We're BACK!!

We're back after 8 days on vacation. The first 1/2 was in Phoenix visiting my mom and dad and the second 1/2 was mainly spent here...the pool at the Flamingo Hotel.
I'll post pics soon after I can get everything unpacked...we spent a lot of money. Well when it's $24 for two drinks at this pool, you better get out the lube for your rear end. I went shopping and got some really comfy flip flops!

What I really need to do is eat healthy. I haven't been so good lately and I NEED to get back on board.

What is your favorite healthy dish?

I'll feature your recipe and repost, linking to you for all the other healthy girls to see!

Easy Yummy Reduced Fat Alfredo Sauce

While I love Mexican food (I could eat queso dip for BL&D), I've always had a spot in my tummy for Alfredo Sauce. The bad side to it--it's enormous fat and calorie content! When B and I go to Olive Garden we order a side of it for our bread sticks and refer to it as our "lard boat." I never order the whole dish, it's just a gut bomb.

I came across this recipe and thought, "Hey, that looks like it'd be good." So I made a few modifications and came up with my version. It was divine!! Tons of flavor and yummy texture too. I love it with Dreamfield's Rotini.


Reduced Fat Alfredo Sauce
adapted from Our Best Bites

1/2 C skim milk
1/8 C reduced fat cream cheese
1/2 C fat free evaporated milk
1 Tbsp whole wheat pastry flour
1 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/4 t dried basil
1/2 Tbsp butter
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 C Parmesan cheese

1. Toss the milk, cream cheese, flour, pepper, basil and salt in a large cup and process with an immersion blender (or regular blender). Process until smooth and set aside.
2. In a pan, melt butter on med heat and add garlic. Let the garlic saute for about 30 seconds, you don't want to burn it. It should be nice and bubbly.
3. Then add milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for about 3 or 4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more. It should be much thicker now. When it's nice and thick (it's almost as thick as a normal Alfredo sauce) remove the pan from the heat. Add the cheese, stir it up. Let stand for at least 5 minutes before using. It will continue to thicken upon standing. Add additional garlic powder to your taste.
4. Toss with your favorite cooked pasta and enjoy!

(I hate the flash on my food, I swear it's not cafeteria food)

I can't believe I wasn't being bad...until my second helping. Hey that's spinach salad on that plate so I consider that nutritious.

Chicken Artichoke Marsala

If you follow me you've figured out by now my husband eats like a 5 yr old, I don't like to eat out much during the week, I'm always watching what I eat, I don't like boxed foods and I don't have a lot of time. With that information, I'm always looking for recipes that are nutritious, not too sugary, not artificial, easy and something both B and I can eat! Whew, no one wants to be me now :-(.

One weeknight I really wanted some sort of fancy meal (that's what I call it when I have to actually saute, and create, not just add sauce and mix. B already had a gourmet sandwich from the swanky joint down the street, Arby's, so it was just me for dinner when I found this recipe.

I follow Katie and love several dished I've tried, I just made a few changes since I don't like mushrooms.
Chicken Marsala
adapted from Good Things Catered and Americas Test Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (5-6 oz ), fat trimmed
• 1/4 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
• salt and ground black pepper
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 c. chopped canned artichokes
• 1 small garlic clove, minced or pressed
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• 3/4 c. Marsala wine
• 1/2 packet of True Lemon (crystallized lemon) in 1 tbsp water, I was out of lemons.
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1/2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley leaves

Directions:

1. Pat the chicken breasts dry. Place flour in a shallow baking dish or pie plate.
2. Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper.
3. Coat both sides of chicken with flour. Lift the breast from the tapered end and shake to remove excess flour and set aside.
4. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
5. Place the floured chicken in a single layer in the skillet and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
6. Using tongs, turn the cutlets and cook on the second side until golden brown and the meat feels firm when pressed with a finger, about 5 min longer).
7. Transfer chicken to a heated plate and cover.
8. Return the skillet to low heat and add artichokes.
9. Saute, stirring occasionally and scraping the pan bottom with a wooden spoon to loosen the browned bits, until the artichokes are lightly browned.
10. Add the garlic and tomato paste, stirring constantly, until the tomato paste begins to brown, about 1 min.
11. Off the heat, add the Marsala.-
12. Return the pan to high heat and simmer vigorously, scraping browned bits from the pan bottom, until the sauce is slightly syrupy and reduced, about 5 min.
13. Off the heat, add the lemon juice and accumulated juices from the chicken.
14. Whisk in the butter until incorporated.
15. Stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.
16. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve immediately.

Note: I like to place the chicken back into the pan and simmer for 1 min, flipping once, before serving to coat chicken in sauce. I also tossed the ziti with it for few moments as well. It turned out very yummy.

Zucchini Bread or Muffins

I constantly search for new recipes online that are quick and easy breakfasts on-the-go while still being healthy and satiating. This recipe looked delicious so I lighted it up a bit and made it more healthy than the original version. Since I'm such a muffin girl, I just had to try them in the loaf as well to "think outside the Risa muffin box".

