Garlic Apple Cider Vinaigrette

I love eating salads but there is a lot of sugar in the store bought dressings that I own.  I need to go out and find some good ones to replace what I have but I haven't done that yet.  Shopping with two kiddos is no joke - pretty much becomes my workout for the day!

I was looking for some easy dressings to make on Pinterest and found one from Skinny Mom that I went off of to create my own.  This vinaigrette was simple, easy, fast and DELICIOUS!  Already had all the ingredients - my kind of recipe!

Garlic Apple Cider Vinaigrette

• 1 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 4 cloves of fresh garlic
• 1.5 tsp kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp black pepper
• 3 Tbsp yellow mustard

Mix those up and boom!  Done!  So so good and I just can't get enough of it!  I have been eating mine on a bed of spinach with some broccoli, carrots, boiled egg and chicken.  Does not disappoint!

Also, I like to make my salads in a tupperware so I can put the lid on and shake it!  Makes the dressing cover everything evenly.  Gotta love that!  I'll probably have this for lunch again today.  Too good to quit!  Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Fries

I recently tried this recipe and it did not disappoint.  I absolutely love sweet potato fries... especially from Red Robin!  But let's be honest, those are not very healthy.  So I have found a solution to this problem.

This recipe comes from The Biggest Loser Cookbook.  And if you don't have this book, you should go buy it.  Right now.  I've tried about 15 recipes from this book and they have all been amazingly good and amazingly healthy!  Also, they are very realistic.  It's not a bunch of health recipes about these gourmet meals that include fish and ingredients you've never heard of.  They are good, simple meals.  I've already shared one recipe from this book for meatballs.  And I have several others I will be sharing.

So this recipe is great if you are craving those wonderful sweet potato fries!  And if you don't like sweet potato fries (gasp!), then just substitute with a normal potato.  But you should give sweet potatoes a try.  They are lower on the glycemic index and your body can process them better (so it does go to fat!).

Just thinking about these little babies is making me hungry.  I think I will have to make some right now!

Parmesan-Pepper Sweet Potato Fries

(makes 1 serving)

1/2 pound sweet potato fries, cut into 1/4''-thick sticks

1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil (I go for the cheaper route and use canola oil)

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon paprika

Pinch of cayenne

Salt, to taste

Pinch of ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Toss the potatoes in a medium bowl with all of the ingredients.

Place potatoes in a single layer on a nonstick backing sheet.

* Bake for 8 minutes, flip potatoes and bake for 10 to 12 minutes (or until potatoes are tender and browned in spots).

* I got this tip from Rachel Ray.  Place a cooking rack on your baking sheet and then put the fries on top of that.  This makes it so you don't have to flip the fries half way through.  They get crispy on both sides if you use this method.  (This is also a great tip for baking chicken!)

Delicious, Healthy Smoothie

I made this smoothie this afternoon... it was sooo delicious!  I just had to share it!  Once again, I didn't follow a recipe but this one was such a winner, I will making it again!

  

Berry Delight

1-2 heaping cups of fresh spinach, rinsed

1 banana

1 apple

1-2 cups of pineapple

1 cup of frozen berries (I used a mixture of blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries)

1/2 cup of ice

1/2 cup of skim milk

1/2 cup of strawberry yogurt (I used Yoplait Light)

Mix it all up and enjoy!

    

Drink Up!

Green smoothies are definitely something worth trying.  They are basically a fruit smoothie with some added spinach.  I can't stand to eat spinach but when added to a smoothie, you don't even know that it is there!  Spinach has a very high amount of vitamin A and C, plus a ton of other things that are good for your body.  If you need away to get in your daily amount of fruits and veggies, than a green smoothie is definitely for you!

Usually I add some berries and I would definitely suggest this in the future.  The smoothie I made in the video was good, but the berries make it super delicious.  I would also suggest adding more milk or some yogurt to make the smoothie a little thinner (the one I made was pretty thick).

I found a recipe at Sing For Your Supper.  I think it looks like a really good one.  I'm going to try this recipe out next time I make a green smoothie.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Green Monster Smoothie
1 banana, roughly chopped
4 or 5 strawberries
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1 small peach, peeled and roughly chopped
1 heaping cup (or more) fresh spinach leaves, thoroughly rinsed
splash vanilla soy milk
1 tablespoon Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 cup crushed ice
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.
*this recipe makes a very large smoothie- two could easily share.

On Top of Spaghetti

So I've posted some chicken recipes, but what about ground beef?  Is ground beef even healthy?  Listen to the podcast to find out.

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On top of spaghetti all covered with cheese.

I lost my poor meatball when somebody sneezed.

It rolled off the table, it rolled on the floor,

And then my poor meatball rolled out of the door.

It rolled in the garden and under a bush,

And then my poor meatball was nothing but mush.

The mush was as tasty as tasty could be,

And early next summer it grew to a tree.

The tree was all covered with beautiful moss.

It grew great big meatballs and tomato sauce.

So if you eat spaghetti all covered with cheese,

Hold on to your meatball and don't ever sneeze.

