Turkey Meatloaf Recipe

Hello!!
So I have been making a lot of one pot meals with Ground Turkey, Veggie and Brown Rice, it's delicious, but I wanted something different.  I decided to make a Turkey Meatloaf, but most of the ones I have made in the past have been pretty tasteless.  I decided to season up the meat and add some sauteed veggies and to use gluten free oats, as normally I omit the breadcrumbs and the meatloaf isn't the same texture as I like.  I just put the 3/4 cup of oats into my Nutribullet for 3 seconds (you can do this in a food processor or blender, as well).  This really did the trick.  So below is the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup diced onion
2 ribs of celery, diced into small pieces
3 garlic gloves minced, or 2 tsp of already minced garlic
1 pound of ground turkey
1 egg white (or use the whole egg)
2 tsp Worcester sauce
3/4 cup Gluten Free Oats (ground)
2 tsp ground flax seed (optional, I add it for the nutrients)
1 tsbp tomato paste (or ketchup)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
ketchup


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Super easy, just saute your onion, celery and garlic in a little olive oil spray in a non-stick pan.  Once cooked, mix everything, except the ketchup, into a bowl and form into a loaf.  Spray a meatloaf pan with olive oil spray and fill with the meat.  Top the meat with as much or as little ketchup as you like.  (I use an organic ketchup and just drizzle a few lines).  Cook for 1 hour.  Serve with a potato and veggie. Enjoy.

Buffalo Chicken Chili Recipe

Good morning!! 

Long time no post, right?  Life has been busy!!  I hope everyone is well.  I have been struggling a bit with my thyroid illness, gained a few pounds over the last year, but still maintaining a healthy diet.  My biggest obstacle right now is that to lose this 10 pounds I have gained, is to EXERCISE, but the downside to an underactive thyroid is exhaustion!  Exercise and Exhaustion do not go hand in hand.  BUT, I need to make it work and I am focused.

In the meantime, I have been trying out some new recipes and this one I found for Buffalo Chicken Chili is INSANELY good.  I adapted it from a recipe on Skinnytaste.com, to make it a fully clean meal.  I topped it with Greek Yogurt and, oh man, was it delicious.  I hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground chicken or turkey breast
1 medium onion chopped
2 carrots, chopped small
2 celery stalks, chopped small
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste
1 (15 oz) can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup water
6 tbsp Frank's Hot Sauce

Directions:

Heat a large deep nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the ground chicken in the skillet and cook, breaking up the meat into small pieces as it cooks, about 8 to 10 minutes, or until cooked through, set aside.
Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, chili powder, cumin, paprika, a pinch of  salt and pepper, and cook stirring until the vegetables soften, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add white beans, pinto beans, water  and chicken broth, bring to a boil and simmer covered on medium-low about 10 minutes.
Stir in the hot sauce and add the chicken, cover and simmer until thickened, 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until the flavors blend. 

Top with some of your favorites like greek yogurt or sour cream, cheddar cheese or chopped scallions.

And yep, that's a picture of me, because I forgot to take a picture of the chili! lol

The Best Smoothie I Have Ever Tasted!!! (And a Healthy Pina Colada Recipe)

Ever since I received the Nutribullet for Christmas, I have been a Nutriblasting fool.  I have made the Nutriblasts/Smoothies that the Nurtibullet book provided for the first few months, then I decided to get creative and see what I could do.  Most of the smoothies I have made have been chock full of healthy ingredients, and some have been a treat, with mostly healthy ingredients.  Actually, all have had healthy ingredients, but some have just tasted like they were bad for me.  This one is one of those!!

While most Nutriblast/Smoothies start with greens, I opted not to put them in this one, because I was getting a little tired of the green smoothie, I wanted something bright and summery.  This smoothie was so easy and so delicious!!!  Ok, let me be honest, this drink came about because I wanted a healthy pina colada...but then decided to tweak it just a tad for a healthy breakfast smoothie lol  I'll also include the pina colada recipe below!

Mango Pineapple Protein Breakfast Smoothie
1 scoop Tera's Whey Vanilla Protein Powder (or protein powder of your choice)
1/2 cup frozen pineapple (I use Trader Joe's Pineapple Tidbits)
1/2 cup frozen mango chunks (about 7 chunks)
1 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
1/2 of an orange
5 ice cubes

Put everything into your nutribullet or blender and zip!

