Making your own salsa verde and homemade enchiladas is a labor of love- don't try this during a busy workweek. On a cold Sunday afternoon though, taking the time to turn on the oven to roast veggies, chicken, and creamy enchiladas is definitely a great idea.
Chicken Enchiladas Verde is one of my all-time favorites. I remember the first time I made this and went out in search of tomatillos- I was living in Selinsgrove, PA and wasn't entirely sure my grocery store would carry a specialty item like tomatillos. I did end up finding them, but held up the checkout line because the cashier couldn't figure out the produce code to ring the order up. Thank goodness it all worked out because this has been a recipe I have made many times over the years. Making your own salsa verde and homemade enchiladas is a labor of love- don't try this during a busy workweek. On a cold Sunday afternoon though, taking the time to turn on the oven to roast veggies, chicken, and creamy enchiladas is definitely a great idea.
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This pizza primavera is SO delicious, meat eaters won't even miss the meat, I promise. The surprise ingredient is ricotta cheese. If you've never tried spreading some ricotta on your pizza- do it! For this batch of pizza, I divided my dough into 4 pieces and made individual pizzas- but you could also just do the traditional method and make one bigger pizza. Here are the ingredients I used for this:
1 ball of refrigerated whole-wheat pizza dough 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped olive oil 1 can white beans, drained & rinsed 1/2 of a 15-oz carton part-skim ricotta cheese 1 cup shredded part-skim mozerella cheese chopped veggies: sun-dried tomatoes, cooked broccoli, red onion Roll out dough into either 4 individual crusts, or one big crust. Drizzle some olive oil on the crust, then top with chopped garlic. Dot dollops of ricotta over crust, pressing with the back of a spoon to flatten out. Scatter the beans onto the crust, then add cheese & veggies. Bake at 450 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, or until crust done and cheese is melted. Serves four. I never thought to make my own cocoa roasted almonds until my sister, Rachel, asked me why I was still buying the prepared kind from the grocery store with all the weirdo ingredients. Hmm, make my own? Rachel got her cocoa roasted almond recipe from the blogger Clean Eating Chelsey, so I based my almonds on her recipe too. I eat these almonds as a snack, mix them with my daily yogurt, or even put them on ice cream.
Ingredients: 1 cup raw almonds 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1 teaspoon water 2 tablespoons Hershey's dark cocoa powder 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour Combine brown sugar & water to form a "syrup." Stir almonds in the syrup until coated, then add the cocoa powder & flour and toss until coated. Spread almonds onto a non-stick foil lined baking sheet and roast for 25 minutes at 275 degrees, stirring 2 or 3 times. Chickpeas are so versatile- I use them for veggie burgers, hummus, and many other yummy dishes. Here, I used chickpeas to make a warm stuffing for pitas. This recipe makes enough to stuff 4 pitas, but since I'm cooking for 2 people I combined the leftover chickpea mixture with some brown rice for a quick workweek lunch. The recipe here lists what I used in my pitas, but you could also add your favorite Greek-style toppings like cucumber, kalamata olives, or Greek yogurt. This Buffalo Tofu Salad was yummy- but SPICY! The idea is to have the flavor of wings- you've got your wing sauce and your celery & blue cheese- but with a healthy spin. I was looking at the different buffalo wing sauces at the grocery store and there were so many options. I like things a little spicy but not too crazy, so I almost bought a wing sauce that was labeled as "mild." I ended up cheaping out and buying the Ken's sauce because it was on sale. This salad was delicious, but buyer beware the wing sauce depending on your heat tolerance. It's been 2 weeks since my husband, Matt, started the Healthy Life Project. In case you missed the kick-off, you can read about the start of his adventures here. Things seem to be going well so far; I asked Matt a few questions to get his perspective. V8 in an individual can Which of the four goals has been the most difficult to follow so far?
