When A Quick Dinner Is In Order

Posted on April 9, 2013 by thehealthyjunky

After a long day at work, preparing meals may be the last thing you want to do. Last night was one of those nights for me. Not to mention Andy is out of town all week which means I don’t want to prepare a meal for just one.

I thought I would compile my favorite Amy’s frozen dinners that I enjoy when I’m not in the kitchen making a “feast” for two. Some of these fit into the plant based diet while others are just ones I have enjoyed over the years, like the Pesto Tortellini and Mac and Cheese.

I like the organic ingredients prepared in these frozen meals, however just because they are organic does not mean they have the best nutritional profile. However, pair them with a side of mixed greens and you are good to go.

Some of these products like the Bean and Veggie Burrito and Pesto Tortellini can be found at Trader Joe’s for much cheaper than the Amy’s brand…. just an FYI! :)

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Raspberry Zinger

Posted on April 8, 2013 by thehealthyjunky

Raspberry Delight Monday….grrr!

At least this weekend included lots of nice weather and not this rainy nonsense which makes going back to work a litttttle easier.

I love when a productive weekend takes place. It takes Andy awhile to jump on the “lets do things around the house instead of laying on the couch” bandwagon, but when he is on it….things are getting done! :)

Raspberry Delight

While he is vacuuming doing “manly” things around the house, it means I can get to the grocery store on a Saturday instead of 7 pm on a Sunday night. Grocery shopping at the end of the weekend is the worse for some reason.

When I got home and realized how much frozen fruit I bought from Trader Joe’s because it’s SO darn cheap, I was glad I stumble upon this recipe in the VitaMix recipe book.

Andy was insistent on purchasing Amazon gift cards with his Southwest points to buy this  extremely pricey blender. I was hesitant, however after being able to make this recipe, I take away all negative things I said.

This recipe does require a Vitamix Blender, however it may still turn out using a “regular” blender. It’s definately worth the try since this recipe is AWESOME!

Raspberry Delight

Raspberry Zinger

Yields: 3.5 cups

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup milk (I used vanilla soy milk)
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 pound frozen unsweetened raspberries

Directions:

Place all ingredients into the Vitamix container or another blender container in the order listed and secure the lid.

Select variable 1. Turn the machine on and slowly increase the speed to variable 10, then to high.

In about 30-60 seconds, the sound of the motor will change and four mounds should form. Stop the machine as you do not want to over mix or melting will occur. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Information per 1/2 cup: 140 kcal’s; 2 gm protein; 2 gm total fat; 4 gm fiber; 27 gm sugar; 14 mg sodium;

From my kitchen to yours, enjoy! ❤

 

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Paula’s Eats

Posted on April 6, 2013 by thehealthyjunky

Paula's Eats Don’t judge a book by it’s cover…..isn’t that how the saying goes?

I took these pictures with my phone at Easter so they aren’t the best, but they tasted amazing.

These recipes were all made by my awesome mother-in-law Paula who has become quite the Pinterest “pinner” and finds some pretty amazing recipes.

I have to give her the credit as she made all these dishes herself. They were so good, that I had to share.

Paula's Eats Strawberry Shortcake Kabobs

Paula's Eats Black Bean Salad

Paula's Eats Tortellini Salad

From my kitchen to yours, enjoy! ❤

Posted in Entertaining, High Fiber, Pasta, Sweets | 1 Comment

Easy Fruit Salad

Posted on April 4, 2013 by thehealthyjunky

Fruit Salad I love when fruit is on sale, especially those that aren’t in season. When I saw that mango’s were 10 for 10 dollars at the grocery store, I loaded my cart with lots of mango’s.

Andy and I always have a big basket full of fruit on our counter and to be honest it’s quite rare for it to ever be empty which is odd considering how much we both eat on a daily basis.

Easy Fruit Salad When we woke up on Sunday and noticed that we didn’t have much left to eat in the house and that a visit to the grocery was in order, we looked at the fruit basket and decided fruit would be our breakfast.

Given that we would both be eating our fair share at our Easter gathering’s, we figured a “light” breakfast would be ideal.

Not to mention this was easy to prepare and can be made a day ahead of time to be packed in lunches for the work week.

Easy Fruit Salad Easy Fruit Salad

Ingredients:

  • 1 mango
  • 2 banana, peeled and sliced
  • 2 tangerines, peeled and cut into small pieces
  • 1/2 cup blueberries
  • 1 apple, cored and diced
  • 1/2 tbsp lime or lemon juice
  • 1 tsp sugar/agave

Directions

Cut the mango in half around the stone, and then criss-cross the flesh of the mango halves with a knife into 1/2-inch squares. Push the diced mango flesh outwards and then slice off the squares from the skin into a bowl.

Add the rest of the fruit and toss with lime/lemon juice and sugar.

