Key West Chicken-Avocado Sandwiches

I had the hardest time remembering that that yellow stuff under the spinach in the picture is not cheddar cheese - it is mango. Every time I looked at the picture I thought that it called for cheddar cheese. Good thing I put mango on my shopping list!

These sandwiches were really tasty and unique. They were definitely unlike any sandwich that I have ever had. We really liked the avocado sauce but I would definitely at least double the amount of the green Tabasco that it calls for - it could have used more of a kick. The mango adds a little bit of flavor, but not a ton so even though I am not a huge mango fan I didn't mind it in my sandwich. The avocado is what really made this meal. Yummy!

The sweet potatoes that we ate as a side dish were just something that I threw together. I peeled the sweet potatoes and cut them into rounds. I sprinkled them with chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, a little bit of brown sugar and salt and pepper. I made an aluminum dish out of aluminum foil and put a little bit of olive oil to cover the bottom and then threw those babies on the barbecue to cook with our chicken. Oh. My. Yummy! Honestly, they were my favorite part of this meal!

This recipe and the picture at the bottom of this post are courtesy of Prevention.com and can be found at this site HERE.

KEY WEST CHICKEN-AVOCADO SANDWICHES

From Prevention

Servings 4

Nutritional Information per serving (provided by Prevention.com): Calories 291.6, Carbs 27 g, Fat 9.8 g, Saturated Fat 2.1 g, Sodium 199.7 mg, Protein 26.1 g, Total sugars 10 g, Dietary fiber 6.3 g

·         1 cup mashed Florida avocado (MUFA), about 1 med

·         1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice (about 1/2 large lime)

·         ½ - 1 tsp green pepper sauce (we used Tabasco), optional

·         1 cup baby spinach

·         10 oz grilled or roasted chicken breast, sliced (about 2 c)

·         1 C mango, peeled, pitted, and sliced

·         4 sm whole grain rolls (2 oz each), split

1.      Combine avocado, lime juice, and green pepper sauce, if using, in small bowl. Spread top and bottom halves of rolls with 2 tablespoons each of the avocado-lime mixture.

2.      Layer 1/4 cup of the spinach, one-quarter of the chicken, and 1/4 cup of the mango on bottom halves. Top with other halves of rolls.

My Menu!

Oh wow... so the menu got pretty neglected last week. Let's see if I can do a bit better this week...

*Please note that all menu plans are subject to LIFE! If you get your heart set on seeing a particular recipe appear on the blog within the next week and it never appears... just send me a message and I will send the recipe on to you.

MONDAY, APRIL 30TH =  Avocado Pesto Pasta (Yes again. We are craving it!)

TUESDAY, MAY 1ST  = Key West Chicken-Avocado Sandwiches

WEDNESDAY, MAY 2ND = Slow Cooker Black Bean Enchiladas

THURSDAY, MAY 3RD = Two-Bean Sloppy Joes

FRIDAY, MAY 4TH = My cute hubby's celebration dinner at Outback since he is graduating with his Associate's degree in Business and then to see The Avengers!

(Picture sources : HERE and HERE and HERE)

SATURDAY, APRIL 21ST = Two-Bean Sloppy Joes

(All food pictures are from Pinterest and I stake NO claim to them! I will site proper sources with each recipe as I make them this week!)

Jay's Signature Pizza Crust - Healthified!

I have published about this recipe before (seen here: http://shaylaskitchen.blogspot.com/2011/10/jays-signature-pizza-crust.html) but I made it again last night and I made it better for you and it still tasted chewy and delicious! 


Calculated on MyFitnessPal.com based on 15 servings:


ORIGINAL RECIPE: Nutritional Information per serving: Calories 105, Carbs 20, Fat grams 2, Protein 3 


HEALTHIFIED RECIPE: Nutritional Information per serving: Calories 92, Carbs 20, Fat grams <0.47, Protein 4


Pretty cool, huh? And all you have to do is switch the all-purpose flour to 100% whole wheat and the oil to unsweetened applesauce. I promise you that it works and it is delicious and filling and satisfying. You lower your calorie and fat intake per slice and up your protein. Do it!!!


