Green Smoothie

The green smoothie. Something i never thought i would enjoy but has recently swept the "fit" world. So, i thought, why not try it. It has now become my favorite breakfast or post work out sip. I know what your thinking...you're not sure about that bright green color, can you taste the veggies you ask?

I get it, cause those we're the exact questions i asked myself. But let me reassure you, the spinach in this yummy smoothie is, though visibly vibrant and noticeable, is practically invisible when it comes to taste.   

The spinach (or green veggie of choice) adds a great dose of nutrients the the already healthy and sweet fruits. I usually add a little honey, but if you wanted just the fruit alone would make it sweet and satisfying.

Go on. Give it a try...you won't regret it!

Green Smoothie
Adapted from Nutrition to Invigorate Mind, Body and Spirit

Ingredients:
2 small handfuls of Spinach (or green leafy vegetable of choice)
1/2 C. Frozen Peaches *
1/2 C. Frozen Mango *
1 Banana
1/4 C. or more of Almond Milk or Water
1 Tbs Honey , to taste (if needed). 


*You can use any light colored fruit instead of peaches or mango if you prefer, such as kiwi, pineapple, apple or pear.

Directions:
Rinse spinach, measure out ingredients, and place in blender. Blend together until smooth and enjoy.

Tri Color Scramble and Home Fries

When i first saw this video, it had me laughing out loud. This is exactly what happens every time i try to make an omelet and i thought it was the perfect intro to this delicious and healthful omelet turned scramble with a side of home fries.

I made this meal a couple weeks ago as a way to use up some of the fresh veggies sitting in our crisper. It turned out to be quite tasty.

I love breakfast for dinner, on occasion; and mostly because of how simple it is to make. Despite the fact that my veggie omelet turned into a veggie scramble i was happy with 

The end result...

 

Tri Color Scramble and Home Fries: 

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. Olive Oil 

1/2C. Chopped Kale 

1/4C. Red Pepper 

1/4C. Red Onion

5 Eggs, beaten

Salt and Pepper 

Handful of Parmesan 

2C. Multi-color potatoes, chopped

1/4C. Yellow onion, chopped   

Handful of Chopped Parsley 

Directions: 

Prep the veggies and potatoes. Heat 2 frying pans with 1 tablespoon of olive oil in each. 

Beat eggs in small bowl. Mix in dash of salt and pepper. 

Place potatoes, parsley and yellow onion in one of the pans, salt and pepper to taste, fry for 2-5 minutes. Add small amt of water and cover. cooking for 8 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking until water is completely gone and potatoes are crisp. 

Meanwhile fry up the veggies in the other pan for 1-2 minutes until soft. Add eggs and cook, gently stirring until done. Scramble should be soft and fluffy but not runny. Taste, and sprinkle with salt and pepper if needed. 

Dish up and sprinkle with a little Parmesan for the eggs, potatoes or both, your choice.

Enjoy!!  

Roasted Winter Vegetable Pasta

One of those last minute, what am i going to put on the table? meals. This veggie pasta dish was absolutely delightful and i can't wait to make it again!! The combination of garlic, pine nuts and Parmesan with sweet potato and brussel sprouts served over pasta created a combination of rich and light flavors. It was something I could enjoy eating and at the same time not feel guilty about it.

A couple of weeks ago Alex was feeling poorly and we decided to shut ourselves in and spend the day watching Lord Of The Rings 1, 2 and 3, Followed by a slew of chick flicks. Somewhere in between watching Frodo save middle earth and Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan fall in love over email, i had to figure something out for dinner.

After raiding my pantry, this meal is what i came up with. It took all of 40 minutes and was a great ending to a wonderful day!

