Easy Crustless Quiche

I saw a version of this on Pinterest and decided to make it tonight. It was so easy, quick and delicious. And I didn't have to feel guilty about eating it since it was mostly protein and veggies :) 

Ingredients: 

6 eggs, scrambled

1/2 cup frozen, chopped spinach- defrosted and squeezed dry

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup reduced fat mozzarella cheese, grated

salt and pepper to taste

Spray a pie pan with cooking spray. Combine all ingredients except cheese and pour them into the pan. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. 

Sweet Potato Sloppy Joes

Found this idea through "Just Eat Real Food" on Facebook and it looked and sounded delicious- and it was! I love that sweet potatoes are vegetables and starches so they do double duty! :) 

Here is the link to the original recipe: 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=387038961423544&set=p.387038961423544

Here are my variations: 

Used very lean ground beef, but next time would use ground turkey. 

Omitted the onion and jalepeno

Added 2 T. Worchestershire sauce

Added 1 T. real maple syrup

Ran out of parmesan so I substituted shredded cheddar. 

So simple and good! 

Throw Together Meal!

I have done a couple variations with this recently. Sometimes you just need to get something healthy on the table, you know? So here is what I did a few nights ago:

Ingredients: 

One boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 clove garlic, minced

Dried basil, oregano

Salt and pepper

12 oz. store bought marinara sauce

12 oz. whole grain pasta (any variety)

1/2 bunch of asparagus, trimmed and chopped

1/2 bunch fresh spinach, washed

Boil pasta and drain.

Heat one tablespoon olive oil on the stove and cook chicken breast with garlic, spices and herbs until done. Take off stove and chop into bite sized pieces. Add back into the pan with marinara sauce, asparagus and spinach. Toss with pasta and cook through for about 3-5 minutes until spinach wilts and asparagus is tender. 

I served this with a couple of slices of fresh mozzarella on the side. 

SECOND VARIATION:

Instead of asparagus and spinach (since I ran out), I added a small bag of frozen shitake mushrooms to the sauce. 

Cheesecake Fake-Out

When I get a sweet craving, here is one thing I like to do that won't completely blow my calorie budget and is super easy!

Stir together in a bowl:
1 cup plain Greek yogurt (I use Chobani and it is only 100 calories)
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

Top with strawberries and/or blueberries and enjoy! :)

Italian Crockpot Chicken Soup

I made this today since I am feeling under the weather and it was so easy and really hit the spot.

Here is the original recipe: 

http://yourworldnatural.blogspot.com/2013/01/whole30-challenge-day-10-and-delicious.html

Here are my additions to the original recipe: 

3 carrots, chopped
1 large zucchini, chopped
1/2 large bunch of fresh spinach (added at the last minute)
(I used the lite version of coconut milk to save fat and calories)

This is great for anyone that is lactose intolerant or lactose sensitive since it uses coconut milk. It doesn't have a coconut taste at all.

"Better Than Takeout" Chicken Fried Rice

I found this... (where else?) but PINTEREST!

The link below really gives you a step by step easy way to see how this is prepared. Very simple, fast and yummy! At the bottom of the link, there is another link for more details instructions, though.

I added:
Pre-cooked and shredded chicken breasts to this to make it more of a meal.
.
I used brown rice and low-sodium soy sauce to make it a little healthier.

http://www.joysama.com/2013/07/better-than-takeout-chicken-fried-rice.html

Asian Peanut Chicken

I stumbled upon this recipe on where else but Pinterest?? :) It was super simple and delicious. Here is the original recipe:

http://www.marthastewart.com/921828/spicy-peanut-chicken?czone=food/comfort-foods-center/comfort-foods-dishes&center=854190&gallery=275672&slide=921828

Here are my changes:

Omitted:
Broccolini (didn't have it)
Sambal oelek (didn't have it or know what it was)

Added:
2 teaspoons of honey

I added all the ingredients to a Ziplock and marinated for about 1 hour before baking. I baked the chicken at 400 instead of 500 for about 20 minutes and it was perfect.

