Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Turkey Chili

I have been making this chili for years and it just seems to get better every time. This has to be one of the girls favorite things to eat! I love it because you can add tons of different vegetables and no one would ever know.



2 pounds ground turkey
1 medium onion chopped
3 celery stalks
1 orange bell pepper chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
2 cans reduced sodium dark red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
4 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 cups water
2 tablespoon coconut oil


Heat large stock pot over medium high. Add coconut oil, onions, bell pepper and celery. Saute until everything is tender then add garlic and cook about 1 minute then add ground turkey and all spices. Once turkey is fully cooked add the can of tomatoes and water. Cook over medium low heat for about 2 hours. Yes I said 2 hours. The longer it cooks the more flavor it has. After that add beans and cook an additional 20 minutes or until beans are tender. I top with fat free cheddar cheese, low fat sour cream and green onions, but you can top with what you want or eat plain.



Teriyaki Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

I needed to use up some cabbage I had so I came up with this. So simple but so much flavor. I am not to fond take out so this was perfect for me. The shrimp goes so well with the sweet and salty flavor of the teriyaki sauce and crunchy veggies.

31-40 count large shrimp (peeled and deveined)
1/2 a head of cabbage
1 carrot shredded
1/2 onion chopped
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon chili flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon garlic
4 tablespoon low sodium teriyaki sauce
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 head of lettuce


Heat large skillet over medium high. Add coconut oil, onion, carrot and cabbage. Saute a few minutes then add chili flakes, ginger, garlic, soy sauce and teriyaki sauce. Once onions are tender add shrimp and cook until pink about 3-4 minutes. Serve with lettuce.

Banana Cream Oatmeal

I used to buy those prepackaged flavored oatmeal's until I realized I could make better, healthier versions myself. I don't like to waste food so I used up some bananas and the girls loved it!


2 cups dry oats
2 bananas mashed
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (you might need more depending on how thin you like it)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 dropper full liquid Stevia (French Vanilla) or 2-4 tablespoons Stevia in the Raw


Bring water to boil and add oats, bananas, cinnamon, nutmeg and Stevia. Cook about 5 minutes then add almond milk. If still to thick add more almond milk. I also cut up some slices of banana and mix them in when served.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Noodleless Lasagna

So I found yet another use for zucchini. They replace the noodles in this dish and in my opinion you wont miss them. The girls had seconds and thirds so I would say it was a hit!

4 zucchini sliced about 1/4 inch thick
1/2 a large onion diced
1 green bell pepper diced
2 cups spinach
1 lb lean ground turkey
114.5oz can diced tomatoes
3 tablespoons hummus (it makes it creamy)
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 cups shredded low fat mozzarella
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon Mrs.Dash Italian herb blend
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic

Topping:
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 tablespoon Mrs.Dash Onion and Herb
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt

In small saute pan heat the coconut oil. Then add breadcrumbs and seasoning and cook about 5 minutes or until brown and remove from heat.


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat a large saute pan over medium high. Add coconut oil, onion and bell pepper. Cook until tender then add ground turkey. Add Mrs.Dash, poultry seasoning, garlic, salt and pepper. When the turkey is cooked through add hummus, spinach and can of diced tomatoes. Cook about 20 minutes then remove from heat. In 13x9 inch baking dish place a small amount of sauce on bottom of pan. Place zucchini in a row then spoon half the turkey mixture over zucchini. Sprinkle with half of the cheese then repeat. Spread breadcrumbs over top of cheese, cover and bake for 20 minutes. Then uncover and bake for another 10 minutes but don't let the breadcrumbs burn. Remove and let sit 10 minutes before serving.

Greek Style Quinoa Stuffed Pitas

So the girls don't really know how they feel about quinoa. So I put it in a pita pocket and they loved it! I don't know how a pita pocket can make a difference, but it did. Such a simple recipe but so filling.


2 cups cooked quinoa
1/2 a cucumber chopped
1 Roma tomato chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta
1 tablespoon olive oil
Pepper
Romaine lettuce
4 pita pockets cut in half


Combine all ingredients. You can add salt if desired but I think the feta has enough salt. Place 2 romaine lettuce leaves in each pocket then stuff with quinoa and serve. You may also add kalamata olives if wanted.


Ham Cups

This is the girls favorite way to eat eggs in the morning. I use liquid egg whites but you can use regular eggs if you would like and you can also use turkey instead of ham but they love ham.



8 slices ham
1 cup liquid egg whites or 8 eggs
2 tablespoons chopped onion
2 tablespoons chopped bell pepper
Handful baby spinach
cooking spray
muffin tin


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray and place a slice of ham in 8 spaces in the tin. Sprinkle onion, bell pepper and 2 spinach leaves in each ham cup. You can use any veggies you like or none at all. You can also add cheese if desired. In the measuring cup containing egg whites add salt and pepper. Pour egg whites almost to the top of each cup or crack an egg in every cup. Bake about 10-12 minutes or until you jiggle pan and egg whites are set.

Baked Honey Mustard Chicken with Cauliflower Mash

I wanted to do something different with the cauliflower. It comes out a little chunkier then mashed potatoes but we liked it like that. The chicken, well it speaks for itself.

Chicken:
4 chicken breasts
1 cup mustard
1/2 cup honey
salt and pepper
cooking spray

Cauliflower mash:
1 head cauliflower
Almond milk or fat free milk
Pepper and salt
1/4 cup fat free sour cream




Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine mustard, honey and pepper. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray, place chicken breasts on tray and season with salt and pepper. Brush sauce on on both sides and place in oven. Bake about 20 minutes or until cooked basting 2-3 times during bake time. While chicken bakes break up cauliflower, place in water and boil until tender. They will cook the same way potatoes do. Strain out water and place back in pot and mash. Add milk until desired consistency. They will be a little chunky unless you place in food processor. Add sour cream and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with the chicken and enjoy.

Stuffed Zucchini

I am not to fond of zucchini and neither are the girls! I usually hide them in recipes but we really like them stuffed.


4 zucchini cut in half length wise
1/2 an onion diced
1 package chicken sausage (remove casings)
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 cup spinach chopped
1 cup fat free mozzarella
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
Italian blend Mrs. Dash
Salt and pepper




Preheat over to 400 degrees.Using a spoon scoop out the inside of zucchini into a small bowl. Be careful not to press to hard so they don't break. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the coconut oil to pan and add onion. Cook until almost tender then add chicken sausage and break it up. Cook sausage until brown and add chopped garlic, zucchini flesh, spinach and can of tomatoes. Season with Mrs. Dash, salt and pepper. Cook about 20 minutes and then remove from heat.
Stuff mixture into hollowed out zucchini halves. You might have some mixture leftover but that's okay. Place stuffed zucchini halves in baking dish and pour a little bit of water in the bottom of the pan. Cover with tinfoil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove tinfoil add cheese and bake just until cheese is melted, then serve.

Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

I never thought the girls would love whole wheat pancakes as much as they do!!! The bonus is they are so light and fluffy, which is a must in a pancake in my opinion.

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 eggs
2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 cups fat free milk (you might need more if batter is to thick)
2 tablespoons Stevia


Heat a large skillet or griddle pan over medium high heat. Combine all ingredients together but be careful not to over mix. If batter is still to thick add milk until you get desired consistency. Spray pan with cooking spray. Use a 1/2 cup measuring cup and pour batter into pan. Allow bubbles to form then flip. The batter should make about 12 pancakes.