Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Chicken/Cheese Tortilla

This was AMAZING!!!  So easy and so yummy!!!
1 red, 1 blue, 1 yellow, 1 purple

Ingredients:
Whole wheat tortilla
Grilled chicken
Shredded cheese
Avocado
Salsa

Whole wheat tortilla with cheese, chicken, smashed avocado, and salsa on top!!

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Turkey Day Veggie Tray!


Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Crock Pot Balsamic Chicken

Super easy and tasted amazing -- like it took forever haha
Serves 4: 1 red, 1 green

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 onion thinly sliced
4 cloves of garlic
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried thyme
½ cup balsamic vinegar
2 - 14.5 oz cans crushed tomatoes

Drizzle olive oil into the slow cooker. Place chicken breasts on top of oil and season each breast with salt and pepper. Top chicken breasts with onion slices, garlic, oregano, basil, rosemary, and thyme. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over seasoned breasts and pour tomatoes on top


Cook in the slow cooker set to High until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 4 hours.

Slimming Spaghetti

1 yellow (or green if zoodles), 1 green, ½ blue, 1 red

Ingredients:
8 oz brown rice spaghetti also can replace with zucchini noodles
 Olive oil
2-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb fresh brussels sprouts, rinsed and sliced
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan chees
1 Tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
1 lb shrimp

Cook pasta according to package, reserving one cup of drained water

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large pan. Saute garlic until fragrant, but not brown. Add brussels sprouts and nutmeg to pan. Cook until sprouts become brighter in color, about 5 minutes.

Add reserved cooking liquid from noodles, cheese,red pepper flakes, sea salt and pepper to pan. Cook 5 more minutes over medium heat.


Add drained pasta and shrimp. Mix to combine and heat through.

Thursday, November 17, 2016

Chicken, Wild Rice & Butternut Squash Casserole

This was amazing and so yummy :)  Very fallish!
6 servings: 1 red, 1 green, 1 yellow, ¼ purple, ¼ blue

Ingredients:
1/2 yellow onion (thinly sliced and diced)
1 lb butternut squash (chopped into 1 inch squares – I always buy mine from Target or Cub Foods because they have it all chopped up for you)!
1 rotisserie chicken (sliced with skin removed)
1 cup wild rice (makes 3 cups cooked) or you could substitute quinoa if you prefer
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup freshly shaved parmesean cheese
1 Tablespoon freshly chopped thyme
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Salt and Pepper
  
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cook wild rice (or quinoa) according to package directions

While wild rice is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium heat. And in olive oil. Once oil is hot, add in your onion and squash. Sautee for approximately 6-8 minutes (or until squash is soft and you can easily pierce it with a fork). Season with salt and pepper.

Take a 9 x 13 pan and spray with olive oil or coconut oil

Once rice is ready, pour it into the pan along with the onion and squash mixuture.

Add in chicken, ¼ cup of the parmesaen cheese, dried cranberries, and thyme

Stir all ingredients together

Cover with tinfoil and cook in oven for 20 minutes.

Top casserole off with remaining ¼ cup parmesan cheese, cover and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Herb Crusted Pork Chops

This was so easy and so yummy!!  Ross literally said "this is the best pork ever!"  :)
4 servings

Ingredients:
4 boneless pork chops, fat trimmed
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1/2 cup whoel wheat panko breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Rub mustard evenly over pork chops.  Combine panko, thyme, parsley, salt, pepper in a large bowl and dredge pork chops in panko mixture.

Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat.  Add oil to pan and swirl to coat.  Add pork chops, saute for 2 minutes or until golden brown.

Turn pork over and place skillet in oven for about 8 minutes or until pork chops reaches 145 degrees in the center.  Enjoy!

Sunday, November 6, 2016

Stuffed Acorn Squash

This was the perfect fall meal -- so yummy!!  AND it was quick prep -- longer bake, but perfect for a sunday at home!
4 serving: 1 green, 1 red½ yellow
Ingredients
2 acorn squash
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup couscous
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3/4 pound ground beef, preferably lean chuck or sirloin
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1/4 cup dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees . Cut the squash in half crosswise and scoop out the pulp and seeds. Trim the ends so each half will stand upright. Place both halves in a baking pan, flesh side up, and pour hot water into the pan to reach about halfway up the squash. Add 1/2 tablespoon butter to the center of each squash and season with salt and pepper. Loosely cover the pan with foil. Bake the squash until tender when pierced with a fork, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Prepare the couscous according to the package directions and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 4 minutes. Push the onion aside, add the meat, season with salt and pepper and cook through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the walnuts, cranberries and couscous; season with salt and pepper.

Remove the squash from the oven and, using a spatula, carefully transfer each half to a plate. Pour out any excess liquid from the centers. Divide the couscous among the squash.

