Twas an ICY day this Sunday, which is a perfect day for comforting food! I was really in the mood for something warm with sweet potatoes but something different. After a bit of digging through my cupboard I ran across the ingredients to create this dish. The surprise ingredients are a granny smith apple and a bit of nutmeg. The apple was so great in it I think I will add an additional the next time I make this :)
Soooooo warm and cozy on such a blagh day!!!
Recipe:
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 onion, chopped (I used a sweet onion)
1 granny smith apple, peeled and cubed
1.5 tablespoons garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup water
1lb turkey kielbasa, cut into 1" sections
Salt/Pepper to taste
chopped parsley to garnish (optional)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a 9x13 baking dish combine sweet potatoes, onion, apple and spices until combined well. Pour chicken stock and water into bottom of baking dish. Place kielbasa on the top. Bake covered for 30 minutes. Take out of oven and stir and cook an additional 30-45 minutes or until potatoes are tender and the kielbasa starts to brown. (cooking time is dependent upon the size your potatoes have been cut) Enjoy!
This will make 5 good servings and only pack 227 calories and 7 grams of fat per serving. Sooooo warm and cozy :)
Not toot my own horn but I make a mean crisp... apple, peach, rhubarb... I can crisp it all! Unfortunately, this tasty treat is loaded with tons sugar and butter. So I went forward to making it healthier and cleaner :) The end result is still tasty but fully satisfying!
Recipe:
4 baking apples, cored (I used granny smith)
1 cup quick oats
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons cinnamon
2 1/2 pats of cold butter, cubed (mine was frozen)
1/3 cup water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add cored apples to a smaller baking dish. In a small bowl, combine oats, honey, cinnamon and butter. The mixture will be crumbly and that is perfect. Stuff the mixture into the core of each apple. With any remaining oat goodness pack onto the top of each apple. Pour water onto the bottom of the dish so that it surrounds the apples. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until apples are soft but not mush.
Easily enjoyed with only 255 calories and 5 grams of fat per apple. Bon Appetit!
UGH!!! I am so sick of chicken but yet I am way to frugal to let it go to waste... hum ho what to do?! SPICE IT UP!
Coming upon the month of February always makes me think of Mardis Gras and Cajun food. It's rich, hearty and spicy! Generally, when I have a craving for something I just start putting things together and have no regard for health. Today was different. This recipe gives the same great flavor and is so much healthier for you. It would also be fantastic in a stuffed pepper! mmmmm tomorrow's dinner?!
Recipe:
1 pkg smoked turkey sausage cut into 1" sections
2 shredded boneless skinless chicken breasts (mine were already cooked but you could do cubed chicken too)
2.5 cups chicken stock
1 cup brown rice
1 can black beans drained and rinsed
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
2 tsp cajun seasoning (I am a huge fan of Penzey)
1 bunch cilantro (optional... I didn't have any on hand)
In a small pot bring chicken stock to a boil. Add in rice and bring to a simmer for 30 minutes. While the rice is simmering add sausage to a skillet and brown. Add in chicken. Once warm, add in the beans and tomatoes. While bringing to a simmer add seasoning. Let simmer on low until rice is cooked through. Add rice to skillet and stir to combine. Add more seasoning if necessary or cilantro at this time. A splash of lime would also be lovely! ENJOY :)
Makes 6 servings - 285 calories/10 grams fat per serving :)
For the past few weeks I have partaken in a weightless challenge group. I have nothing but great things to say about my peers, coach and program that I am involved in. I have though finally hit that time where I WANT BAD FOR ME FOOD!!! After controlling myself at PF Changs and holding back at the movie theater it was time for something hearty. Hearty and something that contained bacon :) My challenge... to make it healthy!
Over the weekend, I slow cooked 8 chicken breasts in the slow cooker. My plan was to take half of the chicken and shred it for BBQ chicken tacos. As of yesterday, I wasn't feeling that idea and it was time to change. I still craved that BBQ but craved bacon as mentioned above. What better than to combine the two into a gluten free pasta dish that is just delish! Guilt is not included in this dish!
