Healthy Stuffed Italian Stuffed Shells

And 21 Day Fix Approved!

21 Day Fix Stuffed Italian Shells

This version of the stuffed shells  replaces a lot of the mozzarella cheese that typical recipes contain with ricotta cheese in the filling.  It’s still yummy and satisfying and a great recipe the whole family will love!

Ingredients

• 25 Jumbo Shells (whole wheat if you can find them!)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb ground beef (or turkey)
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups pasta sauce
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Cook shells until el dante and set aside
2. Heat oil over skillet and add garlic and saute for a few min.  Add ground meat and onions and season with salt and pepper.  Cook until meat is no longer pink. Set aside to cool.
3. Mix ricotta cheese, spinach and eggs in bowl.
4. Once meat mixture is cooled, add to ricotta mixture.
5. Pour 1/2 cup of pasta sauce in bottom of 9×13 dish.
6. Stuff 25 pasta shells with roughly 2 tablespoons of mixture and place in baking dish. Pour remaining 1 1/2 cups of sauce over the shells and top with mozzarella cheese.
7. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in oven at 400 for 30-35 minutes.

**21 Day Fix Containers (per 5 shells): 1 Yellow, 1 Red, 0.5 Purple, 0.5 Green, 1 Blue ***

Like this recipe? Share it! Or find more recipes like this one on my LIKE page. If you're interested in receiving you FREE copy of my 5-Day Clean Eating Plan or if you want to participate in my next FREE Clean Eating bootcamp, apply here!

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Kid-Approved Dinner with Hidden Veggies

If they can't see them...

Ground Chicken Meatloaf Muffins with Hidden Veggies

I wasn't sure I'd be able to sneak these past my two boys (4 and 2) but I did! I stuffed the meatloaf muffins with carrots and zucchini leftover from the garden. You can use any leftover veggies you have around the house!

Ground Chicken Meatloaf Muffins with hidden veggies

Ingredients:

1 pound ground chicken
1/3 cup oatmeal
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1 egg or 2
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Salt and pepper
A couple of handfuls of Ninja'd carrots and zucchini

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, but only use about ¼ of the tomato sauce in the meat mixture.

Press the meat into the muffin cups (you should be able to get eight to 10 out of this amount of meat).

Top with a dollop of tomato sauce on each one.
Cook for 30-35 minutes.

Serve two per person.

Nutritional Info: The calorie count is about 110 per muffin. (Pretty good if you ask me!)

ENJOY and let me know what you think!! If you want more recipes like this one, be sure to LIKE my page. If you're interested in receiving you FREE copy of my 5-Day Clean Eating Plan or if you want to participate in my next FREE Clean Eating bootcamp, apply here!

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Healthy Stuffed Italian Shells

Quick Healthy Italian Dinner

Holy moly. These shells are amazing!! If you boil ahead of time, it's a pretty quick dinner!

Stuffed shells

1 lb ground chix breast
1 16 oz cottage cheese
1 pack of organic chopped spinach
1 bag of authentic large pasta shells
1 jar of favorite organic pasta sauce
1 TBS Penzeys Tuscan Sunset Seasoning
1 cup fresh mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400

Boil shells (the authentic ones should take around 20 minutes). Cool.

Heat ground chix in pan until cooked through and season with seasoning. Mix in a bowl with cottage cheese and thawed spinach.

Poor a little sauce to cover bottom of 9 x 13 pan. Stuff shells and top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle cheese on top. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 2 minutes more.

ENJOY and let me know what you think!! If you want more recipes like this one, be sure to LIKE my page. If you're interested in receiving you FREE copy of my 5-Day Clean Eating Plan or if you want to participate in my next FREE Clean Eating bootcamp, apply here!