As a side dish, I made this and it was really yummy! First time that I have made swiss chard! It was in my bountiful basket this week-- Check out bountifulbaskets.org if you don't know about it and see if there is a pickup site near you! A great money saver! :)

I made the recipe named "parmesan baked swiss chard" stems at this link--

http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2012/11/how-to-cook-swiss-chard.html

Blessings!!
Alli

Tomato Basil Chicken

I used the pin below as inspiration for our dinner tonight. I made it healthier by using far less olive oil and no butter and it still turned out yummy :)
Here's what I used:

6-7 boneless, skinless chicken tenders
salt and pepper to taste
Basil
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 roma tomatoes
8 oz. whole grain penne pasta
Grated parmesan cheese
Frozen bag of asparagus

I did everything in the pictures shown on the link below basically. I added a bag of frozen asparagus. But I steamed it first in the microwave, chopped it then added it.

Here's my way of keeping basil fresh for a long time--

Puree fresh, washed basil in the blender with a good amount of olive oil added in. Pour into a regular ice cube tray and freeze. Use the frozen basil/olive oil in dishes such as this by added cubes to a hot pan. So easy!! :)

http://m.pinterest.com/pin/223561568975187912/

Carrot and Ginger Soup with Coconut Milk

Had this for dinner tonight along with a side of oven roasted broccoli. Very good! :)

It's a bit labor intensive because you have to puree it after the carrots have simmered a while. If you have a hand immersion blender, that would be recommended. I couldn't find mine so I had to put it in the blender so that took a while and made a mess. But it makes a lot of soup so we have four serving leftover for later!

I couldn't tell exactly how much coconut milk they said to add, so I just added a regular sized can of it. I think that is what they meant to say. :)

I added a couple tablespoons of parmesan to the top of it. Yum!

http://www.thedailymeal.com/carrot-and-ginger-soup-coconut-milk

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Flautas

I used the link below as inspiration for this recipe. I just basically used fewer ingredients in mine and didn't bake them. So mine were really more like burritos than flautas, I guess. :)  This is a great 15 minute meal to throw together that you can feel good about eating!

Ingredients:
1 medium sweet potato
3 ears of corn, shucked
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
6 Mission Artisan wheat tortillas
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons freeze dried cilantro (in the produce section-cheaper than fresh)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Either bake the sweet potato or microwave it with a wet paper towel around it for 7-8 minutes on high.

Scoop out cooked sweet potato and add to a large skillet. Add corn, black beans, tomatoes, spices and oil. Warm through for about 7 minutes.
Serve mixture on wheat tortillas with a sprinkle of feta cheese. Enjoy :)

http://www.peasandcrayons.com/2012/09/baked-black-bean-sweet-potato-flautas.html

Shrimp Caesar Salad

This is super simple and yummy!

Ingredients:
1 small bag raw, deveined frozen shrimp with no tail
2 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper to taste
Italian seasoning
1 clove garic, minced
2 tablespoons lemon juice


Mixed greens
Tomatoes, chopped
Carrots, chopped or shredded
Ken's Lite Caesar dressing

Thaw and rinse shrimp thoroughly with water. Combine the top section of ingredients on a cookie sheet. I just put small pieces of butter on top of the shrimp. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Let shrimp cool and add to salad. I served it with pieces of toasted whole grain bread.

Mushroom Ravioli and Veggies

I threw this together the other day and it came out so good! It was the perfect amount for two servings!

Ingredients:
1 package mushroom ravioli (I think it was Buitoni)
1 can diced tomatoes with garlic and herbs
2 cups loosely packed fresh spinach
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:
Rinse spinach in a colinder and put in the sink. Boil ravioli and drain on top of spinach so that it wilts partially. Put everything back in the pot and add canned tomatoes. Stir together and warm everything through.

Serve hot with feta sprinkled on top!

Blueberry Banana Breakfast Bars

*Another* Pinterest recipe! It's my new cookbook :)

Easy, fast dish! I made this the night before and it was ready the next morning. I just microwaved it for 20 seconds for each serving. 

My changes/suggestions:

I added some brown sugar to this because personally, I thought it needed some more sweetness. You could also use agave syrup or more honey than the 1/4 cup that is called for.

Next time, I will use TWO mashed bananas instead of one. I thought it needed more moisture.

