Healthy Easy Stuffing

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

This my first married thanksgiving, and although we are nowhere near our families I am so thankful to be able to share this holiday with my amazing husband and new friends!

I was asked to make the stuffing...

Have I ever made stuffing?

 No.

Of course I have to make it from scratch.

And it needs to be healthier than the boxed alternative.

Also have no meat....other recipes I looked at called for some sort of sausage....WHAT?  

Who stuffs a turkey with another meat? That sounds so ODD and probably against some animal right policy 

(even though I, personally, am not stuffing the turkey with this as it is being brought as a side...still people. Sausage?)

ANYWAYS, this is what I came up with, and it was DELICIOUS!

Easy, healthy and flavorful.

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of Oroweat whole wheat Premium Stuffing-Herb Seasoning--a mouthful I know. (you can also just get a loaf of whole wheat bread and let it sit out in the open air for ~2 days til it drys out and cut the loaf into cubes then season with desired herbs)

• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs, plain (Optional--just added a little more umph to the mix)

• 1 tbs olive oil

• 1 tbs butter (I used parkay)

• 3 chopped celery stalks

• 1 large carrot peeled and chopped

• 1/2 onion, minced

• 3/4 cup dried cranberries 

• 3 cup chicken broth (or veggie broth) 

• 2 large eggs

• 1tsp parsley

• 1/2 salt

• 1/4 tsp oregano

• 1/2 tsp rosemary

Directions:

Heat a large skillet on medium high with 1 tbs olive oil and 1tbs butter
Peel and chop carrots, chop celery, and mince onion. Place in skillet and saute for 2-3 min. 
Add parsley, salt, oregano, and rosemary. Stir for 1 min
Stir in dried cranberries for 1 min. 
Remove from heat

Preheat oven 400 degrees 

Pour bread cubes and bread crumbs into a large bowl. 
Whisk eggs and pour over bread mixture.
Dump veggie mix from skillet into bread mixture and mix very well. (BE CAREFUL VEGGIE MIXTURE WILL BE HOT)

Spread evenly into a large baking pan. Evenly pour 3 cups of broth over mixture. Cover mixture with foil and bake for 25 min. 

Remove foil, stir stuffing, and bake for ~10 min, or until top of mixture is golden and crispy. (LESS TIME IF YOU LIKE IT MORE MOIST)

Serve while warm with some Turkey.

ENJOY!!!!

Apple Vinaigrette Dressing

I like salad dressing but not the heavy stuff, with the exception of the ranch dressing at mine and my husband's favorite steak house in California; there is just something special in that.....

Anyways, we usually only have one jar of Wishbone Fat Free Italian dressing in our fridge, which usually does the trick. 
Light and Tangy. 

However, I was needing a little kick to my salad and thought of a vinaigrette. After looking at the store dressings and turning down every jar because of the UNBELIEVABLE AMOUNT OF SODIUM and preservatives, I thought "Hey, I can make my own."

So this recipe is adapted from foodpluswords.com. 
She has some great recipes that are simple and healthy. 

Her dressing is an apple cider vinaigrette, however, I didn't have apple cider so I used apple juice--no sugar added. 

WHAT A TREAT!

After tasting this vinaigrette I vowed to try--key workd here--making my own dressings. 

WAY cheaper, and WAY WAY WAY healthier. 

Ingredients: 
1/2 cup apple juice (or apple cider)
1/4 pure olive oil
2 tbs apple cider vinegar
2 tbs agave (or honey)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
ground pepper to taste


Directions:

Mix everything, but the olive oil in a small bowl or Jar. ( I just used the jar so I didn't dirty another dish). Then slowly add in 1 tbs at a time olive oil and whisk/swirl the mixture constantly around until it thickens.

DONE! 

You now have a lightly sweet, tangy, perfect kick-of-a dressing. 
~ 8oz  
Store in the fridge and it may settle and separate so just give it a good shake before each use.

ENJOY!!!!

Quinoa Chili

I have wanted to buy and make something out quinoa (Keen-wah) since I learned about it MONTHS ago!!!! Seriously, Months! So finally, when a dear new friend of mine offered to let me join her for a Costco trip (the glorious bulk store of the world in my opinion) I knew I was going to splurge. 

Go BIG or go home. 

So after reading around on the inter-web and being chilled to bones recently with the cold weather brewing I went for a easy to make chili.

Gluten Free, protein enriched, and fiber-full this seed from the Andes is a blessing to us health foodies who want a full stomach.

