Savory Sage & Butternut Squash Soup

Savory Sage and Butternut Squash Soup

For the past few weeks I've been participating in a nutrition and exercise challenge from the Barre3 Studio where I teach classes. I wanted to come up with some recipes that both satisfied my cravings for warm comfort food and fit within the guidelines of the challenge. One of my very favorite recipes born out of the challenge was this Savory Sage and Butternut Squash Soup. It is delicious and so simple that it can literally be made in 10 minutes. If you have dietary restrictions, you'll also be happy to hear that it is dairy free, soy free, gluten free and could very easily be nut free, if you choose. 

I paired this soup with a simple Greek Salad topped with grilled chicken. It is perfectly creamy and I love the natural sweetness of the squash paired with the sage. I think it's perfect for lunch or as a first course next time you host friends for dinner. I hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients

36oz of Fresh Butternut Squash cubes or 3 (12oz) bags of pre-sliced butternut squash cubes. (I buy Green Giant butternut squash cubes in the produce department near the bags of fresh broccoli, green beans, etc.)

1 tbsp coconut oil

¼ tsp dry sage

¼ tsp dried chili flakes

Salt to taste, at least ¼ tsp

Black pepper to taste

2 cups vegetable broth (I prefer Swanson’s 100% natural)

Dry Roasted Pepitas, Pumpkin Seeds or Sunflower seeds 

Serves 5

Method:

1.  Pierce each bag and place all three bags of butternut squash cubes in the microwave on high for 7 minutes. ***If using fresh squash and your prefer not to microwave steam the squash: Line a baking sheet with foil and grease with coconut oil or non-stick spray. Place squash cubes on the tray in a single layer and roast at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until softened and move on to step 2.

2. Pour broth, seasonings, coconut oil and cooked squash in a high speed blender and blend until completely smooth. Additional broth can be added if you prefer a thinner soup.

3.  Top each serving with 1 tbsp of seeds and enjoy.

Apple Pie Overnight Oats

Apple Pie Overnight Oats

It is no secret I'm in love with my Creamy Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oatmeal. I've been eating it every morning for months, but every now and then it's good to change things up. Fall fruits are my favorite to mix with oats...pumpkin, apples, raisins, cinnamon...its like having dessert for breakfast. I even joked with a friend today that I wake up every morning looking forward to breakfast...like skip the snooze button to get to the fridge and heat up my breakfast look forward to it. Plus, its little gift from heaven when the peanut butter gets all melty and gooey over the top of the oatmeal. Trust me, its amazing. I hope you love these as much as I do. Enjoy.

Ingredients:

1 large apple, any variety (I prefer Jazz or Fuji)

2 tbsp reduced sugar Craisins or raisins

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 packet of Stevia

¼ tbsp apple pie spice

2/3 cup old fashioned oats, not instant or 5-min oats

2 tbsp chia seeds

1 scoop of Whey protein, vanilla or cinnamon flavor

3/4 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

½ cup cottage cheese, 2 or 4% but not fat-free

½ tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp cinnamon

2-3 tbsp real maple syrup

2 tbsp natural peanut butter or almond butter

*2 servings

Method: 

1   1. Clean and chop apple into small pieces, approximately 1/2 inch cubes .  Warm coconut oil over medium heat and add chopped apple, craisins/ raisins, apple pie spice and stevia.  Cook until apples are softened, but not mushy. Remove from heat and set aside.

2   2. In a mixing bowl, combine remaining ingredients and mix well.

3   3.  Divide oat mixture between two air-tight containers, such as mason jars.

4   4.  Top each jar with ½ the cooled apple mixture and refrigerate overnight.

5   5.  In the morning, warm oats for 1 minute and stir well. Microwave for an additional 20-30 seconds and stir again. Top with 1 tbsp of almond butter or peanut butter and enjoy.

Crispy Baked Chicken Parmesan

When I think of my favorite comfort foods, there seems to be a few reoccurring themes. Evidently I really like cheese and fried goodness. This recipe for my Crispy Baked Chicken Parmesan skips right over the bad fried part and goes straight to the melty, cheesy goodness. I love this meal because I can get it to the dinner table in about a 1/2 hour and I feel like I'm getting a really indulgent meal with out a lot of effort in the kitchen or miles to run afterward.

