolves until we found a concession stand. We bought a turkey BLT wrap, pretzels, and water bottles to chow down on the last couple hours! It was a long day! 
We left the tournament at 7:30, made it uptown at 8:15, and I had to take my dad back home, so I didn’t get home until 9:30 pm! But it made our dad’s so happy, so it was worth every minute! 
Thank goodness, I had leftover Chopt! I had some before falling asleep. I slept like a baby! 
Friday morning 5:30 am breakfast before three-mile dog walk: Dave’s Killer Bread with peanut butter and coffee!
Friday 10 am breakfast before boot camp: two eggs, small apple, kiwi, and Sigis!
When Meighan and I got to the gym, we saw a note on the door that said our boot camp class was canceled! We didn’t let that stop us from having a kick-butt workout! We came up with a game plan and got to it! We started with a one mile run on the track and headed to the floor to start our circuit. This workout is so awesome to do with a friend! We alternated the exercises to use less space in the gym. We were drenched with sweat after that workout! I think the worst part of the workout was the run and not because it was running. There was a basketball tournament going on in the gym, and they loaded the tables with fifty boxes of dominos pizza. Do you know how heavenly that smelled?!?!
Instead of caving in and ordering pizza, I stopped at the Fresh Market. On the way home, I had pineapple chunks and a Sambazon energy drink. 
I picked up some RXBARS, cotton candy grapes (holy moly, they taste just like cotton candy & for real), broccoli salad, grilled chicken, Goodman gluten free cookies, honey roasted peanut butter, Hint sparkling water, and coffee creamer! 
For lunch, I had one cup of broccoli salad (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, raisins, apple cider vinaigrette, honey) and grilled chicken on top! 
I ended Friday night at Central Coffee Co! Becca, and I caught up over a cup of coffee. I had a skim cappuccino with an extra shot of espresso. 
Early Saturday morning, Meighan and I headed to boot camp! Holy Moly! It was hard, but also fun! I do really well with station workouts because it’s always being changed up and it’s quick! I don’t get bored or burnt out on the same movements. We warmed up with five minutes on the track and then did each station for 20 seconds on and ten seconds off eight times. After we got through all the stations, we went through them again for thirty seconds one time.
The struggle…
After boot camp, Grumples and I headed out for a long walk together. Leo was getting groomed, so I decided to spend some time with just Grumps. 
I spent more time on my lessons Saturday afternoon. I am trying to do 1-2 a week. I’m really enjoying the chapters and learning so much about the body and fitness. If you’re interested in personal training, you can check out more with my link! Personal Trainer Certification
Kyle and I headed to the mall Saturday afternoon to shop around. I got sucked into all the adorable things at Fabletics! I’ve been looking for a new gym bag, so if you have any suggestions let me know! 
We stopped at Reid’s Fine Foods on the way home to pick up some snacks. They had unique foods, wine, cheeses, and I want to eat there next time! It reminds me of Dean & Deluca! I’m embarrassed that it was my first time at the store. 
I was on a Chopt kick this week. I stopped there on the way home to pick up my dinner! My salad had the Chopt blend, double chicken, cucumber, butternut squash, avocado, goat cheese, cranberries, egg whites, and bell peppers. I mixed in Greek yogurt ranch and the hot honey vinaigrette. 
Grumples and I hopped on the couch and watched Pretty Woman. That is one of my favorite movies! 
Morning studies! 
I headed to the grocery store to grab coffee early Sunday morning. I ran into Meighan on the way home (literally can’t get away from each other haha!), and she said she was going to a HIIT class at 1 pm if I wanted to join her. I told her that it was my rest day, but I’d walk there with her.
Of course, I had FOMO, so I ended up joining the workout! I was happy after doing it! It was a great workout, and I’ll be able to go light today! I plan on doing the treadmill and a little lifting tonight. A lot of you were asking about the workouts I do, so I’m trying hard to remember them and write them down after class to share!
We stopped at Amelies on our walk home to grab some post-workout refreshments! My drink had pureed passion fruit, strawberries, lemon juice, and sparkling water! I bought all the ingredients at Whole Foods yesterday so I could make the drink myself. They didn’t have passion fruit, so I bought mango instead.
I decided to head to Whole Foods to pick up ingredients for dinner. I wanted to make something special for Kyle since it was his birthday eve! 
For dinner, we had baked salmon, roasted potatoes, and broccoli! Those sweet potato chips and salsa were deadly! Kyle said that was the best salsa he’s ever had. I had to agree with him!
I tossed the potatoes in olive oil and seasoned them with onion powder, garlic powder, sea salt, Italian seasoning, black pepper, and minced onion. I baked them for 28 minutes at 425 degrees.
I also flipped them over halfway through!
I bought a two and a half pound salmon! It was about two inches thick in the center, so I knew it was going to be delicious and fall apart every bite. 
I used my mom’s recipe for the salmon. This is the recipe she used to get me to eat salmon back in high school. It’s so easy, and unbelievably delicious. Rub the salmon with garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, Italian seasoning, and minced onion. Pour low-sodium (gluten free if you want) soy sauce on top. Squeeze half of a lime over the top, and the salmon with a tablespoon of brown sugar. 
Put the salmon in the oven and bake for 20 minutes at 425 degrees. (assuming you have a thick cut). Take a spoon and drizzle the sauce at the bottom of the pan on top of the salmon. Cook for seven more minutes. If you have a smaller cut, just cut the cooking time a bit. The inside of the salmon will be moist, fall apart so easily, and bouncy in the middle. 
The perfect dinner! “This is the best salmon I’ve ever had; nothing comes close” – Kyle! WIN!