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Mexican Chicken Zucchini Boats

Taking Taco Tuesdays to a New Level

These boats are a healthier spin on chicken burritos, swapping in nutritious zucchini for flour tortillas. A typical flour tortilla contains 25 grams of carbohydrates, 458 milligrams of sodium, and not much else. One zucchini contains 10 grams of carbs, 26 milligrams of sodium, as well as vitamins A, C, and K, and minerals like calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Using zucchini as the vessel is also convenient way to watch your portions without having to think too hard: 1 boat = 1 serving.

Mexican Chicken Zucchini Boats

Total Time: 1 hr. 10 min.

Prep Time: 20 min.
Cooking Time: 50 min.
Yield: 8 servings, 1 boat each

21-Day Fix Containers: 1 Green, 1 Red, 1/2 Blue, 1/2 tsp

Ingredients

4 large zucchini, cut in half lengthwise
4 tsp. olive oil, divided use
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup tomato sauce, no sugar added
2 Tbsp. tomato paste, no sugar added
1 Tbsp. ground chili powder (or 1½ tsp. chili powder and 1½ tsp. ancho chili powder)
1 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. ground paprika
3 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1⅓ cups corn kernels
1 cup shredded cheddar (or Monterey jack) cheese
2 Tbsp. finely chopped cilantro
1 medium tomato, chopped
2 green onions, thinly sliced

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400º F.
2. Using a spoon (or melon baller), scoop pulp out of zucchini to make boats. Place on a large baking sheet. Brush with 1 tsp. oil. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until tender-crisp.
3. While zucchini is baking, heat remaining 3 tsp. oil in medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Add onion; cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 6 minutes, or until onion is translucent.
5. Add garlic; cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.
6. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, and paprika. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
7. Add chicken and corn; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until heated through. Remove from heat.
8. Evenly spoon chicken mixture into zucchini boats. Evenly top with cheese.
9. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes, or until cheese has melted.
Sprinkle evenly with cilantro, tomato, and green onions; serve immediately

ENJOY!! And please come back let me know what you think!

If you want more recipes like this one, be sure to LIKE my page. If you're interested in receiving you FREE copy of my 5-Day Clean Eating Plan or if you want to participate in my next FREE Clean Eating bootcamp, apply here!

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QUINOA GREEK SALAD

Perfect quick salad for an event

This weekend we were invited to a home brew party. Luckily I had all these ingredients at home thanks to our garden. This takes 10 minutes to whip up and is usually a hit. We'll see what these home brewers think! Think it'll pair well with beer? We'll see...

Quinoa Greek Salad in 10 minutes

QUINOA GREEK SALAD

1 cup quinoa (recommended: Bob's Red Mill)
1½ cup vegetable broth
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded (if preferred) and diced
8 ounces grape tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoons dried dill
1 tsp dried oregano
1 cup kalamata olives, halved
4 ounces feta, crumbled or cubed
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon lemon juice

In a medium saucepan stir together quinoa and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil over high heat, stir once, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20-25 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes.

Then fluff with a fork.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cooked quinoa, cucumber, tomatoes, olives and feta.

In a small bowl, combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano, dill, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Pour over salad and stir to combine. Refrigerate for at least a half hour to allow flavors to meld.

ENJOY!! And please come back let me know what you think!

If you want more recipes like this one, be sure to LIKE my page. If you're interested in receiving you FREE copy of my 5-Day Clean Eating Plan or if you want to participate in my next FREE Clean Eating bootcamp, apply here!

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Guilt-Free, No-Bake Cookie Dough Treat

Did someone say cookie dough?

You're going to love this quick NO BAKE healthier option.

Ingredients:

2 scoops of vanilla Shakeology (I used two individual packs. Shakeology does not contain artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners or soy)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 TBS unsweetened almond milk
2/3 cups of real almond butter
as many semi sweet chocolate chips as you'd like

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix with hands. Roll into tiny balls and stick in fridge!

ENJOY!

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Weekly Meal Plan for Busy Family

MEAL PLANNING

As a busy mom, I have to meal plan to keep my family HEALTHY and to keep my head on straight. The two most important things, right?

