Roasted Brussel Sprouts

This is one of my favorites. Roasted brussel sprouts are definitely the way to go - steaming them will create a completely different experience.

1. Cut brussel sprouts in half
2. Preheat 400 degrees
3. Mix with olive oil and spices (garlic salt or powder, pepper, thyme/rosemary, basil & oregano)
4. Roast at 400 degrees for 25-35 minutes
5. Add cheese at the end (end of baking or after baking) - shredded parmesan or whatever type you like. Note that these are very tasty without cheese as well, the cheese can just add to the *yum.* 

Roasted Asparagus

I roast asparagus on a foil-covered pan in the oven most of the time. It's a tasty, quick, and simple addition to pretty much any meal. Let's get to it!

Asparagus should be washed and can be cut depending on what you prefer. I always cut or snap off the bottom (about an inch) - it should snap easily if you do it with your hands.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Sprinkle asparagus with olive oil and sea salt (you can also add pepper or garlic powder).
3. Roast in preheated oven until fork easily punctures thickest part of stem, about 12-15 minutes.

Blackened Tilapia

I found this gem on Naive Cook Cooks. I made a few modifications, but I've already decided that it's a new favorite - mostly because of how delicious and simple it is! This is a great recipe that can make 1 serving to probably 6-8 (the recipe says 4, but there is a lot of the seasoning mix there, so I think it will stretch).

In order to make 1 serving, I used a frozen tilapia fillet and about a teaspoon of the seasoning sprinkled on the fillet (about 1/2 teas. on each side was plenty). I think that fish is always better freshly made and not as good left over, so I like to make only as many as I'll eat, and throw a new one in when I'm ready for more fish - this recipe makes that so easy!

Also, in case you're planning to use some of the mix now, and would like to use some later - I mixed the seasonings in a small plastic bag. It was easy to mix, and will be sealed until I need it again.

Blackened Spice Mix:
3 tsp paprika
2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp thyme
2 - 3 tsp black pepper
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp oregano

Other ingredients:
4 Tilapia fillet, washed and cleaned
2 tbsp butter, melted OR olive oil / cooking spray
Salt & pepper to taste*

Instructions:

1. Pre heat oven to 400F.
2. Add all the spices in a bowl and mix. Taste and adjust anything if needed as per taste and keep aside.
3. On a parchment paper or foil lined baking sheet / sheet pan, lay all 4 pieces of tilapia (or as many as you plan to use), Brush them with butter or olive oil on both sides OR spray them with cooking spray. 
4. Rub or sprinkle the seasoning on both the sides of the fish.
5. Bake in oven for 7 mins.
6. Flip tilapia after 7 minutes and bake for another 7 minutes. (additional time as needed)

*The spice mix has plenty of flavor, so it is likely that you'll need to add any salt and pepper - but I won't judge if you do! 

**I paired this with asparagus - it cooks for about the same amount of time as the fish, depending on the size of the stalks. 

Summer Salads

I love salads in the summertime. This summer I made several salads over the summer, but this was one of my favorites - and one that I plan to repeat... and repeat.

 

 

My salad contained: lettuce, chick peas, bell peppers, shrimp, peas, and probably other things that I love... It's been a few weeks, so I've forgotten some of my ingredients. Get that fresh stuff out and and make a salad!

{I may have said this before, but the easiest way to put together a delicious salad - or stir-fry - is to stop by the salad bar at the store and pick up the pre-cut veggies to save lots of time}

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

It's summertime, and I'm finally getting back on here. AND, I have the perfect summertime recipe to share with you. I used recipes from here and here combined with some thoughts and advice from a friend to get this one together. It's a fantastic summer treat!