I used frozen blueberries. Because they were still frozen when I added them, I added 5 minutes to the cooking time.


http://www.greensnchocolate.com/2012/07/blueberry-banana-breakfast-bars.html

Green Lentil Soup with Coconut Milk

Found this recipe on Pinterest (where I find most of my recipes), and thought it looked so easy and perfect for our dietary restrictions right now. (Chris doesn't do well with dairy and we're trying to limit our meat right now.)

The coconut milk adds a nice creaminess without any dairy and if you get the light version, it is less calories. I put this recipe into My Fitness Pal's recipes and it said it was only 297 calories for one serving and this recipe makes four servings. Pretty good if you ask me! :)

Also, I love how cheap and nutritious lentils are! A bag of these at Kroger was 99 cents. Can't beat that! It was ready in about 35-40 minutes total.

My changes to this recipe:
Used three small shallots instead of an onion.
I had some leftover pureed sweet potato soup (about 2 cups worth) that was in a carton that I added to this so it wouldn't go to waste. Fit the flavor profile perfectly!
Added a tablespoon of parmesan to the top.

http://bigflavors.blogspot.com/2011/11/green-lentil-soup-with-coconut-milk-and.html?m=1

Banana Peanut Butter "Ice Cream"

OK, this one's a keeper, y'all! :) This is super-duper easy and delicious!

Directions:
Peel and roughly chop 2 bananas.
Put the pieces in a ziplock and freeze for a few hours.
Add frozen chopped bananas to the food processor an pulse until it becomes creamy.
Add 2 tablespoons of peanut butter and process.

Voila! Sweet, creamy ice cream! This really satisfied my sweet tooth after dinner tonight. This made about 2 cups of ice cream. Good amount to split with one other person for dessert! :)

Asian Noodle Salad

I made this for dinner tonight and we both really enjoyed this! Light but filling dinner. And enough for leftovers tomorrow :) This is one of the few healthy Pioneer Woman recipes I have seen. As much as I *love* her and her show, most of her recipes are pretty fattening, although I'm sure they are out of this world yummy!

Here is the link-  http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/03/my_most_favorite_salad_ever_ever_ever_ever/

Here are my changes:
Omitted jalepenos, scallions, purple cabbage, orange and red bell pepper, sprouts (couldn't find them at Kroger)

Suggestions:
Next time, I think I will add shredded carrots, snow peas and maybe broccoli. The more veggies, the better! :)

Veggie Pasta Toss

If you're looking for an easy vegetarian meal, look no further! :)

I used the veggies I had on hand tonight and although the brussel sprouts were a bit random in this dish, it still was pretty tasty. Next time, I would probably go with broccoli instead. This was very filling, despite not having any meat or cheese in it.

Ingredients:
1 package brussel sprouts, rinsed, ends cut off and outer layer peeled off
small package baby carrots
1 large zucchini, chopped
.5 lb. whole grain pasta, any variety
Store bought pesto, 4 ounces
Balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup

Directions:
On a large cookie sheet, arrange chopped zucchini, baby carrots and brussel sprouts. Drizzle with small amount of olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in 400 degree oven for around 25-30 minutes. Halfway through, shake cookie sheet to move the veggies around.

Boil whole grain pasta as directed and drain.

In a large pot, pour in balsamic, bring to a simmer and reduce heat for 3 minutes or so. Add pesto and stir. Toss pasta and veggies in the sauce and serve! :)

Tuscan Bean Soup with Garlic Bread

This recipe is a keeper, friends!!! I *will* make this again! Since we are limiting our meat and dairy at our house, this was the perfect recipe and will feed us for a couple days too! That's one of the things I love about soup- it lasts a long time. :)

The recipe link is below-- here are my changes:

Omitted the onion, fennel seeds and potato

Used one yellow and one green squash (zucchini)

Added one can of diced tomatoes

Used canned cannelini beans (two cans, drained and rinsed)

Added two small cans of vegetable broth

This was very flavorful and filling. After chopping the veggies and  adding them to the pot, this soup can be ready in about 30 minutes! :)
I bought a loaf of tuscan bread from Kroger and used half the loaf with this meal.

http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Tuscan-Bean-Soup

Zucchini Lasagna

I used the link below for inspiration for dinner last night. We are trying to lessen our meat and dairy intake lately. So instead of using regular cheese in this, I used Daiya shredded vegan cheese. It sort of reminded me of Velveeta, which was surprising to me! But this is super simple and easy and using sliced zucchini instead of lasagna noodles is a genius idea that I wish I had thought of a long time ago! :)

My version only included:
Jarred organic marinara sauce
sliced zucchini
fresh spinach
Daiya shredded vegan cheese
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/02/zucchini-lasagna.html

Sugar and Flour Free Raw Brownies!