I kept meaning to keep track of recipes to make life easier, but I wasn't sure how to get started. I finally figured it out this weekend once we made the decision to move. I was forced to purge and clean. I knew I needed to clean my giant recipe box, (exploding) with torn out magazine recipes.

Jackson (our toddler) and I spent over 2 hours going through every recipe and tossing the ones I knew I would never make and keeping the ones I knew I could make (under 20 minute) and then ones I knew I had made and we loved. Easy. Jackson dove through the papers and kicked them and slid on them over and over again, but at least I was able to go through them. Whatever works!

Now I have one single binder full of GO-TO recipes (mostly healthy and quick). The plan is to scan these in and make my own recipe book, but baby steps first. I'm just happy I'm semi-organized now. Why? It took me all but 5 minutes to figure out what I'm making for the week and write out a shopping list. BOOM.

Now, bear with me. This might not be HEALTHY HEALTHY, but as long as we're following the 80/20 rule in our house, mama is happy. (Eat really good 80 percent of the time.) AND the recipes MUST be easy. Even the unhealthiest recipe can be made healthy in some shape or form. This must be working because I have been able to get to pre-baby weight and then some, and continue to keep it off.

Anyway, ENJOY!

Sunday
Lucky us! In-laws called us over for a SMOKED turkey dinner to celebrate my father-in-law's bday. No cooking for me!

Monday
Costco has these Organic spinach raviolis. Will be pouring spaghetti sauce over these, serve with fresh bread and salad.

Tuesday
Quinoa, Black bean and avocado salad (I add chicken and throw on top of a bunch of greens)

Wednesday
Beef Taco Skillet (Is this the most healthiest? No. Can I add a ton of veggies to make up for it? YES!)

Add caption

Thursday
Grilled Flank Steak and Watercress Salad with White Beans

Friday
Beans and Greens Pasta (I will add Italian sausage to this)

Saturday
Pizza (we always have pizza once a week. The secret is to either make our own or to order red sauce and TONS of VEGGIES. TONS)

My favorite night of the week. Pizza and beer:) :) :) 

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My Water Obsession

Adding fresh fruit to my water

I keep seeing these awesome water bottles out there that allow you to smash up your fruit and flavor your water. I want one, but they are expensive. Plus, we have enough water bottles at home. Not fancy, but we can still make the best of them. I kind of wondered why I wasn't doing this already since I love lemons and lime in my water.

Fancy water with orange slices and raspberries

I bought an orange and sliced it up and smashed up some raspberries. Added ice and water. AMAZING. I did this to Jackson's water cup too.

Jackson's response: "Mumumumum!!"

Loved it! And it makes us both drink a whole lot of water throughout the day. The orange slices make me think of Tang!

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Quinoa, Black Bean Salad

Your On-The-Go Meal

Jackson and I were invited to the Minnesota Arboretum for a playdate, but around his dinner time. I figured this would be perfect meal to travel with and eat as we picnicked and played! Sure was a hit and I'm still eating it a few days later for lunch!

healthy and full of flavor!

Recipe found in Women's Health

2 1/2 cups precooked quinoa
1 can (10 oz) black beans
1 cup grape tomatoes
1/2 avocado (chopped)
1 cup cilantro leaves
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon lime zest
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
I added rotisserie chicken for even more protein

Enjoying our healthy meal at the Arboretum!

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Directions

1.

In a bowl, combine 2 1/2 cups precooked quinoa, 1 can (10 oz) black beans (drained and rinsed), 1 cup grape tomatoes (halved), and 1/2 avocado (chopped). In a food processor, pulse 1 cup cilantro leaves, 1/4 cup lime juice, 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon lime zest, 1 clove garlic, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Toss with quinoa blend and chill for 15 minutes.

Will be making this again!!

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Healthy Banana Rhubarb Muffins

Healthy Muffins

Rhubarb banana muffins

These were SUPER quick to make and totally delicious. Jackson (14 month old) could have easily eaten TWO in sitting. He devoured one all by himself in record time, followed by "mmmm" and a smile after every bite.