I am kicking myself for not taking a picture... I will try and do better next time. The picture attached to this post is the closest picture I could find that looked like the pizza we had last night - except we had onions instead of pineapple. The picture is courtesy of BettyCrocker.com and can be found at this site here: http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/hawaiian-whole-wheat-pizza/db2e359f-8a16-4c46-b5df-ecf7b3c69d08

JAY’S SIGNATURE PIZZA CRUST - Healthified

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

·         2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

·         1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

·         1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce

·         3 1/3 cups whole wheat flour

1.      In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the water, and let sit for 10 minutes.

2.      Stir the salt and applesauce into the yeast solution. Mix in 2 1/2 cups of the flour.

3.      Turn dough out onto a clean, well floured surface, and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Place the dough into a well oiled bowl, and cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise until double; this should take about 1 hour. Punch down the dough, and form a tight ball. Allow the dough to relax for a minute before rolling out. Use for your favorite pizza recipe.

4.      Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). If you are baking the dough on a pizza stone, you may place your toppings on the dough, and bake immediately. If you are baking your pizza in a pan, lightly oil the pan, and let the dough rise for 15 or 20 minutes before topping and baking it.

      5.      Bake pizza in preheated oven, until the cheese and crust are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. 

Quick & Crusty Whole Wheat Baguettes

I always love the idea of quick breads. I don't often have time to wait for rolls that take hours and hours to rise and so when I come across a recipe for quick breads I am always intrigued.

This baguette recipe is supposed to come together in 30 minutes with only 5 ingredients - that is pretty amazing. Of course, I always like to make things healthier when I can so I made a few changes to get more health benefits out of this yummy recipe.

Now, you have to remember, wheat has a different texture than white bread. My baguettes came out soft and chewy and delicious. Myself and my children loved them (my husband would probably as well but he is at work...) But don't expect them to be quite as soft and airy as white bread. Wheat makes these filling and hearty and a lot better for you.

Also, using wheat will give the baguettes the classic "nutty" wheat taste. Delicious.

I state this in the recipe but I want to be extra clear - I don't think you should try to do these in just 30 minutes. The only rising step in the entire recipe is "optional" but a lot of the reviewers have cautioned against skipping it. I let mine rise for 30 minutes while I taught an early morning piano lesson. Super easy.

This recipe is adapted from The Family Kitchen. The original recipe can be found at this site here: http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2011/02/21/crusty-baguettes-made-fresh-in-30-minutes/

Quick & Crusty whole wheat French Baguettes

Adapted from The Family Kitchen

Servings about 22 pieces

Nutritional Information per serving (calculated on MyFitnessPal.com): Calories 70, Carbs 15, Fat grams <0.37, Protein 3 (Calculated based on 2 tbsp honey and whole wheat flour)

• 2 cups very warm water
• 1 packet yeast (2 ¼ tsp equivalent)
• 2 tablespoons honey (I used 1 Tbsp + ½ Tbsp Stevia)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3-4 cups flour (I ONLY used whole wheat)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  In a large bowl, whisk together the warm water, yeast, and sugar.  Set the bowl on top of your preheating oven (or a warm heating pad) for ten minutes.  Stir in the salt and add the flour a half-cup at a time, until the dough becomes soft but not sticky.  Knead the dough until elastic. (about 3-5 minutes)

Cut the dough into four even pieces.  Roll each of them into four long, thin ropes.  Twist together two of the ropes to form one loaf.  Twist the other two ropes together to form a second loaf.  Transfer both onto a large baking sheet.

You can now bake the loaf right away (if you’re in a hurry) or allow it to rise for an additional 15-30 minutes on top of your warm oven. When you are using whole wheat flour you will NOT want to skip this step. I let my loaves rise for 30 minutes on my warm heating pad.)