These were delicious!!! A GREAT way to satisfy a sweet tooth or a chocoholic, like myself! It's best if you have a food processor for this recipe. I actually used our Ninja blender but a regular blender that only has blades on the very bottom probably would not work well. (Just my 2 cents!)

The dates are the secret ingredient- they are naturally very sweet and sticky and make the dough come together- they're nature's candy!

This link also has a recipe for a peanut butter version which I haven't tried yet but probably will. :)

The recipe is below at the link, but here are my suggestions--

Obviously, make sure you get all the pits out of your dates first.
Also, the next time I make this I will probably use about 1/4 cup of cocoa powder instead of 1/3 cup. It was a little overpowering.
Make sure you add about 2-3 tablespoons of water to pull the dough together. This is very important!

Hope you enjoy these!

http://triumphwellness.com/healthy-sugar-free-cookies/

Honey Roasted Chickpeas

These are soooo easy and a great healthy snack! I made them exactly as the recipe directs. Hope you will try them! They ended up only needing about 40 minutes in the oven and they were very crunchy! Great alternative to nuts or chips... And a little addictive :)

http://www.fitsugar.com/Roasted-Honey-Cinnamon-Chickpeas-27908653

Loaded Sweet Potato

Tonight for dinner, I used this recipe I found on Pinterest for inspiration...

http://m.pinterest.com/pin/223561568974624765/

But since the hubby and I don't do well with a lot of spice, here is a simplified version--

Bake sweet potatoes in foil in a 400 degree oven for 1 hour.

On the stovetop, combine canned or frozen corn and rinsed black beans. Heat through. Top with cilantro.

Slice avocado, sprinkle lightly with garlic salt and lime juice.

Top sweet potato with corn/black bean mixture and 2 tablespoons shredded cheddar. And voila! Simple, filling, nutritious dinner! :)

Healthy Pancakes

My sister, Amy gave me this idea yesterday when she and my niece came over for a playdate. I only really made one change and that was to add dry oats to the mixture. Turned out delicious! She has made them with only bananas and eggs and they enjoyed them. Will be making these again! I love that they have a fruit, grain and a protein in them :)

In a mixing bowl:
Mash two ripe bananas, scramble in two eggs, add 1/3 cup of dry quick oats and a dash of cinnamon.

Pour batter into skillet to make pancakes. I also spray mine with olive oil spray, just in case.

Serve with reduced calorie syrup and berries :)

Simple Roasted Veggies

I get bored pretty easily with plain, steamed veggies so my favorite way to make them is roasting them. It actually makes them more flavorful too! Last night, here is what I made for our side dish:

1 large zucchini, chopped into one inch pieces
1.5 cups baby carrots, chopped in half
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Turn veggies on a cookie tray to coat with olive oil and spices. I also put foil underneath so that there is less clean up. But I'm super lazy - ha! :)

Roast at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Change it up by using other veggies like broccoli, red onion, sugar snap peas, red potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc! :)

Cornmeal Crusted Cod Fillets

Made this super simple fish on Sunday night and it was really fast and delicious! I just bought frozen cod fillets that are individually wrapped and frozen. Very easy to take out the number you need a couple hours before dinner!

2 cod fillets, rinsed and patted dry
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Dip each fillet in egg and then cornmeal mixture. Place in skillet and cook 5-6 minutes per side.

I served these with oven roasted red potatoes and a green salad. :)

Fast & Filling Homemade Oatmeal

Personally,  I don't really like instant oatmeal packets. They never really fill me up and have a lot of added sugar. So, I have been making my own using quick oats on the stove. And it's so fast!

