Mexican Pizza Sandwich

I have off today so I decided to make my little ones a "healthy" lunch. If we call it pizza, they'll eat. Today we made "Mexican Pizza Sandwiches" AKA quesadillas. They loved them!

Ingredients:

Two whole wheat tortilla shells

1/4 can low sodium black beans, drained & rinsed

1/4 can no salt added organic diced tomatoes

3/4 pepper, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

1 Tsp Simply Salsa Mix (Tastefully Simple)

1 cup spinach

1 Tsp olive oil

1/4 cup shredded cheese

Directions:

1. Wilt spinach in pan with olive oil. 
2. Add all veggies and salsa mix and cook until all veggies are tender. 
3. In a clean pan, lightly grease pan and add 1 tortilla wrap. Sprinkle with half of the cheese. Load veggie mixture over top. Sprinkle rest of cheese and top with the other tortilla wrap. Cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side. 
4. I cut "pizza" slices and gave them fresh fruit today. 

With the left over veggie mix, I topped it onto my baked sweet potato with half of an avocado and extra salsa. Delicious! 

I Scream, You Scream!

We all scream for ice cream! I love my sweets. LOVE them. I never cared for ice cream, it was the toppings that I enjoyed. I learned to reduce the amount of toppings and to eat healthy ice cream. No, I don't mean frozen yogurt. I make Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream. It's my FAVORITE. Last night we all enjoyed a bowl!

Ingredients:
5 ripe bananas
1/2 - 1 C. Unsweetened Almond Milk
1/4 - 1/2 C. Natural Peanut Butter

Directions:
Remove banana peels and place broken pieces of banana in the freezer for at least three hours. If you freeze it over night, try letting the bananas thaw out a bit before blending. Place all ingredients in the blender and enjoy!!

We usually top with sprinkles or mini semi-sweet chocolate chips. I know, it's not the healthiest of toppings, but it curbs my need for sweets!

Mango Smoothie

I love my smoothies in the morning (I just need to invest in a good blender!). I often vary my smoothies with different greens and fruits. I'll share them as I make them! Monday morning I made a mango smoothie. Give it a try!

Ingredients:
1 C. unsweetened almond milk
2-3 C. spinach
1 C. frozen mangos
2/3 C. quick oats
2 Tbsp Chia seeds
3/4 C. OJ

“Mango contains many nutrients and other bioactive compounds that can provide various health benefits aside from what we investigated,” Lucas said.  “It is high in fiber, vitamins A and C, as well as other minerals and phytochemicals. In addition to the positive effects on body fat, blood lipids and glucose, it is not associated with serious side effects such as negative effects on bone that is linked with the use of rosiglitazone, a drug commonly used to lower blood sugar.”

Read more here: http://humansciences.okstate.edu/nsci/index.php/component/content/article/1-latest/56-nsci-research-finds-health-benefits-in-mangos

Best Burritos

Black Bean & Sweet Potato Burritos AMAZING! A few months ago we took a trip to my in-laws and I promised to make a healthy and satisfying dinner since my MIL had surgery. It was a bit more time consuming than I anticipated, but well worth it!I haven't made it since then, but this week it went back on my weekly meal plan. It was just as good as I remembered! 

• 5 sweet potatoes
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 Tsp olive oil
• 1 large chopped onion
• 1 Tbsp garlic powder
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (I didn't have any so I used 1/2 Tsp of paprika)
• 1 Tsp chili powder (make your own if you can!)
• 3 - 15-ounce cans black beans, low sodium, drained & rinsed
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 8-12 eight-inch flour tortillas
• Fresh tomato salsa
• 1/4-1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used mozzarella)

1. Clean and pierce potatoes. Microwave for 3-4 minutes on each side. 
2. While the sweet potatoes are cooking, warm the oil in a medium skillet; add the onions, garlic, and jalapeno pepper or paprika. Cover and cook on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender, about 6 minutes. Add chili pepper and cook for 2 to 3 minutes longer, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and set aside.
3. In a food processor, combine the black beans, lemon juice, and cooked sweet  potatoes and puree until smooth. (You can also mash the ingredients in a large bowl by hand using a potato masher. The result will be a less smooth but nicely textured filling.) Transfer the sweet potato mixture to a large mixing bowl and mix in the cooked onions and spices.
4. Lightly oil a large baking dish. Spoon the filling in the center of each tortilla, roll it up, and place it, seam side down, in the baking dish. Sprinkle cheese over burritos. Bake for 30  minutes.
5. Serve topped with salsa.
   

I can't remember where I got this recipe from, otherwise I'd give them a shout out. 

Nikki's Zucchini Pizza

Our Motto in our house is "Don't knock it before you try it" and the kids do not need to know what's in it. Zucchini Pizza for lunch. 

Ingredients: 
2 whole zucchinis
1 egg
1 cup low fat mozzarella
seasoning of choice and sauce (homemade or Francsco Rinaldi when in a pinch) 

Grate Zucchini and squeeze as much of the water out as possible, add 1/2 cup of cheese, whole egg, and any spices you like, mix together. Place on stone and shape into a circle. Bake for 20 minutes at 450. Put toppings on and bake for another 10 minutes and enjoy! Yummy!

Just Another Crockpot Meal

Just?! No way. This was delicious. I saw it on arismenu.com and made a few adjustments because I was short on time. I actually made it before I went to work even though I woke up late. My short cut was the unhealthy version of using OJ instead of fresh squeezed juice. Let me know if you try it and like it!