Roasted Winter Vegetable Pasta

Ingredients:
1 Large Sweet Potato, peeled and chopped into small pieces.
1/2 Lb Cleaned and halved Brussel Sprouts
1 Tbs Olive Oil
3 Tbs Butter
3 Cloves of Garlic, minced, divided.
1 Lb Spaghetti
1/2 C. Pine nuts, toasted
Salt to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash, peel and chop vegetables.
Spread out the veggies onto a rimmed cookie sheet or shallow baking dish. Drizzle olive oil, add 2 cloves of minced garlic, and 2 Tbs. of butter. Roast in oven for 25 minutes; stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, toast pine nuts in pan over medium heat (no butter needed) for about 5 min. Watch carefully as they burn easy.
Boil water and cook pasta according to package. Drain pasta then place back in pot. Mix in the remaining 1 Tbs of butter and 1 clove of minced garlic.
Once Vegetables are nicely roasted remove from oven, mix in the pine nuts, season with salt and serve over pasta with a sprinkling of Parmesan, or not, whichever you prefer and Enjoy!!
  

Chicken Noodle Soup witth Kale

The hubby and I have been sick for the past two weeks. First Alex, then me.. Sort of.

 I've been riding the fence between sick and healthy. Not quite sick but just off!

C'est La Vie.

So it was off to the kitchen with me to make some chicken noodle soup. I found a basic recipe on one of my faves, Brown Eyed Baker and made some additions to add a few more vitamins! Some kale which is high in vitamin C, calcium, and potassium; Garlic which has selenium to help detox the liver, zinc, which is supposed to help reduce the duration of a cold and (of course) more vitamin C. I then added some diced green onion for color and purely because Alex asked for it. 

The soup turned out tasty if a little under seasoned. I think this will be my go to recipe for a warm comforting meal when I'm under the weather! It's the perfect combination of two of my new favorites...Kale and Soup! It lasts for about 3 days for 2 people and freezes well.

Chicken Noodle Soup with Kale:
Recipe Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker 

2-3 Leaves of Kale, Chopped or approx. 1 1/2 C. pre-chopped kale
3 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
2 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion, Chopped
1 Large Carrot, Sliced to about 1/4 in. thick
1 Stalk of Celery, Sliced a 1/4 inch thick
12 C. or 3 Quarts of Chicken Stock
3 Chicken breasts Grilled and shredded or cut up into small pieces
2 C. of Fusilli pasta
1/4 C. Minced fresh Parsley
3 Green Onions, thinly sliced
Garlic Powder, Salt and Black Pepper

Directions:
Heat a Soup pot or large stock pot. Add the onion, carrots, kale, celery and minced garlic. Saute for about 5 minutes.
Season vegetables lightly with salt and pepper then add in chicken stock and chicken meat.
Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and let it continue simmering for 10 to 12 minutes.
Stir in the Fusilli pasta, and let cook for 10-12 minutes until Al Dente.
Stir in the parsley and green onion.
Taste and then season with salt and pepper if needed.

Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes so the flavors can meld. Serve and Enjoy!!

Gluten-free Buckwheat Pancake Mix

How akward is it when the safeway grocery delivery guy shows up and you're in the middle of making breakfast, though at this point (noon) it's now lunch, the house is a mess and your in sweats?

...Pretty Akward, I'd say, okay, a lot!

I was a complete and utter slug this morning, everything is taking twice as long; As you could probably tell from the fact that i was still in my sweats and making breakfast at noon. Oh well! After putting the groceries away, quickly snapping a photo of these delicious pancakes and gobbling them down in between grocery bags emptied, i finally have the chance to tell you all about a delicious, gluten-free pancake mix that is going to get me through a couple weeks worth of mornings.

Balsamic Glazed Brussel Sprouts

 In the days following the start of the new year i have started implementing a few changes to my diet and lifestyle.I thought about this for a while, but it wasn't until i reached the overweight category that i was finally motivated to change.I started a running regiment, and though i have never found it enjoyable in the past, i have to say, this time around I'm loving it! Second change is to eat healthier foods. Don't get me wrong i will still be including sweets but my goal is to eat smaller portions more often and a variety of foods, including lots of veggies! This particular dish was inspired from the pioneer woman and from The New American Plate cook book. It was the star of the meal. The balsamic glaze was the perfect blend of sweet and savory and the use of honey as a sweetener made this dish healthier without taking away from the flavor.

