Let me preface this post by letting it be known that I don't really care for almond butter. I love me some peanut butter, but almond butter is a bit too bland for my taste. Enter Maple Almond Butter.
Hello lover.....
I really like chili rellenos, but they are so unhealthy. Chili rellenos consist of Anaheim or Poblano peppers that have been broiled so that the skins can be removed and stuffed with either cheese, meat or a combination of both. But it doesn't stop there. After the chilis have been stuffed, they are battered and fried! Holy calorie overload! I decided to try my hand at a more healthy version. I scoured the Interwebz, but couldn't come up with anything. So, I put my mind to work. These are a combination of my Stuffed Bell Peppers and tacos (sort of). Oh and beware, these babies are nice and spicy! If you don't like heat, leave out the cayenne. And if you want to cut down on the fat even more, leave out the cheese or use reduced fat. Here's what I came up with:
Steph's Healthy Chili Rellenos
6 Poblano or Anaheim peppers
1 yellow onion, diced
2 large cloves of garlic (or up to 4 small ones), minced
1 lb 97% or more fat free ground turkey
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 jalapenos, seeded and diced
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 can black beans, rinsed (I use Sun Vista salt-free)
Jalapeno-Jack cheese (I didn't measure, but I grated a 1in x 2in x 1.5in piece of Organic Valley, roughly 1 to 1 1/2 Tbsp per chili)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Fill a large pot with water and put on the stove to heat up. Cut a "T" into each pepper carefully. Try to remove the ribs and seeds from each pepper. I had to shake mine into the sink to remove more seeds. Put the peppers into the pot of water. When the peppers are softened, take out of the water using a tongs and lay on a towel to dry.
Meanwhile, heat a pan with 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add garlic and onions and cook for a few minutes. Add in the turkey and cook until browned. Put in all spices and the jalapenos and cook for a few more minutes. Finally, add in the tomatoes and beans and cook until thoroughly mixed and heated through.
Mist a glass cooking dish (or two in my case) with non-stick cooking spray. Carefully lay the peppers in the pan(s) and fill them with the meat mixture. Sprinkle a little cheese inside each pepper and bake for 15-20 minutes.
Did anyone get a chance to see that show? I forgot it was on and forgot to set the DVR. Fortunately, I was able to catch a piece of it online. It looks so informative and I hope that it gives the general public a wake-up call in regards to what they put in their mouth. So much of our food is over-processed and packed with crap. I think if people really knew what they were putting in their bodies, they would think twice. You can see the first episode HERE but there are a few commercials. The second half of the episode is also on that page. I hope that everyone finds this show interesting. Although I am nowhere near perfect in my eating habits, I like to arm myself with as much knowledge as possible. What do you think?
It's on Fridays on ABC at 8 Central time.
This recipe was featured on the Tasty Kitchen blog and it looked delicious. The recipe is called Butter Chicken, but I cleaned the recipe up so it's much healthier. Instead of the 1/4 cup of butter, I used a couple tablespoons of olive oil. I eliminated the heavy cream at the end and I thought it still tasted wonderful. Cream sauces do taste good, but they're super high in fat. I also didn't use the cilantro because Jason's not a fan of it. Jason and I both enjoyed it very much. The recipe is nice and spicy, so if you don't like it spicy, cut down on the cayenne (I almost added more because recipes aren't usually very spicy at all). Here's the pic of the finished product served on top of brown rice along with some steamed veggies from our garden:
I saw this recipe in the Jan/Feb Clean Eating mag but never made it. Then, I saw them on Kate's blog and I decided to give them a try. Here's the recipe. Instead of vanilla protein powder, I used chocolate and I subbed pecans for the almonds. Here's what one looked like before baking:
Oh my gosh. I had the BEST dinner tonight. Jason has been spending a lot of time at his parents' house working on his project truck which leaves me on my own for dinner. I got tired of cereal and sandwiches so I decided to try out Bobbi's recipe for Whole Wheat Honey Pizza Dough. You can find the recipe here.
I realized after starting the dough that I don't own a pizza pan. Who doesn't own a freaking pizza pan? Me, that's who. I decided to put it on a cookie sheet instead and make the best of it. My dough still turned out in a round shape, but next time I think I'll roll the dough out thinner. Here's what I put on top:
This past weekend, Jason & I headed out to College Station to visit our friends Sylvia and Jake. We were also going to Sylvia's 1st Annual Gig 'Em Cookie Exchange. We made Jason & Jake eat cookies and vote. Guess who's husband didn't vote for her cookies? Yeah, mine. Some girls might be disappointed but I'm not. He likes chewy cookies and I could care less whether mine are chewy or not. I made my great grandmother's pomanders (basically rum balls without the rum). I realize that I may be the only one who loves these, but they're more of a sentimental thing for me.
