My Menu!

Coming soon! Updates on Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers and Lemony Pesto Pasta with Edamame and Almonds!


*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, MAY 28TH =  Happy Memorial Day! Spicy Hawaiian Burgers (repeat)

*Recipe update: I added 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper this time and they definitely had a spiciness to them that we loved! I did not double the chili powder, just added the cayenne. Yummy!

TUESDAY, MAY 29TH  = Leftovers!

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30TH = Make Your Own Pizzas

THURSDAY, MAY 31ST = Chicken 'N Peppers Pasta Skillet

FRIDAY, JUNE 1st = Date Night!

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

Penna Rosa

This is a wonderful meatless pasta dish that is pretty healthy and very delicious - 367 calories per serving and a whopping 15 grams protein! It is also incredibly easy to make - not to knock my husband's amazing cooking skills, but he did a great job making this one while I was working. It has a great combination of flavors and not too much of any one thing. The original recipe calls for shrimp so if you want some meat go ahead and add shrimp or chicken.

I'm not sure why I didn't take a picture of this... It was probably on a night that I was trying to eat quickly. Who knows? Oh well. The original recipe and picture are courtesy of Back to Her Roots and can be found at this site HERE.

PENNE ROSA

Adapted from Back to Her Roots

Servings 6

Nutritional Information per serving (calculated on MyFitnessPal.com): Calories 367, Carbs 62, Fat grams 5, Protein 15

• 12 ounces whole wheat penne
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes (we will definitely increase this next time)
• 8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
• 2 medium tomatoes (about 1/2 lb.) chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 4 cups fresh spinach
• 1/2 cup marinara sauce
• 1/3 cup 0% plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Cook penne according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and set aside.
2. In a large skillet with a lid, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add in garlic and red pepper flakes, cook for 2 minutes or until garlic begins to soften.
3. Add in mushrooms, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, or until mushrooms begin to release their water.
4. Remove from heat, add in spinach and cover skillet. Let spinach wilt for 2 minutes.
5. Remove lid and place skillet back over low heat. Add the penne, Greek yogurt and pasta sauce. Stir until sauce is mixed well and all pasta and veggies are coated. Heat until just warmed through. Divide into pasta bowls and serve topped with parmesan cheese.

High Protein Quinoa Almond Berry Salad

Wow. I have been so neglectful! So sorry. We have been adjusting to a new schedule around here with the start of the "summer" and things have been pretty busy.

Like I said on my last post, I actually made this salad twice last week - once for a combined Family Home Evening and once for a Bridal Shower. It was devoured both times. Everyone commented on the unusual ingredients but talked about how they still liked it. LOL.

The greatest thing about this salad is how versatile it is. It calls for cherries but have you seen the price of cherries? OH MAN! This would be an intensely expensive salad! I was lucky the first time around and caught blueberries on sale. So the first salad consisted of strawberries, blueberries, and 1 1/2 large banana slices. The second time around blueberries were no longer on sale so I only did strawberries (2 lbs. worth) and bananas (3 bananas worth). It was delicious both ways. I will admit that I liked it better with the blueberries and I am sure it would be amazing with the cherries as well. Whatever way you do it - do it! This salad rocks!

The picture from the original recipe is too gorgeous to not post. My picture didn't turn out anywhere as beautiful as this one. So extra special thanks to Oh She Glows for the courtesy of the recipe and the picture found at this site HERE.

High Protein Quinoa Almond Berry Salad (Vegan & GF)

From Oh She Glows

Yield: 2-3 as a main, 4-6 as a side. (I think that this isn't quite accurate for a side dish... I think we could easily serve at LEAST 6 with this salad but the nutritional information is based on 6 anyways.)

Nutritional Information per serving (calculated on MyFitnessPal.com): Calories 214, Carbs 38, Fat grams 6, Protein 6 (This would be lower without the almonds but almonds are SOOOO good for you!)

• 3/4 cup dry quinoa
• 1 pint strawberries, sliced (2.5-3 cups)
• 16 oz. fresh blueberries (1.5-2 cups)
• 1 cup cherries, pitted and sliced
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener)
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice (or lemon might work!)
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 1/2 cup almonds, chopped

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, chop the fruit and place in a large bowl.

