HAPPY DECEMBER!

 

This month's recipes include Lemon Garlic Spaghetti and healthy hot chocolate! Be sure to check out the "Interesting fact" at the end of the post. 

 

Remember to email me if you have any submissions: Jessica.johnson81712@yahoo.com

 

Lemon Garlic Spaghetti
 By: ila (I nom things blog)

 Ingredients:
(Ingredients serve 2-multiply as necessary)

·         4 oz. dry spaghetti

·         1/4 cup grated parmesan

·         2 tsp. olive oil

·         1 clove garlic

·         1/2 lemon

·         2 tbsp. pine nuts

·         5-6 basil leaves

 Directions:

·         Pour olive oil and chopped up garlic into a small frying pan. Let it cook over low, until the garlic starts to brown on edges. Immediately remove from heat

·         While garlic continues to brown, boil your spaghetti.

·         Cut some fresh basil leaves into shreds.

·         Take your cheese and pine nuts-dump into a large bowl.

·         Add your garlic oil (garlic chunks and all.)

·         Squeeze in lemon juice

·         Add spaghetti and toss until well combined

·         Optional: Add some black pepper

 

 

 

Healthy Hot Chocolate

(Sugar-Free, Vegan, 20 Calories a Cup!)

 Photo by @realnutritioncg

Ingredients:

·         2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa

·         1 cup water

·         2 packets of stevia or other sweetener of choice

·         dash salt, (sea salt is best)

·         1/4 tsp vanilla or peppermint extract, (optional)

Instructions:

·         Combine cocoa, stevia, and salt in heatproof mug and set aside.

·         Microwave water on high for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.

·         Slowly add hot water to dry ingredients, mixing constantly

·         Add vanilla, peppermint, or other extract of choice for added flavor!

·         The cocoa has a tendency to settle, so keep a spoon handy and stir occasionally.

 

 

Interesting Fact: Vitamins do NOT give you energy....however eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly will!

 

 

 

 

HAPPY OCTOBER!

This month's recipes include simple-healthy quesadillas and healthy peanut butter fudge swirl brownies. You'll also notice an "Interesting fact" at the end of the post. I'm going to try including interesting facts or tips at the end of every recipe post.

Remember to email me if you have any submissions: Jessica.johnson81712@yahoo.com

 
SIMPLE-HEALTHY QUESADILLAS
 

By @cookieandkate

Ingredients:
 
(Ingredients per quesadilla, multiply as necessary)

·         2 eggs

·         1 cup spinach, roughly chopped

·         ¼ cup cooked black beans

·         1 medium whole grain tortilla

·         ½ cup melty shredded cheese (like cheddar or Monterey Jack), divided

·         Hot sauce, like Cholula

·         Sea salt

·         Guacamole (yields enough guac for 2 to 4 quesadillas

·         1 large avocado, diced

·         1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (about 1 small lime, juiced)

·         2 tablespoons finely chopped white onion or radishes

·         3 packed tablespoons fresh cilantro (about 1 small handful)

·         1 small garlic clove, pressed or minced

·         ½ teaspoon ground coriander

·         ⅛ teaspoon sea salt

 Directions: 
 

·         To make the guacamole:

o   Combine the guacamole ingredients in a small bowl. Mash with a fork until the mixture is well combined and mostly smooth. Set aside.

·         To prepare the eggs:

o   Scramble the eggs in a small bowl. Season with a couple dashes of hot sauce and a dash of salt.

·         To cook the eggs:

o   Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a medium-sized skillet (either well-seasoned cast iron or nonstick) over medium heat until shimmering. Add the chopped spinach and cook, stirring often, until wilted, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the black beans to the skillet. Pour in the scrambled eggs and cook, stirring often, until the eggs are just set, about 1 to 3 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a bowl to pause the cooking process (the eggs will finish cooking in the quesadilla).

