Posts Tagged ‘Recipes’
Soy Butter Basil Baked Chicken Wings
Baked, yes, not fried chicken wings. Why not make such a potentially unhealthy meal, a little healthier?? My wonderful kids belts assistant, Jen, shared this recipe (her original recipe) on her personal blog and she said I could share it here. I tried them and let me tell you, they are amazing.
My family loves wings, but all that fried food is too much so I thought I’d try this recipe. The wings still come out crispy and a lot of the fat boils off (yes, boils, I’ll explain in a minute). What’s really great about this recipe is the preparation. Even if you don’t like the soy butter basil (but why wouldn’t you?) you can sauce them however you like. If you have a traditional hot sauce you like, great! Use that. Teriyaki more your cup of tea, then use that. This preparation can be very versatile.
SBB Wings
20 wings (give or take)
1 Stick of Melted Butter (or the equivalent in margarine)
3 Cloves of minced Garlic
2 Tbsp chopped fresh Basil (or the equivalent in the squeeze basil that you get in the produce section)
Soy sauce to taste
Salt & Pepper
Preheat the oven to 375. In a large pot, fill half way with water and salt to taste. Add the wings and bring them to a boil. Boil them until they are almost done. While those are cooking, mix the rest of the ingredients together (minus the salt). Keep tasting until you get the soy to mixture ratio to your liking. When the wings are almost done, but still a little pink, pull them out of the water and add them to the marinade. Mix it up until all the wings are coated. let sit for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Place the wings on a lined baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray and brush with extra marinade. Bake until the wings brown and the skin crisps. Turn halfway through.
I love the soy, butter and basil combination. They just compliment each other so well. You have to try these. Let me know what you think!
Blessings,
3 Easy Healthy Recipes
When I actually have time to plan it out and think about it, I really do like to cook. The problem is, most days I am rushed to get something on the plate (or *gulp* we eat out) before we fly out the door to either Bug’s or Super Dude’s practices or games. That means that I fall into a food rut. I end up cooking the same dishes over and over again, but now I am vowing to change. As I sit here in my kids belts office, I vow to prepare and cook at least one new (healthier) dish a week. I don’t think that’s too unreasonable.
So, where do I go to find healthy recipes? Why, Pinterest, of course! So here are 3 recipes I came across to start out with. I thought I’d share them with you as well!
1. Chicken Tacos
Makes:1 serving (just multiply to your needs)
Ingredients
3 oz grilled skinless chicken breast (seasoned with chili powder, garlic salt and cumin)
Two 6” corn tortillas
1/4 cup black beans
1/4 rice, brown or Spanish
1/4 cup avocado, cubed
Extra virgin olive oil cooking spray
Shredded lettuce, tomato, onion, salsa
Preparation
Use extra virgin olive oil cooking spray to grill chicken. Wrap grilled chicken breast into warm tortilla stuffed with lettuce, tomato, onion, avocado and salsa. Enjoy with black beans and rice on the side. *Can swap chicken for shrimp or fish.
Nutrition facts:377 calories, 28 grams protein, 50 grams carbohydrates, 9 grams fat
Broccoli with Fusilli and Red Pepper (courtesy culinary.net/)
2. Broccoli with Fusilli and Red Pepper
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups of broccoli florets
- 3 teaspoons salt, divided
- 1/2 pound fusilli pasta
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into long thin strips
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 lemon zest
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Freshly grated Parmesan (optional)
Preparation
- Cook broccoli for 3 minutes in a large pot of boiling water with 1 teaspoon salt. Remove from water with slotted spoon. Place in large bowl and set aside.
- In same water, cook pasta according to package directions, about 10 minutes. Drain well and add to broccoli.
- While pasta is cooking, in small sauté pan, heat oil and cook sliced red pepper, garlic and lemon zest over medium-low heat for 3 minutes.
- Off heat, add 2 teaspoons salt, red pepper flakes, pepper and lemon juice. Mix and pour this over broccoli and pasta. Toss well.
- Season to taste, sprinkle with cheese (if using), and serve.
- For added protein, shred 1/2 of a cooked store-bought roasted chicken, then toss with pasta and serve.
