FOR (BUSY) PEOPLE WHO LOVE GOOD FOOD
This is my favorite oatmeal variation at the moment. PB & J is not just for lunch! It’s satisfying and keep me going all morning long.
1/2 c. oats
1 c. skim milk
1 T peanut butter
1 T jelly
Cook oats and milk in a saucepan on medium heat. When the desired consistency is reached, stir in peanut butter and jelly.
I have had a bag of wheat berries in my cabinet for a few weeks, trying to decide how to use them for the first time. There are many appealing grain salad recipes, but it’s still winter and I was in the mood for chili. First, I simmered the wheat berries in a generous amount of water for well over an hour in a covered saucepan. As I checked, they changed from crunchy to pleasantly chewy. I forgot to take a picture of the cooked wheat berries, but here is a photo of the chili, ready to go work.
Coat a large nonstick pot with cooking spray. Cook onions and zucchini for 10-15 minutes on medium heat, until vegetables begin to brown. Add wheat berries, beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, corn, and chili powder, and simmer covered for 30 minutes.
I was so excited when Quaker sent me a whole box of the new True Delights granola bars! Being a food blogger has it’s privileges. There are 3 different flavors: Honey Roasted Cashew Mixed Berry, Dark Chocolate Raspberry Almond, and Toasted Coconut Banana Macadamia Nut. I should preface this review by saying that I don’t normally purchase boxes of granola bars, but they are good in a pinch. Usually I wait until I have a snack emergency and then scramble to buy a bar.
I have now tried each of the 3 flavors, and the Macadamia Nut bar is definitely my favorite. The macadamia nuts are prominent and the bar has a strong coconut flavor. I did love the chocolate chunks in the Dark Chocolate Raspberry bar though. The Cashew Mixed Berry bar did not have any distinct flavors. Overall, the bars are quite sweet, even for someone like me with a pretty big sweet tooth. They definitely taste like a treat.
The major drawback is that they are not very filling for 140 calories. They are fairly small, and didn’t really satisfy my hunger. Based on this, I would use them as a complement to a meal rather than a standalone snack. Give them a try and let me know what you think!
I think I need a more clever title for this recipe as well! I absolutely loved this salad, and it was a great way to use clementines. I put the spinach, chicken, and feta in a container, and then added the clementine sections and dressing just before serving. Next time I would make more dressing, but the juice from the clementines prevented the salad from being too dry.
5-6 c. baby spinach
12 oz. chicken, grilled and cut into bite sized pieces
6 oz. fat free feta
4 clementines, peeled and separated into sections
1 T olive oil
Juice of 2 limes
Salt
Pepper
Toss spinach, chicken, feta, and clementine sections. Mix olive oil and lime juice and add salt and pepper to taste. Pour dressing on salad and mix well.
This recipe definitely needs a shorter title! The soup was thick and hearty, but seemed to need ‘something else’. Next time I might skip the ginger, and use Italian seasoning instead, and add a can of tomatoes. For now, I just sprinkled on some (not freshly grated) Parmesan and enjoyed the warm bowl.
1 c. dry Northern white beans, soaked overnight
4 c. vegetable broth
1 (14 oz.) can pumpkin
3 c. torn kale
1/2 t ginger
Add all ingredients to the crockpot, and cook on low for 8 hours.
This is an incredibly easy and fast side dish. I used more cheese than the original recipe called for, and next time I would mix the cheese in with the vegetables. I would also season the breadcrumbs to add a little more flavor. But overall, I’ll keep this recipe mostly for it’s convenience.
1 (16 oz.) bag broccoli and cauliflower
1/3 c. dry breadcrumbs
3 oz. finely shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1 T butter or margarine, melted
1 T Dijon mustard
Combine breadcrumbs and cheddar cheese; stir breadcrumb mixture well, and set aside. Steam the broccoli and cauliflower, covered, 4 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Drain vegetables, and place in a 1 1/2-quart casserole coated with vegetable cooking spray. Combine the butter or margarine and mustard in a small bowl; drizzle over broccoli and cauliflower, and toss well. Sprinkle vegetables with the breadcrumb mixture, and bake at 425° for 8 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
-Adapted from Cooking Light
My friend Susan sent me this recipe for Turkey Mini Meatloaves, and I finally got a chance to make them myself. I made a few changes to suit both my tastes and the fact that I had purchased ground chicken. The muffin concept makes them easily portable, and I can also put some in the freezer. They taste great, although I admit I still ate them with ketchup, just like regular meatloaf!
1 lb. ground chicken
1 medium zucchini, shredded
1 c. finely chopped onion
1/3 c. uncooked bulgur
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 t soy sauce
1 T Dijon mustard
Preheat oven to 400°F. Generously spray a nonstick muffin pan with cooking spray. Gently mix chicken, zucchini, onion, bulgur, egg, soy sauce, and mustard in a large bowl, preferably with your hands, without overworking. Equally divide the mixture among the muffin cups.
Bake until the meatloaves are cooked through or an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 165 degrees F, about 25-30 minutes. Let the loaves stand in the pan for 5 minutes before serving.
-Adapted from Eating Well
When I tell you this can be served as breakfast or dessert, right away you’ll know it’s good. I made this recipe two different ways this weekend. The more traditional bread version was made with those amazing Arnold Sandwich Thins. The other version was made with bulgur. While I enjoyed this both ways, I give the nod to the bread. It tasted like baked French toast! You could definitely multiply this recipe, and I am sure you could try other types of fruit based on what you have available.
2 slices bread, such as Arnold Sandwich Thins
OR 1/4 c. bulgur, soaked in boiling water for 30 minutes and drained
1/2 c. skim milk
2 egg whites
1 banana, mashed
1 t vanilla
1 t cinnamon
Layer bread or bulgur at the bottom of a sprayed loaf pan. Mix milk, egg whites, mashed banana, vanilla, and cinnamon in a bowl, and pour on top of bulgur or bread. Bake for 30 minutes at 375.
Here’s the bread version just out of the oven:
Here’s the bulgur version in my dish:
I found this recipe on the website fatfreevegan.com. I followed it exactly, except for the turmeric, which I didn’t have in the house. I was nervous about the amount of cayenne pepper, but I was brave and went ahead with the whole 1/4 teaspoon. I know, I am a spice wimp!
Overall, this came out well and was not too spicy, even for me. Perhaps it was too thick, but easily thinned out with vegetable broth.
Sandwiches and wraps are ideal when you need a meal that is portable and doesn’t require a microwave. But I am easily bored by traditional sandwiches, so I decided to try something a little different. My sandwich wrap was a Joseph’s brand lavash. I took eggplant slices, and grilled them on the George Foreman and placed them on the wrap. Then I mixed 1 T reduced calorie mayonnaise and 1 T balsamic vinegar to make a sauce, which I spread on the eggplant slices. I added some sauteed mushrooms that I had handy, and topped it with a slice of mozzarella cheese. Then I rolled it up, and put it in a container to go! Since the wrap was a bit delicate, I wanted to protect it during my travels.
The verdict: The balsamic vinegar flavor was dominant, but luckily it didn’t make the sandwich soggy. It was a very filling meal, but would have been so much better if it was served warm.
Recipes that Fit 