3. Mix the dressing ingredients (maple syrup, balsamic, lime juice, salt) in a small jar and adjust to taste if necessary. Note: You may have to double the dressing recipe if your salad is quite large.

4. Fluff cooked quinoa with a fork and add to large bowl with fruit. Combine. Pour on dressing and mix well. Serve immediately or chill in the fridge until serving time. Serves 2-3 as a main or 4-6 as a side. Or if you are reeeeally hungry 2 people!

My Menu!

Oh dear.... I did make the High-Protein Quinoa Almond Berry Salad (twice) and the Penne Rosa and we loved both of them. I will get on posting about them really soon!


*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, MAY 21ST =  Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers

TUESDAY, MAY 22ND  = Spinach Enchiladas

WEDNESDAY, MAY 23RD = Lemony Pesto Pasta with Edamame and Almonds

THURSDAY, MAY 24TH = Chicken 'N Peppers Pasta Skillet

FRIDAY, MAY 25TH = Date Night!

SATURDAY, MAY 19TH = Make your own pizzas

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

Baja Chicken Pizza

This recipe is a combination of a few recipes that I have on here with something new! I hope you have been following along but if not I will update you:

This is the crust: Jay's Signature Pizza Crust - Healthier!

This is the ranch used to make the sauce: Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing

And this is the chicken that I used instead of what is called for in the recipe: Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken

And if you want to know how amazingly good this pizza turned out... my husband and his best friend, Mike, were over for dinner. They both DEVOURED this thing. Seriously. I made enough to fill an 11x17 inch cookie sheet and there was not a single crumb left. It was fresh and delicious and pretty incredibly healthy for a pizza!

I doubled the sauce recipe because I was making a really big pizza but I don't think I had to. However, this sauce is amazing for dipping crust in or for eating with a salad. Delicious low fat salad dressing too? This recipe is AMAZING!!!!

I will list the original recipe here in case you don't have leftover chicken like I did. But trust me, make the chicken for one dinner and then have this with the leftovers the next day - you WILL NOT regret it!

This recipe is courtesy of Blog Chef and can be found at this site HERE.

BAJA CHICKEN PIZZA

Adapted from Blog Chef

½ cup ranch salad dressing (I used the Greek Yogurt dressing)
1/8 cup salsa
½ tablespoon lime juice
1 ½ tablespoons cilantro
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (or replace with leftover Cilantro Lime Chicken)
1 (1.25 ounce) envelope taco seasoning (not needed if replacing chicken)
1 prebaked 12-inch pizza crust (or make your own healthier (and cheaper) crust)
½ cup tomato (chopped)
½ cup red onion (chopped)
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend (I probably used this much for my huge pizza - it doesn't need this much if you are making the smaller 12-inch pizza crust. I would say 1 cup at most for the smaller crust.)
2 cups shredded lettuce
2 medium ripe avocados (peeled and thinly sliced)

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Rub chicken breasts on both sides with taco seasoning and place onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Place into the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the chicken breasts are fully cooked (the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees). Remove from the oven, allow the chicken to cool for 10 minutes and slice into strips.  In a blender or food processor add ranch dressing, salsa, lime juice and cilantro. Cover and process until smooth (this can also be done by hand, by whisking in a bowl). Set aside.
Step 2: Turn the oven up to 425 degrees. Place the pre-baked crust onto a 12-inch pizza pan. Spread the ranch dressing mixture evenly over the crust. Sprinkle with the sliced cooked chicken, tomato, onion, and cheese.
Step 3: Place into the oven and bake at 425 degrees for 17-20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese has melted. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. Sprinkle with lettuce and top with avocado slices. Serve immediately.
(Makes 4 Servings)

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, MAY 14TH =  We are doing a combined FHE with the cute Sullivan family. They are taking care of our main dish and I am bringing this beauty: High-Protein Quinoa Almond Berry Salad.

TUESDAY, MAY 15TH  = Get your own dinner! We are headed to Ward Temple Night right after I finishing teaching piano... 

