Baked Penne & Roasted Vegetables....

Okay, it's been a while since I updated, and this is ONE of my FAVORITES- best pasta dish, hands down! I got the original recipe from my sister-in-law, but I tweaked it quite a bit so that the ingredients were things I actually had on hand- hope you like it!

Ingredients:

1 red bell pepper

2 green zucchini

2 yellow squash

1 yellow onion

2 handfuls of cremini mushrooms

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/8 tsp. marjoram

1/8 tsp. thyme

Also:

1 lb. penne pasta

3 cups marinara sauce

1 cup peas

1 cup parmesan cheese

+ 1/4 cup parmesan to sprinkle on the top

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450. Put on a pot of water to boil the pasta. Chop all your vegetables from the first list of ingredients, put them in a large bowl, drizzle the olive oil and seasoning on top, toss everything so that it's evenly coated. (Check your water, if it's ready, boil your noodles. You can under cook them a smidge because they will continue to cook when in the oven). Get a roasting pan or cookie sheet (I use parchment paper for easy clean up), spread all the veggies on it, and pop it in the oven for 15 minutes until they are roasted. Take them out, scoop them back into your big bowl, pour the cooked & drained noodles on top of that. Add your cup of peas, your marinara (I use the Vodka sauce from Trader Joe's, it's great in this recipe) and your cup of parmesan cheese. Mix that all together. Spray a 9x13 glass dish (or split it in two different dishes if you want) pour the pasta in and sprinkle your remaining parmesan cheese on top. Pop it back in the oven for about 25 minutes until golden brown on top. Enjoy- I know you will!!!

Trail Mix...

So, my husband LOVES to have something to snack on with him at all times of the day, BUT it has to be filling and have some protein to keep the headaches at bay- so we have come up with our homemade trail mix. I find it super easy to make a huge batch so that it lasts a long time, plus, when you make your own, you only put your favorite things in it and for-go picking around those weird little unidentified objects! So, here's what we put in ours, but again, if you have a different preference, change it up a bit and just use this as a guide/idea!

(I go to Trader Joe's for my trail mix ingredients because of their quality, variety, and prices... but you can go anywhere YOU like!)

Ingredients:

1 bag raw almonds

1 bag raw cashews

1 bay raw sunflower seeds

1 bag golden raisins

1 bag Thompson raisins (dark)

1 bag dried cranberries

1 bag roasted peanuts (no or low salt)

1 bag roasted pepitas (greenish in color)

1/2 bag dried apricots (cut in half or thirds)

If your taste buds like any of the following, you can also use/substitute:

dried pineapple

dried mango

dried papaya

dried apples

dried peaches

dried cherries or blueberries (more expensive, but full of flavor!)

walnuts 

peans

macademia nuts

brazilian nuts (soooooooooo good for you!)

Directions:

I just get a huge bowl and start dumping! If I am tossing in dried fruit, I cut mine to make the pieces smaller and more bite sized. After I have everything in the bowl, I mix it up well, and start scooping into sandwich sized ziplock bags. Then, in the pantry they go, and we take them as we need one. My husband and I always leave a bag in our cars because it is a healthy and filling alternative when a "snack attack" strikes!

WHY RAW NUTS??? I choose raw nuts because they have great flavor, are better for you and your heart and they last longer than roasted nuts!

Taco Salad

This is an old classic for me, tried and true. It's a yummy way to get some good nutrients- lots of beans and fresh veggies- and you choose ground turkey, shredded chicken, or ground beef!

Ingredients:

Romaine lettuce, chopped

red bellpepper, chopped

kidney beans, rinsed and drained

black beans, rinsed and drained

1 - 2 lb. ground/shredded meat w/ taco seasoning

avocado, sliced

* tomatoes

* green onion

* olives

* corn, drained

*cilantro

Cheddar cheese, shredded

tortilla chips, crushed

(All of the * ingredients are optional ideas, depending on your taste buds and depending on what's in your fridge! The other ingredients are a must in my opinion!)