Serve immediately or refrigerator for 20 minutes for a colder fruit salad if your picky about your fruit needing to be cold like Andy is! :)

From my kitchen to yours, enjoy! ❤

Posted in Breakfast/Brunch, High Fiber, Vegan, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Nutella Berry Bruschetta

Posted on April 3, 2013 by thehealthyjunky

Nutella Berry Bruschetta When my grandma called to inform me of the family Easter plans for the past weekend, I asked if there was anything I could bring. She suggested an appetizer/dessert so I immediately went to my Pinterest appetizer bucket list to find the ideal recipe.

I knew I wanted something light yet easy to prepare considering I had a bridal shower and bachelorette party the Saturday before.

Berry Nutella Bruschetta After browsing all my saved recipes on Pinterest, I knew I found the right one. The thought of fresh fruit and nutella on toasty bread makes my mouth water. Not to mention it seemed appropriate for Spring with the bright fruit colors. I suppose even better for a 4th of July party to get the red, white, and blue theme going.

Regardless, this was beyond easy to make, beyond easy to shove into your mouth in one bite, and beyond tasty!

Nutella Berry Bruschetta Nutella Berry Bruschetta 

As seen on Tasty Kitchen

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
  • 12 whole Baguette Slices, About 1/4 Inch Thick
  • ½ cups Nutella
  • 4 ounces, weight Fresh Berries (raspberries Or Blackberries)
  • Optional Garnishes: Toasted Sliced Almonds, Tiny Mint Leaves For Garnishing

Directions:

Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Place the bread in the pan and fry on medium-high until toasted on one side. Then flip to the other side until it’s nicely toasted, for a total of about 6 minutes.

Place the toasted baguettes on a serving plate and allow them to cool. Then spread Nutella on each piece of bread.

Top with the berries and sprinkle with some nuts, if desired. Add a tiny mint leaf for garnishing. Optional: lightly sprinkle with sea salt.

Anyone else have an obsession with nutella?

From my kitchen to yours, enjoy! ❤

 

 

 

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Red Pepper Risotto

Posted on March 29, 2013 by thehealthyjunky

Red Pepper Risotto So happy it is Friday, however my weekend is quite busy with a bridal shower, bachelorette party, and Easter celebrations.

It always seems that a busy work week leads to a busy weekend which means no time for R&R. We have been trying to get our taxes filed this week before the deadline…..definitely procrastinated on things this year.

Lucky for us, my good friend Kathryn made a great recommendation on where to get our taxes completed at the guy could not have been better. Plus when we heard what our tax return was going to be we were ecstatic.

Red Pepper Risotto I’m hoping with this tax return we can purchase a new car. I have been driving my current car since I was 16 which means it’s been around for 11 years!!!! It’s definitely starting to show it’s age with all it recents repairs that have been needed in addition to not being friendly on our bank account.

Car shopping will be in order in the next week or so and I couldn’t be more excited. I have been driving around a Lincoln Navigator the last few weeks which is a gas guzzler. My car would take anywhere from 40 dollars to fill up/week while the Navigator take 100 dollars/week….

Red Pepper Risotto

I digress, this risotto was tasty and not to mention we skipped the cheese again. Still trying to comprehend that a cheeseless risotto can be so good.

I definitely recommend making this dish. Not to mention, having help with the stirring as this tends to be a tedious task with risotto. My mom helped me make this dish and her assistance was much appreciated.

Red Pepper Risotto Red Pepper Risotto

Adopted from Big Girls Small Kitchen

Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

For the red pepper mixture:

  • 1/2 onion, finely diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (or pimentón)
  • Pinch cayenne
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and finely diced

For the Risotto:

  • 1 quart chicken veggie stock, warmed in the microwave
  • ½ onion, finely diced
  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup white wine
  • ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
  • 10-15 basil leaves, roughly torn

Directions:

Place your stock in a large measuring cup or bowl. Heat in the microwave for 3-4 minutes until warm.

In a large deep skillet or medium Dutch oven, sauté the onion in enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Once translucent, about 3-5 minutes, add garlic and sauté for an additional minute. Add the rice and stir so it becomes coated in the oil and onion mixture. Cook for about 3 minutes to get the rice lightly toasted. Add the salt and the wine and cook, stirring, until nearly evaporated, about 1 minute. Return the heat to medium, and add ½ cup of stock, stirring occasionally until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Add the next ½ cup of stock and repeat the process.

While the risotto is working slowly, you can turn the majority of your attention to the red pepper mixture. In a saucepan over medium heat, sauté the onion and red pepper in enough olive oil to coat the pan. Cook until the vegetables have softened, about 6 minutes. Add the paprika, cayenne, garlic, and cook for another 2 minutes, until the mixture is very fragrant. Season generously with salt, and carefully stir in the tomatoes. Simmer until some of the juices have evaporated, the sauce has thickened, and the vegetables are very tender, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and taste again for seasoning.

