Easiest Mac & Cheese Ever!

So my toddler asked for mac & cheese tonight and we didn't have any in the cabinet. Panic set in and I was waiting for a meltdown to begin. I quickly started a pot of water and figured I would wing it.

I am shocked at how good this came out! Here is what I did...

-- Cook pasta on the stove. I used elbows that were leftover in a baggie because it's all we had and it was perfect for it.
-- Add some butter (regular, sunflower, coconut, etc.) and a little cream or milk (whole, almond, etc.). Whatever you prefer and have on had.
-- Mix in parmesan cheese and a little shredded cheddar until fully melted. Add more liquid as needed.

SO easy, way more flavor then boxed and without those extra unneeded preservatives. Obviously powdered cheese can't be healthy for you, that's a no brainer.

The amount of time it took to make this was the same as microwaving an easy mac and letting it sit and cool so why not do this?! This isn't something I would do when making mac & cheese for the family or a party, etc. but it's definitely a great alternative when in a bind or when only cooking for the kids.

Next time your toddler wants mac & cheese, remember this!

 

Positive vibes,

 

Jenn

Pretzel Snack Recipe

I have a new show obsession, THE KITCHEN on the Food Network. I love the cast, the recipes, the vibe of the set, the DIY stuff, etc. Cooking shows aren't something I normally watch, but I DVR this one it's THAT good. The cast is funny, clever and smart. The recipes are all delicious with healthy options and products that are a little out of the ordinary which is cool. The DIY projects are usually always recycling something and having a new use for it which I absolutely LOVE. I have made DIY cleaner made from fruit that I use for our kitchen counters and just this last episode they did some very interesting things with old cans that I have to try.

 

Also on the most recent episode they made two versions of pretzels snacks, one sweet and one savory. After seeing how good they looked I had to try them so I whipped them up quickly yesterday.

 

The jar on the left is chocolate syrup (I use the 5 simple ingredients one made by Hershey's since it doesn't have all the additives in it and preservatives) and blended unsalted peanuts. I realized after blending I could've just used my PB2 and the other option is instead of blending to just smash some up so it's more chunky. You simply coat the the pretzels with the syrup and then coat that with the nuts.

 

The jar on the right is a balsamic glaze coating the pretzels with parmesan cheese, italian spices and garlic powder.

 

Both are really good! Next time I think I would coat them both more and add more toppings.

 



Quinoa Cakes

 

You know me and quinoa, I love it and it's a great source of protein and a healthy food that fills you up. I ate these for dinner last week and really enjoyed them.

 

The recipe calls for:

 

2 cups quinoa, cooked

2/3 cup fontina cheese, grated

3 tbs flour

1 egg

2 tbs olive oil

2-3 chives

salt & pepper to taste

 

-- Add the olive oil to a pan and heat on medium.

-- Mix the remaining ingredients. Form patties, I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup.

-- Add the patties to the heated pan. Cook on each side for about 5 minutes.

 

I made an aioli to dip them in which came out great and paired well with the patties. I used minced garlic, a little mayo (light if you have it), a couple drops of lemon juice and a chipotle spice we had on hand. You can use any spice you prefer and can also substitute a different cheese if you wanted.

 

 

Enjoy!



Salsa Chicken Quinoa Casserole

I am starting to finally use my crock pot more. My goal is once a week. It really makes for an easy after work meal with no stress and rushing around. I walk in the house after getting my son at school and it smells amazing, all my worries about what's for dinner are gone and I can concentrate on quality family time. 

This healthy recipe didn't disappoint. I look forward to eating leftovers for lunch today. :)

The recipe calls for:

3 chicken breasts

8 oz quinoa

2 cups salsa

1 can black beans

1 can corn

2 cups water

8 ounces shredded Mexican cheese blend

1 can green chiles

5 ounces queso fresco

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Optional toppings:

avocado, tomatoes, greek yogurt, olives, extra salsa or cheese

In my opinion next time I think I will skip the queso inside the crockpot and only have my husband use it as a topping. There's so many other flavors that to me it was just added calories to the mixture. 

-- Put the chicken in the crock pot. I used frozen chicken because it was easier but you can use thawed.

-- Rinse and drain the beans and drain the corn. Keep the liquid from the green chiles. 

-- Add all ingredients to the crock pot except water and 1/2 of the shredded cheese. Once all other ingredients are added, top the mixture with the water and remainder of the cheese. You can also use chicke broth instead of water. 

-- Cook on low for 6-8 hours. 

-- Serve with toppings of your choice. 

Lasagna Stuffed Peppers

Lasagna with no pasta, super low carb! It's a simple recipe and delicious. The peppers bring a great taste to the dish. I will definitely be making this again. 