Cheezy Loaded Potato Broccoli Soup (courtesy kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/)
3. Cheezy Loaded Potato Broccoli Soup
vegan, makes about 5 large bowls
2 large russet potatoes, peeled/roughly chopped
4-5 cups broccoli (mostly florets)
1 cup almond or soy milk unsweetened/plain
1 cup+ vegetable broth
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/2 cup+ nutritional yeast (a must for the ‘cheezy’ flavor)
fresh black pepper to taste
toppings:
1 red onion, chopped
1 small tomato, diced
Directions:
1. Boil a large pot of water + a few pinches of salt. enough water to cover the potatoes and broccoli.
2. Prep your veggies. Toss your potato into the boiling water. Cover.
3. After about 5 minutes, add in the broccoli and continue boiling until veggies are tender. Remove from heat. Drain water.
4. Saute the chopped onion until it caramelizes – add some salt and pepper and optional spices to enhance the flavor. Toss in the tomato. Add the Daiya cheese over top to melt. Turn off heat. (Saute in oil if desired – I just used a splash of water to keep oil free.)
5. Add the potato, broccoli, non-dairy milk, veggie broth and nutritional yeast to a blender, like a Vitamix. (Immersion blenders also work.) Blend from low to high until smooth. Blend with extreme caution since contents will be quite hot.
6. Add a few scoops of sauteed onion to the blender and blend. Do a taste test and add in the spices, optional flavor enhancers and salt to taste. Add in more liquid for a creamier or thinner texture.
7. You can serve warm from the blender or simmer in a pot on the stove until ready to serve. To serve, add tomato, onions, melted vegan cheese, tempeh bacon bits and whatever else you’d like to “load” your soup with. Serve with some crusty bread or sprouted grain toast. Vegenaise on toast is a nice accent too. Store covered in the fridge and eat within a few days.
Hopefully, I can get the kiddos to eat these as well. Let me know what you think! I’ll try to give you my reviews of these as well!
Blessings.,
No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
Yay for chocolate! I don’t know about you, but when I have to de-stress from a hectic day in the world of kids belts, I reach for chocolate. I’m not picky, any chocolate will do, really, rich dark chocolate, creamy milk chocolate, chocolate ice cream, choffy, and so on and so on.
I mentioned my affection for chocolate to my assistant one day and she said, “Oh, have I got a pie for you! I’ll bring it in for you.”
Can I just that it was fantastic? It was light and creamy with a hint of peanut butter. I asked for the recipe and she said that it was the easiest thing in the world to make and there is no cooking or baking involved! Now that’s my kind of recipe. Here’s what you need.
4 Individual Snack Packs (you can do sugar free or fat free if you want)
1 8oz Container of Cool Whip (you can do sugar free or fat free if you want)
2 tbsp of Creamy Peanut Butter
1 Chocolate Ready Pie Crust
Handfull of Chocolate chips or slivers
In a large bowl, combine all of the pudding with all of the cool whip. In a small, microwave safe bowl, put the peanut butter and warm until melted. Now you have to work quickly so the peanut butter doesn’t set, so take the melted peanut butter and spread a thin layer across the bottom of the pie crust. Let it cool for a second, then spoon the pudding mixture into the pie crust on top of the peanut butter. Top with the chips and refrigerate until you serve it!
Is that not the easiest dessert ever? I’m sure I’ll be using this as a go-to for all of those get togethers that we are invited to! It is sure to impress everyone.
I hope you enjoy! What’s your go-to dessert?
Blessings,
3 Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins
Yea, yea, yea, I know pumpkin season has come and gone, but I found this recipe that I made this winter and they were yummy and well, today is recipe day at the kids belts office so… I’m sharing! And besides, you know you have a can of pumpkin stashed away in the back of your pantry for just such a recipe emergency as this…
I know you have probably see the 2 ingredient pumpkin muffin recipe floating around the interwebs and Pinterest. Well, this one is very similar, but with two changes: 1. different cake mix 2. Adding decaf coffee.
Yes, decaf coffee. Sound weird, but I have made the original two ingredient muffins and while they were good, they were a little too dense for me. I wanted a way to lighten them up some and I had some left over coffee. I’m not sure what made me put the two together, but it was a great combination! The muffins came out more light and airy and not too sweet! Also, if you are not a coffee fan (what is wrong with you? I mean seriously) the coffee taste did not carry over into the muffins, I promise.
I made these into mini muffins which makes them about 55 calories per muffin (without the glaze).
Here goes…
3 Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins
1 Boxed Spice Cake Mix
1 Can Pureed Pumpkin
3/4 Cup Decaf Coffee
Preheat the oven to 350. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl (if you like a spicier cake, add extra cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, etc…). Spray your muffin pan with non-stick spray. Fill each one almost to the top. Bake until they are springy to the touch.