Healthy Pina Colada 
1/2 cup frozen pineapple
1/2 cup frozen mango
1/3 cup lite coconut milk
2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 oz orange juice
2 oz spiced rum (I used Capt. Morgan)
5 ice cubes

Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats Recipe

I had been reading so many things about overnight oats, but I just couldn't figure out what was so special.  I still don't know exactly if preparing them overnight, rather than in the morning, has any added nutritional benefits, but I can definitely tell you it's a time saver!  Also, then you have the option of eating your oats hot or cold!  This is great for people who don't eat oatmeal in the spring and summer because they can't eat hot oatmeal for breakfast (I know these people exist, because I am one of them).  But that is all figured out now, because the overnight oats can be eaten cold!!  For those who don't have any strange quirks like myself, feel free to heat up your overnight oats when you are ready to eat.

The recipe I have been making is an Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal.  Of course you can just omit the applesauce and cinnamon if you would like regular oatmeal.  The recipe will be the same if you want to add your own ideas (blueberries, strawberries, pecans, almonds, etc)  Make it your own, have fun with it, eat what you like and be happy :)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Rolled Oats or Old Fashioned Oats (or 1/4 cup of steel cut oats)
1 tsp chia seeds
1 tsp flax meal (I grind my own flaxseeds using a coffee grinder)
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp pure maple syrup
1 - 2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup - 3/4 cup of milk (I use Almond milk because I love it, I also use only 1/2 cup because I like my oatmeal thick and creamy)

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together and place in a container you can store in the fridge. Enjoy it in the morning!

I purchased twelve 8 ounce mason jars from Target for less than $10!  I make ahead 5 days worth of overnight oats, so that I can quickly grab my breakfast in the morning and take it with me to work.  I have placed a link here if you are interested in the mason jars, because I think they are fantastic, time saving and space saving!!  (I also own larger mason jars from Target that I fill with Salad ingredients for lunch!  But I'll share that another time lol)

http://www.target.com/p/ball-12ct-quilted-jelly-jars-8oz/-/A-13562672#prodSlot=medium_1_1&term=masonm%20jars

Dark Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Cups

Today I wanted to try making peanut butter cups.  I wanted to keep them clean by using whole foods and decided to throw a banana in with the peanut butter.  These turned out so decadent!  I only had one and I was so satisfied.  Note though that because there are no preservatives, you have to keep these frozen until ready to eat, otherwise the chocolate will start to melt and get messy.  This recipe was very simple and only 5 easy ingredients!

Yields 12 

Ingredients

1 bag (60% cacao or higher) semisweet or dark chocolate chips (separated)

1/2 cup almond milk (separate)

2 ripe bananas

1/2 tsp vanilla extract 

2/3 cup peanut butter

Directions

using a double boiler, melt 1/2 the package of chocolate with 1/4 cup of almond milk to a smooth consistency.  Divide among 12 cupcake liners and freeze for 10-15 minutes.

In a small bowl mash the 2 bananas with the peanut butter and vanilla.  Top each chocolate cup with mixture and freeze for 10-15 minutes.

Melt the rest of the chocolate and almond milk and complete the cups.  Freeze.  Eat and enjoy!

Clean Eating Blondie Recipe...with a surprising ingredient.

I would have never referred to myself as a sweet-tooth.  I have always had a hankering for savory/salty.  I could easily turn down cake, cookies, brownies or chocolate, but definitely related to the Lay’s slogan, “Bet you can’t eat just one” potato chip.  But when I revamped my diet to take in more healthy, whole foods, I suddenly started getting cravings for sweets.  It’s not the kind of “omg, I will lose my arm if I don’t get something sweet” kind of craving.  Just found myself wanting a little something sweet every now and then.  It was so odd to me at first, then I realized that most of my whole food eating is on the savory side, and that when I get my daily fruit intake, it’s usually in the form of a nutriblast or a spiced up fruit salsa or covered in peanut butter, so that puts it more on the savory side.  So bottom line thinking is that I didn’t know what I was missing until I didn’t have it.

To be honest, extreme healthy eating doesn’t allow for cookies, cakes or any junk food, even if it is made from whole food, in your kitchen.  But I don’t agree with anything extreme, so I say “Let them eat cake!”  The average healthy diet means you should be able to live in moderation, and with that there is always room for cake (or a cookie, or a brownie, or a blondie!).  If you can make it in your kitchen, using whole food ingredients, EVEN BETTER!  But the last thing I ever want someone to do is beat themselves up or feel guilty for a little indulgence.  (I really think this recipe post is leading into another blog post topic, so I will save the rest of what I was going to say for that lol).