~adapted from Our Best Bites

• 2 C whole wheat pastry flour (or regular if you don't have this)
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 2 t cinnamon
• 1/8 t ground cloves
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/2 C olive oil
• 1/2 C granulated sugar
• 1/3 C brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 t vanilla (i didn't have quite 2, I ran out :-( )
• zest from one large orange
• 1/2 C light sour cream
• 3 C grated zucchini
• optional: 2/3 C chopped pecans, toasted (I used almonds, but wasn't that big of a fan how they turned out in there)

*Topping:

• 1 T white sugar
• 1 T brown sugar
• 1/2 t cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans and set aside. Combine flour, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and baking soda in a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside. Beat eggs, oil, sugars, and vanilla for about 30 seconds. Add sour cream and orange zest and beat to combine. Mix in zucchini. Add dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Divide batter between 2 pans. Bake for 50-60 minutes (or around 20-30 min for muffins) or until a knife comes out clean. Make sure to let your loaf rest on a cooling rack for at least 10 minutes before you try to remove it from the pan or it will come out in chunks!

I kept a close eye on my muffins, poking them periodically until the toothpick came out clean.
YUUUUUMMMMMYYYY!!

Wheat Blueberry Pancakes

Ever since I had blueberry pancakes last weekend, I've been craving more. I'm an easy cooking kind of girl so I searched cooks.com and found a decent recipe and made a few changes. I think they came out pretty good!

• 3/4 cup wheat flour
• 1/4 cup regular flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg, well beaten
• 1 cup skim milk
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
  

Preheat griddle to 350°. Mix all ingredients, except blueberries together,until incorporated. Pour batter on griddle until desired pancake size is achieved. Sprinkle pancake with blueberries. Cook until bubbles in pancakes arise. Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until golden on other side. Serve immediately with butter and REAL maple syrup. (Not that corn syrup crap that is colored and flavored to be maple.)

Strawberry Basil Viniagrette

I'm a sucker for homemade vinaigrette and since I now have a basil plant I can't find enough things to do with basil so I decided to pair it up with some strawberries recently. This recipe isn't an exact science so please adjust to your taste.

4-5 strawberries, cut in half
1/8 cup of red wine vinegar (or apple cider, or balsamic)
1/4 cup of EVOO
3 basil leaves
1 garlic clove minced
salt and pepper to taste
Italian seasoning (optional)

Put all into a blender and emulsify until smooth. (I used my immersion blender and it was done in seconds.) I made the salad with butter lettuce, Gorgonzola, and roasted chopped almonds.

Easy Spring Fruit Dessert

As some of you who know me know I love cheesecake. I love it so much I wanted a cheesecake wedding cake but the idea was vetoed by the hubs. If there were heaven on earth, I'd say it's puppies and cheesecake, I can't get enough of either.

In keeping with the Spring vibe I decided to make up a little concoction with some items in my pantry. When I was in St. Charles, MO my cousin's wife and I came across this super cute place selling all kinds of jellies and spices and I spotted this cheesecake/ball mix that I finally decided to make...problem was, I didn't know what exactly to do with it. The cheese ball alone was too rich but on fruit, now I'm in the money!!

• White Chocolate Cheesecake/Ball Mix by Wind and Willow (I used the cheese ball recipe on the back)
• Low-Fat Daisy Girl Scout cookies (or Teddy Grahams)
• Chopped fruit of your choice

1. Using a mini trifle bowl pile the items accordingly and you have a wonderfully yummy summer/spring dessert!

It can't get easier than this.

Healthy Rolled Chicken Tacos

I make these about once a week since they are so easy and very yummy. I love Mexican food so much but I'd live at the gym if I ate it as much as I want. The key to this is the salsa. It makes this tasty dish so moist and tangy.

2 boneless-skinless chicken breasts
6 corn tortillas
1/2- 3/4 cup reduced fat shredded cheese (either Mexican or cheddar blend)
2-3 tablespoons of salsa
olive oil spray
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook chicken on grill and set to rest for 5 minutes. Cut chicken breasts in half and place in food processor with salsa and pulse until shredded but not a paste. Transfer mixture to a bowl and add cheese, set aside. Heat up corn tortillas in the microwave for one minute (covered with a damp paper towel to keep moist). Spoon mixture in a row in the middle of the tortilla, like you would an enchilada, and roll. Set on a cookie sheet, seam side down. Continue doing this until all the mixture is used up. Sometimes you might need another tortilla, based on how thick you'd like your tacos to be. Spritz tacos with olive oil spray and sprinkle with salt.

Bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until the tacos turn golden. Remove from oven and serve immediately with salsa and low fat sour cream.

Banana Berry Smoothie

Finally it's "normal" temperatures here in Nebraska in February. Well normal for me is 50's + since I'm from AZ, but this 'heat wave' isn't normal for the Midwest. In the Southwest, it's springtime by now and we're sporting summer attire. I still haven't adjusted to that type of season yet here. I made a smoothie before work this week on one of the warmest days ever that was very tasty. I can't drink smoothies in the winter and have been dying for one so I jumped at the chance.