Haha, sorry that was just a flash back of my childhood.  Good ol' Sesame Street!  Here is a delicious and healthy meatball recipe.  This is a spicy meatball recipe so if you plan to put it on top of spaghetti just omit the fennel seeds, red-pepper flakes, and substitute the sauce with marinara sauce.  This is so delicious and so easy to make! Enjoy!

Spicy Meatballs with Fiery Chili Sauce

1 pound lean ground beef

1/2 cup cooked brown rice (or oat flakes)

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon italian seasoning

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon dried minced onions (I use onion powder)

pinch of salt and black pepper

Sauce

1/2 cup chili sauce

1/2 teaspoon hot-pepper sauce 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Mix the first 8 ingredients together in a bowl.  Then form the fixture into 1" meatballs and place on a nonstick backing sheet.  Back for about 7 minutes or until the meatballs are just barely pink inside.

Transfer meatballs to a medium bowl and add the sauce.

Makes 4 servings (8 meatballs each)

(The Biggest Loser Cookbook Copyright 2006, recipe found here)

Enough With Being Healthy....Let's Eat Chocolate

  

Wait...Chocolate!? Yes...just listen to the podcast below...

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Sugar free pudding mix
Skim milk
Fat Free Cool Whip

Yes Please.

Delicious Broccoli! What?

Yes it is true.  Broccoli can be delicious.  Growing up I always hated broccoli.  My mom would always tell me, "Try it!  You might like it." and I always I hated it.  I hated it raw and I especially hated it steamed!  It gets all mushy and soggy when it's steamed... and I still hate it.

So why do I post about broccoli being so delicious?  It's because I found the secret to make it taste good (and this doesn't involve drowning it in cheese....that defeats the purpose of being healthy).  Drumroll please.....the secret is....

You bake it.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Wash and cut broccoli into small chunks

Then spray Canola oil spray on a baking sheet.  Place the broccoli cuts on the baking sheet.  Spray one a little bit more canola oil onto the broccoli.  Add a bit of salt and pepper.

Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes (until the broccoli is tender when you stick it with a fork and it starts to look a little crispy)

It is so delicious.  I hope you like it!  (A big thanks to my wonderful sister-in-law for teaching me this one!  It's our favorite side dish at our place!)

Home-Cooked Meals

Did you know that the typical American family eats out 3 times a week?  Spending anywhere from 200 to 400 dollars a month, just on eating out!  That's over 3,600 dollars a year!  Not only does eating out really hurt your budget, but it's also super unhealthy for you as well.

But as busy as our schedules are these days, it's no surprise that we all make those last minute fast-food-runs.  I'm here to tell you, that with just a little bit of extra planning, you can have healthy meals prepared in just 20 minutes.  

Tip: Always have chicken in your freezer.  Chicken is a very healthy meat because it is high in protein and low in fat.  For some quick recipes that you can do on the fly, check out the video below.

One Saturdays, I like to sit down and plan my meals for next week.  I make sure that I have all of the ingredients needed.  During the week my husband and I don't get home until 5 pm or later.  By this point we are starving and if dinner isn't ready soon, we may fall prey to the fast food dilemma.

It really helps if your meat is already thawed.  I usually take whatever meat I'm planning on cooking out of the freezer the previous night.  That way, by the time I get home, I can have a meal ready in 20 minutes.

Tip: When you find chicken on sale, stock up and freeze it.
Tip: If you forget to take your meat out of the freezer or if it hasn't quite finished thawing, just put it in the microwave for a few minutes.

There are many different tips and recipes that can help you create a healthy, home-cooked meal.  I'll be posting on this subject quite often since it is something everyone relates to.  It does take a little bit more work and planning to create healthy meals.  But remember it is worth it!  You'll save a lot more money and you will thank yourself later when you aren't trying to burn off all those calories.


Here are a couple of my favorite, quick and easy, chicken recipes...

Chicken Taco Salad

1 cup cornflakes (crushed)

1 cup parmesan cheese (the video said 1/2 cup. sorry it was a mistake!)

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional) 

Bread 2-4 chicken breasts in the mixture above.  
Put breaded chicken on a backing sheet (on aluminum foil for an easy clean up).  
Cook in the oven on 400 for 20-30 minutes.

While the chicken is cooking, wash and shred some green leaf lettuce.  

Toss with lettuce:

1 can black beans

1 cup of corn

Cut your chicken into pieces and serve on top of salad.  
Top with Fat Free or Light Ranch.

Chicken Parmesan

1 cup cornflakes (crushed)

1 cup parmesan cheese

1-2 tablespoons italian seasoning 

First, get a pot of water on the stove so it can start to come to a boil.

Then, bread 2-4 chicken breasts in the mixture above.  

Put breaded chicken on a backing sheet (on aluminum foil for an easy clean up).  

Cook in the oven on 400 for 20-30 minutes.

When the water starts to boil, put your noodles in, cover, and turn off the heat.  

Leave for 20 minutes.

Heat up some spaghetti sauce and you'll be ready to go!

Top with:

mozzarella cheese (mozzarella is a low-fat cheese.  No guilt there!)

And don't forget a vegetable!  Chicken Parmesan goes great with any vegetable that you have on hand.  It is very important to eat a balanced diet, so you should always have a vegetable along with your main meal.

I have an amazing recipe for broccoli that I will be sharing shortly, so stay tuned!