Tonight we are doing cake and ice cream! I bought a peanut butter chocolate cake from Whole Foods, and it looks so tasty. Last year, we made a CRAZY cake, but there was way too much leftover, so I bought a smaller cake this year.
I wanted a cleaner and classier look, so I decided to get eight inches cut off! I’m OBSESSED with how it turned out, and I feel so much better. I hit my breaking point during Sunday’s workout. My hair kept falling out of the hair tie while working out, my hair was heavy, it was tangled, and I was sick of not being able to do anything with it. My hair stylist literally cut dreads out of my hair…
I wanted a cleaner and classier look, so I decided to get eight inches cut off! I’m OBSESSED with how it turned out, and I feel so much better. What do you guys think?

I will be going back to this stylist again and again. He saw the photo I brought in, didn’t try to convince me to do anything else, went right at it, and nailed it! He did it all in under one hour. His name is Scott Collins, and he works at the Park Road Plaza Dolce Lusso! It’s an Aveda salon, and I highly recommend him. 
I headed to the fresh market on the way home for a treat!

Questions for you!

1. Do you ever get so frustrated with your hair?
2. Have you ever experienced work out fomo?
3. Do you have any end-of-the-summer plans?

It’s going to be rainy and chilly for the next couple of days, and I’m kind of happy about it. I need to ground myself and finish a lot before packing and flying to Hawaii on Monday morning. Before I head to the gym for a class, I wanted to share a healthy and delicious dinner I make weekly. It takes about thirty minutes, and it makes for the best leftovers (when cooking for one!) You can switch the veggies and protein source up, too!
I usually prepare meals like this after gym sessions. I’ll stop at the grocery store on the way home and pick up vegetables, protein, and a bottle of water to chug!

For this meal, I went with brussels sprouts, carrots, and green onions. If you haven’t baked green onions yet, you’re missing out!

For my protein source, I chose salmon! I bought a fillet that would last for two dinners.

I seasoned the vegetables with olive oil, black pepper, sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and a little drizzle of honey.

I massaged the salmon with honey, lime juice, and low sodium soy sauce. I sprinkled the top with garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and Italian seasoning.