Here is what you'll need for chicken:
1/2c Plain or whole wheat bread crumbs
1 tbsp dry parsley
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4c Egg substitute or 1 egg, well beaten
1c pasta sauce. I like Wild Oats Organic Sauces
1c Part-skim Mozzarella cheese
1lb Chicken breast strips or thin sliced chicken breasts

For Salad:
6 c Shredded Iceberg Lettuce
1tsp olive oil
1tsp apple cider vinegar
1tsp stone ground mustard
2tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp minced garlic
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste

For zucchini:
3 medium zucchini
1tbsp olive oil
1 tsp finely minced garlic (I like Spice World Minced "squeeze" garlic)
Salt and pepper to taste

Here's how to make the recipe:
1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Set up your breading station: Line a pan with parchment paper or foil. Next, place the beaten egg or egg substitute in one bowl and the bread crumbs in another. Add garlic, parsley and 1/4tsp salt and 1/4tsp pepper to the bread crumbs and mix.

2. Dip each piece of chicken or breast strip in to the egg and let excess drip off. Next dip into bread crumbs, lightly pressing to help crumbs stick. Place on baking sheet.

3. Place the baking sheet in the oven. For these strips, the cooking time is approximately 20 minutes. For a larger breast, allow upwards of 30 minutes.

4. While the chicken cooks you'll want to prep your side dishes. For the zucchini:
Rough chop the zucchini while you heat olive oil in a saute pan. Add zucchini, garlic and salt and pepper to the pan and toss to coat with the olive oil. Cook until tender, 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. For the salad: Add lettuce to a large bowl with a tight lid. In a small bowl, mix oil, vinegar, lemon juice and seasonings and mix well. Add salad dressing to the bowl and place lid on the container. Shake to distribute the dressing. Immediately divide into serving bowls and top with black pepper.

6. After your chicken is fully cooked, remove from oven and set oven to broil. For these strips I grouped 3 strips together and topped each serving with about 1/4c of mozzarella.

7. Return the chicken to the oven and broil for 2-3 minutes until cheese is melted and begins to brown.

8. Heat sauce in a small sauce pan or microwave. Move each portion to a plate and top with 1/4 of the warmed sauce.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as our family does. Feel free to leave comments and suggestions!

Quick Roasted Potatoes

Even with the very best meal plan in place, real life often intervenes and and that gorgeous but time-consuming meal you had planned gets replaced by a conference call or trip to the pediatrician. That is why it pays to have a few tricks up your sleeve and a few bags of frozen steam-able veggies in your freezer.

My family loves roasted potatoes, but the traditional method takes 45 minutes to an hour. On school nights I need dinner on the table in the shortest amount of time possible and on our busiest nights 45 minutes for a side dish is out of the question. That's where this recipe comes in to play. You can still have the crispy, oven-roasted potatoes you love...in about 20 minutes.

Here is what you'll need:
Fingerling potatoes or new potatoes, about 4oz per person. 4 servings = 1lb of potatoes.
1tbsp olive oil
1tbsp dry parsley
1/4tsp garlic powder, or more to taste
1/4tsp salt
1/4tsp black pepper
non-stick spray
Press and Seal plastic wrap

1. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Clean and rough chop the potatoes into small pieces and place in a large microwave safe bowl. 

2. Toss with olive oil, then add seasonings and mix well until evenly coated with seasonings and oil. I find it easiest to do this with my hands instead of a spoon.

3. Cover bowl with Press and Seal wrap or cling wrap and microwave on high for 7 minutes for 1lb of potatoes. Reduce microwave time for smaller portions.

4. Carefully pour microwaved potatoes into a baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray. Arrange potatoes in one layer and bake for 15 minutes, stirring once half way through cooking to brown potatoes on all sides and prevent them from sticking.

5. After 15 minutes, stir once more, and set oven to broil. Continue cooking on broil for 4-5 minutes, keeping a close eye on your potatoes. You want them browned, not burned.

6. Remove from the oven and taste for "doneness" and season if needed. We had these delicious potatoes with steamed green beans and (bunless) Morning Star Farms Chipotle Black Bean Burgers topped with cheddar cheese.

There you have it. Quick roasted potatoes with slow roasted taste. Enjoy! Feel free to leave comments or suggestions.