Ingredients:
1 (11oz) can white shoepeg corn, drained & rinsed
1 (15oz) can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 (10 oz) can Rotel tomatoes (juice drained)
2 ripe avocados, diced
1/3-2/3 c. red onion, chopped
1/4 c. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 tsp. salt
3T - 2/3 c. cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. cumin (optional)
a few dashes of tabasco (optional)
1 diced jalapeno (optional)
Diced tomato (optional)

Instructions:
Rinse and combine the beans, corn, and Rotel. Chop red onion and cilantro and add to mixture. Add all other ingredients except for the avocado, until almost ready to serve. Just before serving, cut and mix in avocado (to keep it from browning prematurely).

Refrigerate and serve cold.

Mexican Dry Rub

Tonight marked my second successful, VERY tasty dinner eating with most of my staples removed (explanation in an earlier post). Tonight I used a recipe from this website for a rub and used it on chicken breast. I'm sure it would be wonderful on other meats (and the recipe suggest possibly putting it on grilled veggies as well), but I can tell you that it is very good on chicken! This is a very simple and flavorful (and quick!) way to prepare chicken. I'm also considering putting some of the left-overs on a taco-like salad... Can you say YUM!?

Ok, without further ado:

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon seasoning salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves, crushed
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/3 teaspoon cumin

Instructions:

Mix ingredients together.

Rub all over chicken (or whatever meat you're using). Grill your meat as needed. looked up grill times on allrecipes.com and found a cook time of 6-8 min per side - which worked fabulously. It was juicy and flavorful!

Skinny Broccoli Salad

I found this recipe on facebook... someone shared it, and I'm not totally sure where it came from. But, I took some of the ingredients and amounts and added and removed and here's what I came up with for my skinny broccoli salad:

Ingredients:
2 heads fresh broccoli, chopped
1 head fresh cauliflower, chopped
1/2 red pepper (chopped)
1/2 green pepper (chopped)

1/2 c dried cranberries (more or less)

1/2 c sunflower seeds (more or less)
1 c reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 c reduced-fat ranch dressing
 

Other optional ingredients:

1/2 red onion, chopped
1 cup tomatoes, chopped

olives (green or black)

walnuts (or other types of nuts)

raisins (instead of cranberries, or added to) 

pepper

Instructions:
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and toss with reduced fat ranch dressing.
Refrigerate until serving.

I believe that the original recipe called for a full cup of dressing, but I found that 1/2 cup was plenty. Do what you will with that. I really enjoyed this recipe. It's simple (besides the time it takes to cut everything), and quite tasty. There were also suggestions of using a miracle whip, vinegar, sugar dressing instead of the ranch. There are so many things you can do with this, I just love it! Cold salads for spring and summer - yes, please!

Strawberry Banana Slushy

Ingredients:
1c ice
1c strawberries
2 bananas
1/2 can diet 7up

Instructions: 
Put all ingredients in a blender and blend away!


This simple and tasty recipe comes from the StilettosandLegos.com

'Tis very tasty and refreshing... and it makes about 2-3 times this much. I put the leftovers in the freezer and am going to try thawing and re-blending it later.

Spinach Lasagna Rolls

{Found at skinnytaste.com ... possibly from Pinterest :) } I am mostly excited about these because it's doing Lasagna in a cooking-for-one-friendly way! I'm thinking that this will be very simple to store and reheat, and probably freeze.

Spinach Lasagna Rolls
Serves 9

Pictured with Parmesan Zucchini

Ingredients:

9 lasagna noodles, cooked
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and completely drained
15 oz fat free ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
salt and fresh pepper
32 oz tomato sauce {I used Trader Joe's pasta sauce}
9 tbsp (about 3 oz) part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

Instructions:
Prepare 9 lasagna noodles. Make sure you read the box if you haven't done this before - there are steps to those things that I was not aware of. However, I did read and follow the instructions, and mine turned out wonderfully and did not stick to each other. {small victories!}

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Ladle about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish.

Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry. Take 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.

Ladle sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each one with 1 tbsp mozzarella cheese. Put foil over baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese melts. Makes 9 rolls.