The recipe calls for:

4 large peppers (we used red)

2 1/2 cups marinara sauce

ground meat

1 cup part skim ricotta cheese

1 cup part skin mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup parmasean cheese

italian seasoning 

-- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and put foil on a baking pan. 

-- Slice the peppers lengthwise and remove the seeds, etc. Place them on the baking dish and cook for 20 minutes. 

-- Cook and brown up the meat in a pan. We used lean ground turkey. Add the sauce to the pan once the meat is fully cooked. 

-- Layer the peppers with the meat/sauce mixture, then ricotta, more meat sauce and top with mozzarella cheese. 

-- Bake on the middle rack for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and top with parmasean cheese and italian seasoning. 

-- Bake for 5 more minutes on the top rack. 

21 Day Fix Approved Buffalo Pizza

The recipe calls for:

whole wheat pizza dough

2 chicken breasts

1 cup hot sauce 

chili powder

garlic powder 

oregano

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1/2 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese

-- Heat oven to 400 degrees.

-- Season chicken with garlic powder  and chili powder. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes.

-- While the chicken is cooking, season the dough with some garlic powder and oregano. Add the sauce. 

-- When the chicken is done, cut into pieces and mix in hot sauce. Add the chicken to the pizza and top with cheese. 

-- Cook in the oven for about 8-10 more minutes. 

Feel free to add other toppings too like spinach or onion. The original recipe called for those two toppings but I didn't use them. 

Enjoy!

Who loves pizza night?

Wow! Brown rice pizza crust, who would've thought to do this? I just saw the recipe on the box of brown rice and had to try it! Perfect for our pizza night! This officially has beaten my quinoa pizza crust. I'm in foodie love! This is going to be my go to pizza crust from now on. Can't wait to use different toppings next time and maybe even add some more spices to the crust!

The recipe calls for:

1 bag of brown rice (boil in a bag, 10 minute kind or approximately 2 cups)

1 cup mix of shredded part skim mozzarella cheese/parmasean cheese 

oregano

2 eggs, beaten

-- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a baking pan. 

-- Mix all ingredients above in a bowl and spread onto the baking pan. 

-- Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and add toppings. I just used a chunky mariana sauce, some shredded cheese and sprinkled some dry basil. 

-- Bake for an additional 10 minutes. 

Enjoy!!! Seriously so good!

Clean Eating Baked Ziti

 

This dinner was a hit with this kid. :)  It's a 21 day fix approved recipe, Baked Ziti with ground turkey. YUM!

The recipe calls for:
1 pound ground turkey
1 pound whole wheat penne pasta
1 medium size part-skim ricotta cheese
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
2 cups organic/natural pasta sauce
1 tbs honey
1/2 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese
1tbs of each of these spices: garlic powder, italian seasoning, oregano, parsley, basil, black pepper

-- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
-- Cook the pasta al-dente.  While cooking, brown up the ground turkey in a pan. Drain any fat from the pan.
-- Mix in a large bowl all ingredients except the pasta and mozzarella cheese.  Combine the mixture with the pasta and put in a baking dish.
-- Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese, a little more italian seasoning and parsley on top of the ziti.
-- Bake for 20 minutes.

Quinoa Pizza Crust...Genius!

I was skeptical and worried about this recipe. I thought the crust would be soft and not crisp up, but I was wrong. This recipe is pretty much genius. It is such a good source of protein without having to add meat and you save so many calories than if you ordered pizza or even got a premade crust at the grocery store.  The crust had flavor and was crispy, especially along the edges. It definitely satisfied my craving and in a healthy way. The prep didn't take long at all, very easy.

This recipe was a huge success and one I will be using over and over! :)

The recipe calls for:
1/2 cup quinoa (I used rainbow)
1 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
dried basil, few dashes
dried oregano, few dashes
garlic powder, few dashes
1 egg, beaten
spray oil

-- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
-- In a pan, bring the water and quinoa to a boil, lower the heat, cover the pan and cook for about 5 minutes or until all the water is absorbed.
-- Add the basil, oregano, garlic powder and mozzarella cheese. Mix it all together then add the egg and mix again.
-- Put foil on a baking pan and spray with oil.
-- Create a ball with the quinoa mixture and place on the foil. Spread out the "dough" so it is even.
-- Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven and let it cool for a minute.
-- Add any toppings of your choice! I used a little pizza sauce we had on hand, some dabbles of part skim ricotta cheese and sliced black olives.
-- Bake for an additional 10 minutes.

The original recipe used shredded parmesan cheese and italian seasoning, any cheese or herbs you like would work though.

I could not be more excited about this recipe and I think you would be too. Try it out!

