Easy Recipes for the New Year! I'm thinking Healthy!

I'm starting the New Year in the right direction.  Ok...I'm in a positive mode and will do everything to encourage both you and I to make some good food choices in this New Year 2017...

I am going to set a good example and suggest some light recipes you can incorporate into your busy lifestyle.  I'll still be posting family recipes and some new ones but I want to give you some healthy choices too!

Here it goes:

A nice lunch sandwich is one that would use:

2 slices of reduced calorie bread
3 oz. of light tuna (packed in water for sure and drained)
2 tablespoons light mayo
1 tsp. pickle relish
lettuce and tomato
1 small banana or apple

Another good choice would be:

2 cups baby spinach (wash)
2/3 cups chickpeas, drained
2 sliced scallions
6 halved cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons fat free vinaigrette
A few saltines or light crackers

My final suggestion for today's blog would be:

2 hard boiled eggs chopped and mixed with 2 tablespoons light mayo
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. pickle relish (it's really good to sweeten up your eggs)
Serve above over 2 cups salad greens (I like romaine lettuce)
small roll or light bread

The above should get you on a great start for the New Year..

Remember:  Make good choices and watch our portions.

Happy Baking and Cooking!  

The above recipes were adapted from a 2009 Family Circle Magazine..

1/1/12

Roasted Balsamic Chicken and tomatoes

2017 Healthy options

Starting today I am for one week trying my best to be focusing on less carbs and more protein in my food choices.

I love carbs in any shape or form and tend to lean to them for comfort and satisfaction I am looking for in my meal.  I need to try to not do it so often as it does put weight on and quite honestly it becomes an easy add on to a meal to make you full.

I've been looking through a lot of recipes and a few come to mind.  Today's was featured in All recipes and I think it will be one worth trying.

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 T olive oil
1 T Dijon mustard or more to taste
1 clove minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
2 fresh basil leaves chopped or 1/2 tsp. dried basil
4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 lemon, zest and juiced

Mix balsamic vinegar, olive oil, mustard and garlic together in a large zip lock bag.
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Place chicken in bag in vinegar mixture.

Marinate turning  bag occasionally for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1. Roast chicken in a preheated oven for about 30 minutes. Add tomatoes to the baking dish and continue cooking until the chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 10 minutes more. 
2. **For easier clean up I lined my baking pan with parchment paper.

1. Sprinkle lemon zest and drizzle lemon juice over the chicken and serve over fresh garlic spinach.
2. 

1. Note:  I did not use the zest of the lemon but I did squeeze a lemon cut in half over chicken before serving.  

Ser

Courtesy of all recipes. com

8/20/16

Easy no frying baked chicken parmigiana!

2018 is here so I'll be posting various recipes which will include some healthy options...Here's one...Enjoy!

If you are trying to cut carbohydrates but want a good Italian meal this one should appeal to you. Baked Chicken Parmigiana or Parmesan.

Along with my order of groceries this week I bought some boneless, skinless chicken breasts and they were on my menu this week.  I did not have any idea in place on what I was going to make with them.

Marinating is always an option.  It definitely keeps the chicken moist and flavorful.

I really had no specific plan on a meal but figured since I had Good Seasons salad dressing I had previously made the other day and I had some left  it would make a great marinade.  It's always a good idea to use your homemade salad dressing up quickly.  Bottled dressing keeps longer. IMO

I cleaned and washed the boneless chicken breasts and put them in a large zip lock bag and added at least 1/2 cup of dressing.(Guesstimate)  I let it set overnight in the refrigerator and figured the next day I'd decide either to bake or broil them for our evening meal.

Remembering that I had pasta sauce and sliced provolone also helped to put this meal in motion.  I make an effort to use ingredients I have to create meals and you can do it too. 

 We had a large salad along with it I and didn't make any pasta, potatoes or rice. Note:  It's difficult for me to not include pasta or potatoes with a meal so if you do decide to make this meal my way make sure you prepare a little more chicken so you can get the good protein that will fill you. 

It was sure healthy and delicious too! Enjoy!

1 lb. boneless chicken breasts (preferably) 2 large pieces

Italian dressing( I used Good Seasons)made according to directions(use as marinade)

Olive oil for spraying baking dish

Your favorite jarred pasta sauce 

Thickly sliced provolone cheese

Italian grated cheese
salad

Marinate chicken breasts overnight or at least several hours before baking in your favorite salad dressing.

