Recipes

Chicken Cacciatore

A healthy twist on a traditional comfort food.

Ingredients:

4 thin-sliced boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets

1 large onion, thinly sliced

2 medium zucchinis, sliced in 1/4-inch slices

1 large can of Trader Joe's diced tomatoes

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat

Add zucchini slices, cook for 3-4 mins

Add onion slices, cooking until onions and zucchini start to soften

Add entire can of diced tomatoes, and mix thoroughly

After about 5-7 mins, "bury" chicken cutlets beneath tomato mixture

Cover pan, and allow chicken to cook 3-4 mins

Turn over chicken cutlets, cover, and cook another 3-4 mins

Serving size: 1 cutlet topped with generous portion of tomatoes, onions, zucchini

Tip: Vegetarians can use the tomato, onion, and zucchini as a sauce with pasta or spaghetti squash

Two-Bean Turkey Chili

With cooler weather upon us, we tend to crave heavier, warmer food. This turkey chili is rich in comfort, but low in fat and calories!

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey

1 medium onion diced

1 15-oz can diced tomatoes

1 15-oz can tomato sauce

1 15-oz can dark red kidney beans drained

1 15-oz can pinto beans drained

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

In a large sauce pan or shallow pot, heat the oil

Add diced onion, cooking until almost translucent

Add ground turkey

When turkey is cooked through, add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and beans

Stir ingredients, and season as desired with cumin, chili powder, and black pepper

Reduce heat to simmer for 60 - 90 mins, stirring occasionally.

Serving size: 1 cup

Tip: You can use any beans you like, or reduce to one can of beans for a thinner chili

Three-Bean Salad

Another super easy, super quick recipe perfect for grab-n-go living. Beans are a great source of fiber, protein, and healthy carbs. Eat this as a side, add it to some baby spinach for a great salad, or serve it with wheat crackers as a snack.

Ingredients:

1 16-oz can of chick peas

1 16-oz can of black beans

1 16-oz can of red kidney beans

1/2 red onion

2 cups fat-free balsamic vinaigrette

sea salt (to taste)

Directions:

Rinse and drain the beans in a strainer and mix into a large bowl or container

Finely chop the onion and add it to the beans

Add dressing, and mix thoroughly

Add salt to taste

Serving size: 1 cup

Tip: You can use any 3 beans for this recipe, as well as dry beans!

Omlette on the Go

One of the most common pitfalls in weight loss and fitness is skipping breakfast. Mornings suck. They are hectic and it's hard enough to get out of the house on time without having to worry about breakfast. But if you have an extra 2 minutes*, you can make these yummy little treats ahead of time and eat them on the go. You'll have breakfast for the whole week!

Ingredients:

12 eggs (or the equivalent in egg substitute)

1 pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 cup chopped mushrooms

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Spray each cup of a muffin tin with olive oil spray

Beat the eggs

Add the chopped vegetables to the eggs

Evenly divide the mixture into the 12 muffin cups

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 mins, or until a toothpick test comes out clean and dry

Serving: 2 mini-omletes

Tip: To have some variety, divide the eggs in half, and scramble 6 with peppers, onions, and mushrooms, and the other 6 with 3 different vegetables, such as spinach, zucchini, and yellow squash.

*Reheat in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds

Quinoa Instant Breakfast

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Serves 4

 Ingredients:
3 cups water                                               1/4 cup raisins
1 cup quinoa                                              1/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup diced squash                                  1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup thinly sliced carrot rounds               1/4 cup soy or nut milk

Directions:

    Using a fine mesh strainer, rinse quinoa with cool water until the water runs clear.
    Bring 3 cups of water to a boil.
    Add quinoa to boiling water.
    Reduce heat to a light boil and simmer 20 minutes.
    Halfway through cooking, add squash, carrots, raisins, almonds, sesame seeds.
    Remove from heat and add soy or nut milk.

Nana's Light and Healthy Chicken Soup

As fall and winter approach, it's easy to turn to warm, rich comfort foods. But this recipe is loaded with veggies, lean white meat, and lots of comfort without the fat.

2 quarts water
2 split chicken breasts (on the bone)
1 large yellow onion
12 baby carrots
5 stalks of celery
4 packets of powdered chicken broth

place chicken breasts and water into a large pot and start a boil
finely chop all the vegetables and add to the water
when water is at a boil, add contents of chicken broth packets and stir thoroughly
bring heat to a simmer
partially cover the pot (allow for a bit of ventilation)
simmer for 2-3 hours

remove split breasts from soup with long fork
remove and discard skin
pull chicken off the bone into shreds
return meat to pot

If desired, prepare pearl barely, brown rice, or noodles separately and add 1/2 cup to serving

serving size: 2 cups