Lightened up: Macaroni and Cheese Cups

March 28th, 2013 | Posted by Nicole in Recipes - (0 Comments)

As usual, I was browsing Pinterest for recipe ideas, and I saw this mac ‘n cheese recipe with spinach from Emily Bites.

I am picky about my pasta dishes, and don’t typically eat too much pasta. But, I love baked pastas!

Since this recipe is made in a muffin tin, you get these cute little portion sizes (and yes, you may want to eat more than one!). Another benefit is that you get crispy edges, and this dish cooks more quickly. If you don’t like crispy edges, you may want to bake this in a large casserole dish.

macaroni and cheese muffin

I followed Emily’s recipe exactly, except I added more crushed garlic to mine, and I used half gluten free pasta/half regular elbow white pasta.

You can use whatever pasta you like, but I recommend cooking it so that it is barely done as it will continue cooking in the oven.

We ate ours with some leftover chicken, and a side salad. Yum!! I loved it, and Mr. Cyclist said it was OK (he said you could tell it was healthier). I was happy to eat more of it the next day as leftovers ;-)

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The Mexican Meatball

January 28th, 2013 | Posted by Nicole in Recipes - (0 Comments)

This is not any type of authentic recipe, but it is fun and delicious! And easy for a weeknight meal.

Mexican Meatballs

I got the recipe from Clean Eating Magazine HERE.

The only thing I did differently was add onion, and red and green peppers for extra vegetables and flavor. I also added garlic and some chipotle pepper for flavor and spice in the skillet. I ground up some coriander, cumin, and chopped chipotle peppers to add inside the meatball.

But, other than that, just follow the Clean Eating recipe, add some extra vegetable or maybe have a side salad. I ate mine with extra sour cream…. mmm.

southwest meatball

And hopefully yours turns out something like this!

Thoughts for the week:

be extraordinary

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Juicer Muffins

January 23rd, 2013 | Posted by Nicole in Recipes - (0 Comments)

Huh? What?

Yes, juicer muffins! The perfect use for leftover juicer pulp:

juicer pulp

Look at all that shredded carrot pulp just waiting to be eaten.

I got a new and FREE juicer from NutriPro (more on that later), and now have all this excess plant material. I don’t want to be wasteful, so I whipped up this concoction:

carrot muffins

These “muffins” definitely seem like “health food” upon closer inspection and taste. But, they passed the Mr Cyclist taste test.

Ingredients (*I am not completely sure on this as I just threw ingredients in a bowl!):

  • 24 oz. (3 cups) carrot pulp leftover from juicing (mine had traces of celery and ginger in it)
  • 1 cup oat flour
  • 1 cup brown rice flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1  Tbsp. cinnamon
  • 1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 Tbsp. sugar
  • 12 packets stevia (about 3 Tbsp.)
  • 1-2 tsp molasses
  • 1-2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup milk (may need to add a little more until moist)
  • 1/2 cup raisins

Mix all together and bake in greased muffin tins at 375 F for about 20-23 minutes (or until the tops become a little more crisp).

juicer muffins

There is A LOT of carrot in these muffins. That is where they get the deep orange color from. Plenty of vitamin A!

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Easy Zucchini “Fries”

January 10th, 2013 | Posted by Nicole in Recipes - (0 Comments)

OK, these are not really “fries”, but something that resembles a fried zucchini strip.

zucchini fries

They are super easy to make, and a great way to eat your vegetables without a lot of extra ingredients. They had great texture and taste delicious!

Ingredients:

  • 3 zucchini, rinsed, and patted dry
  • About 3 oz. grated/shredded Pecorino Romano cheese (you could also use Parmesan)
  • Olive oil to coat the pan
  • 2 tsp. Garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. Dried onion or shallot flakes
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes
  • Pinch of salt and pepper

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Slice the zucchini like the picture shows below.
  2. Arrange on baking sheet. Sprinkle with seasonings (do not add cheese yet).
  3. Bake for about 15 minutes.
  4. Add the cheese liberally. I shredded my cheese right on top of the zucchini.
  5. Place under broiler until it becomes golden brown–almost crispy.

baked crispy zucchini

Then, enjoy with dinner :)

zucchini fries

Yum!

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Healthier Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

December 19th, 2012 | Posted by Nicole in Recipes - (0 Comments)

A favorite Christmas cookie in my family are the peanut butter kisses. They are gone before you know it!

holiday cookies

So, I decided it was time to cut the sugar a little, and keep it a little healthier! (less healthy version above, healthier version below)

healthy peanut butter kisses

Only 54 calories per cookie!

Adapted from this recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 1 oz white sugar (I weighed these out on a food scale)
  • 1.5 oz Stevia
  • 4 oz packed light brown sugar
  • 1.5 Tbsp. real maple syrup
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 cup reconstituted powdered peanut butter (used PB2, and added water back in to make it creamy)
  • 4.25 oz whole wheat flour
  • 2 oz white flour
  • About 36-40 dark chocolate kisses.

