Turkey & Sweet Potato Skillet

Ingredients

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 lbs extra-lean ground turkey

1 tsp clove garlic, minced

½ cup onions, diced

½ cup yellow pepper, diced

1 ½ cup sweet potato, diced

Salt and pepper

A pinch of chili pepper

½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Fresh parsley for garnishing

Instructions

In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat.

Add ground turkey and garlic. Stir occasionally and cook for about 10 minutes.

Add onions and yellow peppers and cook until onions are gold brown.

Add the sweet potato, cover the skillet and cook until they are tender. Don’t forget to stir occasionally. If necessary, add more olive oil or a little bit of water to cook the sweet potato.

While the sweet potato is cooking pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

When the sweet potato is tender, add shredded mozzarella cheese and bring the skillet to the oven to melt the cheese.

When the cheese melts, remove from the oven and garnish with green onions.

Original recipe found here. 

Cheddar Burger and Veggie Packet

Ingredients
1 pound lean ground beef
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 medium green onions, chopped (2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon peppered seasoned salt
2 medium yellow Yukon potatoes, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups baby-cut carrots
12 cherry tomatoes, cut in half, if desired
4 medium green onions, sliced (1/4 cup)
1/2 teaspoon peppered seasoned salt

Directions
1. Heat coals or gas grill for direct heat. Spray half of one side of four 18x12-inch sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil with cooking spray.
2. Mix beef, cheese, Worcestershire sauce, 2 chopped onions and 1 teaspoon seasoned salt. Shape mixture into 4 patties, about 1 inch thick.
3. Place potatoes on sprayed sides of foil sheets. Top with beef patty, carrots, tomatoes and sliced onions; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt. Fold foil over patties and vegetables so edges meet. Seal edges, making tight 1/2-inch fold; fold again. Allow space on sides for circulation and expansion.
4. Cover and grill packets 4 to 6 inches from medium heat 17 to 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Place packets on plates. Cut a large X across top of packet; fold back foil.

Original recipe here. 

"Healthified" Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients
1 lb lean ground beef
1 cup chopped onion (1 large)
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
2 cups beef broth
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup flour
1 jar (4 oz) mushrooms (I left these out, so they can be optional)
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 cup reduced-fat sour cream
6 cups hot cooked medium egg noodles

Directions
1. Brown ground beef with onion and garlic in skillet; drain grease and return to stove.
2. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the broth, the Worcestershire sauce, basil, salt and pepper. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer. In small bowl, mix flour and remaining 1/2 cup broth with wire whisk until blended. Add to skillet. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute.
3. Stir in mushrooms and ketchup; cook until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream until well blended. Serve over noodles. ENJOY!



Adapted from original recipe here.

Crockpot Chicken, Potatoes and Green Beans

I've seen a similar recipe to this floating around pinterest, but it used a crazy amount of butter. This not only tastes great, but is seasoned nicely without the nasty fats! 

Ingredients

• 1.5- 2lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
• ½ lb. fresh green beans, trimmed (about 2.5 cups)
• 1.25 lb. diced red potatoes (about 4 cups)
• ⅓ cup FRESH lemon juice
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. pepper
• ¼ tsp. onion powder
• 2 garlic cloves, minced

Instructions

1. Start by placing the chicken in a 6-quart slow cooker, in the center. Next add the green beans on one side. Then for the potatoes, you will need to mound them high off to the other side.
2. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic cloves.
3. Pour this mixture evenly over the chicken, green beans and potatoes. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours, without opening the lid during the cooking time.

Original recipe found here. 

Thai Peanut "Noodle" Bowl

So sorry we’ve been absent from the blog for… years! I decided to pick it back up since I’ve found several recipes that are now staples at our house that needed to be shared. Tonight, however, we tried something totally new and it was great! So without further ado… how to cook a spaghetti squash in your crockpot and make an easy, tasty meal without heating up your entire kitchen this summer!

Ingredients:
1 Small Spaghetti Squash (About 3-5 lbs.)
2 C. Water
2 C. Broccoli, Steamed
1/2 Batch Prepared Skinny Peanut Dressing (Below)
1 Tbsp. Sesame Seeds

Optional/Suggested Toppings:
Chopped Peanuts
Sriracha

Directions:
Pierce your spaghetti squash all over with a fork (similarly to how you would with a potato before baking.)

Place the squash and 2 c. of water into a slow cooker. Secure the lid and cook for 8-9 hours on low. The squash will turn brownish and kind of dingy while cooking, but don't let that scare you. The insides are perfectly perfect! 

Once done, remove the squash from the crock pot and set aside to cool for 10-20 minutes. Discard the water. This would be a good time to prepare your dressing or broccoli! 

