Coconut Lime Sugar Cookies

Coconut Lime Sugar Cookies

Welcome Spring!  This recipe honestly tastes more like Summer, with the tropical lime and coconut flavors, but why not get a jump start on the warmer months of the year!  Granted this winter has not been so bad here in Pennsylvania, but the 60 degree days and the flowers beginning to bloom in my yard are always a welcome sign of the season to come. I made these sugar cookies for my softball team's end of season party last June and for some reason never got around to sharing them, or making them again for that matter, which I really need to do. Based on a very basic sugar cookie recipe*, this creation uses coconut oil, coconut nectar and shredded coconut, along with lime zest, to add an amazing pop of flavor to an all time favorite cookie.  Like most sugar cookies, these taste better after a couple of days, when the flavors really come together.  And with organic whole wheat flour and healthy coconut oil, they are a treat that is actually great for you and your family!

Coconut Chili Lime Steamed Shrimp

Coconut Chili Lime Steamed Shrimp

It has been awhile since my last post, probably the longest I have gone since starting this adventure six months ago. I have a feeling I am not going to have much time to cook in the near future since I will be running around to my kids' sporting events every night for the next three months.  I have been joking that unless I write about all the ways in which to make a peanut butter sandwich, I will probably only be publishing one or two new posts per week.

During that time, this recipe might become a weekend staple, because after running around all week, and Saturdays too, the last thing I have energy for is an elaborate meal.  This is one of those one pot wonders that you can leave and forget about for a few minutes and it does the work for you.  The flavors are mild but complex and the shrimp can be served with whatever type of starch or salad you prefer.  Sometimes fast and easy food can be super nutritious.

Cilantro and Lime Dressed Salad with Polenta Croutons

Cilantro and Lime Dressed Salad
with Polenta Croutons

If you are like me, there are nights when you want a wonderfully delicious dinner, but don't want to slave away in the kitchen for hours.  This simple meal takes care of that by using store cooked chicken and bagged salad as the base for a healthy homemade meal you can serve up as your own.  Rotisserie chickens are a quick, convenient and inexpensive way to add quality protein to your diet without a lot of extra work.  I pulled apart the chicken earlier in the day and while the polenta was broiling in the oven, quickly reheated the chicken on the stove with some lemon juice, so that every bite tasted as if the chicken had been marinating for hours.  Obviously a simply dressed salad with fresh organic vegetables is a fantastic base for any nutritious meal, but sometimes you need a little more than vegetables and protein.  That is where the organic polenta comes in. A perfect, gluten free source of carbs, the polenta roasts up into crunchy and chewy croutons unlike any you have ever tasted before.  My son and my husband couldn't get enough of them and I cannot wait to try them again with all sorts of other dishes. So get cooking!

Southwest Salad with Avocado Lime Dressing

Southwest Salad with Avocado Lime Dressing

Sometimes a simple dinner is exactly what is needed at the end of a long day.  The night I made this I was cooking only for myself, but I wanted something healthy and satisfying.  I just didn't want to spend more than 10 or 15 minutes in the kitchen preparing it.  I had eaten the same salad mix in a bag a few days before and although I liked the ranch style dressing that came with it, I wanted to make something I knew would be not only more nutritious, but more flavorful as well.  So I got rid of the dressing packet and got out some fresh ingredients from my fridge and whipped up this delicious meal.  Because the salad base is mostly cabbage and kale it held up well with the creamy avocado dressing and honestly tasted just as good, if not better, as leftovers the next day for lunch.  I know that corn is not the most nutritious "vegetable" and has been vilified in the news recently as a contributing factor to high spikes in blood sugar, but I wanted some carbs in my salad and I figured organic corn was a decent pick. I added black beans for protein, although cut up chicken or salmon would have worked as well.  The secret is in the dressing, which tasted so creamy you would think it is bad for you, but it is just the perfection of an avocado adding healthy fats and flavor to a delicious dinner salad.

Coconut Lime Shrimp with Thai Rice Noodles

Coconut Lime Shrimp with Thai Rice Noodles
served with an organic romaine and broccolette salad

The idea for this meal came about while cooking my simple Coconut Curry Shrimp the other night.  As I was sauteing the garlic, red pepper flakes and shrimp in the virgin coconut oil, I was so impressed with how amazing it smelled that I knew I had to create another dish using the shrimp just like that. (I had a jar of sauce to use up that night or I would have changed my recipe immediately)... So a few nights later I planned out this meal, only adding a few fresh ingredients (lime, cilantro and scallions) and serving the shrimp over healthy, high fiber, brown rice noodles.  While a bit spicy, my son even liked it and I got my daughter to at least try out a new type of noodle, which I consider a success (even if she ate them with Parmesan cheese).

The salad I served along side is about as simple as you can get with only two ingredients, but again, they are vegetables that both of my kids will eat.  The dressing uses up half of the lime juice that I squeezed for the main dish and two delicious, full bodied, oils.  A very delicately flavored, yet complex tasting dish that I am so glad I figured out.  It tasted like I was eating something truly tropical and exotic while stuck in snowy Pennsylvania.