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
  2. Mix your wet ingredients. Then, add your dry ingredients. Stir to combine. You can use a mixer if you like.
  3. Lightly grease a baking sheet, or use parchment paper. The dough will not be as thick as regular cookie dough, so just spoon out heaping teaspoons onto the baking sheet. It is OK if they are no perfectly round.
  4. Bake 10 minutes. Meanwhile, unwrap your kisses so you can press them into the center of the cookie as soon as they come out of the oven.

light peanut butter cookies

Perfect! They definitely have a different texture–more moist, almost cake-like. Mr. Cyclist walked in the door, and took one look and said they “look healthy”. Whatever that means… Haha. I don’t care. They are satisfying to me! Enjoy.

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Eats of the Week: Shrimp Salad and Greek Yogurt Dip

April 12th, 2012 | Posted by Nicole in Eats of the Week - (0 Comments)

Made a lovely salad with seasoned shrimp and avocado slices:
And it takes only 10 minutes (or less!) to put together.

And lots of baked sweet potato wedges:
Perfect alternative to traditional processed or fried sweet potato fries.

Tried out this new Greek yogurt dip made by Sabra. I was a little hesitant because I have only liked one other Greek yogurt dip before (from Costco).
I loved it. It’s my new favorite healthier vegetable dipping sauce.
I got the onion one, but there are other flavors like sun-dried tomato.

Ingredients: Yogurt (Pasteurized Skim Milk, Pasteurized Cream, Milk Protein Concentrate, Whey Protein Concentrate, Skim Milk Powder, Tapioca Starch, Pectin, Xanthan and Cultures), Sauteed Onion, Canola Oil, Salt, Parsley, Natural Flavors, Onion, Garlic, Pectin, Locust Bean Gum, Citric Acid, Brown Sugar and Xanthan.

The ingredients look healthy since they do not contain any nasty preservatives, and they use canola oil (which is better) instead of a cheap, less healthy soybean oil. And a 2 Tbsp serving is only 35 calories, and 1.5 grams of fat! This product gets an A+ from me :)

Got a few new supplements this week, including turmeric. More on that on another post!

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Eats of the Week: Quick Bites

March 31st, 2012 | Posted by Nicole in Eats of the Week - (0 Comments)

I had a lot of quick snacks and meals this week. Sometimes I don’t have enough time for my lunch break. And I had been running all over town trying to see a doctor to fix my foot problem (cuboid syndrome) so I used that as my lunch break.

Yes, I eat fish sticks. Don’t freak out. I know they are not the best, but it is like my junk food (I buy the least processed I can find) and I love them. Some are missing from the photo because I couldn’t wait to eat them!

Got some Greek kid’s yogurt with little chocolate bits. This is not just for kids! I love it, and the sugars and calories are slightly less than regular chobani.

Another snack idea I did was take one of these chocolate brown rice cakes and spread a little raw almond butter on it–delicious! It’s a healthified version on chocolate peanut butter treats.

For a quick vegetarian lunch, I brought some reduced sodium cottage cheese, and then bought a cold roasted eggplant dish from the cafe near my work:
 This is my new favorite thing. I think I will be getting this once a week it is so good.

Bought some trailmix (from bulk section of Fresh Market) and kombucha one day for lunch. I know that is ridiculous, but the calories in my trailmix was enough to count for lunch and contained plenty of fats, some fiber, sugars, and a small amount of protein.
 Love dried strawberries.

Left for a 3 day vacation to Tybee Island, and had to stop by fast food somewhere on the drive out. So, I chose the lesser of the evils: Chick-fil-a. I ordered the new grilled chicken nuggets off the kid’s menu and a side salad. My way to try to eat clean when eating fast food.
Believe it or not the grilled nuggets are the least processed chicken at Chick-fil-a. They contain a lot of sodium, but other than that aren’t too bad! You can read more about them here on my diet-blog post.

It is now 2 am, so time to get some serious rest and wake up on Tybee Island! Have a good weekend.

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Trans Fat Free Monkey Bread

March 28th, 2012 | Posted by Nicole in Love Your Humps | Recipes - (0 Comments)

Monkey bread is one the most sinfully delicious things to have been created. The problem is that it is usually full of trans fat from the biscuit dough that is used. I promised my coworker that I would make her a baked goody for her belated birthday, and she missed out last time I brought baked treats for the office. She told me she wanted something more sinful, so why not?

I used Immaculate Baking Company’s cinnamon bun dough and biscuit dough which contains no trans fat.  

