Fish Soft Tacos with Pico De Gallo-Black Bean Sauce

I have decided to try this out because it is easy, quick, and I probably have the stuff at home to make it. I however, thought of a couple ways to make it healthier or easier.



Ingredients

6 ounces cooked fish, such as baked cod, tilapia, samon, tuna
4 flour tortillas (I would use whole wheat tortillas)
1/2 cup pico de gallo (I am going to use a little salsa instead (I don't like pico))
1 can black beans, drained
1/4 cup sour cream (use lowfat)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Directions
Mixed stir fried vegetables, recipe below
Lime wedges (I usually have lime juice on hand)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Heat fish and all 4 tortillas in a stack and wrapped in foil on a baking sheet for 8 to 10 minutes.

In a bowl, combine pico de gallo, beans, sour cream and cumin.

Arrange fish on tortillas and top with pico de gallo-black bean sauce and mixed stir fried vegetables. Serve with a lime wedge on the side.

Mixed Stir-Fried Vegetables:(My thoughts are this, you can buy a bag of frozen stir fry style veggies and just steam them in a microwave to make this easier)

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup sliced red onion
1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed and spears cut into 2-inch pieces

PIZZA!!!

LAYER THE INGREDIENTS:

-Whole Wheat Pizza Crust (or) make your own out of Whole Wheat Dough
(brush crust with little olive oil)
-Your favorite Organic Marinara Sauce (look for low sugar and sodium)
-Add tons of VEGGIES (my favorite are mushrooms, onions, and spinach)
-Then add Grilled Chicken or low-sodium Turkey Pepperoni
-Top with Mozzarella or low-fat Cheese

Super Fast and Easy!

EASY (AND HEALTHY!) RATATOUILLE

1-2 Squash
1 Med. Onion
1 Red Bell Pepper
1-2 Zucchini
1/4 Cup Kraft Special Collection Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing/Marinade
1 Can (16 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 TBL Parm Cheese, Shredded
1/2 Cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 F. Slice veggies into chunks. Saute veggies in Dressing until tender. Add tomatoes and cook approx. 15 min. allowing some liquid to evaporate. Top with parm and Mozz cheese and bake for 15 min at 350. I serve this with baked/grilled chicken and cous cous, pasta, or potatoes. It's good plain too!


90 calories per serving!

Loaded Baked Potato Soup - Via Hungry Girl

PER SERVING (1/5th of recipe, about 1 cup with toppings): 130 calories, 1g fat, 564mg sodium, 22g carbs, 2g fiber, 2.5g sugars, 7.5g protein

Ingredients:For Soup

3 cups fat-free chicken broth
1 cup plain light soymilk
1 large potato (about 14.5 oz.)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. chopped onion
2 tbsp. shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
2 tbsp. fat-free sour cream
1 tbsp. real bacon bits
3/4 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper

For Topping:
5 tsp. shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
5 tsp. fat-free sour cream
5 tsp. diced scallions
2 1/2 tsp. real bacon bits

Directions: Pierce potato with a fork in multiple places, and then place it on a paper towel or microwave-safe plate. Microwave for 8 - 10 minutes, until potato is soft. Once cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin (either by peeling skin off or cutting potato open and scooping out the insides). Mash the potato pulp with a fork and set aside.

Bring a medium pot sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and minced garlic and cook for 1 - 2 minutes, until onio n has softened. Add broth and soymilk. Slowly add the flour, continuously stirring until it has completely dissolved.

Add mashed potato and stir until fully blended. Add all other ingredients for soup, but not for topping (cheese, sour cream, bacon, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper). Mix well, reduce heat, and simmer for 2 minutes.

Top each bowl with 1 tsp. each of cheese, sour cream, and scallions. Sprinkle each bowl with 1/2 tsp. bacon bits. Enjoy!

MAKES 5 SERVINGS

I Need It Easy

Okay so I am in a slump...I was doing good for a while but now I am feeling the need for something easy. One thing I have going against me is that I actually don't like cooking so I look for uncomplicated quick easy recipes and that is largely where I struggle with eating healthier. I decided to internet search again for some recipes and I may post a couple of them but I wanted to start with this one which I am totally making tomorrow with a steamed veggie! YUM

LEMON CHICKEN RECIPES:

1Citrus Grilled ChickenGrilled chicken makes a swift and easy mid-week supper, and is one of the simplest of lemon chicken recipes. Marinading the meat in lemon juice tenderises the chicken, and gives it masses of extra flavour. You can leave the chicken in the marinade overnight if you get organised enough, but if not even 10-15 mins steeping in the lemony mixture will be enough to add that unmistakeable citrus aroma.
Serves 4:
8 chicken pieces,
2 lemons,
2 cloves garlic, crushed,
4 tbsp olive oil.