Guilt-free Shrimp and Grits

I was raised in the South, but somehow I can't remember a single time that shrimp and grits ever made it onto our dinner table. I can't even remember grits being on the menu at all for that matter. Cream of Wheat, yes. Grits, no. I blame that one on having parents raised far closer to Canada than Mexico. And yes, I said blame because its a shame we weren't eating this more often. Its so good!

This recipe requires you to pay a little more attention than most of my recipes, mostly because of the shrimp. They overcook quickly if you aren't watching what's happening in the pan. However, the extra effort is so worth it. The creamy, cheesy cheddar grits are perfect with the heat of the shrimp and the crispy, salty bacon adds...who am I kidding...its bacon. It makes everything awesome.

Here is what your'll need:
1lb Large or Jumbo shrimp, raw, shelled, de-veined
3/4c quick grits (not instant)
1 14oz can chicken broth
1c water
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2c sharp cheddar cheese
2 strips of bacon
1/2 a large yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 a green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 tsp garlic, finely chopped
1/4c fat free half and half
1 tsp Tabasco sauce (optional, omit for non-spicy shrimp and grits)


Here's how to make the recipe:

1. In a sauce pan bring 1c chicken broth and 1c water to boil and whisk in grits and black pepper. Cook according to the package directions.

2. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, fry bacon until crispy. Remove bacon from pan and transfer it to a paper towel, leaving he residual bacon fat in the pan. 

3. Add finely chopped onion to sauté pan and cook until translucent, 3-4 minutes. Add finely chopped bell pepper and garlic and continue to cook until peppers are soft, 2-3 more minutes.

4. Push onions, peppers and garlic to the outer edge of the pan and add shrimp in a single layer in the center of the pan and lightly season with salt and pepper. The shrimp cooks quickly. It only needs about 2 minutes (or less) on each side. You want to cook it until it is no longer pink and translucent, but is still tender.

5. As soon as shrimp is cooked through, lower the heat to simmer and stir in half and half, being sure to scrape up all the tasty bits of bacon and veggies off the bottom of the pan. Add Tabasco sauce, if desired. I loved the spicy kick, but I removed the kid's shrimp from the pan before I added the Tabasco sauce.

6. Turn your attention back to your grits. Give them a good stir. I like my grits to be a little looser, so I ended up stirring in the remaining chicken broth, about 1c of additional broth. Add cheddar cheese and mix well.Continue to stir until cheddar is melted. Season as needed with salt and pepper.

7. Divide grits into serving bowls and top with shrimp and sauce. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

I served ours with a side of zucchini. It is just two rough chopped zucchini sauteed with 1/2tbsp olive oil and 1tsp minced garlic with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until tender, about 5-7 min.

I’d love to hear what you thought of the recipe. Please feel free to leave comments!

Easy Personal Pita Pizzas

"Any pizza is a personal pizza if you try hard and believe in yourself"
- Bill Murray, via Twitter

That quote has always cracked me up, but seriously who doesn't love a pizza catered to what you love? I was always the whiny kid picking the mushrooms and olives off of the supreme pizza while complaining that the residual olive flavor had ruined any hope of a good-tasting piece of pizza. Don't even get me started on picking those things out of spaghetti sauce. I could make a meal last hours if there was an errant vegetable in my sauce. Thankfully I've embraced vegetables as an adult and gotten creative about sneaking them into my kids meals. Its true...learn from the past or be doomed to suffer through the behaviors your children surly inherited from your own olive-hating DNA.

Tonight we went vegetarian with our pizzas, but you could easily add any protein you like: chicken, turkey pepperoni, thinly sliced steak, ground turkey sausage, ham/ bacon or even shrimp. Basically any fully-cooked protein will work. We are a pretty basic bunch so (not so) plain cheese works great for us.