Once the stock is almost gone, and the risotto has only a slight bite to it, add the red pepper mixture and any additional liquid if necessary. Stir to combine. When the risotto is at your desired texture and consistency, stir in the basil and ¾ of the parmesan (if using), and take the pan off the heat.

Taste for seasoning, and garnish with the additional parmesan (again, if using) and some torn basil leaves.

SO good!

From my kitchen to yours, enjoy!  ❤

 

 

 

Posted in Pasta, Vegan, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Easy Black Bean Tostado’s

Posted on March 28, 2013 by thehealthyjunky

Black Bean Tostado's Some nights, I just don’t feel like making dinner…..

It requires dicing, chopping, sautéing, boiling, baking, dirty dishes, cleaning dirty dishes, yada yada yada.

The good thing is, Andy is quick to offer a helping hand (he’s soo sweet) so I’m not doing this task by myself. I’m assuming part of this has to do with the fact that he wants something tasty to eat as well.

Easy Black Bean Tostado's After coming home from a long day of work, I don’t want to be in the kitchen all night preparing and cleaning up after a dish to feed two people.

That’s why I like this dish. It was incredibly easy to make and clean up was a breeze.

Not to mention this tostado is packed with fiber, vitamin K, iron, protein, and much more.

Oh, and it taste fantastic too! Feel free to add cheese, queso fresco, etc. It tasted just fine without it though. Black Bean Tostado Easy Black Bean Tostado’s 

Adopted from Bev Cooks

Makes 8 tostado’s

Ingredients:

  • 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 8 corn tortillas
  • 1 (14.5 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 1/2 Tbs. Old El Paso taco seasoning
  • 8 cups baby spinach
  • 2  avocados
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1  lime
  • 1 pinch coarse salt
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (did not add)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400.

Lightly brush the corn tortillas with the oil. Cooking spray is fine too. Arrange them on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 4 minutes on one side. Flip and bake 4 more minutes, or until crispy. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, bring the beans to a medium-low heat. Add the taco seasoning, a few of the cilantro leaves and a good pinch of salt. Toss to combine. Keep it on low while you make the rest of the meal.

Bring a large skillet to a medium heat. Add the spinach and toss to wilt, 2 minutes.

In a small bowl, add the two avocados, the rest of the cilantro, about 2 Tbs. of the lime juice, another pinch of taco seasoning, and a pinch of salt. Mash until you get a smooth guacamole.

Layer a little of the spinach on each crispy tortilla. Top with seasoned beans, shredded cheese and a dollop of guacamole.

Serve immediately…YUMMY!

From my kitchen to yours, enjoy! ❤

Posted in High Fiber, Tex-Mex, Vegan, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Roasted Tomato Bruschetta

Posted on March 27, 2013 by thehealthyjunky

Roasted Tomato Bruschetta I had some tomatoes that were starting to get overly ripe and so when that happens, I always dice them up, place them on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast them for 45 minutes on 350 degrees and add to pasta for a quick meal.

I decided to do something different and make a roasted bruschetta with them.

Roasted Tomato Bruschetta My mom and sister helped me prepare this dish for a family meal on Sunday as it was incredibly easy to put together. Not to mention it tasted delicious if you are a bruschetta fan.

If you are looking for a quick appetizer, roast the tomatoes a day ahead and place in the refrigerator in a container to be saved until you are ready to make this dish. The tomatoes will last up to 2-3 days.

Roasted Tomato Bruschetta Roasted Tomato Brushetta

From: Rachael Ray

Serves 4 people, 2 slices of bruschetta each

Ingredients:

  • 2 pints grape tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 loaf sesame semolina bread
  • 2 cloves garlic, halved
  • 4 scallions, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup basil leaves, thinly sliced

Directions:

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Coat the tomatoes in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast 20 minutes to concentrate the flavor and burst the tomatoes.

Cut 2 large “planks” of bread each 1-inch thick by slicing the bread lengthwise horizontally. Reserve the rest of the loaf for another use or add some butter, garlic powder, park cheese to the other load for garlic toast.

When you remove the tomatoes from the oven, switch on broiler. Char bread on both sides then rub hot bread with cut garlic (I did not do this but instead just added the garlic to the tomato mixture)

In a bowl, lightly mash the roasted tomatoes and combine with scallions and basil. Top the large planks with tomato mixture then cut each giant crostini into 4 pieces, 8 pieces total.

Ever made a different type of bruschetta like avocado bruschetta? 

From my kitchen to yours, enjoy!  ❤

Posted in Appetizers, Entertaining, Vegan, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Berry Pancakes

Posted on March 25, 2013 by thehealthyjunky

Berry Pancakes I woke up to SNOW on Sunday morning, a week before Easter!!!! Really?!? I knew it would be a great day to stay in and relax until I realized I definitely would have to go out eventually for groceries…..darn!

