Sundried Tomato Spaghetti Squash

This meal was awesome! Colton ate it but wasn't happy about it. Next time I think I'll cut the sundried tomatoes for the kids. It was not super high in protein so I would either add some chicken or maybe fish. Check out the original recipe! I only modified a few items. 

Ingredients

• 1 spaghetti squash, deseeded and scraped from the skin
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• ½ cup loosely packed sundried tomatoes
• 28 oz can of diced tomatoes - well drained!
• ¾ cup unsweetened almond milk
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 5 cups mixed leafy greens
• sprinkle of cayenne pepper

Instructions

1. Microwave the spaghetti squash (after cut and deseeded) for 6-8 minutes. 
2. Sauté the olive oil with garlic and sundried tomatoes on medium-low until they are fragrant but not burning, about two minutes.
3. Grab your strained tomatoes, milk, and tomato paste, and mix them into the pan. Make sure you really get the liquid out of the tomatoes. Now salt and pepper it and taste it Let it all cook together for 5 minutes, thickening up slightly.
4. Add in the sprinkle of cayenne and the green leafy vegetables, and allow them to wilt and then incorporate into the sauce. At this point, you are done! You can now stir in all of the spaghetti squash at once, or you can serve it on different pastas individually. Feel free to add a protein as well, of course!

Kitchen Sink Soup

If you follow me on Facebook then you know I love following Registered Dietitian, Emily Fonnesbeck. She posted a recipe today and I immediately put it in the crock pot! I did make a few adjustments but it's pretty similar. Below is the original. Check her out!

Kitchen Sink Soup
1 carton tomatoes (I use POMI brand or could substitute 1 can diced tomatoes)
2 cups water
2 - 15 oz beans (I used Eden Brand no-salt added lentils and black beans)
2 cups frozen organic corn
1 bunch celery, chopped
1 bunch mustard greens, washed and chopped
1 tbsp basil
1 tbsp oregano
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cayenne red pepper, or to taste
Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours. 

Feel free to substitute any bean, vegetable or leafy green. Pinto beans, navy beans, kidney beans, red beans, bell peppers, carrots, fennel, zucchini, squash, swiss chard, cabbage, kale and collard greens are all items I have used on the past. Again, just whatever is on hand! Seasonings are easily adjusted to taste preferences too. Really, this can be more like a formula than a recipe with endless options!

Also, you may find that the slow cooker isn't big enough for all those greens. Use your muscles to squish it down, put the lid on and once it heats up it will wilt down and you won't have any problems.  

Easy Salmon - Yum!!

My husband isn't a huge fan of salmon. We had it WAY too much during my first pregnancy. Since then I don't think we had it more than 10 times. This recipe makes me want it again next week! I made it about a year ago and followed the original recipe and LOVED it but today I had to change it up with what I had on hand. The original recipe includes a veggie. I made a veggie/bean soup to go with this meal tonight.

INGREDIENTS

• 3-4 salmon fillets, wild 
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3 tablespoons raisins
• 2 tablespoons almond slices

PREPARATION

1. Season salmon with half the rosemary and 1/2 teaspoon salt at least 20 minutes and up to 1 hour before cooking. 
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large wide saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add raisins and almonds; toss to coat with oil. Cook, stirring, until the pine nuts are fragrant and beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Set mixture aside.
3. Heat the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add salmon and cook until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn the salmon over, remove the pan from the heat and let stand until just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes more.
4. Spoon raisins,onion, & almonds over the salmon.

TIPS & NOTES

• Tip: Wild-caught salmon from the Pacific (preferably Alaskan) is considered the best choice for the environment because it is more sustainably fished and has a larger, more stable population. Farmed salmon, including Atlantic, should be avoided, as it endangers the wild salmon population. For more information, visit Monterrey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch at seafoodwatch.org.

Chicken w/ Potatoes & Asparagus

I heart potatoes! This is an easy recipe and it was a crowed pleaser. I did change rosemary to thyme since I'm not a fan of those little stick things in my meals. Find the original recipe here!

INGREDIENTS

• Cooking spray
• 2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, chopped into 2 inch cubes
• 2 lb red potatoes, chopped into 2 inch cubes
• 1 1/2 cups chopped Roma tomatoes
• 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 4 tsp garlic powder
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
• Salt and Ground pepper to taste

METHOD:
Preheat oven to 400°F and spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Add chicken, potatoes, tomatoes, asparagus, basil, garlic and olive oil. Sprinkle with rosemary. Add pepper if desired. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, turning occasionally until tender. Serve.

YIELD:
Makes 8 servings

NUTRIENTS PER SERVING:
Calories: 426
Fat: 16g
Carbs: 30g
Protein: 40g
Fiber: 1g

Chocolate No Bake Cookies

We're having people over for dinner and I think they are sick of my black bean deserts. I decided to go with a recipe that involved too much sugar - of course I didn't use the 2 cups it asked for! Here is the original recipe. These aren't the healthiest snack to eat but they are better than many other choices!

Chocolate Oatmeal No Bake Cookies

1/2 C Sugar (I used Stevia in the Raw)

1/4 C Raw Honey

2 Tbsp Butter

1/2 C Milk (I used dark chocolate almond milk)

4 Tbsp Cocoa

1/2 C Peanut Butter, Natural

3 C Quick cooking Oats

1-2 tsp. Vanilla

1. Add the first 5 ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil, and boil for 1 minute. 
2. Stir in the next 3 ingredients.
3. Drop onto wax/foil paper. 
4. Let cool until set. 

