Sweet & Salty Roasted Chick Peas

SNACK TIME!

I love to just pick all day but with me trying to get my family to eat a little cleaner/healthier I never buy anything to pick on .Now this isn't popcorn or chips but it does the job. In fact I'm eating them as I write this. By the time I'm finish writing this blog they will be all gone. 

Sweet and salty is my thing!!! My favorite thing actually. 

Ingredients 

1 can Chick Peas -Garbanzo Beans

2 1/2 Tsp Olive Oil 

1 Tsp Cinnamon

1 1/2 Tsp Brown Sugar

Pinch of Salt 

Preheat oven to 400 Degrees.

Drain & rinse your Beans.

Place on a baking sheet and back for 30 mins .

(Yes, don't add anything bake naked) Not you the beans,haha

Tossing them around once or twice while cooking .

Meanwhile, Mix Olive Oil,Sugar, Cinnamon,salt .

It will be thick.

Added Roasted Chick Peas and  Mix thoroughly!!  

Enjoy HOT!! 

- You can also do this with Italian spices and add them to your salad!! 

Turkey Spinach Meatballs

Something Light and easy to make.

 I took it easy on the spices because my daughter is starting to eat table food. 

I would have usually added a little red pepper flakes to this recipe.

I just served them plain, But added with sauce or soup would be great too. Turn these into Burgers too!!! 

Here are the ingredients 

1 Pound Ground Turkey or Chicken

1/2 cup Bread Crumbs

1 Cup frozen Spinach, You can add more!

1 Egg

3 Cloves Garlic, Minced

1 Tsp Oregano

1/2 Kosher Salt 

1/2 Black pepper 

1/2 Cup Chopped Yellow Onion 

Preheat Oven 375 Degrees F .

In a large mixing bowl, Mix all the ingredients until well blended .

Lightly Grease your baking sheet.

Form in 1 -2 inch Balls. ( Make them as small or as big as you like )
Bake meatballs for about 25-30 minutes , Turning them a couple times while baking to brown all sides.

Turkey Meatballs! 

Chicken Milanese & Roasted Carrots

I took a Barefoot Contessa recipe,

 a Hungry Girl recipe

and Created a Delicious Meal!

Ina Garten is #1 on my top 3 favorite chefs . Everything she makes is over the top perfect and she always uses fresh and simple ingredients.

Hungry girl- Lisa Lillen well she's just smart! I've been making her recipes for a couple years now!

I'm going to post links to show you the recipes that inspired me to create this.

I didn't use exactly what they used, but I took small parts of each and put them together.

Here is a list of Ingredients for your Chicken

2 Boneless skinless Chicken breast , Sliced thin 

I sliced mine so thin it made 9 cutlets. 

1 Cup Fiber One Cereal

1 Tsp Kosher Salt 

1/2 Tsp Fresh Ground Pepper

1 Tsp Garlic Powder

1/2 Tsp Dried Parsley

2 Eggs 

Cooking Spray 

Fresh Greens & Cherry Tomatos

http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/725

Using a food processor grind fiber one cereal to a breadcrumb like consistancy.

add Salt,Pepper,Garlic Powder, and Dried Parsley to Crumb.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Spray a large cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Coat your chicken cutlets in egg wash and then the crumb mixture.

Place on cookie sheet and spray the top of each chicken cutlet with cooking spray.

Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown and crispy. 

Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/parmesan-chicken-recipe/index.html

1 Lemon, Juiced

1/2 Cup Olive Oil

1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt 

1/4 Tsp Fresh Ground Pepper

1 Clove Garlic, Minced

1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

Add all ingredients to a small bowl, whisk to combine. 

  Place fresh greens and cherry tomato's on top of your hot chicken. Place a tablespoon of your vinaigrette over the top of greens .So Yummy!!

Roasted Carrots 

1 16 oz bag of Baby Carrots

1/2 Tsp Cinnamon

1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt

1/2 Tsp Paprika 

1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder

Pinch of Red Pepper (optional)

Olive oil 

Preheat oven to 400 Degrees .

Slice carrots in half, Diagonally

Drizzle olive oil over carrots just enough to lightly coat.

mix salt, garlic powder, paprika, cinnamon, & red pepper flakes over carrots .

Place on a roasting pan at 400 degrees for about 20 mins, flipping once with spatula.

Dinner is ready!! 

Kale Pesto & Roasted Veggie Pasta

I like things Simple..and this is it .Light and Healthy .

and little Carb never hurt anyone :)
I've made this several different ways
Peas, Brussel Sprouts, Broccoli etc etc ...
Only thing I suggest is to roast your veggies in the oven.