I found the recipe when I searched in Pinterest. I had extra rhubarb and I had old bananas sitting out and I wanted to make something with both, that was QUICK. Glad I did!

Blog I found the Rhubarb/Banana Muffins on.

Recipe (Yields about 16 muffins)
1 1/2 cups flour (use whole wheat for an even healthier muffin)
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 mashed bananas
1/2 cup greek yogurt
5 Tbs melted butter
2 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb

Spray muffin pans with non-stick cooking spray or use liners. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In one bowl, beat the bananas, yogurt, butter and eggs with an electric mixer. Add the sugar and beat again. In another bowl, stir together the flour, flaxseed, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients.

Stir briefly until moistened and then fold in the rhubarb pieces. Pour the batter into the muffin pans and bake for 25-30 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean) at 350 degrees.
I also sprinkled each muffin with brown sugar and cinnamon sugar in the pan before putting them in the oven for a crispier outside.

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Easy Homemade Banana Strawberry Ice Cream

Banana Strawberry Ice Cream

This is delicious and CHEAP versus your normal DQ Blizzard or tub of ice cream.

Homemade ice cream is the best!

I froze two and a half bananas in the freezer (it's easier to peel and chop up when they are all mushy and then put in a freezer bag)

I then put the chunks of bananas in our Ninja
I cut up some fresh strawberries
I poured in Jackson's organic whole milk - maybe a 1/2 cup
Added 1 tsp vanilla extract
Threw in some tasty dark chocolate

Yep, that easy. And HIT THE SPOT!

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Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Cauliflower Pizza Crust (Gluten Free)

OK...this is GOOOOOOOOD! Cauliflower as pizza crust? I know what you're thinking. Seriously, though...can't tell. I found a bunch of recipes on Pinterest and made it our own.

Looks like your normal pizza, doesn't it? Tastes like it too!

Goes like this:

• A head of cauliflower, rinsed and pulled apart into smaller pieces
• Throw pieces of cauliflower into Ninja and chop until cauliflower looks like rice flour and put in glass bowl
• Mix in bunches of basil in Ninja too
• Microwave cauliflower and basil in glass bowl (cover with paper towel) for 8 minutes
• In a separate small bowl, mix two eggs, 2 tsp of Italian spices and 1 tsp of garlic powder together
• Preheat oven to 450
• Mix in egg mixture and 2 cups of Pizza cheese with hot cauliflower
• Spray cookie sheet pan with non-stick oil
• Flatten cauliflower dough on pan
• Bake for 15 minutes
• Set oven to broil on high
• Top crust with pizza toppings
• Stick back in oven for 5 minutes

Here is cauliflower crust before it's baked!

Be prepared for house to smell good and your palate to be tricked. YUM!!!!!!!!!

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Healthy Breakfast Quinoa

Coconut flavored Breakfast Quinoa (kid tested)

Serves 4
Hands-on time: 10 minute
Total time: 22 Min
Recipe found in Cooking Light (June 2013)

Breakfast Quinoa...beyond good.

I've been terrible with posting recipes. Sorry. Yes, I'm still cooking and have found some AMAZING QUICK, HEALTHY dishes out there. I have a HUGE bin full to prove it. All the recipes sit in there. My goal this weekend is to clean it out and keep the ones I know we all loved, that were under 20 minutes and put them in a binder - 7 recipes per week. Then I plan to create a grocery list and plan out about 2-3 months of recipes and then recycle through. I won't have to plan as much. I won't have to write lists as much. It'll all be THERE and done. And I know we'll be eating healthy, which is very important to me. It's just finding the time to do it. I know I will though.

Anyway, I made this breakfast last Friday morning. For one, our kitchen smelled ridiculously good. For two, this tasted SO SO SO good. For three, Karl AND Jackson absolutely LOVED. LOVED.

I doubled the recipe (BTW). The recipe typed below just didn't seem like enough. Glad I doubled it.