Put the chicken in a dish. Squeeze the lemons, mix juice with the garlic and oil to make a marinade. Toss chicken in the marinade, cover and refrigerate until needed. Preheat the grill to medium. Put the chicken into the grill pan and spoon over some marinade. Grill the chicken, placing it about 10-15cm (4-6 inches) beneath the heat, and turning once until the skin is crisp and juices run clear when the meat is tested with a knife point. As a variation, you can use chicken breasts, skinned and cut into cubes before marinading. To cook, thread the cubes on skewers, alternating with cherry tomatoes, baby onions and bay leaves, and grill until the chicken is cooked right through, basting with marinade.

Grilled Salmon with Mustard & Herbs

This sounds so yummy...I may change a couple things so it is more condusive to what I have here at home. Good for summer or now I think.



ACTIVE TIME: 15 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 40 minutes
EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy


2 lemons, thinly sliced, plus 1 lemon cut into wedges for garnish

20-30 sprigs mixed fresh herbs plus 2 tablespoons chopped, divided

1 clove garlic

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 pound center-cut salmon, skinned (see Tip)


1. Preheat grill to medium-high.

2. Lay two 9-inch pieces of heavy-duty foil on top of each other and place on a rimless baking sheet. Arrange lemon slices in two layers in the center of the foil. Spread herb sprigs over the lemons. With the side of a chef’s knife, mash garlic with salt to form a paste. Transfer to a small dish and stir in mustard and the remaining 2 tablespoons chopped herbs. Spread the mixture over both sides of the salmon. Place the salmon on the herb sprigs.

3. Slide the foil and salmon off the baking sheet onto the grill without disturbing the salmon-lemon stack.



Cover the grill; cook until the salmon is opaque in the center, 18 to 24 minutes. Wearing oven mitts, carefully transfer foil and salmon back onto the baking sheet. Cut the salmon into 4 portions and serve with lemon wedges (discard herb sprigs and lemon slices).

Healthy Mexican

I LOVE Mexican food - it's kind of a must living in CA. My favorites are tostadas and taco salads. Not wanting to waste all of my day's calories on a hard taco shell or tostada shell this has become a new favorite:

Healthy Taco Salad Wrap

3-4 ounces ground turkey
Onion
Whole Wheat Tortilla or Low-Fat/Low-Carb Tortilla
Low Fat Sour Cream
Salsa
Low Sodium Taco Seasoning

Brown the ground turkey, add the onion and cook until soft. Just before removing from heat add the taco seasoning. When your certain this is mixed in well remove from heat (I don't use the whole packet - it's always easier to add more later than to take away!)

On your tortilla place a dab of your low fat sour cream and salsa. On top of this place a handful of your lettuce greens (I let this be the majority of my wrap - filling and less calories). Add ground taco turkey meat. Wrap or fold as a soft taco if prefered.

Healthier Pesto

Okay so I am a total SUCKER for a good pesto sauce... I seriously could eat it with everything! I was sad though because most store bought pesto sauce contain about 20grams of fat per serving. I was enjoying a lunch at my friend Sarah's yesterday and she made a yummy "Healthy" Pesto sauce and pasta for us so I told her I was going to share the recipe with everyone. Thanks Sarah!

Winter Spinach Pesto:
2 cups firmly packed spinach
3/4 cup lowfat grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup olive oil (or can use just a generous 1/2cup for less fat, pesto will be thicker)
3-4 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
Puree together and serve with whole grain pasta or use as spread on sandwhiches. YUMMY!
It will store for a month or so in fridge with a sealable container.

chicken bake

This recipe is far better for you than other casserole style dishes, but it's still not perfect. Try it out and improve it and let me know how you did it.
ingredients 4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can healthy request cream of soup (I like cream of broccoli best)
frozen chopped broccoli or other veggies if desired
1 can skim milk (soup can)
1 box of your favorite stuffing mix

Preheat oven to 350
add 1 cup water to the stuffing mix and set aside
mix soup with 1 coup can full of milk add veggies if using
place chicken in 9x13 pan.
pour milk/soup mixture over top
sprinkle stuffing over chicken and bake for 45 minutes or until stuffing is crunchy

Sneaky pasta with sauce

Here's a favorite recipe of mine, I make this once a week. The pasta I use is Ronzoni smart taste. It has 3 times the fiber, is high protien and has calcium as well and it tastes just like regular white pasta. Even my husband can't tell the difference.