None has been easy. For instance, I can taste the Coke Zero every time I walk by a vending machine… and the thought of 200-calories worth of organic potato chips still isn’t enough to get me through the day. But with the help of a little V8 juice I’m able to get my three servings of veggies in each day. That leaves the exercise. While I’m supposed to be planning my workouts in advance, I’m more of a “play it by ear” sort of guy. Unfortunately, my ears never seem to perk up when they hear the words “Gold’s Gym.” I’m really going to have to buckle down on this one before the next update. Have you felt any physical differences in the last 2 weeks (i.e. more hungry, more energy, etc.)? To my surprise, I’ve not been ravenous. I am a little hungry at the end of the day, but do I really need to be snacking at 10 pm? (I’m sure Kelly will appreciate that line of thinking). I did notice more energy… for a while that is. But then I took Nicky’s Tabata training class last Tuesday night, and I’ve been a big puddle of goo ever since. What steps are you going to take in the next 2 weeks to continue your healthy lifestyle? Gonna have to switch out those organic potato chips for a special treat that I actually look forward to, first of all. I don’t know how I’m going to do this other one… but somehow I’m going to have to look that adorable little sad-sack of a dog (Sadie) in the eyes, and tell her that I’m going to the gym for an hour. It’s going to break my heart, but it’s for the best. Measurement Update: Weight: 177 Waist: 37" Belly: 38.5" Chest: 41.5" Mama Leone's is a local pizza place right by my house- this is where we usually order from when we're getting takeout pizza. My husband Matt & I typically have a argument about what toppings we are going to get- I won the argument this time. Mushrooms, black olives, & sweet peppers are one of my favorite combos. Mama Leone's adds lots of toppings, the crust is medium thick, and the sauce is delicious.
My healthy living tip for eating pizza is to put only one piece on your plate at a time, and eat slow! I'm sure a lot of people have heard of the 20-minute rule- it takes 20 minutes for your stomach to signal to your brain that you are full. So slow it down and maybe 2 or 3 pieces will satisfy. Harvest Cream Soup is from the Pampered Chef Stoneware Inspirations Cookbook. This was one of the first Pampered Chef recipes I've tried, and it turned out really well. Anything that's made with roasted root vegetables is usually a winner in my book. I roasted the veggies on the weekend when I had time, just like I do with my Butternut Squash Soup. The soup comes together quickly once the veggies are done. I made a few modifications to the original recipe, so here is what I did. This made 4 servings.
Ingredients: 1 butternut squash 1 white onion 1 pound carrots olive oil 1/2 t garlic powder 2 cups (or more) broth 1 12-oz can evaporated skim milk 1 T grated fresh ginger sour cream (optional) Peel butternut squash with either a knife or a peeler, whichever is easier for you. Cut in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds, then cut into chunks. Peel carrots & cut the carrots and onions into chunks. Place veggies on a baking sheet (or stoneware if you have it!), and roast at 450 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until veggies are nice & soft. Combine all ingredients except sour cream in food processor or blender. You may have to do this in batches depending on the size of your food processor. I used about 2 cups of broth, but you can use more if you like your soup thinner. Pour blended soup in to a saucepan, cook until nice & hot. Top with sour cream, if you like. These tofu tacos were smoky, spicy, crunchy deliciousness. My husband, Matt, couldn't stop talking about them (yes!). The inspiration for these tacos was a tofu marinade I came across on Peas and Thank You. I made the tofu tacos for dinner, then had a hodgepodge bowl of the leftovers for lunch the next day.
Ingredients: 1 block extra firm tofu 1 recipe spicy marinade taco shells, lettuce, salsa, cheese, or other favorite toppings 1 can black beans, rinsed & drained 1 cup brown rice 1 cup low sodium broth cilantro For the tofu tacos: The night before you're going to make this, press your tofu. I do this by putting the block of tofu in between 2 plates for 30 minutes, then pouring off the excess water. Cut tofu into 8 slabs, then put into a sealed container with marinade & refrigerate overnight. When you're ready to make your tacos, heat about a tablespoon of oil in a skillet. Pan fry your tofu, turning the planks over to brown on each side. Once tofu is done, assemble your tacos using all your favorite taco toppings. For the rice/beans side dish: Add rice, beans, & broth to a sauce pan. Cook according to rice package directions, adding cilantro to taste at the end. Pumpkin Bars are a go-to snack for my sister, Rachel. They are so good, I knew that I wanted to share them on here, so I asked her to do this guest post. My mom and I both ate a bunch of these pumpkin bars when we were at Rachel's over the thanksgiving holiday. Enjoy!
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