Now for the SECRET: Fill a cake pan with 3-4 cups of ice.  Open your hot oven and place the baking sheet with the baguettes inside, then the cake pan as close as you can to the bottom heating coils.  Do NOT open your oven for 15 minutes.  Bake until golden brown, about 15-18 minutes. (The original recipe states that you should throw the ice directly on the bottom of your oven; however this can cause your oven to warp after a while so if you go this route be warned!)

*Hint on Whole Wheat – You might panic after the 15 minutes that your loaves are overdone because of the color. Whole wheat SHOULD be a darker brown. If you want the crusty outside make sure to watch it carefully but don’t pull it out too soon.

Serve fresh and hot with your favorite olive oil for dipping.

My Menu!

*Please note that all menu plans are subject to LIFE! If you get your heart set on seeing a particular recipe appear on the blog within the next week and it never appears... just send me a message and I will send the recipe on to you.

MONDAY, APRIL 16TH =  Out to Dinner and then to the Off-Broadway Theater (Show playing: The Adventures of Sheer-Luck Holmes and Snotson)

TUESDAY, APRIL 17TH = Breakfast Pizza

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18TH = Slow Cooker Black Bean Enchiladas

THURSDAY, APRIL 19TH = Two-Bean Sloppy Joes

FRIDAY, APRIL 20TH = Family Dinner to meet our sister's fiance from Texas!

SATURDAY, APRIL 21ST = DATE NIGHT!!! (But without the handsome, blue-eyed baby boy)

(All food pictures are from Pinterest and I stake NO claim to them! I will site proper sources with each recipe as I make them this week!)

The last two weeks have been kind of crazy and unusual. Did you notice that I didn't post any new menu ideas from last week? We got by on a lot of leftovers last week. Oh well. I told you these plans are subject to life!

Triple Chocolate Chunk Muffins

No, your eyes are not deceiving you. I really did just say that this post is titled "Triple Chocolate Chunk Muffins." And I will also tell you that they are fabulous. Moist and delicious and (according to my husband) they only taste "slightly" healthy. But guess what? They are healthy!

I had a friend ask me recently what I do about dessert. How do I manage to say no to all of the deliciousness in this world? I told her that I don't cut out dessert. But when you can find things that you can eat for dessert that leave you feeling better afterwards instead of worse, when you can find things that you can eat that are good for you and don't make you feel guilty - THAT is the kind of dessert I want! And these muffins fit into that category.

I am not sure how this girl got her muffins to look so pretty. Mine were not nearly as pretty looking as hers. But they tasted delicious. I used 1/4 cup stevia and 1 Tbsp honey as my sweetener. They tasted like a pretty rich and dark chocolate. If you used agave nectar or only honey then I think that they would taste like a lighter chocolate. I love dark chocolate and so this was right up my alley.

I would ABSOLUTELY suggest that you follow her suggestions for the chocolate chips. Don't add them all at once - they sink to the bottom of the bowl really fast. Adding them to the top later gives you an excellent distribution of the chocolate chips. What this meant for mine was that there was the infusion of the semi-sweet chocolate chips with each decadently moist bite of rich dark chocolate muffin. Yum yum yum!

I will be repeating this recipe in my house for SURE! Try it and see if you like it as well!

This recipe and picture are courtesy of some girl who posted on Tumblr from the Netherlands. :-) If you would like to see her original post you can visit this link here: http://healthyisalwaysbetter.tumblr.com/post/6583755120/lessthan300kcal-triple-chocolate-chunk-muffin

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE CHUNK MUFFIN 

Knock-Offs of Whole Food’s 6 Dollar per 4 Chocolate Chunk VitaTop Muffins

From Tumblr

•  1 3/4 c oats
•  3 egg whites
•  3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (or regular plain low fat yogurt)
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar (or 1-1/2 Tbsp. vinegar) (I used the vinegar)
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 cup sugar substitute OR 1/4 cup + 2 tbs stevia (I used ¼ cup stevia and 1 Tbsp honey)
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with foil cupcake liners, or spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a blender, (or food processor), mix all of the ingredients together, except for the chocolate chips. Blend until oats are ground and mixture is smooth. (I am wondering if following these directions exactly is the reason my muffins didn't "fluff" as much as hers... I think next time I will mix together all of the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients separately before blending them in my blender.)

