Tag Archives: Easy meals

Turkey and butternut squash chili

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Nothing goes better with cold weather than a nice hot bowl of chili! I typically do a traditional Texas chili but I changed it up a little last night. Here is the recipe for my turkey and butternut squash chili!

Ingredients:

馃敼8 oz butternut squash cubed

馃敼2 tbsp Chile rub

馃敼1/4 oz cilantro

馃敼15 oz crushed tomatoes

馃敼12 oz ground turkey

馃敼1 shallot

馃敼1 oz cheddar-Jack cheese

馃敼2 oz sour cream

馃敼1 tomato

Recipe:

Halve and peel shallot. Dice halves. Core tomato and dice. Stem and mince cilantro.

Place a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Add 2 tsp olive oil, butternut squash and shallot to hot pan. Stir often until squash is browned and begins to soften. 7-10 minutes

Add turkey, half the Chile rub and a pinch of pepper. Stir often, breaking up meat with a spoon until no pink remains.

Add crushed tomatoes and 1 1/4 cup of water and a pinch of salt to pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook until thickened. 10-12 minutes

Taste chili and stir in remaining chili rub if desired. Plate dish with cheese, sour cream and cilantro

Nacho Burger

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Something about the cold weather makes me want a burger more often than normal! Last night I made a nacho burger! It’s just a traditional burger with a little twist.

Ingredients:

馃敼8-10oz of lean ground beef

馃敼2 buns

馃敼1 jalape帽o

馃敼2 oz light cream

馃敼2 Russet potatoes

馃敼2 oz shredded cheddar

馃敼2 tbsp taco seasoning

馃敼1 oz tortilla strips

馃敼1 egg

Recipe:

Heat oven to 450 degrees

Cut potatoes into wedges and place on a prepared baking sheet. Brush with olive oil. Season with 1tbsp taco seasoning and salt and pepper. Place in oven and cook for 23-25 minutes or until lightly browned

In a mixing bowl combine beef, egg, 1 tbsp taco seasoning and half the cheese. Form into two patties.

Dice jalape帽o into rounds or smaller if you prefer and set aside

Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to non stick pan. Cook patties until desired temp. 4-6 minutes each side.

Wipe pan clean used to cook burgers. Pour in cream and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove from burner and mix in remaining cheese.

Plate burger with cheese on top of patty then top with jalape帽o and tortilla strips.

I like to mix up ketchup and sriracha as a spicy dipping sauce for the potato wedges

Enjoy! 馃嵈

Fast Food

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Often times when we think of fast food, we think of unhealthy, greasy, fatty food items. Places like McDonald’s, Chick-fil-a, Sonic, etc come to mind for the average person. The true definition of “fast food” is food that can be prepared quickly and easily and is sold in restaurants and snack bars as a quick meal or to be taken out. Just because there isn’t a drive through doesn’t mean it can’t be fast food!

Did you know your grocery store can fall under the fast food category? Many grocery stores have salad bars or pre made meal options available to grab and go. My favorite “fast food” place is Whole Foods or Central Market! Their salad bars are AMAZING! They have so many healthy options to pick from!

Fast food doesn’t have to mean greasy, fatty foods. You can find healthy options almost anywhere you go now. Let’s change our thinking of the words fast food since it just means a quick meal option that’s easy to take on the go and isn’t actually a specific food.

What’s your favorite fast food place?

Salmon with wild rice

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Ingredients

-2 6oz salmon filets

-1/2 cup seasoned wild rice

-1/4 oz fresh parsley

-4 oz grape tomatoes

-2 cups chopped broccoli

-2 tsp grainy mustard

-2 garlic cloves

-Olive oil

Recipe

Bring medium pot with 1 1/2 cups of water and wild rice to boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cover. Cook until tender. 20-23 minutes

Halve tomatoes. Mince garlic. Mince parsley. Rinse salmon, pat dry and season with salt and pepper.

Place water and steaming basket in a medium pot. Bring water to boil and place broccoli in pot. Steam for 5-6 minutes

Place a medium non stick pan over medium heat. Add 1 tsp of olive oil and salmon. Cook 4-6 minutes each side. Remove from burner and plate salmon.

