This beautiful dish speaks for itself. My husband and brother couldn't stop eating it. They both agreed, and I quote, that it was the best pasta they've ever had. I'm not trying to toot my own horn or anything, but I kind of have to agree with them! It's so light, but so decadent. The flavors don't overpower the dish and it's just the best combination ever!

Ingredients:

1 package Angel Hair

1 large bunch asparagus

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

3/4 cup chopped red onion

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup shredded Romano cheese

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

salt, to taste

Place the angel hair pasta in a deep pot, cover with water, and allow it to boil for 10-15 minutes, or until pasta is done. Dump it into a colander and strain. Remove the ends of the asparagus and discard. Steam the asparagus for 7-10 minutes, leaving it still somewhat crunchy, let cool, and chop into large pieces. In a mixing bowl, add the pasta, asparagus, cherry tomatoes, olive oil, romano cheese, red onion, cilantro, and preferred amount of salt. Mix it all together really well, and serve. 

If you like mediterranean food you're going to fall in love with this dish. This combination of flavors is mouth-watering and SO delicious! I used dark meat chicken for this recipe because it's obviously much juicier than white meat and it adds more flavor to the dish. The olives I used here are Kalamata olives, but you could also get away with using green, pimento, stuffed, etc. I served it on a bed of fresh baby spinach but you could also toss in some spinach while the dish is cooking and let it wilt. 

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken thighs, fat removed

1 tsp salt, or more if preferred

2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 tbsp dried minced parsley

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1/2  cup pitted Kalamata olives

1/2 tbsp olive oil

Heat the olive oil in  a frying pan on medium fire. Lay the chicken thighs flat in the pan and cook until meat is no longer pink, flipping occasionally. While it cooks, add the salt, pepper, red pepper, cumin, & parsley and coat both sides of the chicken really well. When the chicken is done and beginning to brown, add the tomatoes and the pitted olives and cook on low heat until the tomatoes soften but before they burst. Serve on a bed of fresh baby spinach and enjoy. 

It was such a beautiful day today! I had my last final exam of the semester & the weather was just perfect. I hurried home to make these mushrooms so I could sit outside to eat them & watch the sunset on my patio.

Ingredients:

3 Portabella Mushrooms

1 cup Spinach

1 vine-Tomato, diced

2 tbsp Shredded Romano 

Sprinkle of Salt

Pinch of Crushed Red Pepper

3 tbsp Shredded Fat-Free Mozzarella 

1 tbsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the stems of the mushrooms and gently scoop out the gills, using a spoon. Cook the mushroom caps w/ the olive oil in a frying pan until they are softened on both sides (about 5 minutes on each side). Gently transfer them to a baking pan lined with aluminum foil and sprayed with olive oil, inside facing up. Place the spinach in the frying pan and cook until wilted. Add the wilted spinach to a mixing bowl and toss with the diced tomatoes, Romano, salt, and crushed red pepper. Stuff the mushrooms with the mixture and sprinkle a tbsp of mozzarella on the top of each. Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes. 

This crust was so easy to make and literally took me 5 minutes to prepare! I really don't know what possessed me to come up with such a weird concoction. I  kind of just looked around in my empty pantry and saw oatmeal and quinoa flour and hoped it would taste good. Hey, if it's pizza, and it's healthy... I'm all in! I should let you all in on a little secret... that pizza sauce that you see in these pictures, isn't really pizza sauce. I was SO lazy and didn't feel like making sauce so instead I opened up a jar of organic Newman's salsa and threw it on top. I'm telling you this really was just a random concoction of stuff in my kitchen. Do I suggest you use salsa instead of pizza sauce? Ehhh . If you're just as lazy as me then go for it. Just keep in mind this is a healthy pizza, so it's obviously not going to be ooey, gooey, greasy, and chewy.  

