Tag Archives: healthy

I LOVE MEATBALLS!

Food, Main Dishes, Recipes, Snacks & Appetizers, , ,

I love meatballs

Every time I post a meatball recipe I get such great feedback from so many of you.  They always seem to rank right up there my most popular recipes.  I guess it’s true that people really do love their meatballs.

I’ve tried to decide which I like the most and I just can’t seem to pick one.  I always seem to change my mind each time I try the next one.  My husband Eric loves anything spicy so he’s completely torn between the Buffalo Chicken Meatballs and the Asian Chicken Meatballs.  

If you’re a fan of meatballs and haven’t tried these yet, I highly recommend trying them all.  I’d love to hear from you which one you choose as your favorite.

Your favorites so far go in the following order:

Asian Chicken Meatballs

Asian Chicken Meatballs Continue reading I LOVE MEATBALLS! →

Top 5 Recipes from 2013

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It’s been a great year with a lot of great new healthy recipes!  The following 5 recipes are the most popular recipes in 2013.  Cheers!

#5 – Broccoli Bites posted on March 16
Broccoli Bites

#4 – Avocado Grilled Cheese posted on March 5
Avocado Grilled Cheese

#3 – Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup posted on September 25
Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

#2 – Healthy Banana Muffins posted on January 17
Healthy Banana Muffin

And the winner is…

#1 – Fresh Homemade Salsa posted on July 30
Fresh Homemade Salsa

Homemade Sweet Potato Dog Treats

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Pets need delicious healthy food too! My Cooper, AKA Coop dog, loves to help out in the kitchen. And by help I mean wait for something to drop on the floor and he’ll gladly clean it up 🙂

Homemade Sweet Potato Dog Treats

Dog ApprovedMost dog treats and foods are filled with animal by products, corn, and a whole bunch of other junk our pets should not be eating. Yuck! Continue reading Homemade Sweet Potato Dog Treats →

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Muffins

Breakfast, Desserts, Food, Recipes, Snacks & Appetizers, Vegetarian, , , , , ,

Sometimes you just need something sweet! Strawberry Chocolate Chips Muffins will definitely do the trick and not make you feel guilty. These muffins are super moist and oh so yummy.

I used some of those delicious strawberries I picked the other day. I picked so many strawberries I didn’t even make a dent in huge basket I got at a local farm. So it looks like we will be eating a lot of strawberries this week!

Healthy Strawberry Chocolate Chip Muffins

Continue reading Strawberry Chocolate Chip Muffins →

Strawberry Blueberry Spinach Salad

Food, Recipes, Salads, Sides, Vegetarian, , , , , , , , , ,

Ahhh! Summer is in the air! This is one of my favorite summer salads to eat. I just love all berries!  Since I live in a pretty rural area it is easy to find local berry picking farms. Nothing tastes sweeter than picking a fresh berry and popping it right into your mouth!

This salad is also perfect to take to picnics and it pairs wonderfully with a poppy seed dressing or balsamic vinaigrette.

Strawberry Blueberry Spinach Salad

Continue reading Strawberry Blueberry Spinach Salad →

Healthy Broccoli Slaw Fish Tacos

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By popular request, healthy fish tacos! Last Friday I posted a question on Facebook asking what people liked to eat or drink to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

Well, I got lots of feedback! Yesterday I posted a guacamole recipe, the number one favorite. Guacamole would make an awesome topping to these delicious fish tacos!

Broccoli Slaw Fish Taco

Continue reading Healthy Broccoli Slaw Fish Tacos →

Quinoa Black Bean Quesadillas

Food, Main Dishes, Mexican, Recipes, Snacks & Appetizers, Vegetarian, , , , , , , ,

I totally made this recipe by accident and I’m so glad I did! I was originally planning on making tacos with this recipe but I couldn’t get the tortillas to cooperate for the photos. Hmmm, what to do? Then it struck me… Quesadillas!

quinoa black bean quesadilla

It was Sunday afternoon and we had a day full of projects, so this made the perfect quick and healthy lunch. My 5 year old loved them and ended up eating more of these than I did.

quinoa black bean quesadilla

tips&tricks

Super busy during the week? Make the quinoa mixture ahead of time and then assemble the quesadillas for a quick week night dinner. The mixture also works with tacos or a burrito if you prefer.

quinoa black bean quesadilla

Ingredients

  • ½ cup quinoa, cooked
  • ¼ cup onion, diced
  • ½ jalapeno pepper, diced or more for added heat
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • ½  teaspoon chili powder Package of whole wheat flour tortillas
  • Fresh cilantro, Greek yogurt, sliced avocado, salsa, shredded cheese, or any of your favorite toppings!

