Healthy Egg Scramble

I’m on a roll this weekend!  Here’s a breakfast one for you that is a great healthy start to your day.  Here’s a quick lesson on eggs:  eggs are a very high quality protein.  Meaning, the ratio and sequencing of amino acids in the protein is near perfect to what our body needs.  As you’ll see in this recipe, I used 3 egg whites and 2 whole eggs.  Why?  The whites have the greater bulk of the total protein of the egg, and all of the fat and cholesterol is in the yolk.  Of course the yolk adds a little more flavor, but if you’d like to make this scramble with 5 egg whites instead, all the better for you!

 

Ingredients:

• 3 Egg Whites
• 2 Whole Eggs
• 1/2 Green Pepper, diced
• 1/4 White Onion, diced
• 1 Small Plum Tomato, diced
• Sprinkle of Low Fat Cheddar Cheese, shredded
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Olive Oil

Directions:

• Heat olive oil in frying pan.  Allow to heat, then add diced pepper, onion & tomato.  Saute a few minutes until peppers are soft and onions are translucent.
• Scramble 3 egg whites and 2 whole eggs in a bowl.  Pour into frying pan on top of the onion, pepper and tomato.  Sprinkle a little cheddar cheese into pan.
• Stir to scramble all together for about 4 minutes until eggs are cooked.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!

(Red) Chicken Chili Stew

I’m honestly not sure where this recipe comes from originally.  I know it from my mom, and I slightly adapted it from that so we’ll just say it’s my moms recipe for the time being.  This is a great one to freeze because the recipe makes a LOT.  The onions, peppers and garlic in this recipe just smell so delicious when you are cooking it and they are great for you too!  When buying the canned tomatoes in this recipe, look for cans that say “No Salt Added”.. the difference between that and the regular cans was almost 10% of your daily intake of sodium.  I promise, it’s worth poking around and reading a few labels in the grocery store.  Also feel free to kick up the cumin and chili powder if spicy chili is your thing.  I’d recommend this for a weekend recipe, it is not involved to make at all but it simmers for a good 40 minutes so you may be too impatient to wait during the week- at least I would be!  Here you go…

 

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp. Olive Oil
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2/3 cup chopped red onion
• 1 green pepper and 1 red yellow pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• (1) 28 oz can diced tomatoes & (1) 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes- No Salt Added
• (1) 16 oz jar medium salsa (I use pineapple flavor which adds a sweet, unique taste to the chili)
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 Box Yellow rice- Spanish style (I used GOYA low sodium)
• Black olives sliced in half – if desired to garnish
• Shredded sharp cheddar cheese- if desired to garnish (use conservatively or nutrition value of this recipe will decline!)

Directions:

1. Dice peppers, onion and garlic.  Rinse, trim fat, and dice chicken into 1 inch cubes.
2. Heat oil over medium heat.  Add peppers, onions, garlic and chicken.  Cook 8-9 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Stir in tomatoes, salsa, chili powder & cumin.  Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 30-40 minutes.
4. While waiting for it to boil, begin cooking rice according to package directions.
5. After both have finished cooking, spoon rice into bowls and pour chicken stew evenly over the top.  Garnish with olives and cheese if desired.

Blueberry Banana Smoothies

So I was starting to realize that most of my posts are centered around dinner, and most of them take a solid 30 minutes to an hour to put together, so I wanted to give you a really easy one today that makes for a great healthy snack.  Pretty much every second of the winter, I’m missing the summer.  Especially the fresh fruit that’s available in the summer months, I LOVE fruit, truly could eat it all day long.  So for summer cravings I stocked up on some frozen berries (I DID blueberry pick this summer and freeze the extras, however, I ate them before fall even ended!  So these are from the frozen section of Wegmans).  This recipe is my invention, so feel free to improvise with another type of fruit that you prefer more and be creative.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup Frozen Blueberries
• 1 Banana
• 1.5-2 cups Low Fat Vanilla Yogurt
• 1/3 cup Skim Milk*

*Add or subtract the yogurt and milk to your preferred consistency.  These were pretty thick so I would suggest adding a little more milk or water to thin it out.

The total recipe provides 2 cup equivalents of fruit which is the daily recommendation for men and women 19-30 years old.  Since it makes 2 servings, if you drink 1 smoothie you will intake half of the daily recommendation of fruit servings.  If you have both, you’ll get them all!

Enjoy!

