Chicken Meatball Subs

These chicken meatballs are absolutely delicious. I had them as subs, as well as with pasta….delicious!

Highly, highly recommend these if you’re looking to do something a little different with your meatballs 🙂

Chicken Meatballs

(How Sweet It Is)

1 pound ground chicken

2 tablespoons whole wheat bread crumbs

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

– Heat skillet on medium heat. Add one tablespoon olive oil.

– Mix chicken with remaining ingredients. Form into meatballs about 1 1/2 inches thick. Brown in pan on all sides until cooked through, about 10 minutes.

– Makes about 8-10 meatballs.

Grilled Herb Shrimp

These were fantastic — too bad this recipe is arriving on the heels of there being basically no Gulf shrimp because of the oil issue! Sad 😦 But if you aren’t a seafood snob like I am, and don’t care where your shrimp are from — try this! 🙂

It’s delicious. And easy 😉

I served it with Parmesan risotto with peas and green beans. Delish!

Grilled Herb Shrimp

(Barefoot Contessa, by way of Pink Parsley)

2 pounds shrimp (16-20 count), peeled and deveined, but tails left on

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium yellow onion, minced

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

1/4 cup minced fresh basil

1 teaspoon dry mustard

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh black pepper

pinch of red pepper flakes

1/4 cup olive oil

1 lemon, juiced

1/2 teaspoon sugar

Directions

– Combine all the ingredients and toss to coat the shrimp.  Allow to marinate at room temperature for 1 hour, or in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

Prepare grill.  Thread the shrimp on skewers, and sprinkle one side with sugar.

Grill the shrimp, sugared side down, for about 2 minutes, then flip skewers and grill until cooked through, an additional 1-2 minutes.

Clean Eating Egg Salad

This was delicious! And extra-filling because of the added protein from the cottage cheese.

I’ll definitely be making this one again — it was great for lunch! I did discover, though, that it was definitely better fresh…a few days in the fridge and the cottage cheese changed the taste of it a bit.

Clean Eating Egg Salad

(Clean Eating Machines)

*Recipe says it makes 1 cup, but mine was slightly more than that

1/4 cup fat-free cottage cheese

1 tbsp skim milk

1 tsp prepared mustard

4 hardboiled egg whites, diced

1 hardboiled egg yolk

2 tbsp chopped green onion (I just used one stalk of onion)

2 tbsp chopped celery (I just used one stalk of celery)

dash of curry powder

1/4 tsp sea salt

Directions

– In a medium bowl, whip cottage cheese and milk until smooth

– Mix remaining ingredients except egg whites with the cottage cheese mixture

– Add diced egg whites to the mixture and mix well

Pasta Primavera

This was delicious — DH proclaimed it to be the best new meal in a long time (acknowledging that he rarely remembers meals from week to week!)

We added some grilled chicken (seasoned with salt, pepper, and italian seasoning) to this dish as well, because DH insists on meat in all dinners. 🙂

Pasta Primavera

(Food Network)

• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips
• 2 medium zucchini or 1 large zucchini, cut into thin strips
• 2 yellow squash, cut into thin strips
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs or herbes de Provence
• 1 pound farfalle (bowtie pasta) — I used rotini because we had it
• 15 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

-Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

-On a large heavy baking sheet, toss all of the vegetables with the oil, salt, pepper, and dried herbs to coat. Transfer half of the vegetable mixture to another heavy large baking sheet and arrange evenly over the baking sheets. Bake until the carrots are tender and the vegetables begin to brown, stirring after the first 10 minutes, about 20 minutes total.

-Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

-Toss the pasta with the vegetable mixtures in a large bowl to combine. Toss with the cherry tomatoes and enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and serve immediately.

Beek’s Chia Oatmeal Granola

I made this granola to top my yogurt with this week for a snack.

I had everything on hand, except the chia seeds, which I got from my local natural foods store.

It’s very tasty! Definately more of a flavored oat combo than a traditional granola, though. So if you’re looking for traditional, this ain’t it.

If you’re looking for healthy, tasty, and awesome — proceed!

Beek’s Coconut Chia Granola:

(Beek Eats!)

• 3 cups rolled oats, gluten-free if necessary
• 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 3/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2  cup pure maple syrup (I use Grade B.)
• Vanilla extract and cinnamon to taste. (I like a lot, probably 1 t of each, and then some.)
• 2 T safflower oil (I used canola, because I don’t like safflower)
• 2 T chia seeds

Mix allllll together in a bowl or directly on a cookie sheet, bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes, making sure to mix up the granola one or two times while baking, to ensure even coloring (NOT burning!)

I’ve also added wheat germ and coconut flour to different batches for an even nuttier texture and taste.  Experiment with whatever ingredients you like or have on hand!