Optional… Cinnamon Sugar Glaze
1 Tbsp Butter substitute
1 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon (more or less to taste)
1/2 cup Sugar (or sugar substitute)
Place all ingredients into a sauce pan and heat until everything is melted and dissolved. You may find that you need to adjust some of the ingredients to your own liking. Drizzle over the muffins!
That’s it, super simple, low fat, low cal, low guilt. Just what I like in a recipe. “You’re welcome…”
PS If you bring these to a party or serve them to guests, they will never know they low guilt. Trust me, I have snuck sneaked (is that right? It doesn’t seem like that would be right, but my trusty spell check says it is) these in on the most discerning palates and they didn’t even bat an eye!
Blessings,
Flour-less Gooey Dark Chocolate Cookies
Show of hands, who doesn’t love chocolate? You there, in the back, put your hand down, you can’t not love chocolate! I think there is a law somewhere that says you have to love chocolate or, at least, in my world there is… I know that everyone here at the kids belts office LOVES chocolate and since I love them, I make these cookies for them! Annnd… since I do love my employees, I want them to be healthy and these cookies seem to be a better alternative prepackaged cookies. Keep reading though! Don’t give up on this recipe because you think it’s “health food” and therefore tastes like cardboard.
When I say healthier, I know that I may lose a few of you readers, but I promise, you will not think these are “health food”. Yes, it’s true that they don’t contain flour, or egg yolks or oil, but they taste AMAZING! The best way to describe it is, they taste like a perfect brownie, crunchy edges with a melty, gooey center. You have to try these at least once and if you are disappointed, you can tell me about it. (I originally found this recipe on Pinterest)
Ingredients
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1½ cups bittersweet chocolate chips (about 9 ounces), divided
3 large egg whites, room temperature
2½ cups powdered sugar, divided (I used 2 cups)
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 2 large baking sheets with nonstick spray. Melt 1 cup chocolate chips in glass bowl in microwave, stirring twice, about 2 minutes. Cool slightly.
Using electric mixer, beat whites in large bowl to soft peaks. Gradually beat in 1 (I halved the sugar here) cup sugar. Continue beating until mixture resembles soft marshmallow creme.
Whisk 1 cup sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl to blend. On low speed, beat dry ingredients into meringue.
Stir in lukewarm chocolate and 1/2 cup chocolate chips (dough will become very stiff).
Place 1/2 cup sugar in bowl. Roll 1 rounded teaspoon of dough into ball; roll in sugar, coating thickly. Place on prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing 2 inches apart.
Bake until puffed and tops crack, about 10 minutes. Cool on sheets on rack 10 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool.
Yield: Makes about 24
Word of warning…. You will be tempted to eat them right out of the oven because of the chocolaty goodness you have been smelling for the past 15 minutes, don’t, I repeat, DON’T do it! The inside of the cookie is about 2 degrees shy of hot lava and you will ruin your taste-buds for the rest of the cookies. I may or may not know this from experience….
Blessings,
5 Simple Finger Foods for Pot Lucks
It seems like there are a lot of functions this spring where food is involved. As much as I love food, it’s daunting to come up with creative recipes. It’s so easy to fall back on the tried and true pasta salad or potato salad or egg salad or any other salad (the term salad is misleading, because none of those “salads” are healthy). So, I thought I would take a break from the ever exciting world of kids belts, to share 5 simple finger food recipes!
Brie & Red Pepper Jelly Bites
1 – 8oz Wheel of Brie
2 – Boxes of Pre-made Phyllo Cups (found in Freezer section)
1 – Jar Red Pepper Jelly (found in the Jelly Isle)
Preheat the oven to 375. Line up the empty cups on a baking sheet. Place a teaspoon full of jelly in each cup. Cube up the brie and place a small cube in each cup. Bake until the cheese is nice and gooey! Serve!
Super simple!
Caprese Skewers
1 – Package Grape Tomatoes
1 – Package Mozzarella Balls (found in the specialty cheese section)
1 – Bunch Fresh Basil
1 – Bottle Balsamic Vinaigrette
1 – Package Toothpicks
On each tooth pick, skewer the tomato, a basil leaf (or two) and the mozzarella ball. Do this until you have the amount desired. Lay the skewers out on your serving platter and either drizzle all of them with the vinaigrette or have a bowl of the dressing for dipping.