I put the vegetables in the oven first and let them back at 375 for fifteen minutes.

Once the vegetables were starting to brown, I added the salmon to the oven with the vegetables and cooked for about seventeen minutes. If the center of the salmon is bouncy, it’s ready! You never want to overcook salmon, or it’s dry and chewy.

When your brussels sprouts are crispy on the outside and soft in the middle, you know you did it right! I could eat these all day!

And don’t get me started on how much I love roasted carrots!

This meal is so healthy and quick to make! I hope it helps you when you’re trying to plan your next meal!:)  
Well, I hope you enjoyed this quick and easy recipe post! I’m off to the gym for a boot camp class! I know it’ll be a struggle!

Questions for you!

1. What is your favorite healthy protein to bake?
2. What are your favorite baked vegetables?

First things first. 

I’ve mentioned my frustrations with weight during race training. So many of you guys reached out to let me know that all of my struggles are common and eventually my body will go back to normal. You’d think that running long distance, short distance, doing yoga, going on long walks, circuit training, and healthy eating would help me maintain my weight, but I’ve managed to put on seven pounds. I understand that the number on the scale means nothing, but my clothes are tighter and I’m much thicker. I eat clean and practice moderation, but sometimes the body does what it wants to do. I feel so much stronger, and I’m proud of how far I have come, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t bother me now and then. I have to remind myself of where I was and where I am now. I don’t want to choose being “skinny” over being a “strong” runner. I won’t let myself get to that point, and I think being open with you all is helpful. No one is perfect. I will continue to run distances, crush my circuit workouts, and I’ll let the body do what it wants.

I’ve been trying to time my carbs. I eat my carbs before my workouts and recover with high protein meals/snacks throughout the day. One of my friends, who is a nutritionist, recommended this method, and I’ve been trying it out. I have a fun circuit class I’m attending later tonight, so I’ll have my carbs before that, but for lunch, I had a delicious low carb + high protein meal! 
My brother taught me how to make a light and delicious tuna salad a couple of years ago, and I have been hooked ever since. I use this recipe to make a chicken salad as well. I like to eat my tuna on top of veggies, in lettuce wraps, or with crackers. Today, I had my tuna salad in a crunchy lettuce wrap. 

Ingredients: 4 cans light tuna in water, 3 tablespoons sweet relish, 3 tablespoons red bell pepper, 3 tablespoons green bell pepper, 2 tablespoons chopped red onion, 3 tablespoons red grapes, 3 tablespoons 2% cottage cheese, 4 tablespoons light mayonnaise, sea salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder.
Toppings: iceberg lettuce wraps, avocado, Roma tomatoes, radishes, cucumber.

Add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and combine. Gradually add in the seasonings! I added a little sprinkle of each and tried it until it met my tastebuds needs.

Refrigerate tuna salad for fifteen minutes, or freeze for eight. It’s better when it’s cold!
Slice avocados, cucumber, radishes, and tomatoes. 
Add 1/2 cup of the tuna salad into a lettuce wrap. Top with avocados, cucumber, tomatoes, and radishes! I even added a little yellow mustard.

Nutrition for 1/2 Cup Tuna Salad (5 1/2 servings)
107 Calories, 7g Carbs, 4g Fat, 13g Protein, 3g Sugar, 2g Fiber
*Does not include toppings*

I had to include another fun snack idea for the tuna salad! I had some extra cucumbers and radishes, so I sliced them and topped them with the tuna salad! They were so crunchy and delicious.
This would be a great post workout or late night snack!
Questions for you!

1. What is your favorite high protein snack?
2. Do you like tuna salad or chicken salad better?

I know that Sundays are a day for rest, but I love making them my most active days. After returning home from the beach last Saturday, I was recharged and ready to fit in some workouts!

It was HOT Sunday, which is the usually lately. Becca and I stopped at One Life Raw Juice Bar for protein smoothies before our walk. We loved this juice spot!