To serve, ladle a little sauce on the plate and top with lasagna roll.

***

Since I'm cooking for one, I thought I'd try an experiment with these lasagna rolls. I was wondering if they would be better baked and then frozen, or frozen before baked... so I froze one - writing the instructions on the freezer bag.

I will try to remember to report back on my findings. Since this makes 9 servings and there's only one of me... and I don't like to eat the same food for 9 days in a row, I thought this would be worth my while.

Vegan No Bake Cookies

I have officially attempted a vegan recipe (one of my new co-workers is vegan and I was taking treats for a birthday... I wanted to see if I could do it!). We'll have to see what they think about them tomorrow... Introducing no bake cookies to the summer series because... you don't have to turn on the oven to make them.

Anyway! I went searching and found this blog and recipe.

Frosty No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies (80 cals each)
by Angela Liddon (from Oh She Glows)
Makes about 7 cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup non-dairy chocolate chips
1 large banana
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp buckwheat groats (optional)
1 tsp cocoa powder
Sweetener, if preferred

Instructions:
In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips for about 60 seconds being careful not to burn. Remove from microwave and stir so the rest of the chips melt.

Roughly chop the banana and mash it into the melted chips with a fork.

Stir in the rest of the ingredients into the chocolate & banana and stir very well until all oats are coated with chocolate.

Line a plate with parchment and drop about 7 cookies onto it. Alternatively, you can use muffin liners. Freeze for about 1 hour or until firm. Cookies will firm up, but they won’t become solid and will remain chewy. Leave in the freezer for a quick chocolate fix any time of the day! Makes 7 small cookies.

 
***

I did not add buckwheat oats or sweetener. I saw later that it only made 7 small cookies, and had bought enough rolled oats to double the recipe, so I did... When I dropped the cookies, I ended up with 12 cookies... so I didn't do it quite right, but it's close enough. Below is the nutritional information provided on the blog.

Update: These are tasty cookies. However, if you do not like banana, you will most likely not like them. I could definitely taste the banana, but I think banana and chocolate are fabulous together! I kept them in the freezer at first, and then in the refrigerator. In my opinion, they're better out of the freezer as they are very soft and messy out of the refrigerator. Here's a picture I took of the cookies after they were hardened... the little bits of white you see are frost - they reacted like that when I took them outside (into the heat) to get some good light. Oh well!

***

Per Cookie (makes 7) 80 kcals 3 grams fat (1 gram sat) 10 grams carbs 2 grams fibre 5 grams sugar 2 grams protein

***

A note about Chia Seeds...

First of all, they are somewhat difficult to find... and then once I found them, I couldn't find a small container of them. There's 16oz (45 Tablespoons) in this container. Ugh. All I needed was a Tablespoon! Now I have a pound of these seeds... The good thing is that when I looked them up (before I went to buy them), I learned that they're great for your nutrition - great source of fiber, calcium, omega-3... And you can add them to pretty much anything. The funny part about it is that this container says that you can eat them right out of the container... When I read that to the man from the store who was trying to help me find a smaller container, he looked at me and said yeah... I don't think you'd want to do that... with a grossed out look on his face. I agreed.

Anyway, you should look up the nutritional information on these things, and be ready to spend $10-20 on a canister of the seeds if you want to buy them. I think they'll last a while, so it's probably not a ridiculous amount, I just didn't expect to spend that much when I went in. This canister was $5 less than the other same-sized canister of a different brand.

Grilled Marinated Shrimp

{Pillsbury Fast & Healthy Cookbook}

Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients
1/2t grated lime peel
1/4t ground cumin
1/4t dried oregano leaves
1/8t salt
2T olive or canola oil
2T lime juice
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1lb uncooked deveined peeled large shrimp

Instructions
Heat gas or charcoal grill. In medium bowl, mix all ingredients except shrimp.

silly me, I forgot the garlic in the picture

 
Add shrimp; toss to coat. Let stand at room temperature 10 minutes to marinate.

