The breakfast sandwich SALAD

Guys...this salad. This salad! I keep making it because honestly it's like a restaurant-quality salad but you can make it at home in about 10 minutes. Do you see it, semi-runny egg yolk, melty cheese, perfectly ripe avocado, crispy chunks of bacon and then under all of that deliciousness is the some fresh peppery arugula dressed every so slightly with the tangy juice from a lemon. Yum yum gimme some. Get the full recipe below.

Zucchini noodles with tomatoes, mozzarella & garlic sauce

You've probably already heard, spaghetti squash, SO last year. Zucchini noodles... all the rage. I thought I'd give them a try since I'm a crazed pasta lover these days and could probably afford to cut back on the gluten. First things first, you have to get your hands on a spiralizer (isn't that the weirdest name?) The cheapest option is going to be the Veggetti but I had a gift certificate so I splurged for the Paderno Spiralizer. Then you gotta get your hands on 3-4 zucchinis and start spiralizing!  

Grilled pineapple with cinnamon whipped cream

This recipe is very complex. Basically, you grill some pineapple and then top it off with fresh whipped cream. Sounds impossible doesn't it? I kid. It's super easy. The hardest part is whipping the heavy cream (which, if you have a decent stand mixer, isn't really hard at all.) What I love about this dessert is that it feels rich and decadent, but it's simple and on the scale of really unhealthy to not-that-unhealthy, this one definitely falls in the latter category. Oh, and I must mention, this may or may not be the pineapple that was featured in my Memorial Day Weekend post. Check out more photos below.

Sausage, Bacon, and Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

I'm always on the hunt for an easy appetizer to bring to parties or serve when I'm entertaining. Sometimes, I get in a rut and just make boat loads of bacon wrapped water chestnuts. Don't get me wrong, they're always a hit and quite yummy, but sometimes you just feel like making something new. I totally forgot about stuffed mushrooms... I used to make them a lot when I lived back in New York, and in high school I was obsessed with the stuffed mushrooms at Houlihan's. Does that place even exist anymore!? So I thought it was time to bring the stuffed mushroom back. I brought them over to a friend's house for a little NCAA basketball tournament watching party (surprise, surprise, I didn't watch any basketball, I was too busy playing drinking games.) But they were a hit and therefore will be included in the regular appetizer rotation -- you've been warned friends. Get the full recipe below.

Philly's Pour the Core: Hard Cider Festival

On Saturday, we ventured over to The Navy Yard for Philadelphia's first Pour the Core Hard Cider Festival. We sampled at least 50 different ciders, and spent the day in the gorgeous sunshine! I would tell you which ones I liked best but I actually can't really remember the names of the them...

What I can tell you is that that highlight of the day was hanging out in the Strongbow Lounge. They had quite the setup with some really nice bench seating and quick access to some cool cider-based mixed drinks that they were serving up. I'm definitely going to make the one with cider, cinnamon whiskey, and pomegranate juice at home. 

Sweet and spicy roasted almonds

(To the tune of Scotch, Scotch, Scotch by Ron Burgundy) Nuts, nuts, nuts. They are delicious. In my mouth. Yum yum yummmmm. okay...and scene.

Maybe you're thinking spiced nuts are a more appropriate winter time snack, and to that I say, blasphemy! Spiced nuts are delicious all year long. They are high in protein, crunchy, full of good fats, and packed with flavor -- especially when sprinkled with lots of exotic (ooh la laa) spices from your spice cabinet. Honestly, I'll give you my recipe, but it's going to be a total crock of bologna, because when I make spiced almonds it's basically like a little of this, a little of that, a dash of this one, and voila! Spiced nutty goodness. But since you're insisting on the recipe, and I hear you mumbling, "just shut up already Marissa and give me the damn recipe".... here you go.

Stretching Thai takeout for another dinner

There is a wonderful Thai restaurant in our neighborhood, Chabaa Thai Bistro. It's a little bit pricey, but so delicious that I think it's worth it. We decided to order up some panang curry with chicken and crazy noodles for takeout after a busy day. Their takeout portions are okay, I always think you get more food if you actually eat in the restaurant, but you get enough to be satisfied. 

The thing is,there is so much of the panang curry sauce leftover and it seems like a waste to throw it away! So, with some minimal grocery shopping I was able to stretch the $15 entree into another dinner for two! 

Spicy chicken skewers and saffron quinoa

First things first, happy Friday mother lovers! Second, I really should stop doing these recipe and food posts in the morning because looking at the pictures just makes me hungry and lunch is so. far. away. 

Before you get all judgmental on me. Yes, I know quinoa is kind of a controversial topic when it comes to the paleo diet. However, if you eat bananas and sweet potatoes, then you probably shouldn't be snubbing your nose at quinoa. Here are some random people's opinions on the matter (here, here, and here) in case you care, which I'm 99 percent sure you don't. 

Asian style chicken lettuce wraps

Who loves meat wrapped in lettuce? This girl! 

Unfortunately, the ones you order at the restaurants tend to be loaded with calories and sodium, which is no bueno. PF Changs lettuce wraps? 630 calories. Cheesecake factory? 1,536 calories. WHAAAT?!?! That's my entire caloric intake for the day! 

So, what's a girl to do when she's craving some lettuce wraps but doesn't want to sacrifice her waistline? Make them at home! 

Caesar Salad with Lemon Caesar Dressing and Garlic Croutons

Sometimes I just crave a good caesar salad. By good, I mean one with homemade garlic croutons, a dressing that's not too thick or mayonnaisey, and flavorful chicken or shrimp to top it off. I'm lucky to now work a few block from Fuel, which boasts healthy food that is not made by a machine (their terminology, not mine.) A friend of mine recommended that I try their caesar because she really liked that the dressing had a lot of lemon flavor and wasn't very thick. So last week I ordered up a caesar salad with chicken for take out. I was really happy with the salad, the size was good for a lunch portion, the dressing was amazing and the chicken was flavorful. 

Well a few days later, the craving struck again and I figured instead of spending $10 on lunch, I'd just go buy the ingredients and make a delicious caesar salad myself. 

I wish I could share the dressing recipe with you because it was really flavorful but the truth is I just kind of winged it. I looked up a bunch of caesar dressing recipes and just kept adjusting it until it had enough lemon flavor and the right consistency. But I'll outline the process for you below anyway. 

Sorry for the blurry cell phone pic

Asian Craving: Sweet and Spicy Beef Stir Fry

I don't know why, but I get really strong cravings for different ethnic food groups. Sometimes I can't get enough Mexican; I'm like ravenous for a good fish taco or fajitas. Othertimes it's Thai, Italian, Japanese, Vietnamese, you get the idea... Recently, when we came back from vacation, I couldn't stop thinking about Chinese food. Usually, I'd just head on over to my neighborhood Chinese spot, Han Dynasty (which is totally amazing) and slap some dan dan noodles, wontons, rice and spicy meat into my mouth and be good as gold. This time however, I decided that I should be better than that.

After a week of indulging on fried food, mojitos and pina coladas in the Caribbean, I thought maybe I should try and eat something remotely healthy. But the cravings just don't subside until they are satisfied, so I was challenged with the task of making healthy Chinese myself! I decided that I needed to make a stir fry filled with lots of vegetables and some steak. I googled some stir fry recipes for inspiration but I'm really the worst about following recipes exactly so I used a bunch of different tips for inspiration.

I can't give you exact measurements for this recipe because I didn't measure anything. But I'm showing you all the ingredients and the process and you can go to town with your own rendition.