Ingredients:

1/2 cup oats, processed into flour using a food processor

1/4  cup quinoa flour

1/3 cup oats

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

less than 1/2 tsp salt (eyeball it to your liking)

2 tbsp water

2 egg whites

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together; oat flour, quinoa flour, unprocessed oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together the egg whites and add them into the dry ingredients. Add the water, 1 tbsp at a time and knead with your hands to make the dough. You can always add more oats if you've added too much water and the dough is too sticky. Finally once you've made your dough, spread it out into about a 9 inch circle on a sprayed and lined pizza pan. I used olive oil spray on parchment paper. You may want to continue to wet your hands while spreading the dough because it has a tendency to get really sticky. Make sure the dough is around 1/2 an inch thick all the way around. Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes. Remove it from the oven and spread your desired pizza sauce and toppings, then bake it again for another 10 minutes or until your toppings are cooked. Enjoy :)

I'm not sure what to really call these beauties. Are they burgers? Sliders? Open-faced 'bliders'? No clue.. any who.. they're so tasty and very filling! Ate them after a great workout to refuel on good carbs and protein. The tzatziki adds the perfect touch to these! I got lazy and ended up blending the cucumber and yogurt rather than chopping it by hand and wow was it yummy. Preparation-wise, this will take you a little bit of time if you don't already have cooked chicken. A light bulb just went off in my head -> perfect idea for leftover chicken... 

Ingredients:

1 thick sweet potato cut into 1/2 inch slices

1 cup shredded chicken, cooked

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced into rounds

1 cucumber ~6 inches, peel-on

1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt

1 tsp salt

2 tsps dried crushed mint

2 small cloves garlic

cherry tomatoes, sliced for topping

Place the sweet potato slices in a toaster oven (or in a  regular oven) and bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees, flipping half way. Once they're cooked but still firm, take them out and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, add the cucumber, yogurt, salt, crushed mint, and garlic, to a blender and pulse a few times until the cucumber breaks down. Then you're ready to put your sliders together. Lay the sweet potato slices out on a plate and top with red onion, Tzatziki, chicken, more Tzatziki, and a slice of cherry tomato. Serve the rest of the yogurt and cucumber mixture on the side because it's absolutely delicious and you're going to want to dive into it with a spoon :)

I mean, seriously.. Can you believe that these were made out of turnips? And that they were baked?? They look so heavenly and taste amazing! I will never use potatoes to make french fries ever again! My husband and I have made these turnip fries 4 days in a row. They're just the greatest snack and compliment any dinner dish! Let's not forget about that beautiful avocado dipping sauce I made. The combination of these two will give your taste buds a run for their money. I never really understood what that analogy meant but hey why not.  Recipe makes 2 servings of fries and 4 servings of dipping sauce. 

Nutritional Information Per Serving: 80 cals for fries, 50 cals for sauce. 

Ingredients for Fries:

4 turnips (rutabaga's) peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch french fries

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tbsp chili powder

1/2 tbsp oregano

Ingredients for Sauce:

1 medium avocado, pitted

2 tbsp light miracle whip

juice of 1/2 lime

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Put the sliced turnips in a mixing bowl and toss really well with the chili powder, oregano, and olive oil. Lay them out flat onto a lined and greased baking pan (I sprayed olive oil spray onto parchment paper. Bake 15 minutes, take the fries out and flip every one of them then bake for another 15 minutes on the other side. While the fries are baking, add the avocado, miracle whip, and lime juice to a food processor. Pulse until smooth. Serve the two together and voila :).  

Typically if you were to order sesame chicken at a local joint you're probably going to end up with deep fried chicken soaked in sesame oil and layered with globs upon globs of brown sauce, right? Not here you won't! This chicken has all the flavors you're looking for just without the artery-clogging additives. I served it with a side of brown rice and layer the chicken on  a bed of parsley stems, which I have to ask why it's so inherent for people to toss these stems away? When you pick off the leaves, save the stems- they're just as beneficial as the leaves! Plus they add a nice little crunch to the dish. Recipe makes 2 servings. 