Chicken Parmesan Burgers

Here’s another great Cooking Light recipe.  It’s so easy for weeknight meals.  It’s pretty carbohydrate heavy with the ciabatta bread, but it’s such a delicious bread it makes for a nice treat.  My picture is not the best, and it lacks the fresh basil because mine went bad before I could use it. I love fresh basil on this sandwich though, so I would highly recommend using it when you make it.  I also doubled the recipe since my valentine is kind of a piggy, but I’d recommend doing the same if you’re hungry or want leftovers.

Ingredients

• 2 (3-ounce) square ciabatta rolls
• 1 garlic clove, halved
• 1/2 pound ground chicken
• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons lower-sodium marinara sauce, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary (I omitted this because I don’t like rosemary)
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (I used dried thyme instead- but use less since dry herbs are stronger then fresh)
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• Cooking spray
• 1/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
• 8 basil leaves

Preparation

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Cut rolls in half. Place bread, cut side up, on a baking sheet. Broil for 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove bread from pan. Rub each slice with cut side of garlic. Set aside.

3. Preheat oven to 375°.

4. Combine chicken, 1/3 cup marinara, rosemary, thyme, red pepper, salt, and black pepper. Divide into 2 portions, shaping each into a 1/4-inch-thick patty. Heat an ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add patties to pan; cook for 3 minutes. Turn patties, and place pan in oven. Bake at 375° for 8 minutes (when I made it, it took more like 15 minutes- just watch it and make sure it’s cooked through.) Top each patty with 2 tablespoons cheese; bake 1 minute.

5. Layer bottom half of each roll with 2 basil leaves, 1 patty, 1 tablespoon marinara, 2 basil leaves, and roll top.

Source: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-parmesan-burgers-50400000111141/

Bobby Flay’s Turkey Meatloaf

Before I start this post, I just wanted to encourage any readers to scroll down this page and look to the right for a section titled “Follow Blog Via Email.”  By clicking “Follow” and entering your email, it will simply email you when I make a post.  This way you don’t have to keep checking back, and it’s completely anonymous so I don’t see your email or who you are.  I hope that will be a little helpful with my sporadic posting schedule!

Now for the yummy stuff..

While I can’t say I’m a huge fan of Bobby Flay as a person, you can’t deny the guy knows how to cook.  This meatloaf that he makes is so flavorful.  Yes, it’s made from ground turkey instead of beef, but don’t let this discourage you!  You don’t even taste the fat difference with all his added flavor.  I would recommend to do all the chopping for this recipe before you start cooking so it keeps the process moving smoothly.  I really think you will love this one, it’s worth the work!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small zucchini, finely diced
• 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, finely diced (my note: If you’re on a budget sub one of these peppers or both for a green bell pepper- they are cheaper)
• 5 cloves garlic, smashed to a paste with coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey (90 percent lean)
• 1 cup panko (coarse Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Add the zucchini, bell peppers, garlic paste and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the vegetables are almost soft, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Whisk the egg and fresh herbs in a large bowl. Add the turkey, panko, grated cheese, 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar and the cooled vegetables; mix until just combined.

Gently press the mixture into a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Whisk the remaining 1/4 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes in a small bowl; brush the mixture over the entire loaf. Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/vegetable-meatloaf-with-balsamic-glaze-recipe/index.html

Cooking Light’s Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

If anyone reads this, I’m sorry for the lack of posts!  School began and there was always something I needed to take care of before posting to the blog.  This week, I have three recipes for you though, so keep checking back in the next few days! First off are these blueberry muffins I made for breakfasts for a weekend away from home.  The muffins are from the Cooking Light Baking Book I got from my parents for Christmas. Great buy,  the muffins were delicious!  The oats in the recipe are again another way to add soluble fiber into your diet (see benefits in previous post) and blueberries are a powerful antioxidant and overall just so good for your body (yes, even frozen!)  They definitely have a “healthier” taste to them, but, this is my blog after all, so you should expect that. :)

Ingredients

• 1 2/3 cups quick-cooking oats
• 3 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2/3 cup)
• 2 33/100 ounces whole-wheat flour (about 1/2 cup)
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups frozen blueberries
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• Cooking spray
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Place oats in a food processor; pulse 5 to 6 times or until oats resemble coarse meal. Place in a large bowl.

3. Weigh or lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add flours and next 5 ingredients (through salt) to oats; stir well. Make a well in center of mixture.

4. Combine buttermilk and next 3 ingredients (through eggs). Add to flour mixture; stir just until moist.

5. Toss berries with 2 tablespoons flour, and gently fold into batter. Spoon batter into 16 muffin cups coated with cooking spray; sprinkle 2 tablespoons granulated sugar evenly over batter (I omitted this step to cut back on added sugar). Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove from pans immediately; place on a wire rack.