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
3/4 cup light coconut milk

2 tablespoons water 

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup flaked unsweetened coconut

1 cup sliced strawberries

1 cup sliced banana

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Place quinoa in a fine sieve, and place the sieve in a large bowl. Cover quinoa with water. Using your hands, rub the grains together for 30 seconds; rinse and drain quinoa. Repeat the procedure twice. Drain well. Combine quinoa, coconut milk, 2 tablespoons water, brown sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally. Stir mixture constantly during the last 2 minutes of cooking.
3. While quinoa cooks, spread flaked coconut in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly.
4. Place about 1/2 cup quinoa mixture in each of 4 bowls. Top each serving with 1/4 cup strawberry slices, 1/4 cup banana slices, and 1 tablespoon toasted coconut. Serve warm.

Karl's reaction: "Babe, you can make this again and again whenever you want."

Jackson's reaction: "ohhhh!"  *mows down*

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Cocktail I'm Loving this Spring

Strawberry Chile Martini

This is a must post. FINALLY WARMER WEATHER. What better way to celebrate than taking the stroller out and going for a bunch of walks and runs and playing at all the parks. There is something about the sun and warmth that makes me smile...and crave a yummy adult beverage.

Yes, you are seeing a jalapeno floating around with a strawberry

Everyone knows I get 20 different magazines every month. Yes, up to 20 now. One of my favorites is Eating Well. Tons of healthy recipes and informative articles about the nutrition we consume.

Karl flipped through the pages and came across this drink recipe and made it for us. YUM. YUM. YUM. Sweet AND spicy.

Strawberry Chile Martini
Recipe found in Eating Well - June 2013

Makes: 2 servings
Active Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

6 ripe strawberries, hulled, plus more for garnish

2 slices fresh jalapeño, plus more for garnish

1/2 lime, cut into wedges

3 ounces vodka, gin or tequila

1 ounce Grand Marnier

1 tablespoon agave nectar or simple syrup, or to taste

Ice cubes

 

Enjoy!!!

 

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Munchkin Meals

I follow several blogs, but one of my favorites is from a first-time mom who is an inspirational health and fitness nut. Every once in a while she posts Munchkin Meals. I love this. She basically highlights what her toddler eats in a typical day. I thought I’d borrow her idea and highlight what I feed Jackson (now 1 year old) during specific mealtimes. I’m going to start with breakfast.

Enjoying breakfast

 

I’m doing this because I am ALWAYS looking for good healthy food ideas for Jackson. I’m trying to introduce more and more protein into Jackson’s diet because he is so skinny so I’ve been doing research and trying to stick to healthy grains and more natural foods, that also taste really great.

BREAKFAST

To me, eggs are a great source of protein but we haven’t yet incorporated them into Jackson’s diet. Now that he’s a year old, I WILL be making these Mini Quinoa Egg BLT BITES this weekend. http://iowagirleats.com/2012/10/16/mini-blt-quinoa-cups/

BLT Quinoa Cups

 

Otherwise Jackson will get one of these dishes for breakfast regularly:

1.       Spiced Breakfast Quinoa  - http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/breakfast_quinoa.html

Spiced Quinoa

 

2.       Whole wheat oatmeal pancakes with blueberries - http://christiekoester.blogspot.com/2011/06/oatmeal-buttermilk-cinnamon-pancakes.html

Blueberry Whole Wheat Oatmeal Pancakes

 

3.       Overnight steel cut oats with a fruit cooked in - http://christiekoester.blogspot.com/2012/10/pumpkin-steel-cut-overnight-oats.html

Overnight Steel Cut Pumpkin Oats

 

4.       Two cubes of frozen pureed fruit, heated and then mixed together with ground oatmeal. I stir in Yo-Baby Whole Milk yogurt.

Oats

 

5.       Cottage cheese and a fruit chopped up and cheerios

 

All of these are served with a cup of breast milk, but we’ll soon be moving over to organic whole cow’s milk.