Place mixture in a bowl and gently stir in 1/2 of the chocolate chips (set the rest aside). Scoop mixture into prepared muffin pans.

Place muffins tins in the oven for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, remove muffins from the oven (but don’t shut oven off), and distribute the other half of the chocolate chips on top of each muffin.

Place  the muffins back into the oven and bake for an additional 2-5 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. *Note, you could skip this step by putting all of the chips in the batter, and baking the muffins for 12-15 min straight, but this method gives the muffins the traditional ‘VitaTop Muffin’ look with the chocolate chips on top!

Cool muffins before removing from pan. ENJOY!!!

Servings: 12 Big Muffins or 24 Smaller Muffins
Calories: 116 Calories Per Muffin or 58 Calories Per Muffin 

Avocado Pesto Pasta

Okay so I debated and debated about putting the nutritional information on this recipe - please don't freak out! Yes, the numbers are a lot higher than most of the things that I post on here. But you have to remember that a GOOD deal of that is from the avocados. Avocados are high in calories and in fat but they are really good for you. They are packed with good for you monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) that are really good for your heart. This is information from http://www.avocado.org/nutrition/:

"Avocados provide nearly 20 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins and folic acid. They also act as a "nutrient booster" by enabling the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, such as alpha and beta-carotene and lutein, in foods that are eaten with the fruit."


See? Lots of benefits. But still, if you are on a diet or watching/counting calories you will want to be moderate about your avocado intake. And if you want a comparison:

Source: http://www.avocado.org/nutrition/

Okay, so back to my recipe. This recipe contains NO cheese and NO butter and it was amazing. It was creamy and delicious and my husband absolutely went gaga over it. I loved the texture that the avocados contributed - you would have sworn that I made this dish with all different kinds of creams or cheeses. And it is also meatless! It comes together in the time it takes to boil your noodles. Really. I didn't add the tomatoes this time around but I would love to try it with some sundried tomatoes. It doesn't NEED it but it would be yummy. They have a great brand that you can find that are dried sundried tomatoes - not packed in oil. Fantastic meal! Try it!

This recipe and picture are courtesy of Chef Chloe and can be found at this site here: http://chefchloe.com/entrees/avocado-pesto-pasta.html

AVOCADO PESTO PASTA

From Chef Chloe

Servings 6

Nutritional Information per serving (calculated on MyFitnessPal.com): Calories 432, Carbs 55, Fat grams 19, Protein 11 (Calculated on whole wheat linguine and Classico Traditional Basil Pesto)

• 1 pound linguine (I used 13.25 ounces of whole wheat linguine)
• *1 bunch fresh basil, reserve some leaves for garnish
• *½ cup pine nuts
• 2 avocados, pitted and peeled
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• *3 cloves garlic
• *½ cup olive oil
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes or sliced sun-dried tomatoes (optional)

*All of these ingredients can be replaced with 1/2 of an 8.1 ounce jar of Classico Traditional Basil Pesto. That is what I did because I didn't want to buy the rest of the ingredients individually.

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add linguine and cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, make the pesto by combining basil, pine nuts, avocados, lemon juice, garlic, and oil in a food processor. Process until smooth. Season generously with salt and pepper. 

Toss pasta with pesto. For an extra touch of color and flavor, top pasta with cherry or sun-dried tomatoes. Divide pasta among serving bowls and garnish each serving with a basil leaf.