Here's what you'll need per pizza:
1 Joseph's Pita
1/2 tsp olive oil
2-3 shakes of dry garlic powder
2 tbsp marinara or pizza sauce of your choice
2 tsp basil paste or fresh herbs
1/3 cup mozzarella cheese or part-skim mozzarella
1/2 tsp dry parsley
drizzle balsamic glaze

Protein of choice (optional)

Veggies of choice (optional)

Method:
1. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Line a cookie sheet with foil and lay pitas on the sheet without overlapping the edges.
3. Spread olive oil over the pita concentrating on the "crust" edge, then sprinkle crust with garlic powder.
4. Spread marinara sauce and herb paste over the oiled crust.
5. Top with any meats you might be adding and sprinkle cheese evenly over the crust.
6. Sprinkle top of pizza with dry parsley.
7. Slide your cookie sheet in to the oven and lower temperature to 425 degrees.
8. Cook 8-10 minutes or until cheese begins to brown and bubble.
9. Drizzle with balsamic glaze and enjoy.

*Note that if you add vegetables with a higher natural water content, like zucchini and tomatoes, they will affect the crispiness of your crust. I prefer to de-seed fresh tomatoes to cut the moisture content or better yet try sun dried tomatoes.

**If you want to take these to the next level, try thinly slicing fresh mozzarella in place of the shredded cheese and broil on low for the last minute or two of the cooking time. So good!

If you are unfamiliar with any of the ingredients this recipe calls for, here is a little help:

Perfect Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin

I'm a big fan of any weekly menu plan that uses the same protein for more than night of dinners to feed our family. This recipe fits the bill perfectly. It tastes great as is as the main protein on your plate or with a few simple additions, its the perfect filling for pork enchiladas, tacos, soups, BBQ sandwiches, Hawaiian pineapple pork, Italian pork sandwiches and whatever else you can dream up. Dang, now I'm thinking how great this would be on a salad with pear, pecans and Gorgonzola cheese. We need more meals in a day...am I wrong?

This recipe is one I often recommend to folks new to food prepping. Mainly because it couldn't be any easier. When I started meal prepping I would often feel overwhelmed by the process because it seemed like too many elements to juggle and keep strait. Was that chicken for lunch or dinner? Did I put the garlic in the right dish? That's the beauty of this recipe. You put the pork tenderloin in the slow cooker, top with the seasonings, add the vegetable broth and forget about it. In fact, leave the lid alone. It is cooking, I promise.

Here is how to make the recipe:

First of all, I highly recommend using a slow cooker liner when you make anything in your slow cooker. It makes clean up a breeze and saves you a lot of soaking and scrubbing especially when you're making chili or dips. Back to the recipe-- Place your pork tenderloin in the slow cooker and liberally salt and pepper the meat then sprinkle evenly with the remaining seasonings.

Add vegetable broth and cover. Cook on low setting for 5-6 hours. Prepare for your house to smell amazing.

Regardless of the size of your tenderloin, you really need a relatively small amount of liquid to cook the meat. As you can see, even fully cooked, there is still plenty of liquid and I feel that cooking the meat in too much liquid changes the texture of the tenderloin in a not-so-great kind of way.

After the tenderloin is fully cooked, remove it from the slow cooker, reserving the cooking liquid. Shred the meat with forks while it is still hot. It should fall apart easily. 

After you've shredded the meat pour 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid over the shredded pork and give it a little stir. You are ready to eat! Serve it up or portion it out for lunches for the week.

And here is the best part. When you are done, just lift out the slow cooker liner and throw it in the trash. Occasionally there is some minimal clean up needed even with the liner, but usually I can just do a quick rinse and its done.

Here's the Recipe: Perfect Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin
1-2lb pork tenderloin
salt- season liberally
black pepper- season liberally
1/4tsp garlic powder
1/4tsp cumin
1/2tsp dry mustard
1/2tbsp dry parsley
1c vegetable broth

Cook on low 5-6 hours

Creamy Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats

If you follow me via Instagram, you've probably witnessed firsthand my current obsession with Creamy Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats. I've been eating them for breakfast for so many days in a row now that I don't even post pictures of it anymore.

Breakfast is absolutely my favorite meal of the day. Sadly, so many of the things that come to mind when we think of amazing breakfast foods are not so good for you. These oats give me that "wow, these are delicious" feeling of eating something warm and satisfying without downing a giant-sized calorie-bomb of a cinnamon roll.

In fact, since I don't want to give these up, I've resorted to eating my other favorites as "breakfast" for lunch and "breakfast" for dinner. I remember as a kid thinking it was such a treat when my mom would come home from work and declare it a Breakfast For Dinner night. It's all just food, right? Eggs for dinner aren't really any different than a chicken breast for breakfast if that's really what sounds good, but those were some magic words in my seven-year-old mind. So that being said...feel free to have some overnight oats for dinner tonight!

