Purple Chocolate Shake

If you're looking for a super fast meal, try this tasty beverage on for size. While not quite as low sugar as most of our recipes, it's still pretty reasonable in the scheme of things, and you'll be surprise to know the real secret purple ingredient is not a sugary fruit mess—and it'll still give you almost half your daily requirement of Vitamin C, some potassium, vitamin A and fiber. Trust me, Sunny D's got nothin' on this "purple stuff."

You'll need:
1 scoop of a chocolate protein shake mix
1/4c fat free ricotta
1c cold water
1c ice
a handful of raspberries
1/2c chopped purple cabbage (yes, really)

Simply add all the ingredients to your blender to combine, and enjoy a full glass. This bad boy is packed with about 27g protein, and enough fiber to stave off hunger for several hours. Bottoms up!

Tuna Salad Wraps

I’ve been on an unseasonable tex-mex kick, but hey—it tastes good and it’s healthy, so I see no reason to ignore the craving! These tuna wraps are a way-healthy spin on fish tacos. A little kick and a little crunch go a long way.

4 large leaves iceberg lettuce
1c. cabbage, thinly sliced
1 can of solid white albacore tuna
2oz. fat free shredded cheddar
1 scallion, chopped
pickled jalapenos
Frank’s hot sauce

Prep all of your ingredients, and then build these just like you would a taco—pile each leaf of iceberg lettuce with an equal amount of the ingredients, a couple jalapenos and Frank’s to taste. Recipe makes two 27g servings.

Cilantro Cabbage Salad

Cabbage is an uber-healthy vegetable to work into your diet—and even more so if you can squeeze in a few different types. They're all high in fiber, low in calories, and totally fat free. Eat it steamed, and it could lower your cholesterol. Eat it raw, and get a little dose of cancer-prevention. Here, we're going with the latter:

1/2 head of green cabbage

1/2 head of purple cabbage

cilantro
1/2c chopped walnuts

juice of 2 limes

salt and pepper

Slice the cabbage thin and chop roughly into 2" length pieces. Add the walnuts and a bunch of fresh chopped cilantro, or 2 to 3 T. of this prepared stuff, which I like to keep on hand in case of emergency. Squeeze in the juice of two limes, season with just a touch of salt and pepper and toss until all the cabbage is well coated. 

I had a big bowl of this as my vegetable, along side my entrée—in the interest of full disclosure—a piece of pizza. (Crustless at least, and the filling cabbage did keep me from digging back in for a second slice!) But if you’re gonna be awesome and healthy, enjoy this with whatever high protein option you can scrounge up: cottage cheese, a piece of fish, whatever ya got.

This salad also keeps pretty well. Cabbage is hearty and the lime juice will keep it crisp and bright for a day or two in the fridge. (Try it with a piece of cajun-seasoned fish on day two.) Enjoy!

Broiled Scallops with Rosemary Cabbage

For dinner tonight, I kept the protein simple and had a little fun with the vegetable.

Rosemary cabbage:
1/2 small head of red cabbage
1/2 small head green cabbage
Vegetable broth
Rosemary (fresh or dried)
Garlic salt and pepper to taste

Spray your sauté pan lightly with non-stick spray. Slice the cabbage thin, and toss into the pan with a little broth (a great replacement for oil in a lot of recipes). Season the cabbage with plenty of rosemary, pepper and some garlic salt to taste. Cook covered over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5-10 minutes. Once the cabbage seems cooked, but still has a little crunch, cook on high, stirring almost constantly, to brown up a little bit. Serves 2-4.

Scallops: While the cabbage is on the stove, simply place your 10-12 scallops on a broiler pan lined with foil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and broil on high about 3 minutes on each side. Serves 2.

I served with some Brussel sprouts leftover from the night before, and a couple slices of lemon. Simple, light and the smell of rosemary makes everything better. Enjoy!