As I have been cooking many of the same meals lately, I decided to challenge myself and cook something that I have never attempted. After looking around the store for a bit I found quite the deal on mussels. Beautiful beautiful oceany mussels :) I got two pounds and the kind man packed them in ice for me. Since it was one of the first things I got I tied the bag shut. Turns out that is not a good thing to do. The cashier untied them and stated that they needed to breathe. Turns out you can't suffocate the mussels before you cook them... good to know :)
Either way these were so simple to make, quick and easy and oooo so tasty!!! Generally one would want some crusty bread to sop of the juices. Being that I am gluten free I opted for some clean fries instead. Vive la France!
Recipe:
2lbs Raw Mussels
1 tablespoon EVOO
1 teaspoon dried onions (all I had on hand)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon parsley
2 cups white wine (something you would drink)
In a large dutch over (aka a big pot), add EVOO, onions, garlic and parsley. Saute for a few minutes until garlic is softened. Add in the wine and bring to a simmer. Add in the mussels and cover the pot with a lid. Simmer the mussels for 5-8 minutes. During the cooking process I also shook the pot to prevent any burning to the bottom mussels. Serve and enjoy! (NOTE... be sure to not eat any mussels that do not open. These may be discarded)
2lbs of these will server about 5 people and runs about 200 calories. Not bad for this nice lil French treat :)
Ever since I made the baked apples I have been wanting to do a full on baked oatmeal. After lots of research, I finally wanted to try my own. The result was super tasty...and perfect for a cold winter morning or a burst of energy snack in the afternoon :) I was even more impressed with myself and I threw this bad boy in the oven while I did my nightly work out... yahooo!
Recipe:
3 cups oats (I used quick but since it cooks for awhile you could pry use any)
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup greek yogurt (I used plain but a flavored may be fun)
1-2 tablespoons of cinnamon (pending how much you prefer)
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1 egg
1 cup skim milk
1 cap full of vanilla
1 tablespoon baking powder
Garnish Ideas: drizzle of honey, greek yogurt, milk... the options are endless
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray (I used a casserole dish). In a mixer, combine the above ingredients until mixed and do not over beat. Bake covered for 20 minutes and then uncovered for 25 minutes or until the crust/top is golden brown. Serve. Devour. Enjoy :)
This lil joy of goodness makes enough for 10 servings at 150 calories and 2 gram of fat.
In my journey to health I have felt it necessary to try and branch out a bit on my food selection. Growing up, I was a crazy picky eater! No salad dressing, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, watermelon, green beans, olives, pickles peaches... the list goes on an on. Today I will happily eat all of those with exception to most watermelon and for sure NO pickles and olives :) Today was brussel sprouts and o man were they tasty!!!
Recipe:
1lb fresh brussel sprouts, quartered
1 table spoon olive oil
1 strip of bacon, cubed
1 teaspoon garlic powder
pepper to taste
Dipping Sauce:
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a baking sheet, place brussel sprouts, oil, bacon and seasoning. Toss until sprouts are evenly coated. Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until they are brown and toasted. While the sprouts are toasting, mix the items for the dipping sauce and set aside to let the flavors merry. When the cooking time is complete it is time to enjoy!
These lil tasty treats work great with the dipping sauce but would be lovely on their own as a side dish. An addition of raisins or dried cranberries would also make a great pop of flavor!
The brussel sprouts above makes a healthy four servings at 79 calories!
Despite the weather, what a great weekend it has been! After a wonderful day of shopping with my girlfriends and scoring huge on the clearance racks I came home to a hubs who wanted to go out for dinner. After much debate of where to go we decided to go to one of his favorite steak places. This place only has one size of steak per cut so the portions are HUGE! I made plans immediately to do something with the left overs. Much of the leftover steak went into a chicken/steak chili. The rest went into a lil treat for myself of portobello mini pizzas! YUM!
Recipe:
Portobello mushrooms (stem and inside scooped out)
Pizza Sauce of choice
Cheese
Various Toppings
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roast mushrooms (as many as you are wanting to cook) for 7-9 minutes. You will know when to take them out when you start to smell them :) Take them out of the oven and top just like a pizza. Today I started with some pizza sauce, red peppers, cheese and left over steak. After you are done dressing your mushrooms pop them back in the oven and cook 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is brown and bubbly.