You can also find my Kale Pesto Recipe on my Blog!

Kale Pesto & Roasted Veggie Pasta

2 Medium sized Zucchini 

1 Eggplant 

1 or 2  Hand fulls of Cherry Tomato's
(Add as much or as little as you like )

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

1 Tsp Kosher Salt

1/2 Tsp Fresh Ground Pepper

1/2 Cup Kale Pesto or Store Bought

1 lb Pasta (you pick it)

Preheat oven to 400 Degrees .

I Chopped my veggies chunky  . 

Toss your Eggplant, Zucchini , Cherry Tomato's, Olive Oil, Salt, & Pepper on a large sheet pan  

Roast for about 35 Minutes or until browned , turning once with Spatula.

Meanwhile, Cook Pasta in salted boiling water for 7-9 Minutes until tender .

P.S -THIS IS GREAT AS A SIDE DISH!

Add You 1/2 Cup Kale Pesto to the bottom of a large mixing bowl.

 Take 3 Tbsp of your pasta cooking water and add it  to your Kale Pesto .

This will Create a thick like Sauce !

Drain and add your pasta

Add your Roasted Veggies,Scraping all the liquid & seasoning from the roasting pan into the bowl.

Combine well! 

Top with Parmesan Cheese if you like ! 

Buon Appetito!!

The Amazing Muffin

I'm begging you to make this Muffin Recipe ! NO BUTTER, NO OIL, And you can't even tell!! You have to believe me! You'll never add butter or oil to your cupcake or muffin recipes again, I sure wont!

Skinny Chocolate Banana Muffin

2 Large ripe Bananas

2/3 cup Granulated Sugar

1 Egg

1/3 Cup Unsweetened Apple sauce 

1 Cup  All Purpose Flour 

1/2 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt 

1 Tsp Baking Soda

1 Tsp Baking Powder 

1/4 cup Chocolate Chips , You can add more if you want :)

• Preheat oven to 375 Degrees. Line a muffin tip with with baking cups & coat with a little cooking spray.

In a large bowl mash your bananas with a fork.  I used a kitchen Aid mixer But if you don't have one, a fork works. Mash them well , No big lumps.

 Once your Bananas are mashed....Stir in the Sugar, Egg, and Apple sauce.

Sift the Flour ,Cocoa powder, salt, baking soda , and baking powder into your wet ingredients.

Mix to combine . Don't over mix! 

Fold in Chocolate Chips. Might be a little Chunky .

Go ahead and give it a small taste! Good Right!!!??? 

Add batter to Muffin tin and bake for 18 -20 minutes. My oven is super hot 18 minutes was perfect! or insert a tooth pick. If it comes out clean, its ready!

Makes 12

Don't forget to leave me a comment after you make these !!

Enjoy ! 

Kale Pesto

Kale -High in Fiber,Iron,Vitamin K,C,& E ,low in calories, powerful antioxidants. 

You get the point . Have some Kale !! 

This recipe will make a lot ! So use it on Pasta , Sandwiches, Salads, & Chicken or Fish too!!

Here are the ingredients...

1  Large Bag of Kale ( use Half)

3 Cloves Garlic

1/2 Tsp Fresh Ground Pepper

1 Cup Olive Oil 

1/4 Cup Pine Nuts

1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese

1 Lemon , juiced

Salt to Taste.

Blanch Kale and Garlic in salted boiling water , 3 minutes .

 Drain . 

Transfer to a food processor and puree

with remaining,

 pepper,olive oil, nuts, Parmesan cheese & Lemon .

NOTE-Slowly add your Olive Oil till it becomes a pesto like texture.

You might not use the whole cup of oil OR you might need more if you use a lot of kale .

Jar your left overs!! 

Grilled Greek Lemon Chicken & Cauliflower Mash.

You are going to love love love this recipe! I have been eating Greek Lemon Chicken since a child. My Mother is Greek ,So this was a very popular dish in my house growing up. I hope this becomes one in your home too .

 Thanks Mom!

P.S - Whoever came up with the idea of Mashed cauliflower is an absolute GENIUS!!

Greek Lemon Chicken

1/2 cup Olive Oil

 1 Lemon Juiced

1 Tsp Kosher Salt

1/4 Tsp Ground Pepper

1 Tsp Dried Oregano

1 Clove Fresh Garlic, Minced

2 skinless boneless Chicken- Breast halves 

(There is plenty of marinade if you want to add more chicken)

 In a large bowl, Combine Olive Oil, Salt,Pepper,Oregano,Garlic,and Lemon. Add Chicken to the bowl and toss until evenly coated.