Nutritional Information per Serving: 300 calories, 30g protein, 2g fat, 4.5g carbs, 4g sugar

Ingredients:

2 chicken breast halves, cut into cubes

1 tsp sesame seed oil

1 tbsp honey teriyaki marinade

1/2 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tbsp sirracha

1/4 cup water

1 thumb-size piece of ginger, grated

1 clove garlic, minced

In a frying pan, add the teaspoon of sesame seed oil along with the chicken and cover the pan. Cook until the chicken is white and no longer pink on the inside, flipping occasionally. Once fully cooked, place everything into a strainer, removing any excess water & oil, and set the chicken aside. In the same pan, add the teriyaki, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, water, and sirracha and whisk everything together really well. Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce begins to reduce and the water evaporates. Add the chicken back to the pan and cook for another few minutes while folding the chicken in with the sauce. You'll know it's done when all the ginger and garlic begins to stick to the chicken and the sauce has thickened. Serve it up with some fresh brown rice and your healthy sesame chicken is ready to eat. :)

Ingredients:

1 large cauliflower head, 

1 cup fat free mozzarella

2 tbsp shaved Parmesan

1 large whole egg

1/4 packet Garlic & Herb Salad Dressing Mix

1/2 cup Pizza sauce (I made my own)

Toppings of your choice

I used more mozzarella, mushrooms, tomatoes & sliced pepperoncini

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Mix the cauliflower florets (water removed) in a bowl with the mozzarella, parmesan, dressing mix, and egg. Stir it all together really well until a semi-dough forms. Line a pizza pan with some parchment paper and spray it with non-stick cooking spray. Spread the dough out evenly into the shape of a pizza crust. Place it in the oven for 20 minutes to bake until it becomes golden. 

Spread the sauce evenly around the crust leaving an inch of crust on the outer edge. Sprinkle with more mozzarella if you like, and add the toppings of your choice. Place back in the oven to bake for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and enjoy. 

I made a huge pot of this chili, so this recipe has a whole lot of servings! I have no clue how my husband and I managed to finish it in one day, but we did! What can I say, eating is probably our favorite thing to do :)

What you'll need:

• 2 pounds of red beans, soaked over night
• 2 pounds ground beef (keep this out if you're vegetarian)
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 2 cans tomato sauce
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 tbsp cumin
• 1 & 1/2 tbsp salt
• pepper, to taste
• a whole lot of water! 

What to do:
First cook the meat and remove any excess fat that melts off it. Once its fully cooked, add it into a deep pot with the rest of the ingredients. When adding water, make sure you add enough to cover all of the beans. Cook on high and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about an hour or so. You can play with the amount of water you add, depending on how you like your chili. If you feel like you need to add more water towards the end, you always can :). 

I suggest you make this dish if you have a dinner party, your guests will crave seconds and thirds. It's that good. I'm obsessed with it, if I could eat it everyday I would :) It takes a lot of patience though! Seeing that long list of ingredients might make you second guess this but you have to try it!!

• 2- 12oz bags large shrimp, cooked 
  
• 1 large onion, sliced 
  
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes 
  
• 1 poblano pepper 
  
• 5 cloves garlic 
  
• 3 inches of ginger
  
• 5 tbsp coconut milk creamer 
  
• 1 tbsp olive oil 
  
• 1 heaping tsp cardamom ground
  
• 1 heaping tsp coriander seed ground
  
• 1 heaping tsp 7 spices
  
• 1 tsp curry
  
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  
• 4 bay leaves
  
• 1-2 tbsp salt
• 4 cups of water

What to do:
Put the garlic, ginger, tomatoes, poblano pepper, olive oil, cardamom, coriander, 7 spices, cinnamon, curry and salt all into a food processor. Pulse until everything is crushed, not blended. Put that into a pot with the sliced onions and 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer until onions are cooked through. Add the shrimp and cook for another 5 minutes. 