Lean Chicken Tenders

I saw this recipe in my most recent copy of Oxygen Magazine (women’s fitness magazine).

I love chicken fingers, so I made these to take for a couple of my lunches this week! They look delicious — I haven’t eaten any yet, though!

Lean Chicken Bites

(Oxygen Magazine)

*Makes 2 servings

Cooking spray

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, raw

1/4 cup egg whites

1/2 cup instant oats

1/4 cup sliced almonds, crushed

1 tbsp italian seasoning

sea salt and ground pepper to taste

Directions

– Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

– Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray

– Cut the chicken into strips

– Pour egg whites over the chicken strips to coat

– In a blender (I used my magic bullet!) combine oats, almonds, and seasonings

– Place chicken strips in a large ziplock bag with the oat mixture and shake

– Remove chicken from bag, and place on baking sheet

– Bake 20 minutes

Nutritional Breakdown:

Calories: 270

Total Fats: 8g

Saturated Fat: 1g

Trans Fat: 0g

Cholesterol: 80 mg

Sodium: 140 mg

Total Carbohydrates: 11g

Dietary Fiber: 3g

Sugars: 1g

Protein: 40g

*Iron: 2mg

“Healthified” Dipping Sauce

2 tbsp greek yogurt, plain

low fat ranch dressing

hot taco sauce

– In a bowl, mix all ingredients together and serve

Calories: 60

Total Fats: 4g

Saturated Fat: 0g

Trans Fat: 0g

Cholesterol: 5mg

Sodium: 290 mg

Total Carbohydrates: 4g

Dietary Fiber: 0g

Sugars: 2g

Protein: 2g

*Iron: <.5mg

I don’t usually make things up… (Vegetable Stuffed Shells with Tomato Cream Sauce)

I don’t normally make up recipes.

I’m just bad at it.

Maybe that’s why I like baking — I love having precise measurements for EVERYTHING.

That being said, when someone on my cooking message board posted about “veggie stuffed shells in tomato cream sauce” last week, I was dying to try it.

And then she said she didn’t really have a recipe, and was just winging it.

Now, I could’ve panicked, or I could’ve just not made them.

But I foraged ahead.

And they were delicious.

Measurements are obviously approximate…I didn’t have a whole lot of faith in my abilities, and figured they would suck, so I didn’t really keep track LOL

Vegetable Stuffed Shells with Tomato Cream Sauce

(Me, with the assistance of StephnJohn on What’s Cooking)

1/4 cup finely chopped broccoli

1-1 1/2 cups fresh spinach

1/2 can artichoke hearts, chopped

1 small zucchini, shredded and squeezed of all it’s extra juice

1/2 lb white mushrooms, finely diced

1 box jumbo shells

2 large cans crushed tomatoes (You can easily do it with 1 — I made two so there would be leftover sauce….I used 1 can roasted garlic flavor and 1 can basil flavor, and added some oregano, additional garlic, salt and pepper to it)

1/2 – 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

16 oz part skim ricotta cheese

16 oz lowfat cottage cheese

1/2 cup – 3/4 cup light cream

1 tbsp olive oil

Directions

– Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

– Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and cook the jumbo shells according to the directions; drain and rinse and set aside to cool slightly

– Combined two cans  crushed tomatoes — I used one roasted garlic flavor and one basil flavor to automatically flavor the sauce. Add some oregano and a little more garlic and let simmer

– Chop up fresh spinach, fresh mushrooms, canned artichokes, fresh broccoli, and shredded fresh zucchini — really anything you like! Eggplant would be delicious….

– In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat, then add chopped vegetables.  Cook it for 5 minutes or so until veggies begin to wilt/cook down.

– In a large bowl, mix the veggies with 16 oz ricotta and 16 oz cottage cheese, salt and pepper.

– Remove the sauce from the heat, and add the cream, stirring to incorporate it

– Place a small amount of sauce in your bakewear, then begin stuffing your shells and placing them in the dish

– Cover with sauce (you will definitely have leftover sauce if you use two big cans), then sprinkle with mozzarella cheese

– Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

“Super Charge Me” Cookies

I see variations of this cookie EVERYWHERE (maybe this is because I spend time reading Kath, Angela, Gina, and Mere’s blogs….).

I figured if I was going to try it, I should head back to the source — which as far as I can tell, is Dreena

These are actually amazingly awesome once you get past the weird amalgamation of ingredients. I guess I’m just not used to cooking “vegan” because I’m mixing this up thinking there’s no way cookies will be the end result to this. LOL

Very tasty cookies — just sweet enough to satisfy, but also full of good-for-you foods as well!

I will admit I had to buy an entire bag of spelt flour and flaxseed meal — so hit me up with uses for it (that means you, above-referenced-ladies…I don’t know anyone else who cooks with this stuff LOL), or I’m going to be making a whole heck of a lot of these cookies in the coming days.