·         Cook the quesadilla (if desired, you can cook two quesadillas at once):

o   In a large skillet (preferably cast iron, but nonstick also works), warm the tortilla over medium heat, flipping occasionally. Once the pan and tortilla are warm, sprinkle one half of the quesadilla with ¼ cup cheese. Top the cheese with scrambled eggs, then top the scrambled eggs with almost ¼ cup cheese, reserving about 1 tablespoon of cheese for later. Press the empty tortilla halve over the toppings.
Let the bottom side of the quesadilla cook for a minute, then carefully flip the quesadilla with a spatula. Immediately sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of cheese over the hot side of the quesadilla and let it melt as the other side cooks for a couple of minutes. Flip the quesadilla again, and let the cheese sizzle into the quesadilla for a couple of minutes. Use the spatula to get underneath the melty cheese side and flip again. Cook that side for a couple more minutes if necessary, until both sides are a nice, crisp golden brown.
Transfer the quesadilla to a cutting board to cool for a few minutes, and then slice each quesadilla into 2 slices using a pizza cutter or a very sharp knife. Serve with guacamole.

Healthy Peanut Butter-Fudge Swirl Brownies

Recipe by ifoodreal.com

 

 Ingredients:

•14 oz. can black beans, drained & rinsed
•1/2 cup egg whites (2 large eggs or flax egg replacer)
•1/2 cup applesauce, unsweetened
•10-12 Medjool dates or prunes, pitted (1/2 cup packed)
•1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
•1/2 cup cacao powder or cocoa powder
•1/2 tsp. baking soda
•1/4 tsp. salt
•1/2 cup organic/natural peanut butter, unsalted
•2 tbsp. chocolate chips
•Cooking spray

Directions:
 
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 8 x 8 square baking dish with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
 
2. Add all ingredients, except chocolate chips and peanut butter, to a powerful blender or food processor and process until smooth. Pour batter into prepared baking dish and level with spatula.

3. In a small pot over low heat, whisk peanut butter until melted and smooth. Drop spoon-fulls on top of batter and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Using butter knife make deep swirls, "sinking" some peanut butter into the batter. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let brownies cool for 5 minutes in the baking dish. Holding onto the parchment paper flaps carefully transfer brownies to a cooling rack and let cool for 30 minutes before slicing. Cut into 16 squares and enjoy warm or cold (I love these cold!).

 4. Storage Instructions: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 7 days. 
 
OCTOBER'S INTERESTING FACT: 

Last Saturday my professor provided a shocking visual. As you can see above: The cups in front of each beverage contains the amount of sugar in each drink.

Interesting fact: Every 4 grams = 1 teaspoon of sugar.

Check your labels! Be conscious of how much sugar your consuming.

Let’s get real…we all LOVE food….but I think I can speak for most everyone in saying we don’t necessarily love the extra poundage put on as a result of eating the foods we love.

So I pose these questions: Why not make yummy-healthy dishes? We can use excuses like time, money, patience etc., but are our precious bodies not worth a small amount of extra effort in making our meals more healthy? I feel they are, which is why our recipe blog will have a new theme: Health

Some recipes will be more time consuming than others, but I will try my best to make and find healthy, cost and time conscious recipes.

Please email me at: Jessica.johnson81712@yahoo.com if you have any healthy recipes you'd like to submit.

Veggie Protein Pizza

Recipe by @littleepicurean

Ingredients: 

• 1 lb. whole wheat pizza dough room temp
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Italian eggplant cut into 1/4 thick rounds
• 1 zucchini squash cut into 1/4 thick rounds
• 1 tomato sliced into 1/4 thick rounds
• 2 links Italian chicken sausage, removed from casing
• 5 thick slices low-fat cheese of choice
• salt/ground black pepper to season
• semolina flour as needed.

 Directions:

•  Let dough sit out till room temp.
• Preheat oven to 500F. Place pizza stone/pan in oven while preheating.
• On the stove heat a cast-iron grill pan over high heat or prepare gas grill for medium heat cooking.
• In a bowl mix together minced garlic and olive oil.
• Once cast-iron grill pan is hot, lightly brush eggplant and zucchini rounds w garlic/olive oil mixture. Place rounds on the grill. Cook for 3-5 min, only turning once. Cut eggplant rounds in half and zucchini rounds into quarters. Set aside.
• In medium skillet, heat a little of garlic/olive oil mixture. Once hot, add chicken sausage. Break sausage up w/ wooden spoon as it cooks. Cook for 6-8 min until done. Set aside.
• Roll pizza dough into rectangle shape, 10x13 inches. Place dough on baking sheet sprinkled w/ semolina flour. Add enough flour under the dough to allow it to slide off the baking sheet and onto the hot pizza stone in the oven.
• Brush dough w remaining garlic/olive oil. Cover pizza w cheese slices. Follow w sliced tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini and sausage. Season w/ salt/pepper.
• Slide pizza into pizza stone in oven. Bake 8-10 min until crust is golden brown and cheese is fully melted.