Follow the first 5 steps to get plain quinoa that you can make any recipe with, follow the rest for the chili.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup quinoa
1 cup water
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion flakes
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
chopped chili pepper (only if you want some more spicy)
1/3 cup black beans
1/4 cup diced tomatoes + some juice
1/3 cup corn

Making Quinoa

1. Measure out 1/3 cup Quinoa seed and rinse VERY VERY VERY VERY WELL. 2 min Min under constant, handled seed, cool water. Doing this step helps get rid of bitter taste many find when they cook it straight out the bag.
2. Drain 
3. Heat 1 tsp olive oil on medium-high and add rinsed quinoa. Cook for a minute or so, till water is evaporated and Quinoa is toasted.
4. Add the 1 cup of water and bring to a rapid boil for 5-8 min
5. Either add flavoring (chicken broth, sat, etc) or simply reduce heat to medium low 10 min.
6. At 5 min of that simmer, add beans and spices. 
7. At 8 min of that simmer add dices tomatoes
8. At 10 min at corn and pepper and turn heat to medium-high
9. Cook for 1-2 min for rest of water to evaporate. NOT ALL THE WAY, just enough to keep everything moist not runny. 
10. Reduce heat to low while serving.

Top chili with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt and shredded cheese. 

Enjoy!!!!

Funny short story: 

This pepper:

  was the hottest pepper I have ever eaten. 

My mouth burned for 1+ hours afterward.   

Greek Yogurt Chicken Parm Bake

Are you ready for this? 

5 min prep dinner!!!! 

 

I know, I know you  I'll give you some time to collect yourself

. . . . . . . . . . . . 

Alright, 

Now, this is an awesome, very healthy, melt-in-your-mouth, chicken dinner that everyone will love. (my husband sure does!)

Apparently the original recipe uses mayo, but I found this amazing recipe from Life of Meg, which substitutes the flubber for greek yogurt!



One can never go wrong with greek yogurt  
(my new food obsession!) 

Seriously. 

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 cup plain Greek Yogurt
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded or crumbled
• 1 tsp garlic powder*
• 1/2 tsp salt*
• 1/2 tsp pepper

               * I have just used 1 tsp garlic salt instead of garlic powder and salt before.

Directions: the 5 min part

Preheat Oven 375

Line a baking sheet with foil (TRUST ME, DO THIS and you'll thank me later when your not trying to scrub of cooked cheese on a pan...we've all been there) and spray with cooking spray. ( I used my misto!)

Mix greek yogurt, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl.

Pat dry chicken and coat in yogurt mixture (both sides). 

Lay on baking sheet. 

Bake for 45-50 min until golden brown spots appear on chicken.

TIP: Around 40-45 min carefully dump juices that have accumulated in the pan--this will help reduce burning

TIP: Turning oven to broil for 1-2 min (AFTER DUMPING JUICES) will help create those savory
brown spots. Be careful to watch everything on BROIL so it doesn't burn.

Pair with some delicious veggies.

ENJOY!!!!

Nutritional Information: the really awesome part

serving 1 baked chicken 

215 cal*3 carbs*4 sat fat*23g protein*2 g fiber

Apple Sauce Bread

This was an experiment bread that turned out wonderful! 

I had half of a jar of applesauce (about 4 cups of apple sauce!) and it needed to go soon (it molds so fast!). 

SO I pulled from a concoction of  bread recipes  to make this spice-full, perfect for fall, Apple Sauce Bread.

Feel free to adapt/add what you want to make it yours!

Ingredients:

• 2 cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/2 cup White Flour
• 2 tbs cinnamon
• 1 tbs nutmeg
• 1 tsp all spice, ground
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 cup all natural apple sauce
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar + 1tbs, divided
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1tbs ground flaxseed + 3tbs water
• 1/2 cup of raisins

Directions:

Mix flaxseed and water in a small dish and set a side for 3-5 min. (allows it to get gummy)

Mix flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and baking powder  in a large bowl

Mix apple sauce, brown and white sugar, flaxseed mix, nutmeg, and all spice in a smaller bowl

Blend wet ingredients into dry and stir until well combined. Then gently fold in raisins. 

Pour mix in a 9x5 Pan

Sprinkle 1 tbs brown sugar on top

Bake 50-60 min or until knife comes out clean. 

 

Let cool for 20 min and then serve.

ENJOY!!!!

Black Bean Burgers (Spicy!)

oh my goodness these black been burgers are wonderful and soooooooooooooooooooooooo EASY to make! 

Make Em' and Feel Good Eatin' Them! 

Oh but be careful, they come with spicy edge!

Adapted from skinnytaste.com

Ingredients:

1 can black beans, no sodium added.