 

Making homemade pizza is all about fun and can be a great way to cook together as a family, kids and all. My son can't help just yet but babywearing helped keep him involved. He was very interested in everything I was doing. Kids would love adding the toppings and they can make it their own. You could easily make this into two separate crusts too so their creativity can come out. This is a good way to make healthy eating fun for them.

Some Healthy Food/Recipes

I don't get to do food shopping often because I can't bring my son Parker into stores yet, but on Friday I had a chance to go. I love food shopping. I wish I had more advance notice that I was able to go, I would've had a better list put together, but I got a lot of healthy food and organic food for my son.

 

flax/chia seed blend, ground chicken, organic quinoa, frozen veggies/steamables, organic bananas, organic green beans, frozen fruit, greek yogurts, organic apples, mushrooms, black bean organic pasta, zucchini & weight watchers string cheese

 

 

Here are some QUICK & healthy meals I made this week:

 



whole wheat penne with an avocado sauce I made which
was avocado, a little parm cheese, olive oil & pepper.

mushroom/spinach omelette with one ww string cheese
inspiration by a readers dinner the other night.







Another recipe was something my mom made in the crock pot. I wasn't feeeling well on Saturday and my parents came over so they brought dinner. It is a 3 point Weight Watcher chicken recipe.

See link for recipe!

This was breakfast this morning. A blueberry, strawberry smoothie. It was a bit sweet for my taste, but it was still good. I am going to try another kind tomorrow!

 

 

The recipe calls for:

1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1 tbs chia/flax seed blend
1/2 cup 1% milk
5.3oz fat-free blueberry greek yogurt

Total: 290 calories

Next time I am not going to use a flavored yogurt and try water, not milk. This should help make it less sweet and not as thick. To cut more calories use fat-free milk instead. I would've but I didn't have it on hand. The non-flavored greek yogurt is also less calories. Banana smoothie is next!

Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini Pasta

This was the first time I have ever cooked shrimp and it was a huge success. So delicous and low in carbs/calories. A good source of protein and a great vegetable to go along with it. This is such a different recipe than I normally make, but it is one I will for sure be making again. The shrimp was on sale so I splurged a little. It was also my first time using the Veggetti that I received as a Christmas gift from my brother this year. So easy to use!

 

 

The recipe calls for:

frozen, peeled, de-tailed shrimp (20)

2 medium-large zucchini

1/4 cup white wine

4 garlic cloves, minced

crushed red pepper

2 tbs olive oil

parmesan cheese

 

-- Use a veggie pasta maker and turn the whole zucchini into pasta. Pat with a paper towel to get rid of some of the excess water.

-- In a large pan heat the olive oil for about a minute then add the garlic and crushed red pepper. Heat this for about 2 minutes while constantly stirring so the ingredients don't burn.

-- Add the frozen shrimp to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes or until the shrimp is fully pink.

-- Remove the shrimp, add the white wine and cook for about a minute then add the zucchini. Cook a little while then add the shrimp in again. Cook for a minute or so while mixing the ingredients. I drained some of the liquid out of the pan to save some on some calories.

-- Serve with a little sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top and a glass of white wine. (optional)

Turkey Salad

The recipe calls for:

half of an avocado

white turkey meat

olive oil

-- Shred the turkey, splash a dash of olive oil and mash the avocado.  Mix together!

Simple and only 3 ingredients!  I had a side of cut up tomatoes with a little part-skim shredded mozzarella on top.

Mexican Chicken Salad or Burrito

The recipe calls for:
ground chicken meat
avocado, chopped
black beans, rinsed & drained
shredded lettuce
fat-free greek yogurt
taco sauce
taco seasoning

Optional:
shredded cheese
burrito wrap (whole-wheat is best)

-- Cook the ground chicken meat in a pan.  Mix in the seasoning packet and a little water.  Add the beans to the pan to warm them up.
-- Put chicken and bean mixture on top of shredded lettuce. Add chopped up avocado, a little fat-free greek yogurt and some taco sauce.
-- Mix it all up and enjoy your mexican chicken salad!
-- The other less healthy option is to put all those ingredients into a burrito wrap. If you choose this option use a whole-wheat wrap.


The meat mixture makes for great leftovers, I am eating it as we speak for lunch.

Recipe Review

"It was really good.

The nuts were what did it for me."

-- Blog Reader

 

This was the arugula walnut pesto spaghetti squash recipe.  Check it out here!

Arugula Walnut Pesto

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

This isn't an irish recipe, but it's GREEN and delicious!

The recipes calls for:
1/4 cup walnuts
1 garlic cloves
1 1/3 cup arugula, packed
3 tbs olive oil
1 tbs water
2 tbs parmesan cheese
dash of lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper


-- Toast walnuts in a small pan on medium heat.  Make sure to keep stirring them so they don't burn.  Toast for about 5 minutes.  Let them cool.
-- Add the walnuts, garlic, arugula, olive oil, water, cheese, lemon juice, salt and pepper to a food processor or chopper.  Use what you have in your home.  I had a mason jar leftover from our wedding favors that were perfect to hold the pesto.