What about dessert with a healthy twist? Yes! It exists! See recipe below:

Healthy Cookie Dough Frosting Sandwiches

Sallysbakingaddiction.com

 

COOKIE-Ingredients:

• 2 cups brown rice flour
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 3/4 cup raw agave nectar
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup dark mini chocolate chips

FROSTING-Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup vanilla non-fat Greek yogurt
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup (125g) brown rice flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1 cup dark mini chocolate chips

 

 Directions:

• Make the cookies: In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the applesauce/butter for 1 minute on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy. Add the agave and coconut sugar and mix on medium speed until fluffy and light in color. Mix in egg and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. In a separate bowl, combine brown rice flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. On low speed, slowly mix into the wet ingredients until combined. Add the chocolate chips and mix for about 5 seconds until evenly disbursed. Cover dough tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour (2+ hours preferred for thicker cookies) and up to 2 days.

Chilling is mandatory for this cookie dough.

• While the cookie dough is chilling, make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat coconut sugar and yogurt together on medium speed. Beat until combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. On low speed, add the vanilla, flour, and salt. Beat until everything is mixed; the dough will be thick and heavy. Add the milk and beat on low for 30 seconds to fairly mix it in. Then switch to high and beat for at least 2 minutes until combined and very creamy. Gently fold in chocolate chips. Set aside at room temperature until ready to use.
• Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside. Once chilled, the dough will be slightly crumbly, but will come together if you work the dough with your hands as you roll into individual balls. Roll balls of dough, about 1 TBSP of dough each, into balls. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until barely golden brown around the edges. They will look extremely soft when you remove them from the oven. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet. If the cookies are too puffy, try gently pressing down on them with the back of a spoon. They will slightly deflate as you let them cool. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely before sandwiching.
• Sandwich dollops of cookie dough frosting between two cooled cookies, creating sandwiches.

Scrumptious Summer Salads

Pizza Salad
1 Head iceberg lettuce (torn into pieces)
1/2 lb. pepperoni (bite size chunks)
1 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tomato (chopped) or cherry tomatoes halved
1/2 Cup olives
1 Tbsp. chopped chives or green onions
1 Cup sliced mushrooms
Red pepper strips

Mix above ingredients.

Whisk together the following for dressing.
1 3oz can tomato sauce
1/2 Cup vegetable oil
1/4 Cup wine vinegar
1 tsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder


Easiest Ever Fruit Salad
1 30oz. can fruit cocktail, drained
1 11oz. can mandarin oranges, drained
1 20oz can pineapple chunks, with juice
2 firm bananas, slices approx. 1 inch thick (optional)
1 box instant vanilla pudding

Combine all ingredients, stirring until dry pudding mixture is fully incorporated into the fruit mixture.  Salad will appear to be runny, but, will thicken as the pudding absorbs the pineapple juice.  Chill for at least 1/2 hour or overnight.  Stir before serving.

If the salad sits for longer than 4 hours before serving, it is best to add the optional bananas just before serving, as they will brown slightly.  However, this does not affect the flavor, only the appearance.

Variations include adding other canned or fresh fruits, using a different flavor of pudding mix, such as lemon, coconut, banana etc.  You can also add marshmallows, shredded coconut, or even chopped nuts.


Chili Corn Bread Salad
1 pkg. (8.5 oz) corn bread/muffin mix
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies, undrained
1/8 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. dried oregano
Pinch rubbed sage
1 Cup mayonnaise
1 Cup sour cream
1 Envelope ranch salad dressing mix
2 Cans (15 oz each) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
2 Cans (15.25 oz each) whole kernel corn, drained
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 Cup chopped green pepper
10 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
2 Cups (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese

Prepare corn bread batter according to package directions.  Stir in the chilies, cumin, oregano and sage.
Spread in a greased 8 inch square cooking pan.  Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool.

In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream and dressing mix.  Set aside.

Crumble half of the corn bread into a 9x13x2 dish.  Layer with half of the beans, mayonnaise mixture, corn, tomatoes, green pepper, onions, bacon and cheese.  Repeat layers (dish will be very full).  Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.