Spinach Tortilla Roll Ups
1 – Package Spinach Tortillas
1 – Jar Pickled Jalapenos
1 – Package Cream Cheese
1 – Package Deli Turkey
1 – Package of Baby Spinach
Lawry’s Seasoning
Lay out the tortillas. In a bowl, combine the room temp cream cheese with chopped jalapenos (more or less to your taste) and Lawry’s seasoning to your taste. Spread a layer of the mixture all over the tortilla. Top with slices of turkey and the spinach leaves. Roll up the tortillas and place in the fridge to cool. Once they are cool, take a very sharp knife and slice them into bite size pieces. Repeat with the rest of your ingredients.
Pear Crostinis
1 – French Baguette
2 or 3 Pears
Chopped Walnuts
1 – Package Brie or soft cheese of your choice
1 – Package Deli Turkey
Honey
Preheat oven to 375. Slice the baguette in to medium slices. place on baking sheet. Top each piece with a slice of brie and a piece of turkey. Bake until cheese melts and bread toasts. Top with thin slices of pear, drizzle with honey and top with a few chopped walnuts.
Chocolate Mousse with Raspberries in Phyllo
2 – Packages Pre-made Phyllo Cups
1 – Package (of 4) Snack Pak Chocolate Pudding
1 – 8oz Tub of Cool Whip
1 or 2 Packages of Fresh Raspberries
In a bowl, mix the whole tub of cool whip with all of the snack pak containers. Place all of the empty cups on your serving dish. Fill each cup with the mixture (you can use a pastry bag if you have one) and top with a fresh raspberry. Yummy!
There you have it! Super, super simple recipes that pack a punch visually and are delicious! Let me know what you think!
Blessings,
Spinach Zucchini Patties
I’m often at a loss as to what to cook for dinner after a long day at the kids belts office, but a few night ago, I had it all planned out. Until I realized I thawed out the wrong thing. So I made these and they turned out amazing even if it was totally on accident.
Originally, I thought took out some ground beef to thaw so that I could use half of it for meatballs and the other half for tacos the next day. I starting getting my meatball mixture together (I go very veggie heavy in my meatballs), once that was all mixed I went to open my package of ground beef and there it was… link sausage (the kind wrapped in white paper from the butcher, not your local grocery store), not ground beef.
Shoot… now I have this mixture that I don’t want to waste and no meat thawed. I am the queen of improvising so I looked at what I had and thought, this would probably make a pretty tasty patty. I made a few additions to the mixture and did a test batch. YUM! And pretty healthy too!
Spinach Zucchini Patties
Flour-Less Peanut Butter Cookies
Ok, I have to say that I was just as skeptical as you when my assistant said she made the most amazing peanut butter cookies… ever… without flour. However, then she brought one in to the kids belts office to let me try it. Let me just say, you would NEVER know that there wasn’t any flour in them.
The nice thing is that most people have all of the ingredients on hand, all the time, which makes it great for a quick fix. Did you forget that you needed to bring cookies to your kids class tomorrow and it’s too late to go to the store? These cookies go together from prep to eating in about 25 minutes (ok, if you don’t want to burn your tongue, 30 minutes), so they are perfect and now your son or daughter won’t be picked on because they were the only ones who didn’t bring a snack. Now, if there is someone in your child’s class that is allergic to peanuts, this is obviously not the snack to bring.
Flour-Less Peanut Butter Cookies
1 Cup Peanut Butter (Creamy or Crunchy, doesn’t matter)
1 Cup of Granulated Sugar
1 Egg
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Once everything is combined (it will be a sticky batter), take a spoonful of batter and form it into a ball and place it on a cookie sheet. Take a fork and flatten the cookie, then turn 90 degrees and flatten with a fork again. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes (depending on your oven).
That is it… truly the easiest and best peanut butter cookie recipe ever. When you get the batter all mixed up, it will be kind of a wet dough and it will look like it wont set up, but I promise it will and you will be amazed at how great they turn out. The cookie is a perfect combination of sweet/salty and is moist with a crunch around the edge. The perfect cookie!
Don’t believe me? Try it and see!
Blessings,
Mouth-Watering Meatloaf
The kids are back in school now (at east in our area, they are) and that means that I am back to having some sort of routine again and I love it. I take the kids to school, head to the kids belts office, work some, have lunch, pick the kids up from school, head back the kids belts office and then home to cook dinner, then bath time, snuggle time and bed time.