Here's the recipe:
1/3c Old Fashioned Oats (not quick or instant oats)
1/2 scoop of Cinnamon or Vanilla Whey protein powder (optional, but recommended. I like About Time Cinnamon Swirl)
1/2tsp ground cinnamon
1tbsp Chia seeds
1/4c low fat cottage cheese
1/4c unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or milk of choice)
1/4tsp vanilla extract
1/4c pumpkin puree
1-2tbsp Maple sryup or sugar-free maple sryup
(Reserved) 1tbsp natural peanut butter or nut butter of choice (top warm oatmeal with peanut butter just before serving)

Mix all ingredients well in a air-tight container and store in refrigerator overnight. In the morning, remove the lid and microwave for 1 minute. Stir thoroughly and microwave for an additional 30 seconds or until the cottage cheese is melted and oatmeal takes on a creamier texture. Top with peanut butter and chow down.

***Quick disclaimer: If cottage cheese is not your thing, you should still give these a try. Once the oatmeal is warm, you'd never know its in there! It makes these oats creamy and packs a good protein and calcium punch.

I make five servings at a time to last the week. It is just as good the first day as it is the last. Just make sure to choose air-tight containers to keep your oats fresh.

I hope you love this easy, healthy breakfast as much as I do. Its the perfect start to your Fall morning, plus with only 10 minutes of prep involved in making an entire week's worth of healthy breakfasts, you'll have plenty of time left to squeeze in a walk around the block or get a jump start on your meal plan for next week. Enjoy!

Meal Prep Lunch: Chicken Salad Two Ways

And, wow! It has been entirely too long since I posted. It's been an interesting last year or so since I sat down to write. I became a Barre3 instructor, accepted and quit a job, sent a child to kindergarten and cooked about 1,ooo healthy meals, many of which should have ended up here...and hopefully still will in the not too distant future.

I have been getting quite a few questions lately about meal prepping,mainly from followers of my Instagram account. For me, like I've told so many folks, meal planning and prepping is essential for me. Not only does it keep me sane when our schedule seems so hectic, but it also saves our family money. Going to the store with a plan keeps me from throwing extra food into the cart that we will inevitably toss in the trash. I mean, who among us has not pulled that wilted bag of yellowing and slimy bagged lettuce out of your veggie drawer and thought Dang! I totally forgot I bought that or Man! We should have eaten out one less time this week. It hurts even worse when the "bag of lettuce" is actually an $8 package of out-of-date chicken breasts.

Planning our meals out for the week takes a little effort over the weekend, but because I've made so many meal plans over the past couple of years, we've settled into a comfortable rotation of favorites that work for our family. I like to throw something new in here and there to keep it form getting totally monotonous, but we definitely have meals that just always seem to work. Some newbies make the cut and a whole lot don't. Don't beat yourself up when a meal goes wrong. Two weeks ago I made what was most definitely the nastiest textured chili to ever come out of a crock pot. I can't really even say what went wrong...think chili flavored baby food. Or don't. You probably shouldn't. It was that gross.

But back to why you're here--a meal prep recipe. In the spirit of keeping life simple, here are two of my favorite lunch meal preps. These are my go-to chicken salads. Simple, fresh, healthy and delicious---prep one of these recipes tonight and you'll have lunch for the next week ready and waiting in the fridge. I suggest portioning the salad out into individual containers to keep serving size in-check and ensure that your prep lasts you through the week. Plus, portioning out your servings eliminates excuses. You have a last minute meeting...forgot that dentist appointment? There is no reason to hit the drive thru when you can borrow your kid's lunchbox from last year (the one that obviously will not work for him this year, you know, because it already kept his food cold for an entire school year) throw in an ice pack and take that meal with you. Both of these salads taste great at your kitchen table or in the DMV parking lot.

Hope you enjoy! I'd love to hear your comments and suggestions!

Cran-Apple Chicken Salad:

16 oz of cooked, shredded chicken breast
3/4c plain Greek yogurt (add an additional 1/4c of yogurt if you prefer a creamier salad)
1 tbsp grain mustard or Dijon Mustard (optional)
1 med apple, diced (I prefer Fuji or Honeycrisp)
1 rib of celery, diced
2 tbsp dried cranberries (I prefer Ocean Spray 50% less sugar cranberries)
1oz toasted walnuts, rough chopped
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Serves 4-5.

