Month: January 2019

Scallops

Many people in my family have different preferences.  I am vegetarian, my kids eat chicken and fish, and my husband is not a fan of fish after a bad experience he had one time with food poisoning.    However, he loves scallops.  So whenever I make fish for the kids, I make sea scallops for him.

Fill a frying pan with a layer of olive oil.  Take the little tags (side muscles) off of each scallop.  Pat each one with a little salt and pepper and then lay them on the pan in the olive oil.  Cover and cook on medium for about 4-5 minutes.  Once the side in the olive oil is golden brown, flip them, and then cook on medium for another 3 minutes, but check periodically.  Once the second side is golden brown (as in the picture), remove them.  Yum!

Chilean Sea Bass

I try to make fish for my kids once a week, because it’s good brain food, and thankfully Chilean Sea Bass is a quick and easy dish to make.  When at the grocery store, I try to pick out 8 oz pieces from the widest part of the fish.  I look for pieces that are all white, but if there’s an occasional brown spot, it’s okay – I just cut it out.

Put the oven on the highest level of broil (for my oven that’s level 1).  Soak each side of each piece of fish in olive oil for about 5 seconds and then lay them on their side on a cooking tray lined with parchment paper.  Cook one side for 8 minutes, then flip and cook the second side for 8 minutes.  This is if the fish is about 1 inch thick.  Cook a little longer if the fish is thicker.  The fish should be golden on the edges, like in the picture, and when you cut into it, the pieces should flake away.

I’m super paranoid about my kids eating fish bones, so after I cook these, I mash them up and look for bones before giving them to my kids.  For adults, I present it as is in the photo, with a veggie on the side.

The olive oil gives the fish a buttery delicious taste.  Enjoy!

Turkey Chili

This Turkey Chili is so easy to make.  Everything goes in one large saucepan and once it’s all in you cook for 15 minutes.  This is my go-to when I want to make dinner for a friend who has had a baby or is going through a hard time.  Also, it’s thankfully a hit with everyone in my family.

I use this recipe:

https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/quick-turkey-chili

but make the following adjustments.  I use a white onion instead of a yellow onion.  I use 1 can black beans instead of kidney beans. I use a jar of strained tomatoes instead of diced tomatoes.

When I want to make vegetarian chili I make the same recipe, but substitute Lightlife Smart Ground Mexican Crumbles.

Low FODMAP, gluten free, dairy free Banana Bread

Recently we have put one of my sons on a low FODMAP diet to help him resolve some GI issues.  I made my usual banana bread today, altering the ingredients to make this low FODMAP and thankfully the kids and my husband loved it!

Ingredients

3.5 ripe bananas

1/3 cup olive oil

3/4 cup cane sugar

1 egg beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

1.5 cups gluten free oat flour

Recipe

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mash the bananas in a bowl.

3. Add the remaining ingredients and mix together well.

4. Spray a loaf pan with a canola, or other oil, spray.

5. Pour prepared mixture into the pan.

6. Bake for 43 minutes, or until the edges look browned and a toothpick or knife comes out clean when you stick it in the bread.

Vegetarian Meatballs

My kids and I love these vegetarian meatballs!  This one is actually my recipe that I’ve developed after trying out and altering other ones I’ve found.

Ingredients

2 cans adzuki beans

1 cup bulgur wheat

2 cups vegetable broth

1 cup dried bread crumbs

1 diced onion

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon salt

1/2 tablespoon pepper

3 eggs beaten

Recipe

1.Put the two cups of vegetable broth and 1 cup bulgur wheat in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Once it boils, lower to a simmer and let simmer for 12 minutes or until all the broth is absorbed.

2. Saute the diced onion in the olive oil.

3. In a food process mix the beans, cooked bulgur, onions and spices.  Transfer the mix to a bowl.  Mix in the eggs and then mix in the bread crumbs.

4.  Mold mixture into small balls and place the balls onto a cooking tray lined with parchment paper.

5. Broil on high for 5 minutes, flip and then broil on high for another 5 minutes.

I cooked 34 of these today, each one came to 67 calories.

Even Healthier Cookies

Last month I posted about my mom’s healthy cookies.   As I mentioned, my mom would get creative with these and each time I make them I use a different combination of healthy ingredients.  This time I used 4 cups of bran, 2 cups of whole wheat flour, 6 eggs, and half the amount of sugar and olive oil as last time.  I felt these were much healthier and they were 140 calories per cookie instead of 220 calories.  Here’s the new recipe:

In a large bowl, mix together:

4 cups bran

2 cups wheat flour

1/2 cup olive oil

2 individual containers yogurt (plain or vanilla)

3/4 cups sugar

6 eggs (with the 6th egg, only put in egg white & save the egg yolk for later)

After you mix it all together into a dough, roll into small balls and pat down onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.   Dab some of the egg yolk on each one to add a glaze.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes or until the bottom looks golden.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

I’ve always loved the Broccoli Cheddar Soup at Panera, so I was so excited to find this recipe to make it from scratch!

www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/panera-broccoli-cheese-soup

My review? This recipe is spot on.  It tasted exactly like the Panera soup to me – just as delicious.  (I used veggie broth instead of chicken broth)  However, when actually seeing the ingredients that go into this soup, I didn’t feel that great about it.  It’s largely cheese, half and half and broccoli.

So while this is great if the Panera soup is what you’re looking for, I’m going to hunt for a recipe that has some more nutrition in it – maybe more veggies – and maybe less half and half.   Stay tuned for a healthier alternative.

Mini Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

I’m obsessed with these silicone mini cupcake trays! I’ve done some research and apparently these are safer than using non-stick trays and don’t leach nasty chemicals into your food.   The size is so fun, having several bite-size treats just makes food more satisfying in my opinion, rather than one big treat.

You may remember I made these peanut butter banana muffins before, but without the honey.  This time, I included the honey and the result was a big hit with the whole family!  And… only about 55 calories per muffin if you make 36!

As a reminder, here is the recipe I used.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/466685580133564592/

Just mix together all the ingredients in a bowl (minus the chocolate chips), pour in the muffin trays and then add the chocolate chips, and then bake for 7 minutes at 350 degrees.  This recipe checks all the boxes – healthy, yummy and easy!

Side note: I learned from my sister-in-law that if you can’t use eggs because of an allergy, or are vegan, or have run out of eggs, that you can mix ground flaxseed with water and use that as a substitute.  AMAZING.  One tablespoon of ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons of water = 1 egg.

Baked Chicken

I am vegetarian, but my three boys and my husband all eat meat, so I am always looking for quick, easy and healthy recipes that don’t require a lot of handling of raw meat (which grosses me out!) .  This recipe is unbelievably easy and thankfully pleases everyone.  Marinate the chicken breasts in olive oil (I just fill a large ziploc bag with some olive oil and dip them in), pat them with some salt and pepper, and bake for 28 minutes at 400 degrees.   Done!

My husband likes to cut the chicken up and eat with cheese in chicken sandwiches, my middle son likes to eat them cut up with pesto and pasta, my other two like to put marinara or ketchup on them.    Or for the super healthy, simply serve the chicken with veggies on the side!