On to the Blondie recipe…I had read about a brownie recipe that used black beans and found that extremely interesting.  A whole cycle of thoughts went through my head, from “ewww, gross” to “how the…?” to full on “that is so interesting.”  I read all of the comments and everyone who had made them said if they hadn’t made them themselves, they wouldn’t have even known there were black beans in them.  So I was all game for making them, but realized I was out of cocoa powder.  So looking in my pantry I see garbanzo beans (chick peas).  Now normally I have these in there for homemade hummus, but it got me thinking.  So I went to my trusty sidekick, Google!  “Chickpeas in desserts” was the search, and I found this great site that gave me a Blondie recipe using chickpeas!!!  To be honest, I was very skeptical, but really eager to try it.  If nothing else, it would be fun to make.  But to my honest surprise, they tasted like a completely guilty dessert.  While a little softer than a brownie in texture, it was definitely not a chickpea, hummus like texture.  I probably could have cooked them an additional 5 minutes and let them cool longer, so I will try that next time.

I hope you will throw away your inhibitions and make these as well!!!  You can even trick the kids, which is always fun!!! Lol

Courtesy of http://melaniemitro.blogpost.com

Clean Eating Blondies

Ingredients:

Olive oil Spray (for the 8x8 baking dish)

1 can organic chickpeas, rinsed and drained

½ cup organic almond butter (you can also use peanut butter)

1/3 cup pure maple syrup (or agave nectar or honey)

2 tsp vanilla

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

1/3 cup dark chocolate chips, plus 2 tbsps (I just cut up a ½ bar of 73% cacao dark chocolate bar, but you can also use Enjoy Life Mega Chunk, which are vegan, gluten free and dairy free)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray 8x8 inch pan with olive oil spray

In a food processor, add all of the ingredients except the chocolate chips and process until the batter is smooth.  Fold in 1/3 cup of chocolate chips. 

Spread batter evenly in prepared pan then sprinkle the 2 tbsp of chocolate chips on top.  Bale for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the edges are brown.

Cool for 20 minutes.  Cut into squares and enjoy the surprise!!!

I almost forgot to take a picture that is why the pan is missing 2 Blondies haha!

Balsamic Roasted Veggies with Quinoa and Lentils

This is one of the best things I have ever made.  I wanted something meatless (not going vegetarian, I just like to have some meals that don’t contain meat), packed with protein, fiber and healthy fats, and would be tasty and satisfying.  And I am so excited this worked.  I found it to be absolutely delicious, and had no idea that combining Greek yogurt with lemon juice and goat cheese would be so decadently delicious.  This can also be used as a side dish, if you can't go without meat :)

I know goat cheese isn’t everyone’s favorite, but if you are ever going to try it, this would be the time to do it.  I absolutely love goat cheese, but I do remember the first time I had it I wasn’t sold.  I needed to try it paired with different things.  It is now my very favorite cheese.  I put it in salads, pair it with fruits, put it on chicken, on pizza, in mashed potatoes, and mashed with my avocado and spread it on toast.  But enough about my love of goat cheese…

Now back to the recipe at hand… I ate this warm when I first made it, but also had it cold for lunch the next day and it was great!  I love the flavors, and how it was easy to make.  I actually put the veggies in the oven to roast, got a strength training workout in, and was done in time for the oven buzzer!  If you are looking for vegetarian meals, just to switch things up every now and then, Meatless Mondays meals, or as a nice side dish, you should try this.

Balsamic Roasted Veggies with Quinoa and Lentils (4 servings)

Ingredients:

3 Zucchini, quartered and cut into chunks

1 eggplant, cut into chunks (peel on)

2 red peppers, seeded and cut into chunks

Olive Oil Cooking Spray (I use my Misto)

Salt and Pepper

2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

2 cups cooked quinoa

1 cup cooked lentils

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

½ onion chopped

1 tsp dry basil

¾ cup plain Greek yogurt

½ cup crumbled goat cheese

Juice of 1 lemon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Arrange veggies in a roasting pan or roasting dishes (I had to use two large as it seems like so many veggie chunks before cooked).  Spray veggies well with the olive oil spray and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast until browned and tender, about 35 minutes.  Transfer all veggies to a large bowl and immediately add the vinegar and combined.

