Week 2 of Healthy Eating!
So far, so good! It takes a little more effort - but eating healthy is SO much easier when you've got DELICIOUS options! Doesn't even feel like a diet! Just delicious food that's good for your body!
This week, I'm sharing recipes for:
-Quinoa Tabouli
-Blueberry Bran Muffins (Don't say yuck, these WILL SURPRISE YOU)
-Chicken Stuffed Peppers
-Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Quinoa Tabouli
My mother-in-law made this one for a cousin's baby shower a month or so ago, and I HAD to steal the recipe...it was AMAZING! There was some leftover, (not sure how that happened!) and the next day we put it on Triscuits...it was even better on Day 2!!
Prep: 10 min Cook: 10 min Ready in: 20 min
Ingredients:
2 bags Success Tri-Color Quinoa
3 tbsp olive oil
juice and zest of one lemon
1 tbsp shallot, minced
1 tbsp Dijon mustard (I omitted, we both HATE Dijon)
1/2 cup cucumber, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2 green onions, sliced
1 tbsp fresh mint leaves, chopped
salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese, optional
balsamic glaze, optional
Directions:
Prepare quinoa according to package. Cool. In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, zest, shallot and mustard. Fold in quinoa, parsley, cucumber, tomatoes, onions and mint. Season with salt and pepper. Top with cheese and drizzle with balsamic glaze, if desired. Serves 4.
Tip: I usually add a little chicken or vegetable broth to the boiling water for the quinoa.
This stuff is stupid good, it's such a fresh side that's delicious and healthy. We had it with chicken topped with fresh mozzarella and some of the balsamic glaze. It was fabulous. Another healthy meal in the books!
Blueberry Bran Muffins
Okay, so this one might not be the healthiest on the list. But MAN, are these delicious...as well as an amazing option for a quick, grab and go breakfast. Plus, the batter keeps well in the fridge for a few days, so you don't have to bake them all at once. In addition...they freeze SO WELL. I make a whole batch, and then put two muffins each in sandwich bags, then all the muffins into a storage container and right in the freezer. In the morning, if I don't have anything for breakfast, I'll grab a bag from the freezer. By the time I get to work, they're thawed out and ready to eat, and they taste just as good as when they were fresh out' the oven! :)
Prep: 10 min Bake: 15-18 min Ready in: 25-28 min
Ingredients (can be doubled):
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening/butter
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup boiling water
2 1/2 cup flour
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups All Bran
Directions:
Pour boiling water over cereal in a large bowl. Stir in buttermilk. Combine sugar and Crisco with the beaten eggs. Stir until blended. Add cereal/buttermilk to sugar, shortening and eggs. Mix until blended. Add dry ingredients. Mix just until moistened. Bake at 400 for 15-18 minutes in a light, greased muffin pan.
This mix can be kept in the fridge for several days and used as needed. Can add blueberries, nuts, raisins, etc. The muffins freeze wonderfully! This is a recipe Andrew's grandma gave me for my wedding shower, and I've been obsessed ever since!
Chicken Stuffed Peppers
Okay, so this wasn't the most Instagram-worthy recipe yet, but man was it good! Andrew has really taken to the notion of peppers stuffed with things and baked...so this was actually on him! Like the smoothies I posted last week, this one is a good "whatever you've got lying around" -type recipe, but here's what we put in them this week:
Ingredients:
baked chicken breast
cooked chicken sausage (we used Wegmans' feta and spinach sausage)
sauteed peppers and onions
whole bell peppers
feta cheese
red sauce (we used Grandma's Pomodoro from Wegmans)
Directions:
Cook the meat as you normally would. Saute the peppers and onions in a pan on the stove. Once tender, add meat and sauce and simmer for about 5 minutes. Cut the top off a whole pepper and stuff with sauce and meat mixture. Top with feta (we also added a little Parmesan Romano blend) and bake 10 minutes. Voila! Yumm-o.
I wasn't able to eat the sauce on mine - having a little internal problem where acidic foods are not my friend right now (waahhhh no sauce or wine), but even without the sauce, this was AMAZING.
Chicken Lettuce Wraps
These are an old standby for us - healthy, quick, easy and yummy! It's one of Andrew's favorites, so we make it a lot in my house! The recipe calls for chicken, but I've made it with ground turkey, too.
Prep: 10 min Cook: 15 min Ready in: 25 min
Ingredients:
1 lb ground chicken breast
1/2 onion, minced
salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1" knob ginger, peeled and minced
2 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp + 1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp peanut butter
1/2 tbsp water
1/2 tbsp honey
2 tsp chili garlic sauce
3 green onions, chopped (optional)
1/2 8 oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1/4 cup peanuts, chopped
10-12 large outer lettuce leaves, rinsed and patted dry (I use baby Romaine)
Directions:
Heat a large, non-stick skillet on high. Add chicken, onion, salt and pepper, then cook until chicken is nearly done, stirring often to break up the meat. Add garlic and ginger, then continue cooking until chicken is no longer pink.
Meanwhile, in a microwave safe bowl, combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, oil, peanut butter, water, honey and chili garlic sauce. Microwave for 20 seconds, then stir until smooth. Add into the skillet and stir to combine.
Add green onions and water chestnuts into the skillet, then cook for 1-2 minutes until the onions are soft and the water chestnuts are heated through.
Sprinkle with chopped peanuts, and serve with cold lettuce leaves.
This is by far one of our favorite recipes. I usually serve it with brown rice or couscous - if I'm making rice, I'll double the sauce to put some in the rice!