I also made Lime Coolers, which are sugar cookies with lime zest inside and a lime frosting on the outside. Yum. I had tried these at another party (I forgot to take pictures) and I liked them so I decided to try them out again. There's always so many chocolate cookies at these parties so I wanted to break it up some.
We also had Butterballs (kind of like almond flavored pecan sandies):
Jelly cookies:
Chocolate chip cookies:
Oreo truffle balls:
Super Chunky Christmas Cookies and Peppermint Swirl Cookies:
Pecan Praline Cookies:
While we noshed on cookies, we toasted our sugar highs with some AMAZING apple cider and eggnog:
I don't even like eggnog and I thought it was really good. But that cider.....that cider was deeee-lish. It was a Paula Deen recipe. I joked that it was her only recipe that didn't include butter or bacon. Sylvia told me the recipe actually was called Hot Buttered Apple Cider because you're supposed to put a pat of butter into your glass of hot cider. Gross. Glad we skipped that part. At least we know that P. Deen is consistent!
Here's a shot of us all. From left to right: Myself, looking a little too casual, Kim, Dawn with baby Jacob, Sylvia, our hostess, and Ashley.
After counting the votes, Kim's Oreo Truffle Balls won! Yes, Jason voted for them.
Her prize was a couple spatulas and some copper cookie cutters.
Before the night was over, I couldn't resist getting in some quality baby time. Be still, my ovaries.
After some more oohing and aahing over baby Jake, stuffing our faces with a dozen or so cookies and knocking back a few more glasses of cider, the party ended. I came home with lots of cookies to eat.
And I'm not sharing! Ha!
With the weather suddenly turning cooler, I had a craving for soup. This soup was really, really easy to make and it tasted yummy. I actually doubled the recipe below, so that's why the pot looks extra full!
Here's the leeks in low-sodium chicken broth.
Adding in the broccoli.....
Adding in the zucchini (these were leftover from our summer garden):
Adding the fish......
Adding in the spinach and spices....
And we're done! Enjoy!
Winter Vegetable & Fish Soup
~serves 2 generous bowls, 221 calories, 8g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 trans fat, 48mg cholesterol, 646 mg sodium, 10 total carbohydrates, 1 g dietary fiber, 3 g sugar, 28 g protein, 3 mg iron.
I've never made homemade pesto before, so it was high time I tried it out! It was so, so yummy! When I asked Jason if he liked it, he said "YES!!!" When I asked him if I should make it again, he replied "Oh hell yes!!!"
I think he liked it.
Disclaimer: Although your mouth make thank you, your thighs probably won't. Sorry. My suggestion would be to eat another helping of pesto pasta to shut them up.
Pesto Sauce
2 cups fresh basil
2 Tbsp pine nuts or walnuts (I used walnuts because that's what I had on hand)
1 Tsp salt
1 Cup extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic
1/2 Cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 Tsp black pepper
Remove basil leaves from stems. Place 1 cup basil leaves, pine nuts/walnuts, salt, olive oil, garlic and pepper in a blender. Process until well mixed. Add remaining basil leaves and parmesan cheese and blend well until the mixture is a smooth puree.
And that's it!
I delicately dumped the basil-y goodness over some swirly pasta and topped it with slices of baked chicken breast and a little extra parmesan cheese. It was delightful!
You could also use it as a marinade for chicken before grilling. You can also refrigerate or freeze it if you think you could wait to eat it. Enjoy!
Poor Hailey woke up coughing terribly Thursday morning. She had been on prescription cough medicine, but it stopped working for her. She was having trouble breathing. She got out of bed at 9, but I had heard her coughing since 8. By 9:15, I had called my sister and planned to take her in to the doctor. I got her in and they prescribed an inhaler and a liquid steroid. Her coughing was starting to get scary because it was constant and she was gasping for air. She wasn't coughing as much at night because we put her to sleep with a vaporizer in her room.
I gave her the inhaler and hoped it would work. She had already told her mommy that she was going to take a nap when she got home from the doctor's office. She was so worn out from coughing. The first round didn't help very much, but when she got the second round 4 hours later, she took a nap and woke up sounding much better.