After the squash has cooled, cut it in half and scoop out the seeds and pulp. It should all come out pretty easily. Mine even separated from the meat of the squash on it's own. With the pulp removed, use a fork to shred the insides into spaghetti like noodles. Feel free to get all the way down to the flesh of the squash. 

Place the 'noodles' into a bowl and top each with 1 c. of broccoli, 3 tbsp. dressing (below), 1/2 tbsp. sesame seeds, and peanuts if desired. Enjoy! 

SKINNY PEANUT DRESSING

Ingredients:
1 1/2 Tbsp. Light Brown Sugar, Packed
3 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
3 Tbsp. Rice Wine Vinegar
1 Tbsp. Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp. PB2, 1 Serving Prepared
1 Tbsp. Ginger Root, Grated
2 Garlic Cloves, Minced
1 Tsp. Sesame Oil
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Tsp. Sriracha (Optional)
1/2 Tsp. Sesame Seeds (Optional)

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl until well blended.

Original recipe found here!

Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries

I have been trying to find an amazing recipe for sweet potato fries for YEARS and finally found one that I absolutely LOVE thanks to Pinterest! Y'all have no idea how excited this girl is! Guilt free snacking? Yes, please!

Ingredients:

- 2 sweet potatoes (I used 3 to feed my family of 5)

- 1 tbsps olive oil (plus a little more for brushing the parchment paper)

- Sea salt to taste

- Black pepper to taste

- Garlic powder to taste

Directions:

- Pre-heat oven to 450.

- Put baking sheet in the oven to heat up by itself for about 10 minutes. This is a necessary step in getting them crispy.

- Cut sweet potatoes into thin sticks.

- Whisk together egg white, olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a bowl. Put sliced potatoes in the bowl and coat well with mixture.

- Brush a piece of parchment paper (large enough to cover the baking sheet) with olive oil.

- Put the parchment paper on top of the already-hot baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes and then flip the fries oven with a spatula and bake for another 12 minutes (or until desired crispiness is attained).

Picture and recipe found here: http://healthycrush.com/crispy-baked-sweet-potato-fries/

Double Chocolate Chunk Muffins

These are seriously the absolute BEST chocolate muffins I have EVER had in my entire life. I'm talking slap-your-Grandma good! No sugar, no flour AND my kids gobbled them up? Heck yes, buddy!

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup oats (I used Quick Oats)

3 egg whites

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup plain lowfat Greek yogurt

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar (or 2 tsp. vinegar)

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup hot water

1 cup sugar substitute (I used 2/3 C Agave Nectar)

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (OR you could use white chocolate OR peanut butter chips!)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a 12-cup muffin pans with cupcake liners, or spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
3. In a blender, (or food processor), mix all of the ingredients together, except for the chocolate chips. Blend until oats are ground and mixture is smooth.
4. Stir in HALF of the chocolate chips (set the rest aside). Pour straight from the blender (it will be very pourable!) into prepared muffin pan. Your muffin cups will be SO full, but shouldn't spill over while baking.
5. Place muffin pan in the oven, and after TEN minutes, remove muffins from the oven (but don’t shut oven off), and top each muffin with the remaining chocolate chips.
6. Place the muffins back in the oven and bake for an additional 5-7 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Cool muffins before removing from pan.

Recipe and picture found here: http://shrinkingkitchen.com/double-chocolate-chunk-muffins/

Cajun Chicken Pasta on the Lighter Side

This was seriously amazing! It was a huge it with my husband (he said it tasted like the cajun chicken pasta dish from TGI Friday's). The amazing thing? It's healthy! This will definitely become a recipe that becomes a regular to our menu. This could easily be made for a big crowd as well. This dish comes together rather quickly once all your vegetables are chopped.

You can make this with shrimp instead of chicken, or use a combination of both. Make this vegetarian by leaving the chicken out or replacing it with tofu and the chicken broth with vegetable broth. You can also make this gluten-free by using brown rice pasta and replacing the flour with 1 teaspoon of corn starch. Hope you enjoy!!

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces uncooked whole wheat linguine
• 1 pound chicken breast strips (I already had cooked chicken in cubes in the freezer that I used)
• 1-2 tsp Cajun seasoning (or to taste)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 medium yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced (I add mushrooms and it was still amazing)
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup fat free low sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup skim milk
• 1 tbsp flour
• 3 tbsp light cream cheese
• fresh cracked pepper
• 2 scallions, chopped
• salt to taste
• cooking spray

Directions:

Prep all your vegetables. In a small blender make a slurry by combining milk, flour and cream cheese. Set aside. Season chicken generously with Cajun seasoning, garlic powder and salt (my chicken was already cooked and cubed, so I just added the seasonings to the bag and gave it a good shake).

