Shrimp & Veggie Pasta

Posted on May 15, 2012 by

Hey there! I hope everyone is having a great week. It’s been awhile since I’ve added a new recipe (sorry about that). This recipe is so simple, yet looks like you spent hours in the kitchen.  This is great meal for a busy week night or even for a dinner party.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for 4 servings (1 serving is 1 cup of pasta and about 2 oz. of shrimp):

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  • 8 oz. pasta (to make it even healthier you can use spaghetti squash or whole wheat pasta instead of regular pasta…my hubby isn’t a fan of wheat pasta, so I went with the original)
  • 8 oz. raw uncooked shrimp
  • 1/4 cup red onion
  • 1 1/2 cups of green, red, yellow peppers (if you use frozen it saves a TON of time)
  • 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • 1 1/2 tsp. basil
  • 1/2 cup cherry or grape tomatoes (forgot to include them in the original picture)
  • 4 tsp. grated parmesan

Cook pasta according to package directions.

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Heat olive oil in a medium skillet and sauté onions and peppers.

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Once the onions are transparent and peppers are soft, add the Italian seasoning, basil, and shrimp. Cook for about 4 minutes (or until shrimp is pink).

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Serve over pasta, top with tomatoes, shredded parmesan cheese, and drizzle with olive oil. Enjoy!

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Nutrition information:  Each serving has 260 calories, 4.7 grams of fat, 34.3 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, and 19.5 grams of protein.

Posted in Dinners | Tagged | 2 Comments

Cheesy Bread

Posted on April 15, 2012 by

Hi everyone! I hope you’re having a nice weekend!

I don’t know about you, but I love cheese and I love bread, so it’s kind of a given that I love cheesy bread. The calories and fat are not something that I love though. Luckily, I came across a recipe for a unique version of cheesy bread. This recipe has been modified from Sandy’s Kitchen.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make 6 cheesy bread sticks:

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  • 1.25 cups of fresh grated cauliflower
  • 1 cup of 2% shredded mozzarella
  • 2 eggs

You’ll also needs some spices:

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  • sea salt to taste (I used about 1 tsp.)
  • 1/2 tbsp. Italian seasoning
  • 1 tbsp. garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 baking dish with parchment paper that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

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Grate cauliflower (just like you would grate cheese).

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Whip the egg with a fork, then mix the egg, grated cauliflower and 3/4 cup of mozzarella together.

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Pour mixture into dish. (It will not cover the entire pan)

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Bake for about 25 minutes or until it is set.

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Remove the parchment paper from dish and place on a cookie sheet. Using a spatula, carefully flip the mixture. Crank the oven up to 450 degrees. Sprinkle the cheesy bread with sea salt, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and remaining 1/4 cup of mozzarella.

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Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese has melted. Cut into strips.

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Enjoy! Dip into marinara sauce if you’d like.

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Nutrition information: Each piece of cheesy bread has 83 calories, 5.2 grams of fat, 1.9 carbohydrates, 0.5 grams of fiber, and 7.2 grams of protein. It is also:

  • Low in sugar
  • High in calcium
  • High in phosphorus
  • High in selenium
  • High in vitamin B12
  • High in vitamin C
Posted in Side Dishes, Snacks | Tagged | Leave a comment

Chicken Nuggets

Posted on April 11, 2012 by

Hey there! I hope you had a nice Easter (or Passover) or any holidays that you may have celebrated over the past week.

Today’s recipe is a reader’s request!!! I love creating recipes that my reader’s want to see made-over (so if you’d like to see a meal made-over a little more healthy, please send me an email and I’d be happy to post it for you).

This recipe is sure to be a crowd pleaser. It is easy to make, full of flavor, healthy, and kid-friendly!

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for 4 servings (3 oz. of chicken or approximately 7 nuggets):

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  • 2 large chicken breasts
  • 1 cup skim milk
  • 2/3 cup whole wheat seasoned bread crumbs
  • 1 tbsp. rotisserie seasoning
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. pepper
  • 1 large egg white

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut chicken into bite size nugget pieces. Be sure to trim off any fat.

Soak chicken pieces in the milk (in the refrigerator) for about 30 minutes.

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While chicken is soaking, mix the bread crumbs, rotisserie seasoning, salt, and pepper into a shallow dish.

