Granola w/ Pepitas, walnuts, almonds, dried cranberries and mini choc chip morsels

INGREDIENTS:

4 c old-fashioned oats

1 c raw natural sliced almonds

1/2 c chopped walnuts

1/4 c flaxseed meal

1/4 c honey

McCormick's Cinnamon and Sugar grinder-about 2 tbsp or 20 grinds



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mix together and bake for 15 min at 350 degrees, give it a shake around to be careful not to burn any one area and bake for another 10 min. Make sure it is spread thinly and evenly on the pan.

Let cool for 25 min then add:

1 c roasted & salted pepitas (the inside of a pumpkin seed-very high in protein)

1/2 c dried cranberries

1/2 c mini chocolate chip morsels

Makes 8 total cups or 32 servings-a serving size is 1/4 cup.

I love to put mine on Greek yogurt or have it with almond milk. It is very satisfying and helps with my sweet and salty cravings!

Enjoy!

xoxoxo-A

Black Bean Spaghetti

BLACK BEAN SPAGHETTI!

Found this little gem at my local "health food store"-Today's Markey in Oakmont, PA

20 g's of protein per serving!!! Low carbs too!!! This spaghetti was sent from HEAVEN! Love it!

I made mine with about 5 oz of salsa marinated chicken, mangos, red onions, red and orange pepper.

This is so easy!

Marinade your chicken in salsa for at least 30 min or longer if you have time. Cube it, cook it in oven or skillet then set aside. Cook your pasta while you cook up your cut up mango and veggies..... sautee' for 10 min on low heat. Last, add in cooked chicken and cooked spaghetti to the mango and veggies and let them play around in there for another 5 min together adding whatever seasonings you want. Give them all a good stir and toss with some EVOO-Extra Virgin Olive Oil!

This is a very light but very filling dish!

I like to try new things all of the time-that is how I keep my healthy eating habits in check. I will not allow myself to get bored! If you put effort into your planning and cooking you will be completely satisfied eating healthy!

Oh ya-I had a small glass of white wine that I soaked some of the mangos in along with some apples and peaches-delicious!!! Also added some guacamole and a few chips!

Enjoy!!!
xoxoxo-A

Mango + Banana + Chocolate + Coffee smoothie!

[caption id="attachment_444" align="aligncenter" width="150"] Mango-banana-coffee-chocolate protein powder-flax, chia, oats and almond milk.[/caption]

1/2 c chopped fresh mango

1 med banana

1 c unsweetened almond milk

1 packet instant coffee-I use Starbucks

1 tsp chia seeds

2 tsp flaxseeds

3 tsp oats

3 ice cubes

1 scoop AMP Wheyabolic Extreme 60 protein powder-from GNC-this is the kind I use (chocolate)

This is a complete and balanced breakfast 20 + grams of Protein, good carbs, lots of fiber, packed with good fats, omega 3 and 6 from the chia seeds, vitamin C and vitamin B from the banana and vitamin A and C from the mangos plus vitamin D and E from the almond milk, also great source of calcium!!!

What if you started every morning this way? I bet your body would thank you all day!!!

Enjoy!!
xoxoxo-A

Labor of Love LASAGNA!

 By now I think you are starting to understand that I believe you should LOVE your body and therefore want to feed it better with awesome good for you ingredients. This Lasagna is a labor of love but well worth the time put into it! There are  many healthy benefits to cooking it this way vs the traditional way and as always I promise it is just as delicious!!!

Ingredients:

1 to 1 and a half packages of lasagna noodles-WHOLE WHEAT (using whole wheat won't make you feel all icky and full after like white pasta does)

1 lb lean ground turkey meat

2 sweet sausage links or about 5 oz total

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 and a half cups chopped mushrooms

1 and a half jars of sauce-I used fire roasted organic

24 oz container of 2% cottage cheese

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1 cup shredded skim mozzarella

Italian seasonings-I used basil, rosemary, garlic and red pepper flakes

I whole zucchini-peeled and shredded to use as  a layer

Step 1:

Cook ground turkey and sweet sausage over med heat in skillet for 10 to 12 min. Add in seasonings, onions and mushrooms for another 5 to 6 min.

Step 2:

Mix cheese mixture-cottage, parmesan and mozzarella in a bowl so it is ready as part of the lasagna assembly line......That is the fun part-putting it all together!!!



Step 3:

Cook your noodles or not depending on what the package says you can do then start to build your lasagna in this order:

noodles

sauce

cheese

meat

zucchini

Repeat ending with noodles and sauce on top. Sprinkle with a little bit more cheese-but remember this is "healthy lasagna" not "good old-fashioned lasagna" so easy on the cheese on top!!! Bake at 375 for 45 min.

This is great for dinner and then even better for leftovers the next few days!!!!

ENJOY!!!

XOXOXO-A

Baked Black Bean Pita Pockets

I love black beans! These can be made vegetarian if you like.  I added hot sausage to ours.

Ingredients:

Whole wheat pita pockets

1 can black beans

1/4 c chopped onion

1 c yellow pepper-or color of your choice

1 avocado

1/4 c shredded cheese

lime juice

olive oil

6 oz chopped meat-if you wish (chicken, pork or sausage)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and Combine all ingredients except for avocado and cheese in skillet. Heat in skillet for 12 min with lime juice and olive oil-tsp of each. Season with pepper, red pepper flakes, cilantro (and whatever spices you want)  Line the pockets thinly with smashed avocado and fill with the bean, veggie and meat mixture. Bake for 10 min then add hot sauce (if you wish) and cheese and bake for 5 more minutes.

Makes 3 servings or 6 half pockets

Total time 30 min-15 prep-15 bake

Enjoy!
xoxoxo-A

 

Tuna Casserole-cheat meal!!!

[caption id="attachment_425" align="alignleft" width="1024"] Delicious!!! Sort of a cheat meal-10 on the scale of 1 to yummy, 6.5 on the scale of 1 to healthy! Enjoy!!![/caption]

Yummmm!!!!

10 oz of white albacore canned tuna

Gia Russa brand Wide Egg enriched  noodles-about 3 cups to feed 3 people

1/2 c finely Chopped celery

1/4 c finely Chopped red onion

Cream of celery soup-small can

Small can of milk-fill the can of cream of celery up with milk

6 oz of Velveeta cheese-cut into 6 1 oz pcs and spread throughout the mixture

Garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste

3 tbsp parmesan cheese, 2 tbsp italian breadcrumbs and 1 tbs of chopped parsley-used as the topping halfway through the baking process.

****Cook noodles about 3 or 4  min  shy of directions on package and pour into casserole dish with all other ingredients-give them a big stir around before placing in oven.

Bake at 350 for 20 min, give the entire thing a big stir and top with parmesan, parsley and breadcrumb mix-bake for 15 more min. Let cool for 5 min and serve with a beautiful side salad!

Enjoy!!

xoxoxo-A

Healthy Zucchini Apple and Walnut Muffins

Healthy Zucchini Apple and Walnut Muffins.

Healthy Zucchini Apple and Walnut Muffins

HEALTHY ZUCCHINI, APPLE AND WALNUT  MUFFINS

 

INGREDIENTS:

1 c Bran Muffin Mix

1 c Flaxseed Meal-we love flax!

1/2 c chopped Walnuts

1/2 c chopped peeled Apple

3/4 c chopped peeled Zucchini

1 c water

3 tbsp unsweetened applesauce

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp honey

2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ginger

Makes 12 mini muffins and 6 regular muffins

Spray pan with Pam or cooking spray. Oven on 350-minis take about 12 min, regular take about 15 min. 

 Top with tsp of apple butter-extra yummy!!!