The result is super tasty and super healthy! I had two of these for around 350 calories.
I would like to take this moment and spread my pure love and passion for greek yogurt!!! WOW what a versatile food. I put it in smoothies, swap out for sour cream, sauce for gyros and now... a pasta cream sauce!!! The result was a healthy pasta that is rich, creamy and full of flavor :)
Recipe:
2 chicken breasts, cubed
1 slice bacon, chopped
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
2 tablespoons garlic powder
3/4 cup chicken stock
12 oz. (2 small containers) plain greek yogurt
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp. red chilli flakes
pepper to taste
1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1/4 cup water, mixed (optional)
4 cups noodles, cooked.
In a small pot, bring water to a boil and add in noodles of your choice and cook until al dente. In a large skillet, brown chicken breasts and bacon with Italian seasoning, pepper, and 1/2 tablespoon of garlic powder. Deglaze pan with chicken stock. Stir in greek yogurt, chili flakes, remaining garlic powder and cheese until mixed well. Add in noodles and fully coat. Let simmer until cheese starts to melt into sauce. If your sauce is too runny you may add the cornstarch mixture to thicken. Enjoy!
This recipe will serve 6 and comes in at 290 calories and 3 grams of fat!!! Compare that to 1,140 calories and 88 grams of fat at some local chain restaurants and this recipe is a MUST!!!
The weather man told me today that we would only be getting 1-2 inches of snow... o silly weather man... TRY AGAIN!!! (calling for 5-9 inches now) lol I knew that on my 45 minute drive to work that we would get much more. After having an early out at school, driving on snow covered interstate and 3 hours later it still snowing... It was time to cook!!! :) (with my favorite Bob Dylan LP on as well)
Every other week I rotate between meats to keep things interesting. This week I had a huge package of pork loin chops in the fridge. Not knowing exactly what to do with them I started digging around the fridge and the pantry. Having done Asian food earlier in the week I knew that was out. And I wasn't craving any spicy food. It was time to try something new... dun dun dun. With some beautifully green granny smith's chilling in the fridge I knew it was time to cook them up! They just didn't end up in a baked oatmeal like I had planned ;)
The result.. a healthy, clean dish that warms you up inside with a hint of sweetness.
Recipe:
8 pork loin chops, seasoned with s and p
3 granny smith apples, cored, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup honey
1/4 tablespoon cinnamon (optional or more or less to your taste)
2 tablespoons dried minced onion
1/2 cup chicken stock
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, brown chops on each side until golden brown (about two minutes). In a 9x13 casserole, place apples, honey, cinnamon and onion. Toss until the apples are evenly coated and spread evenly on the bottom of the pan. Layer pork chops on top of apples. Pour chicken stock over top of mixture. Bake covered for 30 minutes covered and for another 15-20 minutes or until pork chops are a bit more browned. Enjoy!!!
This dinner option clocks in at about 225 calories per serving and 4.5 grams of fat. I paired it with some nice mixed veg to complete the meal. It was tasty!!!
I have a new addiction... an addiction so sweet it just cannot be stopped ;) O those lil, cute, adorable mandarin oranges are all rage in my diet!!! My addiction has gone so far to actually travel with them for something sweet to eat in the car to bringing them to other people's houses. Ooooo how they make me smile.
After traveling all weekend, I knew I needed to make sure and cook up a healthy meal so that it was ready to go for my crazy week ahead. A nice Asian dish was on my mind... an Asian dish with a touch of sweetness. HELLO CUTIES!
Recipe:
2 chicken breasts, chopped
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1 package sugar snap peas
1 red pepper, chopped
1 pkg. steamed rice (any variety)
1 tablespoon hoisin
3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1- 2 cuties, zest and juice needed
salt, garlic powder and pepper to taste
In a large skillet brown chicken breasts with onion, garlic powder salt and pepper. While chicken is cooking prepare steamed rice in the microwave or prepare any rice that works for you (2 cups). Set rice aside. Once chicken is cooked through add in veggies and saute until veggies are warmed through. Stir in rice. Season with hoisin, soy sauce, zest and juice of a cutie. Stir until evenly coated. Enjoy!!
Makes 4 servings with 208 calories and 1... yes 1 gram of fat!!! :)
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