What do you serve your toddler for breakfast?

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Healthy Wild Salmon with Spaghetti Squash Pesto and Tomatoes

Super Foods Recipe
(this is really easy. I made this while nursing Jackson and getting him ready for bed. Pretty nuts if you ask me.)

Salmon is such a power food. It's great for your heart, inflammation, and is packed with Omega-3s that are good for your overall mental health too!!!

Here are some of salmons benefits - http://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/animal-product/health-benefits-of-salmon.html Also, shoot for wild salmon versus farm raised. Here is a good website to read why wild is best - http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/expert.q.a/01/08/salmon.fresh.farmed.jampolis/index.html

Now...on to the amazing recipes....

Looks like this takes a lot of work but it really doesn't

I found both recipes as I was scanning Pinterest! Yay.

Spaghetti Squash Pesto with TomatoesGina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 1/4th • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 165.4 • Fat: 14.9 g • Protein: 2.4 g • Carb: 6.9 g • Fiber: 1.5 g

Ingredients:

• 1 small spaghetti squash
• 15 large basil leaves
• 1 small clove garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tbsp Parmigiano-Reggiano
• salt and fresh pepper
• 1 tomato, diced

Directions:

Cut squash in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds and fibers. Place in a microwave safe dish and cover. Microwave 8-9 minutes. Remove from the microwave and scoop out flesh with a fork into a large bowl.

In a small blender combine basil, garlic, olive oil, parmesan cheese, salt a pepper and puree until smooth.

Combine pesto with two cups spaghetti squash (save any remaining squash for another recipe). Add tomatoes and season with additional salt and pepper.


And for the salmon...
I did not grill, nor did I let salmon marinade. I took the frozen salmon (from Schwans) and sprinkled with all the goodness and stuck in the oven for 24 minutes. I'm short on time these days! And it still tasted amazing.

 

Grilled Salmon with Avocado salsa

 

Ingredients (for 4 people):

2 lbs salmon, cut into 4 pieces

1 tbs olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp paprika powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp black pepper

 

Avocado salsa

1 avocado, peeled, seeded and sliced

1 small red onion, sliced

3 mild hot peppers, seeded and deveined, diced or sliced

Juice from 2 limes

3 tbs olive oil

2 tbs finely chopped cilantro

Salt to taste

Suggested sides – Rice and patacones

 

Preparation:

1. Mix the salt, coriander, cumin, paprika, onion and black pepper together, rub the salmon fillets with olive oil and this seasoning mix, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
2. Pre-heat the grill.
3. Combine the avocado, onion, hot peppers, cilantro, lime juice, olive oil and salt in a bowl and mix well, chill until ready to use.
4. Grill the salmon to desired doneness.
5. Serve the salmon topped with the avocado salsa, and with rice and patacones or thick green plantain chips on the side.

This is the second time I've made this and Karl loves and I love. AND we're getting all the great health benefits of salmon.

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Pumpkin Steel Cut Overnight Oats

To me, this recipe was AWESOME. Our house smelled crazy good at 4 a.m. when I got up to nurse Jackson! I felt like I was eating HEALTHY pumpkin pie for breakfast! I took a recipe I found on Pinterest and made it my own because I read all the comments underneath and people were saying it was too bland. Well...and it was a "no sugar added" recipe and I can't do those!!!

Delicious Pumpkin Steel Cut Oats!

This is what I did... 

Ingredients

• 1 cup steel cut oats
• 3 cups milk (add an extra 1/2 cup of water or milk if you prefer a less thick oatmeal)
• Half a can of REAL pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
* Top with chopped walnuts, brown sugar, milk and flaxseed!!!

Directions

Combine all ingredients in your slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours. Enjoy!

 

I even got a text from Karl, "Good Oats!!!"

Will be making this lots!