I made dinner and told both girls that I had a special surprise dessert for them if they were good. Bribery always works and I'm not above it. This is what we had:
Banana "Ice Cream"
First, you freeze several bananas. Always peel them before freezing and it helps to cut them beforehand as well. Put them in a food chopper and add a little milk:
If you're lactose intolerant, just use water or Almond Milk or whatever's appropriate for you. By the way, I got this idea from LovIN My Tummy who pulled it from some raw foodie's blog. I'm by no means a raw foodie, but this sounded so yummy. Anyhoo, blend those bananas and milk until you get this consistency. It may take a few minutes.
Doesn't that look yummy? Just like ice cream, but healthier. Now don't get me wrong, I can EAT some ice cream when the time calls. And none of that fat free/sugar free crap. I eat the real stuff.
We spooned the ice cream into bowls and added some fresh strawberries for more flavor.
And then we added dark chocolate syrup. Yup, I went there. Healthy went out the window.
And it was good. Just see these faces for proof:
And that was the end of a nice day. Hailey's cough was a little better by the time she went to bed. I'm sure the chocolate had something to do with it.
I mean, chocolate cures everything doesn't it?
This turned out to be such a yummy summer recipe, found online at Cooking Light. It makes a TON and can be used as a stand-alone dish or as a side dish. I think it's even better the next day after all the flavors had melded together. If you've never tried bulgur (and I hadn't), it's kind of like a larger-grained couscous.
Greek Bulgur Salad With Chicken
*makes 10 servings at 1 2/3 cup a piece
Ingredients
4 1/2 cups water
3 cups uncooked bulgur
3/4 fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons), divided
2 teaspoons salt, divided
2 1/2 cups chopped skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken (I used 2 baked chicken breasts)
2 1/2 cups chopped, peeled cucumber
2 cups halved grape tomatoes
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup (2 oz) crumbled feta cheese (or as much as you darn well please!)
1/4 cup extravirgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
10 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped (or as much as you darn well please!)
Preparation
Combine water, bulgar, 1/2 cup lemon juice and 1 teaspoon salt in saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 15 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. Uncover and cool to room temperature.
Combine remaining 1/4 juice, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Toss to combine. Add cooled bulgur mixture; toss well to combine. Cover and chill.
Today's a two-fer! That's right, I'm posting TWO recipes today! You should feel special.
If you have an email address, then you've probably gotten the email about the 5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake. I've gotten it several times and every single time I read it, it makes me want to try it. I have no idea why I haven't, but I thought today should be the day. The recipe is simple enough; the ingredient breakdown is here:
I mixed it all together well with a spoon:
Then, I put it in the microwave:
It came out looking like this:
And tasted like this:
Oh wait. You can't taste it. Too bad for you!This might be my favorite recipe yet. It turned out so, so yummy! It's not very spicy at all and spells delicious. The downside? It takes a long time to make. It would be a great Sunday thing to make and then eat throughout the week.
Sauteing the Ras El Hanout, garlic & olive oil:
Adding in the first few veggies and water:
Putting the pureed veggies back into the dish:
I have no idea why the picture is sideways because it's correct on my computer! ???
Finally, enjoying the final product with some cilantro on top:
And the breakdown:
Ingredients:
I decided to finally try to make some homemade hummus. It was super easy! Just throw 1 can of rinsed garbanzo beans (chickpeas), 1 Tsp Sea Salt, 1/3 cup Tahini, 4 garlic cloves, 1 Tbsp olive oil and the juice of 2 lemons into a blender. You can make it as chunky or as smooth as you like. Mine came out pretty garlicky, so I may cut that down to just 2 cloves next time. But to be fair, I think I used gargantuan garlic cloves. I couldn't make mine pretty enough to photograph, so you'll get to enjoy this picture instead. :)
In case you're wondering where you find Tahini, it's next to the peanut butter.
On Monday, I decided that Jason & I should try to eat more fish. Eating chicken all the time is getting so boring and besides, we actually like seafood! I bought some frozen wild-caught salmon fillets, but I couldn't figure out what to do with them. We're fine with eating them plain, but I wanted a way to jazz it up a bit. Who do I call? Mom, of course!
I asked her if dill went with Salmon and she said she thought so. She told me to look up dill sauce on the Internet and try it from there. She usually blackens her salmon, but I didn't have the Cajun seasoning for it. I looked up several recipes online for dill & salmon and decided on one. I went downstairs to pull out the ingredients and......
.....I didn't have any freaking dill. Seriously. Back to square one!
So, I turned over the package that the salmon came in and found this recipe. I even had all the ingredients! So here you go:
Grilled Sweet Chili Lime Salmon Fillets
1/2 Tbsp Kosher Salt
1/2 Tbsp Black Pepper
1 Tbsp Sugar
1/2 Tbsp Chili Powder
2 Tbsp Fresh chopped cilantro
1 Fresh Lime
Mix all ingredients expect the lime onto a flat plate. Coat both sides of the salmon fillets with the mixture. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes.
