Healthy Chicken and Rice

Gluten and Dairy Free

Bake 2 large chicken breasts for 30 minutes at 350. I sprayed olive oil and sprinkled salt and pepper on each before placing in oven.

Cut up 4 cups of broccoli (trader joes bag) and 1 red pepper and steam with 3/4 cup of gluten free chicken broth or low sodium chicken broth until cooked through. I put veggies in my fry pan and covered them with my cutting board and it steamed them perfectly with the broth.

Cook up 2 cups of brown rice.

In a blender or bullet mix together 2Tbsp of Olive Oil, 2 Tbsp of red wine vinegar, 1 Tbsp of dijon mustard, 1 garlic clove, 1/4 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of ground pepper.

When chicken is done slice up into small pieces.

Add chicken to broccoli and peppers, add rice, and pour sauce over all of it and mix together.

Good, clean, yummy!

Vegetable Minestrone Soup

One of my favorites and so easy to make with the veggies you like.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp Olive Oil (optional)

2 Cups peeled potatoes (I used the small bag of purple, yellow, and red mix)

1 Medium onion or LEEK

2 cups diced celery

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups diced carrots

4 cups of reduced sodium chicken or veggie broth

1 cup diced zucchini

4 oz green beans

1 can of diced tomatoes (I used a huge can since I love tomatoes)

1 can cannellini beans rinsed and drained

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves slivered

Parmesan cheese (optional)

Spices you can add:

lemon zest 2 inch long strip

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp rosemary

1/2 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

***Warm oil over medium heat and add potatoes, leek, and celery and cook until veggies start to soften (5min) add garlic and cook until fragrant***

I did all of this in a large soup pot and just added as I went.

Add carrots, broth, lemon zest, bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 10 min or until veggies are tender. Stir in zucchini and green beans and cook for 5 more minutes.

Stir in tomatoes and their juice and cannellini beans and return to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to med low and simmer for 5 min. Stir in 1/4 cup basil.

Top with the remainder of the basil and Parmesan cheese.

This is a recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks but I tend to make it my own with every recipe. I changed it a little and did not measure any of the veggies, just add what you like for veggies, I'd say 1 cup to 2 cups so you don't get too carried away but have fun and pick what you like. You can't really mess it up!

Pasta with Escarole and Cannellini

A great healthy way to get your greens on!

Use as a main dish or side dish with a white fish or chicken.

Ingredients
1 Tbsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
1 medium onion chopped (I used leek)
1 large carrot
2 large celery stalks with leaves, diced
3-4 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2-3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp dried basil, crumbled
6 cups loosely packed cut escarole (1inch pieces), well washed (I could not find escarole and just used spinach instead)
1/2 cup defatted chicken or vegetable broth
1 can (19oz) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
8oz pasta twists

1. Bring large covered pot of water to boil
2. In a fry pan, heat oil over med heat. Stir in onions, carrots, celery, and garlic, and saute for a minute. Add pepper, basil and salt, and reduce the heat to med-low, cover and cook stirring frequently for 5 to 7 min or until veg are tender.
3. Add escarole (spinach) and broth to veggie mixture and raise heat to high. Cook until wilted. Stir in beans and reduce heat to med, cover and simmer for 3-5 min or until beans are heated.
4. Cook pasta accordingly. Reserve 2 Tbsp of cooking liquid and drain and rinse pasta.
5. Combine pasta, reserved liquid, and escarole (spinach) mixture.
6. Top with fresh grated parmesan (optional)

Tuna Salad

What you will need:

2 Cans of tuna (rinse and strain)

1 can of chick peas (garbanzo beans) (rinse and drain)

1 large red bell pepper, diced

1/2 cup peeled, diced cucumber

1 medium tomato, diced

1/4 cup scallions or leeks

1/3 cup plain nonfat yogurt (I used 3/4 cup of plain Greek yogurt)

3 TBSP snipped fresh dill (I sprinkled a little dill on mine from the spice rack)

2 TBSP reduced calorie mayonnaise (I didn't use any, just added more yogurt)

2 TBSP fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1/2 tsp dry mustard (I used a TBSP of Dijon mustard)

After draining the tuna, strain it under cold water, and break it up into small pieces. Drain and rinse the chick peas and add them to the tuna. Add in peppers, cucumber, tomatoes, leeks, and toss gently.

Add yogurt, dill, mayo, lemon juice, pepper and mustard and stir well until mixed.

I put mine between two pieces of dry whole grain toast. You could always add mayo on your toast if you wanted to keep it out of the salad and use less.

Other ways to eat it. Place on top of greens and add some toast on the side.
Put inside a pita pocket.
Make a wrap.
For Canyon and Sawyer, I put it in a small bowl and they ate it with jelly toast on the side.
Canyon was eating it and said, "Mom, can you put grapes in mine to make it sweeter?" Love that kid:) A great idea!! If you add grapes and walnuts to it, even better yet!!

Buffalo Stroganoff

A great alternative to cream of mushroom soup when making casseroles or hot dishes.

A great base for any recipe.

No YOLK egg noodles. Cook, rinse, drain, set aside.

Saute mushrooms, leeks, zucchini. I sprayed olive oil lightly over veggies before sauteing them. I also sprinkled a little salt and pepper on them.

Cook your ground buffalo and then add your veggie mixture in. I added garlic to my buffalo when cooking it up in the fry pan. Add the portobello soup and simmer for 10-15 minutes. You will not use the entire carton. Add as much as you like. I tend to add more and if you want it thicker you can add a cornstarch mixture to it.

Put your egg noodles on a plate or in a bowl (bowl if mixture is soupier), top off with meat and veggie mixture and add sour cream to the top if you like. Stir it all up and enjoy!

Cafe Yumm!

My favorite restaurant which is only footsteps from our door is Cafe Yumm. It's my favorite because it is healthy, cheap, and tastes delicious! The other thing that makes it good is the special sauce. Unfortunately you may not be able to get the sauce but the ingredients are good on there own and I barely use any of the sauce. I will list the ingredients of the sauce if you feel like trying to make it.

So easy to make and will now be a weekly meal at our house.

Make as much as you think you will need for your family.

Brown Rice

Black Beans

Black Olives

Tomatoes

Salsa

Sour Cream (or yogurt)

Cheese (optional)

Avocado

Top it off with turkey, chicken, or tofu

Mix it all together! Enjoy!

Ingredients in the cafe yumm sauce

Expeller-pressed canola oil, filtered water, lemon juice concentrate, almonds, nutritional yeast (candida-free), garbanzo beans, soy lecithin, ascorbic acid, fresh garlic, soy beans, herbs.

BLT and Omelet

A great Turkey Bacon

A great 100% Whole Grain Bread.

I absolutely love Cherub tomatoes although they can be pricey. They are always perfectly ripe and a great on the go snack for you and the kiddos.

I used spinach as my L lettus which tastes just as good!

When making the BLT, fry up your turkey bacon and cut up your tomatoes. Toast your bread and put it all together. You can always add cheese if that is an essential for you.
Try Nayonaise by Nasoya as a mayo alternative if you are a fan of mayo.

Finished BLT for the kiddos with veggie and fruit.

The next day I took my left over turkey bacon and made an egg white omelet for us for breakfast. Spray pan well then add your 100% egg whites. Sprinkle a little cheese, add spinach, cherub tomatoes and turkey bacon and let it cook on low until the egg whites are not runny.

Fold it over in the pan and sprinkle a little more cheese on the top and there you have it!

Scramble up for kiddos.