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Shake off any any excess milk. Dip the chicken pieces into the egg white and then dip them into the bread crumbs (be sure to coat them completely).

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Spray a foil-lined baking sheet with non-stick spray.Place chicken onto baking sheet. Give an extra spray of non-stick cooking spray on top of the chicken.

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Bake for 25 minutes (or until chicken is cooked all the way through).

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Enjoy!

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Nutrition information: Each serving (approximately 7 nuggets) has 243 calories, 7.1 grams of fat, 11.5 grams of carbohydrates, 30.1 grams of protein, and 1.1 grams of fiber.

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No Bake Chewy Peanut Butter Bars

Posted on April 3, 2012 by

Hey there! I’m officially on spring break! My husband and I usually go away on vacation for spring break, but we changed it up this year and planned our vacation right after school lets out. Although I miss the sandy beaches in the Caribbean this time of year, I am enjoying being home. I have a lot of work outs planned, including training for this:

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My very first 10K!!! I have only done 5ks before, so as you can imagine I have a mix of emotions…nervous, excited, etc. If you are a runner and you’re reading this, I’d love to hear any tips/advice you can give.

Today’s recipe is one that I came across on Pinterest. It has been slightly modified from The Marathon Mom’s website.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can be reassured that you’re giving your family all natural ingredients and no processed junk that is often found in store bought granola bars.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for 8 bars:

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  • 1/2 cup of peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup of agave nectar or 1/3 cup of honey (pictured here is the honey (called for in the original recipe, but I made mine with agave nectar)
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
  • 2 tbsp. wheat germ
  • 1/2 cup peanuts

In a sauce pan melt the peanut butter, agave nectar, and coconut oil. Remove from the heat once it’s all melted.

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Stir in oats, wheat germ, and peanuts.

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Pour mixture onto a foil (or parchment paper) lined 8×8 baking dish. Freeze or place in the refrigerator until it sets up.

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Cut into 12 bars. Time saver tip: I placed my into individual bags, so that I could quickly grab them throughout the week.

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Enjoy!

Nutrition information: Each bar has about 270 calories, 20 grams of healthy fat, 18.6 carbohydrates, 8 grams of protein, and 2.8 grams of fiber. 

  • No cholesterol
  • Low in sodium
  • High in manganese
Posted in Snacks | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Grab & Go Baked Oatmeal

Posted on March 25, 2012 by

Are you stuck in a breakfast rut? I find that breakfast (especially during the work week) is the same for me every day (green monster or protein yogurt smoothie).  Well, I wanted to find a new breakfast idea that is:

  • convenient (let’s face it, I don’t have extra time in the morning to make breakfast)
  • low-calorie
  • nutritious
  • filling

I came across a great recipe for individual baked oatmeal on Pinterest (my latest obsession)  Smile  You can find the original recipe here. I made a few modifications.

Some great things about this recipe:

  • You make them ahead of time.
  • You can freeze them.
  • You can eat these as a healthy afternoon snack.
  • You can add whatever toppings you’d like.
  • They are low in calories.
  • They are delicious and filling!
  • Making a batch on Sunday gives you and your family breakfast all week!!!
  • Most of all, they are so convenient!!!

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for 12 individual servings:

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  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 mashed banana
  • 2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/3 cup wheat germ
  • 2 scoops protein powder
  • 3 tbsp. agave nectar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
  • any healthy toppings you’d like (I used frozen blueberries and dried cherries)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix egg, applesauce, agave nectar, vanilla, and mashed banana together.

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In another bowl, mixt together the oats, baking powder, protein powder, wheat germ, salt, and cinnamon.

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Mix the dry & wet ingredients together. Add almond milk & mix.

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Spray cupcake liners with non-stick cooking spray. Fill each liner about 1/2 up with batter. Add any fruit at this time. (The first 2 rows have blueberries in them and the last row has dried cherries)

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Take the remaining batter and top the fruit with it.

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Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.

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Enjoy!

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Nutrition information:  Without toppings, each serving (1 muffin) has 112 calories, 2 grams of fat, 19 carbohydrates, 6 grams of protein, and 2.4 grams of fiber.  The frozen blueberries add fiber and a trace of calories. The dried cherries add 35 calories to each serving. They are also:

          • Low in saturated fat
          • Low in sodium
          • Very high in manganese
          • High in selenium

Do you get into breakfast ruts? What are some of your “go to” breakfasts?