Super Charge Me Cookies

(Dreena’s Vegan Recipes)

*Dreena says 11-12 cookies…mine must be small because I got 15

1 cup quick oats (All I had was old fashioned, and they still worked)
2/3 cup spelt flour
1/4 tsp (rounded) sea salt
1/4 – 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (where the heck do you buy this? I had to use sweetened)
1/4 –1/3 cup raisins or chopped dried fruit
3–4 tbsp carob or chocolate chips (optional; or use more dried fruit, nuts, or seeds)
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup flax meal (not flax seed)
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
3 tbsp almond butter (may use cashew, peanut, hemp seed butter)
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp organic canola oil

Directions

– Preheat oven to 350°F

– In a medium bowl, combine oats, flour, salt, cinnamon, coconut, raisins, and carob or chocolate chips, sift in baking powder, and stir until well combined.

– In a separate. smaller bowl, combine flax meal, syrup, almond butter, and vanilla and stir until well combined. Stir in oil.

– Add wet mixture to dry, and stir until just well combined (do not overmix).

– Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spoon batter onto baking sheet evenly space apart, and lightly flatten.

– Bake for 13 minutes (no longer, or they will dry out).

– Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for 1 minute (no longer), then transfer to a cooling rack.

Chicken Kafta with Tzatziki

DH selected this dish for our weekly menu — and I think we both thought it would be more like “gyros” than it was.

Admittedly, a little disappointed. I didn’t particularly like the flavors in the chicken…I think I just found them too weak, to be honest. We also don’t have a grill, so I broiled mine — but grilling may have added to their flavor.

I did take Culinary Infatuation’s advice, and served it with a little tzatziki sauce — quite tasty!

Chicken Kafta

1 lb. ground chicken

1/4 cup grated onion

2 tbsp. fresh chopped parsley

2 tsp. ground coriander

2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. olive oil

1.5 tbsp. bread crumbs

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

– Preheat oven to Broil

– Mix all ingredients together and shape into oblong patties

– Lightly oil an oven-safe grill pan and arrange patties on top

– Put in broiler and cook for about 5-6 minutes per side (temp may vary — keep an eye on them!)

Portable Breakfast is Awesome

My Google Reader runneth over here lately with recipes that I can totally rationalize making. 

Don’t get me wrong — I’ve probably got 200-300 recipes bookmarked that are things *I* would never eat, or DH would never eat — but the pictures look so darn tasty, I convince myself I’ll try it “someday”.

But in amongst all those recipes are a few that — upon seeing them — I had to have. Instantly. This is one of them!

These little egg cups are wonderful. Apparently everyone is getting into the portable-egg-muffin craze. I first saw them at Our Sweet Life, and then again on several-other-blogs-who’s-names-escape-me.

Like Beth, I get completely and totally bored with my rotation of oatmeal, and pb& j on whole grain. Those are my two workday breakfasts. And after 6 months of a work training schedule which required my breakfast to be totally portable (no microwave, no bowl, no NOTHIN’) — I am completely sick of PB&J. In every sense and flavor.

So this week I whipped up a batch of egg muffins. The recipe makes 6, and I plan to take 2 muffins per day for a few of my workdays this week (the days I have access to the microwave!)

Now, Beth’s are probably WAY healthier than mine, because she used soy sausage. But textured vegetable protein and I are in a Crusades-like war, and I hate the stuff. It’s disgusting. It’s not food. 

/end rant

My egg muffins include a little bit of bacon, and a little real cheese (versus low fat) — cuz that’s what we had, and I used so little it wasn’t a big deal.

Egg Muffins

(Adapted from Our Sweet Life)

Makes 6

5 eggs

1/4 cup 1.5% milk

Shredded cheese (I had a mexican blend this week, but use whatever you want/have/need to get rid of)

1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach (Mine was partially thawed, so I squeezed some of the extra water out before adding to my eggs)

1/3 cup diced onion (I used fresh onion, Beth calls for frozen)

6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

dash of hot sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

– Spray a 6-muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray (I only have 12-muffin tins. I sprayed 6, then put 1-2 tablespoons of water in the other 6 to ensure even cooking. Worked like a charm)

– Whisk the eggs, milk, and hot sauce

– Add the onions and spinach, and stir in the crumbled bacon. Mix well.

– Use a ladle (or a 1/3 cup measure if you’re me…) to fill each muffin cup almost to the top (they do rise a little)

– Sprinkle each filled cup with shredded cheese

– Bake at 375 for 45 minutes — the egg will appear totally cooked and look a bit golden when finished. (I let mine cook to a nice golden brown…I love that)

With the type of bacon and cheese I used, stats come out to…

Per Muffin:

Calories: 139 

Carbs: 9 

Fat: 7

Protein: 9