Sauce: 2 jars of your favorite 28 oz sauce. I do hy-vee garden combo b/c it's a high fiber sauce that's lower (no low) in the sodium, but you choose any sauce you want
1-2 cups shredded zuchini and/or carrots. (I buy organics on sale and then shred, mix and freeze)
2 4 oz cups/containers stage 2 baby food-either carrots, sweet potatoes or 1 of each. Do NOT use squash (I use gerber organics. This is one of the cheapest ways I've found to buy organics out of season) Also, the carrots and sweet potatoes slightly sweetens the sauce, no one can tell it's there, but the sauce tastes so good

spices to taste I use garlic powder, a little crushed red pepper, a little ground peppercorns, and Italian seasonings

Mix everything in your crock pot and cook on low 6-8 hours if you are using shredded carrots/zuchini, about 3 if you are not. Serve over the Ronzoni with a little parmesean cheese. With all the veggies in here, you've got a whole meal, but I usually serve it with rolls or garlic bread and a salad.

**** Note, after your dinner, freeze the remaining sauce, you'll have plenty and then add it and 1 jar pasta sauce back to the crockpot and heat for an even quicker dinner the next time around. Nothing else is needed

This dinner is full of vitamins A and C, fiber, lycopene, and w/ the ronzoni, plenty of protient and even some calcium. It's a great quick fix

Easy, and TASTY, Vegetarian Meal!

When I decided to go vegetarian, the beginning was brutal! Now,it is a breeze! I have learned to leave out the meat entirely and either substitute additional vegetables, or add a small side that compliments the main course. The first recipe that I came up with was inspired from the Food Network. I love it, and so does my husband...a self-proclaimed carnivore!
*Italian Quesadillas
4 Flour Tortillas
3 lrg. Red Bell Peppers
1 lrg. Yellow Onion
1 Tbsp. dried Parsley
1/2 c. shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
2 cloves of Garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil (for the pan)
Cooking Instructions:
-Cut the bell pepper, and yellow onion into thin strips. Place the onion in a saute pan on medium heat with a bit of olive oil (1-2 tbsp.). Cook until onion is carmelized, or golden brown. Remove from pan and place in a large mixing bowl. Next, saute the bell pepper in the pan until it softens. Add the bell pepper to the onions in the bowl. Mince, or press, 2 cloves of garlic, and add the dried parsley into the bell pepper/onion bowl. Add a dash of salt and pepper if you wish! Mix well.
-In a separate bowl, combine the cheeses.
-Lay out the tortillas and sprinkle a SMALL amount of cheese on half and then add the onion/pepper mixture on top. Sprinkle a bit more cheese on top of the mixture so that when you fold it over, the tortilla will 'stick'. Fold the tortilla over, and now your ready to cook it!
-There are two ways to cook these. Quick and easy = microwave it. But, if you want my opinion it is sooooo much better tasting to put a small bit of olive oil in a pan and warm the quesadilla on the stove. It makes the insides warm, and the outsides crunchy!
*Serve with a fresh green salad, and you are good to go!

My Favorite Treat!

Great treat to curve the cravings for carbs and sugars!

-Frozen Fruit (my favorite is blueberries and mangoes)
-Kefir: pour over the top of frozen fruit(organic liquid yogurt)

Kefir is kind of hard to find, I get it from Whole Foods. I stalk up when I go because it lasts awhile. Tastes great in smoothies also, and gives you some extra protein. Delicious!!!

Eat Clean Diet

My most favorite book! It is hard core, and takes alot of discipline, but it is the right way our bodies should be fed. I dont really consider it a diet, just changing your lifestyle and how you eat. It is pretty hard at first, but give it a couple weeks and it gets easy. Remember, it takes about a month to build a habit! The best part for me is, I dont crave sweets while eating like this. You can pull it up online and look through some of the pages.

If you plan on doing this, try to shop at stores that have organic sections (makes shopping alot easier)

-Whole Foods
-Good Earth
-Smiths Market Place

Pasta with Sweet Potatoes and Broccoli

Alright!! First Recipe, I found this online and decided to try it and it was AMAZINGLY good and good for you even better. This is really high in beta-carotene and fiber.

Ingredients:
12 oz. whole grain penne, pasta shells or rigatoni pasta
3 cup 3/4-inch pieces peeled red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams)
3 cup broccoli florets (fresh, not frozen)
2 Tbls. olive oil (pref. extra virgin)
3 garlic cloves minced
Generous pinch of ground nutmeg
1/4 cup parmesan cheese (optional:

Cook pasta in large pot boiling salted water 5 min. Add sweet potatoes and cook 5 min. more. Add broccoli and cook unitl pasta and vegetables are tender about 3 min. longer. Ladle 1 cup cooking liquid into small bowl and reserve. Drain pasta and vegetables.

Heat oil in same pot over med. heat. Add garlic; stir 1 min. Add pasta and vegetables to pot and stir to coat with oil mixture. Add reserved cup of pasta cooking liquid and toss until mixture is heated through. Stir in Nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to large bowl. Sprinkle with cheese if desired.

This dish is wonderfully subtle but hearty comfort food. The Nutmeg is different but goes very well with the yams and really makes this yummy.

Serves: 4 (comfortably)
Preparation time: 25-30min