Clean Eat Recipe :: Brown Rice Pesto with Scallops

Want something you can whip up in less than 45 minutes? This recipe is perfect for you! If you have done your homework and cooked some brown rice on your prep day, then this will only take you about 20 minutes to create! Get ready - it's a decadent tasting meal!

Brown Rice Pesto with Scallops

(adapted from Tosca Reno's Sauteed Scallops with Four Herb Pesto and Quinoa)

Ingredients:

1 cup brown rice

2 1/4 cups water (may vary depending on the type of brown rice you use)

1 tsp + 1 pinch sea salt, divided

2 cloves garlic

1 cup fresh basil, loosely packed

1 cup tarragon, loosely packed

1/2 cup green onions

Juice of 1 lemon

1/4 tsp coarse ground black pepper

1/4 cup + 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 lb large wild scallops

1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

Directions:

1. Cook brown rice as you normally would including a 1/2 teaspoon sea salt to bring the water temperature up ever so slightly. Cook rice to a fluffy consistency, being careful not to overcook - prepare pesto and scallops while rice is cooking.

2. Using a food processor, add garlic, basil, tarragon, green onions, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Pulse until chopped. While food processor is running, stream in olive oil. Stop food processor and scrape down sides - pulse a few more times to combine.

3. Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a stainless steel or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Remove any excess moisture in the scallops by blotting with a paper towel. Season one side with salt and pepper and place in a single layer in skillet. Cook 4-6 minutes on each side (your scallops may take more or less time depending on thickness) until golden brown. Remove and set aside.

4. In a mixing or serving bowl, combine brown rice, pesto and tomatoes until combined. Divide evenly among plates and place scallops on top.

Makes approximately 3 servings (if you are female, you may get 4 servings out of it!)

Mets per serving (at 3 servings total):

Calories - 550

Protein - 18g

Fat - 21g

Carbs - 48g

Enjoy our recipes?  Get help with your grocery shopping here.

Clean Eat Education: Tips for Getting Back on Track

So you've been eating clean and working out consistently and then for whatever reason you "fall off the wagon".  What do you do now?  Give up?  No!  Think about what you would be giving up on...yourself, your health, your family, your goals, your dreams, your happiness. "Falling off the wagon" is going to happen and it will probably happen more than once!  Pick yourself up and move on by following our tips!

- First, you must stay positive.  This is a very mental journey.  If you don't think you can...you won't.  Talk positively to yourself.  Talk to yourself in the mirror each morning.  Instead of focusing on what you don't like about yourself, focus on what you do like.  It sounds silly but it really makes a difference.  Wake up 2 minutes earlier each morning to do this.

- Drink water. Drink ONLY water.  Drink it like it's your job.

- Just because you slipped up and had a cheeseburger and fries does not mean that you should "punish" yourself with a 2 hour cardio session.  Take the kids or your dog for a walk or maybe try out a new class at your gym.  Clear your mind.  Get in a positive state.  Don't punish yourself.

- Go to the grocery store, prepare your food and eat clean!  Get back on track at your next meal...don't wait until the next day.  Start now!  Also, don't starve yourself just because ate something you shouldn't have.

- You are NOT going to mess up with one slip up.  Think about how far you've come.  Think about how much hard work you have put into yourself.  Think about how much better you feel.  Have people noticed that you are a happier person?  This one (or tenth) slip up is just life - it happens.  You are doing this for your health and there is no turning back. What are you going to go back to?  Being unhealthy and unhappy just because you ate something you shouldn't have?  Say that out loud to yourself...sounds silly doesn't it?

- Don't weigh yourself.  Talk about sabotage.  If you do gain weight you are going to feel even worse and probably make it worse from emotional eating.  Give yourself at least a week after you start eating clean and exercising again before you weigh-in or take measurements.  Like we always say, the scale doesn't mean anything anyway.  What does matter is how you feel and how your clothes fit.  Those are much better ways to measure your success.

Remember this is NOT a diet - this is YOUR LIFE.  Eat Clean & Be Happy!

Let us be your personal trainers with our detailed 4, 6 and 12 week She Sweats Workout plans! We guide your workout each day, telling you exactly what to do and what intensity to work at. We have everything you need! Find out more!

Honey Chipotle Ground Chicken

This has become one of our "go-to" recipes and is now a staple in our weekly food prep.  It's easy to prepare and throw together when you're in a hurry.  It's also a very versatile recipe - you can use it in a salad with guacamole, make tacos, add it to your scrambled eggs, or just mix it in with brown rice or quinoa!  We usually make 3 lbs of this a week!

Clean Eat Recipe :: Honey Chipotle Ground Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Ground Chicken Breast (our local Publix doesn't carry it, but they're always willing to throw packaged chicken breasts in the grinder while we shop)
• 1/2 cup Onion, chopped
• 1/2 Tomato, diced
• 2 Tbsp Minced Garlic
• 1 tsp Cumin
• 1 tsp Chipotle Pepper Spice
• 1 tsp Oregano
• Honey (drizzled over cooked meat - no more than 1 tsp)
• Sea Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Coat pan lightly with olive oil.

2. Place meat, onion, and garlic in pan, cook under medium-high heat until meat is cooked through.

3. Turn heat to medium, add in cumin, chipotle pepper spice, oregano, and diced tomato and continue to cook until all ingredients are mixed thoroughly. 

4. After meat is cooked, drizzle honey and mix into cooked meat.  Add sea salt and pepper to taste.

He & She Tip: Try combining Grass-Fed Beef with the Chicken for even more flavor.