Use same pan used to cook salmon. Add 1 tsp of olive oil, tomatoes, garlic and parsley. Stir till tomatoes blister. 1-2 minutes. Remove from burner and mix in mustard. Top salmon with mixture.

Plate rice and broccoli with salmon and enjoy! 馃嵈

Ponzu Salmon and Rice

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Last night I made ponzu salmon and rice. It was under 500 calories and incredibly filling. Decently easy and tasted great!

Ingredients:

馃敼2 salmon filets (6oz)

馃敼6 oz cremini mushrooms

馃敼2 garlic cloves

馃敼2 green onions

馃敼1/2 cup jasmine rice (can sub brown rice)

馃敼2 oz peas

馃敼1 oz ponzu sauce

Recipe:

Bring a pot of 1 1/2 cups of water to boil. Pour in rice. Reduce to simmer and cook until tender. 18-20 minutes

While rice cooks chop mushrooms and onion. Mince garlic. Rinse salmon and pat dry. Combine ponzu, ginger and green onions. Place 2 tbsp of mixture in a separate small bowl and set aside.

Spray a medium nonstick pan with cooking spray. Place over medium heat. Add mushrooms to pan and cook until soft. Add rice, peas and garlic. Cook till peas are warm. Mix in ponzu sauce mixture. Cover and remove from burner.

Spray a second medium nonstick pan with cooking spray. Place over medium heat. Add salmon. Sear until golden brown. 4-6 minutes each side.

Plate salmon and rice mixture. Pour remaining 2 tbsp of ponzu mixture over salmon. Enjoy!

Brown Sugar Salmon

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Dinner last night was a brown sugar salmon. I鈥檓 not a huge fan of salmon but my husband is. So I try to make it at least once a week. Plus it鈥檚 good for me so I suck it up and eat it. This recipe is super easy and tastes great!

Ingredients:

鉁达笍 2 Salmon filets

鉁达笍 2 Potatoes

鉁达笍 8 oz green beans

鉁达笍 1/2 oz Dijon mustard

鉁达笍 1/2 oz light brown sugar

鉁达笍 1 oz milk

鉁达笍 1 Clove garlic

鉁达笍 Salt

鉁达笍 Pepper

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 400

Rinse green beans and chop off ends. Rinse off potatoes and chop into cubes. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. I鈥檓 a small bowl combine mustard and brown sugar. Rinse off salmon and pat dry. Mince garlic and set aside.

Place potatoes in a small pot and boil. Cook until tender, 14-18 minutes. While potatoes cook, place salmon on a nonstick pan and sear. 2-4 minutes on each side. Remove from burner and place on baking sheet. Brush salmon with brown sugar mixture. Roast in oven for 7-10 minutes.

Return pan used to cook salmon to medium heat. Add green beans, 1 tap olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook beans for 6-8 minutes.

Drain potatoes. Mash potatoes and mix in milk, sour cream and garlic.

Plate dish and enjoy! 馃嵈

Chicken Enchilada Bowl

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I鈥檓 a sucker for easy healthy recipes. Especially during the week when I鈥檓 tired and don鈥檛 have a lot of time to cook. I made this meal a few nights ago and it turned out fantastic! I call it a chicken enchilada bowl!

Ingredients:

鉁达笍 2 Boneless Skinless chicken beasts

鉁达笍 1 poblano pepper

鉁达笍 1 Zucchini

鉁达笍 1 Yellow squash

鉁达笍 1 Onion

鉁达笍 1 oz shredded cheddar

鉁达笍 1 oz sour cream

鉁达笍 6 oz enchilada sauce

鉁达笍 1 tsp chipotle seasoning

鉁达笍 1/2 ounce tortilla strips

Recipe:

Chop the veggies into bite sized pieces. Pat chicken dry and chop into cubes. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in nonstick pan over medium heat.Stir occasionally until lightly browned. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

Return pan used to cook chicken to medium heat. Add in veggies and cook till soft. Add in chicken, enchilada sauce, and chipotle seasoning. Stir for 2-3 minutes.

Plate chicken mixture and top with cheese, tortilla strips, and sour cream. Enjoy!! 馃嵈

Note: This recipe is is under 500 calories per serving!