(You can do this next step while the veggies are cooking or after)

In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil and add the onions.  Cook for about 6 minutes until translucent.  Mix in the cooked quinoa and lentils.  (I always have cooked quinoa in my fridge, if you do not, you can make it fresh, and you can use organic canned lentils).  Combine.

In a small bowl, add the Greek yogurt, goat cheese, lemon juice and dried basil, stir.

Divide lentil/quinoa mixture among 4 bowls and top with veggies and yogurt.

Single Serving Chocolate Cakes Recipe

I made these cakes because I was craving something sweet.  Fortunately, they were not too sweet, just sweet enough!

They are very decadent, and I caution you that the texture is heavy, not a soft, moist cake that you would get in the store or make at home with sugar and vegetable oil.  But it certainly is a great substitution for a sweet treat, and you can feel good about it because it is made of nutrient-rich foods.  I prefer to make this at home when I am craving a sweet treat, and have something completely decadent and not 100% healthy if I am eating out a nice restaurant.  But it is definitely a lovely, guilt-free substitution.

I added to the nutrition by topping it with a dollop of organic creamy peanut butter, and just a smidge of Trader Joe’s organic strawberry spread.  Would also be nice topped with a little coconut milk ice cream.

(Makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

Olive oil in an oil sprayer

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/3 cup honey

3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 egg whites

1/2 cup white whole wheat pastry flour

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

-Spray 4 (4 ounce) ramekins with a very light coat of olive oil.

-In a large mixing bowl, mix together all of your wet ingredients (honey, applesauce, olive oil, egg    whites, and vanilla).

-Whisk in your cocoa, and finally your flour. Blend well. You don’t want lumps (or at least, very few of them).

-Pour your cake mix into your ramekin(s), and place on a cookie sheet. Slide into the oven and bake for about 12 minutes.

Clean Eating Taco Soup

Mmmmm, TACOS!  I love tacos!  Yes it is basically just meat and veggies, but I love those flavors.  They are smokey and slightly spicy.  Ok, I am hungry, so I am going to post this and then eat some of this taco soup!!

I have my nephew staying with me and he is a 15 year old who is a picky eater.  I am trying to get him to eat what I am eating, so that I don’t have to make 2 meals, and that so he doesn’t have to eat Turkey sandwiches or bowls of Captain Crunch every night for dinner.  (He could seriously live on that crap).  I have taught him how to hide veggies in his smoothies, so that’s progress.  The past week I have been making dishes I already know he likes, with my recipes that are clean, but that have already been shared with you here.  His favorite being the Chicken Curry (I love it too, but I don’t want it every night!).  So, I was thinking Tacos!  Easy enough, ground beef, clean corn tortillas (thank you Trader Joe’s), lettuce, tomato, cheese…but how do I season the meat, just cumin?  I don’t want a package of hydrogenated oils to flavor it.  So I took to Google for a taco seasoning recipe and found something even better!!  Taco Soup!!! (Ok, maybe not better, but definitely in my wheelhouse, I love soup!)

Courtesy of www.heandsheeatclean.com

I found a Taco Soup recipe, that included the recipes for Taco Seasoning and Ranch seasoning, so that I didn’t have to dump the hydrogenated oil packets into it.  And it added beans for additional protein and fiber (FILLING!).  I made this this morning, as the snow caused a delay to enter my work facility, and let me just tell you, I wanted to eat it for breakfast!!!  I hope you will try this and enjoy it as much as I did!!

Ingredients:

1 lb extra lean ground turkey, beef, or ground chicken breast

1 onion, chopped

1 pkg ranch dressing mix (for clean mix, use the recipe I posted)

1 pkg taco seasoning mix (for clean mix, use the recipe I posted)

1 can  pinto beans, drained

1 can  kidney beans, drained

1 bag whole kernel corn

1 can Rotel-style tomatoes (mild)

1 can tomatoe sauce

1 cup low sodium chicken stock

Directions:

1. Brown meat & onions (in a stock pot or dutch oven)

2. Mix ranch & taco seasonings into meat

3. Add the rest of the ingredients into mixture

4. Add a cup and a half of low sodium chicken stock

4. Simmer for at least 1 hour

You may notice that you don't see corn in the pic, that is because I had forgotten it!!  I remedied that quickly though! LOL

Clean Eating Taco Seasoning Mix and Ranch Seasoning Mix

Courtesy of www.heandsheeatclean.com, which is a great site I found yesterday when looking for a clean taco soup recipe.   That recipe will follow, but needed for the recipe are Ranch Seasoning Mix and Taco Seasoning Mix.  It’s time to open those spice cabinets (or racks).  These were great, since I am a spice nerd and already own everything spices.  Dried herbs/spices go such a long way, so I highly recommend investing in the popular ones, they also keep in the cabinet for eons.