Makes about 32 cookies. 

Nutrition info per cookie:

44 Calories

10g Carbs

5g sugar

3g fat

2g protein

14mg sodium

Roasted portobello & red pepper tacos

I made this meal Wednesday night and it was delicious and pretty easy! It says it serves two but it fed all four of us. We really loaded up one tortilla with the yummy veggies. We topped the tacos with spinach and avocado. Enjoy!! Find the recipe here.

Roasted portobello & red pepper tacos

Yield: Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 3 portobello mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tsp dried oregano, divided
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar + 3 tbsp water
• 1 sweet red pepper, sliced
• 1/2 red onion, sliced into 1/2 moons
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt & pepper
• 4 (4-inch) soft tortillas (use brown rice tortillas for gluten-free option)
• optional add-ins: sliced avocado, guacamole, shredded kale, salsa

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425F.
2. In an 8x8-inch square baking pan, combine the portobello mushrooms with 1 teaspoon of oregano, balsamic +water mixture, salt and pepper. Stir to coat.
3. In a 9x12-inch baking pan, combine the red pepper, onion, remaining teaspoon of oregano, olive oil, salt and pepper. Stir to coat.
4. Bake both at 425F for about 20 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the veggies are cooked and the onion is just starting to caramelize.
5. To assemble, fill each tortilla with roasted veggies and other optional add-ins. Serve immediately.

Avocado Chicken

I found this recipe on Pinterest but I haven't made it since the first time and now the link is broken! Luckily, I saved the ingredients and directions in an e-mail! This is SUPER easy and fairly quick!

Avocado Chicken

 Ingredients

• 2 tsp oil (I used grapeseed)
• 4-5 chicken breasts or tenderloins (I used thin cut breasts)
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1-2 tomatoes, sliced
• mozzarella cheese (not a lot - just enough to sprinkle)

Directions;

1. Heat oven to 350
2. Heat oil in a medium skillet. Add chicken, sprinkle with onion powder and pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side (won't be fully cooked).
3. Transfer chicken to greased baking dish and top with avocado, tomato, and sprinkle cheese. Drizzle with lemon juice.
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until chicken is done. 
5. Serve with your favorite veggies! 

Bean, Kale, Sausage Stew

This one is pretty high in sodium. Try to find beans that are low sodium. It was good, though!! Here is the original recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil 
• 1 teaspoon garlic 
• 4 low sodium chicken sausage
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups less-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cans cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained
• 4 cups chopped kale 
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic and sausage; sauté 1 minute. 
2. Add water, broth, and beans; bring to a boil. 
3. Stir in kale, black pepper, red pepper, and salt; bring to a boil. 
4. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until kale is tender. 
5. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice.

Quinoa & Bean Chili

Steve and I had a joint effort in tonight's dinner that we received from my favorite Alaska friend, Vanessa. I chopped the veggies and Steve did everything else. I wish he was home early from work every day!

Here is the original recipe but below is what we did with the ingredients we had on hand:

Makes about 6-8 servings

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
Sea salt
1 tsp Crushed red chili flakes
1/2 tsp paprika
3 stalks celery, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded, diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded, diced
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, no salt added
2 tablespoons fresh salsa
½ cup quinoa, rinsed well
1 (14-ounce) can organic black beans, drained and rinsed well

Directions

1. Place oil, garlic, onion, and in a soup pot over medium heat. When the onions begin to sizzle, add a pinch of salt, crushed red pepper flakes, and smoked paprika. Sauté for 2–3 minutes. 
2. Stir in celery and, a pinch of salt and sauté for 1 minute. 
3. Stir in carrot and, a pinch of salt and sauté for 1 minute. 
4. Stir in pepper and, a pinch of salt and sauté for 1 minute. 
5. Add tomatoes, salsa, quinoa, and beans and stir well. 
6. Add 1½ cups water. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook until quinoa is soft, about 15 minutes. 
7. Season to taste with salt and adjust heat with chili flakes if more is desired. Simmer for 2–3 minutes more.

Enchilada Casserole

As much as I dislike the texture of meat, I know it has a few vitamins that we need, like Vitamin B12, that are not found in all my favorite veggies. So I used some ground turkey I had in the freezer. I based this recipe from here. Of course I paired the meal with fresh green beans seasoned with a spray of olive oil and sprinkled with a pinch of salt. 

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1-2 peppers, chopped
• 3/4 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp flour of choice
• 1 cup veggie or chicken broth, low sodium
• 3/4 Tbsp Chili seasoning (I used my homemade version)
• 1 can diced tomatoes, no salt added - finely chopped w/ garlic, oregano, and basil
• 4 (8-inch) whole-wheat flour tortillas
• 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation

1. 1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add turkey and onion to pan; cook 6 minutes, stirring to crumble.
2. 2. Preheat oven to 400°.
3. 3. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Sprinkle with flour, add broth, chili seasoning, and tomato sauce to pan. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add  tomato mixture to turkey mixture; reserve 1/2 cup tomato mixture.
4. 4. Place 1 tortilla in a 9-inch pie plate. Top with 1 cup turkey mixture. Repeat layers, ending with tortilla. Spread reserved tomato mixture over tortilla. Top with cheese. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until cheese melts. Cool slightly.