(Source: HERE)

WEDNESDAY, MAY 16TH = Penne Rosa

THURSDAY, MAY 17TH = Get your own dinner again! We are headed to see my brother perform in Bingham High School's Spring Showcase RIGHT AFTER I finish teaching...

(Source: HERE)

FRIDAY, MAY 18TH = Date Night! Back to Bingham to see my brother perform in his last Improv Night. He likes theater... can you tell?

SATURDAY, MAY 19TH = Get Together with Friends! We're having No Cream of Soup Hawaiian Haystacks.

(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!)

Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken

I love easy slow cooker recipes. I especially love healthy and easy slow cooker recipes that turn out absolutely delicious!

I only used 3 large chicken breasts for this meal. The sauce to chicken ratio was a little bit off - it was extra saucy. But it was fine as my family just ate it over brown rice and I had it over some romaine lettuce. It was delicious every single way and we didn't add any sour cream. And it made a TON! My 3 chicken breasts made enough for us to have a big dinner, leftovers the next day, and still have enough to use for an entirely different meal. (More on that later.) I am guessing that the serving size on this is supposed to be 8 but I might be mistaken.

It was a bit spicy and very flavorful. This is one that is going in my permanent recipe file. Recipes that are this easy and delicious must be repeated!

*HINT!!! If you want to make shredding your chicken insanely easy just throw it into a Kitchen Aide or Bosch mixer once it is finished cooking. Mix for 20 - 30 seconds until completely shredded. Really. It works!

I have been better about taking my own pictures lately but for some reason I don't think I took one of this one... hmmm... Oh well! This recipe and picture are courtesy of Thoroughly Modern Mom and can be found at this site HERE.

SLOW COOKER CILANTRO LIME CHICKEN

From Thoroughly Modern Mom

Servings 8

Nutritional Information per serving (calculated on MyFitnessPal.com): Calories 171, Carbs 16, Fat grams 2, Protein 24 (Calculated without sour cream) 

In a slow cooker, mix together:

One 24-ounce jar medium or mild salsa

Juice from one lime

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

One 1.25-oz. package taco seasoning

2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped, optional (for less heat use larger peppers and remove the membrane and seeds before using)

Add 4-6 thawed chicken breasts and toss to coat with the salsa mixture.

Cook on low for 6 hours and serve immediately. (Always remember that slow cooker times are relative. This did NOT take 6 hours in my slow cooker but it may in yours... hopefully you know the ins and outs of your cooker. If not, plan on 6 hours and just check on it periodically.) 

*MAKE SURE TO STAY TUNED!!! I will post an AMAZING recipe tomorrow that you can use the leftovers from this meal for!

Cheesy Quinoa Mac and Cheese

I saw this recipe on Pinterest and was really interested in it because we don't eat mac and cheese normally. I have wanted to try quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) for a while and this was a great opportunity!

We really loved this meal! Since we have a small family a 9x13 dish feeds us for a few meals - my husband took this to work two days in a row and LOVED it. All by itself it isn't extremely flavorful so I would strongly recommend adding your favorite hot sauce or salsa. Our favorite is the Louisiana brand.

I also didn't saute my veggies - I roasted them. There are few things that we love more than roasted broccoli. If you go this route all you have to do is toss your veggies with a little bit of olive oil and salt and pepper and roast at 425 for 15 - 20 minutes. I did this while I was waiting for the quinoa to cook. I used broccoli and green pepper this time but I think it would be fabulous with red pepper, asparagus or cauliflower as well.

Also, if you are new to cooking quinoa you use 2 cups of water or broth for every 1 cup of quinoa. It is suggested that you rinse and drain the quinoa before using it but before it is cooked it is VERY small and slips through a strainer. Make sure you use a very fine mesh sieve. Bring water and quinoa to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook, covered for 15 minutes or until all water has been absorbed and you can see a small "thread" on the quinoa. Remember that quinoa expands to about 4x its size when you cook it so 1 cup dry will yield 4 cups cooked.

This one will definitely be a repeat in our house! We all loved it!

This recipe is courtesy of Around the Table: Loving Food in RI & Beyond... and can be found at this site HERE.

