Fresh Tabbouleh Recipe

Tabbouleh is a light and fresh Mediterranean salad made with fresh parsley, bulgur wheat, green onions, mint, and tomatoes tossed in a lemon dressing.

Tabbouleh (pronounced tuh-boo-lee), also know as tabouli salad, is a parsley heavy salad commonly found in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean countries. While I have seen many Americanized versions where they include way more bulgur wheat so it is more grain-focused, I love it when the star of the show is the parsley just as it was in Israel! It’s a healthy and herbaceous side dish for any meal!

Having tabbouleh in Israel at Magdala’s changed my life. The freshness of the dish was one of the moments that I just sat back and felt the reality of where I was, the simplicity of food and life ya know. I’ll never forget it!

What is Bulgur Wheat?

Bulgur wheat is an edible cereal grain made from parboiled cracked wheat that is dried before packaging. It has a nutty or earth taste and has a texture similar to couscous or quinoa. It is quick and easy to cook and versatile in how it can be used.

What is in Tabbouleh?

For the Dressing

• Olive Oil: the base of the dressing
• Lemon Zest and Juice: adds acidity and bright flavor to the dressing
• Garlic: adds flavor
• Salt and Pepper: adds flavor

For the Tabbouleh

• Fine Bulgur: You’ll find it on the same row as the grains or the pasta at the grocery store. If you have a hard time finding it, you should be able to find it at any health food store.
• Flat Leaf and Curly Leaf Parsley: I love the combination of the two for this salad. I use the Italian (flat leaf) parsley which has more flavor but that smooth look and texture mellows it out. While the curly is more mild but I love the texture it adds.
• Green Onions: The green onions add flavor, you can also use chives
• Mint Leaves: You will definitely want fresh mint for this recipe!
• Grape Tomatoes: I like to half or quarter them so they are easier (and less messy) to eat.

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe at the end of the post.

Substitutions and Additions in Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh in it’s authentic form is just parsley, green onions, mint, tomatoes and bulgur with olive oil and lemon juice. You can see that we have taken a few liberties with our version here. It’s really a versatile salad, so feel free to add or omit items as desired. Here are some ideas:

Additions

• Cucumber
• Pomegranates
• Chickpeas
• Feta
• Sliced Grilled Chicken

Substitutes

• Bulgur Wheat – couscous or quinoa

Important Tips

1. Chop everything small. It is meant to all blend together. You can do it by hand with a knife or use a food processor or small blender. Jus

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! We made it through the muggy hot week here in Ohio and I am so very excited to see temps in the 70s this coming week. Is this finally a sign of fall weather?? I’m so ready for it. There aren’t many things that make me grin more than watching the seasons change.

ON THE BLOGS this week: I’ve been making Peaches and Cream Oatmeal all summer long; filled with soft pecans and sweet peaches, this is a memorable breakfast. I save a couple of peaches to make this oatmeal almost every time I buy fresh peaches.

The sweet crunch of summer corn and crisp slices of zucchini are brightened with a zesty dressing in this Zucchini Corn Salad.

Tender noodles and lightly roasted vegetables come alive with a zesty dressing in this Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad. So good, you’ll make it twice.

Savory ham and hearty potatoes are baked to perfection along with plenty of melted cheese, making this Ham and Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole a true comfort food.

With little more than a few zucchini and a couple of ears of corn, you can be on your way to piping hot, crispy Zucchini Corn Fritters.

Irresistibly rich, Coffee Ice Cream is a dessert that captures the morning joy of a freshly brewed cup of your favorite java. Perfect at any time of day!

Tangy blueberries and sweet, sun-kissed peaches are the highlights of this super simple Blueberry Peach Cobbler with a cinnamon sugar crust.

Is it breakfast? It is dessert? Fluffy pancakes are loaded with crumbled Oreo cookies in these decadent Oreo Pancakes. Topped with whipped cream and chocolate syrup, they’re an Oreo lover’s dream come true.

