Where have I been??

I have been thinking about blogging, but it just hasn't happened. 4 months! 4 months without any yummy new healthy recipes!! What was I thinking? Well, we have been really busy. 4 kids, studies, work, life....
 I have also been altering our way of eating. In my studies to better myself in my line of work, I have discovered many flaws in my thinking...in America's thinking. For one, meat. Do we really need as much meat as we think? The answer is no. We tend to take in way too much protein from meat sources when there are other healthy alternatives that is not only healthier for our bodies, it is healthier for the environment also. Don't get me wrong, I love a juicy chicken breast, just in moderation. 

On our plates, typically we have a meat, veggie, and starch, right? Which item is the biggest? To keep my thought going, I am going to assume you said meat ;). Our protein usually comes from meat and a lot of it. Unused protein gets stored in our body as FAT!! Yucko, right?? Proteins are made up of Amino acids. There are 22 amino acids. 13 are within our body naturally and we need 9 from other sources. A complete protein (such as animal or fish based foods) supplies these essential amino acids. An "incomplete" protein lacks one or more of these 9 amino acids and these proteins are generally from plants. WE can make these plant sources a complete protein by combining grains with legumes( dried beans with corn, tofu, with brown rice, or peanut butter and bread).  The amount of protein needed daily just depends on each person. I will give you the formula to determine this amount: 

Step 1: Take your weight in pounds and multiply by .45 (this converts your lbs into kg)

Step 2: Take your weight in kg and multiply by .8

This final number is how many grams of protein you need daily

i.e- 110lbs x .45=49.5

    - 49.5 x .8= 39.6 grams of protein per day. 

One cup of diced chicken has ~44 grams of protein. 

So, with this being said...and possibly boring you to death, I will be somewhat focusing on meatless recipes. They are still family approved and yummmoooo!!

Enjoy,

April

Shrimp With Avocado-Mango Salsa

This is really a meal in a yummy package. I fought the urge to name this Shrimp with CousCous, Spinach, Tomato,  and Avocado Mango Salsa....long huh? All the ingredients play together in perfect harmony....not too mention very aesthetically appealing. Just look how beautiful it is!! All very significant in making this dish a hit!  I usually don't like fruit or sweet sauces with meat, but this was a delicious balance. I have been trying to find more ways to use Avocados and this was perfect! I fed the kids something else because they do not care for Shrimp. Ava ate the Avocado out of mine. She calls them green apples and LOVES them! In Addition to being full of good-for-you fats, Avocado's are full of fiber and potassium. This meal is around 400 calories.

INGREDIENTS

Vegetable oil cooking spray

8 cups baby spinach

1 cup couscous

1 lb medium shrimp, shelled and deveined

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

3/4 teaspoon salt, divided

1 large mango, peeled and diced

1 medium avocado, diced

1 medium tomato, diced

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1/2 jalapeño chile, seeded and finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
salt to taste

PREPARATION

Heat grill. Fold four 18-inch-long pieces of foil in half; unfold and coat inside with cooking spray. Place 2 cups spinach in center of 1 half of each piece of foil. Combine couscous with 1/4 cup water; divide evenly among packets, placing on top of spinach. Combine shrimp, 1/4 cup cilantro, oil and 1/2 tsp salt in a bowl. Divide shrimp evenly among packets, placing next to couscous. Fold foil to close and crimp edges to seal; place on grill; close lid; cook until packets are fully puffed, 10 minutes. Combine remaining 1/4 cup cilantro with remaining 1/4 tsp salt, mango, avocado, tomato, onion, jalapeño and lime juice in a bowl. Carefully cut foil to open; stir contents; garnish with salsa before serving.

Enjoy,

April

Chicken Rollatini Stuffed with Zucchini and Mozzarella

Shredded zucchini, garlic, and mozzarella cheese rolled up in chicken cutlets, then dipped in a lemon juice and olive oil mixture, breaded and baked! 
I made this for the first time tonight. It was so delicious that I just couldn't wait to blog about it!  This is family approved!! They loved it! This is a great way to sneak in those veggies, because I couldn't even taste the zucchini. Ava did ask what the "green stuff" was and I said cheesy goodness. She then ate it up :) I served this up with Couscous and Fresh Green beans. You can click on the photo for a closer view.

Ingredients: 

1 tsp olive oil

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 1/2 cups (1 medium) zucchini, shredded

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp Romano cheese (or parmesan)

3 oz part skim shredded mozzarella

salt and pepper to taste

8 thin chicken cutlets, 3 oz each

1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

1 lemon, juice of

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and fresh pepper

olive oil non-stick spray 

Directions:

Wash and dry cutlets, season with salt and pepper.  I pounded my chicken with a meat mallet, because it was thicker than I wanted.

Preheat oven to 450°. Lightly spray a baking dish with non-stick spray.

In a large skillet, heat oil on medium-high heat. Add oil when hot then saute garlic a minute, or until golden. Add zucchini, 1/4 cup Romano cheese, salt and pepper and saute about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool. When cool, add mozzarella cheese and mix to combine.

Lay chicken cutlets down on a working surface and spread 3 tbsp of zucchini-cheese mixture on each cutlet. Loosely roll each one and keep seam side down. The ends of the cutlet should just barely over-lap.

Combine breadcrumbs and 2 TBS Romano cheese in one bowl; in a second bowl combine olive oil, lemon juice, and pepper in another bowl.

Dip chicken in lemon-oil mixture, then in breadcrumbs and place seam side down in a baking dish (no toothpicks needed). Repeat with the remaining chicken. When finished, lightly spraywith oil spray. 

Bake 25 - 30 minutes. Serve immediately. Each cutlet, if 3 ounces, is around 172 calories. 