Egg muffin recipe

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I love breakfast! Some mornings I make avocado toast with eggs. Others it鈥檚 protein pancakes and fruit. This week I decided to make egg muffins! They鈥檙e an easy grab and go meal! (I of course heat them up before I eat them 馃槀) They鈥檙e so easy, healthy and taste great!

Ingredients:

-6 eggs

-1 1/2 cups Egg whites

-1 red pepper

-1 green pepper

-1 cup spinach

-6 slices turkey bacon

-1 pinch pink salt

-1 pinch pepper

-1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a muffin pan with cooking spray. Chop spinach, red and green pepper. Chop the spinach and cook in a non stick pan till almost crispy.

In a large bowl whisk together eggs and egg whites. Add in spinach, red and green pepper, bacon, salt and pepper.

Divide mixture into muffin pan cups. Top each cup with a little cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes until cooked through.

Enjoy! 馃嵈馃嵆

The breakfast blame game

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I had a friend tell me she doesn鈥檛 have time to make breakfast so she skips it, makes a coffee and heads out the door to work every day. She blames this on why she鈥檚 starving before lunch and ends up eating horrible the rest of the day, therefore causing her to gain weight.

So here鈥檚 the thing……YOU decide what goes in your belly. We really can鈥檛 blame anyone (or anything) but ourselves for the choices we make. That doughnut at your office does not literally call your name every morning. 馃槨

If you know you battle to eat good during the day and breakfast is something you are clearly struggling with, you have options…..

1. Premake your breakfast the night before to save time! Make a to-go container of Greek yogurt with berries. Or try overnight oats and mix in a few of your favorite items like fruit, chia seeds, almonds, coco powder or almonds!

2. Wake up earlier!!! Seriously there are so many breakfast options that take less than 5 minutes. Things like avocado toast with eggs, peanut butter toast with banana, or even a protein shake with fruit and spinach mixed in. All of these take less than 5 minutes to make. Set your alarm to go off 15 minutes earlier so you have time to make the food and eat it.

You have options! When I was a teacher I had to be to school at 6:30am to be at my morning duty spot at 6:50am, then class started at 7:30am. Not to mention I had a 20 minute drive. Making breakfast at 5:45 in the morning was just not an option for me. Well, it could have been but I鈥檓 not the best morning person when it鈥檚 THAT early. 馃槀

I always pre made meals. Sometimes I made these egg muffins that I would just pop in the microwave and eat in the car. I used muffin tins to make them every Sunday (recipe will be on my blog next week). Some days I would just hard boil eggs and leave a bowl of them in the fridge to grab and take to eat while at my duty spot.

Stop making excuses and do something! If you want to eat better and your problem starts with breakfast, then fix it! Small changes make a big difference! 馃挭馃徎

Note: Yes I know there are diets out there that encourage breakfast fasting. But this doesn鈥檛 work for everyone. Especially her if she鈥檚 repeating the vicious cycle of eating bad daily because she鈥檚 hungry from not eating breakfast. Some people lack the self control ability to do a breakfast fast and not destroy the rest of their day after.

Protein Pancakes

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Today I made my first attempt at protein pancakes. Ryder is being weird about food. He only eats grilled meats so I鈥檓 trying to find ways to sneak a little protein into his diet. Momma doesn’t have time to grill meat every day for him. 馃槀

They weren’t the prettiest looking pancakes but they turned out ok. The flavor was good, they were just a little on the dry side. I鈥檓 thinking if I add a banana or avocado next time it鈥檒l help a bit. Below is the recipe. It makes about 9 silver dollar size pancakes. If you know of another way to make protein pancakes that are moist, please send it my way! 馃挋 馃

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 1/2 scoops protein powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup skim milk or almond milk

Recipe:

Place a nonstick pan or pancake pan over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray

Add eggs, protein, and baking powder to large bowl and whisk. Add in the milk slowly till batter becomes smooth.

Pour batter in pan one tbsp at a time. Each pancake should take about 2 tbsp. Flip when bubbles form at top.

Plate and serve with fruit or syrup!馃嵈

41 cal

1g carb

1g fat

6g protein