Chicken, peppers and angel hair tossed with pnb & soy sauce

What you will need:

Seasonings: (1/2 tsp of each)

ginger

garlic powder

cinnamon

dry mustard

blk pepper

Sauce:

2 tsp Light olive oil or reg olive oil

1 tsp natural peanut butter

1/4 c lite sodium soy sauce

2 tsp sriracha or hot sauce

whisk together and add into pan right before you drop the pasta in to toss

Peppers and onions:

1/2 cup sliced red onion, 2 cups chopped sweet peppers-yellow, red, orange

Chicken:

cube 1 and 1/2 lbs chicken breast and boil in water for 8 min. Drain and then add back to pan with 1/4 c water remaining. Add to the skillet 1 tsp unsalted butter, 2 tsp minced garlic, the peppers and onions. Season with the above seasonings evenly and cook for 10 min on med while the pasta cooks.

Angel hair or other pasta:

Whole grain, 4 servings-cook according to package

Toss all together and serve! Serves 3 adult portions and one hungry 4 year old!



Enjoy! A

Stuffed peppers with rice and spicy tomato sauce

Stuffed peppers with jasmine rice and spicy tomato sauce!

Meat mixture:

3/4 lb ground turkey

2 chopped shallots

1/4 c chopped celery

1/4 c chopped carrot

1/4 c chopped red onion

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 egg-beaten

1/2 c whole grain breadcrumbs

Season with: oregano, red pepper flakes, cumin,  parsley, garlic powder, pepper, pinch of salt

 

Peppers:

Wash and cut off the tops. Empty the middle of the peppers out and fill with the meat mixture. Bake for 45 min on 350 degrees. Add a sprinkle of cheese for the last 5 min.

Rice and sauce:

Cook the rice according to the directions. Take 4 to 5 chopped stem tomatoes and boil them with a tsp of olive oil in a skillet until cooked out and a sauce is formed. Add a pinch of salt, pepper and garlic to the sauce. Last add 4 to 6 tsp of hot sauce or sriracha to the tomato sauce.

Place your pepper on top of your rice and pour the sauce over the whole thing. This recipe makes 4 delicious and clean stuffed peppers!

Enjoy!! xoxoxo-A

Healthy Enchilada Lasagna

Enchilada lasagna!

So clean and healthy and the whole family will love this one!

What you will need:

12 small white corn tortillas

1/2 or 3/4 lb diced chicken breast or ground turkey (or omit meat for a vegetarian dish or add black beans)

Yellow, orange, red or green pepper-pick at least 2 of those 4

1/2 c chopped onion-which ever kind you like

1 c chopped tomatoes

1/2 c corn-frozen or fresh off the cob

2 cups salsa- I used a pineapple mango flavored for extra flavor

1 c shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 c lime juice

1/4 tbsp unsalted butter

1/4 c hot sauce

Fresh cilantro, pepper, Badia seasoning, red pepper flakes

8 oz Creamy citrus avocado dressing that I got from Whole Foods-which was the inspiration for this entire meal

DIRECTIONS:

1.Layer 5 tortillas on the bottom of the 9 by 13 baking dish then add 1/2 of the meat and veggie mixture that you cooked in a skillet already (add the hot sauce, lime juice, butter and seasonings as  it cooked down in the skillet)

2.Next, add the tomatoes and half of the salsa, half the cheese and then half of the avocado dressing.

3.Layer 4 more tortillas and add the rest of the meat and veggie mix, then repeat step 2.

4.Layer 3 more tortillas and sprinkle remaining cheese on top

Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 min.

Enjoy!! A

Tacos

Tacos!!! Who doesn't love a taco! I filled these babies with chicken sausage, peppers, pineapple, onions and tomatoes then topped them with avocados, cheese and salsa.

I know a lot of my recipes are not "Super duper clean" but I try to make them as healthy as I can but still making sure they have flavor and can keep everyone happy!  In my head I have a scale that goes something like this:

Super-duper clean

Pretty clean

Clean

Not too shabby

Bad

I would give these somewhere between not too shabby and clean!! (Because of the shells and chicken sausage) I stay happy and satisfied by staying mostly in the pretty clean to clean scale and every once in a while I go super-duper clean and of course every once in a while I go bad-I am human!!! I hope you can relate to that scale!!

Directions:

Brown protein in skillet-I chose to use 2 links of chicken sausage or a super clean choice would be ground turkey or chicken breast. I then added chopped pineapple, tomatoes, onion and red peppers. Next I took pepper and Badia seasoning (I use this a lot) and just a touch of the seasoning and sauce that came with the shells in the box. The key here is to NOT use the packaged sauce and seasonings that they provide. Frozen and boxed meals come with sauces and powdered seasonings-that is where most of the sodium and bad stuff is hiding!! Another tip that I try to keep in mind is when making a "filling" for something try to make the bulk of it veggies like I did here, a little meat and mostly veggies goes a long way.

Offer healthy toppings, going light on the cheese and heavier on the healthier picks like avocados and salsa.

Remember portion control too! I had 2 tacos at 5:30 and was full all night-did not need to snack! Happy, healthy, satisfied and full!

I hope you enjoy this recipe idea!

xoxoxo-A

HEALTHY ITALIAN TUNA BAKE

Directions & Ingredients:

6 oz Greek yogurt

8 oz lite sour cream

2 tsp tomato paste

1/4 c parmesan cheese

1/4 c white or spanish onion chopped

1/2 c chopped mushrooms

1/2 c chopped yellow, green or red peppers (or a combo)

2 cans white albacore tuna

2 cups dry mini penne or rotini whole grain pasta

1 c shredded mozzarella

1/4 to 1/2 c Italian breadcrumbs (whole wheat)-depending on your taste (go easy)

First, boil pasta just under what the directions tell you to because you are going to bake it for additional time.

