Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are my favorite healthy cookie. While they definitely don't compare to a big juicy nestle toll house cookie, they are still very good considering they have 1/8 of the calories.

Recipe:

1 1/2 c whole wheat or oat flour

3/4 c rolled oats

1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1/2 c raw sugar

1/3 c chocolate chips (I used a little bit more!)

1 t canola oil

1/3 c milk

1 medium banana pureed (I just mashed a banana in a zip lock bag and threw it into the bowl)

1 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 375. Mix everything in a bowl. Scoop cookies on a baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes until edges are light brown.

Source: Bethenny Frankel's Naturally Thin

Chicken Picadillo

So I know this picture looks pretty schnasty, but that's just because I need a new "professional" camera (and maybe a few photog refresher lessons). This dish is actually really good despite my lack of photography skills. I put a scoop of this on top of roaster spaghetti squash. Chris just ate it plain. Very healthy too! Only 220 cals per 1.5 cup serving!

Recipe:

4 T olive oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

1 1/2 t chili powder

2 cups tomatoes or can of diced tomatoes

5 cloves garlic

1/2 t cumin

1 t dried oregano

1 t salt

1-2 lbs chicken breast

1/2 c raisins

Pinch of pepper

1 bunch of green onion for garnish

Fresh cilantro for garnish

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and add onion and pepper. Cook until onion is soft for 5 minutes.

2. Add chili powder, tomatoes, garlic, cumin, oregano and salt. Cook for several minutes until mix becomes fragrant.

3. Add chicken and raisins. Heat for 10 minutes and season with salt and pepper.

4. Serve over rice or beans. Garnish with cilantro and green onions.

Source: Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Cookbook

Chinese Cabbage Salad

This is my all time favorite salad recipe! When I came home from college, I would request that my mom make this for me. My mom makes the higher fat version of this recipe, and I was determined to find something with the same great flavor, but lower cal. This recipe tastes so similar to my mom's yummy original, you really can't tell that this is so much healthier!

Recipe:

1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup sesame seeds
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1 package ramon noodles, broken – minus the spice packet
1 small head of cabbage, chopped or sliced fine
1 bunch green onions, sliced – green parts only
4 tablespoons Splenda or raw sugar (I used raw sugar)
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons canola oil or olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

7 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

In a frying pan, over medium heat, melt the butter; saute the sesame seeds, almonds, and broken ramen noodles until golden brown. Set aside to cool completely.
In a large bowl combine the cabbage and green onions. In a blender or food processor emulsify the Splenda, pepper, oil, salt, and rice wine vinegar until creamy. Pour over the cabbage and toss. Add the sesame mixture and toss. Add more salt to taste, if necessary. Serve immediately.

Per Serving (about 10): 97 Calories; 2 g Protein; 8 g Tot Fat; 6 g Carb; 2 g Fiber; 2 g Sugar; 255 mg Sodium

Source: Eating Well Living Thin

Morning Vitamin C Smoothie

This is also from Tosca Reno's Eat Clean cookbook. I tripled the recipe - 1 part for me and 2 parts for the hubster. He's a huge smoothie person, so I knew I would need lots! We just got home from the gym when I made this, and I think smoothies are perfect post workout!

Recipe

1/4 c kefir

1/2 c strawberries

Juice of 1 orange

Juice of 1 lemon

2 T oatmeal (uncooked)

1 T wheat germ

2 T flaxseed

1 scoop vanilla

4 ice cubes

Blend in blender until smooth. Add milk or water if needed.

Soup or Sauce

I got this amazing new cookbook by Tosca Reno called Eat Clean. I have tried 4 recipes and have loved them all. I can't wait to make even more things from this book! This soup recipe is really good...I added about 5.5 cups of broth to make it a thick soup. I had to go out and buy a hand blender, but it was pretty cheap and really easy to use. You could also use a food processor to blend everything at the end. This is a really flavorful recipe considering how healthy it is!

Recipe:

4 lb plum tomatoes

2 sweet onions

2 sweet potatoes

4 thick carrots

2 full heads garlic

1/4 c plus 2 T olive oil

8 c chicken broth

3 chicken bouillon cubes

2 T dried basic

1 T dried oregano

1 t sea salt

Pinch of black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350. Coat a large flat roasting pan with 1/4 olive oil.

2. Wash tomatoes and cut them in half lengthwise. Place them cut side down in the roasting pan. Peel the onions and cut into chunks. Peel carrots and cut into chunks. Wash sweet potatoes and cut into chunks. Toss everything in pan. Put full head of garlic peeled among veggies. Place a sheet of parchment paper over veggies and roast for 45 minutes. Let cool.

3. After veggies have cooled, remove skins from tomatoes and sweet potatoes. Squeeze garlic clover into pan. Place contents of roasting pan into a large stock pot. Pour 4 cups of broth and bring to a boil. Add bouillon cubes, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Puree contents with a hand blender right in pan. Add basil, oregano, and pepper. Add additional 4 cups of broth to make into soup.