Balsamic Glazed Brussel Sprouts
Adapted From Pioneer Woman Cooks and The New American Plate

Ingredients:
4-8 oz Brussel Sprouts
2 Tbs Olive Oil, divided 
Salt and Pepper
1/4 C. Balsamic Vinegar
3 Cloves Of Garlic, Minced
1 1/2 Tbs Honey

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Clean, trim and cut in half the brussel sprouts. Rinse and Dry off. Drizzle 1 Tbs of olive oil over the sprouts and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread out on rimmed cookie sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, keeping an eye on them so they don't burn. Meanwhile place the remaining 1 tbs of olive oil in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. Add minced garlic, and cook for 30 seconds. Add in honey and vinegar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue to cook for about 5 minutes until syrupy and smooth. When brussel sprouts are tender but not soft remove from oven, place in a serving dish or bowl and pour glaze over them, mix gently, serve and Enjoy!

Went well with plain pasta and Parmesan, the glaze spilled over into the pasta and it was scrumptious!

This Recipe was a part of a link party, see other scrumptious recipes at What's cooking Wednesdays link party, Just click on the button below:

Homemade Granola Bars

I have a love hate relationship with Granola bars, i want to like them but So far, over the years of searching, one of the only store bought ones i like are the fruit and nut bars by Nature Valley. So I've been a little apprehensive about trying to make them myself, but these home made, granola bars we're a much better and probably much healthier version, i am quite sold, and i hope you will be to! 

Sweet Potato Coriander and Lentil Stew

Soup is one of those great things that I never used to appreciate as a kid. I guess there’s just something about it that didn’t appeal to my young taste buds. As an adult and especially since getting married and learning how to run my own household I have found a new love in soup. It is a filling, easy and very flexible dish that can last for 3 to 4 days or more, which when you have a particularly busy week is a VERY  "Good Thing" (to quote Martha Stewart).

About a year ago I received Jillian Michael's Master your metabolism cook book as a gift from my sister Christina, and unfortunately have not used it until now. I don’t know if you could tell, but I Love sweet potato!! So when I saw this recipe I new I had to make it. So glad i did, it was delicious and a great introduction to lentils as well. i hope you will try it as a healthy, vegetarian, but very yummy dinner option.

Sweet Potato Coriander Lentil Stew 

Adapted from Jillian Michael's, Master Your Metabolism 

Ingredients:

2 Tbs Olive Oil 

1 Lb Brown Lentils 

2 Carrots, Chopped

2 Stalks Celery, Chopped
1/2 Red Onion, Chopped
1 Clove of Garlic, Minced
1 Fresh or Dry Bay Leaf
7 C. Water
1 Large Sweet potato (about 1 Lb), peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 (14oz can) Diced Tomatoes
1 Tbs Fresh Lemon Juice (or lime).
1/2 C. Fresh Cilantro, chopped. 
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/4 Tsp Black Pepper
8 Tbs. plain low fat yogurt for serving

Directions:

Heat olive oil in pan over medium heat. Add celery, red onion, and carrots, cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic, and cumin, cook for 30 seconds more. Add the lentils, water, and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer, cover and continue cooking for 10 minutes before adding sweet potatoes. Cook for another 12-15 minutes or until sweet potatoes are just tender. Stir in tomatoes with their juice, the lemon or lime juice, salt and black pepper. Taste and adjust lemon juice and salt if you feel it needs more. Serve with yogurt and extra cilantro. Serves 8. Enjoy!!

Sweet Potato and Spinach Gnocchi

 

I am so excited about this post for so many reasons but the one thing about it that is particularly exciting is the fact that my husband is making his first "real" debut on this blog. What can i say about this man?! There are not enough words to express how i feel about him, nor would he desire me to take up the pages of my blog writing about him, so I'll spare you! Let me just say this, he is wonderful! his latest endeavor to spend more time with me is to read to me while i cook. He loves it because he can read and i love it because i get to spend more time with him.