3 cherry tomatoes

2 tbs spicy/chunky salsa 

(should have some spicy pepper, onion, etc.)

1 tbs sriracha

3 garlic cloves, peeled

1 tbs ground flaxseed + 3tbs water

1 tbs cumin

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

½ cup old fashioned oats

  

Directions:

Mix flaxseed and water and set aside to gummy-fy while making rest of mix 

Rinse and pat dry black beans. Smash with a fork in a bowl. 

In either a food processor or single cup blender, blend garlic cloves, tomatoes, salsa, and sriracha. 

Then add cumin, salt, pepper, flaxseed mix, and oats. Quick blend. Mixture should be chunky.

Add blender mix to smashed black beans and combine with a spatula.

Equally pat out 4 patties and place on a plate covered with wax paper. (this took a bit of back and forth hand toss to make it flat)

Freeze for at least 2 hours or until ready to cook.
 (Freezing helps with the cooking! Nothing is as bad as a gooey patty)

*I just froze them as shown in picture. I encourage you to add another piece of wax paper on top and press lightly to make them flat on both sides.

Cook Frozen patties on lightly oiled pan for  5-7 min each side.

  Enjoy!!!!

 

Lemon Zucchini Loaf

It all started with a zucchini. It came into my possession one Saturday morning while roaming the vendor aisles of the farmers market. I thought to myself, "Hey, its zucchini season and I've seen a LOT of Pinterest posts that use the stuff so why don't I buy one large one and make something fantastic". 

Well the sad part of the story is I couldn't make up my mind. There were TOO MANY options such as: Zucchini chips, zucchini bites, normal delicious zucchini bread or muffins...the list is endless. Unfortunately,  my inability to decide led to the ends of the large zucchini to go mushy. :( So when it came down to it I had about 1 cup's worth of grated zucchini and we all know the main ingredient in zucchini bread (besides the flour) is the zucchini (I mean, it named after it!) 
So that was out, so were the bites, and the chips would have only been about a handful. So I looked for other options....and thus I found this recipe! It called for ONE CUP of GRATED ZUCCHINI. 
I know, I know, the stars were aligned in my favor. 
So now I am going to share it with you!

Lemon Zucchini Loaf with Lemon Glaze
 slightly adapted from nancycreative.com

Ingredients: 
Makes one 9×5″ loaf

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup buttermilk (I didn't have butter milk, but I did THIS and it turned our just fine!)
• Juice of 1 lemon (or 2 Tablespoons lemon juice)
• Zest of 1 lemon (Since I used lemon juice I didn't do this. Turned out lemon-y enough for me!)
• 1 cup grated zucchini (you don’t need to peel the zucchini before grating it) 

 Lemon Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tbs lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Non-stick a 9x5" pan with whatever you'd like; set aside.
In a large bowl mix flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a smaller bowl mix eggs, sugar, yogurt and oil. Then mix in butter milk, and lemon juice until well combined. 
Slowly mix in wet ingredients into dry and stir till well combined. 
Gently fold in zucchini, but don't over mix.

Pour batter evenly into pan and bake for 45 min or until toothpick comes out clean.

Take out of pan and place on a cooling rack. Now make the glaze.

whisk powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl. 

Once loaf has cooled to touch pour over loaf. let sit or refrigerate for best "hardening" results. 

Slice, Serve, and ENJOY!!!!

Strawberry Muffins

 

 This is the first recipe my husband asked to have on a weekly basis so I defiantly think its worth sharing with you!

Just a Note: I used flax seed because I had some and didn't have many eggs left. If you didn't know 1 tablespoon ground flax seed plus 3 tablespoons water mixed produces 1 egg replacement. Pretty neat huh? However, if you have 2 eggs to spare and don't mind the little bit of extra calories (really the nutrition in the egg far out weights the calories so have no fear) add it in and skip the flax seed.

Adapted from http://kristininherkitchen.blogspot.com

 Ingredients:

• 1 cup wheat flour
• ½ cup white flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ cup white sugar
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbs ground flax seed + 3 tbs water
• ¾ cup plain greek yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped strawberries

 Directions:

Preheat 400

Non-stick a muffin tin or use muffin cups

Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl. 
Mix all wet ingredients together in a small bowl.
Then blend wet into dry. 

Once blended gently fold strawberries into batter with a spatula.

Spoon batter evenly into muffin tins.

Bake 15-20 min until top of muffin is golden brown

Enjoy!!!! 

Nutrition:

1 muffin

101 Cal*

21 Carbs*

1 Fat*

4 Protein

2 Fiber*