Place Chicken on a hot Grill ,( I used a counter top Grill )  Cover & Cook for 6-8 Minutes on both sides or until juices run clear when Chicken is pierced with tip of Knife, Turning over once .

(You can always pop this chicken in the oven or cook on stove top)

Cauliflower Mash 

I have to apologize I don't have Detailed pictures of this Recipe. It was my first time making this , The baby was screaming ,Phones were ringing , and I was really focused on making it right that I totally forgot to snap Pic's! 

1 Head of Cauliflower, cut into Florets

5 Cloves of Garlic 

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese 

1/3 Cup Olive Oil 

1 Tsp Kosher Salt 

1/4 Tsp Ground Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 Degrees, Place Cauliflower and Garlic cloves in a shallow roasting dish.

Toss with  a little olive oil just to coat! 

Cover with Foil and bake for 15 minutes. Roast again uncovered 15 minutes, or until Cauliflower & garlic   

are soft and lightly browned.

Using a food processor, puree cauliflower & garlic with olive oil.  Add parmesan cheese, salt, pepper,and mix well.You want to end up with the Cauliflower having the consistency of mashed Potato's or Grits .

(thick, not runny)

(The mixture seemed a little dense so I added a splash or two of milk.  After adding the milk, it was PERFECT!! 

Butter or Chicken Broth would work too !)

VOILA!!!

Apple Chips

2 Apples of your choice

1 Tbsp  Ground Cinnamon 

1 Tbsp Light Brown Sugar

I used 2 Tbsp  of each Cinnamon and Brown Sugar . I had so much left over . So I'm thinking 1 Tbsp Should be fine.  Use whatever Apples you like . I have no idea what apple's I bought , all I know is I got the Apple's that were on sale :) 

Cut up the apple slices as thin as possible, up to 1/8″. If you have a mandoline, cut an apple vertically into rounds. 

Don't forget to take out the seeds!

Preheat oven to 225 degrees, then line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

(If you don't have parchment paper, spray your cookie sheet with cooking spray)

Stir together the Cinnamon & Sugar in a small bowl, then sprinkle/sift over both sides of apples.

Arrange the slices on the baking sheet in one layer.

bake in the middle of the oven for 1 hour. Flip apples and bake another hour, or till crisp.

After you flip them, if you see the apples start to curl up they are almost done.

 Keep a close eye cause I burnt some,haha

And now you have Apple Chips!!

Skinny Muffins!

If I say " I'm going on a diet" I will instantly fail ! FAIL.FAIL.FAIL. BIG FAT F!

   Took me a long time to Figure out why I was always failing at my Diets . I think the word itself just makes me have Anxiety .... Now after having a baby 9 months ago and just eating healthy, and working out when I have the time.. I'm Skinner now than before having baby O. I think the minute we put the pressure of "Dieting" on us we go nuts, at least I do. So these recipes are exactly what I'm using to keep the "Pressure"
of dieting off, while losing a little bit of weight, while still enjoying stuffing my face. 

Skinny Craisins Chocolate Chip Muffins!!

1 & 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour

1/2 Tsp Baking Soda 

1/2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon

1/2 Cup + 2 Tbsp Unsweetened Apple Sauce 

1/2 Cup Light Brown Sugar

1 Egg White , Beaten

1 Tbsp Milk 

1/3 Cup Craisins 

1/3 Cup Chocolate Chips

I really wanted to try this recipe with fresh Strawberries or Blueberries .. but at this time of year they aren't cheap so I went with what I had in the pantry. But please use a fruit you like ! I think a Fresh Fruit would make these Muffins much more Moist!

I Left the milk out of this picture and I'll explain later....

1.Gently mix, Flour,Baking Powder, & Cinnamon.

2. With a Fork Mix the Brown Sugar & Applesauce Until together until no brown sugar lumps remain.

3. Add a beaten egg to your Brown Sugar /Apple sauce Mixture. Combine Well!

Add Wet ingredients to Dry ingredients and Combine. Now you can add your Craisins & Chocolate Chips.

I know! Its so stiff !!! Now is when you can throw in about a tbsp of Milk . Just to make is a little easier to mix all together ! ( I hope I'm making sense )

Spray Your Muffin tin or Muffin Liners with Cooking Spray.

Divide the Batter evenly. I used a 1/4 cup spoonful

and it Made 6 Medium Sized Muffins.

(Spray the top of each muffin with a little  cooking spray for color . Remember there is no Butter for browning )

Bake at 350 for about 20 mins. Muffins will be lightly golden in Color and a tooth

pick in the middle should come out clean.

Allow Muffins to cool and Enjoy!