Healthy Crockpot Orange Chicken

adapted from Team T Adventures via Six Sisters Stuff

yield approx 6 servings

• 1-2 tsp coconut oil
•  3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
• 3 tbsp whole grain flour of choice (whole wheat, brown rice, etc.)
• 4 large oranges (I was lazy and used about 1 c. of OJ)
• 1 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 3 tbsp low sugar ketchup
• 1/4 cup honey (I used slightly less)
• 2 tsp sriracha (optional, but recommended)
• brown rice and steamed broccoli for serving (optional)

Directions:

1.  Heat coconut oil in a large pan over medium heat. Place flour in a large shallow bowl. Dredge cubed chicken in flour to coat then transfer to cooking pan. Brown chicken, then remove from heat. Don’t worry about fully cooking chicken–it will finish in the crock post. You want it just browned.
2. In a medium bowl, zest 2 oranges, then juice all 4. Add vinegar, ketchup, honey, and sriracha. Whisk together to combine.
3. Transfer cooked chicken and sauce to crockpot, and cook on low for 4:30-5 hours.
4. To serve, place cooked chicken on top of brown rice (or just on your plate), then spoon over an extra 1/4 cup or so of sauce–trust me, you’ll want extra! Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Turkey Muffins

I had the neighbor boys over tonight and I knew I wanted to use my ground turkey meat. The boys are good eaters, but not quite as healthy as my kids are (yet). A friend gave me this recipe but I added an extra vegetable. The boys didn't like them at first, but I gave them a little ketchup and the muffins disappeared! I paired the turkey muffins with baked veggies (frozen mixture with a bit of olive oil and salt).

• 1-2 lbs ground turkey (I used 1 lb)
• 3 egg whites
• 1 cup quick oats
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 2 tsp ground yellow mustard (I ran out and didn't have any tonight)
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp garlic powder
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 pepper, chopped

Preheat oven to 375. Spray regular muffin pan with nonstick spray. Combine all ingredients. Press into muffin cups. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Makes 12+ muffins.


Thanks for the recipe, Jen!

Egg Muffin? Yes Please!

I've never had an egg muffin from McDonald's, so I'm not sure what I'm "missing" but I decided to make my own version a few months ago. Slowly I've morphed it to what I eat now. This morning my husband was working at a local office, meaning he had time to wait for me to cook, and asked that I make him one, as well.

Ingredients:

• 1 Ezekial Muffin, halved
• 1 thin slice of cheese (I sprinkle a little bit of shredded provolone today)
• 1 egg, remove yolk if desired
• handful of spinach (mine is frozen)
• oil to grease pan
• Optional: 1/2 tsp chia seeds

Directions:

1. Heat oil in pan, add spinach. Cook until wilted. In the mean time, cut your muffin and toast it. 
2. Remove spinach from pan and add egg. If you want to add the chia seeds, add them to your cooking egg. I like my yolk hard so I can remove it. Steve likes his runny. 
3. Place cheese on warm toasted muffin, add spinach, then egg, and top with the other half of the muffin.

Husband Wanted Meat

So I gave him meat. I made pepper turkey burgers. The kids ate them up! I still very much dislike meat burgers. I never liked them. Never. Anyway, these are good and worth sharing, according to Steve and Colton.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground turkey
1 pepper, finely chopped
1/2 package mushrooms, finely chopped
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 Tsp olive oil
2 Tsp garlic powder
3/4 Tsp cumin
1 Tsp oregano
1/2 Tsp parsley
1/2 Tsp pepper

Directions:
Mix turkey, pepper, mushrooms, onion and oil together. I used a chopper for the pepper and onion. Set aside. Mix together all the spices. Mix spices into meat mixture. Form patties and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Heat oiled skillet to medium. Cook each side for about 5 minutes.

We topped our burgers with a thin slice of provolone cheese, mustard. We chose not to have a bun tonight, but if we did, I would have used Ezekial Muffins, lightly toasted. We had a side of steamed veggies and a salad.

Enjoy!

Cold days...Mmm Soup!

I'm a little behind! I'll try to catch up on a few days since I slacked over the holidays.

We've had plenty of cold days recently! Try this veggie loaded soup to keep you warm and healthy! I think soups are the best when they are reheated. Remember to freeze extras for another day!

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
2 peppers, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 c. carrots, chopped
1/2 package of mushrooms
2 zucchini, chopped
2 cans tomatoes, no salt added
32 oz chicken or veggie broth, low sodium
2 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 tsp basil leaves
1 tsp oregano
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp marjoram (optional)
1 Tbsp olive oil

Directions:
Heat large pot with oil. Saute onions, peppers, celery, and carrots until veggies start to become tender. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir. Cover and cook for about one hour.

Optional: Cook quinoa in separate pot. Add quinoa to soup when it's cooked.

NEED SUGAR!!

The past few months I've been a candy monster. Seriously. I ate all chocolate candy in sight. A new year, an old me. I'm going back to eating healthy and eating healthy treats. Of course I'll still have a peanut butter cup when I visit the Quentin Antique Shoppe (which is often since my parents own it). Here is a recipe I follow for the family favorite treat: Black Bean Cookies. Yum!

http://www.yankeekitchenninja.com/2013/01/black-bean-chocolate-cookies.html
FYI - I omit the flour so it is gluten free
Note - I do not add chips to the batter. I put a few chips on top of each cookie before it goes in the oven.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar (you can substitute honey or agave syrup if you prefer)
1 teaspoon baking powder 
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons skim milk
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla 
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt; set aside.

In a food processor, combine the beans, milk, peanut butter, olive oil and vanilla and process until smooth. Working in small batches, add the dry mixture to the food processor and process until fully incorporated (it will resemble mousse). Fold in the chocolate chips (do not process).

Drop heaping soup spoonfuls onto a prepared baking sheet (you should end up with 16 large mounds). If you like, sprinkle a couple of extra chips onto each cookie mound. Bake for about 12-15 minutes (the cookies will still be a bit soft). Cool the cookies on the pan for a few minutes and then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.