Remove shrimp from marinade; thread loosely onto 4 (12- to 14-inch) metal skewers. Reserve marinade.

Place skewered shrimp on grill over medium heat. Cover grill. Cook 3 to 7 minutes, turning once and brushing occasionally with reserved marinade, until shrimp turn pink. Discard any remaining marinade.

***

I do not have a grill... and I didn't have uncooked shrimp, I just have frozen pre-cooked shrimp. So, I improvised. I heated the shrimp in a saute pan. My shrimp was a little rubbery because it was overcooked... but the flavor was fantastic. I could definitely taste the lime, so if you aren't a fan of lime, you'll want to use less or try a different recipe.

***

3ww points
Calories: 110
Fat: 4.5g
Carbs: 0g
Fiber: 0g

Roasted Parmesan Asparagus

{from Pinterest and this blog}

Ingredients

1 lb. asparagus, trimmed

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Toss the asparagus with 1 tbsp. olive oil, Parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste.  Place the stalks in a baking dish and roast until they're al dente, 10-12 minutes.  serve warm.

{recipe courtesy men's health magazine, june 2010 issue.}

***

This recipe is very simple and very tasty. I did not measure the ingredients, I eyeballed and sprinkled... and it was really tasty!

2-Ingredient, 2 pt Cake

 Ok, so I forgot to take pictures when I was cooking this (I had a friend over, and I always get to talking and forget to take pictures). But the after-version of what I baked didn't look so hot, so you're in luck - you don't have to look at it!

This is a cake that I was told about first by a friend who is a dedicated Weight Watchers friend. She loves finding healthy recipes - especially those that don't taste so healthy (don't we all!). Then recently, on Pinterest, I found the same recipe and decided to finally try it. All you need is one box of Angel Food Cake and one 20-22oz can of fruit pie filling. Mix the cake mix (dry) with the pie filling then bake in an ungreased 9x13 pan  at 350 degrees for 28-30 minutes.

Now here's the sad part... I baked mine for somewhere between 30 and 35 minutes because it just wouldn't pass the poke test (my knife wouldn't come out clean). But I didn't want to over-bake it and since I've never made it before, I thought, "maybe the other people know what they're talking about, and this just comes out a little less dry that some other cakes... it will probably be fine..." It came out very puffed up and a little browned on top (I also didn't want it to burn), but within minutes, it started to sink... and it seriously sunk. Within 30 minutes of taking it out, my friend and I decided to try it... it was pretty good (and it still tastes wonderful), and the outsides are baked pretty well, but the inner part of the cake is pretty heavy and moist.

Next time, I'll let it bake a little longer and wait for the cake to separate a bit from the pan (or something... I'm not sure). I will try it again. It is tasty and only 2 WW points per serving!  Good luck!

edit -- {24 servings = 2pts // 12 servings = 5pts} --

Source: thefrugalgirls.com via Emily on Pinterest

Naturally Flavored Water {citrus-flavored water}

I must first tell you that I found this idea on Pinterest, and that it comes from this website. This is not my idea or recipe, but I'm excited about it! Today, I made the citrus version... Here's what I did:

Cut up an orange, a lemon, and a lime or two.

Put the slices into your container.

This was supposed to be done with a wooden spoon or muddler... I had neither (sad, I know!). Lightly muddle, press, and twist the fruit.

Add ice (to the top of the container).

Fill with cold water and refrigerate. They say that letting it sit overnight improves the flavor (which makes sense).

The website above has several options for this fruit-infused water. I plan to try some more, but if you're curious before I get to it, just click on the link above!