Posted in Breakfast | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Asian Lettuce Wraps

Posted on March 13, 2012 by

Hey there! I hope you’re having a nice week. I’ve been slacking on the blogging front (sorry about that). I have been creating new recipes though. Smile

Today’s recipe is a spin off of P.F. Chang’s Lettuce Wraps. They are yummy!

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for 6 servings:

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  • 1lb. lean ground turkey
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 4 shitake mushrooms
  • 2 cups shredded cabbage
  • 2 tbsp. hoisin sauce
  • 2 tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce
  • 6 lettuce leaves

Spray a skillet with cooking spray. Cook turkey until brown. Set aside when finished.

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Spray another skillet with cooking spray. Add chopped onion. Sauté until brown.

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Remove steams from mushrooms. Chop mushrooms in tiny pieces (I’m not a fan of mushrooms so I cut them as small as possible so they’d be hidden) Smile

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Rinse and peel lettuce leaves.

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Add mushrooms, cabbage, hoisin, and soy sauce. Sauté for about 1 minute.

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Add turkey and sauté for about 3 minutes.

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Divide mixture up evenly between 6 lettuce leaves (I did 2 oz. of the mixture in each lettuce leaf). Wrap & enjoy!

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Nutrition information: Each wrap has 158 calories, 5.7 grams of fat, 11.9 carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, and 16.4 grams of protein.

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Amazing Chocolate Chick Cookie Cake

Posted on February 21, 2012 by

I hope you’re having a good week. I hope to make it even better for you with this AMAZING recipe. I cannot contain my excitement over this, so I’m going to start this off with a picture of the final product:

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I must give a shout out to my wonderful co-workers. Not only did they enjoy this recipe, but they even came up with the name for it. I was specifically told that “amazing” had to be in the title. Smile Also, this recipe got a rating of 10 from my husband (10 being the highest possible), so you know it’s a winner.

This is a healthy spin on those delicious (yet fattening) cookie cakes that you can buy at the mall, but this one is actually good for you!!!

If you’re skeptical after reading the ingredients (it’s understandable), but you must try it. I promise you will not be disappointed. No one will ever guess the main ingredient. Smile

This recipe has been slightly modified from Chocolate Covered Katie’s original recipe.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make a 9” inch cookie cake (approximately 8-10 slices depending on how big you slice the cookie):

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  • 2 cans Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)
  • 1 cup old fashioned oats
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 3 tbsp. canola oil
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar blend by Splenda (or 1.5 cups of regular brown sugar, but this will add calories and sugar grams)
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup white chocolate chips (or chunks like I used)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse and drain chickpeas.

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Blend all ingredients (except for the chocolate) in a food processor.

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Stir in chocolate.

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Pour cookie dough into a greased cake pan.

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Bake for 35-45 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

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 Drizzle with chocolate, eat plain, or top with a scoop of frozen yogurt. Enjoy!

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Nutrition information: Each slice has approximately 250 calories (if your slices are cut into 10 pieces).

Posted in Desserts | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

One Pot Lasagna

Posted on February 15, 2012 by

I hope you all had a nice Valentine’s Day!!! Ours was nice over here!

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Today’s recipe was one that I found in my Cooking Light magazine, but it wasn’t a recipe that was featured. Instead, it came from an advertisement for tomato sauce. It caught my eye and I thought I’d modify it a bit and try it out.

It was super easy (the easiest lasagna I’ve ever made)! That’s a win in my book!

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for 6 servings (approximately 1 cup per serving):

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  • 9 oz. lasagna noodles
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. butter
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. flour
  • 1 cup of skim milk (not pictured…oops again)
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. pepper
  • 1 tbsp. dried oregano
  • 1 cup of part skim ricotta cheese
  • 1/4 cup egg white (about 2 eggs)
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup diced red onion
  • 1 cup chopped spinach
  • 1/3 cup marinara sauce
  • 1/3 cup Monterey jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil noodles according to package directions. Drain the noodles and set aside. If you use the “no boil” lasagna noodles like I did, do not boil them (I did and it made the noodles slightly tough). If you do use the “no boil” noodles, make the mixture without the noodles (you’ll layer them later).