The limes were my lame attempt at garnishing. I'm no Hyper Homemaker, so that's all that can be expected of me. We really liked this recipe, except next time we'll leave the sugar out. I didn't like the sweet/spicy combination, but it's up to you. Even Jason, who doesn't really like overpowering cilantro, thought this was good! And I didn't grill it like the original recipe called for because we don't own a grill. But they were still good in the oven. One final bit of advice:
Read more...
Remember when I said I must be growing up because I found out that I actually LIKED cottage cheese? Well, I also found out recently that I like bell peppers....and all colors at that! I decided to try out a stuffed pepper recipe. I don't have the exact recipe with me, so I'll have to fudge it a little, but you'll get the gist.
You need at least 4 peppers (whatever color you like). Cut the tops off and remove the seed and inner core of each. In a large pot, boil water, then add the peppers. Keep them in there for a few minutes so they get a little soft. Then, remove them and put them upside-down on a paper towel to drain.
Meanwhile, you'll need two cups of cooked brown rice. I used easy-peasy Uncle Ben's microwave rice, but you can do it the long way, too. Put the rice in a bowl to cool. Saute 1 chopped onion and 1 or 2 grated carrots in some olive oil and cover for 10 minutes. The original recipe is vegetarian and I really wanted some protein, so I added 1lb of turkey to the onions and carrot mix. Add 3 garlic cloves pushed through a garlic press and cook a while longer. Then, add 2 cups of chopped tomatoes & 1 can of rinsed black beans and cook for about 5 minutes. The recipe also called for corn, but I didn't have any, so I skipped it.
Remove the mixture from heat and add to the rice in the bowl. Squeeze the juice of one lime and add salt and black pepper. The recipe also called for cilantro, but since my husband hates it, I didn't put it in. :(
Mix thoroughly and put the stuffing in the peppers in a greased pan. I had a lot of stuffing left over, so I shoved it in-between the peppers. Next time, I may do 6 or 7 peppers. Bake for 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Enjoy!
Since the cooler weather blew in, I've been wanting to make some soup. I finally got up the courage (and time!) to try out this tomato soup recipe I've been eyeing.
Here's the setup:
First, you have to roast the garlic. I highly recommend doing this part on a day that no one will be coming over. I had to profusely apologize to our AT&T repairman today because the house reeked of garlic. Since this takes 40 minutes in a 400-degree oven, you could also just do it the day before to save time. Mmmmm......garlic.
After the garlic cools, you have to squeeze out the garlic cloves. This was a pretty messy affair for me. My fingers were a mess and I had to pick excess paper out of the garlic paste. Just an FYI. Maybe you'll do better than me.
To start the soup, I sauteed onions & celery in a little olive oil.
After the onions & celery were softened, I poured in stewed tomatoes (I used no salt added; took 5 cans), water and all of the spices.
Once this boiled, I let it simmer for 30 minutes. Now the fun part comes. The recipe says to puree the mixture with a hand blender. I don't have one of those, so I had to pour in the soup, bit by bit, into my blender. You can see what a mess I've already made from all the pouring.
At some point here, I've forgotten to close the pantry door. Cassius got a wild hair and decided to explore. (This is a first, by the way) Obviously, he's feeling MUCH better.
So after pureeing, this is what the yummy soup looks like with a little jalapeno jack cheese:
One mistake I made was using no salt added stewed tomatoes. The soup needed a little salt afterward, so keep that in mind. And now, here's the actual recipe:
Tomato & Roasted Garlic Soup
Ingredients:
1 head garlic
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil (I used more....)
Salt & Pepper
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
8 cups stewed tomatoes, including juice
1 bay leaf
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
1 cup water
1 tsp dried thyme
Directions:
~Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove loose, papery skins from garlic, leaving head intact. Cut half an inch off the top of the garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Bake on center rack for 40 minutes until garlic has softened. Place on plate to cool. Once garlic has cooled, squeeze roasted garlic into a small bowl. The paste will be added to the soup.
~In large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat 1/2 teaspoon olive oil. Add onion and celery and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
~Stir in tomatoes and juice, 1 cup of water and all seasonings. Bring to a boil.
~Reduce heat, add roasted garlic paste and simmer for 30 minutes.
~Puree with hand blender until mostly smooth.
Nutritional information per serving (makes 12 cups):
71 calories, 2g protein, 3g fat, 11g carbohydrates
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