Taco Seasoning Mix

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 ½  tsp cumin

1 ½  tsp paprika

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp salt

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp onion powder

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:

Mix all spices together!

Ranch Seasoning Mix

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp dried parsley

2 tsp dried dill

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp dried chives

Pinch of salt

Directions:

Mix all spices together!

Clean Eating Pot Roast Made Crock Pot Easy

I had never liked Pot Roast as a kid, or as a teen, or even as an early adult.  But a funny thing happens when you start cooking for pleasure and trying new tastes and textures, because now I love it!  I think for me it was always the texture of the meat.  I don’t usually like beef done anything more than medium, and well a pot roast is simmered, so it tends to get well done.  But it is so tender and I have learned to like that.  This recipe was really simple, but the slow cooking takes some time.  You can throw it in the crockpot early in the am, and finish up just before it’s time to eat.

You can omit the potatoes and serve them on the side, or with mashed cauliflower, but I really liked them in there.  I didn’t put amounts for the seasonings, as I just eyeballed it.  Maybe start with a tsp of each.

Ingredients –

2-3 lbs Roast or Chuck Beef or Brisket (I used a Roast)

2 celery stalks, sliced in 4’s

½ bag baby carrots

6 red potatoes (quartered)

2 onions (sliced)

3 cups (24 oz) low sodium beef broth

8 oz mushrooms

Salt

Pepper

garlic powder

onion powder

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 Tbsp corn starch

2 tbsp water

Directions –

Place celery, onions, carrots, mushrooms and potatoes in the crock pot.  Season the beef and place it on top of veggies and pour in the broth.  Add some more seasoning to the veggies.  Pour the Worcestershire sauce on the beef.  Set crock pot on low for 9- 10 hours.

At the end of the slow cooking, move your beef to a cutting board.  I drained my veggies, reserving the broth in a deep sauté pan.  Add the cornstarch to the water and once dissolved add it to the broth.  Once the sauce has thickened, add the veggies.  Slice your beef and top with the veggies and gravy.

Enjoy!

Homestyle Chicken and Noodles

I’m pretty sure I promised you this recipe last week, so I am very sorry for the delay.  The Holidays had me in a fog and I didn’t really post much.  That is changing because I have more nights free and lots of cooking to do and recipes to share!! 

The recipe here for my Homestyle Chicken and Noodles is delicious and nutritious, and very easy to make…if you crockpot (or boil, bake, etc) your chicken beforehand.  I tend to throw a pound or 2 of boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the crockpot on a Sunday.  Shred them and keep them in the fridge.  This recipe calls for 3 cups of the shredded chicken.  Also note that if you want Chicken Noodle Soup, rather than a thick, creamy pasta dish, just add 4 more cups of stock/broth!  It’s easy and versatile!!!

Ingredients –

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

32 oz Chicken broth (1 box or use your own homemade stock.  I used Trader Joe’s Organic Low-Sodium when I don’t have any homemade stock available)

2 large carrots peeled and sliced

2 celery stalks sliced

1 large onion, diced

2 tsp dried thyme

3 cups of cooked chicken, shredded or diced

½  pound whole wheat pasta

½ cup grated parmesan cheese (real stuff preferably, not the oily canned junk)

Directions –

In a Dutch Oven or Stock pot, drizzle the olive oil.  Add the Mirepoix (haha, gotcha, I learned a new word).  This would be the carrots, onions and celery.  Sauté until tender (about 6 minutes).  Add the stock and bring to a boil.

Stir in the chicken and the uncooked noodles.  Cover the pot and turn it down to a simmer.  Simmer for 30 minutes (stirring occasionally).  Add the parmesan cheese and serve.

Easy peasy!!! (oooh you can add peas too if you would like J)