Using the same pot, melt the butter. Add the flour until mixture thickens.

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Add salt, pepper, oregano, and milk. Stir constantly.

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Stir in ricotta and parmesan cheese. Remove from heat. Add noodles.

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Pour mixture in a Pam sprayed 8 X 8 casserole dish. (I used an extra disposable dish that we just happened to have…it made for an easy clean up!) Bake for 10 minutes. If you use the “no bake” noodles, this is when you should place them in the pan and layer them with the sauce.

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Chop onion and spinach.

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Top the lasagna with marinara, onion, spinach, and Monterey jack cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes.

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Enjoy!

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Nutrition information:  289 calories, 10.5 grams of fat, 32.6 carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, and 16.1 grams of protein

If you have a recipe you’d like to see made healthier, please let me know! I’d love to create it for you!

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Slow Cooker Italian Style Roast

Posted on February 11, 2012 by

Hey there! How’s your weekend going? My weekend is a very low-key one! (I’m so grateful for this after such a busy work week). It’s a cold weekend here in Maryland with a light dusting of snow on the ground. That means it’s a perfect day for a slow cooker meal! (The only time I really use the crock pot is when I’m home. I’m a little too “ocd” to leave it cooking all day while no one is home.) Smile

Also on the agenda for this weekend is to make these delicious treats again!

Today’s recipe is one that I found just by Googling “crock pot meals”. This recipe has been slightly altered from crock-pot.com . It takes approximately 4-6 hours of cooking time on high (or 8-10 hours on low), so it’s a good idea to get it started in the morning.

The flavors of this meal are incredible and it’s extremely healthy!

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for 6 servings (about 1 cup per serving):

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  • 1.25 pounds chuck roast
  • 6 ounces of tomato paste
  • 4 teaspoons of minced garlic
  • 1 envelope of dry onion soup mix
  • 1/2 tbsp. oregano
  • 1/2 tbsp. thyme
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. pepper
  • 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes (oops only 1 can is in the pic, you’ll need 2 cans)
  • 1 onion
  • 7 baby carrots
  • 1 large potato
  • 1 stalk of celery
  • 2 bay leaves (remove them after cooking)

Okay, are you ready for the EASY steps? Here it goes:

Place roast into the crockpot. Chop all of the veggies. Place veggies on top of the roast.

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Place all remaining ingredients into a bowl and mix together.

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Pour mixture on top of the roast and veggies and let the crock pot do it’s thing!

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Enjoy!

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Nutrition Information: Each serving has: 335 calories, 8.4g fat, 29.5 g carbohydrates, 5.6 g fiber, 35.8 g protein

Each serving is high in phosphorus, potassium, selenium, vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin C, and zinc.

Posted in Soups & Stews | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Valentine’s Day Strawberry Stuffed Chocolates

Posted on February 5, 2012 by

Hey there! I hope you all are doing well.

Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching and typically this holiday is celebrated with tons of sweets and sugar. Instead of derailing your healthy eating, you can enjoy the sweetness of this holiday with delicious treats that are not loaded with tons of calories. 

Today’s recipe is nothing new if you’re familiar with chocolate-covered strawberries. I just kind of reversed it so that they are easier to eat (and so that you don’t get messy hands).

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make about 18 strawberries:

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  • 18 strawberries (or however many there are in the container you purchase)
  • 6 tbsp. dark chocolate chips

Cut the tops and bottoms off of the strawberries so that they can stand up by themselves.

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Using a small spoon scoop out the center of the strawberries.(I actually used a 1/4 tsp. measuring spoon since it’s so small and I also saved the inside of the strawberry flesh and put it in the freezer to use for my breakfast smoothies).

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Melt chocolate in a microwave and spoon melted chocolate into each strawberry. Refrigerate for a few minutes so that the chocolate hardens.

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Enjoy with your sweetheart!

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Nutrition information: Each strawberry has about 25 calories!!! There is no cholesterol and very low sodium. They are high in manganese, very high in vitamin C, and since they are made with dark chocolate they have antioxidants.

 

 

Posted in Desserts | Tagged | 2 Comments