Ballet Beautiful: Transform Your Body and Gain the Strength, Grace and Focus of a Ballet Dancer (39 page)

Salad with Tuna and Avocado

SERVES TWO TO THREE

I love the combination of salty and sweet in this salad! It makes a great entrée on a weeknight or a terrific lunch on a summer day. The mix of protein, fiber, and healthy fats helps my body recover from a hard workout. Plus, it’s easy to find the ingredients at any market and to store them at home!

1 box organic mixed greens or spinach

1 can Italian tuna in olive oil

1 ripe avocado

2 small cucumbers, diced

¼ cup dried fruit, diced (whatever you have—dried cherries, raisins, even sliced dried pears!)

12 raw almonds, diced

Freshly ground pepper

Balsamic vinegar

Olive oil

1.
Place the salad greens in a large bowl. Top with the tuna, including the oil from the can.

2.
Slice the ripe avocado on top and sprinkle with the diced cucumbers, dried fruit, and almonds.

3.
Grind fresh pepper over the salad and splash with Balsamic vinegar. Toss and serve with freshly toasted whole-grain bread drizzled with olive oil.

Scrambled Eggs with Peppers and Onions and Salad

SERVES TWO TO THREE

I love this meal when I am eating late. It’s satisfying, quick, and easy and doesn’t keep me awake at night! When it comes to sautéing veggies with eggs, you can get creative. I’ve used peppers and onions (as with this recipe), but almost any vegetables in your fridge can make for a tasty addition to eggs, including tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini, or even fresh basil leaves.

½ sweet onion

1 tablespoon olive oil (Remember our substitution principle of olive oil in place of butter? Here you see it in action.)

2 Italian peppers

6 organic eggs (I always eat the full egg with yolk—egg whites do not do it for me!)

Freshly ground pepper

Handful of salad greens

1 small fresh tomato, chopped

1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar

1.
Chop the onion and sauté in olive oil over medium-high heat. Wash, de-seed, and slice the Italian peppers (preferably organic or from your local market). Mix in the eggs and cook over medium heat. Add pepper to taste.

2.
In a separate bowl, prepare the salad greens and top with the chopped tomato (again, preferably local). In the winter you can use pear slices or even citrus, like orange slices. Coat with olive oil, Balsamic vinegar, and pepper. Toss.

Here are some of my favorite recipes for fast, healthy lunches that will really satisfy you! Note that leftovers from the previous night’s healthy meal can go a long way the next day and save a lot of time.

Fresh Mozzarella Salad with Tomatoes and Hard-Boiled Eggs

SERVES TWO TO THREE

I love this salad on the weekends! It’s filling, fresh, and tasty—a perfect light lunch!

1 head fresh, organic butter leaf lettuce

4 fresh basil leaves

1 large, vine-ripened, organic tomato

1 small shallot

2 hard-boiled eggs

4 ounces fresh mozzarella

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar

Freshly ground sea salt and pepper

2 whole-grain English muffins

1.
Wash and tear the lettuce and basil leaves and place them in a large salad bowl.

2.
Chop the tomato, shallot, hard-boiled eggs, and mozzarella and add them to the bowl. Coat with the olive oil and Balsamic vinegar and sprinkle on a little sea salt and pepper. Toss.

3.
Serve with toasted English muffin halves topped with olive oil and a dash of sea salt.

Broccoli Rabe and Tomato with Quinoa

SERVES TWO TO THREE

This is another favorite lunch recipe that lets me build off of leftovers. If you don’t have cooked broccoli rabe in the fridge, you can quickly steam or sauté spinach or kale with a few cherry tomatoes for the same effect!

2 cups quinoa (make sure to rinse it well before using)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 avocado

Sea salt

1 lemon

Leftover cooked broccoli rabe and tomato

1.
Bring 4 cups of water to a boil and add the quinoa. Cover. Lower the heat and simmer until the water is absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes. In the meantime, chop the avocado.

2.
Add the olive oil to the quinoa with the chopped avocado, the juice of half a lemon, and sea salt. Serve in soup bowls and top with leftover broccoli rabe or other veggies.

Hard-Boiled Eggs with Wheat Toast and Fruit

SERVES ONE

This meal is quick and easy and also very light. It’s great for breakfast on the weekends, and I love it for lunch too. It will energize you without making you feel stuffed! You can also use leftover veggies or yogurt cheese here in place of the eggs.

2 hard-boiled organic eggs

Freshly ground sea salt and pepper

Whole-grain toast, 1 slice

Olive oil

Fresh fruit, in season (an apple, a pear, a small bowl of berries)

1.
Hard-boil and peel the eggs.

2.
Mash with a fork on a plate and mix with salt and pepper.

3.
Toast the bread and drizzle with olive oil. Serve with fresh fruit and a mug of hot tea with lemon.

Health-Conscious Homemade Meals

Here are a few of my favorite dishes that I make on days when I have more time. Enjoy!

Chicken with Mustard and Garlic and Steamed Asparagus with a Cucumber Tomato Salad

SERVES TWO

The mustard and garlic in this chicken recipe add tons of flavor without a lot of extra calories. With some veggies and salad, this is my favorite kind of meal! In the winter I would swap out the asparagus for roasted Brussels sprouts or cauliflower and baby carrots and throw it all in the oven together.

2 organic chicken breasts with skin

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

4 cloves garlic

Fresh asparagus

2 small cucumbers

1 large, organic, vine-ripened tomato

3 medium-sized carrots, washed and peeled

1 tablespoon olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Freshly ground pepper

1.
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash and place the chicken in an oven-safe baking dish, skin side up. Drizzle with olive oil and freshly ground pepper, then coat each chicken breast liberally with mustard. Mince the garlic and sprinkle over the chicken. Bake for 30 minutes.

2.
Steam the asparagus in a pot of boiling water for two minutes. Remove from the pot and rinse with cold water.

3.
Chop the cucumbers, tomatoes, and carrots. Place in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil and Balsamic vinegar. Add freshly ground pepper and toss.

Roasted Salmon with Tomatoes and Olives, Sweet Potatoes, and Steamed Spinach