I was starving considering I woke up at 10am which is completely out of the ordinary for me.  I was craving some pancakes and was hoping to find a recipe where I would have all the ingredients already in the house. Grocery shopping and being hungry is the worse!

Berry Pancakes Lucky for me the first recipe I found on the internet was a winner as all the ingredients where in the house which meant I did not have to get out first thing in the morning in the snowy icky weather.

I was just hoping that I still made the hike there sometime today because otherwise our house will be food-less all week. Grocery shopping during the week is hardly feasible given how busy work can be and when you talk about food and nutrition all day, stepping in the grocery store is not appealing.

These pancakes were incredibly easy to make and OUTSTANDING! I ate 4 (FOUR) of them they were that good. I literally was not hungry again until 5 pm but it was worth feeling that full to indulge in these buttery, syrupy, berry pancakes.

Berry Pancakes Berry Pancakes

Adopted from Veggie Mama

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup all-purpose cup flour
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup milk or vanilla soymilk/almond milk
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup frozen berries

Directions:

Combine the four dry ingredients in a bowl.

Add milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and frozen berries to the dry ingredients and stir until mixed. Heat a medium-large pan or griddle over medium heat, and grease with Pam or butter.

Place 1/4 cup of batter onto the heated pan/griddle. Once pancakes start to bubble (3-4 minutes), it’s time to flip them and cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side.

Serve with warm syrup and fresh berries. Delicious!

From my kitchen to yours, enjoy!  ❤

 

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Black Bean and Quinoa Veggie Burger

Posted on March 23, 2013 by thehealthyjunky

Black Bean and Quinoa Veggie Burgers Happy Saturday everyone! This week has gone by slow which is odd considering it was an incredible busy week for me both at work and outside.

As I’m typing this post and drinking PB an Banana Smoothie for breakfast, Andy’s complaining about how hungry he is and how he can’t eat until after noon today.

Given his new plant based lifestyle he is trying to get a lower rate on his life insurance policy and in order to do so he needs to have a fasting lipid panel obtained to determine if his cholesterol, LDL, etc. are any lower from the first time they were taken. Needless to say, he is quite miserable as he is has been up since 7 am and just wants to eat!!

Black Bean and Quinoa Veggie Burger

Any exciting plans for the weekend? Andy and I went out to dinner with a few of our friends last night for Mexican and then tonight we will be partaking in a trivia night for a fundraiser. I’m not very great at trivia unless there are food/nutrition questions involved or the Bachelor/Grey’s questions. My friend Adam is making up the questions, so I asked if he could sneak a few of these in so I could contribute some answers for our team. We shall see.

Anyway, I made these burgers last Friday night and they were delicious and fairly easy to make. They were baked in the oven, however once the Spring weather decides to show up,  you could easily make these on the grill outside.

Black Bean and Quinoa Veggie Burgers Black Bean and Quinoa Veggie Burgers

Seen on Prevention RD from The Foodie Physician

Serves 6 burgers with 1 1/2 tbsp sauce

Ingredients:

Patties:

  • ½ cup dry quinoa
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1/2 red onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tsp Kosher salt, divided
  • 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 large egg (I used 2 extra tbsp of tomato paste instead)
  • 2/3 cup frozen corn
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1 chipotle in adobo, minced
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1/4 cup oat flour (I just used all-purpose)

Yogurt Sauce:

  • ½ cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt (or soy yogurt)
  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

Directions:

Place the quinoa in a small saucepan with 1 cup of water. Set the saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover the pan, and cook 10-15 minutes until the water is absorbed and quinoa is cooked. Remove from heat. Note: this step can be done ahead of time.

Heat the oil in a small pan over medium heat and add the onion and garlic. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and sauté until onions are softened, 5-6 minutes. Place the mixture into a large bowl. Add black beans to the bowl and using a potato masher or fork, mash together until a pasty mixture forms.

Stir in the tomato paste, egg (or extra tomato paste), corn, cilantro, chipotles, cumin and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir in the cooked quinoa, oats, and oat flour until well mixed. Form the mixture into 6 equal patties, compacting them well with your hands as you form them. Place the patties on a baking sheet, cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least a few hours or overnight.

To make the yogurt sauce, stir the yogurt, honey and mustard together in a small bowl.

When ready to eat, preheat the oven to 400 F or heat a griddle to medium-high heat. If baking, spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and place the patties on the sheet cook 10-12 minutes until the patties are golden brown and crispy. Carefully flip the over and cook another 10 minutes. If using a griddle, heat 4-6 minutes per side or until slightly golden. Serve patties with the yogurt sauce.

From my kitchen to yours, enjoy! ❤

 

 

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