"OFFICALLY HUBBY APPROVED :) "
Recipe:
4 strips low sodium gluten free bacon, chopped
4 chicken breasts cooked and shredded
1 bottle BBQ sauce (I use Cookies as I love the flavor and its gluten free)
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 package gluten free noodles of choice (mine are brown rice)
In a large pot bring water to a boil and cook noodles until al dente. In a large skillet, cook bacon until starting to slightly crisp. To the skillet add chicken and BBQ sauce. Let simmer while pasta is cooking (10 minutes). Once the pasta is cooked at the noodles to the BBQ chicken mixture. If "sauce" seems to thick add some pasta water to loosen. Fold in cilantro. Let simmer 5 minutes or until the cilantro permeates the mixture. Enjoy!
** 4 slices of bacon cooked equals 14 grams of fat. Divide that by 6 servings and it equals 2.33 grams of fat per serving from the bacon. Doesn't sound guilty to me!
For years my husband has been in love with anything that contains peppers, onions, meat and cheese! In trying to make healthier meals, I thought it would be good to shove all the things that he likes into a stuffed pepper. It was not only healthy but full of flavor and ridiculously easy!
Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts cubed
1 onion chopped
1 drizzle EVOO
2 garlic cloves mince (I micro-plane mine)
4 large peppers
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 cup shredded cheese (I used a mixture of mozzarella and mild cheddar)
Drizzle olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and garlic and saute until tender. Add chicken to skillet and brown until cooked through. Cut tops off of peppers and discard tops and innards. Place into a shallow baking dish. Spoon chicken mixture into each pepper until full. Sprinkle each filled pepper with Italian seasoning then top off with cheese. Before placing in a 425 degree oven add water to your pan until the water hits 1/4 up the pepper. Bake peppers for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is brown and bubbly. Enjoy!
Excited to see what the hubs says tonight about this one :)
In the midst of making the Pho this weekend I felt I would take a dabble at cooking something in bulk. This way my husband and I would have great food for the entire week. So far I have only gotten to the Pho and this recipe (chicken breasts are still in the fridge... lol) but slow and steady wins the race ;)
My Slow Cooker Beef Tacos with Cilatro Lime Sauce do take a bit of time but the time that it takes is when the beef is in the slow cooker or simply when you are shredding the beef. All-in-all easy peasy lime squeezy :)
Today I made tacos with the meat but I am planning on using its goodness for some burrito bowls and/or some stuffed peppers later in the week. YAY BEEF!
Meat:
1 3-4lb roast (I had a chuck roast but any would work)
1drizzle of EVOO
1/2 onion chunked
6 whole cloves garlic
1 pkg taco seasoning
1/2 bunch cilatro chopped
Pepper to season
Set your slow cooker to low for 6 hours. Place the onion and garlic into the bottom creating a bed for the roast. Drizzle with a bit of EVOO and season with pepper and taco seasoning. Close the lid and let the slow cooker do its thing. Half way through the cooking process flip the roast so that the seasoned side is now in its juices and scatter cilantro. Finish cooking the rest of the time.
Now you may take the roast out of the slow cooker and shred but I prefer to chill it over night in the fridge. I do this so it is easier for me to pull any extra fat off of the beef and disgarding the juices making the meal much healthier. I then shred away. Once you are ready to enjoy you can just take whatever beef you are wanting to make and heat it up. If you feel that the beef is a bit dry you can add a ladle full of its juices into the meat to help with that... much of this will depend on what sort of roast you choose.
Sauce:
1 cup greek plain yogurt
1-2 tsp lime juice
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients to create sauce. Add as much or as little lime to your liking. Super easy... super tasty!
I am officially on the bandwagon and consider myself a Pho junkie. It is magnificent and warms my soul! Just the mention of it and I start to drool. As I was grocery shopping this morning I felt the craving come over myself so I thought.. why not try to make it. As I went through the isles, I picked up the ingredients I thought I would need. Turns out I didn't get them all so I improvised. Though it isn't the real deal... my recipe is quick, easy and delish! Most importantly it was picky husband approved!!!! YAHOO!
Ingredients:
1/2 onion
2 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp olive oil
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 box reduced sodium beef broth
2 tablespoons hoisin
8 oz thinly sliced beef
1-2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Rice noodles
Cook rice noodles per directions on the packaging. In a small pot, cook onions in olive oil until translucent and add in garlic. De-glaze pan with soy sauce and pour in beef broth. Add in hoisin sauce, fish sauce, lime juice and sliced beef. Bring to a low simmer and add mushrooms. After simmering for a few minutes add in 1/2 the cilantro. Serve over rice noodles and garnish with cilantro.
In future endeavors, I plan to add more of the traditional ingredients of lemongrass, bean sprouts, etc. But for today this totally hit the spot :)