Oh my goodness the combination of these two will make your taste buds dance :) 

What you'll need for the chicken:

• 2 whole chicken breasts, halved (makes 4 pieces)
• 1/2 tbsp paprika
• 1/2 tbsp 7 spices
• 1/2 tbsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• salt & pepper to taste

What to do: 
Use all the spices as a dry rub for the chicken. Place them in a frying pan, cover, and let cook, making sure to flip the chicken every 7-8 minutes or so. Add a little bit of water towards the end if the chicken starts to stick to the pan. The water will mix with the spices and give the chicken a nice dark color. 

What you'll need for the tzatziki:

• 1 cup nonfat plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tbsp dried & crushed mint leaves
• 1 clove garlic, mashed 
• salt to taste

What to do:
Whisk together the yogurt and water really well giving it a smooth consistency. Add in the garlic, salt and crushed mint and stir. Pour the tzatziki onto the chicken and enjoy :)

For those of you who enjoy a nice bowl of tomato soup and a buttery grilled cheese sandwich, you're going to love this. 

What you'll need:

• 3/4 cup burgol
• 3.5 cups water
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 tbsp salt
• 1 oz. finely shredded spanish cheese

What to do:
Place the water, burgol, tomato paste and salt into a pot and cook on high. Once it starts to boil, lower the heat and cover. Cook until most of the water gets soaked up by the burgol. Top with cheese while it's still hot. It's so yummy. :) 

Made these delicious fajitas for a small dinner party I had today. We were hungry and ate the food before I got to snap a picture! But at least there's this picture of pretty vegetables you can stare at :)

What you'll need:

• 2 bags shrimp, deviated, cooked, & tails removed
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 orange bell pepper, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 2 jalapeños, diced
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

What to do:
Add everything in a pan except the shrimp! Cook until it's halfway point and add the olive oil. Cook for a few more minutes, and once it's close to being done, add the shrimp. Serve it with some low carb fajita wraps. Use greek yogurt instead of sour cream! It's absolutely delicious. 

Grilled Chicken Salad, at it's finest.  Great lunch for less than 250 calories. This is the perfect way to get rid of your left over chicken dinner from last night. Then again, at my house we're stuck with grilled chicken from the night before, every single day (does that make it any less of a left-over... i think so?) At what point does food in the fridge become a left-over? And who the heck got to decide on the definition of that term? How do people even create terms to put in the dictionary? Is there like a dictionary judge that gets to decide all these things? Wow, my mind just went off on a very weird tangent. But really though, I want answers... 

What you'll need:

• 5 oz. chicken breast, grilled and chopped
  
• 2 cup of spinach, chopped
  
• 1/2 tomato, chopped
  
• 1/2 cucumber, chopped
  
• 2 tbsp of my secret homemade dressing :)
  

What to do:
Grill the chicken breast and slice it into chunks (or use left-over chicken). Place the spinach in a deep bowl and top with tomatoes and cucumbers. Then, add your choice of salad dressing and enjoy. 

Okay, I realize that these may not look that pretty but I swear they're so tasty. Only 150 cals. for each one! You could eat 10 of these a day and still have room to snack. Okay maybe not 10 but after trying these you might consider it. My recipe makes 8 servings. 

What you'll need:

• 4 yellow squashes, sliced in half and cored. 
  
• 1 1b. lean ground beef
  
• 1 poblano pepper, diced
  
• 1/2 spanish onion, diced
  
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 oz. spanish cheese, cut into tiny cubes

What to do: 
Cook the meat, onions, poblano pepper, and spices together. I added the core of 1 squash (chopped) into the mix as well. While that is cooking, place the cored squash halves in the oven and broil for a few minutes. Separate the cooked meat mixture into 8 portions, and fill up the squash halves. Separate the spanish cheese into 8 portions and sprinkle on top of each one. You can eat them just like that, or you can pop them in the oven and broil for a little to melt the cheese. I tried them both ways and they're both absolutely delicious!