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.