Directions

  1. Cook quinoa according to package directions.  
  2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet. Sauté onion and jalapeno pepper for 3 minutes.  
  3. Add minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute.  Add cooked quinoa, black beans, diced tomatoes, and chili powder to the sautéed veggies. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Set aside  
  4. Heat ½ tablespoon of oil in another skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium high heat.  
  5. Place tortilla in the skillet and spread about a ¼ cup of the quinoa mixture over the tortilla. Sprinkle with cheese, optional, and top with another tortilla.   Cook for about 5 minutes, or until brown, and flip.
  6. Cook for a few more minutes, until that side is brown.  
  7. Cut into pieces and serve with your favorite quesadilla toppings. 

Enjoy!

Sesame Kale Chips

Food, Game Day Recipes, Recipes, Snacks & Appetizers, Vegetarian, , , , , , , ,

Ahhh! The first day of Spring, although it does not feel like it Pennsylvania today, but at least the sun is shining. Which has me thinking swim suit season is right around the corner. Time to step up my fitness and be mindful of what I am eating.

First step, healthy snacks, especially since I am a big snacker during the day. Well these kale chips are delish and have you going back for more. Good thing they are a good for you and a guilt free snack!

kale chips

did-you-know

Did you know that Kale’s considered a superfood?  According to a May 2010 article published in “Diabetes Forecast,” it provides high levels of a number of essential nutrients and may help to lower your blood pressure.  Click here to find out more about why this vegetable is considered a super food.

kale chips

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch fresh kale, thick stems removed and chopped into bite size pieces
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • Couple of dashes of soy sauce, or tamari for gluten free
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Directions

 

  • Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Mix all ingredients in a large bowl to coat kale.
  • Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on your oven. I noticed the chips closer to the edge of the pan crisped first, so I removed those and cooked the rest a few minutes longer.

Chicken Salad Recipe

Food, Game Day Recipes, Main Dishes, Recipes, Salads, Sandwiches, , , , , , , ,

Looking for something different for lunch?  This chicken salad full of fruit and nuts will keep you feeling full.  It tastes great on rye and pumpernickel bread, on a bed of lettuce, with crackers for a snack, or how I like to eat it, right off a spoon!

Chicken Salad

Ingredients

  • 2 large chicken breasts, boiled and shredded, or a rotisserie chicken shredded
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 1/4 cup red or white onion, diced
  • 1 apple, diced
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup walnuts or sliced almonds
  • 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons mayo, I used the kind with olive oil
  • 1/2 a lemon
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Boil chicken breast in water and some salt and pepper until cooked through. About 20 minutes depending on the size of the chicken. Cool and  shred the chicken with 2 forks. A rotisserie chicken from the grocery store would work too.
  2. In a large bowl mix chicken, celery, onion, apple, cranberries, nuts, yogurt, mayo, and lemon juice. The yogurt and mayo can be adjusted to taste. Salt and pepper to taste. The longer the chicken salad marinades the better it tastes.
  3. Serve as a sandwich, or on a bed of lettuce.

nutrional facts - chicken salad

Buffalo Cauliflower “Wings”

Food, Game Day Recipes, Main Dishes, Recipes, Snacks & Appetizers, Vegetarian, , , , , , , , ,

Looking for a healthy option to replace the traditional Super Bowl wings?  These buffalo cauliflower “wings” are surprisingly good and easy to make.  Kitchen tested by husband, who loves chicken wings, gobbled them up!

Cauliflower Wings

Ingredients

  • 1 head cauliflower, washed and trimmed into bite size pieces
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 cup of flour
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup buffalo sauce
  • 1 tablespoon of butter, melted
  • Assorted veggies and bleu cheese or ranch dressing for dipping


Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
  2. In a large bowl, whisk buttermilk and flour, and garlic until smooth.
  3. Carefully add cauliflower to the bowl and toss to coat with mixture. (I just used my hands)
  4. Place cauliflower in a single layer on a baking sheet. You may need to use two baking sheets. Bake for about 17 minutes. Keep watching and remove if starting to brown.
  5. Mix melted butter and buffalo sauce.
  6. Remove cauliflower from the oven and pour buffalo sauce over the pieces. I tried to gently move the cauliflower around with a spatula to coat with sauce.
  7. Return cauliflower back to the oven and bake for another 6-10 minutes. Let cool and serve with bleu cheese dip and assorted veggies.

Enjoy!