Easy, Healthy Spring Rolls

Had an EXCELLENT run today, went my slightly longer route, and felt great during and afterwards. I'll be ready for the Thanksgiving 5K in no time. Tomorrow I'll be back in the hot studio, doing more bikram yoga with one of my favorite instructors (Mani). Hooray for exercise fun!

So, staying fit isn't all about exercise, is it? Of course not. It's also about eating healthy - moderate portions, low-fat, low-calorie, veggies of many kinds and colors, lean meats, yum! I'm no saint. Put a bag of chips in front of me and I tend to lose control. Bread? My kryptonite. That being said, I'd like to think that I know a thing or two about healthy eating. Dinner tonight was light, full of lean proteins, lots of veggies, and delicious!

(Keep in mind, I am not a nutritionist, a doctor, or any kind of expert on diets and exercise. My knowledge comes from experience, my own personal research, and common sense. Please consult a doctor before relying on any of my advice. *end legal ass-covering*)

So - here's my dinner recipe for Thai-style spring rolls. Very simple, very little cooking involved. They're also totally fun to assemble, and perfect finger food. And most importantly, they're good for you!

Thai-Style Spring Rolls (serves two):

Ingredients:

1/2 lb medium shrimp, peeled

1 chicken thigh

2 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

2 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tsp minced garlic

2 tsp fresh grated ginger

5 green onions

1/2 cucumber

1 carrot

1 cup shredded lettuce

1 bunch fresh basil

1 bunch fresh cilantro

1 pkg. rice paper rolls

1 container spring roll sauce

Directions:

Cook shrimp and chicken, separately, in skillet with 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp. minced garlic, and 1 tsp. grated ginger, and 1 finely chopped green onion (measurements for each protein). Let cool, and dice the cooked chicken and shrimp. Set cooked chicken and shrimp aside in refrigerator until chilled. Finely chop the rest of the green onions, julienne the carrot and cucumber, and coarsely chop basil and cilantro.

To assemble the rolls: soak each rice paper sheet in dish of lukewarm water until pliable (a pie dish works well). Place on plate. In center of sheet, layer desired amounts of carrot, cucumber, lettuce, shrimp/chicken (or both!), basil, and cilantro. Roll, carefully, taking care to keep ingredients from falling out the sides. Enjoy with spring roll sauce*

Yum! You could also make this meal totally vegan by using tofu or any other soy protein on the market. Your choice.

* Sadly, I did not make my own dipping sauce for this recipe, but there are dozens of recipes out there if you'd like to try your own. I bought Kroger's brand of spring roll dipping sauce, and it was pretty good. The real winner here is the cilantro - it brings such a delicious, fresh taste to the meal.