Here's what I usually do, but of course it can be changed up to suit your tastes.

In a saucepan, combine:
1/2 cup Quaker quick oats
1 cup almond milk
1/8 cup raisins
1 packet Turbinado sugar (Sugar in the Raw)
1 small banana, sliced

Stir and heat on high for 2-3 minutes or so to thicken while breaking down the bananas. This always really fills me up and it's good to get a hearty breakfast in the morning to help you not snack as much during the day. With this breakfast, you get a whole grain, dairy (if you use real milk), and a fruit.

Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Muffins

These were very good, filling and easy! And it can be switched up many different ways! Here are my changes to the original recipe.

Added:
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup fresh blueberries - yum! :)

Substituted:
Agave nectar for the honey

Other things you could add:
Walnuts, pecans, chocolate chips, raisins, strawberries
http://fitandhealthywithdebbie.blogspot.com/2012/10/banana-oatmeal-breakfast-muffins.html

BBQ Chicken Topped Sweet Potatoes

Made this for dinner and we both enjoyed it! I have been trying to find dairy free recipes for Chris because his system does not tolerate it well at all. This was super simple!

In the crockpot:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup barbeque sauce
1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce

Cook on low 4-5 hours. Shred chicken and add to baked sweet potatoes.

In the oven:
Preheat to 400 degrees. Prick sweet potatoes with a fork several times and wrap in foil. Place in oven inside a dish for about an hour, depending on size.

Optional- add shredded cheddar and/or low fat sour cream on top. Could use pork tenderloin in place of chicken also.

Turkey and Veggie Pasta Bake

I threw this together the other night with ingredients I had on hand it turned out pretty good! We are having the leftovers tonight, actually. The Philadelphia creamy pesto sauce is a little fattening, but keep in mind that a little goes a long way. I only used 1/4 cup of it. I love dishes that include protein, veggies and grains all in one!

Ingredients:
1 pound ground turkey, browned
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half
1/4 cup Philadelphia Creamy Pesto sauce
1 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella
8 oz. whole grain penne pasta

Cook pasta according to directions. Brown turkey, add pesto sauce to the pan and stir. Add in spinach after thawing and squeezing it dry. Add in tomatoes and stir. Add cooked pasta. Pour mixture into an 8 x 11 dish. Sprinkle mozzarella on top. Bake in 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy!

Crockpot Pork Tenderloin

Pork tenderloin is the leanest cut of pork you can buy, as far as I know! And so easy to prepare! This always turns out very tender and flavorful! Here is how I made it tonight:

Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless pork tenderloin, thawed
1/4 cup olive oil
3 t. lite soy sauce
1 T. brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t. dried mined onion
1 pinch of cinnamon

Put pork in bottom of crockpot. Add all other ingredients on top and replace the lid. Cook on low for 4-5 hours.

Roasted Veggies

This is my absolute favorite way to make veggies! And it is super simple! Tonight, I had red potatoes, baby carrots and frozen green beans. I cut up the potatoes and baby carrots and laid them on a cookie sheet and drizzled olive oil lightly over them. Then just added S & P to taste.

Roast these in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Take them out and add the frozen green beans (still frozen) and drizzle a little more olive oil, S & P.

Put back in the oven for another 10 minutes. They came out perfect and so delicious!

Change it up by using different veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, grape tomatoes, etc. :)

Quinoa with Almonds and Cranberries

I FINALLY made quinoa for the first time tonight! My sweet mom-in-law brought me some on Saturday and I had been meaning to buy it at the store for a while but kept forgetting since it's not a usual item on my list. :) This was a recipe that was on the side of the container it came in. We both really enjoyed it. If you've never tried quinoa, you really should. It's loaded with protein and it's a whole grain! Can't beat that for nutritional value.

1 c. dry quinoa
.5 cup thinly sliced almonds
1.5 cups boiling water
.5 cup dried cranberries or raisins
1 cinnamon stick
1 cube chicken bullion
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt

Toast quina and almonds over medium heat in a large skillet, stirring frequently for about 3 minutes. Add boiling water and all other ingredients to pan and stir. Make sure it stays boiling and then cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes
(The texture of the quinoa is supposed to be sort of crunchy, even after cooking.)