Sauted Cauliflower & Grape Tomatoes

I have been looking for ways to incorporate more veggies into my diet and this recipe is the perfect example. This dish is very flavorful with out tasting too healthy. *Sorry about the blurry picture - the steam fogged my camera lense!*

Recipe:
tablespoons chopped pancetta (I left this out to make it healthier)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 cups chopped cauliflower florets (from 1 medium head)
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preparation
Cook pancetta in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until it begins to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan. Add cauliflower, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes. Add water and vinegar, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and tender and the liquid has evaporated, about 4 minutes more.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, tomatoes, parsley, garlic, anchovies (if using), salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the garlic is soft, about 2 minutes more. Serve the sautéed cauliflower with the crispy pancetta on top.

Nutrition
Per serving: 124 calories; 9 g fat (2 g sat, 5 g mono); 5 mg cholesterol; 4 g protein; 3 g fiber; 294 mg sodium; 411 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (90% daily value), Folate (17% dv).
1/2 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 1 vegetable, 2 fat

Source: Eating Well

Brothy Chinese Noodles

Ohhh buddy this dish is so good! It was a little time consuming with all of the steps and chopping (about 35 minutes which is more time than I like to spend cooking). The prep work was well worth it.

Recipe:

2 tablespoons hot sesame oil (see Note), divided
1 pound 93%-lean ground turkey (I don't like ground turkey so I cut up chicken breast)
1 bunch scallions, sliced, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup water
3 cups thinly sliced bok choy (it's a veggie that looks like lettuce)
8 ounces dried Chinese noodles (see Note)
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar (I just used regular vinegar)
1 small cucumber, sliced into matchsticks, for garnish

Preparation
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add ground turkey, all but 2 tablespoons of the scallions, garlic and ginger and cook, stirring and breaking up the turkey, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Add broth, water, bok choy, noodles, soy sauce, vinegar and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan. Bring to a boil over medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Return the turkey mixture to the pan and stir to combine. Serve garnished with the reserved 2 tablespoons scallions and cucumber (if using).

Tips & Notes
Ingredient notes: Hot sesame oil can be found in the Asian-food section of most supermarkets.
Dried Chinese noodles, often used in Chinese soups and lo mein, cook up quickly and can be found in the Asian-food section of most supermarkets.

Nutrition
Per serving: 292 calories; 10 g fat (2 g sat, 2 g mono); 43 mg cholesterol; 22 g protein; 6 g fiber; 633 mg sodium; 509 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (32% daily value), Vitamin C (22% dv), Iron (20% dv).

Source: Eating Well

Mango Pudding Cups

This is officially my new favorite healthy dessert. Seriously, I have printed this recipe out to give to a few people at work who are trying to eat healthier too, it's that good! Chris and I were out to eat at North Star Cafe last weekend, our favorite vegan restaurant in C-Bus. They have a slew of magazines there, and I found this recipe in an issue of Eating Well. I found several other recipes I liked in the magazine, so I went to the grocery and bought it. I think next time I may reduce the amount of nonfat sweetened condensed milk to make it even healthier.

Recipe:

4 envelopes unflavored gelatin

1 c water

5 c diced frozen mango, thawed (2 packages)

1 14-oz can nonfat sweetened condensed milk

5 T lime juice

1. Sprinkle gelatin over water in a small bowl; let stand until softened, about 1 minute. Microwave on high about 15-20 seconds. Stir the mixture until smooth. Do NOT let harden.

2. Blend mango in a blender or food processor. Stir in remaining ingredients including gelatin.

3. Divide into ramekins or small bowls. Refrigerate to set for about 2 hours.

Source: Eating Well

Joyful Heart Muffins (Improvised)

So I have been seriously slacking on my blogging and cooking, so I am about to overwhelm you all with some new recipes. I actually did a lot of baking over Christmas, but I forgot to post all of my yummy goodies (we scarfed them down). Since I have been back in school and working full-time, I haven't had much time (or willingness) to cook. I put myself on the stereotypical new year's healthy eating plan, so I have been experiementing with new healthy recipes. No more cookies and brownies for this gal!

I love Bethenny Frankel's book and all of the recipes I have tried out of it so far. All of the recipes are made of natural foods, so I had to do some minor improvisions based on what I had on hand at the time. These muffins are fabulous and you can't even tell they are healthy. I am wondering why I haven't made them sooner! I think they are something like 100 calories per muffin too!

Recipe:

1 c. unsweetened applesauce

1/2 c. raw sugar (or regular)

1 t vanilla

1 t almond extract (I didn't have this so I doubled the vanilla)

1 t canola oil

3/4 oat or whole wheat flour

1/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder (I left this out)

2 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

Dash of cinnamon

1/2 blueberries or began chocolate chips

Source: Bethenny Frankel, "Naturally Thin"