I ordered the Midwood Mixer (the green one.) It had cucumber, celery, kale, granny smith apple, ginger blended with banana pineapple and mango. I also had them add hemp protein powder. So delicious. Becca’s was REALLY  good too! She ordered the Strawberry Joy and it had strawberries, bananas, house made almond butter, dates and hemp protein.

If you live in Charlotte or just passing through, make sure to stop here!

We stopped at Whole Foods after our walk so I could pick up ingredients for dinner. I was inspired by one of the meals from the beach and wanted to come up with something similar. I bought all kinds of seafood and sides for a Sunday seafood feast!

Kyle and I headed out for a run in the city before making dinner! I was pacing him a month ago and now he’s pacing me. My miles are around 8:25-9:24 and his miles are 7:34-8:34, so soon we won’t be able to run together! I’ll be three blocks behind him! We have a morning run planned for today before heading to the gym and he’s going to let me pace. I think we will do three or four LIGHT miles at 9:25!

I was super hungry and ready to cook when we got back.

I made roasted vegetables with rainbow potatoes, sweet chili teriyaki shrimp, snapper and scallops, with garlic and herb rice.

I always start with the roasted potatoes and vegetables first because they take the longest to cook. I like to soften up the potatoes by adding them to a bowl of water and microwaving them for about 7-10 minutes. You could also bring them to a boil on the stove.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

I lined a baking sheet with tin foil and sprayed it with cooking spray. I added sliced potatoes, summer squash, zucchini, sweet onion and bell peppers. I sprinkled Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, minced onion flakes, dill weed, black pepper, and soy sauce on top. I tossed it all together and did a quick second coat of the seasonings.

I put the vegetables in for about 45 minutes.

The rice also takes a bit longer to cook, so that was second! I used Near East boxed rice and it was so good! I mixed the rice pilaf with the long grain and wild rice.

The flavors were fantastic! They had the same cooking directions on the back of the box, so I just threw them in together.

I found a sauce at Sur La Table for the fish! Red chili and Teriyaki are two of my favorite combo’s, so I knew it had to be good right away. I place a sheet of tinfoil in a baking dish with two tablespoons of olive oil. I placed the Snapper on the tinfoil and then added a layer of the sauce. I finished it off with a dash of garlic powder, black pepper and half tablespoon of low sodium soy sauce.

Cooking time depends on the size of your snapper (hold all jokes.)

I bought a pretty thick cut piece, so it took about 23 minutes for it to cook through. A snapper tastes a bit like salmon. It is flaky, a little sweet and super healthy!  I’ve always eaten snapper at restaurants, but this was my first time cooking it. It won’t be my last!

I cooked the shrimp and the scallops in the same sauce as the snapper.

I cooked them in a frying pan with one tablespoon of olive oil while the snapper baked.

If you like scallops, you need to try my Garlic Parmesan Crusted & Caramelized Scallops!

Garlic Parmesan Crusted & Caramelized Scallops

I wrapped the scallops and shrimp up together in tinfoil to keep them warm. I drizzled all the juices over the top to give them an extra boost of flavor.

The dinner turned out perfect! Maybe I’m being biased, but I enjoyed this meal over the restaurant’s!

I also had a Sunday Kombucha with my dinner!

I could eat seafood every night! This meal was the perfect way to end a Sunday!

Sunday can’t be left without dessert. We turned into Halo monsters after trying it out. It doesn’t taste like ice melt or Arctic zero…It tastes like ACTUAL ice cream, and it’s only 240 calories for the entire pint + protein. We mixed in a little bit of the Whole Food’s honey roasted peanut butter. This was heaven! We are going to try another flavor tonight!

I have so much more to blog, but I’ll save it all for a recap post! xo

Questions For You!

1. What are you doing for the 4th of July?
2. Have you checked out the July Fitness Challenge?  (INSTAGRAM: @simplytaralynnfitchallenge)
3. What is something fun you have planned for the month of July?