Prepare pasta in salted water according to package directions.

Heat a large heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; spray with cooking spray and add half of the chicken. Sauté 5 to 6 minutes or until done, set aside on a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken. Set aside.

Add olive oil to the skillet and reduce to medium; add bell peppers, onions, and garlic to skillet, sauté 3-4 minutes.

Add mushrooms and tomatoes and sauté 3-4 more minutes or until vegetables are tender.Season with 1/4 tsp salt, garlic powder and fresh cracked pepper to taste.

Reduce heat to medium-low; add chicken broth and pour in slurry stirring about 2 minutes.

Return chicken to skillet; adjust salt and Cajun seasoning to taste, cook another minute or two until hot, then add linguine; toss well to coat. Top with chopped scallions and enjoy!

recipe and picture found here: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/02/cajun-chicken-pasta-on-lighter-side.html#more

Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie Cups

This was another recipe I found thanks to Pinterest! I am in LOVE with cupcake recipes because it makes serving sizes easier to calculate since I'm trying to lose baby weight and they're less messy for an entire meal! I hope you enjoy as much as I did...

- 1 can of reduced fat biscuits (I actually was able to use TWO cans at a total of 16 biscuits)

- 1 cup cooked chicken breast, diced (I used a *large* canned chicken - no cooking!)
- 1 (10 1/2 ounce) can reduced-fat cream of chicken soup
- 2/3 cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
- 1 cup of frozen mixed veggies
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

- 1 teaspoon of onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Separate biscuits and place each biscuit in a cup of a lightly greased 12-hole muffin pan, pressing dough up sides to edge of cup.
3. In a medium bowl, combine chicken, chicken soup, veggies, cheddar cheese, onion powder, parsley flakes, and black pepper. Mix well to combine.
4. Evenly spoon chicken mixture into prepared biscuit cups.
5. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Remove from oven. Place muffin pan on a wire rack and let set for 2-3 minutes. Serve at once.

*Original recipe found here

Parmesan-Crusted Fish

I'll be totally honest, this didn't go over too well with my family (their not big lemon fans), but I LOVED it! Definitely go easy on the lemon peel (a little bit goes a long way). This is such a quick and easy recipe for those busy days.

1	lb cod, cut into serving pieces
2	tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise (I used Olive Oil Mayo)
1/2	teaspoon finely grated lemon peel (this much was almost too much for me, and I love lemon)
1/8	teaspoon pepper
2	tablespoons Italian style bread crumbs
2	tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
	Lemon wedges, if desired

1.	Heat oven to 450°F. Line 15x10x1-inch pan with foil; spray with cooking spray. Place fish fillets in pan.
2.	In small bowl, stir mayonnaise, lemon peel and pepper until blended. Spread over top of each fillet. In small bowl, mix bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Spoon evenly over mayonnaise mixture; pat crumb mixture lightly into mayonnaise.
3.	Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork. Serve with lemon wedges. *Recipe and picture found here: http://www.eatbetteramerica.com/recipes/featured-brands/parmesan-crusted-fish.aspx

Healthified Lasagna

Holy yummo! This healthified recipe does not sacrifice taste! My family pretty much downed the entire thing. I think I definitely found a winner lasagna recipe to use for years to come!

9	uncooked lasagna noodles (I used whole wheat lasagna noodles)
1	lb extra-lean ground beef
2	cloves garlic, finely chopped
1	jar pasta sauce
1/8	teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2	teaspoons dried basil leaves
1	egg
1	container (15 oz) reduced-fat ricotta cheese
2	cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz)
1/3	cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1.	Spray 13x9-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Cook and drain noodles as directed on package. Place in cold water.
2.	Meanwhile, in 12-inch skillet, cook beef and garlic over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in pasta sauce, ground red pepper and 1 teaspoon of the basil. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
3.	Heat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, beat egg slightly. Stir in ricotta cheese and remaining 1/2 teaspoon basil until blended. Drain noodles. Spread about 1/2 cup sauce mixture over bottom of baking dish. Top with 3 noodles, 1 1/2 cups of the sauce mixture, half of the ricotta mixture and 3/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers once. Top with remaining noodles, sauce and mozzarella cheese; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Spray 15-inch piece of foil with cooking spray. Cover lasagna with foil.
4.	Bake 45 minutes. Uncover; bake 10 to 15 minutes longer or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. *recipe found here: http://www.eatbetteramerica.com/recipes/healthified/healthified-lasagna.aspx