Set oven to 350 degrees.  Spray baking dish

Lightly spray baking dish with oil and Bake marinated chicken breasts(depending on size) covered for at least 35 to 45 minutes.  Remove from oven, slice and place back in baking dish.  Cover with Marinara sauce, some grated pecorino romano cheese and a few slices of provolone.  I used six but my dish was on the smaller size.  

Place back in oven bake uncovered about 15 minutes or until cheese has melted completely, remove from oven, allow to set for a few minutes and serve. Yummy!

After adding sauce and grated cheese to with sliced provolone cheese and bake until bubbly or broil watching carefully until cheese has melted and is bubbly.

A good meal in no time.

From my kitchen to yours,

8/6/16
8/18/16
10/5/16

Easy Pasta Peperonata

I have wanted to make this recipe for a month and today's rainy day allowed me to make it.

I didn't have the fresh peppers so I substituted a jar of red roasted peppers instead.  I drained and patted them, cut them in pieces and adapted it as I saw fitting.  It turned out fabulous and hubby couldn't say enough about this meal.  He even said he thinks he liked the roasted peppers better than if I used fresh.  So now you have it.  Substitution is good most times. In this case it worked well.

Using Farfalle pasta instead of Rigatoni  was a plus, red wine vinegar too. You can easily use balsamic vinegar too.  It is a bit sweeter..

 I did have the mascarpone cheese and it said it was optional but quite honestly I think it added a level of sweet and creamy consistency to this recipe. Try it! I will definitely make this again. 

Thirty minutes from start to finish.  Yummy! 

Original Recipe (Woman's DayMag)
2 red peppers, seeded and sliced
2 yellow peppers, seeded and sliced
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
2 red onions sliced thin
2 cloves garlic minced
fresh parsley if possible
2 T red wine vinegar or balsamic
2 handfuls grated Romano cheese
lb. rigatoni

optional 2 heaping T mascarpone cheese

Over medium heat place cook peppers with a little olive oil, salt and pepper until softened.  Cook slowly covered  because it helps to bring out the flavor when done this way. Add onion and cook until translucent.  Add garlic and parsley and toss around. Cook about 3 minutes more.  Taste and add a bit more of salt and pepper. Add vinegar.  It will sizzle so give everything a good toss. Then add 1 handful of grated cheese and the mascarpone if you like.  Make sure you turn your heat down.

Cook pasta according to directions. Drain but reserve some of the pasta water for later.

Put the peppers, pasta and into a large bowl.  Give them a good toss, a little pasta water, a little more olive oil and the rest of the grated cheese.  Serve immediately.  Yummy!

6/27/15

Spring Vegetable and Barley Risotto!

I try to be careful what choices I make on a regular basis but sometimes you need a little more encouragement to help you along the way.

This is a WW meal.

I will still be baking and cooking and sharing my regular menu but I will incorporate more vegetarian dishes as well and some WW dishes too!  As I have said  "ROSEBUD" (my KEY word) to remind myself to stay on track and make HEALTHY choices.

This dish was wonderful and they suggested using pearl barley(IT DOESN'T REQUIRE CONSTANT STIRRING)  instead of arborio rice which worked out wonderful. 

Note:  I didn't have any snap peas so I doubled the asparagus.

Happy Cooking!

1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup sliced leeks(green and light green parts only)
4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup uncooked pearl barley
1/2 lb. asparagus, trimmed, cut diagonally into 2 inch pieces
1/4 lb. sugar snap peas trimmed and cut in half diagonally
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan-Reggiano cheese..I used Pecorino Romano
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
1 tsp. unsalted butter
1/4 tsp. salt
fresh ground pepper
1 T. dill or dried parsley
1/8 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Heat oil in large nonstick sauce pan over medium heat.  Add leeks, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are light golden, about 4 to 5 minutes.
Stir in broth and barley, bring to boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until barley is almost tender, about 30 minutes. Mixture will thicken when covered. 

Stir in asparagus and sugar snap peas until vegetables are tender, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Remove saucepan from heat; stir in cheese, zest, butter, salt and pepper.  Stir in dill or parsley and season to taste with fresh lemon juice; serve immediately.

Yields about 1 cup per serving.  Serves 4  WW points 6 

Prep: 15 minutes, Cook time 45 minutes

Happy Cooking from my kitchen to yours,

4/19/13