CHEESY QUINOA MAC AND CHEESE

From Around the Table

Serving Size: 8

Nutritional Information per serving (calculated on MyFitnessPal.com): Calories 280, Carbs 31, Fat grams 11, Protein 14 (Calculated without veggies added)

• 1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
• Veggies of your choice (optional) (I used broccoli and green pepper)
• good pinch of salt
• a few grinds of seasoning salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup soy milk or non-fat milk (I used the non-fat milk)
• 1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese, more for sprinkling (I used a mix of cheddar and mozzarella)
• Optional- Crushed Red Pepper, Panko Bread crumbs for topping
• Toppings (optional)- salsa, hot sauce, sour cream, scallions

1. Lightly saute any veggies you would like in this dish. 
2. Cook quinoa to packaged instructions until fully cooked. (About 15 minutes)
3. Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat 13x9 inch dish( or 8 individual ramekins) with cooking spray.Whisk together eggs, milk and seasonings in large bowl. Fold in quinoa mixture and cheese. Stir very well and let some of the cheese melt.  Transfer to prepared baking dish and if using Panko Crumbs or Bread crumbs add now and bake 30-35 mins, until bread crumbs are browned. 

Asian Turkey Meatballs with Lime Sesame Dipping Sauce

I was a little bit skeptical about this recipe at first because I know how strong sesame oil and soy sauce can get, but the lime juice really offset both beautifully and came together in a wonderful meal that our whole family loved. Even my baby!

We actually used ground pork instead of turkey (turkey is so hard to come by) and our oven doesn't go up to 500 degrees so we just set it at 475. I am happy to report that everything still worked out just fine.

I don't know that I would say that this is my favorite meatball recipe. It is hard to compare with our beloved SWEDISH MEATBALLS or the CRANBERRY SAUERKRAUT MEATBALLS but it was a yummy and easy recipe.

I have found that using an ice cream scoop makes forming the meatballs MUCH easier. You just scoop it up and plop it in!

This recipe and the picture are courtesy of the wonderful site Skinny Taste and can be found at this link HERE.

Asian Turkey Meatballs With Lime Sesame Dipping Sauce

From Skinny Taste
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes

Servings: 4 • Size: 3 meatballs • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 7 pts
Calories: 229.1 • Fat: 11.1 g • Carbs: 8.5 g • Protein: 24.3 g

·         1/4 cup panko crumbs

·         1-1/4 lbs 93% lean ground turkey (we only used 1 lb. Still delicious!)

·         1 egg

·         1 tbsp ginger, minced

·         1 clove garlic, minced

·         1/2 tsp salt

·         1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

·         3 scallions, chopped

·         1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

·         2 tsp sesame oil

Dipping Sauce

·         4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

·         2 tsp sesame oil

·         2 tbsp fresh lime juice

·         2 tbsp water

·         1 tbsp chopped fresh scallion

Preheat oven to 500°F.

Mix ground turkey, panko, egg, salt, scallions, ginger, cilantro, 1 tbsp soy sauce, and 2 tsp oil and mix with your hands until combined well. Shape 1/4 cup meat mixture into a ball and transfer to a baking dish. Repeat with remaining mixture. Bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes.

For the dipping sauce mix together lime juice, water, soy sauce, and remaining 2 teaspoons of oil in a bowl. Add scallions.

Transfer meatballs to a serving dish. Stir sauce, then drizzle meatballs with *1 tablespoon sauce.

Serve meatballs with remaining sauce, about 1 tbsp per person. Chances are you won't use all the dipping sauce.

Makes 12 meatballs.

*When she says 1 tablespoon of sauce she isn’t kidding. This dipping sauce is strong and a little goes a long way!

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, MAY 7TH =  Asian Turkey Meatballs with Lime Sesame Dipping Sauce

TUESDAY, MAY 8TH  = Cheesy Quinoa Mac and Cheese

WEDNESDAY, MAY 9TH = Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken

THURSDAY, MAY 10TH = Spinach Enchiladas

FRIDAY, MAY 11TH = Out to dinner to celebrate my beautiful mother's birthday! Aren't my parents so adorable?

SATURDAY, MAY 12TH = Baja Chicken Pizza

(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!)

Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing

I will admit that when I first saw this pin on Pinterest that I was really skeptical of how it would taste but I always like to try new things! I got out an old jar that I saved from having banana peppers one time and mixed all the ingredients together and let it chill. When it was "finished" an hour later I tasted it and was really surprised that it tasted really good! It is a little bit more tart than a lot of the bottled ranch dressings that I have tried but I like it better. It tastes like a mix between salad dressing and ranch dip.

And guess what? The ENTIRE jar has just over 270 calories and no fat. Wow.

No more buying ranch dressing for us! This is our go to from now on. I even used fat free milk instead of the 1% milk that the normal recipe called for and it still turned out perfectly well!

Just ignore the pesto and feta in my picture... I was making a variation on the pizzas that I posted yesterday. Whole wheat pita with a mix of this ranch and a little pesto for the sauce, covered in fresh spinach leaves, just a sprinkle of feta, sliced leftover grilled chicken and freshly cracked pepper - wow. Bake at 400 for 5 minutes.

This recipe is courtesy of The Caffeinated Chronicles of Supermom and can be found at this site HERE.

GREEK YOGURT RANCH DRESSING
From The Caffeinated Chronicles of Supermom

Nutritional Information for the WHOLE jar (calculated on MyFitnessPal.com): Calories 273, Carbs 34, Fat grams 0, Protein 28 (Calculated based on skim milk)

1 cup plain, nonfat Greek yogurt
1 packet ranch dressing dry mix (not dip ~ I found online that this is 3 Tbsp equivalent)
1/2 cup skim or 1% milk

Mix all ingredients together in a jar and refrigerate for 1 hour before use.

Chicken Picante Pizzas

Okay so you remember the Slow Cooker Black Bean Enchiladas that I have had on the menu for weeks? Yeah... they are not happening. I actually went to make them the other night and realized that my green pepper was bad. So I had my hubby make this meal instead while I worked. I loved them so much that I made them again last night and now we are out of tortillas for the week!

These were really delicious. Easy to put together  and very filling and satisfying. We used whole wheat tortillas for ours. My favorite brand is the Sante Fe Mission Homestyle Whole Wheat Tortillas. They have only 100 calories for a whole tortilla and they are chewy and delicious. They come in a package that looks like this:

(Source: HERE)

And guess what? The ENTIRE "pizza" comes in at only 280 calories. Wow. And if you don't like the toppings listed? Fine, use what you like. My friend has made this recipe with all kinds of different toppings and I am excited to try some other variations. With a crust that is this quick and easy? Why not!

This recipe is courtesy of Campbell's Kitchen and can be found at this site HERE.

CHICKEN PICANTE PIZZAS

From Campbell’s Kitchen

Servings 6

Nutritional Information per serving (calculated on MyFitnessPal.com): Calories 280, Carbs 21, Fat grams 12, Protein 28 (Calculated based on whole wheat flour tortillas)

6 flour tortillas (8-inch)

Vegetable cooking spray

1 jar (16 ounces) Pace® Picante Sauce

1 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken

1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (about 6 ounces)

3 green onions, sliced (about 6 tablespoons)

1.                  Heat the oven to 450°F.  Place the tortillas onto 2 baking sheets. Spray the tortillas with the cooking spray. Bake for 5 minutes or until the tortillas are golden.

2.                  Spread about 1/4 cup picante sauce onto each tortilla to within 1/2 inch of the edge. Top with the chicken, cheese and onions.

3.                  Bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

*We made our pizzas completely on the barbecue. You grill up your chicken until it is ready and set it aside to rest for a minute. Place your tortillas in a single layer DIRECTLY on the bottom of your barbecue on low heat for just 30 seconds to 1 minute. You do NOT want to burn them, just get them a little bit warm and crunchy. Place a layer of aluminum foil on the top rack of your barbecue and flip the tortillas over so that the crispy side is on the top. Place your ingredients on top (hopefully you sliced the chicken by now or had your adoring husband do it) and close the barbecue. You can turn the heat up to medium and just cook until the cheese melts. Try to avoid opening the barbecue as much as possible but check the bottom of your tortillas occasionally to make sure they aren't burning. Slide off onto a plate - yummy!!!