Light Alfredo

Ok, no, this was not an exact replica of what you get in the Italian restaurant, but for about 250 calories versus 1000 calories for one serving, it was pretty good! I added chicken to mine too.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1/2 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 pound dry fettuccine pasta
• 1/2 (16 ounce) package frozen broccoli florets

1. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and saute until golden brown.
2. In a small saucepan, stir together milk, chicken broth, flour, salt and pepper over low heat until smooth and thick. Stir into onion mixture. Continue to cook over medium low heat, stirring frequently, until the sauce is thick. Stir in Parmesan cheese.
3. Meanwhile, cook pasta in boiling water. Add broccoli to the pasta for the last several minutes of cooking. Continue cooking until the pasta is al dente.
4. Drain the pasta and vegetables, and transfer to a large bowl. Toss with sauce. Serve.

Quick and Easy Garlic Balsamic Chicken

Super quick and easy (but yummy!) chicken... it tastes a little like Chicken Marsala and is absolutely delicious!!!!

Here is the original recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-breasts-with-balsamic-vinegar-and-garlic/Detail.aspx I read all the reviews and simplified it accordingly!

• Ingredients:
• 
  
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3/4 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon butter

Directions:

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Rinse the mushrooms and pat dry. Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat and saute the chicken until it is nicely browned on one side (about 3 minutes).
2. Add the garlic. Turn the chicken breasts and scatter the mushrooms over them. Continue frying, shaking the skillet and stirring the mushrooms. Cook for about 3 minutes, then add the vinegar, broth, bay leaf and thyme. Cover tightly and simmer over medium low heat for 10 minutes, turning occasionally.
3. Transfer the chicken to a warm serving platter and cover with foil. Set aside. Continue simmering the sauce, uncovered, over medium high heat for about 7 minutes. Swirl in the butter or margarine and discard the bay leaf. Pour this mushroom sauce mixture over the chicken and serve.

Crock-Pot Chicken Tacos

Chicken Tacos in the Crockpot

-Take 1 chicken taco seasoning packet (you can use a reg. taco seasoning packet, but it really doesn't taste nearly as good), and cover the bottom of the crockpot.

-Lay 3 frozen skinless breasts on top of the seasoning.

-Take one container of fresh pico (I use H.E.B.'s hot variety, we like the kick) and cover the chicken. You can use a can of rotel, but the fresh tastes better.

-Pour 1/4 cup of olive oil and 1/4 cup water over the top of everything. Do not stir.

Simmer in crockpot for 4 to 6 hours on low. If you're home, flip it halfway through, but not necessary. Remove chicken and shred with a fork. Stir back in, mixing everything up, and let cook/simmer for at least 30 more minutes.

We throw it on tortillas with a shredded mexican cheese blend. Great for leftovers, too.

Spinach & Ricotta Stuffed Chicken

I love this. It taste completely decadent, but is not a calorie suicide like most Italian meals. I saw multiple recipes online, but it was very easy to adapt to a healthier version. Please excuse my lack of exact measurements...it is really up to your preference. You just need:

Chicken Breast
Frozen Spinach (defrosted)
Fat Free or Low Fat Ricotta Cheese
Italian Seasoning
1 Garlic Clove
Marinara Sauce

Just cut your chicken breast in half to butterfly it. In a separate bowl make your filling by combining the spinach, ricotta, Italian seasoning, and minced garlic clove. As I said before, the amounts are pretty much up to your taste.
Put your filling on top of one side of the butterflied breast, then place the other half back on top (I am sure you could just pound it down as well then fold, this was just easier to me).
Drizzle a little EVOO on top to keep it from burning, and then bake on 350 for about 25 minutes.
When it is still really hot, cover with the marinara sauce and let it sit for a few minutes to cool and settle.

Gary and I shared 1 chicken breast and it was satisfying because of the filling.

Quick Fix: Marinara Sauce

Weeknights can get really hectic at our house, but I am trying really hard not to resort to fast food or frozen pizzas! Recently, I discovered some tips from other moms on a message board about how to add a few ingredients to a jarred marinara sauce to create a yummy and nutritious dinner.

I took the idea and ran with it, so here's my quick and easy recipe for adding taste and nutrients to a jar of marinara:

1 jar of marinara sauce (whatever your family likes)

1 large carrot (or a small handful of baby carrots)

1 small zuchinni

(or any other veggies of your choice)

3 cloves of garlic

1 small shallot or extra small onion (whatever you have on hand)

1 tablespoon E.V.O.O.

1/2 cup grated italian cheese (mozzarella, romano, parmesan, asiago, etc.)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Put the veggies of your choice, the garlic, and the shallot or onion into a food processor until all are finely chopped. Meanwhile, heat E.V.O.O. in large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped mixture to the pot and saute for 2-3 minutes until veggies begin to cook and you start getting the yummy garlic smell! Then, add the jarred sauce. When sauce begins to bubble, add the cheese and stir until melted. Taste and add salt, pepper, or any other spices you feel would help (I threw in some fresh basil and...of course...garlic salt...).