Trans Fat Free Monkey Bread Recipe
Ingredients: 

  • 2 cans cinnamon bun dough (see above)
  • 1 can non-flaky biscuit dough (Immaculate Baking Co.)
  • 1 stick Earth Balance
  • 1 stick butter (you can use 2 sticks Earth Balance, total, instead of butter if you like)
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
  • 3/4 cup white sugar (you could substitute 2-4 Tbsp. stevia substitute and 1/2 cup real sugar–you need real sugar for the caramelization)
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed when measuring

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Open all the biscuit dough and cut each biscuit into quarters. See Pioneer Woman recipe for monkey bread to get a better idea of the step-by-step.
  2. Toss all the biscuit dough pieces into a gallon zip top bag with the white sugar and cinnamon. Shake around to coat the pieces.
  3. Heat the butter and brown sugar in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat until the mixture turns brown and the sugar melts more. *You can do this in the microwave if you like
  4. Dump the biscuit dough pieces into a bundt pan (you do not need to grease the pan). Press down gently on dough in the pan.
  5. Pour the butter/brown sugar mixture over top of the dough. Place in the oven.
  6. Cook for about 35-42 minutes until it looks dark brown and the edges look crispy.
  7. Cool 15 minutes, then turn out, and see warm. The bread will stay warm for a few hours if you keep it covered.

This is what it should look like when you take out of the oven, and then (below) when you turn it upside down. Delicious! …not so nutritious, sorry. Everyone loved it though. A definite crowd pleaser.

The goal here was not to make health food. So that is not what this is. It’s just a slightly healthier alternative to the traditional treat. Small tweaks and changes help without having to sacrifice flavor. And, it’s all about moderation and getting comfortable with that moderation. If you have a few bites of this–it won’t hurt you.

Love Your Humps Wednesday:
Also check out this article on body image thoughts around the world!

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Salsa Verde Casserole

February 6th, 2012 | Posted by Nicole in Recipes - (0 Comments)

I love making Mexican style casseroles or lasagnas. All my favorite spicy flavors in one… and it includes cheese! I guess this idea originated from enchiladas, then turned into enchilada casserole, then turned into whatever combination of cheese, tortillas, onions, peppers, and spiciness available.
Salsa Verde Casserole Recipe inspired by Rachael Ray’s recipe
Makes 1, 9 x 13 casserole
Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 pound chicken breast (I used thinly sliced cutlets)
  • 1 1/2 cups store-bought salsa verde (I got mine from Trader Joe’s)
  • 1, 15 oz. container low fat or fat free ricotta cheese
  • 5 large whole wheat/whole grain tortillas, cut into wedges
  • 1 red onion and 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 or 1.5 small packages of frozen spinach, thawed, and the liquid squeezed out (very important to squeeze out liquid).
  • 2 cups shredded 2% Mexican cheese blend
  • 1-2 jalapenos, diced
  • 1 tsp. cumin, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to season chicken

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 450 F. Meanwhile, add 1 Tbsp. oil to large saute pan, and cook onions on medium for about 10-15 minutes.
  2. While the onions are cooking, mix the ricotta with the salsa, and then mix in the spinach.
  3. To cook the chicken: heat up a grill pan or saute pan with 1 Tbsp. oil, and cook each cutlet about 5 minutes. Season with garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin.
  4. Add jalapenos to the onion mixture, and season.
  5. To assemble the casserole: add half of the ricotta mixture to the casserole dish, then one layer or tortillas, then chicken and onions and a small amount of small. Then, add a layer of tortillas, and repeat. Top with remaining cheese (use most of the cheese for the top).
  6. Bake about 15 minutes until top is golden. Cool 5 minutes before eating.

 

I was unsure about using ricotta in a dish like this, but it was perfect! It made it more creamy without adding even more high calorie ingredients. I was not a big fan of the chicken… I am very picky about my chicken and how it is cooked. So, for the vegetarians out there, I would recommend just using a can of black beans instead!

 

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Mac ‘n Cheesy Cauliflower

February 1st, 2012 | Posted by Nicole in Love Your Humps | Recipes - (1 Comments)

I was reading Vegetarian Times at a friend’s house, and I got this idea to make cauliflower that tasted similar to mac ‘n cheese.
I added more garlic, onions, and some ground rosemary to mine to make it more grown-up. It was delicious and filling, and I brought it to work for lunch the next day.

I also stopped at Trader Joe’s and found this:
Nutella wannabe. I think they use more canola oil because the saturated fat content is a little lower. But, other than that it is pretty much the same as Nutella.
Delicious! Tastes very similar, but you can taste a slight almond butter flavor, and it just tastes healthier and slightly more gritty.

I have also started to get into couponing this week. I discovered the Krazy Coupon Lady, and have been plotting deals ever since. I figure that if I can save more money, I can spend more of that saved money on things I haven’t been able to do! My goal is to wait for good sales and use coupons on those particular sales only to get the lowest possible price. I am still learning…. But, I did manage to get this deal at Target:
 And here is the dress: Sorry for the crappy picture–it is a wrap dress.
And then, I got 4 cosmetics at CVS using extra bucks and sales for only $8!
Now… if only I can figure out how to get more healthy foods by couponing!

Love Your Humps Wednesday:
Don’t worry about the scale and the number. Put the focus on overall health :)

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