I used the pesto for a spaghetti squash meal.  Yum!

For this recipe just add a few more steps:

-- Cook a medium spaghetti squash.  See link.  Let the squash cool.
-- Scrape out the squash with a fork.
-- Mix the spaghetti squash and the pesto mixture in a bowl.
-- I heated up the spaghetti squash in the oven for about 5 minutes on 350 degrees and sprinkled a little extra parmesan cheese on top before putting it in the oven.  You could also just pop it in the microwave for a little.


Basil is one of my favorite flavors ever, but I must say this recipe and arugula substitute was really good and different.  The toasted walnuts gave it such flavor.

Simple Salad

Thanks to Shoprite and their awesome coupons I got free romaine lettuce this weekend.  I usually always get iceberg lettuce, but who can say no to free food?  Not me!  This salad was easy and delicious.  I used some left over tomato, left over gorgonzala cheese, romaine lettuce and avocado slices.

Top it with your favorite dressing and enjoy!

Tip: I saved the other half of the avocado by keeping the pit in it and sprinkling some lemon juice on it. I sealed it in a plastic container and stored it in the fridge.

Cupcake Lasagna's

Great snack to make the kids instead of the processed frozen food like pizza bagels.  Pop them in the oven when they get home from school.  This is also a great party appetizer.

 

I kept the recipe simple because my husband doesn't like a lot of things, but it would be great with added ingredients.  Ground turkey meat to add some protein is a good option, then it's an easy dinner.  Also you could add chopped basil to the ricotta cheese mixture or your favorite spice/herb.

 

 

The recipe calls for:

wonton wrappers

marinara sauce

part skim ricotta cheese

part skim mozzarella cheese

garlic powder

 

-- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

-- Spray two cupcake pans with cooking oil.

-- Place two wonton wrappers in each cupcake hole, opposite of each other.

-- In a bowl, mix garlic powder and the ricotta cheese.

-- Add a little marinara sauce, a dabble of ricotta cheese, a little more sauce and a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese.

-- Bake for about 15 minutes or until the wrappers become crispy.



Stuffed Tomato

The recipe calls for:

8 plump tomatoes

2 eggs

1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese

1/4 cup onion, chopped

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

2 tbs + 4 tsp grated parmesan cheese

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup corn

1 cup zucchini, diced + 24 thin slices

-- Preheat over to 350 degrees.

-- Cut the tops off the tomatoes, scoop pulp out of the centers, set aside. Discard half of the pulp and remove seeds from the remaining, finely chop.

-- Whisk the eggs and ricotta cheese in a bowl. Stir in onion, basil, 2 tbs parmesan and garlic. Add the corn, diced zucchini and chopped tomato pulp. Stir well.

-- Fill the tomatoes with the mixture to the top of the tomato. Sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top of the mixture, add zucchini slices and then the tomato top.

-- Bake for 45 minutes. Let it cool for about 10 minutes.

Zucchini Cakes Turned to Hash

The recipe calls for:
2 eggs
3 zucchini, shredded
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
4 tbs flour
7 green onions, chopped
1 tsp baking powder
pepper, to taste
cooking spray oil

-- Drain the shredded zucchini of the excess water it contains the best you can.
-- Mix the eggs, zucchini, cheese, flour, onions, baking powder and pepper in a large bowl.
-- Spray a large non-stick pan with cooking oil.
-- Place the zucchini mixture in the pan and cook for about 10 minutes.  Mix while cooking so all the zucchini gets browned up a little.

The reason I think this recipe didn't turn into the cakes I wanted is because I didn't fry them up in butter and oil like the original recipe said to.  I wanted to make it healthier.  If you wanted to you could make the mixture into patties and fry them up in more then just cooking spray oil.  You could also add a little more flour to make them into more of a cake as well.  The hash was just as tasty though, the mounds of oil and butter isn't necessary.  I also think if the shredded zucchini was drained a little more of the water it holds it could've worked better too.  You always learn something while cooking!

Leftovers Inspiration: Buffalo Pizza

Homemade pizza dinner instead of ordering in!  Much quicker then delivery, much healthier and without the guilt the next day...

Use what you have!  I had leftover homemade buffalo hummus, the 5 grain flax flatbread leftover and was craving pizza so I added the hummus to the flatbread, sprinkled some part-skim mozzarella cheese and a few dashes of buffalo hot sauce.  YUM!

It's so weird, years ago I didn't even like pizza, now I am pizza obsessed!  At least there are healthy alternatives.