What I’m CRAVING: Tomato sandwiches on repeat. They are the quintessential summer sandwich and I adore them. Read more

Hi hi! Happy Friday! How was the week? I hope that you’ve had a great one! The Pilot was in and out most of the week, so I’ve been wrangling the crew here. They’re fully back to school with homework and events, and while I don’t really know what our schedule will look like yet, it feels good to be back into things. I also got my first massage in over a year (bless it), met up with a friend for a yoga class, and had a dry eye specialist appt. I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to!

This weekend both kids have birthday parties and I’m putting the finishing touches on Vitality. If you’re looking for a hybrid 1:1 and group coaching experience, you can join in here. This will also be the *hub* for my 1:1 clients since it will host videos and downloads on multiple wellness topics in one spot. This way, they can continue to work on foundations while we work together, and also enjoy lifetime access.

Check out the details here and send me an email (gina@fitnessista.com subject VITALITY) if you have any questions.

it’s time for the weekly Friday Faves party! This is where I share some of my favorite finds from the week and around the web. I always love to hear about your faves, too, so please shout out something you’re loving in the comments section below.

(Pic from date night with my love!)

Friday Faves 8.25

Read, watch, listen:

Listening to the audiobook of this and it’s incredible so far. If you’re raising girls (especially ones in the tween stage), I highly recommend it.

The behind-the-scenes glimpse we all needed.

How did you prepare your child for the first day of school?

The pressure to dream big and the beauty of wanting less.

Favorite podcasts for kids.

Fitness + good eats:

Community detox! We are joining in on the massive EquiLife community detox; last time there were over 50,000 people! We start on September 11th as a group. I have a call with EquiLife later this morning and am excited to hear what they have to say. If you know you want to join in, comment on this post and I’ll email you the details as soon as I get them! I’ll also update this post after the call.

Read more

Irresistibly rich, Coffee Ice Cream is a dessert that captures the morning joy of a freshly brewed cup of your favorite java. Perfect at any time of day!

Best Coffee Ice Cream

I’m something of a fan of coffee and ice cream. I like my ice cream with coffee, my coffee with ice cream. I’m not picky about the order! But, in a perfect world, I get them both in the same amazing dish. Well, this is that dish.

This is the best coffee ice cream recipe I’ve ever tried. And, full disclosure–I’ve tried a lot of coffee ice cream recipes. Get ready to dig into a robust blend of freshly brewed coffee with just enough creamy sweetness to take the edge off.

With over 70 ice cream recipes here to choose from, there’s sure to be an ice cream for everyone! If you’re new to making ice cream, the best and easiest vanilla ice cream is a great place to start.

These are my favorite inexpensive containers for storing ice cream. They’re perfect for gifting (who doesn’t love homemade ice cream?) storage, re-using, etc. I write the flavors on the lids with a sharpie and it washes off with dish soap.

I have more ice cream scoops than I can keep track of at this point and I definitely play favorites. This ice cream scoop does the best job ever of cutting through firm ice cream and still delivers a pretty scoop. It gets bonus points for being one of the least expensive scoops I own as well.

Don’t miss our Ice Cream Maker Review for all the information you need to find the BEST Ice Cream Maker for your needs! S

How to Maintain Your Weight Loss

Can you even believe it? Our 6 week Summer Shape Up challenge is over, but girlfriend – you are JUST GETTING STARTED. Whether you are trying to maintain your weight loss or keep pushing yourself further, this is how to make it happen this fall.

Finding Your Balance

Maintaining your results doesn’t mean sticking rigidly to the same routine forever. It’s about finding the right balance between sticking to the foundational habits you’ve built during the challenge and being flexible to make adjustments that make sense for your lifestyle.

Schedule Your Workouts

It doesn’t have to be the same time every day, but schedule your MOVE workouts into your week ahead of time to ensure it’s non-negotiable part of your routine. If you need to change it, that’s ok, but reschedule it in the moment. Don’t wait to “figure it out later.” It’s too easy to let that time slide if it’s not planned.

Mix It Up…The RIGHT Way

Progress comes from repetition, but that doesn’t mean doing the same exact workout day after day. The programs in MOVE are designed to give you the best balance of training styles while still providing flexibility. Try out the new videos, take your workout outside, join Katie’s live workouts, or checkout a new class with a friend on your cardio days. Keeping it fresh can help you stay inspired and prevent any boredom from creeping in.

Read more