Sante Fe Chicken Salad:

16oz of cooked, shredded chicken breast
1/4c plain greek yogurt
1/4c light or regular sour cream
1/3c mild chunky salsa
1/2c sweet corn kernels
1/2c black beans
1/2c reduced fat or regular shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tbsp garlic powder
1/4 tbsp red pepper flakes
1 rib of celery, chopped
a handful of fresh cilantro, de-stemmed and rough chopped
Juice of 1/2 a lime
salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Serves 4-5.

I like these salads best on a Joseph's pita bread or toasted Ezekiel bread. I find the pitas at Wal-Mart in the deli section. I'm hoping more retailers will begin to carry Joseph's products, but for now its the only place I can find them. Either salad is also great on its own or on a bed of romaine. Enjoy!

The answer to my Junior Mint addiction: Choco-Mint Mini Truffles

When I decided to get more serious about being healthy and eating clean I knew there would be things I would miss. And by things, I mean junk food. If you had looked in my freezer a year ago there would have undoubtedly been a stash of Junior Mints or Peppermint Patties. I love those cold, minty little treasures. Even now when I think about them, I want one...er, some, or a movie theater-size box.

Something had to be done, so I set out to fill the void in my heart left by those little babies. I came up with this concoction by starting with the regular base for my energy bars and put a chocolate/ mint spin on it. This recipe is rather small because **CONFESSION** last time I made these I ate the entire batch in one sitting. I think it would be fine to double it, but be warned: These are addictive. As it stands, this recipe makes about 15-20 mini-truffles about the diameter of a nickel.

Start by combining all the ingredients, except the water and peppermint extract in a food processor. **Note** Do not forget to pit your dates. Pulse the ingredients to combine for about 10 seconds at a time for a total of 30 or 40 seconds.  As the ingredients come together, it will be powdery. Next add the water and extract and continue pulsing. The mixture will begin to come together and get more sticky.

After the almonds are finely chopped enough for your liking, remove the lid and blade from your food processor and dump the contents into a bowl and chill for 5-10 minutes. After the mix has chilled, roll the dough into balls about the diameter of a nickle and return the mini truffles to the fridge for 5 minutes.

Melt the dark chocolate chips in a glass dish in the microwave for about 20 seconds, stir and continue heating if needed.

Lastly dip the bottom half of each truffle into the dark chocolate and allow to harden. Store in the fridge in a ziploc or tupperware.

Now...restrain yourself from eating all of them...or don't. I don't judge.

Recipe:
6 Madjool Dates, pitted
1/2c almonds
1/4c old fashioned oats
1/4c ground flax
1/8c unsweetened cocoa
2 packets of stevia
1/2tsp pure peppermint extract
1/8c water
2tbsp dark chocolate chips, melted

Just roll with it...Shredded Chicken Enchiladas

A few weeks ago I ventured  back into the world of "let's make something bad for you not so bad for you." I had avoided that style of cooking for a while, opting to try to make some new recipes and try out some dishes I hadn't made before. For my first effort back into healthier comfort food I decided to make baked egg rolls and guess what...you won't be finding that recipe on this blog.

They were a bust...literally. The worst part was that I had told my in-laws I'd make dinner that night. The trouble started when I decided to assemble them at home and bake them at their house. The egg roll wrappers all stuck together and everyone of them tore to some degree when I pulled them off the plate but I decided to try and bake them anyway. I had to feed these people, right?

It was a failure all around. They were too salty, never got crispy, plus they stuck to the foil and busted open even more...what is an open-face egg roll? Well, that night...it was dinner. Everyone humored me and ate them, but I was once again reminded that feeding friends and family is not the ideal time to try a new recipe, much less a recipe that in no way resembles food that you eat on a daily basis.

So, that brings me to today. I was really craving Mexican food. I decided Southwestern Egg Rolls a la Chili's sounded great. Um yea...let's whip out those leftover egg roll wrappers and give them another shot. Yes! Brilliant idea!