This drink is a healthy alternative to store/restaurant smoothies since I'm controlling the ingredients. It's wholesome and yummy and hits the spot on a sunny spring day!

1/2 banana
5 small fresh strawberries
10 fresh blueberries
1/4 cup crushed ice
2 Tbsp fat free plain yogurt (I just used the grocery store generic)
Tbsp flax seed
Tbsp wheat germ
serving of vanilla protein shake mix
8 oz of skim milk


Mix all ingredients with blender and enjoy!

BBQ Pulled Chicken

I'm not a pork fan so when hubs finally agreed to host the Superbowl party at our home, I decided to make it chicken. It's a super easy recipe and you can't really go wrong. The beer gives the chicken some tenderness.

4 Boneless-skinless chicken breasts
1 bottle of ale
1 cup barbecue sauce

Place all items in a pot, crock-pot, or rice cooker and simmer until chicken is cooked through. Pull the chicken out and shred on a plate, returning to pot after finished. Simmer for another 10-15 minutes without the lid, allowing the liquid to reduce to a sauce like consistency. Adjust flavor by adding more BBQ sauce to taste.

The Best Salsa Ever!

I am a huge salsa fan. It's one of the best things on the Mexican menu. I'm pretty picky about as well. Piling that canned chunky crap on a great chip is such a disgrace. My good friend Alecia gave me her favorite recipe for salsa she says is to die for. She definitely did not disappoint with this recipe and the people at my Superbowl party paid lots of compliments.

1 Can El Pato Sauce
Cilantro
Chopped Onion
1 can of diced tomatoes (or chopped fresh tomatoes)
Cilantro
Cumin
Garlic Salt
Tapatio Sauce


I have a food chopper/blender, so I throw in some cilantro, about a can of tomatoes, 4 shakes of garlic salt, about 1 ½ handful of onion, can of El Pato Sauce, 2 shakes of Cumin, 4 shakes of Tapatio sauce and mix it all up. Like I said, you really have to taste it to see if it’s hot enough for you or not, but these are the basic ingredients and the salsa is to die for.

Homemade Pinto Beans

Growing up I always loved homemade beans. There's something about their taste that sets them apart from canned. Making them is the easiest thing in the world too, so lets do it.

(let me preface you, I don't use measurements on this but I'll try my best to give you an idea.)

bag of pinto beans (I'd suggest trying a small batch first + they cook faster.)
4 cups of water
1 clove of minced garlic (or 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
1 tsp salt (or more to taste)
pepper


Wash beans in colander and make sure to pick out any abnormal ones, they usually don't cook well anyway.

Dump the beans, garlic and pepper into crock pot and cover well with water. Set on low if you have time (like overnight etc.) or high if you're wanting them to cook faster, under 4 hrs. I'd recommend for your first batch if cooking on high, to be at home. Sometimes my crock pot gets too hot on high and if I'm at work, I can come home and almost be burning the beans.

Periodically check/test the beans as they cook making sure they are immersed in the water. It's not a bad thing if there's a lot of water, you can always dump the excess but if the beans dry out, you can't fix that. Once the beans turn a solid tan color and are no longer spotted, they're ready to be tested. If the beans are soft they're done, if they're sort of chalky, they need to cook a bit more. These beans work great for the Healthy Tostadas.

Pita Lunch

I am constantly trying to find new ideas when it comes to quick lunches. This is one of my favorites. My mom used to make me these pitas for my lunch box when I was little.


1 half of a Pita
turkey slices
low-Fat cream cheese
green leaf lettuce

Just spread the cream cheese along one side of the pita and add the rest of the ingredients. I ate my pita with cottage cheese and chips and guacamole today,(I was very hungry)and voila--lunch!

Oh and just because he's so darn cute, my bub Duke!!





He loves snacks!! He's a little angel, we don't know what we'd do without him. Right now he's enjoying an afternoon at doggy daycare. It's so cold here, he can't go out and play :-(

Kid Friendly Chili

I have a picky husband who doesn't eat anything green. This is his mom's recipe that she cooked for them growing up. It's a good recipe for kids since there's not a ton of ingredients for kiddos to complain about.

1 large can of tomato juice
1/2 onion minced
1 can of Mrs. Grimes chili beans
1 can of petite diced tomatoes
1 lb. ground beef (I use lean 93/7)
1 packet of your favorite chili seasoning (I use either Carrol Shelby's Original Texas Chili Mix or McCormicks)

Cook beef and onions until cooked thorough. Sprinkle half of the chili seasoning in beef mixture and stir. Add tomato juice, tomatoes, beans and ground beef to your crock pot and cook for 2-3 hours on high or 4-6 on low. Enjoy!

Breakfast for Healthy Eaters

I'm getting back on the saddle of healthy eating. Today I started with a breakfast of Kashi Honey and Cinnamon and a skinny, sugar-free caramel latte. Hopefully I can stay on the healthy track for the rest of the day.