Directions:

Pretty straight forward, depending on how many you are serving (this is a great recipe for big groups) but you just need to wash and chop your lettuce, add your bell pepper, rinse your beans, and cook your meat. Shred some cheese, slice your avocado, and crush some chips on top and then add your favorite dressing and your done! Easy as that! Sometimes I just drizzle some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder before serving and other times I use the Balsamic Vinegar Dressing, then I toss it all together. You can get away with a simple dressing on this salad because there are so many different flavors with the wide variety of ingredients!

Kale Smoothie = Calcium

Ok, I can't help it, I have to launch off--- I try not to do this too often because I know my dietary beliefs are sometimes very different than others, but his one is near and dear to my heart. Since nursing my daughter, I have become even more concerned about getting more calcium in my diet because I know when you don't get enough calcium through your diet, your body will start leaching it from your bones. So, because I am not really a fan of dairy, for more reasons than just flavor, I look to my greens to increase my intake. You have to be careful when looking into calcium concumption because there is more there than meets the eye. For instance, it's not just the amount of mg/per serving, but it's the amount of mg that are actually useable and absorable to your body. An example, one cup of kale yeilds 170 mg of calcium while 1 cup of milk yeilds 302 mg of calcium. BUT- here's where is gets interesting- your body can absorb/use 50-70% of the calcium from kale (107 mg) while it can only absorb/use 30% of the calcium from milk (91mg). So, in short, greens (to me) seem to be like the wiser choice for concumption- especially because they are also LOADED with a ton of other vitamins and minerals- like vitamin A, C, folic acid, and fiber. (** Note: calcium requirements for 1 day are 800-1200 mg for an adult, and increase to 1600 when your prego). Here are some really interesting pages if you are interested in reading more. Calcium1 and Calcium2. Oh, and one more side note while we're here- a major component in ABSORBING calcium is Vitamin D3- which comes from the sunshine. You MUST have Vitamin D3 in order to be able to absorb dietary calcium, which means you should have AT LEAST 30 minutes of sunshine per day. On days when I know don't get this, I take this great suppliment called Osteo-sun. OK, so should I get to the recipe now??? HA! I try to make a kale smoothie 4 times a week, if not everyday- of course it's easier in the summer when you have more fresh fruits, but it's do-able with frozen fruit too. I use my Vitamix (my favorite kitchen appliance because it makes smoothies, soups, ice cream, sorbets, hummus, nut butters, sauces, fruit juice, baby food.... need I go on???!!) to make my smoothies, but you can also use a blender. I add a combination of the following depending on what I have on hand: 1 banana 1 orange 1 handful of frozen mango 1 handful of frozen pineapple 1 shake of frozen blueberries 4-5 frozen or fresh strawberries (with green tops!) 1 handful of frozen raspberries and/or blackberries 4-5 stems of raw kale (I pull the follage off the stem because the stems are bitter) 1 inch of juice (cranberry, orange, pomegranet, pineapple, whatever you have, of course, I think juice NOT from concentrate is better, although it's more expensive) ** If your blender gets stuck or your smoothie is too thick, add more juice. If you don't use frozen fruits, add some ice to the mixture.)

Here's what I start with, an estimation of the amount of fruit:

Then I add my Kale ( and or red cabbage, cauliflower, tomatoes) juice, and flax seed:

Finished product:

See, even Emery like it!
Like I said above, I use a combination of these ingredients depending on what I have- with the exception of the kale- I always use kale!!! (You can use spinach, but your body doesn't absorb as much calcium from it due to the high concentrate of oxalate, kale has a low concentrate of oxalate). Anyways, have fun with the combinations, try different flavors and experiment! No two smoothies ever taste the same in my house- and try them on your kids, my 11 month old loves them!

GREAT CALCIUM SUPPLYING SNACK to have on hand: raw almonds! They have 750 mg of calcuim per cup! Wow-zers!

Tostada Pizza...

