Healthy Taco Salad

Delicious alternative to Taco night!

You will need:

4 oz (uncooked) rotini pasta

1/2 lb lean ground beef or lean ground turkey

Taco Seasoning (I used all natural taco seasoning for the first time, instead of a grocery store brand and the meat came was much improved)

1 tsp ground red pepper

1/4 tsp turmeric

1 Tsp hot sauce (or 2 Tbsp Salsa)

2 Tbsp Greek Yogurt

2 Tbsp Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese (shredded)

Lettuce

1 Tbsp chopped onion

Diced jalapenos

Refried beans (not pictured, I used canned refried black beans.  I like to add hot sauce or enchilada sauce to give them more flavor and make the canned beans more creamy)

Prepare Rotini according to its packaging directions.

Brown meat and add taco seasoning according to its packaging directions (add water and amt of seasoning per lb of meat specified by instructions).  Add turmeric and ground red pepper.


While meat is cooking,

     combine hot sauce (or salsa) and greek yogurt.
     Warm beans on stove and add hot sauce or enchilada sauce to taste

Place a portion of the cooked rotini on two bowls.  Top with meat, beans and lettuce.  Sprinkle each with half the cheese and a dollop or salsa/sour cream.  Garnish with jalapenos and onion.

Healthy Ultimate Tuna Salad

Looks good right?

I have been on this kick of trying to sub greek yogurt whenever possible.  Here's what I did:

I used half low fat Miracle Whip and half greek yogurt.  I tried it with a fourth yogurt and the rest mayo.  I honestly think it tastes awesome and not that different.  Give it a try.

To get the "ultimate" spice that I like, I use the following other ingredients:

crushed red pepper

finely diced onion

diced jalapenos

hard boiled eggs (all egg whites and 1 yolk)

finely diced celery

Healthy Corn and Bacon Chowder- So Flavorful!!!

This recipe turned out so flavorful!

You will need:

2 medium uncooked yukon gold potatoes
1/2 cup uncooked celery (finely chopped)
1 can whole kernel gold corn (rinsed and drained)
1 red pepper (diced)
1 Lg. shallot (finely chopped)
4 oz Canadian bacon (diced)
2 cups Fat Free Skim milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp hot sauce (El Yucateco was awesome in this)

I also made this with one can of 2% evaporated milk.  I used the same amount (2 cups) by adding the evaporated milk and then topping it off with skim to reach the 2 cup mark.  This made the chowder a bit thicker.  Evaporated milk can sometimes be substituted for heavy cream in soups.  It worked out nicely, but it didn't make as much of a difference as I thought it might.  I also would like to try this out with turkey bacon instead of the canadian.

Pierce potato in several places with a fork; microwave on high power until tender, turning over once, about 8 minutes. Allow to cool; peel and mash.

Meanwhile, coat a large saucepan with cooking spray. Add celery, shallot, corn and red pepper; sauté over medium-high heat for 5 minutes.

Stir bacon and milk into saucepan; stir in mashed potato and mix well. Season with salt, pepper, red pepper, and hot pepper sauce; stir to combine. Cover and simmer 10 minutes (do not allow to boil). Yields about 1 1/2 cups per serving.

(Healthified) Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Penne Pasta with Chicken

You will Need:

2 cups penne pasta (I used whole wheat)
1 tsp ground Red Chili Pepper (sub Cayenne if you don't have it)
2 cups shredded Italian cheese (I used 1 cup 2% mozzarella and 1 cup Italian pesto cheese with basil added)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground basil (I used 1/2 tsp because of the basil infused cheese)
1 Tbsp basil pesto paste (again omitted in place of delicious cheese)
1 can (12 fl oz.) skim evaporated milk (instead of heavy whipping cream)
6 oz chicken (sliced)
1/2 cup roasted red peppers
1 small tomato diced (not pictured- delicious afterthought) 
1/2 TBS crushed red pepper

  

PREPARE pasta according to package directions, adding roasted red peppers to boiling pasta water for last two minutes of cooking time; drain.

SAUTEE chicken until cooked through. 

MEANWHILE, COMBINE evaporated milk, cheese, crushed red pepper, ground red chili pepper, basil, garlic powder and pepper in medium saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted.  Add chicken and tomato to mixture. Remove from heat.

ADD pasta and roasted red peppers to cheese sauce; stir until combined. 

GARNISH with crushed red pepper

Calories 491, Total Fat 11.9g, Saturated Fat 5.4g, Cholesterol 53.4g, Sodium 620mg, Total Carbs 49.4g, Fiber 5.5g, Sugars 11.8g, Protein 36g

Super Healthy Ice Cream- made only with bananas

So I've heard of this and I thought I would give it a try.

You cut the bananas into thin slices, I used a cheese slicer, and freeze them over night.  Then you throw them in the blender and you get a nice creamy ice cream.

It was very good, but I wanted to give it another flavor besides banana, so I added some cocoa.  It was very good.  Still very banana, but I couldn't believe how creamy and ice cream-like it was.  I wonder what it would do to throw in some peanut butter besides make it less healthy!  Ooh and maybe sprinkle some graham crackers over the top too.

Pork Tenderloins with a Delicious Tangy Orange Sauce

This meal is one of my all time favorites.  I like to add more pepper and spices because I love the spicy pallet, but it's delicious without firey flavor too.  It is also very healthy if you choose a lean pork.

Pork:

Slice into 1/4 inch slices. Cover each side of pork slices using 1/4 tsp of salt and a bit of black pepper if you like. Cook on med/high heat for about 5 minutes- until no longer pink.

Rice:

Jasmine rice as directed

Orange Sauce:

1/3 cup of Orange Marmalade
2 tsp Cider Vinegar
1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper- (I doubled that)
2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1/4 tsp of ground red pepper- if you want spicy

Jeera Chicken (Cumin Chicken) served with Pindi Chana (Indian Chickpeas) and Cilantro Chutney

Delicious and flavorful healthy dish!  

Jeera Chicken

You will need:

• 2 lb Chicken
• 1  tablespoon cumin seeds (Jeera seeds)
• 1 tbsp Red Chilli Powder (spicy)
• 1 tsp Turmeric powder
• ¼ cup Vinegar
• 1 1∕2 Onions grated
• 2 tbsp Coconut oil (optional, substitute with any oil) -I opted for much healthier virgin olive oil
• 2  teaspoons grated garlic
  8  teaspoons grated ginger
  1  teaspoon cumin powder (Jeera powder)
  1  teaspoon Garam Masala powder
  1  tablespoon lemon juice 
• Salt to taste

 Whole Grain pita bread

 Lettuce

 Chutney

1.  Add 2 Tbsp oil to pan and heat, then heat the cumin seeds.  They will crackle and turn brown.  

2.  Add all of the onion and sautee for 3 minutes or until soft and yellow

3.  Add chicken to pan and cook until no longer pink

4.  Combine all other ingredients and add to chicken

5.  Cover and cook on medium for 15 minutes 

Chutney:

16 oz plain greek yogurt

1 bundle of fresh cilantro 

salt (to taste- I used about 2 tsp)

pepper (to taste- I used about 3 tsp)

1 tsp ground red pepper

1.  Add all ingredients to blender -for the cilantro, I cut the stems at the rubber-band and used all of the bushel above.

Finally!

Add a layer of chutney to the inside of the pita, some lettuce, chicken and enjoy!

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