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Dr. Oz's Cancer-Fighting Recipe

Chicken, whole wheat pasta cancer-fighting dish

 

serves 6

Dr. Oz's dish

 

 

My parents came up this weekend and stayed for a couple days so they could watch Jackson while we went to a wedding and then headed back to work. When I came home on Tuesday night, my dad was working on a recipe he saw on TV from Dr. Oz. He said that Dr. Oz said to eat this dish once a week and it'll prevent those cancer cells from multiplying.

 

It's a cold dish and REALLY good. The reason it's cold is so the nutrients don't get zapped! And it's garlicky, but delicious. GREAT for lunch too! Seems pretty easy to make.

 

 

1 – 28 oz can Italian Plum Tomatoes (organic is best)

4 – Tbs Virgin Olive Oil

1 – Tsp Red Pepper Flakes

2 – Tbs Capers (drained)

3 – Mashed cloves garlic or 1 clove chopped up fine

2 – Tbs Fresh Basil Leaves chopped up

12 - chopped up Kalamata Black Olives or 12 regular Black Olives

2 – 5oz cans of Albacore or Regular Tuna in water (drained) (can use shrimp or chicken too!)

1 – box 12/16 oz Whole Wheat Angel hair noodles or whatever you like

Chop garlic, Basil leaves and olives and put on side.

 

My dad also added mushrooms!

In large bowl mix Tomatoes, Olive Oil, Red Pepper Flakes. If Tomatoes are whole use mash potato utensil to smash up.

Mix in Capers, garlic, Basil, olives and drained tuna.

Mix and let stand.

Start Pasta. When done Put a pasta serving on plate and spoon on your sauce over pasta. Pasta will warm sauce up some.

Mix up and garnish with Parmesan Cheese

Enjoy with glass of white wine

You can substitute chicken or shrimp for the tuna.

 

Karl's opinion: "Whoa Gary!!! This is good. Say what!? It's cold??? If you didn't tell me it was going to be cold ahead of time, you would have blown my mind! It's really good though. I could have this seven days a week."

 

My take: Yum! Garlic city, but delicious!!! I like the chicken a lot.

 

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Crock Pot Zuppa Toscana (Copycat)

I have minimal time (like 10-15 minutes) during the week to cook, so now I plan my recipes the week before by going on Pinterest and pinning easy, fast (and healthy) looking recipes. I have like 250+ recipes pinned right now. YAY! I've made a bunch and all are AWESOME. This one caught my eye because I LOVE OLIVE GARDEN and it looked fairly easy. Maybe not the healthiest with the heavy whipping cream, but still AWESOME! ENJOY!

serves 5-6

Original recipe

Just like Olive Garden!

 

1 lb. Italian sausage (I like mild sausage)

2 large russet baking potatoes , sliced in half, and then in 1/4 inch slices

1 large onion , chopped

1/4 c. bacon bit (optional)

2 garlic cloves , minced

2 c. kale or 2 c. swiss chard , chopped

16 oz. cans chicken broth

1 quart water

1 c. heavy whipping cream

 

1. Brown the sausage links in a pan OR cook it in a 300 degree preheated oven on a sheet pan for 25 minutes (or until cooked).

2. Cut links in half lengthwise, then dice into 1/2-inch slices.

3. Place cooked Italian sausage, chicken broth, water, garlic, potatoes and onion in slow cooker.

4. Cover. Cook on High for 3-4 hours until potatoes are cooked and soft.

5. Optional: Mash the potatoes a bit with a potato masher for texture.

6. Turn the crock pot off and add the kale.

7. Return the lid and let sit for 5 minutes.

8. Add whipping cream and serve.

My take: Love it! Should have chopped up the Kale a little better, but really good! I'd even add more bacon. I cut everything up the night before so all I had to do was dump in the crock right before I left for work. I put on low for like 10 hours just because that's how my schedule works. No way around that. Still turned out amazing! The more garlic, the more flava flave!

Karl's opinion: "You could do without the Kale, babe. Otherwise super good." (That's the healthiest part!!) 

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