Saturday, November 5, 2016

Crustless Zucchini Quiche

Made this with a couple more eggs and 1/4 less of the ricotta -- super good and easy to make!
6 servings in my house - 1/2 RED, 1/3 GREEN, 1/2 BLUE 1/2 tsp

Ingredients
2 medium zucchini, sliced thin
1 onion, chopped
1 small container (15oz) of part skim ricotta
3 eggs
1 cup of shredded mozzarella
1 tablespoon of butter flavored olive oil, regular olive oil, or ghee
dash of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of dried basil
1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano
olive oil cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Sautée zucchini in oil or ghee until soft on low heat.

Add onions and cook on med/low heat for an additional 10 minutes or until tender. Add seasoning and pepper to zucchini mixture.

Beat eggs, then add in ricotta and mozzarella. Carefully fold in zucchini and onions.

Spray a pie plate with cooking spray and fill with ingredients.

Cook quiche until it sets - about 30 minutes.

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Miso and Ginger Glazed Salmon

This was pretty good -- I'm not a huge fan of fish taste, so next time I would do the marinade and have Rossy smoke it.  
4 servings: 1 red, 2 teaspoons

Ingredients
2 tablespoons miso paste
¼ cup mirin
1 teaspoon seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce (or gluten-free Tamari, if desired)
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon peeled, minced fresh ginger
4 wild salmon fillets, 4 to 6 ounces each
1 tablespoon grape seed or canola oil 

In a baking dish large enough to fit the salmon in one layer, whisk together the miso, mirin, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, honey, and ginger.

Put the salmon fillets in the dish and coat them in the marinade. Leave on the counter for 30 minutes, turning them a few times.

When you are ready to cook, heat the grape seed or canola oil in a large, heavy sauté pan over medium-high heat.
Set the filets skin-side down in the pan. Brush the salmon liberally with the marinade.

Cook until the flesh of the fish turn opaque about 1/3 of the way up the side (3 to 4 minutes). Use a spatula to turn the fish. Cook on the second side for another 3 to 4 minutes until the salmon is just cooked through, keeping in mind it will continue to cook even after it’s off the heat.

Transfer to a serving plate and serve immediately.

Notes
If you are going to buy frozen salmon, allow it to defrost in the refrigerator the day before and cut it into individual fillets. Salmon can be also be cooked under a broiler.

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Sweet Potato Chickpea Buddha Bowl

Well I heard this was amazing, but mine was a pure hot mess -- haha.  Rossy got chick peas in a bag (not a can) so they were rock hard -- even after I cooked them...and we just got broccoli (which was fine)....and yams...BUT despite all that - it still tasted good so I can't wait to make again with the right ingredients! 

Serves: 3 : 2 green, 1 yellow, Calories: 474

Ingredients
VEGETABLES
2 Tbsp olive, melted coconut, or grape seed oil
1/2 red onion, sliced in wedges
2 large sweet potatoes, halved
1 bundle (227 g) broccolini, large stems removed, chopped
2 big handfuls kale, larger stems removed
1/4 tsp each salt + pepper

CHICKPEAS
1 15-ounce (425 g) chickpeas, drained, rinsed + patted dry
1 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp each salt + pepper
1/2 tsp oregano (optional)
1/4 tsp turmeric (optional)

TAHINI SAUCE (OPTIONAL)
1/4 cup (56 g) tahini
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1/2 lemon, juiced
2-4 Tbsp hot water to thin

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and arrange sweet potatoes and onions on a bare baking sheet. Drizzle both with a bit of oil, making sure the flesh of the sweet potatoes are well coated and placed skin side down on the sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from oven flip sweet potatoes and add broccolini. Drizzle broccolini with a bit of oil and season with a pinch each salt and pepper.

Bake for another 8-10 minutes, then remove from oven and add kale. Drizzle kale with a touch more oil and season with a pinch each salt and pepper. Bake for another 4-5 minutes then set aside.

While vegetables are roasting, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add chickpeas to a mixing bowl and toss with seasonings.

Once hot, add 1 Tbsp oil and chickpeas and sauté, stirring frequently. If they’re browning too quickly, turn down heat. If there isn’t much browning going on, increase heat. I found 10 minutes total at slightly over medium heat was perfect.

Once the chickpeas are browned and fragrant, remove from heat and set aside.

Prepare sauce by adding tahini, maple syrup and lemon juice to a mixing bowl and whisking to combine. Add hot water until a pourable sauce is formed. Set aside.

To serve: Slice sweet potatoes into bite size pieces. Divide vegetables between 3 serving bowls and top with chickpeas + tahini sauce.

Best when fresh, though leftovers will keep for a few days in the fridge.