Two-Cheese Tossed Salad
1/2 Cup vegetable oil
1/2 Cup chopped red onion
1/4 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup vinegar
1 tsp. poppy seeds
1/2 tsp. dried minced onion
1/4-1/2 tsp. prepared mustard
1/8-1/4 tsp salt
5 Cups fresh spinach
5 Cups torn iceberg lettuce
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 Carton (8oz) cottage cheese
1 Cup (4oz) shredded Swiss cheese
2 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the first 8 ingredients.  Refrigerate overnight.  Just before serving, toss spinach, lettuce, mushrooms and cheeses in a large salad bowl.  Shake dressing and pour over salad.  Sprinkle with bacon.  Serve.


Apple Snicker Salad
3 or 4 different apples
3 snickers bars
1 tub Cool Whip

Cut apples and snickers into bite size pieces.  Throw together and add Cool Whip.

Pistachio Pudding Salad
Pistachio Pudding
8 oz. crushed pineapple
1/2 Cup coconut
1 Cup sliced almonds

Prepare pistachio pudding according to the directions on the pudding box.  Add drained crushed pineapple, coconut and almonds.  Mix thoroughly and chill until set.

Green Jello Salad
Jello:
1 lg. package of lime Jello
2 Cups boiling water
8 oz. cream cheese
1 quart pears
1 8oz. pkg Cool Whip

In casserole dish, mix the jello and boiling water until dissolved.  Add the pears, cream cheese and 1/2 of the tub of cool whip and mash together with a fork until it is all mushed together.  refrigerate until set (couple hours).  Spread remaining cool whip on top.

Topping:
5 Tbsp. margarine
3/4 Cup oatmeal
1/4 Cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
Pinch of cinnamon

Combine all ingredients except for the margarine in a small bowl.  Melt the margarine and mix it in with the other ingredients.  Spread and flatten out on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.  Let cool, then crumble on top of the jello.

Tossed Greek Salad
12 Cups torn romaine lettuce
2 Medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 Medium cucumber, peeled, halved and sliced
1/2 Medium green pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 Medium red onion, cut into rings
1/2 Cup small olives
1/2 Cup crumbled feta cheese

Lemon dressing:
1/4 Cup olive or canola oil
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/8 tsp. pepper

In a salad bowl, combine the first 7 ingredients.  In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the dressing ingredients and shake well.  Pour over salad and toss to coat.  Serve immediately.

Cookie Salad
Combine:
1 large or 2 small instant vanilla pudding mix
2 Cups buttermilk
Add:
24 oz. cool whip
1 20oz Can crushed pineapple, drained
2 cans mandarin oranges, drained
Baking caramels (optional)

Before serving add 1 pkg. fudge striped cookies crushed.

Strawberry Cheesecake Salad
2 pkg. cheesecake pudding mix
16 oz. cool whip
1 large vanilla yogurt
1 large bag mini marshmallows
2 lbs. sliced strawberries

Combine pudding mix, cool whip, yogurt and marshmallows.  Refrigerate to set and add strawberries just before serving.

Bean Salad
2 Cans kidney beans
2 cans garbanzo beans
2 cans green beans
1 Cup sugar
3/4 Cup vinegar
2/3 Cup vegetable oil
Salt
Pepper (optional)
1 onion chopped

Open, rinse and drain all of the beans.  In a large bowl, add the sugar, vinegar, vegetable oil and salt.  Mix well until the sugar starts to dissolve.  Add the beans and onion.  Put a tight lid on the bowl and shake it to coat the beans.  Refrigerate overnight.

You can add 1 can of julienne diced beets, well drained, but not rinsed for more flavor and color.

Fruity Pasta Salad
Dressing:
2 C mayonnaise
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/3-1/2 C honey
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp pepper


2-3 Chicken breasts, cooked and diced.  Or use 2 cans of chicken, drained.
1 16oz pkg tri-colored pasta (rotini, penne etc.)
2 15oz cans mandarin oranges
1/4 lb sugar snap peas, sliced diagonally (bias cut)
1/2 C chopped green onions
Chow Mien noodles

1. Mix dressing ingredients and refrigerate.
2. Cook chicken and dice
3. Cook pasta, drain and add chicken.  Mix together.
4. Add snap peas and onions.
5. Add dressing to coat
6. Gently fold in mandarin oranges until everything is coated.
7. Top with chow mien noodles.
8. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour before serving

Thanks to the sisters of Huntington, UT 2nd Ward for submitting.