I started by prepping the filling. I tried to remember what is in Chili's egg rolls and then decide what would work to keep these as healthy as they could be. I settled on black beans, fire roasted tomatoes, diced green chiles, corn, onion, and shredded chicken seasoned with red pepper flakes, garlic and cumin.

Earlier in the day I had started a crock pot of chicken breasts. I love the way shredded chicken comes out when I cook it that way. Usually I put the chicken breasts in the bottom of the crock pot and cover it with whatever dried herbs sound good and then pour 100% natural chicken broth over the top until it just covers the meat and then cook on low for 5-6 hours. By the time the timer goes off, you can easily shred the chicken with a fork. This is a great way to meal prep. In fact, this week we will be having three dishes that incorporate this batch of shredded chicken. That may sound boring but it's just a matter of using it in different ways. We are having a Mexican meal, BBQ and Pizza. **note: drain all but approximately 1/4 cup of the broth before you shred the chicken**

Back to the Southwestern egg rolls. The filling was tasting really good so I went to the fridge and pulled out the leftover wrappers. Funny...I didn't remember the little black specs on the wrappers. Yea, evidently they aren't supposed to be there. Only at this moment did I take a better look at the package to see it said in bold letters "PERISHABLE- USE WITHIN 2 DAYS of OPENING." These guys were at least 2 weeks old and they looked it. Dang it.

I did what any woman who really wants her egg roll would do. I loaded up both kids (one of which had been playing in my make-up all afternoon and looked a fool) and headed to the grocery store. I headed straight to the refrigerator section where I was quite sure I bought the first package of wrappers. Guess what? Not there. I circled 3 or 4 times while my blue-eye-liner-clad pre-schooler made sure to yell how hungry she was at the top of her lungs every time another shopper passed by us.

Around that time I decided that my Southwestern Egg Rolls were now enchiladas. I headed to the register with my sad little can of enchilada sauce. I was ready to pay and go, but surely the barely-teenage girl who was running the register would know if they had egg roll wrappers, right? No. No, she didn't but she knew who to call. She pointed me toward a manager that looked to be all of four days older than she was and said he knew what I wanted.

I mustered up my last bit of hope, hoisted the baby back up onto my hip and dragged my starving kid back to the refrigerator section. I was hopeful for a minute as he seemed pretty sure of where he was heading, but sorry, no. I'm not looking for frozen pre-made egg rolls. He then took me to the the section I'd been circling earlier. You guess it...still not there.

I think the lesson is clear here. The universe wants me to give up this crazy baked egg roll dream...Southwestern or otherwise.

So, for dinner ended up with some pretty tasty enchiladas, green beans sauted in olive oil and garlic and watermelon. Bellies full, mission accomplished. Sort of.

Here is how I made them:

Start by sauteing a medium onion in 1tsp of olive oil over medium heat. Once the onion has softened add the garlic and continue cooking for about 4-5 minutes.

Now add to the pan your rinsed black beans, corn, chopped green chilies, drained fire roasted tomatoes, and seasoning.

Stir your vegetable mix together well and add 2-3 shredded chicken breasts. I only wanted to make one meal, without a lot of leftovers, so I removed about 1/3 of the veg mix before adding the chicken. It will be part of my lunch this week. Since I had less vegetables, I only added 2 chicken breasts.

Let that all cook together, stirring often, for a few minutes then get out a baking dish and pour about 1/3 of the can of enchilada sauce in the bottom of the pan. Next fill and roll your tortillas and place them seam-side down in the baking dish. I made five. You could definitely make a lot more than that with this much filling, but I make these really big. Like I said, I've already meal-prepped my lunches this week so I didn't want a lot of leftovers.

These are the tortillas I prefer to use. They are not "clean" but they are low-carb and fairly low-calorie. Also they have a texture very similar to a regular flour tortilla. I can't handle the "healthy" tortillas that turn slimy and fall apart when you try to use them.

Lastly pour the remaining sauce over your rolled enchiladas and top with 1/4 cup of reduced fat cheddar cheese and bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

This isn't a beautiful picture of my plate, but I was starving and ready to dig in.