***

I have to say that I did not love this water... I left if overnight before I tried it (I didn't even try a sip of it the day I made it - I probably would have liked it better fresh). It was quite citrus-y... but bitter and tart. The kind of stuff that makes your mouth dry and makes you pucker. I didn't even drink the whole glass of water I poured. I'm still going to try some of the other versions, but if I do this again, I will make it just for the day that I'm going to drink it, and probably not put quite as much fruit in it. I think it could be very refreshing, I just wasn't a fan of the flavor when left overnight.

Terrific Turkey Burgers

I'm not sure why I've been holding out on you so long! Ok... it might be because I thought that I'd already blogged it! It has officially been summer for 9 days, and in honor of summer, I plan to get my act together and post a "Summer Series" of recipes for you! If you haven't checked out the Quick Tea post below, that would be a lovely addition to this recipe!

Terrific Turkey Burgers
{Pillsbury Fast & Healthy Cookbook}

Prep Time: 25 min (start to finish)
Makes 8 sandwiches

Ingredients:
2lb lean (at least 90%) ground turkey
1c unseasoned dry bread crumbs
2/3c finely chopped onion
1/2c ketchup or tomato sauce
2T lemon juice
4t soy sauce
4t Worcestershire sauce
1/4t pepper
8 whole wheat burger buns, split
Lettuce, if desired

Instructions:
Heat gas or charcoal grill. In large bowl, mix all ingredients except buns and lettuce until well blended. Shape mixture into 8 patties, 1/2 inch thick.

Lightly oild grill rack. Place patties on grill over medium heat. Cover grill; cook 10 to 12 minutes, turning once, until meat thermometer inserted in center of patties reads 165 degrees (F).

Meanwhile, place buns cut sides down on grill. Cook 1 to 2 minutes or until lightly toasted. Place patties in lettuce-lined buns. If desired, serve with additional ketchup and pickle slices.

To broil patties: Place a sprayed broiler pan; broil 4 to 6 inches from heat using times in the recipe as a guide, turning once. Place buns, cut side up, on broiler pan; broil 1 to 2 minutes.

How I do it: I use the recipe, and they make great turkey burgers. I do not, however, own a grill or a broiler pan. I use my George Foreman grill. I also usually form all of the burger patties, but only cook the number that I'm wanting to eat. I freeze the rest (it works best to freeze them on a flat surface first, like a cookie sheet, then to place them in a freezer safe bag or container). I freeze them, because it's only me, and there are lots of leftovers, and pull them out, defrost them lightly, then cook them when I'm feeling like a burger - talk about a quick and healthy dinner! I also eat mine on Multigrain Sandwich Thins - easily found in the bread section of your grocery store - rather than a regular bun. I just don't need or want all that bread!

--I'll add a picture next time I make one (I was sure that I had a picture somewhere... oh well!)

Nutritional Information
1 Sandwich (includes ALL ingredients - wheat bun and all)
Calories: 340
Total Fat: 9g
Carbs: 34g
Fiber: 4g

(let me know if there's something more specific you'd like the info on)

Quick Tea

Happy Summer, Friends!

I apologize that it's taken me so long to make it back here (and this isn't even technically a real recipe). However, I have had time to rest and relax and and I'm ready to get back to business! Today, I'm going to do one of the classic summer drinks - ice tea. This summer, I'm attempting to cut out soda again (I was drinking more of it than I like during the school year this year). So, last weekend while I was at a friend's parents' house, I saw ice tea made in a way that I'd never seen before...

In a glass or mug, put just enough water to cover a couple of tea bags. Put two tea bags in the water and put it in the microwave for a minute or two. This will create a tea concentrate of sorts. Let the tea sit and steep for a few minutes. Fill your tea pitcher with ice, pour in the hot tea, and add water to fill the container. Surprisingly, it actually makes descent tea! My family has always made sun tea in the summertime, but this was almost as good. I did it recently with a yummy green tea that I am currently hooked on, and it was quite tasty as well!

this is the green tea, so it's supposed to be lighter than normal/black tea

This is an excellent option if you're looking to have ice tea 10 minutes or less. So refreshing!