Well, a few nights ago, hubby told me he wanted meatloaf for dinner. Ugh… the first thing that came to mind was that dry, rock hard meat brick doused with some ridiculously sweet ketchup creation that you would inevitably have to choke down over at a friends house, because heaven forbid you be a rude child who doesn’t want to eat bad food… But I digress, meatloaf it is, because, I am, after all, one who pleases…
Lucky for me, my wonderful assistant came in the next day and shared her meatloaf recipe. She swore it was “amazing” and I do trust her, so we tried it. This is the best meatloaf I have ever tried, even the kiddos loved it. It’s moist, flavorful and it has cheese in it! Yay!
One of the ingredients that I never would have thought of, but totally makes sense, is the new Kraft Fresh Take Savory Four Cheese. No need to add bread crumbs or much seasoning, this mix has it all! (And no, no one is paying me to say that. It really does make a great meatloaf.)
Mouth-Watering Meatloaf
1lb Ground Beef (you could use turkey as well, but up it to one whole onion to help with moisture or add some chopped mushrooms)
1 Package Kraft Fresh Take Savory Four Cheese
1/2 Bell Pepper (finely chopped)
1/2 Onion (finely chopped)
2 Cloves Garlic (finely chopped)
Salt & Pepper
Preheat the oven to 350. Combine all ingredients, but don’t over work it. Form the mixture into a “loaf” shape and place it in a baking dish that has been sprayed with non stick spray. Bake until the top browns and the juices run clear.
That’s it! It’s delicious! We had it with mashed potatoes and green beans. You could serve it with anything really, though. The flavors are great and the cheese makes it, don’t worry about it being bland. I would even cook this for company and they would gladly eat it because it’s not the meat brick of old… It’s spectacular!
Blessings,
Omelet Cup Recipe
Everybody, sing with me now… “It’s the incredible edible egg!” Besides the obvious protein punch that eggs offer, they are also full of other health benefits. Eggs are great for your eyes, they contain nutrients that help regulate your brain, nervous system, and cardiovascular system and they are one of the only foods that contain naturally occurring vitamin D. Eggs may even prevent breast cancer. In one study, women who consumed at least 6 eggs per week lowered their risk of breast cancer by 44%. Some studies have even shown that two eggs per day does not affect a person’s lipid profile and may, in fact, improve it. Research suggests that it is saturated fat that raises cholesterol rather than dietary cholesterol. So you can now enjoy those eggs without regret!
Speaking of health (how do you like that segue?), my kids belts assistant is always nagging me (don’t get mad at her, nagging is in her job description) about being healthy. Well… ok… not really “nagging”, more like encouraging, but close enough. Anyway, between her, my doctor, my husband and my kids, I guess it’s time to regroup and put my health as more of a priority again. My doctor would really like me to give up wheat (he says it’s a poison, you can read some opinions here). I decided to read more about it and figured it can’t hurt. I’ve decided to try out the Paleo Diet, which basically says if a caveman didn’t eat it, then we shouldn’t either. Sounds silly, but basically it’s getting rid of all processed foods. Here’s a really fund site that has recipes (it’s where I got the one I am about to share with you), tips, videos and more, PaleOMG.
So, in keeping with the Paleo diet, here is a recipe for a quick breakfast or mid morning snack.
- 1lb ground pork mild italian sausage
- 12 eggs, beaten (if preferred)
- 1-2 narrow sweet potatoes, sliced
- salt and pepper, to taste
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Add your ground pork to a large skillet over medium heat. Use a spatula to break it up into crumbly pieces
- While the pork is cooking, slice your sweet potatoes a little bit thicker than a chip would be…I’d say the thickness of 2 quarters stacked together. Real technical. Then beat your eggs (unless you are going to crack them directly into the egg cups).
- Once the meat is cooked through and there is no pink remaining, transfer that to a plate (a slotted spoon will be best because it will keep the leftover fat in it, but just pouring it works as well).
- Now add your sliced sweet potatoes to the pan with the leftover fat and turn the burner on high.
- Cook for about 5 minutes per side, depending how thick they are but you want them to be soft so they will cook through fully when they are in the oven.
- Now place a cooked sweet potato slice into your muffin tin, top it with a little ground pork, then another slice of slice potato and top it all off with some beaten eggs or crack an egg into it, it will bind it all together!
- Cook for about 10-15 min or until nothing oozy is moving around in the tins when you check them.
- Let cool, top with hot sauce!!
Thank you to PaleOMG for sharing this recipe (and super cute cooking video). I made these this morning and I have to say they are quite tasty and really portable. They were great for the car ride to work. I plan on playing around with the recipe some by adding some different veggies and maybe using turkey bacon as well.
I’ll try to keep you posted on how my Paleo journey is going!
Blessings,