Recipe:
Carb Balance Tortillas
1 14 oz can of enchilada sauce
1 med onion, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp olive oil
1 can black beans, drained
1 14.5 oz can organic fire roasted tomatoes, drained
1 4oz can chopped green chilies
1 small bag of frozen corn or the kernels off 3 ears of corn 
1/2 tsp (or more) cumin
1/2 tsp dried red chili flakes (or less if you don't want a lot of spice)
2-3 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c reduced fat cheddar cheese as topping

Assemble and bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees

Roma Avocado Salad

When my sweet and also healthy-eating friend sent me a picture of her snack...deviled tomatoes...I knew I had to try it. Shout out, Jessica, for the awesome suggestion. Her version is a super cute play on a deviled egg using a scooped out tomato wedge filled with mashed avocado and onion. I consider my version more of a salad, but hey it's cute too. I also opted to top mine with a 100 calorie pack of mild guacamole. You know me...always in search of the easy way. I also added a little drizzle of balsamic vinegar glaze.

The glaze is easy to make by adding somewhere around a 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar to a sauce pan over medium heat. Bring it to a low boil and continue to boil for several minutes until it has slightly thickened. Don't over-reduce the vinegar. It will get too thick to drizzle and the flavor can get a little overwhelming. Better a little thin than all thick and globby. You can store the leftover reduction in an air tight container in the fridge for several days.

I have this for an afternoon snack all the time. It's so good and filling. Hope you love it!

Oven Baked "Cookie" Chicken

I'm guessing the name of this recipe has you wondering...oh gross, she breaded that chicken in crushed cookies, but come on. Would I do that? Now that I think about it...maybe. But not today. I called it "cookie" chicken because the most amazing thing happened when I baked it. My house smelled just like chocolate chip cookies. And I don't mean the flaxseed, avocado chocolate chip cookies my house smells like all the time. I mean full on Toll House goodness. When my husband got home from work he gave me this weird look and then got really excited that I was baking "real" cookies. I had to let him down that it was our dinner, but once we sat down to eat he was over the disappointment. This chicken is so good. Our daughter even asked if we could have it again tomorrow which is about the highest compliment she gives when it comes to food. She even chose to eat the chicken over the fruit on her plate. That's big stuff in our house.

The secret ingredient in this recipe is...Fiber One Honey Squares.

Start by crushing 1cup of Fiber One Honey Squares in a ziploc bag. I used my rolling pin. You want it pretty finely crushed, but not pulverized. Next line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Now set up your breading station. You will need two bowls, one for your egg whites and one for the crushed Fiber One. I added a few twists of the black pepper grinder and a few twists of the sea salt grinder to the egg whites before I dipped the chicken. 

The cereal needs a little help sticking but not a ton. I think it works best to dip the chicken in the egg whites on both sides and then hold it over the bowl for a few seconds and let the excess drip off. Then lay it into crushed cereal and press gently. Flip the chicken over and repeat with all your chicken. I had a very tiny amount of cereal left so I just sprinkled it on the chicken anywhere it needed a little more. Don't waste the sweet stuff.

If you let a lot the excess egg drip into your dry cereal it will glob up, get soggy and not stick to your chicken, which is sad.

The main problem I have with most chicken recipes that claim to be both baked and crunchy is that they never actually get crunchy. That is just the nature of the beast. If you want real crunch, you have to fry. If you fry all the time your pants get too small. Bake people, bake. I wanted to get this as crispy as I could. I decided to experiment. I was trying to figure out how to get some caramelization on the top of the chicken. A tiny drizzle of agave nectar did the trick. It only takes a tiny bit. I have the recipe calling for 1 tbsp, but I didn't use quite all of it. Close, but not all.

 

As you can see, it's just a very slight drizzle of agave

Lastly, pop it in a 400 degree oven for 35 minutes. You may need to adjust cooking time if the chicken breasts you are using are really thick. 40 minutes is usually sufficient for most packaged fresh chicken. If you choose to use chicken tenders you'll want to reduce the time to between 20-30 minutes.

My whole family loved this recipe, plus it's super easy so I'm sure it will become part of our rotation. I can totally see the leftover chicken on top of a spinach salad with strawberries and goat cheese for lunch this weekend. Yum!

Enjoy guys. This is a good one.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees

Oven Baked "Cookie" Chicken:
1lb chicken breasts (worked perfectly with 4 smaller breasts)
1/4c egg whites
1c Fiber One Honey Squares, Crushed
1tbsp Agave Nectar
salt and pepper to taste