Enjoy,

April

Slacker

Ok, So I haven't been cooking any "knock your socks off" kinda food lately. I have been pretty busy with the kids this summer and we just moved (and are not quite done moving either). I have been doing the same ol' quick and routine meals.
I have been spending the past year working on eliminating as much can, box, and processed foods I can and would like to share a couple of these changes. "Cream of..." Soup. It seems that every other recipe calls for a can of this stuff! Whether you want to save money or control the amount of chemicals and fat you put into your body, making your own white sauce and flavoring is cheaper and better for you than those canned cream of whatever soups. I have also been working on my own spaghetti sauce and have mastered it, but it is a fly by the seat of my pants recipe and I need to write down what I put in it!....I will be doing this soon. I am also going to share a recipe for Taco seasoning. Of course, I use this recipe in Ground Turkey.
Cream of...(fill in blank)


Basic recipe
2 Tbs Butter
2 Tbs Flour
1/4 Tsp salt
1 C Milk
In a heavy sauce pan, melt butter. Sprinkle the flour over it ans stir to incorporate. Cook over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk.


Cream of Chicken
If you want to make cream of chicken flavored sauce, use half chicken broth and half milk. If you have trouble getting this smooth, try heating the milk or broth (or both) before adding to the flour mixture. Bring to a simmer and cook over low heat, barely simmering, for a few minutes until thick. This replaces 1 can of cream of chicken soup.


Cheese Sauce:
If you want to make cheese sauce, just add cheese  to the basic recipe and stir until smooth. 


Cream of ...some veggie:
To make cream of some vegetable soup, saute 1/4 cup or so finely chopped celery, mushrooms, or onion in butter before adding the flour and use half broth and half milk.




Taco seasoning:
1/4 C instant minced onion
2 Tbs chili powder
2 Tsp paprika
2 Tsp crushed dried red pepper flakes
1.5 Tsp dried oregano
1/2 Tsp dried marjoram
1 Tbs salt
1/4 Tsp pepper
2 Tbs cornstarch
1 Tbs garlic powder
1 Tsp ground  cumin
1 Tbs lemon pepper


Mix all ingredients well. 2 Tbs per pound of meat, then add 1/2 cup of water or so (eye it).




Enjoy,
April

Fennel Salad

This recipe is a new one for me. I have made it a few times, but I am the only one to eat it. I haven't tried it on the kids and the husband doesn't like the licorice flavor in it. So, like I said,  It does have a faint Licorice flavor to it, but it's complimented nicely with the zing of the red wine vinegar. I also love the heat "kick" that comes from the red pepper flakes. It is unique and not over bearing in flavor at all. I would recommend this recipe to anyone who wants a new salad option and likes to try something new. The fennel is a little tricky to learn how to cut and I wish I would of taken pictures. It is easy, but just not what you would expect. I would recommend youtubing it :)You can eat it raw (which is what I do) or roast it in the oven for about 30 minutes. Very yum as a mid-day snack right out of the fridge! 

Fennel Salad

1 Fennel bulb
2 Fresh Garlic cloves
Olive oil 
Red Wine Vinegar
Dill 
Salt 
Pepper
Red Pepper Flakes

Chop the fennel, crush the garlic, and add the remaining ingredients to taste. Stir. Serve either chilled or room temp or straight out of the oven!


Enjoy,
April

Pork Steak Mojito

I have been making this recipe for years now. It is unbelievably yummy and probably one of my favs. First off, you should know that it is not "oniony". When you saute the onions in the lemon juice it cooks out the acidicness in the onions and you are left with a bold citrus flavor that compliments the steak tremendously. I actually convinced one of my dear friends years ago that she indeed does like onions with this recipe. 

Ingredients
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 Spanish-style pork cube steaks (about 1 1/2 lb)
5 ounces pre-sliced yellow onions (1 cup)
1 teaspoon adobo seasoning (Spanish seasoned salt)
3 fresh garlic cloves
1 lemon (for juice, rinsed) 

Steps

1. Preheat large sauté pan on medium-high 2–3 minutes. Place 2 tablespoons of the oil in pan; swirl to coat. Add pork steaks (wash hands); cook 3–4 minutes on each side or until browned and internal temperature reaches 160°F. (Use a meat thermometer to accurately ensure doneness.) Remove from pan and cover to keep warm.
2. Reduce heat to medium; add remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil, onions, and adobo. Crush garlic, using garlic press, into pan. Use knife to remove garlic from bottom of press.
3. Squeeze juice of one-half lemon into pan (about 2 tablespoons). Cook 5–6 minutes or until onions are tender. Serve sauce over pork steaks.

CALORIES (per 1/4 recipe) 560kcal; FAT 39g; CHOL 145mg;
SODIUM 720mg; CARB 25g; FIBER 1g; PROTEIN 28g;
VIT A 4%; VIT C 8%; CALC 10%; IRON 15%

Enjoy,

April

Brussels Sprouts

These were super easy to make and they were yum yum. My husband and I had decided a long time ago that we did not like Brussels Sprouts, but we changed our minds! We couldn't get enough of these.

Ingredients 

• 1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts
• 3 tablespoons good olive oil (maybe more)
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 clove of Garlic (minced)
• 1/2 cup onion chopped
• 
  

• Directions

• Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels Sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves, then slice them long ways and set aside. In a skillet, Saute' the onions and garlic in olive oil unto the onions are opaque in color. Add the Brussels and salt. Cook on Medium high heat, stirring often for 10 minutes (be careful not to cook them on to much heat, they will burn on the outside before they are done in the center). Serve Immediately. 

Enjoy,

April