A few disclaimers.... it was late, I was in a cooking funk, I didn't want to eat what was on the meal plan.... so I got a bug up my nose to try to re-create a pizza I from CPK- thanks to Vali Nemetz. I pulled some ingredients together and wha-la! It turned out pretty good, in fact, my non-enthusiastic husband exclaimed "This is the best non-pizza tasting pizza I've ever had!" That's a compliment right?? Give it a whirl, tweak it, and enjoy!

Ingredients:
Pizza Dough (bobli, trader joe's, homemade, Papa Murphy's... you chose)
Shredded Chicken (cooked)
Salsa
black beans, 1/2 can
shredded cheese, you choose the flavor, about 1 cup
lettuce, thinly chopped, I used about 1 cup
tomatoes, dices, I used 1/4
green onions, chopped, I used 2 stalks
avocado, sliced, I used 1/2
sour cream, I used a few blobs
tortilla strips or chips

Directions
So simple! It is a great thing to make with left over chicken. I had made some shredded chicken in the crock pot with a jar of salsa (for a different recipe) and thought I'd use the leftovers here.

SO.... back to the recipe... take your cooked dough (like Bobli... if your dough is uncooked, cook it first without any toppings), mix your salsa and shredded chicken together, put the chicken and some black beans on top of the pizza and pop it in the oven for about 5-7 minutes to heat it up. Once it's warm, start adding the toppings, as much or as little of each that you like. First I put on the sour cream and smeared it around, then I put the tomatoes, avocado, cheese, lettuce, green onions, and then crunched some tortilla chips on top. That's it! Simple as pie... pizza pie! :)

Serve with: a green salad or by itself! I think CPK drizzles a little ranch dressing on it too, if you're a fan of ranch you could give that a whirl!

Homemade Rocky Road Ice Cream

So, thanks to Lisa, who left a request for some frozen treats on this blog- we are going to dedicate to her an ENTIRE week of SCRUMPTIOUS homemade treats to enjoy! Some of them are going to defy the rules of "healthy" but they won't lack in flavor or fun... stay tuned all week to find something that you might like to" treat" yourself with!

Entry #1 of Scrumptious Desserts:

Wow, so this is de-licious, and doesn't exactly qualify with the "healthy" motto of this blog calories-wise, but I always prefer to make something homemade, so think if it that way- you are getting just what you put into it- nothing extra in the fine print that some ice creams add! This ice cream is so yummy AND creamy AND chocolatey good, I couldn't resist including it in this weeks "Naughty Desserts" for all to enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz.)

1/2 cup unsweetened coco powder

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

1 TBSP vanilla extract

Directions:

In a sauce pan heat your milk and coco powder until it is smooth and slightly thickened (about 5 minutes). Then remove it from the heat and let it cool. Add your cream, milk, vanilla and spices (including vanilla). Stir and refrigerate until cold. Then pour in your mixture into your FROZEN ice cream canister. Last add your nuts and marshmallows and freeze until hardened.

Recipe from: the kitchen of Debbie Zaballos, my mama

Teriyaki Glazed Chicken Thighs

I originally got this recipe from my sister Danika and I know she won't mind if I share. Prepare yourself for its mouth-watering-goodness. Another perk- thighs are cheaper than breasts and a nice change up if I don't say so myself :)

Ingredients:

1-2 packages of chicken thighs

Glaze:

1 TBSP cornstarch

1 TBSP cold water

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 clove garlic

1/2 tsp. ginger

1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions:

Whisk these ingredients together over low heat in an small saucepan until it begins to bubble. Preheat your oven to 425. Lightly grease a pyrex dish, wash chicken thighs and cut off excess fat (warning, thighs are fattier than breasts so be prepared to trim them up a bit). After the thighs are prepped and in the dish, brush on the glaze, stick in the oven and cook for 30 minutes, turn them all over, brush on more glaze and cook for another 30 minutes (watch for them to get that yummy, dark glazed look and then they are done and ready to pull out!) You can also glaze the chicken at the 15 minute mark on each side to give them more flavor.

Serve with:

I love to serve this over a serving of chewy brown rice, the thighs are always really juicy and it's a nice compliment to the rice.