This recipe made enough sauce for 2 family meals for us. I just refrigerated the leftovers to reheat another night. My guess is that it could also be frozen. Matt ate it over whole grain penne pasta that I boiled while making the sauce (almost perfect timing!). However, my new discovery/tip as far as pasta is concerned is frozen ravioli... They can be found with just cheese or - better - with spinach or other veggies!!! Best of all, they can be MICROWAVED in 2 minutes and taste just fine. I am really looking forward to just heating up ravioli and sauce later this week and having a meal ready in under 5 minutes!

Opa!

This weekend I ate my way through the Greek Festival at the Greek Orthodox Church. I am a huge lover of all things Greek: The music, the islands, the ancient culture and literature (My focus for my Masters is on classical Greek mythology!). But, especially the food! I love Greek food, and luckily, the Mediterranean diet is very healthy. Of course the things I love, like Gyros, Spanakopita, and Kourambiethes are NOT things I could make at home on a regular day.
I do make Greek Salad almost every night, though. I hate bottle salad dressing, so luckily this is easy!

I usually just use a bag of mixed greens from HEB and tomato, but if I am feeling fancy I will add bell pepper as well. I hate olives, so that traditional piece is left out ;)
To make the dressing, just combine the ingredients in a food processor:

1 tbsp. oregano
1 tsp. parsley
3 tbsp. olive oil
1-2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1-2 Garlic cloves
Salt and pepper to taste

Then top with low-fat Feta cheese (I promise, no difference in taste) and go!

Pasta with Italian Sausage and Greens

So I have no clever name for this dish, but it is delicious and oh-so-nutritious. I got the recipe from a friend's blog, and made some adjustments to it to better fit my taste. Anytime Gary and I make pasta we try to overload it with veggies. Well, on a mission to fix a long standing Vitamin K deficiency I have had before I have to start getting shots (ouch!), we are on a leafy-green diet overhaul. Hence the spinach shakes for breakfast....
You can use any kind of greens you want, I used these just because I like them. I really did not measure the greens, I just put in as much as I could b/c I like to sneak them in.
Kale is an incredibly leafy green I have never used before, but it is so incredibly nutrient and Vitamin K rich I decided to try it tonight.

12 oz. penne pasta (I used the Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Whole Wheat)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb. sweet Italian turkey sausage- casings removed
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 large onion, thinly sliced, rings roughly separated
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
kosher salt, to taste
Kale (I used a whole "bunch")
Spinach (a few cups)
freshly ground pepper


Boil large pot of water and cook pasta to al dente while preparing the sauce. When pasta finishes cooking, reserve two cups of the pasta water before draining.


Heat garlic and olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and brown, breaking it up into crumbles with a wooden spoon. Add onion slices and saute until transparent, a little over five minutes. Add tomatoes, red pepper and a pinch of salt. Saute for about five minutes then stir to break up the tomatoes a bit. Add half the greens and stir to wilt it.

Drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the sausage sauce. Raise the heat to high and stir to combine pasta with the juices. Add half the reserved water and stir well. Add the remaining greens one handful at a time until all is wilted and incorporated into the dish. Add the remaining reserved water and cheese, stir well to combine the cheese into the sauce.

I put a bit of Parmesan on top when it was done. This was yummy, healthy, and very easy!

Sunday Splurge... On Hand Alfredo

So... in just 2 weeks, you should already be sensing a pattern... When we splurge on a calorie-rich meal, it tends to involve lots of cheesy, creamy sauces and wine....

I hadn't actually planned on a splurge this weekend, but when I asked my uber-stressed out hubby what he wanted for dinner, he requested pasta and Alfredo sauce... so I figured why not? The problem was, I did not have cream cheese or heavy cream (my two usual bases for Alfredo recipes) on hand, so I began a search for a recipe that didn't call for either. I ended up discovering a fabulous new sauce recipe that is destined to become a new favorite (I like it better than last week's, so that ought to tell you something!) The best part is, I made the whole thing with ingredients that I almost always have on hand in my fridge.

4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup shredded Italian cheeses (Mozzarella, Romano, etc.)
1/2 cup Parmesano Reggiano cheese (or plain Parmesan)
3 tablespoons fresh or 1-2 tablespoons dried parsley
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup white wine
salt and pepper

Melt butter and add flour. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly to cook flour. Add cream and broth all at once and blend well. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until cheese has melted and sauce is smooth.

Pour over pasta (with chicken, shrimp, or pancetta if desired).

Additional cheese can be added to the topping, if desired. Bake in oven until cheese is golden brown.

Yummy (and Quick!) Fall Treat - (Microwaved) Baked Apples!

We are getting into the fall mood at our house... Halloween decorations are up, the orange clothes are out (for Aedan anyway!) and we are ready for autumn comfort foods like soups, ciders, and yummy baked treats!

Unfortunately, fall is also our busiest season so time is often limited. We try to find reasonably healthy and easy treats for family evenings. I was really excited when I realized I could make baked apples (one of our favorites!) in the microwave in under 5 minutes!!!

Ingredients:

- 4 apples, cubed (peel if desired)

- 2 tablespoons butter or margarine

- 1 teaspoon cinnamon

- 1 tablespoon sugar

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a microwave safe container. Microwave for 2 minutes, stir, and then microwave for an additional 2 minutes.

This is also a great recipe for applesauce. Follow the same recipe (or double it) and then put the finished product into a food processor.