At the same time in a pan on the stove on med heat mix the yogurt, sour cream and tomato paste with the following seasonings: garlic powder, basil, oregano, pepper, red pepperflakes and paprika. Mix well and let sit for 5 min until warmed all the way through.

Pour the cheesy sauce mixture into the baking dish-I used a 9x13. Strain the pasta and also pour into baking dish.

In the same pan add the veggies along with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar and let cook down for 5 to 7 min.

Lastly, combine all ingredients into the baking dish-finishing off with the shredded mozzarella, parmesan and breadcrumbs. (I also added fresh parsley and more black pepper at this point)

Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 min.

Enjoy!!!
A

Wasabi, soy and lime tuna pasta salad

 





So simple to make, so good for you and so yummy!

2 cups of your choice of noodle-I used tri colored radiatore-cook , run cold water over and set aside in bowl

2 pouches Starkist white albacore tuna in water-add to cooled pasta

1 avocado-chopped-smother in lime juice after you cut it so it can keep its green color-add to dressing then pour into pasta mix

1/4 c chopped red onion-add to pasta mix

Dressing:

2 tsp honey

4 tsp olive oil

1/2 c lime juice

2 tsp hot sauce

2 tsp wasabi mustard

2 tsp soy sauce

whisk together then add chopped avocado to dressing then add to pasta mix

salt and pepper to taste

finish off with lime zest

yields about ( 4) 1 cup servings

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

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

 

Santa Fe Chicken Salad

[caption id="attachment_390" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Santa Fe Chicken Salad-loaded with goodies-loaded with flavor-loaded with protein and veggies![/caption]

The other night I made a delicious Santa Fe Chicken Salad! I want to share it with you!

I marinated the chicken in lemon juice, lime juice and salsa just for an hour. Once I put everything together in the giant salad bowl  I baked it for 25 min at 350 degrees turning it at the halfway point- just like this in this pan.

[caption id="attachment_391" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Marination-makes it more moist and delicious![/caption]

Next I chopped up peppers, red onions, asparagus, tomatoes, green onion, lettuce, basil and cubed some cheese-cheddar and mozzarella blend. I let the chicken marinade for a while as I chopped everything up.....



Last, I made my own dressing using the ingredients pictured below.....

[caption id="attachment_393" align="alignleft" width="1024"] Make your own dressing-it is so easy!!![/caption]

Jambalaya Recipe

JAMBALAYA!

I started with this recipe I found from Emeril when I got the notion that I wanted to make a jambalaya:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/cajun-jambalaya-recipe2/index.html

Then I saw that I had on hand already "baby salad size frozen shrimp" and "spicy chicken sausage" so I bought the chicken and went from there....Protein is most important to me so that is what I tend to focus on the most and then let the rest fall into place.

Step 1: cube about 1/2 lb. chicken breast and cook on med  heat with the following seasonings:1 teaspoon each paprika, oregano, blk pepper, crushed red pepper, garlic powder and dash of cinnamon (place together in a small bowl and stir as you will need half of the mixture for the shrimp/sausage in a min)  for about 10 to 12 min using a teaspoon of olive oil to coat the pan prior.

Step 2: cook the shrimp and sausage (use about 1/2 lb combined of both) with the same seasoning mixture you used on the chicken (you should have about half left over) on med heat for about 6 to 8 min.

 Step 3: chop 1/2 c each spanish onion, green onion, green pepper and sautéed those in a deep skillet on low to med for about 8 min with a little bit of olive oil.

Step 4: chop 3/4 c tomatoes and 1/4 c fresh parsley and add to the veg mix, stirring for another 4 min.

Step 5: add all protein to veggies in deep skillet along with 2 cups rice (brown or jasmine) and approx 3 cups hot water. Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer on low for about 15 min until the rice is cooked-but has not soaked up the liquid....you need and want some liquid when all said and done! Feel free to add hot sauce to kick it up a notch here...mine was only med spice temp.

I took his recipe and tried to make it budget (I didn't use all of the Emeril suggested ingredients) and a little more health friendly!

Try this with all recipies.....you can see from his picture in the recipe and my picture they don't look the same but it still tasted incredible!!!

Enjoy!

xoxoxo-A

Colorful!!!

Pizza.....Salad......tons of opportunities to get your color on with food!!! Mix fruits and veggies in salads (tomatoes and strawberries pictured here below).....pile on the veggies when making pizza. Color=Nutrients...which reaps great rewards on your body and mind. Treat your body after a great workout with color, after a long day, a long week with colorful food. You will feel better, you will live longer, you will be more mobile, you will be happier, you will be light and airy maybe even bouncy! I love when I feel bouncy!!! Food is fun and good food is essential to our health....make it fun, make it colorful!!! xoxoxo-A

Spicy shrimp/brown rice with mango and red pepper

 

Ingredients:

1 small chopped red pepper

1/2 large mango cubed

3 small jalapeno peppers chopped

1/4 cup sliced red onion

***health benefits of red onions:good source of vitamin B, fiber, potassium, and great source of vitamin C....low in fat, cholesterol and sodium*** be sure to only peel the first "papery" layer off as the nutrients are found more close to the outer edges rather than the inside***

1 1/2 cup "mini salad shrimp"

Fresh chives and basil chopped into 1 cup brown rice

Splash the shrimp, peppers and mango mixture with 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp olive oil and pinch of honey-cook on med to high heat in skillet  for 10 min adding in the rice for the an additional 3 to 5 to finish it all off. (add additional seasonings as you wish)

Serves 2 to 3

Spicy, delicious, quick, easy and super good for you!!!